More UK Fun

I origianlly posted this video the night of the 2010 Midnight Madness here.
But felt that since we are SO DANG EXCITED to be going to the Final Four - I should repost!

Houston 2011

Jacob is very excited he gets to continue to cheer for the Big Blue for another week!




Proud to be a Wildcat Fan!!

5 years ago...

 March 25th marks 5 years of marriage for Pat and I, and it's been over 10 years of “togetherness”. Those ten years have been filled with so many memories, so many character building moments that have tested us, bonded us, built a friendship and deepened our love for each other.

Pat and I met when I was a senior in high school. I came to visit Western on a college visit. The girl from home I was visiting with had a boyfriend in the same fraternity as Pat. Now, let the record state: I met MANY people the weekend I met Pat... but Pat's roommates and I developed a friendship that weekend that we still laugh about now. Had someone asked me that weekend if Pat and I would be together now I probably woud have said "not in a million years." Probably something to do with his shaved head...

We all kept in touch until I moved into my dorm in August. I called Pat to let he and his roommates know I had lugged all my stuff into my teeny tiny dorm room, my parents had left, my roommate wouldn't be there for a few more days and I was bored - what were they up to? Turns out Pat had just gone through his initiation and they were headed out to dinner to celebrate. I was invited to come along. Pat and a few of his friends showed up shortly there after and we all went out to dinner - at Puertos {shocking, I know}

A few weeks later, I was a Kappa Delta pledge and was looking for a date to our infamous Barn Dance. EVERY guy I knew wanted to go to Barn Dance, except Pat. He had absolutely no interest, whatsoever, in going. We had been hanging out constantly, but he didn't want to go to this dance with me. So I asked someone else. Poor Brandon. Brandon {Pat's little brother in Phi Delt} spent the night of Barn Dance outside Pat's house, talking to Pat - while he sat up in a tree. Apparently, it was that night that Pat figured out he liked me, and I probably wasn't going to wait around on him to figure it out. He was right. My date that night was CUTE! And he kept calling me long after Barn Dance...

But, I'm glad Brandon talked some sense into Pat that night. Shortly there after we went out on of first "official" date. To Applebees and to see American Pie {the first movie - sad to say I picked the movie}. I can’t imagine the last 10 years or any of the future without him. When we're apart I realize even more how much we work well together, depend on one another, round the other out and generally enjoy each other's company. There's no place else I'd rather be. As Laura so kindly told Pat in her maid of honor speech at our wedding, "Pat, it's always been you."

 We jointly took on the college years, me as a "grandma" and Pat as the ultimate party host.

We were together as each of us finished our college degrees.

We’ve seen each other through several job titles in our decade together which have included some times of unemployment, job searches, job frustrations, job anxiety, job excitement and plenty of satisfaction.

We weathered a long distance relationship through my senior year of college. 8 hours apart.

We’ve been by each other’s side in times of stress, fear and sadness and luckily in many more times of joy and celebration.

We survived the wedding planning! Maybe I should say he survived.

We've taken each other to the hospital and spent a few all nighters in ERs.

He's helped me move more times than we can count. And we've experienced breaking leases, buying two homes, living with parents again and putting a house up for sale and moving out in 5 weeks.

We've survived a flooded basement, 4 days before we were closing on our home!

We’ve traveled to New York City, Fort Myers, D.C., Aruba, Barbados, St. John, St. Thomas, BVI, Puerto Rico, Dominica and in a few months – New Orleans!!

We lived together in Baltimore, Maryland for two years and in Lexington, Kentucky for three.

We adopted two puppies together and both of those puppies have different homes now... We almost adopted a third, but luckily I made arrangements for a "trial period" first {that lasted 24 hours}. We've learned that I'm not so much a pet person.

We've been together as we've lost family members and welcomed new ones.

And my favorite...We've been parents for almost 2 years to a beautifully rambunctious blond hair blue eyed little boy.

 

 

Hopefully we will have many, many, many new and exciting memories to make and stories to tell.

5 years ago at 4:30pm I walked down the aisle at The Presbyterian Church in Bowling Green, KY and said "I Do" to Mr. Patrick Michael McKew.  It was a gorgeous day. I vivdly remember the videographer telling me there were blue skies with white puffy clouds outside, a little cold - but my dress was hot, so that didn't bother me a bit. 

Happy Anniversary! 

Up,Up,Up

Jacob loves music. Jacob loves to dance.

