You're Wearing an F'ing Belt!

So, I might have had a little wine with dinner and might be in a bit of a snappy mood, but I've got to get this off my chest. What is the deal with wearing pants so baggy that you have to hold them up as you run across the street to beat the green light? AND YOU ARE WEARING A BELT TO HOLD THEM ON. BELOW YOUR ASS!!! WTF We went back to our old 'hood for dinner tonight. It's been almost 2 years since we've moved out. Things have changed.....and not for the better. Sad, since I really liked our house and loved the location-close to downtown, but yet far enough away. (Well, not anymore.) I guess when we lived there I was immune to these things or maybe more open minded bc (before children.) Maybe in my *gasp* old age, I am becoming judgemental. I like to think of it as more intolerant of those not using common sense. You see, there is a thing known as a belt. It was intended to be an aid to hold your pants up. Not to hold them down around your ass cheeks. What makes anyone think I want to see their tighty whities or boxers du jour?! Also there is such a thing as a waistband measurement that is about the size, or a little larger if you like wiggle room, as your waist measurements themselves. When did it become acceptable to wear pants 4 sizes too large? I know people fluxuate, but I've never heard of someone that is a 32 waist needing a 42 waist. Things got so bad in this particular city that the school system wrote into their dress code about wearing baggy pants and t-shirts 6 times the size you really need to wear. Guess this guy didn't get the memo. I get that this "look" comes from ill-fitting prison garb. No belts in prison to help hold your trousers up. This is not prison. You have a belt. Use it the way it was intended. This is not Compton. It's looks ghetto and it is contributing to turning a once lovely neighborhood into just that. Sad. That is why we moved our family out. No way in hell is my son walking home from school showing his ass cheeks off to the neighborhood.

Lolita Poster Child

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We braved this..... so we could enjoy this..... The radar shows what?!?!?!?

Our friend, Chef Matt, will be leaving Lolita to take on the new Bar Symon opening in Avon Lake at the end of June. While I'm sure things at Lolita are going to remain awesome and we'll make a pilgrimage to the new place, we will miss getting to see Chaty on a regular basis. You see, Avon Lake is a bit of a longer drive than Tremont is for us, by about 40 minutes! Not exactly an easy meal to plan with the kids. We had all our faves....pizzas, ricotta dip, fried brussels sprouts, creamy polenta, dates, and pot de creme. After unbuttoning our pants, it was off into the sunset torrential downpour for us.

Pictures From Our Five Days of Fun

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23606&id=1418118548&l=56a7d1483d

Enjoy!!

Looks like my Grandpa is kind of snapping out of his bizarre behavior. He knows his name, addy, etc, but still has moments of saying silly things. Someone brought him a stuffed dog and he told my mom that the dog had puppies. Let's hope this is medication induced. He may be moved tomorrow, as long as he has an OK night.

Five Days of Fun/Grandpa Update

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com We've done a lot since Thursday. Metropark story time about worms, Great Wolf Lodge, Fatheads, Day Drinking for Mommy, Cook-out, parade, and garden shopping. I managed to stay mainly unplugged from my laptop and it was NICE. Even nicer was that Bill tried to do the same. Something we need to make an effort at each night and weekend. The kids got some good play time with their Dad. I've got tons of pics to go through, but will get to them tonight. I wish I could say I had a good update on my Grandpa, but I don't. Things were looking good on Thursday & Friday. He got a feeding tube inserted on Thursday and when I saw him Friday he said he was actually feeling better. He was telling me how when he was a kid they were poor and his mom died very young and he was often hungry. He said that is how he has felt much of the past couple of years as he has been suffering with this condition. He was lucid, coherent, and was going to be moved to the rehab for a few weeks until he could get stronger for surgery. His mind was (and has been) sharp as a tack. Then the wheels fell off the wagon. He started hallucinating on Friday night, had to be restrained, and has not really snapped out of it since. He told everyone he was kidnapped by 4 guys and was being held in the basement of the Justice Center (he is retired CPD, so he knows the Justice Center.) He told my mom to sell his house for $7, so he could buy a plane ticket and move to Texas. In the last 24 hours, he has calmed down and is mainly sleeping. We were hoping it was adverse effects from the meds used during surgery, but those should be out of his system by now. I did a little research today to see if the feeding tube and hallucinations go hand in hand. They don't seem to. It seems more that these are the final steps on this part of his life's journey. I'm trying to ease my mom into that since earlier in the week things were hopeful that could have this surgery and be comfortable for some more time.

Hard Day Of Play

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com I love my kids lives. Seriously. They have it made. They wake up. They are diapered, fed, dressed, and ready to roll by 9am. There is always something fun on their agenda. Today we had errands. Boring stuff, but the highlight was vacuuming the car at the car wash. We don't go through the car wash, as Reagan has a fear of it at the moment. After that we went to the park where they tackled all sorts of new things. Nolan named the rock wall the "speed bump slide."

They both tried to climb this wobbly ladder and Nolan finally succeeded. Reagan would get to the top, but just couldn't figure out how to pull herself up from that big of a distance (Nolan found a spot to wedge his foot, so he made another step for himself.) Reagan was so funny, the whole time she was trying to pull herself up, she was mumbling, "I think I can, I think I can." Priceless.

