Sunday Funday

After quite a busy Saturday, John and I had a pretty eventful Sunday. I got up early and had a little alone time. Then, my boys got up. We watched a bit of TV, had breakfast and then it was off to church for John and me and to work for Tim.

Tim started working on Sundays about six months ago and I am still not used to the shake up on our Sunday routine. It's been hard trying to get to church without him and I'm always so nervous going alone with our nearly two year old who just wants to be entertained.

So, we get to church and John's shoes and socks are off. Put them back on, made him walk and we were seated. First, we had silent Thomas to amuse John, then it was the hymnals, both in English and Polish, followed by a juice box and some graham crackers and finally a fascination with the kneeler. What fun it is to be a young Catholic boy! Of course, he also tried to bite me in the face. I'm just glad that he was unsuccessful! About the only thing I can clearly remember about Mass was that the RCIA group was there for the Rite of Acceptance. I really missed my husband!

We went home to try to take a nap. Upon being unsuccessful, I took him to the Boo Bash at our downtown area. It was from 12-4 pm. Even though we got there about two, it was already quiet and many of the businesses were running out of candy. Which was ok since most of the candy he couldn't eat anyway and there are only so many Laffy Taffies I really need.

John didn't quite know what was going on, but did enjoy playing some games. We ran one of our Ladies Night Out vendors and her adorable children. We also saw one of the little girls from his story time. Most of all, John had fun being himself and seeing "Thomas the Metra Train." Here is my big guy.

 

After that, Captain America and I were off to Costco. Taking a two year old to a store can be a challenge. I have had to do so out of necessity and am lucky to have a rather well behaved child who loves looking at people. Even if he did eat about a 1/2 pound of grapes. Well, better grapes than the bag of Halloween candy I bought.

I hate going to Costco because I walk away feeling like I spent half my paycheck. We needed it all though. Laundry soap, fabric softener, cat food, litter, baby wipes, pop, toilet paper, paper towel and food! Thankfully, we can hold off until next month for diapers since they weren't on sale and Costco has to be the cheapest place ever to get diapers. I had thought I'd do cloth, but I didn't factor in our inherent laziness and the 40 hours plus commute we each spend away from home.

 

Well, I loaded up my "Mom" car, picked up a burger for me and John since we were on our own, it was late and I was too beat to cook. We had dinner and I threw on Thomas so I could unload our car. He really was as good as gold. I couldn't be prouder.


Going to the Chapel...

Yesterday, my younger brother Bill married the love of his life Nicole. For me, it seems like just yesterday, I was walking down the hallway "aisle" at Grandma's with my dishtowel veil to my little brother who was my groom.

Having a brother was fun growing up. We played house and never had to argue over who would be the dad. We played dolls and trucks, whatever. We fought as hard as we played. At least until he got bigger than me!

When we were older, I very rarely got into trouble when I wasn't with Bill. Even Tim shakes his head when I do something that seemed like a good idea when Bill said it.

When it is all said and done, I love my brother and I am so happy to see him happy. All I ever wished for him and my sisters is that they would find someone that loves them in the way that Tim loves me. In Nicole, Bill has found that person.

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the day.

I can't help but wish my brother and new sister much happiness and love. However, being Irish, I think my words are pretty inadequate when compared to these:

May God be with you and bless you.
May you see your children's children.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings,
May you know nothing but happiness.
From this day forward.

 

Also, it wouldn't be fair if I didn't acknowledge my own dear spouse. Eleven years ago on October 27, 2001, I saw a young man sitting on my friend's couch at a Halloween party. Little did I know the plans God had for that young man and me. We've been married six and a half years and there isn't a day of my life I don't thank God He put Tim into my life. Even if the poor guy had to listen to me sing "Going to the Chapel" at the top of my lungs and put up with a great deal of craziness and prewedding jitters (I was the official photographer) from me yesterday.

