Halloween 2007

Well, Kian was finally not something Blue's Clues related for Halloween hehe He decided to be Thomas the Train. The outfit was perfect for him - last year he was in long sleeves and it was in the 80s! This year it was cooler, but at least we had the option of dressing cool or warm.

Halloween morning we started out by having breakfast at our Halloween decorated table that was have enjoyed all month (special thanks to my Aunt Lori for some cool dishes and decor!). Then we headed off the class. We had a Halloween party where we had some great snacks, sang Halloween songs, did some autumn crafts, and trick or treated "door-to-door" from the doors connecting to the room we were in. Kian had a BLAST! He even did great with particiaption!

There was also a little boy who was dressed as James (one of Thomas' friends). Kian and this little boy played together pretty often throughout the class because of the commonality - so cute!

Here are some photos from Kian at class:







Kian had a blast trick or treating! This was his first year going (we have held off because of his allergy mainly). But this year was the first year he was able to really understand what was going on. He would ring the doorbell and when people would ask "Who are you?" He would say, "Thomas the Tank Engine CHOO CHOO" LOL (btw, that is something he came up with all on his own!) Sometimes he would answer "I'm Kian and then correct himself and go into explaining how he was Thomas." After he said "Thank You" he would say "Let's go find more doors." LOL!

Kian made quite a haul with candy. Unfortunately about 80% of it he could not eat. Needless to say, Jamie will have quite a stash of candy to bring to work tomorrow! Luckily I bought replacement candy for Kian so he does't feel left out. But we did let him enjoy the candy that he did get tonight that was safe for him to eat allergy wise. I'm sure he was in sugar overload mode before bed lol But he was wiped out from all the fun today!

Kian with he Pumpkin that we carved yesterday.



"Let's go find another door!"





Enjoying some candy after his night's work hehe

Pumpkin Patch!

Kian's class went to a pumpkin patch in our area a few weeks ago. We started out with a hay ride to a classroom area where we learned about how pumpkins grow. It started to rain a bit (more like mist) while we were on the hay ride so most of the moms wanted to get their pumpkin and get out! Kian and I took our time. We were able to pick out a pumpkin, a gourd, and a little white pumpkin. We took our time. Got a wagon and loaded it up with our stuff.

Here are some photos of our little excursion. I also threw in a "signature" I made since there are some cute photos of Kian in there :)


Here is me and Kian before the hayride started.


Kian in front of the yearly height sign hehe

Here is Kian with our haul from our visit!

And here is the signature that I made

Kian's first Speech Appointment

Kian started speech therapy yesterday. He actually had a good time. The teacher had him say a word and then would allow him to fish one fish from a game that she had. He really enjoyed himself. Most importantly he responded really well! Kian drops the end sound of some words like cup, truck, cat… The first word the teacher asked him to say was cup, he said “cuh.” The teacher asked him to look at her lips and said “cuP” and asked him to say it again…he said it correctly the second time! He responded well throughout the entire session and even continued on when we came home!

The speech therapist that did Kian’s evaluation said that I would see changes quickly, but really I had no idea that she meant THIS soon! I am very encouraged.

Speech Therepy

This morning I got a call from the person that will be working with Kian. It's close to our house, which is nice and she seems like a nice person. Kian will be starting on Tuesdays at 1PM.

Kian has been making more sentences and actually sounding clearer to us, but he does still need some help. I am really looking forward to getting him started.

Disneyland 2007 Recap

We just got back from our vacation – we ALL had an amazing time! We started with the long trek down to Southern California via the 5 on the last Friday of September. We were surprised at how much of nothing is out there lol! But the trip was uneventful and we had a great visit with my Aunt Lori and Uncle Dave. Toby (our black lab) stayed with them while we were at Disneyland – he of course was spoiled rotton ;)

Sunday afternoon we headed to our hotel to check in. Kian could see the “Hollywood Hotel” (a thrill ride in Californialand) from our room – which we told him was Disneyland and he often would tell us to look out and see Disneyland ;) It was cute! After that, we went to Downtown Disney to look around. We decided to have dinner at the Rainforest Café – it’s a restaurant that has “moving” animals and a “rain storm” at different times. A HUGE snake hanging from the ceiling ended up scaring the poop out of Kian…so we had to sit outside and eat…. We were wondering how the next 4 days at the Disney parks would go! We then headed back to the hotel and before Kian went to bed, we were treated to the Disneyland fireworks…we couldn’t see a lot, but we saw the ones that went high in the sky – Kian loved that!

Before we started our trip, I actually contacted Disney about their food preparations. I called and spoke to the head chef of the park - he was an amazing wealth of knowledge. Gave us a small list of places to avoid. And also assured me that each of their food places has at least one person trained in cross contamination on site - they have to pass an eight hour class in order to be certified to do this! Anyway, I felt very assured when we were there that we would have a great time without any reactions. (speaking of Kian's allergy, in some of the photos you will notice Kian's medical alert bracelet - he's really adjusted to wearing it)

Monday we headed to the park – we took a tram and then discovered that our hotel was very close in walking distance and decided for the rest of the trip we would walk to and from the park. We weren’t sure what Kian could handle ride wise so we thought It’s a Small World would be the best place to start. He’s never been on a Disney type ride before so we wanted to do one we knew for sure was not scary. A while after that we decided to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. I totally didn’t remember how scary it was!!! It has changed a bit because they added some things from the movie – but it was still scary! Kian did AWESOME! There were times he would grab my hand or he would lean up against Jamie but he did AWESOME! So well that we decided to take him into the Haunted Mansion. The Haunted Mansion was done up in the Nightmare Before Christmas theme which was really, really neat! Kian did great there and honestly there wasn’t a ride he didn’t go on – unless he couldn’t because of height requirement. The little guy even rode the Matterhorn TWICE lol

Because of the time of year that we went to the park and because we were there during the week, the park closed at 8PM every night. We decided the first day to let Kian skip his nap and see if he would make it through the day. He did amazingly well! I think it was mainly because he was doing things that he enjoyed the ENTIRE time we were there…heck we ALL enjoyed our time! The only dull moments were when we stood in line – and even with that Kian did fairly well. Every night we stayed for the parade – which is AMAZING! Kian was so amazed by it – even though it was the same thing every night, we were all still in awe :)

Tuesday we headed to Californialand. Jamie and I had never been to that park before so it was a new experience for all of us. We first headed to use some special tickets we got for booking our trip through AAA – we got preferred seating for “A Talk with Crush” – the turtle from Finding Nemo. We all sat right in front and Crush talked to Kian! He called him Kahuna Kian – so for the rest of the day Kian would say “I’m Kahuna Kian!” hehe, so cute! We then headed over to “meet” Lightening McQueen and Tow Mater from the movie Cars. Kian was in awe :) Jamie went on a few rides by himself – the one I did want to go on was Soarin’ over California – which was really neat. Kian and Jamie went on all the rides in the A Bug’s World area. There was a spinning ride that went in the air that looked like it was builtout of food boxes like Chinese take-out and animal crackers. Another ride was like the teacups but it was Francis the Ladybug that spun around and then there were bumper cars. Then we did all went on the train ride which was the caterpillar from A Bugs Life – he ate his way around the track. It was a super cute ride :) Kian enjoyed all those rides – I think he rode all of them 3 times. Californialand seems like it’s more for the older crowd, so once we hit all of what we wanted to ride and see, we headed back over to Disneyland and spent the rest of the day there.

