It's crazy around here

We've been busy ...
... taking on a painting project that is FAR exceeding the time we thought it would
... trying to come up with ideas for Christmas gifts and finding time to shop (what did we do before the internet?!)
... looking for this year's winning recipe for Saturday's cookie swap
... making big purchase decisions in a short amount of time that usually take us months (or years) to make
... deciding if it's really worth paying to have the darn TV fixed
... switching from Cox to AT&T and getting internet service that WORKS (again, what did we do before the internet?)
... running (Craig's training for a full-marathon and I'm training for a half)
... walking and running after our kid who is finally walking and falling and walking and falling ...
... caring for Zoe who has torn something around her shoulder and is suffering from a UTI (or possible kidney stone). Poor girl.
... wondering if Christmas cards will ever get done
... cheering on the WSU men's basketball team
... finishing up other projects that have been dragging on way too long
... filling 25 bags of leaves in 2.5 hours (and that was only the front yard)
... working to pay for most of the above

'Tis the season.

We'll be back blogging soon.

Enhance your LindemanLife experience with a new (to you) iMac

Just in time for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, New Year's, Bodhi Day and Festivus we're offering up something that's sure to be perfect for a special someone on your gift buying list.

A while back we upgraded computers and we're now ready to part with our trusty—and I might add, pretty tricked out—G5 iMac.

Here's the lowdown.

20” G5 iMac
1.8 GHz
2 GB RAM
250 GB Hard drive
SuperDrive (DVD/-R/CD-RW)
Wireless keyboard and mouse
OS 10.5.4 factory settings (I've done a clean install of the operating system, so it's just like it was when it arrived on our doorstep, ready to be registered by its new owner—plus it's even in its original packaging.)

This would be the perfect computer for the whole family or a great "school" computer for the student in your life.

And it all could be yours for the low, low, price of $700.

All proceeds will go toward feeding one hungry boy.


How can you resist that?

7 years, 2 dogs, 1 kid and countless laughs later ...

Craig and I celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary yesterday. Seven years seems like nothing when we dated for 9 years before our short 3-month engagement, but still, it's seven years. And every one of them counts! I can't speak for Craig, but the highlights from our romantic celebration for me include installing a few storm windows together that needed replaced, not having to take Craig to the hospital after sitting on a ladder for the installation process, watching Park take several steps all on his own and driving around looking at Christmas lights - it's the first year Park can see them since his car seat is facing forward and he's very aware of lights. There's nothing like a little one saying "ooh" to some poorly hung icicle lights with Christmas music playing on the radio.

Thanks for an exciting seven years, Craig! I look forward to many, many more.

Carrie

My Life on the Run: A partial account

I've had my current Garmin Forerunner* a couple of years now, but the other day I stumbled upon a feature I've never noticed before, one that displayed my overall distance, time and calories-burnt totals. It was pretty amazing and kind of inspiring, especially considering 1) I haven't trained for a marathon using it 2) a lot of my training has been either indoors or on a track where it is completely useless and 3) I took about five months off this year.

Basically, I've run from Wichita to Fisher Branch, Canada (plus a few extra miles) and burnt enough calories to eat 753 Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies, which despite what my mom says, I probably actually consumed during the summer of 1988.

*A little side information, Garmin is founded by a Wichita State alum and their world headquarters is just down the road from Carrie's parents.

Happy Barfday, Craig!

I can't speak for the guy, but I'm pretty sure Craig had a crappy birthday yesterday. It all started late Thursday night when he woke up not feeling quite right -- achy, sweating and sour stomach. Within an hour or so, he said goodbye to his 15-year no-barfing streak. Yes, 15 years and the guy hasn't vomited. Can you believe it? He spent all day Friday under the covers, trying to get back to normal before his birthday on Saturday. Saturday came and he put on a happy face for the few minutes we saw him, but his appetite and energy weren't up to speed. He was able to exert just enough to open gifts late yesterday, but the chocolate I'm-going-to-have-to-run-10-miles-to-work-this-off cake I made is just sitting there uneaten. I didn't even take one photo yesterday to capture the un-birthday spirit. Pathetic.

