She's THREE (Already?)

To say Taryn has been looking forward to this birthday would be a definite understatement.  For months she has talked about it.  She has made me promise not to let anyone else blow out her candles or open her gifts.  I guess this is what toddler nightmares are made of. 

As the birthday got near, she started to kind of be in denial that it was really that close.  We would tell her "Just a few days..." and she would reply "No, it far away."  But, ready or not, her birthday arrived this weekend. 

Of course, about an hour before her party, Taryn finally decided to give in and take a nap.  And then slept too long.  This is her 3rd birthday and the 3rd time she has done this exact thing!!  I guess she just wants to keep her guests waiting and make an entrance. 

Taryn had requested a princess theme, then settled in on Cinderella.  We got a castle shaped cake for the kids and then got the most mouth watering raspberry cupcakes (with Cinderella heads) for the adults.  Our cake lady is retiring in a year, so I am eating as much of her cake as humanly possible in the next year! 

 

The weather was hot hot hot, so we got out the sprinkler for the kiddos.  It doubled as great entertainment for the adults as well! 

When the party was over, Taryn wanted to play with every toy and try on every outfit.  She kept holding up 3 fingers and saying "I this many now?"  We would say YES.  Then she would say "Already????"  I think that she thought a ton of things were instantly going to change when she turned 3. 

On Sunday, Taryn's actual birthday, we went to brunch with my parents and Lee. 

And just like that, I now have a three year old...  It is amazing.  I can't believe how the time has flown.  Taryn is so funny and sweet, I just can't believe I am so lucky to be her mom!  Happy 3rd birthday sweet girl!

Happy Birthday Lee!

Saturday was Lee's 31st birthday. Man, that guy is getting old! We had considered going to the Benton County 4H fair, but it was too freakin' hot... So, instead we opted to go up to Lee's parents' lakehouse and stay up until 5am partying and drinking with their neighbors. Needless to say, I woke up Sunday in a world of pain and may have regained the title of pukey pants. Doh! It was a good reminder of why I don't drink like that every weekend anymore!!! More importantly, I know Lee had a fun time for his birthday and he woke up pain-free. Lucky bastard!

Upcoming B-day Girl!

Though her birthday is still 2 weeks away (my baby is going to be 2 in 2 weeks, OMG, tear!) the birthday gifts have started to pour in.

From mommy (and daddy), Taryn got this awesome purple princess bike with training wheels! This was an amazing garage sale find that is in perfect condition. The seat still needs lowered so that she can touch the pedals. Oh, and then she needs to learn how to push the pedals. Then we're all set!

Next up, this Taryn-sized picnic table is from my mom and grandma. It is made of solid wood. My mom found it on Craigslist from a guy that makes them.

Ok, this isn't a present for Taryn, but I just wanted to show Lee's 2nd (and hopefully last for awhile) Primo Grill table. And show what a great assistant Lee has!

Raise your hand if you're... Screw it, nobody's in their 20's!

Michelle and I met way back when we were both 21. We quickly realized that we shared half a brain (according to Ploth) and were fast friends. That seems like a lifetime ago!

Since then we've celebrated a lot of birthdays...
We've all grown up and gotten married... Well, we've gotten married.

And now we've both got toddlers to keep us on our toes.

It's crazy to think of all that has happened over the last 9 years, but I'm really glad that we found each other in the big city and got to share all the silliness and shennanigans. Happy Birthday tomorrow Michelle!! Welcome to the 30's. They aren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be!!! I look forward to sharing many more fun times together in our 30's... Although now we may be in bed by 11pm.

Oh, and here is a pic from another time Mich ran in the Nashville 1/2 Marathon. I put an arrow to where I THINK she is!! Good luck on the run!!

Drinking Away My 20's!

Saturday was my 30th birthday. Yeehah. I guess I'm finally catching up to many of my friends who paved the way over the last 6 years.

We started with dinner at the Lafayette Brewing Company. One of the ladies heard that it was someone's birthday and came up and wished TARYN a happy birthday... Yeah... Like I would bring my daughter to a brewery for her 2nd birthday. Screw Chuck E Cheese Taryn, we're going to the brewery!!

This is John and his wife Katie. John and I have gone to school together since we were in 2nd grade, one of the oldest friends I still keep in touch with. He has two sons now, Jackson and Archer. Archer is just a couple months older than Taryn and it is hilarious to imagine that they may end up going to school together here in a few years. His wife Katie is becoming a Doula, which is very cool!

