Goodbye Naps

I can hardly believe that this day is here: Grant has dropped his afternoon nap! I thought he would make it all the way until he walked into elementary school, but alas, it's not to be. I still make him lie down for an hour (listening to music, books on cd, etc), which seems to refuel his tanks, and I am loving the extra one-on-one time we get in the afternoon while Grace sleeps. He dropped his nap all at once; there's nothing "gradual" about Grant! He's going to sleep earlier now, and he often sleeps to about 8:30, so he's still getting plenty of sleep.

It's just another indicator that I've got a full fledged little boy on my hands, one who is rocketing toward full kid-dom without looking back. Queue: tears.

Fish in an Igloo

A few weeks ago, I made an aborted trip to Jackson, Mississippi. It snowed. A lot. In Mississippi. Prior to that trip, I asked our good friend Georgette for some restaurant recommendations, knowing that she was a Jackson native. She passed along a few ideas...a Japanese steakhouse here, some barbeque there, and an igloo that serves fish.

A few weeks after that, I actually made a trip to Jackson, but I wasn't in town for my nightly feeding. So when I had to come back down here this week, I decided to revisit Georgette's list, focusing mainly on the fish igloo.

I punched in the location on the GPS, drove 20 minutes, and then lo and behold, I was staring at an igloo on the side of the road, announcing itself as Jerry's Catfish House. What the?

I figured the igloo had to have a hook of some kind. Was the catfish "ice breaded?" Was the iced tea "cold as an igloo?" Nope. Jerry just decided to build his restaurant so that it looked like one of those DPW salt/sand storage facilities you see along the highway.

I went inside and got seated. The menu had a plethora of options that mostly looked like "catfish and sides." I ordered the all you can eat catfish, and within 90 seconds, I was eating.

The waitress brought me about 2 pounds of fish, 20 hushpuppies, a bowl of coleslaw, and a basket of greasy french fries. It was heavenly. The breading on the catfish was nice and light, leaving plenty of internal storage for the pound of hushpuppies.

About 10 minutes later, the waitress asked if I needed more fish. I laughed out loud and said, "Uh...no." in much the same way that I suspect Jonah did while toweling off on the beach. She smiled, gave me my bill, and I was on my way.

So Georgette, your fish-gloo was a hit. Next time I'm down here, I'll be sure to checkout another of your Mississippi fine dining establishments.

Renting our House

It looks like we might try to take the plunge into landlordville. We know it is plagued with all kinds of pitfalls, but we are hopeful that we can find great tenants.

If you know anyone who would like to rent a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house in Brownsburg, send them our way. If they turn out to work, we'll reward you with a referral of $300.

Hey, it's worth a try.

Glorious Spring

So, life's pretty busy right now. We're up to our ears in lenders, home inspections, and such. We spend every available minute trying to figure out what to do with the new house (oh, the work that needs to be done!), the new land (did we mention it is 3.5 acres with woods and a creek?), and the soon to be old house (sell or rent?). So, thankfully, the weather has been nice enough to get out, which means that our house isn't destroyed, Grant and Grace are generally over their winter grumps, and we can put them in bed completely spent at the end of the day.

Thank goodness we finished all the adoption paperwork before we started all the house paperwork!!

Major Decisions Come in Pairs, Right?

Adoption #3 underway? Check.

So what else can we do to make sure that my stomach stays as unsettled as possible?

Yeah, I think we just bought a house. More to come.

I swear, we're still here...

We took off on a little vacation last week. Actually, Bret was on business, and the kids and I just followed along with him. It sounded fun when we were in the planning stages, but we moved four different times, which just amounted to tired kids and a tired mommy. We did get the see family, and Grant adores his cousins, so that was swell. And, we got to visit with dear friends, and Grant is already swooping in on one of them as a potential mate, so he was in heaven. But, the road to recovery, combined with daylight savings time, has us a wee bit tired.

Plus, we've been a little busy with something else lately. We can't quite let you in on the secret yet (it does not involve baby #3), but we will shortly. Needless to say, when that post comes, it'll explain why this blog has set dormant.

Until then, here are a few pics of the kids (swimming, Huntsville science museum, and such). I don't have pictures of Grant and Grace with their cousins or friends (read: the most important part of the trip), mainly because they were running around too much to even snap a pic and also because our camera broke (Madeline, do you have a pic or two?). Such is life.

We'll keep you updated... life is a changin'.

Stress Reduction Theory

Since I took my new job in fall, I've been looking for ways to reduce stress. (While appreciative of being employed, this new gig is wearing...me...out.) I discovered that the quickest path to stress reduction for me was to cancel my gym membership.

