Finally Getting Around to It...

I know I promised I'd be back soon to recap our trip to Canada for Nana's 90th birthday party. To be honest, I have been quite overwhelmed by the task of blogging about the trip. I have brainstormed about the best ways to do it without posting TOO many pictures (I did, in fact, take over 300 pictures while there...once weeded down, there were still over 200!!) I think I'm ready...but this post might take a few days to actually be complete and ready to post... Bear with me!

The photo snapping began on the flight up as it was Eli's first trip on a plane. We've taken one long car ride to NC last summer where we stayed overnight in a hotel, so this was a big deal...being gone for so long and staying in so many different places. But the biggest excitement was definitely that it was Eli's first airplane ride. He had been counting down the days all week until the big plane ride, and of course I captured it on camera!

Eli did wonderfully on the plane. No trouble with his ears or his tummy. Since he's too young for gum chewing but too old to nurse during takeoff, we gave him gummy bears as a treat, and it worked well for him. And the ginger ale on the plane I think headed off any upset tummy. With this trip under our belt, I'm a lot less nervous about flying alone with Eli out to Denver next month to meet baby Asher and visit with T & Ricky...

So, after landing in Buffalo, we hopped in our rental cars and drove to the "Great White North" to Uncle Doug (who Eli lovingly refers to as Uncle "Digger," and now so will we!) and Aunt Debbie's house in Stirling, Ontario. For those who may not know...Debbie is Matt's sister. We were greeted eagerly at the driveway after 12 long hours of traveling by cousins Brock and Brayden. Eli was reintroduced to many of the aunts, uncles, and cousins that night. We stayed here for 3 nights and had an absolute blast.

Debbie and Doug were amazing hosts to us for our time there. We were not allowed to lift a finger to help although I tried many many times to pitch in with meals or clean-up. Their house is just amazing...designed and built by them. Stirling is one of the many farming communities in the area. One of the largest working dairy farms in Ontario (maybe even Canada??? I could be making up this factoid!) is right down the street from them. It is so great that so many of the siblings live within 30-40 minutes of each other. We loved getting to just relax and hang out with them all. Not shown in the slide show was our lunch at Aunt Sheri's restaurant (delish!!), the boy's afternoon on the golf course, the grill going up in flames, and all the chilling, bonding, chatting, and relaxing that went on. We can't wait to go back up for another stay and are already looking ahead to when we could go again!

After our time in Stirling, we made our way to Barrie (just north of Toronto) for Nana's party the following day via Oshawa to see our nephew, Brandon's awesome new house. We are very proud of him and his new mega purchase. We had another tasty cookout there and then made the rest of the trip into Barrie.

Nana's party was on Saturday and HUGE! As it should be for a 90 year old who doesn't act a day over 55! :) She is one amazing woman!! 80+ people showed up to celebrate her big day with her, and it was great to see her in her glory. We walked in the door and were quickly greeted by several great aunts that Matt hasn't seen in ages, and Eli and I had never met. You should have seen the cars crammed into the cul-de-sac! I should have taken that picture. Instead, we took a lot of others. What a reunion!! Nana's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and even great-great grandchildren were there in addition to her sisters, sister and brother-in-law, and many other friends and well wishers. Pretty amazing, truly. It was hard not to tear up myself as she welled up while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her. What a day...and the pictures I took are only a mere glimpse into the day. I wish I had taken more...but with trying to keep tabs on the boy and visiting, these are the best of the best.

I have to also give the younger nieces and nephews major props here! They did a super job of keeping an eye on Eli and playing with him. Matt and I were able to hang out and visit as much as we did thanks to the cousins all playing together. Thanks kids! We love you!

OK, I think I'm going to stop this post here. Whew! Lots of pictures and so much family love to share. After the brunch on Sunday, we said a tearful goodbye to all of our Canadian family and went our separate ways. I was a wreck and wish we lived closer. Seeing each other every year or sometimes longer just isn't enough! We love you all and can't wait until our next time together.

Our last days in Canada before the drive back to Buffalo to fly home will have to recapped another day...hopefully tomorrow.
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We're Back!

First things first!

Theresa and Ricky's beautiful baby boy was born (almost a full week post-due date) late last Sunday night, May 17. He weighed in at 7 pounds & 8 ounces and was 21 inches long. Because of all of the packing and preparations for our trip to Canada, I was unable to blog about it before we left. Better late than never though, right?

Please join me in welcoming

ASHER REID LOTSPEICH

to the world.

We love you, little man! Can't wait to come out there and meet you!!
Hard to believe an entire week has passed already. Happy 1 week & 3 day Birthday!

And yes, you will have to stay tuned for posts about our trip to the Great White North until a little later this week. I came back to a mountain of grading and paper work at school, and with only 2 more days left, I cannot put it off. Besides, I have a lot of unpacking to do, and a bazillion pictures to sort through. I'm not kidding when I say that we likely took over 200 pictures during our week in Canada. We may have to break the trip wrap-up post into several posts. The quick and dirty is that we had an absolutely fantastic time! No kidding! The reality of being home and going back to work today was quite a slap in the face. Almost as bad as the humidity that smacked us in the face when we stepped off that plane. Be back soon, I promise!

From Ear to Ear

That's right...I'm grinning from EAR to EAR! After all, it is Friday! Don't you just love Fridays?

Here is Reason #1 I am grinning:

Eli and I stopped in to visit Aunt Kristi at work today. Eli decided he wants to be a DOCTOR when he grows up!
Gosh, I love this boy!

Reason #2:

My Mother's Day gift arrived!!!

