... you ask the guy at the grocery store where the refried beans are and he says,
"What are refried beans?"
or, maybe you just know the guy is one bean short of a full bag.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
I'll be your paparoxy.
Jenna is googoo for Gaga. I know, I know, the Lady is a little peculiar but I have to admit that as long as I don't have to look at her, I do enjoy some of her songs. Jenna's latest fav is "Paparazzi" or "Paparoxy," as she says. She loves to sing it to Callie...
and apparently, she's not camera shy either.
The camera loves this little lady too. 
and apparently, she's not camera shy either.
The camera loves this little lady too. Monday, January 25, 2010
Looking for a 200-year-old cemetery. At dusk. By ourselves.
My sister, Amy, and I have been working on our family history and recently discovered that our ancestors on my mom's mother's side lived in Cadiz, Ohio, and that this small town is only two hours away. Inspired by our other sister's spontaneous and exciting trip to California, we decided Friday night that Saturday we were taking a road trip. We left the kids to our husbands and started out on the open road, initiating Amy's new van and prepared with the GPS, protein shakes and bars and bottles of water (ya know, just in case this trip turned out to be an episode of I Survived.) 
Our first stop was the Cadiz library where we found a book with sketches of the Hitchcock Family Cemetery, where our Hitchcock ancestors are buried. Exciting! An older gentleman was in the library with us and asked us which family names we were researching. We told him and showed him the sketches. "Oh yeah. I did those," he said nonchalantly. He told us how to get there - 3 miles north on route 9, look for the biggest barn in Cadiz on the left, the closed road on the right then hike up the hill. Amy and I knew we had to check it out. We saw the barn! Then the closed road! It was thrilling. We parked the van then walked along the highway to where we thought we saw a trail. Cars where flying by and I was getting a little freaked out. Two women walking on a lonely highway? Perfect horror movie script.
Our first stop was the Cadiz library where we found a book with sketches of the Hitchcock Family Cemetery, where our Hitchcock ancestors are buried. Exciting! An older gentleman was in the library with us and asked us which family names we were researching. We told him and showed him the sketches. "Oh yeah. I did those," he said nonchalantly. He told us how to get there - 3 miles north on route 9, look for the biggest barn in Cadiz on the left, the closed road on the right then hike up the hill. Amy and I knew we had to check it out. We saw the barn! Then the closed road! It was thrilling. We parked the van then walked along the highway to where we thought we saw a trail. Cars where flying by and I was getting a little freaked out. Two women walking on a lonely highway? Perfect horror movie script.Route 9. The cemetery should have been up the hill to the right.
I turned to Amy and said, "If Dad knew we were doing this...." But I was armed with my camera and my cell phone, which I double... and triple... checked for reception as we trudged up the overgrown hill. Good thing I wore boots; ballet flats never would have held up on this adventure. But all we saw were empty soda cans, old tires, a washer and dryer (??) and lots of deer poop. No headstones. There was a house close by and we debated asking the residents if they knew anything about the old cemetery but decided to head back to where the van was parked and go around the back of the hill. We ducked under the gate that blocked off the road (rebels we are!) and we found a soggy trail leading up to the hill and I got excited. This had to be it. But, we came to a clearing and didn't see anything. We walked around a bit more but the pokey branches and bushes made it difficult. We headed back to the van because it was getting pretty dark and my level of anxiety was quickly rising. We heard men on ATVs off in the distance which made it even worse. But we did not want to give up! We were on a mission! We decided to go to the house we saw earlier but the muddy, unpaved driveway made us nervous and I think the reality of how dumb we were being finally sunk in. Two women. At night. Approaching an unknown house. So, we called it a day, stopped at Wendy's for a Frosty and headed home. Lucky, for us, someone else was able to find the small cemetery back in the '80s and took some pictures, which we found on findagrave.com. 
My great-great-great-great-grandfather's final resting spot.
My great-great-great-great-grandfather's final resting spot.
