Fun Times with Old Friends

Yesterday, Mya got together with some old friends. All of the Mommies and babies from our Gymboree class decided to get back together. All but 2 of us have become Gymboree dropouts. The babies had a great time together. They even played their version of "Spin the Bottle." I think they called it "Pass the Teether!" There was definitely a lot of spit swapping!

Somehow we got all the babies lined up for a photo. I think all of us moms were SHOCKED that all of the babies sat still and actually looked at the camera! The babies range from 6-9 months old. I think this picture is priceless! (L to R. Maddie, Joe, Mya, Addie, and Claire)

We spent part of the afternoon with the babies playing with toys, grabbing eachother, and rolling around. Although Mya had a short morning nap, she seemed to be enjoying herself. Then, things made a turn for the worse. We went for a walk and stopped by the swings. Mya became the cranky baby! She cried the majority of the walk, bumped her lip on the swing and began to bleed, screamed hysterically, and forced us to make an abrupt exit! Needless to say, she crashed in the car the minute the engine was running!

Mommy and Mya having fun!

Little Scientists

Did you know you can mummify a hotdog to preserve it? Did you know that ladybugs naturally go towards a yellow habitat? Did you know that Dr. Pepper stains your teeth more than any other kind of soda pop?

I can't blieve it is already the end of the school year. My amazing 1.5 hours a day, 3 days a week teaching job is about to come to an end for the 08-09 school year. As a culminating event, my 7th/8th graders hosted a Science Fair for the other grade levels, parents, and teachers. The students had to brainstorm, design, implement, and present a science project. They did an outstanding job and their hard work was very apparent. The attendees were impressed and so was I. It was a long month of checking, advising, and supervising. I am SO glad the science fair has finally come and gone. It was wonderful to see the end products, but I am relieved to have it behind us. I don't know how I used to teach ALL day EVERY day!?!?! I am pooped after .5 day at the Science Fair.

Here are a few pictures of the Science Fair and some of the individual projects.

What a Weekend!

We had such a jam packed weekend! We spent lots of family time together. We ate, drank, and even did a little gambling on the horses!

We went to Aunt Becky and Uncle Andy's for some pizza and beer. Mya's Aunt Becky was taking care of her niece, Sadie, for a week. Mya and Sadie were so cute together!

Mya was mesmerized by Sadie!

They played so well together.

Uh oh, after a little tug on Mya's shirt she retaliated with a little tug on Sadie's hair!
Playtime over.

Livin' the Dream- the Smokin' Dream

Today Matt lived his dream. For anyone that knows Matt, knows that he takes great pride in his cooking/grilling/smoking skills. Food is forever on his mind. He has about 115 cooking shows programmed to record daily on our DVR. He studies technique, explores spices, and experiments with flavors. He longs to create THE best ribs ever made. For awhile now, he has been perfecting this cuisine. Today- he was put to the test.

Somehow, Matt found a Phi Tau friend, Brian, that is just about as compassionate about smokin' ribs as he. They have had numerous conversations about their smokers, their rubs, and their technique. Their love affair has even gone to the extent of photographing their smoked ribs and sending them to eachother via cellphone. Should I be jealous?

A few weeks ago, Matt was contacted by Brian about entering into a rib contest to see just how perfect their ribs really are. Matt couldn't have been more excited. He yearns for things like this! After many, many emails and lots of planning the boys were ready for the challenge. They met at the competition early this morning in order to have enough time (6 hours) to prepare and smoke the ribs to perfection. They had it all planned perfectly (or so they thought! ;) Preparations were underway and things were looking good. They even brought extra ribs, sausage, abt's (atomic buffalo turds: sounds yummy, hunh?) to snack on throughout the day. Mya and I even visited the competition to see how the smoke masters were doing. They were calm and collected and had pure confidence in their skills.

Hour 5- Matt calls me in a panic! "We have a disaster on our hands!" he tells me. WHAT??? Everything seemed to be going so well. Apparently the initial brochure they received about the competition stated the judges would be tasting the ribs at 4:00. However, someone forgot to give the boys the memo that the time had been changed to 3:00! OH NO!!! This would be a scramble. The boys had minutes to plate, garnish, and present their ribs to the judges. In the scramble, the wrong ribs were plated!!!

Judges have made their decision..... The boys got 6th place out of 17 participating teams. Not too bad considering they had the wrong time and gave the wrong ribs. I think the boys were disappointed in their performance. Hopefully, they will look at this as a learning experience and make some changes for next time. Oh yes, there is already a next time planned- another full day of smokin' for Daddy.

