We've had a bit of stomach bug in the Tornio household. I was home with Jack on Friday who had a very hard time keeping food down. Then it looks like he passed it to Annabelle over the weekend because today, she kept pointing at her stomach and saying in this sweet, adorable voice..."belly hurt, belly hurt, belly hurt."
She finally threw up a little bit later. Steve was pretty proud of himself because he saw her convulsing and got her to the bathroom right away. She threw up on him the first time and then in the toilet for the rest. After the ordeal, he proudly handed her over to me, happy with the fact that she hardly had a drop on her. Now that's a good dad, taking one for the team. :)
On another topic, anyone who knows me also knows that I'm a notorious planner. This drives some people crazy, I know, but that's just the way I am. If it were up to me, I'd have Christmas '08 nicely planned out already. Anyway, Anna's birthday is a little over a month away. I felt a little bad because last year, we rolled her 1st birthday into Halloween weekend so that Steve's family could make it. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn't just an Anna day. (As someone who has a birthday in early January, I'm sensitive to birthdays around holidays. By early Jan., everyone is already worn out from Christmas.) So anyway, this year Anna's birthday is the day before Thanksgiving. We're going to have her a birthday party on Thanksgiving. I think we'll be able to meld that holiday in nicely with her birthday. She's a big fan of turkey, too, so it works out perfectly. We're having a Curious George theme. She loves George. Oh, and for any grandmas or others out there, we're getting her a realistic baby doll and a baby stroller.
I love fall. Cross your fingers that we're done with the sickness. I can't take off any more days from work!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Monday, October 08, 2007
Tribute to Columbus
So in honor of this lame holiday, we spend our Columbus Day at the zoo! Steve left for Seattle this morning so it was just the kids and me hanging out. As we got ready to go, Annabelle had to put on a whole zoo attire, complete with her horsey purse and Little Mermaid hat. She's really a cutie (of course I have to say that as the mom) with her soft rolling curls. Her hair is really getting long now. We used to have to always put it back so it wouldn't get in her eyes, but now she's almost at the point where she can tuck it behind her ear.
To be fair, I had to include a photo of Jack from the zoo in here, too. His favorite animal is the giraffe, but I didn't have the camera going at that point, so you get to see this lam-o picture of a swan instead.
To be fair, I had to include a photo of Jack from the zoo in here, too. His favorite animal is the giraffe, but I didn't have the camera going at that point, so you get to see this lam-o picture of a swan instead.
Friday, October 05, 2007
Bow Zone
We have finally entered the bow zone in our house, thanks to my very talented friend, Amber. She's whips out the best bows. She made a couple for Anna...one is this fabulous football bow to match her Peyton Manning jersey.
Anna was pretty proud of it this morning. She's notorious for ripping things out of her hair so we'll see how long this will make it. Maybe she's so proud of it that she'll just wear it gleefully all day.
Thanks Amber!
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Crafty Mom
I admit. I'm not exactly the craftiest mom in the world. I can think of some good ideas, but I'm just no good at anything that involves detailed cutting, sewing, drawing, etc. Whoever knows my mom will find this very hard to believe. She's the kind of woman who can whip out a contest-winning Halloween costume in 1 hour. Or she's like that MaGyver guy who can fix anything with 2 paper clips and some chewing gum. How did I miss getting these wonderful skills of hers? Who knows.
Anyway, Jack and I are very proud of our little pumpkin creation here. Sure it's not some crazy detailed carving, but look at us! Wooohooo! Take that all you crafty moms out there. We used different colored leaves, some pine needles and mums for the rosy cheeks. We stuck them on with double-sided tape, and Jack had a blast doing them.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Dixie update
By the way, Dixie is doing great. The kids LOVE her and have never gotten so many timeouts since she arrived. (They have to be reminded a LOT not to chase her and grab her.) To their defense, they've never had an animal that they can just go up to and pick up. That charm hasn't worn off yet.
Every day when we get home, Dixie comes to greet us within minutes. She's a sweet, great addition to our family. Even her and Sasha are doing okay together. She likes the kids a lot and lets them pick her up, carry her around, etc. We're just trying to teach them early on to be nice so she'll like them in the long run, too.
Every day when we get home, Dixie comes to greet us within minutes. She's a sweet, great addition to our family. Even her and Sasha are doing okay together. She likes the kids a lot and lets them pick her up, carry her around, etc. We're just trying to teach them early on to be nice so she'll like them in the long run, too.
