A decade of Lynn & Cary

Just returned home from a lovely surprise getaway planned for Cary by yours truly. I've been planning this little getaway for a long time to celebrate 10 years together.

Cary and I met the day AFTER Valentine's Day 1999. I was working at the fine jewelry department of L.S.Ayres (now Macy's) when this very handsome young man walked by. I literally can picture that very second. A few minutes later I noticed him again in the Ralph Lauren section in front of my counter. Uh huh...his head would pop up and glance my way and he would catch me looking. So early-20's of us, isn't it?

Finally, the handsome stranger made his way over and simply asked, "Do you know Chrissy?" Chrissy is a long-time bff of mine and co-worker at the time, she is still very much a part of our lives and will forever be credited for bringing us together...well, Chrissy AND God that is.

I offered to let Cary write Chrissy a note, telling him that she would be working soon and I would be glad to give her a message. He left. I called Chrissy and said, "Who is the hot guy?". Chrissy called Cary-who said, "Who is the hot girl?". Chrissy met us at the mall and officially introduced us. Heck she even made us hug. lol

So not normal for boy-time, but Cary literally called me that evening. We made plans to go out two days later. We never looked back. It has been an amazing journey so far and I can only imagine what the next decade will bring us!

Some of my surprises didn't work out for our big getaway (had to cancel the treasure hunt and we ended up bringing McKinley with us overnight due to Cary's Grandmother being put in the hospital) but it didn't matter, we had so much fun together reminiscing and going to some of Cary's favorite haunts from childhood.

We ate at the famous Pizzeria (as seen in the movie Breaking Away), visited the campus of I.U. and shared a lovely glass of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our hotel room - okay, well McKinley did NOT participate in that last bit. He was fast asleep.

The next day we had a lovely lunch at a local Italian restaurant on the square and shortly headed home.

We had a wonderful weekend of celebrating!

Lynn

Below are some fun pictures of McKinley opening his Valentine from Mommy & Daddy.

Opening his Valentines from loved ones from his Valentine Mailbox and his gifts from Mommy & Daddy.

Mommy & Daddy's Valentine

This week we took McKinley to have his 18 month pictures taken. We had a lot of fun with all the props - especially the Valentine stuff. McKinley's favorite part was tasting his very first lollipop!

It's amazing how much McKinley has grown and all the changes he makes on a regular basis. I'm noticing that he is starting to put together words to form statements, even sentences - though we still don't understand everything he's saying, it's cute no less. He loves to feed Mommy and Daddy like we have fed him for so long (which is sweet that he's so darned considerate) He's having so much fun at his second round of Wee Read with friends from last fall and new friends too! And every night, when we announce it's time for his bath, McKinley RUNS to his room where he plucks out a washcloth from a drawer to bring to us and again returns to his room to choose a towel to bring to bathtime. It's a routine he absolutely loves - he squeals with delight the whole time, especially when he's finally in the tub playing and splashing water everywhere. It's too cute!

We're excited to share another Valentine's Day together. This year McKinley will actually be able to open his Valentines (he has quite a few admirers!) and his gifts from Mommy & Daddy. We got him a new button (Hallmark makes GREAT buttons that play music - great for any button pusher), a rainmaker and a new Valentine book. We think he'll be pleased as punch!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Lynn

Queen's Ball 2009

It's that time of year again - time for us to dress up like prom! It's Queen's Ball! This year (because I wasn't the chairwoman of the event) we were MUCH less stressed and at ease - even leisurely, it was nice.

We had a great time at dinner with our friends Sara and Jessica, then met up with the whole bunch at the dance. Unfortunately, our prom-like night was cut all-too short due to some unavoidable circumstances with babysitting, but we are so glad we were able to make the annual night. BY FAR, the best part of my night was getting carded for a margarita. HELLO? The bar tender said, 'Hon, I need to see your I.D. please". I squealed, "MEEEEEE???? SURE!!! I'M THIRTY!"

Ahhh - graceful, huh? lol

Good times...

