Matt and Audrey DiMarco

Roman turns TWO!!

2011-10-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

Roman turned two on Oct 6th. God was good and gave us perfect weather to Roman could do his most favorite things...playing in puddles and running around naked.

We had a small celebration for him on Oct 8th with a few friends and Nana who was in town for the birth of Titus. He got overwhelmed with opening just one gift that it was hard to get his attention to open another so the gift opening was spread out over several days.

Here are some photos of his celebration!!

Welcome Titus Matthew

2011-10-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome Titus Matthew DiMarco - 7lbs 7 oz 20.5 " born October 12th at 5:26AM

Bay Beach Amusement Park

2011-08-25T12:05:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I posted so some of these photos are from a couple of months ago. Bay Beach Amusement Park in Green Bay, WI has a great park designed for young kids with free parking, free admission and 25-50 cents per ride. It is a great family outing which Roman may have enjoyed more, had he not had a high fever that day. We never realized that he wasn't feeling well until part way through the day. The photos show his lack of enthusiasm of riding around in circles in the heat while fighting off a virus...and well who could blame him.

not sure we'll make it back there this year before they close for the season although it would be nice for Roman to experience it when he is feeling healthy.

Baby No More

2011-07-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well our baby is growing up...He is picking up new words daily and the tell tale sign he is no longer a baby is that he can now eat corn from the cob ;) Bet you didn't see that as a defining moment into boyhood...but it seems like a logical step! Now onto potty training and we'll officially be there.

More Resident Wildlife

2011-06-13T12:08:00.000-07:00

A deer deciding to brave it in the daylight and munch on the bushes in the back yards of the town homes.

One of the many resident snapping turtles that was sunning himself on the rocky beach of the pond. This one is small compared to many others we have seen.

Green Bay Zoo

2011-06-13T12:04:00.001-07:00

After days of 50 degree rainy weather, we finally got a break of warmer weather and we ventured up to Green Bay, WI to check out their zoo. I didn't get nearly as many photos as I had wanted but here are a few.

Just Random Photos... June 2011

2011-06-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

This blog is just a random collection of photos taken over the past week or so with no particular reason.

Well the couple days of nice weather turned sour on us and we have had several days of rain and 50 degree weather. I should be thankful that this doesn't stop Roman from being outside, but when he plays in the rain puddles and drenches himself from head to toe, it makes it harder to enjoy.

Below you can see he is breaking in his new truck. You know this must be Matt's son b/c he has to make a workout out of everything. It was too easy to push it on its wheels so he must turn it on his side and push it up and down the driveway.

His "airpane" face... we are off to locate it in the sky.

His current attraction to airplanes has him asking to read his book before he even gets out of bed in the morning. I am not sure the library will get this book back in one piece since he flips through this book dozens of times a day.
Our neighborhood frog pond that we visit frequently. Roman is sitting watching the frogs and listening to them sing to one another.
The older more experience frogs ( as seen below) show little fear of humans and will just sit there while you approach him.

Mr. Shoe-less!! I wonder why I bother putting them on him in the first place- they always find themselves thrown off. I guess I could enforce the shoe rule but I just think that part of being a kid is the freedom not to wear shoes.

My Mail Man...he loves to check the mail so we make trips to the mailbox several times a day!
Daddy helping with somersaults!
I think I was just shocked at the rarity of the photo below, that I had to capture it on film. He rarely sits still and takes in the sights...granted this really didn't last long but it was sweet while it lasted.

2011-06-09T11:11:00.000-07:00

In this small town of Manitowoc that we now call home, an airport exists right in our back yard. The airport activity isn't bustling so the airport doesn't cause us much disturbance but once a year they have an air show that brings in activity from all over Wisconsin and this year, even from St. Louis, MO!

Although the planes weren't exactly quiet, the view of the air show from our front yard was spectacular. No need to fight the crowds, hover over port-a-johns or pay for over priced food...just pull up a lawn chair in your yard and retreat to the comfort of your home whenever there is a lull in activity.

I am pretty sure all this air show activity is where Roman's infatuation with airplanes has begun. One nephew loved roller coasters, one sky scrapers, one the Civil War, one trains and we will see if Roman truly fills the airplane void and makes that his new passion. In the meantime I am at the library scooping up all the picture books and DVDs I can find of airplanes. The one book we have had in our home for 2 days and he has about worn out the pages looking at it over and over and over again. My new quest is to start locating nearby air shows that we can take Roman to over the summer. This may just be a fleeting passion, but for now we are having fun watching his interest grow and we are learning more about planes than we ever imagined in the process.

This plane below was SO fast that capturing a decent picture was so difficult. But it was impressive to watch.

The stealth bomber flew in from St. Louis for this show- did a quick fly over as it had 2 other air shows to attend. Always the popular one !!

The air show opened with the stealth bomber at noon. We were all outside waiting for the planes to start when Roman started saying "airpane, airpane" and I didn't respond right away b/c I heard nothing, and as he continued to rant about "airpanes" I turned around to see the Stealth right over us. Sneaky plane and very smart boy!!

I personally found it slightly disturbing that the parachutes were riddled with holes...but I guess they got the job done!
Since we had the liberty of watching the show from our front yard...the neighbors pulled out a slip and slide for the kids on this unseasonably 85 degree day!

Roman kept asking for his "towoll" after his turn down the slip and slide his skinny little self gets cold easily.
Below are just some photos from me experimenting with my camera during the lulls in the air show.

We have a resident frog pond...Roman calls them "toads"! The pond is riddled with frogs that really don't mind you coming up to say hello.

Maggie sweating it out in the heat during the show. she was just happy to be around people and FOOD!

Well it seems we may have more air shows in our future if Roman's interest in "airpanes" continues to grow.

Do all boys do this?

2011-06-02T13:43:00.000-07:00

I am actually kind of at a loss for words for this photo....

But don't be too alarmed, we actually do offer him clean water from a cup on a regular basis!

The New Truck

2011-06-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

From the time Roman was 7 months old, he had a truck that he could never part with. But when the moving truck came, his truck didn't make the move to Wisconsin since we decided to retire the abused truck for a newer tricycle that he could grow in to. Although Roman learned to enjoy his tricycle, his love for it has never quite reached that of his truck.

When Roman would look through the photo albums and see his truck, you could see his yearning for his favorite toy. So we decided we would surprise him with a new truck and below are some photos of Daddy putting it together with him.

His smile truly never left his face as he pushed it around ...almost like he was in a dream and that this couldn't actually be true. So sweet!

Roman's workout of the day (WOD)

2011-05-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

While the less than active three year old niece of our neighbor was asking me to push her on Roman's tricycle "because it was too hard to peddle", Roman was pushing around 3 of Matt's atlas stones that weighted 90-150 lbs. We are proud of our active and very strong boy!

Just because...

2011-05-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

I have no reason to post these except I found Roman kinda silly. He woke up with hives, so I let him walk around without clothes until the Benadryl started working. He decided that he wanted to go outside, so he started to get himself ready by putting on his shoe.

Naked boy with one shoe...it makes me smile!

Gymnastics

2011-05-23T13:49:00.001-07:00

Since the weather hasn't been the most conducive to outdoor play on a regular occasion, we have signed Roman up for some gymnastics/tumbling courses as well as some swim courses at the YMCA. I usually don't get photos of the classes since my involvement is necessary at his age. But on Saturdays, they host and open gym for families to attend and so as Matt entertained Roman on some equipment, I snapped a few photos.

The photos aren't the best quality since it was difficult to get a good action shot with poor lighting.

Below is the gymnastics facility, which is quite substantial for the YMCA and has a lot to offer.

Roman was attempting the balance beam with daddy.
Below- his favorite piece of equipment- the trampoline!! He is still learning how to keep his balance and not go bounding off, but a few times of trial and error and he was quickly catching on.

