Remembering 9/11 Blog Hop

I've decided to try this Blog Hop thing, where each week there is a new topic to blog about, with links to other blogs talking about the same topic. It's my first time, so we'll see if it works, and if I can keep up with a weekly, random, post. This week's topic is "Remembering 9/11."

I remember it was my very first day of OT school. We were all sitting in class, wondering what our professor was going to be like. I remember her saying, "This could be the start of World War Three." At this point, nobody really understood what was going on. When I got back to my house that afternoon, I turned on the news and just sat in awe. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I saw, in real time I believe, the second tower crumble. It might have the the first tower, but my memory is a little foggy. I remember getting tears in my eyes. I remember that Joe was supposed to go to Milwaukee for a Brewers baseball game, but it was cancelled. I remember wanting to find a church to go to and then sitting on our front porch with my roommates, lighting candles in memoriam. What an absolutely horrible day. A day we don't want to remember, because of the pain it caused so many people, but a day we must remember, as it will be written in history books, talked about in text books in school, be written on students' time lines that they have to create for homework. A day that brought people together in this country, made people hug their loved ones a little closer, and helped people realize what the important things are in life.


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Book Review

I finished reading "Truth and Consequences," by Alison Lurie, the other night. I enjoyed it, for the most part. The author made me dislike some of the characters, which was probably her intention, and it made me think about the situations presented. What would I do in a situation like that? How would I treat someone dealing with what one of the main characters was dealing with? It was a quick read, nothing too confusing or hard to follow. It wasn't spectacular, by any means, but I didn't feel like it was a waste of my time either. That's always a good thing! I find that my problem is that I start falling asleep, so when I pick the book back up the next night, I don't remember what has happened or what I read last. Oh well, at least I am able to read at night again!

Weird

I'm not one to usually share my dreams, which probably stems from my mother's hate of listening to other people's dreams, but I couldn't resist this one. I'll keep it short. Basically, I was having an affair with Biz Markie. I know, weird. Joe hunny, you have nothing to worry about.

Since the weather has been so beautiful, I wanted to take advantage of it, and spend as much time outside. I decided to take the kids to the zoo today. Since school started, I figured it wouldn't be very crowded. We pulled into the parking lot about an hour after the zoo had opened and it was PACKED! As I looked around, I began to notice several buses...not school buses, but transportation vans from local retirement communities. It was senior citizen day! Once we were actually inside the zoo, it didn't seem that crowded. We did have trouble finding a table in the shade to eat our packed lunches though...

Under the Weather

The entire Dietrich household is sick. We all have colds. Kids produce so much snot, it's ridiculous. But, it didn't stop us from going to a playgroup this morning. It was at a park, so I figured we probably wouldn't expose anyone. It was a beautiful day and we met some very nice families. The playgroup is a part of the Newcomers Group I recently joined. There are a few more events I'd like to attend this month. I'm excited to have this resource, especially during the winter months when it's so hard to get out a do things.

Ella will be starting a "Pre-3" preschool class on Friday mornings, from 9:00 until 11:00. She misses the September 1st cut-off to start 3K, but this program was created especially for these types of situations. She will also be starting the preschool curriculum at Ms. Linda's, beginning next week. Based on what we see now, we think Ella will be ready for Kindergarten starting in September of 2011. She would start Kindergarten as a 4 year old, but would turn 5 21 days later. Our school district has special testing if parents want their children to start Kindergarten, even if they miss the September 1st cut-off date. But, it's a long ways off, and things could change. There are so many differing opinions about this subject, it's quite overwhelming. So, I'm just going to enjoy my time at home with her for now!

Despite being sick, Nate has been pretty much sleeping through the night. We've come so far with that! I think back to when we was only a few months old, and can just remember the sheer exhaustion. Those first few months were a roller coaster ride for sure! I wouldn't take back a minute of it.

Our diet is going very well! You may have noticed the weight-loss ticker on my left side-bar. I'm down about 4 or 5 pounds. Joe and I have kept each other going and I'm very proud of us. We've been taking walks almost every evening, and let me tell you, pushing that double jogging stroller adds a nice upper body work-out! We've tried some great new recipes that even I like!
(For those of you who don't know, I'm kind of a picky eater.) The best part is that I don't really feel hungry. I don't feel like I'm depriving myself at all, which makes it all the more easy to stick with the plan.

Enough about us! My very good friend, Christine, told me the most exciting news the other day. Click here to find out! God is great!!! Christine and I have been friends since early high school. We ran cross-country together and were co-captains of the team our senior year. She has an adorable little boy, who turned one this past March. They live all the way across the country, in Seattle, so we don't see each other nearly enough. Luckily, we can keep up to date through our blogs. She was my inspiration to start blogging, ya know. I am so thrilled beyond words for Christine and her family!

