Job update

Tim has been working like a madman this semester to find a job. Along with his normal school work and his part time job as a graduate assistant, he's interviewed a ton. There have been a couple disappointments, but for the most part he is just waiting to hear back for second round interviews. After waiting for a couple weeks we got some good news. Tim has a second round interview with Apple. YIPPEE! He will be flying out to Cupertino November 12-14th to interview at their headquarters. So things are once again moving along. Cross your fingers!

Dragon lady

First of all, I have a ton of pictures to post, but for some reason our camera base is broken. Of course this happens when I'm all caught up. Now I'm behind on my posts once again. Many pictures to come.

For now, I have a story. It starts out something like this....Once upon a time there was a little boy. And when he was good he was very very good. When he was bad he was very very bad. Mornings have been a little rocky for this boy lately and his mommy has become quite upset with him. Instead of listening to his mommy or helping his mommy clean up his messes he just says, "Mommy quit being a dragon."
His mommy seemed quite surprised to hear that she was being compared to a dragon. She's never breathed fire out of her mouth, she's never stolen a prince and kept him locked up in a tower, and she's never scared anyone before. But apparently to this boy his mommy resembled these characteristics. This mommy is definitely far from perfect and this is a perfect example that sometimes mommy's have to be dragons. Mommy can't always be the good guy.

Xavier's Unique Food Preferences

Xavier is eating flour. Forget pancakes or eggs, he decided that the flour was much more delectable.



Many of you may know that Xavier pretty much eats anything, even if it's not supposed to be eaten. Here are some of the things he has consumed, some on a regular basis. No matter what I do or say he is still constantly putting things in his mouth. Aaaarrrrgh! I wish he'd grow out of this phase already.

crayons
anything he finds on the floor
bark at the park
small tire pieces at the park
a light bulb (don't ask, long story)
flour
batting
cotton
mud
sand
paper
rubber bands
toilet paper
soap
eye shadow
finger paint
playdough
plastic
I even caught him nibbling on a battery he had taken out of one of our controllers.


On a more positive note he is an excellent eater of real food too. If I put normal kid favorites on his plate like hot dogs, macaroni, or the like, along with a side of veggies he will most likely eat the veggies first. There are many mornings when I don't get breakfast ready quick enough and he'll pull out a handful of carrots from the fridge to nibble on while he's waiting. He loves all fruit, peas, corn, peppers, broccoli, edamame, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green beans. He'll even eat a salad here and there. I'm definitely grateful for his healthy food preferences.

I guess all I have to look forward to is that one day in the far distant future he will most likely give up the non-edible items and continue to have good eating habits.

Big Boy Bed

Xavier has moved into a big boy bed! It's official- he's no longer my little baby anymore. I'm not ready to accept this. I knew that as long he was in a crib I could continue believing he'd stay my baby forever. But now reality has hit.

We didn't plan on doing this for a while, but it just kind of happened. Xavier has always been great about going to bed until a couple weeks ago when he would kick and scream and cry anytime we mentioned it was time for bed. Then he would beg to "fall asleep in mommy and daddy's bed." We'd lay him in our bed, turn his music on, and he would be completely content. He wouldn't even attempt to get out of our bed. After a week of this night time routine we decided something had to change. It entered my mind that maybe he was telling us he was ready for a toddler bed. Tim took his crib down and voila! Xavier was like a totally different kid. He was jumping up and down and giggling like crazy. He immediately gathered every single stuffed animal he owned and had to play on his bed for the next several days. Problem solved. Xavier is now a happy sleeper again. ( and so are his parents.)

We are so proud of him for hitting this big milestone!

Michigan vs. Michigan State

Any time rivals Michigan and Michigan State play each other I look forward to it! For many fans, it's because it's a huge rivalry. For me it means more than that. Mine and Tim's first date was back in 2001 when Michigan State beat Michigan. At the time I was still living in Ann Arbor and I was a Michigan fan. (you can't hate me too much for this because I had just moved to Michigan and I was planning to go to school there. I didn't realize the mistake I was making yet. Now that I know which school is superior my blood will forever run green.) So I look forward to this game every year because it is football that helped bring Tim and I together.

I was planning on going to the game this past weekend and had been looking forward to it all week. Unfortunately my sister-in-law ended up in the hospital over the weekend so I offered to stay home and watch Xavier and her son, Kameron. Even though I wasn't at the game we created our own fun at home!



I made pumpkin oranges with fruit inside as a fun side to Kameron and Xavier's lunch.



I also made State peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the kiddos.




The two videos are of Xavier and Kameron going to a "football party".

Since Tim and I's first date in 2001 Michigan State has not won against Michigan at home. At least until now! My Spartans are back! Go green! Go white!

S3 Apple Picking

I've organized a mom's playgroup for the S3 Association that I co-direct. I planned an apple picking day at Clearview Orchard in Haslett. We went here last year and had so much fun that I've decided to make it a yearly fall tradition. It just happened to be amazingly cold and windy the day that I planned it. Our group was a little scarce due to the bitter cold. I was a little sad that I had to pull out the winter gloves and hats. Xavier, Kylie, and Tyler didn't seem to notice the cold. They were engrossed in filling their bags of apples. I think Xavier ate almost as many as he picked. But hey, that's part of the fun!




Xavier exploring the rows and rows of apple trees. He had to make sure he got the best apples!



Kylie demonstrates how to pick the perfect apple. Hold with your hand, pull, and twist.



Crunch! Now that's the sound of a darn good apple.



The fruits of their labor. A job well done, Kylie and Xavier!

S3 Girl's Night Out

Left side: Katie, Maria
Right side: Kim, Courtney, Annie

S3 had their first girl's night out about a week ago. We went to Art Unlimited in Okemos. It was a blast! We got to paint a pottery item of our choosing, I picked a pumpkin plate. I'm by no means very good at painting pottery, so I picked something pretty basic that didn't need much creativity or artistry on my part. This was definitely a much needed outing and a chance for me to just have fun with some girls.