Just a few weeks ago, they could not get on the bouncy frog & horse. Today, I turned around and there they were, riding away. One less thing they need Mommy for. Nolan thought it was a riot to stick his head through the bars before going down the slide and he wanted me to kiss him. He would giggle and pull his head away, until I finally landed one on those apple cheeks of his. The taste of his dirty, sweaty, skin was sweeter than lemonade. He is so completely edible! After the park, we picked up a pizza and ate in the car while watching the lake, using their frisbees as plate. Just call me Mommy McGuyver. After dinner we headed outside for more playing. Completely.Dirty.Playing.

What a life!!!!! I'm so glad I can give it to them.

Party Pics

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Birthday pics here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22979&id=1418118548&l=991794ae19

Do me a favor.....if you are not registered to facebook, let me know what happens when you click the link. Does it want you to register or can you just look at the pics? I'm still having trouble with my usual site that I store on, so I'm giving this a shot.

Birthday Redux/Papa Update

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Before I could write a post recapping Reagan and Nolan's birthday, Mother's Day happened, then they got sick, they are teething, and finally my Grandpa fell and went into the hospital on Thursday (details later in this post). To say it has been a hectic week is putting it mildly. Pictures will be coming soon. I'm trying to get them uploaded, but I've just about had it with photoworks and would like to move to another site, but they have about 11 YEARS worth of our pictures on-line and I'm not about to lose that. Blogger is also giving me fits tonight, so I'm throwing in the towel with pictures and just getting a post up. The celebration this year was MUCH smaller. I promised myself (and everyone else) I would only put myself through 1 huge birthday party. The weather cooperated at times, but the party still ended up in the house for cake and presents--"Christmas" as Nolan called it. Leaving me with one very trashed house at the end of the night. The theme birthday parties at on-site locations are looking better and better each year! LOL While Reagan may have looked like she had a run-in with a cougar, it was more a meeting with the driveway. It was pretty awful for a few minutes.....the silent scream, followed by the real one, a la Godfather III. She survived and was back on her trike in less than 5 minutes. Nolan continued on with the sidewalk chalk while this was going on. He gets very focused when he is doing anything artsy or building with megablocks. I have said this before, but Reagan and Nolan are so blessed. They have a small biological family, just because Bill and I come from small families ourselves and both their Grandpa's are gone. But they have so many friends that consider them family. They have many Aunts, Uncles, and even a Nonnie and Grandpa Fred. I have to say that those people are family to R & N. When they talk about the people that "love them so much" (and we go through the laundry list every night) after the bio family always comes Aunt Deb, Aunt Jan, Uncle Sam, Uncle John, Nonnie, & Grandpa Fred and others depending on who they have seen recently. Bill and I are so thankful that our friends have accepted our children, that they love them, have taken the time to get to know them, and do things with them. We come from a very mixed group of friends, some with kids, some not, some single, some not, so throwing kids into the equation was kind of scary. Would the friends that didn't have kids still want to do things with us? Lucky for us, Reagan and Nolan made friends with some VIP's and get us into the hottest restaurants in town so our friends still keep us around! LOL On to the Grandpa situation: He has slowly, but steadily been losing weight (and strength) due to an esophageal condition that leaves him unable to swallow over the past couple of years. On Wednesday night he fell in his living room and was unable to get up or get to the phone to call for help (we've tried to talk him into a life alert button, but he said he would not use it.) Anyway, he was discovered probably 16 hours later by my mom and his neighbor. They finally talked him into going in the hospital. There it was discovered that he also has pneumonia and has been having abnormal EKG's, in addition to severely swollen legs. They are taking things day by day at this point and he is refusing a feeding tube. There is a doctor that seems to think he can do surgery to help fix the esophagus (where was he 4 years ago when my mom was taking him to all kinds of doctors and no one would help?), but first he has to get the pneumonia cleared up. So, please think a kind thought for him (and my mom as this is very hard on her.) Tonight Nolan was talking to Quacky (his cribmate/pillow/stuffed duck) and I heard him say, "Quacky very sad." I asked him why Quacky was sad and he said, "Papa's sick. Papa's very sad." If he isn't the sweetest thing to walk this earth...... of course, he took his cement truck to bed with him tonight so don't think for a minute he isn't "all-boy" too!

The Ick

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I'll get to a post about the kids birthday parties in a day or two. They have both been sick. What started as teething has turned into full-fledged colds, fevers, etc.

We all had a sleepless night on Monday and, thankfully, last night was better. I have no idea how we survived the first 3 months of their lives!

Poor Nolan couldn't even keep his eyes open for his "feature" before naptime. He has NEVER just fallen asleep sitting there. Poor little guy.

730

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Two years ago, at 1:05pm & 1:06pm, two wonderful people came into this world. They were hardly bigger than a sack of sugar, one a 6lbs and the other 5lbs, 6ozs. They were the stars of the nursery, and more importantly the best thing that could ever happen to me.