Even in the few visits he has had at the gymnastics room, he has improved greatly in his balance and skills.

Wildlife out our back door

2011-05-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

As the spring season struggles to make its way to Wisconsin, the wildlife doesn't seem much bothered by the delay in season. The geese have been busy and although several other pairs are still wandering around without any offspring, this pair seems to have had enough offspring to make up for the others. this is one fertile goose or a random act of nature that resulted in her mothering 22 baby geese. They have been fun to watch but unfortunately their stay was only for a week or so before them moved to bigger and better pastures.

We have also been visited by cranes...
Plenty of Mallard ducks...
and one lonely baby bunny. We noticed him shortly after we moved in and he is a lone ranger from what we can tell. I have never seen another rabbit around, adult or baby. So this little guy comes out from under our low lying deck to graze on his meal watching ever so closely for the neighboring dogs that may find him a nutritious snack but his keen sense of awareness has proved that the fittest do survive.

And Below is the resident snapping turtle that finds all the visiting baby geese mighty enticing. This probably explains why they have left our premises and ventured to a safer residence.

It is the little things- such as our small bits of wildlife- that bring me joy when I am staring out our back window at the blistery weather that can't seem to find its way to summer. We are thankful for the small pleasure of the 4 ponds outside our town home that provide a sense of serenity when the weather is not so peaceful or enjoyable.

New Addition

2011-05-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Well the Audi S4 is in hibernation as we have acquired a more utilitarian vehicle via Babcock Power for Matt's new job here in Wisconsin. At least if they are going to send us where it was cold, they were nice enough to get Matt a decent vehicle to drive- much nicer than he expected.

Manitowoc, WI

2011-05-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

Manitowoc, WI with a population 34,000 was ranked 2nd in Forbes listing of top small cities. When we first moved here I couldn't understand why such a ranking. Cold dreary weather seemed to dominate the landscape and the summer barely lasted 2 months. Not my idea of an ideal city for raising a family. But this is what I have discovered in our few weeks here.

The lawn companies are replaced with kids mowing their own lawn, paper boys actually ride their bikes to deliver papers, crossing guards are necessary here because kids actually walk to school, and kids ride their bikes around town without the chauffeuring parent. It all explains the 25 mph speed limit all through town that can get somewhat annoying but is necessary to maintain the serene and safe environment by which this town is rated.

So although this adjustment hasn't been the easiest, I have been learning to enjoy this Forbes ranked small city for the small delights it has to offer and working to make the most of this opportunity.

Quest for Chaos

2011-05-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

Maybe it is my desperate quest to keep this busy boy occupied that brings this photo to pass, or maybe it is Roman's curiosity to explore every nook and cranny in the house...but either way, his current five minute past time is to bring his step stool into the kitchen and use it to rearrange my drawers. I guess my arrangement didn't suffice this toddlers desire for chaos, so he pulled everything out of the drawer, laid it on the counter and then randomly threw it all back in and shut the drawer. "That will keep mom busy", he thought as he picked up his stool and put it back where it belonged!

Why Crocs are great!

2011-05-11T19:23:00.000-07:00

I have yet to wonder why it took me SO long to decide to buy a pair of Crocs for Roman. I guess it was the epiphany this week of Roman diving into mud and rain puddles with his tennis shoes, that made me think that there was a better option than spending my evening scrubbing muddy shoes and hoping they dried by morning so we could do this all over again!

So my hat goes off to Crocs who couldn't find a better poster child for their shoe. I bought them today and we took this picture shortly after their test run. They have officially been christened and there was no shoe scrubbing tonight. A quick rinse in a rain puddle on the way back to the house and we are good to go for tomorrow.

The socks and jeans are a different story...but a story to which the washing machine will gladly find a happy ending.

Just when I didn't think he could be more boy...

2011-05-10T11:57:00.000-07:00

Here is the first photo of where we are now living in Manitowoc, WI...this is the field in front of our house that has been a great outlet for Maggie to play ball and for Roman to run around (and as you will soon see) and get dirty in.

The one remaining mud puddle from the recent rains couldn't hide from Roman. He has a radar for dirt.
In my infinite wisdom (yet again) I thought asking Roman to wash his hands in the rain puddle would help clean up the mess on his hands before it made it to the rest of his body. Roman had other plans that I obviously did not see coming...
here we are washing our hands...What a good listener!!
And then here we are wiping our hands in our hair- yikes..the unexpected!!!
And if that wasn't enough, the process was repeated time and time again! And when his hands got too clean, he just revisited his mud puddle.
i figured after one swipe of his hands to his hair, that a shower was on our schedule for the day, so I decided I may as well let the muddy fun continue to really make this shower and load of laundry worth the effort.
The aftermath...
He was happy as could be...and I realized that this is why I don't keep a booked schedule. I have to leave room for clean up duty which takes as much time as play time. Before noon we had our 2nd shower of the day and our 2nd change of clothes and another load of laundry.

Nanny and Pops...are you sure you are ready for him to visit?! Stock up on 5 hour energy, lots of laundry detergent and changes of clothes!

Baby Boy #2

2011-04-29T12:44:00.000-07:00

Its a boy!! We are so thankful for the healthy and positive ultrasound report. Thank you for all the prayers and support. I am 17 weeks along due October 10th- 4 days after Roman turns 2!! Let the fun begin...

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

The first annual shirtless Easter Egg Hunt of the DiMarco family... 90 degree sunny day made for a wonderful day for egg hunting.

finding his first egg.
Figuring out to put the eggs in the basket...he did so well!
Mom hid the egg a little too high...but he managed to reach it anyway!!

Maggie was helping Roman sniff out eggs.
After all the egg hunting- it was time to divulge in the spoils.
He filled his mouth so full of jelly beans, it was running out of his mouth and down his belly- good thing we decided on the shirtless egg hunt.

Maggie hoping to partake in the findings because she helped find the eggs :)

All the egg hunting on this unseasonably hot day called for some serious refreshment.

Not my baby for long...

2011-04-20T17:21:00.001-07:00

Expecting our second child in October, Roman has decided that he may not be quite ready to give up his role as "baby".

I was pulling out all the baby equipment to take with us to Wisconsin and Roman decided to try it all back out again! He can't quite understand that a new baby is on the way, but that rude awakening will be here in 6 months. In the meantime, he is my baby and relishing every moment.

What a long and lean boy...he was out of that car seat at 7 months!

2011-04-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Don't people tell you to treasure these years, they'll be gone before you know it. Part of me wonders what there is to cherish on days like today... a child who takes a 20 minute nap and spends the next hour and a half fighting to fall back asleep, a child who refuses to say "please" yet throws a fit when he doesn't get what he wants, and the child who finds trouble when you are tied up with dinner. It is in this very moment that I wonder what there is to cherish but remember that children are a blessing and a gift from God- good, bad or ugly.

So today, Roman was in the mood where he was either in trouble or clinging to my legs crying while I am cooking dinner. I fully convinced myself that whatever was keeping him occupied enough to stay out of the kitchen was well worth any clean up I would have to do...that is until I found him in the bathroom unraveling the entire roll of toilet paper and dipping every piece in and out of the toilet and throwing it on the floor. It went something like this: Throw all the toilet paper in the toilet until sufficiently drenched, then pick it all out of the toilet and throw it on the floor and Repeat! So by the time i got out of my denial about the trouble he may be in and ventured to find him, the water was flowing freely across the floor and out the bathroom door with only a small driblet of water left in the toilet itself. Now the toilet was clogged, the sopping wet toilet paper was spread throughout the bathroom, the rug was drenched, Roman was disgusting from the toilet diving and I completely blanked on dinner in the oven. So after rinsing off roman and confining him to his high chair for dinner, I took to cleaning the bathroom in between trying to feed Roman only to remember the garlic toast was in the broiler as black as can be.

lesson learned- not all trouble is worth ignoring just to keep your toddler out of the kitchen while you are cooking dinner.

