Merry Band of Hooligans

Great Wolf Lodge 2011

2012-01-02T22:02:00.002-06:00

This May the Hooligans made the voyage to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. Gwen went with us and we had lots of fun. Lots of swimming, eating yummy food, howling with the wolves, and zooming down the slides. We'll let the photos do the talking here...

Great Wolf Lodge 2011 - make sure you view in full screen, comments in bottom left corner. :)

Photo Card

2011-11-27T21:57:00.001-06:00

Joy Plus Peace Christmas

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Our Sweet 5 Year Old - Patrick Joseph

2011-10-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

Patrick’s 5^th birthday was momentous…I can’t believe that we have a 5 year old. This was tough mentally because now we’ve got a “big kid,” not a little boy. How did this happen?!

Anyway, Patrick was very excited about all the fun stuff we had planned. He first celebrated in Mrs. Cannon’s class with a cookie cake. He’s really into being a cowboy right now, so for this party, we did a horse. They loved it!

Patrick celebrated his birthday with his friends at the firehouse in Alton. They got to tour the firehouse (except they didn’t get to slide down the pole, sorry Katie B.). The kids thought this was super cool. We did a piñata. Patrick went first. Eva went last. All the kids got to take a wack. Fun stuff…except at the end I was left holding a headless dog. Anyway, then we went back upstairs and opened presents and had cake and juice/milk. Awesome party.

Finally, we celebrated Patrick’s birthday with our family and close friends. I have to say, this is one of my favorite things we do. Having our closest people with us to celebrate my kids is so special. There is so much love, it makes my heart happy. We had this party at our house. Sam got out the bounce house -and all the yard toys. Patrick, Casey and Eva had lots of fun playing. All the grownups visited and played too. We had a nacho bar…yummy! Sam made a Buzz Lightyear cake that was a ton of work, but looked cool.

Overall, our big boy had a lovely birthday with lots of special people.

Lots of Birthday Photos Here!

Jammies - 2nd Generation

2011-08-27T22:14:00.000-05:00

Above is a photo of Eva wearing a pair of pajamas that I had as a little girl. My grandparents got them for me in Hawaii. Sissy looks so cute and sassy. :)

One last kiss...

2011-08-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

So tonight I kissed my pre-schooler and tucked him in one last time. Tomorrow he will wake up a kindergartener. How this happend, I have no idea. He was a baby just a few months ago. He still needs me to kiss his boo boos and needs lots of loving at night. He was scared tonight, a little nervous. He said, "but I don't even know how to read yet mommy." I assured him that the other kids probably didn't know how to read either. That's what he's there to learn. I told him it would be a lot like Mrs. Cannon's class.
We went to his classroom today for the first time. Met his teacher, played with kids in his class, many of whom he already knew. He was more comfortable afterwards. His classroom is beautiful.
I know this is a new phase for Patrick. I can see that he's apprehensive and a worrier, but once he gets to know people, he has so much fun. He is smart and well spoken. He is so sweet and compassionate.I'm so proud of him and know he'll do great. We love him so much.
While being the mom and dad of young children is hard and sometimes exhausting, I know I will miss these sweet, sweet days. I love those two little turkeys so much.

A Day at the Park, April 27, 2011

2011-08-18T17:39:00.000-05:00

I swear I'm working on getting caught up. Patrick starts school next week and our summer fun is winding down. I, Mama Hooligan, hereby swear to get our summer blogged before Halloween. Not so ambitious sounding, but trust me, we've been busy!
On this day, Sam and I took the kids, the human ones and the furrier ones, to Gordon Moore Park. While Sissy is only two, she is riding a bicycle like a pro. Patrick LOVES riding his bicycle.

Click Here to see our afternoon of fun!

Hooligans go to The Magic House

2011-07-25T07:22:00.000-05:00

In April, the Hooligans made their inaugural trip to The Magic House. Lots of fun! First, we hit the area of the "house" that was specifically meant for "the wee ones." Age appropriate, easy to understand, not easy to break activities there. You'll see photos of some of us standing in an authentic Blues hockey goal, Sam playing a shape game with rubberbands, the kids having loads of fun, and the water play table.

Then we visited Bob the Builder, and his cat. Apparently we aren't avid fans of Mr. the Builder, because I didn't know he had a cat. Anyway, the kids built and destroyed many things in this room. Eva "drove" a bull-dozer; how appropriate, right? They had their photo taken with Mr. the Builder and Eva was riding on the cat. Niiiice.

We made it up to the rooftop "garden" where Patrick plucked lots of veggies and made stew for us. Then Sam and Patrick disappeared behind a wall in the mystery area. I'm not kidding here. I couldn't figure out how to get the darn wall to open so I could get back there! Eva and I were laggards because we had to make a bathroom stop. The Magic House really made her comfortable and if I remember correctly, she pooped (in her pull-ups) 3 times. Oh what fun! Sorry if that's TMI, but I know the ins and outs of every bathroom at that place now!

Then we visited the governemnt section. They had an oval office, a Senate room, and a court room. Although my kiddos were a bit too young to appreciate much of this, Sam and I thought it was very cool. My children both got their photos taken behind the presidential podium. When they become POTUS, I'll get one of those two part frames and label it "at 5 years old" and "at 45 years old." It will be a crowning jewel at my house (you know, the White House where I'm living taking care of my grandchildren).

Finally, we found the ball that makes your hair stand on end. It was in an old closet! Sam and I clearly remember this from our own childhood as the pinnacle attraction at The Magic House and here it was shoved in a back room. I thought that was mighty disrespectful. Until I found out that it hasn't moved since it was placed originally. I guess we were wee people back then and the whole experience was large, so the room was remembered that way too.

We were exhausted by this point, and hungry too. We found a nice patch of grass in the "backyard" of the House and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Beautiful spring day. We created some great memories and got some great photos to hold onto for future reference. :)
Photos of our Day

Chalk on the House

2011-06-14T14:40:00.000-05:00

A while back, we let the kids play out front. They enjoy "chalking" on the sidewalk and driveway. Well on this day, that was not good enough. I left them unsupervised for a few minutes...and boy did we pay for it. I'll let the pictures explain...

We laughed about the mess and tried our darndest to scold the kids in between our own giggles and smiles. It was hilarious. I was taking the kids out of town for the day for a baby shower the following week. I asked Sam to have it gone by the time we returned from our day trip Although it was still pretty chilly outside, he hauled out the hose that had been put away for the winter and got all the chalk off the siding. Surely our neighbors enjoyed our artful display for the week though...right?

Eva's Big Girl Bed

2011-06-14T14:21:00.000-05:00

Sissy has been doing LOTS of growing up in the last few months. She has moved from her crib to a big girl bed. She inherited the mahogany bedroom suite I used as a girl. It belonged to my great-grandmother. It's beautiful, although it shows a little wear. Eva adjusted beautifully with no troubles. She loved it right away. Below are a few photos of her first night. Eva is adorable, as per usual.

Proud Eva Girl

Patrick joined her for a minute to make sure her new digs were comfy. :)

Poor Libby got the royal treatment from Eva...doesn't loook like she minded too much though!

She is also wearing big girl panties these days, but I won't share photos of that. She is very proud of being a big girl and we're equally proud of our little turkey.

Mother's Day 2011 (The Prequel)

2011-05-13T15:44:00.000-05:00

On the night before Mother's Day, mom made dinner for us. Yummm...anyway, I ended up spending the night. I stayed up in the loft. As you'll see in the photos, the kids were so sweet to come and wake me up. They brought me a gift and then mom made a butter braid and scrambled eggs. The kids helped make scrambled eggs with MawMaw. Awesome morning!

Photos

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

This was a GREAT Mother's Day. We celebrated with my mom on Saturday night. We had an awesome dinner at their house: marinated chicken, roasted potatoes and carrots, and wonderful green beans...completed with a homemade blackberry pie. Yummm. We were having fun, so I just spent the night in the loft there and the kids stayed in their usual spots with MawMaw and Doo Dah. Mom made a tasty pastry this morning and scrambled eggs. Thanks for making the morning special mom!

Then we met Nana and Emily at Lowe's and the kids helped me pick out new flowers for the front landscaping. From here, we went home and got cleaned up and gathered Sam. We met Em, Steve, Gigi, and Nana at Julia's for a late lunch. We had a great time and took some good photos.

After rest time at home, Nana came over and helped me and the kids plant my new flowers. Sissy wasn't feeling so well today, but she made it through. Overall, lovely weather, lovely family, awesome day. Thanks to all the "mom people" in my life. I couldn't do this without you all.

Zoo Trip, May 2011

2011-05-08T23:22:00.000-05:00

So I've got lots of blogging to catch up on, but I've got to start somewhere. I'm going to start in the present and work backwards until our fans know all the fun stuff we've been up to for the last few months!

Last week, Patrick's pre-school class went to the zoo. Patrick and I rode the bus over to the zoo with his classmates and teachers. This brought back lots of "fond" memories for me, but Patrick seemed to enjoy the novelty of it.

He and I had a few hours there on our own checking out the bears, zebras, lions, tigers, and the American Wild Ass. I made the mistake of giving Patrick the correct name of this animal...I just couldn't leave it at donkey. He spent the rest of the day interjecting "ass" into the conversation. :)

Anyway, my mom and dad brought Eva over and we had a picnic lunch together. Then we saw the monkeys, gorillas, chimps, rode the carousel and the train, visited with the penguins and puffins, and spent some time looking at the flamingos, ducks, geese, etc. We had lots of fun. The weather and the company were great!

See photos of our day here.

Long Time, No Blog...

2011-05-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've been a very bad doggy and haven't kept up on the blogging. Lots of goings on in the Hooligan Household. Most significantly, I made the decision to leave real estate. I won't use this fun space to bore you all with the details. It was the right decision for our family right now. Anyway, so for the time being, my days are filled with all the things I was doing before, just not quite the break neck speed. We made it through the seemingly unending winter and are looking forward to being out of the house this spring.
As you'll see in the photos, we had fun sledding with our neighbors/friends up the street Nick and Emma (and their moms). The kids also made snow cones with Sam made from sleet from the back deck at our house. The kids were made with V-8 fruit juice and Sam's was made with Tarantula tequila. There are several miscellaneous photos: fun day at MawMaw's, Story time with Nana, Libby sleeping with Patrick, and so on.

Patrick is finishing his last weeks of preschool. I cannot believe he is growing up so fast. I can still remember Sam and I trying to decide if we were ready to have a baby...seems like maybe 6 months ago. Patrick is doing well in school and we are so proud of the awesome little boy he is becoming (and he's so handsome too).

Eva is getting sassier by the day and is already riding a bicycle (with training wheels). She is wearing big girl underwear part of the time now...we're still working on the potty training. She got a big girl bed a few months ago and is doing very well with it. She is 2 and a half already.

Hooligans Turn Texan

2011-02-28T22:48:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, all four of us went to Dallas to visit with Sam's friend Shawn, and his family (wife Sherry and 3 year old daughter Kiera). We had lots of fun! We spent a few days at Great Wolf Lodge (a kid-centric resort with an indoor water park and other fun kid stuff). The kids also got to ride the pony at Shawn and Sherry's house.
Eva and Patrick were great on both flights. Patrick called the runway the "run road." They each had their own suitcase to carry on. Eva was so cute walking through the airport with the suitcase following behind in one had and the other hand on her hip.
Below is a link with LOTS of photos of our trip.