Juggling the homefront
Steve's gone this weekend. We miss him, but we do okay. Saturday we wen to the zoo and then today we hit the apple farm for about the 4th time this year. We LOVE apples in our house, and the apples at the store just can't compete with the ones you can pick yourself.
I'm doing this pre-holiday fitness challenge with some family. You know, instead of getting on the big fitness kick after the holidays, we're going to try to lose a little weight now so we don't have to feel guilty at the holidays.
Anyway, I get this bright idea this afternoon to get a quick workout in on the elliptical downstairs while both kids were awake. I set them up with popcorn, water and some TV. Should be smooth sailing, right? Uh-uh, sure. Kids have this radar that goes off when they know you're in a helpless position. They did okay at first, but then both ended up spilling their popcorn everywhere. In my best panting/threatening voice, I threaten them with something. They won't get to go to the park or something if they don't clean up that popcorn.
I bet they were laughing at me on the inside. "Hehehe. Go ahead, Mom. Get off of that thing and make us!"
After I finally finished my workout, I got off and "made" Jack go and get his little vacuum. The joke was kind of on me, though, because he thought that was great fun.
I'm doing this pre-holiday fitness challenge with some family. You know, instead of getting on the big fitness kick after the holidays, we're going to try to lose a little weight now so we don't have to feel guilty at the holidays.
Anyway, I get this bright idea this afternoon to get a quick workout in on the elliptical downstairs while both kids were awake. I set them up with popcorn, water and some TV. Should be smooth sailing, right? Uh-uh, sure. Kids have this radar that goes off when they know you're in a helpless position. They did okay at first, but then both ended up spilling their popcorn everywhere. In my best panting/threatening voice, I threaten them with something. They won't get to go to the park or something if they don't clean up that popcorn.
I bet they were laughing at me on the inside. "Hehehe. Go ahead, Mom. Get off of that thing and make us!"
After I finally finished my workout, I got off and "made" Jack go and get his little vacuum. The joke was kind of on me, though, because he thought that was great fun.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
And one more makes...
EIGHT! We're now a family of 8. I've been talking on and off about getting another cat. Then this summer Steve made the mistake of saying we could get another cat if I REALLY wanted to. There's this great adoption place in town that saves the animals from animal control. On Monday, we went to look at this little kitten, and she was NOT a big fan of the kids. She was sweet but shy and we were way too rambunctious for her. But while we were there, there was this other cat who was desperate to get out to say hello. When they let her out, she strutted all over the room and even let Jack and Annabelle pick her up. We were hooked!
Five days later, we became the proud owners of Dixie. (The name is a tribute to the Dixie in Brisco County for anyone interested.) We figured we already have three animals, so really, what's one more?
She's beautiful, sweet and the kids LOVE her. Sasha (our other cat) would never willingly be in the same area as the kids, and even our dogs don't choose to interact with the kids unless there's food involved. I don't think we could have found a better fit. Dixie is roughly 1 and is tolerant of everything. So it's only our second day, but so far, we're very happy. Here are some pictures...
Five days later, we became the proud owners of Dixie. (The name is a tribute to the Dixie in Brisco County for anyone interested.) We figured we already have three animals, so really, what's one more?
She's beautiful, sweet and the kids LOVE her. Sasha (our other cat) would never willingly be in the same area as the kids, and even our dogs don't choose to interact with the kids unless there's food involved. I don't think we could have found a better fit. Dixie is roughly 1 and is tolerant of everything. So it's only our second day, but so far, we're very happy. Here are some pictures...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
"We don't say come here, Daddy! We just say teddy bear."
Yes, this phrase also puzzled us when Jack said it. Huh? Are the kids abusing the phrase "come here" at school? We quizzed Jack for a while, thinking we'd get the real answer out of him but no dice. He was very certain that Miss Molly told them that they can't say come here. They can only say teddy bear instead.
So finally I remembered to ask Molly about it this week. "Are the kids not allowed to say come here?" I asked. "They can only say teddy bear?"
Molly laughed. "Well come here isn't the thing they can't say," she told me. "It's for the child here that swears. Instead of swearing, we try to get the child to say other silly words like teddy bear."
Ahhh, it all makes sense now. Yes, there's a 3-year-old in Jack's room that swears. He's been known to drop the f bomb...call teachers bxxxx...and finally, throw around "shit!" In fact, Jack was very eager to tell us about it last week. "Mommy, Billy says shit but we don't say shit. Right Mommy? We don't say shit, but that's what Billy says. He says shit."
