A new game - 30 truths

An old friend of mine (man that sounds awkward... like we're old or something) blogs and I follow it regularly. She recently did a blog entry series she named "30 truths." For 30 days she revealed a truth about herself. I thought it was awesome and I learned a lot about her that I didn't already know. So, I'd like to "steal" the idea from her and do my own 30 truths series. So, for the next 30 days, in addition to my regular updates and antics, I will be offering truths about myself. Many of you know that I have no "filter"... so as a precaution and disclaimer my truths are my opinions, of which everyone is entitled to their own, and it is not my intention to insult or offend anyone. Not to mention, this blog will one day be seen by my children. I will not put anything on here that I wouldn't want them knowing later. We all have our secrets, right? :)

With all that being said, my first truth will be "safe" and tame...


Truth #1: I love NC State

If I could go back to college, I'd go to State. Actually, I would not trade any of my college experiences for the world, but I would want all of them to take place in Wolfpack country.

I was born during the NC State vs. Duke football game. My papa and uncle were at that game. I'm assuming had my Deddy not been busy helping my Mama through her breathing, he would have been there too. Regardless, my Papa was the first of my extended family to hold me in the hospital. Several years ago, Papa gave me his ticket stub from that very game. He framed it and wrapped it up and gave it to me for my birthday.

Wolfpack football gives me the chills. The good kind of chills. It's a thrill that I could experience every minute of every day if it were possible. Football season is by far my most favorite time of the year. One day we will have season tickets of our own. And MAYBE one day, NCSU will have a decent basketball team. :)

Luckily I found a fellow State fanatic to marry. Our children are born and bread to be Pack fans. They have no choice in the matter. Some of my best memories have taken place at Carter Finley Stadium and I intend to continue the family tradition for our children. Maybe one day I'll be able to give my grandchild a ticket stub I used on his/her Birth day game.

*Cool side note - the t-shirt Liam is wearing above has been passed down to every child born into the Radford family since my brother was born. Same shirt, different babies! Papa would bring it to the hospitals when meeting each one of his grandchildren, with the exception of me.

Just pictures

Ryan helping Brett blow out his birthday candles.

Liam's 5 month pictures - why yes! He's wearing Christmas pjs in February... :)

Ryan and I made Valentines for his friends at school

More birthday for Brett!

Ryan, Liam and Aunt Tara!

Playing trucks with Grandpa

Liam loves bananas!

Liam & Dee Dee hanging out

Ready for the snow!

Ryanisms

I can't express in words how awesome our weekend was, and we didn't really do a whole lot, at least not compared to normal. Friday night Brett worked late so Ryan, Liam and I hung out at home, played games, watched Spongebob and played. On Saturday my Deddy came for a quick visit to drop off a new heater for Brett's studio. We visited for a while then Brett went into work. Ryan, Liam and I went to see a friend's soccer game then had a late lunch with them afterwards. I had my first Thirty One party on Saturday night (I'm a Thirty One Consultant) so I dropped Ryan and Liam off with Brett at work and went to my party, which doubled as a girls night out for me because I knew everyone there. (Score! My party did great! - *Thanks Caroline!) Sunday we hung out around the house. Brett was off and I had a goal on completing ALL of the laundry that was overtaking my laundry room. I swear, laundry breeds itself in my house. No matter if I do one load each evening I can never catch up. Potty accidents, spit up and drooly sheets & blankets create a constant battle between me and my washing machine. Anyway, I completed all but 1 load. Whoo hoo! My washer and dryer were breathing a sigh of relief when I went to bed last night. Anyway, Brett washed both cars and I was wonder-woman in the kitchen. I decided to cook one of Brett's favorite meals, but also cooked dinner for tonight as well. So I had 2 dinners going at one time. I'm looked forward to going home this evening and being able to play instead of cook! Our menu tonight: Chicken Tortilla Soup! YUMMMMM! All in all, this weekend was great. We had some great family time outside in this beautiful weather. I hope it's here to stay because I really hate the cold. Oh, and it is not going to be long at all before Liam becomes mobile!

Ryan kept me laughing this weekend. I really do think we could do a reality TV show just on him. He takes "Kids say the darndest things" to a whole new level. So, in honor of him, here is a compiled list of my favorite Ryanisms:

Ryan picks up a penny out of can of change and smells it.
Me: "Ryan, what are you doing?"
Ryan: "smelling my pennies because they're wonderful."

