http://www.myheritage.com

I have about a gazillion things I wanted to post today, but I'm going to bypass all of those, and just get to this...seeing as how it's the most important. My friend Stef did this celebrity look alike thing on her blog, so I decided to give it a whirl. I scanned my picture, and just as we ALL figured, Drew Barrymore popped up (to be honest, sometimes the resemblance even freaks me out.) But does anything else about my "celebrity-look-alikes" seem odd? Is there something my parents aren't telling me?

http://www.myheritage.com

This Little Piggy

Jude is seven and a half months old now. He's completely mobile - loves to crawl, pull himself up onto everything, and is slowly learning to walk along side of the couch. Yet, the kid still doesn't talk. And when I say talk, I don't mean, "hey mom and dad - I'm going out for a burger.." I mean no ramblings, no babblings, nothing. The only reason we know he has vocal cords is the fact that he laughs all the time. He has however, decided to take up snorting.



Untitled from makopp47 and Vimeo.

What a Good Husband

For my birthday, Rob got me the Singers and Songwriters collection from Time Life. A 19 CD set of all those 70s songs I love best. Then the day after my birthday we took a trip up to Guitar Center, and I got to pick out a new guitar. It's a huge change from my Ovation, it feels and plays much differently, but I absolutely LOVE it. So, I give you Takamine, name yet to be decided.

They say it's your birthday...

It's my birthday too! Yes, folks - tomorrow is the big day. And seeing as how Rob probably has the ENTIRE day all planned out for me, I figured I'd write a bit about it tonight. So, in honor of, well, me - here are 26 facts about me that you may not know:
1. My middle name is Anne - but for some reason in high school I told everyone it was Atkinson. I then went on to say that all of my siblings had the same middle name, but it had no significant meaning...I just had weird parents.
2. When I was four, I almost drowned in Lake Maxincukee, in Culver Indiana. A man had to dive in and save me - he was fully dressed.
3. I am a proud Coke Connoisseur. I cherish it like others cherish wine, and often plan my meals around it.
4. My brother Dan and I are 18 months apart - but used to tell everyone we were twins - but I was held back a grade. When the excitement wore off, we then began saying we were telepathic twins.
5. I love video games.
6. I only use five fingers to type: pointer and middle finger on both hands, and I press the enter button with my right pinkie. I'm not slow either - but Rob says it looks like uncontrolled spider legs running all over the keyboard.
7. I graduated high school with a C- cumulative GPA. Perhaps it was because I spent so much time making up stories (ie #s 1 and 4) Or perhaps it was because of #8.
8. I took almost every Wednesday off from school. Reason? None. Just didn't like school. My junior year, second semester, I missed 27 days of school.
9. My favorite color is green.
10. I have the best husband in the world...(thanks Rob, I was running out of ideas.)
11. My right eye dilates itself randomly. This freaks out my mom because it is apparently a major indicator of a brain tumor - but not in my case, just a freak eye.
12. I LOVE to go out for breakfast at ANY time of the day.
13. I had a crush on Davey Jones (from the Monkees)
14. I truly believe that the greatest music EVER came from the 70s.
15. I made sure that at my wedding reception in Chicago only 70s songs were played.
16. I started playing guitar when I was 18, but haven't taken enough time to become REALLY good. I still love to play - but not on demand.
17. I can clasp my hands behind my back, and bring them (still connected) all the way over my head. I can then step through them and do it all over again. I'm like a human jump rope.
18. I expect my husband to take August 24th off from work.
19. I LOVE to get my back tickled, and ask Rob almost nightly. He's FABULOUS at it!
20. I have two favorite smells - Rob and rain.
21. I love to write, and if I were to go back to finish out my degree, I would switch from Behavioral Science to English. I would LOVE to be an author some day.
22. I have a REALLY great memory. Sometimes if is embarrassingly good. I'm that,"hey - weren't we in Preschool together..?" person. I'm always bringing up memories with friends that have been totally forgotten.
23. I share my birthday with my best friend Mary. Happy Birthday Murr!
24. I look forward to getting the mail everyday, and used to fight with my brother Greg over whose turn it was.
25. I am a borderline insomniac. I spend several hours awake every night.
26. My favorite days of the year are (in order) 1. Christmas, 2. My birthday, 3. 4th of July

Well, there you have it. Now, when people ask you why August 24th is a National Holiday, you can give them 26 mediocre reasons. I hope you all have a great day off tomorrow. I'll post in a few days with some more birthday updates!

Happy Feet

About a month ago I bought a double jogging stroller and decided to take up running again. This is an activity, that at my very best, I am horrible. I've never been a good runner, yet for some reason - I always go back to it. My first day, I LITERALLY ran past three houses, and decided it was time to walk. The second day, I think I made it past five houses. (Thank goodness I live in an area where street blocks are about six houses long.) I've gradually worked up to the point - and feel free to laugh, that I can run about .65 of a mile, walk for a minute or two, and finish out the mile. I realize that this is not much of an accomplishment, but hey - it's better than three houses. Getting to the point...after yesterday's run, my knees were really sore - and I couldn't decide if it was the muscle or the joint. I did however, decide that it must be because I needed new shoes. (I also tried to explain to Rob that a new guitar would also fix the pain - but he wasn't buying it.) So, I went to Sports Authority and picked up these babies. Although a bit of an eye sore, they are the best running shoes I have ever owned. It felt like there were mini trampolines in each heel. They EVEN came with polka dotted shoe laces that say, "Nike - Shut up and Run" all over them.

