It's what's for Dinner

...and lunch, and supper, and then lefties the next day. We're talking about a Monster Brisket, as big as a Buick.

(posted by Bill)

As most people know, I found Religion in a big way. Pork, and pork products. Naturally, I'm not referring to "the other white meat"*, that sawdust-textured crap that had me swear off the stuff for 20 years. People thought I was Jewish (which is funny, because most Jewish people I know eat pork as if it were Manna). Nothing beats kurobuta or heritage pork, with the right amount of fat in it. On a related note, Chef Jonathon Sawyer's (Bar Cento) wife Amelia posted this on her very creative blog, Chef's Widow (a rack of bacon?). If I was getting ink, this would be the tat:


Anyway, I'm normally loading the smoker up with pork. I did almost 30 lbs. for the kid's birthday party (along with two hams and 15 lbs of kielbasa), as well as doing the same for our Porsche Club wine tasting in back to back weekends. We also enjoyed a marvelous kurobuta pork butt at Fred and Linda's over Memorial Day, as well as rib tips with an Asian huckleberry glaze. So, depite the fact that there is no such thing as "too much pork", I would try a change of pace, and that means brisket for BBQ. Otherwise, we're simply grilling rib eyes, or skirt. So on Friday, we made a stop at Mr. Brisket. Besides some of the best pastrami and corned beef in town, they make this great thai sausage, and hot dogs. We loaded up on those items as well as this big ol' hunk o' beef.

I did a rub of black pepper, adobo, anchos, corriander, salt, cardamom and cinnamon. I left the brisket in the oven overnight at 200F (7-8 hrs), then in the smoker at about 200-225F for another 8 hrs. After burning through 30 lbs of charcoal and some chunks of mesquite, I wrapped it in foil and a towel, and placed it in an ice chest for the two hours before dinner (no ice-a cambro is a glorified ice chest. Insulation works in either direction, i.e., thermal transfer is thermal transfer. It reminds me of a joke about a thermos: "how do it know?"). I made a sauce out of the same spices used in the rub (plus brown sugar) in tomato sauce. There's a picture of the finished product in the post below.

The fat cap on this brisket really made the difference. I rendered over half of it away while cooking, and it still left a little fat on top. I didn't bother to trim it off before serving, as I figured everyone could determine how much of that fat they wanted to put into their diet (along with that spicy brown crust), LOL.

We also did some thai sausage (in a huckleberry glaze) served over sesame noodles , and some killer duck breasts served with an Asian chutney. They went too fast to snap a picture :-).


*That reminds me-Shelley's mom made us "city chicken" for dinner last week. I've always wondered how it got it's name. You'd think that it would be easier to raise chickens in the city than pigs. Case in point: the "Animal Detective" shows on The Discovery Channel always show the New York Animal Control officers battling cock-fighting rings (which to me seems like the Hispanic equivalent of Neck-Car)

Weekend Ramblings

So much to say, but I'll try to be brief....LOL

The HB Bears saga CONTINUES. The air did get fixed on Friday, thank God. This pertains to the roof leak they apparently fixed after they did our roof in the fall. BEEP. WRONG ANSWER.

I had some baby clothes in the garage that I needed to put away. I discovered they where wet from were the roof leaked all over them after the big rain we had a couple of days ago. Yeah, not a happy camper.

Bill called Head Bear because I was so mad, I could not even speak. (wow, we found something to shut me up!) He came right over and eventually found the leak and allegedly fixed it. He also bought us a new chimney cap "free of charge" and installed it while he was up there. They have to come back and do some drywall work in the garage because it has started to mold. Great, more time with the bears. They might as well park a trailer in the driveway for the summer.

It was kind of funny because while he was working, we were having a dinner party. Nonny Linda, Granpda Fred, Aunts Jan & Deb, and Uncles John & Sam were over to see the kids and bring us dinner. (of course Bill had to smoke meat as well ;-) Every so often he'd peer in the living room window as he would go up and down the ladder. I didn't feel bad for one moment.

Here's some food porn from Saturday for you.


Wouldn't you like to be one too?



Brisket as big as your head! It was outstanding.




On Friday we took a ride out to DeBonne Winery for the annual Balloonfest. Kind of an oxymoron the last couple of years since no hot air balloons seem to ever go up due to "weather conditions."