"Mama, I'm a bathtub-peein'-machine!"

While cracking my knuckles (bad habit, yes I know), Ryan asks, "Mama, why are you smashing yourself?"

"Mama, I don't like to eat boogers or bugs."

"Mommy, Carter wants a french fry. Carter can't have french fries because he's a dog."

"Mama, I can't hold my pee pee or my penis will fall off."

"Boo-yah!"

While on the way to our families homes for Christmas:
Ryan: "We're going to the circus, Daddy?"
Brett: "No Buddy, we're a traveling circus. We've got animals, midgets and everything."
Ryan: "Oh, ok."

"I have the bless yous, Mama."

Me to Ryan: "Ready Freddy?"
Ryan: "No, I'm ready Ryan."

While watching Rihanna perform on the MTV Music Awards on TV Ryan says "Where's her shirt? She needs to put on a shirt!"

Ryan: "I don't want to clean the house."
Me: "Me neither, but it needs to be done."
Ryan: "I don't want it to be done. I like a mess."

Ryan to Brett: "You're not a man! You're a little girl!"

On the way to the drug store to pick up meds for Ryan:
Ryan: "We're going to the farm cause they have my medicine there."
Me: "No, the pharmacy. The drug store."
Ryan: "Yeah, the farm. That's what I said."

Ryan: "Daddy, I got lots of candy!"
Brett: "Oh, yeah?"
Ryan: "Yeah, it's called Trick or Treating!"

Me: browning chicken for dinner
Ryan: "Hey! Turn that chicken down! It's too loud!"

Ryan to Brett: "Hey nutball, come here!"

While eating spinach & chicken alfredo, I say to Ryan (as he's stuffing his face), "Eating that spinach will give you big muscles!" While processing my comment, he finishes chewing, holds out his arms, looks at them, then at me and says, "They're not bigger!"

"Mama, I want to pee like a river."

"Mom, these trees look like my broccoli!"

Ryan: "Daddy, I can't see the tv."
Brett: "Why?
Ryan: "Cause your guns are in the way." (Referring to Brett's arms.)

Ryan: "There's my Daddy, Mom!"
Me: "No, that's not your daddy."
Ryan: "Why?"
Me: "Because I didn't marry that man."...
Ryan: "Why?"Me: "Because he's not a pretty man."
Ryan (to Brett when he got back in the car): "Daddy, you're a man."

5 Months

I'm bad. Really bad. I've neglected my blog and I missed 2 monthly updates for Liam. Hopefully when he's 25 and reads this he won't be angry with me.

So to fill in the gaps, I'll update with pictures from both months and do some fun 5 month stats.

Liam stats:

Weight: 18.2lbs. 95% for weight and at 27 inches, he's 90% for height. Brett and I are hopeful that he's got a full ride in his future or perhaps he's NFL draft material.
Diaper size: 3! It feels like we skipped size 2 all together. He was in them for all of 2 weeks.
Clothing size: 6-9 months, some 12 months.
Feedings: He's still getting a little bit of rice cereal in his 8oz bottles every 3.5 hours. BUT... We've started SOLIDS!!! Liam has had apples, sweet potatoes, bananas, and peas. Oh, and I shouldn't leave out the "tastes" he's had of ice cream and jello.
Sleeping: Oh we're good with this. REALLY GOOD! We're blessed, no...extremely blessed to have 2 children who have slept through the night beginning at 9 weeks. He has kept up his trend by going to bed between 8 and 9pm and sleeping until 7:30 or 8:00 the next morning. He loves Mommy & Daddy's bed. I will often put him in our bed when he wakes up in the morning and he'll go back to sleep! He's not the best napper, however. At daycare he'll take 15-30 minute cat naps 2, maybe 3 times a day. When he's at home he'll go for 2 or more hours. I guess he just doesn't want to miss anything while he's at school.
Eye color: BLUE BLUE BLUE!
Playtime: Rolling Rolling Rolling... keep that Liam Rolling! Oh yes, we're rolling all over the place. He loves his baby gym, his jumperoo, his Monkey lovey, a plush taggy football and a little triangle rattle that Ryan gave him before he was born. He's also a fan of books. He joins us at bedtime with Ryan when we read books and he always goes in to grab the pages.
Likes: I covered all the toys above. He also likes bath time, being naked, diaper changes... hmm, I see a trend. He also loves his Ergo, laying in our bed with us, watching Ryan run around like a maniac and he is always mesmerized by the dogs.
Dislikes: being alone. If I, or anyone really, walk out of the room for whatever reason, he is NOT happy. As soon as you walk back in he's happy again. He still isn't a fan of lotion and he doesn't like it when Ryan cries.