And one more thing got knocked off my moving to do list: Mop the bathroom floor!

Teaching Proper Hygiene

2011-04-12T17:09:00.001-07:00

Roman takes a lot of interest in what daddy is doing and today he learned a lesson in hygiene and how to trim your toe nails. Below he is intently watching the process...

Then he had to try to do it himself.

Maggie was intently watching to make sure those trimmers didn't come anywhere near her feet. Having her nails trimmed is her worst nightmare!

I am hoping this demonstration will ensure that Roman will enjoy getting his own nails trimmed more than he has in the past.

2011-03-21T06:11:00.000-07:00

Like father, like son! Roman saw Matt doing a workout in the garage which consisted of air squats and quickly started imitating him. You have to know that this makes daddy very proud!!

Tumbling 101

2011-03-21T05:32:00.000-07:00

Roman hasn't quite mastered the somersault but he has come very close and we love to watch him try. We hope that it won't be too long before he can start some real tumbling classes!

curiousity got the boy...

2011-03-19T18:36:00.000-07:00

I am not sure this is how Papa intended his train table to be utilized- by catching and trapping small boys, but it sure did work. I heard some squawking coming from his room and I came in to find this... I couldn't stop giggling and then had to take some photos, BEFORE rescuing him.

so what got him in this position?!

A little red car baited him into the drawer. Never knew hot wheels were so enticing.

He never ceases to give us a laugh and are so thankful for his curious and adventurous spirit!

What did he do today?

2011-03-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

"What did he do today?" seems to be the current theme of my life with Roman.

Today- i underestimated his strength and intelligence when I put a gallon of milk next to him in the grocery store and he proceeded to break the seal, pop off the top and spill it all over the floor in the middle of the grocery store!

I went running after the first employee I could find to try to clean up the embarrassment as quickly as possible! They had to stand and guard the aisle so no one went down it which made me feel even worse.

But with Roman, I know that this will only be a taste of what is to come!

how gross can a toddler be?!

2011-03-08T12:54:00.001-08:00

While I was in one room folding a batch of clothes, Roman was burying the other basket of clean clothes in the litter box!! So gross... But yet again, I doubt this will be the worst I see in his life time. It only gives me a glimpse of what is yet to come!!

17 months old

2011-03-07T10:24:00.001-08:00

17 months old...and well some things stay consistent- like Romans' good ole reliable plastic truck that he has pushed around since he was 9 months old. It only gets a harder beating as Roman gets older!!

Roman's favorite past times consist of playing outside and getting as dirty as possible. So what better thing to do on the day he turns 17 months old but to explore the biggest mud puddles he can find with his trusty truck.

I guess having his jeans sopping wet wasn't enough, he was thoroughly going to drench himself in he puddle to ensure mom had plenty of clean up to do.
I wish I had captured the picture below 1 second earlier, as he was laughing and giggling at his dirty self.
This is 1 second after the one above where he gave me his standard furrowed brow !

All of this fun was coinciding with Daddy building a fire pit in the woods...of course I neglected to get any pictures of that but hope to post some of the progress before too long. A think this was a successful day for Roman to celebrate being 17 months old...seems like the perfect dirty day to me.

Battle Wounds

2011-03-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Monday Roman drove his truck into a bush full of thorns and I wound up plucking handfuls of thorns out of his face including his eyelids. Today he ran full throttle down the hill and face planted in the street. Pictures of the damage (below):

He is a tough boy- or learning to be one- as only a few minutes of crying and he was begging to head back outside to run around again!! There was NO lesson learned I'm sorry to say.

Back Yard Chipping

2011-02-23T17:23:00.000-08:00

Matt took his 3 day weekend to chip through an enormous pile of branches that have accumulated over the past several years and grew to such an expanse that it was causing an eye sore. Roman enjoyed playing in the chipped wood, climbing on the rocks, and overall getting a dirty as possible.

GG this is your little daredevil of a great grandson standing tall on this boulder that he climbed up himself. He was so proud of his accomplishment...and don't worry, he was as steady as a mountain goat and never suffered one bruise :)

Roman also enjoys throwing the mulch in the air- so above is the action shot of him jumping and throwing dirt to ensure he is filthy from head to toe.
Maggies chuck-it was a source of entertainment for both involved. Roman is trying to figure out how to make it work and Maggie is anxiously awaiting for him to figure it out.

I forgot to get a "before" picture of the pile of brush, but above is the "after" picture. The pile of branches stood over 6 feet tall and spanned from the fence on the left to past the rock on the right.

Daddy's little helper.

All this yard work makes for one dirty boy.

Our strong independent boy had to carry the bucket himself. But the independence is quickly given up for a free ride in the bucket by daddy.

We are so thankful for our little boy who loves the outdoors even if it means several changes of clothes and lots of laundry.

New York City Feb 2011

2011-02-23T15:21:00.000-08:00

On Feb 11th, our entire family ventured to New York City to watch Renee's two boys, Adam and Jack while Renee and Mark went to Vancouver where Mark was the featured speaker of a Church Planting Seminar.

The boys had a busy schedule so the pictures I did capture were few and far between, but we got a few to document our adventure.

We attempted to get a family photo- on the coldest windiest day we were there- so we look quite frigid. An Australian tourist was kind enough to try to take our photo but my camera gave him some trouble so the two pictures below are without Roman looking or with me giving him directions as how to use it!

We decided to try taking the photo using the timer and propping the camera precariously on a ledge, but as you can see below, Roman was not cooperating and Matt was trying to get him in position and by the time the picture finally took- this is what you get!! (I was ready :)
Finally a decent family photo (below) although Roman is STILL not looking at the camera which is not a surprise with him.

Roman's favorite mode of transportation was riding on Dad's shoulders. We visited the Central Park Zoo where Roman was mesmerized by the sea lions and the polar bears.

This hawk was a welcome site in NYC Central Park surveying the remaining ice and snow for a meal that may just scurry across the ground.

Although traveling with a 1 year old had its challenges, we had a good time with the boys who helped make this trip much easier by their great behavior and their knowledge of the city.

Linus

2010-12-15T18:45:00.001-08:00

Since about 7 months old, Roman has started to have an attachment to this blanket that his Nana made him and the attachment has grown over the months so that he now drags it with him every where! Trying to wash it is a chore since it is hard to sneak it into the washer without him knowing. But my oh my, with as much as it gets dragged around, it gets stinky fast!!

He takes it with him to feed the cats. Jack is the only cat that will stick around when he sees Roman coming. So tolerant of him.

Down the hall with all arms full- careful not to let go of his blanket.

Even learning how to navigate up the stairs with his blanket in tow.

"Thank you Nana for my blanket. When I miss my mommy and daddy or when I hurt myself, it makes me feel so much better. Nothing quite comforts me like my yellow blanket."

Family Photo Session- Nov 2010

2010-12-01T12:06:00.000-08:00

We finally broke down and got our first set of family photos done and some 1 year photos of Roman. Here are some photos from the session. Roman was a busy subject for the camera and made the photographer work overtime to get any photos of him looking at the camera, much less smiling!! The photographer did a good job capturing photos of him during our hour long photo session.

you can tell from the above photo that he was done with all this photo taking :)

Christmas Tree Shopping

2010-11-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

We ventured out for our annual tradition of cutting down our Christmas tree at the Penland Tree Farm in York, SC. It was brisk, rainy, muddy, dreary but somewhat warmer than what we normally encounter during this annual tradition.

We decided that if we are to make this farm our "go to" place for our tree, we should start taking Roman's picture in front of the snowman every year to mark his growth from year to year.
Mulch mountain was a new attraction this year. Not sure I saw one girl playing on this hill, but the boys sure did take it over. Roman wasn't so sure about this until we took him to the top of it, and then it was his new found hill to conquer. Up and down and all around we went.

