Laura & Mike's Wedding - Reception

Here are the reception pictures.  Congratulations to Laura & Mike!!

My mom and dad, a.k.a. "we paid for this party"

getting ready to leave Sunday morning

Laura & Mike's Wedding - Getting Ready

If you have ever been a bride or a bridesmaid you know it takes a lot of time to get ready for a wedding.  For my sister, it took 3 hair stylists, breakfast, 5 Starbucks coffees, mimosas, one US Weekly, one Cosmopolitan (magazine, not the drink), 5 bridesmaid dresses, and 1 wedding dress.

I do not have any ceremony pictures since I was the matron of honor but up next are the reception pictures!

Laura & Mike's Wedding - Rehearsal Day

As many of you know, my sister was married this past Saturday in Lexington, Kentucky.  We had a great weekend and I wanted to share some of the pictures.

On Friday, also known as Rehearsal Day, typically the bride and bridal party get together to get our nails done.  Not wanting to break tradition, we went out for manicures and pedicures.

my mom, looking like she is about to start playing the piano

I don't have any good pictures of the rehearsal, because I was rehearsing.  But I do have plenty from the rehearsal dinner.  The dinner was at the Monarch Pavilion at Talon Winery.  It was a beautiful evening and it was a great way to start the weekend!

Laura and her bridesmaids

Mom and Laura at the bar

Me and my Grandma

Me and my Grandpa

Up next, getting ready for the wedding day and reception pictures!

What I've Learned About Being a Step-mom

As a list lover, I feel it is appropriate I share with you what I have learned so far about being a step-mom in list format.

1. You have officially become the keeper of "stuff".  You will carry and be responsible for stuff that doesn't belong to you.  You will not be surprised to find Batman, gum wrappers, and used tissues in your purse.  And you will stop cleaning out your purse because you don't want to know what else you will find in there. 
    
2. Your nice clean car is now a thing of the past.  Crumbs will mysteriously appear in your car, even though no food is present, and footprints will be everywhere.  Fingerprints are not just for windows anymore.  You are not surprised to find fingerprints on the ceiling of your car.  Invest in Magic Erasers and Awesome, trust me.
    
3. You care more about another person's bodily functions more than your own.  After a while, asking "did you poop today?" and "do you need a tissue?" 50 times a day does not feel weird or intrusive to the other person's privacy.  
    
4. Farts happen.  Especially in the car, just crack the windows for a second and hope your mouth was not open at the time of the fart.
    
5. Nudity does not bother you anymore.  Neither does peeing outside.  You just hope they go to the backyard instead of the front.  (We have neighbors you know!)     
    
6. Kids will call you out.  If you are being grouchy and mean, they will tell you.  Most likely, you are being grouchy and mean so apologize, admit they are right, and stop being Captain Grouchypants.
    
7. Kids are sponges and will repeat everything you say.  This includes swear words and phrases like "here's the deal".  "Here's the deal" is my personal favorite...until I am the recipient of the phrase, especially when I am not in a negotiating mood.  So don't say anything unless you are prepared to have it repeated back to you.
    
8. Your personal space perimeter gets adjusted.  Before you enjoyed a nice healthy distance between you and others.  But now, having someone in your face, constantly stepping on your feet, or stealing the covers doesn't bother you very much anymore.  However, you may never adjust to having someone outside the bathroom door while you are trying to do your business.
    
9. You start to use parental phrases you swore you would never say.  You now find yourself saying "because I said so" and threatening to "turn this car around right now".  You can give a lecture on any topic at the drop of a hat.
    
10. You realize you are going to make mistakes.  You are going to forget things, you are going to hit them in a head with a softball (it was an accident!), you won't always say the right thing, and sometimes you may get into disagreements about how many Silly Bandz are acceptable to wear to school.  Being a step-mom does not come with an instruction manual and you have to figure it out as you go.  Cut yourself some slack, learn from your mistakes, and pat yourself on the back for being an important person in their lives. 