He currently has two favorite songs that he can let us know he would like to listen to.  First, a Justin Bieber song , Pray.  I'm convinced Jacob likes this song because we have the music video on iTunes. He will climb up in the office chair and sit in front of the computer screen for 3.5 minutes and watch Just Bieber sing and the pictures and video flash across the screen.  Occasionally he'll sway back and forth.  When ever Jacob wants to watch the video he asks for "be-be". Sounds a little bit like baby - but we know what he's trying to say. 

I used this opportunity to teach Jacob how we pray. By holding our hands together and closing our eyes. He still can't do both at the same time... but it's cute to watch him try.   Nothing like using main stream music to teach, right?

And then... there's Katy Perry's Firework. 

Jacob LOVES this song!

There are hand motions involved for fireworks and the line make them go 'oh,oh oh' as you shoot across the sky {Jacob has decided that up, up, up works instead of oh, oh, oh} He opens and closes his fists to indicate fireworks, and then raises his hands above his head, and holds them there for a while.

Jacob can't say firework yet, so he stretches his hands high above his head and repeats "up, up, up" until we put on Katy Perry. We can be at home, in the car or in a doctor's office waiting room and Jacob will decide he wants to dance to this song. There is jumping involved, a little skipping, waving hands, swinging hips, bouncing, clapping hands, a head nod or two and occasionally an attempt at singing - all with a big smile.

This morning I went into Jacob's room when he woke up, and he was standing in his crib, hands above his head telling me up, up, up.  :)  I asked our house guest if she cared for some music this morning.  After the confirmation that music would be good energy we turned iTunes on and turned up the speakers.  Jacob was bouncing in his crib, running around and doing his firework hand motions all at the same time.

Wish I had this kids energy when my eyes open in the morning.

OBSESSED

Santa brought Jacob a set of Thomas the Train pajamas for Christmas. Similar to these:

They are his first pair of button down pajamas and the kid won't take them off!!

Not because they are comfy flannel, not because they button down the front and have a cute collar...no, these pajamas have CHOO CHOOs on them!

Did everyone hear that?? CHOO CHOO! There are Choo Choos on these pajamas!! Please be sure when you read "Choo Choo" that you move your right fist in an up and down motion near your head, indicating you are pulling a train whistle making the "choo choo" sound.

Jacob has very recently become OBSESSED with Thomas the Train and all other trains, really.  It all started before Christmas...

First, Pat put his trains around the Christmas tree.  Jacob would wait VERY patiently by the train station until Pat would come home from work - and together they would run the big trains around the Christmas tree a few times.  As it got closer to Christmas Jacob learned how to do this without his Daddy's help, but most of the time he would sit very still with his hands in his lap, waiting for Daddy to come do it with him. 

Then, on Christmas morning he got his own little Thomas the Train track with one train and some pajamas. He thought this was just fantastic! His train, Thomas, would run off the track too!! So, it likes to hide under beds and head down the stairs with a tumble occasionally.

A few weeks ago Pat broke out the pajamas... Jacob hadn't grown into his gift from Santa right at Christmas time so we had to wait a few weeks. And then one night after bath Pat brought Jacob down the stairs in his green Thomas pajamas. He looked so proud, and showed me all the choo choos on his pajamas.  The next morning, I had to do some coaxing to get him dressed for school.  That night we had to put the choo choos on as soon as Jacob saw them in his room, the following morning provided for a conversation with a 21 month old that ended with me saying:

"Jacob, we wear proper clothes to school. Not Pajamas"

And that's when I began to realize there might be a problem brewing.

We now watch the three recorded KET episodes of Thomas on the DVR most of the time we are home.   When Jacob first had allergy testing I downloaded a Thomas episode to my iPhone to keep him occupied away from an itchy back - at the time he could have cared less. Now, he sees my phone, and goes bonkers asking for choo choos. And I have resorted to hiding the pajamas! I've almost decided they need to be for weekends only because I have to FIGHT to get them off of him in the morning if he went to bed in them the night before. He's even to the point he doesn't want me to change his diaper if he's wearing his choo choos. He kicks, screams, rolls, tugs, pulls them back on... you name it, he does it to keep the choo choos on his body.

Yesterday, I gave in. Jacob was sick. We were headed to the pediatrician (to later find out he had strep) pick your battles, right? So, off we went, in a pair of jeans, his tennis shoes and his Thomas the Train pajama top. It worked out well for the doctor listening to his heart and lungs, and when we got home, he saw his pajama pants and immediately brought them to me to put on him...while pulling off his shoes to help the process go faster.

