To my readers without live journals - please feel free to write. You can post an "anonymous" comment, but please tag them with your name so I know who you are!

What a nice day. I received tons of nice e-mails and calls from family, coworkers and friends, including one from Susan on her honeymoon! Thank you all for making me feel so loved and appreciated today. I hadn't thought this would be a very remarkable birthday, but it has turned out to be special.

Our gratitude goes out to Brian, who spotted the elusive Wii beast for us on the shopping plains, and Mom, who sounded the alert. Luckily I was able to quickly get to the hunt site and bag the prize.

Andy, who had developed a negative attitude that he would NEVER get one at this point, was very surprised when I brought my prey home and presented it at his feet.

And then I beat him three out of four games of bowling, with a high score of 191.

Earlier, C Raz was done with his snack and he wanted down from his chair. Usually he is good at saying please, but he just wasn't saying it.

Trying to solicit it from him, I asked "What do you say when you want something?"

He promptly responded "Meemaw!"

(Punchline translator: Meemaw is what he is currently calling his Grammy Kay.)

Ahem mother, the truth comes out! :)

_______

Markers are very popular at our house, as exhibited this morning. They are all kinds of fun. First you can draw with them and be an artist; then you can stick them end to end to "choo choo" them all over the house and be an engineer, and finally you can throw them in a bowl to stir them with a spatula and be a chef.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? 90% Wrapping paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial, I'm allergic to real ones

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever we actually get around to it, but usually second or third week of Advent

4. When do you take the tree down? Some time in January when I actually get a chance

5. Do you like eggnog? Not the store bought, mucousy kind

6. Favorite gift received as a child? play kitchen

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Three - one nice porcelain, one small glass and Colin's Fischer-Price Little People version

8. Hardest person to buy for? me

9. Easiest person to buy for? C Raz

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I plead the fifth

11. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail, Christmas creations

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Love, Actually

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? mainly in November, but sometimes I have a few random gifts earlier

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Used to be some fabulous chocolate thing...

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Favorite Christmas song? I really like one of the choir songs we sang last night He Is The Light of The World

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Both

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Last year angel, this year star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Usually do some on Christmas Eve, but with singing in two services last night, did all this morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Not being able to find Andy his Wii! Boycott hard to find electronics on ebay!

23. What I love most about Christmas? watching C Raz open his presents

24. Favorite animated holiday TV show? Charlie Brown Christmas

Paul and Amber's wedding was beautiful and a lot of fun. I was worried that our little ring bearer would be like a deer in the headlights when he saw how many people were there, but he was a champ. I was a very proud mama. He came down the aisle when he was supposed to, then stopped and posed for the photographer. Hopefully there are some great shots, as my camera chose that moment to run out of steam. We plugged it in for a while, but unfortunately Andy is not the best photographer. Most of the ones here were provided by Cheri's camera.

One of the coolest things about the wedding was having all of the family back together in the same place. It's not often that Paul, Tom, Fred, Corinna, Cheri and I manage to get home all at the same time.

It was also nice to have some baby-free time at the wedding after Grandma Kay picked the ring bearer up, so we could dance and talk without distraction. Although partying is just not the same now that Andy and I are a bunch of old teetotalers.



"Weddy, mama!"

( Click here for more of James Bond Jr. )

Because he is such a handsome devil, Colin has been asked to be in two weddings. The first has already taken place — Paul and Amber on October 13 — but I am so behind at posting that these pix are up here now. Hopefully the wedding photos will follow shortly. And birthday/Halloween after that. The second — Susan and Kris — will take place Labor Day weekend 2008. He'll be an old pro at it by then..we hope.



"Num nums?" "No Colin, those are extra buttons, not candy."

( Click here for more suave toddler shots! )

We visited my Dad and Rita "out in the country" for a Labor Day barbecue. Four of my stepbrother Fred’s kids were staying with them. For entertainment, Dad rigged up a wagon to pull behind his tractor. He was very happy to be putting his old soap box derby wheels to new use.