It is incredibly amazing and fun to shape this little or big person and watch them grow.  Just because you don't share DNA doesn't mean you aren't a family and an integral person in their life.  And when you are lucky to have a kid like this, it makes it all the farts, lack of personal space, and mistakes worth it.

Cornhole Boards

Some of you may know that Matt is a carpenter by trade.  But what you may not know is that Matt is a very talented carpenter and recently has put his talents to use to make cornhole boards.  If you don't know what cornhole is, read this and this first.  I wanted to show off some of his work.

The Red Sox set is Matt's personal set.  I love the colors and the images are in the middle are decals (neither of us are artists, so decals are a good solution for us).  You can't tell very well in the picture but we keep them hung up on the wall.  The boards are light enough that I "No Upper Body Strength Whatsoever" can lift them off the wall and put them back up if necessary.  

The Cubs boards were made for a friend and he also included lights around the hole.  We played on these boards down by the track at dusk and the lights were exactly what we needed to keep playing.

These boards were made for a DePauw University alum but would also work for Purdue.

Cornhole boards would make a great Christmas present and can be customized any way you like.  Its also a game that everyone can play, regardless of your age and fitness level.  If you are interested in a set, let me know or email Matt at Matt101779 (at) msn (dot) com.

Sweetest. Kid. Ever.

Yes, I am biased.  But I really think Daulton is the sweetest kid ever.  He has an uncanny ability to know when you need a little extra loving.  A few weeks ago he wrote these notes for Matt and I.  He even personalized our notes to what we liked the most.  I received my note as I came home from a crappy day at work and it was just what I needed.  (He didn't add the white numbers, I did.  Just to be clear.)

#1 - Is a picture of Daulton.

#2 - Is a baseball bat with Red Sox written on it.  The Red Sox are Matt and Daulton's favorite team.

#3 - This is a picture of me and my Nook. 

#4 - Another picture of Daulton to go with my note.


He loves to color pictures for people and write them notes.  Now that he knows where the envelopes and stamps are kept, we have been mailing a lot more pictures and notes out to people.  I have pretty much given up keeping him out of the printer paper.  And, since all he wants to do is draw, color and write notes to the people he loves, going through printer paper a little faster than usual really isn't that big of a deal.

1st Day of 1st Grade

Can you believe it?  Daulton is in 1st grade.  So far, he loves it and is doing really well. 

Here are a few pictures from his first day.  Sorry for the haze, a camera in the air conditioning gets a little foggy when you take it out into the humid August morning.

Also, I won't be posting his school or any other identifying information on this blog.  If you want the details, send me an email or give me a call and I will give you the scoop.  

Trip to Indiana Beach

Last week we took a family trip to Indiana Beach.  We stayed for two nights and two days and we had a great time.  We spent our first day in the park riding rides.  I loved the log flume and Matt and Daulton learned sometimes I scream like a little girl.  Daulton loved the airplane ride and Matt enjoyed riding in the back of the antique cars while Daulton drove.  I asked Matt why he picked that ride and he said, "because we did it 5 times" but I think its because he does most of the driving and it was nice for him to be a passenger for once.

They also had an awesome water show.  We were amazed at the water skiers, divers, and the crazy kid driving the boat really fast right next to the dock.  They had people driving jet skis while they were on fire.  Yes, I said on fire.  At one point they drove by were we were sitting, while on fire, and the heat was intense.

To be honest, I did not take many pictures because I was too busy watching the show with my mouth hanging open. 

We also hit up the splash park for the last 15 minutes it was open.  It was hot and we needed to cool down fast.  I am a big chicken and only got my feet wet and lounged in the chairs while the guys took their shirts off and proceeded to get refreshingly drenched.  After we dried off, we headed to dinner (in the air conditioning) and then it was back out to ride rides until the park closed.  We rode the Schafer Queen and Daulton feed the really gross carp.  I wish I had a picture to show you how disgusting they were, but then I would have a picture of disgusting fish.  Click here for an idea of what I am talking about.  Daulton and I rode the Scrambler twice to end Day 1 at Indiana Beach.  We made our way back to the hotel and crashed.