Wednesday we had special passes (again, thanks to AAA) to get in to the opening of Toontown. Toontown in the area of the park where the characters “live.” We got to see a special opening with the mayor of Toontown and was able to get in line and meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Dale (of Chip and Dale). Kian loved that :) After that we headed to Blue Bayou for a special dinner – the restaurant functions on reservations alone and is also on part of the Pirates of the Caribbean – it’s a really neat atmosphere. It was a super neat lunch and really kid friendly – Kian even got veggie sticks and ranch dressing for dipping when Jamie and I got our soup and salad! I was very impressed with Disney and how kid friendly and focused they are.

Thursday was our last day at the park. We also had another perk of getting into the park early one day – and this was the day we chose to do so. We had breakfast at the park and then headed to some rides. Later in the day we stood in line for the new Nemo ride…AMAZING ride and worth the wait! We of course ended the day with the parade and then some souvenir shopping. I think Kian’s favorite item is a Disneyland Semi truck – he’s actually cried at night when he had to go to bed and stop playing with it lol

Friday we took it easy, checked out of our hotel and headed to Downtown Disney for some more souvenir shopping and lunch before we headed back up to my Aunt and Uncle’s house.

We had an AMAZING time and we hope to be able to do it again next year. It was a trip that we all had a blast doing – and really that’s the most important point of having a family vacation.

Here is a short slide show I put together of our vacation. We took over 500 photos! YIKES! So I pulled a select fun few.

Second Mommy and Me Class and Other News

Mommy and Me - Class #2

Today was our second class of Mommy and Me (basically preschool with mom in attendance) and Kian did very well! He is slowly wanting to participate more in the circle time. And I know that the Little Einstein's lunch box we found helped a lot with him actually eating his snack today. Today the kids got to wash baby dolls and draw with wet chalk on paper. They also have paint and easels up in the room and Kian helped himself to painting twice. Thankfully today I dressed him in clothes that I didn't care if they got stained...because Kian was wearing purple paint after the second go. I might need to head out to the thrift stores for some long sleeved shirts at a good price.

We also played outside for a bit - even though it was quite windy. We played with playdough and of course the train set. And Kian even participated in about half of the stuff we did in circle time. Thankfully some of songs that we did in our Terrific Two's class were the same so Kian knew what fun it was to join in.

He did get upset when he had to leave the trains to head home - luckily the lunch bag helped us in getting him out the door...he likes to help and I asked him if he wanted to carry his lunch bag. He even held it on his lap the entire way home hehe I think that bag was the best $5 spent!

FALL HAS ARRIVED - I think hehe

Well, the weather has turned pretty cool for us here in California. We haven't really had the air on at all and in fact today it's way too windy for us to have the windows open....even with them closed it is very cool inside. Cool enough for me to think that I might have to set up for the heat to kick on tonight!

We gladly welcome fall and all the wonderful things it brings :) Once we get back from Disneyland, I'm going to set my eyes on when we should go to the pumpkin patch!!!

SPEAKING OF DISNEYLAND.....
We leave in 9 days!!!!! I've already started making lists of what we need to pack and we have already started figuring out how Toby, the stroller, Kian and our luggage will all fit in the car.

Also, I was looking at the Disneyland page and noticed that it will be decorated for Halloween! How fun!! I'm really looking forward to that and I know Kian will be just in utter amazement :)

Update, a Brag and some Personal Notes

Update on Tantrums

IGNORING WORKS!!!! Jamie and I have been ignoring Kian's tantrums and seriously within just a few days we have noticed a difference! Now the big thing for me will be our next trip to Target. There are a lot of temptations there for him - things he wants to touch. The last trip ended with him having a scream fest because I wouldn't let him touch something - I guess we will see what happens!

Bragging about my Little Guy

I feel like I have only been sharing the things that are wrong with Kian lately and not all the wonderful things he knows or has done. So I wanted to take a few mins just to share about the nice stuff :)

When we were at class on Wednesday, one of the moms was in a previous class with us and told me she was floored Kian knew his ABCs and could identify the letters. She said neither of her two boys knew them and one of them is now in kindergarten! She wanted me to give her tips on how to get her kids to learn. I honestly drew a blank because I have no idea how I taught Kian really. He has had bath letters since he was about age one. I would sing the ABCs to him a lot...and honestly he couldn't sing the song until probably this summer sometime. But he could identify letters for sure - I could even ask him to find the "F" and he could point it out on a page.

Goodbye Albertson's - Hello Lucky's

I'm not sure if Albertson's grocery stores have changed all over the state to Lucky's but ours in Livermore have. With that we had to say goodbye to the only French dressing in probably the state of California that I can make Orange Dip and Taco Salad with. Jamie and I tried a country French by Ken's Steakhouse with our Taco Salad this week and we thought it tasted good...the real test will be if it will be good in orange dip. I'm going to make a trial run batch sometime this week to find out.

Also, with Lucky's comes a new word for Kian. He has trouble with the letter "l" - which I am told is very common at this age. So Lucky's sounds like "Yucky's" LOL

Halloween Decor - SCARY!!!

Halloween stuff is out in the stores now and with that comes all the scary masks and decor. This is the first year that Kian has really noticed it. Walking around he will tell me he's "scared" Jamie and I plan to take him out Trick or Treating for the first time this year...I am wondering how he will do. I plan to have replacement candy on hand for him since most of what is out there is probably processed near nuts.

This weekend we plan to shop for a costume for Kian - this will be the first year where he's been involved with picking out his costume! I'm pretty excited :)

As of today, 14 more days until we leave home for our Disneyland vacation!!!!

Terrible Two's? LOL! And Kian's first Mommy and Me Class

Man, if the two's are supposed to be so terrible, I wonder what people think of the threes? "Have Mom Committed" Threes or Tantrum Threes. I don't know. Whoever coined the term terrible two's must not have been around for the threes...that's my only guess.

In the last few weeks Kian has been in rare form. He has been throwing tantrums and they are getting worse and worse as the weeks have gone on. I'm beginning to wonder if he's been body snatched and where my well behaved boy went.

Yesterday I shopped Target with him screaming in the cart because I wouldn't let him hold a toy. That was a real joy. Today was our first day of Mommy and Me (essentially preschool but mommmy comes) and he threw at least two huge fits. Luckily one of the moms told me that everyone has been there and backed up what mine and Jamie's plan of action is in dealing with them. Ignoring. It's hard to do but the only way to combat this behavior.

Kian did two things at class - he painted a picture using cars as the "brush" he really liked that. And he played with a train set. I am guessing it will take him at least a month for the newness of the train set to wear off...the kid has trains at home so it's not really "new" but he plays with them almost all day long. I had a good time singing some new songs while sitting in circle time - trying to lead by example and asking Kian if he wanted to sing with me from time to time. I'm hoping my Kian returns soon....I miss him :(

Speech Evaluation Update

Kian’s speech evaluation was this morning. It was at the school that Kian will attend kindergarten at so it was neat to see the place!

When we got there I had to sign some paper work (I think mainly because in California this is something that the state pays for). The speech pathologist asked in a round about way that I not stay in the room so that Kian didn't focus on the fact that I was leaving. I could hear what the teacher was asking (but I stayed out of sight). Honestly it was then that I realized just how bad Kian’s speech is :( I couldn’t understand most of what he was saying to her at one point. I think because Kian and I are always together and I can see the context of things I can take a great stab at what he’s saying.

Kian did really well with listening to what the teacher wanted him to do. After he was done she asked him to tell me he was through and he went to play while I talked to her. She said he definitely needs help. His main issue is that he’s not putting the ending on his words. Like he says “Ca” instead of “Cat” She did tell me it was something that could be easily corrected and he will be speaking in a way that everyone will understand by kindergarten.

