Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer [in Chicago]

This pretty much sums up our trip to Chicago: Beautiful walks along the lake, running in the gardens at Northwestern, dancing to music in the dorm, the wind blowing through our hair and lots and lots of food and fun with good friends.  Last year I came back with about 500 photos.  This year I only have 230 and 3 videos.  All the good photos (only about 90) are on Flickr so feel free to check them out if you can’t stomach all five minute of this video (And why can’t you?? It’s five minutes of Avelyn’s new favorite song and adorable cuteness.) or if the rapid fire progression of pictures doesn’t mesh well with your computer.

 

I might get around to writing an actual post one of these days but I work tonight and sleep half the day tomorrow.  Somehow I just can’t bring myself to spend time on the computer blogging when I have such a beautiful girl running around filling my house with laughter.  Hope you’re all having a great day.

 

11 daus until Kevin comes home!

For my baby’s Daddy: Tribute

To Kevin: the man who provides one half of the genetic material required to create my awesome offspring. 

I love you,
Jennifer

My husband: Problem Solver

“I think [the cat] was licking [Avelyn’s] food, that’s why I put it over by the sink".”

My husband says this in a likely attempt to be helpful after I come back from putting Avelyn down for a nap, before I have noticed that her leftover ravioli lunch isn’t on the table anymore.  I turn to the sink and see that ta da!  It has been moved by the sink. 

Okaaaaay.  Because moving it from one surface to another will prevent the cat from licking it again?  I can’t imagine that you didn’t know I would wrap up her leftover lunch and put it in the fridge when I came back since that is what I do ev-er-y time.  Why then, did you not do this yourself?  Why did you simply move the object, thereby not solving the cat-licking-food issue at hand and leaving it for me to do while you watch ESPN?

Sigh.  These are the types of issues I have on my conversation list for our Lord, of whom man was made in his image.

Lucky for my husband he provides quality sperm that makes cute kids.  Guess I’ll keep him around a while longer.

What I live with

Kevin: Etta, I’m going to judo chop your face.  And when they ask why I’ll say ‘Because your mom – is craaaazy.’

Kevin: She made fun of my Flash check today. 
Me: Who, the realtor lady?
Kevin: Yeah, I asked if she got my check and she said, “Oh yeah, Flash”.  And I was thinking what the hell is she talking about?  And then I was like “Ohhhhhhh right, the Flash checks.”
(Well, you have comic book character checks and you’re almost 32 years old.)

Kevin: I joined the St Mary’s Mobile Learning task force.  I’m part of the task force for the next 2 months.  I sent [some guy] an email and told him I feel like a member of the A-team.  [Some guy] wrote back and said “Yeah, but the A-Team never got hurt.

Kevin: [singing] The bitch went nuts… stabbed my basketball…

Me: Will you rub my feet?
Kevin: [no response]

Me: Will you rub my feet?
Kevin: [no response]

Me: Will you rub my feet?
Kevin: [no response]

Me: Will you rub my feet?
Kevin: If you stop asking.  If you continue to ask I will punch you in the face.
Me: Whateva! It’s my sexy body, I’ll do what I want!

Me: I’m sick for the first time since before Avelyn was born. I’m probably dying.  I can’t stop sneezing.
Kevin: You’ve been sick since Avelyn.
Me: Not like this, not where I’m going to die.

Kevin: This is going to be a very quick footrub.
[100 seconds of foot mashing and mangling]
Me: Thanks hero-man.

Me watching movie trailers: Sunshine Cleaning looks good.
Kevin: It got bad reviews.
Me: That’s sad, it looks good.  And Orphan looks like The Good Son with girls.  I want to see it.
Kevin: You should watch Drag Me to Hell.  It’s got gypsies in it.  Never fuck with gypsies. It’s also got Justin Long in it.  I hope that PC guy is in it too.  I think all Justin Long movies should have PC as the bad guy.
Me: This looks scary Kevin! Why did you make me watch this!
Kevin: It’s just Sam Raimi, it’s okay. 
Me: No! It’s scary and I’m about to go to bed!
Kevin: Don’t worry.  It’s just PC.
Me after finishing the trailer: Okay, maybe it doesn’t look that scary.

All of this went down in the last 20 minutes.  Man I’m glad to be “home”.

If he only had a brain, a heart, a….

8:55 pm :: Avelyn is 11 months old today. I’ve missed her 10 and 11 month “birthdays” now. I know in the grand scheme of things it’s not that big of a deal but I hate missing it! It feels like yet another tiny failure. Oy. I can’t be blogging. I have an exam Tuesday that I have to do well on. The first one didn’t go so hot. Kevin took pictures of Avelyn today and should be sending some soon! I’ll take a break then and try not to think about them while I work or I’ll never finish.

10:35pm :: I don’t understand men. Why are they so freaking clueless? Avelyn doesn’t live with me anymore. I don’t get to cradle her while she eats or rock her to sleep or wake up to that soft sweet baby smell everyday. I don’t see her smile when I talk to her on the phone. He does. And he didn’t remember to send me pictures of her 11 month birthday. He remembered to take them, but he couldn’t remember to send them. To me, her mother. Who doesn’t live with her anymore.

We clearly live in different worlds and speak different languages. I thought when he said “I think the best ones are probably the ones from this morning. Those are probably the ones I’ll send you” that he would be sending me pictures. Evidently I misunderstood. I guess my complex multi-tasking woman brain allowed me to make logical assumptions that a silly putty-esque man brain wouldn’t put together on his own.

Man, I have SO much training to do.

Courtesy Google Images

**UPDATE** Maybe I don't always come across as funny as I think I am being when I write pretty much every post I write. I guess that's the problem with words on paper, or a screen in this case but for the record, 99% of the time I (think I) write things in a way that tries to make light. Even things I'm totally serious about, it's usually with a sarcastic twist. So stop your worrying and your fussing and don't hurt your lily white knees dropping to the floor to pray for my soul. I'm okay. We're okay. I'm a good person with a skewed view of the world just trying to find my way. If it makes you feel better you can trust in the fact that I pretty much never say what I really want to say because your heads would all explode and I'd lose my readers and I don't want to do that. Also I don't deal well with confrontation and I like my psyche to be in one piece.