Young Enough

"I am not young enough to know everything" - Oscar Wilde

I've talked to a few people that don't read my blog too often, and when they see the title, Bump Watch, they immediately think... is she expecting again? And, I normally laugh and firmly tell them nope - it was the blog name chosen when we found out about Jacob, and I never changed it.  And I've been wanting to for a while.

I have opinions on several things, not just on Jacob's growth and up bringing, but lately a common theme arises in my conversations... can you believe that we are old enough to...
...be married for 5 years
...be 10 years older than those college students I advise
...have an almost 2 year old
...have been working full time for 6 years
...plan that high school reunion
...have been driving for 12 years
...be embarrassed that I don't know how to cook a proper dinner
...recognize I have plenty of clothes {oh...that's a hard one!}
...think a few more cardigans and a few less sleeveless tops would be more appropriate
...hear my knees pop when I get up off the ground or climb the stairs too fast

I never feel as old as those things should make me. I often still feel as I'm in my very early twenties. I know I don't look it, but I feel closer to 20 than 30. It's weird. I think a lot of that has to do with my respect of adults my parents age.  To me they are the "adults" I'm still the youngster, learning my way around and trying not to goof it all up.
I view myself as young, young enough...

...to be scared to tell my parents we were having a baby, even though we'd already been married almost 3 years
...to ask my mom to make meat loaf for dinner and bring it to my house to feed my family
...to have an 8 year old sister
...to drive with the windows down and blaring the radio on a sunny day, with the bass up...through campus...
...to have no clue what to do when my son gets sick
...to just now have my college friends having babies
...to still wear my pink North Face jacket every day, even to work
...to read the newspaper online, only in print on Sundays with coupons to clip
...to get all caught up in Kappa Delta recruitment
...love weddings, and think flip flops during the reception are perfectly appropriate attire
...to not be very domestic, and think I still have plenty of time to learn
...to not be taken seriously when I walk into a financial seminar full of "gray hairs"
...to use the term "hot mess" at work, and receive blank stares in return
...to decorate with pictures and not paintings
...realize I'm no where near old yet :)

And so, I have decided the young enoughs out weigh the old enoughs, and I just enjoy "young enough" more. 

I'm old enough to know better, Young Enough to pretend.

Jacob has a special Daddy

I always remind myself, that I am quite the lucky girl. I married a man who's mother taught him how to keep house.  He can cook, clean a house, do the laundry and mend buttons onto his clothes in addition to all the "manly" duties in keeping the house in order. He's also a pretty fun Dad.  Often when we're together with our friends Pat will disappear, and we'll find him hiding in a play room or chasing all the kids around the basement. He enjoys the little ones, and it melts my heart.

A LONG time ago, circa 2003, I was told to get dressed up for Valentine's dinner and be ready by 8:00.  A few minutes before 8:00 one of Pat's best friends arrived at the back door to the KD house, all dressed up {this was unusual for our "farm boy" friend whose nickname is Ox} and with an umbrella in hand since it was raining. Pat was no where in sight. Instead I was chauffeured to Pat's house, where he and his roommates had moved all of the furniture out of their living room and set up a single small round table with two chairs and two purple candles. Pat was waiting for me, and as we sat down at the table his roommates, all dressed up proceeded to serve us our dinner and drinks. Pat had made the dinner himself, spaghetti - normal spaghetti, but with a special sauce. Not Ragu. His mother had taught him how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch. Complete with dicing up vegetables and each spice being put into the pot on the stove at a certain time in the process.  

It was fabulous! And so I began to realize even more, what a neat guy he was.  He had made our dinner completely by himself, not exactly common for a 21 year old male college student.  He had convinced his college friends, all with girlfriends, to spend their Valentine's night with us acting as waiters and chauffeurs.  I don't remember what gifts we exchanged, but I very vividly remember our dinner - and how my love for his spaghetti dinner came to be.  We have since used his spaghetti dinner to celebrate many occasions, and often have it on Valentine's Day.


This picture now resides in a scrapbook, so I took a picture of the picture


This year, we had decided we didn't want to make a big fuss about Valentine's Day, but that we wanted to start a tradition with Jacob. A spaghetti dinner tradition. {almost Lady and the Tramp style, right??} and so tonight, Pat will make for Jacob and I his spaghetti and home made sauce. For us to enjoy. And hopefully as Jacob grows older, and we continue our Valentine's dinner he will realize that his Dad is pretty special, and maybe learn how to make the spaghetti sauce for his Valentine when he gets older.

Happy Valentine's Day!