Our neighbor came with us and the kids adore her. Nice to have an extra set of hands now that both Reagan and Nolan have pretty much mastered walking. We were seating on a hillside so that is why I say pretty much. They took a few tumbles, but had fun rolling anyway.



Nolan got to hang with his girlfriend, Aunt Deb.




Reagan made a new friend, Michael. I love this picture.

There's our funny boy doing what he does best. Laughing.

Sunday, the Hartridges were in town and it is always good to catch up with them. Wish we could do that more often. All the kids are growing so fast and I miss having them around. We sure had a lot of fun times when they lived here.



Here is Nolan enjoying his tent & tunnels

(our son the tunnel rat)

Reagan having fun with Uncle Bobaboey

I Can't Even Make This Up

You remember that seeing-red-angry feeling I spoke about a few days ago when the HB Bears made it snow in my house? It happened again tonight. I've had that feeling maybe three other times in my life and I've now had it twice in 6 days. Let me rewind a bit to tell a funny aside before getting to the heart of the what has my ire up now. Yesterday I ran out once Nolan got settled into a nap to get his prescription filled. On the way home I stopped at our local Convenient Food Mart for some to-go withs for dinner. As I pulled into the lot there is Head Bear & Foreman Bear getting out of a truck. When I left the house they were busy doing siding and cleaning up from the insulation. They see me pull in and kind of share a laugh. I know what they are going shopping for and it is not potato salad. Foreman Bear walks into the store in front of me and grabs a bag from the counter and walks to the back of the store..... to Ta-da.....the beer coolers. I just had to laugh that he thought he was being all sneaky and I wouldn't know what was in the bag. When I got home I told Bill the story and he said he knew they had beer because Foreman B was walking around with the bag (that by this time was wet from the sweat of the bottles and the plastic was sticking to it so you could see right through it.) Whatever. If it makes them work faster........ The plan was for them to finish up the back & north sides of the house on Wednesday and then go do another job and come back next Tuesday. That is fine since I figured Nolan could use some quality naps with no construction noises for the next couple of days to get healed up. They were actually getting a lot done and what is done looks very nice so we were all getting along. We joked about them getting out of our hair for a few days, they thanked us for the hospitality (LOL), and off their little van sputtered leaving a puddle of oil as a thank you. Fast forward less than 24 hours..... Around 6:30pm we decide to put the air conditioning on. It was really humid (see Reagan's hair in my previous post to prove it!) I took Reagan P. upstairs to give her a bath (Nolan is not allowed just yet) and I ask Bill if the vents were open because it was still steamy, smoking hot upstairs. I thought maybe the vents got closed when the insulation was flying last week. He checks and says they are all open and he feels air. Um....yeah, sure, but I wasn't going to argue. We put the kids down about 7:30p and I see Bill outside looking at the A/C unit. He comes in perplexed. Something from the compressor is missing. LIKE THE PART THAT MAKES THE AIR COLD. Apparently when the HB Bears moved the A/C unit this week part of it never made it back! Bill calls Head Bear and within 10 minutes Foreman Bear shows up. By this time the kids are so hot they can't even sleep and I've got them back downstairs just to get out of the stifling heat. Bill comes in and says FB is going to the store and will be back. In the meantime we get another fan going in the kids room, strip them down to their diapers, and read them a couple of stories to calm them down. I go into the upstairs bathroom (the A/C unit is just below) and I hear Bill tell FB that "It is a good thing Head Bear's company is insured because if our house burns down tonight we'll just sue him." WTF? FB mumbles something in that incoherent speak we all have spoken before. Drunk talk. This guy is f'ing wasted and he is working on electricity at our home and he is going to rig something up for tonight. Oh no, he is not! Cue the redness. I go downstairs and calmly (amazing, I know) tell Bill to ask him to stop and not waste all our time and then I call Head Bear. I tell him that Bill has been more than fair, but I am at the breaking point and have had enough shenanigans and that tomorrow morning I will be stopping payment on the check we gave him for the completed insulation job if this is not fixed first thing in the morning. PROPERLY. BY SOMEONE THAT IS NOT INTOXICATED. He is getting all flustered (Paula made him cry when they worked on her house and did some questionable stuff) and says he is pulling up in front of the house now. He doesn't know I'm standing in the kitchen window and he comes around the corner and tells FB that I just called him and was "really mad." Damn skippy I am mad. My son is up there with gauze and tape (that 2nd skin stuff) all over his neck, he is hot and uncomfortable and I can't do much about it since he doesn't even want me to hold him. I told him it was very nice of FB to come over and try to help us (I realize he will be finishing up the siding next week so I have to be careful here), but his solution is not safe (hell, even Bill thought it was questionable so it must have been bad.) I said if it were just Bill and I it would not be a big deal, but when your f-ups make my kids uncomfortable that is when I have a problem. In no uncertain terms I told him I was sorry we agreed to have them do this work. I told them Bill has been very nice (good cop/bad cop....we do it well), but I was done and now I was going to be a bitch. Blah, blah, blah. When they left, I asked Bill if he thought I had been too mean. Really, I don't like being mean to people. I'm a lover, not a fighter. He said no and I think he really meant it. Not that patronizing-husband answer he thought I wanted to hear. Maybe I wasn't mean enough, HB didn't cry for me!

