Lots to update you about and yet so little energy on my part.

Friday Braeden was pretty sick. He had a migraine and actually asked to be placed in a dark room away from the noise of the other children in daycare. Of course I then went to pick him up and upon pulling up in our driveway he threw up all over the car. It was gross. And my Jeep still smells even after being cleaned and aired out. The night before he had slipped off the sofa and the left side of his face slid across the carpet. He had a wicked rug burn which is now fading quickly. Brian thinks he probably had a mild concussion from the fall and that might have contributed to the headache and vomiting. But his pediatrician said he had no signs of a head injury when we took him in to be checked out. Who knows.

Saturday morning Braeden was feeling better and his father picked him up. As you all probably know I ache when Braeden is away, even if only for 24 hours.

Saturday afternoon, Brian and I went to Baltimore for David and Emily's wedding. I took many photos and posted most of them on Flickr which you can peak at using the above link. The wedding was beautiful. Both David and Emily looked elated the entire time. The reception was also lovely and I had a great time observing the crazy dancing of people who had gotten tipsy and the children who were just loving life.

We came back on Sunday after having stayed the night in Baltimore at the Hilton Garden. Neither of us slept very well and naps were needed before Braeden was to arrive back home. Braeden and I played a bit of Monkey Ball on the Wii that night.

Yesterday was Joy Sparks' Memorial Service at Clayton Hall. Carrie and I drove over together along with everyone else here at work. The service lasted about an hour and a half and I think I cried the entire time. I didn't know her as well as others since I have only been working here for a couple years. However, from the time I did get to know her she always lived up to her name. She was a joy in every respect. She will be missed dearly by many.

Today is Brian's 28th birthday. I got him a new home theater system and it's already hooked up since it came early. Braeden woke him up this morning by jumping on the bed and singing Happy Birthday. He also gave him a handmade card and framed painting, both of which he was extremely proud of and I wish I had my camera to snap a picture of his Cheshire grin.

Braeden and I made a vanilla/vanilla cake for tonight. And we'll have something special for dinner though I haven't quite figured that part out yet. Either way it should be a very nice birthday night. And I only wish we all could have spent the day together instead of having to go to work.

And now I must get back to work. And try to stay awake.

P.S. Today is National Pancake Day!

Labels: brae, brian, life, work

I didn't have my camera on me, but hopefully this post will explain just how awesome lunch was today.

Cafe Gelato, in Newark, has delicious food and a decent enough atmosphere now that they have renovated, but their service and prices sometimes bring their ranks down and keep them off the radar for regular lunch visits.

Today, however, the lunch experience for me was wonderful. I explained to our waiter, Jason, that I was craving their red potatoes with the balsamic dressing. Carrie of course then had to tell him to note the pregnant belly, as if an explanation for my weirdness was needed.

Carrie and I ordered their Caprese Panini with pesto which comes with a side of these YUM potatoes. Chris and Katy ordered their own things and then we waited. The wait was long, it normally is and it is frustrating. I wondered how my potatoes were coming along. I wondered if I'd even get them.

**cut back to a couple weeks ago**

When Katy, Jim and I went to Gelato and they ended up giving me white, creamy scalloped potatoes and claimed they were out of the red kind. Me = Not Happy!

**

When our lunches finally came out I was famished and excited. Jason had brought a whole extra plate of the deelish roasted red potatoes! I cannot even tell you how thrilled I was to see all those potatoes. I ate all but one!

My Caprese Panini was also amazing. How can you go wrong with fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes and pesto on fresh baked homemade focaccia? You can't. It was awesome.

And so said to Jason, "You're awesome!"

"No, you're awesome," was his response.

He also made sure to refill my water. As did another waiter AND the owner of the place while we were there.

To make the entire experience even better, when we received the check at the end I was not charged for the extra potatoes.

When we left the other ladies sampled or bought gelato to go, but I didn't need it. I was filled and happy!

Thank you to Jason at Cafe Gelato and to your lovely chefs!

Labels: carrie, work

It is with great sadness that I write to tell you a co-worker of mine, Joy Sparks, has passed away. Last night at home with her family we lost a great lady. This morning there was a message to all of us from the Dean of the College.

Joy worked as the 4-H coordinator for UD Cooperative Extension for the state of Delaware. She has worked with 4-H practically her entire adult life. I know there are going to be thousands of people all over the nation mourning.