I guess what’s going to happen is he will go to sessions once a week for a half hour and at the end of the year the speech therapist will re evaluate him. She said I will probably be able to see dramatic changes. I go in to meet with the speech pathologist the day before we leave for our Disney trip so that she can go over a report she has to write up and have me sign some paperwork. After that we will start the appointments and I will have more information.

I just very glad that Jamie brought this issue to my attention and we pursued it.

Toe Update and other Random Tidbits

Toe Update - Treatment #4

I just realized that I've been so busy that I forgot to update on my toe. Today I had my fourth treatment. She froze the warts this time...she did that last time too. Luckily this hurts just at first and gets better as the day goes on. With the other stuff she used the first two times it gets worse as the day goes on and leaves me completely immobile.

We are gearing up for our trip to Disney - we will be leaving on September 28th to spend some time with my Aunt Lori and Uncle Dave before we head to Disneyland. I let my doctor know about our trip and my concern about walking. She wanted to put that nasty stuff on my foot again this last time...I told her it scared me :( so she said she would freeze it again and told me she thinks that after one more time freezing that these warts in this area should be gone. She also said she's hopeful. That gives me hope! The area does look a lot better...and I'm glad she's ok with doing the freezing because that kind of pain on new skin would be close to unbearable for me. She told me she could give me Vicodin for the pain (yes, it's THAT bad) but I'm not sure I could function on Vicodin and take care of Kian.


Kian's Bracelet

It seems that Kian's bracelet has pretty much become a part of him. He really doesn't figit with it much anymore. It's also serving it's purpose. Kian and I went to Trader Joe's (a local grocery store) yesterday and the cashier noticed his bracelet and told me she had no idea that they made them like that. So, it's doing it's duty...letting people know of his allergy but also looking cute at the same time.

Happy Labor Day!!!

Our Extended Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

We had a good weekend spending time together. Jamie was on call and didn't have to go into work (thanks to being able to monitor emails and talk with people at work via his cell). We didn't venture too far from home though, just in case Jamie had to go into work. We did some shopping and made a trip to IKEA (we are really, really needing some new desks and some different organization in our office). It was low key but it was good to finally have Jamie around!!!

Update on Kian's Speech

Last week I got a call from the school that Kian will attend for kindergarten. The have a speech evaluation set up for September 11. I guess it's a pretty lengthly process , but the teacher said that she will do it as long as he will allow. Hearing that made me feel good. I am just hoping to have more information and tools to be able to help Kian speak better. I will post an update when I can on his appointment next week.

Medical Alert Bracelet

We got Kian's Medical Alert Bracelet that I posted about in a previous entry. Jamie had to put it on him....it's really hard to snap on him. We put it on him on Sunday morning and he's had it on ever since. He was slightly annoyed with it at first but he's really used to it now. I am going to try to take a photo of him with it on - but I am going to wait until next week sometime. We are really trying not to draw attention to it in the hopes that he really gets used to having it on.

Photos

Here are some photos from this summer. I have a lot more in my snapfish account. If you would like to be added to the list to be able to view them just leave a comment in this post and I will gladly add you :)

Kian on our back patio :)


Kian petting an elephant at Discovery Kingdom with Daddy:




Petting a donkey that was walking around the park:


Daddy and Kian on a frog ride!


Kian with Thomas the Train in the background - he really was happy in this photo we were just trying to get him to look at the camera instead of Thomas lol:

Our Saturday and some Updates

Thursday I took Kian to see the podiatrist. He had Kian walk up and down his hall...he did this all the way on his toes. Then he asked him to run and as he was running the doctor turned to me and said, "Mom, he's fine." PHEW! A wave of relief went over me! He does want to see Kian in 6 months to make sure he's "not liking walking on his toes." So I scheduled an appointment right away.

Thursday mornings is the usual day that I have my treatments done on my toe every other week. Since Kian had his appointment Thursday and I had to be able to walk and drive about 20 mins (it's really hard for me to even sit in a normal position..my foot has to be propped up) I had it scheduled for Monday morning. This actually worked out good because I can actually walk on my foot right now. Saturday Jamie was able to take the day off and we all went to Discovery Kingdom (the amusement park that has animals). We all had a great time. It was SO good to be able to get out of the house...I seriously have been locked inside almost full time for over the last month. We were going to try to go to some different shows this time around but Kian really wanted to see the dolphin show so we went there...we have been every time we have gone to the park lol He LOVES watching them so of course we had no problem with going. Thomas Town was also open so we all got to ride Thomas the Train and Jamie rode with Kian on a helicopter ride that was also a Thomas thing. Jamie and Kian actually rode a bunch of rides together and played on some climbing structures. I think we all had a good time although Jamie says his legs are sore and I'm just beat hehe But I know we are all glad we went especially since it will be another two weeks until I can do anything again.

Saturday was pretty much our weekend. Jamie headed back into work Sunday morning - luckily he didn't have to go in last night after we got back from the park...that was a big possibility for him. Today my goal is to clean the house and shop for the next week and a half at least. Standing for more than 30 seconds is VERY painful so I am trying to get microwavable or quick fix meals for us over the next week.

If you think about it, say a prayer for me because I think I see two warts coming back into the new skin area :( I will know more tomorrow but I sure could use those prayers.

Medical Alert Bracelet is On the Way!

Well, my nervousness of Kian's allergy sent me searching for medical alert bracelets. I talk to Kian from time to time about his allergy, but he still has very limited understanding...and I'm sure it will be a while before he really grasps it.

I scoured the net for a bracelet that well...didn't look like the bracelets I remember kids having to wear when I was growing up when they had diabetes or epilepsy or something along those lines. I found a place that sells ones that have a band on them with different scenes! This is the one we though Kian would enjoy the most right now:




The band will fit him now up until his wrist is 8 inches around (it's a little over 4 right now). We also have the ability to order other bands like soccer themed, bugs, camo....there are a lot of choices so when he wants something we can order it for him. I am now praying that it fits good AND he won't be bothered too much by wearing it.

When Food Kills

The link below is only about 10 mins of a video about food allergies and the seriousness of them. Please watch. Thank you. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=397657414346223887&q=peanut+allergy&hl=en

Update....

Bye-Bye Training Potty and Hello preschool!!!! YIKES!

Since Kian started using the "big" potty we took removed both of his training toliets. He seemed to notice but not care at all about the change. He hasn't used them in over a week and it's nice to have that floor space back.

This week I realized that we will be able to enroll Kian in preschool because he's fully potty trained now (well, during the day anyway). Kian and I will start a class in September where I attend preschool with him. I feel like that will be a good transition for him and I can help him understand what is going on and what he will be doing for about 4 hours a week starting this winter.

I have to say that I am EXTREMELY nervous about sending him off to preschool where he will not be under my watchful eye. I'm sure that during that two hour period there will be snacks. I am for sure will be checking in with the teacher before he starts to make sure they are aware that he can have reactions to odd things that people wouldn't think are processed near nuts (like the cinnamon sticks I mentioned in the previous post). I seriously have visions of something terrible happening to him - nightmares - because of someone else's inability to understand the severity of this allergy or just deciding I'm an overbearing mom gone crazy about this issue. When Kian goes in for his flu shot this fall, I will be requesting a presciption for another Epi-Pen so I can leave it in his cubby at preschool. I'm praying for a teacher with understanding.