I can't get up at 5am to go to the gym. It just makes me feel like I'm going to vomit to work out in a sleep deprived stupor. I don't want to go after work, since that's my 15 minutes a day that I get to spend with the kids. And I don't want to go on weekends because, well, what's the point if you're only going to go on weekends?

So what do I do? I stress over the $50/month I'm giving away to the gym. Therefore I canceled my gym membership and allocated an additional $50/month to our "eating out" budget. Stress reduction on two levels!

Now what to do with "the chub..."

Going to do Better

Between being sick and being sick and tired of the weather (not to mention all the adoption paperwork--yeah, we are officially done and active!), we haven't been around this blog much. I took about two pictures in February (lame).

So, even though I am feeling pretty lousy today (a fever and a headache will do that to you), I'm going to get some pictures up (even if it's the kids in pjs), and I'm resolved to do better in the weeks and months to come.

Now, for the cute kids in their cute hats.

Princess... kind of

Grace's concoction from the dress up bin: John Deere Princess. It's a lazy Saturday morning for us girls.

The Sandwich With the Ground Beef and Stuff

While grocery shopping Sunday afternoon, Erin asked me to retrieve a can of Manwich. Only she didn't want Manwich, she wanted whatever Meijer calls their generic version -- something along the lines of Meijer Sloppy Joe Sauce. I gladly fulfilled her request, and then the trouble started.

On the way home, I mentioned that I really wasn't a huge Manwich fan. She immediately became annoyed with me, asking why I would eat something I didn't like for the past eight years. (And no, I didn't manage to fall into this obvious trap.) I told her that it wasn't that I HATED Sloppy Joe mix, but that I was used to my mom's version which tastes significantly differently from canned Sloppy Joe mix.

Now I realize that traditionally saying "But this isn't how my mom made this!?" will get you kicked in the Sloppy Joes, but I was careful to differentiate the two products. In fact, they are not even called the same thing. The "ground beef in some sort of tomato-based sauce served on a bun" that my mom served was always referred to as a "Spanish Hamburger," a term no doubt found offensive in some corner of the planet.

I have no idea the origin of the name "Spanish Hamburger." It sort of reeks of "Hey Billy Joe, this here Mex-ee-can restaurant will put that meat they stuff in the burrito on a bun for you instead, if you ask 'em real nice." And in much the same way that they don't speak Mexican south of the border, the Spanish Hamburger was born.

The biggest difference for me is that my mom's recipe included cheese, which covers a multitude of sins. In our family, it made up for the fact that the ground meat being used was probably 99.99999999% fat free and scorched instantly upon hitting a frying pan.

Next time we see my mom, I plan to discreetly ask her for her recipe. And then perhaps I'll cook up some Spanish Hamburgers on my own. Perhaps me doing the cooking will offset the anger generated by fixing a meal because "I like my mom's better"...)

Southern Swing

This week for work, I'm visiting school districts in Mobile, Alabama, Jackson Mississippi, and Jonesboro, Georgia. With such an intenerary, I decided that one requirement was that I would get some good southern cooking at some point during the trip.

I realize that this probably doesn't shock those of you who know me, but I frequently plan driving trips around where I'll be eating. I make a quick pass through tripadvisor.com and chowhound.com, and I make a little list of GPS'able locations for restaurants. I am perfectly content to drive ten extra miles and pass 25 Chili's to get to a locally owned restaurant. It's what I love about traveling.

So last night I took off in my Toyota Yaris rental car from Mobile (it was either the Yaris or a 15 passenger van, and while there was something appealing in a "Magical Myster Tour" kind of way about the blog that might result from me randomly picking up 14 other people to join me in the van, I chose the Yaris in an effort to avoid being killed by a random grifter and left for dead in a Mississippi swamp) and headed toward Jackson.

My dinner location for the evening was a BBQ joint just outside of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. How can you drive through Hattiesburg and not want BBQ? I hopped off the freeway at the designated spot, drove a few miles, and the GPS told me I was there. The only problem was that I was on a four lane road surrounded by strip malls, and none of them showed any sign of being Leatha's BBQ Inn.

After I went past the designated spot, I made a U-turn and drove past it two more times, still not finding the restaurant. So despite its #1 rating on Tripadvisor, I decided that the place must have burned down or closed, and I dejectedly pulled off the road to begin searching for a new restaurant, preferably something like a Zaxby's, so that at least it would be someplace we don't have in "the north."