As for Ryan, I can't say "He's so smart" often enough. He really is. I know, he's my child so of course I feel that way, but some of the things he says and does is just beyond me. He turns everything into something else. For example, his hockey stick is often used as a leaf blower. The wooden rods on his easel are used as drum sticks and his lacrosse stick has been a guitar a time or two. His love for cooking continues and he's developed a liking of board games and puzzles. We play Candyland, 5 Little Monkeys and Hi Ho Cheerio. Tonight though, we played SQUIRTS! Squirts is a game he and I developed during bath time. He has several little water squirters. I actually hate those things because you can't clean them. Nonetheless, they are super fun! Needless to say, after 20 minutes of the game, the bathroom looked more like Wet & Wild than a bathroom.

I will leave you with some pictures!

Saltine Crackers

I'm having lunch with a friend today at 12:30. It's 10:30 now and I didn't have breakfast. To keep from wasting away at my desk, I ate some saltine crackers that were in my desk from a take out lunch I ordered last week. (The were sealed in their package, of course.) Just as a put the first cracker in my mouth, Somewhere Over the Rainbow started playing on my Pandora channel.
You're probably saying, "So what?"
This strange combination of crackers and the song quickly took me back to my elementary school days. I used to get off the bus at my Mimi & Papa's house. Mimi was working at that time, but my Papa Earl was there, every day, to greet me. I was required to do my homework soon after I got there. I wasn't a big fan. I always had Spelling to do, and usually something from one or two other subjects. But before I did my homework, I got a snack. Saltine crackers and a Coke.
I ate weird things. I remember eating raw cabbage as a snack too. Raw cabbage? Really? I still love it. My Mimi always buys bags of pecans from the ladies at church. I would eat those too. Somedays though, I was normal. Chocolate chip cookies, chips, sometimes a whole pb&j sandwich. Regardless of what it was or the choice I made, my Papa lovingly fulfilled my request.
It's the little things. You know?
Papa helped me with my homework and quized me on my spelling words daily. I hated it, but now looking back I'm grateful. :) After my homework, I sunk into his recliner and lost myself in Punky Brewster, The Brady Bunch and The Flinstones until I was picked up to go home. On Friday evenings though, the whole family came over and we'd order seafood.

I think it might be time for a seafood night on Sparger Rd...

Santa Claus and Resolutions

This post is a bit late, and I apologize to you followers. Our Christmas was great. Despite my stress level and worries I exposed in my previous post, all is well in the Dippolito house and we keep on kicking. :) We traveled a lot... A LOT, we ate A LOT, we laughed A LOT and we enjoyed the company of our family. OH! And we got snow! I don't know that we can actually count it as a white Christmas since the yard wasn't white until the day after, and thank God for that since our plans would have been royally screwed had the roads been mushy on Christmas day.

Santa Claus was good to my boys this year. Ryan's prized gift was a Little Tikes grill. Liam's prized gift was formula! Haha! It was the first year that Ryan was actually into the whole Santa thing. I wonder how long I can keep that going and when he figures it out, how will we bribe him to keep his mouth shut for the benefit of Liam. I can't remember when I actually figured out that Santa Claus actually lived with me all year long, it was probably around second or third grade, maybe sooner or a bit later. Now that I think about it, I don't think I've ever told my parents I knew their secret. In my house, if you didn't believe in Santa you didn't get anything. My lips were sealed! It could very well be the biggest secret to keep of one's parental career. My personal belief is that Santa Claus is alive and well in spirit. He's the whole concept of giving... more like personifying a verb.

The day after Christmas, Mama, Ryan and I went to the mall. We were walking passed the Apple store and there was a life-size (and very life-like) Santa standing in their window. Ryan says, "Look! There's Santa!" My mother quickly responded with "Oh yes! He must have had another stop before going back the to North Pole!" Ryan's response? "Yeah!"