Head on over to my friend April's blog to enter a give-away! And then, while you're doing that, check out her new blog store, where she is selling the cutest hats and headbands for little ones! And plus, you can check out my kids striking a pose!

Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law, Liz!

This and That

Nathan is a crawling machine! He is so fast, and has quickly learned how to get up the step from the family room. Time to bring out the baby gates again! He puts up his arms when I ask, "How big are you?" He also started to sign "more." And, knock on wood, he's been sleeping through the night the past few nights. He is fascinated with whatever Ella is doing and thinks that she is just hilarious! Ella, on the other hand, thinks her brother is annoying and continues to ask me to "move him" when he gets too close while she's playing. But, they do play nicely together sometimes!

We met our good friend, April, and her son Jackson, in Lomira yesterday. Lomira is pretty much exactly half-way between New Berlin and Greenville, where April and Jax drove from. You may have noticed a new button on the left side-bar, called "April Accents." This is April's new on-line boutique. She is so talented! Plus, my kids were her models, so it's like they're famous. Or something like that. You can check out April's blog for more pictures of our picnic in the park. Here are a few of our attempts at a group picture.

(Notice Ella pulling Nathan by the shirt? Thanks Ella.)

Well, you can't say we didn't try! And here's a shot of Ella modeling one of April's creations! Isn't it cute?

Blogger changed their formatting a little, so I'm still trying to feel my way around the new changes. Like where the heck did the "add a video" option go??? I'm sure an amature. And spell check! Where is that? Hmmm...I'm not sure if I like this.

*Update*

I just changed my settings back to the old editor option. I guess I'm just not ready yet. I never was good with change.

Commitment

Just in the past two days or so, I've made two major commitments. Starting September 13th, I will be teaching K5 Sunday School at our church. They were desperately looking for volunteers, so I felt it was something I could and should do. I hope I'm not wrong! Ella will be starting in the 3 year old Sunday School room, which I think she will enjoy.

The second commitment is something Joe and I will be doing together. We have decided to start the Slimfast diet plan starting this Monday. I will keep our progress updated on this blog, as it may prove to be something to keep us accountable! It really comes down making a life-style change. We need to eat healthier, not only for ourselves, but for our children also. We need to be role-models for our children, so they will make healthy choices as well. I'm glad that Joe and I decided to do this together. I think we will be good support for each other. Stay tuned...

We have our first "Newcomers Group" event this Saturday. It's called "Bon Appetit." It's basically a dinner party, held at a member's home, with a specific theme. The theme this month is Spanish Tapas. Every couple is responsible for bringing a side dish, while the host/hostess provide the main course and drinks. I'm looking forward to going, but I'm a little apprehensive as well. It's always hard meeting new people and making small talk. But, we have to start somewhere. Luckily, two of the couples go to our church, so that will make it a little less awkward. Hopefully.

39 Things Every Mom Should Know

I read an article in the latest "Parents" magazine, written by Kacy Faulconer, and I wanted to share some of the "39 Things Every Mom Should Know." She begins the article by saying, "...but here's something very specific to enjoy about your little kids: They don't know what you're actually up to."

* Don't beat yourself up if you have to use a bribe.

* Put Band-Aids on everything your kids want you to. Why not?

* Know this: That stain won't come out. And it's okay. (The sooner you accept this, the better.)

* Answer this question: What is the worst thing that can happen if your kids sleep in their clothes?

* Teach them to pump on the swings ASAP.

* Remember clogging lessons are not in the best interest of the child.

Good advice, isn't it? I thought it was so funny, but very true.

We had a visitor from last Thursday until Tuesday. One of my oldest friends, Kari, drove to Michigan to stay with us for a few days. We've been friends since middle school, which brings us back to around 1991 or so! That's a long time! It was really nice to catch up and spend some time together. We had the opportunity to go out on the town, just the two of us. We took a river boat cruise, ate dinner at an Irish Pub, had some drinks (or several), went to a "Spy bar", listened to dueling pianos, and had a night cap while sitting on a patio, overlooking the river. And that was just Friday and Saturday! The rest of the time, Kari watched me try and control my children. She helped Ella dress up like a princess and cracked up at Nathan's facial expressions. Many of my funniest memories are with Kari.

Meads Mill Middle School, 1992



Did you know that we live in a nature preserve? Not really, but look who also came to visit.

A momma deer and her two babies have been hanging around our yard, eating the crab apples (thank you deer!). I looked outside one afternoon and saw the two babies just sitting in the wood chips, under the trees. I'm pretty sure the momma is the same deer who enjoys my garden.

Speaking of my garden, I'm fairly certain I planted cucumbers, but instead of cucumbers growing, I have about 8 pumpkins growing. Worst garden ever.