As I turned around, I noticed a little driveway behind the stripmall. I made my way down the path, and at the end was a barn with a few cars in front of it. There was no external lighting and no sign, but there were lights on inside. As I pulled closer, I noticed a hand made wooden sign hanging on the porch announcing Leatha's. I got giddy.

Inside the barn was a big open room filled with tables covered in random plastic tablecloths and white washcloths for napkins. There were maybe eight people inside, plus the staff. A kind-faced woman approached me and told me to sit anywhere.

"What can I getcha to drink?"
"Do you have sweet tea?"
"As muches youcan drink, honey."

Ah, I've found my people. The walls were a pictorial history of Leatha's from the past 50 years, and there were a steady stream of walk-in customers lining up at the counter for carryout.

After a few minutes, a heaping plate of pulled pork and potatoes hit the table in front of me, and the long drive to Jackson and pouring rain were quickly forgotten as I devoured some of the best BBQ I've had in a long time.

$12, a gallon of sweet tea, and 10 minutes later, and I was back on the road to Jackson. I called Erin and told her how cool the place was and that I felt like I'd just eaten on the set of "Fried Green Tomatoes." The evening took an ugly turn when it snowed on me as I pulled into the parking lot of my hotel in Jackson (snow in MS?), but nothing could have dampened my happiness at getting to eat dinner in a place like Leatha's. Two thumbs (and five newfound pounds) up.

I found a few pictures via Yelp.com of Leatha's. If you decide on a visit, just make sure to go where your GPS tells you and then pull behind the strip mall a ways to find them. It's worth the hunt.

No Interventions, Please

Grant: "Daddy, what's your superpower?"
Daddy: "I don't know...what's yours?"
Grant: "Karate!"
Daddy: "Indeed. What do YOU think daddy's superpower is?"
Grant: "Drinking."

Our very own karate kid...

Could he be any cuter? Oh, I mean "fierce."

Tissue?

Saturday night we went to a meet 'n greet for a new church we've been checking out. Apparently the other churches in town have tired of me asking "When do you bring out the snakes?" Thus we're diligently looking for a church home where we can meet some new people, get a good cup of coffee on Sunday morning, and get out of the parking lot quickly. Oh, and worship. That, too.

This meeting was at the pastor's house, and the goal was simply for him to introduce some fundamentals about the church and introduce us to some key figures. We started by going around and saying something about ourselves. Erin started to explain that we had met in Indianapolis almost 10 years ago and some other random data when I interrupted and said, "We're the couple with the Chinese kid and the black kid." Immediately you could hear the "Ahhs" and "That Grant is so cute." Erin's method was sort of like having a third eye and introducing yourself by saying that you like walks in the park and sunsets. Might as well go with the obvious.

After Erin and I introduced ourselves, the gentleman next to me began to speak, and almost immediately he teared up.

Now make no mistake, dear readers. I am in no way making fun of this gentleman. He had a touching story, and he was a genuinely nice guy. The issue at hand is all mine.

How do you react when you don't know the individual crying or anyone else in the room? If I'd have been sitting across the room from him, I'd probably have been analyzing my fingernails or occasionally nodding. Instead, I'm sitting right next to the guy and all eyes are aimed in my general direction. Do I give the guy I've never met a hug? Do I pretend that he's not emotional and just get up for more food? Do I feign a sudden nosebleed? It was all very awkward. I felt like I was at a funeral for somebody I'd never met.

The rest of the evening went fine. I didn't accidentally stain the carpet or ask any offensive questions, so Erin considered it a success. But I still left feeling weird. Maybe on Sunday I'll ask the guy if he needs to talk or if I can bring him a casserole next Tuesday night. That would be the church thing to do.

Lame Pictures

We recently went to Big Splash Adventure, a large indoor water park in French Lick, Indiana. The kids had a blast. I took one picture, and it was from the day before, in a completely different hotel (how could I pass up the swimsuits, floaties and snow boots?).

And this last weekend, we took the kids on a quick get-a-way which included snow tubing at Perfect North. And, I only took one picture (and not even of the snow!).

Lame.

Quick Cincy Visit

Erin and I were both pretty stressed out Friday night. I think we both had just had long weeks, and the kids were sort of wearing us out. So after church, we looked at each other and decided that we needed a quick getaway over the holiday weekend. We decided that our default weekend getaway to Cincy would do the trick.

We booked a $50 hotel room at the Hyatt downtown, and I sent a text message (how 2007 of me, right?) to my cousin Kate who now lives down here. She agreed to meet us for dinner with her man friend, Clint, and we made a late afternoon attack on Terry's Turf Club.

