Friday 5 (or 9): My Dream Christmas Wish-List for the Lion

Honestly, the Lion is very well provided for, but here are some fun items that I'd place on his dream Christmas list:

CLOTHING

1)  From Vicarious Clothing, paying homage to the Office:

2) Our moose obsession continues: Bullwinkle Hat from CutieHats

3) I just think all little boys should wear Oshkosh Overalls

TOYS

1)  Organic Cotton Teethers Veggie Crate from Uncommon Goods

2) Xylophone from Hazelnut Kids

3) Wooden Toy Cars from Little Wooden Wonders

Miscellaneous

1) Music Classes

http://www.littlestmusicmakers.com/

http://www.kindermusik.com/

2) We have an activity center he stands in, but these are cool: 

Bright Starts Tropical Fun Around We Go! Activity Station

3) ABC Alphabet Foam Floor Puzzle Mat from Amazon

***Disclaimer, I may find a million other things I'd prefer and/or not want to take up the space with any of it between now and Christmas.  ;)

The Lion on the Move

The Lion is not quite crawling yet, but his rolling continues to be fast, and he has a new trick up his sleeve.  The purposeful army crawl.  Yes, we are starting to baby-proof the house as best we can.  All 4 stories of it.  UGH.  These stairs are going to kill us.  Or him.  Hopefully neither.  Needless to say, I now have to be even more on my toes since he is getting into EVERYTHING.  Evidence below.

 

Friday 5: Things I am Grateful For

I know I have been trying to post what I'm thankful for daily, but I know I've missed enough days (and fully intend to not post on the weekend) that I will put up my 5 today.  As Kat said, and I mentioned in one post, this is for Sara's Gratitude Project 2011.




In no particular order:
1.  I am thankful that I still have a job.  It may be a struggle, and it may sometimes be in question, but I am no doubt blessed that it still exists.  And it's been great to be at home part-time with the Lion.
2.  I am thankful that I am musical.  And that the Lion appears to have inherited this.  I remember having a "heated debate" with a fellow member of my choir in college.  He was quite pompous about his musical taste.  He would only listen to opera or classical music and thought anything else was drivel and a waste of time.  My response was that, certainly, not all music was complex and challenging, but sometimes all you wanted was something that could immediately set a mood, whether it be cheerful, somber, or sexy.  He even acknowledged that that argument was valid...as long as I realized that the music was crap.  I am merely thankful that I can appreciate it all!
3.  I am thankful, that even if it takes prompting, I have a husband that will tell me I look pretty when I haven't showered and am wearing sweats.
4.  I am thankful for all the hardworking medical researchers that are out there making strides.  Especially those of them that can actually get their research STARTED.  (hmm hmm....exercise guy)
5.  And, as fluffy as it gets.  I'm thankful for a cold beer on a Friday night while watching football on the couch with my husband after the kiddo goes to bed.  Off to do that.  ;)  

Flashback: Study Abroad in Ireland

I was just asked about travelling in Ireland recently, and it made me realized that 10 YEARS AGO I studied abroad.  Man that makes me feel old.  My knowledge may not be current, but I scanned in some pictures from what was a wonderful semester.  It was a very surreal time, though, as I was living in Ireland over September 11, 2001.  Being an American abroad was part pride, but there was also an element of disguising the fact of who you were.  It was not necessarily safe to be American, and as our foreign policy decisions were questioned, often you would meet with out right hostility.  I have to admit that frequently I let my Irish accent take over and just let people assume that I was, in fact, Irish.

I stopped just short of scanning my entire scrapbook.  Well, not really, but here are some of the more interesting pictures.  These were from our trip to Belfast.  My friend Dave and I got lose at one point in a less than ideal part of the Protestant neighborhood at night, and did have all sorts of horrible scenarios running through our heads being silly, Catholic college kids.  Of course, none of them happened.

My dad came over, and we did a lot of touring around the southern and western portions of the country.  This is on the Cliffs of Moher.

