Kickeroos!

Jackson and his buddy Liam started a new soccer class together. Jackson LOVES soccer, so I thought we'd give it a try. I think this it the only time he sat and listened during the class.

It's a parent participation class, which means me and my friend Beth are worn OUT after the 45 minute class is over. It's a lot of work to chase after our wild boys!

The sweetest part was at the end when the kids circled up and put their hands together and yelled, "I love soccer!" So cute.

This Week's Visitors

We had visitors this past week. My sister-in-law Bonnie and her husband John came through town with their son, Jude. They were on their way to a wedding in Kansas, and stopped to spend the night with us. It was the first time we've met Jude, who just turned one in August. He is such a cutie!

We enjoyed catching up on things and sharing family gossip (which bored poor John, I'm sure), and Katie loved helping out with Jude.

Dan grilled an awesome dinner - hearts of romaine from the grill (thanks Brina and Eric!), corn on the cob and pork loin. Vegetarian John even had some falafels to enjoy, so everyone was happy!

Jackson spent the night asking Bonnie if he could play at her house (in Kentucky). "Can I go to your house?" She said yes, one day we could come play. He would cheer and get so excited, thinking we would go right now. Uh, no, buddy. Sorry.

When they left Wednesday morning, Katie cried on the way to the bus stop because she didn't want them to leave. And Jackson kept asking where they went. I kept answering, "Kansas" and that seemed to make sense to him.

Did I Hear That Right?

I got Jackson up from his non-nap today at the campground and laid him down to change a stinky diaper. (More on the camping tomorrow, when I have the camera and can upload photos.)

He and I chattered about the stinky then he looked up at me and said, "I'm gwad yuah my mom." My heart melted, and I had to pause to make sure I heard him right. Did he really say he's glad I'm his mom? Unprompted? Did Dan teach him a new trick or something?

No. He did it on his own. My. Heart. Is. Melting.

A New Face

Wanna know what I did on Thursday night? Here's a hint:

And you can go to my friend Danielle's website at ExtraordinaryMommy.com and this link will show you all the fun!

DirecTV Bites

I've been waiting for resolution on this issue so I can blog about the entire story from start to finish, but it's taking too long. So I'm going to give you the story up to now... and I'll try to limit the details so I don't bore you completely. Here goes!

I had a Nextel cell phone and wanted a new cell phone. So I went to an AT&T kiosk at the mall to look at some plans and phones. The agent there told me about the cell phones, and then AT&T U-Verse. I told him I can't switch to AT&T yet because I have a contract with DirecTV. He said, "No problem! That's who we use!" He looked up my DirecTV account on his computer, and said I was eligible for U-Verse and it would be such a great deal for us. I listened and asked questions, and took brochures home to Dan.

A few days later on August 11, I called DirecTV and spoke to a woman. I asked one simple question (and even asked it twice). I said, "We are thinking of moving to AT&T U-Verse, but I want to make sure we won't have any penalties from DirecTV. Can I upgrade to U-Verse?" Her answer was yes, and I quote: "It will save you money and give you better benefits." I asked again if there would be any penalties, and she said no. I was a little surprised, but then thought about how DirecTV and AT&T were partners and so it must be cool.

So we proceeded with buying a new cell phone and ordering the installation of U-Verse. We bought it through an AT&T dealer (not the mall kiosk) and the guy there told us the same thing about DirecTV and AT&T's partnership. I thought all was well, right?

Wrong.

U-Verse was installed on August 25. I called DirecTV that night to update my account, and was told that U-Verse is NOT part of DirecTV for this particular instance. DirecTV partners with AT&T only for satellite bundling. And since I was breaking contract with DirecTV a whole year prematurely, I now owe them a $240 early cancellation fee. WHAT?! I explained my phone call from August 11 to DirecTV, how I was told that there would be no penalties, yadda, yadda, yadda. The agent offered me $10 off a month and a $350 credit to stay with DirecTV. She said I still had time to cancel with AT&T and stay with DirecTV. (Never mind the six hours I had spent that day with the AT&T installer in my house, drilling holes in my wall, moving furniture, etc.)