Celebrating Halloween at the Rec Center

Today, we started our Halloween celebrations a little early with a trip to our local rec center. We got John all dressed in his Captain America costume. My mom managed to pick it up last year for about $5. We picked up a shield for $10 and we were all set for Halloween 2012.

One of the types of pictures I love from my childhood are outside my home. I think this may be the first time we ever took a bunch of pictures of John standing in our yard. Here are some of my favorites.

 

We had a lot of fun letting John be John in our back yard. However, we had a party to make! Away we go!



 

We made it to the rec center and they had many enjoyable activities. We started in the creepy, crawly room. I HATE pretty much all creepy crawly things, but not so much for John.



 

We also got to create monsters of our own in the sticker room. We followed it up with a place that allowed the kids to touch "supernatural" beings items. John wasn't much into that, but was pretty captivated with the story time room.  However, it was time to spend some energy in the game room.

 

We took the stairs down which was a bad idea. The death grip I had on my son is the only reason he didn't tumble down the stairs. It was far more terrifying than anything else there! John did have fun throwing things into other things. We started with balls into a basketball net followed by "bones" into a witches' cauldron and he threw bean bags into a clown's mouth.

 

We took a break in the bleachers. Unfortunately, they were John's favorite attraction. He was climbing all over them and laughing. I didn't find it too funny and hauled him away. To distract him, he got a kitty tattoo.

It was back up in the elevator this time. John got a pumpkin painted on his cheek which he loved. Two big girls tried to cut in front of us. It was like, really? He's two, you're not. Ugh, well, he got his pumpkin:) Then, we tried taking some pictures, but he never wanted to look my way!

 

 

 

 

We found out that the Haunted House was downstairs, so back to the elevator we went. John was not scared at all! He's his mother's son. When I was little, I loved haunted houses and found them amusing. I remember being about six or seven with my aunt and uncle. They took my brother and I to a Haunted House. Poor Billy was terrified, but I wanted to go. I think my uncle must have taken me and my aunt stayed behind with my brother.

John was a trooper. It was this blow up thing, so I was surprised to find out how easy it was for me to get in while the other adults struggled. It was a lot of fun and John really enjoyed it. My favorite though is when one of the kid's dads told John he recognized him from the movies, but he seemed taller on screen.

 

Well, I was getting tired, so we made our way out. We both got a carmel apple thanks to Uncle Billy knowing the lady working the event. John wouldn't leave without a sit on a bench.

 

 

We ended our celebrations by showing off his costume to his grandma and grandpa before returning home for our nap!







My Crazy Week

Being a parent is hard work. Being a parent and having a job outside of the home requires some organization, a reliance on your partner and a good support system. Lucky for me, I have all three. But some days, it feels like I'm never home. This whole week was like that.

Monday, Tim and I met up with his best friend from high school and his wife at Flossmoor Station. I've talked about it before and I can't say enough about how good the Fish and Chips are. However, the beer was a bit disappointing. I got "Pumpkin Beer" that didn't taste much like pumpkin. Definitely staying with Blue Moon and Rock Bottom's Monster Mash in the future. The company was awesome. It was so nice to get to know his wife a bit better and catch up on things. Two hours passed in no time. Before we knew it, it was time to go. I wish every outing was like that.

We got John from Tim's parents at 9 PM.

Tuesday, I needed to pick up something, exercise and shop. John and I got a late start leaving my parents'. I picked up a gift card I had won in a raffle from a charity event thanks to a lovely friend. Then, it was off to the gym for my walk. I've been a bit disappointed on how off my speed has been since my 5 K. I've been working on it, but this week was not a good one for the gym.

Following that, John and I headed up to Target. I'm blessed that my son LOVES people and shopping. He's usually pretty good when I take him out. We picked up some things to get us through the week, a few things to get us through the next 3 weeks to a month, a few books and a little car for John and gifts for John's little girl friend's birthday. I got his friend the Disney Princesses Halloween book. He would not let it go! I ended up buying them each one. Then, I got a witch's hat to wear when I take him trick-or-treating. It was very frilly and girly. He insisted on wearing it throughout the store. It was too cute. He kept chuckling and having a good time. The weather turned rough, dropping nearly twenty degrees and raining. I covered John with the hat and he laughed and laughed like he was having a great time. I felt so bad about him getting cold and wet.