Roman's class face (below)... don't get offended if this is all you get when you smile and say hello. He gives this face to EVERYONE!

Roman's fascination of fire made me think he may just take after Uncle Boyd- Mr. Pyromaniac. He is mesmerized by it and you can see his brain churning with devious plans.
Roman likes to pave his own way from point A to point B...exploring as he goes. Daddy and Roman inspecting the trees below and Maggie doing what she does best- picking up scents.

Mulch Mountain came in a distant third to Roman's other attractions he found at the tree farm. One being MUD- and maybe the one that came in at the top of his list. The huge mud puddle from the morning rain, was where he chose to spend most of his time- and well he couldn't have been happier. My 100% boy!! you'd think by now I would learn not to leave home without a change of clothes.
He had to make sure EVERY part of him was covered in mud. He laid out in it and wiggled like a worm.

Katie Williams joined us on our annual tradition. She has been coming with us for the past 3-4 years. It wouldn't be the same without her..and she saves our hide by watching Roman when things get chaotic!
Roman loved the tractors- just like his PaPa!! This was his other attraction and probably second favorite to the mud. He enjoyed watching the tractor ride filled with people waving at him while he stared at them with his serious face (seen above).

We decided this year to get a balled tree - a tree with its roots to be planted after the holidays It was a great idea until we saw the man power that it took to get it into position in our living room. We bought a $6 bucket from Big Lots that seemed promising to hold the root ball. But as you can see below, it took some reshaping of the roots to get it to fit into the bucket.

Ah hah- we did it!! Got it in. But weighing over 300 lbs- now we had to get it into the house. We cashed in some favors a friend owed us, to get some much needed man power moving the tree into the house.
Lots of grunting, groaning and a large crack in the bucket, later- we got the tree in place. One more trip to Big lots for another $6 bucket and hopefully the last time we have to move the tree resulted in a 2 bucket base and a well placed HEAVY tree!

Now if it can survive the trauma of all that and a month of cat, dog and child torture, it will be a great addition to our front yard. Matt may as well start digging the hole now as we live on "stone mountain" and it will take a month to build a hole big enough to plant this tree.

Tomorrow we will dress the tree- enough torture for today! Pictures to post soon.

Sewing Projects

2010-11-02T15:47:00.000-07:00

These are my current sewing projects. Pacifier clips is what started it all.
I was inspired to make them after seeing the poor selections on the market and the simple sewing technique it took to make them. So I have stocked up on different varieties of Pacifier clips and the ones below are just a few of the designs. If you know anyone who wants some, please let me know. They'd sell for $5 each.
My newest project is the dog collar and the one I am most proud of. I really liked how it turned out and looking forward to making this an extension to my S3 consulting and training business.
I am hoping to get the cost down on these by buying the hardware in bulk so we'll see but for now costing between $10-15 per collar.

I have another project that I am going to start taking on but waiting for the equipment to come in the mail. Once I receive it, I will get them made and post pictures.

The stinky Skunk Debut!

2010-10-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

The stinky skunk made his debut this evening! He did a great job keeping the costume on and even managed to wear his stink face the entire night as well. So overall he made the perfect skunk, bad mood and all! But a super cute skunk he made!!

the funniest part was that we were at a Fall Festival with the college kids and there was a young girl a little older than Roman who wasn't dressed up and she just stood there pointing and laughing at him. she was like "ha ha, your mom made you dress up!" He was such a great sport! Love this little guy!

Train Table

2010-10-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Adam and Jack grew out of the train table and Renee was trying to purge her apartment and so Papa's infamous train table has made it into Roman's new playroom. It came via Renee's friend who lives in northern NC who visited NYC last month and was kind enough to haul the train table down south. I drove to Greensboro last night to pick it up from them.

it is his early Christmas present :) But was easier to put together now than to store til Christmas. Renee sent along Thomas the train set for the table but waiting for Roman to get a little older before I let him loose on the actual train set as he is quick to destroy everything he touches.

It is the perfect height for him and Maggie. Maggie is very interested in his plastic zoo creature that he is playing with.

Proud of papa's handiwork and glad that it is kept in the family. Papa's date on the table was from 2003!!

Roman's Birthday Weekend

2010-10-10T12:11:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday October 6th, Roman turned 1 year old!! He was quite ginger and unsure about the presents which I venture to guess will change as he gets older. But this birthday we had to do more of the unwrapping and the oohs and aahs for him as he found the remote control more exciting!

Daddy got us a pocket size video camera to document his birthday events. He enjoyed playing with the AV cables instead.

His birthday bash was on Saturday October 9th where we offered him his small birthday cake. We had to help him realize that the goo on top of the cake was really delicious and worth eating.

he gave up the use of his hands to just dive into his cake and thoroughly get himself covered in cake and icing from head to toe.
Nanny and Annie (Matt's mother and sister) Came into town for this memorable occasion. They made the weekend even more special. on Sunday we went to the nearby Pumpkin Patch to pick out a pumpkin and see the farm animals.

roman checking out the hens...and started crying at them.
A giant rabbit with a black stripe down its back housed in a pen with some roosters.
They grow their own pumpkins and pick them daily. Below are the containers of pumpkins that have been harvested and ready to be sold.
the resident pigs rooting in the mud.
we ventured out to the pumpkin patch to pick our own pumpkin and let Roman find the one he wanted. That only resulted in him playing in the dirt and tripping over vines.
Roman making his dad proud by demonstrating proper dead lift form!

Above is Nanny, Matt and Annie!
Family photo. trying to get roman to look at the camera is a feat- he hasn't learned the art of "cheese".
Roman striking a pose...my little Ambercrombie model!

Nanny and Roman playing in the trees!

We are so blessed that Nanny and Annie were able to come into town for his occasion. It really did make it so special. We had a group of wonderful friends who took time out of their days to spend time with us for Roman's birthday and we couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Next stop- holidays in TX and MO.

Beach Trip September 2010

2010-09-13T17:08:00.000-07:00

We took a little hiatus from our day to day routine to travel back to Fernandina Beach, FL for a weekend of beach activity, relaxation and visit with friends. Below are some photos of our time at the beach.

I contemplated buying some beach toys for Roman but glad I thought twice since his favorite toy was the bottle of sunscreen. He dragged that with him everywhere.

Maggie thought we brought the towels and beach umbrella for her as she easily monopolized the shade and even got it all wet and sandy for us to ensure we wouldn't be using it after her.

She played hard on the beach as you can tell from her tongue hanging down to the ground.

It looks like Roman is sunbathing and taking in the sites of the ocean...but don't be fooled, he fell over and in his normal fashion, was frozen on his back" forgetting" how to get up.

Roman enjoyed playing with Maggie's toys as well.

Below everyone is taking a water break. Roman was more interested in Maggie's water than his and would throw his sippy cup in the sand and would try to take hers.

The only picture I got of Roman smiling and it is out of focus...he is hard to photograph since he is always on the move and doesn't stand still long enough for a picture much less to smile for one.

Maggie is Roman's shadow because she steals her toys and takes off with them.

Roman's truck was also his best companion on the beach. He pushed that truck from end of the beach to the other.

Roman wasn't always fond of the waves crashing around him so he would often go in the opposite direction of the ocean. A couple of times the waves knocked him down and washed his truck over so its hard to blame him for wanting to push his truck toward the sand dunes.

Maggie displaying her talent of catching frisbees!!

The beach was quiet with very little people around and served as a great get away for us as a family. It was wonderful to catch up with some of our long lost friends in Fernandina and we hope that next time our visit can be longer. til next time...

