Whirlwind Week in Illinois

This past week we drove to Illinois to celebrate Christmas with our family.  It was easier than previous years because we were able to split up the celebrations so there was one day per family (both our parents are divorced which equates to FOUR Christmases).  In the past, everyone wanted to celebrate ON Christmas Eve or ON Christmas Day.  That meant splitting up the visits into 4 hours in the morning and 4 hours in the evening on both days.  Crazy.  

It's been three years since we were in our hometown.  It was Alex' high school graduation.  Aiden wasn't even a year old yet.  It was strange to see the area.  It has changed so much since we were there last.  Tons of new construction.  It was sort of like playing an old video game.  I had some muscle memory about how to get around, but I couldn't lay out a map of the area in my head.

I spent a couple days with my friend Chrissie, who I miss dearly.  We have been best friends since I was in 3rd grade (she was in 1st).  We both live busy lives filled with work, family and a social life, so we don't spend a lot of time talking on the phone.  What I love about her is we can go months without talking, but when we do find a moment when we are both free to chat it's like no time has past.  Neither of us holds a grudge against the other for being out of touch because we are in the same chaotic boat of life.  It's the same way when we see each other.  We can immediately talk to each other about anything.  No limitations, no judgement.  It's liberating, really.  I hate that we don't get to do that every weekend. 

Thursday night Travis and I left the kids with my dad and went out for dinner and drinks with Alex, his girlfriend Laura, Chrissie and her husband Jordan.  We had SO much fun.  We went to a Mongolian barbeque place called 301 Mongolia in downtown Champaign.  Its a stir fry buffet where you physically pick out what you want (rice vs noodles, veggies, meat, sauce) then hand it to the cook.  The server brings it out to you when you're done.  After dinner we walked down the block to a bar where we drank more wine and played pool.  We skipped over to a pub at some point and tried a few fancy beers.  We finished the night at some greasy diner.  Despite both of us having a terrible cold, we were able to really enjoy ourselves.  It was fabulous.

I will have to post separately about our drive there and back.  For now, here's the rest of the week in photos:

Aiden, Travis, Alex and Callaway played in what little snow they could find.

Grandpa Ken and Mila really hit it off.

Aiden showed everyone his new LeapPad from Gpa.

Gaga and Mila meet.

"Christmas" dinner at Dad's

All bundled up with places to go.

Aiden and his Uncle Sean were best buds.

Damn smokers (Travis is just faking)

Christmas at Gpa's - his place is tiny, but it's homey.

Chistmas at Grandma Carol's - great food and tons of grandchild spoiling.

The Christmas that never ended

I had all last week off, along with yesterday.  I had a lot of time with Aiden since I only brought him to daycare one day last week.  It was a nice day.  I dropped Aiden off and then headed to Ariel's where Alex had stayed the night.  We dropped Ariel off at work and then headed out for lunch.  He wanted Vietnamese food since we've got a few good Pho places on the island.  We went to one I hadn't been too before, so it was an experience for me as well.  He was a gentlemen and bought my lunch!  Unexpected, but appreciated. 

After lunch we went for a walk on the beach.  Alex really wanted to make it to the ocean before he left for Illinois again.  When we couldn't bear the wind anymore, we headed up to Ariel's bar.  She took a break and walked the Strand.  We got coffee, walked over to the harbor for a bit and went in a few stores.  We picked out our dad's Christmas gifts together.  We got him some Texas gear since he wasn't able to make it here for the holidays this year.  I really missed having him around, but hopefully that means it will be easier for him to visit in May when Mila is due.

Aiden got some Christmas cards in the mail that included money (thank you Grandpa Curt, Grandma Brenda and Great Grandparents Richard and Jan!!), so we decided to put it all together to get an outdoor playset for Aiden.  It's good up to 6 years old, so we have many years ahead of us with that toy (assuming it holds up).  Little Tikes is good about putting a pamphlet inside all their toys to advertise other stuff they make.  Sells me everytime.  Now I want to get him the water play pirate ship this summer.  Perhaps as a birthday present?

We went outside to show Aiden his new gift for the first time New Year's day.  Travis attempted to get our Christmas present to ourselves working, but it was too windy.  I look forward to a few evenings sitting at that fire with a beer.  Of course, that won't happen until this summer, but the time is near!

I think Aiden likes his new very own playground.  It's pirate themed - Aiden's favorite!

I got a little nervous a few times because MAN that kid is ballsy. 

Aiden just would not go down that slide on his own, so Travis got on to show him how it's done.  Aiden thought it was a hoot racing Travis around to the steps over and over.  It will be GREAT whenever he has buddies over to play with him. 