I won't bore you with all the letters and phone calls I've made to DirecTV since August 25. I've also been in a St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper article about this issue, filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and complained to AT&T as well about their uneducated and misguided agents. The bottom line is we owe $240 to DirecTV because of their mistake and misinformation.

And in the midst of all of this? I hadn't formally ended my contract with DirecTV because I was waiting to see if they would waive the penalty before we cancelled. But guess what? About a week ago, I found out they terminated my service anyway. Their call notes show some mystery "male voice" called them on September 5 and told them to cancel our service. (And, NO, it wasn't my husband. He hasn't had any contact with DirecTV and has been letting me handle it all. I'm the bulldog when it comes to these issues.) Apparently, the guy at DirecTV told me that there is no password on our account, so anyone that knows our name and address and phone number can call and change our service. So since our service was canceled by Mystery Man, the $240 early cancellation fee would be charged to the credit card on file at DirecTV. I told the agent no, but he said, "The only way for the cancellation fee to be waived is to reinstate the account." Uh... no thanks. Why on earth would I go BACK to you after such dishonesty and mistreatment? Ha.

I'm beyond frustrated with the awful customer service I've received. There have been so many rude and snippy agents that I've spoken to. And, yes, I have their names on record, not that anyone at DirecTV or AT&T would listen to that anyway. (My friend Danielle recently wrote about her bad service too. What's up with the bad vibes lately?)

And I'm downright ANGRY that I did the proactive thing and called DirecTV before we switched and was told there would be no penalty. So I proceeded with canceling and now I'm paying for it. I don't feel I did anything wrong! I think DirecTV should pay for their mistakes, not me.

I will also be notifying the state attorney general about these misleading business practices. All the brochures I've received in person and in the mail show the DirecTV and AT&T logos on them, so it misleads the consumer into thinking the two companies are partners and offer reciprocal products. None of the marketing materials explain that they are partners only in very limited capacities.

So. Humph.

Now I'm all fired up again about this issue. And there's no resolution, so far. The BBB is still waiting for a response from DirecTV about my complaint. Let's hope I have good news to report about all of this soon. In the meantime, I hope this whole ordeal helps some of you avoid the same issues. My main warning is this: stay FAR away from DirecTV. Their agents are rude, unhelpful, and dishonest. DirecTV sucks, and I'm not much happier with AT&T at the moment.

I'm tempted to go live off the grid in Montana. Except they don't have Chick-fil-A there. Or even White Castle. Ha. (That's my attempt at humor. Not so good at that right now.)

I Did a Half Marathon!

Less than three hours ago, I made personal history. I actually completed a HALF marathon! Wow, what a rush.

And just to clarify, the time on the clock isn't correct because there were so many people in the race that we crossed the start line a good while after the clock started.

My team has been training since February. At some points, there were up to six members. Then we lost some and gained one, and four of us finished the race today. I'm so proud of us for finishing. We weren't the fastest (of course), but we weren't the slowest. And regardless of the speed, the fact is that we FINISHED. That's pretty amazing for us, considering some of us used to think a 5K was long.

I love that the race hands out medals to every single person who finishes. I don't know that I've ever won a medal before, so I will cherish this one. Silly to know that a medal can be so meaningful! And our coach, Joe, got two medals because he completed a different race a while back, and people who complete both races get a special second medal too. He's quite the coach and he's even competing in an Ironman in just six days (the Redman down in Oklahoma City). What a champ!

I also love that our bib numbers have our names on them. You have no idea how encouraging it is to hear someone say your name when you're in a slump.

And, yes, our shirts say, "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" The best part is the saying is on both the front and the back (right across our fannies) and we had so many people who cheered us on just because of our shirts. We ordered them from One More Mile Running.

To thank our coach for all his hard work, we gave him a shirt with a quote from John Bingham on it. It says, "The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start." Amen!

