Not to be outdone...

...Megan likes to mimic us when we talk. Check this out!

Ryan's Version of the ABC's

How to dress a 2-year old

One way to do it!

Rub a Dub Dub...

...two kids in a tub!

It's a Good Life (?)

Ric's favorite day of the year is in just 3 days! Every year on New Years Eve & Day, the SciFi Channel plays its Twilight Zone marathon. Even though he's seen each episode at least 100 times, he STILL takes the time to see them again! (I've never been all that interested in them, they can be a little too much for me.)

Anyway...I don't know if any of you remember the episode called "It's a Good Life" where the 6-year old little boy pretty much controls the people in the town because he can "wish them away into the corn field" if they cross him.

That's how we've been feeling around here lately! Not that Ryan is anything like this kid, but we're finding ourselves acting differently just to avoid the tantrums! We know what sets him off, and there are times that we'll completely change our plans to avoid a situation like that.

*sigh*

I'm getting tired of it!

One of these days we'll figure out how to speak his language and THEN we'll be able to continue with our regular, NORMAL, lives! Right?!?

PS - if you want to see the episode, it's been uploaded to YouTube in parts. Use the link above, OR, you can watch SciFi at 3:00 Eastern Time.

Back to the "real world" for me

Today is my last day at Mansfield. I've taken care of every loose end that I could and packed-up our supplies for next year into one pallet. That will make it easy if I come back or for anyone that takes over for me; they'll have what they need to at least get set up and started before the mail arrives. I'll plan to be back next year (for now) but anything is possible. It's just not as fun as it used to be and the just actually gets harder with the fewer and fewer resources that we're given. Let's just play it by ear for now and see how the 2008 goes.

Marni is going to love having me closer to home and back to my old routine. This should help her to get back into the groove herself of caring for the kids, getting a handle on her desk, office and SU! business. I'm sure that anything I can do for her is a help, especially when it can free her up for some well deserved time and "play".

Ric

Christmas Dreams...

...or nightmares! :)

I had the idea in my head that because it was Christmas Day, we'd have a lovely day opening gifts, spending time with our little family, going to see other family members, maybe seeing the Chipmunks movie, etc.

Nope.

Ryan decided to wake up at 5:30 am - screaming to get out of bed. We were able to get him back to sleep, and we all slept in until 8:30. It was nice to get a "little" bit of extra sleep, but it didn't help as the day went on.

Ryan did figure out that there were more presents under the tree, and that Santa Guy had brought them. We had a pleasant time opening the gifts too! But poor Megan had a constantly runny nose and cough, Ryan did too, but not as much. I've been fighting something for the past few days, which seemed to get worse overnight as well.

So Megan was miserable and grumpy. (As was I.) In fact, she was so miserable that she cried herself to sleep in my arms - all while we continued to open our presents.

Anyway...time went on and Ryan became "schitzo-boy" - one minute he was playing with some new toys and the next he was throwing a tantrum. I don't know how many "time-out's" he had, but we stopped counting after a while!

Unfortunately, because of his behavior and the fact that Megan and I didn't feel well, we decided that it would be best to stay home and skip Christmas dinner at Ric's Aunt's house. :( (Thought she is making up a to-go plate for us! Thanks Jan!)

So here we are, wondering if Ryan is trying to cut his 2-year molars, or if he's possessed. Megan and Mom are grumpy, and Dad is just trying to hold it all together!


At least they looked cute in their matching PJ's and we got a few pictures!

PS - we were also able to say hello to some of my family in Utah via web cam. It was almost like being there...almost! :)

Merry Christmas!!

All over but the cleanup

Well, another Christmas Priority Mail season has ended for me and it's all over except to clean up, round up and pack up for next year (possibly). For me, this means no more working the night shift and by the end of next week, I'll be back to my regular job at the 02910 PO working the windows again. For Marnell and the kids, it means having Daddy at home when he's supposed to be and resuming a somewhat normal life again.

Mansfield was a bit challenging this season in that we were really understaffed (full-time USPS workers) and also that we routed mail to flights this year. Many years ago (before 9-11) we used to scan mail to flights or at the least, sort it to the airlines that normally would take it. It was nice to see that we can do it again, but instead, all the mail that we scanned went onto FEDEX planes which we have a contract with to fly our mail.