Christmas Break

Christmas came and went in a whirlwind!  I can't even remember everything we did while my family was here.  Here's what I can recall:

Saturday morning (Christmas Eve), Travis, Aiden and I went over to Ariel and Robert's house for lunch.  We went a little early so Aiden could nap there and I could cook.  We ate a lot and then hung out for a few hours.  That evening, Ariel and Robert had to go into work.  Bummer, but they gotta make that paycheck.

That night I made roast beef sandwiches for dinner, then let Aiden open up one gift - his first of the season!

He went to bed right after that and we stayed up for a while.  It was nice to have time to talk to Alex and my mom spent a lot of time outside bonding with Sagira.

The next morning, Aiden woke up to a couple gifts from Santa and a full stocking.  Santa got him a camera and a Dinosaur Train car and dino-shark.  He played with that for a while and we helped him go through his stocking gifts.  He also got to eat some candy before lunch.  Around 10, we let him open some more gifts to play with that day.  He opened the Dinosaur Train tracks from Grandma Brenda and a Tag Junior from us.  We wanted to wait to open his gifts when everyone was around, so we kept postponing opening up the remaining gifts.

When Uncle Alex woke up, Aiden opened a few more gifts, including those from him.

His Great Grandma Margie sent some gifts that he really enjoyed.

He loves the Dinosaur Train tracks, but I they fall apart too easily.  They are recommended for 3 years old and above, so he's not that good at putting the track together himself.  I may have to hide the tracks and keep the cars out for a while so I don't lose my sanity.  It's frustrating when he needs it put back together every 10 minutes.

That evening, Ariel and Robert came over for dinner.  My mom and I made a beef tenderloin.  It was my first time to ever make one, so it was interesting.  We overcooked it a little bit, but it was a learning experience.  Dinner was great, and as you can see, we were not able to get those Spiderman PJ's off Aiden the entire day.

After dinner we let Aiden open his remaining gifts.  We put together his new grill right before bed, which in hindsight, was not the best idea.  Getting him down for nap that day and for bed that evening was a trying experience.  He just wanted to play with all his new toys!

I also tried a new idea for displaying Christmas cards this year.  Linsey saw the idea online and I thought it was really cute.  My bow was a little sad though.  Next year I'll have to look harder for a better ribbon since this one was a bit droopy.

Nutshell News

It's raining!  Perhaps we'll put a dent in our deficit?  Or maybe not.  We're about 25 inches under average rainfall for the year.  I just read that Lake Conroe (just north of Houston) is 8 feet below normal levels.

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I got a parking spot at work!  I didn't have one for a while because I figured it was a way to save our family $40 a month and it was the only exercise I got.  I had to walk about 5 blocks from my car to my building.  I am thoroughly ecstatic to have that 20 minutes back to my daily commute (10 minutes each way).  I was starting to feel guilty about never driving when we go out for lunch because my car was too far away.  When you have a 60-minute lunch, 20 minutes seems like a lot.

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I have had almost an entire week constipation free!  Get excited, people.  That's a big deal in Nikki's life.  I think it's a combination of not needing the Zofran for a while (let's hear another hoorah!) and incorporating dried apricots into my diet.  Whoever said prunes are good to keep the bowels moving had nothing on dried apricots.  Maybe a combination of both would be good if you're having serious problems. 

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Travis bought me an iPhone for Christmas and gave it to me a week early!  My cell phone is my alarm clock.  My last cell phone decided it was going to start draining the battery instead of charging it at night, leaving me without an alarm clock in the morning.  Since I don't have a car charger, that meant I only had an hour (tops) to charge my phone in the morning.  It would inevitably die before the end of the work day.  My other complaint with that phone was the touch screen didn't work well.  The iPhone has been SUCH an improvement in that department.  TOTALLY worth the cost.  Other perks:

• Apps like Word Feud, Kindle, Facebook and Pandora.
• Voice to text function (can be funny at times)
• Facetime (with Grandma Brenda and Travis)
• Instant weather and radar
• A camera app that is eating up my time, called TiltShift Generator, that takes photos like this:

That Christmas tree used to belong to our Grandma Rose.
Now it sits in Ariel's living room during the holidays.

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My mom and brother Alex are here!  They got in late Sunday night and went straight to Ariel's house.  They are staying with her until Christmas Eve.  Travis, Aiden and I are going over there for breakfast and spending a portion of the day there.  Then Mom and Alex are coming back with us that afternoon/evening.  Ariel and Robert have to work that night, so they won't be coming with us.  =(  But!  They will be over first thing in the morning to see what Santa brought Aiden.  I LOVE this holiday.

