Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

To all our family and friends:
If you haven't received a Christmas card from the Fox's yet this year, do not think that you have been forgotten! Nothing was forgotten except the "perfect" picture that I have not yet taken, the cards that I haven't had printed up yet, or the envelopes that I haven't yet addressed!

Gage has become the most UNCOOPERATIVE little stinker when any camera is pointed to him. Whereas many of my friends' pictures have willing smiles and "cheeeeeeese" faces, Gage sees the camera and turns and runs away! Therefore, I am still working on getting a picture (or two, or three) that I want to make into our cards and you will get a card in the mail AFTER Christmas, but hopefully before the New Year begins. It's always fun to get mail though, isn't it?!

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season to everyone! For those that we will be seeing soon, I'll say, "See you soon!" and for those that was haven't been in touch with for awhile, maybe 2008 may bring us together again!

Yuck, Yuck, and more Yuck.

Awhile back I found myself absolutely cringing while reading my friend Jaci's post about her son puking all over himself.

Well. It happened to us. On Saturday night at my dad's house while the poor kid was sleeping in a pack n play.

We spent a wonderful night out with my friends Kim and Lori, their husbands and their boys (they each have two). We decided to have a nice dinner and activity for the boys rather than buy each other presents this year. We had so much fun, and so did the boys. We kept Gage up rather late (10:30) but we've always been very strict on bedtime and figured one time wouldn't hurt. The kids were snacking all night, and running around with the same amount of energy that they probably wake up with in the mornings!

Gage went right to sleep when we returned to my dads and we woke up to his crying at 1:00 am. Although waking up crying has been his normal for awhile now, and we usually let him fall back to sleep, this time Tim thought he'd go and get him so he didn't wake up my dad. All I heard from Tim was "Oh my God, Jill, you have to come in here". Well. I will not elaborate, but I will just say it was terrible. Thinking that he just had an upset stomach from being up late and all the food he had eaten, we cleaned him up (Daddy and Gage took a shower in the middle of the night together) and I brought him into the bed with me. He got sick again, and again, and again....until at least 6am.

Needless to say, we packed up and headed out of there by 10 AM and have spent a lazy day here at home today. Grammy Shoe didn't even get to see Gage this weekend, she was so sad. And although "Bumpa" Tom did get to see him, he didn't really get to spend much time with him due to us leaving so early in the day today.

Now I am just praying I will not get it.

I will post some pictures later with the boys working on their cute "craft" of marshmallow snowmen.

Early Christmas Celebrations

We had a really nice time celebrating an early Christmas in Neillsville with both of my parents. On Saturday we had a nice meal of delicious steaks that Tim cooked and the rest of the normal "trimmings" of a holiday dinner...mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, bread. Gage got to open up presents from his Grammy and Grampa "Shoe" (Shoemaker) and his Auntie Katie and Uncle Johnny.
On Sunday, my dad made a delicious homemade meal of scalloped potatoes and ham and corn. It was great, too! We ate a lot of junk and everyone seemed to have a great time throughout the entire weekend together.
Everyone has been really good about not going over the top with Gage during the holidays. He's spoiled with love and attention, of course, but he got two new Thomas the Train scooter toys (one for home and one for at Grampa Tom's), a new dump truck, some fun clothes, a jack-in-the-box and some other small things from the family. He was really good keeping his hands off of both of the Christmas trees, so wish us luck as we decorate our own tree tonight (I know, a little late, but at least late is better than never!)

Winter Fun

First Hospital Stay

Here is Gage getting one of his many nebulizer treatments. It may appear that he is frowning, but actually, this is what we call Gage's "sleep" face, or for lack of a better term, "sucky-sucky". When Gage gets tired, either during the daytime or night, he grabs his special blanket and starts to suck on his tongue. The nebulizer treatments really calmed him down (during, NOT afterward, as they made him hyper after) and he would do his "Sucky-sucky" during them. Cute, eh?

Gage didn't really have much of an appetite in the hospital (who does??) but here he is enjoying at least one rubbery sausage.

Keeping a 1-year-old occupied while attached to an I.V. was pretty darn close to impossible. One of the nurses brought us a wheelchair to push him around in the day after our overnight stay. Checking out took forever!

