I cannot believe that it is April already. I feel as though Easter has crept up on me. When I was young the season of Lent seemed so long. Now I realize that time is moving quickly; too quickly for me to grasp.

My babies are growing up! Dawson will be six years old in five months. Owen is six months old in two weeks. Each day is so special to me. I savor every moment I can with my boys.

We spend our mornings cuddling in “the big bed” and we often read stories while lounging there in the middle of the day. Dawson is learning how to recognize words in books. Yesterday he read the word “fox” without any prompting and spelled it out. I am so proud of him.

Owen is developing his personality each day. He smiles often, and he has learned how to use his hands; he now grabs for anything in sight. He is also eating solids twice daily now. He’s one hungry baby, too! Rice cereal is his breakfast favorite, and then later in the day we alternate between vegetables and fruits. His favorite is an apple-banana-pear concoction that Gerber makes.

We spent Easter at my parents’ house. Dawson was so excited to participate in an egg hunt that Grandma and Grandpa the Easter Bunny had set up just for him.  He loved hunting for eggs all around the lawn and in the woods by Papa’s house.  My mother was having a lot of fun just watching Dawson’s excitement.  I loved taking photos of the adventure.

My favorite part was when Dawson was running around, searching for the multi-colored eggs.  He went to the front yard near the ditch and yelled, “Look!  I think I see a blue one!”  When he realized it was not an egg after all he said, “Aww, man!  It’s just a beer can!”  The whole family burst into laughter.  It was the funnies thing I’ve heard in awhile.  I get such a kick out of the things that Dawson says.

Owen was the center of attention when he wasn’t sharing the limelight with his big brother.  Uncle Nathan and Aunt Becky took turns holding the little man.  He was so cute when wearing his bunny ears, too.

The best part of Easter (aside from the delicious food) was celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ with family.  I have come to appreciate these moments more and more as time goes by.

Last Monday I celebrated the Passover Seder with friends and had a wonderful time reading from the Mishnah (and the children asking the four questions), drinking the four cups of wine (mine was pure grape juice since I’m still nursing), and eating matza.  I especially loved the Charoset.  I don’t remember ever eating anything similar.  The Charoset was made of chopped apples, nuts and cinnamon (from what I tasted, that is, I don’t know the official recipe).

Another interesting part of the meal was bitter herbs or Maror (horse radish) and greens (we had green onions, parsley and celery) dipped in salt water and then eaten.  The horse radish was rather strong, I could feel it in my nostrils, but delicious just the same.

While I was raised Catholic, and still practice the religion today, I truly appreciated the Jewish customs.  I realized that aside from the differences in customs, there are many connections between the two faiths.  I was grateful to be able to connect to the heritage in this ritual.

Now a week later, celebrating Easter with my family truly completed the circle.  After dinner at my parents’ we watched a documentary on the History Channel about Jesus and the suffering he endured by being crucified.  It’s difficult for me to put it into words, but I truly felt His presence these last few weeks.  I have come to understand so much, and still yearn for more knowledge on Catholicism as well as Judaism.  I’m eager to learn more.

(I still can’t believe it’s April! Where has the time gone?)

Happy Easter to you all!

This week has been busy.  Between Dawson and school and housework and constantly nursing and entertaining Owen, I barely have time to do anything fun.  Me time does not exist in my world. I had hoped for a dull Saturday, a day to lounge around and do nothing important.

Then, I remembered Dawson had basketball at 11 a.m., his friend Madeline’s birthday party at noon, and this evening Doug and I were going out for a Valentine’s Day dinner. The dinner was held at the church where our MOPS meetings are held, and free child care was offered by church volunteers.

Doug and I were so excited to be able to enjoy a meal with friends, and we actually got to eat together, at the same time.  Usually one of us is holding Owen while the other person eats.  After dinner, the church organizers set up a square dancing event.  The Wheel N’ Deal Square Dancers of Stevens Point came out to show our group how to do a heel-toe-do-si-do and other dances.  It was amusing.  I hadn’t square danced since 8th grade gym class.

We left shortly after the promenade.  Doug’s not much for dancing so he disappeared when the Rawhide theme song came on. Yes, we know how to rock it, here in Wisconsin.

Tomorrow after church we plan to watch some of the Olympics.  We are sad to that Nodar Kumaritashvili had died.  I couldn’t bring myself to watch the lugers after hearing about this tragic accident.  It’s so scary!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

When my father was still in the bar business, he had a New Year’s Eve party every year. He bought a few cases of champagne and made sloppy joes and appetizers for his customers. He gave his regular bartenders the night off, and Doug and I would work the party so that everyone could have a good time.