Maggie's Brother

2010-08-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

No we did not acquire another dog but when we were out hiking today we found Maggie's long lost brother. We have never seen a dog that comes close to looking like Maggie but Brutus could be her twin and upon finding out that he was born the same time as her and acquired from a rescue organization, we concluded that they must be related. It wasn't the tear jerking reunion you'd hope for when another finds their long lost sibling and honestly it took everything we could to get them to stand this close together. Maybe they had sibling rivalry when they were pups...who knows. But us parents were sure excited to meet one another. Brutus made Maggie look lean and muscular as he holds the heavy weight title for being 90 lbs (over 40 lbs on Maggie). We had to document this momentous reunion even if the pups were embarrassed by our fawning.

10 months old and this is what we've been up to...

2010-08-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

So I am not sure if these videos will play. I was having trouble getting them to load. But Roman has been a busy boy these days with learning to walk, play piano and dance.

I particularly like his dancing video where he has learned that if he hits the toy it will play the next song. The toy is motion activated, so if you touch the objects on it, it will play music. You can see when the music stops how he hits it or wiggles the dog to get the next song to play.

Walking is going well although he still prefers to crawl. He gets easily excited over his accomplishment of walking and will fall over from sheer excitement of it all....or if the dog wanders by and hits him in the head with her tail.

The boy, the dog and the turtle

2010-08-07T05:19:00.000-07:00

Meet Webster...the most gregarious turtle i have ever met. Meeting us on our front sidewalk with his cob web covered shell (hence the name Webster) made us wonder where he had emerged from, but regardless of where he came from, he knew where he was going....and that was away from us. Who would stick around with a dog sniffing your hind quarters and a baby patting your shell? But no fear did he show as he briskly ventured down the front yard to reside under the jasmine that swallows our mailbox. It was a good resting spot for him as he waited for his fan club to carry on to another suited distraction so he could finish his journey, wherever that might be. I would have liked Webster to be a regular around our house but I think we sufficiently sealed the deal, after butt sniffing and shell patting, that he'll find another place to call home.

After all the fun with the turtle, we carried on with our walk down the street. It seems to be the quickest way to get Roman tired out before his naps or bedtime.

Away he goes...always on the move- which I think will always be the way of this child. But it seems well suited for our family.

2010-07-27T07:35:00.000-07:00

roman learning to descend the stairs...but still prefers to climb up them.

Roman - 9 months

2010-07-22T11:43:00.001-07:00

I am usually too busy to run around and take pictures when we are on vacation so this afternoon I decided to take him outside and take some photos. I found this much more fun than he did as it was 100 degrees and the sidewalk was scorching hot. Hence why he retreated to the shady porch and tried climbing to the front door to give me the subtle hint that it was time to go inside.

But in all honesty, he does really like the outdoors but after our last escapade outside, we had bandaids on our knees for a week. So until the walking begins, our time outdoors is limited since the concrete isn't crawler friendly.

This face below is one that I am pretty sure my mom captured on me when i was a baby. I am not sure this bids well for years to come. I see the attitude brewing.

I managed to capture his sheepish innocent grin below. This is the cute face daddy gets every time he comes home. He loves his daddy- so much for the mama's boy.
up at the top of his list of favorite things to do along with climbing stairs and ingesting mulch- is chewing on rocks. Some may call it a diet deficiency, or a new way of teething...I prefer to think that he likes to grind down his own teeth like a gerbil. He gets new ones, right?

My happy boy after his nap. He bounces so much in his crib that catching a still shot is next to impossible.
Well it is hard to believe he is over 9 months old now. We had our first trip away from him last week while his Nanny (Matt's mom) flew in to take care of him. We enjoyed our trip to California for Matt's Crossfit Games and Roman enjoyed his time with Nanny.
Pictures of the games to come soon...

Trouble, Trouble and More Trouble

2010-06-25T13:07:00.001-07:00

Roman is 8.5 months and he is always on the verge of getting into trouble...

Below he likes to be like Daddy and work on his truck. He will tip his truck over and work on the tires.

A couple of nights last week he decided to undress himself and meet me in the morning like this (below)...
My little over achiever- just like his daddy...couldn't climb around the dog's toy box, he had to climb over it.
Maggie, below, is really wondering what he is doing with all her toys since she doesn't get that luxury with his toys.

He is a good helper...enjoyed pushing the mop around but really only to hear it bang on the floor.

Nearly 8 months and trouble continues...

2010-06-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Roman is nearly 8 months old and has found himself in all sorts of trouble. He definitely keeps us laughing and gasping over his new found tricks, expressions, and mobility. He gets himself into situations he can't get out of and also surprisingly gets himself out of situations i didn't think he could get in to. If you can crawl over or under it, if you can use it to pull up on, if it is within his grasp than it is free game.

Ascending the stairs with increasing speed... Now to teach him to descend -NOT face first.

"Daddy couldn't fix his computer- so I thought I would show him how to do it."

Maggie and Roman- fast buddies...

All this mobility comes with its fair share of bumps and bruises- and crying- as we find out that some things are not meant to climb on, through, over and around. Some things are sharp, some things are heavy, some things are off limits, and some things don't move. All this exploration made for one busy month. Can't wait to see what happens in his next month of growth.

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-01T17:09:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day Weekend 2010 was spent cheering Matt on at his Crossfit Regionals Competition in Jacksonville, FL and introducing Roman and Maggie to the ocean. While Matt stayed in Jacksonville with his fellow competitors, Roman and I stayed with Marcia (my younger sister) in Brunswick, GA about an hour away. After the competition was over we all relaxed up in Brunswick and visited St. Simons Isle for some fun on the beach.

Matt looking quite tired above and well who could blame him after competing all weekend long.

Daddy keeping a close eye on Roman as he ventured into the waves with no hesitation.

Roman loved eating the sand when mom wasn't watching.

Maggie looking like she is hating it- but think we got a picture of her mid shake...she dove into the waves no problem.

Sand mustache for Roman (above)...

Below is Maggie and her posse of friends. She had a blast running around the beach- oh and diving into people's coolers for any snacks they may have left unattended (how embarrassed was I). note to self: Feed the food driven dog BEFORE going to the beach.
Friday and Saturday we made the hour long commute to watch Matt compete in his team affiliate competition. His team was made up of 3 guys and 3 girls who competed in 4 different workouts. The pictures are in reverse order but the workouts consisted of the following:

Friday: Workout #1: One Rep Max Clean and Jerk followed by as many muscle ups and chest-to-bar pull ups the team could do in 2 minutes per exercise. Matt got a personal record (225 lbs) on his Clean and Jerk as did many of his fellow competitors and they started out the competition at the top of the leader board.

Saturday: Workout #2: Flip 2 tires down a 50 meter course - once at the end, 200 burpees to be completed using both tires divided evenly jumping in and out of tire between each burpee and then flipping tire back to start position and stacking them on top of one another. Time was called when the entire team was all standing on top of the tire. Matt's team finished in 10 min 24 sec.

Sunday: Workout #3: Row 5000M done 10 x 500M divided among team members. Matt rowed 4 of them and this was his best split below:

Sunday: Workout #4:
60 front squats
200 M farmers walk carrying kettle bells
200 M Run,
60 push press
200 M Farmers Walk with kettle bells
200 M Run
60 dead lifts
200 M Farmers Walk with kettle bells
200 M Run

matt's team finished in 19:08

The team hanging out in the gym before the row.

Out on the field flipping the tires

Mid-burpee

Pullups

Muscle-ups (on the rings)

On the court for lifting

Maggie trying to stay cool under the bleachers. Roman got tired of being in his stroller so that was parked while we stood by the fence cheering on daddy.

225 lbs overhead

Roman's new tricks

2010-05-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Mom got Roman a $0.99 ball to play with and it was a great investment

And here is the beginning of trouble. He loves to climb things and the latest fun trick is climbing the stairs, so we have to keep a close eye on him as he motors around the house.

