He's 9!

He's 9 years old today. Where does the time go? It seems like it was just yesterday, he was 4 pounds and struggling to breathe, followed by months of PT so he could sit up on his own. The memories of the years that have passed flow like water in a stream...the first words, the first steps, the first day of school.

Today we celebrate the happiest day of my life, the anniversary of the day my beautiful boy was born. Happy birthday, Ian. I love you more than you know.

One More Sick Day. And then That's It.

I don't have time for this! So I'm giving this bug one more day to go away, and then that's it. No more.

The doctor gave me cough syrup with codeine so I could sleep. Man, she was NOT kidding. I take this stuff, and the next thing I know, it's three hours later and I've been drooling. Unbelievable. I can't work and take this stuff at the same time. Heck, I can't take this stuff and drive.

So, I'll pound the cough syrup and get lots of rest today and tonight, and tomorrow it's back to work with over-the-counter meds. And I'll save the good stuff for the evenings so I can get quality sleep at night.

The Tree in our Backyard

The beautiful fall colors make me smile, but the smell of winter in the air makes me sigh. Ah, well. Such is the circle of life. Spring is right around the corner.

Which means Summer's comin'! :D

Another Sick Day

I survived Ian's birthday party with help from my friends. I think I drank an entire pitcher of Pepsi myself and inhaled about 15 cough drops just so I could talk. My sinuses are killing me, I have no voice left to speak of, and my head is going to explode.

I have already called in sick to work for Monday, and it's off to the doctor I go!

Sick Day

Who knew that making toast could take so much energy? I'm going to take another nap!

I've got a wicked sore throat, hacking cough, nausea and no energy. {heavy sigh} Of course, Ian is feeling much better! I think he should take care of me today. :D

Actually, this bug has a deadline. Ian's birthday party is coming up, and I MUST be better for that!

The Traffic Camera (A Joke from My Brother)

A man was driving through town, when he saw the flash of a traffic camera. He figured that his picture had been taken for exceeding the limit, even though he knew that he was not speeding... Just to be sure, he went around the block and passed the same spot, driving even more slowly, but again the camera flashed. Now he began to think that this was quite funny, so he drove even slower as he passed the area again, but the traffic camera again flashed.

He tried a fourth time with the same result. He did this a fifth time and was now laughing when the camera flashed as he rolled past, this time at a snail's pace...

Two weeks later, he got five tickets in the mail for driving without a seat belt.

You just can't fix stupid.

For Miss Sue

Ian and our paralegal, Sue, hit it off just great. Ian loves her almost as much as he loves Miss Joni!

I love you, Mommy.

I love you, too, honey.

Mommy, I have love for Miss Sue, too. Not as much as for you, but I love her, too.

That's nice, honey. I like her, too!

Why hasn't she been at work?

Well, she has been really sick. She has asthma, which makes it really hard for her to breathe sometimes.

Oh. Are her cats okay?

Yes, honey. Her cats are fine.

Okay.

And with that, he curls up and goes to sleep. What a kid. I just love him. :)

And now...Blackjack?

So Ian thinks he knows all there is to know about playing Texas Hold 'Em and Poker, and now he wants me to teach him how to play Blackjack. What is it with this kid and gambling? He didn't get that from MY side of the family! :D

Tristan

Here is my beautiful, gorgeous, absolutely wonderful Grand Nephew, His Royal Highness Tristan of Seattle! He is currently in charge in Jeff and Kaia's home, and with that smile, who's arguing? :D

Just a little down today...

I've had a few really bad days.

Thursday night, Ian was in aikido as normal, when Sheila threw him (as she was supposed to do), but he came down wrong. He is usually so dramatic when something even minor happens that I didn't believe he was really hurt.