What I am looking forward to is having that time to do work and do other things that are hard or impossible having him with me as well as seeing him learn and grow in ways I feel I cannot provide for him at home.....especially in the area of having playmates. Although it's such a huge step in my mind...he's still my little guy!!!

Late Hours....Again

Are you sick of me saying this lol! I seriously cannot wait for this project to be put to bed as those in the newspaper industry say. We have about 6 weeks until Disneyland. I am starting to talk to Kian about seeing Mickey and Minnie and I am REALLY looking forward to going myself. We are also starting to plan out legistics of getting down there with Toby in the back of my Matrix. My Aunt Lori and Uncle Dave have GRACIOUSLY offered to dog sit Mr. Toby - he's going to be so spoiled lol It will be like a vacation for him!

Toe Update

Last week I had more treatment done to my toe. Same stuff put on top of new skin feel s WORSE than the initial treatment. I've been sitting on the couch so much over the last week I think my butt is imprinted on it now. Poor, poor Kian. I feel stir crazy so I can only imagine how he feels. We ventured out on Tuesday when my foot feelt pretty good....well, I think that did me in. Since then I haven't been able to walk really or do much of anything else. I can't even sit without my foot level with my body without it throbbing with pain.

I am not looking forward to going to back a week from Monday. But I am hoping there will be only a few more times of going back and I will be done.

Our Big Boy and Other Stuff

Kian's Gaining in Big Boy Status!

Wednesday Kian wanted to go potty on the big potty. So, I pulled over the stool he uses for the sink. Kian had yet to do number two on the potty so I thought maybe this would be a great transition for him to do that. The next day Jamie stayed home from work and when Kian told us he needed a Pull-up (for number two) Jamie asked him if he wanted to use the big potty. Kian pooped on it for the FIRST time and that's been the only place he's done it for the last 2 days :) Let me tell ya, we are all very happy that there will be no more poopy pull-ups!

General Update

Thursday morning I went back to the dermatologist to retreat my warts. (If you are squeamish you might not want to read on).

She cut off the dead skin which was most of the bottom of my big toe. Then she reapplied this nasty stuff that causes the blisters to get rid of the ones that were still there. Putting that on new skin hurts like HELL. Well, it doesn't hurt right away but it sure does after about 10 hours. Friday was the worst...I woke up because I was in so much pain...and since Jamie is working late I am on my own with Kian in the evenings....I barely got him to bed...standing hurts the WORST.

So, right now I am sitting on the couch and I am parked here for as long as I can be. Poor Kian is mainly on his own - unless we are sitting on the couch reading stories and that lasts only so long for my active little man. Luckily Jamie is working today and staying home Sunday - I am hoping that he can do something with Kian because I know the rest of the week will not be good for outings in anyway.

Poor Jamie has been working a lot lately again. Weekends and late nights will be the normal around here for the next month at least. It really stinks the timing of the stuff with my foot and work...but we are trying to make the best of what we have. Also keeping in mind that we have a little less than two months before our Disney trip!

Our Little Scare Sunday

Jamie's been working some crazy hours. In fact, he had to work on Sunday all day but was home for dinner. We decided to order a pizza. We found a deal through the place we like to get pizza from where we could get a large specialty pizza, cinnamon sticks and a two liter of coke for under $20.

Kian has had this pizza many times before. He LOVES it. We weren't sure on the cinnamon sticks because well - it was a new thing for him and we were unsure of where things were processed. I gave him a small bite of a cinnamon stick. He didn't seem to have a reaction so we gave him a whole stick (about two inches long). As he was eating the last bite he started making a weird fact....I thought he was just goofing around. Well, he wasn't. It was then that I noticed hives forming on his face where ever crumbs/cinnamon and sugar landed. Jamie made a smart move of having Kian spit out the food - which Kian gladly complied. I went to the medicine cabinet to get the benedryl to find it was expired!!!!!!! Jamie grabbed the bottle and headed to Target so he could make sure he got the right stuff. I got Kian wiped off REALLY well and sat down with a new cup of water and read stories until Jamie returned.

It was quite a scare! I have been SO careful monitoring the food that Kian has that he hasn't had any sort of reaction is probably a year. It's funny because people think that if the item does not have nuts that it's ok for him to have....these were just cinnamon sticks. Pretty much a churro...they were good...but they were also apparently processed near nuts and will never cross the threshold of our door again.

The Joys of the Game Industry and other things

Late hours have now arrived for Jamie. I'm glad that he was able to hold off on working like a dog until now so that me and Kian could have more time to spend with him. Right now Jamie is working on the weekends and very, very late during the week. Last night he didn't get home until after midnight and was back at work at his regular time in the morning. Luckily both he and Kian were up earlier than normal so they were able to spend some time together.

I'm also having some problems getting around. I had a sizable cluster of warts treated last week. The treatment has caused the whole bottom of my big toe to be pretty much a huge blister...it's pretty painful to walk...luckily the other pains subsided after the first day or so. Unfortunately for Kian this means not going to the park and that I am limited playing with him even on our back patio. Sitting on the ground is painful on my foot for some reason.....we are making the best of what we can though....but it is tough. I will be going back for another treatment next week :P Not looking forward to that but it's necessary!

We are a little under 2 months away from our trip to Disneyland! Right now that is what my eyes are focused on - having Jamie with us for the full week and hopefully by then my warts will be all gone and I won't need anymore treatments.

Random Happenings

The Simpson's Game

Below is a link to the official website of the game that Jamie is working on. Right now he's working some crazy hours - comes with the territory of the job. Anyway, give it a look! :)



I've Been Inked

Yep, it's true! July 1st I went and got a tattoo that I have been wanting for a long time. It is a Claddagh. It's an ancient Irish symbol that I have loved pretty much forever. It means Friendship, Loyalty and Love. It's on the inside of my left leg, right above my ankle. Here is a photo:



Weird Weather

We have been having some strange weather for our part of the country. We got rain earlier this week! Yes, rain! Craziness! We don't get rain but only in the winter...it's kinda like Wisconsin getting snow in July!

We have been enjoying the cooler weather though. We been able to turn the AC off and have the windows open for most the day. Honestly, this time last year we couldn't go outside because it was TOO HOT and the AC would run without turning off once all day long.

This weekend things are supposed to be back to normal with temps in the 90s. that means early morning play times again. But that's ok with us! Comes with the territory of living in Cali :)

Busy, Busy, Busy....

Jamie is in the thick of his project right now. He's planned on coming home at his normal time on Tuesday and Thursdays. Kian has really been missing his daddy a lot and has enjoyed having him around on the weekends. We are hoping that we continue to get him on the weekends for sure though the summer - Jamie has been on call for the last few weekends and **knock on wood** has not had to go in. For now, we are trying to make the most out of family time weather it's 5-10 mins in the mornings or a full day on the weekends.

Big Boy Update

We officially have a big boy in the house!!!

We have been working on potty training for the last month or so. Kian is doing VERY well. We are down to virtually no accidents and he wears underwear all day (minus when he's napping or sleeping).

He has also been sleeping in a toddler bed for the last week or two. His crib converts to a toddler bed and he's been sleeping in there and doing VERY well.

Kian's also becoming more independent with doing things on his own and even asserting his desires more often. He certainly is becoming a little man more and more every day.