On behalf of all birthday lovers everywhere, I'm demanding a do-over.

Happy birthday anyway, Craig. Here's to many, many more. May they all be 100 times better than this year's.

Shocker Fever

As of last night, basketball season has started for the Shockers. I'm not sure what Park enjoyed more, the loud jock jams or the cute girl sitting behind him. Go Shox!

Sew and Tell: Tie T-shirt

When my friend Jenna enlisted my help to create a t-shirt for her son William, I was both flattered and completely nervous. Yes, I made a shirt like this for Park's halloween costume last year and this year (I'm obviously lacking originality), but this task came with pressure. I couldn't mess up! I had no back-up shirt to count on and every stitch would be seen by someone other than me. Yikes! But I did it. I thought of adorable little William and how cute he'd look in the shirt and fabric combo that Jenna had picked out. I tried a few other tricks that I didn't do on Park's version last year, and I'm pleased with how it turned out. It also helps to have a great photo of the end result. This is just one example of the talented work Jenna produces with her husband through their photography business. She's got a great eye, a super cute model and style! Check out more of her work here.

The diaper was actually part of the costume

Halloween is difficult for us, mainly because we make it difficult. Like most things in our lives, we tend to over think it. Last year, even though we had pretty much settled on Park being Toy Boy early on, we re-evaluated and critiqued our decision right up to the last minute. This year we didn't know what he was going to be until four days before Halloween. We had a couple of ideas floating around in our heads but ultimately, when push came to shove—and just as time was about to expire, we decided to play to our strengths.

While Park may not be the most mobile kid around, he just might be the friendliest. Take the kid to the grocery store and he'll say "hi" to everyone he sees … at least five times each. And when it's time to go they'll each get an equal amount, in both quantity and volume, of "byes."

So of course, Park had to be a …










Walmart greeter.












Carrie made the vest and shirt (which, if you can't tell, features a tie much like last year's Toy Boy costume) and I made the flair by creating the graphics on the computer and then printing them out on iron-on transfer paper.

As for Halloween itself, we first hit up an elementary school/middle school/high school party before heading over to the parents' house of some of our oldest friends before our little greeter got so wound up we weren't sure we would ever be able to actually get him to bed.

Oh, and the true spirit of procrastination, we also went to the pumpkin patch (or depending on how you look at it, the side yard of a church) the day before Halloween.

Crib Notes: Months 17 and 18

Over the last two months, Park's vocabulary and body have taken off. Around 17 months, Park got very comfortable saying "no." Today, he's saying "hi," "bye," "nana (banana)," "uh oh," "fffff (fish)," "car," "ollie" and "biggie" (two of his favorite characters from books), something to the tune of " happy" or "abby" and "go! go! go!"

At the same time, his little legs have decided to go! go! go! as well. Two months ago, the munchkin was just figuring out how to stand up in his crib on his own. Today, he's taking the stairs up and down, walking his firetruck up and down the driveway, and walking his balance bike around the living room. We've already celebrated his first skinned knee (when you wait this long for it, it's a celebration) and he has finally let go of the morning nap. Now we just have to convince him to give up the pacifier (baby steps).



As for broadening his horizons, we took Park to his first musical - a local junior high rendition of High School Musical. We had no idea how this would play out since it started at Park's bedtime, but he sat quietly in my lap up until the last two numbers. At that point, he decided he had observed long enough and was ready to participate. We were in the front row, so after Park got down from my lap, he took off for the stage, clapped and danced in circles just close enough that everyone in the gym and on the stage could see him. He was about two seconds from climbing the stairs and stealing the spotlight before we pulled him aside.

And while he may be a lightweight for his age, Park continues to eat pretty much everything we do and with a sense of adventure. We're waiting for those terrible two's to kick in and have him decide he only wants to eat pickles at every meal, but so far he continues to make meal time fairly easy ... but messy.