I am off to elevate my poor aching feet and sit around for a while. And then I'm going to get up and move around a bit so my muscles don't totally seize up. I feel pretty good after finishing, if I could just dull the ache in my feet!

Speaking in Code

Here was the lunch conversation between me and Dan, after I read the newspaper's front page story about Caster Semenya (the South African runner who has undergone gender testing):

Me: What?!
Dan: She has a V but not a P. And they checked, but there are no Os.
Me: Or a U.
Dan: No. But there are Ts.
Me: Hmmmm...
Dan: Very weird.
Me: Wouldn't that make her... ???
Dan: An H? Possibly.

Did I mention Katie was at the table, eating lunch too? That means we definitely can't use the real words. And now that she reads and spells so well, we can't risk it by even spelling the words.

Hence, speaking in code.

Mommy Mommy Mommy...

Just for grins today, I decided to count how many times I hear the word "Mommy" in a day. I didn't start counting until 9:39am (that happened to be the time on my car clock), which was already almost two hours into my day with Jackson. Yes, he doesn't get up until Katie leaves for school. Lucky me!

By 9:39am, I am estimating he had already said "Mommy" about 50 times. Honestly. He was mad at me for taking a shower, and whined "Mommy" a LOT. And also during breakfast when he argued with me over which type of cereal he wanted to eat. However, I'm not counting those 50. I didn't start counting until 9:39am.

By 9:59am, when we were back in the car after a quick stop at Wal-Mart, I was already up to 82.

By naptime at 1:15pm, the count was 212.

I'm not sure my brain can continue counting for the rest of the day. Between the incessant "Mommy" and the thoughts that are always already swirling through my consciousness, it's hard to remember to keep counting. So I'm going to call it quits at 212. At the park, my friend Michelle told me I shouldn't count anyway. It'll just depress me.

Can you guess what Jackson's very first word was, when he was just 10 months old? Yes, it was "Mama." It was music to my ears, and I celebrated the milestone. Now, just 19 months later, it is still a beautiful sound. But, honestly? 212 repetitions of ANYTHING can be a little deflating.

Thank God for naptimes and silence in the house.

Picture Perfect Little Life

I keep seeing ads and magazine articles about this cool bike called a Madsen Bucket Bike. It makes me want to move to a little neighborhood that is a suburb of St. Louis (and kind of near us).

It's called New Town, and it's so quaint and sweet. I wouldn't even need a car. I could load Jackson up in the Madsen Bucket Bike and bike on up to the store or library or over to the farm (my friend Gina wrote about it here). We could have picnics at the amphitheater, and New Town also has a GREAT fireworks show on July 4th (which we've attended before). They have concerts in the summer, and churches located within the "town" limits.

And, oh, that bucket bike would be so perfect in this little life. Wouldn't it? Can't you just see me in it, all trim and fit because of all the exercise I'd be getting hauling around kids and groceries? Ooooo, what fun!

I already mentioned to Dan how much fun it would be to live in New Town. He chopped that dream down quickly. Something about being in a flood plain. That's what happens when you're married to a civil engineer with a specialty in hydrology - dreams die to flood plain management. I could still buy the bike even if we didn't live there, right? But we don't have an extra $1,000 to plunk down on a bucket bike. Besides, it wouldn't look so cute if I had to cross the major streets near my house just to get to Wal-Mart. Oh, well. I can still dream!

The Last Times

Monday was Labor Day, the official end to summer. We celebrated Dan's birthday. And we marked the five year anniversary of my mom's death. Today would have been my dad's 71st birthday.

Lots of changes and milestones in just a few days, which has made me a little introspective.

It's made me think of how I felt in the days following Mom's death. As we boxed up her things, I couldn't help but wonder how she would have lived differently if she had realized all the "last times."

When she celebrated July 4th for the last time five years ago, before she was hospitalized, did she know it would be her last? When she packed up her Christmas decorations in 2003, did she know she wouldn't make it to Christmas 2004? Did she know I would be unpacking them in 2004 in my own home in Missouri?

Of course she didn't know. Neither do we. But do we live like it could be our last?

