grandma brought me a recycle/garbage truck for christmas!! holy cow it is SO COOL!!! i have been playing with it ALLLLL day! (minus the time it took to make cookies ;)

christmas cookies with grandma!

mommy & i made the dough the night before grandma mary came! when it was time to decorate, i insisted on coloring all the christmas trees first! and put stars on them! tonight, grandma barge is making pork chops (YUMM-O!!) and we're going to take grandma mary to see the singing pig!

went to the children's museum here today. it is a smaller version located in the mall downtown of what we had in portland!...i had so much fun playing on the excavator! and the train set, & the little street set up-

waiting patiently for the light to turn from red to green so i can go!

grandma mary is coming to visit tomorrow am, we're picking her up at the airport in the morning & she'll be spending the whole day with us!! i'm so very EXCITED!!!

on the other side of things...we just heard that daddy's work is closing. hopefully he can work until my baby brother is born at least, but that's still about 7 weeks or so away...will keep you posted..

holy blizzard midwesterners!! stay warm this winter!! love you!!!!

ps, funny story~ last night, i lit an incense stick -vanilla flavored...this little bloodhound came running into the bedroom yelling "smells like marshmallows!! smells like marshmallows!!"...

a few weeks ago, i was reading bedtime stories & was trying to hide a tortilla w cheese on the bedstand until he went to sleep (cuz i didn't want to share!) his nose started making "sniffy" noises...& he exclaims "want tortilla!?"

mommy is only going mildly crazy now

not a lot to report here today. we just went for a little walk to starbucks to get me a hot chocolate & mommy a coffee. then walked around the neighborhood for a while. is just gorgeous outside. albiet chilly! highs are in the 30's & 20's these days. but beautiful! our colds are still hanging on & i think it finally got grandpa, sorry grandpa! it is a gnarly one! is there such a thing as the swine cold? this one just doesn't seem to go away!!
in the days of my sickness, mommy has been letting me watch mickey mouse clubhouse. on demand non-the-less...so..i've watched it a million times over again. going to be a tough trick to break! she says once i'm all healthy again, no more than once maybe twice a day! mommy seems to be getting a bit better. think her sleep deprivation is starting to show! last night was a good night though, she felt like she actually got a night's sleep in, almost two hours straight!! wahooooo!....
i'm also slacking on my potty skills. i tell mommy right away after i go in my diaper. mommy is picking on me...cuz she knows i am capable of telling her before hand. oh well, chalk it up to being sick again right?...

ode to oatmeal

stumbled upon this this morning, & thought i would remind charlie about it...mabye he'll go through his blog someday, if it is still around. in any case, charlie, this post is for you! in case you ever stray from your love for the oatmeal!


I became reacquainted with an old friend this chilly morning. You see, I was out of milk for my usual cereal and I was already running late so cooking much for breakfast didn't appeal to me. And then I remembered: I have oatmeal.

Oatmeal's that old friend you haven't seen in five years but the conversation picks up like you just stepped out of the room for a second. Oatmeal doesn't bring any baggage; you won't have any grease or fat to regret, and you won't spend the rest of the morning burping up cilantro. You walk away from an oatmeal breakfast feeling full. Sated.

Loved.

Yes, oatmeal is the most homely of loves but its blandness, its plain visage is its very strength. There's virtually nothing you can't mix into oatmeal. Blueberries, maple syrup, bananas, apples, cinnamon, peaches & cream, or even savory elements like bacon can be added for a delightful early morning menage a trois with your steel cut partner.

Oatmeal is patient, too. Always cooling, never begging you to dive in too soon and burn the roof of your mouth. Oatmeal forgives all my past dalliances. Sure, in college I experimented with Pop Tarts and toastable Strudels. I've had sensual flings with benedicts, omelets, and biscuits and gravy. I've even had, against my better judgment and perhaps due to my own personal weakness, an on-again, off-again fling with Denny's. Sure, the siren song of eggs, sausage, bacon, hash browns, doughnuts, and the like is strong. But the grass isn't always so green, is it?

When I stumble home, clothes torn, lip bloodied and swearing that this time, this time is the last time that Moons Over My Hammy ever talks to me that way, Oatmeal is there to comfort me. To stick to my ribs and tell me it's all going to be okay and that yes, someone could find even me lovable.

And later when I fall into the same old trap with some breakfast burrito I just met, Oatmeal will sigh but bite its tongue; and it will wait for me to temporarily come to my senses again.
by Randy Cleveland on December 1, 2009 at 2:30 PM