This conversation happened at Target. :)
Yes, this phrase also puzzled us when Jack said it. Huh? Are the kids abusing the phrase "come here" at school? We quizzed Jack for a while, thinking we'd get the real answer out of him but no dice. He was very certain that Miss Molly told them that they can't say come here. They can only say teddy bear instead.
So finally I remembered to ask Molly about it this week. "Are the kids not allowed to say come here?" I asked. "They can only say teddy bear?"
Molly laughed. "Well come here isn't the thing they can't say," she told me. "It's for the child here that swears. Instead of swearing, we try to get the child to say other silly words like teddy bear."
Ahhh, it all makes sense now. Yes, there's a 3-year-old in Jack's room that swears. He's been known to drop the f bomb...call teachers bxxxx...and finally, throw around "shit!" In fact, Jack was very eager to tell us about it last week. "Mommy, Billy says shit but we don't say shit. Right Mommy? We don't say shit, but that's what Billy says. He says shit."
This conversation happened at Target. :)
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Naughty Mickey
As most know, we're big Disney fans in our house. The kids even own Disney stock, so please, spend all you can to ensure the domination of "The Mouse."
Anna's favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is a modern take on the Mickey cartoons. And while it is a modern take, I can't help but point out that the show is still kind of sexist overall. First of all, Minnie and Daisy are always wearing dresses, high heels and bows. Come on! Where are the jeans? Furthermore, the males are always the ones who are solving the problems and going out on the quests to fix problems.
This brings me up to the whole point of this posting...naughty Mickey. So in this one episode (Goofy's Petting Zoo), the boys are all out looking for the animals that Goofy lost. He was napping on the job, and the animals escaped. They finally find the last animal, which is a baby elephant. And guess where the baby elephant is? Sitting up in a tree. (Yeah, the logic of a kids show!) Anyway, the boys decide they have this brilliant idea to shake peanuts at the baby elephant to bribe it down the tree. So they all stand at the bottom of the tree and start singing "Shake, shake, shake, your peanut. Baby elephant, come down the tree. Shake, shake, shake your peanut. Baby elephant, come home with me."
Now while they're singing this, Mickey, Goofy and Donald are doing an Elvis-like hip gyration. And they are emphasizing the "Peeeeeeeeee" part of peanut. Think about it. The boys, hip gyration, shaking their pe....
Now you can tell me those Disney people didn't have themselves a little laugh as they were writing that episode.
Anna's favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which is a modern take on the Mickey cartoons. And while it is a modern take, I can't help but point out that the show is still kind of sexist overall. First of all, Minnie and Daisy are always wearing dresses, high heels and bows. Come on! Where are the jeans? Furthermore, the males are always the ones who are solving the problems and going out on the quests to fix problems.
This brings me up to the whole point of this posting...naughty Mickey. So in this one episode (Goofy's Petting Zoo), the boys are all out looking for the animals that Goofy lost. He was napping on the job, and the animals escaped. They finally find the last animal, which is a baby elephant. And guess where the baby elephant is? Sitting up in a tree. (Yeah, the logic of a kids show!) Anyway, the boys decide they have this brilliant idea to shake peanuts at the baby elephant to bribe it down the tree. So they all stand at the bottom of the tree and start singing "Shake, shake, shake, your peanut. Baby elephant, come down the tree. Shake, shake, shake your peanut. Baby elephant, come home with me."
Now while they're singing this, Mickey, Goofy and Donald are doing an Elvis-like hip gyration. And they are emphasizing the "Peeeeeeeeee" part of peanut. Think about it. The boys, hip gyration, shaking their pe....
Now you can tell me those Disney people didn't have themselves a little laugh as they were writing that episode.
Monday, September 10, 2007
I am a bad mother
So Steve is gone this week to a computer training class. It's just me and the kids. Actually, it's kind of relaxing when it's just the kids and and me. Not that Steve isn't relaxing, but when it's just me, I tend to relax because I know there's no one to lean on. I don't need a man!
Well tonight, I learned that I'm not as confident as I thought. I put Anna to bed, and about half an hour later, she's giving me trouble. Trouble as in, she's not sleeping. She's been teething lately, so we never know whether we'll get a full night of sleep. (And you think you're all done with that after they're newborns!) I think all four of Anna's canine teeth...you know the pointed ones...are coming in at once.
So she's giving me trouble tonight, and I'm semi-frustrated. Okay, I'm definitely frustrated. After multiple trips into her room, she still won't go to sleep. I even tried rubbing her gums with the teething "magic" ointment, which really isn't so magical.
