Valentine's Day Weekend

We had a busy weekend. Thankfully, all of the Starretts were feeling well finally! Friday night I had dinner at our house with Nichole, Leslie, and Wendy. I really enjoyed our time together! I made a wonderful recipe from the Kraft Foods website.http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/shrimp-tortellini-spinach-107842.aspx.  I doubled the recipe so I could enjoy it later and share it with Chris and the kids.  I was thankful that Chris was home to help get the kids to bed so I could focus on dinner. 

Saturday was a busy day!  Ian, Ruby, and I went to the AMF bowing alley to pick up gift cards for Taylor and Grayson's birthdays, our youngest nephews on the Starrett side.  They had a great time playing in the arcade!  We were so happy to have a weekend with no snow that we just had to get out!  Plus, Daddy needed some quiet so he could sleep from working overnight. This photo was taken last Sunday during our sledding adventure in the neighborhood.  Thanks Pinkaj, great photo!  After we put Ruby down for a nap, Ian and I went to Party City to pick up balloons for Taylor and Grayson and then to head to Allen & Christine's house.  Ian helped me pick out 2 Transformer balloons for his cousins.  He proudly carried them to the car and we set off for Sandston.  On the way, Ian decided he was hot and put down his window on I-295.  Unfortunately, he'd tied his favorite stuffed animal, Max, to one of the balloons, the one that flew out the window.  I was yelling at Ian to catch Max who was about to fly out the window too.  Luckily, he acted quickly and saved Max, but we lost one balloon.  I lectured Ian about opening the window without asking Mommy.  It scared both of us and I'm sure it startled the drivers around us.  Then, he said he'd hold on tight to Max and the remaining balloon.  When we got to Allen & Christine's house, I was helping him out of the car, he was holding the balloon and then he let go and I didn't catch it in time, so we lost that one too!  Sadly, Taylor and Grayson were watching out the window when it floated up to the sky.  Here are some photos from the party:  http://picasaweb.google.com/emilystarrett/GraysonTaylorSBirthdayParty2010?feat=directlink  We had a great time.  Daddy and Ruby met us after they woke up from their naps.  It was great to see my inlaws, Pop Pop and Mom Mom.  Ian and Kyle had matching VA Tech jerseys on and they hung out and watched Sports Center together.  It was great to see Christine's parents, Karl and Linda.  They've been through a lot with their daughter, Nicole's, battle with ovarian cancer.  Please keep Nicole in your prayers!  Apparently, she just got a new wig (much darker than her original hair) and she looked good in the photo Christine showed me.

We left to go watch Daddy play basketball.  Yes, basketball.  He's very athletic but I've never seen him play basketball.   It was a Kraft Foods supervisor vs. hourly employees basketball game.  Ian, Ruby, and I enjoyed watching Daddy play.  Ian struggled to stay off the court and they both didn't like the whistling and beeping.  We left early to rush to Mechanicsville to  CJ's Thumbs Up Ball before it ended.  Daddy stayed to finish the game and unfortunately they lost to the hourlys but not by much.

The ride to Mechanicsville was funny.  Ian asked me, "How do they make roads?"  and "How do you get married?"  Big questions that were equally complicated for Mommy to answer.  He wondered aloud if "Mechanicsville is where they work on cars?!"  Too cute.  His brain is constantly working...and he rarely stops talking.  :) 

Ruby tries every word and says the cutest things.  She's so precious and sweet!  I've determined that she is quietly mischevious.  She is so into Ring Around the Rosey right now and loves to hold my hands and just bounce.  She was so intrigued by a gymnastic meet on TV, I think she's a budding gymnist.    She definitely felt better this weekend and was more independent and less clingy.  :)

The Thumbs Up Ball was awesome!  We got there toward the end but got some snacks and chatted with Roger and Rachel some.  Our friends, the Suydams were there so we enjoyed seeing them.  Of course, Ian's first question to Rachel was, "Where's Charlotte?"  Ugh.  Rachel handled it beautifully.  I'm sure it's not the first time she's been asked that by a little friend.  I won a raffle prize.  $15 to Jason's Deli.  Yum!  They then called my number again but I was honest and admitted that I'd already won once.  The kids were BUCK WILD by that point.  They'd spent all day eating junk and were tired so we headed home. 

Kate came over for a sleepover on Saturday night.  She and Ian had a great time.  Kate slept in a sleeping bag in Ian's room.  They were so cute and played nicely!  Kate's been wanting to sleep over for a couple of weekends and had talked about "waking up and having cereal at Ian's house" for weeks.  So, we had her over to do just that.  Later, Meg showed up w/ Cohen and Landen to play a little and pick up Kate.  It was fun to play together.  Here's a photo of Cohen.  So cute!