7 months old...now what?

2010-05-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Now what? you ask... Here is what.... 2 bottom teeth, lots of talking to be had in the form of "ba ba ba" and a first swim lesson with dad in the pool. i have yet to get photos or video of any of the above so I don't have anything to post but wanted to at least document that we are crossing some mighty big hurdles these days.

Teething is what it is - lots of drool, some cranky days and chewing on everything.

Talking just started happening yesterday. Can you call it talking when the words are undecipherable and it is the same sound over and over and over again? Well, we do. We needed another accomplishment to add to the books. Crawling, standing up and teething wasn't enough. So depending on what you want to hear, you can decipher him to be saying "mama" or "dada" but in reality I think he combined the two as to not upset the parents as to what his first word might be and he went with "ba ba". Whatever the meaning, we find it very entertaining except when he practices talking to his stuffed elephant in the crib when he should be napping.

Swimming- now we are secretly thinking we have the next Michael Phelps on our hands because lets face it...in 18 years we need another swim prodigy. Michael will have blown his money by then and his rotator cuff will be calling for early retirement so we are grooming what is to be the next Olympic swimmer. Whether or not that comes to fruition is yet to be seen- but i can tell you that his first lesson with daddy went very well. He started splashing from the moment he got into the pool. He had his bottom up on top of the water (the diaper may have been assisting) and was not afraid to put his face into the water until he gulped a large mouthful of highly chlorinated water. But even so, that didn't deter his spirits. His easily distracted one track mind made it a little hard for him to concentrate on the lesson of blowing bubbles in the water. The little girl in the swim goggles and hot pink swimsuit screaming in excitement or the lady doing laps on the other side of the pool were so much more attractive than this bubble blowing business. I have a feeling our evening baths in 4 inches of water will not carry the same enthusiasm as they used to now that we have introduced him to the most giant bath tub of all- a swimming pool.

The outdoor pool opens in 2 weeks which has a water park attached to it and again will only serve to confirm Roman's suspicion that this bath tub at home just isn't really all that great. But after seeing Roman's blue lips and shivering body today in the pool, the outdoor summer heat will be welcomed by mommy and Roman.

Will try to post pictures as soon as i get some....

Photo Session with Gretchen

2010-04-29T16:38:00.000-07:00

Gretchen, an aspiring photographer and college student, came to take some pictures of Roman. Below are some of my favorites. The weather was overcast and Roman was fussy but she did a great job despite it all.

Crawling to Standing- ALREADY?!

2010-04-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

It was not long ago that I posted how Roman had taken up crawling. Well since then, the only crawling he has done is to get to an object of choice to use as a tool to help him stand up. He is much more interested in standing than crawling but also has had to learn the painful lesson that not all objects are made to pull up on. We have learned a lot about falling in these past few days as well.

he simultaneously is teething- so his goal seems to just find something new to chew on. Here he is chewing on the strap of his chair.

As i went to get him after he woke up from his nap, he wanted to show off his newest accomplishment- standing up in his crib.

He thinks this is pretty funny but mom is not amused when he spends half of his nap time perfecting this new trick. We are hoping the novelty will wear off before too long.

"You talking about me?...this was nothing- you should see what I do when you aren't looking!"

We took the liberty tonight of lowering his crib to the last notch (which was only one more down) and hoping that any new accomplishments ,such as climbing out of the crib, will wait to be discovered.
"I'm big stuff, you know. If you don't know it, you really should."

"Falling down onto a nice mattress is much more fun than falling on the hard floor. I wish mommy would put mattresses everywhere."

A silly man who never ceases to keep us smiling. I feel so privileged to stay home and watch him discover all these new things. God has truly blessed us and i am very thankful for a husband who works so hard so I can stay home with him.

Learning to Sit up and Crawl- 6 months.

2010-04-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Six months old this month and some big accomplishments for our little guy. He has become quite proficient at sitting up on his own over the last few weeks and most recently has started to take on the task of crawling. I have been waiting for this but he is learning so quickly that I am not sure the baby gate will come in time. In a matter of a couple of days he went from looking like he might want to start crawling to getting up on his knees and rocking to inching across the floor for shiny objects or slobbery dog toys.

Reaching out for the camera- he likes gadgets such as phones and cameras so he tries to take them from you any chance he gets.

He especially likes Maggie's slobbery dog toys and Maggie relishes in the fact that they are hers and he can't have them.
she tolerates him well but equally gets annoyed at him getting in her personal space. You can see her shave spot on her neck from the surgery in which we removed a stick that had been stuck in her neck (unbeknown to us) for 18 months.
Roman using his exersaucer to give him a boost in getting up to crawl.

He is deep in thought about this whole crawling business- wondering how he can accomplish it with less frustration. (a daddy trait- thinking before acting)
Here he is pissed and frustrated from not being able to figure this whole moving thing out. He waves his arms and legs in the air and fusses that he isn't moving. He gets easily frustrated from lack of perfection like his mother. (mommy trait- acting before thinking)

Mesmerized by Maggie's feet...and well she wishes he'd find something else to be mesmerized by.

This is Maggie's good will kiss to ask Roman oh so nicely to stop playing with her feet...
And wondering when mom is going to intervene.
Ah...Maggie is thankful that her slobbery dog toy has captured Roman's attention away from her feet.
Two days later he went from playing Superman on the floor to up on his knees and trying to move.
And obviously quite happy with this accomplishment.

Practicing his Pilates doing a plank- getting that core strength built up.

He reached his goal- Daddy's Blackberry.
And then- time for a much needed break.

"Daddy's phone is SO delicious. I love slobbering on it as I work on getting in my new teeth. "

He thinks he is "kind of a big deal" for doing such big boy things.
Daddy and Roman bonding over their gadgets.

Roman's Mr. Old Man face...
oh and the camera- "another shiny expensive object that I can use as a chew toy."

Roman's fetish for gadgets follows right in his daddy's footsteps.

I placed my order for the baby gate tonight and with his seemingly quick progress in learning how to crawl, I am not quite sure it will come before we need it. I can see that my life will be getting even more busy in the following months but am thoroughly enjoying watching him develop and learn new things.

Reynolds "Fly" Thru

2010-04-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

On the way home to New York City from spring break at the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Renee and the boys (Adam and Jack) had a short layover in Charlotte. Mark traveled home a day earlier and boy did he miss the fun we had at the airport- it was something out of a Saturday Night Live skit.

You wouldn't think much could really happen in a short span of 15 minutes but the red headed Pickup girls never cease to surprise. With a sleep deprived (seems to be a trend...promise i don't try to make a habit of this) infant in tow and 2 hungry growing boys, a quick stop at the only place to get food outside of security was a dainty Starbucks across from baggage check in. The boys pawned through the few delicacies of yogurt parfait, muffins, Espresso brownies, to decide that a quick snack of a cinnamon twist would have to suffice before getting a yummier selection of food past the security checkpoint. Renee went the healthy route of an apple that was "mealy" and a green tea. Payment was given, and we found the nearest place to sit a few paces from the Starbucks stand. The cameras were out and the bags were spread all over the floor as we quickly wanted to capture the memory of a quick charlotte fly through. Five minutes passed before Renee asked where her tea was and just like that, the manager from Starbucks turned the corner and asked if "this was hers?" (holding a frosty cold green tea). Aww..yes! We laughed at our scatteredness when another few minutes pass and the manager came around the corner yet again and asked if we were missing a piece of luggage. Oh by golly- we were! in Jack's rush to down his cinnamon twist- he left his luggage in line at Starbucks for the next customer in line. We hurry back over to Starbucks to gather the blue luggage on wheels and giggle in shame at our absent mindedness and take it as our hint to say goodbye and quickly see the Reynolds back through security where hopefully a much more substantial lunch will help the brain cells start firing again :)

But in all seriousness it was a wonderful visit although WAY too short. Can't wait to spend more time with them in July. Below are pictures of the boys.