Our plan for Day 2 was to hit up the water park as soon as it opened.  We noticed on Day 1 that the water park rides were really busy in the afternoon, so we wanted to do as much as we could before the crowds showed up.  So at 11 AM sharp, we were sunscreened and had inner tubes in hand to do some water slides.  I could not believe how fearless Daulton was.  He didn't hesitate, he just threw his tube down and went down the slide.  Matt got dumped out of one of the slides and I got a little panicky in an enclosed, pitch black tube (can you say "control issues"?).  So I was more than excited to go on the lazy river when Daulton suggested it.

You would think lazy river means you can just float, right?  Wrong.  The lazy river is not lazy at all, especially if you are a competitive 6-year old who feels the need to ditch the adults.  So, Matt and I took our time and were actually lazy while Daulton practically did laps around us.  This was about 11:30 AM, Daulton and I went again at 4:30 PM and it was crazy.  The kids were racing and the adults were trying to relax which resulted in pandemonium for all.

After some lunch we hit up the splash park.  I should clarify, Matt and Daulton were in the splash park and I was laying out.  Its funny because I never could understand how my mom could lay out for hours and my dad would call her a lizard.  But now, I totally get it.  Yes boys, go play in the splash park while I take a little cat nap here in my chair.  And I napped until some family tried to steal one of our chairs.  Here's a tip, if you are trying to hijack a chair that is clearly claimed by someone else, pick it up.  The chair dragging on the concrete will wake the other person up and cause you to look like the asshat trying to steal a chair.

After the water park closed, we rode some more rides and played a few more games.  They have a couple of games that are in air conditioned buildings that we found on Day 1.  We had made it a family mission to rack up as many points as we could.  The picture is a result of our hard work. 

Daulton is clearly happy with the results and now uses the giant stuffed animal to practice WWE wresting moves with.  (Note the mattress that is askew, this is what happens when you trap a 6 year old in a hotel room when he wakes up at 8 AM and your park doesn't open until 11 AM.)

The park was a perfect size for us.  We could walk from one side to another several times a day without exhausting ourselves.  The hotel met our needs, but it wasn't great.  The staff at the hotel and park were hit or miss, some were really helpful and others not so much.  The rides were more carnival than huge roller coaster which was nice for Daulton.  We also brought our own breakfast and lunch.  That saved us a lot of money and we felt better throughout the day because we weren't eating fried food all day. 

I am sure in the next few years we will go to larger parks, but for this year I am glad we went to Indiana Beach.

he was not the only kid squatting on the sprinklers

the definition of concentration

Furminator + Dixie = Giant Hairball

Dixie joined our family around Christmas 2008. She was originally a gift for Matt's grandma but after a few days together, we decided that Dixie and grandma weren't a good fit for each other. Matt and I picked her up and after a few hours, we decided that unless Dixie and Daulton didn't get along that we were going to keep her. 

After a few months together, we realized we had an issue. While adorable, Dixie sheds a lot. So after trying a conventional dog brush, a late night infomercial for the Furminator caught my attention. We looked into buying one from PetSmart, but that was more money than I wanted to spend. Matt found one on eBay and Dixie and I have been hooked on it every since.

Usually, I brush her outside where the hair is outside of my house instead of inside. However, I can't get her to lie down on the concrete or grass to do her belly, so sometimes I brush her inside. I brushed her his morning and this is the result.

getting Furminated makes me smile

That's What I Call Good Service

One of Daulton's chores around the house is to make sure that Dixie has enough food and water.  Its a chore that he can handle by himself and he learns that part of having a dog is helping to take care of her.  He has also been working on taking Dixie to the bathroom by himself and handling the leash on our walks.

So one night Matt and I noticed that Daulton was taking an exceptionally long time filling Dixie's food bowl.  Turns out, Dixie got some excellent customer service that night. 

Daulton learned if he holds still enough, she will eat out of his hand.  Dixie learned that maybe the boy isn't so bad after all.