Holiday Visitors

So I just have to mention that my mom and my brother visited for Christmas, which was about the best Christmas present I could have had. (Sadly, we all had the 24 hour flu, which was the crappiest Christmas present...)


My mom comes relatively often, partially due to the fact that I have sequestered her grandchildren here, but every time she comes, it's great. In addition to having a great relationship with my mom, she is one of those helpful guests - helps with the kids, house, etc. I think it's a "working vacation" for her, but she seems to enjoy it too, so I try not to feel too guilty about all she does while she's here.


My brother doesn't come often because he is very busy with work, school (going back to finish pre-med stuff so he can go to med school as his second career - which is so cool), girlfriend, and every once in awhile, sleep. It was great to have him here. The kids love him (especially the 2 year old - uncle Jeff is like a jungle gym to him), and of course, I love him too!

We took the kids to the zoo, the park, went out to eat quite a bit, did all our Christmas shopping (yes, we started Christmas shopping the 21st :), and generally just hung out a lot.

Here's some pics to enjoy :)

St. Jim? St. Mike? St. Tina?

Ok, so this is weird, but it's how my mind works.

My husband recently had surgery at St. Joseph's Hospital, and I've noticed lots of folks call it St. Joe's, which sounds fine and makes perfect sense until I think about other saints. I mean, if someone referred to St. James and St. Jim, we'd be like...really? You think so? I don't really know any saints well enough to call them by a nickname...except apparently St. Joseph.

I was trying to think through this and see if there's some sort of pattern, but I can't really think of other saints that it "sounds right" if we call them by a nickname. I don't come across a lot of saint's names other than those attached to hospitals and churches I know of (or drive by regularly), and I was trying to think of other hospitals and see if that's the pattern, but I know a St. Anthony's hospital, and I've never heard anyone refer to it as St. Tony's, so I don't think it's a "hospital thing."

I actually went to the Saints index at "Catholic Online" (http://www.catholic.org/saints/stindex.php in case you're interested...) to look through saints names and see if I could find others that sound right as nicknames. I admit that I didn't spend too long there, but I didn't find any others that worked. St. Wally? I don't think so.

Of course, I don't know nicknames for some of the less common or less modern names...Warinus? Palaemon? Lantfrid? I'm pretty sure if I had one of those names, I'd go by something else.

Yes, really, this is where my mind goes...

Oh yeah, and right in front of the St. Joseph's Hospital is a Joe's Crab Shack, with the big Eat at Joe's sign...so when I think of the hospital as St. Joe's, it strikes me as a funny combo...

St. Joe's Crab Shack and Hospital...

A breakthrough...

So, my two-year old son and I have this conversation everyday...


Him: Mama, eat?
Me: Ok, what do you want to eat?
Him: Mama, EAT. (as if I didn't understand him the first time)
Me: Ok, what do you want to eat? Yogurt?
Him: No, Mama, EAT! (as if that's not what yogurt is for...or that I don't know what "eat" means)
Me: I know you want to eat, but WHAT do you want to eat.
Him: Mamaaaah....Eeeeat!! (ah yes, he has already learned to speak slower and louder when people don't seem to understand you)
Me: I know you want to eat. Do you want pancakes?
Him: No, Mama, EAT!
Me: Waffles?
Him: No, Mama, EAT!


Of course, the foods I offer vary (though not much), and it goes on like this until I either give up, or I actually get to something he wants to eat. There are two sure fire ways to end the conversation - I can offer chocolate pudding or cookies. Of course, I don't want him eating only chocolate pudding and cookies, so I usually don't go there (strangely enough, these are also the cards I keep up my sleeve for getting him out of the bathtub...)


But lo and behold, yesterday he comes into the kitchen and says...


Mama, yellow yogurt?


Eureka!! We have a breakthrough! (Incidentally, yellow yogurt is yogurt that has the yellow lid. Once he opens it, the name changes to whatever color the yogurt actually is, usually white, though sometimes pink.) Of course, the "eat" part of the question is gone, but I think it's a relatively safe assumption that is what he wants to do with the yogurt (yes, I say relatively safe because I do understand the creative food uses of toddlers...)


The real test will come today when he gets hungry. Will we go back to the game where Mama gets to list every food in the house? I sometimes actually list foods we don't have, since I know he's likely to say no to everything I offer. I also get creative and offer things like elephant sandwiches and rock and dirt pie. Sometimes he says yes to elephant sandwich, I think just to see where I'm going to get the elephant.



(no elephants were harmed in the writing of this blog...)

Something new...

Ok, so I am going to start this blog and attempt to keep up with it.

I'm not even entirely sure *why* I'm starting it, except that I feel like it, so here goes. I have to say that my first challenge was coming up with something to name it. Of course, many of the "good names" are taken, so you either have to be creative, which apparently I'm not today, or use the resources of the internet, or just name it something dumb. Hopefully I succeeded more in the resources department than the something dumb department.