Although we didn't get to see the cemetery, it was exciting enough to be in the small town that our ancestors settled in 1803. It doesn't seem like much has changed since then either - just a McDonald's and a stoplight - so it was easy to picture how life may have been. It was fun playing dectective with you, Amy! Next research destination: Tennessee!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
My new diet....
doesn't help me lose weight.....
but it sure fills me up.
but it sure fills me up.
And I don't feel guilty having seconds (or fifths) of those yummy cheeks! Mm!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A New Year's Resolution.
Last year was Crazy. Just plain cRaZy.
We moved.... across the country.
Jake went back to school.
We had a baby - and she wasn't a "dream" baby.
We moved again (to a way cuter place with landlords we love!)
The last four months have especially been a time of... adjustments, to say the least. And as I've been thinking about the new year and things I want to accomplish or do differently or try, one thing keeps coming to mind: to be confident in my ability to be a mother.
Since Jenna was born, I've spent most of my time comparing myself to other "super moms." Some of these people include friends from various places we've lived, my sisters, my own mom and ladies from church. Almost every time I do something in relation to my role as a mom (which is about 95% of everything I do) I tell myself, "So-and-so wouldn't have just done that" or "So-and-so wouldn't have just said that." It's exhausting. It gets me down. It makes me feel like I'm a failure, like I'm not a good mom. But you know what? I AM a good mom. There is a lot of love in our home and it is expressed abunduntly. My goal this year is to be confident in the fact that my girls are happy, healthy and intelligent because of the good choices that I make for them. I do my best every day. Some days, my best is less than other days. Some days my best is having cereal for dinner, managing to step over toys without getting injured and sending Jenna to bed with no bath because if she's in my face one more time, I just might scream (but would so-and-so feel that way?) Other days my best is cooking a fantastic meal from scratch, having the house picked up when Jake gets home and snuggling Jenna until she falls asleep and even then not wanting to leave her. Either way, I want (and need) to be FINE with whatever my best is each day. I can not be everything to everyone everyday. And my thoughts can not be consumed by comparing my worst day to so-and-so's best day.
Way back in elementary school, I had a friend who always got at least one percent higher than me on everything - tests, assignments, projects, etc. If I got a 95%, she got a 96%. It drove me nuts that I couldn't ever get a better grade. I whined about it to my mom one day and she said, "Jill, there's probably always going to be somebody better and all you can do is your best." Then later, in high school, I was on the swim team but I was not as fast as some of the other swimmers. Once again, I was irritated but my mom pointed out that swimming is a race against yourself and all that mattered was improving my own time. What my mom taught me is that a 95% is a great grade and the times I accompished on the swim team were also something to be proud of. Someone else may have been faster, but that didn't negate the fact that I was still pretty good.
So, instead of feeling like I'm falling short in comparison to other moms, I want to be OK with what I am doing and stop comparing myself to others altogether. This is something that's going to take time. Lots and lots of time. But I'm ready to train my brain to replace, "So-and-so wouldn't do that" with "You did your best this time. Maybe next time, there's a better choice."
Now, what would so-and-so make for dinner if she just had onions, tomato sauce and potatoes? On second thought, maybe my best right now is ordering pizza....
We moved.... across the country.
Jake went back to school.
We had a baby - and she wasn't a "dream" baby.
We moved again (to a way cuter place with landlords we love!)
The last four months have especially been a time of... adjustments, to say the least. And as I've been thinking about the new year and things I want to accomplish or do differently or try, one thing keeps coming to mind: to be confident in my ability to be a mother.
Since Jenna was born, I've spent most of my time comparing myself to other "super moms." Some of these people include friends from various places we've lived, my sisters, my own mom and ladies from church. Almost every time I do something in relation to my role as a mom (which is about 95% of everything I do) I tell myself, "So-and-so wouldn't have just done that" or "So-and-so wouldn't have just said that." It's exhausting. It gets me down. It makes me feel like I'm a failure, like I'm not a good mom. But you know what? I AM a good mom. There is a lot of love in our home and it is expressed abunduntly. My goal this year is to be confident in the fact that my girls are happy, healthy and intelligent because of the good choices that I make for them. I do my best every day. Some days, my best is less than other days. Some days my best is having cereal for dinner, managing to step over toys without getting injured and sending Jenna to bed with no bath because if she's in my face one more time, I just might scream (but would so-and-so feel that way?) Other days my best is cooking a fantastic meal from scratch, having the house picked up when Jake gets home and snuggling Jenna until she falls asleep and even then not wanting to leave her. Either way, I want (and need) to be FINE with whatever my best is each day. I can not be everything to everyone everyday. And my thoughts can not be consumed by comparing my worst day to so-and-so's best day.