While Park's mobility has sped up, our productivity around the house has slowed down. But every day, we enjoy seeing what he's going to discover or say next. It's a wild ride!

Mr. Miyagi of Boxwoods

People think I'm kidding when I tell them I have to trim the Boxwood hedges in our front yard every week. I'm not. This is what happens when I skip a couple of weeks. What you're looking at is 16 inches of new growth.

The process of trimming them back each week usually takes about 30-45 minutes, partly because they're big (one segment is probably over 10 feet long) and partly because I'm extremely anal. They look great when I'm done and the cool thing is that they're so dense that you can shake one end and the whole thing will wiggle and jiggle like a bowl full of Jello.

Home Depot Derby

Park got his hands on a steering wheel for the first time during a recent trip to Home Depot. I'm not sure what I'm scared of most -- Park driving or his dad teaching him how.

Weekend Fun

We're all still recovering from a busy weekend in Kansas City - we seem to cram as much as possible in our time up there and this weekend was no exception. The main event for the weekend was family portraits with everyone ... I'm pretty sure the last time we did this with my parents and sister I was in college. Or perhaps high school. A lot has changed! Add two husbands, three kids and a few wrinkles/pounds/gray hairs to the mix, and we finally have some updated photos! (or at least we will soon) It was obviously time to do this, but the main reason we got our act together was it was Erin and my present to our parents for their 40th anniversary they celebrated this summer. They had only hinted a couple of times that updated photos would be nice. Hint taken. ;)

Before we ever got to the photos, however, we thought we'd take advantage of some gorgeous fall weather by heading to the Kansas City Zoo. Apparently, we hadn't been there since I was in a stroller, so yet another thing that we were way overdue for. While we didn't make it completely around the park, we did get to see the new polar bear exhibit (he is super cute) , watch a sea lion perform some tricks, and introduce Park to the kid's play area. I think he loved feeding the deer and going down the slide the most. I also got to take him on his first carousel ride. He wasn't crazy about the up and down motion of a zebra, so we ended up taking a seat on a peacock. That was much more his speed.



Following the zoo, we did the family photos late Saturday at Loose Park - I think we were one of about 54 photo sessions taking place there that day. What a great park, though! And whether or not they're all smiling or looking in the same direction in the photos, the kids were all great sports for the session. They also put up with us dressing them in fall attire when it was a blazing 86 degrees.

And because the weekend was full of adventure, it only makes sense that the ride home be anything but boring, too. It started with us noticing a nail in our tire before we ever left town. An hour and a half and a picnic at Chipotle with the ENTIRE family (Craig, Park, me and the two dogs) later, we had a puncture-free tire and peace of mind for the three-hour drive home. Whew. I think we need a weekend to recover from the weekend.

Carrie's 5K Cheering Section

To follow up on yesterday's post, Carrie had a great run, finished in one of her best times—I think it was due to her biggest fan.

Running is painful … so is not running

I've always heard about the "runner's high," a supposed feeling of ecstasy people feel after completing a good run. I may have experienced it once or twice, but to be honest, I'm not completely sure. I have however, definitively experienced the "runner's low."

Last weekend, Carrie ran the 5K portion of the inaugural Prairie Fire Wichita Marathon and we decided to hang around and enjoy the rest of the festivities as spectators. It was a great event (and I'm not just saying that because Carrie helped out with the PR). It was well run, the day was beautiful and a good crowd turned out. But as we stood there for a little over two hours watching people complete the half marathon, I got depressed, because as much as I loathe running (I really do), I love the challenge and the sense of accomplishment it gives me and I was envious of all the faces wrenched with pain glossed over by a big toothy grin as they approached the finish line. It's either that, or I'm just too damn competitive. Or both. Regardless, I've learned that don't like being on the sidelines—in anything.

I left my son on the cutting room floor.

This was supposed to be Park's big break, the moment he was going to be discovered—leading to a rocket ride career as a child film star and an extended stay in rehab for an addiction to lime-green gummy bears—but alas it was not meant to be. Park's (and his mom's) five seconds on film didn't survive the edit room. Nevertheless, here are my new commercials for the university which, in my opinion, lack a certain amount of cuteness.