Thank God for cable T.V. At least I got to watch "The Biggest Loser" while we were there!

Still here, I promise

Just wanted to write a quick note to say we are all still here, and still alive.

Things have been quite hectic around here lately, and I haven't been much in the mood to write, much less upload a bunch of pictures and update the blog. I know how much I look forward to checking on others' sites, and I'm sure there are some of you out there that have been wondering where I've been, and all that I can say is that I'm doing my best lately.

I am hoping to get pictures uploaded in the next couple of days, but it may not happen. Once I do, I will get them on the blog site and we will go from there.

Take care,
Jill

Turkey, Stuffing, and Nebulizers....Oh, My!

Oh, and did I mention a hospital admission?!?!?!

Yep. I'm serious. Gage (and his mom and dad) spent Tuesday night in the hospital, here in my hometown.
I did take some pictures (for the scrapbook, of course!) of our little punkin' while he was in a super cute little hospital gown sucking down the end of a nebulizer tube, but I won't be able to download them until we get home next weekend.

Long story short: Gage had a regular cold all last week and into the weekend. Nothing too unusual until he woke up during the night Sunday night sounding like a barking seal. I took him into the ER on Monday morning where they diagnosed him with another ear infection and gave us antibiotics for his lungs, which they said sounded bad, but not yet worthy of an X-Ray. By Tuesday morning, you could actually hear the poor kid breathing from across the room, and he was working very hard at taking a breath. You could see his chest dipping in and his stomach pushing out, the opposite of how we normally look when we breathe! (They call this retraction). ANYHOW...we took him into the ER AGAIN on Tuesday for a chest X-Ray, and the doctor felt he sounded bad enough to keep him overnight.

Needless to say, it has been a long week thus far. But the good news is that he slept a solid 12.5 hours last night at my moms house and is running around like a madman today. I'm so happy to have my little man back! We do have to do nebulizer treatments during the daytime as needed, so we should well be on our way to a quick recovery!

As this was our first hospital stay (Thank God for that), I truly realize how lucky we are to have such a healthy child. My heart and our prayers go out to families who have to watch their children struggle with any type of an illness, but especially those who are chronically ill. This Thanksgiving?? I am thankful for my health and the health of all of those around me.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Windy Wednesday

Oh, this weather is weird in Wisconsin!
The past two days I was walking around without a jacket on and now today I noticed that we are getting small snowflakes again. WEIRD.
The reason I was even outside is because I noticed that our mailbox was once again laying in the middle of the road. We have a Fisher-Price-looking plastic mailbox that slides on and off the pole. We didn't buy it, it was here when we moved in. If it is windy where YOU live, multiply that by about 100 and that is how windy it is here. The wind is usually blowing northeast, and therefore it blows our mailbox right off its post.

So why do we keep this plastic mailbox, you may be wondering??

Well, out here in the boonies, it is not uncommon to see the metal mailboxes all smashed to hell. Yeah, country kids (and I was one of these) usually like to drive around the back country roads with the prized baseball bat looking for mailboxes to smash. Fun, huh? I say "I was one of these" referring to being a country kid. I NEVER smashed mailboxes. Really!
But seriously, on my way "to town" (another country-like saying) I pass at least 3 metal mailboxes that have been smashed to hell. The people just leave them up, even if the box's door doesn't shut all the way. I mean, why would you go out and buy a NEW mailbox if your options were 1) Buy another metal one that is just going to get smashed, or 2) Buy a plastic one that will just blow off on every windy day? It it windy EVERY day.

We choose to keep the plastic mailbox.

How is THIS for useless information! I just never want anyone to miss the joys that country life offers.

Jealous yet?

I'm Curious. Are you?

*Disclaimer: The following items are useless information about the person you know as Jill.
Unless you are really bored or super interested, please wait for additional useful posts.

Within the past couple of weeks a few of my beezatch friends (Leah, Marilyn, and Jaci) have posted 101 (or in Mar's case, 25) useless pieces of information about themselves. As an avid reader of their sites, I didn't find these bits of information useless at all, but in fact found them quite interesting! So even though when I first saw this as a posting option I said, "Heck no, I'm not doing that", I am now curious as to what pieces of useless information I myself could come up with. Therefore, I am giving it a shot.

