So, I just got home from watching this year's Scecina play, The Music Man. Andy stayed at home with the kiddos and I went by myself to the show. I would definitely recommend it...Bo Leszcynski is a stupendous Harold Hill and Kayla Wagoner's voice shines! If you have a few bucks in your pocket, go see it this Sunday at 3pm.
I really enjoyed myself, so why when I came in the door, did my husband say "what's wrong?" Because it made me really sad too. I have directed/choreographed/costumed/set designed the Scecina musical for the past nine years. I was in the show from 1995-1999, then away for the my four years at IU, and then directed from 2004-2012. This was the first show that I had to watch from a seat in the audience and not standing tapping my toes and doing the dance moves in the back of the gym with Margaret Zeh.
I love those kids! I can say that with total honesty, and I have felt that way since the beginning. I always felt like I got way more out of the experience than any of the actors did. And I am so thankful that they kept letting me come back and do it again year after year.
When we decided that last year was the end, it made total sense. Margaret is engaged, I have two children and a husband, our lives are not as uncomplicated as they were in the beginning. Spending hours on end for three months just isn't an option like it used to be. But sitting there tonight was hard.
I miss the creativity, the challenge, the dancing, the laughing, the high school gossip. :) And I have to admit that it definitely was a hit to my ego that the show is so good without me. You know when you leave a job and you think...how are they going to carry on without me? Well they did, and it was good.
Maybe someday I will get to do it again. But until then...I guess the show must go on...
Friday, March 8, 2013
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Blowin It Up
So Miles just had a blow out. These are not uncommon, but since starting food they are definitely more frequent. He should be napping, but instead he was sitting on my lap while I try to do a couple minutes of work. I noticed the silence, realized the lack of movement, then heard the gush. It immediately went up the back of the diaper and I could see it had soaked through his onesie. So upstairs we go, where I put on his second outfit of the day. I just got back downstairs and I realized that I felt some wetness on my sleeve...all the sudden realizing that the leakage had also made its way onto my sweater. My first thought, "oh, once it dries you won't be able to tell...no need to change." My second thought, "oh man...what have I become."
*Above picture is from another blow out moment when we were not at home, I did not have an extra outfit, and he had to make the trip back to the house sans pants.
Monday, February 11, 2013
My Kiddos - February 11, 2013
So I thought I would do a, maybe monthly, highlight list of what my kids are doing that I find awesome, funny, frightening, etc.
-Miles is 5 months old and weighs 22 pounds...4 less than his nearly two year old sister
-He is sitting on his own and eating anything that is offered to him
-Ramona went from hating boots to demanding to wear rubber Abby Cadabby rain boots with every ensemble.
-she is currently obsessed with Minnie Mouse...a character she was introduced to by my mom and sisters when they babysat her...each individually not knowing that it was taking over her mind
-we now have to listen to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Hot Dog song every time we get into the car...enjoy this ear-worm. :)
-the other day we were Face Timing with Andy and Ramona clearly said "I love you, Dada."
-the other night my two babes were down to diapers...awaiting bath time, and Miles and I were sitting on the floor of the nursery. Ramona would run out of the room...her little waddle, arms swinging, belly out run, and I would yell after her "come back!" She would turn and run back into the room and cackle with laughter. Miles would laugh so hard he was shaking, and I was cracking up too listening to the two of them. This...this is definitely one of the moments I want to remember.
-Miles is 5 months old and weighs 22 pounds...4 less than his nearly two year old sister
-He is sitting on his own and eating anything that is offered to him
-Ramona went from hating boots to demanding to wear rubber Abby Cadabby rain boots with every ensemble.
-she is currently obsessed with Minnie Mouse...a character she was introduced to by my mom and sisters when they babysat her...each individually not knowing that it was taking over her mind
-we now have to listen to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Hot Dog song every time we get into the car...enjoy this ear-worm. :)
-the other day we were Face Timing with Andy and Ramona clearly said "I love you, Dada."
-the other night my two babes were down to diapers...awaiting bath time, and Miles and I were sitting on the floor of the nursery. Ramona would run out of the room...her little waddle, arms swinging, belly out run, and I would yell after her "come back!" She would turn and run back into the room and cackle with laughter. Miles would laugh so hard he was shaking, and I was cracking up too listening to the two of them. This...this is definitely one of the moments I want to remember.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Dining Like Kings and Queens
Last night we went out to dinner. Andy called it a family date. We went to Maxine's Chicken & Waffles for their 2 for $30 Devour Downtown. Maxine's in one of my favorite meals...I think that I could sustain myself on their peach butter alone for at least a week; however, we have only eaten there once in the two years since Ramona was born.
Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First off, I am not working, therefore not bringing in a regular income, therefore going out to eat is not a very financially responsible option for us. And secondly, it is downright hard to eat out with little children.
Now I feel like I should give some background on our restaurant/meal experience...every Thursday Andy's parents treat us to dinner at Papa Roux. (If you have not eaten there before, stop reading and go now...it is yummy). But this meal is different. The restaurant is noisy, we have four adults dealing with the two kids, Ramona is so used to going there that she knows the deal, it's fast...we get in and out in under an hour, and they know and (hopefully) like us there.