Double click on the images below to see them uncropped.

Another one from OK Go

Cool video and dogs? How can you beat that?

Double click the video to watch it uncropped.

Crib Notes: Month 16 (and a half)

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, but Park's 16th month was another one filled with lots of big firsts. For starters, he has built up enough strength over the last couple months to crawl on his hands and knees all by himself ... not that he will. While he's been giving his back and biceps a workout at therapy every week, he's also become a very fast and efficient scooter. It's his mobile method of choice. There is just no stopping him. But we're still thrilled with his progress and are now working on standing and getting his balance in check. It is definitely baby steps, but we are getting there. Slowly.

The other big news, at least from the parenting standpoint, is that we've found a new pediatrician that we absolutely love. We had been disappointed in our first doctor for some time but really liked the nurses in the office and were hoping it was just us and that things would get better. It didn't. So we finally left and found a new doctor based on some recommendations. I wanted to cry after the first appointment with her, she was just that good. Perhaps our other doctor was just that bad and made this new woman look better than she is. But to have someone sit down and listen was amazing.

On the teething front, Park's first year molars decided to all come in at once. To celebrate, we took the bottle away. I don't think he noticed one bit. Park hasn't yet accepted a cup of milk with a meal, but a cup while reading books is OK. Again, baby steps.

As for flirting with the ladies, Park has added blinking to his bag of tricks. Craig is trying his best to take the two-eyed blink up a notch by getting him to wink with one eye. Watch out.

Eating with Park continues to be messy and fun. He'll eat anything, but he prefers whatever we're eating. Even if it's the same thing on his plate. He's added veggie burgers, pancakes and chicken nuggets (not the "mc" variety just yet) to his list of favorite foods. He's finally figured out how the straw works and he continues to improve with the spoon (although using the fingers is so much faster - just like scooting).

And finally, this kid has been given the gift of gab. He went through a period this past month of squealing as loud as he could. In public. In the car. In close spaces. It appears we might be done with that phase, but are experiencing a whole new thing now ... more to come on that in the 17-month post. Park is also getting good at imitating animals. He just says "duck" for duck (and bird and anything else that flies), he pants for a dog, he oinks from his throat for a pig, he loves to mimic cows (especially in the cow-covered dairy aisle at the grocery store), he can neigh like a horse and he squeals for a monkey.

As always, we continue to look forward to all the new discoveries, challenges and adventures the next month will bring.

Rocky Mountain HighER

So, about that recap of our Colorado vacation that I never finished ...

After a few days in Estes Park with the Houston Lindemans, Craig, Park and I headed west and up a couple thousand feet to Summit County (the Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge area). This is a special place for all of us. Craig spent many family vacations here as a kid at his aunt's condo on Buffalo Mountain. We've also been there a few times together over the years and got engaged in Frisco ... which just happens to be Park's middle name. Needless to say, we were excited to introduce the little guy to the area.

Many things had changed since our last visit, but one thing that had remained the same: we had a great mountain breakfast at The Sunshine Cafe. Park especially loved his first Mickey Mouse pancake (notice his hands signing "more").



Luckily, Frisco was a big hit with Park Frisco.







Breckenridge is always a great place for a little shopping, a big crepe and a fun stroller ride - especially after eating the best homemade salsa and big black bean burrito at the Breckenridge Brewery.



A bike ride around Dillon Lake sounded like a good idea at the time. Too bad we didn't check the forecast for late morning storms or take our rain coats. These two amateur parents totally deserved the frozen fingers and soaked clothing. Park wasn't about to share his warm and dry ride in the Burley. If only he had stayed awake for the last mile to see the deer.



And that concludes the Colorado Vacation 2010. Can't wait to go back next year!

What's in rotation

In case you're wondering, here's what has currently been playing on my iPod.