We're Funny

Right as I was planning to leave the reception with my insanely sleepy son, my cousin Michelle suggested we get together for a cousin's photo.  We were unsuccessful at corralling the groom, as he was busy doing groom things.  And we were missing our cousin Katie in Arizona because she was 9 months pregnant.  I say was because she had her baby Friday.  Grayson Michael, 10 lbs, 2 oz.  YIKES.

Besides those two, this is all of us.  Being goofy.

I was trying to get everyone to hold me for the first photo, but they didn't understand.  Obviously.

By the time Jason showed up, they were on board with the concept.  Except we weren't strong enough to hold him.  Instead I think we just overstretched his hamstring.

And here's the best shot.  Some people aren't looking at the camera, some people are being goofy.  But at least we're somewhat organized.



From left to right:  Ariel, Alex, Mike, Michelle, Chris, me, Kim, Matt, Darren and Jason.  The little one in front is Mike's daughter Lily.  It was an excellent trip.

Musatto Wedding

We left for Illinois last Thursday evening.  Travis was unable to get off work, so it was Ariel, Robert, Aiden and I.  I chose a late flight thinking Travis would be dropping us off, but we ended up driving ourselves and parking the car at the airport.  We got to the airport on time, but quickly found out our flight had been delayed.  The Ramby's were flying to Ohio that same night and their flight was delayed as well.  That worked out really well because the boys were able to run off some energy together.

The flight ended up being two hours late.  I brought Aiden's car seat on the plane, so I strapped him in when we got on board.  Since it was way past his bed time he fell asleep as soon as we were in the air.  The flight was extremely turbulent because there were thunderstorms over our entire flight path.  Ariel and I are both terrified of flying and we both get air sick really easily, so we sat in terror together.  

My dad picked us up from the airport in Chicago in a rental car and we headed to our hotel.  He missed our turn onto another highway.  Since we were headed toward the city, he decided to just keep going and give Robert a tour of a city he'd never visited before.  It was close to 2 in the morning by this point, so the streets were mostly empty.  But Robert got to see a lot of famous stores and restaurants.

The next morning, Gpa, Aiden and I ate the hot breakfast the hotel provided.  Ariel and Robert joined us shortly thereafter.  Aiden was taking forever to eat, so I headed back to the room to shower and get ready.  After everyone else was ready, we drove over to my Aunt Trish and Uncle Chris' house.  And it was a FULL house.  Already staying there were my cousins Chris, Chris, Darren and Mike, Mike's wife and two daughters, and my mom.  

We ate lunch and sat around, catching up with each other.  My cousins Chris, Mike, Mike's wife and daughters (Zoe and Lily) are from Arizona, so we really don't get to see each other all that often.  It was so awesome to get to spend some time with these people.  

Around 3, we all piled into a few cars and headed to the church for the wedding.  Aiden had refused to take a nap so of course he fell asleep on the ride over.  I had to wake him up and of course he was miserable.  He wouldn't stop crying.  We sat in the back of the van while he cried it off.  He finished just in time for us to sneak in the back of the church.  We sat on the side so we could easily make a quick retreat if need be.  I was terrified the entire time that he might start screaming or crying at any moment.  Thankfully he did well throughout the whole ceremony.  It was a beautiful Catholic ceremony in a very elaborate church.  

After the ceremony, we stood outside the church for a few minutes while the bridal party took photos.

Aiden and Zoe on the church steps

The reception was a few cities over right on the Fox River.  There was a dam right outside the picture windows so we had a great view of the water.  

Robert and Ariel at the reception

Chris and Laura, the groom and bride

Laura asked one of her high school students to play the ukulele at the reception.  She sang as well and it was   very cute.  I looked over at Aiden at one point and he was holding his fork like a little ukulele and playing along.  After a minute, he held it like a microphone and sang a little tune.  That kid constantly entertains me.

My mom and I out on the deck

It was pretty chilly out, maybe 50 degrees?  I was cold.  And of course the kids wanted to run, so we took them outside.  Brrrrr!  I am so not used to the cold.

My dad, me, Alex and Ariel

Somewhere around 10 pm, Aiden tripped on his blanket and fell down.  My cousins Mike and Chris tried to stand him back up, but Aiden was a limp noodle.  They laid him back down and he stayed there and closed his eyes. That was my cue to hit the car.  I was pretty tired as well, so I called Alex and asked if he would mind if I took Aiden home.  He said they would find a ride home and we went back to Aunt Trish's.  Straight To Bed.  Soooo tired....

She Sells Seashells by the Seashore

Last week we met Ariel at the beach. Alex was hoping to get in the water, but it was a little to chilly for that. Instead we looked for shells and dug in the sand with Aiden.