Here goes.

1. I like my married last name of Fox
2. I really wanted a baby girl when I was pregnant, but now that I have a boy I can see my life no other way (and I really like it)
3. I have a large fear of being a soccer mom
4. I don't mind driving the mini van
5. I thought that I would have a masters degree by now
6. I'm really okay with the fact that I don't.
7. I still haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up
8. I think I am okay with that
9. I like to laugh so hard my stomach hurts
10. My family is the most important thing in my life
11. I cherish each and every one of my friendships.
12. I find winter very depressing
13. I don't sleep well when Gage is in my bed
14. I try really hard to please other people
15. I feel guilty when I have to say no
16. I love to shop
17. I don't like to pay full price for anything
18. My favorite toys to play with when I was little were Barbies
19. I envy my sister and her individuality
20. I would like to do voice overs
21. I think I would be a very good children's librarian
22. I am kind of nervous for my first lia sophia jewelry party tonight
23. I wish that I had a flat stomach
24. I hate doing ab exercise (see #23)
26. I sometimes wonder if I would have ever been able to make it through military bootcamp
27. I am married to a hunter but I would NEVER be able to kill another living animal
28. I am still haunted by the vision of putting my cat, Teague to sleep last week
29. I love to eat steak, but cannot eat it when there is any blood coming out of it.
30. I love to read, but haven't read a book in over 6 months
31. I would like to travel by myself for a weekend and not tell anyone where I am going
32. I hate writing with blue pens, only black.
33. I wish I could wear a ponytail.
34. I hate what I look like without a little foundation.
35. I avoid wearing the color "salmon". It makes me look pale.
36. I have very sweaty feet and hands
37. I have a swollen right ankle 100% of the time and am very embarrassed about it
38. I got really crabby when I was pregnant and everyone made comments about my fat ankle
39. I am a cancer and I fit the description to a "T".
40. I am extremely sensitive, talkative, and a homebody (see #39)
41. I am ticklish
42. I get overwhelming urges to smack people on the butt (ask Tim and my mom)
43. I pick at my cuticles
44. I wish I didn't pick at my cuticles.
45. I really like to run
46. I believe that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.
47. I am not a dog lover, but I secretly love my own dog
48. I love my husband
49. I love to see Tim play with Gage
50. I have never been uncomfortable leaving the house for any amount of time, even when Gage was a baby because Tim is so capable.
51. I have a personal goal of someday being an aerobic instructor
52. I need to get into better shape for that
53. I used to have a huge driving phobia
54. I once made my sister in law come and get me during a snowstorm due to #53
55. I haven't had a fear of driving for about 4 years now.
56. I love to make Gage giggle
57. I like to pop pimples. Yeah, that's a gross one.
58. I like to criticize the news ladies' from WEAU TV-13 (Eau Claire)
59. I think I would have been a good news lady
60 . I like to hear dirty jokes
61. I like to tell dirty jokes
62. I love to shock people (no, not like PHYSICALLY)
63. I hate to hurt other peoples' feelings
64. I often stick my foot in my mouth and am afraid that I hurt someone's feelings.
65. I really don't mean to do #63 or #64, it just happens
66. When I am sad, my heart actually hearts.
67. My favorite alcohol shot is Apple Jack (Jack Daniels and Apple Pucker)
68. I used to love red wine
69. Red wine has been make my tongue break out. Really. Not kidding.
70. I have switched my preference to Chardonnay.
71. I am really struggling here and I have a lot to go.
72. I have no desire to fly overseas.
73. I love vacationing in Mexico.
74. I want to go to Disneyland without my kids to go on all the big rides.
75. I love humidity.
76. I love how my skin looks in the summer
77. I am afraid of touching the bottom of a lake or river.
78. I know how to swim
79. I am afraid of drowning
80. I used to be afraid of the dark
81. I used to sleep with the TV on
82. I now can't have any lights OR noise on when I try to fall asleep
83. Tim is my best friend
84. I can tell my mom anything
85. I love spending time with my sister
86. I love spending time with my family
87. I think I already said #86
88. I am addicted to blogging
89. I am really bad with numbers
90. I get stressed out when balancing my checkbook
91. I haven't balanced my checkbook in about a year.
92. I hate people who tailgate me
93. I never tailgate
94. I sometimes speed
95. I've never gotten a ticket for speeding.
96. I've never been pulled over
97. I really like my personality
98. I am comfortable with the person I am
99. I think I should have thought of more useful information than this
100. I think that there are probably a ton of typos in this list, but I am not going to check it
101. I hope that everyone who did read this has a very nice day today.