Some of our frequent hang-outs.

The Aran Islands.  I'd say my #1 recommendation of places you must see.

The iconic image of an Irish cross.

And, of course, there's me.  A naive, little 20-year-old.  How cute.  :)

I'd love to go back, and Notre Dame is actually playing a football game there next year, but I don't see us having the money or the vacation time.  Which is very sad, but it is what it is.  I can still reminisce.   

Today I am grateful for all the opportunities that my parents gave me growing up.  Thank you Mom and Dad!

People Say the Darndest Things

Today I am grateful for random comments that make you reconsider what you're doing, who you are, or just what people are thinking.  I had two of those yesterday.

Yesterday morning I was deeply saddened when I called our gym and asked, "I see you have a swim class for 6 months and older.  My son is 5 1/2 months.  Is there any way he can join?"  They said no.  I promptly decided we were going to go to the pool anyway and swim on our own.  Well, promptly following his nap.  And feeding.  And, alright, it was about 2 hours later.

Predictably, Robby LOVED swimming in the indoor pool and did a great job with it.  He watched all the older kids having classes, was happy floating on his stomach or back, splashed away, and loved "jumping" in (with my help).  His version of jumping was standing on the side and having mom do the jumping portion.  He also thought it was hilarious when I took him into the deeper area and treaded water while holding him so he bounced a bit.  After half an hour, I decided he had had enough, though I would place money on that he probably would have stayed in forever if I let him.  Takes after his mom just a little bit.

As we were getting out, I saw an earring on the ramp.  (Oh, how awesome is it that this is a handicap accessible pool, so there is a full wheelchair ramp...which I could walk up while carrying a baby????)  I called the lifeguard over and told him, but said I couldn't get it while holding the Lion.  He looked pretty miserable, but started to get ready to jump in.  I said, "If you don't want to get in, you can hold a baby, and I can grab it."  His face lit up, and he took that offer.  I got the earring, took Robby back, and the lifeguard said, "Man, he's a lot heavier than he looks!  How much does he weigh?"  After I told him 18 pounds, he said, "You don't look nearly big enough to have an 18 pound baby."  I thanked him, but I think that this probably-just-graduated-high-school male is a little confused on how things work.  As the baby gets BIGGER, the mom does tend to get SMALLER.  God forbid I ever had to birth an 18 pound child!!!

After the pool, Robby and I went to the outlet mall to return some pants for Chris.  Obviously, we had to go in all the baby stores while we were there.  While in Carter's, an elderly woman walked up to me and asked, "Do you work here?"  Ok, not an odd question, I've gotten it a million times at various places.  But not when I was sopping wet, stinking of chlorine, wearing a sweatshirt and track pants, and pushing a stroller.  That certainly just resulted in me looking at her with the most confused look ever.  Ah, well.  Guess I give off that Carter's vibe.  (All apologies to a great store whose employees certainly do NOT look that grungy.)

Here is one last person who says funny things.  Or, rather incomprehensible things.  Ok, it's just a video of Robby waking up and babbling.  Enjoy.  (Yes, it starts out with the lights out.)

 

Playing with the Big Kids

This weekend we finally had a gathering of friends over.  It wasn't anything extravagant by any means, but we finally got over the intimidation-factor and, also, lowered our standards a smidge.  Not much.  We still were cleaning like mad men, but the stove wasn't cleaned.  And I still cooked 3 dishes, but one tasted awful (Thanks for pretending it didn't everyone.  I really need to find a new recipe for that dip.) and 3 is definitely on the skimping end for me.  Regardless, it was nice to get back in the game.

Robby was into getting to play with the "big kids", though wasn't the most gracious host.  As you can see above.  Where he is trying to pull Hailey over.  Fortunately Hailey's 10 months old and much more stable than my little man.  Dean is 8 months.  And...Robby's big enough to look like he fits in.  Ridiculous.  He actually outweighs Hailey.