Ariel brought Toby.

"Mine, mine!"

Aiden and his Uncle Alex


Auntie Ayo gave him the ole chase'n'poke.

Tuesday in Photos

Wow. This past week has been a BLUR. Travis still has his hernia. The doctor didn't think the surgery was an emergency, so I'm not crazy worried about it at this point. The hospital clinics were closed from December 20th and they don't open again until January 3rd. Hopefully the surgeon will call during the beginning of next week.

At the Boardwalk...

Skylar passed out right before we got on the train.

Dickinson Festival of Lights...

Alex and Ariel walking down a lit tunnel.

Aiden and G-pa check out a bright arch...

Seeing Orange and Blue

Sounds like Alex is really enjoying spreading his wings in college. I love it. His first day of class was last Monday (Aug. 23). He said that all of his classes are going well so far and his Physics teacher is really fun. That makes such a huge difference in how well you can learn a subject. I couldn't understand a word my Egyptian Organic Chem professor said to me. That was a rough semester. But I had an excellent Physics instructor, so I understood the concepts and aced both I and II.

Alex is sharing a dorm room with a friend from high school and is enjoying it thus far. I mailed him a care package last Tuesday and was super disappointed when it still wasn't there Friday (expected delivery date was Thurs). Turns out, the U of I mail system delays things a bit, so he got his package on Monday. Phew! I put lots of fun stuff inside: a mini-basketball hoop, dry erase board, snacks, hamper, etc. He loved it.

My dad makes up his own acronyms during text messaging. One of the most commonly used is SOF for Smile On Face. All I can think of right now is SOF.

He joined a group called Illini Pride. It has thousands of members who are students that dress up in school colors, go to sporting events and support the University of Illinois team. Alex is regularly going to the volleyball games with his roommate. In his other free time, he has been playing a lot of basketball with some friends. Sadly, this resulted in a double sprained finger. He jammed both sides of the joint in his right index finger. He is right-handed. Meaning, note-taking is going to be difficult for a while. As is playing basketball.

I am a little jealous of Alex' college experience. He is going to a big school with all the traditions that go along with a large state university. He is living in a dorm and may possibly try for a fraternity next year. He is living. it. up!

Fields of Soy

My brother Alex has spent his summer working at the University of Illinois. He got a position working in the Horticulture Department. His job mostly entails working the experimental corn and soy fields, but occasionally consists of lab work (on the rainy days). This is a lab that creates strains of corn and soy that are disease resistant or more resilient to droughts, etc.

Yesterday, Alex sent me this photo - the subject: The dangers of soyface.

After a little research, Rachel and I found this to be a Yellow Garden Spider. While it may be harmless to humans, it is capable of catching small birds in it's web.

I am not okay with the existance of this creature.

My response to his text:

1. Ahhhhhh!
2. What's soyface?
3. What's the blue string hanging below the spider?

Turns out, soyface is the name of the fields he works at. It stands for Soybean Free Air Concentrated Exchange. The blue string is a part of her web. In reality, the "string" is not blue, it is white. That blue is just because it's a cell phone photo.

::Shaking off heebie jeebies::

Alex' move in date at the dorms is on the 18th of August. One week from today. He's rooming with a friend from high school, who just happens to be the valedictorian. Ha! It will be the dorkiest room on their floor and that makes me ecstatic. It will probably also be the most in-shape room, since they are both runners.

My dad's wondering if Alex will lean more towards the frat-boy persona (he is already looking into joining one of two fraternities), or if he'll be the college student who spends all his time running with the high school track and cross country teams. Only time will tell.

Alex is going to the U of I!!!

I am so proud of this kid, I can't stand it! My brother Alex got accepted into the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, several months ago and has spent his time since then trying to figure out how to pay for it. He applied for and was awarded the Illinois General Assembly Legislative Scholarship which covers his first year of tuition. The Illinois State Senator Mike Frerichs called Alex personally to tell him he had won that scholarship. He also applied for and has received three grants and two federal loans to cover the remainding fees. That means his first year is PAID FOR!!! Seriously, Alex never ceases to amaze me.

He's looking into rushing at a fraternity, although he is not sure which one just yet. He has already started applying for frat "scholarships". I didn't even know those existed. Alex will have to live in a dorm his Freshman year - he will be rooming with a friend, the valedictorian, from high school. Considering Alex is the class salutatorian, I think they will have the dorkiest (yet coolest) dorm room in the building. ;D

Congratulations brother! I couldn't be prouder!!

PS - Happy Birthday to me!