Not sure that Jack can take a serious photo.
Roman supporting St. Louis Cardinal Pujos!
Thanks for the entertainment, boys:) July will be a blast!

Bounce

2010-04-04T16:31:00.000-07:00

We decided that with so many parents out there exploiting their children on the web we might as well get in on the action. If anyone wants to pay us because he is so cute please do so hehehe :-)

PS he also does cute faces and screeches! Carpet stains included at no extra charge

Easter 2010

2010-04-04T15:30:00.001-07:00

Easter was low key this year. We cooked a ham and had a friend over for lunch and then managed to snap a few Easter photos of Roman to celebrate the occasion. Of course, he was nap deprived, crying, teething, drooling and spitting up so the pictures lack smiles as his only interest was trying to chew on the eggs (go figure...teething). As much as I tried to get him to look up at the camera- facial shots were only successful when he was lying on his back. He is much improved at sitting up on his own- but then his only interest is looking down on the world below him now that he is so "grown up".

Think the teething is evident from all the photos of eggs in his mouth.

Did I say we didn't get any smiles? Okay- we got ONE and this took a lot of noises, dances, facial expressions and ridiculous behavior on our part in order to get it.

The only original hair he has remaining is his trademark mohawk. New hair is growing in and we are excited about this...
Maggie being nosy? NO WAY!!! nothing can go on without her checking it out. Thank goodness we have a good guard dog on our hands to keep the Easter bunny from stealing back his eggs.

Easter Card from GG and Mary

2010-04-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

Roman received his first Easter card/gift from his GG (great grandma) and Great Aunt Mary. Below are pictures of him intently discovering this multicolored glittery piece of paper. He was very amused as were we. Thank you GG and GAMary for your thoughtfulness. We love you.

He kinda looks perplexed above- so interested in this new creation.

Daddy read the card to him amidst Roman flapping it about in the air.

Johnny Jump Up

2010-03-23T16:27:00.001-07:00

Well- its official- he has figured it out. Watch out Johnny because this little jumper is giving this toy a run for its money. Don't mind the naked boy- I gave him the opportunity to play with his sweet potatoes at dinner and as expected it ended up everywhere but in his mouth. But he had fun trying. Since he was close to bath time, we just went without clothes til then.

love the pictures above and below- shows him really getting into it. He laughs and giggles!

Maggie has been so tolerant of him and his Johnny jump up! Today she was lying down under his Johnny and letting him jump on her head...she didn't even flinch or move!

The Lazy 5 Ranch

2010-03-23T15:50:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, Roman and I joined a friend of mine (Laura and her family) from work for a day out at Lazy 5 Ranch in Mooresville, NC. It is a facility that you can drive or take a wagon ride through and feed the different array of animals ranging from giraffes, zebras, cows and deer.

Roman shows such interest in Maggie and the cats at home so i thought he would really enjoy the ability to see larger animals up close! i was wrong. He cried through the wagon ride while I danced and bounced and tried to talk him into a better mood. Thankfully the animals ignored his grumpy disposition only interested in the buckets of food and the hands that were feeding them.

Below are pictures of our outing...I was ready to feed him to the llama below :)- okay just kidding but we were definitely ready to get home at this point.

Poor tired boy- pushing away the paparazzi!!

Above and below is Tre, Laura's son, feeding the animals.

He looks really excited to go on this wagon ride- don't you think?! At least the weather was gorgeous and nice to visit the ranch with some friends.

Roman- 5 months

2010-03-09T03:43:00.000-08:00

For Roman- 5 months has brought lots of new things. A big boy high chair, a grown up drinking cup, a johnny jump up and a hair cut!

Although he isn't able to drink out of the cup, I have started to let him discover how to put it to his mouth, hold onto it, etc. It usually ends up in his eye, nose or on the ground. But he enjoys trying to figure it out.

He helps me clean off his face after eating.

He also isn't all that ready for his johnny jump up but when mom gets bored around the house and needs entertainment, we toss him in there and watch him spin!! He does okay with it, but the dog is nosy and wants to know what all the commotion is about. As he continues to develop better head and motor control- he'll be a pro at this in no time.
Here are the incriminating photos of him with his new hair cut. I took some scissors to his hair to try to find the balance between the long wispy strands that keep growing and the bald spots on his head. It doesn't help that he never stops moving. But at least his hair is out of his eyes.
At 5 months he has about mastered rolling both from tummy to back and back to tummy. It is an accomplishment for him just to think that it is a good idea for him to be on his belly. Crawling is a thing of the distant future. Not sure we'll master that one soon- but it isn't from lack of trying- just lack of patience. He gets frustrated so easily when things don't go as planned (wonder where he gets that from?). He continues to find his voice and just when I don't think it can get much louder- it hits a whole new level and pitch. He is sleeping fairly well at night- 6p-3am on average and then up again at 6am. He has been better about learning to put himself to sleep both at night and during naps but as I am writing this he is upstairs in his crib refusing to remember how to do it. But he never ceases to meet you with a smile when he wakes from his nap or is rescued after an hour of crying. He is a happy boy (when he is getting his way) - but couldn't ask for anything better :)

Matt competing at Crossfit Sectionals

2010-03-08T13:17:00.001-08:00

The first workout on Saturday was a sand bag shuttle run followed by squats with the sandbag. 400 meter run (turnaround at 25M) 20 squats, 300 meter run, 30 squats, 200 meter run, 40 squats. Matt was proud of his plan to take a steady pace and even though it looked like he was going slow at first (he started out in last place in his heat of 12) he passed everyone except for the number 2 competitor to finish 2nd in his heat and 5th overall with a time of 7min 17sec.

After the first workout at about 2:30 PM Saturday they had a chance to rest for about 3 hours until the second event. Since Matt was ranked 5th after the first workout, he got to have the most rest and go in the final heat of the night for the second event which was right up his alley. The competitors had perform 6 reps of a deadlift at 275 pounds (that is picking up a barbell off the floor and standing up with it), then 12 jumps over a 20 inch box (you could go forward or sideways) and then climb to the top of a 20 foot rope. This triplet had to be performed 5 times as fast as you can and Matt finished in 6min 7sec, which was the 2nd overall for the event, and placing him in a tie for 2nd place overall. Over 50% of the competitors could not complete the event in the 15 minute time limit and were disqualified.

Sunday morning started with a one rep max effort lift at the clean and jerk, which is basically how heavy of a barbell can you pick up off the ground and push to all the way over your head. Aud wasn't there to take pictures and Matt is happy about that because he says the form was not so pretty. He got 220 pounds overhead, but with a very strong field of competitors this was only good enough to tie him for 50th place in that event, dropping him to 6th place overall in the standings. The winner got an amazing 305 pound lift.

The final workout of sectionals was a "chipper" because you just keep chipping away at the different exercises. As usual, its a race to see who can get all the different sets done as fast as possible. We started with 60 double-unders (two revolutions of the jumprope with one jump), then:30 barbell thrusters with 95 pounds (this is a squat with an overhead press, all in one motion), then:30 Burpees (drop to your chest, pushup, and back up to your feet, clap over your head), then:500 Meters on the concept 2 rower (takes about 2:00 at a decent pace), then:30 "Slam balls" - 30 pound medicine ball, bring it overhead, then slam to the ground and catch before it bounces, then:30 situps on a machine called the "Glute-ham developer" which takes you from touching the ground, to touching your toes, then - back to the rower for another 500 Meters, then:30 "kettle-bell snatches" The kettlebell weighs 24KG or about 53 pounds, and with one hand you take it from a hanging position, to locked out over your head. You are allowed to switch hands whenever you want to but you can't use both at the same time. Then:
With the slam ball from before, 30 steps of a walking lunge holding the ball overhead. After that you are ALMOST done. All you have to do is finish up with 60 more double unders, which by now are very tough to string together. Matt ended up 5th overall in this event with a time of 15min 30sec. This time 11 of the 84 competitors did not finish within the 25 minute time limit.