Click Here for photos of our trip!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-16T10:46:00.001-06:00

More Winter Fun 2011

2011-01-23T09:43:00.001-06:00

Since Christmas, we've been having LOTS of fun. I thought I'd catch all the Hooligans' fans up on our recent adventures.

We had a snow day last week. The kids maxed out our house in regards to where and how they played. Every room, every toy, every game. They wanted to play in their playroom in the basement that Sam and I created this past summer. However, it is VERY cold downstairs. We put a big space heater to help, but I bundled up the kids as best I could to keep them warm. Here are some pics of their "creative dressing."

Last Sunday, the kids got dressed up and we went to visit Gigi (Sam's Grandma) and take her out to lunch with Nana (Sam's mom), Emily and Steve. Fun day, cute pics.

We took the kids for their first ice skating experience this past Friday. It started out a little rocky, but by the end, Patrick had improved significantly and left wanting more. Eva was very brave and enjoyed the experience. She's still a little bit small, but we'll keep her going so she stays comfortable with the idea until she's big and strong enough to start skating. For Patrick, the key seemed to be to make sure he knew it was ok to fall. He was so tense in the beginning, so after a while, I gave him a push to skate toward Steve, full well knowing he would probably fall. After the first couple of falls, he was less afraid and that seemed to be the tipping point. From there, he was flying all over the ice. Now if only I could take my own advice. I'm a decent skater, but have never learned to stop on the ice.

This past Monday was Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday. On that morning, I explained to Patrick who this man was and what he did for our country, as I knew they would be discussing it at pre-school that day. He seemed to absorb some of it. Later that night, at dinner, Patrick announced to the table that "today is King Arthur's Birthday." It took us a few seconds to figure out what he meant. Hilarious! We got him all straightend out.

Finally, there are photos of us making brownies. The kids got aprons for Christmas and this was their maiden voyage. As you can see, Patrick and Eva had lots of fun.

Sam and I are having fun watching these two little turkeys grow up. While we may seem or sound exhausted and or exasperated sometimes, we wouldn't have it any other way. These are the two coolest people we know. They play well together (most of the time) and are little sponges absorbing the world.

Link to Photos of Winter Fun

Valentines Day 2011

2011-01-16T22:41:00.001-06:00

Love Is Sweet Valentine's Day Card

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Christmas/Winter 2010

2011-01-11T00:53:00.000-06:00

This year, Christmas was busy, but really great, as usual. You'll see lots of great photos at the link below. Amy brought over supplies for decorating gingerbread houses. LOTS of fun for Patrick and Eva, and pretty theraputic for me. Amy showed me how to chill out and let the kids make a big fat mess and eat lots of icing and candy. As you'll see in the photos, both kids made beautiful gingerbread houses and were very proud. As you'll see in the photos, Amy had a good time too! Thanks Amy!

A week before Christmas, we made a trip to Columbia, MO to celebrate Christmas with the Hatfield side of Sam's family. Papa Bob and some of his kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids were there. The house was chock full of babies and little kids. Three babies and four little kids to be exact. Well, and then all of us adult sized kids. The kids were great and we had a good time seeing everyone and meeting the new additions to the family.

Christmas Eve was at Grandma and Grandpa Green's house. It pretty much the only time of year that the ENTIRE Green family gets together anymore, so it's always a special night. It's definitely evolved since I was a kid, but G & G never disappoint. When we got home, we set out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. Also, and most importantly, we put the Santa Key on the front door. This was a new addition in our ritual this year. Thanks to Diane Murbarger (Katie's mom) for helping us out with that. This key was a big hit for my son who wasn't satisfied with my explanations at just how Santa Claus gained access to Patrick's house.

Christmas morning at our house was great. Patrick got the much anticipated Buzz Lightyear from Santa and Eva got an adorable neon, multi-color tutu. Patrick was very specific with Santa about exactly which Buzz Lightyear he wanted, and Santa did not disappoint. Eva's tutu represents her personality perfectly, girly, but with an attitude. Our parents, and then extended family, came over to see what Santa brought and to share in the traditional Christmas breakfast casserole, made by my mom. Gwen brought monkey bread this year...yummmm.

Later in the evening on Christmas, we celebrated at Tom and Gwen's with another very tasty meal and exchanging gifts with Sam's extended family. Even the doggies, while none were actually present, got in on the gift exchanging action on this night. After gifts were opened, the Patrick and Eva played Zingo (little kid Bingo) with Aunt Emily, Uncle Steve and Sam.

On Sunday, the 26th, we had a lazy morning at home with the kids and some of their new toys. After naptime, we went up to mom and dad's to finally have Christmas with them. My brother Andrew and Grandma Huber were there too. We couldn't wait any longer, so we opened gifts first and then had a great meal. Mom got lots of new cookware to continue supplying her family with really awesome dishes. :) The kids played some more Zingo and Patrick taught Grandma Huber how to play his new video game (LeapFrog Explorer).

(yes, that's a pouch of organic peanut butter she's so excited about!)

There are a TON of photos, but for you grandmother of the Hooligans, and maybe aunties, uncles and close friends, you'll enjoy them. We had a full schedule again this year, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I am eternally grateful to have so much family with which to spend the holidays. I love them so much. If you're one of them, thanks for making this Christmas so wonderful for Patrick and Eva. They are two very lucky little turkeys!

Hooligan Christmas and Winter Fun

Christmas Baking 2010

2010-12-21T21:47:00.003-06:00

For the past couple of years, I've been studying under the tutelage of my mom and Bunny to make some of the best cookies. Cut out cookies, in particular, have been my focus. These are very labor-intensive cookies! This month, we've been very busy baking holiday treats. Mom and I donated 2 sets of 6 dozen cookies to the Evangelical School Auction (to be delivered at Christmas time). We also made cookies to give as gifts to teachers (10 in total), Sam's shift at the police dpartment, the staff at the credit union, and so on. Of course, we also made enough for some family gatherings as well. In all, I think we made about 25 dozen cookies/treats.

Patrick and Eva helped on the first day. They were pros at rolling out the dough. I couldn't figure out how they were so good on their first try...Play Doh! These kids LOVE Play Doh. They each made their own tray of cookies...we didn't include these in with the "gift cookies" though. :)

Cookie Baking at The Farm

Anyway, it was lots of fun, but exhausting. Except for the family cookies, they've all been delivered! Thanks Mom and Bunny for helping become less domestically challenged!

Gratitude 2010 - What I'm Thankful For

2010-12-20T22:18:00.000-06:00

My dear husband Sam; we are making this thing work, even though many days are hard and we get tired of being grown ups!
Patrick and and Eva, seriously, I couldn't have made cooler children than these two.
Our new roof and gutters, only a real grown up would mention this.
That Sam and I both got to our goal weights this year.
Yoga and kickboxing...either end of the spectrum, but I LOVE it!
Hanging with my mom.
Katie - we love you, in spite of your shoes.
One of the most important: the Village that is helping us raise our children.
Nora is having a BABY!!!
I've gotten to spend more time with Amy this year.
Finishing up a five year run on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Alton
My babies are growing up so fast, but we are enjoying them so much.
Libby and Moo are now getting hugs and kisses each night from Eva
Our families are healthy

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-20T08:47:00.001-06:00

Every year we have an abundance of family to spend the day with. We feel so lucky to have so many great people in our life. The kids and I started the morning at my mom's. They played in the loft and I put the green bean casserole together and "helped" the Mom, Bunny and Grandma Colleen make the final preparations. I am clearly the least qualified to the in the kitchen, but someday I'm going to have to grow up and prepare Thanksgiving meal (I'm hoping I've got at least 20-30 years before I'm actually responsible for this).

Anyway, Mom set a lovely table as per usual. She indulged me and set the table with the china and crystal. Although I had to agree to wash aforementioned china and crystal, as it cannot be thrown away like paper plates or put in the dishwasher like everyday dishes. In the photos from this year, you'll see the experts making mashed potatoes. I'm being pretty serious here. I had to photograph it because, between Mom and Bunny, the level of expertise when it comes to mashed potatoes made it an historic moment. It was like eating icing on a fork.

We had a full house this year with Bunny, Keith, Mom, Dad, Andrew, PawPaw Fordie, Grandma Colleen, our 4 Hooligans, and of course, the Animals of The Farm. Much fun was had!

Thanksgiving at The Farm

From there, we traveled to Emily's house. Another full house of crazy family awaited us. Here, we enjoyed dessert, and then a few hours later, leftovers. One of the highlights of the Riney Family Thanksgiving is that it has CHEESE. I tell Sam this fact is what tipped the scales and helped me decide to marry into the family. Really Gwen, it's like we were destined to eat Thanksgiving together.

Here we enjoyed the evening with the Chicago/Milwaukee arm of the family: George and Pam from Chicago proper, Casey, Sarah and Pat Masterson from Milwaukee (ish), Guy from Peoria, and the usual Riney suspects from here (Tom, Gwen, Em, Steve, Gigi, Becky, and Pete). Patrick and Casey don't get to see each other very often, but had lots of fun while they were together.

We neglected to bring our camera in the house at Emily's; so there are only pics of my mom's house. But rest assured, the whole day was lovely. I'm pretty sure I had dessert five times before I went to bed. Grandma Huber's apple pie recipe is still alive and well. Dad and I make at least two each year and they never disappoint!

Coming Soon: "What I'm Thankful for in 2010" (I swear).

A Morning in the Life of Eva Grace

2010-12-20T08:04:00.001-06:00

So Eva is a cutie patootie and a few weeks ago I started taking pictures of her while she was still sleeping. She sleeps like this almost every night. Her legs are tucked up underneath her and she crosses her feet. It looks terribly uncomfortable, but she apparently enjoys it.

Anyway, below is a link with a few pics of her cuteness. I'm considering taking photos of Patrick in the morning, but it would just be mean. He wakes up like his mama...grumpy. Come to think of it, I think I may have already done a blog post about Patrick in the morning. Anyway, Eva is a happy little girl when she wakes up.

In the photo of her walking out of her bedroom, she's dragging her blankie. Nowadays, she makes me hold the other end and she leads me around the house giggling until I finally have to let go and continue about my morning. Enjoy Hooligan fans!

Eva in the Morning

Here is a photo of me and Eva. She is still holding her pink blankie, which is now one of the top 3 most washed items in our house.

Also in the slideshow you'll see her standing in her chair at the table eating yogurt. She does death defying antigravity acts simultaneously with her yogurt/cheerio consumption. What a turkey! That's why we call her Eva Kinevil. :)

Coming Up Next: Thanksgiving 2010 and an unfortunately delayed "What I'm Thankful For in 2010" Post

Halloween 2010 - Sully and Boo

2010-11-29T22:19:00.000-06:00

This Halloween was another smashing success. Patrick was Sully and Eva was Boo. LOTS of adorable photos of the kids and some of their cousins.

There are also some photos of a mess that we made for Patrick's Halloween party and St. Francis. Sam and I, the coolest parents ever, made a giant tub of orange jello, marshmellows, coconut, tiny toys, grapes, etc. The kids got to dig around with their hands and search for the toys.
Finally, you'll see some photos of Sam and the kids carving pumpkins. We even toasted the pumpkin seeds. We had so much fun this year, as per usual. :)

Hooligans at Halloween

Fall 2010

2010-11-26T23:27:00.001-06:00

This fall brought lots of fun to the Riney Hooligan's. At the link below, you'll find photos of Eva's first haircut, a nature walk at the farm, a morning where Eva made some toast and more. Eva had her first haircut at mom's house. Bunny cut it over about an hour while Miss Eva played and had lunch, etc. She has little baby bangs and is cuter than ever. Thank you Bunny!

