Summer Update

We have been on "summer vacation" for just over 2 weeks now, so it's time for an all-inclusive update on what we've been up to:

The kids and I have walked in a couple of parades supporting our local candidate for state senate. (I'm not going to type his name since I don't need my blog coming up in Google searches for him). The seat is up for grabs in November, with the incumbent retiring (see ya!), so we are doing our small part to get this guy elected.

My siblings will agree that we have more parade experience than any other family in existence. Our dad ran for Congress in 1992, then state senate in 1996, and 3 of us were active marching band members in high school. We have walked more streets than anyone, and in some of the smallest burgs around this great state, handing out campaign stickers and "lit" to voters. No one knows parades like the Droogsmas! So, in pushing my kids down the street behind the campaign pick-up, I am exposing them to our family's favorite summer pastime :) So if you live in District 28, visit the site posted on the sign below!
Like how I'm using that cupholder for a banana? An old banana and Diet Pepsi: excellent fuel for a long, humid walk! Nutritionist, I'm not.

In a totally unrelated story, I made a culinary blunder on Sunday. In my defense, I will say that all moms feel frazzled in the after-church rush to get lunch on the table, and Sam was rushing me as he was trying to get out to the golf course. Now that the excuses have been made, I present to you my great shame:
A grilled-cheese sandwich made with a wrapped Kraft Single. I didn't know until I tried to cut Anne's lunch into triangles and the cheese didn't cut.

Sambo is completely mobile now and crawling all over the place. It was awesome until he tried to do it in the bathtub...
This is what I found one night after I laid him down for bed:
"I'm awake, Mom! And I'm sitting!"

And here he is today after a particularly rough nap in the car. Look at that crazy hair.
Sammy's left eye has a plugged tear duct, resulting in lots of "goopies" in his eye and long, lush eyelashes. After sleeping we often have to pry his eye open and pick out the yuckies (I know, it's gross). That's what's giving him the Quasimodo-look.

We'll keep you up-to-date on all the fun that is yet to come!

And today shall be the day

We have officially declared today to be the date of Sammy's crawling! He had been going in little bursts all week, but today he crawled the entire length of our living room rug. It is for real, people!

He also can (sometimes) pull up on his knees. He did it in his crib yesterday. Time to lower that mattress.

He can roll from his back to his front and then back-up into a sitting position. He almost always crawls from sitting, not from being flat on his tummy. I know this is all "by the book" for most kids, but Anne didn't do this until, like, 18 months, so we are pretty impressed.

Sambo will be 10 months old on Tuesday, and he is a very fun little boy. He laughs and smiles all the time and is extremely patient with his sticky-handed sister who likes to take his toys. He still eats like a horse and is growing like crazy. We love you, Sammy! We are proud of all you can do!

New Phrases

A few of Anne's new phrases:

"What did you say?"

"Why not?" She used to always accept whatever we said, as in: "Are we going to the park?" "No" "Okay" It was awesome. Now she asks "Why not?" when things are not to her liking.

"My tummy feels yucky" This was new today, and kind of sad. Sure beats unexplainable crying, though!

I have also discovered a new way to manipulate the child...when you give her a choice between X and Y, she will choose whichever thing you say last. For example:

Anne, do you want milk or juice? She would choose juice, since it was the last thing said.

Anne, do you want to pet the bunny, the lamb, or the tiger? She would choose tiger.

So, as a resourceful parent, I know that she will choose what I want her to choose if I phrase the question correctly. We maintain the illusion of choice when, really, I am in complete control. I bet she'll figure me out soon enough, though. She's pretty smart!

Edit: She also can (finally) say her whole name. "Anne Merdiff Wes-fall" It is one of the few times she refers to herself as "Anne" and not "Annie"

Anne's Ballet Outfit

For just $1 at a garage sale, Anne has been outfitted with her own leotard and dance skirt. She looked pretty cute, but did not want to be still for a picture.

Why, this is the perfect outfit for cooking!
She hiked up her skirt and said "I'm Super Annie!"
Gotta love the underwear hanging out of the sides...classic.

"The power of Christ compels you!"

Two pictures in the same week that remind me of "The Exorcist" (a.k.a. The Creepiest Movie EVER)

Looks all well and good here...Anne tucked herself in with her babies. However, please note the head of the doll closest to Anne. Totally backwards!

I went to check on the kids a few nights ago and found this:
Looks uncomfortable. And also terrifying.

Vacation Activities

In the first week of summer vacation, I have made:

1 jar homemade tomato sauce

1 batch homemade Pop-Tarts

1 pitcher of strawberry smoothies

1 rockin' breakfast pizza (with sausage gravy)
Note: do NOT read the nutritional info--your heart will explode

1 glazed meatloaf

1 piece of peanut-butter toast, complete with a face made from banana slices and raisins


I'm pretty sure my family enjoys the fact that I am not working!


I have also been running, which I am enjoying. It is a nice way to get some "alone time" after the kids go to bed. We introverts need our alone time. This will not seem like an accomplishment to most people, but I can run a mile now without stopping. I couldn't even do that in elementary school.

So, all in all, this first week of vacation has been a success!

Milestone-Marker

Just have to post this quick for future reference:

Sammy pulled himself up onto his knees, then to his feet on Saturday night. He was totally naked and he pulled himself up on the bathtub, then almost fell in. He, like all babies, is quite top-heavy.

Way to go, Sambo! Nine-and-a-half months and you can almost stand. You are WAY better at this than Anne was :)

Sammy tries to move

Here's Sam Roman, attempting to move. He looks cute with his tiny Stanley Cup (yeah, my kids have a tiny Stanley Cup. Thanks, Opa!)



Fun bit of trivia: Patrick Kane, who scored the Cup-winning goal for the Blackhawks on Wednesday night (in overtime!) is the exact same age as Uncle Will. He's just a baby, out there on the ice! Way to achieve the ultimate hockey dream at age 21--there's nowhere to go from there.

For your viewing pleasure....

...a drunk baby.Almost-crawling video to come soon.

Juicy Pear

Last week the following conversation occurred:

Anne: Mama, I want a pear.
Me: Okay, I'll cut one up for you.
Anne: No, don't cut it.
Me: Don't cut it? You mean you want it just like this? (hold out whole fruit to toddler)
Anne: Yeah!
Me: Good luck with that.

Under close supervision she ate that ripe, juicy pear with very little difficulty. Wasn't it only a year ago she was being fed pureed pears with a spoon? My, how they grow.

And I was totally jealous that she got to eat the last perfectly ripe pear. I had been taking the crunchy ones to work in my lunch all week :(

Savoring the fruits of her labor.

Off-topic: Olympic Debt

These stories come around every few years; tales of Olympic host cities that are now burdened with unusable stadiums and apartment buildings that were built specifically for the Games. Here's some info on how the 2004 Olympics helped cause Greece's current financial disaster:

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Did-2004-Olympics-spark-Greek-apf-1157668533.html?x=0

I know it seems "awesome" to have the games in America, but let's continue to encourage the IOC to keep sending them elsewhere. Let some other government pay for all that mess, and we'll just watch it on TV, okay? Bob Costas can tell us all we need to know.

As always, Obama's failure is America's success; his failed attempt to bring the games to Chicago spared us all.