Monday could have been the last Labor Day you - or I - ever experience. The end to the last summer of our lives. What if there were no more backyard barbecues, no more days spent lazing by the pool, no more chances to feel the blazing summer sun on your face? Would you say goodbye to this last summer happily, knowing you ate your fill at the barbecue and floated happily in the pool and felt the heat warm you from the outside in? Did you get enough?

And if you can't say goodbye to this summer with some sort of satisfaction in your heart, why not?

Get out there, while the cicadas are still buzzing and the grass is still long enough to feel cool to your bare feet. Run in the sprinkler. Soak it up. You still have time.

If you're reading this, you still have TIME.

Send Us a Postcard!

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

This is a fun little application I found online. It shows countries I've visited personally.

It made me think of my friend Beth. Her son just started Kindergarten. His class is asking people who live in the US to send postcards so the kids can learn about geography. I think it's such a great idea that I forwarded the email to about 60 people I know, and gave them our home address too. I'd love for y'all to send postcards to him, or to Katie as well. Email me if you are interested and I'll send you the necessary information. Then I'd love to make a map like the one above, showing Katie where she received postcards from.

And, by the way, I would love to have postcards for Katie from ANYWHERE, not just in the States. So for those of you who are foreigners (you know how much I love you anyway!), please send us a postcard too. Pretty please?!

Just for fun, here's a map of the states I've visited (although I don't think it's entirely accurate, since we drove to Canada when I was younger and HAD to have crossed through some of those northern states):

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Oooo... this is addicting. I know lots of you who will enjoy it! (It's right up your alley, Pillownaut! Now I just need some photos of myself at each state's sign, like you!)

Happy Birthday, Hooney!

The world is lucky that you entered it today, 37 years ago. And I am beyond lucky - I am truly blessed to be your wife.

I love you!

Dan = Handsome

This post is going to earn me some choice words once Dan reads it. But I can’t talk about all the things I admire about him and leave out one of the best parts! And I tell you what: Dan gets better and better with time.


Sometimes I look at him and openly wonder, “How in the heck did I get so lucky?” He is the total package, especially in the looks department.

I’ve had other women tell me that Dan is handsome. Pride flares up in me, and then negativity because I wonder if they are thinking, “How did he end up with you?” Well, my friends, it’s because he’s so lucky. Ha!

Seriously. I look back at photos of us when we first met. Dan has always been a pretty cute guy, but I think the years have been especially good to him. He just keeps getting more handsome and, dare I say, dashing? (Oh, Lord. He’s gonna let me have it with that one!)

When he pulls in the driveway after work and parks his car, he’ll step out and I can feel his eyes zero in on me. No matter what I’m doing and no matter which child might be hanging off of me, I lock eyes with him and watch him walk over to me and feel like the luckiest woman alive. To know that HE is mine and that his arms are just waiting to enfold me is one of the most divine feelings a human can have. I thank God that He made Dan for me. And, yes, I know that for a fact.

Dan and I were supernaturally tailored for each other. As badly as I’ve tried to botch things up in the past, I somehow lucked out and still hung on to this amazingly wonderful man. He is exactly what I need in a husband, and he has ruined me for any other man. I am deeply, madly, tenaciously in love with Dan.

What a hunk. Hubba hubba!

Dan = Intelligent

He’ll scoff when he reads this, but I truly believe my husband is one of the smartest people I know. Street smart and book smart. Part of his intelligence comes from pure desire to know things. And part of his intelligence comes from his inability to let something lie. He wants to know the why and how of things – he IS an engineer, y’all. It’s second nature to him.


Dan is a lifelong learner. I love that about him, because it means he’s always willing to grow and learn more. He’s not satisfied just to sit on his duff and accept the status quo. He wants to question and discuss. He reads the paper from cover to cover (which, I’ll admit, sometimes drives me crazy) and remembers details in ways I can’t imagine. He looks deeper, digging for the rationale behind certain motives (he still puzzles at my rationale sometimes).