Doing Well

Thanks again for all the thoughts and prayers.

Nolan and I were very thankful to have Aunt Jan & Uncle John at the hospital to help us out. They were a big help to Mommy in her attempts to make Nolan comfy after surgery. 1 angry flailing baby, 1 glass bottle of pedialyte, graham crackers and an IV in the foot would have been difficult for Mommy to handle on her own.

Nolan and I got home after 1pm yesterday and he was a little out of sorts, but by dinner was ready to go. He ate his current fave mashed potatoes and city chicken and was ready for bed. It was a long day for everyone.

He seems to be doing well today and is on straight Tylenol. We gave him the Tylenol with codeine last night just to be sure he wasn't in pain for the night.

They are going to have an indoor play today (rainy and stormy today) so they will get to try out one of their birthday presents, the Hide and Seek Combo (thanks Sam, Nate, & Isabella!)

Here is Mr. Happy (that is what his shirt says) playing on the toy that causes the most problems in our house. Reagan was sitting on it last week and Nolan reached over and pulled her hair to try to get her to move. She pushed him away and he fell. They both got a stern "that was not nice talk" and the toy went bye-bye for the rest of the day. You can see his bandage peeking over the shirt collar.





Reagan is a very cautious walker and she has excellent balance. Here she is bending to pick up a toy and then going on her merry way. Check out the curls. It is SO humid today. Guess they couldn't avoid the humidity hair, between Bill and I they will probably look like Monica Geller in "The One In Barbados".

Who Would You Google?

Out of the blue an old friend of Bill's called on Tuesday. It has been probably 15 years since Bill last spoke to Bill. Just one of those drift apart kind of deals. His name often comes up in conversation, especially when the drinks are flowing and the talk is about the good old days. He was before my time but I feel like I know him. I gave him Bill's number and they spent some time catching up. I am really happy for Bill. There are certain people in your past that you always wish you had kept in touch with, but more often than not it gets pushed to the bottom of the list and you never do it. (Bill adds:) My friend's medical career took him out of state. He was also a skilled army reservist. We assumed that, when the War broke out, he'd be in some spider hole waiting to pull someone's bacon out of the fire, and then we kind of lost touch. It wasn't until Google started making people findable (if they're on the 'net) to search again (this was demonstrated when the VA was able to locate me when my father, who had dropped off the grid a long time ago, was ill). Sam found a possible link to our friend last year, and we had talked about sending out a feeler to see if that was him. Of course with the twins, and everything else that's gone on in the past year, it's one of those things that I (regretably) never got around to doing. In the mean time, he found me. With all of my activities (Porsche Club, professional, cooking, etc.), I have a fairly large electronic "footprint". I am happy that Bill was able to pull the trigger on that. It is great to hear that he is doing well, having retired not only as a decorated veteran, and medical pro, but as a police officer. The irony is, he went on to culinary school! We used to talk about "recipes", but not beurre blanc! Talking about Top Chef or Gordon Ramsay would never have crossed my mind. I am hoping that we will get to see each other soon. -bp It got me thinking about who in my past I'd want to get back in touch. Fortunately I keep in touch with a lot of people so my list is pretty short. There is one girl I was friends with in 1st grade. She had the best swimming pool. She moved to California and I never heard from her again. I'd like to know what her life is like, so Beatrice Uljanic if you are out there, drop me a line. Who would you want to be back in touch? What is stopping you from trying to find them? Go ahead, goggle them, I dare you! Let me know what happens.