One Great Weekend

Wow! What a great weekend the Fox family experienced! Really, nothing special happened, and we really didn't travel much outside the city limits, but it was just a nice and refreshing weekend!

On Friday night, I "attempted" to scrapbook at my friend Denise's house. There were 6 of us there, and I only knew 2 of the other 5 people. I say "attempted" because I drank a glass of wine and talked more than I scrapped. Imagine that. Me. Talking?

On Saturday, my friends Yvonne and Sarah and I went shopping at the Mall of America. We have been planning this for months as we only spend time together WITH our kids. We decided to take a day and go shopping just for ourselves and even eat at a nice restaurant. We ate at Tucci Bennuch and it was fabulous. The best part of the meal was that there was not one high chair sitting at our table and I didn't pick one piece of food up off the floor. It was very refreshing. Oh, and I did end up buying two shirts and a hat for Gage, but the rest of the day was spent on me!

On Sunday, Tim and I became official members of the church we have been attending in Roberts. We had a light lunch and Tim spent the day outdoors with the neighbor, doing hunting related things that I choose not to ask about. (I wouldn't get it anyway). I spent the day indoors hanging out with Gage until he napped, then I started getting ready for my first lia sophia party that I have on Tuesday night. I have 5 parties booked so far, and I know that once the parties start, the bookings will follow. I'm really excited for this opportunity.

To end off the weekend, Tim and I went to a dinner/comedy show here in town that was held at a local steakhouse. The mom's group that I am a part of went together as a large group and the place was packed. Not just with mom's group people, but a large number of people from the community as well. The comedian was funny and the food was alright. Was he as funny as my brother-in-law? (No, but it's nothing personal). BUT...It was a fun night out, and Gage does very well with our high school babysitter. We really like her, too.

I still have a hard time believing that my Teague is gone. I try not to dwell on it much, however I keep looking for him in the house, or even when I go to bed at night I expect to roll over and he will be there. I miss him more than I thought that I would. It is amazing how the grief process works. I can't imagine what I would do without one of my family members.

Recipe

My friend Leah posted a recipe on her site a few weeks ago, and I thought it was a great idea to share. I rarely cook, but if and when I do (and IF it turns out) the recipe was most likely found on Kraftfoods.com (LOVE this site!) and it's nothing to brag about. However I have been making a soup for many years from a recipe I got from my mom, and it's one of my favorite cold-day meals.
My friend Yvonne came over on Monday to sit with Gage while I took care of putting Teague down, so I made her some of this soup (as I happened to have all the ingredients) and it's quite easy to just throw together. She raved about it and asked for the recipe, so I thought that I would share with you.


Creamy Potato Soup

Peel and dice 10-12 medium potatoes into small cubes.
Add 2-3 thinly sliced carrots
1 small diced onion
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
Enough water to just cover all ingredients in a pot
Salt and pepper (a few good shakes of each)
Cook on a slow boil until the potatoes are nearly done

Add 6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp parsely flakes
2 tsp margeram (found in spice aisle)

Cook on a slow boil until done, stirring occasionally. I've found that the longer you let simmer, the better the flavor, just remember to occasionally stir.

Enjoy!

Saying Goodbye

I put Teague down today. This was probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.
I was able to hold him, and see that he went peacefully. I'm having a very hard day, but I know that this too, shall pass.