Lynn

A rare abundance of snow

Early last week we got hit with a nice, big snow storm. A wonderful, continuous, gorgeous snowfall that lasted for a very long time and left about 12 or 13 inches of white, packable puffy stuff in its wake. We have not had this much snow in our area for 12 or 13 years. Cary and I were both seniors in high school when we remember it being like this. And it's the GOOD snow too. You know, lasts for a long time, wet, slick, just screaming to be slid on by a bunch of kiddies and those needing to feel like kiddies again. So, Sunday we hit the park in an attempt to introduce our son to the wonderful stuff and to make two 30 year olds feel like 12 year olds again.

The trip was a success. We'd planned on trying earlier in the week, but it was too cold and we were all still so sick with this nasty 'stomach flu'. Anyway, McKinley cried a little bit when we first put him on a sled to pull him around. He wasn't having it, thank you. But when he took that first ride down the hill with his Daddy he giggled the entire time. I'll never forget it! I think Cary and I forgot how much fun it was to go sledding. It was great to just let loose with reckless abandon and send our no-longer-a-teenager bodies down a steep hill at break-neck speeds. Seriously.

We took turns racing up the hill and back down with McKinley, giggling all the while. And McKinley would watch as the other parent came barreling behind each time --- again giggling at the sight of his otherwise controlled, adult parents on their bellies, screaming at the top of their lungs. God, that was fun.

In anticipation of some hesitation from McKinley, we brought along some fun toys to use in the snow in hopes of warming him up to it (shovel, bucket, scoop, dump truck). We didn't need it to fend off a grumpy mood, but we did break it out so that we could all play together. We even built a snow castle!

Today was perfect. It wasn't too cold and unbearable to play, the sun was shining brightly, we were all feeling so much better and the snow had melted just enough to make it super slick so we traveled very far (and very fast!) on the sleds. Besides that, snow play was always a huge deal in my house when I was growing up. To be able to pass that on and to see McKinley begin to enjoy it just as much as I did - and to see Cary and I both reminisce and feel like kids again...well, it was just what the doctor ordered! And don't be fooled by our red cheeks - we didn't stay out too long, that was from exertion! Ha!

Don't ya just love a baby in a snowsuit?

Lynn












***note - to hear the video better turn off or pause music at the bottom of the page

A Date Night Surprise!

Last week was a total blast. We headed to Indy for our annual monthly trip, hit the Childrens' Museum and watched a beautiful snowfall. Cary had been cooking up a little something special for the two of us, a Pacers game -- or so I thought...

A few weeks ago Cary said he'd found some 'sweet' Pacers tickets, they were playing the Lakers and he's scored floor seats for a steal. He wanted us to dress up (which I later found out was part of the whole scheme) incase we were put on ESPN (hahaha, I'm a sucker). I could care less about the Pacers - I think their recent criminal activities have really turned me off, but seeing Kobe Bryant & Co. sounded pretty cool. I said, let's go! We planned on Mom watching McKinley while we trotted off to dinner and a game.

Plans changed due to the inclement weather, we were unable to make it home from our annual Indy trip, so we stayed another - unplanned - night (thank goodness for being able to handwash some clothing before re-use! ugh!), arranged for Honey & Papa (my Godparents, Diane & Brent) to watch McKinley and were able to still go to 'the game'.

Did I mention that the weather was 'inclement'? Yeah, it was EIGHT DEGREES BELOW ZERO. We chose to park a few blocks from the fieldhouse and so our walk was...bone-chilling. As we walked along, in the back of my mind I noted and wondered at the number of women attending this game, and in some serious heels, no less. I mean, there were a LOT of women. It was too cold to wonder for long though and we rushed inside. No more did I start to feel my eyeballs did Cary turn to me and say, 'Honey, we're not at a Pacers game, we're at 'Dancing with the Stars, the Tour. We're gonna see Lance Bass!'

O.M.G.

I stopped in my tracks and looked around at the sea of people dressed up - no Pacers jerseys to be found. I was shocked. Had no idea. My husband is good.

I started jumping and cheering like the little kid in me who used to get so excited about New Kids on the Block (who are BACK, by the way). Lance Bass is the closest thing to Justin Timberlake folks, I'm so there!

We rushed to our seats and I think we were both completely amazed. The show was AWESOME. We love live events - concerts, shows, etc - this was a chart-topper. The absolute best part of the night was when they announced that Toni Braxton (a long-time fave of mine and a competitor last season) would be singing Unbreak my Heart while her cohorts danced. I freaked. It was unreal to hear that voice live - no lip synching here. This is the real deal with this woman. She stole the show with that.