Way back in elementary school, I had a friend who always got at least one percent higher than me on everything - tests, assignments, projects, etc. If I got a 95%, she got a 96%. It drove me nuts that I couldn't ever get a better grade. I whined about it to my mom one day and she said, "Jill, there's probably always going to be somebody better and all you can do is your best." Then later, in high school, I was on the swim team but I was not as fast as some of the other swimmers. Once again, I was irritated but my mom pointed out that swimming is a race against yourself and all that mattered was improving my own time. What my mom taught me is that a 95% is a great grade and the times I accompished on the swim team were also something to be proud of. Someone else may have been faster, but that didn't negate the fact that I was still pretty good.
So, instead of feeling like I'm falling short in comparison to other moms, I want to be OK with what I am doing and stop comparing myself to others altogether. This is something that's going to take time. Lots and lots of time. But I'm ready to train my brain to replace, "So-and-so wouldn't do that" with "You did your best this time. Maybe next time, there's a better choice."
Now, what would so-and-so make for dinner if she just had onions, tomato sauce and potatoes? On second thought, maybe my best right now is ordering pizza....
Funny girl
As we drive by Giant Eagle, the local grocery store:
Jenna: Mom! We need to go to the Giant Eagle!
Me: We do? Why?
Jenna: Because we need to buy some food!
Jenna: Because we need to buy some food!
Me: No, we have food at home. Maybe Mommy will actually cook dinner tonight.
(She ate cereal for dinner last night. Don't judge.... you know you've done it!)
Jenna: That would be great!
Me, laughing: Jenna, you are so funny.
Jenna: No, I not. I so cute.
Later, at lunch....
Me: Callie, I can't wait to give you pasta.
Jenna: Mom, you gonna give Cow-ie pasta?
Me: No, not yet. She doesn't have any teeth!
Jenna: Well, maybe she could get taller and get some teeth and she could have some pasta.
Me: Yeah! But we have to wait a little while.
Jenna: Go Cow-ie, go! Get some teeth! Mom, say "Go Cow-ie, go!"
Look out for more pictures from this "photo session."
Monday, January 11, 2010
Here we are again.
March 5, 2009
Left Knee
January 8, 2010Right Knee
Jake has some unlucky meniscus, for sure!
New Year's
Maybe next year........
Jake's brother, Jeff and his girlfriend Ashley, drove 10 hours from Tennessee on New Year's day to spend just one day with us. They got within 25 miles of Cleveland and almost didn't make it because of the crazy snow storms. But, when Jeff saw "little hondas gettin' back on the freeway" he had a renewed confidence in his truck and they made it the rest of the way. We spent last Saturday going to Build-A-Bear where Jenna and Callie got to use their Christmas present from Uncle Jeff. Jenna built a unicorn, which she appropriately named, "Princess Unicorn" and Callie built a bunny. 
On top of the very generous gift card from Uncle Jeff, Ashley bought all kinds of accessories for the newest member of Jenna's stuffed animal collection - a bed, Hello Kitty undies, fairy wings, shoes, a princess shirt - and Jenna is in heaven. Princess Unicorn is kept in a prominent spot at the foot of Jenna's bed and is clearly favored above all other animals. The rest of the day was spent hanging out, shopping some sweet deals at GAP (an additional 40% off already reduced clearance items!) and eating oh-so-good food that Jeff and Ashley made for us. We really enjoyed our time with them and wish they could have stayed longer! Next time guys - party in Tennessee! Sunday, January 10, 2010
Twinners
My friend Sarah, who has three cutie little girls of her own, gave us these matching jammies while I was still pregnant. Callie's are size 6-12 months and that onesie underneath? Size 9 months. Hello, chubs! Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Happy Anniversary
Jake and I were married five years ago (on Dec. 28; I'm a little late with this post) in Oakland, California. 
