BLEEP!

I will spare you the details, but I am to the point of thinking very bad words about the weather, my road, the man who plows the road, the wind (maybe the wind and weather are the same, oh well more hate to go around!), winter, snow, and everything else related to any of these topics.

Last week I couldn't sub due to being snowed in ALL week. Today I got a call at 6 am to go to Wayne for the first time. Since Gil is gone I had to do it all by myself and take Jude to daycare and get to Wayne by 7:45. I was up for the challenge and I was doing really well until I drove out onto my road at 7:15 to find snow drifts much larger than expected. I wanted to be on time and I panicked, so I just drove on through...until I got stuck. Luckily dad was there to rescue me but getting out took much longer than expected. Long horrible story short I spent the day at home instead. In the mean time my parent's snow plow man went by there place and my mom made it to her school the other direction. Where is our plow when we need him?! NEVER here!!!! I'm sooooo sick of it!!!! I've been sulking all day, but then something somewhat remarkable happened. I was supposed to get my propane tank filled today, but because of our road from hell I called to tell them they'd better wait until tomorrow. But just a little while ago a man came walking up to my house. It wasn't my dad so I went to the door to find out what was going on. It was the propane man. He didn't get my message and has walked probably the whole half mile from the paved road to check on my tank and tell me he couldn't make it. WOW! That was really nice. I felt bad that he didn't get the message, but there is a man doing his job (unlike the man who runs the snow plow).

Off the subject of the %#$@* weather...I had a good trip to Bellevue/Omaha/Council Bluffs/Kansas City this past weekend. The weather did follow me and it snowed down in KC on Sunday, but nothing that kept us home all day. On Friday I spent some time at my old school Lewis and Clark and even got to see a few past students. Jude enjoyed it too! Then we spent some time with Gil's parents. I also got to have dinner with two amazing girl friends at PF Changs (yum!). On Saturday I took off for KC and even though Jude needed a pit stop in St. Joe we made pretty good time. Katie and I hung out with the kiddos and left them with Russ and shopped for a bit. We took them to church on Sunday and to the kids indoor pool that afternoon. Jude was a little hesitant of the pool at first but he got used to it and had fun. On Monday Jude traveled really well and we made it to Alissa's house with no stops. We had a quick bite to eat there and then made it home before dark. It was a good weekend. I'm missing Gil, but I've had a few phone calls and it sounds like all is well. Only 3 days now till he gets back. I have MOPS Wednesday, an allergist app't Thursday, and a sub job Friday and then it's off to Omaha again to greet him at the airport:)

Katie, Russ, and the kiddos.

Having lunch.
Ashtyn sporting her new suit. Look at that little super model!
Jude splashing around. He didn't want me to go too far!
The new Cyclone bath ducky Jude got from Aunt Minette and Uncle Mitch! Gil loves it too!

The enormous pile of mail I pulled out of our mailbox today. I don't even know how it got in there...we don't really get mail on a regular basis anymore!

The mailbox I dug out today to get that pile of mail (sorta...see the little dot!).
Our house and our snow pile.
Gil noticed teeth marks on Jude's crib. This is the result.
My sweet angel having sweet dreams.
Pool Video

Baseball!

Getting Out

Today Gil left for Honduras. He should be there right now. Wow, he's far away. And I already have so many things to tell him!

Yesterday I took Gil to Sioux City so that I could drive the car back and not leave it there during his whole trip. Going to Sioux City at 8:30 am meant waking up at 7 (yeah I know I shouldn't complain!), getting everyone ready (not to mention the hour or so I put in the night before to prepare!), getting bundled up, Gil taking some of our stuff through the massive hard-packed snow drifts that still were unplowed from our road about 500 yds. to where my parents vehicle was parked, and Gil coming back to take Jude on that same trip and me following with the remaining items (Gil also made this walk twice the day before, once in the dark on his way home from class at 11pm). Fortunately my parents were able to help us out again! We took their Explorer to Sioux City. Gil went to work and I ran some errands and went to a MOPS play date (Jude is feeling much better by the way!). We had lunch together and said our goodbyes. I figured by this time we were surely plowed out. I mean it had been four days!!! But alas, no snow plow. We had made up a song the days before called "Where or Where has our Snow Plow Gone" sung to the tune of "Where or Where has my Little Dog Gone" but now it didn't seem quite so funny. So anyway, rather than walk through the drifts again (by the way, we walked on hard-packed snow on the side of the road and were well above the fence line!) Jude and I stayed over night at my mom and dad's.

We did make the walk back this morning though at around 10:30. And then three of the most amazing things happened almost at once...as I was making one of the billions of phone calls that are on my list to make today the snow plow finally came!!! I was so excited I told the secretary I was on the phone with! Then, the mailman showed up at my door with our mail (we haven't received any for several days, obviously, and our mailbox is once again M.I.A.). THEN, I found a letter from the IRS with the money we got back for buying a house, money that we have been waiting for and needing since August!!! I feel like it must be Christmas in February!!!