Every year, people that did not regularly patronize our establishment crashed the party for the free food and champagne. One couple in particular comes to mind. I can’t remember their names, but we called them “The Toothless Wonders” because both husband and wife were missing several front teeth. Doug would joke that they must have gotten into a drunken brawl one night and knocked each other’s teeth out.

The NYE party was not the first time I had to wait on these people. In college I was a waitress at South Point, my aunt Kelly’s 24-hour diner, and this couple would come in for a cup of coffee and stay all night because we offered free refills. They never ordered anything else. They never left a tip. The Toothless Wonders were the epitome of freeloading.

On New Year’s Eve in 2003, the TWs came in right before the party was scheduled to begin. I think the man’s name might have been Dennis, and her name still evades me, but for the sake of this blog entry, we’ll call her Wanda. They secured two bar stools closest to the food table, and Dennis slammed a wad of singles on the bar. Wanda ordered two tappers of Miller and lit a Basic, full flavor cigarette.

“What’s on the menu tonight,” she asked. “Sandwiches or somethin’?”

“Barbecues,” I told her. “And there will be taco trays and cheese and sausage, too.”

“We didn’t eat all day for this,” Dennis told me.

I remember laughing to myself. I’m imagined they starved themselves all day just to make sure they’d get their fill that night. The couple was never dressed very nice. They seemed to wear the same clothes all the time. Dirty jeans, worn out shirts and sweaters, and worker’s boots, despite the fact that neither worked. They lived off SSI and food stamps, and I think Dennis was receiving disability, too.

They were usually very polite, that is until they had a couple beers and began shouting and rudely bumping into other customers on the way to the bathrooms. I didn’t dislike these people, I just found them to be kind of creepy.

On this particular night they were strangely quiet. Mostly because they were constantly refilling their plates and slamming Millers like shots of whiskey. Speaking of whiskey, Dennis decided after the midnight countdown he would like two shots of Kessler. I poured the shots and rang $5.50 into the register.

“Five-fifty!” He yelled. “I’ve been robbed!”‘

I worked throughout the night, tending bar, refilling the food trays and making sure everyone was having a good time. As I was emptying ashtrays into the garbage can, I turned around to see Dennis and Wanda making out by the jukebox. I nearly puked. Customers began to notice it, too. Everyone was uncomfortable with the PDA. I didn’t want to be the one to break up their intimate moment, so I made Doug go over to them. I don’t remember what he said, but The Toothless Wonders stopped sucking face and sat back down.

The rest of the night was uneventful, save for the local lush falling asleep at the bar. This, I could handle.

“Joe! No sleeping on my bar. I don’t drink in your bed!” I hollered.

“Well, ya could if ya wanted to,” Joe slurred.

New Year’s Eve is definitely a crazy night I’m sort of glad I’m too tired to party all night. It’s amazing what becoming a parent does to your social life.

This New Year’s Eve is a quiet one. Dawson and I watched a few episodes of Spongebob. Owen fell asleep in my arms. Doug is listening to old Bob & Tom shows on the radio. Maybe I’ll switch over to ABC for the ball drop in New York City. If I’m awake at midnight, I mean.

Happy New Year! May 2010 bring you much luck, love and happiness!

My youngest brother, Frankie (the baby of the family), pre-Graduation.

Arriving at the SPASH Fieldhouse two hours early, to get a good seat.  We still had to sit towards the back.

Ms. Colby, my high school journalism teacher.  She still looks as young as she did 12 years ago when I graduated.

Dawson hugs my father while we wait for the ceremony to start.

Kathy Kinney (Mimi Bobeck of the Drew Carey Show), Stevens Point native.  She was the keynote speaker for my graduation ceremony in 1997 also.  She gave a magnificent speech about being a good person and that if we all pay it forward, the world would be a better place.

Kathy, during her speech.  This was as close as I could get — and I was using the mega zoom lens on my Rebel.

My brother, accepting his diploma and customary handshake.

573 Graduating Seniors (of high school, seriously.  My class had 650 graduates out of 689 seniors), and nearly 3,000 family and friends pack the fieldhouse.

The Graduate.  (No, not that one.)

My parents, brother Frank and Dawson. (No, I have no idea what the boys are looking at.  Certainly isn’t the camera.)

“Mom, I’m 4 1/2, right?”

Ant Catching on Memorial Day.

Memorial Day Picnic in the Back Yard.