Matt returned the favor and signed me up for a 4 Seasons wine club, and my first shipment arrived today. I am so excited about trying the different wines over the next several months. Yippee! Thanks for the AWESOME gift, hubby!

Reason #3:
It's Friday, and in just 4 short days, we are headed to the Great White North for Nana's (Matt's grandmother and Eli's only living great-grandparent) 90th birthday party. We are making a trip out of it and visiting lots of family and fun spots during our week up there. There are lots of preparations being made. (Lists upon lists upon lists....we've haven't really traveled much with Eli. It will be his first plane ride. So many things to think about and prepare for!) The weather is still cool up there, but I'm sure it will be a delightful reprieve from the already hot and muggy Florida weather. (Miss you, spring! It is already hitting upper 80's and low 90's here with oppressive humidity.) This weekend is the weekend of planning and packing.

Reason #4:
Because of this trip.....I am down to just 4 more school days for the year! WAHOO! Can you tell I'm just a little excited? I think I'm worse than the students when it comes to anticipating summer. OK, maybe not, but it is a close race!

Hope your Friday is as happy as mine!

.......now......
if only baby RJ would come out and play
......& which bottle should I open first???......
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Expletives

So yeah, Eli is starting to enter the stage that he repeats everything he hears. This actually isn't all that new, but it is starting to happen daily and it usually has us laughing. He throws our words right back at us.

As much as I don't want to admit it, Eli has been toying around with the F word. That's right...that one. We aren't exactly sure who or where he learned it from...hmmmm.... But he has tried it out a few times with me, and I'm not sure if I should be impressed or not, but he even used it in the proper context; as an expletive. The way he says it, it rhymes with sock. So far, I've just tried to "figure out" what he means by guessing other words.

"What's that, buddy?
You want some socks?
No?
A fork?
The clock?
I don't know what you are saying, buddy."

He looked a little confused, but moved on. He tried it one more time yielding the same results. We'll see if he tries again. In the meantime, it is time to be sure everyone watches their language around the little man.

If you know me well, you know that I've always been sensitive to other people's potty mouths. I did not tolerate it at all in high school and even went as far as suggesting alternative language to my potty mouth friends. Such a goody-two-shoes, I know.

{blush}

So because I'm always substituting my milder expletives when irritated in my day-to-day life, Eli has begun picking up on those too. My favorite of the week is:

Dagnabbit!

Again, he uses it at the appropriate times.

And while at the beach this weekend, Eli was really being a pest while I was trying to dig him a fun hole at the water's edge to play in, as if it were a bathtub or pool. Daddy had figured out how much Eli liked it, and I started digging him more. Eli was working my last nerve as I was trying to make something FUN for him....I stated: "I'm DONE!" and walked away.

Sure enough, when thoroughly frustrated or defeated, I have heard Eli announce, "I'm DONE!" and walk away to bury his face. All I can do is laugh out loud!

And since I mentioned Eli working my last nerve already, I'll go ahead and admit that it wasn't a one time thing. He's been at it all week long. I'm trying to take the time (while listening to_ignoring_patiently waiting_trying not to cry myself doing my best to tolerate his fits) to reflect on my own behavior to figure out why he reacted that way (i.e. hitting, screaming, melting to a puddle on the floor, yelling "NO!", running away from me, acting out, etc). How can I handle it better so that next time it goes differently? Not surprisingly, I have found room for improvement. But I also tried to be fair and remember, that Eli is 2. From what I hear, the next year, or two....or three(!!) will bring much of the same. All I can do is continue to pray for patience and guidance in handling the day-in/day-out situations.

Hurry Up and Wait!

Many may remember that my sister, Theresa, and our friend, L.A., were due to have babies just 3 days apart from one another. Well, L.A.'s little Briley Mitchell was born last Thursday....one day before her due date.

(Eli and I just had to stop by and see the pretty little one as soon as we could!)

And if you can do the math, that means that Aunt T is overdue! I know she and her hubby and anxious and excited to meet their little man. We are all eagerly waiting by our phones for the call...no matter what hour.

Come on out and play, "RJ"! We can't wait to meet you!!!
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Heartache

Missing you, my sweet sister, Kelly......yesterday, today, and always.

Hard to imagine that it has been three years without you. Still want to deny that it is real. Know that you are alive in my heart and memories.

I love you, Kelly! .....and miss you so much.

Total. Complete. Heartache.

Wish I could have just one more moment with you.... I love you.

The Musik Fades

I know I've mentioned it before, but Eli has been participating in Musikgarten classes again this spring. He talks and talks about it all week long; about how much fun it is. He sings all the song and won't let me join in. "No, Mommy! That's Ms. Cindy's song!" He decides on the drive there what he wants to have everyone do as they sing hello to him. He knows as we pull in the parking lot, points to the door, and always says he hears the music. Then as soon as we walk in, he's glued to my legs, he hides when everyone sings hello to him, and it takes several songs before he is ready to go. But then, he's raring to go! He's a little helper; always collecting the instruments or scarves to put away. He gets excited for each song, listens, follows directions, and watches everyone else very carefully.

He loves the instruments.

Do you see the super cool ocean drum in there?

He loves the scarves, especially the green ones. He always had to have ALL the green ones.

He loves the songs and the dancing.

He loves his friends.

He loves music.

We said goodbye to our friends in the class this week as it was the final class of the semester. Luckily, I've signed us up for another class over the summer. We are excited that some friends may join us too. If you are local and interested, check out the Musikgarten of Tallahassee website for the summer schedule and all the info. You won't be disappointed!

(I happen to know both of the teachers personally and can vouch for them. They're spectacular! We love you, Ms. Patty and Ms. Cindy!)
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