Welcome back...

So, you may or may have not noticed a bit of a break I took.  Well, let me tell you what's been going on:

Tony had his tonsils removed and his deviated septum fixed.  He had the surgery last Thursday, and he is really starting to feel better now.  He said it wasn't better until they took the stent out of his nose and he could breathe.  But, he's doing better every day and went back to work for the first time yesterday.

Open windows with the nice weather

That class that I told you about?  The one that was kicking my ass?  I dropped it.  And, am giving myself a self-imposed break until September, when I will attempt this class again.  Am I a quitter?  I don't think so.  I like to think of myself as a realist that was able to withdraw with dignity and live to fight another day.  And, I will change up my tactics so that I can pass this class on my second go-round.

Artwork my mom sent me.  Entitled "Craze"  By Bailey Arnold

Olivia needs to get her tonsils taken out too.  I am prepping her for the pain so that she is not surprised and can hopefully deal with it.  I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to take it when she is wheeled away from me in the hospital, or when she is in pain afterwards.  So, I am prepping myself as well so that I don't completely give in to the inner drama queen.

The lost Kardashian

I am working towards hitting 35 lbs gone.  Because of this, I have come to a strange state with my work pants - they are all either WAY too big, or just a tad too small.  So, I am wearing skirts to work and my kids are totally impressed.  Now mommy's a princess too!

All the work necessities

My brother is in town again!!!!  He is playing Roger in Rent (I think that's the character's name, but I could be wrong).  He's here into the summer and I couldn't be happier to see him!  We've even been into the city to have dinner with him on a Monday night!!  This was out of the norm, because it's not like we're in our 20's without kids anymore.

Bros

We are planning a number of road trips this summer: Albuquerque, Kansas, Mississippi and New Orleans.  Will we be able to do all of that?  Yes - we're going to make it happen!!!

Cari is graduating high school in May!  Congratulations Cari!!!

My little sis

One of my friends in pregnant and I am hoping to work with her mom to plan my first baby shower this summer.  I'm really excited about this!

Tony and I will be celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary later this year.  I am planning a fun weekend in Chicago, without the kiddos.  I can't wait!

Easter is hosted at our house.  We are prepping for feasts and company!  Derrick, we'll have lots of leftover ham if you want some.

We need to plan a birthday party for Olivia.  What is a good party idea for an eight year old girl? And speaking of Olivia, she lost another tooth this week and left a note for the tooth fairy asking if she was real and what she did with the teeth?  I wrote back saying that the tooth fairy is real and that she uses the teeth to make pretty necklaces.  Which she then sells to fund all the gifts for Christmas.  What do you tell your kids about these not real people when they ask?

The latest letter to the tooth fairy

Is spring as busy for you?  What do you have going on right now?

I have to go now - Olivia and are going to have a girls day today, and I need to shower!

March Madness - and I'm not talking basketball....

Hello, again, hello!

I have not forgotten you, my lovely blog readers!  I actually have been thinking about you quite a bit.  I think about you when I am trying not to read the books for school - I need something to distract me from subjects as boring yet confusing as finance.  I also was thinking about you this past weekend as I pulled out my real camera and aimed for some great St. Patty's Day pics.

We have had some craziness going on around here, and it doesn't look like it will stop anytime soon.  First and foremost is the health situation in my family.  Apparently, my house is where tonsils go to be yanked out.  Tony, my husband, is having his tonsils pulled on Thursday, along with fixing his deviated septum.  He has to stay overnight at the hospital on Thursday, so I will be with him on Thursday and will bring him home on Friday.  Also, we had an appointment for Olivia, and her tonsils need to be yanked as well.  We are going to schedule her surgery for the summer because they need 10 days for recovery.

Second is our appliances.  Our refrigerator has stopped working correctly.  We went and finally bought the deep freezer we've been talking about getting for the past 5 years or so, but we can't turn it on until tomorrow evening.  Also, the refrigerator repair man will be stopping by tomorrow to hopefully fix my beautiful fridge.

Third is school.  I'm in a finance class that is kicking my butt.  It's difficult, to say the least, and I have been spending quite a bit of my time trying to catch up.  I'm almost halfway through though, and will hopefully get enough of a grasp to pass.

Fourth is family.  My brother has secured a part in Rent, playing in Chicago.  He returns to our fair city tomorrow and we couldn't be more excited.

Fifth is the weather.  Um, 80's in the middle of March, in Chicago.  This is crazy and confusing.  It feels and looks like April/May, but is only March.  I don't know what to think, wear, do.  I'm very perplexed by this weather.

Speaking of the weather, we went to our first St. Patrick's Day Parade ever yesterday.  Not just as a family, but neither Tony or I had ever been to this parade.  Here are some lovely pictures from our awesome day! 

P.s.  We are all rocking sunburns, me with the worst and Tony is perfectly tan - as usual.

Here we are on the train to the city.  It was PACKED!

Look - we finally made it and found a spot.

Across the street from us - people and skyline.

Random kilt wearing band.

We even got to see Mayor Rahm - that's him with the thumbs.

Mia had a great seat!