As for meals at home, we eat as a family. We sit at the table, including Miles and have dinner as a family. I completely understand why this seems crazy for people who have dealt with little kids, but somehow when we are at home it works for us. I attribute this to Andy's grace in the kitchen. His timing and ability to make well rounded delicious meals make it possible. And again, Ramona and Miles know the routine...we sit, we eat, Ramona gets down to go play, Andy and I finish eating.
Now back to Maxine's. We went with Ryan and Amy Costello...a lovely newly-wed couple without children, and probably solidified Ryan's feeling that adopting kids in their teens would be his preference when becoming a father. Ramona stood in her highchair, whined, crawled on Andy, crawled on me, climbed on a nearby chair, fell off said chair, spilled water, cried about spilling said water, ate her food, ate Andy's food, ate my food...Miles, who just started eating solids this past week, pounded the table and demanded that I feed him mashed cornbread off my fingers for the duration of our two hour meal.
I inhaled my waffle and three chicken wings while passing portions of it to Ramona and mashing cornbread for Miles. When we had re-bundled them up and carried them to the car (oh, Ramona demanded to be put down because "me walk snow"), Andy and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. "We made a huge mistake" I thought. My children appeared undisciplined and chaotic, and we did not even get to enjoy the food that we have both been coveting for months.
But there is also a part of me that thinks..."man, look at my husband over there. He is bouncing our daughter on one knee and carrying on a conversation about HBO GO at the same time. We are warriors!!! We are doing it!!! We can have it all!!!"
...but we may leave them with a babysitter next time.
Why? Well, there are a couple of reasons. First off, I am not working, therefore not bringing in a regular income, therefore going out to eat is not a very financially responsible option for us. And secondly, it is downright hard to eat out with little children.
Now I feel like I should give some background on our restaurant/meal experience...every Thursday Andy's parents treat us to dinner at Papa Roux. (If you have not eaten there before, stop reading and go now...it is yummy). But this meal is different. The restaurant is noisy, we have four adults dealing with the two kids, Ramona is so used to going there that she knows the deal, it's fast...we get in and out in under an hour, and they know and (hopefully) like us there.
As for meals at home, we eat as a family. We sit at the table, including Miles and have dinner as a family. I completely understand why this seems crazy for people who have dealt with little kids, but somehow when we are at home it works for us. I attribute this to Andy's grace in the kitchen. His timing and ability to make well rounded delicious meals make it possible. And again, Ramona and Miles know the routine...we sit, we eat, Ramona gets down to go play, Andy and I finish eating.
Now back to Maxine's. We went with Ryan and Amy Costello...a lovely newly-wed couple without children, and probably solidified Ryan's feeling that adopting kids in their teens would be his preference when becoming a father. Ramona stood in her highchair, whined, crawled on Andy, crawled on me, climbed on a nearby chair, fell off said chair, spilled water, cried about spilling said water, ate her food, ate Andy's food, ate my food...Miles, who just started eating solids this past week, pounded the table and demanded that I feed him mashed cornbread off my fingers for the duration of our two hour meal.
I inhaled my waffle and three chicken wings while passing portions of it to Ramona and mashing cornbread for Miles. When we had re-bundled them up and carried them to the car (oh, Ramona demanded to be put down because "me walk snow"), Andy and I just looked at each other and shook our heads. "We made a huge mistake" I thought. My children appeared undisciplined and chaotic, and we did not even get to enjoy the food that we have both been coveting for months.
But there is also a part of me that thinks..."man, look at my husband over there. He is bouncing our daughter on one knee and carrying on a conversation about HBO GO at the same time. We are warriors!!! We are doing it!!! We can have it all!!!"
...but we may leave them with a babysitter next time.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Great Expectations
Day 13
Prompt from Think Kit by SmallBox: Listening - when was the last time you listened to someone, where, why?
Okay, I am a little behind. It is January 17th and I am only on day 13 of the December Think Kit challenge. I was stressing about it for awhile. Until Andy reminded me that this blog is something that I want to do and not an assignment that I am procrastinating in finishing. So, while I did not blog everyday in the December, I may still use the Think Kit days on occasion to get me started...like, for example, the one listed above...
Ramona's vocabulary is growing by the minute. And while Andy and I joke that we might be the only ones who speak the dialect at the moment, she is really amazing in how much she can communicate. It has made me think about how much has changed in four and a half months time.
Before Miles was born at the end of August, all my energy was focused on Ramona. Every activity I selected was custom fit to what she would want to do, and the two of us did everything from naps to outings as a unit. And then she became a big sister and I became a mother of two.
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Ramona came to the hospital with my mom and dad to meet Miles just a couple hours after he was born. Andy went to the waiting room and got her, and she was the first person to meet our little guy. Our thought was that our little family of four would have a moment alone before grandparents, aunts, great grandparents, friends, etc. got in on the fun.
