freaks and geeks

I started re-watching Freaks and Geeks recently. Have you seen it?

I love it. I owned the box set before it was available to stream on Netflix. I love every character; loved them before any of the cast members became super-famous. 

The show is funny. And honest. And awkward as hell. Here are a few of my favorite moments:

5. Acoustic Alice Cooper: I love Mr. Rosso. He's really good at the guitar.

4. Love Song: Warning! This is soooo hard to watch. It still makes me cringe. Perfectly illustrates why all emotions should be communicated via text message.

3. Alright, Alright, Alright: This whole episode is pretty funny (the geeks switch the keg with nonalcoholic beer), but I especially love this early glimpse into the goofy awesomeness that is Nick.

2. Groove Line: And speaking of Nick, he's got some wicked disco moves.

1. Styx Slow Dance: This may be my very favorite moment.  It's a little cheesy ... and cheery, a bit out of character for the series. The clip is longish, but hang in there. Totally worth it. Come sail away with me ... lad.

Ready to binge? It's on Netflix now. Waiting for you...

olive juice, okay?
emily

almost birthday

Five years ago today my son was going to be born. My due date. I could feel it in my bones and we were soooooo ready to welcome this little boy into our lives.

 

In reality, he didn't come for over another week. (Those babies refuse to leave my body unless forced!) But, still, I will always feel a little twinge of delight each year on November 16th. The day I didn't become a mother.

 

Happy almost-birthday Joe.  

 

olive juice, okay?

emily

 

 

#tbt

From waaaaaaay back when Joe and I visited Chicago. (Over a whole month ago!)

Swing with a view!

visitin' Sue at the Field Museum

catnap on the green line

Cubbies fan

Fireman Joe at the Children's Museum

With his trusty side kick, Emerson

Reflective moment at Cloud Gate

urban playground

face off at the Crown Fountain

cousins in repose

early morning flight ... what a trooper!

olive juice, okay?
emily

p.s. chicago medley (just for fun)

Goodnight Gorilla

Happy Veterans Day my darlings!

I hope your day was as productive as mine. And just for your reference, I measure productivity by how much time you've spent on Netflix on a given day. Like I said, super productive today.

Which leads me to .... now.

I've spent the last 20 minutes listening to my beloved sons reading the same book on repeat. They have very different styles.

My eldest son reads the book just like his father. Exactly. Same pacing and effects. Without fail. In case you want to read along (each bullet is a new page):

• Goodnight Gorilla. (loud whisper) Oh no! He's stealing the keys!
• (medium whisper) uh oh! (a little louder) Look! His name is Joe!
• Goodnight Elephant.
• Goodnight Lion.
• Goodnight Hyena. Goodnight Giraffe. 
• Goodnight Armadillo.
• (walking sound effect) dum, dum, dum, dum, dum
• (walking effect continues in lower key) dum, dum, dum, dum, dum
• (exaggerated yawning sound)
• Goodnight dear.
• (in various voices) Goodnight; goodnight; goodnight; goodnight; goodnight.
• (cartoonish/ incredulous eye popping open noise) 
• Ding!
• (walking sound effect) dum, dum, dum, dum, dum
• Goodnight zoo.
• Goodnight dear. Goodnight. (whisper) uh oh!!!!
• Goodnight Gorilla. (exaggerated snoring sound).

My youngest son takes a very different approach.

• (turning to page with Lion) Goodnight Lion!
• (turning to page where they are all in the same room) Goodnight; goodnight; goodnight; goodnight; goodnight!
• Squeals with delight and slams the book shut.
• Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

It's enough to make anyone ready for bed before eight o' clock. Everyone, that is, except my children.

Goodnight gorilla ... I mean, goodnight my darlings.

olive juice, okay?

emily

errant thoughts

If going to bed at 10:00 on a rainy, chilly Saturday is wrong ... I don't want to be right! And as I drift off all cozy and warm and cuddled in close with one of my handsome boys, I leave you with these errant thoughts ...

I love, I love, I hate, I hate,

I like, I wish, for goodness sake,

I hope, I hope, I pray, I pray,

I will, I won't, and for today...

I love that my boys have developed occasional Spanish accents. Joe constantly rolls his r's, even with English words and Will drops full-on English-Spanish hybrid words ... like cabio. He means Cowboy (the football kind). I'm a cabio mom!

I love babies. Sweet, squishy, tiny babies. I love them laughing and crying and sleeping and spitting up all over my nice clean shirt. I love, love, love babies. I'm thankful for my precious niece and nephew who give me my much-needed baby fix each week.

I hate piles of wet leaves on my driveway. It's the price of having pecan trees at your house. I know I've complained about them before ... but pecan trees really ARE a pain in the ass. For ever and ever and ever. Can't Texas choose a state tree without the messy side effects?