Please try to ignore that every time Chris takes pictures you get excessive cleavage.  It's either that or no pictures.  Sigh.  Someone tell me next time, please.  Robby just likes to hang on shirts.

Hailey also made use of some of the hand-me-down toys that are still too advanced for the Lion.  Well, Dean, too, and once again, Robby got upset because they were crawling all around, playing with the cool stuff, and he was stuck.  I think it's going to motivate him pretty soon.

Until then, he'll just sucker nice people (who bring brownies, too!) into being his support system.  Thanks everyone!  Had a great time!  So obviously today I'm grateful for wonderful friends.

Guest Post by Chris: Success with Honor

This was not the planned post for today, but Chris felt compelled to address the horrible situation involving his alma mater, Penn State.  So today I am grateful to be married to a passionate, moral man and grateful for those who fight to protect the innocent among us.

“Success with Honor.” “The Grand Experiment.” For as long as I can remember these two statements have been synonymous with the Penn State family and with many that follow college athletics closely. To those that are not familiar with these statements, Joe Paterno created these beliefs when he started coaching 46 years ago. His idea was that you could have a student athlete that succeeded both on and off the field, one of upstanding character, and one that met certain high academic standards.  JoePa showed the college football world that this was possible over those 46 years, and we the Penn State Community believed every bit of it.  For the better part of my life I have believed in these statements, I have believed that JoePa was above all things, and that JoePa was God-like. Joe has been looked on by the sporting community as the one person that has done things right. Heck, Penn State is one of TWO NCAA Division 1 programs (Stanford being the other) that has never, and I mean NEVER been investigated by the NCAA for major violations of the NCAA bylaws for college athletics.  JoePa created that image by demanding excellence from his players on and off the field and preaching it to all that wear the Blue and White.  I had tears in my eyes when JoePa passed Paul “Bear” Bryant on the win record. Same when he hit win #400 last season.  I have always felt that JoePa is Penn State.  However, with one short sighted decision, all that Joe built was gone. 

This past weekend has been arguably the most trying time that the Penn State Community has ever had to deal with. I myself, a die-hard Penn Stater, am still struggling with the acceptance of the news that broke this past Friday evening about former coach Jerry Sandusky and then blew up on Saturday with the cover-up scandal.  Today I find myself struggling to feel the way I used to about my Alma Matter. Today I find myself saddened by the actions of not only Jerry Sandusky, but also those in power at Penn State, those that failed to do the right thing. Today I question what else JoePa and company lied about and hid over the years. Today I question my loyalty to the University that I grew up loving, attended, and graduated from.

My heart goes out to the victims of this monster that was allowed to walk around free and clear for 10+ years.  Those victims will live with memories that they will never be able to escape, no matter how hard they try.  The fact that most, if not all, of the victims were “at risk kids” being helped by what truly is a fantastic organization, The Second Mile, makes it even harder to accept.  These kids were sent by their parents to an organization that they believed would help mold their children into fine upstanding citizens. They were to be taught life lessons about what is right and what is wrong.  And they were sent to one place that is SUPPOSED to be safe, a University setting.  How are we, as parents, supposed to trust anyone if you can’t trust the staff at a major University?  This may be the part that rubs people the wrong way, I know it does me.

I first found out about the investigation of Jerry Sandusky earlier this year through Penn State fan sites and forums.  As quickly as the word broke that he was being investigated by a grand jury on allegations of sexual conduct with minors, the news was hushed.  At that time, my initial reaction was to think that, “well this will be ugly, but it will blow over quickly.”  Never in a million years did I expect that once the grand jury convened that several high ranking Penn State officials would be charged with perjury and failure to report a sex crime.  Never did I expect that possibly the biggest cover-up in the history of college athletics would be unveiled, especially when it involved Penn State.