Post Picnic Bike Ride.

Lilacs from the Back Yard.

My Little Acrobat.  Today’s ultrasound reveals I will be giving birth to the next Shawn Johnson. The baby was standing on his or her little head, legs dangling in the air, facing in the opposite direction of the tech’s wand. I will have to go back for another U/S because the poor technician couldn’t get more than half of the required cross-section photos she needed. So there’s hope that I’ll find out in the next six weeks!

Profile.  Looks just like Dawson.  Seriously.  I thought I might be having a girl, but now I think it might be a boy.  Also, today’s heartbeat was 138.  Three prior heartbeats were 165, 156 and 148.  So, that old wive’s tale is no help at all.

For more photos, visit my Flickr sets!

* And not an alien, as my husband likes to joke…

Dawson has always been afraid of holiday costumes.  Santa terrified him until last year when he realized it’s just a guy in a suit.  But the Easter Bunny freaks him out.  (Actually, any costume worn by an adult in which Dawson cannot see the person’s face is horrifying to him.)

After we had our pancakes and sausage we stood in line to see the Hoppity Hop, and Dawson started clinging to my leg.  When it was our turn he screamed as though he was being murdered.  The crying ensued and he was gripped so tightly to my shirt that I started to laugh nervously.

Other parents watching this spectacle began to laugh or maybe they were pitying me.

I honestly didn’t believe Dawson would carry on this way.  I figured he’d outgrown his fear, now that he’s the ripe age of 4 1/2.

Boy was I wrong.  Grandma and Auntie Rachel tried to persuade him that it was just a girl in a Halloween costume.  Dawson didn’t buy it.

I told him he shouldn’t be scared, because he is going to be a big brother soon.  He looked at me and said, “I don’t like the bunny and I’m not a big brother yet, so I’m not going over there.”

I should have just let it go, but I wanted the annual photo for the scrapbook, and I was determined to get it.

The photographer snapped the photo of my son, red-faced and crying, clutching to me.  I’m just waiting for my copy to arrive and I’ll post it here.  I’m such a mean mom, forcing my kid to visit the Easter Bunny.

In the meantime, here’s a photo of Auntie Rachel and Grandma with The Scary Bunny:

Notice Dawson is clinging tightly to Rachel’s shirt.

I think I’ve scarred him for life.

Dinner was delicious.  We both had the ribeye steak and potato puffs, and I had chicken dumpling soup while he had the tossed salad.  Then we had cheesecake for dessert, too.  I had several cocktails — before, during and after dinner.  One too many cocktails.

(Speaking of the desserts, the waitress told us if we didn’t like cheesecake we could order an ice cream drink instead.  So then I said, “Oh!  Do you have the cricket one?”  And she replied without missing a beat, “No, but we do have the Grasshopper.”  That was totally what I meant.  Cricket, grasshopper — same family, right?)

I started out drinking a glass of Coca-Cola.  Then I decided since I drink maybe once a year I was going to enjoy myself and have a screwdriver.  After two of those, I switched to Malibu and OJ because the vodka was tasting funny.  That could possibly be because I was getting sloshed.

Doug had two Budweisers and then promptly stopped drinking so that he could drive us home, but the friends who hosted the dinner invited us to their house for a glass of wine, or coffee and to hang out.  Because we like these friends, Doug and I agreed.

When we got there, I decided to have soda so that I could sober up.  I thought that I could avoid a hangover that way.  It didn’t work.

While at the after party, Doug got to try a wheat beer that our friend E. offered him.  It was a German beer (I only know this because it had Weisse in the name) and let’s just say it was probably made of river water and rotten cheese because the toxic gas emissions these men were giving off could have killed a village.

We were just getting ready to leave (because my brother was babysitting and we didn’t want him to drive home too late) when S. got me involved in a game of Catch Phrase.  Oh my gosh is that way too much fun.  Imagine six drunk people trying to play a hilarious game, similar to the game Taboo.  Much laughter and cursing were shared.  I had the best time so I promptly purchased the game from Amazon.com today.

Right after I drank three huge glasses of water and swallowed an Excedrin.

Oh the headache.

Now were going to have lunch at the Tempura House.  Nothing cures a hangover like salty Chinese food!

An Apple a Day

New Year’s Day at Grandma’s House

We started the first day of the New Year by going to church.  It’s a holy day of obligation honoring Mary, Mother of God.