Sunday Grad Party

Sunday morning we headed back to my mom's house for a brunch with the family again. We ate A LOT and it was all awesome. I gave Aiden a little of the egg casserole even though it contained egg whites (I'm a rebel) and he loved it. At the end of the brunch, we said goodbye to the family and headed off to get ready for Alex' graduation.

The ceremony was great. It was HOT, but it was nice to get back to the old school and see Alex finishing up this part of his life. I asked him how it felt knowing he was done with high school. His reply was "Ask me again when I'm done with track. Right now it doesn't feel any different because I'm not completely done." The state track meet (and Alex' final track meet) is this weekend. Then it's all over!

Sunday after Alex' graduation, my dad through a party for Alex that was aimed more at friends. Travis invited some of his family to come, so it was great to see them one last time before we left for Texas again.

Ariel, Aiden and Joyce (Travis' grandma)

My dad, Bill (Travis' grandpa) and Travis


Alex playing bags with a friend from high school
(He was playing against another friend and his band teacher! I couldn't believe a TEACHER came to his graduation party. So funny.)



Aiden stayed up really late, but he was a trooper. Travis FINALLY got him to fall asleep around 9:30, but then he didn't want to risk him waking up again.

The next morning we got up and ate breakfast. We hung out at my dad's and packed up our luggage. Then we headed over to Steak 'n Shake for lunch. We went all out with burgers, fries and shakes. Ugh, mouth-watering. I originally thought Steak 'n Shakes were only in the north, but I found out there is one north of Houston. It's not really something I would travel that far for, so basically this is something we can only get when we are in Illinois. There are two restaurants in the Champaign-Urbana area alone. They are everywhere up north. Yummo! Although, not really something I'd like to work into a regular part of my diet. We weren't hungry again until landed in Houston after 9pm.

Aiden did great for the plane trip back. Unfortunately, we did not have Ariel and her MP3 player to help put Aiden to sleep. In the end, Travis was able to get him to settle down by covering up his ears as he cradled him. There were three seats together, so we knew some unfortunate soul would get stuck sitting next to a baby on the plane. We were able to claim a row first, that way whoever sat next to us was most likely doing it by choice.

A guy who had been traveling all day chose to sit next to us. He said he had kids (who are already grown at this point) that he had flown with when they were little. He said he knew what it was like and didn't mind sitting next to us. In the end, he bought US drinks. We told him that WE should be the ones buying HIM a drink since he got stuck sitting next to someone else's fussy baby. He insisted and we graciously took the adult beverages.

There was a little bit of a fiasco after we arrived in Houston. Ariel had a layover in Tennessee that was postponed an hour, so we went to pick up the car from parking and then pulled back around to grab Ariel. On her way out of the baggage claim, some guy was following her picking stuff up off the ground. Turned out, Ariel had $100 worth of quarters in her bag and she had sprung a leak. She ran back to pick up as many as she could find, but was still upset when she jumped in the car. There was no way to tell how much money she had lost during the flights until she could get home and count it. I still haven't heard the verdict.

We stopped for fast food one last time (oh I get SO TIRED of it during vacations) on the ride home. Robert met us at our house so we didn't have to drive Ariel all the way down to Galveston. When we walked in the door, Aiden's face lit up and he actually sighed in relief.

Visiting family is always a much needed trip, but it is GOOD to be home.

Saturday Grad Party

On Saturday, after Alex' track meet, my mom threw a graduation party and invited all of our family. This was the first time we got to see her house since she moved out of the house we lived in during high school. It was also the first time we have seen our extended family since Travis and I got married three and a half years ago. It was insanely awesome to see everyone and finally meet several of their kids...

Jason, Jenny and Holden

Aiden has always seemed to adore the big kids. He follows along with them with his eyes, since (at this point) he is unable to run after them. Here he is playing with Holden, Mia (belongs to my cousin Matt and his wife Christy) and Ryan (belongs to my cousin Michelle and her husband Mike). All the kids were so cute. It reminded me of when I was little and my cousins and I would run around playing during the holidays.

Holden found some binoculars, which he then proceeded to look at Travis through them. From 3 feet away. With the binoculars facing the wrong way.

The hostess, Pierre and I

Mia and Ryan eating St. Joseph-Ogden High School colored cupcakes.

We had such a great time at the party, but had to head to bed around 10pm. We just don't have the energy we once did. I suppose it's a good thing we headed back to my dad's so "early". Aiden had fallen asleep at my mom's, but just WOULD NOT go back to sleep at my dad's. After an hour of attempting to coax him to sleep, Travis gave in and decided to take Aiden for a drive. He was gone for about 40 minutes before he came back with a sleeping baby. ROUGH NIGHT. And not for the same reason we used to have rough nights. HA.