Valentine's Day was nice.  We didn't do much which was welcome after such a busy Saturday.  I went on a nice long walk and ran into my friend, Kathy, so I enjoyed chatting with her.  Then I came home to Chris on the couch with both children asleep in his arms.  My heart melted.  All my Valentines on one couch!  Ian and Ruby are even more beautiful when they are asleep.  Here's a photo. 

Meg came over later and Chris and I went out to a fabulous dinner at Bonvenu.  Thanks Meg!  Bonvenu is a new restaurant in Carytown and we had a wonderful time together and enjoyed an amazing meal.  Chris LOVED the chocolate coffee creme brulee.  He did not share it very nicely.   The 2 bites I had were amazing!  My lamb chops were really yummy too. 

Happy Birthday to Dad/G'Daddy tomorrow!  The card is in the mail.  I didn't plan for no postal service due to Sunday and President's Day.  We'll give you a call tomorrow. 

We hope to head to St. James the Less for a pancake supper tomorrow night.   Fat Tuesday!

   

I WON THE CONTEST!!!

I won the weight loss challenge! 

$100 for losing 9lbs. in a month (since Jan. 4th). 

I'm so thankful for this challenge to help get me focused on getting healthy.  My coworkers have been so supportive and we are motivating each other.  The one year anniversary of my strange illness, Transverse Myelitis, is coming up on 2/6/10.  I'm so happy to be feeling good and healthy!

Now I need to figure out what I'm going to do w/ my money.  Save for Disney?  Spend on a pedicure and new clothes?  Pay the housecleaner?  I'm not sure...

The weight loss challenge for February will just be $5 a person, so the pot will be smaller but I hope to win that one too! :)

Update on the household:  Ian, Ruby, Chris and I all went sledding on Sunday.  We ended up getting 13 to 14 inches of snow on Sunday.  I went down the hill once, Ruby went down twice (w/ Daddy) and Chris and Ian continued for at least an hour.  Ruby was done quickly and she and I went to the car.  She ate a snack and listened to songs while we watched "Da Da" and "Broder" sled. 

Chris worked OT on Saturday and Sunday.  He risked his life to get there Saturday but the roads were better by Sunday.  We are thankful that he made it safely.  He started nightshift last night.  Ruby was sent home from daycare w/ a 101 degree temperature on Monday afternoon.  She saw the pediatrician this morning and he didn't see a sign of any infections but she wasn't moving her air that well.  She has a tight cough.  She got a nebulizer treatment and we will keep those up over the next few days and hope for improvement.  I'm sick of the illness in our house!  Ian is congested but seems to feel okay, thankfully. 

Happy Birthday to Taylor!!!  He is 7 years old today.  Geez, time flies.  I'll never forget waking in the wee hours of the morning after hosting our engagement party at our house and driving my very hungover husband to be to see our newest nephew.  Time flies.  Taylor got a snow day for his birthday.  That's a great gift!!! 

Also, a year ago today Chris started at Kraft after just being laid off from Qimonda at the end of January.  We are so blessed that he got that job and only was unemployed for a weekend! 

Any updates on that Groundhog?  This winter has been a doozy!  And the rumor is that we're getting a storm this weekend that may drop 12-20 inches.  Yikes!  I'll have to make another emergency trip to the library for new books and DVDs.  Of course, we can watch the all-day Super Bowl coverage on Sunday.  Go Saints!!!

The Rules of Gender

Ian is full of quotes.  He told me this evening that "Boys get Mack trucks and girls get Ariels and Cinderellas".  Of course, I pipe in with, "Some girls like Mack trucks and some boys like Ariels and Cinderellas."  Ian said, "Well I like Mack trucks."  Where is he getting this?  Daycare.  It's definitely not from our house.  Chris and I have tried not to teach gender rules.  The funny thing is that he has never even watched The Little Mermaid or Cinderella, so he doesn't even know those movies. 

Chris is working hard this week.  He's feeling better and actually took a long ride on his new bike yesterday.  This was even after he'd gone to the gym.  I noticed that he'd bought some multivitamins.  I'm sure he's tired of being sick.  Chris has been on a special team for wok where they were testing a new computer system for tracking items at Kraft.  Well, the system is to "Go Live" next week so Chris is working hard to prepare for that and I'm sure he's dreading next week's actual attempt to use the system.  By the way, Kraft is buying Cadbury.  Yum!