As I went in a couple of times, I'm thinking...ewww, something stinks! I even took out her favorite blanket because I thought it was the source of the stench. The last time I went in there, I was holding her when I decided it was her pajamas that smelled. I took them off, and all of the sudden, it hit me. She had a poopie diaper. I felt awful as I changed it. She had a really red little bottom. I loaded her up with diaper ointment, and asked her if she felt better. With these big, soulful eyes, she nodded and said, "Yeah." I laid her down and haven't heard a peep since then.
Poor kiddo with the bad mommy. I guess Steve is good for something after all.
I can just see Anna tomorrow at day care, comparing "bad mother" stories with the other kids.
Well tonight, I learned that I'm not as confident as I thought. I put Anna to bed, and about half an hour later, she's giving me trouble. Trouble as in, she's not sleeping. She's been teething lately, so we never know whether we'll get a full night of sleep. (And you think you're all done with that after they're newborns!) I think all four of Anna's canine teeth...you know the pointed ones...are coming in at once.
So she's giving me trouble tonight, and I'm semi-frustrated. Okay, I'm definitely frustrated. After multiple trips into her room, she still won't go to sleep. I even tried rubbing her gums with the teething "magic" ointment, which really isn't so magical.
As I went in a couple of times, I'm thinking...ewww, something stinks! I even took out her favorite blanket because I thought it was the source of the stench. The last time I went in there, I was holding her when I decided it was her pajamas that smelled. I took them off, and all of the sudden, it hit me. She had a poopie diaper. I felt awful as I changed it. She had a really red little bottom. I loaded her up with diaper ointment, and asked her if she felt better. With these big, soulful eyes, she nodded and said, "Yeah." I laid her down and haven't heard a peep since then.
Poor kiddo with the bad mommy. I guess Steve is good for something after all.
I can just see Anna tomorrow at day care, comparing "bad mother" stories with the other kids.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Trip to the Farm
My mom came for a visit in August, and one of the highlights of our trip was going to the farm. I thought I would share a few pictures of our adventures. We saw plenty of "real" farm animals, but our favorite by far were the the cats. Yes, that is a picture of my sweet little girl, having a time out on the farm.
Monday, September 03, 2007
Labor Day weekend
We went Up North for one last time this summer, and it was great weekend. The water was a little cool, but it didn't stop us from playing in the sand and even jumping off the dock. Actually, the kids jumped into the water while I stood about waist-deep in the lake, hoping I wouldn't get splashed too much.
The other big part of the weekend was our 2007 Fantasy Football Draft. Steve's family has a friendly fantasy football league, and I love it! Before I participated in the league, football season was often painful and excruciatingly long. Don't get me wrong...I love football. But I'm also married to a man who LOVES football. Before we had kids, we turned football early in the morning on Sundays (pre-game show) and then we watched until late at night. He'll watch anything, though his team of choice is the Chicago Bears.
Anyway, football season is much more fun now that I play fantasy. (It probably doesn't hurt that I won our league last year, too!)
So in this year's draft, I was thrilled to pick up Peyton Manning with my first pick. I also picked up the Bears Defense, another one of my favorite picks this season. As many of you know, we have a little bit of football rivalry in the family. Steve likes the Bears and I like the Colts (because of Peyton). The kids have apposing jerseys, so I snapped this picture of the two of them sitting together. Wouldn't it be great to see the real Manning and Urlacher, sharing a moment like this?
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Baseball Jack
So I'm really getting fancy with this blog now. I have a video of Jack to share! I'm so impressed with myself. I'm like one of those young kids with the technology!
Back to the purpose of the video, though...Jack is a big fan of playing baseball. Sometimes he likes to play catch with his mitt. But lately, he's been wanting to hit. We tried throwing him a baseball-sized ball at first, but that's hard to hit for a little guy! Now, we use a giant purple ball which works out much better. He's getting to be pretty good with his timing and stance!
By the way, for anyone who knows Steve, this makes him VERY proud. In fact, as I'm typing this, Steve is sitting here, watching baseball and reading a book about fantasy baseball. (I'm really not making this up.)
Anyway, we think Jack might be left-handed, but he bats like he's a righty. Oooo, maybe he'll be a switch hitter.
Okay, okay...back to the video. Well, I'll let you watch it yourself. This is what happened during a recent "batting practice" in the living room.
