Plugging away.....

Not too much to report......Just getting through the "tease" season if you will - one day dry and mildly pleasant, the next day whipping winds and snow on the ground. Kids are doing good, staying busy doing what ever they can.

Brady's new found obsession is crawling up onto the kitchen counter emptying out the entire cup cabinet and announcing that he is having a "cup sale" It is a pretty regular routine after dinner each night.....so we must continue to fill each glass with water, put a straw in each one and do 10 loads in the dishwasher each night because all our glasses are dirty!

Here is the man getting ready for the big sale - perhaps the garage sales are rubbing off on him already!

Even though Brooke is "in charge" of pouring the water somehow more water ends up on the counter or the floor than the cups!

Even Dad likes to get in on the action.....

Both kids are very into Buzz light year at the moment and each night they scream at the top of their lungs "to infinity and beyond" as they jump off one couch and fly around the family room. Here is the same event happening but at some gym into a foam pit!

That's it with the kids - Chris on the other hand has been officially banned from EBAY as he has spent an exuberant amount of energy searching for the next "gotta have" sports collectible. The item Du jour? an old pair of sweaty, smelly gloves that must omit their odors in our house if you ask the wife of said item. Now if you asked Chris they are autographed Stevie Y gloves that he wore in some important game and they are the coolest things in the world and would love to have a conversation with you about them.

That's it folks like I said just plugging along.....

Searching......

Mom and Dad clear the guest room I am immediately looking into booking a flight :)

I go out for a run on a Saturday morning and next thing you know I come back with Andy Rooney's eyebrows..........

Reasons I feel ancient lately.....

#1. My immune system is that of an Aid's patient. Three weeks in a row I have had some sort of illness....this weeks disease du jour.....common head cold/cough.

#2. When my daughter asks me "Was mickey mouse in black and white when you were a kid?"

#3. When taking Brooke out to the movies for V-day she turns to me and says "Did they even
have movie theatres in the olden days when you were a kid?"

#4. The fact that I have been in bed by 9 p.m. the past two nights.

#5. Brooke discussing the the Mickey mouse song with Brady "Brady they didn't have hot dog hot dog hot diggity dog.....way back when it used to be something like M-I-C (see you real soon) K-E-Y (why because we like you) M-O-U-S-E

#6. Brooke sounding flabbergasted when we told her cartoons used to only be on Saturday morning......

#7. Meeting with my financial advisor this morning, reviewing policies and plans and hearing him tell me the year I would be 65 and it not sounding that far away.......(excuse me while I swallow the puke that just came up as I typed that) yikes!

Perhaps a calgon bath in the fountain will come my way!

Update

Finally got my camera working again - scroll down for some skiing pix.....

Feel the burn.....

There is that moment after a good hard workout that you feel your body burn and tingle from your muscles going overboard and it secretly feels good like hey I did my body good today......

Then there is the burn that you feel from being hunched over in a half fold for the greater part of two days as you ski with a two and five year old. It is a FIREY burn that you feel in your quads from snow plowing backwards all day. The burn and and ACHE that you feel in your bicep from having an iron clad grasp on your little ones as they brave the chair lifts with no fear. The burn and THROB you feel in your shoulders as you continually lift them off of the chair lift in a stricken panic for them not to wipe out and be terrified of the moving benches for life.......somehow it STILL secretly feels good because I am doing something I love and my kids are loving it too!

This Burn I speak of Chris and I felt front and center this weekend - We took the kids up to Boyne Skiing with Tom & Jenn and the kids. It was a blast (minus the burn) The kids did great and who knew they made such adorable skis for two year olds. The plan wasn't even to take Brady skiing, I brought a sled for him to dink around on while everyone was giving it a whirl, but while in the rental place - we both gave a look like "when in Rome......do what the Romans do!" So we rented skis for the two turkey balls and it was so fun to all be doing the SAME activity! Brooke was a bit timid at first - I think the size of the hills scared her at first (or at least from what she has skied on before), but she quickly gained some confidence as she had to keep up with her cool, older Cousins.....by the end of the weekend she was unassisted and starting to make turns and slowly making her pizza slice!......Brady was a bit of a surprise as well - more so in the fact he went for it with gusto....... he had no fear, which I guess is the point of doing things when your young and don't know any better..... Here were a few of his catch phrases.....