After

Before

During

Patrick was assigned a "Nature Walk" for homework, so we took a long, educational walk around the farm. We found great stuff like pine cones, a very special bird's nest, a cat tail, leaves, hickory nuts, and much, much more.

There are also a few photos of Eva in Patrick's laundry hamper. We couldn't locate her the other day and this is where Sam found her hiding. We heard a giggle come from Patrick's room and she was in there hiding.

Hooligans in the Fall

Day at the Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-08T21:57:00.001-06:00

Ok, so my posts my be a little out of order, but this one is about our day at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. Sam and I took the kids to Eckert's in Grafton. We took a tractor ride through the apple orchard to the pumpkin patch. Each of the kids picked out their own pumpkin. This process took awhile and we found lots of interesting stuff, like a very interesting grasshopper that got chased around for a few minutes.

After pumpkin picking, the kids spent some time in the kid's area at the orchard. We fed and played with goats, camels, piglets, chickens, etc. Then we spent some time washing our hands and using LOTS of hand sanitizer. We had some apple cider and headed home.

Day at the Pumpkin Patch

Hooligan Parents Escape!

2010-10-24T22:34:00.000-05:00

Even Momma and Daddy Hooligan get out once in a while! We went to a wedding in downtown STL at the Hyatt Regency. The ceremony and then dance floor were on the rooftop across the street from the Arch. Beautiful evening!
Big Night Out

Eva's 2nd Birthday

2010-10-24T21:58:00.000-05:00

Eva Grace has been with us for 2 years. I cannot believe it. She is adorable, amazingly brave, sassy, smart and beautiful. She and Patrick play pretty well together. Eva calls him Bubby and Pabby. We all call Eva, Sissy. She goes to daycare three days a week at St. Francis.
Eva is fearless. She can climb the rock wall on our playground and likes to do whatever her big brother is doing. She is starting to talk up a storm.
Her birthday was lovely. We had a party at our house. Sam made a Zhu Zhu pet cake. Evie LOVED it, but she wasn't too keen on destroying it for eating until Patrcik got involved. Gwen and I made the cupcakes. My momma made regular chili and white chicken chili...yummmmm!
Lots of love for Eva. How lucky our kiddos are to be so loved by so many great people. I am filled with gratitude.

Eva's 2nd Birthday Photos

Update on the Hooligans

2010-10-09T00:21:00.000-05:00

Finally! I've caught up on photos from this summer. They are at the link below. Some are from special days, but most are just miscellaneous fun stuff. Eva and Patrick are both growing up SO fast.

Patrick is 4 and going to pre-K at St. Francis Day Care and 4 year old pre-school at Evangelical. He is a yellow 2 belt in Tae Kwon Do at Piasa Martial Arts and just finished soccer clinic with Parks & Rec. Homework is new for him this year, so we're trying hard to keep up with that. So far so good; Patrick has learned to write almost half of the letters in the alphabet.

Eva is growing like a weed and getting sassier by the minute. She is going to day care three days a week. She adores her Patrick and follows him around faithfully. She also loves to feed the dogs. Eva just turned two last week. I can't believe Hooligan #4 has been around 2 years already.

As usual, Sam and I are busy with work. Real estate work has picked up for me quite a bit toward the end of summer and into fall. I'm finishing up my 5th year on the Board at the YWCA of Alton; I'll be done at the end of the year. This fall, I'm joining Junior League. Sam continues as Treasurer for the PBPA (APD union).

Overall, we're all healthy and happy. We're looking forward to another super cute Halloween!

LOTS OF HOOLIGANS PHOTOS

Patrick's 4th Birthday Party

2010-08-30T22:32:00.001-05:00

Below is a link with photos of Patrick's 4th birthday party. He got a playset with the help of lots of friends and family that love him. Sam assembled it, slowly but surely. Both Patrick and Eva LOVE it! Thanks so much to everyone that helped.
The party was a Maw Maw's house. We had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen with Spider Man on it and spider cupcakes that Daddy made.
We all had lots of fun!

Happy 4th Birthday to my sweet baby boy.

P's 4th Birthday Pics

Independence Day 2010

2010-08-08T23:36:00.000-05:00

Below is a link with pictures from July 4th this year. The first bunch are from the Alton Fireworks with Nana and Papa. The second bunch are from MawMaw and DooDah's house. Let me just say that Eva was NOT ready for sparklers, high stress for mommy. Otherwise it was great. I think I spent most of the time watching the kids faces rather than the fireworks.

Independence Day 2010 Pics

Kansas City, KS 2010 - Great Wolf Lodge

2010-07-31T00:49:00.000-05:00

Ok, so the Hooligans have TOTALLY neglected the blog this summer. Let's chalk it up to the following: 1. Summer happens to be a busy season for real estate and municipal policing. and 2. We've just been having lots of fun!

I'm going to make an effort to catch everyone up on our summer thus far. Below is a link of our trip to Kansas City. Sam and I took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City, KS. It has a great indoor/outdoor water park. It's a kid centric resort and we all had a blast. We stopped in Columbia, MO and spent a night with Aunt Susie and their family on the way there. My fav pics though are at the Olive Garden...you'll know when you get to them. :)

Click Here to see the photos of our trip. I promise they're fun!

Spring Fling 2010

2010-05-20T00:17:00.000-05:00

Katie and I took the kids down the Alton Marina and the Ampitheater. Beautiful day and beautiful kids. We had lots of fun and spent almost 2 hours taking pics (well, this included a wardrobe and location change). Anyway, again, Katie did not disappoint. The link below has a sampling of great pics from the day. these haven't been edited yet, so if you're a grandma, auntie or buddy that wants one for printing, let me know and I'll get it cleaned up for you. Enjoy!

Spring Fling 2010

You can see Katie's other work at http://www.thankfulphotography.com/

An Introspective on Motherhood

2010-05-09T10:15:00.000-05:00

So on Mother's Day, I thought I'd share a few of thoughts on motherhood. Having seen it from both sides now, I now know that it truly is mothers that make the world go round. Don't get me wrong, dads are very important people too. However, today I'm going to honor the sacred right of motherhood.

I've never really been a person that likes kids. I didn't ever fantasize about having any of my own and if it weren't for the strong encouragement of my dearest Sam, we might still not have any. But now we do...and I wouldn't have it any other way. I swear to God, something happens to you somewhere in pregnancy. For some, it happens the moment they see a plus sign on the little stick and for others, it waits until the baby makes it appearance in the world. I hate to tell everyone our secret, but you become super-human as a mom. It's like if you were playing a video game and all the sudden you get a big bonus of abilities.

I had never changed diapers before I had kids. I didn't babysit or have any interest in my younger baby cousins. I never got that maternal instinct until I actually gave birth. Even when I was pregnant, I didn't feel a great attachment to my kids. I fell into the latter group mentioned above. However, once I saw my babies, there was no going back. I changed poop diapers like a pro from the beginning. Don't get me wrong, sometimes they're REALLY gross, but you just deal with it and go on the with the day. There is no running out of the room and leaving it to someone else.

It's almost like when you birth your child, your heart exits your body along with the baby and you spend the rest of your life with your heart on the outside. I recognize that I'm only at the beginning of this journey of motherhood, but I feel super-human most days. I look back at the end of the day and I'm like, "Really?!, I did all that today? And I did it in business casual clothes and heels?"

Reviewing my life now, from the perspective of a mother, I marvel at the sacrifices my own mom made for my brother and me. I'm so proud of how she raised us. We're compassionate, thinking people. We were taught to value integrity and family. Ok, and she gave us both a healthy appreciation for cheese and garlic. :) Thank you mom, for being who you are, and for letting us be who we are.

There are many other women out there who have played a mothering role for me and/or my kids. I truly believe that it takes a village and boy, do we have a village! I'm so fortunate to be surrounded by strong, amazing women. I've got so many great role models and my kids have no idea how lucky they are to have all of these great women in their lives. I value all the different perspectives and attitudes.

There are so many women in this world who work tirelessly to nuture the children (babies to grown up kids) in their lives. I've learned that getting your kids through their childhood is just the beginning. Thank you for all you do.

A Few Gems From Patrick

2010-05-03T15:49:00.001-05:00

Patrick and I were just practicing the alphabet. When we got to "x," he says, "that's where treasures live!" X marks the spot...get it?
This morning at breakfast, I was encouraging him to hurry up with breakfast so that we weren't late for school. He said, "you have to be patient mom." Hilarious!
The last one for today...the Wonder Pets say in every show, "This is serious!" Patrick walks around saying, "This is sillious!"

Fun Stuff

2010-04-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

Yes folks, that is Miss Katie B riding the tiny scooter around the driveway. Tee hee. :)

Katie and patrick chillin in the driveway.

Miss Eva was a rockstar on this day. Loved it!

Mommy and Evita, rocking the shades.

Easter 2010

2010-04-08T23:21:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Easter. The kids were beautiful. They both had a wonderful time searching for eggs. Although Patrick wouldn't touch the real eggs because they "felt yucky." He liked the plastic ones because they had treats in them. Great day all around.
Easter Pics

Artistic Genius

2010-04-02T22:27:00.000-05:00

This is Patrick's representation of "his family." The big green blobs represent Sam and me. The other four are "Patrick, Eva, Libby and Moo." Patrick came up with this all on his own and then explained it to me when he was all finished.

This is a self portrait that Patrick did. I think it's pretty darn good. You can clearly see a face with some crazy eyes, legs, feet.

Not to brag, but...

2010-03-15T22:25:00.001-05:00

Ok people, seriously, my children are geniuses.

My daughter is all of 17.5 months old. Lately she's been showing interest in the potty. She kept walking into the bathroom with us and lifting up the shirt as she walks up to the toilet. So we brought up the little potty. Now, she runs to the bathroom yelling while pulling up her shirt. The other night, by the time I got her shoes, pants and diaper off, she peed on the floor. However, hold on to your hats folks...while sitting on the potty for a while...SHE PEED ON THE POTTY! Unfortunately, she is too small for pull ups, so the diaper thing is going to conintue to be an obstacle. By the time we can get it off, it's too late. Either way, she's a genius. I chalk this early development up to a few things: she's female, she's a second child, and all that breastmilk (I know TMI). We're so proud of her!

Now, on to Patrick. He said "remarkable" the other day. Remarkable! He's three and says the most amazing things. And he remembers EVERYTHING! He's learning some Spanish too. Hola, adios, leche, queso, gracias, (pronounced glacias), de nada, etc. He asked me the other day, "How much till I grow up mommy? If I eat a lot of food, I'll grow up?" He also told me a while back that he wanted to be a police officer when he grew up. He asked if that would be ok. I told him he could be anything he wanted. He said, "ok, I'll be a police officer or a circus clown." I kid you not people.

My children are magical. Thanks for indulging me a few details of their lives. I hope I can save this blog in written form someday so that I might have some recollection of their childhood. My memory is terrible.

Some of Evie's Favorite Things

2010-02-24T22:10:00.007-06:00

This shelf holds tea cups that Eva and I have recieved from my mom. The first came at my baby shower and the next on the day she was born. We get them on special holidays now: Christmas, birthdays, etc. Anyway, it's a special thing between the three of us. I've taken pictures of each tea cup individually and put them in an album with a photo of me and Eva from that day/time period. This way, if in her childhood, one or more gets broken, I won't get too upset. And it will serve as a nice keepsake for whichever of us doesn't keep the collection.