Oh, and Lance Bass even paid homage to N'Sync with a brief tribute to 'Bye, bye, bye' with that signature dance. Every woman - from teenagers to the elderly - squealed with delight at that moment. WHEW!

I have been so anxious to blog about the high I have been on since that night but a nasty bug plagued Cary all this week and has not allowed for blogging time until now.

I cannot thank Cary enough. I know this is not his normal idea of a super-fun time - lol...but we truly enjoyed the evening together, every part! Well, okay...we could have done without the sub-zero temps, but whatever! It was a lovely evening, a wonderful chance to spend some awesome time with my awesome husband watching something that has long been a love of mine - DANCING!

Check out the two-part video of Toni singing and everyone dancing. AWESOME! I tried to hold the camera as still as possible while freaking out. hahahaha Note the random girl selected from the audience by Derek on the 2nd video. OMG. I would have passed out!

We had the best time.

Thank you, Cary. I'll get you back - just wait!

I love you!!!

Lynn

A Year and a Half

Today is McKinley's half birthday! He is a year and a half now...just six whole months from TWO. Can it be?

To celebrate we headed to Indy to the AWESOME Childrens' Museum. This is our second trip, we went in October for the very first time (okay, well it wasn't MY first time, but his). I could see many differences in McKinley's abilities from the last visit. He enjoyed the water table and the sand table so much, but this time he really explored on his own and went to the pretend area and had a ball! At the water table he soaked himself and squealed with delight at the sheer excitment of WATER. All the parents were laughing hysterically - made a Mom proud. And of course, I'll admit it was so freaking cute. And leave it to Cary's son to find the only mailbox in the entire playscape, right? Hee hee hee. Seriously, I did not prompt him. He went right up to the thing and started opening it. He even picked it up and moved it to his liking. Funny.

Every little boy in the playscape went for the two 'lawn mowers'. It's like the task is ingrained in their brains! lol When one boy would let go, a new boy would grab it and they would all follow the lucky ones pushing the lawn mowers. Us mommies were having a good laugh about that.

Just like last time, we finished out the day with a ride on the antique merry-go-round. This time, McKinley loved it even more. He smiled through the whole ride, it was precious.

We had such a fun day! I can't wait to go back. We were there for the annual monthly trip to Indy, which I really enjoy. While we were there it began snowing quite a bit (which ended up kind of stranding us the next night, but that's for the next post). We were on the 9th floor of the downtown Hilton we love so much, and we we looked outside those big flakes were so breathtaking to watch. Equally as breathtaking was the sight of my sweet husband holding my sweet son on the window's ledge to watch the snow fall. OMG. Sweetest thing ever.

What a lovely mid-week getaway!

Lynn

Earning his keep

Tonight the fam hit the grocery store, when we arrived home there was a very eager little boy who thought it would be so much fun to help Mommy unload the (eco-friendly) bags. THAT is earning your keep! So, in between putting away the last bins of Christmas decorations and bringing in the groceries, McKinley was a really big help to Mommy & Daddy.

He seriously loved picking out every single item and handing it to me, or to Cary. He literally got everything out except for our laundry detergent - too heavy, thanks! I just can't get over how much fun McKinley is now. He is so interactive and responsive and very eager to try almost anything. McKinley is just shy (2 days!) of being 18 months, it's so great! The time is certainly flying by, but we continue to enjoy all the new things McKinley is doing and saying (banana, now!, applesauce, etc). He is just so much fun!

Lynn

Play dating

What a fun week for McKinley! On Monday we visited my long-time friend Jen and her new baby. Okay, well she's not new anymore, I guess...she's 6 months, but she's new to us because this is the first time I've seen her! McKinley was a very busy boy, but enjoyed seeing such a sweet little girl who was so little and new. We didn't stay long because of various nap times, but it was so nice to catch up with an old friend.