• When getting off the chair lift immediately yelling "MARK SET GO!"
• "mommy race Brookie" "Fast"
• "ski bumps again" (these rolling hills you could go over to create more speed!)
• "Ski with mommy...... daddy hit head" (refer to video clip below!)
  

So when I returned back to work on Monday and immediately had therapy on my back, neck and shoulder I thought it was all worth it - every second of the burn - the kids LOVED it and skied from sun up until sun down both days! It was great to have them giggling and laughing with cousins from so much fun. We had fantastic weather for February in Michigan, we had a great condo on the hill that accommodated lunch breaks and naps easily. I can only hope they will request this vacation again as I foresee it getting easier every year! And hopefully we can convince Brady that "no, Mellow will not EAT you!

Instructor Alexis on the case!

Along with the Iron Clad grip I also safety pinned our hats together so he wouldn't fall!

Instructor Tom (hmmm do you see a trend she will listen to anyone as an instructor as long as their name doesn't start with Mom or Dad.....)

The Novacek Clan.....

Brady testing the waters on the "magic carpet"

Picture on the hill in front of the condo.....Brady still trying to figure out how to stand and walk in ski boots!

Here are those cute adorable "little" skis!

Here is the video I mentioned and the reason Brady skiied the remainder with Mom.....

Here is Brady Bugs taking a run in at night....





Brooke getting on the chairlift with Tom and Lexi.


Brooke making it alone.....

Milkaholic.....

Hi My name is Brady Christopher Munson and I am an Milkaholic!
Welcome Brady.....
Some kids have blankets, binky's, stuffed animals or a snuggie of some sort - my kids security blanket is a plastic sippy cup of white creamy goodness...... It has always been this way....when he wakes up it is the first thing he asks for, if he gets hurt its the first thing that will calm him down, if he is stricken or uncomfortable in any sort of situation he will turn to you and ask "white milk please" and I write it like that because he does specify - it must be white. He doesn't cross over to the dark side of the chocolate milk (I don't blame him - I think it is gross too!) But we must break him of this habit I don't mind that he drinks it but I want him to know there are other comforts out there (frango mints, resses peanut butter cups, a worn in blanket, a bubble bath, a bowl full of Parmesan noodles....) I digress....I am just saying why always the moo juice? I guess I am most conflicted with it at night - it is like a shot of NyQuil for him a few gulps at 8:00 and this kid is out like a light - who wants to give that up?? But I suppose we have to worry about potty training this little guy soon and that will only make the battle bigger.

So I am looking for "sponsors" for Brady - any 2-4 year olds out there who have been through the "program" who can lend some support would be great. He will only call upon you when in trouble and I find him sneaking into the fridge at odd hours or frantically doing the milk "sign" with his hands as he shakes from withdrawal - your help will be appreciated!

In other news the little nugger is adorably cute and hilarious lately we are really enjoying actual conversations with him now and couldn't be happier! His latest and greatest is to come into our room (sometimes earlier than I want) and say "come cuddle me" I mean come on - who is going to turn that down - so off I go hand in hand back to his bed or on the couch downstairs where we spoon/cuddle/wiggle/kiss for about 1/2 hour and then he just turns to me when he has had enough and says....yup you guessed it

"WHITE MILK PLEASE!"

The dark clouds are parting.....

and I can finally see some light.....After a bout with the stomach flu for two weeks in a row I am finally feeling a bit of energy and an actual zip in my step and I really all owe it to my new friend Amodium AD.... Why has no one ever mentioned this "magic" pill to me before? Well it is forever etched in my brain - It would have been nice to be introduced to this fine fella about 3 days ago.... not to bore you with the gross and mundane details .......
In other news....
The dark clouds are REALLY parting the sun actually was shining so much today that I drew my blinds at work (haha) this was in between the random snow flurries, but really we are having some bouts with 35 degrees and I am not lying "top down....summer in the city...." it's practically spring break here! Who am I kidding it is just the same ol same ol so this is what we have been doing to plow through the winter and not go completely stir crazy.......

We help each other get dressed in some ridiculous outfits....
We get the band back together again....
We climb MT. Everest (well at least to him...)
And look down upon all the lil people once we summit.....
We snack on chunks of dirty snowplowed ice....
We try to ignore who is really playing on Superbowl Sunday and pretend it "could" happen someday....
We take in the sites with dad....
Just living the dream folks .....living the dream.