That's all well and good now when he's 3 and doesn't really put it all together, plus this was a display, but what about later? It would just prompt a conversation that I will more than likely not be prepared for. So, my solution: My children will not be allowed to venture out to shopping venues between December 25th and Jan 1. :)

Here are some Christmas pictures, since I haven't shared any in a while...

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions. I lack will power for myself. Now, when it comes to my children, I have all the will power in the world, but for whatever reason it doesn't spill over to me. So, I've taken a different approach: no resolutions, just changes... for my children.

My list:

1. Be less of a pushover and a bit firmer. Ryan pretty much does whatever he wants to do. This is masked in public by the fact that he's a pretty good kid. Let the boundaries be made! This is pretty obvious how this will help my children.

2. Exercise. Yeah, I know. This is so predictable but aside from the "exercise" I get by not sitting down from the time I walk in the door until I go to bed, there is none. I am changing that. Every day I will do something. Whether it's walking/running the dogs, an hour on wii Fit, going to the gym or perhaps attempting Brett's P90X... I'm doing something. How does this benefit my children? Well, I'll be healthier, thus around a lot longer than I would be if I turn into a blob of nothingness which they will have to take care of later.

3. Responsible pet owner. Raise your hand if your pets have taken a back seat to your children. (I hope your hand is raised!) Well, forget the backseat. Dakoda & Carter have ventured into whole different vehicle! I will walk/run them at least 5 out of the 7 days a week. Koda is fat and lazy, Carter is just big mass of bottled energy... this must change. Positive child-related result: dogs are a better behaved, mommy and daddy are happier, children don't witness murder of said pooches. (*sarcasm* - I would never hurt my dogs.)

4. Drink more water. I hate water. No, I loathe water. How boring can you be, really? There's no taste, no texture. Nothing. I have found though that I like Smart Water. I have expensive tastes. (No pun intended) It's simple. Less soda & sweet tea... more water. Same effect on children as #2... plus, maybe I won't pass out anymore. My fainting talent is a topic for a different day, but there is a theory that I do it because I'm dehydrated. I think "they" can shove that theory. Nonetheless... more water for me.

5. Be on time. My clock is off. I have no concept of time. Frankly, I never have. It seriously takes an act of God to get me anywhere on time, with kids or without. Of course, it is much easier to arrive promptly without children, but that is rarely the case. I can hardly use them as an excuse though. I wasn't on time before I had children. However, I'm working on fixing this problem. I know it's not acceptable. It's a lifestyle change... I ask for patience from all parties involved. This will positively effect my children because I won't be dragging them into daycare at the speed of light, dropping them off and running out the door only to arrive at work 1 minute after the time I was supposed to.

Here you have it. My commitments to change - for my children. No resolutions here. They just get broken. I have yet, in my 28 years of existence, to keep a New Year's resolution.

I will report back in 12 months.

Our weekend and the truth

Our weekend was PACKED! Not only was Friday Ryan's birthday, but it was also Brett's company Christmas party with Omni Health & Fitness. We were treated to a lovely dinner at Chris's Steakhouse here in Fayetteville, complete with an open bar. We ducked out early to go home and spend some time with our little men since we both felt bad leaving Ryan with a babysitter on his birthday. But hey, it was one of his favorites, so consider it an extra birthday present for him.

Saturday was dedicated to Ryan's party. We were joined by friends and family along with some of his little friends from school AND his special girlfriend to celebrate the most exciting past 3 years of our lives. He is now the proud owner of a red scooter... the only thing he asked for... in addition to trucks, games, and Cars (the movie) paraphernalia. He is definitely a spoiled, very lucky little boy. His party was in the Kid Zone at the gym where Brett works. Think Monkey Joes. It is about 5,000 square feet of huge blow up jump houses, obstacle courses, a basketball court and jousting area. Adults and kids had an equal amount of excitement! I'm thinking we will go ahead and book it for next year as well. We also went to a Christmas party at the home of some of our friends. This one was kid-friendly so we took Ryan and Liam with us. I kept getting comments and questions about if this is how Liam and Ryan acted all the time and how impressed they were of them. I have to say that one of the best compliments a parent can get is that their children are well-behaved. Of course, you're asking what can Liam do to "misbehave", right? Well, he was just soft, squishy and lovable. He let everyone who wanted to hold him and he smiled and just watched the world go by around him. But Ryan was fantastic. He was lacking a nap and was exhausted from his birthday party and he was just an angel. He played nicely with the other kids, was all smiles and used his manners. I couldn't have asked for better.