Our Little Pumpkin

Since we are now country-folk, we had to make arrangements this year for our trick-or-treating excursion. Fortunately, the town of New Richmond offers T or T from 11-6 up and down "main" street, and most of the businesses participated.
We met our friends Tracey, Kirk, and their 2 year old Kaden and went treating up and down the street for about an hour. Gage was just fine being carried by daddy, but he gave everyone a big smile when he was talked to.
We then went out for pizza afterward and Gage was home in bed by 8pm, the usual.
I left the porch light on in the hopes that someone would come and ring the doorbell, but no such luck. *sigh*
That's what you get for moving out of the city limits!

Carving Pumpkins

At "The Palace"

This is how I rate! We decide to take a little ride down to my dad's "cabin" (which he calls "The Palace") on his land along the Black River. Gage gets to ride on the 4-wheeler with Auntie Katie and Uncle Johnny.

WHEE!


















and I get to sit by OTIS in the truck!
How FAIR is THAT?!?!?

Halloween Hangman

If you are bored at work today,
enjoy!
http://www.dedge.com/flash/hangman/hangman.swf

Quick update, before the longer one

I am really tired tonight, as I am still recovering from a busy weekend. We "tried" carving pumpkins tonight and even did some work in the yard, so I do have fun pictures of these events as well as a busy weekend at home with all the family including Katie and Johnny. But for now I will just say that I think that my cat is pulling through. I was so frustrated by the end of last week, as he was still vomiting and had urinated a few times in my house that I really thought I was going to have to put him down last Friday, or at least today. However, I enclosed him in a bathroom with his bed, food, and his litter box for the two days that we were gone and came home to what seems to be a healthier cat! I even weighed him today and he was 9 lbs, so has even gained some weight.

We'll see how the rest of the week goes. I am still not allowing him into my bedroom, as that is where the pee accidents have occurred. I love my bed too much to see it ruined by my cat.
For those of you who are sick of hearing about my cat, I apologize, but it was definitely the main focus in my household last week and all I really had to update about. Now that Tim is home, we can get "somewhat" back to normal around here, until his next hunting excursion, and I can actually talk about good things rather than bad.

And for those of you who called and emailed after my depressing posts, thanks for being so concerned. I think the benefits of being part of the blogging world is that I can have a place to vent and get it off my chest, yet I sometimes forget how many people regularly check the website. I didn't mean for it to sound like a pity party, however I have to say that no matter what the "Theme" of my party is, I sure throw a damn good one!

My Sweetheart

I am extremely emotional right now. I think it's a combination of Tim being gone for the week, and although I am not one to be scared while home alone, I just really depend on the adult conversation and companionship my marriage gives to me! So the days seem to be a little longer knowing that nobody is walking in the door around 6, and with Teague being so sick, I guess I'm just kind of a puddle right now. I have been fighting tears all day.

It's amazing as when I would find myself down and out before Gage was born, my cat seemed to know just when I was feeling low, and up on my lap he would crawl, and purr, and cuddle up to me giving me all the love in the world. Now that it's my cat that is the one causing me to feel so sad, it's my SON that has taken on this role. It's not like I've been sitting here bawling all day, or even crying at all in front of him, but I'm sure he can sense that mommy didn't seem like herself today.

Tonight after his bath, he was just the sweetest little button. Ever. I think I read 3 different books to him about 3 times each. And for each book, he just sat on my lap, pointing to the pictures, jabbering, and listening so intently. I think I said, "Okay, this is the last book and then it's time for bed" about 6 times! After the 3rd reading of the third book ("Time For Bed little mouse little mouse") I finally stuck to my guns and starting walking down the hall to his bedroom. I always have his crib buddies say goodnight to him and give him kisses on the cheeks (this would be Mr. Monk--who's a monkey--, Mr. Big Bear and Mr. Little Bear. I'm a creative one, aren't I?) and he just giggled tonight when I did that. He just let me rub his cheeks and give him kisses, and never fussed one bit. As I was walking out the door, my eyes were welling up with tears, as they sometimes do because I will never get over the overwhelming feeling of being a parent, Gage said softly, "Bub-bye". When I turned to look at him before turning off his light, he was just laying there smiling at me.

I think he knows when his momma is sad. And I'm sure he misses Tim as well. I will never be able to fully express in words how absolutely blessed I feel having him in my life. He is the best thing to ever happen to me, and he is the sweetest little guy I have ever known.