One of the biggest obstacles for Mansfield was the weather this season. We had two major snow and ice storms that cause a bit of a delay and some staffing shortages (including me - read the blog below about the grid lock night). The other was that the entire operation was started and assembled way too late for my experience as compared to years past. Right now, I'm planning to return next year if I'm invited, but there will have to be some changes or conditions if I'm going to contribute. As I do each year, I've compiled a "brain dump" of ideas and complaints about this year to prepare for next season to implement or hand over to someone that might replace me (which never happens).

All in all it was a successful and safe season at Mansfield for all of us that work there. No major incidents to deal with and the volume of mail was down overall so it allowed us to work at a less-than-frantic pace. I worked just enough overtime to make some nice money and the travel pay was about $24 per day for gas and mileage on the cars.

Ric

Guided Tours Available...

Wooooo Hoooooo! I got my Christmas present EARLY! Of course I was hoping that this would be done months ago, but I'm not complaining!

Personally, I think it turned out just FABULOUS! I can't stop looking at the walls and admiring our work.

There's a little more fine detail stuff to do, like putty in the nail holes and a few paint touch ups, but there's no more wood pieces laying round the dining room anymore and the sheet rock isn't taking up space in the garage! Once we pick up the stripping stuff, we'll also strip and paint the window to match. (I'm not in a hurry to do that - it's going to be a messy job!) AND, eventually we'll replace the door to the garage.

I'm already planning in my head what we'll do to the kitchen so it's all tied together, but I think we'll wait until the Spring to start working on that - at least I can't see it when I'm feeding Megan!

So...if you'd like to stop by to see the results - feel free! As the title says, "guided tours available" - FREE of charge!

Big Boy Bath!

Yes, we know that Megan is not a boy...but just as we put her in the tub for the first time, Ryan said, "Megan big boy bath!"

She's officially too big for the little tub, so we plopped her in the other tub today. She LOVED it and started splashing and playing with the toys right away!

Look at that pudgy tummy and the squishy rolls on her thighs - I just LOVE them!

Just the Kids

Just a couple of pictures of the kids in the morning. Ryan loves being next to Megan...and stealing her "B" from her.

Eventually, Megan gets it back though! :)

Snow Day!

It doesn't happen often, but when the weather is bad enough, Church is canceled! We just got the call 15 minutes ago, and we've called all of our HT/VT families. Now....what are we going to do with the rest of the day? Hmmmm.....

:)

PS - the weather is really nasty, we got about 6 more inches of snow last night and it's still snowing and sleeting and stuff like that, so I'm not complaining!

Daddy Found Teeth!

Usually I'm the one who finds these things, but Ric brought Megan to me today with a new discovery! Two teeth have poked their way through the bottom! No wonder she's been fussy for a couple of days - I just thought that she wasn't feeling good because of her shots on Thursday. It was probably a combination of both!

Megan's first teeth came MUCH earlier than Ryan's did (he waited 11 months before we saw his first one!)

Hmmm...this ought to be interesting, breastfeeding with teeth can't be all that pleasant.

Hooray for SNOW! :)

Snow - it has its good points and bad points. Right now, it's ALL GOOD! :)

Here's a little-known Rhode Island quirk - people PANIC when it snows! It all goes back to the Blizzard of '78, where people were stuck all over the state and it took days to get home. I'm sure that Ric can tell you stories, but I'll stop there because I just haven't bought into the "hype" - for anyone who lived through that blizzard, no flaming!!! I'll just delete your comments! hehe :)

Growing up in Utah meant that nothing was closed when it snowed, we all walked to school in it (YES, we REALLY did! That's what boots are for!) and life kept on going no matter what the weather. I can honestly remember maybe 2 or 3 snow days at the MOST in all my school years!

Rhode Island is a little different. If there's even a hint of something, people start to scramble for their milk and bread at the stores, pulling their kids out of school, closing things early, etc.

So we were expecting snow today - around 1:00 pm. On the radio at 9:00 am, they were already announcing "Operation Snowball" cancellations. Schools were letting kids out anywhere between noon and 1:30, which meant that parents had to leave work to get them. In addition to that, businesses were closing up shop so that everyone could get home.