Money, Money, Money!

This is getting a wee bit ridiculous. If you all recall, in my last post, I mentioned that we were having car drama. Today is the fourth consecutive week that one car or another has been in the shop. I'm going to give you all the run-down:

Rob realizes that it's time for a tune-up on his car. They find that the distributor cap and ignition wires need to be replaced. Although it sounds very minimal - it was quite a hefty bill.

Three days later, we head up to Rob's work party at Snowbird Ski Resort. The jeep starts to overheat, but we make it back - no problem. The next day, second gear is totally out.

We take in the Jeep (to the FIRST mechanic) who after 4 days, has still not even called with an estimate/problem. We pick the car up and take it to the second mechanic. Six days later - the car is finally "fixed." We had to replace the TRANSMISSION.

Rob's tires are completely bald - so we go to get the front two replaced. The alignment is off - so we need to realign them so as to not repeat the same wear on the tires.

The next day, the jeep begins to make some odd noises, so we once again take it back to the second mechanic. Four days in, and we still have yet to hear what the new problem is - and NEEDING A CAR, we go to pick it up again.

The reason we NEEDED the jeep so badly was because Rob was getting the windows tinted on his car. It sits in the sun all day, and is super hot by the time he heads home from work.

So, now we are at today. Rob dropped off the Honda to get the wheels alligned, and I was supposed to pick him up. I start the Jeep, and the engine is so loud, that it startles me. There is a rattle and a buzzing that I've never heard. As I drove down our street, people were staring at me...it was THAT loud. I pulled into the mechanic, and he even came out to see what all the noise was.

Needless to say, we picked up the Honda, and dropped off the Jeep - where tomorrow they will begin to work on wheel bearings, thermostat (the reason it was overheating to begin with) and whatever is making the rattling noise.

I think as soon as we get the Jeep back, we'll be putting them both up for sale. I'm starting to realize that when you read an ad for a used car that says, "new this," and "just replaced that.." that you're probably not getting that great of a deal. So - with that said...any of you suckers looking for a new car? I've got a great 2002 Honda Accord (with new tires and tinted windows) and a 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee (new transmission, wheel bearings, and thermostat).

I know, I know, I KNOW! It's been almost three weeks. It all started with the transmission going out on the Jeep, and Rob and I being stuck with one car. Most people would assume that I would then be spending a lot of time trapped at home, but instead I chose to keep the car, and cart Rob's fanny to and from work, lunch, school, etc. It was a long two weeks. YES, I DID say two weeks. Let's now discuss how great it is to have my car again. Oh wait - I don't have my car, it's BACK IN THE SHOP! Somehow in all the "fixing" another problem arose. Drama, drama, drama. Anyway, seeing as how I don't know how long I'll be out of comission this time - I give you, "Wilson Family Overload" to tide you over. Enjoy.



Untitled from makopp47 and Vimeo.
Madelyn has started a new obsession with numbers and letters. She knows all of her letters and can count to twenty. And when I say count to twenty, I mean get up to fourteen, and then say "unteen, nnnteen, unteen, nnteen.." until I stop her with twenty. My favorite part is that she says, "one, two, free, four, figh, sick, segen," and then eight, nine and ten, are said with a southern accent and high pitched. I have NO idea where that came from. Whenever we're in the car she points out all the letters on signs and stores. I guess if she's got an obsession, this is a good one.



Untitled from makopp47 and Vimeo
Jude is hilarious. He is not a Momma's boy, or a Daddy's boy - he's a Maddie's boy. He thinks she is by far the funniest person that walks this earth. He crawls everywhere, and is starting to pull himself up onto things. He sure has one heck of a laugh.

I'll wrap up "Wilson Family Overload" with some pictures from this evening's photo shoot(and a few random - not yet posted pictures). Please forgive me, and know that I'll get back on the ball soon.

Adventures in Ear Piercing

Stef and I decided to be fourteen today, and went to the mall together. We participated in the food court lunch, the aimless shopping, frozen yogurt, and MY big event, the piercing. I got my ears pierced when I was eleven, but they closed up. So, at age twenty five, I decided to get them pierced again. Fourteen years later it is STILL as scary.




So, there you have it. I now have bling. Please forgive my sideburns - they never fully recovered after my mother had her way with them. She was SURE that triangle sideburns were ALL the rage.

Nada Nada Limonada

I remember that during my two weeks of seventh grade Spanish, my teacher had a poster on the wall that said, "¿Que Pasa, Calabaza? Nada Nada Limonada." I'll let you Babel Fish Translation that yourself. Call it homework, if you will...