When Ramona walked in, I couldn't believe how big she looked and how heavy she felt when I picked her up. I had just been with her a couple hours earlier, but it seemed like she had transformed from a baby to a kid overnight. She was not very interested with me, Andy, or Miles..we had bought her her first baby doll with a stroller and gave it to her on that first visit. My parents and Andy's parents later confirmed that all she did the three days we were at the hospital was take her "baby" for walks.
At home, Ramona became much more interested in her new brother. She also decided that her "dada" was her parent of choice. She wanted Andy to change her diapers, give her a bath, read her bedtime story. She had very little time for me. It felt like Miles was my kiddo and Ramona was Andy's.
She wasn't the only one who changed though. From our first day home, I found myself saying things like "Ramona, you need to be patient," "Ramona, are you listening?," "Ramona, you need to obey Mama." Patience, listen, obey...concepts that we never discussed prior to Miles that for some reason I thought she should just be able to master overnight.
Okay, maybe I am being too hard on myself...not that I thought she "should be able to master overnight" but concepts that I "needed her to master...and soon."
She, as the independent spirit she is, has responded to this in amazing ways. She has become more independent...wanting to put on her own shoes, pick out her own outfits, walk without holding my hand. She has welcomed Miles into her routines...allowing him to bathe with her, helping change his diapers, reading books on my lap while I nurse him. And she is communicating and sharing her wants, needs, and personality with us through her new found love of words. Sure she sometimes whines or throws little fits, but for the most part she has accepted the challenge that we don't have as much time to guess what is going on with her and she figures out how to get our attention and make herself clear.
She is talking, and I am listening.
Friday, January 4, 2013
We Were Young Once
Dear Future Grown Up Children,
Your parents have not always been the slow moving, gray haired, grouchy old people you know and love today...(I am assuming this will be how our kids will see Andy and I in their teen years)...we were young once. And I can prove it.Starting in 2006, I have planned several New Year's Eve shindigs at The Elbow Room, a downtown Indy restaurant and bar. It always surprises me that they keep letting me do it! Things get broken, people get punched, there are tears...and vomit, but what do you expect will happen when 20 something's pay $50 to drink their fill for 5 hours?
Well, I am not a 20 something anymore, and while the group this year was made up of more of my sisters' friends then my own...I had a really good time! I even took more shots than Andy (which means I took two and he took one...I know...we are crazy, right?)
Andy documented Ryan C. And I's tradition of doing tequila shots (the bar's cheapest in quality and cheapest in price tequila mind you). I would have to say that this one was slightly better then the one we had at the Claddagh.
Now, I am a firm believer that you don't have to alcohol to have a good time, but it was really fun to be tipsy with my husband after not having the opportunity in a long time! We laughed, we ate food at a ridiculous hour, we rode in a "needed" cab. It felt like our pre-babies and pre-mortgage days. It was nice! It reminded me of why I picked this silly guy in the first place! And yes there was tequila involved in that story too...
Happy New Years, friends!
Thursday, December 20, 2012
A New Do
Day 12
Prompt from Think Kit by SmallBox: Try something totally different. Have something for lunch or dinner you don't normally eat. Make up a new recipe. What did you come up with?
When I met Andy he had the longest hair and the fluffiest beard of any man I have ever known. That was more than six years ago, and other than a couple of trims, not much has changed. When we were getting married someone asked me if I was going to make Andy cut his hair and shave his beard for the big day. I remember thinking, "this is the man I fell in love with. Why would I want him to look completely different on the biggest day of our lives together?"
So, I was pretty surprised when Andy came home last week and told me that he wanted to cut off his hair. He even had a picture of the style he was thinking of. I was nervous...really nervous. He scheduled an appointment at Geneva Hair Studio, and as the day neared I tried to prepare myself.
What if I didn't like it? What if he didn't like? How would people react? Would people think I "made" him do it? What would Ramona think?
It surprised me how quickly I got used to his new look. After about a day, I stopped doing double takes when I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I have always felt like he was an extremely handsome man, and that has not changed, but it certainly is trying something new.
Prompt from Think Kit by SmallBox: Try something totally different. Have something for lunch or dinner you don't normally eat. Make up a new recipe. What did you come up with?
When I met Andy he had the longest hair and the fluffiest beard of any man I have ever known. That was more than six years ago, and other than a couple of trims, not much has changed. When we were getting married someone asked me if I was going to make Andy cut his hair and shave his beard for the big day. I remember thinking, "this is the man I fell in love with. Why would I want him to look completely different on the biggest day of our lives together?"
So, I was pretty surprised when Andy came home last week and told me that he wanted to cut off his hair. He even had a picture of the style he was thinking of. I was nervous...really nervous. He scheduled an appointment at Geneva Hair Studio, and as the day neared I tried to prepare myself.
What if I didn't like it? What if he didn't like? How would people react? Would people think I "made" him do it? What would Ramona think?
It surprised me how quickly I got used to his new look. After about a day, I stopped doing double takes when I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I have always felt like he was an extremely handsome man, and that has not changed, but it certainly is trying something new.
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