Why? Why? Why?

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

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

Coming Soon...Patrick's 3rd Birthday

Larry the Jabberbox

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

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

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

A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

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

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

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

moatmeal=oatmeal

dokey dokey=okey dokey

lambeylance=ambulance

peececar=police car

waller=water

veeva=eva

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

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

It's Raining a Toady

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

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

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

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.