Listening to the readings and the Gospel during Mass, I felt great peace fall upon me.  I’ve been going to weekly Mass for as long as I can remember — my parents raised me Catholic and made certain I was reared in the teachings of our faith — but never do I remember feeling so calm.  It’s as though all my worries and troubles have been washed away, not only because it’s a new year, but perhaps because I’m making an effort to start 2009 on the right foot.

After church we went to my parents’ house to visit with my family and watch college football.  Dawson had a blast because Poppa turned into a horse and gave him rides around the living room.  Seeing my father and my son playing and acting silly always puts a smile on my face because I still remember my dad doing the same things with me and my siblings when we were kids.

My mom and I talked about this and that, and I showed her some of the pictures I had taken during the holidays.  Mom asked if I had made any New Year’s resolutions this year (obviously she doesn’t read this blog) and I told her I did not.  She laughed and said she didn’t think she was going to make any, because she can never keep them either.

We left shortly after the Michigan vs. Georgia (Capital One Bowl) game because we had plans for dinner.  At the grocery store last week I picked up some shrimp, a pork tenderloin and some baby red potatoes, and Doug was going to make a delicious meal.  My sister-in-law gave us a great bottle of Cabernet for Christmas and we cracked it open with dinner.  Oooh man, it was some strong vino.  I felt a little tipsy after my first half glass.  It is a delicious wine, though.   I’m hoping it weakens just a little so I can have another glass this weekend.

Tomorrow I go back to the gym.  My doctor has given me the green light to start exercising again (under the condition that I wear the knee brace while working out) and I’m anxious to get back on the treadmill and the elliptical.  I haven’t been to the gym in over two weeks and I miss it.  The swelling in my knee is finally gone and I can fully extend my leg now.  Bending the knee past a 90 degree angle is still tricky, but the doc says yoga and stretching should help.  If it doesn’t, I may need a round of physical therapy.  I signed up for a yoga class this session at the YMCA so cross your fingers I can limber up and avoid PT.

On Saturday night, Doug and I are attending a holiday party and I’m so excited.  I’ve procured a babysitter (thank goodness I have a younger brother who likes to make money) and we intend to have a good time.  The party is at a local restaurant that we love, too.  Since we didn’t go out for New Year’s Eve (we were in bed right after we watched the ball drop at 11:00 our time) we’ve decided to consider Saturday as our NYE celebration.

I still haven’t taken our Christmas tree down.  I’m hoping I’ll find time to do that on Sunday.  Doug asked me when I planned to take it down, and honestly, if I had it my way I’d keep it up a little longer since I put it up so late.  I always feel kind of sad when it’s time to put the tree away, but I suppose that’s because it really is beautiful when it’s lit up and decorated.

Dawson loves to lay down under the tree while he’s watching television.  When I told him the tree was coming down soon he said, “No, no, Mumma!  Wait until the New Year!”

“Dawson, today is the first day of the new year!”  I replied.

“Well then, Happy New Year!” Dawson exclaimed.

Yes, Happy New Year indeed!

We went to Doug’s parents’ house on Christmas Eve, and his sister, brother and their spouses were in attendance, as well as his aunt and uncle and his niece.  Dawson was thrilled to see his cousin Brittney.

We only see Brittney a few times a year, and honestly, the last time we saw her was last Christmas. She’s gotten taller and even more beautiful. She’s going to be nine years old in January and I keep wondering where the time has gone. It seems like only yesterday she was a chubby-cheeked baby. (I’d love to post a photo, but I want to respect her privacy.)

Dawson received some wonderful gifts, too. Grandma T. bought him a set of Lincoln logs, and Dawson was so happy when Uncle Chris helped him build a log cabin.

Aunt Gail and Uncle Rick bought him the most obnoxious guitar on Earth. She instructed Dawson to play it at top volume and I laughed when we discovered the loudest volume was actually tolerable.

“Ha ha! Joke’s on you! That’s as loud as it goes!” I exclaimed happily.

And then Dawson opened the Fisher-Price NASCAR racetrack from Uncle Chris and Aunt Kelly, a battery-operated toy that is so annoying I’m already thinking about hiding it in the basement. The thing is just….obnoxious.  Aunt Gail was more than happy to put together that noisy toy and I think she had fun playing with Dawson, too.

We had lots of great food and drink and everyone had a wonderful time.

Christmas Day was held at my parents’ house. We drove over there a few hours after church, and we had a wonderful ham dinner with my family.

My brother Nathan was there with his girlfriend Becky, and my mom’s brother Paul came over, too.  My mom’s sister Judy stayed home this year because she wasn’t feeling well.