I hate the new theme song for Whine About It. I still love the series, but I want the old theme song back. Change is the WORST. 

I like this album. I'll admit that I only recently discovered Chris Stapleton. And even then, it was only because of this performance at the CMAs. But he is amazing! And I am officially hooked.

I wish preparing delicious food was as easy as it looks on those Buzz Feed Food videos I see on Facebook. Are you as obsessed with those as I am? 

For goodness sake when is this RAIN going to stop? Don't get me wrong, I'll take any excuse to wear my rain boots, but come on! If this keeps up I might have to buy an actual raincoat... or at least find my umbrella.

I hope my boys continue to love books as much as they do now. There aren't many things sweeter than a big brother reading to his little brother before bed. Swoon. Willie also sleeps with at least two books every night. His favorite right now is Harold and the Purple Crayon. If you haven't read it be warned ... there is a terribly frightening dragon in it. 

I hope their love of music continues too! I'd like to imagine that our family dance parties or road trip sing-a-longs will be some of their favorite childhood memories. I know they are some of my favorite memories so far...

I pray for my family in Chicago right now as they welcome the newest addition to our family. My little sister just had her second baby. A boy (of course) named after our grandad. Send lots of pictures Gigi!!!!

I pray that you all are doing alright. We're headed into a rough time of year for lots and lots of folks. Holidays are hard. And the end of the year can spark panicked reflection on past decisions or missed opportunities. Let me just reassure you now before it all starts ramping up ... it's going to be fine. You are enough. And we are all just muddling through this time of year together. Hang in there.

I will start my holiday shopping EARLY this year. And if I don't ... I will buy everything online to avoid the holiday crowds. No matter how tempting the Black Friday deals look!!!!

I won't stress out too much over Joe's 5th birthday party. Gone are the days of elaborate pinterest-y parties at home. He has his own opinions now. And it's kitschy cakes and bounce houses. All. The. Way. And I am (almost) at peace with it.

And for today I'll ignore the rest of the laundry that needs to be folded, fight the urge to start a Netflix binge, and just enjoy the sweet sound of Joe's rhythmic breathing in my ear. And fall asleep content.

Sleep tight my angels. I'll be dreaming of you...

olive juice, okay?

emily

p.s. tonight's lullaby

the artful dodgers

Be aggressive! Be be aggressive. B-E-A-GG-RESSIVE. Agressive. Be be aggressive! (Is that a baseball cheer? It's totally stuck in my head ...)

We officially wrapped up tee ball season tonight. Go Dodgers! Well ... our final game was last week, but we got together tonight to distribute medals and celebrate with a little pizza. 

Here's what we learned. (Special thanks to Aunt LuAnne, our family photographer, for the pictures.)

Tom Petty said it and it's true; waiting for a turn to bat is definitely the hardest part of a tee ball game.   Which is why the position of dugout coach is so important. I'd say 96% of the job is keeping the boys from climbing the fence. We were successful approximately 8% of the time.

It takes a very patient person to coach tee ball. Coach Jim was a saint. Can you imagine doing this 50 times a game? I'm not sure I would care that much about form.

BUT IT WORKED! Our eldest son was a natural hitter and base runner. I mean, he barely tripped over his feet at all. And just look at that face...

Fielding was a different story. Tee ball at this age is really more of a cross between baseball and football. Baseball when the Dodgers were at bat; football when they were not. (Meaning the entire team chases after the ball and tackles each other for it.) Joe enjoyed practice time with dad though.

Keeping the younger sibling entertained week after week poses a bit of a challenge. Luckily, a teammate's two older sisters took a shine to our Willie and kept him busy. He looked forward to seeing "the girls" each week. Will also discovered gatorade this season. Fun fact: he threw up approximately 10 minutes after the above photo was taken. (It was probably unrelated, right?) 

And all this action was packed into a Tuesday night! No need to give up our Saturdays to soccer. Am I glad it's over? YES. Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY. Especially if I could find a league that sells concessions ...

olive juice, okay?

emily

p.s. For those of you in need of video ...

sometimes they are sweet ... sometimes

you say gross, I say negligence...

Tonight's installment of what not to do with your children is brought to you by the 30 Day Shred. Full disclosure: my only experience with this particular home workout is buying the hand weights so I could (theoretically) complete said work out (someday).

Which brings us to...

Heavy hand weights are totally suitable toys for children

I should probably take pictures instead of removing the dangerous objects

And continue as the excitement escalates

Smallest child; heaviest weight. What could go wrong?

Aaaaannnnnnd there you go.

For those of you who are concerned, Willie is completely fine. Maximum thud with minimal crying. Nothing that a shot of whiskey couldn't cure.

#jtothek

olive juice, okay?

emily

later that night ...