Family Photos, Kian's 3 Year Photos, Father's Day, and Ratatouille

PHEW! I just realized today that I haven't been updating my blog! Bare with me because there is quite a bit to catch up on ;)

Family Photos and Kian's 3 Year Photos
First of all, a few weeks ago we had our family photo taken for the first time! We also had Kian's 3 year photos taken. Here are some of the photos:












Here are two fun little things I did in photoshop so I could use them as a signature on a message board I frequent:







Kian did pretty well during the session. He really wanted to play the toys they had more than pose for the camera, but I think we got some really good shots. The place we went was called Kiddie Kandids and they worked with us really well. We are definitely going to go back next year.

Father's Day

We had quite a weekend the weekend before Father's Day. Jamie ended up battling an infection which landed him on stronger antibiotic and in bed so we were all looking forward to a great Father's Day weekend. Jamie wanted to go to Discovery Kingdom on Saturday and we all had a great time there!

Here is a photo of Jamie and Kian right before the Killer Whale show:


We saw the dolphin show again, the killer whale show, and Kian got to go a a few new rides (thankfully daddy went on those with Kian hehe). We also went inside a butterfly aviary which was AMAZING! Kian was sporting his "My Dad's the Man" t-shirt. We got quite a few laughs from people who saw his shirt hehe

Sunday we took it easy. Jamie opened up his gifts from Kian and myself. Kian got his Daddy a UK t-shirt and a t-shirt and hat set that said Superdad on it. I got Jamie a hat and shirt set that said Grill Sargent.

I think we all enjoyed our weekend - it was a great time spent with our family enjoying each other.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille is the name of Disney/Pixar's new film that is coming out next weekend. One of Jamie's co-workers and good friends wife works for Pixar and got us all tickets to see a special screening AT Pixar yesterday! This was Kian's first time viewing a movie at the theater too!

The Pixar studios are located in an area of the Bay that is well, is pretty much the ghetto. It is on it's way up thought with some nicer businesses and such. Honestly, once you get inside the Pixar gates, you have no idea that you are even in the city. The campus has paths winding around some wonderful landscapes, a fence that has shrubs covering it so you can't see anything past it really. In side there are life sized sculptures of the popular characters from some of Pixar's movies. The first one that greets you in the lobby are the Monsters from Monsters Inc....let me tell ya they scared Kian a little bit even though he's seen the movie many times lol The big one was taller than Jamie!!

The movie theater was VERY nice. The floors were carpeted and the seats were wide and plush. They were SO comfortable!

We all had a good time. The movie was VERY good. Kian became disinterested about half way through through and was more interested in playing with the very comfortable seats in the theater. I think that's pretty typical 3 year old behavior though.

Here is a slideshow of our time at Pixar:

What a Week!

This week has been filled with some not so fun stuff. It's funny how sometimes bad things just happen all in a row.

Tuesday:
Jamie went to see our dentist to get work done for a temporary crown. He then found out he needed to see a periodontist to get some gum and bone work done. Jamie was able to get an appointment to get it done on Wednesday.

Kian and I attended a playgroup that broke off from our class that we were going to over the last year. We had a great time! The thing that went wrong was when one family brought their German Shepherd puppy with them to the park. Kian decided that he wanted to pet it - I was about 20 feet away from him and since there was another kid (an older sibling of one of Kian's classmates) and the owner was right there I figured it would be ok. Well, it wasn't. The dog bit Kian on the nose. The owner did abosoultely nothing to correct the dog and he did not check to see if Kian was ok. Kian just turned to me, grabbed his nose and started to cry hard. At the time it didn't leave a mark but after we got home and through the day there was a clear mark on his nose and lip. Really, we were very lucky that nothing worse happened! I also learned a valuable lesson to be on top of Kian...I thought the owner was responsible but they were not.

Wednesday:
Jamie went to the dentist for dental work. He came home and said he wasn't going to go into work. He had scripts for a very strong pain killer and antibiotic which I quickly went to Safeway (our local supermarket) to get filled. I needed to do some shopping anyway.

I dropped of the scripts and did my shopping. Our Safeway is undergoing some remodeling right now. As I walked around the store filling my cart I could see different things taking shape. One thing I noticed was a station that had nut grinders and the words of different nuts on a sign above the station. They are going to be making different nut butters there!!! Yes!!! In a supermarket where they carry items that have items in the store that legally must have labeling if the items were processed near nuts or other high allergens is now on its way to becoming a nut processing plant itself!!!

I spoke with some people as to when this was going up and no one could give me a time frame. I ended up calling Safeway headquarters to find out what is going on and ended up on the phone with the assistant manager of the store I shop at. Everyone I spoke to was very friendly - the first person was very shocked that something like this was in the store. The assistant manager said that allergies never crossed her mind with the station going in. I informed her that she at least needed to have a sign in front of the store saying that they are processing nuts inside or they could have a lawsuit on their hands. I also let them know that since their station is right next to the produce section it makes things much worse. I told her that if one of Kian's friends brings say Strawberries to a party we have they will be contaminated and Kian will probably have a reaction from it. The assistant manager informed me that she is going to be telling her district manager about this issue. I doubt anything can be done, but I wanted to make sure the knew of the seriousness of this situation. Kian will never be able to set foot in that store, nor will he ever be able to safely consume any food from there while that station is in the store.

So, I began a search for another nearby grocery store. This weekend we will be moving all our prescriptions over to Target. I have shopped my last at any Safeway store. I have also contacted the FDA asking them how stations like this are even possible to exist in a grocery store. I have also started to compose a letter to Safeway as well just because I feel like there is more power behind that than just a phone call. I am also on a Peanut Allergy message board and have been posting there about this issue. Some other mom's and sufferers of nut allergies have joined voices with me in talking to Safeway about doing this. Apparently they are not the only ones to have these stations.

Jamie was pretty much out of commission and rested the whole day - poor guy! We had no idea that this was this serious until after it was done.

OH! And when I was leaving Safeway, I discovered that somewhere over the last few days someone decided that they wanted my "Support your Troups" and "Irish" ribbon magnets. They are both gone :(

Thursday and Friday:
Jamie went to work doped on pain meds. Thankfully the guys he carpools with were able to drive - he can't drive while taking that stuff. When he gets home he just is beyond tired. I am glad that he has the weekend to recover.

PHEW! And now we are to the present time. This week I have lost a lot of sleep just thinking about my poor Kian being bit and then having nightmares of him having a reaction to something from Safeway.

On a more positive note, Kian is on his way to being a big boy and using the potty! He is wearing underwear and using the potty consistently throughout the day. I can't believe how much of a big boy he's becoming!!

Memorial Day Weekend

Our weekend started off on Friday. Jamie took the day off and we spent it at Discovery Kingdom (). It's an amusement park that has animals in it! Jamie usually rides on at least one roller coaster while we are there but we were all having so much fun just walking around, seeing the animals, and taking Kian through the child area and doing things with him there :)

We went to a Dolphin show - Kian was BESIDE himself during the whole show - it was so neat!




We saw penguins, a tiger show, and the walruses. There was one walrus named Jocko who was VERY entertaining! He seriously was performing for us and seemed to be enjoying himself! I am quite positive that he could see us through the glass - he would clap his fins when we would clap our hands together and seemed to be looking Kian right in the face! Apparently he was also in the movie 50 First Dates - along with some of the dolphins...it doesn't shock me because Jocko was such a good entertainer!




Saturday we rested up and got some things done around the house. Sunday Jamie went golfing with some buddies from work while Kian and I did some shopping for grilling on Monday. Monday was a day of getting some more things done around the house and the evening was spent relaxing with a movie and a yummy grilled dinner :)

All-in-all it was a great weekend! Most of all because we were able to spend some good family time together :) We are all looking forward to when we can go back to Discovery Kingdom!