I can't tell Gil about any of this right now. I hope he is able to locate a phone in Honduras soon! But for now, I'd better take a shower!

Whatever!

So my Red Box experience hasn't been all I hoped it would be...I loved my movies, but now that I've been snowed in for three days (and forgot to send them in with Gil today) I am ending up spending WAY more than I anticipated...bummer!

Here are some pics of what we've been up to. As I mentioned we got snowed in...again. Whatever! Luckily I had ingredients to make a few meals. I'm not used to making many meals as Gil is rarely home in the evening. I'm more used to packing meals. But I did manage to make some chicken chili and even these cute cupcakes. Unfortunately neither of us likes frosting so that all got scraped off into the garbage disposal! Fortunately Gil (and I, but especially Gil) loves cake so of the two dozen I made only one remains.

You can't tell from these pictures, but Jude has definitely NOT been himself lately. He is usually such a happy and easy-going baby. But these past few days he's been whiney and tired and I don't know what's wrong. Could be teething, but he's never really had issues with that in the past. He still has a cold/cough, so maybe it's just getting to him. I just hope it's nothing more. It has been kinda rough, but I'm glad Gil was home to help out. And on the positive side he's been really cuddly with me on the couch which he NEVER is.

It has also been good (still looking on the bright side) that we were snowed in and got to spend three and a half days together just at home because tomorrow Gil leaves for his missions trip to Honduras with Briar Cliff. He will be gone for 10 days-YIKES! But I am heading on my own trip (if I ever am able to leave this house; our road is still unplowed!). I hope to visit friends in Omaha, Gil's parents, and my sisters in Kansas City and Omaha. I won't be gone the whole 10 days, but it will help to break up the time. Hope Jude's up for it!

Valentine's Day Cupcakes
Jude doing recycling
Jude attempting the stairs
Climbing!
Already a Harry Potter fan:)

Another one of Jude's fave activities is throwing a ball and crawling after it and throwing it again. Especially baseballs (like that uncle Mitch!?). But I cannot get the video to load. I will keep trying!

Shannon & Red Box

Today I took Jude grocery shopping. He's such a trooper at things like that. Perfectly pleasant to have along. I have been thinking a lot lately how having a baby has really changed my way of life. I have always been pretty independent and done things by myself often. Now I am rarely to never by myself. I have this little person with me. We do things together. But it does cut my outings short because of nap time necessity/time to eat. Gil and I went to the Briar Cliff basketball games against USF Wednesday night. We left at half time of the men's game because Jude was sleepy (not to mention we were sleepy too!). As we were there I was looking around at all the college girls. I can totally remember being in that spot. I never knew how carefree life was. No baby to feed, change, put to bed. Only taking care of themselves and their various electronic devices. But still I like where I am now. Sitting by a wonderful guy who loves me and the cutest little baby boy in the world. Instead of wondering who's looking at me and if I look good enough and if I'm saying the right things to the right people.

So after grocery shopping we had lunch with Gil in his office. Jude got fed and a diaper change too. Then I left to go home, but as I was leaving I had an idea. You see in the "plan" for today I was supposed to go along with Gil to Sioux Center for his indoor track meet. I was going to get to hang out with our Orange City friends and see his track kids compete. Well, the Schuiteman's are sick, I'm sick, and Jude has a fever from teething. So plan "B"...not going...another (make that 4 out of 5 this week) night at home "alone." So my thought was to try out Red Box for the first time. I have been wanting to see Julie and Julia and Up for a really long time. I thought having something like that would make tonight a little more bearable. The problem was Jude was TIRED and fell asleep immediately after getting in the car. I hate pulling him out of the car seat so many times just to stuff him back in again. I was wishing I wasn't "alone" so I could run in without the baby. Well I decided I'd do a few other errands beforehand to give him a little longer nap. I washed my car because it hadn't been washed since who knows when and was getting covered in gunk (it now looks really pretty and shiny except for the small white scrape on the passenger side where I ran into my garage...ooops!), and I got gas. Finally I decided to brave a squirmy crying baby for my movies. And wouldn't you know it he was a champ again. Okay, there was a little squirming, but it was minimal and there was no crying. I successfully figured out Red Box and got two movies.

At about 4:30 Jude decided to take a nap and I started Julie and Julia. He woke up and joined me for part of it and I took a break to cook some dinner of my own (this movie will make you hungry!). -a super fancy shrimp stir fry from a bag-don't tell Julia! But I did finish it and I loved it. Such a neat story of both women. And since I'm a blogger I could relate. Now the cooking part I don't know about. Maybe I'll try some French cooking someday, who knows! I think I will watch it again tomorrow with Gil. I think he'll like it too. Jude liked the part he watched!