Matt with his loooooong sausage! This was their "snack!"

Mya with the Smoke Master

Mya with the Team

The Primo Smoker

The Wiegman Family

Busy Beautiful Day!

Today was absolutely GORGEOUS! 80 degrees and sunny... you can't beat that! We had a very busy day! I took LOTS of pictures with my new Mother's Day gift, a new camera! I just had to post lots of these pictures.... I think Mya looked so cute today!

We played....

We walked....

We swung...

We laughed...

Got Milk?

What's that on Mya's face (besides carrots)?

What's that in Mya's bottle?

Yep, MILK!!!! We have been practicing with a sippy cup and bottle for awhile now. Mya loves to drink ice water out of her bottle, sippy cup, or even Mommy or Daddy's glass. Sneaky Momma slipped milk into her ice water bottle. Mya actually drank it! She didn't guzzle it or anything but she also didn't pierce her mouth closed. To me, it's progress! We will continue with the challenge! Keep your fingers crossed!

A Day in the Life of an 8 Month Old

Mya turned 8 months old today! She is becoming such a character full of so much happiness and personality. I am enjoying every moment with her as she changes and becomes a little person. I decided for this month's update I would share a day in the life of Mya Isabelle Wiegman....

EATING: Mya enjoys various cuisines. You may see her enjoying some of her favorites: oatmeal cereal, Gerber fruits (any banana combo is her absolute fav!), Gerber veggies, or cheese (she LOVES cheese!). She pretty much tries any food, if appropriate, that her mommy or daddy are eating at mealtime. She, of course, is still snacking on Momma's milk.

DRINKING: Well, still no bottle!!! Mya has been practicing with her sippy cup daily. She loves ice water whether from her sippy cup or Mommy and Daddy's cups!

TEETHING: Mya currently has her 2 bottom teeth. I think she is teething though, for she sticks everything in her month to chew on AND has been a bit cranky!!! I am sure her teeth are to blame!

Her teeth are coming in a little "buck tooth!" Just kidding.... Matt and I laugh everytime she eats her puffs. She always sticks it out so she looks like she has buck teeth!

POTTY TIME: Mya isn't potty trained yet, but is very predictable when it comes to potty time. Without getting into too many dirty details, she ALWAYS goes potty during mealtime! She scrunches up her face, turns bright red, and pushes! It's hysterical! Mya has become very "active" during changing time. I always have to have some sort of entertainment ready to keep her occupied during changing time, even a diaper will do!

PLAYTIME: Mya can now sit up like a big girl, but at times she loses her balance. When playing for an extended period of time she loves sitting in her BUMBO seat. It props her up so that she can play with all of her toys without falling over. She still loves to jump in her jump-a-roo. She gets very excited and likes to show off her "skills"... especially for Jasmine. Mya doesnt' really favor any of her toys. In fact, her favorite toys seem to be anything that is NOT a toy. For example, she loves Mommy's cell phone, deodorant bottle, remote controls, necklaces, etc. Mya loves to play with her cousins. Today, she even cheered on Ben and Drew during their football games. Do you think she'll be a cheerleader?

CHORES: Of course she has chores! Today, Mya helped Mommy with the laundry. She is very helpful!

RELAXING: With all this play and work, Mya needs time to relax! She loves just chillin' and watching some TV. I think General Hospital is her fav.... SHHHH.... don't tell Daddy!

Little Shopper

Mya had a whole new experience today at the grocery store. We decided to put her into the shopping cart like a big girl. She had a blast! She thought she was really something else! She smiled from ear to ear throughout the entire store BUT held on for dear life! She greeted all the other shoppers as they passed by with a smile, or the new "Mya stare" that she does so well.

She's getting to be such a big girl.... next thing I know she is going to be begging for her favorite candy, toy, or snack!

Cousins

Mya is so lucky to live so close to her cousins, Carly, Brady, and Tyler. She thinks they are so funny! They always entertain her, play with her, teach her new things, and love on her. While Mimi Rey was in town we were able to spend lots of time with them. Mya even got to spend time with Mimi's Dog, Gracie! I can't wait to watch the kids grow together. Their relationships are already evolving into great friendships.

Tyler, Carly, Mya, and Gracie hanging out

Gentle pets for Gracie

Ty and Brady enjoy their ice cream while showing Mya that her buggy and sippy are just as cool.

Carly plays with Mya outside while Momma, Auntie Andra, and Mimi do some yard work.