Because of this, I am left with so many questions about a place that I love, a place that I worship.  Saturday night I wrote an email to the Board of Trustees demanding the resignation of President Grahm Spanier, Athletic Director Tim Curley, Vice President of Finance Charles Shultz, and Joe Paterno.  These were the men that failed to do what needed to be done.  Yes, Joe did what he legally needed to do by the letter of the law in reporting the allegations to his superior Tim Curley.  But he could have done more and he should have done more.  One thing to keep in mind is that we do not know what the GA told Paterno.  There are differing theories on the description Joe was given and this is crucial to how we judge JoePa.  If the description was merely “I think I saw Sandusky naked in the shower with a young boy” then it is hard to say JoePa did the wrong thing by merely reporting the matter to his superior, Tim Curley.  Now if he was told the specifics outlined in the grand jury report then Joe deserves to be judged harshly.  I can only hope that in the upcoming months more light will be shed onto what happened.  Maybe Joe did pursue this and was shut out by his superiors or told it was taken care of?  Is it likely? Especially knowing that JoePa runs the University, I don’t know.  One thing I do know is that Joe was not protecting a “buddy” because he and Sandusky had not gotten along for years, and that is a known fact.  I do not believe that Joe was part of the “cover-up” directly. I think Joe's failure was in not doing more than he did.  Morally JoePa should have made sure the police showed up and investigated this incident immediately.

Ask any of my friends or family and they will tell you that I am a loyalist to the extreme. Yes, I wanted JoePa to retire about 10 years ago already and yes I hoped that this season was truly it for Joe (which as a side note I really think it was regardless of the current situation).  Everything was set up for a great end of a career.  His contract was up at the seasons end, he turns 85, he has the all-time win record for Division 1 football, PSU has a great chance at the first ever Big Ten Championship game and a great New Year’s Day Bowl Game.  JoePa has done it all.  But now?  Now, that incredible career is tarnished with a stench that will never go away only because JoePa appears to have chosen to do the bare minimum.  Maybe I am wrong about JoePa.  Maybe people won’t judge him as harshly after we learn more about what happened.  Honestly, I hope that is the case.  It would be really sad to see everything that JoePa built at Penn State be labeled with an asterisks.

One major issue I have with the Penn State administration is that Sandusky continued to maintain an office on campus after the 2002 incident despite all the smoke around him.  Not only that, but he continued to bring children on campus despite being told not to.  Another thing to note is that Penn State officials did alert the Second Mile about these allegations and they also chose to do nothing.  They are just as guilty as Penn  State on this and no one seems to be evening mentioning that.

This upcoming Saturday I will travel to Penn State for the last home game of the season versus Nebraska.  This was a game that I was looking forward to prior to this past weekend.  The mood of the game has already been dampened, but I will go to support the student athletes on the field, especially those playing their last game in the Blue and White.  I won’t lie though; it will be very hard to mutter up the courage to sing the words of our Alma Matter though, especially the last two veruses: 

“When we stood at childhood's gate,
Shapeless in the hands of fate,
Thou didst mold us, dear old State,
Dear old State, dear old State.

May no act of ours bring shame
To one heart that loves thy name,
May our lives but swell thy fame,
Dear old State, dear old State. “

Those words just don’t feel the same today as they did last week.  I know they say that time heals all wounds.  For myself, and for other Penn Staters, we will survive. We will unite as one as we always have and always will.  For the victims of Jerry Sandusky, I can only hope that somehow their wounds are healed sooner rather than later. I know it is a stretch, but I can hope and pray that once justice is served that those victims can gain some relief in knowing the punishment was dealt.  I do hope that one day people will look at Penn State with respect like they did before.  The Penn State I know is not what is being drug through the mud right now. The Penn State I know is a proud institution with a proud fan base that does things the right way.  I hope that people will realize that when we say “We Are Penn State” that the “We” is not the individuals that failed to stop a monster.  The Penn State community is a very strong community and will remain strong despite the dark days we have ahead.