Kian's Birthday Celebration Weekend!

Saturday we had our friends Steve and Lisa over to celebrate Kian's third birthday. Jamie went and picked out a balloon bouquet for Kian. The main balloon was of Blue's head and then there were three other balloons that had the number three on them. Kian LOVED them!

We had turkey burgers, corn on the cob, my mom's baked beans, and of course Kian's birthday cake that I made (and to be honest I'm pretty proud of if I may say!)

Then Kian opened gifts. We saved a few gifts from his actual birthday so that he would be able to enjoy them in spurts. Lisa and Steve bought him some coloring books (a Mickey Mouse one to help him get started thinking about our trip to Disney this fall and a Blue's Clues one that you can actually wipe clean - how cool is that!). They also got him a Magnadoodle...I'm not sure who enjoyed it more - Steve or Kian hehe ;)

We all really enjoyed having Steve and Lisa over :) Here's a fun fact - Steve and Lisa were actually the first people that saw Kian right after he was born. And even though they have lived out of state, somehow trips back to the Bay Area have coinsided with Kian's birthday so they have been with us literally for each of Kian's birthdays. How cool is that! :)

Sunday (today) we took it easy in the morning and then in the afternoon we headed to San Jose (about a 45 minute drive) to see Sesame Street Live! We all had a great time! In the Arena were two old phone booths (minus the phones lol) and Jamie found a ledge where he could set up the camera to automatically take the photo while we all shut ourselves inside. That was really funny hehe Kian LOVED the show! He kept yelling "Hi Big Bird" and waving to him - so of course we had to buy him a Big Bird stuffed animal at intermission - he held it the ENTIRE time even the whole way home! The show was really fun, the characters REALLY looked like the puppets come to life! There were some really funny dance routines and great songs that everyone joined in and sang.

All-in-all it was a great weekend and I think Kian really enjoyed the celebration of turning three!

Here is a slide show of the celebration of Kian's birthday - it starts with waking him up on his actual birthday on through until Sesame Street today :)

Here are some photos of the paw print cake I made for Kian's Blue's Clues themed party that we had yesterday. It's not the best, but I was pretty proud of it because well, I'm not cake decorator! hehe




Here is a video of Kian the morning of his birthday - we decorated when he was asleep so it felt like Christmas almost!



Here is a video of Kian enjoying his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse:

On the Menu last night was a Pea Up the Nose

So, last night I was feeding Kian. I warmed up some frozen peas for him, put them on his plate, turned around to wash out the bowl I had them in and Kian said something like “Where’s the green bean?” I turned around to tell him they were peas and that they were on his plate and found Kian with his finger up his nose!

I tilted his head back and sure enough it was in there – WAY up there! I asked him to blow and he sniffed in – so I showed him how to blow and he didn’t understand. So I tried to get it suctioned out with a bulb syringe - holding one the other nostril shut and nothing worked.

I called my mom and emailed Jen (my sister used to stick stuff up her nose all the time and my friend Jen is just my go-to gal when it comes to needing veteran mom advice because her oldest is 10 and she has three boys :)) Both of them suggested calling a nurse direct line.

The nurse asked me to do certain things with Kian and honestly by this time I couldn't see the pea any more. The nurse said to get him to a doctor within 6 hours....ugh! It was almost 7 by this time so Kian and I headed to Urgent Care. Jamie met us there after he got home from work.

Once Jamie got there, he said that he did a bit of research on the net about kids getting peas stuck up their noses...I guess peas can swell so the longer you wait the more stuck the pea can become. It's a good thing we took him in.

Anyway, luckily Jamie's general physician was the doctor in the Urgent Care last night - someone we know and trust. So, the doctor looked in his nose with the devise that they use to do that and he could see the pea! So, he told us that one of us needed to hold the nostril that didn't have the pea in it closed and make a good seal around his mouth and blow. Jamie did it and after two blows the pea flew out! It was amazing LOL

So, we got home an hour after Kian's bed time but at least he's pea free lol And hopefully he won’t be putting things up his nose again – but if he does at least we know what we can do to get it out if we can!

Kian's 3 Year Check up :)

So, we went to a new Peds office and I REALLY liked it (you might recall my really horrid experience with our first ped in the area when I was getting ready for our trip to Wisconsin).

The doctor was SO friendly and you know how you can just tell those people that really, really like kids verses those that don't really know what to do when they are near them...well this doctor was definitely one that loved kids and loved his job. You could just tell.

Anyway, Kian weights in at 28lbs which I figured out is about the 15 percentile. And measures 36" which is also about the 15 percentile. His weight is up from what it has been in the past (5-10 percentile) but the doctor assured me that he is not fat. The doctor says he's just thickening out and that's a good thing :)

The exciting thing is that they guessed Kian would be the same height as his daddy (5'9")! I was very pleased to hear that since the short gene runs on my side of the family - I guess we will find out how true that all is in about 15 years lol!

The Ped answered ALL my questions. Kian even seems to be above target in some of the things that he is doing at this age (throwing a ball, jumping and things like that).

I feel very confident with this doctor in going back to this Ped.

Oh, and Kian also got a shot :( A Hep shot, but I didn't realize it an wasn't able to really prep Kian for it. I felt so bad that I took him to McDonald's for dinner lol (a special treat for him!)

My Baby Turns Three Today!

I can't believe that three years ago today I was in the midst of my 18 hour labor with Kian. I remember the first time I saw him after he was delivered, how the first thing I noticed was his LONG eyelashes (that he still has) and how much he looked like his Daddy.

This last year has been one of discovery for Kian. In the last year he has started to put sentences together, learned to say A LOT more words than I can count and looks more and more like a little kid every day than a baby.

We started getting read for Kian's big day last night. I wrapped Kian's gifts and Jamie hung up some signs my Aunt Lori had made for him - one is a big birthday cake that's a card holder - it says Happy Birthday Kian and the other is a banner that says Happy Birthday Kian on it :) Jamie also blew up a few balloons for Kian to play with.

I set out some Blue's Clues plates and napkins for him to eat on today, Jamie put together his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so we had that sitting out with his other gifts.

This morning it felt almost like Christmas! Kian saw his Birthday Cake sign and flipped out :) He was so surprised!

We then let him open his gifts and we played with him for a little while before Jamie left for work. I am SO glad we decided to do it this way because we definitely wanted Daddy to be apart of the festivities too!

Today for lunch we went to McDonald's for some chicken "wuggets" and later we will have some cupcakes that I made last night when we went to bed :)

We will be having more of a party on May 19th and then the 20th we will take him to see Sesame Street Live for his birthday - so I guess the celebration will be over the next few weeks! hehe

Happy Third Birthday to my favorite little man! What in the world would we do without you!


(I made this for a signature on my message boards to celebrate Kian's bithday - I just thought I would share :))

Photos from Wisconsin Trip

Recovering

Kian and I are still recovering from our big trip. We had a great time visiting family, but now it's back to the daily grind.

Kian and I hung around the house the last few days. I wanted to give him plenty of time to just play and be on his own schedule again. It took a day or so to break Kian of waking up at 6:30 (he usually wakes at about 8AM) and he's been napping a lot lately which has been good for him to get back in sync and get over the end of this cold.

So, now I am in catch up mode. Jamie did an AMAZING job of keeping the house in order. I just have laundry to catch up on and the normal day-to-day things to do. I also have a huge back log of work to catch up on. I've spent the last few days trucking through as much as I can every day during Kian's nap - I'm still not even remotely caught up :(

I finally went grocery shopping today so I am not longer Old Mother Hubbard's rival. It's funny to go from a fridge that has pretty much nothing to one that barely has room to groove!