This bookshelf holds lots of goodies like her piggy bank, a baby photo, the aforementioned album, some sweet book ends, a pretty lamp, Evie's treasure box, and some great books. I love this bookshelf; except when it's time to dust.

The above shoes are precious. My baby daughter officially has more shoes than her momma. That's ok with me. I'm not a shoe girl. Eva, on the other hand, is way into accessories. Hats, shoes, even bibs. She'll put on multiple hats or all her bibs at once. It's funny, Eva is a girly girl and a tom girl all at the same time. Very versatile she is! :)

Catching Up

2010-01-18T23:48:00.004-06:00

Alright, life has gotten so crazy, I've TOTALLY slacked on blogging and posting pics of the Hooligans. I've posted an album of our fun day sledding at my mom's house. Also, there's a great album of some SUPER cuties from January.

We've all been well. Real estate work is picking up since the holidays are over and the tax credit advantages are in full swing. Sam's keeping busy with work at the police department and the union. He's also been working at the furniture store on the books. Patrick and Eva have been exploring their independence, each in their own way. Fun times for us. Eva had her first pig tails today...OMG, she was SO cute! I'll try to take pics next time she lets us do it. She will not let me put them in, her teacher at day care apparently has the magic touch.

We're enjoying the kids and continuing our journey to be healthier.

http://www.rineyhooligans.shutterfly.com/

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T23:32:00.007-06:00

So this Christmas was by far the best of my adult life. I think Sam would agree the same for himself. The night before Christmas, the kids and I went to my Grandma Green's house for the Green family Christmas. As per usual, the treats were delicious as always and the kids all had a dizzyingly and deafeningly great time. Sam had to work on this night. When we got home, Patrick put out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. I stayed up most of the night and cleaned the house and helped Santa get all of his gifts arranged. On this night, I could not get to sleep. I was so excited for the kids to get up in the morning. I woke up very early and was, for once, just waiting for Patrick to hurry up and wake up.

When Sam came home, I asked if he'd seen the cookie crumbs and carrot top that Santa and crew left. He thought it was odd that I'd cleaned the whole house, but left out one plate with crumbs, so he washed the plate and put it away! No worries, after a good laugh about it all, we found more crumbs and carrot tops for display in the morning.

So finally, Patrick got up and saw the bicycle Santa left him. He calls it his "Woody Bike" because it's got Toy Story characters on it. We've got video of it and I promise to post it soon. Eva and Patrick had a great time on this morning. Many folks came for breakfast for my mom's famous Christmas casserole. Let me not forget the perfectly timed snow that fell on Christmas morning. Everyone left and Sam went to bed for a few hours of hard earned sleep while the kids and I played the day away in our pj's. It was great to not worry about the huge mess the house had become since the aforementioned cleaning the night prior and just enjoy my kids without worrying about my email, cell phone, clients, laundry, or the clock, etc.

In the evening, we went to Tom and Gwen's to celebrate the holiday with that part of our family. Again, more very tasty food and much fun visiting with everyone. My children are so lucky to have so many that love them and got to open lots of great clothes and toys.

For the next two days, I stayed home and served as the resident toy and clothes manager. Our home has finally been released from the grips of Father Christmas. We've still got the tree and decorations up, but the toys have been handled. Finally.

In the end, while I've never worked so hard over a holiday, this was a magical Christmas for us. It was the first year Patrick really got excited and participated. Also, Eva got to dress up this year for many occasions and was just beautiful and so sweet. I am grateful for this time with my family.

Click Here for photos of Hooligans at Christmas.

Click Here for photos of the last several weeks pre-Christmas

Gratitude 2009

2009-11-25T16:08:00.003-06:00

What I'm Thankful For This Year...

My husband, Sam; you're the best!

My beautiful, healthy, sweet babies, Eva and Patrick.

Libbigus and Mootigus, a.k.a. Libby and Moo

Activity POINTS

Hanging at Mom and Dad's house

Going for walks

Katie, you always fit right in with us!

A new iPhone

That although we said goodbye to my Grandpa Huber this year, I've still got 3 of 4 grandparents, and they're all healthy and happy.

A new bathroom

Baking pies with dad, it's "our thing"

My mom got to retire this year, 40 years of service. WAHOO!

Getting healthy with my fam

Patrick likes his new school

The village that helps take care of the Hooligans

Some great family weddings this year

News of babies on the way (not ours, reference weddings above)

Our first official family vacation to Chicago and Milwaukee this summer

Molly McButter Cheese Powder (only 5 calories a tsp.!)

Cold bottles of water

Carolyn, our WW Leader

A successful year in real estate

Most importantly, our family and friends. We love you all and feel very loved. You are treasures.

Eva and Green Beans

2009-11-23T22:06:00.008-06:00

So yesterday Eva helped me snap green beans. By "help" I mean she removed already snapped beans, took a bite from the middle and released them back into the wild (the floor). However, since she was having such fun with the green beans, I snapped a few photos to share with you all.

Also, tonight we went to dinner at Los Tres Amigos. Every time the server would come to the table, Patrick said "glacias" (gracias). It was so darn cute! The servers were good sports and politely replied "de nada."

Patrick has been calling girls "gills" too. Yeesh, our babies are GREAT!

Miscellaneous Fall Photos

2009-11-19T22:32:00.001-06:00

Check out these pics of the fam from this fall so far...

Click Here
-k8

Fall 2009 Photos

2009-11-14T23:59:00.003-06:00

Katie got a new camera today and so we obliged her some practice time and she took some great photos of us. This afternoon was a little rocky at first, but we had some fun and it turned out very well. If you're interested in seeing Katie's work, visit her website: http://www.thankfulphotography.com/

Thanks Katie! We love you!

To see the best photos of us from today, click here.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T11:41:00.003-06:00

This year was the BEST Halloween of my adult life! Although Patrick kept insisting that Sam and I needed our costumes on, we didn't dress up. Patrick was a green dragon/dinosaur (depending on when/where you ask him, the answer will change) and Eva was the most beautiful Snow White EVER.
Patrick trick or treated like a pro while Eva took a more passive approach and rode in the wagon like a proper princess. We visited Grandma Green's, Nana's, Emily's, Grandma Huber, Aunt Becky's, and Grandma Gigi. We also went to the parade and sat at the intersection where Officer Daddy was working. Both kids really enjoyed the parade, and of course, the candy. See the link below for more pics.

A Princess and a Dragon

Eva's 1st Birthday

2009-10-07T23:11:00.004-05:00

Eva,
Your very first birthday was this week. I can't believe you've already been with us for a year! We had a super party for you at home. Lots of people that love you were there. We had great Italian food and an awesome cake. Daddy and I made the cake ourselves. There are some of the photos at the link below. We LOVE you!!!
Mama

Eva's First Birthday

Backyard Play, 9/15/09

2009-09-28T23:14:00.006-05:00

On this evening, we were looking for some fun so we headed out to the backyard. This was Eva's first time on Patrick's roller coaster. The first few trips were very short and slow, with mom holding on tight. By the end, Sam was sending her down solo at full speed from the top. Yeesh, mommy was nervous!!

Patrick couldn't handle all of the attention being on Evie, so he did some tricks of his own on the roller coaster. See all the pics at the link below...

Click Here

Bennett Wedding 2009

2009-09-28T22:24:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, September 26th, 2009 Alex Bennett and Megan Hinerman got married. For those of you that don't have a clue who either of those people are...Alex is Sam's cousin. We took the wee ones for a little road trip to Columbia, Missouri. Patrick had an adorable suit and tie and Evie had a pretty pink dress that made her look like a little cupcake.

The wedding was beautiful, well, what I could see/hear from the narthex of the church...a baby and preschooler aren't exactly the best wedding attendants. At the reception, Patrick and Sophia (Sam's cousin Jaime's daughter) had a blast! They were inseperable all night. They danced and ran around the dance floor. The servers just LOVED dodging them with trays full of food and drinks. At one point, I lost Patrick and Sophia. I scanned the room and saw the cake table. I quickly made it across the room and found them both under the cake table. OUT!!!! Luckily, the cake had already been cut, but it was a classic and scary moment. Awhile later, I caught them with their fingers in the sliced cake. They were visiting each piece, one finger-lick each.

All the kids had a great time and the adults enjoyed the evening as well. Evie and Patrick are party animals!

Below is a link with all the photos from the evening...

Click Here

Lake of the Ozarks 2009

2009-09-16T23:10:00.002-05:00

Sam, Gwen and I took the little dude and dudette down to the Lake to visit with Papa and to have a little fun in the sun. We had a boat for an afternoon. Patrick and Eva both loved it. Patrick was fascinated to watch the boats go by and Eva wanted wind and more wind. We went shopping at the outlet mall and got lots of fall clothes for the little people. Sam got to teach Patrick the ways of skee ball and we also taught him the art of bumper cars. Fun Fun!

Hooligans at the Lake

Raging Rivers 2009

2009-09-16T22:23:00.003-05:00

In August we also took Patrick and Eva to Raging Rivers. Sam, Gwen and I went to witness the 500+ trips of Patrick going down the water slides. Eva had a good time splashing around, but Patrick really enjoyed this day. Again, lovely weather...seriously. We took P down the big slides too...he LOVED it. Eva pooped out...you can see pics of the day at the link below.

Hooligans at the Water Park

Illinois State Fair 2009

2009-09-16T21:25:00.002-05:00

In mid-August, we went to the State Fair with my mom and dad. We decided to leave Eva at daycare for the day-babies, heat, and farm animals just don't mix. Anyway, we took Patrick and had a blast. The weather was great. We visited the pigs, ate cheese curds, and rode the sky tram. Patrick loved all of it. We also visited the dairy building and saw the butter cow (and pastoral scene). Finally, we stopped by the Secretary of State tent. Patrick got his digital fingerprints recorded and we got our annual stash of State of Illinois Road Maps (even 1 in Large Print).

Below is a link with the pick pics from the day.

Hooligans go to the State Fair

Good News Hooligans Fans!

2009-09-15T22:39:00.007-05:00

So I've been a TOTAL slacker for the last couple of months...life has gotten nuts with work and general summer fun. I'm working on a new photo site to show our summer fun. I'll be blogging for each trip. I know you're all on pins and needles waiting to see our trips to...Raging Rivers, Illinois State Fair, and Lake of the Ozarks.

I, Kate, do solemnly swear to be a better blogger.

To tide you over until I can catch up, following are a few pics from a few nights ago. We had been at my mom's all afternoon/evening. Both kids were plain tuckered out...and dirty! They fell asleep on the way home. Sam was working nights, so I got home with them and had to figure out who to carry in and who to leave locked in the car asleep. I tried to get Patrick up and walk, but he wasn't having it. He was so tired that when I got him to stand up on his bed to take his clothes off...as soon as I let go, he fell down, head hit the pillow and he was out. Eva was NOT interested in getting her jammies on either. She just curled up on the changing table.

Never a dull moment...our very own baby Jessica

2009-08-02T22:22:00.009-05:00

So Friday night, most people do fun stuff like go out dinner, see a movie, go to a concert. Not us, Sam was coming home late from work and I was headed out the door to an appointment with clients. I had dinner in the oven and we were going to try to cross paths for a quick meal with the kids at home. It just wasn't meant to be.

I had been gone all day, and I had just gotten home with the kids. Eva was getting anxious, so I took her outside to swing in the backyard. While out there, Moo kept going under the deck and I kept yelling at him to get out. I thought I was hearing a high pitched sound but thought maybe it was the swing sqeaking. Then I realized that I hadn't seen Libby since I'd been home. You guessed it folks, Moo was going under the deck to visit the beagle that was stuck.