There are many decisions I wait to make simply because I want to discuss them with Dan. I love having his perspective on things – he thinks things through and looks at other angles. He picks up on things I overlook, and is pragmatic in finding solutions.

He challenges me to grow more, learn more, and keep my mind sharp. I love this about him!

Motorcycle, Go!

When Katie was about two years old, she L-O-V-E-D cars and motorcycles and trash trucks and anything with wheels. She would see a motorcycle and would shout, "Motorcycle, go!" By the time she was three, she knew the make and model of almost every car on the road. Her favorite was a Dodge Ram (followed closely by PT Cruisers), so we had a Dodge Ram birthday party for her. It was a blast.

Fast forward four years later, and her little brother also has a special love for anything with wheels. He also shouts, "Motorcycle, go!" Back in August, I took him to see heavy machinery at a local rental place. He loved it.

In that same vein, I decided to take him to the local Harley Davidson store today to check out the motorcycles. He was so incredibly happy there. He bounced from machine to machine. He called the motorcycles by their colors saying, "Hewwo, gween motuh-cycuh." He ran from one to the other saying, "Mommy, wook at dat! Can I ride it?"

Surprisingly, he even volunteered for photos with the motorcycles, standing by them and posing on his own.

He was in HOG heaven. (Pun intended.)

We were outside the store and he got to see all the customers arriving on their motorcycles, and he loved hearing their motors roar. Some of the drivers got a kick out of seeing him get so excited, although others seemed to be annoyed by the little boy who was so enthusiastic. (One of the store employees didn't seem too pleased by us, either.)

Jackson kept asking, "Can I ride it?" I kept telling him no, and told him not to touch the motorcycles. But before I knew it, he bolted over to a red one and raised a leg as if he was about to climb it. Just as I shouted, "NO!" he turned and said, "Ow!" He put his knee onto one of the hot pipes and burned it. Luckily, he was distracted by all the other motorcycles and didn't even cry, but I know it hurt. Badly. I burned my leg on a Harley pipe two Christmases ago, and it is painful.

So, now, Jackson has his first motorcycle wound. I feel awful for him, and wish I had been in front of his mad dash to the red motorcycle and been able to block him. I just wasn't fast enough. The pediatrician recommended ice, ibuprofen and Neosporin. Let's hope he heals quickly!

I love encouraging my kids' interests, but I think we'll take a break from machinery field trips for a while.

Dan = Partner

Dan is an amazing partner. I have friends whose husbands are pretty sucky. Husbands who feel like they should be adored for changing a diaper. Or who feel like it’s beneath them to make a meal, watch the kids, or do a load of laundry. Thank you, God, for giving me a husband who works with me instead of against me.

I hope I raise my son the way Dan’s parents raised him: they obviously taught him how to respect women, participate in household chores, and share responsibilities. Dan has never shirked his duties, and we have a beautiful partnership. He mows the yard. I write thank you notes. He brings home the bacon. I buy Christmas presents. He pays the bills. I try to balance my checkbook (and then he digs me out of that hole too.)

No, seriously. I say some of those things with a little jesting, but I am also serious about how well Dan and I have divided duties and figured out how to get things done as a team. Dan is always willing to help. (I just need to be better about asking.)

Dan holds me together. He grounds me. I desperately need that in a partner. Sometimes we butt heads on how to decorate the house or our political views, but we mutually respect each other. He is my partner, and always has our “company’s” best interests in mind. He is willing to jump into the trenches of raising kids AND household management, and isn’t afraid of the dirty work. He’s my anchor. My friend and partner.

Three Totally Unrelated Events

Because I want to show some of the photos of our activities lately, I am going to put them all in the same post. I know they are totally unrelated and have no business being lumped together. Just humor me.

First off, I had an awesome Moms' Night Out with my mom's group last week. We went to a local grocery store that offers cooking classes, and got to watch one of St. Louis' top chefs prepare a meal. Chef Gerard is from Tony's, which is the highest-rated restaurant in St. Louis. There were maybe 15 of us in the class, and it was so cool to have such a wonderful chef prepare a private meal. I have already told you I have NO IDEA how to cook besides the basics, so I learned a lot in the class about making a very very nice meal. Too bad I probably won't ever recreate these dishes in my own kitchen! But at least I got some good photos.