You Gotta Go!

"...it's time for you to leave you've worn out your welcome it's time for you to go." -Mighty Mighty Bosstones*
(posted by Bill)
No joke-the Clinic said "Enough!", and has sent mommy and Nolan home. They are on their way, and Nolan is hungry. They could've caught a bite at Table 45 while they were there. *our friends in Abby Normal and the Detroit Lean do a killer cover of this and other ska nuggets

That was Quick.

(thank God).

(posted by Bill)

Just got a call from John. Nolan is already out of surgery. Dr. Krakovitz said it only took about a half hour (plus the hour to gently put Nolan under), and it ended up being close to the surface. He sent it to pathology, but it appears to be cartilege (affirming his "accessory ear" hypothesis). He's a little groggy, but mommy is in giving him something to eat. He will be able to come home today! He may be cranky for a few days, but he will be at home recuperating!

I'll let Miss Reagan know when she wakes from her morning snooze. After her breakfast of cinammon toast and banana a la minute, and most of a bottle of milk, Reagan P. enjoyed a casual (but normal) day of playing, watching Super Why and Grandpa Fred (Griffith) on Good Company Today, she went right to sleep for her nap.

9:37am

Surgery started. John & Jan are here, or as John said on my voicemail "Your coffee delivery service is here!" They are just too kind. Nolan was very happy to see them. They played for a few minutes before we had to go to the OR. We popped down to the cafe for a bite right now. Nolan was a charmer even while they were putting the mask on him. It was difficult since he wanted to chew it! Hopefully we will hear something in a hour or so.

All Checked In

It is 7am and we are all checked in. However, Wednesdays are staff meeting days at the Clinic and she said we really didn't need to be here this early since he is not scheduled until 8:40am. I was just following what they told me on the phone so I didn't give him anything to drink this morning, but the nurse said he could have some apple juice since we have at least 2 hours before he is actually "under." There is a nice play area that Nolan is currently "playing" in.....meaning he is taking out every toy and then moving on to the next one...... It is hotter than hades in this place. more later.

Back To The Reason It Was Started

I guess tomorrow the blog will go back to the surgery update center. Nolan and I have to be at the hospital at 6:30am. yikes. Daddy and Reagan are going to hang at home. My mom has to take Grandpa for an important appt (the doctor requested that a family member come with him so I don't think it will be good news.) She will come over after that appt and if we need Daddy at the hospital, he can come and join us then. Hopefully it will be in and out, but we won't know until after they get in there. As always, your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. I'll be checking in tomorrow or Bill will update from home.

The Hillbilly Bears

Once upon a time there was an ugly yellow and brown house. It looked like an old school Arby's. The owners, Bill & Shelley, decided to go with a nice new grey siding with darker grey trim. Estimates were sought and a local company (we all know that Bill & Shel like to keep their money local) presented a very good price so they were hired.

Little did they know they just hired the Hillbilly Bears to work on the house.

_________________________________________________________________

....cue the Sandford & Son theme song.....

Last Monday a dilapidated red van pulls up to the house and out come the Hillybilly Bears. I can not even begin to explain the myriad of issues we (I) have had with this crew. We previously used this company to do our roof in the fall and they did a nice job except for cleaning up the nails after the job was over. I told them before we hired them for this job that I expected the nails and screws to be cleaned up every night since the kids are outside playing now. It was not going to be an issue.

Day #1 of construction (mostly destruction) ends. The next morning I go to take the garbage out and this is what the back steps look like.

Nails and screws strewn about. I call Bill. He calls Head Bear and tells him. Says OK they will bring a magnet and clean up.

Day 2- There is a voluptuous blond woman on the crew now. My mom asked if she was Tim the Toolman's sidekick. Probably, although she works pretty darn hard. On this day it is brought to our attention that we have no (as in zero) insulation in this house. Do we want them to do this while they have the siding off? We debate and decide it is a good idea since we are so close to the lake and the winds really kick through the house in the winter.

On this day I notice one of the Bears spending some time in our woods. Just marking his territory I guess. Totally gross and Head Bear will hear about this as well.

BUT WAIT.

It gets better.

After they "clean up" for the day, I look outside and on our back step is an unopened beer can. Before jumping to conclusions I ask Bill if he happened to take a beer outside since it is his flavor.