Usually not a problem, BUT, the snow started EARLY! (Around 11:00 am) Now everyone starts to panic and leaves to get their kids, go home, etc. The problem with that was that because the entire state is on the roads, the plows can't get through, and there's literally grid lock EVERYWHERE!

It's all the news anchors talked about! The plows couldn't plow, the snow was coming down at about an inch an hour, and people were stuck for hours getting to where they were trying to go! In fact, one of the news reporters mentioned that it took him 5 hours to go from North Attleboro to Providence -- all of 10 miles!

Ric was supposed to leave for work around 3:00 pm - it took him a half hour to go what normally takes 3 minutes, and since he saw that everything was backed up, he turned around and it took another 1/2 hour to get home! He was planning to try again in a couple of hours, but after watching the news, realized that he'd just be spending the entire night on the road.

Soooo....why does this make me happy? Because he's HOME! Yipppeee! That means I have help with the kids tonight, we had dinner together, and we'll all go to sleep at a decent hour!

For tonight - I LOVE SNOW! :) (Tomorrow might be another story altogether...)

Time for a Checkup!

Today was Ryan's 2-year checkup and Megan's 6-month checkup. Both are doing really well and both ended up getting shots. :(

Ryan's Vital Stats: 36" long, 27 pounds 12 ounces
Megan's Vital Stats: 27" long, 17 pounds 7 ounces

One thing we do have to do for Ryan is see a pediatric urologist. Apparently his left testicle may have a hernia. Hmmmm...how exactly does one get a hernia THERE? Our pediatrician said that it's actually very common and isn't an emergency, but will have to get fixed eventually. So we'll keep you posted!

Santa Guy

Yep - that's his new name...Santa Guy.

We'd been telling Ryan all week that we'd go see Santa today. (Kind of a reward for being good at the Doctor's office!) So he's been talking about "going to see Santa Guy" non stop!

I'm sure you can guess what happens next...he's completely excited when we see him from afar, but the closer we get, the more we hear "no, no, no" from Ryan.

So how did we actually get a picture with a smiling Ryan? Well...if you look closely, you can probably see that's sitting on MY lap! They were good enough to put a border around the picture and cut me out of it! Yippeee!

(Notice that Megan is just hanging out...nothing phases her right now!)

By the way, we went to the Warwick Mall to see this particular Santa because he's the best in the state! He looks like Santa all year long, beard and all!

O Christmas Tree

Well...we finally put it up this weekend.

Last year we bought a fake tree, knowing that Ryan would be into it. It came pre-lit, but we added our own lights to it as well. I think that we were smart in that we added lights to each section, and all we have to do is plug them together once we have the tree assembled! (And HOPE that none of the bulbs burnt out during the year!)

(Take a look at Ryan's hair - does this kid need a haircut or what?!?)


Of course, when Dad is on the floor, he's fair game for a wrestling match! Notice how Ryan is helping him put the tree up! hehe











One section lit, the next section added. Luckily no bulbs were burnt out!












YAY! All the lights work!

(No, that's not a fun camera trick - Ryan smudged the lens so part of the picture is blurry If you like that effect, I'm happy to loan him to you! I'm sure he'd love smudging your lenses too!)







Now...where should we hang that "bumble?"

Ryan and I made paper chains and I made some paper ornaments. (You can see the details of those on this page.) Most everything has been hung on the top half of the tree, just in case! So far, only one ornament has bit the dust!

Here's hoping that it lasts until Christmas! :)

Ryan's 2nd Birthday Party

I can't believe how far behind I am putting these pictures up! We decided to invite only family to Ryan's birthday party because we don't get together often enough! We had pizza, cake, presents and just a lot of catching up! Here are the pictures, in no particular order. :)

Pee Pee on the Potty

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)

If you can't tell from the title...guess what Ryan did today?!?! :)

Earlier in the afternoon I told Ryan that I was going to the bathroom (I have to announce these things or he thinks that he's going to miss out on something!) He ran ahead of me and said "Ryan do it, Ryan do it!"

Ummm...OK, I'm not going to miss this opportunity! So I loaded both kids in the car and went to the store to pick up a potty seat. (Elmo, of course!) It's all Ryan was saying in the store - "potty chair, potty chair"

So we got home, ate dinner (French fries and cheeseburger from Burger King) - and went to try out the seat.