We named them Reagan Bryn and Nolan George and we quickly became the Pchak4. It was like they were with us all along. Two years ago, on Mother's Day, I got to bring home those shining stars. A better gift one could not receive. The emerald earrings they got me were a nice touch though ;-)

A lot has changed in two years. I so miss those tiny little fingers griping mine so tight. I never thought I'd be so blessed to hold two at the same time, and now I can't imagine life without either. They have grown and are becoming independent, but every so often need to run back to Momma for a cuddle. I cherish every one of those cuddles. I've wanted to let them grow at their own pace and have quickly found that to be an astonishing rate. At two, they know their A.B.C's, can count to 14, know their address-city, state and zip (well sort of--the zip is always 99), know all the words to "Now I Lay Me Sleep", and sing songs ALL THE TIME. Twinkle, Twinkle, Mary Had A Little Lamb, theme songs from favorite cartoons, Old McDonald, Wheels on the Bus, 5 Little Pumpkins, My Little Puppy (the last two are songs that I learned in 1st grade and my mom taught them those.)When we drive somewhere they tell me what is coming up and they have favorite things to go past....the "dolphin" building on the Shoreway for example. They have adventure routes they go on with Grammy and find all sorts of new things each time. Reagan and Nolan are welcomed into some of the cities finest restaurants and have been complimented on their behavior at almost every meal we have eaten out. They have eaten food cooked by an Iron Chef and several James Beard winners! While they both enjoy new experiences, Nolan is a little more open to trying new foods (boar at Momocho last week) and getting up close with animals. So thank you, Reagan and Nolan for the craziest, most emotional, heartfelt, full of love 730 days I could ever have imagined. When I put you to sleep at night, I am already looking forward to the next morning when I open your door and you both yell, "Good Morning, Sunshines!"

The Photo Session

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com We took Reagan and Nolan for their 2 year pictures on Friday. It went better than the 18 month session, but not as good as the 1 year. Nolan was his usual photogenic self and Reagan, was, well....Reagan. A bit stubborn. Well, not a bit. A lot. That is my girl. The link to the complete album on facebook...for those that read this that are not already on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22180&id=1418118548&l=70466855f6 Saturday is the birthday party. They are calling for 45+MPH winds. Wish me luck!!

Right Choice

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com From the minute Dr. Papay walked into the office, we knew we were making the right choice. We were going to let this man cut our sons head open from ear to ear and take his forehead out. That is enough to make me sick just thinking about it, but the confidence Dr. Papay exuded made it seem as easy as removing a hangnail. Nolan 4 days post-op. Some people questioned our choice of the Cleveland Clinic over Rainbow Baby & Childrens. We are so lucky to be able to have these two choices in our backyard, but again, it just felt right and Dr. Papay studied under the man that pioneered the surgery Nolan had. Can't get much better than that! Today, Bill asked me if I had read about the face transplant done at the Cleveland Clinic. When you stop to think about it, that is a truly amazing thing that modern medicine can do. A new face. wow. Turns out our Dr. Papay headed up the team that did the surgery. Guess metopic craniosynostosis is nothin' compared to a FACE TRANSPLANT! Bravo Dr. Papay.

His Grandpap Would Be Proud

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com If you knew my Dad, you know he loved space. He would take his Saturday afternoon six-pack into the backyard and stare up into the wild blue yonder and contemplate the possibility of existence beyond Earth. Seriously, he would sit in the backyard for hours just chillin' and thinking. His favorite t-shirt said, "Beam me up Scotty. There's no intelligent life here." Today the kids inherited a couple of Buzz Lightyear dolls. They don't know who he is, but they immediately called him their "robots." Nolan was especially interested in making him "fly" and talking to him. After he played a while (and Buzz repeatedly said "I'm Buzz Lightyear...."), I asked Nolan what his robot's name was and he answered, "George Pike." Laughing and crying at the same time. Yep, my Dad would have loved these kids, but there is a little piece of him inside my Nolan. I can feel it.

Lions, & Tigers, & Bears

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We are putting our zoo membership to good use. Today we focused on the primate & aquatics house. Nolan and Grammy had a great time at the shark tank. She said he was giggling so loud and saying the sharks were tickling him when they swam by. Reagan had to spend about 2 seconds looking in every tank and then moving on, so she and I did a walk-through rather than linger and enjoy. Taking the tram up

Two Monkeys

The shark & my brave boy

While this is not a particularly good photo (taken through glass with my little point and shoot), the message is still there. Everyone needs someone to give you a scratch every now and then.

Their Bond

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com We went to check out all the motorcycles at the Louie Run today and on the way home I looked in the mirror and Reagan and Nolan were holding hands across their car seats. I just love watching the bond they share develop more and more. I can't believe in 7 days my babies will be 2 years old. I have to admit, I cried yesterday in the store while I was picking out their birthday cards. Time is just going to fast and I love this age so much. They have so much to say and they are just so darn funny. I wish I could freeze time for a while. Soon enough they will be running into school and I will be missing these days. As hard as it is somedays, they are my heart and soul and I can't imagine how dull life would be without them. No time for dullness now, nap time is over and they are singing their A,B,C's through the monitor. Down time for Mommy is over!