Botanimal Gardens

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Grammy, the kids and I headed to the "Botanimal Gardens" since it was a nice, warm, indoor activity---even the parking is inside--- on a very frigid day.

The kids spent a lot of time playing with the train table and the various craft things while Grammy watched them. It gave me a few minutes to take some pictures.

"The Twins"


"Lunch Time"

Here are more. I'm pretty happy with a bunch of these. Just wish I could figure out how to make money doing something I love so much. At least enough to afford this expensive hobby!

Kalahari Fun

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This was the twinadoes 3rd trip to Kalahari and probably their best one yet.

They were more willing to venture into the wave pool and it was a crowd pleaser. However, being battered around in those waves takes a lot out of a person, especially ones so low to the ground. I have never seen Reagan and Nolan more tired and ready to leave Kalahari as early as we did. They had a blast with Grammy and Aunt Deb and it was fun to have them see how much the kids enjoy this. It's safe to say the adults all had a good time as well.

The best quote of the trip was Reagan telling Aunt Deb that I was "at the swim-up salad bar!" Too bad I wasn't really at the swim bar, I was at our backpacks getting the kids a snack!

hanging in the "bubble tub", catching snowflakes on our tongues.

luggage cart ride. Reagan deserved it. She unloaded ALL our luggage on her own. She is very strong, you know?!

I promised Aunt Deb & Grammy there would be no bathing suit shots. This isn't *really* a bathing suit shot is it? It was too good not to post.

I've got the packing down to a science now, but one detail I neglected to address...I wore crocs (and not the warm fuzzy mammoth ones either). I figured going from my attached garage to the front door of Kalahari was no big deal. What was a big deal, was that it snowed the night we spent at Kalahari. No. Snow isn't the right word, it was a freakin' blizzard. I had to walk (a fair distance) to get the car to bring it around to load and then repark while we played in the water park after checking out of the hotel. You guessed it, after the waterpark, I had to walk back out and collect the car.

I'm not gonna lie. It sucked. BIG TIME.

My feet have never been so cold and I've never cursed my crocs so much. The whole time I was shivering and sliding walking over the wooden plank bridge to the parking lot, I kept repeating my kids names, just reminding me of why I was doing what I was doing.

They are my everything and I'd walk to the end of the earth.....in the snow.....in my crocs for them.

Who Doesn't Love This Face?

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I swear, his apple cheeks are the two best things I've ever kissed!

He is sweet, silly, sensitive and one of two of the best cuddlers I know.

I am so lucky to call him my son.

Homemaker

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com So, I hooked up with a survey website that pays you to speak your mind. Nice, right? Good to keep my mind active with things other than Yo Gabba Gabba. I've taken a few surveys and one of the first qualifying questions is always about "employment." Homemaker is the option I have to pick.

Tonight I really thought about the word "homemaker" and how dated it is. Have we not evolved as a society that there is no other term for what I do day in and day out? Every other job has some fancy title that some HR guru made up for them. I want one too! Also, every woman I know that works at a paying job outside the house is a homemaker too, so what box does she check? From now on, I'm going to check "other" and when the write-in box pops up, here is what I'm going to write:

mommy, cook, chauffeur, maid, laundress, window washer, nurse, butt wiper, gardner, personal shopper, wife, gift wrapper, card writer, party planner, photographer, canner, travel agent, coupon clipper, playdate coordinator, blogger.

Pet Peeves

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Dear Fellow Theatre-Go'ers:

1. If you don't know how to silence your cell phone, then you don't need to own one. You were smart enough to figure out how to put that obnoxious ringtone on, so you should be able to figure it out.

2. If, an hour after leaving the theatre, I can still smell your eau de Grandma perfume in my nostrils, you put too much on.

3. If you and your boyfriend are so tired that you can't hold your heads up through a 2 1/2 hour show and you must lean on each other, making it impossible for the person behind you to see around your ginormous conjoined head, maybe you should have stayed home and gone to bed early.

Other than that, Chicago was awesome. Dinner was even better. More on that tomorrow.

Ciao

A Mother's Love

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Between a mother and child, a smile translates the same no matter who (or what) you are.



I was fortunate enough to catch this through glass at the Rainforest this weekend.

My Own Sonny & Cher

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The twinadoes have their own music when they roll with Grammy, among their favorites are "Help", "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" and "I Got You Babe."

Nolan got a little shy for the camera, he usually sings much louder, but his mouth still reminds me of the singing kids in the Charlie Brown cartoons.

This Weather Is For The Dogs

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Reagan and Nolan had a playdate of the 4-legged sort this morning. Their best pal, Ginger, came over to romp in the snow.