After the best reception ever on New Year's Eve, 
we braved a snow storm and headed back up to Rexburg, Idaho, for the start of the winter semester. We pulled up to our first apartment together at University Courtyard on South 2nd East at about three in the morning and because of recent break-ins (in Rexburg?!) decided to unload all our wedding gifts. 
Up the stairs we went, carrying a crockpot, toaster, floor lamp, dishes, bedding, etc. and almost slipping on the icy steps. We finished in about an hour and a half then crashed on the floor. We only spent eight more months in Rexburg but that was some of the most fun we've ever had. Jake worked at Sears as their most attractive appliance delivery guy, making $7 an hour and I worked for the school newspaper. We made smoothies and stove top popcorn in our Pro Popper Popcorn maker almost every night. Cable was free with our rent and we loved watching What Not to Wear and other interesting shows like The Half-Ton Man or I am My Own Twin. We played a lot of Phase 10, mostly because it was the only game we had. We bought some bikes at Target during that summer and took bike rides up the hill to the temple site or down to the cheap theater to catch a movie for $3. Life was easy.
and even more now....
After the best reception ever on New Year's Eve, we braved a snow storm and headed back up to Rexburg, Idaho, for the start of the winter semester. We pulled up to our first apartment together at University Courtyard on South 2nd East at about three in the morning and because of recent break-ins (in Rexburg?!) decided to unload all our wedding gifts. Up the stairs we went, carrying a crockpot, toaster, floor lamp, dishes, bedding, etc. and almost slipping on the icy steps. We finished in about an hour and a half then crashed on the floor. We only spent eight more months in Rexburg but that was some of the most fun we've ever had. Jake worked at Sears as their most attractive appliance delivery guy, making $7 an hour and I worked for the school newspaper. We made smoothies and stove top popcorn in our Pro Popper Popcorn maker almost every night. Cable was free with our rent and we loved watching What Not to Wear and other interesting shows like The Half-Ton Man or I am My Own Twin. We played a lot of Phase 10, mostly because it was the only game we had. We bought some bikes at Target during that summer and took bike rides up the hill to the temple site or down to the cheap theater to catch a movie for $3. Life was easy.In a few ways, our life is the same. Jake is a student again, we drive the same blue Explorer, 
just with two carseats in the back now and we live in the snow again. But for the most part, we are a long way from that lazy first year of marriage. To be honest, there are a few days here and there were I wish we could go back to those carefree days when all we worried about was whether we wanted to make strawberry smoothies or orange. But then there's the times when Jenna waits at the window for Jake to come home or asks him, "Daddy, how your test go forday? How are your friends at your school? Did you laugh?" And Callie, who is all smiles when she sees Daddy and how he's really the only one who can get her to crack up. Things like that make me super grateful for the life we have right now. Yeah, it isn't so easy anymore, but we've got five years and two kids that give us so much more happiness than free cable and summer bike rides ever did. And the one who continues to make life sweet, no matter what stage of it we're in, is Jake. He is the Rolls Royce Phantom of husbands - always cheerful, never judgmental, constantly cracking me up.
just with two carseats in the back now and we live in the snow again. But for the most part, we are a long way from that lazy first year of marriage. To be honest, there are a few days here and there were I wish we could go back to those carefree days when all we worried about was whether we wanted to make strawberry smoothies or orange. But then there's the times when Jenna waits at the window for Jake to come home or asks him, "Daddy, how your test go forday? How are your friends at your school? Did you laugh?" And Callie, who is all smiles when she sees Daddy and how he's really the only one who can get her to crack up. Things like that make me super grateful for the life we have right now. Yeah, it isn't so easy anymore, but we've got five years and two kids that give us so much more happiness than free cable and summer bike rides ever did. And the one who continues to make life sweet, no matter what stage of it we're in, is Jake. He is the Rolls Royce Phantom of husbands - always cheerful, never judgmental, constantly cracking me up. Love him then... 
and even more now....
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