Lee's brother Matt and sister Sonia made it out to celebrate. Actually, I think they both made it out until around midnight, which is pretty good for all of us old folks!

A pic of the dudes. Justin looks like he's seen a ghost!

After more shots than I've seen since my 24th birthday, we ended up our night with a trip to the piano bar at the Cactus. The Piano Man, Bruce Barker, even told me I didn't look 30. Thanks dude! We actually tried to go to Harry's, but the line was too long. Probably fate stepping in to make the right call. Thank you fate!

I woke up at 7:30am the next day, ate some cereal, Advil and water and went back to sleep until 9:15. At that point, I felt pretty darn decent. So many people I know have hangovers that get worse with age. Not me! I have gotten better! I am like the Benjamin Button of hangovers.

Thanks for all the b-day wishes! And yes, I realize that when someone says "Raise your hand if you're in your 20's," I should keep my hand by my side.

Thirty... It should be a four-letter word.

Saturday I turn 30. I have been trying most the month to wrap my brain around the idea of it. It isn't working.

When I think back to my early 20's, they really seem so extremely far away. College, my move to Chicago, weeks filled with evenings at the bars and lots of time on email. Writing odes and meeting people for lunch. Big Herm's and euchre leagues.

The early 20's quickly turned into the mid-20's. I bought my first place, friends started to get engaged. Soon we were married and I made the move down to Norfolk. There was still a lot of time out and about, but the group of friends was no longer the same. Finally, we moved back to Indiana.

The turning point of my life came when I was 28. Now a mom, nothing is ever the same. Instead of acting like a kid, I'm teaching them at work and raising one at home. Feeling very much the adult that I wasn't when I was 20. The nights out are few and far between. The friends are spread out and the time on email is very very limited. But family is close and that is important.

I'm sure the 20 year old me would think this time in my life lacks luster and young-me wouldn't trade places for the world. But, fortunately, I feel the same way. While I am none too fond of the number 30, things on this side of my 20's are comfortable and I'm feeling just a tad more wise than I used to. Instead of spending my evenings out, I get to spend every one of them with my best friend and the best little person I've ever seen.

So, I'm feeling old, but feeling lucky.

Happy Birthday to My Mom!

Today my mom had her 52nd birthday. I kept asking her what she wanted to do for her birthday and her response was always rather blah saying "when you've had as many birthdays as me..."

But, after some arm twisting, we did have lunch with my grandma and uncle. My mom got quite the array of gifts... A pack of 4 reading glasses from me, and an iPod Shuffle from my grandma. Isn't that kind of ironic or something? Granny glasses and a MP3 player?

Things that are great about my mom:

*She is always willing to do anything for her family. Even when they don't return the favor.

*She is Taryn's biggest fan. And Taryn reciprocates those feelings. As soon as we turn onto my mom's road Taryn starts screaming with joy in the backseat.

*She has endless amounts of energy. At 52 years old, she has way more energy than me and she always has! It was rather annoying when I was a teenager and she was up at 6am singing and vacuuming, but now that we don't live together, it is much more endearing.

*She adores real estate and is always willing to help you look for a house, regardless of the location.

*She is an amazing teacher and works miracles with the students she has.

*She's my mom and sacrificed a ton to be the best single parent as I was growing up.

Happy Birthday Mom! Here's to making it to 100!

Happy Birthday Max!

As usual, this blog is a little late. That's just how I blog lately. Sorry.

A couple weeks ago we headed down to Indianapolis to meet Max Goldman and celebrate his 1st birthday. It is so awful that this was our first time meeting Max and their first time meeting Taryn when we only live an hour away from each other.

Quick photo shoot of Taryn before we went. She was sporting her new sweater dress and knew she looked cute.

"No, I didn't eat a cupcake..."

The BIRTHDAY BOY! He's a cute little guy. He's small but mighty. And very very busy! Somehow in my picture all you can see are Purdue logos on his shirt, but he actually had a Purdue and Wisconsin shirt on since his daddy is from West Lafayette and mommy is from Wisconsin (but she was a Purdue grad, so we still like her).

Taryn had fun playing with Jack. I'm not sure Jack was having as much fun... He didn't complain though.

"I love other kids' toys!"

Thanks for having us over Grant & Ashley. Max is awesome! We really need to not let as much time pass before our next visit!!!

Happy Birthday Lee!

*
It's a little late, but, hey, I'm busy these days!