Friday, after spending the day between the pediatrician, radiologist, and orthopedic specialist, we discover he has a Salter-Harris Type II fracture of his fifth toe. This basically means he broke the growth plate. (Wow, did I feel guilty for not believing him.) The doctor said if he doesn't injure it anymore, wears a firm shoe, no gym or aikido, no running, no jumping, no kick ball, etc., he'll be fine. If he dislocates it further, he will require surgery - the kind that involves instrumentation. {heavy sigh} The doctor told me to try to keep him off of it for a couple weeks. I laughed and said, "Doc! He's 8!" He laughed too. Wonder if he has kids. 8-year-old boys don't sit still for long.

And because I think it's fun to torture myself, Saturday I used the opportunity presented by Ian laying on the couch all day to clean his room. I took four trash bags of stuff out of there - the kid is a packrat! I think he kept every single paper he did last year in school. He told me he is keeping a few of his broken toys "for the memories". And he certainly hasn't been doing all his laundry. I found most of my towels, and he now has only six socks with no matches. Ah, well. He's 8.

Work has been tough, too. The lady I work with is out sick, and as usual, these things happen at the worst possible time. The boss is gearing up for trial, and I am so slogged under I don't even want to get up in the morning. Motivational issues, I guess. I'm just trying to keep all the balls in the air until she comes back and things return to relatively normal. I can't wait until they get the mold cleaned up in the basement (where my office is). That mildewy smell in my clothes is sickening, and I'm going through Kleenex like crazy. Hopefully the clean-up will happen this week.

It's been a bad week for some of our clients, too. Most of them just don't realize how difficult it is for me to listen to the injuries - me, who doesn't do blood. I am totally in the wrong business. I feel so bad for people who get hurt, and some days it is really hard for me not to get down. I always remember to smile as I pick up the phone and say hello, because I know that the person on the other end has much bigger problems than I have ever experienced, and they certainly don't need to hear grumpy. If things get bad, I view a slide show in my brother's pbase site, and I feel better. This link goes to my favorite section: http://www.pbase.com/michaeltabor/places. It's like taking a mental stroll through an art museum.

Ian will have to go to work with me tomorrow. It is his class' field trip day, and because of his foot, he can't go. They are going to Mumford, and it is a walking tour. He is NOT happy, and giving me a wee bit of a hard time because of it. I keep telling him, this isn't for forever, but for now, he's got to stay off that foot. But he's 8.

Top it all off with the fact that I smelled winter in the air this morning, and baseball playoffs have started - which means the end of summer.

Hmm. I seem to be feeling a bit bluesy now. Time to check out that pbase site again.

Thank goodness for big brothers. :)

And things will get better again. I'm just in a slump. Tomorrow will be a better day.

Ridiculous!

All right. Just between us normal people, haven't our local retail establishments gone just a little overboard with the bonus card thing?



Michael said...

My wallet is a full three quarters of an inch thick because every business I deal with makes me carry some kind of effing card under threat of extortion - if you don't have our card, we will charge you 10% more. Because we can.

Serena said...

I have them alphabetized on that key ring so I can find the one I need when I need it. What kills me is the stores that don't offer the key card, so I have no choice but to carry an extra card. Ugh.

Poker

"You went all in on That hand? What were you hoping for in the flop?"

"Nothin'. I was just blushing."

Time Flies

I truly don't know where September went. I worked. I read for fun. I cleaned Ian's room (that little gem took me 8 hours! The kid is a packrat.). I got a jump-start on my textbook reading for my first course this term, an organizational behavior course that focuses on human resources and keeping people happy (my employer could learn a thing or two about that). I kept busy, and the time just flew.

So here it is, the end of September. Ian started school - 4th grade! (Wasn't it just last week he was 4 pounds and struggling to breathe?) He is practicing his cello as I write. We had to sign a contract that he will practice for 30 minutes every single day without fail. I think this may be further proof that there is no god.

I taught my nephew Andy, who is 16, the ink still fresh on his new driver's license, how to drive a standard transmission tonight. He was more nervous than I was. (And truthfully, I wasn't nervous at all.) I really like him. He's a really cool kid with a great sense of humor. And he likes baseball, so he's okay by me!

