The highlights reel

Well hi. I feel like it’s been awhile. That was my fault really. Time does fly, doesn’t it.

To catch you up on the latest news, here are the top 10 happenings in the last few weeks. Our little family highlight real, in no particular order:

1. I got promoted! It’s now Assistant Director Rebecca. Yay me!

2. The impossible has happened- I managed to get 100 people (half of them kids) through a culinary extravaganza and no one got hurt. There was even liquid nitrogen. And knives. And hot surfaces. You can read about it here.

3. I officially decided that my maternity leave starts August 6 after learning that my place of employment does not (as standard practice) offer paid maternity leave. As in ZERO days of paid leave. But if you work a little magic with sick days (and vow to yourself that you won’t get sick next year) poof!, a three month paid maternity leave appears.

4. Henry learned how to kiss. To kiss- you smush your faces together and say “Mmmm-WAH!”

5. Henry laughed victoriously as his long hair continued to mock me.

6. Our family started its trek into normalcy as we consider (ugh) a second car and a double stroller (double ugh).

7. My little brother and his lovely fiancee FINALLY announced their wedding. I can hardly wait!

8. This might be the best banana bread ever. Especially when you add a ton of chocolate chips and walnuts then sprinkle sugar on top.

9. Reality TV season started. I know you’re all excited.

10. Deron continues to impress me for many, many reasons. I love you hubby!

Good-bye little surfer dude…

It’s about time my friends…for us to cut off Henry’s hair.

The heat and humidity arrived over the weekend and much to our chagrin, Henry’s hair embraced it with exuberance.

First, his hair went curly.

But then it got sweaty.

And then grody.

And then there was ketchup in it.

It was more than I could handle. I tried to trim it but I didn’t know where to begin. Every snip seemed perilous. It was apparent that his hair had gone out of control and it was time for it to go. So, it’s gonna get cut…by a professional. And I think we’re gonna cut it VERY short.

We’re going to miss having a little surfer dude. And I think that Henry will miss it too. Check out this face:

It’s like he’s saying “You’re gonna do what?! Say it isn’t so!”

Poor little guy.

Mountains out of mole hills

In case you haven’t heard, the NATO summit has taken over Chicago. Dignitaries from all over the world are meeting amidst the skyscrapers of downtown and those of us that live here are on red alert.

The protests might get out of control.

Terrorists might try to attack.

The firefighters and police are on stand-by.

Helicopters are circling the city.

People are staying home from work.

“Don’t go near the city unless you need to.”

Traffic is supposed to be a nightmare.

And so far, with all that warning, with all that hype, the biggest conflict we’ve seen involves a 17-month-old little boy that doesn’t like his carseat and who can’t be consoled. Not even with goldfish crackers.

Let’s hope that Henry’s tantrums are the worst drama of the week.

Let’s play catch-up

Oh man…how did it get to be mid-May already? We have so much to catch up on.

To speed this up, here are the 10 best things that have happened in the last 10 days (in no particular order):

1) My mommy came to visit.

2) Deron’s mommy came to visit.

3) I ate 0.81lbs of frozen yogurt in one sitting. And the next day, when my boss said that he didn’t believe me, I then polished off a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting. I am such a bad-ass!

4) I saw the White House at night. Beautiful!

5) At least 15 good-looking men greeted me with “Bonjour” at the Sofitel. So fancy!

6) My brother and I had a nice dinner together. We hadn’t seen each other in the last 13 months! He commented that I am always pregnant when I visit him.

7) I learned the Rep. Dold (R-IL) gets unlimited jelly beans from Jelly Belly. Jealous.

8) Deron finally relented to my pressuring and bought an iPhone. Unlimited iMessaging begins.

9) My hubby rocked his promotion test. You can now call him Captain Deron.

10) Henry learned to twirl.

Alright, now maybe we can get back to the regular blogging schedule.

Number 6

Henry discovered hummus today…

Yuck.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am for paper towels and soap.

** This post is part of a 30-Day Gratitude Challenge inspired by the 365 Grateful Project.

Number 5

My dad gave me this French press a few years ago…

…and it’s become part of my morning routine with Henry.

He sits on the counter, next to the coffee press, watching me add the coffee grounds, then add the hot water, and add the milk and sugar to my cup. I pour the coffee in my mug and Henry stirs it all together.

He tries to steal my mug of steaming coffee but I’m a mean mommy and won’t let him have it.

Some day Henry, we can share a cup of coffee. Some day.

A moment of gratitude

This is my favorite part of the morning…baby bed head.

He wakes up every morning like this- hair going every which way.

It bounces as he plays and rolls on the floor.

I’m so tickled by it.

Boys love iPhones

This is what happens when a little boy spots an iPhone…

Needless to say, there are little fingerprints on my phone.

Tulip Time in Holland, MI

Our family spent the weekend in lovely Holland, Michigan. And true to its Dutch history, the city loves tulips. They were everywhere and we saw all kinds of tulips. They are really beyond description, so I thought that I’d be annoying photographer lady and show you some photos.

And a special thanks to Deron and Henry for tolerating me during our afternoon walk. I think I photographed every tulip variety along the way.

Enjoy!

Our little baby is officially a little boy

When does a baby become a toddler?

Is it when they walk?

Is it when they turn 18 months?

Is it when they wear toddler clothes?

We haven’t really been able to figure out the line between baby and toddler.

But I think we’ve got it figured out now- a baby (at least a baby boy) becomes a toddler when he starts to like cars. And trucks. And vans. And tractors.

In the last month, Henry has received several small cars as presents. And while they weren’t that interesting at first, BAM!, now it’s cars and trucks all the time.

Somewhere in there, he became a little boy.

He loves to ride in this plastic car.

(Even though it’s blurry, I love this picture)

And he loves little cars too. Vrooom.

They just make him happy.

(I love this blurry photo too.)

So, little baby Henry is now little Henry boy.