I was impressed that, in Cedar Point fashion, all children remained seated and and kept their legs and arms inside the car for the duration of the ride.



It was an exceedingly hot day, hence the haziness of the photos.



Max, Evelyn, Emily and Colin all had a great time!

Prologue: The Tigers baseball advertising campaign that has been running the last couple of years centers around the slogan “Who’s Your Tiger?” Different ads feature different players like Pudge or Verlander.

This weekend we stopped by Dad and Rita’s on the way back from our nephew Isaac’s birthday. In the midst of our conversation, Dad stopped and turned to Colin.

“Who’s YOUR Tiger, Colin?” He asked.

Colin’s response?

“ROAR!”

Apparently that isn’t the tiger question that Colin is accustomed to hearing. :)

Happy Birthday Corinna! Hope you have a great one!

(Oh no, that means mine is only a month away!!)

Continue to be pretty busy. Work has slowed down a little, but I have to write and administer employee evals, which always take a while, before the end of the fiscal year (June 30). Recent events/activities of note:

My friend Susan and I went to the Ansel Adams exhibit at the DIA. Colin got us bounced out of the exhibit. We had to take turns viewing the rest, while the other watched him.

Belatedly for Mother's Day we took Mom and Brian out for a very nice lunch at Rochester Mills and then to the Rochester park. Colin enjoyed grammy-back rides, walking by the river, chasing ducks, sliding, swinging and other assorted activities with them.

Alleluia Choir, the choir for the traditional service we were attending, ended for the summer, so I've joined the Praise Team. Our church recently added another contemporary service, so some Sundays I go in at 7:30 for practice, sing at the 8:30 and then the 10. Other days (like today) I sleep too late and just go in for the 10. :) I've also been named the creative director for our church's website and am currently working on redesigning it.

Yesterday for Father's Day we were supposed to go to Pirates of the Caribbean 3, per Andy's request. However, I had pinched a nerve, and had pain down my back, arm and neck. Luckily my chiro let me go over to his house for a home adjustment, but I'm still pretty sore. Didn't feel like sitting in theatre for 3 hours though, obviously. Today we took Dad and Rita out to dinner at Macaroni Grill and tried to go to a park for some fun, but it was just too darn hot and sunny. Colin did go down slides twice, swing a little and climb on a giant caterpillar. Mainly he just tried to steal our cameras and say "chee!"

Okay Grammy Kay! I know you've been waiting patiently for this list.

A couple of catch up phrases that should have been posted earlier:
Mmmmmm - that food looks tasty
Oooh wow - that looks pretty cool. Ooh can also modify other things like daw, dat or chee.

And now more recent:
doose - yummy beverage, usually made from apples
tehtoo - I appreciate you giving me that thing I wanted
bootah - sorry grammy, but he is now saying this consistently for Leslie
aye - (1) thing on my face, (2) also beginning of sentence about me, followed by gibberish
mohmoh - furry red muppet
shiz or dzjoo - things to wear on your feet
upb - not only does this mean pick me up, it also means open things or take them apart
beep - what buttons say when you press them
heyuh - take this thing that I am handing to you
hehwo - new thing to say into the telephone

Yeah has now developped into yes, and nuh to no.

One day when he was proud of himself, we swear that he said "I did dat!"

I'm not at work.

We're visiting the Renos.

It's in the 50s.

It's Mardi Gras/Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday...whatever you want to call it. But apparently there are not enough Polish people around here, because there are no Paczkis!

via grahams:

Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
I respond by asking you five questions of a very inane and creepily surreal nature. (Or maybe they'll just be questions...)
You will update your LJ with the answers to the questions.
You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the post.
When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

( My responses... )

Sunday, Colin and I were looking at the flash cards Busia gave him for Christmas. I showed him the dog card and said "This is a dog. Doggies say woof woof woof." He responded "Awooowoowoo." It was such a good imitation of what I had said, Andy hadn't realized it was Colin.

Yesterday, while I was (attempting) to get his coat on, he pointed at Roney and said "Meow!"