Sam arrived home a short time later, he changed clothes and started dismantling the deck. Libby had dug her way under to chase rabbits we think, and got herself stuck. In the middle of all this, I've got a multiple offer situation I'm dealing with on the phone, two very hungry, very crabby kids, and I made sure to take photos to share with all the Hooligan's fans out there. Katie came over to help with the kids so that I could negotiate and then get out the door to my appointment.

I was stressing out and was really just wanting to call the fire department to come and rescue my beagle. My police officer husband would have none of that. He didn't even want me to ask the neighbors for help. In the end, Libby was saved and was just fine. In fact, she ran out and immediately tried to get back under the deck to find those pesky rabbits.

For your viewing pleasure...

Aaargh at Applebee's

2009-07-30T08:30:00.003-05:00

I so wish I had a photo of this event to share with you, but alas, we were laughing too hard to think to photograph the moment.
My mom, Sam, Patrick, Eva and I were at Applebee's for lunch yesterday. We were in the big corner booth. It was toward the end of the meal and Patrick was getting anxious...and loud. Mom was going to take him on some errands with her, so she asked for the "backup undies" that we keep in Eva's diaper bag. Well as I passed them over, Patrick got a hold of them. We let him have them and continued our conversation.
A few minutes later, Patrick got our attention. We looked up to see him standing in the booth with the underwear on his head. He put is foot on the table and yelled, "I'm da Pirate!" OMG.

"Viva La Block!" -Anna Z. and One Silly Daddy

2009-07-02T13:09:00.001-05:00

Alright, so I've got to write a post on last night. My birthday is coming up, so Katie got us tickets to New Kids on the Block at Riverport (or whatever silliness they call it-Verizon Wireless Ampitheater). I need to give credit to Anna Z. for the “Viva La Block” phrase…I’m stealing it, but at least I’m giving you credit for it! We had lawn seats and it was AWESOME! The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was right. Mostly mid to late twenty-somethings there to re-live their childhood. Donnie, Danny, Joe, Jordan, and Jon did not disappoint. They are as good looking as ever as they have grown up/aged right along with us. H-O-T-T. The show sure isn’t aimed at 10-13 year olds anymore either. Whew! Talk about blushing and such. These guys brought it. Well, Donnie got a little weird a few times, but for the most part…we were all transported back to a time before college, jobs, weddings, husbands, kids, houses, responsibility, etc. and felt like silly screaming girls for a few hours. Yay for that.

While I was out…Sam was home in charge of the mini-Hooligans. After a catastrophic visit to Taco Bell, he ventured to the grocery store alone with the two of them. He was out to buy baby food as we were out of it. He came home a few gray hairs heavier, a few bags of groceries, but alas, no baby food. He kind of got distracted while there and just forgot the darn stuff! Anyway, he got home and got Eva to bed. Then he put Patrick in the bathtub. He gave him some toys to play with and the plastic cup we use to rinse his hair. Then he decided he should re-load the operating system on his computer. He was only downstairs for “2 minutes” and noticed it was raining…in the basement. Can you guess why? Yep, Patrick had used his little plastic cup to diligently empty the contents of the bathtub onto the bathroom floor, subsequently leaking into the basement. What can I say folks?

Sunday, June 28th-Tour (A Long Ride, Potty Breaks, and an Asterik)

2009-06-28T23:41:00.002-05:00

This was our travel day to get home from Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Alton, Illinois. Bleh! After the harried ride up, we were NOT looking forward to making the trip home. After the breakfast of champions: Dunkin Donuts and milk, we packed up for the last time and started home. We made a few unexpected and profoundly urgent potty breaks (for Patrick). Then we met Gwen in Bloomington for lunch. She was heading to Chicago for a conference. The Merry Band of Hooligans wrapped up tour and arrived home early this evening. The kids had dinner and went to bed. I think we seriously tested their limits with all that we did. They were really great tolerating all the activities and new environments we threw their way. I'm very proud of our family on this trip.
Thanks to everyone to kept us in your thoughts as we traveled. A special shout out to Gwen for feeding Libby and Moo daily and collecting mail and to Andy for mowing the yard and playing with my furry kids on Ladd Street each day. We appreciate you both holding down the fort.

Finally, I must put an asterik at the end of this trip...*we intentionally ate like kings because we're starting a diet tomorrow (Monday). I'm not kidding here, we planned it this way. This sort of caloric consumption is highly dangerous and should only be attempted by professionals... like us.

Saturday, June 27th-Tour (Summerfest: Canoli and Good Weather!)

2009-06-28T23:03:00.011-05:00

The kids and Sam and I hung out at the hotel until late morning and then we headed over to Nora and Jim's house to pick them up. We all crammed into our vehicle along with the carseats, stroller, baby carrier and diaper bag and took off for Summerfest. This is a music festival along the lakeshore in Milwaukee, but let's be honest folks, we were there for one reason: the food. The six of us spent the day eating our way through the bands and doing fun stuff with los ninos. Eva even had her first taste of canoli! A very proud moment for me and Sam.

We got there early and got a super-duper parking spot. Woohoo! There's nothing worse than using up half your child's energy walking TO the intended event. Afterwards, we took a stroll around the pier. The weather was gorgeous...mid-seventies, partly sunny, and very breezy. Couldn't have asked for nicer weather!

We went into nap mode again in the afternoon. During this time, Sam got to log into WoW and I went and hung out at the hotel pool with a few magazines and my ipod. An hour of uninterrupted mommy time...hooray!

We woke up our youngsters and went back to Nora and Jim's for our final pizza endeavor of the trip. We hung out with their friend Brent and his son Holden. The boys played well together and we went to the park. Fun Fun.

Friday, June 26th-Tour (Swimming, Mexican Food, and Berry Cobbler)

2009-06-28T22:37:00.008-05:00

On this day we slept in and went to the pool at the hotel mid-morning. Patrick had a great time jumping in the pool, climbing out and repeating. He was hilarious! Eva enjoyed the pool for about 15 minutes and then went poolside for the most adorable nap of the trip. Yep, that's her little foot sticking out of the towels. It was too breezy up there to leave here exposed. She snoozed happily for an hour. Below is a link to a video of Patrick live at the pool...totally unexpected outcome for me. It was so funny I couldn't get mad.

Patrick at the Pool

We met Nora and Jim for lunch at a restaurant called Botana's in Milwaukee. This was some first class Mexican food with a very understanding and generous wait staff. El Mezcal, eat your heart out. This place ROCKED. Some of the best guacamole I've ever had. Sam even enjoyed some. The servers were so sweet to my kids even with all of their shenanigans. After lunch Sam took the kids back to the hotel for a much needed nap.

Nora and I went and got pedicures and caught up. Yay for getting a chance to complete sentences without putting food in a mouth, picking up a dropped toy, scolding or begging a toddler, or wiping a face!

For dinner, we grilled brats at Nora and Jim's new house. It is a super cute home. Congrats Nora and Jim! We figured since we're in Wisconsin, we should sample some bratwurst. This ended up being a late night for the kids, but Jim made berry cobbler that we enjoyed with "homemade" ice cream. Yummmm.

Thursday, June 25th-Tour (Waiting, A Boat Ride, and a Nervous Docent)

2009-06-27T10:15:00.009-05:00

Late in the day on Wednesday, we discovered that there was a free trolley from very near George's condo to Navy Pier. Even though 5 blocks doesn't seem like that far, with the heat, two little kids and the fact that they're city blocks, we decided to try it. We found the stop and waited...and waited. Patrick was excited and impatient. We played every waiting game you can think of while awaiting the much anticipated "blue bus." We had purchased tickets for an 11:30a boat tour, so we finally had to leave the stop. We took one 3 year old boy literally kicking and screaming the final 4 blocks to Navy Pier. He really wanted to ride that darn trolley. We snagged a lemon ice and dreamcicle float and headed for our dock.

We got on the boat and met our "docent" (pronounced by him with a French accent) named Kevin. This man was educated and entertaining, but took his job VERY seriously. Our kids and his architecture tour on the Chicago River did not turn out to be an ideal combination. Nevertheless, Sam and I enjoyed the ride, shady and breezy at times. Kevin however was terribly distracted by the kids getting too close to the rail. Sam had his back to the rail and was holding Eva as she stood on his lap. Seriously dude, we weren't letting our kids get close to the damn rail. At any rate, overall, we really enjoyed this hour-long tour of Chicago's historic architecture. I will suggest though that for little kids, the 30 minute skyline tour on the lake might be a better idea.

We headed back to the condo, loaded up the Highlander and headed for Milwaukee. Unfortunately, this trip took twice as long as it should have due to a fatal crash on the highway. We finally made it to town and headed to the Masterson's house for dinner. Sarah is Sam's cousin and their daughter Casey was excited to play with Patrick. They had a great time working on puzzles. We were pooped from the day, so we headed to the hotel near the airport. This endeavor proved to be hilarious as the GPS kept sending us in circles. We were too tired to get upset.

Wednesday, June 24th-Tour (Bus Driving and Deep Dish Pizza)

2009-06-27T09:24:00.008-05:00

Today would be our first day as "tourists." We slept in a little and then George pointed us toward Navy Pier. We walked down and it was HOT by mid-morning. We decided to forego outdoor sightseeing and jumped right in at the Chicago Children's Museum. The kids both loved this place. Patrick got to play in the water with a raincoat, call 911, drive a bus, go grocery shopping and put mail in a mailbox. They had many exhibits for "non-walkers" (read: babies). Eva got to get out of the stroller and explore too!

After all this fun, we left the museum and went to a pirate show. Eva and Patrick both really enjoyed this. Eva was really digging the bright colors and music. She danced on our laps the whole show. We had McDonald's for lunch and then headed back to the condo. We didn't quite beat the rain, but it was a relief from the heat. The kids slept for 3 hours at naptime this afternoon.

After the kids finally woke up, we went to Gino's East for some authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza. Sam was hesitant at first as he's not a fan of thick crust. Once we got the pizza, we were both in pizza heaven. YUMMMMM. We finished with pizza and headed back down to Navy Pier with Pam and George. Sam and the kids and I went up in the giant ferris wheel. It was scary for me because Patrick had no fear and kept leaning on the door and sticking his head through the bars. I tired to hold on to his shirt tail, but he wasn't having it. Sam kept Eva tucked safely in the baby carrier, but she loved looking at the lights and hearing the sounds from up there. We went back to Pam and George down on the boardwalk area and enjoyed some fireworks. At this point, it was about 10:15pm and the kids had been run ragged this day. It was a challenge to get them the 5 blocks home in the city traffic and crowds. We made it back and went up to the roof of their building to see the city at night time. It was beautiful. Patrick was exhausted, so he curled up on his blankie on the rooftop. This day: priceless.

Tuesday, June 23rd-Tour (Goodbye's and a Bunny)

2009-06-26T23:36:00.007-05:00

So about 6 things happend today that I wanted to be sure to remember so that I could share them with Hooligans' fans. I have finally arrived at the end of this day and now that I'm sitting down to record these precious memories, they're gone. Let me scour my brain...

This morning Patrick slept in a little later than the rest of us. Around 8a I went in to do a gently wake him up. He really wasn't interested in getting up. I went and recruited Sophia for help. We went up and I laid down next to him. He opened his eyes and closed them. He opened them again and saw Sophia. He popped up, climbed over dear old mom, and lept at Sophia, wrapping his arms around her and they tumbled to the ground in a great big hug. I think I'm heartbroken.

