Why? Why? Why?

I'd like to strangle the person that taught my son the word "why." You might say something like, I'm going to the store for a gallon of milk." He'll say, "why?" You say, because we're out of milk and we need more. He'll say, "why?" You say, because we like to drink milk. He'll say, "why?" You say, because it tastes good and it's good for your body. He'll say, "why?" You'll get into a scientific discussion with a 3 year old about how milk works in the body. He'll say, "why?" Inevitably you will either end up in a discussion where you are either scientifically or philosophically in over your head. For those that are thinking I should respond to these neverending inquiries by saying, "Because I said so," this doesn't work. It doesn't satisfy the boy and he will just say "why?".

The Women of Distinction Luncheon went swimmingly. Well, maybe not swimmingly, but it went well and now it's over. YAY. I think I've learned a lesson with that undertaking: I'm not at a place in my life where I can take on projects like that. When my kids are older, I'll venture back in to serious philanthropy. For now, we'll volunteer where we can; but Patrick and Eva won't be babies forever and we want to make the most of this time while we can.

Coming Soon...Patrick's 3rd Birthday

Larry the Jabberbox

So on May 27th, 2006 at 3:16pm I gave birth to a tiny baby boy. We named him Patrick Joseph Riney. Now I have an almost three year old boy named "Larry the Jabberbox." How, you ask, has this happend? I will share the story here and now. For a while now, my dad has been calling Patrick a jabberbox. Patrick usually responds, "I not a jabberbox!" This is because he doesn't know what a jabberbox is. The other day, I told him he was a "hilarious jabberbox." He says, "I Larry the Jabberbox." And with this, my sweet baby Patrick was gone.

A few other gems:
featsa=pizza
billy, billy big=really, really big

We've been busy with The Policeman's Ball. It was last Saturday night and it went swell. A great time was had by all. Patrick's 3rd birthday is next week. Women of Distinction is next Thursday. Lunch for 250+...no worries. Business is picking up too. Sam has been in lots of training and working lots of overtime. We've missed him and are happy he has a few days off this week!
Eva is chugging along and has a height/weight check tomorrow. We're hoping she's gained a little weight. I think that's all we've got for now.

A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

So I'm very guilty of being a lazy blogger lately. Things have gotten so nutty that I'm happy to get my teeth brushed everyday! Sam and I were busy this week with training; he in Fairview Heights and me in Collinsville. Emily and Steve are mid-move to their new house. Many a fun events are being planned...Policeman's Ball (5/16), Women of Distinction Luncheon (5/28), Patrick's Birthday Party, Mother's Day, and more. Sam and I did our first dual DUI talk on May 1st. We spoke at Alton High to the senior class about driving under the influence. I spoke at Ofallon on 4/30 to two driver's ed classes. 5/13 I'm going back to Madison County Court to speak to DUI offenders. After that, I think I need a break for a while. Reliving it takes a lot out of me.

Eva is still tiny. I have added avocado to her diet in hopes that the "good fat and protein" in them will stick to her bones. She is SO cute though. She's sitting up really well and even held herself standing for a few seconds the other night. To the right, Eva is enjoying a biter biscuit.

Believe it or not, Patrick will be 3 in a few weeks. It's shocking that he's turning into this little somewhat self sufficient human. He speaks in full sentences: "The giant pickle is coming to get us!" Not to disappoint, here are a few of his new words:

moatmeal=oatmeal

dokey dokey=okey dokey

lambeylance=ambulance

peececar=police car

waller=water

veeva=eva

A couple of funny stories too: I made chocolate chip cookies the other day. Toward the end, Patrick came in and wanted to help, so we washed hands and I gave him a bit of dough and asked him to roll it into a ball. I wasn't sure if he could do it, but he sure did roll it up into a perfectly round ball. I was so proud. Then he popped it into his mouth and ate it. He was then retired from cookie dough rolling for the day.

Later that same afternoon, Patrick offered a fitness class. A week ago Patrick did yoga with me in the family room...just a few stretches. At the time we did it, he happend to not have a shirt on, just pj pants. So on this particular afternoon, after the cooke dough incident, Patrick came and grabbed me by the hand and dragged my up to the front room. He had retrieved my yoga mat and spread it on the living room floor. He took off his shirt and jumped on the mat and said, "It's time to take our ogats mommy!" Ogats is Patrick for yoga. Too cute!