- Craig

"Hold On" Angus & Julia Stone
"Detlef Schrempf" Band of Horses (Actually, it seems like I'm listening to a lot of them right now.)
"40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)" Bob Schneider
"Shampoo" Elvis Perkins
"Change of Time" Josh Ritter
"Some Gal Move" Mr. Anonymous (Download for free here.)
"This Too Shall Pass" OK Go
"Love Like a Sunset, Pt. II" Phoenix
"Pursuit of Happiness" Lissie

By the way, the videos for "This Too Shall Pass" are incredible, just like all of the other OK Go videos.

Love how this one was seemingly all done in one take.



And this is pretty cool too, plus I love the version of the song.

Sometimes it's hard to be a tree hugger (even when you're five minutes from a national park)

Whenever we travel, I'm conflicted on a couple of levels. On one hand, I love getting out and seeing new things, experiencing new experiences and getting a chance to introduce Park to the world and all of the places Carrie and I love. On the other hand, I'm a bit of a homebody, I hate leaving the dogs behind and I'm troubled by the environmental impact of traveling hundreds of miles from home.

However, in the end, my desire to explore always wins out—with a gentle push from Carrie. I set the dogs up with my parents where they feel completely at home and are loved, buy some carbon credits to cancel out my guilt and I'm usually good by the time the plane lands.

The last couple of trips have been different though.

During last month's trip to the Atlantis in the Bahama, I was shocked by the resort's unbridled use of plastic, especially water bottles, and the complete lack of recycling. Every lunch killed me. I tried taking my own water bottle, but there was just no way around all of the plastic that I was eventually forced to throw in the trash. When we got back home I e-mailed the resort's management to ask about their recycling policy and was told there simply wasn't a resource on the island, but they were working on figuring something out, which seemed like a logical response and completely understandable.

Then came our trip to Colorado. During the first half of the trip in Estes Park we accumulated a small pile of recyclables. Before we left, I went down to the office to find out where I could take them and was told that they too did not offer recycling, but it wasn't just the place we were staying, it was the entire city of Estes Park! Seriously. Estes Park, the "Gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park" does not have a recycling program! How in the hell is that possible? How is Wichita, Kansas more progressive than anywhere in Colorado? (That is the first and probably last time I will use the words "Wichita" and "progressive" in the same sentence.)

Luckily, during the last half of our trip, our faith in Colorado was restored, thanks to the Frisco community recycling center.

Once again, Frisco can do no wrong.

I took this photo as I was walking along the beach in the Bahamas. Oddly enough, just before I took it I was looking at the crystal-clear water and thinking about what was going on in the Gulf of Mexico.

Rocky Mountain High

It's been seven years since we last visited Colorado (way too long) and about a year since we started talking about doing a trip out there with Uncle Curt, Aunt Cheryl and Cousin Hagen. Finally, just a couple weeks ago, we got that whiff of country air, saw some wildlife and took some scenic hikes to last us another year or so.

We tried to extend our trip out there as long as possible, and ended up having two different Colorado vacations during one week. Each were lots of fun and came with plenty of adventures and down time.

Colorado - Part One
For the first half of the trip, we flew out to Denver and met up with Curt, Cheryl and Hagen from Houston. We then loaded up a suburban and were off to Estes Park. In order to make the most of our time together while the kids were awake but also napping, we rented a two-story cabin that had plenty of room for "playing" Jenga (a game left by the renters), cooking dinners, grilling smores, watching meteor showers on the deck, dancing (Hagen loves Lady Gaga and Park prefers the Black Eyed Peas ... or really, any good beat), jumping in piles of pillows, running little hands against (and hovering over) the air vents, coloring and running/scooting after each other. It was an ideal set up to say the least. The property was also just half a mile from a park that provided hours of fun (for both kids and adults).



When we weren't at the cabin, we enjoyed walking around the town of Estes Park. We also checked out two of the easier hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park. And we made a day-trip to Ft. Collins to see what all the talk was about. (We weren't impressed.)

Fun at the park




Fun at the cabin








Rocky Mountain National Park -- Hike around Nymph Lake and then off to Lily Pond for a picnic lunch












To be continued ...