Nope.

If I wanted to hire men that drink on the job, I'd easily give the job to Bill and Sam!!!!

Head Bear is not too happy with this report, but kind of mumbles something along the lines of "boys will be boys" type talk. WRONG ANSWER.

Day 3- A new bear joins the crew, I call him Smokey. The world is his ashtray. I finally told him that one of the kids had breathing problems and he needed to smoke in the driveway instead of standing on the ladder and blowing smoke INTO my house. The bear-mobile is also leaking oil in the driveway, but I let this one go. For today.

Day 4- Last Friday. They are going to begin blowing the insulation. They wear no protective gear (why bother when you have a cancer stick in your mouth every 5 minutes, I guess.) They start at the back of the house near our kitchen sink. I'm in the dining room and for some reason turn to look and it is snowing in our kitchen. THE INSULATION IS BLOWING IN THE HOUSE! I panic. The kind of anger creeps in that OJ probably experienced as he killed Nicole and Ron. I am literally seeing red, with white flecks of insulation falling in front of me. I can feel my throat start to get dry and my eyes start to burn. Bill is working from home that day to keep an eye on the bears (I'm sure he was sick of me bitching about them so he needed to see for himself.) I start to yell at him to tell them to STOP.

The foreman bear walks in the house and says "Gee, I only ever seen that happen once in 20 years. It's non toxic though."

Great. Thanks for the input. Who is going to clean this shit off my curtains, cabinets, appliances, etc?!?

I storm upstairs and start gathering clothes, necessities and toys for the kids. I am done. At this point they have gotten about a 15 minute nap and they are due at the hair salon in less than 2 hours for their first haircuts. I am not going to have their little lungs filled with the crap.

I tell Bill I am checking into a suites hotel and we will return when the construction is over. Maybe. That is how mad I was. I just wanted my kids out of dodge.

While this is going on Bill tries to call the Head Bear. Repeatedly. We later find out that he has lost his cell phone.

I load the kids , get them some food and go to my Mom's house. We sit on her patio and enjoy some peace, quiet, and insulation-free air.

Bill calls and says they have continued to work their way around the outside of the house and no more insulation has come in. It was a fluke in the kitchen and he was sorry. I was sorry too. I really lost it for a few moments there and just went into some bizarre survivalist-mommy mode. Get the kids out, that was all I could see. I was like the Terminator looking for Sarah Connor.

As of today, the insulation is finished and they can pick up with the siding. I can only hope that goes quickly and with no more issues. I need these bears out of my life. I need to get a garden in and all their stuff is all over my yard.

Anyway, this is what the siding will look like when it is done. The grey on the left. The old stuff on the right looks cream in this picture, but it is really an awful yellow.

She Walks!

We knew Reagan wouldn't be too far behind Nolan. It is monkey see, monkey do in this household. And she is off...... Reagan and Nolan are just little sponges these days. They are soaking up things left and right and getting it!!! Yesterday Reagan made a hiss sound. I told her that is what the snake says. Today I asked her if she remembered what the snake said and she sure did. I got a great big HHHHIIISSSS. Most kids moo or meow first. Not my daughter. Nolan is picking up on this one as well. Nolan and my mom play catch a lot and today I asked him to go get me the ball. Sure enough he looked all around the room until he saw it and went over and scooped it up. They also give each other hugs. You tell them to give hugs and they get close and say "ahhh." That is just the best. Nolan is working on kisses, although it is more like a fish pucker, but that is my fault since I'm teaching them what the fishy says. I am in awe when I ask them where their feet are and they look down, or when they hear a plane and I tell them to look in the sky..... and they do . When we leave their room, you tell Nolan to turn off the light and he does it. Just growing up too fast!

Big Day In Lorain County

With the cost of gas, this may have well been our Summer Vacation!

We started the day at 10am, after breakfast and baths. We stopped at the Coit Rd. Farmers Market for some stuff. I am majorly missing my herb garden and knew I could pick up small bundles of fresh herbs. I love chives in my scrambled eggs and have been craving it since I saw a picture of a chive plant in full bloom this week. I also got some goat cheese from Lake Erie Creamery. While Bill can not stand anything goaty, I LOVE it. BAAAHHH. It appears that my son shares my love as he downed sample after sample of the creamy goodness. Reagan may lean the way of her Daddy (or ta-ta as she is calling him lately). The pretzel the cheese was on became a kind of pencil for her and she "wrote" all over her stroller tray with it. Oh well, give her time and she'll come around.