Tonight we were invited to dinner with new friends Robin & Rick's house. They have a sweet little girl, Savannah, who was born just a month after McKinley. Robin and I used to work together at the hospital and were officially acquainted during our hospital stay when McKinley was born. We had so much fun tonight watching the kids play like crazy. Savannah and McKinley particularly enjoyed our cell phones, the wonderful dinner Robin made us and the cupcakes we brought for dessert - a rare treat for McKinley, and I'm sure for Savannah too. The kids played with all kinds of toys, and McKinley got a real kick out of pushing around one of Savannah's babydoll strollers. Ha! Then he found a familiar site...a power wheels very similar to his own...only Barbie pink! He rode it around like a champ. Robin and I decided this summer will be lots of fun to take the kids outside (maybe on a park playdate?!) and let them ride their little power wheels all over the place. Won't that be something to see.

It sure has been a fun week for our boy!

And I love that he wasn't afraid to play with something pink!

Lynn

Ringing in 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!
Do you believe it?
Another year gone by - 2008 was full of so many wonderful things for our family...and a wreck. hahahahahaha. No seriously, it was truly a very special year for us and with so many great firsts for McKinley - his first Valentine's Day (a favorite in our home), first trip to the beach, first birthday, first wedding, first steps! And so many fun firsts for Mommy & Daddy too (first birthday party to throw - how fun is that?!).

On NYE (New Year's Eve), we enjoyed a lovely dinner together along with my Mom, then we all headed home to watch the ball drop - quietly and from our own homes. McKinley had so much fun staying up late - which we let him do for such a special occasion, I mean hey - it only happens once a year, why not? Our parents always let us stay up for it! And it's not like we were keeping him up, he WANTED to be in on all the fun. He had so much fun with his hat this year, and I managed to find some super cute '2009' glasses and noisemakers. For 9 years I have watched everyone wearing those goofy glasses in Times Square and I finally broke down and got some of our very own. I HAD to...this is the last year that the zeros will be side by side! Next year they might look weird! I know...I know.
Anyway, it was a great evening.

The next morning I got up very, very early for a very, very important excursion with my Mom.
Shopping.
Mom invited me to join her at one of our favorite shopping locations - a HUGE outlet a few hours from home. It worked out so well because Mom and I had a great time and Daddy and McKinley had a really great boys day! It was the longest I have ever been away from McKinley...ever...thus far.
I enjoyed the therapeutic day (yes, I find shopping to be VERY therapeutic) and even scored some great finds for myself and my boys! Cary got a gorgeous cashmere sweater (oooh, and so did I!) and McKinley now wears the cutest robe ever...among other goodies.

All in all, I wouldn't want to ring in the new year any other way. And here's hoping that 2009 is as wonderful to us as 2008 has been.

Happy New Year,
Lynn

Christmas Play-by-play

Whew! What a month! It certainly has been a whirlwind couple of weeks, but OH SO MUCH FUN!
McKinley and his Mommy & Daddy had a really wonderful Christmas, and boy did our boy score with Santa. Clearly, he was a very good boy. hee hee hee He got cool puzzles, his very first computer, a train set, a dump truck, a rocking horse, some great games for his LEAPad learning system, a Little People barn and nativity, a Lil' Kawasaki Power Wheels ATV and a bunch of other cool stuff. McKinley truly had a ball opening all of the gifts, he got the hang of it very quickly and liked handing the torn papers to us so he could keep on ripping!

As we all know, the season is about much more than toys and presents and Santa and stockings. Mom, McKinley, Cousin Judie and I had a great time baking together on what will hopefully become a new family tradition. Cary and I had a blast shopping for some special things for McKinley and the rest of our family too. Our family had a wonderful time attending Christmas Eve mass and taking in the sights of the season, like Christmas in the Park (many local organizations compete each year with bigger and better lights and themes through our largest park in the city, it's always been so beautiful!). In the evening on Christmas Eve, we had our second annual reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. This year Valentine joined in (she loves to listen to us read to McKinley) and McKinley was much more enthralled with the story and all the little things to do in the book. It was very sweet. And on Christmas Day, Mom came along with the three of us to join the entire Vernon crowd for the annual Italian-style Christmas Dinner. It was a really BIG event with so many people, we all had a ball. Grandma V's homemade lasagna was just as delicious as always. Mmmmm! McKinley's favorite thing to do that day was climbing up and down the stairs with lots of his big cousins.
My only complaint is with myself...I am so disappointed in the LACK of pictures I took. Me...who takes THOUSANDS of pictures every year - literally. I think I was such an emotional ball of stress due to McKinley injury and my neck pain coming back yet again that it just didn't get done. I don't know. There are NO pictures from Christmas with my Mom or my inlaws, very few of us opening gifts Christmas morning, none of all the baking we did - nothing. Whhhaaaaa????? Ugh. Next year I promise myself to take TOO many!

