Our New Drumset

Summer Reading

Everyone deserves to indulge in a few good reads during the sweltering summer months. This week it seems as if all the media buzz is focusing on what President Obama is reading during his vacation on Martha's Vineyard. Hey, at least we're over Michelle's shorts already.

Anyways I thought I would share our favorite summer reads this year.

Nathan:

Nathan read Born to Run on the way home from Afghanistan and hasn't stopped talking about it. In fact, we had to place an order for the book (among others) at Amazon because it was just that good.

Lauren:

Almost Moon is extremely dark, yet very compelling. I almost quit reading the book at the end of the first chapter because it was so disturbing, but anyone who has read Lovely Bones will understand how Alice Sebold can draw you in.

Addison:

Addie just can't get enough of the Brown Bear series. I'm not sure if it's the simple repetitive lyrics, or the beautiful illustrations, or the fact that the books are about animals (which are her life blood) that draw her in, but she could read these books all day! The only one missing from our collection is Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See, which I am sure we will be adding very soon.

Welcome Home Honey! There's a Bat in the Washing Machine

Addie and I excitedly welcomed Nathan home from deployment last Sunday at 2:30 in the morning. It was an odd time to welcome him home, but great nonetheless.

The day of Nathan's arrival I spent the day cleaning. Of course cleaning with a young toddler is often fruitless. During the cleaning process I put a load of Addie's diapers in the wash. As I was transferring the diapers to the dryer I noticed a black mass in the washing machine. Perplexed by what the mass could be, I moved closer only to notice fur. My first inclination was that I had a dead mouse in the washing machine. This pretty much freaked me out as we have never had a mouse in the house (that I know of).

I gave myself a pep talk and figured that I could remove the mouse from the washing machine. As I was strategizing my next move I noticed that the dead animal appeared to have wings. That's right folks, there was a dead bat in my washing machine! A. DEAD. BAT.

A dead bat might not be any more problematic than a dead mouse for some people, but I must admit that I have a pretty severe bat phobia. I have no clue what this phobia stems from, as I have never had a negative encounter with bat. I am taking the easy way out and blaming the media for demonizing the blood sucking creatures.

After a brief panic attack, and a few calls to my mom to express my concern that we could possibly have a bat infestation in our house I decided that the removal of the bat would have to wait until Nate came home. There was no way I could get that bat out and stay sane. On one of the many calls to my mom I expressed my concerns of a bat attacking Addie (seriously). Of course she HAD to tell me that it would NEVER happen, but after I was off the phone with her I found this story. FREAKY.

So, when Nathan got home at 2:30 a.m. I didn't even mention the bat, but after a few hours of sleep I figured he was up for some bat removal. When I mentioned that there was a dead bat in our washing machine Nate just laughed and went about his business. After he spent a couple of hours playing with Addie I was really getting antsy for him to get that bat out. Not to mention the bathroom was starting to stink. I finally resorted to begging.

When he opened to washing machine he said "Oh my gosh, there's a dead bat in our washing machine!" Are. You. Kidding. Me? I had only been telling him for 3 hours. He swiftly removed the bat carcass, and I bleached the washing machine.

Oh the joys of having a husband home!

As Promised

Phase I:

I said sometime ago that I would be filling in the rather large gaps from my blogging absence. And I really have been working on it, just not fast enough. With Nathan home (more on that soon) I have a lot more free time on my hands. I should be able to blog more often. In the meantime, enjoy these posts:

Addie's haircut

Old McDonald's Farm

4th of July

Also, I know that the comment section was once turned off on the blog, but it is now on. Feel free to comment if you see a particular post that you enjoy. By leaving comments I will (a) know what things people prefer to see/read on the blog and (b) know that people are actually reading the blog (which will be an incentive for me to continue blogging).

Beating the Heat

With lots of cool treats!

It has been hot here lately. Okay, well maybe not all that hot compared to what most of you are experiencing in Virginia. We've had a very cool summer this year. In fact I have not (up until this point) been hot enough to install one of our window air conditioners. We've been doing just fine with fans. By the way, no one (and I really mean no one) has built-in air conditioners in their homes here.

Another way we beat the heat is to go to the mall or grocery store. The park is also great because it is on a rather large hill, and is usually 5 degrees cooler than our backyard. The biggest problem is that I HATE cooking in the heat. I am struggling with making Addie nutritious homemade food without turning on the oven or range. Tomorrow I will use the crock pot (as suggested by my lovely neighbors). Nathan is the grill master, so that is out of the picture.

Tell me...

What is cuter than a baby with a butterfly on her bottom?

A baby with a smile on her face!

Addie's First Concert

Every summer there is a local concert series in Watertown. At the beginning of the week I got a notice that the USO had 50 free tickets to the Laurie Berkner Band concert on Saturday. Since we have a no TV policy in our house (for babies/toddlers) I had no former knowledge of the Laurie Berkner Band. Apparently they are big time in the toddler entertainment world.

So I did what any red-blooded American would do, and claimed our FREE tickets to the show. Oh and did I mention that the tickets were FREE? When I went to the USO to pick up our FREE tickets a couple of hours before the show they gave Addie a swag bag filled with 2 Disney movies, stickers, candy, popcorn, cookies, an Elmo toy, etc. In other words, the USO is super generous!

The concert was wonderful! I was a little nervous because Addie missed her nap due to the ticket pick-up time, and there just wasn't enough time to squeeze one in before the show. Addie had the time of her life. She danced and ran around with the other kids. She is such a social butterfly. A little 5 year old named Paige immediately befriended Addie, and was pretty helpful at corralling Addie when she started to walk too far. Addie outlasted many of the much older kids in terms of energy, as many kids were carried out asleep in their parent's arms halfway through the show.

Addie's "friend" Paige is the one in the pink capri pants.