After a little shopping we headed to a birthday party at the Lester Rail Trail in Medina. Reagan talked our ears off in the car until Enya finally lulled her to sleep. It was a really cute place to have a party and the kids were amused by the train ride. At their age, once was enough, but the other kids at the party rode many times. Reagan and Nolan enjoyed themselves and ate pretty much non-stop . Taking a look at their clothes, I see that they had Pepperoni pizza, cheese curls, blueberries, grapes, and juice boxes. They mastered the straw today as well as the juice box squeeze all kids love to do. I faintly smell of lemons when I walk thanks to Reagan giving her capri sun a hearty squeeze right into my Birkenstock. Bill likened it to the fountain at the Bellagio.

Daddy & Nolan riding the rails.


Mommy and Reagan too


We left the party around 3pm and thought the kids would pass right out. Nope, not the case. Since we are rarely in the neighborhood, we called our friends Terry & Karen to see if they were home. We stopped by and the kids toddled all around their yard for a while and were looking tired. Nope. Still no sleep.

On the way to the freeway, Bill suddenly remembered that in Elyria there is a Dog N Suds. Apparently these were popular in the 60's when Bill was growing up. I wouldn't know. ha ha The quest began. After logging on the internet from his phone I was able to find a Dog N Suds dog wash in Elyria, but no place serving 'dogs. A quick stop at the gas station (gee, asking someone actually won out over technology) led us down the right path to artery clogging goodness.

We ordered......and ordered.....and ordered. Bill needed to get in all his favorites from back in the day. A foot long Coney Dog, a Texas Burger, fries, rings, and root beer. The kids got a grilled cheese and corn dogs (hey, when in Rome.) I opted for a regular size coney dog and root beer.

The wait began........Bill and the kids (well, OK, just Bill) watched the door, waiting for hotdiggity dog goodness to come forth.



.......and then it came......





...... and they conquered......




......burp......

It was a fun family day. Despite not really having naps they kids did well and seemed to enjoy themselves. While it takes a while to pack for these day trips, they sure are fun now that the kids are a little older and more interactive. Hopefully we will have a few more of these all-dayers this summer.

Memorial Weekend

OK, so I see I never got around to uploading any pictures from Memorial Weekend. It was a busy one. We hung out with lots of friends and enjoyed a couple of very nice meals out. One at Mark & Karen's to try out their new grill and a lovely dinner party at Nonny Linda & Grandpa Fred's to try out some Kurobuta pork. It was excellent!!! The kids reach their limit by 7:30-8pm so they were early nights for us. Sam, Deb & Ginger came over for dinner one night as well. Uncle Sam helped Daddy hang the kids swing and they love it! Reagans intake of breath and a hearty giggle were enough to make that clear.

Meeting new friends, Sierra and Zoe at Mark & Karen's house.

Enjoying a picnic while Aunt Deb & Ginger look on

Playing in the new sand & water table

WWWWEEEEEE!

Reagan loves the cookies Aunt Deb brings her!

Reagan and Uncle John checking out some leaves

She loves being up high!

Our movie star

On Monday we went to Downtown Willoughby to watch the Memorial Day parade. At our old house we were on the parade route, so we just had to walk out our front door to see a parade that was about an hour long. New times call for new parades so we packed up the wagon and drove a few miles to see a parade. The drive to the parade was longer than the parade, no joke!!!! It lasted about 5 minutes. Very disappointing. We will stake out a new parade next year. At least we found out the sirens and a marching band don't scare the kids. It gives me hope for fireworks. Of course, we can't see those from our front yard anymore and Euclid puts on a great show so we might have to go back there for fireworks.

Watching the parade

Birthday Pictures

I finally got the pictures uploaded and sorted. Uncle Ed and John did an excellent job of capturing just about everyone at the party. We are so appreciative for that. It was hard for me not to be behind the lens, but I had Mommy duties to do. Thanks again to everyone that shared Reagan and Nolan's special day. It was a wonderful way to celebrate all the joys they have brought to our lives this past year. http://www.photoworks.com/photo-sharing/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=ACCAFD1C598&cp=ems_shr_alb_pml&cb=PW

How Does This Happen?