Kian and I are looking forward to spending all weekend with Jamie. We really don't have any plans per say, just to be together and enjoy each other. We all missed each other so much!

Recap of Kian's First Trip to Wisconsin

Let me preface by saying that Jamie had to stay home while Kian and I traveled to Wisconsin. Jamie is getting deep into the project he's working on and was unable to leave. It also was a bit of a stretch for just me and Kian to go....if Jamie came too we would have to tack on the cost of parking and kenneling Toby (our dog). SO, Jamie had to stay home...we all really missed each other a lot. But the trip was worth it :)

Tuesday, April 24 –
Kian and I head out from San Francisco to Wisconsin. We get in late and have little time to visit before Kian needs to get to bed. It was very good to be back home, but after a long trip it was good to rest.

My mom, my sister Laura, Laura's boyfriend Brian, Grandma and Grandpa Z. and Aunt Lori were all there to greet us when we passed through the security point.


Wednesday, April 25 –
Laura took a day off of work and went shopping with us downtown Appleton so I could do to the Irish store there. I probably could have spent all my money there! I was able to find a wall plaque with Kian’s name on it in the store! I had to special order it, but it’s going to be worth it! Where else can you find Kian’s name but in an Irish store ;) I will take a picture of it once I receive it – I think it’s pretty cool!

That evening was a celebration for my cousin Melissa’s 21st birthday. A bunch of family members gathered at Frank’s Pizza Palace for some GREAT pizza and beer (well for those who were of age ;)) Kian had a great time hugging his third cousin (my cousin Steve’s daughter) Ameerah and going to see what he called the “whale” in the fish tank in the front of the restaurant. It was a great time to visit with family and Kian’s first induction into being at a big family event.

Thursday, April 26 –
Wednesday night Kian woke up screaming in the middle of the night. He had caught a cold the day we left on our trip and I was afraid he might have an ear infection – especially after I asked him if he owies and he told him his ear did after he finally calmed down. I felt SO bad for him. So, Thursday morning I called our insurance company to find an urgent care in the area that would take our insurance. Luckily there was one nearby (and it only cost us $10). My step-dad, Randy, drove us there since so much has changed in the area and I had no idea where the place was! Kian was ok, we were just told to keep him on cough meds and pain reliever to prevent the infection. He was much better after that.

My mom took a half day of vacation and was done with work at 11AM. We picked up my Aunt Lori at my Grandparent’s house and headed to the Fox Cities Children’s museum. We all had a good time. In fact, I’m not sure if Lori, mom or Kian had more fun lol! There were a lot of things to do there! Kian was able to “shop” at Kwik Trip, play doctor, ride a fire truck, work a crane, play with a ball structure that was really fun (we have photos of that, it’s hard to describe), play in a water exhibit and tour a Hispanic cultural exhibit phew! We all did have a great time!

For dinner we ate at Tom’s Drive In – and yes I did have fried cheese curds ;)

Friday, April 27 –
Randy and Mom took off of work. It was Randy’s birthday. In the morning Kian and I watched him open some gifts and we hand delivered our cards to him. Kian was able to play outside with Mom’s dog Hannah – they had a good time. Later on Kian met his Great Grandma and Grandpa Lopas (Randy’s parents).

That evening we went out for a classic Wisconsin Friday Night Fish Fry. Kian didn’t have fish (he’s not able to have fish until he’s about 5 because of his food allergy) but he did have some jello and yummy chicken nuggets. I really enjoyed my fish though! Yum!

We went back to Mom and Randy’s house while everyone else went out to a bar near the house. Laura visited with me and Kian until his bed time. Then me and my mom switched places so I could spend some time with my cousins at the bar. The seriously funny part is that BOTH me and my sister (who is 27) were carded!!! Let me tell ya, I was pretty proud to have someone ask me for my ID being that I turned 30 in October ;)

Saturday, April 28 –
Since I knew that Kian would be really overwhelmed by people, I planned a day at home for me and Kian. He loved being able to have time to play with all the fun little toys my mom got him.

After his nap, we started to get ready for the big party – my Grandma and Grandpa Zuelzk’s 50th wedding anniversary. Kian was pretty overwhelmed at times – which was to be expected since he’s never really been around that many people that wanted to see him! My sister and her boyfriend Brian sat near us and were big helps with Kian (thanks again guys!) The dinner was great so was the entertainment! My sister and Brian sang some songs that were special for my grandparents. My uncle Steve put together a picture slideshow of family from the beginning of the 50 years of marriage on down to the great-grandchildren. It was really neat to see that – he did a great job! Then we were asked to clear the dining area so they could set up the dance floor. In the bar area, where we were waiting, there was one of those machines that has all the stuffed animals in it with a crane to pluck them out. Laura spent about $7 trying to get one out and then my cousin Melissa walks over and gets one after putting a dollar in! My third cousin, Camlyn (she’s 3 ½) saw Kian’s toy and wanted it. So after Laura gave it two more tries my cousin Melissa walks over and gets another stuffed animal! So Kian and Camlyn both had one. Kian wouldn’t let go of his all night - it even followed him to the dance floor! Kian and I headed out well before everyone else. Kian was beat and honestly so was I. I put Kian to bed and was able to just relax a bit before heading to bed myself.

Sunday, April 29 –
Kian and I relaxed a bit in the morning and then got ready to head over to my Aunt Sue and Uncle Terry’s house to visit with the Kesler side of the family (some of my dad’s sisters and brothers). My Aunt Katie drove about 2 hours from Milwaukee. My Uncle Jim came with his wife Debbie and daughter Jenny from Madison area (about a 3 hour drive I think). My Uncle Paul was there as well as my Aunt Sue’s daughter Becky and son Craig. Laura and her boyfriend Brian were there as well. My Aunt Jane in Texas “joined” us via telephone after dinner was over. It was a pretty good turn out, in my opinion :)

My Aunt Sue had a wonderful BBQ planned which had some of the same foods I had a lot growing up – like Knox Blocks and Beautiful Salad. That really brought back a lot of memories for me. Not to mention, my Aunt Sue and Uncle Terry live in the house that my Dad grew up in and I guess I did a bit too. I have a lot of memories of spending time at that house.

Kian had a good time walking both my Uncle Paul and Uncle Jim around the outside of the house. I think they both probably walked about a mile with how much Kian was asking them for walks :)

It was very good to visit with them. I am very thankful for those who traveled a long ways to see us and for my Sue and Terry hosting the shindig.

I took Kian home for a much needed nap. When he woke up we headed over to my Grandma and Grandpa Zuelzke’s house to visit with family there. Kian had a GREAT time playing with Camlyn.

Monday, April 30 –
We kind of took it easy. Mom and I went to the mall so I could look at some pieces live-in person of my Fiestaware so I could figure out what I wanted to add to my collection. We also walked to another store in the mall, which passed by the service desk where they have a TON of balloons. Kian saw a Blue’s Clues balloon that my mom couldn’t resist getting him. I think he played with that all day on Monday. We had lunch at Tom’s Drive In again – per my request :) After we ate we headed to the cheese store near my mom’s house for some fresh cheese curds so I could bring them home with me.

Then we headed over to Brian’s house for cook out. Brian made some GREAT brats and we had some other yummy things like beans and Best Chocolate Cake. My Aunt Lori, Grandma and Grandpa Zuelzke, and my Mom and Randy were all there. We shared family stories and shared some wine. Then it was time for us to say our goodbyes.