 

We got bored with the parade after about an hour (and only 1/3 of the way done), so we decided to strike out on our own in the city.  Here are some pics of what we saw.  Above, Lake Michigan.

Skyline

Buckingham Fountain (off for the winter) with the line for the port o potty.

I really enjoy this picture.  That's the Lake in the background.  It never ceases to amaze me how beautiful Chicago is.

Day in the life, walking down Van Buren.

Deep thoughts with Forrest, Forrest Gu-ump....

That's right!  Life IS like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.  That Mama, Mrs. Gump, was a real smaht ladee!

Last night, I watched Forrest Gump for only the 493rd time.  However, it was the first time I've really sat down and watched it since my kids were born and a bit older, and since I would now be about the same age as Forrest was at the end of the movie.

When I was a teenager, and this movie first came out (1994 ya'll), I loved this movie.  For me, I really didn't like the Jenny character and couldn't see what Forrest saw in her.  I was upset that they ended up together in the end.  When I was a teenager, I was really into the historical references, and the sound track.  Um yeah, if you hadn't guessed before now, I was a dork, and here's the proof.

This time was different.  I no longer hate the Jenny character.  I actually feel like Jenny and Forrest made a good couple because they were both broken in different ways and had the ability to heal that hurt in each other.  Jenny was the first friend Forrest ever had - and the most beautiful girl to boot.  She didn't see that Forrest was different - or that his differences made him less of a likely friend.  She just saw a lonely self-conscious kid and took him in and talked to him.  Obviously, they hit it off, like peas and carrots.

Another thing that struck me was the abuse that Jenny endured at the hands of her father.  This was really upsetting to me.  I have two little girls and worry all of the time about their safety and well being.  But not just about their safety - I worry about how others look at them.  They are not now, nor will they ever be, objects to be used, abused and tossed aside.  They are people and deserve to be treated as though they have their own dreams, thoughts, and personalities.  My girls, like any girls should be treated with respect, and basic human dignity.  But, I worry, not that they will love and lose someday, but that abuses would happen to them at the hand of another person.  No one should ever have that happen and it is sad that we have to worry about these things.  Jenny should never have been treated the way she was, especially by her own father.  Your father should be someone you look up to and can lean on when you need support.  Not the person that uses you like you don't even matter, except for their own pleasure.  I can understand so much better now, why Jenny lacked confidence in herself and treated herself as if she were nothing.  Jenny's story makes me sad for all the girls, boys, women, and even men that have been treated in that way.  I would love to be able to reach out and show them how much them mean, how much they are valued as individuals.  Showing our children how valued they are, how much they are treasured, is truly the way I see parenting.  And this doesn't need to happen only with your own children, or children in general.  There are adults that haven't received loving treatment as children, and need it more than ever as adults.  This is a people thing - people should be treated as valued individuals.

Ok, ok, I'll get off my soapbox.

There was one more thing that had me in tears by the end of this movie.  Forrest lost almost everyone he loved.  His momma, Jenny, Bubba.  I am getting to an age that mortality looms a little closer every day.  Not just for me, but for my loved ones.  I am so lucky.  I am 33 years old.  I have 3 grand parents, 2 parents and a step parent.  I have all of my siblings, masses of cousins, aunts and uncles.  And my family keeps growing in blood and friends.  My husband had 3 grand parents and 1 parent when we first met.  His dad passed away when he was 10.  He has lost all 3 grand parents, and his mother since we have been together.  He has aunts, uncles, and cousins, thankfully, to keep him well familied - as well as my family too.  To get to the point, I saw Forrest lose his momma, Bubba, and Jenny and it gets me to wondering when I will lose the people I love and how awful that will be.  (Pardon the mis-typing as my screen is starting to blur).  I can't imagine feeling those losses and the holes those losses will leave in my heart. 

This movie touched me again last night, in ways that it had not touched me before.  Even though I can recite many of the lines, word for word, it was new again for me and made me think, laugh and cry.  Maybe next time I watch it, it can just make me jealous that I haven't done nearly as much in my life as Forrest stumbled into.  But, I doubt it.

My lazy blog post...

It's Sunday.  I'm tired.  My kids are not sleeping well, unless I am already awake.  I may be a zombie or the walking dead.  I'm not sure, it takes to much energy to figure it out.  Here are some pictures as Instagram and I are becoming good friends.  If you want to follow, I'm lapinskasland.

It's Mia time!!

Mia is truly enjoying running full speed at us, and having us catch her.  She backs all the way to the front door, and then sprints at you.

After she spent the morning throwing up, she decided that a "wife beater t-shirt" was the perfect compliment to the pink skirt.

Valentine's weekend Tony took me to this restaurant.  We had one of the dining rooms all to ourselves with some great artwork on the walls.

Ford Fiesta painted like Herbie.  Really?

I wasn't the only one to get my hair done.

While working at home, my cats fight like this.  One hangs over the top (little brother), the other (big sister) sleeping peacefully is woken up and cranky and must put little brother in his place - or leave the cozy hole.

You were wondering why there are so many pics of Mia?  This is what I get when trying to photograph Olivia.  And where were we going all dressed up like this?  To Target, my friends, to Target.

I'm watching....

YOU!