After a few hours of chillin we packed up all our things and went to the mall in Aurora. We met Sophia and Jaime there and took the kids down to the food court. After lunch, they rode the carousel. We did some shopping and let the kids check out the fountain and some other fun stuff there. Finally, after a last minute, super-urgent stop at the Macy's restrooms, Patrick and Sophia had to say goodbye. They were both really sad to part.

From here we drove in the city. Leaving Aurora at 3p wasn't a great idea. By the time we made it near downtown, it was all out rush hour. We were headed to Sam's Uncle George's condo at Michigan and Illinois. Needless to say our marriage was tested in this endeavor. Luckily the kids were sleeping in the back in the car, so they didn't hear mommy and daddy saying bad words!

This night, George made dinner for us (very yummy) and then Pam and George took us on a walk to Millenium Park where we saw some great stuff-the fountains with faces, the bean, the bandstand, and a bunny rabbit (the highlight for Patrick). P was not so keen on getting in the fountain with everyone else because he was afraid of getting his shorts wet. In the end, we enticed him out, but then wanted to take off his shorts. So he rode around in his undies in the stoller for a while afterwards. Eva did venture to dip her toes in with Aunt Pam.

After hearing fire trucks earlier in the evening, Patrick was dead set on seeing a darn fire truck. Pam and George routed us on the way home to go by a fire station. We went to a Chicago Fire Department Station and they let P get in a fire truck and turned on the lights for him. They were very hospitable. Great ending to a great day.

Monday, June 22nd - Tour (Portillo's and Aurelio's)

2009-06-26T23:10:00.006-05:00

We got up today and hung out with Jaime and Sophia, and Izzy too! Patrick and Sophia were like two peas in a pod. They ran around all morning playing inside and out. We grown ups stayed in mostly and played with Eva and Izzy (their new puppy). Jaime and I traded duties since I love puppies so much and she loves babies. For lunch we headed to Portillo's (Sam's fav) and we all enjoyed some chocolate cake.

After a quiet naptime, it was time to figure out dinner. Sam ordered (with much research and planning) Aurelio's pizza. Peggy and Katie came over to hang out. Rob got home from work just in time to enjoy the yummy goodness. We had a great visit with everyone. It was a great day to just hang with the family and kids and relax. And eat...did I mention we ate well this day?

Sunday, June 21st - Tour (The Best Laid Plans...)

2009-06-23T22:53:00.008-05:00

We planned on leaving around 6:30pm as soon as Sam got home from work, but of course, these plans were not to be. He got stuck on a few reports at work and we didn't get to leave until about 8:45pm. We stopped at McDonald's and Arby's on the way through Bethalto to grab some dinner. We were sure that leaving so late, the kids would fall asleep. Nope. Eva is teething, so she was cranky and growled most of the way up. Patrick was wired and so excited to FINALLY be going to "Tago" (Chicago) that he jabbered all the way up. He did slow down for a bit to watch Aladdin on the portable DVD player. I swear he didn't blink for an hour!

After a run in with a crazy lady at a rest stop and one gas fill up later, we made it to Jaime and Rob's house in Oswego around 1:30am. We brought in the essentials and crashed. Holy Moley.

Hooligans On Tour!

2009-06-20T13:12:00.006-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen-

Me and my merry band of hooligans are going on tour. That's right, you heard it hear. Me and my crazy husband are going to take a 3 year old boy and a 8.5 month old baby girl for a VERY long car ride to Chicago...then we're headed to Milwaukee a few days later. I know, you're thinking, "What the hell are they thinking!?" Well, we're just nuts people.

We are going for a long overdue visit to lots of Sam's family that lives up north as well as my very dear friend Nora Elizabeth. They make the haul down this way often enough, so we're going to reciprocate. I'll be sure to blog about our trip while we're gone and post lots of pics.

As usual, we've been busy with work and the kids. Eva is getting her top teeth first...wierd child. Her bottom two are close behind. She is crawling up a storm and she now doesn't hold still-EVER. She's 8.5 months old and still weighs about 13.5 pounds. She's tiny, but she's mighty! Patrick is just growing up faster than we can believe. He's talking up a storm and says the funniest stuff I'll ever hear. I'm serious. If I could remember it all to write down, you'd pee your pants. Although I'm sure some of it is only funny in the moment and you'd all think I'm crazy for passing it along. Anyway, he's learning shapes, colors, numbers, letters, songs, and skills like jumping on one foot. This last one is really posing a challenge and he's working hard on it. He's also learning to use his new scooter...see below.

Now that's a close call!

Nuggets from Patrick

2009-06-17T00:26:00.001-05:00

So I’ve got a few gems straight from the mouth of Patrick Joseph:

“need a towel paper, Eva’s pitting out!” = "I need a paper towel, Eva’s spitting up.
“sombrella” = umbrella
“tuna” = cartoons (As in, “I wanna watch some tuna mommy!”)
“I’m a bad guy jabberbox!” = WHAT? I have no idea on this one.
“What’s you’re doin?” = What’re you doing?
“I can’t found it!” = I can’t find it! (Who needs conjugation anyway?)

A Letter to Patrick: Your Third Birthday

2009-06-08T23:57:00.006-05:00

Patrick,

I want to tell you about your 3rd birthday. We had your party at my mom's house this past Saturday. There were so many people that love you. The following people were there: mommy, daddy, maw maw, papa, nana, papa, grandma Colleen, grandpa Fordie, Gigi, Bunny, Keith, aunt Emmie, Steve, Andy, Katie, Becky, Pete, Amy, Jon, Aunt Susie, Megan, and Jackson...oh and Evie! We decorated with lots of balloons and Wonder Pets.

We had lots of good food: hot dogs and chicken breasts, cheesy potatoes with corn flakes, pasta salad, and a Wonder Pets cake that nana made. You got a LOT of gifts...too many to mention here. When we sang "Happy Birthday," you were so cute...you stood there and listened and smiled, even though you'd been singing it for weeks leading up to this day. After dinner, cake and homemade ice cream that maw maw made, you went outside and played in your bounce house. Later we went outside and Katie took pictures of the 4 of us.

You played and celebrated until you were just plain pooped. At the end of the night, Amy, Jon, daddy, you and I went out in the field and watched the lightening bugs come out. It was magical and so are you. I've loved all three years of you.

love,

mommy

Why? Why? Why?

2009-05-29T11:51:00.004-05:00

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

2009-05-20T22:25:00.005-05:00

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

2009-05-09T00:10:00.015-05:00

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!

It's Raining a Toady

2009-04-28T21:58:00.004-05:00

Ladies and Gentlemen...the wait is over. Following is the long awaited second edition of Patrick: A Translation.

toftof=washcloth
ogac=yoga
bafis=breakfast
told=cold
it's raining a toady=it's raining it's pouring
fark=fork
fork=fort
lami=salami
carnimal=carnival
horn dog=corn dog
capsi=pepsi
bryow=eyebrow

I share these not to have a laugh at my son, but so that years from now, I can remember all these unbelievably cute moments. I swear to God, he is the cutest boy ever!

The Storys of One Tough Balloon and an Electric Cart

2009-04-24T22:09:00.004-05:00

So, I have to share a couple of cute things that happend today. Patrick had a carnival at school and came home with a balloon animal. A red dog. Well, before we even got out of the parking lot, it was undoggified. He had taken it apart. He took it to my mom's and Henry got a hold of it. We safely got it way from him and Patrick took it upstairs to the loft. Upon trying to leave at the end of the evening, Patrick suddenly remembered the balloon and I had to go back in the house and fetch it from the loft. Almost home...on Milton, Patrick lost the balloon out the window. We stopped at the house and picked up Sam. We went back and hunted down the darn balloon. He was so happy. We got home about one minute later. As Sam was getting Patrick out of the car, he took the balloon from Patrick and tried to recreate the animal part of the balloon animal. And can you guess what happens from here? POP goes the red balloon. I couldn't freakin believe it. The screams. Sam ended up tying it off and resurecting the balloon once again. Crisis resolved.

Second story: Sam responded to a call at St. Anthony's Hospital for a man that left the hospital on his electric cart and had a siezure at 20th and MLK. So Sam, the caring guy that he his, rode the guy's cart back up to the hospital rather than impounding and towing the cart. I know he just wanted the story...but anyway, just think about a uniformed police officer riding an electric cart down the road...tee hee.

That's all I've got folks.

Some Patrick Funnies and More

2009-04-17T10:48:00.003-05:00

Argh...I've gotten so far behind in blogging. So I can't tell you what we've been up to because I literally can't really remember right now. But as promised, following are a few gems from dear Patrick:

bebras=zebras
laliloli=ravioli
nice ta eat ya=nice to see you
monters=monsters
viva=eva

Again, my mind is blank...I have about a hundred more, but can't remember them right now. I promise to start writing them down.

Patrick has been growing up so much lately! He is starting to act like a little boy. He runs around outside at my mom's house all by himself. He'll take off with Dolly (their dog) and be halfway across the property without thinking to look back at the house. He likes sticks and yelling and stuff. My baby is not a baby anymore... Patrick is also starting to help take care of Eva more too. He is finding pacifiers for her or singing to her. He is also including her in his night time hug list too. It's up to: Mom, Dad, Moo, Libby, and now sometimes Eva, also any visitors we might have at the time.

Eva is still TINY (11 lbs, 13oz), but is developing just fine. She is rolling all over the place and sitting up pretty well. She is loving her toys and just started biter biscuits and juice (cut with lots of water of course) this week. She is also starting fruits too. I (with my mom's help) am making all of her baby food thus far: carrots, squash, peas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. She has been a bit needy lately (as in somebody stand and hold me OR ELSE!), but we're getting by.

Sam has been busy with treasurer stuff with the PBPA (police union) and working A LOT. I'm working on the Women of Distinction Luncheon (co-chair) for the YWCA of Alton-May 28th at LCCC. This was a bigger job than I thought! I'm also helping Emily with the Policeman's Ball-May 16th at Holiday Inn. May is a SUPER busy month and I'm scared! Oh yeah, work is picking up too...YAY!

Alright, enough with the caps lock key. I'm sorry for abusing it in this post, but hey, I did end up remembering a little bit of our lives to write about!

The Evolution of a Nickname

2009-04-01T21:56:00.003-05:00

So we named our daughter Eva Grace. You might wonder why I state such an obvious fact...The thing is, I almost never call her that. It started like this:
1. Eva
2. Eve
3. Evie
4. E.V.
5. E.V. McGhee
6. McGhee
7. Evita
8. Evita McGheeta
9. McGheeta

I inherited this habit from my father. He calls everything and everyone anything but their given name. A sampling: Tootie, L.G., Hurricane, etc. There are no exceptions from this...my husband, my son, dogs...no one is safe. Patricio, Furry Brown Dog, Hank Mooman; I could go on.
I just thought I would share my odd indulgence with you all.

Coming soon: Patrick-A Translation.

One Hooligan in the Rain and More

2009-03-26T22:15:00.010-05:00

Where the heck have we been!? It has been 2 weeks since we Hooligans checked in with our blog fans. Life just seems to get so busy that keeping up with one's email inbox becomes a feat! Anyway...

Notice the super cute little guy in rain gear to the right here.......

The potty training is mostly done. Patrick is a pro. Potty training is like voting in Chicago, visit the potty early and often! We are bribing him with chocolate milk if he wakes up from a nap or in the morning with a dry pull-up. We're thinking about braving a night with undies only (no pull up).

