Catching Up

Here’s some shots of things that have been happening around here the past few weeks.

At the Kansas City Pet Expo…

Ready to go!

Nice doggie!!!

Can we get Cosmo a brother???

We’ve also had a whole lot of cheesy, cute face…

We’ve practiced our handwriting (he loves pens!)

Playing with Donald & Erika

Cousin Donald brought Robert a Slurpee!

Cousin Erika & Robert shared texting tips

Woofstock — A Festival for Dogs & People

Harley got a bandana in the goodie bag… but Robert thought it looked good on him!

What A Day!

We had a hell of a day today.  We got up early and everyone (including the dog) loaded in to the Jeep and we headed to Woof Stock… a festival for dogs and their people.  We hung around there for a while and Harley really enjoyed being out.  When we got home I rested for a bit and then it was time to start getting everything ready for our afternoon photo shoot for Robert’s 18 month pictures.

I had just come back into the living room after getting everyone’s outfits pressed when I heard a woman screaming and looked out the window to see a truck flying by with a woman seemingly trying to climb out of the bed.  Jim went out the front door and there was a 13 year old boy in our front yard crying, he’s taking my Mom.

I was on the phone with 911 when another neighbor came up to say that he saw the guy hitting the woman.  We took the boy inside to wait for the police when his Mom called and wanted him to walk to where they were a few blocks away.  I convinced him to stay with us until the police came.  I called 911 again and they said officers were on the way. I stepped outside when I heard the sirens.  The officer passed our street and turned around.  A guy in a truck had stopped to talk to him.  Apparently the couple was now arguing in the block behind our house.  I told the officer we had her son at our house and he was wanting to leave so please send someone to get him as I could not detain him if he really decided to go.  We waited, and waited and waited.  Finally a white truck pulled into our street then turned around.  The boy told me “I think that’s psycho’s brother who is just as psycho as he is”.  A few minutes later the truck returned and the driver called to the boy to get in.  I told him I wasn’t comfortable with him taking the boy.  HE said that the mother and the officer told him to come get him and I needed to stay out of it and not make things any worse than they already were.  My hands were pretty much tied.  Regretfully I let the child go.  I did watch to make sure they turned on the proper road.  Then I got MAD.  I called the police station and asked to speak to someone in charge of officers.  I told him that I didn’t appreciate being hung out to dry on this and now possibly having a psycho neighbor angry and knowing exactly which house is mine.

Then I got ready for the photo shoot.  I was getting ready to head out the door when the responding officer rang our bell.  He gave me his side of the situation (turns out the woman is the psycho in the equation and they are both married… just not to each other… oh Lord!)  I explained to him that I had suspected it could be that she was the problem (since she was in the back of the truck – not where a “kidnapper” generally would put a victim) but that he sent someone to my house who I didn’t know from Adam’s lost ox who the child was obviously not comfortable going with and I didn’t know for sure at the time if it was the officer who had sent him or not.

So we get to the photo shoot.  I’m still on my last nerve from all the drama.  The boy we were dealing with was a real darling and I could tell that his impeccable manners came more out of fear than proper upbringing.  I hate to see any kid go through something like that.

Robert was on the move at the photo studio today and the photographer kept waiting for the perfect shot.  I kept wishing she’d just shoot because the second photo would be “the one”.  We did get a few keepers.  The family ones were not as great.  I looked horrible.  I had put my make up on in the car because we were running late and hadn’t realized that I didn’t have my make up brushes in the bag.  I also forgot to bring hair spray.  That made the fact that our appointment was pushed back 30 minutes a tad bit annoying.

 

Honestly… Baby Gap should buy this shot!

 

 

A Simple Reward

I quit smoking… it sucks… it’s been hard but I’m doing it.  As incentive I got this tonight…

There’s no way I’ll be smoking in it!  And with the new price of cigarettes it’s almost a wash money wise!  It was also time for  new vehicle as the Explorer is a 1996 and having some issues.  This is a much safer vehicle for Robert and I.  And it’s smoke free!

Easter Recap

Robert’s class had their Easter Party and egg hunt on Thursday.  He was really good at picking up the eggs and putting them in his bag.  He was also very excited that Daddy was home.