Now I'm watching the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I love the Olympics. So romantic. I am always amazed at all of the countries being introduces. So many I have never heard of. Ok, just heard that Finland is the location of the sauna championship, crazy!

Humor

Jude has been learning about gravity lately. He loves to throw balls and crawl after them. He loves to pick up food and drop it on his tray. He loves to throw his sippy cup off the tray. Lately he just loves to throw! Well today he reached a new level. He tossed his baseball (the one you gave him Mitch) outside his room where the balcony is to the living room. Then he dropped it through the railings onto the couch. He loved it so much that he thought he's give the carbon monoxide detector the same treatment (he loves to unplug this from his wall). Luckily I caught him before that happened! He is so funny to watch these days. He is so fascinated by everything. And like I said throwing things is at the top of the list!

One night last week Gil got home late and wanted to take a shower. I had just started the washing machine so I stopped it so he could have more water pressure. I kept the light on in the laundry room/back porch so I would remember to turn it back on. The back porch is also where the dogs sleep. Since this was a cold night both dogs were in the house in their respective kennels. Babbs is a little to frisky for hers, but if we put the door to the wall and blockade her in with a laundry basket she stays in. Well we went to bed and unusually Jude woke up around 3:30 am. As I picked him up for a minute it dawned on me that I never turned the washing machine back on. I was washing Jude's diapers and decided I'd better go down and turn it on so he'd have some clean ones for the next day. As I got to the bottom step a small animal jumped out at me in the dark. It was Babbs. I had also left the light on in the porch and apparently that was enough to make her want to escape. Who knows how long she'd been running free in our house, but the smell was enough to let me know she'd been a bad puppy! I chased her around til I caught her and managed to get her back into the kennel (she's lucky I didn't boot her outside!). Then I went on the hunt for the doo doo (NOT what I wanted to be doing at 3:30 in the morning!). I found the liquid in a puddle on the carpet near the couch. I got the carpet cleaner and went to work. But I knew there was more. That smell convinced me. I found the rest in a pile on the wood floor next to the door. Luckily that was easier to clean up. Anyway, after this early morning escapade I was ready to go back to sleep. Gil didn't know a thing about it until I told him in the morning. It's amazing how men sleep though anything once they become dads!

A few weeks ago on a trip to Sioux City I was in the car and took a turn driving into the sun. It was bright so I quickly scanned around for my sunglasses (I always keep a couple pairs handy). Not seeing the pair I wanted I felt around the seat on the small compartment where they are usually kept. Still they were no where. I thought this strange because I knew I had had them on previously and wondered why I even took them off. Finally I resigned myself to wearing the older bent pair. As I placed them on my eyes I felt something else and wondered what was on my face...it was my other pair of sunglasses...the ones I had been looking for...oh my!

Nighttime

This is one of those nights. It is 9pm and Gil's meeting at Briar Cliff is just starting. He won't be home for another two hours. Luckily he only works a few hours on Fridays and even more luckily he likes his job a lot, making it much easier to be there (for him and me!). Jude's been in bed for two hours already sleeping soundly. I've done pilates and watched all the good Thursday night shows (The Office and 30 Rock). I even made rice crispy bars! Now it's the waiting time. Usually I fill this time by folding clothes, reading, or taking a warm bath. Tonight I feel like writing.

A few weeks ago I finished a book that Sr. Janet lent to me. It was called My Sister's Keeper. It has been made into a movie which I have still to see. But I really want to because I have heard it has a different ending than the book and I wonder what it could be. It sort of makes me mad that the ending is different because the author said in the interview in the back of the book that she felt it really could not end another way. As you may have guessed the ending is sad. But amazing too. This book had so many fascinating aspects. Each chapter was written in one of the many character's point of view, and it just switched from one to another all throughout the book. The father was a firefighter and had an astrology hobby so there were lots of interesting facts about fires and stars. There was a lawyer and doctors so info from them. The sister has cancer-leukemia-so lots of that stuff. There is a mother with really good mother insights I thought (you understand mothers so much better once you become one!). There were past secrets and present secrets and so many issues-really complex. The basic plot is that this couple had two children and the youngest was diagnosed with cancer when she was two. They then conceived a genetically engineered baby to be a perfect doner match for her sister. This third child does that all her life until she is 13 and then files a suite against her parents for medical emancipation-she doesn't want to donate her kidney. Everything that happens next will amaze you! It is a really good read that I definitely recommend!

Good news! Gil just called and is on his way home. He should be home by 10!!!

Jude's favorite hobbies

Here are a couple pics of some of Jude's favorite past-times...ripping paper (and playing with cords) and watching the pets out the sliding glass door.

Jude absolutely LOVES the bath. Even if he is tired and it is right before bed, he is happy in the water. He loves the faucet, the duckies, the soap, the washcloth, even me dumping water over his head. I think he's going to be a fish in the water. He's already "dunked" himself a few times and just has no fear. I hope that doesn't translate into everything in life!