We got home after 9.

Wednesday, I have a photography class. It's one of those adult education classes at the community college. It is quite odd to be going back there since I graduated with my AS in 2001. I have so many good and happy memories from my days there. Not that everything was happy, but I miss the freedom and spending time with friends that I had back then.

I ended up picking up dinner and eating it quickly with my mom and John. Then, I took John home where my mother-in-law was waiting for us. I just then got the low gas noticed and stopped at Shell for some more. I got to class a few minutes late after walking around the wrong side of the building. It was mostly lecture and handing things out. I did end up learning the difference between RAW and JPEG and was ISO was all about. I do wish we had some actual camera time, but I'm excited to see what the next seven weeks bring.

It was ten when I got home and someone was waiting up for me.

Thursday was play time at the library. We usually do story time and have some breaks in it. During the day, they fill some of the break times with play time. It was the first time they did so at night. We had about ten or so kids. At first, they were all pretty shy.  John especially. Finally, he hid in a tent and laughed and played with a little girl. Then, he'd leave the tent and run into my arms laughing. Then, he spotted another little girl with this slide game with little chicken toys going down the slide. He played pretty good with her and said "Whoo!" and "Wow!" every time they slid down. It seemed to be over so quickly. Then, we walked around and John visited with the library's lizards. They have a tank at the desk with a chair in front. He climbs on the chair every time we go and stares at them for about five to ten minutes. I had to pry him away. We also ended up picking up a few of my books I had on hold and leaving.

I did a quick work out at the gym with John played. I got a tea on the way home. It was just after 8 when we got home.

Friday, the Women's Club at church was hosting a Ladies' Night Out. Basically, they had a half dozen home based businesses and the ladies would browse and buy. We also had wine, cheese and pop. It was nice but slower than I expected. I think it might be because the park district had a craft show the next day. It was really nice. I ended up buying a few bags from 31. I'm pretty excited to use one for John as his diper bag is looking sad lately. I helped the other officers with the beverage/snack station and John entertained everyone by eating cheese, giggling and towards the end, running around the snack table shouting out his name. By then, there was almost no one in the room that wasn't a part of the show and they were doing raffles soon, so we stayed longer than I would have liked. I ended up winning a center piece. What luck I had last week!

We got home a bit past nine.

Yesterday, we chilled at home. None of us slept well due to Tim working really late. John woke up super early and we all relaxed and finally took naps. Before we knew it, it was 4:30. Tim's parents wanted to see him. We also had a gift card for AMC some wonderful friends gave to us a few years ago. Since there is an AMC right by Tim's folks, we set up a movie date. We dropped John off to see the 7:30 show of Argo.

Argo is about a CIA agent who comes up with a cover story to get six Americans stranded in Iran out during the hostage situation. They had escaped the embassy and were hiding out in Canadian ambassador's home. The agent comes with a cover that they are a part of a film scouting team. Though there are some terrifying moments, the Americans safely exit Iran using their cover identities and the Canadians get the credit. It was a really interesting film. In school, history seemed to end with WWII, so it was nice to learn about an event that happened less than two years before I was born. I'd like to learn more someday.

We picked John up at 10.

Well, so it was seriously a crazy week. I am so lucky to have my parents, Tim's parents and Tim to support me. While not every week is this crazy, it can be. Looking forward to some quiet nights at home next week!

The Fishers visit the Zoo.

 John is lucky to have a whole lot of Aunts (and will have another one by month's end). Tim and I, for better or worst, grew up with another half. Tim and his sister are a few years apart while my brother and I are a year apart. Nice to have a built in playmate, but not nice enough for me to want another child quite yet.