The three of them had a great time!

They romped, ate icicles, played on the swingset, and just plain ran around. Well, as much as the three of them could with snow up to knees and belly.

Hanging out with Aunt Deb. The kids call this part of the woods, "Kalahari." Think they obsess much about that place?!

"Higher Uncle Sam!" -Reagan

Nolan & Ginger checking out the view of the front yard.

Alleviated the need for the afternoon Popsicles!

There wasn't a corner of the yard that went unexplored.

I don't know about Ginger, but the twinadoes came in the house and took a nice warm bath, ate lunch, and Nolan was down for the count. Reagan has skipped her afternoon nap two days in a row now. She does stay in her crib and is (for the most part) quiet so at least her body is resting. And so is Mommy's brain!

Nolan's Pickup

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com The other night the Y gym & swim classes were cancelled due to the weather. The kids were so geared up to go that we decided to venture out in the snow and go swimming anyway. Whenever we have swim class, Reagan goes into the girls family locker room with me and Nolan with Bill to the boys room. For the past 3 classes she has been asking to go with Bill so we decided to do it this time figuring it wouldn't be too crowded (it was). As I'm getting Nolan's swim trunks on he smiles at the lady across the aisle from us. He says "Hi. I'm Nolan. I'm going swimming." They proceded to have a whole conversation. He was smiling and being charming. He asked her if she knew where Reagan was. He told her Reagan was his sister. She asked if Reagan was older and said "yep, one minute! We're twins." She asked me how old he was because she said he looked pretty small to have the vocabulary he does. When we were ready to go he bid her a good night with a big grin. She laughed and told him what a sweetheart he is. My boy. The lady killer.

It's Electric

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Million-Dollar Noodle

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Two years ago, I couldn't sleep. I knew in a few hours, I'd have to walk my then 8-month old son, into an operating room so a neurosurgeon and a cranial-facial plastic surgeon could cut his head open from ear to ear across the top of his scalp, remove the plates in his forehead, reshape them, create a soft spot for him, and piece him back together. It was the scariest moment of my life to just leave him alone in that stark operating room. I cried all day and felt like an elephant was standing on my chest. When the call came, almost 8 hours after I left him, the release of emotion was tremendous. There was laughter and tears and, finally, a deep breath. I have never experienced anything as intense. Nothing could have prepared us for what he'd look like in the days after the surgery. When his eyes swelled shut, he would still kick and reach when he heard a familiar voice. It was heartbreaking. I won't ever forget reading on this blog (back in the day when Bill had the password, he posted too :-0 ) that Nolan could open his eyes. I couldn't get to the hospital fast enough so he could SEE me. The smile he gave me, well it is just something I'll never forget. Looking back, it sucked, but we got through it. It was a very short-term medical issue and all went according to the best case senerio and he is just fine. I never want to do it again, but knowing that I was the best advocate for my son makes it easier. If I hadn't stood up and spoken my mind, who knows what would have happened thanks to the negligence of our (then) pediatrician. We often tell Reagan and Nolan the story about how Nolan had to have surgery on his head because he is so smart that his brain needed more room to grow. They also like to talk about the time, this past summer, that our peds office sent us to the E.R. for a case of roseola. In their little 2-year old minds, the two stories blend together and now the story is that Nolan had surgery on his "million dollar noodle" because he had roseola. I go back and read the posts from January 2008 every so often, but tonight it is most meaningful. *If you care to relive the inception of this blog, here is the month of January (read from bottom up) : http://nolanpchak.blogspot.com/2008_01_01_archive.html

Where Did The Decade Go?

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Wow, that was fast. So, lets recap our 2000's. -Bill and I became more then friends. -I moved in. -We added Jeepster to our family. -I lost my Dad. -Bill and I partied. A lot. -Bill and I traveled. A lot. -I had my dream job for the blink of an eye. Damn buyout. -We married. -We partied some more. -We traveled some more. -I lost 50+ lbs. -I got to be front-row-center for Duran Duran on my birthday. Drummer Roger Taylor gave me a sweaty wristband as a gift. Yes, at 30-something years old, I slept with it on that night and called all my fellow Duranies to tell them about it. -We started the long journey through infertility. -We found (and lost) Bill's Dad. -We met some of our best friends because of the internet. -We fought like hell to get pregnant. -It finally worked. -We welcomed two little babes that put their hands around our hearts and haven't let go since. -We moved. -We nearly lost our minds moving & working on the new house. -We nursing our family through our sons' metopic craniosynostosis surgery. -I gained 50+ lbs. -We reconnected with lots of people through facebook. -We are raising two funny, smart, cute little people. I don't make resolutions. I don't like to set myself up for failure. I am going to make an effort on a couple of things though. I want to spend more time with the people I love, or at least make contact with them once a month, and to also put myself first a little more often. I want to challenge you to do the same. Life is busy. If we don't nuture those things/people that are major components of who we are are, we will not only lose them, but a little bit of ourselves. Send someone a note out of the blue, set up a dinner date, or go on a weekend get-away. Find a passion and make time for it in your life. Go on, you are worth it. Happy New Year!