Speaking of that, I'm doing great with my weight loss challenge.  I didn't lose that much weight this past week but I feel so much more focused this week.  I have walked around the capital every day this week.  It's about a 25-30 minute walk w/ a couple tough hills.  I'm feeling really great and I hope that I will have lost more weight next week.  I've recently reconnected with a friend from Richmond Mommies.  She has lost 117 pounds since last February.  Her before and after photos are amazing!  I'm so proud of her and inspired with her commitment and dedication to making a dramatic change in her life. 

During my walks around the capital I've encountered quite a few Fruit Loops.  On Monday there was a man dressed as Thomas Jefferson giving out material about the Revolution.  And then there was a very large group of people with stickers on them that said, "GUNS SAVES LIVES".  First, there's something wrong with the grammer, should be Guns Save Lives, at least based on what I know.  Second, I don't get it?  It seems like everytime I turn on the news, I hear how guns are taking lives.  Fruit Loops.  Third, a lot of them were wearing their guns proudly.  Yuck!  I trusted that the Capital Police on their bikes would maintain the peace so I could enjoy my walk.  Oh, and by the way, this was all happening on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.  Wait, didn't he encourage peace and nonviolence?  Ironic.

Ruby has just been so cute recently.  She says "Dance" and just starts shaking and bouncing.  She LOVES to dance.  She's saying tons of words and is just so precious.  Her teacher says she's so involved with circle time and says all of the words and is very confident.  She's so happy and loves her brother.  Her latest activity has been to yank a car or train from Ian just to get him to chase her.  And then she screams really loudly when he tries to get it back.  I try to encourage Ian to ask for it back nicely and offer her another car or train instead.  He's doing pretty well with that.  He's a great big brother!   Unfortunately, Miss Ruby continues to pull her hair out.  It's been 5 months now and I just wish she'd STOP.  Her hair was looking better and growing longer and then yesterday or the day before she woke up and a lot of her hair was gone on one side.  I was feeling somewhat "at peace" with it and had accepted that I could not do anything to change the behavior and the more I tried to combat it, the more she pulls.  So I've been ignoring it and I've encouraged Chris and the daycare staff to ignore it.  But, it's still hard.  Chris and I still worry about it and her and we don't like when she's just playing in her crib at night, morning or naptime because we think, "oh she's pulling".  I'm continuing to trust our pediatrician when he says, "It's a weird toddler thing."  I do have moments when I envy the moms that get to pull their little girl's hair up in the most precious pony tales but I guess the good news is my Ruby's hair is a lot less maintenance. 

So, today marks the end of President Obama's 1st year in office.  I think he's had a tough job for this year.  He's had a lot to deal with since Old What's His Name left office.  

It also marks 1 year since Charlotte Reynolds was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  Wow, what a year!! 

Off to do dishes and bed...

My Friday Off

I enjoyed my day off. 

Chris went to work this morning and he tried to keep Ian quiet so I could sleep a little longer.  He got an A for effort, but it didn't work.  I got ready for the day and got Miss Ruby up for breakfast. 

Ruby and Ian enjoyed looking out at the deck and seeing the snow.  We got a dusting of snow last night.  They both insisted on wearing their snow boots to school.  Ian took his school bus for show and tell so he "plowed" the sidewalk with the school bus before he got in the car for school. 

I then went to the grocery store to buy items for a couple of recipes I've wanted to try.  Then I came home and got sucked into email, Richmond Mommies, and Facebook.  There is so much support and love being expressed for Charlotte's family.  It really is remarkable how the community has joined together. 

I then went to get my eyebrows waxed (ouch!) and showed up at Ian and Ruby's school to have lunch w/ Ian.  I'm always torn about which child to spend lunch with but Ian at least understands that I'm going to leave him again but will be back to pick him up.  I also enjoy sitting at his table with him and chatting w/ his friends.  I shared macaroni and cheese, carrots, pineapple, and milk with Ian and his classmates.  I read Ian and his friends a book, The Gingerbread Boy, while his teacher got the cots ready and the children went to the restroom.  They were pretty attentive.  I felt good about Ian's teacher and he seems to be doing well.  I checked w/ the director and she said that Ruby was having a good day.  She'd been in the room dancing w/ Ruby earlier. 