Teague update

Well, he is still sick. I'm getting kind of nervous, as the vet said on Friday that about 50% of cats with this specific liver issue (guess it's not all that uncommon in cats?) pull through and completely recover, and the other half doesn't make it. (I think I may have said that in my last post). Anyhow, he said the biggest thing was to make sure he eats--a lot--in the next couple of days, as well as to drink a lot of water to wash the excess bile out of his system (hence the jaundice). Well, he is really not eating anything other than a bite here and there, and I can't get him to drink much water. Therefore, I'm beginning to get a little worried that he is not going to be in the positive 50%.

I will find out more on Tuesday if there is anything ELSE wrong with him, or any specific reason as to why his liver is not working. What really sucks is that Tim is gone all week, so it makes dealing with this all the more difficult as I'm without adult conversation and may have to make all decisions on my own. Yeah, Tim is on his annual goose hunting trip in North Dakota...
sucks.

Poor Teaguey-Pops

My 6-year-old cat, Teague (aka Teaguey-pops) is very, very sick. Tim has mentioned to me several times throughout the past month that he looks like he has been losing weight. I think I was hoping that it was just a phase and that it would pass. Since we've moved out into the country, he has become as much of an outdoor cat as an indoor one. Throughout the past summer, he spent anywhere from 5-7 hours of the day outdoors, only coming in to eat and to sleep. So, I figured he was just running around a lot, losing weight due to being more active.

Well, I finally got knocked out of denial today when I came back into my bedroom after grabbing my first cup of coffee of the day and noticed our comforter covered in a very dark yellow urine stain. Seems he relieved himself on our bed...

This is not like him at all. The ONLY times he has peed anywhere other than outside or the litter box has been when he has been sick. The color of the urine wasn't normal this time either, and I decided that I should finally weigh him. Although I'm not 100% sure of what his weight was before we moved in June, I would guess that he was around 13-14 pounds. Maybe a little more. He was a typical fat, lazy housecat. One that had the gut sagging near to the ground.

He weight 7.5 lbs. today.

So, very sick. I took him to the vet and a huge bill later, we've found out that there may be something wrong with his liver. Seems that Teague has a very terrible case of jaundice, and his bilirubin levels are off. This explains the dark yellow urine and most likely the weight loss, as his liver hasn't been functioning properly. They are sending a bunch of blood work out and we'll find out on Tuesday if there is something "more" wrong with him, such as an infection, blockage, or possibly cancer. For now, they gave some medications and I am supposed to get him to eat as much as possible. They filled him up with a bunch of fluid to help him feel better for the day, and we go from there.

The doctor said that if it ends up being a problem with his liver, about 50% of cats that get this fully recover, and the other half, well, they die. I'm hoping for the first one, but only time will tell.
I feel bad, like I've neglected my Teague since Gage was born. Obviously, my child is more important to me than my pet, but before Gage came along, Teague WAS my baby. I'll keep ya posted.

Takin' the Plunge

Ha! So you'll never believe my new career path! I'm going to be a Lia Sophia (jewelry) sales-lady. I think they are called advisors? Or, maybe consultants? Either way, it's my new title, and I am really pumped up! I could have sworn several years ago my exact comment may have been, "I will never be one of those stay-at-moms with a Mary Kay/Creative Memories/Pampered Chef sticker in my mini-van window". Ah, how life changes ya! So, although I am NOT selling what I said I would never sell, I did find a new avenue that I am really very excited about. For anyone not familiar with Lia Sophia, give me a week or two to get my feet wet, and then HA! You can be my guinea pig. I promise not to beg my friends to have a party, but I CAN tell you that as a hostess you get a lot of free jewelry, or at a very low cost.
There, that is the end of my schpiel. Wish me luck! (And if you are interested in hearing more, you know where to find me!)

Other updates from the Fox household: Tim is currently gone this week for his annual Vegas work conference. (I think they call it "kick-off" or something?) He says its all business-business, but I'm not dumb. Business with boozin' and schmoozin' and I'm sure a scantily-clad showgirl every now and then...(sigh).
He returns on Friday to change his clothes, repack his truck and head to North Dakota for his annual hunting trip with his friends Chris and Ron. So, two weeks in a row of just Gage and I. But this week is almost over and its been fine. I really find myself missing the adult conversation in the evenings, but Gage is so much fun and for the most part always in a good mood so that the days go fast.