Drink Until The Sun Goes Down

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Today is Bill, Sam & Gary's annual shoot-guns-and-then-drink-until-the-sun-goes-down day. Deb, the kids, and I are invited to the lunch portion of the festivites. This year the kids discovered the bowling machine.

2009

Mental note *next year brings lots of quarters.

2008

2007

A Hello From Beyond?

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com A couple of days ago I went to Walgreens to pick up a photo order I had been working on late the night before. There was no order there. I was sure I sent it, but then again it was late, and with Chandler on my mind it was not surprising that I had messed something up. The person behind the photo counter brought the "P" box up onto the counter and began going through all the envelopes. Something caught my eye. An envelope for "Pike". I asked her to go back since, in my fog maybe I had put in my maiden name. She looked and said, "No, that is for Kim Pike. It hasn't been picked up since May." Kim Pike was my half-sister's name. She didn't live here, she lived in PA. She died of a brain anyerisum a couple of years ago. Her birthday is in May. Of all the names/dates in the world....... Strange coincidence or one of THOSE things when I needed it most?

Spreading Good Cheer

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Today some fellow Moms and I took our kids to my Grandpa's nursing home to decorate a Christmas tree with ornaments we made at a playdate a couple of weeks ago. The kids, ranging in age from 2-4 did an excellent job decorating, but had even more fun with a cardboard box.

Reagan and Nolan playing on the ramps until their friends arrived.

Reagan and Sarah decorating the tree.

The supervisors taking a break! Nolan and his friend, Matt.

First it was a box, then a sleigh, and finally a bed. Even though most of the kids are too young to understand the joy they brought today, it was still a nice way to teach the lesson.

Papa's House

In the 1950's, my Grandparents bought a house in Slavic Village to raise their family. Three kids grew up there, they had pets there, snuck out at night from there, grandkids gathered there every Sunday--one even lived there when he was first born,and my Grandma passed away there. The house hasn't been the same since that day. Now I'm not going to paint a rosy picture of a loving family playing Scrabble around the dining room table each week. That was not us. You see this side of my family thrived on bickering. Supposedly in a playful manner because there was always laughter, but usually someones feeling were hurt at the end of the day (mainly my Grandma since she could dish it, but not take it). The grandkids would run in circles from living room, to kitchen, to dining room eating the spaghetti (my cousin Terri wouldn't eat anything else) and thumbprint cookies (my Grandma had to hide them from cousin Tommy or he'd eat them all) Grandma Neiman made. Once we grew up, we'd go upstairs and talk to each other through the big wall registers and play with the glass doorknobs or hang out on the back porch listening to music in our teenage years. It was what we did every Sunday. Times changed. Kids grew up and had "better" things to do on a Sunday afternoon. My Uncle Bob moved to Texas. I can't even tell you for sure the last time we were all together in that house, but it might have been for my Grandparents 50th wedding anniversary. I know my Dad and I shared a few drinks on the back porch that day. Come to think of it, if Dad and I were drinking then the whole family MUST have been there! A lot of us gathered there when my Grandma took ill and was confined to bed. I was unemployed at the time (and, looking back, was glad I spent the last few weeks of her life with her.) I will never forget the day I was laying in bed with her and she started talking about how she wanted her funeral to be. I asked careful questions and filed it away. It was a difficult conversation to have, but I'm glad she trusted that I would get it right for her. I never shed a tear or choked up, I just kept asking exactly what she wanted. Once she fell asleep, I got up, walked out of the room and promptly fell apart. After that day, there was really no joy for me in that house. Despite a changed neighborhood, my Grandpa held his ground and was not leaving his home until he physically couldn't stay there anymore. That happened this past May. It was an unceremonious ending. He fell in his living room, my mom took him to the ER, and he never went back. Our family has this tradition of driving by a loved one's home when they pass away. When we make that drive with my Grandpa someday it will be that much harder because that house is no longer our families home. Today is the last time someone in the Neiman family locked the door. Tomorrow a new family moves in. It is hard to imagine anyone else walking up those stairs, or washing dishes at the kitchen sink. May our memories live on in those walls and may another family make good memories there.