The whole month was very hectic, but it was so wonderful. It is so comforting and heart warming to see our son enjoying himself and loving being with many of his family members.

Pee Boo!

Oh my goodness, last night brought us a very sweet surprise as we finished putting up the NEW new Christmas Tree --- LONG story...let's just say we got a NEW tree because the 'old' new one was seriously busted. Anyway, as I went off chasing McKinley (as I do a bazillion times a day now) I met him in his room where he promptly covered his eyes, uncovered them and said, 'PEE BOO!!!'

OH seriously, cutest thing ever. He says it with a pause in between for the 'A', so you really have to wait for it. Instead of Peek-a-boo, it's PEE.....BOO! Love it!

McKinley is quickly learning at least one or two words a day now, sometimes more. We've had some great ones this week: earlier last week I asked him what a doggie says and he replied, 'ruuh, ruuh' for ruff, ruff. And a 'Goo' (cat) says 'mao'. He's even got a monkey down - 'ooh oooh oooh ahh ahh ahh'.

Another early morning surprise was the appearance of teeth #'s 11 and 12. They finally showed up this morning, proving to McKinley, Mommy & Daddy that it has in deed been a rough night or two. Ooof.

Lynn

Thanksgiving 2008!

For Thanksgiving we hit the road once again! This year we spent the holiday with my Godparents and many of their friends and family. The food was delish, the company so nice and the weather was perfect!

McKinley had a blast trying to keep up with all the children ranging in ages from 10 to 2! Our 16 month old kept up pretty darn well. Having recently mastered stairclimbing - up AND down, it was a breeze for him to whip up the stairs after the kids (supervised, of course). The funniest part was his newest trick, learned from my Godparents' youngest granddaughter, Janie. She slides down the (carpeted) stairs on her belly, feet first. McKinley only needed to watch her once or twice before he decided this would be his method of transportation down stairs. He laughed about it the whole, quick way down!

We all left with full bellies and the triclosan definitely worked it's magic on McKinley, for on the way home he was dreaming of stairclimbing with all his new friends! We love TURKEY DAY!

Lynn

McKinley's First Haircut!

On the eve of Thanksgiving, the three of us were lookin' pretty shabby. hahaha We all needed haircuts, and we got them! (You can see the end result in the Thanksgiving post) But by far, the most exciting of the haircutting events of the day was that of McKinley's.

Our boy was just starting to sport a slight mullet - not cute for anyone. So, into Amy's (my hairstylist) chair he went. Thankfully, Amy's daughter, Preslee was there to help with the all-important job of entertaining McKinley. She did super and so did he!

In the beginning McKinley wondered what was going on with the cape and his wet hair being molded into a very high faux-hawk. He loved the end result, he stared in the mirror like, 'Oh! Nice!' and squealed with delight.

Our only hope is that every haircut with him is as easy...ha! We'll see!

Lynn

It's been three years...

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of the day I lost my Dad.

I can't believe it.

I miss him so.

I'd give anything for just one opportunity for McKinley and my Dad to spend some time together here on Earth, anything! Mom tells me he knew McKinley before we knew McKinley, so that's sort of comforting...I said sorta.

Anyway, I felt like posting a picture of him. Everyone else we know and love ends up on here, so why not.

This is the last picture I have with my Dad. It was Father's Day 2005. We took a trip in his convertible to Avon, Indiana where we ate at Bonefish Grill. He loved going there.

We had so much fun that day, I'm glad we had the opportunity to go.

I also felt like posting this picture from my wedding day. It's dark because the photograher was having a major argument with his stupid camera. But at least I have it.

It was a wonderful day. I got to share much of my day with him. He picked me up from my hair appointment, took me to the church in the convertible (FUN!) - we almost ran into Cary! We even shared some special words before walking me down the aisle.

I miss him a lot, but I was a very lucky girl to have had such a special father.

Lynn