I then left to take the Camry to be cleaned.  Chris has been feeling like the Camry is triggering his allergies since his headache has been worst Tues. and Wed. evenings on his drive home from work.  The 1995 Camry was a gift from my parents before Ruby was born and it has dust and animal hair (Molly's too) in it.  We've cleaned it before but some of those allergens are hard to get out.  It was time for a new vacuum and wash down.  It was a good opportunity to clean out all the children's daycare crafts and artwork that had accumulated in the backseat.  I took it to a place that washes the exterior and interior.  I made sure to tip 20% because it was cold and it is so nice to just pay someone to do it!

It was time for shopping.  I had a Kohl's gift and I need a new winter coat.  The old maroon Columbia coat that I bought in Boone, NC in 1997 (before the month-long twin study in NYC) needs to be retired.  I actually think it may be a men's coat.  Anyway, it's served me well and clearly, was a good investment.  But, I luckily found a purple (of course) winter coat that fits well and seems really warm.  And it was only $64.  So, I'll get to try it on my daily walks to and from the parking deck.  I try to wear my nice dress coat daily but recently, it's just been way too cold.    I also found a winter coat for Landen.  Meg has been looking for a new one for him for a while.  I also picked up a new baby gift for our friends, Gary and Terry, who live in Bellingham, Washington and had their second boy, little Winter on 1/1/10 at 12:01am. 

Then I made a quick run to Trader Joes for some of our TJ favorites.  I also picked up some red wine.  I'm enjoying it while I write.  :)

I then came home to start cooking one of my chicken recipes for dinner.  Chris came home and changed clothes.  He then went to pick up the kids from daycare.  He didn't seem to be feeling that good but took another headache pain medication and thought he'd feel better. 

Chris was frustrated when he got home w/ the children because Ian "did not want to go home" he told Chris he "wanted to go to something special".  That means Chick Fil A.  I'm not sure why he calls it that, it may be from us trying to not tell him where we're going when we're younger so he wouldn't drive us nuts w/ questions before we got there.  So we tried to be vague but he figured it out quicly enough.  We usually go on Tuesday evenings because we can get free kids meals.  So, Ian really likes to eat out and thinks we should go "somewhere special" every evening.  His protests to "going home" don't work but it makes for an unhappy ride across Rt. 1 to the house. 

I made a chicken recipe emailed to me by Kraft Foods. It was easy and yummy. The children really didn't eat it but Chris and I enjoyed it. And my wine went nicely with it.  Here it is:  http://www.kraftrecipes.com/kf/recipes/tuscan-chicken-simmer-111677.aspx?pf=true.  I substituted 1/3 fat cream cheese and whole wheat rotini for the fettuccine/ravioli. 

After dinner Chris gave Ruby a bath and put her in her PJs.  I did the dishes and Ian worked on a project.  I gave him a bunch of leftover envelopes and he started coloring pictures and putting in the envelopes for his family and friends at school.  It was really cute and kept him occupied.  Chris had said "no cartoons" earlier because of his behavior/attitude related to not going to "something special".  So, I was glad that he stayed busy.  Chris had sent Ruby downstairs to say goodnight to me but I realized that Chris was lying down.  We had a minor crisis with Ian trying to help Ruby downstairs that became an unattended push and Ruby started falling down the stairs.  Luckily she caught herself and I responded in enough time that she didn't hit the hardwood.  Ruby was scared and Ian was upset.  He sat in time out and cried.  Ruby cried.  Chris yelled from upstairs, "What's going on?"  I took Ruby to Chris to explain.  Chris tried to get up, lost his balance and fell into the dresser, I ordered him to lie back down.  I then went back to Ian.  He was so remorseful and worried about Ruby.  He's such a sensitive little boy and I love that he has a conscious and cares about others.  I reassured him that Ruby was okay, he said he was sorry and we moved on.  Lots of hugs.  Ian got back to work on his envelope project. 

Ruby and I read books.  She loves The Going to Bed Book and she says "exercise" at the right time.  It's so cute!  She hit the sack at 7pm and I didn't hear from her again.  She was sleepy tonight.

Ian then got ready for bed and we read 3 books, sang 3 songs and did prayers.  Then we had our "one last hug drama" but he eventually got quiet and fell asleep.  I realized that we were out of pull-ups so cross your fingers that he doesn't wet his bed tonight.  I'll be shocked if he doesn't and Mama will be doing a jig in the morning if he is dry!  No doubt. 

So, Chris is still asleep.  I'd hoped that we can go to Allen & Shirley's (my inlaw's) tomorrow but I'm not sure about Chris's health.  We'll make the call in the morning.  We want to see Pop Pop's trains before he takes down the Christmas decorations. 

We hope to get together with John, Whitney, Lily, and Ben on Sunday. 

Until the next adventure...