I sent some presents with Uncle Paul, one for him and one for Aunt Judy.  I’m sad she didn’t make it this year.  I think it has a lot to do with her sadness about Grandma Alice’s death.  She died December 6, 2005 and I don’t think Christmas will ever be the same with out her.

After dinner, my family ended up watching some movies on Dad’s big screen TV. We watched The Temptations mini-series on VH1 which turned out to be a four hour show. (It was a good movie, despite how long it was.  I love Motown artists and I’ve always been intrigued about Berry Gordy’s legacy and the musical acts he cultivated — like The Supremes, The Jackson 5, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Temptations and so many more.)  The show ended at 10 p.m., and when Doug went outside to start the car it was snowing heavily. Had we known about the mini-blizzard, we’d have left hours before.

The meteorologists predicted a “light dusting” but by the time we were ready to leave we’d already gotten 3 inches of snow and Mother Nature showed no signs of letting up.

My brother Nathan was leaving at the same time we were and the roads were so slippery and full of fluffy white crap that he got sucked into the ditch just past my parents driveway.

Thankfully, we were behind him and stopped to help, and Doug ran to the house to get my brother Frankie, my sister Rachel and my Dad to come help us shovel and push Nathan’s car out of the ditch.

I wasn’t very much help with my bum knee, however. I couldn’t push because I couldn’t find any solid footing, so finally I decided to use a shovel to clear some snow away from the tires.

Unfortunately, after nearly twenty minutes of shoveling, pushing and maneuvering we weren’t able to budge the SUV very much, and we were covered in snow (and my hair was frozen to my head because I didn’t wear a hat that day), so Dad ran back to get his 4-Wheeler and a chain.

Nathan crawled under the car, hooked the chain around the axel, and the rest of us pushed (I steered) while Dad tried to pull the car out. Sweet Lord, it worked! After a few minutes of the push/pull combo, Nate was out of the ditch.

It was Christmas chaos. But the drive home was worse. We got about 4 inches of snow that just came down all at once and caused our windshield wipers to freeze up constantly. Nathan followed behind us (since my parents live in the country) and we kept stopping to clean off the wipers on our cars.

Once we got into town and had the help of street lights, driving conditions were better, but we were still only driving at 20 mph, and that was almost too fast. It really was a miracle that we all made it to our homes safely.

This morning I was so tired from all the insanity and I awoke with a pounding headache. I spent the day lounging around the house and reading blogs. It was actually very relaxing.

Overall I’d say this Christmas was a mix of fun and crazy.

Check out some of my favorite photos from the two days of family togetherness:

I hope your Christmas was as exciting and wonderful as ours! Even though I enjoyed the holiday, I’m ready for 2009.  What are your plans for the New Year?

The knee is still swollen, and I’m still in pain.  I’m doing my best not to walk, which makes trips to the bathroom complicated.  I find myself hobbling and grabbing walls and it sucks.  It’s very difficult to sit still.  The fact that Christmas is less than three days away is making me crazy.  Presents need to be wrapped, things need to be done, and my husband’s carefree approach to it all is, quite frankly, pissing me off.

A lot of grumbling has been done on my part and I feel guilty about it.  However, I think I’ve figured out God’s lesson.  He’s forced me to relinquish control and I believe I’m supposed to learn that I can’t do it all, and that it’s okay to ask for help — it doesn’t mean I’m a failure if I admit that I’m not Super Mom.

Honestly, God, couldn’t you have sent me a letter?  Was a painful fall down the stairs really necessary?

It’s been a rough weekend.  My husband has banned me from doing anything that requires moving.  I did my work while propped up on pillows, leg elevated, and it was miserable.  I just want to run…RUN I SAY!  Actually, I’d give anything just to bend my knee.

Today I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon.  He’d like to scan my knee and make sure the tear hasn’t gotten any bigger.  Apparently, hobbling to the bathroom could have caused more damage.  Ugh.  Crutches may be in my future if I’m not more careful.  I’m trying to be careful.  I really am.

The other lesson I’ve learned?  I should have finished my Christmas shopping weeks ago.  I waited until the last minute, and now I’m injured.  Sending Doug shopping is like swimming in a hurricane.  He can’t handle that.  So it looks like the family may be getting fistfuls of cash this year.  Merry Christmas!

Send me your good vibes.  Maybe a miracle will happen and I’ll be cured by tomorrow!

I’ve got a holiday gift guide to share with you.  Click Here.  Do it!  There are giveaways!  And you can register for something awesome.  Go there. Right now.

GO!