"Sparks was presented the Perpetual Lighthouse Award, the highest award that a UD Cooperative Extension employee can receive, then was honored with the Distinguished Service to Ag award from the New Castle County Farm Bureau. More recently, she received yet another Distinguished Service to Ag award, this time from the Delaware Farm Bureau."

Well, Braeden was supposed to start his swimming lessons with Team Delaware yesterday, but apparently I got the location wrong. Though I thought I verified everything on Thursday...

So maybe in the upcoming weeks we'll be able to get him into a class. It just might not be with Team Delaware now. Oh well.

We did take him to the little park near our house so he could use his kiddie golf club set. He did very well, he can really hit the ball far and it's fun to see how excited he gets.

Brian's home brew finished up in the fermenter and so he and Brae bottled it. Now it has to sit in the bottles for a week and then he'll be able to put some in the fridge to get cold and drink.

We went to American Signature and bought an entertainment center which should be delivered on Thursday. It finished up most of the gift card we had for that store. I think it will help with the look and organization of our family room. I feel good about it.

That's all I've got for you at the moment.

Happy Monday.

To the men in my life Brian, Braeden, Baby Finn, my Dad, brother and Grandpa.

According to Wikipedia, Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the West, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering confectionery. The day was originally a pagan festival that was renamed after two Early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

This year people will be spending less on Valentine's Day. I know my brother and his girlfriend are hitting the Italian market and then making dinner for themselves at home. Brian and I will probably be doing something similar, except we'll be including Braeden this year since he's home with us and hasn't been feeling very well.

Be a thrifty Valentine this year!

Labels: valentines day

Oh sigh.

Today I will be taking Braeden to Cedar Lane Elementary to sign him up for kindergarten. I am trying very hard not to let him know my anxieties about this, because I want him to be excited.

Brae is very smart and he's pretty outgoing. He learns very quickly. But he is easily frustrated. Usually he'll push himself to continue trying, but sometimes he gets so mad at himself he sort of just shuts down. Hopefully we'll be able to improve that fight or flight response, because I don't want school to be a hard struggle for him, I want him to love learning.

I didn't. I do now, but when I was in school I struggled. I was one of those students who had to read the book more than once to get it. And when it came to math, forget it, it's still a jumble when I look at equations. I could do the word problems, but straight math clouded my brain.

For Brae, I want to support and encourage him. As most Moms feel, I think he's going to save the world some day some how. He already adds so much to our family. He could be whatever he puts his mind to being.

Yesterday I looked over his preschool papers. I noticed he wrote to letters in his name backwards, so I mentioned it and tried to show him how one paper he wrote it correctly and to see if he noticed the difference. He got so upset with me, he ran into another room. I tried to assure him I wasn't mad at him at all, I'm very proud of how hard he tries. He finally decided to look and listen to me, but his initial reaction was one of hurt.

Today Brae brought handmade Valentine's cards to daycare/preschool. He didn't want to buy cards this year, he wanted to draw each child their very own Braeden-made Valentine.

We'll see how it goes during registration. And I'll try to be just as brave as him.

Labels: brae

In an effort to encourage Braeden's creative eye, he and I sat down yesterday and created his very own Flickr page. He told me what to write in his profile and what type of icon he wanted.

We then hooked up his Fisher Price Digital Camera to the laptop and he picked 40 out of 267 photos to display on his Flickr page. He dictated all 40 photo titles and descriptions as I was typing.

He likes to take photos and I think this is a wonderful way for him to express himself.

Please feel free to check out his snap shots on his very own Braeden Quinn Flickr Page.

Labels: brae

My in-laws are huge Steelers fans. This hasn't always been easy for me. Actually, it's still not easy for me, because I am a huge Eagles fan.

But with the Steelers in the bowl what could I do? So Brian, Braeden and I went to their party and I took photos of the craziness. Braeden is also an Eagles fan, but he got into the spirit of things and painted his face with black and yellow face paint.

Here's a link to the photos on Flickr.

We did leave early, mostly because I wilted quickly even though Braeden was running around like a brownie fed mad man. But we got home in enough time for Brian to watch the end of the game.

After the Steelers won their 6th Super Bowl 27-24 Brian came up to tell Braeden and I the news. I am sure at the Stephan's Steelers Bowl the chaos was deafening! And hopefully after I left someone else broke out their camera and will be sending us the footage.