OK, this is not a post about me or about the fairly nice Memorial Day Weekend we had. That will come tomorrow once I get the pictures off the camera and I calm down a bit. I am SMOKING ANGRY right now. This is a post about a girl I know, Kate. We "met" over the internet about 4 years ago on a Fertility Friend message board. There were about 8 of us that formed our own yahoo group and kept in touch. We still email a couple of times a month, but not like we used to. Several of us have been lucky enough to have children and some haven't, so it makes things tough sometimes. Kate and her hubby have been through more infertility stuff than anyone else I know. They live in Florida and have travelled to NYC to have invitro. They have done it all, spent more than I care to imagine, and have been through the ringer. Each time it was a BFN (big fat negative in infertility speak.) Kate had a couple of tot-sicles (frozen embryos) in Florida and one at Cornell. She decided to do one last IVF in FL. The two embryos from Florida were not good quality and the Cornell one was the one all the hopes were resting on......until SOMEONE LOST IT! That is right, somewhere between the labs in NY and FL, the embie just disappeared. HOW IN THE HELL DOES THAT HAPPEN?????? I"m not starting the debate about when a life starts, but that embryo was a potential baby!!!!! Perhaps their last shot at a bio-kid. I can't even begin to imagine how Kate felt when they heard that news. They went ahead and transferred the two poor quality embryos and the result this weekend was a BFN....expected, but still devastating. How do you even begin to fathom what was potentially lost? How can they be compensated for this? After being so jaded and taken through the ringer over and over, could you even try again? My gosh, this is WAY more than someone should have to go through. My heart just aches for them.

Week In Pictures

I have been lax in my blogging. Sorry. Just a lot going on and, even though Nolan's upcoming surgery is minor compared to January I'm starting to freak out about it.

I'm still working on the birthday party pictures. I promise to have those up in the next day or so as well video of Reagan WALKING. We knew she wouldn't be too far behind Nolan and she is on the verge on a good walk. Right now it is about 5 steps and then down.


Deer visiting Reagan

Loving Dinner, especially the peas

channeling Mel Gibson in Braveheart.... or just really enjoying roasted garlic sauce and tortellini (this is probably the most messy our boy has ever been)


chillin' at the Rib-Rip Off, I mean Rib Cook off


Mediterra, new bread stand at the West Side Market

Reagan enjoying a butter cookie at the market

Steak, it's whats for dinner

More meat

Kids snack

I hate to admit this, but in the 8 months we have lived here, I've walked down to the lake about 3 times to watch the sunset. I must do it more often. While I was there a lady walked down the street to watch the sunset also and we started talking. She is a cake-maker and just a downright nice person. She came into the house to write her number down and ended up staying almost 2 hours! Turns out she lives in the neighborhood I grew up in (almost bought the house right next to our old one). She also dabbles in event planning, non-profit stuff, etc. She took a bunch of Bill's DJ cards. Hey, you never know where this might lead. Anyway, she was a super nice person and I'll be sure to have her make a cake for the next special occasion.

My First Sale

I particpated in my first Moms Of Multiples sale at the fairgrounds last weekend. The kids had so many clothes that they have outgrown and this was a way to make a little extra cash and have some Mommy time. My friend Lori and I split a space and it was nice to spend time with her without one of us having to stop talking to take care of a child. It was the most time she and I have spent together since we worked together at the library.

Here is a little breakdown of how the sale went:

cost to rent space : $7.50 (split w/Lori)

-12 (while setting up I saw a caterpillar double swing for a swing set or tree)

-5 (turtle sandbox, grabbed that before the sale opened to the public)

-15 (plastic food for future kitchen for the kids)

-14 (Baby Einstein Videos & swim suits for Reagan)

-2.70 (swim trunks for Nolan & baby faces books)

+127 in sales

= $70.80

Not sure if all the time spent prepping for, setting up for, and tearing down from the sale were worth $70, but it was a fun day and a much needed break from the house.

I got a few tips from people about things I should list on Craig's List that will sell so I hope to make a little more there.

So, it is Friday and I realized I never published this post! I did make a little more from Craig's List and have two sales pending so hopefully I'll break the $150 mark.

Major Milestones

We hit a couple of major milestones this weekend. Nolan got up on his own, no encouragement from any of us, and walked across the room! Then he did it again and again and again! He looks so cute walking like a little Frankenstein trying to keep his balance. Not to be outdone, Reagan decided to visit the Land of Bedrock and morph into Fred Flintstone yesterday. All we've heard for the past 24 hours is this.....