My grandfather, Frank Huber, passed away last week. This was my dad's dad. Grandpa had been gone for quite a while mentally speaking and he has been failing health wise for a few years. It was sad to see my dad lose his father, but it was a relief to them it seemed.

Here is a pic of my dear husband...also known as "dad of the year." Last night we went for a walk, something he isn't really crazy about doing in the first place. We broke out the double stroller the other day, and Sam was willing to push it...all the way around the neighborhood. It's sort of like driving an ocean liner!

Sam has been busy getting the PBPA Treasuer position up to speed and I've been working on the YWCA Women of Distinction Luncheon. Emily and I have also been working on the PBPA Policeman's Ball. To say that May is going to be busy would be a heck of an understatment.

Eva and Patrick have been spending more time at home with me and Sam. Eva is no longer going to daycare and Patrick is going 3 days a week. The money just wasn't there. The plan is to keep this schedule until Patrick starts preschool in the fall and then little E can go to daycare 3 days a week. I won't lie, the days at home alone with the two of them are long and trying, but I'm learning to slow down and enjoy the tiny little things with them. Patrick is learning to buckle his car seatbelt. This takes time, but it was cool to watch him "learn." We have also been working in his tracing book and playing old school "Memory." Since the weather's been nice, we've also been playing outside in the backyard.

Eva is doing well: she's almost able to sit up on her own and she's rolling all over the place. She is more beautiful and sweet and smart everyday!

I'll try to be more diligent about posting...

Potty Training Progress

2009-03-13T21:22:00.003-05:00

I haven't reported on Patrick's progress in the Potty Training Department for a while, so here ya go: he is doing GREAT! He is in big boy underwear full time now. He has had a few pee accidents, but that's it. All poopy is now done on the potty with much excitement and announcement. Naps are usually dry, but we're still working on nights. Sam and I are very proud of him. Yay for no more poopy toddler diapers!

Pureed Veggies Hiding in the Spaghetti

2009-03-08T21:25:00.005-05:00

Ok, so a tough weekend at the Riney household. Saturday was a rough morning at swim class... Patrick just wasn't feeling the underwater thing. Then we spent the afternoon and evening at home. We had a not so great dinner...I tried this new cookbook called "Deceptively Delicious." The idea is you hide all manner of pureed fruits and vegetables in regular dishes. I made baked spaghetti with pureed carrot in the sauce and meatballs with broccoli. It wasn't terrible, but there was A LOT left over and we were hungry for the rest of the evening. We won't give up on this idea of "hiding" healthy stuff in regular food, but I hope for better results next time.

One good thing that came out of this was that I learned how to steam vegetables and use the food processor. We will definitely be making Eva's baby food from scratch. YAY! I felt very "Mother Earth" working with fresh veggies and such.

Work is getting a bit discouraging. Lots of open houses and showings and phone calls, but no pending transactions.

Anyway, today was mostly laundry, feeding kids, going potty,and not going crazy. Sam and I are now frazzled shells of our once aimiable, reasonable selves.

Chapstick in America

2009-03-02T21:29:00.004-06:00

The other day Sam and I were at Target buying all the stuff you buy at Target when you're the parents of two mini-Hooligans. There we were in the "have a cold or prevent a cold" aisle when I noticed the chapstick.Now as you can see, there are at least 30 different choices. Seriously, how many different ways can you do chapsitck? This trend in American retail "over-selection" was plainly obvious when I lived in Spain/Europe. For the most part, your retail needs are still met in specialty shops: you buy meat at the butcher shop, fish at the fish market, fruits and veggies at the stand down the street, chapstick, cough suppresant, toilet paper, etc. at the pharmacy. I only saw one big box store the entire time I was there. It was on the edge of town and there was almost no one there.

Don't get me wrong, I love selection. Somedays you're in the mood for flavored, tinted lip balm and others you just want medicated, get the job done chapstick. I haven't been even close to everywhere, but of the places that I have been, the United States is the only place you can choose between 45 different ice cream options at the grocery store.

Totally unrelated, but interesting point of note: today we took Libby and Moo to the veterinarian for their annual check up. While waiting for the doc I thought, isn't it crazy how pets in the United States get better medical care than billions of humans on this planet? I'm by no means begrudging my sweet furry friends their vet visits, but just noted the irony of the situation.

Ok, so now we're all caught up on canine health care and lip balm selection in America!

An Exposition at Olga's

2009-02-27T09:58:00.003-06:00

I feel obligated to share this story with the Hooligans' friends: Last Saturday after aforementioned fun at Lewis and Clark in the bounce houses, we went to Olga's for lunch. Sam, Gwen, Patrick, Eva, and me. As we are in the midst of potty training, after we ate, Sam took Patrick to the restroom to try to go. He took wipes, but no clean pull up. Upon further examination, Sam realized that he needed a new diaper/pull up. He got Patrick cleaned up, went potty, and then brought him out "commando" to get a diaper. They come to the table and while I am reaching over the table to get the diaper bag, Patrick pulls down his jeans and shouts, "Need a diaper Nana!" over and over. This brought him to the attention of the crowded restaurant. He was standing there with his cute little butt facing the world, jeans around his ankles and was puzzled as to why we were all paralyzed with laughter. He just didn't get what the big deal was.

A Good Day

2009-02-21T23:27:00.003-06:00

Ok, so super great day...we got up this morning and just hung out at the house together: all 4 of us. Sam and I decided that snow on the ground justified not going to swim class. So we played hookie from that. At 11am, Gwen picked us up and we went to LCCC for Kidz Dayz. It was a gym full of bounce houses. Yippee! It was a great opportunity for Patrick to blow of some steam during this time of year when we don't get out much. He didn't want to get in the small bounce house first...after a few minutes of encouragement, he took off and we didn't see him again for a bit. Then we went to the big slide, he was so brave. He confidently climbed up all by himself and after running from one side to the other, finally chose the slide on the right and whoosh, down he went! He jumped off and high-fived us. It was brilliant.
After that, we went to Olga's for lunch. Yummmmmmmmmm.
When we got home, Patrick informed us that he had to got potty. I will spare the details, but long story short: he pooped! Anyway, this was a big deal because he waited to poop until he got to the potty. YAY! We are so proud of him. Progress at last!
Also, after dinner, I cleaned out the fridge and rearranged the shelves and boy that makes me happy. My fridge is all feng-shui-ed out (i.e.it's happy and so am I). I know, I'm wierd.
After a long, happy day...my kids are in bed, my house is relatively picked up and I changed 0 poopy toddler diapers today. A good day!

People should not rise from bed before the sun...

2009-02-18T15:05:00.007-06:00

The two mini hooligans had to get up at the ungodly hour of 6:30am this morning because Sam was working and I had a meeting at 8am in Wood River. I got up at 6am. This wasn't pretty for any involved let me tell you. Well, Eva took it quite well, but Patrick and I weren't happy campers. He was crying and begging to go back to bed. I had to literally put each arm and leg into his clothes. People should not rise from bed before the sun...it's unnatural.

Work has been picking up for me and Sam has been working overtime so we're like two ships passing in the night. Well, it's more like two people who tag in and out of a game (like the madness of our house).

We're still working on potty training. Bribery just isn't what it used to be. Sam and I spend about 10% of our time sitting on the edge of the bath tub cheering for poopy. I think that's it for now, but I'll leave a few pics of us recently.

a test in unnatural parental instinct, a.k.a. toddler swim class

2009-02-02T11:22:00.005-06:00

So I took Patrick to swim class this past Saturday. He's been going off and on since he was about 15 months old. My dear son has never really enjoyed the "pool" experience. The first class he ever went to was a brutal hour of my baby screaming, crying and clinging to my neck. Fast forward to this past Saturday-he was way excited about it right up until he dipped his first toe in the water...it was mostly downhill from there. "No pool mommy, go back mommy, wanna get outta the pool mommy."

The whole experience is hillarious. It's a giant pool full of desperate grown ups trying to get their desperate children to love the water. Don't get me wrong, there are a few kids that just take to it and are jumping off the side in no time. The rest of us, well we just stand there in the water wondering where we went wrong. We loved swimming as a kid, how can our perfect baby be so averse?

Anyway, so then comes the "trying new things" part of swim class. This is a test in NOT following one's natural parental instincts. 1. "I'm going to let go of you, you kick as hard as you can and get back to the surface." Your child pleads for you not to, but you let go and watch them sink to the bottom and struggle back to the top for a little oxygen. 2. "Jump off the edge into the water sweetie." In this exercise they think you'll catch them, only to be surprised when you let them jump in and try to swim back up. The list could go on, but you get the drift. It's just damn unnatural to let your child struggle so much while pleading for your help and you intentionally do nothing but encourage. Yeesh, parenting is tough stuff!

Don't worry-I won't disturb any of the Hooligans' adoring fans by posting pics of these swim class days.

Sam in the Doghouse, and a Visit with Elmo

2009-01-25T17:05:00.006-06:00

I found my husband in bed with another woman a few days ago...I took a photo to show everyone what kind of man he really is.

For those of you that don't know, this is our beagle Libby. She takes my spot the moment I get out of bed.

The next photo is of Katie with Libby. Here Libby is intimidating Katie into petting her. It sort of goes like this..."I'm sitting on you, holding you down...if you don't pet me, you will be licked promptly."

Ok, enough about that darn Libby beagle. We went to see Elmo and Friends today at the Scottrade Center. It was a great Sesame Street Live production. As you can see, Patrick had a great time. Gwen, Sam and I had a great time as well. We had club suite seats (read: our own private bathroom and we were away from everyone else's happy and/or crying children.) Patrick waved at the characters often and kept saying, "Hi Cookie Monster!" He was adorable.

It's a New World After All...

2009-01-20T22:43:00.002-06:00

I couldn't let this day pass without marking it in this blog. Barack Obama was inaugurated as the President of the United States of America. Woot! I acknowledge that this was remarkable because he is the first African-American person elected to this position. What has struck me more though is that this man is honest, genuine. I think that he is going to be a different kind of President. He is different in the way he handles himself. He knows what he knows and more importantly, he knows what he doesn’t know. He seeks advice from others. I don’t know, he’s just awesome. I know he’s coming into quite a mess, but he will make progress.

Sam and I watched the whole she-bang today. It was crazy how many people were there. Estimates were 2 million. Aretha Franklin’s bow was a little…not little. Malia and Sasha were super cute…I loved the orange gloves. Michelle’s dress for the day was beautiful and classic. With the last ball arrival scheduled for 2:35am, they will be exhausted. I hope they wore comfy shoes today!

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2009-01-16T10:40:00.004-06:00

Well it's too darn cold to do anything!...even typing is risky. Who knows? My fingers could break off at any moment. I came up to my mom's house this morning because our internet is not working at the house. The lake is frozen over and is very pretty. Me, Dad and Andy walked out on the lake. I was too chicken to get more than "knee deep." There are neat crystals on the top of the ice...

My friend Katie has been out of the country in Guatemala since January 7th. She's on a mission trip with some WIU folks. Anyway, I'm ready for her to get home. And I'll admit I'm a bit jealous she's in shorts and T-shirts while we're freezing our butts off! So Katie, if you're reading this, COME HOME! Surely you're looking forward to these lovely sub-zero wind chills?!

We're keeping busy in this post-Christmas time. Sam has taken over as the treasurer for the PBPA, the local police union chapter. He and I are also both on the committee for the Policeman's Ball. Emily is the chair of the committee and it's going to be a rockin' event this year. For those of you that are interested. It will be May 16th at the Holiday Inn in Alton. I promise a fun night with lots of great silent auction items.