Tuesday, May 1-
Kian and I got up early to start our trek back to Wisconsin. My Aunt Lori, Mom and Grandma and Grandpa Zuelzke came to say goodbye at the airport. My Grandpa bought Kian a Packers baseball hat. Kian was a big crank and he wasn’t in form to give anyone a hug goodbye so he just waved and blew kisses (after I prompted him). It was hard to leave, but I am so happy we were able to go to celebrate my Grandparent’s special day.

We're Back!

I don't have much time to post, but I wanted to make sure I updated that Kian and I got home safely.

I am slowly working on a long post along with photos. Right now I am swamped with work and trying to get some household things done. This morning I spent a good chunk of time trying to research a new doctor for Kian since he needs his 3 year check up!

Anyway, more later! Kian and I had a great time, but it's good to be home :)

The Littlest U2 Fan :)

Well, today Jamie installed my early Mother's Day gift. It's a radio/iPod dock for me to listen to music in my kitchen. Today Jamie and I were wanting to make sure the sound was right on it so I told him I wanted to turn on music I knew...which of course is U2. I turned on the song Mysterious Ways and the moment that the chorus came on Kian sang the words EXACTLY in tune and the correct words! Jamie found the camera and was able to catch Kian in action enjoying the tunes...we are trying SO hard not to laugh!

Here's the video ;)



The REALLY funny thing is that after we took the video we went to Target. Jamie was walking around in a completely different section from me. All of a sudden I could hear Kian singing at the top of his lungs: "It's alright, it's alright, it's alright. She MOVES in mysterious ways" ROFL! He's been singing off and on all day lol

I guess he's for sure the littlest U2 fan.

M – I – C – K –E – Y M – O – U – S – E

WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!!

We just booked our trip for the end of September! We are all so excited about it! It will be our very first family vacation…and well our very first vacation really that we have had since Jamie and I took our honeymoon 5 years ago!

Jamie will be very busy with work until the project is over mid September. We really wanted to take Kian to Disneyland for his 3rd birthday this May, but really it’s impossible for Jamie to get time off. So, we did the next best thing :) We booked a trip for after the project is over.

We are going to be staying at a “good neighbor” hotel which gives us an invited to the early entrance into Toontown where we get to see the Mayor opening up the town for the day. Kian will be able to meet all the characters and get autographs! He will be COMPLETELY beside himself when he meets his girlfriend Minnie for the first time hehe. We will also have VIP seating for a talk with Crush – the turtle from Finding Nemo.

We are really looking forward to spending some time as a family and really enjoying ourselves on our FIRST vacation…what better place to do it than at Disneyland :)

Some Photos from St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day in the "Mc" Durall Household :)

St. Patrick's Day was yesterday and if you know me you know that it's ranked up there with Christmas as being one of my favorite holidays! I have Irish roots on both sides as was taught at a young age that eing Irish was something to be proud of and most definitely should be celebrated on St. Patrick's Day.

In my house that means that the day after Valentine's day decor comes down and my shamrock and other green/Irish goodies make their appearance. My entire family was decked out in green yesterday. Jamie (whose name is really Jameson) wore his Jameson Irish Whiskey t-shirt, Kian wore a I ♣ You t-shirt and I wore my green TREASU(RED) shirt (fyi, the (RED) is an organization headed by Bono that helps pregnant mothers in Africa who have AIDS receive meds to help them live longer and not pass the disease to their unborn child). Even our dog Toby was wearing a green, shamrock bandanna :)

For our little shindig we invited our couple friend Steve and Lisa over for an Irish Feast. I made corned beef, cabbage, a cabbage salad one of my Irish Grandmas (Grandma Kesler) always made, smashed potatoes, and a trifle. Everyone thought everything tasted so good - I was most concerned about my trifle as it was my first go at something like that it turned out amazing (thanks to good ole Betty Crocker hehe). We also bought some Harp Beer (made by the same people that make Guiness just not dark) and of course we always have Bailey's on hand :)

We all had a great time! I was sad to see the day end but of course as any one who knows me pretty much everyday I celebrate being Irish :)

My Meat Eater, Detective Work and TJ's

Meat Eater

Kian has become more of a meat eater! In the past I would cut up the meat we were eating and hide it in his mashed potatoes or rice or whatever side dish we were having. In the past, Kian has been odd about different textures in food and meat is definitely one of them. Well, last week for dinner I make a turkey breast in the crock pot. I hide his meat in his mashed potatoes and gravy and sat down with my plate of food. He asked for a bit of my meat so I gave him one – I think that by the time we were done eating he had at about one fourth of the meat I had on my plate for myself! The next time we had that meal I gave him his own slices of turkey cut up into pieces he could manage and he ate it all! I am so happy he’s finally putting aside that texture deal in the meat category :)

Speaking of food, Kian has really been packing it away lately! He normally will leave something left on his plate – eating most but leaving some. Since this past week he’s surprised me at the amount he has consumed and left me wondering where the heck it all goes! For example, for lunch one day last week he ate a half package of Easy Mac and Cheese, three Gerber hotdogs, a cup of green beans AND an entire can of mandarin oranges! This has honestly left me wondering how I will keep food in my house once he gets into this teen years hehe

Detective Joe Speaking!

Blue’s Clues has been kind of replaced by a show called Blue’s Room. The show stars Blue has a puppet with her brother Sprinkles. Joe is also in the episodes as well as some other puppet friends, but Blue and Sprinkles are definitely in the spotlight. Anyway, to my knowledge there are no more episodes being created of Blue’s Clues (although Nick Jr. still airs them and Kian asks to watch them often).

Well, Blue’s Room is a pretty good show too in my opinion. Kian has liked them so much that he has requested only one show from Blue’s Room when he asks to watch a show. One episode is based only on shapes and is called The Shape Detectives. The premise is that one of the other character’s paintings has lost all of it’s shapes and the Shape Detectives have to help him find them. Blue, her brother Sprinkles and Joe are all detectives and the slogan for their company is “Shapes, shapes all around. Shapes are lost and then they’re found.” Well, at one point in the show Joe gets a hot tip on the phone about the missing pentagon and he answers the phone, “Shapes, shapes all around. Shapes are lost and then they’re found. Detective Joe speaking.” Kian has learned this phrase from watching (or listening to) this episode countless times. He goes to his toy box, finds his play phone and will say exactly what Joe says. He even has asked me to do it with him but I say “Detective Mommy speaking.” So, naturally that’s what Kian says now too. The CUTEST thing is how he says Speaking. I will have to try to get some video of him saying it because really there is no way for me to do justice with it by trying to type it out :)

Kian is becoming such a little man :)

Trader Joe’s coming to Livermore!

I am SO excited that Trader Joe’s is FINALLY coming to Livermore! For those of you who don’t know you can check out this link: www.traderjoes.com This store has some amazing prices on most of the thing that you would buy in your normal super market. They also sell a lot of organic and vegetarian things as well. It’s seriously my favorite place to shop, so much so that I drive on the 580 for about 10-15 mins (if there is no traffic) to get there! I buy most of our food there and shopping there every two weeks for all of us I spend about $60 each time…that’s unreal for a family of three and the FULL cart of items I walk out with.

Anyway, Trader Joe’s is going to be opening up in Livermore next week! It will still mean I have to drive a bit of a way to get there because of it’s location, but I don’t have to take the freeway (which means I can go late or early in the day and not worry about sitting in my car for a half hour there or back from the store.) Next week is my Trader Joe’s shopping week and I hope to be doing it at their new store! WOOT!