We joined the YMCA, and I have been working out several times a week. I've been attending this "BodyPump" class that is kickin' my butt! But in a very good way. The pants are still snug, and that may be in part to my "life-is-short-get-the-dessert" motto that I seem to be displaying at EVERY MEAL lately, but if I go to the Y 12 times per month, I get $20 off through our insurance. Great incentive!

My mom came last night and stayed over and spent the day with us today. Totally forgot to get pictures (sorry, mom) as I have been very bad at taking pictures lately. REALLY, REALLY bad. I am going to Neillsville on Saturday to visit my parents, my friend Lori, and take Gage to a family fun day that is going on. Other than that, and our usual weekly playdates and library times, etc. not too much else new to report on. Gage is really starting to talk a lot now. I think he heard the Doctor say that he should be talking just a bit more and he wants to show him by 18 months that he IS in fact Jill's son. He repeats most everything we say to him now, some are repeated more clearly than others, and I am finding I will now officially have to watch my mouth! I find that this is particularly difficult for me while driving. There are some sh*t-head drivers out there ! (hee hee).

Well, that is all for now. Seems like life is flying by so fast lately. I am enjoying each and every day of my life, and trying to make the best of these years at home with my little man. For those wondering, we are not planning on #2 quite yet. Soon maybe, but not yet!

Little Man...Growing up fast

Me and Gramps

Gage and I spent the weekend in Neillsville at the end of September and spent a lot of time down at the farm with my dad. We spent a lot of time with grammy too, but I didn't get any pictures this time (Sorry, mom!)

Gage LOVES tractors, 4-wheelers, lawn mowers...anything that moves and he can take a ride on. My dad also built a new "Sugar Shack", or "The Palace" as it is named, down by the river. He makes maple syrup every year and the old shack that he has been using was starting to crumble. He built a brand new 1-room cabin and has it very nicely decorated, thanks to the help of some of his friends. Unfortunately it rained most of the weekend that we were there, but Gage got to try out his new rubber boots that Grampa bought for him!

15 Months

Gage had his 15 month appointment today.
He is 26 lbs (75%)
He is 34 inches tall (95%)

Our Dr. felt he was right on track with everything related to gross and fine motor skills (throwing a ball, attempting to stack blocks, starting to use a fork/spoon, etc.) but would like him to start using more words. Gage "jabbers" a lot, but only says a handful of words so far. He says words like "Mommy", "Daddy", "Duck", "Hi", "nummy-nummy" (when he wants something to eat or drink...and I have never used the word "Num-Nums" when talking about food???) "Teague", "Jazz"....almost daily, but that is about it. Dr. Young said he would like him to start saying more two-word phrases, such as "More milk", "No mommy", etc. He wasn't "concerned", but said he would like to see that increased by his 18 month appointment.

Personally, we think he is just fine. I mean, he lives with ME! How in the heck WOULD he get time to say anything??? (I know, I will be more conscious of my own talking/jabbering from now on.)

What is a Beezatch?

Oh, the joy of a girls' night!
Saturday night was spent with a group of girlfriends that have dubbed themselves the "beezataches". I think it was a couple of years ago when Marilyn (on the right) was handing out drink cups and writing our names on them so we could just keep using the same glasses all night and started to write "Beezatch #1, Beezatch #2", etc. It just stuck.

I went to college w/ Marilyn and she is somehow connected to each of the others through her husband or through work. (From left, Jaci, Leah, Leah, Lynn, Jill, Marilyn. Di was unable to attend). I met all of them when Mar was engaged and was having her bridal shower, bachelorette party, wedding, etc. and then a group of us and hubbies have went camping a couple of times in the past few years.

We get together every 4-5 months or so (sometimes it's been longer, due to at least one of us having a babe or getting married and time gets away on us!) rotating from house to house. I can't say much about what happens at girls' night (pinky swear secrets, ya know) but I CAN say that the food is good, the wine doesn't last too long, and my ribs are sore today from laughing so hard.

