Mini Reunion

Last weekend we had a little college reunion at our place. Our friends from Duluth/Superior (Curt's college buddies) came up along with Andrew & Brea and our friend Jared from high school. They stayed over for a night and we had a good time laughing, playing games, eating, and boys drinking. Some of the highlights included playing spoons (above photo); our random smorgasbord of crab legs, venison steak, venison hamburger, and potatoes; playing a couple nerdy games that Cody couldn't stand; talking about our upcoming Vegas vacation (more info in a later post); and a friend who shall remain anonymous wetting himself all over our couch because his phone alarm didn't wake him up to pee when he was super drunk. Curt and I thought it was a joke when he told us about it, but he spent the next morning cleaning my couch while we got breakfast ready. The good part is that he cleaned it well and was able to laugh with us about the whole thing.

Even though it was kind of a last-minute thing we had a good showing, and we always have a blast when we're together. We wish we could do it more frequently. Thanks, guys!

Brendon in serious thought over his next move

Jackson and Chee watching the nerd game

Cody and I getting dinner ready

Cody making fun of nerds

Cured?

Jackson remained sick and hacking for over a week. Curt stayed home with him for two days. He had periods of good attitude and periods of bad attitude. (So did Jackson, haha.) It was funny how he could change like that and be so sick all the while. They gave him lots of medicine, which he took pretty well. I tried to do the yucky kind first and follow it with the fruity flavor so he'd swallow rather than just open his mouth and let it dribble out. He even had eye drops for the possible pink eye, which he didn't love, but we tried to keep him from rubbing his eyes so they could work a little. He still has a runny nose all the time and occasional gunky eye, so we give the drops when he needs it and they clear it up pretty well. I hope that's an okay thing to do! I have no idea... I'm glad this is the only time he's really been sick. Oh, and I ended up with a miserable week-long sinus infection and missed a day of work while Curt had the sniffles and a sore throat for about three hours max. Ain't that the way it goes.

The Sickness

Well, I think it's waining, but the whining quotient has definitely gone up. The daycare lady said he did pretty well being back today, but we sometimes think she'd say that no matter how he behaved (right, Deb?). I was talking with my friend Shawn today about the interesting dichotomy of being annoyed with the whining/clinginess of sick little babes while feeling so bad for them at the same time. Jackson went to the doctor on Wednesday and was not officially diagnosed with anything, but was given lots of medicine anyway. Oddly enough, he was in a better mood before he got the medicine and has not been himself lately. Oh, and although I hate to admit it, it turns out Curt was partially right about not taking him in when I initially wanted to. His situation was far from an emergency, and it really would have cost us an arm and a leg. My mommy instinct was kicking in because I knew he was experiencing pain on some level, or at least discomfort, but we were better off to just bring him in the next morning like we did. Shh, don't tell Curt I admitted he was partially right. :)

Sick Day :(

Today Jackson had to stay home with Daddy for his first real sick day - not a milestone I was looking forward to. Then again, we're lucky that this is the first time! He shared germs with his cousin this weekend and ended up with her yuckiness. It seems worse than a cold after he first wakes up, and his breath can get pretty wheezy and he coughs pretty hard. His body is warm, but his temp is not that high. It's hard to know whether to take him in or leave him be. I don't know how much they would be able to help him at his age, and his demeanor, though more worn-out, is still generally good. Now, on top of all that, I think he might have pink eye! Of course Curt the Calm says he's fine and that I worry too much - which is probably true - but on the other hand I think he's overly lax about some parenting issues. We debate and seem to go round and round in circles and it can be so frustrating! It helps to know that we are not alone in our parenting struggles, and I always know that both of us have Jackson's best interest at heart, no matter what. Hopefully my sunshine boy is back to his old self in no time.