Today, Johnny got to enjoy some time with his Auntie Nee' along with Mommy and Daddy. John loves that Auntie comes to visit him on the "choo, choo" and we got to pick her up right by the zoo.

 

Since the high today was around fifty, the zoo was pretty quiet. Our first stop was to the monkey house to visit John's favorites. It was so nice because we had the place practically to ourselves. I learned that Gibbons were Apes because they are tailless and we got to see some really cool monkeys and gorillas. Johnny had no fear and would go as far as he could to see what he wanted and would beg to be picked up if he didn't have a good enough view.

 

 

 

After the monkey house, the Fisher men had quite a bit of fun being fish. The Fisher women took a pass.





 

The fun thing about being married to someone close in age to you that grew up within miles of you is all the shared memories you have. We were talking about taking a train in Brookfield Zoo as children, but we didn't know if a train had once existed or if our memory mistook the tram for a train as Johnny did today. Anyone know?


After that was the Family Play Zoo. As "plus" members, we got in for free. It was John's favorite part! He got to play zookeeper, learn about cats, pet different animals and become a kitty himself. These pictures tell the story.




 

After that, we saw some big cats outdoors and had our picnic. Mommy made PB&, cut up apples and brought chips, cookies and water. Mommy and Dad got some pop thanks to refillable cups the zoo offers for $10.00 for a year (Grandma Eleanor would be proud) and Auntie brought the best licorice I've had in years. This is the first time we picnicked it and it was SUCH a good idea. A friend gave us a big insulated bag type cooler and it was PERFECT. Besides the Canadian geese begging for food and getting too close to John, it was a great time. I tried hissing at the geese, but those little buggers are FEARLESS. Luckily, they didn't get too close to John, but got him pretty pissed off when he dropped his apple slice and they ate it.


We then wandered around to see some more cats. Our favorite was the Fish Cat who has webbed feet to better catch fish.

 



 

We also visited the Swamp where John read about the animals. We ended the day with the water animals and John's favorite, the penguins.

 

Before we knew it, nearly five hours had passed. We left the zoo and dropped Auntie back to the "Choo, Choo." Then, someone went fast to sleep. What an action packed day!

October Love

I always get all nostalgic in October. This month is no different. September is a month that reminds me of unhappy times and losses of those I love. October is the month I remember falling in love.

It all started October 27, 2001 in Dan's living room. I was wearing a costume because I was going to a costume party for the Accounting Club afterwards. I was Rose from Titanic. There was this quiet guy there. Didn't make much of an impression on me that day, but within a few weeks, he was invited to another friend's party and we just clicked. Before I knew it, it was November 16 when he showed up late in a Tommy Hilfiger sweatshirt and jeans to pick me up for our first date. It was a whirlwind and I couldn't believe he kept coming back.

Fast forward and it's 2005. We're finally engage. It's October 1st and Tim's sister is getting married. I got nails done and Tim got the call from one of our pre-Cana sponsors. We had just started the journey in RCIA for Tim to become Catholic. Suddenly, it was real and we were next. Sitting in McDonald's when we got the call eating breakfast. Soon, we were interrupted with another call. Someone had to get a vail to his sister's hairdresser. Although things didn't work out with the bride and groom, that was a day of happy memories for me.

 

Soon, October 2006. We were newly married and just hanging on. I think I thought it would be all sunshine and lollipops. I wasn't ready for the reality of paying bills, my husband being unemployed and the responsibilities of being an adult. Those first four months were hell, but October was a new beginning. It was the start of a permanent job for the first time in years. Just before we ran out of money to pay our mortgage. Couldn't have come at a better time. God worked a miracle for us that October.

 

 

October 2010. A dream come true. After many years of waiting for one reason or another, Johnny was on his way. He was our miracle.

 



Now, it is October 2012. My sisters are same age I was when I was engage. My brother just announced his own wedding date. You guessed it, October 27, 2012. Another reason to love October:) Another reason to remember October past.