Aided by the Gator

If a love for a certain beverage makes one a Gator, I will soon need to start writing checks to the University of Florida. You see, a week of stomach stress has left my poor little guy a Gatorade addict. It all started innocently enough. We were battling dehydration and I asked the pediatrician if I should give him Pedialyte. The doc said (and I quote), "Have you ever had that stuff! It's gross! He's old enough for Gatorade." All righty then. I won't be testing that out. For the record, I did not try a single baby food that I fed Jackson. Not one. The potential for retching in front of him when the strained peas passed my lips was far worse than the thought that I haven't previewed every morsel he's ever consumed. But I'm not sure Gatorade is any better. USA Today gives this little history on Gatorade development:

"In 1965, Florida researchers, led by Robert Cade, after studying sweat to see what nutrients the body lost during athletic activity, created a fluid to replace them. The researchers convinced the Florida football team to use it, but they could not interest their own school in marketing the new-fangled concoction, and couldn't find a anyone else until Stokely Van Camp began producing it in 1967."

Yeah, I think I'm going to pass on that marketing angle as well. "Gatorade. This is what your sweat tastes like."

Regardless, Jackson LOVES the Gatorade. So we gave it to him instead of milk all last week. This afternoon, his stomach completely recovered (mostly because he gave the nasty bug to me!), he ripped open the fridge with super-human strength so that he could show me that his beverage of choice was in there. And there were to be no substitutions. I was becoming concerned that he would stage a sit-in right there in the kitchen. He won that round. However, he was later tricked into drinking the moo juice because there was a straw option.

Oh, and he prefers the BLUE Gatorade. Surely it's because RED and BLACK RAIDERADE is not available!

Madness of the Residential Kind

Poor, poor blog. How I have neglected you. Honestly, these days, more often than not, I am looking at my calendar and wondering where the time has gone. For today, I thought I would fill you in on where January went.

Last month, Tiffany pointed out that it looked like we were doing some remodeling. Well . . . not exactly. Ever since Jonathan and I have had cable television, we have watched a lot of HGTV (mostly when I had custody of the remote). I was completely captivated by the transformations people were able to make to their homes. Jonathan was more than a little inspired by the power of incorporating real estate in one's investment portfolio. And once the house-flipping show genre came on the scene, we were constantly saying, "We can do it better." I was saying that from the comfort of my couch, probably wearing sweats. My beloved, on the other hand, was quite serious.

And so in November everything fell into place and Jonathan bought a house of his very own. And the marathon of remodeling began. The house was built in the early 80s and it enjoyed every decorating trend of that stylish period. Floral wallpaper, intercoms in every room, saloon doors in the master bath, Aggie maroon toilet/shower/countertop, a Red Raider wet bar, and the most evil wall-to-wall wood paneling man has ever known. We painted every square inch of that house. And we did it as a family (me, Jonathan, his mom and dad, and one crazy two year old). It was pure madness.

But in the end, that house looks great. I am so proud of all the hard work Jonathan put into it, and I am even more proud of him for turning our couch potato conversations into a reality. Oh, and just so you don't think I am boasting without evidence, the house was under contract after 6 days on the market!!!

There is but one issue left one the table - how do I get this paint out of my hair?

Below is the AMAZING transformation. Enjoy.

Two is Terrific

My sweet baby boy is turning two today! It has been a crazy, wild ride and even though I am still desperately searching for the user's manual of motherhood, I continue to love every minute. Jonathan and I are so blessed to have this sweet little guy in our lives.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JACKSON!!!

We love you.

2 minutes old

2 days old

2 weeks old

2 months old

12 months old

20 months old

2 years old

The Christmas Craft

Christmas seemed to arrive like an atomic blast around here this past year. I am just now making my way out of the bunker. But one craft project did survive the bullet train of a holiday celebration. The family Christmas stockings? No, those made it as far as the stacking of fabric in my dining room. The "quiet book" I had planned for Jackson? Nope, it's in the dining room too. Years and years of scrapbooking? No, no, let's not overexert ourselves. This year's completed Christmas craft is BRADY BLOCKS! They were so much fun to make and they turned out pretty cute! I'll be leaving the rest of my craft projects for my crafter's intervention. I wouldn't want to disappoint.

Scanner Sunday: My other college education

In the name of all that is fun, Tiffany has brought us a blessed new holiday: Scanner Sunday. It is a day for us to stop and reflect on what we did in the days before digital cameras. Back when we had to make choices like, "am I ready for double prints?". Earlier this week, Tiffany pointed out that I know what's what when it comes to toilets. But the story of how I know this is oh so interesting. Long ago, Tiffany and I got the opportunity to be some of the very first residents of new apartment-style student housing at Texas Tech. We went to severe lengths to obtain this privilege, because opportunities like this didn't come every day. The plan was for me, Tiffany, and Joy to inhabit this lovely "town home", but when construction wasn't finished on time (HUGE shocker), we begged the Housing and Dining powers-that-be to find a way for us to live there anyway. And they did. They matched us up with this lone girl whose three other roommates had cancelled out on her and put all of us in a "flat". We all got our own rooms so we figured "sure, whatever; just as long as we don't have to go back to the dorms". It was the oddest situation I have ever been in - 2 semesters and 10 words exchanged. Anyway, T and I had our rooms on one side of the flat and we shared a bathroom. We were overjoyed that it was just the two of us - since it had been us and our sixty closest friends in the dorm sharing a bathroom the year before. We took some great classes that semester, but I am afraid that the one that may have made the biggest impact on me was the one for which we did not register - Toilet Plumbing 101. We had this toilet that would barely accept 1 ply. Here are the things that I learned that year.

• "Water-saver" sounded like a great idea, but there are just some instances where I want as much water as necessary - flushing would be number one . . . and number 2. I promise to save the Earth some other way.


• There is a way to stop an overflowing toilet. It is the water cut-off valve and it is nothing short of a minor miracle.


• Not all plungers are created equal. Using the cheap red rubber instrument is futile. Any clog worth your time will laugh at the red rubber plunger - and by laugh I mean splash a big mess on your new shoes right before a big date. The Master Plunger is the only plunger you will ever need. We seemed to like to display ours prominently.


• Pipe snake - cool in a disgusting sort of way.


• The "water-saver toilet" is mandated by law. At the time, we had some theories about the involvement of our now Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. However, now I can't remember why we were laying the blame on her.


• Plunger skills are another thing you should look for in a life-mate. However, since mine were honed to such a superb level, J is forced to exert plumbing excellence on the hair clogs I create in the sink pipes (he is horrified).

Yeah, I learned more things that year, but it's the memories that I took away that make me who I am today - completely warped.

Me and Tiffany take on our toilet. I have the Master Plunger. T apparently has the muscles.

This is how Joy felt about the whole experience.

Not Pictured: 4th Roommate

Just when you thought it was safe . . .

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bathroom, my eagle-eyed spotter, Tiffany found this little gem.

Stay tuned for a riveting story of one of greatest lessons Tiffany and I learned during our sophomore year of college. There's drama, intrigue, and a plunger. It made us who we are today.

Why most construction sites do not include a 2 year old . .

Full can of paint, meet Jackson . . .

Full can of paint, we are not friends. You must be destroyed.

So, Dad, you weren't going to need that paint, right?

Carpet removal . . . check