Saturday we went to Baldwin City to ride the Easter Train.  It was one of the most unorganized things I’ve ever been to but in the end we did finally ride a train and did get to hunt more eggs.  While waiting for our train ride we did enjoy a nice picnic and running in the grass.  Robert also got to meet the Easter Bunny but he really wasn’t sure what to think of him.

He was asleep before we got out of the depot parking lot!

Easter morning Robert was thrilled to find what the bunny had left for him.

We got on our Easter finest and headed to Aunt Barb & Uncle Ward’s for Easter Dinner.

After dinner Robert took a nap on another new quilt that Mom had our friend Linda make for him.

Turned out he has another ear infection and wasn’t feeling great.  We’re back on anti-biotics and have a follow up appointment in a week to check his ears again.  Poor little guy.

And finally I’ll leave you with introspective Robert…

Bunny Helper

I stopped at Toys R Us on the way home tonight to get something for Robert from the Easter Bunny.  I was looking at some puzzles when a sign promoting buy one Fisher Price item for $24.99 and get another valued at $24.99 or less free.  And right under the sign was this

I knew Robert would love this shopping cart… and it was $23.99.  Then I started scanning the shelves for something $24.99… the next lowest price tag was $44.99 so I started doing price checks on anything that said Fisher Price… alas I found this for $29.99

 

just what we need… more Fisher Price Little People!  But the blocks are good for his motor skill development and he really likes his other Little People toys so it’s a good addition.

Tomorrow we are going to Baldwin City, KS.  We’re going in the morning so that we are sure to get tickets to the 1:00pm Easter Train.  We will get to ride the train with the Easter Bunny to a private egg hunt and then back.  Aunt Barb & Uncle Ward are going to join us so it should be a lot of fun.  Baldwin City also has a huge egg hunt at the college at 11:00 so hopefully we can make it to that too… Robert really likes picking up eggs and putting them in his basket.

More Firsts

Robert’s school had an Easter Egg hunt yesterday and the weather was actually cooperating so we decided to go.

He had his basket and was all ready to go.

There were a LOT of eggs so I helped by holding the basket for him.

He had a bit of a melt down when his teachers started talking to him… I think he thought we were dropping him off for the day and he KNEW it was Saturday.  We did a little shopping after we left and when we got home he was totally tuckered out.

After he woke up he checked out his loot. Mommy had already emptied all the eggs since most of it was stuff he cant’ have anyway.  Luckily he thinks empty eggs are just as cool.

We’ve been getting his room ready for him to start sleeping in a big boy bed.  We took the rail off the crib  and have been letting him get used to playing on the bed.  I was sorting through his clothes yesterday so he spent a lot of time playing on the bed and seemed to like the fact he could get in and out of it on his own.

We finished getting all the furniture strapped to the wall yesterday so last night we had a trial run in the bed.  I sat with him until he fell asleep (he was REALLY tired) and he stayed in there for a long time.  He had his Snoopy in pajamas which is a “bed only” toy. 

He woke up at 12:30 pretty upset.  Jim tried to get him to lay back down in the bed but he was just getting more and more agitated.  I finally came in to say it’s ok… lets just take him to the guest room.  He didn’t want anything more to do with Jim so he and I went to the guest room and he went right back to sleep.  I just can’t do the cry it out method.  I know it doesn’t hurt him, etc. but I just think crying yourself to sleep hysterically is a rotten way to go to sleep and I know I never wake up feeling refreshed if I cry myself to sleep… so for now we’ll take it four hours at a time.  He was awfully cute in there.

We had the taxes done this morning… it could have been worse… we’ll make do.  I hate how we are always hovering around the next bracket and some years (like last year) we go into it.  We’re getting back from the feds but paying both the states so we’ll change our state withholding and hopefully be good to go next year.

Today it’s snowing and I don’t care what happens I am getting a hair cut!!!  We’re also cleaning/doing laundry/getting things ready for next week since Jim leaves Monday morning and won’t be home until Thursday night.  He does so much when he’s home I really miss him when he’s gone!