I promise Birthday pictures soon. I'm incorporating the ones I received from Uncle Ed and making a slide show.

That Word Again

Reagan, Nolan, and I went to the mall today to make a return and just walk around and window shop. With the cost of gas that is about all I can afford to do these days. I was unaware that it was Senior Citizens Faire Day and the mall was packed. It took us forever to get through the mall because all the little grandma's had to stop and talk to the kids and have the same basic conversation with me..... Are they twins? A boy and a girl? What are their names? They seem like good babies. Those are nice names. You are so lucky.

There it is again. LUCKY. I had to have heard that 15 times today, no joke.

Reagan, Nolan, and I grabbed some lunch at the food court and I finally had a minute to think once they started chowing. Yep, I am lucky. Bill and I are very lucky. Our kids are amazing. Our friends are wonderful. Our family cares so much about our kids that they came from NYC and Dallas for their birthday. We have a nice house in a nice neighborhood. We want for nothing.

If I wasn't such a wuss I'd get "lucky" tattooed somewhere on my body, so I'd always have a reminder when I think otherwise.

My Little Harry Potter

(Bill adds: This picture of the little guy reminded me of those Atomic Test photos from the 1950's)

Playing in the mall

Reagan showing off her brother's paci that she stole out of his mouth.... and their new wagon! They really like it.

Happy Mother's Day

Sorry it is a day late. I was a little busy. After 86 people come to a party at your house, there is much work to do. It was a wonderful party and the only HUGE one we are having so it was well worth it. Reagan and Nolan were superstars..... laughing and playing with everyone. Nolan only had a moment when he got a little overwhelmed by everyone singing Happy Birthday, but otherwise they were passed around like footballs and enjoyed every minute. I saw this on another blog and thought it was nice (and true) What I've Learned Since Becoming A Mom I’ve learned how to pick things up from the floor with my feet because my arms are full. I’ve learned to live with the dust bunnies - it’s much more important to play with the dinosaurs than vacuum. I’ve learned that the only time my living room will be clutter free is between 8pm and 7am. I’ve learned that chap stick and silly faces will entertain a toddler while waiting at the DMV. I’ve learned that there is nothing better than cuddling with a sleepy baby or toddler - nothing. I’ve learned that in a time of crisis, I can do what needs to be done for the sake of my child (but then fall apart later). I’ve learned that I can feel such intense love that my heart might explode. Back to working on getting the birthday pictures posted :-)

The Speech

Well, the party has come and gone. My babies are officially 1 year old. I am dead tired, but here I am. Reagan is having a tough night so she and Daddy crashed after the last guests left around 10:30pm and I started cleaning up and then I brought in all the gifts they got. Well....not all of them, the 2 wagons and the art table are in the garage! I had to stop opening gifts 1/2 way through to get the kids ready for bed and my mom took over, so I don't even know what all they got, but it is sure a lot. Everyone was so generous. Of course, in my mind I had a little something I wanted to say to everyone, but at parties like this time gets away. So here is what I wanted to say today......... Bill, Reagan, Nolan and I are so lucky to have all of you in our lives. You were there for us through our struggles to have them, you were there when they were born, you moved us, you prayed for us when Nolan had surgery, and now you celebrate with us. Aunt Jane came from NYC and Uncle Bob from Dallas, just to celebrate this special day. What a year it has been and there needs to be a better word to describe how we feel about having you all in our lives; lucky doesn't cover it. So cheers to you for being our family and our friends. May we celebrate many more happy days together. More tomorrow..... I need to get to bed.

Starring Reagan & Nolan P.

Here is the montage I put together for Reagan and Nolan's birthday party. It is long....20 minutes, but then again it is for two kids :-) I can't watch it without crying, hell I can't even think about it without getting teary. All the cliches are true.... they changed my life, time flies, they grow everyday, they are the most wonderful children ever, etc!!!! These kids are the most loved children I have ever seen. They have so many people that care about them. They have no idea how lucky they are. They have aunts, uncles, and grandparents all over the world and as soon as they can ride a plane alone, they will be visiting-LOL! Thank you for sharing in all the moments, even the painful ones, this past year. It has been a fun ride!