Chandler

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Oct 26, 1994-Dec 14 2009 Rest in peace, our sweet fur-kid Chandler & Reagan May 14, 2007

If it should be that I grow frail and weak And pain should keep me from my sleep Then you muct do what must be done For this, the last battle, can't be won. You will be sad- I understand Don't let your grief then stay your hand For this day, more than all the rest Your love and friendship stand the test. We've had so many happy years What is to come can hold no fears You'd not want me to suffer, so When the time comes, please let me go. I know in time you too will see It is a kindness you do to me Although my tail, it's last has waved From pain and suffering I've been saved. Don't grieve that it should be you Who has decided this thing to do We've been so close, we two these years Don't let your heart hold any tears. Author Unknown

Tis the Season To Be Busy

www.nolanpchak.blogspot.com Well, well, well. Thought I'd forgotten about you, especially those of you not updated on our day to day life via facebook? It's been hectic and tiring and when the sun doesn't shine, I'm not that motivated to do much of anything, especially with a sick kiddo. Reagan has been coughing her head off for 2 days, poor kid. I just wish when people are sick they would stay home and get well instead of going out and spreading their germs around. No one needs to be sick, especially a 2 year old that doesn't know how to blow her nose!!! Just a little pet peeve of mine. To catch you up... in the last week we have made ornaments with fellow moms and kids from my early childhood group to take to my Grandpa's nursing home, we ventured to Penitentiary Glen to partake in Snowdrop's Adventure game, went to The Farmpark for Country Lights, and finally had a little surprise shindig with some of Bill & Sam's oldest BFF's for their birthdays at a local restaurant.

Phew. I'm tired just reading it. Oh yeah, in between I got Christmas cards mailed, wrapped almost all the gifts, made 3 collage boards with Deb for the party and kept the kids fed and clean. I have posts started about Snowdrop's Adventure and Country Lights, but they will keep until another day. It is cold, sleeting outside, and I want to get in bed with my book. For those of you that are thinking good thoughts for our oldest fur-kid, Chandler. He is hanging in there. He is literally shrinking in front of our eyes, but he has started to come back into bed with Bill and I at night and is purring and receptive to being held. He drinks alot, but doesn't eat much and I know he is not long for this world. I just don't think either of us can make the step to send him off just yet since he is not in visible pain. The other day Reagan was coming down the stairs and Chandler was at the bottom of the steps and she said, "Aw, Chandler is an old kitty. He's going to have to go bye-bye soon." I know she is right, not sure how she knows it though as the only thing I have told the kids is that they have to be extra careful around him and to make sure they don't fall on him or step on him.

Lots of Decorating, Eating, & Shopping

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After stuffing ourselves silly on turkey brussel sprouts ( no joke, Bill made THE best brussel sprouts any of us have ever had) and braving black Friday for the first time (you MUST experience Wal-Mart as it opens for Black Friday shopping once in your life), we had decorating to do.

The sprouts

Chowing on a turkey quesadilla

Grammy and Aunt Deb fighting over the sinful (made with cream cheese, butter & cream) mashed potatoes.

I curb-shopped a Christmas tree a few weeks ago. Some people had it, along with a bunch of exercise equipment, on their tree lawn with a "free" sign on it. I thought it might be fun for Reagan and Nolan to have a tree in their room that they can decorate however they want, and all the better that it was FREE. We'll work on decorations during the next month, but they are thrilled with just lights, garland, and a few jingle bell ornaments for now.

Nolan is just like Mommy, always has a camera in hand.

The next day we moved to the outside to decorate. They were a big help. Not joking either. They carried all the candy canes out for me and helped hold cords for Bill. It is the first year we've had our act together since moving here and it is nice to have "decorates" outside again. We did a little lighting ceremony, a la Clark Griswold, and I loved their "wow's" in whispered voices. So cute.

About as crafty as I get!

Next was the big tree. We gave up our glass ornaments last year, as you can imagine why. The kids had fun putting all of their ornaments on about 4 branches. I don't care. They were so proud that they decorated the tree. Next up.....wrapping. Need to figure out how to wrap hula hoops.

Turkey Day Savings

Yes, I went couponing on Thanksgiving morning. I know. It is an addiction. How could I pass up: $.06 Colgate toothpaste $.44 Gillette shave gel $.49 Secret deodarant free Herbal Essence mousse $.99 Herbal Essence shampoo $.50 Hot Wheels All of that for a total of $4.19