Halloween 2009

Here are some of our Halloween photos. As you can see, Riley was a man of many costumes. Thank you Grandie and Papa for the wonderful Howl-o-ween bash you threw for the Rileyman. We all had a blast!

Peppermint Delight

I thought I’d take a moment to pay tribute to one of my greatest loves- peppermint ice cream. It all started when I was a kid at Thrifty’s (which later became Sav-on, and then Rite Aid, who ditched the ice cream section all together- those jerks!) when Dad would take us for ice cream. For twenty-five cents we could get a scoop of our favorite delight. Let it be known, this was no golf ball, itty bitty scoop, it was a full-on baseball sized orb of joy- in a cup, with a cone on top. Mint chocolate chip was a favorite, bubblegum, too, but for some reason, it’s the peppermint that has lingered all this time, on my tongue and in my memory.

Each year I go on a quest to find it. The scary part is that stores don’t restock it very much, so if I miss it, there’s a chance I’ll have to do without all year long. It makes me shudder just thinking about it. Eric O. can testify to the madness that is the peppermint ice cream hunt. You’d be amazed at how many supermarket checkers have never even heard of the stuff- but, I guess that’s better, more for me!

Last week, Caleb and I were in the ice cream isle trying to compromise on what flavor to get next (we always have at least two cartons of ice cream in our freezer at any given time), when on a whim, or perhaps divine intervention, I decided to check for my peppermint ice cream. I didn’t see it, and while disappointed, I wasn’t surprised seeing as Halloween had just passed and there was still pumpkin ice cream on the shelves. Then, peeking behind a carton of apple pie ice cream, as if trying to play cat and mouse, I spotted a sliver of red. I threw open the freezer door and squealed with delight. Caleb let me know that I terrified a woman walking by, but if she had known the magnitude of my find, I’m sure she would have been thrilled for me. I did a happy dance right then and there.

I have seriously thought about buying a deep freeze so I can have my love all year round, but there’s just one problem- the crunchy peppermint bits turn to goo after about a month. Bummer. I guess it’s better this way, I know the magic will always be there, and somehow, I have 0% guilt indulging because I know it’s for a “limited time only.”

What are some of your holiday favorites?

War

It's me versus the ants, and frankly, the ants are winning. One was biting me before I left for work.

Since it’s been raining we’ve seen random ants roaming around our house. They are in our bathroom, kitchen, and sometimes on the living room floor. I never see more than a couple at a time, and they never seem to be going anywhere in particular- just roaming. I feel like they are the Israelites and my apartment is their wilderness. I guess the random bits of food that they find is their manna. Lovely.

Well, on Friday, about 45 minutes after Caleb left to go on a hunting trip, I noticed two or three ants all in the same area, so I became an ant detective. It wasn’t long before I found hundreds of them crawling out of our pantry doorway and into a box of Reese’s Puffs cereal. Sick. The thing that really irks me is that our pantry is in the middle of our apartment, which is on the second floor, so that means they are all in the walls- ugh!

As gross as it was, at least I could Raid them and be done with it. The other ants just roam around seemingly coming from nowhere- I can’t spray their source because I can’t find it!

I have a love/hate relationship with my weapon of choice- lemon scented Raid. I hate using it because I’m worried about the baby and the dog ingesting it, but I love that it kills the little buggers instantly and they don’t come back- to that exact spot, at least. After I spray, I promptly clean the area with Green Works surface cleaner- ironic, I know.

I thought the exterminator made his rounds on Wednesday and that this would all be over by now- but, I guess he comes Mondays, so I have to make it through the weekend. Caleb caught me pounding the counter and yelling, “die, die, die!” at some ants last night. We’re all worried for my sanity.

Anniversary and First Meal

Last weekend Caleb’s parents came up to Austin to watch Riley so we could go out for our two year anniversary. I was resigned to steaks in the oven (which we did on the actual date, September 29th, but it wasn’t so romantic when our apartment completely filled up with smoke. What was romantic was me buying us a car code reader to tell us why our check engines lights come on as an anniversary gift- it doesn’t get sexier than that!) anyway…back to the topic at hand: they planned the whole trip so we could go out and enjoy ourselves- so sweet!

Riley's First Cowboy Hat- Thanks Grandie and Papa!

On Saturday night Caleb and I went to an Irish restaurant that’s been around for 25 years. It was in a cute little cottage complete with lace tablecloths, four-leaf clover wall paper, and Irish folk music playing in the background. My favorite part of the meal was my onion soup that came out on fire and was served in a hollowed-out onion. The food was good, but the ambiance was better.

On Sunday afternoon we tried to give Riley his first meal, really watered-down (I guess milked-down) Gerber’s rice cereal. This is about how well it went:

We tried again yesterday, but he still wasn’t very interested. He had much more fun playing with his toys.

We’re thinking that after about a week or so we’ll try yellow squash and maybe he’ll like that better.

I decided that I’m not going to stress out about the milestones- eating, crawling, walking, etc., but rather, just enjoy the journey. I read about a mom who was having a really hard time getting her child to eat solids- he wanted everything in baby food form and she was just beside herself worried that the doctor was going to tell her to “starve” her little one until he would eat unblended food. I really liked one lady’s comment that said “no kid has ever gone to college needing his pizza and beer pureed in a blender- it will happen, don’t worry.” That is the kind of philosophy I’d like to take- I will do everything I can to ensure Riley is developing like he should, but I’m not going to miss all the fun things worrying about what he should be accomplishing next. To all: please remind me of this when the time comes and I’m convinced Riley will never walk…be potty trained…play nice- whatever the case may be. Thanks!

Ambiguity

So I was reading up on blogging tips and many included keeping your identity/location as private as possible. So, I’m going to try to avoid putting our middle and last names, location, place of employment, etc. So, if it seems like I’m being vague, it’s probably on purpose. You know where we are- most of you. If you don’t, it sounds like it’s time for a visit!

Lamest post ever, I know, but I just wanted to get that out there and ask that you keep it in mind in your comments.

Finally!

It’s been some time since I decided to start a blog. Caleb and I have been married two years, yesterday (yay!) and what have I documented about us? Nothing!!! We have an adorable baby boy and how much did I write about my fabulous pregnancy? Nada. So, the buck stops here! I’m officially committing myself to writing about all the blessings I have in my life…every once and while, when I have time.

But seriously, I hope to keep this up and post photos so everyone can see what is going on in our lives and how fast Riley is growing. Please make comments and let me know you’re reading- I know it will give me motivation to keep on keepin’ on. Oh well, I’m sure you’ll see a lot of that…but I guess that’s just me- thanks, Dad.

Stay tuned!

Oh, I named the blog after the Beatles song, “In My Life.” Caleb and I danced to it for our first dance at our wedding and I’ve always loved it.