Anyhow, the beezatch nights are great, and I am impatiently awaiting the next one. I think I am hosting, so it will be sooner than later, gals!

What is with me lately/My kid is a klutz!

So I have been baaaaaaad about posting on here lately. You'd think that I had a job or something...
usually on my break time I am cleaning something, including my clothes, but lately it seems whenever I sit my butt on the computer chair, Gage wakes up from his nap. I wonder if the click-click-click of my typing skills are loud enough to wake him up? Who knows.
So yeah. Life has been busy.
Spent last weekend (just Gage and I) visiting friends from back home. We were able to go to Garrett's (Lori's son) 3rd birthday party and Gage was one of about 9 kids running around and having a BLAST! I loved how he just jumped right in and entertained himself. I sat upstairs and filed my nails, and had a few glasses of wine and took a little nap! (Just kidding). I did eat a lot though and talked w/ my friends.

Gage has reverted back into el-klutzo mode. On Saturday he tripped and fell flat on his face/head at my mom's house while walking to the car. He left a huge bruise and scrape on his forehead (the same spot he hit abut 8 different times this summer when he first started walking). Then today, I took him into my old work to visit the last of my former team of immediate co-workers (she is now leaving at the end of the month!) and to go out to lunch. He walked into the building all excited, and fell flat on his face, this time hitting his mouth and biting his upper lip. Now it is all swollen and the middle of his top lip kind of hangs down over the lower lid. Poor kiddo. Oh, and he has another cold.
I tell ya, does it EVER end???

This weekend I am running a 5k with my friend Jenny in St. Paul (Twin Cities Marathon weekend) and then having a FUN girls' night with my beezatches. I will be posting pics of that, as will Marilyn, Jaci, and Leah I'm sure. Then on Sunday I would like to have a lazy day of lounging at home in my sweat pants as contrary to what some may think, I don't get to do that all that often when home alone w/ Gage. We are out and about a LOT and I usually shower AND put makeup on so as to not allow myself to turn into a frumpy stay-at-home mother and housewife. If anything, within the next 5 years I plan to be a smokin' hot soccer mom with the fake boobs and botox lips. (Do they put botox in your lips, or just by your eyes??)

Oh, I am in a MOOD today. Not quite sure why. But its a good mood, and that is all that matters.

Peace Out. Rock on. And as my friend Karen told me today, "Make it a good one!"

I'm 71% addicted. How 'bout you?

71%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

JustSayHi - A Free Dating Website

Beer and Pickles in NYC

As mentioned above, this was my 6th visit to the Big Apple. I've went to a broadway show (Phantom of the Opera), saw the Rockefellar Plaza Christmas tree several times now, taken a carriage ride through Central Park, and a few other typical "New York" things.
But the thing I love the most, and the times when I have the most fun, is when I can just hang out with my sister- my best friend- and let the day just take us where it wants us to go!
On this particular visit, Katie and I ended up at "Spanky's BBQ", a place where she and her husband Johnny frequent on a fairly regular basis. Spanky's could be compared to a Famous Daves, although some of the items on the menu are a bit different. The one food item that they DO have, which Katie often rants about, is their DEEP FRIED PICKLE SPEARS! As mentioned in the State Fair post, I am a deep fried pickle fan, and can usually indulge in these little bites o' love one time per year. Well, folks, Spanky's has deep fried pickles and this is where our fun began.


We got to Spanky's at 3pm on a Sunday, split an appetizer of pickles, each had a meal, and a few beers. Katie and Johnny are regular-enough patrons that Katie and I actually drank for free. We sat there and visited with the bartender until about 6pm. HA!
Then, we decided to head back out on the city for awhile and see what else NYC has to offer. Well, when you can drink for free, and you've already "Been there, done that" during the day, we decided to go back to ole' Spanky's, get us another round of deep fried love, and have a few more beers.


Around 830pm, Spanky's needed to close and so the bartender shared a homemade shot of some sweet crap (Jolly Rancher?? Bluch.) with us, and we were on our way. Off to the bus station with a belly ache and big smiles. All because of DEEP FRIED PICKLES. Oh, and the beer.


(Katie, I love ya. Thanks for a great time, as always!)