The first thing he does is pull off his pants and shoes. When I sit him on the seat, he takes the little "boy guard" off the seat - and THEN he pees! (Mom had to aim for him since the guard has since been thrown into the tub!)

I can't believe how proud I was! And all he wanted to do was flush - over and over and over!

Who knows how long this will last, but we'll keep on trying! (Deep down, I think he just wants to flush the toilet! Not pee in it!)

PS - Unfortunately...I still haven't gotten any "boy" pull-ups. So, Ryan is now running around in "pink Dora" ones. Here's hoping we don't have an identity crisis! :)

Well, it was a "new" table saw...

It was a new table saw...until this afternoon!

Today was a great day for getting more kitchen woodworking done and to break-in the new table saw that Santa dropped off early so as not to overload his sleigh. Marni pre-assembled the table saw for me this week so I could hopefully use it today during the daylight hours before I head into work. We put the finishing touches on it this morning with a little (and I do mean little) help from Ryan, and I was able to cut all of the rabbets in the trim that will receive the 1/4" sheet rock.

If you've ever cut MDF (medium density fiberboard), then you can relate to how "magnetic" this stuff is when you try to clean it up afterwards. The sawdust goes EVERYWHERE and gets into every little crack and hole you can imagine. So, the table saw has joined the world of dusty tools. I brushed it off the best I could but mostly to try and avoid getting the sawdust all over the place in the garage so Ryan could eventually play with it too.

Progress on the kitchen is slower than we'd like, but is starting to really come together thanks to Marnell's creative design. I'm sure she'll post some more progress pics soon because we're just about done with the wood-trim and sheet rock; now it's time for paint and the nail gun. Thanks to my cousin Scott for the loan of the nail gun and the chop saw to make this job happen.

Ric

Sing it Girl!

Megan has found her voice.

She'll sit now for at least a half hour and just sing while she plays with her toys. I was lucky enough to get a couple of quick videos today. She was singing up a storm when I grabbed the video camera to record her. Of course, she stopped as soon as I was facing her with the camera (something I think she learned from her brother!) So I just sat the camera on the table and worked on Christmas cards with her sitting next to me. Eventually she started up again, and I started the camera. :)

First, she sings with her toys...



Second, she sings, blows bubbles, and hiccups with her toys. (This girl is talented!)

Ryan Dean...

It's been hard this week to get here to post our adventures. Since Ric and I are hardly home at the same time, we're both usually taking care of the kids instead of posting! So a lot of things that I've been wanting to post are just a little late! Be patient...it will all be up soon enough!

There is one thing that was pretty funny.

The other day Ryan did something (dumped something out, made some sort of mess, etc.) and I said "Oh Ryan..." and you know what our little "parrot" said back to me?

"Ryan Dean..."

I guess he's heard me say his first and middle name more than a few times when I've tried to get his attention! hehe It was just too funny to hear him say it!

Pictures!

I'm a little behind on my posts now that I'm a "postal widow!" (Ric is working nights for the next 3 weeks - all to make sure YOUR Christmas packages get to where they're going on time! Hope you're happy! hehe)




Anyway, I took the kids to get some pictures taken, and here are the results. Of course these are the low resolution versions from the website, but you can still tell how cute they are! :)






(Hopefully, I'll have some time today to update this site with Ryan's birthday festivities!)

Back in Mansfield for Christmas 2007

I started working the second shift at our Mansfield MA. warehouse last night and it sure was rough getting up this morning with the kids while Marni went off to college to teach! It gets harder each year that I accept this assignment, especially now that we have two little ones under the age of 2.

This week, I'll work mostly nights except Wednesday, that way I can be home to watch the kids while Marni teaches (again). Next week, she'll have to find a sitter because we'll be in full-operations at Mansfield starting next Monday. I'll be there until the end of the month and only working nights until the 21st.

Good thing for 49cents per-mile travel pay, the gas expense is costing me big time so it will be nice to get back the money in a week when I submit for the expense; roughly $25 a day.

Ric

Happy Birthday Munkins!

This kid doesn't miss a thing! He remembered from 2 days ago that we promised him munchkins on his birthday.

(Luckily, Dad had gotten up early and ran to DD to get them before he woke up!)

Happy Birthday to our 2-Year old!