Sunday Brett had to work, so Ryan, Liam and I went shopping to spend his birthday money on some much needed clothes for him. It's funny how I have 6 extra large totes upstairs overflowing with clothes from newborn to 2T and all of a sudden I realized that Ryan had no clothes. Ok, so he has clothes, but nothing compared to the stock pile we had up until now. So, we hit up Belks, Gymboree and The Children's Place yesterday. Their sales were fantastic and Ryan was a shopping champ! He picked out several of the items and his prized find was his boots from TCP. He saw them and said, "Mama! I want these shoes!" He's a shoe freak like his Daddy.

We also went shopping for a little girl. Earlier in the month we chose a 2 year old little girl to purchase a few small gifts for so she could have a Christmas. Through all our financial ups and downs this year, I am blessed that I can provide a Christmas for my children and I know I would be devastated if that was absolutely not possible. So, after we went birthday shopping, we went and bought a babydoll, a puzzle and a Mrs. Potato head then wrapped them and put them under the tree at the gym so the Salvation Army could come pick them up today. When I explained to Ryan what we were doing, he surprisingly understood and was all about picking out these items for her. Once again, I'm so blessed to have him as my son.

As for the rest of my Christmas shopping, well we're not done yet. As far as I'm concerned, we have the most important people in our lives completed, our children. I'll go ahead and lay it all out on the table and say that financially, at the moment, we are down. Way down. Not that it is really anyone's business or that you care, but saying it here is a way of me venting and dealing with it a little better. Painting a picture of rainbows and roses is just not real. My blog is real, and I'll continue to keep it that way. This blog is also for my boys. Raising them to know that money is an issue and demands respect is one of my duties to them as a parent. They were not born with silver spoons in their mouths and they will be taught the value of a dollar. Starting a business is not an easy task. Add that to an unpaid maternity leave, well you now have a recipe for financial insecurity. Brett has busted is ass from day one of 3D Golf and it is going well, very well, but we have yet to break even and that is difficult. He is supplementing by working at the gym where he teaches so he can not only bring home a pay check, but also promote 3D on a daily basis. Christmas for everyone else is just not on my priority list. Paying my bills and keeping food on my table is. This "game" and the pressure of providing Christmas has turned me into a Scrooge. This is why Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I get to thank God for my many blessings and spend it with family without the pressure of spending money I don't have. Somehow Christmas has turned into this ginormous rush of greed and rules that one must follow; I want "xyz", Let's draw names, but spend $30 on a gift, Gift cards are the best, You have to take your kids to the mall to see Santa, you have to have a Christmas tree or it's not Christmas, you have to drive 80 miles one-way every weekend to take part in Christmas activities. Ok people, let me set something straight... If you really want it, go buy it. Gift cards are just like writing you a check for $x amount. Where is that thought in that? Me, nor my children will get any sort of thrill waiting in line for hours on end at the mall to see Santa Claus. Jesus was born in a barn and died on a cross... tell me where a dead pine tree in my living room fits into that? And finally, gas is over $3/gallon. I can't afford to travel every weekend. It is absolutely horrible that I can't focus on the real reason for Christmas and how blessed I am because I am stressing about how I am going to purchase gifts for those on my list in the next 5 days. This is my reality. If anyone can say that they have never felt this way at some point in their lives, either you're lying through your teeth or you're extremely blessed.

If I have hurt your feelings in any way, I am sorry, I truly am. But I am tired. I'm tired of the added pressure on top of the things I really need to be concerned about. I'm tired of being sent on guilt trips. I'm tired of being told "Remember the reason for the season" and "I want a gift card to Dicks" in the same breath.

I've spent a lot of time praying. I pray that our hard work pays off. I pray that we are able to pay our bills, put food on our table and put gas in our vehicles. I prayed that we would be able to provide a Christmas for our boys without outside help. I've prayed that God holds off on the curve balls long enough for us to get back up after we've been knocked down... again. I've thanked God that we are able to get back up. I've prayed for our health and safety and I've prayed for others. And I pray that this Christmas I will be able to enjoy the holiday without the feeling of failure and see through all this pressure to the real reason we are together to celebrate.

I can't be more real than this.