The meal was eggplant with red sauce.

Then chicken with fruit sauce and angel hair pasta.

Followed by Tony's famous ice cream pie with caramel sauce. The meringue itself was a masterpiece - not all stiff and blech like other meringues I've had, but fluffy and so sweet. Yum!

My next totally unrelated event was our trip to Grant's Farm. The Anheuser-Busch empire (I know it's now technically Anheuser-Busch InBev or some such silliness, but whatever) owns the old Grant homestead here in St. Louis. Yes, Grant as in Ulysses. They have turned it into a great *free* attraction, kind of like a mini zoo. With beer. FREE beer. Yahoo! Anyway, we visited Grant's Farm with our friends last weekend, and the kids really enjoyed themselves. Jackson loved the buffaloes, and has been talking about them ever since. He will randomly turn to me and say, "Mommy! Here come the buffa-woes!" and then tell me to hide. Riding the tram into the park, we were so close to the buffa-woes that we could have touched them.

Our first stop was the goat pen, where you can buy a bottle of milk for a buck to feed the insatiable goats. Katie and her friend Ryan stayed outside the pen and teased the goats a bit before feeding them.

Dan and Jackson braved the shirt munchers and went inside the pen so they could get attacked. This photo cracks me up. The Goat Whisperer.

We went to the Animal Encounters show and saw some amazing tricks - everything from a parrot baseball pitcher to a rat race.

This owl flew out for a few moments, and his wing span was HUGE.

We browsed some of the other animal exhibits, and came to the eagle pen. Oh, my. I thoroughly enjoyed myself at this stop, taking LOTS of photos of the beautiful eagles. One photo was so crisp and close-up that I could see the blood vessels in the eagle's eye. Eagles are such angry-looking birds, but so majestic too.

Right before lunch (and our *FREE* beer), we stopped to feed the camels. This was the highlight of my day, because their whiskery mouths are so soft.

You could also feed the llamas, which Jackson didn't really enjoy. But our friend Liam had a great time with the llamas, talking and chastising them for being greedy.

Now, to switch gears on you one last time, here are the last two photos I want to share. Katie has really enjoyed her gymnastics class so far. She's trying new things and building her confidence. I'm so proud of her!

Jackson's Joke

If you can't understand him, here's the joke: "How do birds fly? They wing it." Thanks to our buddy Liam for teaching us that joke!

Today's the Day

I wrote this last week, telling you about a special honor for me. One of my posts has been published at the OurPrayer website, a sister site of the Guideposts website.

You can go here to see the newsletter link, or here to read the actual story.

I hope you are as excited about this as I am! It is such an honor for me to be involved in even the slightest way with the Guideposts family.

Dan = Attitude

If you’ve spent any extended period of time with my husband, you’ve probably heard him say the phrase, “It’s all good.” It took me a while to figure out what that meant, and then a little more time to truly believe it.

Before I met Dan, I would have thought “It’s all good” was a lazy cop-out. Like another way of saying, “Whatever. It doesn’t really matter to me.” And that kind of apathetic attitude drives me nuts. I can’t stand people who aren’t passionate about things – anything! Just pick something!

Dan has taught me that, “It’s all good.” It’s cool, man. There are many ways to do things, not just my way. You can go your way, and I can go mine. His strength and confidence is reflected in his attitude, the foundation of which is “It’s all good.” Because he truly knows that it IS all good. Life is inherently good, and there is little that will bog him down. The details are just details. Dan focuses on the positive and keeps looking ahead.

Dan’s attitude has pulled me out of many slumps. Sometimes, I brace against his positivity because I think he should get a little more annoyed at things like I do. But then I remember, “It’s all good” and I learn to let go. He’s taught me that, and I’m still trying to soak it up every day.