Operation: Teal Be Gone!

When we moved into our new house, there was A LOT of work to be done. Mostly cosmetic, with a few other camouflaged problems (pipes, electrical) We knew that the teal paint in the kitchen would have to go immediately, along with the tacky wallpaper in almost every room. Seems easy enough, but where do we begin? Thank goodness for my wonderfully talented mother! She arrived, paintbrush in hand, and began to work! She doesn't mess around. She began stripping wallpaper in the tacky guest bathroom, while Matt and I taped the kitchen in preparation for Operation: Teal Be Gone! A quick trip to Home Depot and we were ready to begin the transformation- from "tacky" to "take my breath away!" Here are some before and after pictures of the kitchen. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! I can't begin to tell you what a difference paint can make! It's beginning to feel like home! A HUGE "THANK YOU" to my wonderful mom!!!! She is not only very, very talented but she is so wonderful to come up here to help me get my home in tiptop shape! Hopefully her next trip to LZ, she can sit back and enjoy my beautiful home!

BEFORE.....

WORK IN PROGRESS....

AFTER!!!!

New Favorite Day

I used to be a BIG fan of my birthday. In fact, it wasn't just my birthday, it was my birthweek turned to my birthmonth! I milked it for all it was worth. I felt extra special and wanted to be treated extra special come December 1! As of this year things changed. It was a special month all right, it was the month I turned the big 3-0. I decided that I didn't care for my day, week, or even month of my birth anymore. There just isn't the excitement anymore of getting yet another year older! I had hit all the milestones- sweet 16, adulthood 18, and of course drunken 21. Even turning 30 was a milestone of a sort. But from this point on, my birthday can go unnoticed for all I care.

So, I have decided that I have a new favorite day.... MOTHER'S DAY! There is nothing like celebrating motherhood. It is a day that everyone recognizes the importance of the hardest job on earth. It is a day that even strangers stop to say, "Happy Mother's Day." It is a day you are handed a bouquet of flowers while being seated at your table. It is a day that your husband does WHATEVER you want.... because you birthed HIS child! It is a day that you get to sleep in while Daddy takes care of the baby and goes to get you bagels for breakfast. It is a day that lawn work gets done because you requested it. It is a day that you get to go on a long walk as a family and enjoy the beautiful weather. It is a day that you get ice cream BEFORE dinner because that's what you want to do. It is a day your husband cooks you a fabulous dinner. It is a day you can reflect on how lucky you are to be a mother!

Mommy and Mya enjoy the beautiful Mother's Day!

Daddy and Mya

Crocodile Tears Duo

Last night we hosted a Mother' Day dinner for our Wiegman side of the family. It was such a blessing for us to be able to host a party and have plenty of room for everyone to enjoy themselves! It was an extra special Mother's Day as all of us ladies are now mommas. Matt made a DELICIOUS dinner for everyone.... I did nothing.... ok, I put the bag lettuce into a bowl and cut up some tomatoes/cucumbers to dress it up a bit! My husband is a very talented cook/grillmaster/smoker! YUMMY!

We were so fortunate that everyone was able to make it to LZ to celebrate with us. Poor Quentin had a long journey from Chicago to Lake Zurich. A 2 hour drive isn't much fun for a 9 month old or his parents. He was a bit on the crabby side when he arrived. Mya, being the sensitive little lady that she is, thought she should cry anytime Q cried. It was hysterical, yet pathetic. She would look at him, scrunch up her face into a sour puss, and then go into a fullblown hysterical cry, crocodile tears and all!!! Between the two of them, I think we all needed a drink! But, eventually the duo stopped their dramatics, and we were able to capture a few photos. I just can't get enough of the two of them together! They are so cute!!! Q does very well at sitting on his own. Mya.... not so much! We tried propping her up with pillows, but she would eventually lose her balance and fall to one side, the other, or backwards. At one point, she thought she would hold on for dear life.... to Q's hair and poor little ear! Photo shoot over!

"Hurry, Momma, I'm not very good at this balancing thing!"

"Hey, what are you pulling my hair for?"

Isn't he a doll? I can't get enough of him!

After a fun-filled evening, Mya was suppose to be off to bed. But, she stopped for a quick moment with Quentin. I think she wanted to dance, but she got a quick hug night-night from her cousin, Q. Sweet dreams, MyMy!

"Look, I can stand like you, Q!

"Night Night Quentin, I love you!"

Ohhhh, sweet Quentin! "Night Night Mya!"