I am the vice-president of the YWCA Board of Directors...life is so much quieter since my term as president ended. My inbox is definitely, happily emptier and my cell phone is using way less minutes! I am also co-chairing the Women of Distinction and Men of Distinction Luncheons (May 28th and August 6th respectively) for the YWCA Board of Directors.

Sam is enjoying shooting at the Alton Pistol and Rifle Club downtown. He is in a .22 league and shoots on Wednesday nights when he isn't working. As for my free time, well potty training Patrick and nursing Eva is pretty much what I do these days. While at times I feel bogged down by motherhood, I'm trying very hard to enjoy it all. Someday I'll look back and miss it.

Well, we're keeping busy and enjoying life. This band leader must sign off for now...

The Hooligans in 2009

2009-01-10T22:13:00.006-06:00

I won't dare to call what follows "resolutions;" it seems as if that word is cursed...at least as far as I'm concerned. Instead, a vague plan of what we hope to accomplish this year.

Eva: growing, staying healthy, continuing to sleep through the night, continuing to be a beautiful, sweet baby girl.

Patrick: potty training (already in progress!), continuing to learn colors, shapes, numbers, trying not to grow up too fast and break his mommy's heart.

Sam: I have consulted him on this; in other words, these are his plans/goals, not my plans for him! MAINTAIN; he's very happy with where things are right now. Be a good role model for his kids. To do a good job at his new position of Treasurer with the PBPA. Play less WoW...ok, I snuck that one in there!

Kate: continuing to learn how to be a good mom, finally getting serious about my job, finally getting serious about my health (and my family's), getting my dogs on walks more often, fixing my hair more often (if you spend any time around me, you'll know that while trivial, this is a much needed goal), take a little time for myself once in a while, recognize that I can't do everything, try to be on time, or at least less late for meetings and such.

We got Christmas put away on New Year's Day. Contrary to the promise I made in a previous post to do so while Patrick was at school, we did it with him at home and awake. He was a big help...ok, so not really. He took LOTS of ornaments off the tree; he even broke a few. No worries, we needed to pare down anyway. At any rate, our house is back to a normal level of chaos.

So the holidays are offically over and we're happy for life to be settling back into a routine. Best wishes to you all on a happy and successful 2009!

2008 - Year in Review

2009-01-05T15:51:00.010-06:00

As I sit down to write this, I realize that I can't remember much from 2008. Perhaps this is because life has gotten so hectic that I don't even remember what I had for lunch yesterday. This sparce recollection won't be broken down in months or anything so organized, but more likely haphazard as I recall it.

I became the President of the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Alton. For a while I felt pretty important, but quickly realized that I was just the biggest sucker in the room. We kept the organization afloat during a very turbulent time, so I'm proud of us for that. I will say that I'm happy to be in the number 2 spot this year (VP). Being in charge of something isn't nearly so great as it sounds.

I learned to make cookies this year. I know this may sound totally ridiculous for a college educated woman whose been married for 6 years and came from a family of pretty darn good cooks. However, my cookies have lived in infamy since the day that not even the dogs would eat them. Anyway, this year, I tackled this embarrassment and, with some lessons from mom and Bunny, made some kick-ass sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

Patrick turned 2 in May! Sam and I can't believe that he's already two. He runs, jumps, climbs, falls, talks, asks questions...I could go on. I think his vocabulary increases at least 5% a day! He's amazing. Now I feel silly for being excited about a 2 year old that can run, jump, etc., but I think daily that my kid is really a genius.

Our biggest event of the year was Eva's birth. She was born on October 3rd, 2008. She weighed 7lbs and was 20 inches long. Not sure if it was me getting older or what, but this pregnancy wasn't as easy as the last one. Either way, she is here and healthy. The most beautiful baby girl ever. p.s. Yay for epidurals!

Sam turned the big 3-0 on December 17. Shawn flew up and surprised Sam for the weekend. They had lots of celebrating to do as Shawn turned 30 on 12/4. We had nice dinner at Bella Milano on Saturday night that weekend and then went to Dave and Buster's for some good old fashioned time wasting F-U-N (and adult beverages). Sam got, among other things, a .22 pistol for target shooting.

Thanksgiving was busy as usual, but yummy. We made the rounds and spent our day surrounded by lots of family. We are SO lucky to have so much family. Christmas was strange this year because Sam had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but we made it work. We turned it into a 5 day food/gift/family bonanza. Yeeha!

I'm sure I'll think of 8 things I meant to write once I post this, but the above is our year in review. It was full, busy, lovely, hard and fast. Coming soon: the Hooligans' hopes and plans for 2009...

Happy Christmas and Yummy New Year's Eve

2008-12-27T14:48:00.004-06:00

So I won't say this is all due to global warming, but it's December 27th and 64 degrees outside...did I mention the thunderstorm producing a torrential downpour? Anyway, it's just wierd to hear thunder when you're Christmas tree is still up!

Speaking of Christmas, we've had a lovely one. Lots of family get togethers and yummy food. We got and gave some great gifts: on the receiving end Patrick got scissors (yes, I'm serious-see photo at right), a doctor kit, Hulk fists, Cookie Monster slippers, a stationary bicycle that coordinates with a game on the tv, and about a box truck more of fun stuff. Sam got handcuffs, a gun cleaning kit, and underwear. I got markers, underwear, and some really cool books. Slippers too! I would say the prize for most out of the ordinary gift given was the "poop claw" from Petco that we gave my dad. They seem so ridiculous, but they are seriously awesome.

My BFF Nora is in town for the week: WOOT! I am looking forward to spending some quality time with her soon. Also coming soon is my mom's New Year's Eve Party. It's the yummiest place to be on December 31. If you're not already coming, call me and I'll see if I can get your name on the list!

Emily wrote a year in review post today, so I think I'll follow suit in the next few days...

I hope you all are enjoying this magical holiday time from Christmas to New Year's Day as much as we are!

Patience for Christmas

2008-12-16T22:30:00.009-06:00

A few days ago, Sam and I were finally ready to put up the Christmas decorations. Now, this is a feat in and of itself. To begin, we (I) finally agreed to purchase a prelit tree. I acquiesed on this to avoid the annual domestic dispute that occurs at 217 Ladd when we attempt to untangle the Christmas lights.

Well, we found the perfect tree: it has 500 white lights and 500 multi-color lights. This is great for us because Sam and I have a fundamental disagreement on what a Christmas tree should look like: I prefer multi-color lights with fun, family ornaments, Sam prefers all white lights with matchy, matchy ornaments. I bought the tree online because I found a coupon code for free shipping...no hauling this thing home from the store. You see where this is going right?...when we received it, some of the lights didn't work.

A few days later, Sam loaded this tree in my car and I headed off to Target. I got to the parking lot and realized that I had yet to handle this tree on my own. Needless to say, it was a rough, sweaty trip, but I got the thing exchanged.

So now here we are with a mostly functional prelit, mulit-colored and white light Christmas tree. We clean up dinner and commence this endeavor. Eva is content in her chair throughout this entire process. Patrick is SOOOOO excited. We start handing him ornaments and teach him how to gently hang them on the tree. 2 hours and most of my Christmas cds later, the tree is done...and perfect. Sam and I are frazzled shells of our once amiable selves, but very proud of our pretty living room and our excited, exhausted, but determined son. You'll see a pic of me and Eva as well as one of Patrick and I, each with our own pickle ornament.

So this Christmas, we're learning to slow down and enjoy the journey, not to focus only on the end result. I am learning patience whether I like it or not. Don't worry, we're not crazy though...we'll be taking all this down when Patrick is at school!

That for Which I'm Thankful - 2008

2008-12-15T15:51:00.006-06:00

I wrote this for Thanksgiving, but I thought it would be nice to share here. -Kate

p.s. The awkwardness of my title is an homage to not ending a sentence with a prepositional phrase.

My Family…
Baby Eva Grace
Patrick Joseph-who knew 2 could be so cute and challenging at the same time?
My main squeeze and daddy of the year-Sam
My mom-I couldn't do all this without you
Gwen-she loves my kids to the moon and back
Libby & Moo-I heart you guys!

Making the list again this year…epidurals
My new car-so great with the kids
Heated seats and remote start
The flexibility of my job
Spending time soaking in Patrick and Eva's babyness…it goes SO fast
Fall in the Midwest
The opportunity to speak at schools and in court regarding driving while impaired
"Pongi!" the official name of Patrick's tribe
The village that helps me raise my babies
My trip to Mexico with Katie last December-it was a good long weekend before Round 2 in the Pregnancy Ring-Thanks Murbie!
The too infrequent, but always long and savored conversations with Nora…I miss you still!
My new-found love of slippers
That Tom and Gwen allow me to crash their party when Sam is working
That mom and dad have grass this winter!
Em and Steve
That Sam stays close with Shawn…sometimes too close (WoW)
Our good friends…they are few, but we love them
No more carpet in my house!
My dad, Andy and Patrick, down at the lake all summer throwing the toy for Dolly
Spending time with Sam-quiet time when we can actually complete sentences
That Eva nurses well…I know TMI, but I really am thankful for it
Mom's front porch
That I got so lucky to have two healthy babies…they're gorgeous too
Dr. Talsky and his nurses
That Sam went to ALL of my OB appointments with me…a good man he is
That I've gotten to spend so much time hanging out at mom and dad's house…I really enjoy being there
Patrick's seemingly boundless love for all things "at the Farm" (lake, Dolly, geese, deer, the loft, the dirt, the hedge apples, walks, etc, etc, etc)
Daycare-need I say more?
Patrick's bike rides with Tom
That even though the housing market isn't great right now…I had my best year yet.
That Sam got to have 6 weeks off work when Eva was born…it was great to have him there through the hardest parts
Did I mention epidurals?
As always-that my list is so long. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

This just in...Hooligan's Enter the Blogosphere

2008-12-13T11:57:00.000-06:00

Well here we are! Sam, Patrick, Eva and I are here in the blogosphere. I was going to wait until after the holidays, but I figured there is no time like the present. And why not add one more thing to my "to-do" list every few days?

As the holidays approach, the chaos level in our lives, like everyone's, has increased exponentially. We have lots of family birthdays in December, most importantly, Sam's. He is the big 3-0 this year! To celebrate, Shawn, his BFF, flew up from Dallas Thursday night to surprise him. They've been goofing around the last few days and tonight we're ALL going out to celebrate Sam's venture into undeniable adulthood. I can honestly say that 30 has never seemed so young.

After a very busy and yummy Thanksgiving, we trekked up to Chicago to celebrate Papa Bob's 80th birthday and Christmas with the Hatfield clan. The kids were fantastic in the car and we had a truly wonderful time.

With all this celebrating, we are still getting used to life with 2 children. It makes life with one seem easy. Anyway, Patrick is adjusting well. He still has moments where he will do just about anything to get attention. He really loves Eva-almost to a fault. He really likes to hug and kiss her. And if she's crying, he's first in line to lovingly shove a pacifier in her mouth. He refers to this tool as a "Reba-cier." You see, he calls her Reba, Beba, and sometimes Reva, but never, ever Eva. Speaking of Eva, she is doing quite well. She and I spend lots of time together these days as she is a nursing super-star. She isn't in daycare yet...not until the housing market improves!

Sam and I are taking turns working and taking care of the "hooligans." Thank goodness for Tivo; who has time to watch a show when it's scheduled? Libby and Moo are continuing to rule the roost and defend the homestead.

That's it for now...Kate (the Band Leader)