Back to the purpose of the video, though...Jack is a big fan of playing baseball. Sometimes he likes to play catch with his mitt. But lately, he's been wanting to hit. We tried throwing him a baseball-sized ball at first, but that's hard to hit for a little guy! Now, we use a giant purple ball which works out much better. He's getting to be pretty good with his timing and stance!
By the way, for anyone who knows Steve, this makes him VERY proud. In fact, as I'm typing this, Steve is sitting here, watching baseball and reading a book about fantasy baseball. (I'm really not making this up.)
Anyway, we think Jack might be left-handed, but he bats like he's a righty. Oooo, maybe he'll be a switch hitter.
Okay, okay...back to the video. Well, I'll let you watch it yourself. This is what happened during a recent "batting practice" in the living room.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sick girl update
So for anyone out there biting your fingernails to find out what's wrong with Anna...she has hand, foot and mouth disease. (Don't worry, it sounds much worse than it really is.)
Actually, it is pretty icky. She's got a sore throat, mouth sores and spots on her hands and feet. They can't do anything to actually treat it, which means no real antibiotics. But for now, we have this over-the-counter mixture that the doctor recommended. You know, a little bit of this...a little bit of that. It's all good. I just hope I got the right medicine. When we went to Walgreens, the lights were completely out so one of the employees had to help me find the medicine with a flashlight.
Anyway, she's fast asleep now. She looks so peaceful. It's hard for me to imagine that she's the same girl who was crying in the doctor's office earlier.
For any worrisome grandparents out there, she'll be fine. This is not to be confused with "Hoof and Mouth Disease," commonly associated with cattle. I looked it up, and it turns out when an animal gets this similar disease, the owner usually kills it and burns its carcass. (Harsh, but that's what it said.)
I'm glad the treatment for Anna is less severe. Hopefully with a few days of ice cream, yogurt and our secret mixture, she'll be good as new!
Actually, it is pretty icky. She's got a sore throat, mouth sores and spots on her hands and feet. They can't do anything to actually treat it, which means no real antibiotics. But for now, we have this over-the-counter mixture that the doctor recommended. You know, a little bit of this...a little bit of that. It's all good. I just hope I got the right medicine. When we went to Walgreens, the lights were completely out so one of the employees had to help me find the medicine with a flashlight.
Anyway, she's fast asleep now. She looks so peaceful. It's hard for me to imagine that she's the same girl who was crying in the doctor's office earlier.
For any worrisome grandparents out there, she'll be fine. This is not to be confused with "Hoof and Mouth Disease," commonly associated with cattle. I looked it up, and it turns out when an animal gets this similar disease, the owner usually kills it and burns its carcass. (Harsh, but that's what it said.)
I'm glad the treatment for Anna is less severe. Hopefully with a few days of ice cream, yogurt and our secret mixture, she'll be good as new!
Sick girl=cranky girl
We should be embarrassed that it's been so long since a posting about our dear little fam. Steve has been falling down on the job, so I'm taking over. My pal, Am, recently started a blog, so she's inspired me to write about our own family, too.
So what's up with the title of this entry, right? Well, I'm home with Anna today. She's sick. And let me tell you, this girl knows exactly what she does (and doesn't) want. She's not shy about telling you.
This morning she spent a good 5 minutes in the corner because neither Steve nor I could understand what she wanted, and frankly, she'd rather hang out by herself than to be around her slacker parents. (I could just imagine her thinking, I'm so misunderstood!)
Actually, I don't want to give her a bad rap because she's pretty darn cute, too. In fact, she's especially adorable right now as she's watching Curious George in honor of her sick day.
We're going to the doctor soon, so I'll report after that.
Oh yeah, I'll give a family update at some point, too. After all, it's been an entire YEAR since our last blog. Something must have happened by now, right?
So what's up with the title of this entry, right? Well, I'm home with Anna today. She's sick. And let me tell you, this girl knows exactly what she does (and doesn't) want. She's not shy about telling you.
This morning she spent a good 5 minutes in the corner because neither Steve nor I could understand what she wanted, and frankly, she'd rather hang out by herself than to be around her slacker parents. (I could just imagine her thinking, I'm so misunderstood!)
Actually, I don't want to give her a bad rap because she's pretty darn cute, too. In fact, she's especially adorable right now as she's watching Curious George in honor of her sick day.
We're going to the doctor soon, so I'll report after that.
Oh yeah, I'll give a family update at some point, too. After all, it's been an entire YEAR since our last blog. Something must have happened by now, right?
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