On my plate for the month of October is figuring out how to handle the black mold problem in the basement at work (where my office is), contemplating whether or not to move into a bigger apartment that has had repairs/updates take place over the course of the last ten years, starting my second term at WGU, and preparing for Ian's 9th birthday.

No stress here. Maybe I'll even find time for some recreational reading. Or maybe not! :D

Wildlife Festival 2009

Ian's Grandparents invited us to accompany them to the Wildlife Festival at the Niagara Power Vista. It was amazing. We saw a ton of birds and heard their stories. So many of them had been damaged by cars...it was really sad. The highlight of the show was Liberty the Bald Eagle. I'd never seen a real one - only pictures. They are striking in person!


Then Ian sampled the displays in the Power Vista, and we called it a day!

Halloween in September

Bill in his costume. He was great!

Ian went trick or treating, but it's really not his thing. He hit up five people, looked in his bowl, and said, "I got enough. Can we go home now?" Absolutely, honey. Let everybody else run up their dental bills. :D

Dan's yard. My Aunt Mary had a ball decorating!

Ian's pumpkin. He carved it with Dorinda while I did homework. I asked him if he wanted to do another, and he said, "Nah. They're hard." I agree. I did one about six years ago, and it was a nightmare. No pun intended. Dorinda's turned out great, though! I hope they post a picture of it. I forgot to take one when she finished it!

The last game of the season...

{heavy sigh}

Hapeman Family Reunion

On August 16, 2009, the Hapeman clan in Western New York got together at the park in Elma, NY for a little reunion. It was a beautiful sunny day. We all brought dishes to pass.

Whoever made the baked beans - I want your recipe! And the chili - I need that recipe, too! :D

Here is how the genealogy part of this works. Edward and Laura Hapeman each had children from prior marriages (Edward had 4, and Laura had 3), and then they married and had ten more. My grandmother, Mildred, was the only girl of the ten. One of Grandma Mildred's brothers was named Gerald, and the group above are of Gerald's descendents. Not everyone was able to make it, but we sure had a good time, and I hope we can do this again soon!

Taxidermy

Mom, I want to get stuffed.

Huh?

I want to get stuffed. I don't want to get cremated or buried or nothin'. I want to get stuffed so everybody can see my nice clothes.

Ah. Well, why not just have somebody make a wax figure of you?

Ear wax?

Er, no.

Nah. I just want to get stuffed.

Okay, honey. I'll look into it later. (Much later.)

August 13: Corning Glass Museum

I forgot as I was uploading the pictures here that I have to do them in reverse order, and I'm too tired to re-do it, so this entry is end-to-beginning. Sorry!

This is a marble machine that reminded me of the game, Mouse Trap. Ian tried three times, and could only get yellow marbles.


Glass white roses:
...and frosted vases to put them in. These were gorgeous in person:
Some of the items in the gift shop were breathtaking - and so were the stickers. These little decorations were $750 each.
A variety of bowls:
We watched a glass-blowing demonstration (twice). Here, the glass artist is reheating the glass in the furnace, which is kept at 2400 degrees or so. It was rather warm in that room.

Here, a glass artist was making a turtle out of glass.
And here is the glass exhibit you see when you first walk in. It is impressive in person.

I think we will go back again soon and reserve a space to make something ourselves. Ian was very impressed with the whole glass-blowing thing, and especially anything involving fire or blow torches.

Boys. :D

August 13: KC's Corner Restaurant and Motel

Thursday morning, we checked out of the motel. Our stay was pleasant overall. The room was nice, air-conditioned, and included a little kitchenette, which saved us some money.

The only major problem I had was with the shower. There was no way to take a cool shower. The showerhead hadn't had any attention in quite a while, so the water did not come through it very well. And when you turned the water down so the stream was cooler, the water pressure became so low, either the shower turned off altogether, or you had to stand about five inches from the shower wall to get wet. Ah, well. You can't have everything. :)

Ian really didn't want to leave. :D