Matt held on to the 6th place spot overall, with other athletes from Crossfit Charlotte also getting spots at 7th and 10th, qualifying the three of them for the regional competition in Jacksonville FL in May. the training continues....

Here was the warehouse where the event was held:

Roman taking all the sights, loud music, and people screaming and cheering:I don't know why his hat got all crooked, probably trying to keep him from getting sun burnt.

Spencer's Graduation from Air Force boot Camp

2010-03-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

Some of you know that my niece, Spencer, joined the Air Force late last year and today graduated from boot camp. Below are some pictures of her graduation. Her mother is standing behind her in the black and white coat.

Below- standing at attention with her unit of all girls.

marching in (below)- she is the second girl behind the flag bearer.

Spencer and Nana ( my mom- for those who don't know)

Spencer, her mother Wendy and friend Ali

Friday was her actual graduation in her dress blues. Below are some pictures.

Spencer's bed(above) in her dorm room - with the first time her mom has seen her bed made in 19 years.

Spencer ( above) with her locker and her camouflage.

Sleep deprived and food deprived- she has made us all so proud. Go Airman Hearn!

2010-02-24T04:58:00.001-08:00

Just some more pictures of Roman discovering his hands, his toys, his pacifier, his sold food and his temper (oh I didn't post pictures of that- but consider it discovered). Part of his tantrum comes from the new skill of pulling his pacifier out and throwing it during his nap time AND then not knowing how to put it back into his mouth.

here he is trying to get his pacifier into his mouth or is he pulling it out? It is entertaining to watch until the tantrum starts.

if he had the mouth of his mother, he would have no problem getting this ball into it. Guess good thing he takes after his father.

Eating green beans and rice cereal. He enjoys trying to feed himself with the spoon but that quickly results in him gagging himself.

We are thoroughly enjoying watching him discover new things (minus the temper) and have taken to making his baby food which I find fun. I've made sweet potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, pears, bananas, green beans and prunes. We are slowly introducing him to the different foods one at a time and he is doing very well with them. He loves his solids!!

2010-02-20T05:28:00.001-08:00

a wonderful client from my vet clinic made this adorable blanket for Roman. So i had to post a picture with him sleeping with it. You can see how much hair he has lost. He looks like a dinosaur with his hair spiked. And i just got up so I don't look very lovely but you get the point.

Roman- 4 months and other photos

2010-02-07T02:52:00.000-08:00

Roman is discovering his hands and how to put things in his mouth. He has been chewing on everything he can find displaying his first signs of teething- but anticipate we won't see teeth for awhile.

Maggie tries to put on her cuddly side in order to win some popcorn. She runs to the kitchen when she hears it popping in the microwave. She is definitely only a friend when their are perks (food) involved.

Abby thinks she owns the house and makes her mark by beating the other cats away from the food, water and bed. And here she is taking over Maggie's bed...trying to conquer the whole household- on bed at a time.

2010-01-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

In Mid January- Roman and I traveled to Texas to visit GG (his great grandmother) and Nanny and Pops. Below are some photos of our visit- starting with the picture of 4 generations. Annie and I were standing in for Matt who was not able to make the trip.

Congo- newly adopted African Grey who started mimicking Roman's cry much to Nanny's delight.

Nanny and Roman above and Pops introducing Roman to "Baby"- the cockatoo- who was more interested in Roman's feet than anything else.
GG and Roman below!

roman demonstrating his reverse crunch!
Annie learning out to knit from GG. The hat she made she is wearing at the top picture.

roman standing tall against Aunt Annie. Won't be long before he is taller than her :)

Roman was very good for his trip and smiled and laughed at all the right times. It was a very special trip to get a chance to spend time with GG.

just for your enjoyment.

2010-01-12T17:03:00.001-08:00

just some pictures from around the house... Roman at 3 months.

Maggie enjoying family time and her belly rubs!

And Abby thinking she'll push her way into Maggie's bed!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

Some Christmas photos from this year at the my parent's home in Missouri.

Sarah Thompson, Boyd's fiance with Roman. We are so excited for their wedding in July.

Matt being the gym for all the neices and nephews.

Robin and his family- Patty and Nate. Nate is such a happy and cute baby.

Marcia and Roane- Heidi's new baby girl born about a month ago.

Our growing row of stockings! up to 22 now with all the grandkids and spouses.

Spencer and her sister Jordan. Spencer leaves for the Air Force on January 5th. She is headed to boot camp in San Antonio, Texas.

Dana also being a gym for the kids- Cameron, Wendy's son, standing tall with Dana.

Jackson, Dana's son, cross dressing with Marcia's clothes. Jordan dressed him up and was so proud of her creation. We were all impressed with Jackson's ability to walk in heels.

Wendy and our son, Roman.

Heidi and her daughter Avis and Aunt Donna iin the back ground. Heidi was super mom and traveled down to the farm with a 1 month old and Avis in an ice storm in order to visit with us. We felt very blessed.

Some of the kids- jordan, Cameron, Jackson and Avis.

Grant, Sarah and Boyd. Sarah was playing Nintendo DS Brain Age with the help and instruction of Boyd (my brother) and Grant ( my cousin).

Patty and Nate with Matt and roman. Nate was intrigued by Roman and liked pulling his hair. We are looking fwd to when they can play together since they are about 6 months apart.

Nate- Robin's boy- who is so adorable!

Patty, Marcia and Nate (Patty's son)

matt and Cameron (Wendy's son)

Jackson throwing snow balls at his dad although poorly formed ones due to the dusting of snow we received.

A white Christmas- Matt and Roman's first :0 )

Tater- my school project!! When I was in vet tech school we had to hand raise a puppy from 4 days old. That was a long time ago and as I was galavanting around the world, my parents took her in and adopted her and now she lives the life of luxury at the retired farm.

My brother boyd and my sister Marcia. Boyd always has a line of eager recipients for his back rubs.

Nana and Roman- using her motherly touch to put him to sleep.

Brother Boyd

Matt got me a new smaller lap top that is more versatile and easier to carry around.

Roman with his new hand made blanket from his great grandmother.

Matt and Roman reading the Christmas story.

Maggie enjoying her new fluffy bed.

Roman got a new cd player for Christmas to replace my old high school stereo that quit working shortly after we put it in his nursery.

we had a wonderful Christmas and Roman did very well on the road trip.

Ready to Race

2009-12-11T07:24:00.001-08:00

Since dad has a fast sports car- Roman also needed a car seat that would accompany such driving. Recaro makes seats for race cars (Nascar, etc), and they have since ventured into engineering child car seats. We found this car seat for a bargain price but it is so big that when it is put in daddy's race car, there is no room for anyone else in the back seat. It is obviously not in a car right now so we were playing with it in the house...trying it out.

In the picture below- his left hand is telling you how he truly feels about this play time that mom is doing to entertain herself.

Roman- 2 months

2009-12-05T17:32:00.001-08:00

December 6th marks Roman as 2 months old. As the big boy that he is, he rolled over today for the first time. The pictures below are right before that happened. he doesn't enjoy tummy time but has gotten stronger. The more upset he gets, the more determined he is to make it to his back and today he was successful multiple times.

These type of pictures with him doing facial expressions on my lap seem to be my signature photo op but so hard to resist.

The picture below: Roman concentrating on filling his diaper which he successfully accomplished shortly after.

Notice the stick on the floor in the background...yes, Maggie's mark! She was pulling the kindling from the wood pile in attempts to entertain herself.

Kinda love his big diaper bum.