Thursday was Lee's 29th birthday! Seriously teetering on 30 there! I may have reminded him of that once or twice. And he quickly reminded me that I am only 6 months and 6 days behind him. DOH! We celebrated with dinner at Bruno's with Lee's family and my mom. Then we drank some Bud Light with my mom. Party down!
And here is the little bundle of joy that makes us REALLY feel old these days! Although, we HAVE been awake 3am more in the last 2 months than a year of college... Ok, maybe not, but it's probably coming close!

And here is how many outtakes it took to get one picture! How many months before she learns to cheese it up for the camera?

Birthday / Birth Day!

Yesterday was Fubar's 31st birthday...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUBAR!

And today is the big birth day for these soon-to-be parents.

Can't wait to meet little PBR!

SURPRISE!

This Saturday was my mom's surprise party! My mom has a knack for ruining every surprise. I mean, this is a woman who guesses each of her Christmas presents (usually correctly) before opening them. She can be a pain in the butt!

Things had gone well with the planning so far. Lee and I snuck into town early on Saturday to pick up mom's cake (german chocolate, yum!). We got it from the same woman that made our wedding cakes. She makes an AWESOME cake and only charges $20 for a sheet cake! We hid it in the back of our SUV. Seemed like a good plan...

So, we are finally on our way over to Burlington for my mom's party. The problem is, my mom is always early, so we realized we were going to end up getting to the party way too early. Not good when you are bringing the guest of honor to a surprise party! So, I told Lee to drive REALLY slow on the way over.

At one point during the drive over, Lee turned a corner and we heard the spare tire go smashing down in the back of the Explorer. OH F___K. I just knew that it had landed on the cake. Lee and I just shared an "Oh crap" glance and my mom was suspicious. When we got to the restaurant, we discovered that the cake had been saved by a big bag of dog food for Lee's brother's dog. Thank goodness!

So, we get to the restaurant 20 minutes early. Man, I hope there are already people here!

There were!

My mom now claims that she knew all along that it was happening, but I don't buy it. She was surprised there at the beginning! Some of my mom's friends had brought gag gifts for her big 50th birthday. There was lots of beer drank, and someone even bought her a shot! She only did 1/2 the shot (it runs in the family), but it was pretty funny just the same!
Here are some other pics from the night:

My mom's friend Laurie (and the woman I'm named after) tries on an adult diaper that was given to my mom. Interesting story about my namesake, her name is actually Lauren Leigh. So she was pretty pumped when I ended up with a Lee.

The ladies of the family (minus a few).

The dudes of the family (also minus a few).

My mom poses with her granddaughter-to-be. She is pumped that they are going to be 50 years apart. Something about being born in a year ending with 9 being cool... I don't know, sounds like a stretch to me!

A little late but...

Friday was my mom's 50th birthday, so I sent her this in an email:



More to come about how the surprise birthday dinner went!

No worries!

My mom doesn't read this blog! So, I didn't spoil her surprise b-day dinner... That would have been a typical ditzy move for me though. My mom isn't techno savvy enough for blog reading. However, I bet she'll miraculously figure it all out once there are baby pictures getting posted!

Happy 31st BMW!

Happy Birthday to Barry!

Hope you have a fun one down in N-ville.

(this is a pic from his 30th b-day last year. not sure why he decided to flip Amy upside down?)

Happy Birthday CFunk!!

~~~~note, in this picture, Clint is not puking. He is actually pretending to lap up spilled beer~~~~

For his birthday, I thought I would include some great things about CFunk:

* He is easy to find in crowds.

* When I type his name into email & spellcheck it, the spellcheck thinks it should be "chunk" and that makes me laugh.

* He is one of the only guys not raised in the 1950's that still uses the word "toots".

* Every now and then Clint or Michelle will send a random email out at 4:20, and that also makes me laugh.

* He is the only person I have seen pass out laying down on a couch at a bar and not get kicked out (Quencers).

* He is one of the only people I know (possibly in the world) that truly likes shots of Malort.

* He once made a comment about one of my blog posts that was longer than the actual blog.

* He eats pounds of corn and thinks it is a good "drinking base". It's not.

* He taught me how to play craps. Kind of. I still don't know what I'm doing, but it was fun.

* He calls men over 6'2" "little man".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CFUNK! Sorry I couldn't make it up to Chi-town to celebrate with ya!

Happy Birthday Stacia!!!

Hope you had a fun weekend of celebrating and get some good nap time in today to recover!!!!