Anywho, I guess that's pretty much been our lives lately - yard work, and our anual Pioneer Day Firework Fiesta. This year's extravaganza was another success, except for the taddle-tale neighbor that called the fuzz on us. Luckily we had taken all of our fireworks inside about three minutes before they drove by.

I don't have a whole lot to blab about, so I'll just share this interesting article that I found online. It made me think about my own cat, Kitty (whom my parents have had since I was eight). He has been run over, shot, had two holes in his stomach, and has been in more than his fair share of fights. At this point we're pretty sure he's immortal. However, do you think that there is a girbil or hamster that can do the same thing for him? I mean, he's over eighteen years old, and we're all pretty curious as to when he'll go to Kitty Heaven. Maybe if we can get one of these amazing animals - the family can all fly in for his final days. Or maybe Leezard (my brother's bearded Dragon) will know. Afterall, he seems to be pretty tight with the cats around my house.

Why Six Months is Awesome

Life is good as a six month old. Here's why:
You get to eat any and everything you find on the floor.

You can crawl.

You can finally participate in Dad's cool tricks.

Your legs work.

We can finally tell which parent you look like.

And you're CUTER than ever.

Now?

I'm wondering at what point I should begin to get scared. If anyone has HAD these experiences, feel free to give any insight. Yesterday morning I was sitting on the couch with Jude, and Madelyn was on the floor in front of the TV. We were all minding our own business when Madelyn's jumper began to jump itself. It bounced up and down twice, and then swung back and forth for about thirty seconds. All three of us stopped and stared. When I finally realized what had happened, I ran to the computer to IM Rob. He wrote it off as a stuck spring. I decided to believe (if only for my own sanity). But tonight at dinner, Rob and I were talking, when the microwave started beeping. Our microwave (that hasn't been used all day) decided to start itself. It entered in the time of six minutes and thirty four seconds, and began to microwave nothing. So, uh, now what? Do I wait for my refrigerator to say Zuul, or should I get the heck out of here before we all turn into dogs?!

On an added note, the microwave started itself again yesterday - right in front of me. This time it started itself for seven minutes and two seconds. I've decided to take the advice of friends and my mother (whose house is also haunted) and make friends with the ghosts. I told them yesterday that these little games were fine by me, but I would NOT put up with any of them deciding to show themselves. Thus far we're all in agreement. I'll keep you all posted.

"Happy Earth Day To Do"

It's been four days since Madelyn's party, and she's still singing "happy earth day." I think it was her favorite day of all time. We started the evening with a few gifts at home, and then headed over to Chuck E Cheese. Madelyn threw the biggest fit in the parking lot because Rob was walking too fast. He was carrying the "manoons" and she couldn't keep up. The girl OBVIOUSLY had no idea where we were going, or balloons would not have been such a big deal. The second we walked through the door, the crying stopped. That was also the point at which I smashed into the cupcakes I was carrying, leaving a very unfortunately placed frosting spot on my shirt. There was singing, there was dancing, and of course there were games. Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate. Madelyn had a blast, and spent the entire next day playing with her new gifts.





After the party, we came back home and Maddie played with her gifts. We then spent some much enjoyed time on our new sod. That was, until Rob realized he was lying on an ant colony. No worries, only a few bites here and there. All in all, it was a great birthday.

This pretty much sums up how Madelyn felt about her rockin birthday at Chuck E. Cheese. Once I'm past this flu, I'll post more pictures...like my rockin cupcakes.


Untitled from makopp47 and Vimeo.

Since We're Not Celebrating...

Madelyn is two today - but we're not having a party until later this week. It's been super crazy with our family reunion, so we decided she wouldn't care if we put off her party. I figured I would take a minute, and post some pictures of Madelyn taken today, and post a few little know facts about her. We'll call it a "Madelyn Spotlight" - if you will.

Madelyn loves water - tub, pool, drinking, you name it. She'll even go on the big water slides by herself.


Madelyn loves to dance - and she's quite good, if I do say so myself.

Madelyn has two favorite songs: Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears, and The Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani. She can sing a lot of the words to both.

Madelyn is (and has been since birth) the worst sleeper. Jude outsleeps her by at least 4 hours/night.

Madelyn's best friend is the dog next door named Gilly. She can spend hours a day standing at the fence playing with her.

Madelyn knows most of her colors, ALL of her body parts (even down to details like eyebrows) can count to ten, and is amazing at puzzles.

Maddie hates anything sweet. She hates fruit, juices, and candy. She only drinks milk and water.

She's an AMAZING manipulator - even at this age. Example: Maddie asks for bubbles, I tell her no. She then jumps up and down with sheer excitement screaming, "Yay!! Bubbles!! Okay!!" And runs to find bubbles.



Madelyn is SUPER independent. She likes to play on her own, and enjoys entertaining herself. She's also very good with kids, and plays very nicely - she doesn't hit, and she's really good about sharing.

Maddie LOVES to cuddle.

Maddie loves to make people laugh. The girl is pure hilarity.

Madelyn is one of my best friends. I genuinely enjoy her company and am so proud to call such a cute girl my daughter.



Happy Birthday Madelyn! I absolutely adore you!