Haven't heard of Terry's, you say? Well it's been on several Food Network shows recently, apparently. It's a tiny little place that serves primarily hamburgers the size of a woman's basketball. It was glorious. Plus they have all sorts of random things on their menu like foie gras and things made of chicken. Why would you eat any of these things when there are burgers and fried things to be had?

It was fun to hang out with Kate and Clint, and the kids had a great time tonight at the pool. Mommy and daddy are feeling much better about life also, so I think it was money well spent. Tomorrow we may or may not stop on the way home for some tubing at Perfect North Slopes. We shall see. In the mean time, I plan to lay here in bed and keep my heart beating by manually moving my burger from Terry's around my major organs.

Four Years Old, or the "Where did the time go?" edition

It's hard to believe that four years ago our sweet and spicy Grant Nicholas was born into this world. Like most parents, we can remember that first day so well (the next six weeks were a bit of a blur at times).

Grant is so smart and so funny. He's so full of boy. He slays dragons daily, tells complete strangers that he is a special agent with the FBI, and spends long hours perfecting his bow and "arrowing" at enemy submarines (don't try to explain to him that enemy U-boats cannot be sunk by suction-ending plastic arrows). He runs, jumps, climbs, growls, roars and does most other things most commonly referred to as "being a boy." But, he's also extremely tender-hearted. Just today, he started sobbing at the end of The Giving Tree because "it was so sad." He's a snuggler, who loves to give and to get lots of affection.

He loves books (loves!) and television (loves!), and he loves going to preschool to see his friends. He is an extrovert of the highest order, and he is happiest and most energized when he's surrounded by people. He's not remotely shy, talking to anyone who will listen (even those who won't), and I want to go on the record right now that I think he has one of those autobiographical memories that are all the buzz right now. The boy's mind is a steel trap. We often ask Grant about when something happened because we are old and have already forgotten. Seriously, it's a little creepy.

But, most of all, he faithfully loves Jesus, which makes us happiest of all. He is learning daily what it means to be a child of God.

We feel so very, very grateful that Grant's birthmom gifted us with Grant. We feel so blessed that God chose us to be Grant's parents.

Here are Grant's birthdays: from the very first to today.

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Disappointment

Grant woke up this morning SO excited to go to school today because today was supposed to be HIS special day. He got to bring the show and tell; he got to be the weather watcher and line leader, and most importantly, the class was celebrating his birthday, complete with songs, a gift and brownies Mommy made.

So, imagine the utter disappointment when he found out that school had been called off for the day. Oh, the tears!

AwardWallet and Winter Travel

What are the chances that I would need to go to Jackson, Mississippi the one week when they're expecting snow and ice?

After spending an hour on the phone yesterday with customer service departments at several airlines, web sites, and rental car agencies, I was finally left with the realization that there just wasn't much I could do until the snow hits the South tonight. What a pain...

In the mean time, all this travel stuff reminded me that I've been meaning to do a quick post about a new website I discovered that has been a big help over the past few months. It's called AwardWallet, and it basically gives you a single place to track airline points, hotel points, ATM points, etc. My favorite piece is that it shows you your frequent flyer numbers and attempts to automatically log you into the various airline sites with a single click.

I know this may seem trivial, but with airline miles scattered all over the place, this site is a life saver. Plus when I travel with the kids, I don't have to spend an hour digging out their frequent flyer numbers. (Yes, our kids have frequent flyer accounts. Might as well start 'em young...)

Anyway, if you get a chance, checkout AwardWallet.com...

Baby #3

Well, the wait is over for our two, maybe three, followers: info about baby #3. That's right: we hope to bringing home a new baby in 2011. We don't have many details yet, but we do know that we are planning to adopt another domestic newborn (unsure of baby's sex, as we have not yet been selected by a birthmom). We're using the same agency--for better or for worse--and we hope to have our homestudy done by the end of February at the latest. From there, we expect between a one day to six month wait.

The kids are already in bunk beds, so the nursery in our ever-constricting house is empty and ready. Grant and Grace talk about the new baby all the time, and we often catch them playing "adoption" (as they call it) with one of Grace's baby dolls. Bret and I are excited too, and now that I am home full-time, we hope the transition will be a bit more mellow.

Right now, we're just getting fingerprints, background checks and other info in order. We have a mandatory class (don't even get me started--we've adopted two kids for crying out loud) next week, our physicals in early February, and a meeting with our social worker soon.

That's all we know; we'll keep you posted as we have news.