Dave and Buster's

On Saturday we headed down to Curt's parents' house in Zimmerman for another family outing. Every year for the past 6 years now, we've gathered together in the winter for a family weekend filled with food, games, and good times. We like to take Craig & Eileen out for dinner to show our appreciation for all they do for us, and it's the only time all year where we all go out together. Each of their five children takes a turn choosing where we go; this year it was Sheila's turn, the eldest, and she picked an awesome new place! At least it's new to me. Dave and Buster's is a restaurant/bar/gaming facility in Maple Grove. They had all different kinds of games, from arcade to casino to even carnival, with some random stuff in between. The crowd was very eclectic (think arcade, carnival, casino... random...) and it seemed that there were children and babies everywhere! I even saw my cousin there... with her child and baby. Although it was a tad spendy and in the end we just went home with lame prizes, we did get a deal with dinner (delicious! wide menu variety and awesome dessert!) which included some gaming money. Overall I thought it was definitely worth it to have so much fun doing something different! Everyone participated and was entertained. If you have a birthday or some other event coming up that calls for celebration, try Dave 'N Busters for a memorable night of something new! I heard the under-18 crowd gets kicked out at some point, too, so it'd be a more grown-up atmosphere in which to celebrate. :) Thanks to the Wojo clan for another fun weekend!

Weather Day! :)

Today I celebrate for all the children who are experiencing that all-too-rare bliss upon waking in the morning to find that they get to remain in bed for as long as they want. Wasn't that just the best feeling in the world back in the day?! Oh, the memories... I also celebrate selfishly: the weather outside is sure frightful, but I find it delightful that I did not have to report to work!!! Too bad our agency isn't giving it to us for free, though. :( Although most of our sites are closed, our agency did not officially shut down for some lame reason. At least I am one of the teachers and not some office worker who had to haul her poor frozen ass in to work today! Or any of you who had to do the same... sorry! Our jobs can be tough at times (understatement), but this is definitely one of the perks. Staying home to cuddle and play with Jackson is a huge pick-me-up!

Random Thoughts

Let me first just say that I have yet to open my book and get any reading done this weekend. I thought it would be important for you to know that you, my loyal readers, come first. Did you notice that it's been just a week since my last post? Pretty good for this girl! But just knowing that you are checking for more frequent updates makes me feel guilty enough to post twice in one day (Sledding Party is below).

The title of today's post makes me think of "Deep Thoughts" from SNL. Remember, the one with the voice-over and the picture of a babbling brook or a hiking trail or some other nature picture meant to make viewers conjure their own images of serenity, just so we could laugh at the goofball?! "And now... Deep Thoughts. By Jack Handey." Here's a classic: "The face of a child can say it all, especially the mouth part of the face." And a fond look back at childhood memories:

The memories of my family outings are still a source of strength to me. I remember we'd all pile into the car - I forget what kind it was - and drive and drive. I'm not sure where we'd go, but I think there were some trees there. The smell of something was strong in the air as we played whatever sport we played. I remember a bigger, older guy we called "Dad." We'd eat some stuff, or not, and then I think we went home. I guess some things never leave you.

Haha, those are great. I wish they'd revive him. They'd earn back this viewer! I'm pretty sure he was a writer for the show. Google "deep thoughts by Jack Handey" if you want to read more.

Jackson is 11 months old today! Last year at this time I was just praying that he'd be born early. No such luck there, as it turned out. It's crazy to think that he'll be one year old next month! My goodness.

I was enjoying some Quattro Formaggio-flavored Thin Triscuits with today's lunch when I noticed that below the title it said, "Natural Flavor with Other Natural Flavors." I have been seeing that blip more and more lately. Doesn't that seem ridiculously redundant? I don't think "Quattro Formaggio" is a natural flavor. It just means four cheese. So, sure, natural flavors from the four cheeses, but do they really need to tell us that there are others as well? It would suffice to label the crackers as a naturally flavored snack. It just sounds so corny in my head when I read it, not to mention looking ridiculous on the box. I'm just glad to discover that there is at least some small amount of goodness in this overly-processed product that I happily consume! Okay, so I'm really a nerd. You should not be surprised by now! Let me know of any other silly-sounding notations you fellow geeks come across. :)