"The Monster Mash"

Harry Potter robe so that Buck can be Ron from the books: $35.00

Red hair paint: $10.00

Having Buck completely refuse his mother's idea for a costume and then have Daddy put on Buck's Jay Cutler jersy and some of mom's mascara as eye black: priceless.

I have never had so many "great costume" comments in my life. Never spending a penny again - thanks, Grandma Nancy - he loved the costume you brought two months ago.

"5 little pumpkins sitting on a gate..."

Hey, just because I feel like saying this, we are not "celebrating the harvest" on Oct. 31st. We did that in Canada already and the US will be doing that in a few weeks - it's called Thanksgiving. Halloween is actually the celebration of the night before All Saint's Day, which is the day we Catholics celebrate the Saints who are in heaven. In layman's terms, it's Mardi Gras for the holy dead. For a really long time, All Saints Day was the bigger deal. The entire Catholic church STILL celebrates, prays for and reveres all of the dead throughout the month of November. It can be a very holy and special time if you're into it.

If you do not want to celebrate either of these days, please stop wishing me a "happy harvest" and using it as an excuse to let your child dress up and go to a "harvest celebration." News flash: the pagans were the ones who celebrated the harvest so much. It does not make anyone a holier person by NOT celebrating Halloween. Most people don't think of it as more than a night to dress up like a slutty schoolteacher or a cross-dresser anyway. And the people who are worshipping Satan are going to do that regardless of this one stupid night - even if that is a bummer.

I've just gotten one too many "happy harvest photo cards" in my inbox.

I know, I am a mean person and should be grateful that I have friends at all. Go ahead, send me the harvest cards.

"Together at last!"

SDJ and Buck under my mom's work station. Can you tell that Buck is just blowing air out of his mouth over and over? I think he's trying to whistle with SDJ.
Buck making friends at the Pumpkin patch. He and this little boy followed each other around.
Mommy and Buck sharing a laugh in the hay. They were trying to get Buck's friend to be in the pic - didn't happen.
Farmer Buck making his Iowa relatives proud.
Grandma Joad and Buck on the "exhaust in your face" train. Of course, Buck had to take his milk along!
Here we all are on the train. I really hate pumpkin patches. Even I was amazed at my level of emotion about them. Buck loved it.
Buck with a Pumpkin. I guess they do birthday parties.
It's a good day for a 2 year old when he can "drive" his own big yellow truck.
See?

A good day for jumping.

Visit to Reno pictures. I will blog this week (more a challenge to myself than a bulletin for you). The weather has been staying nice (60's at least) and we're gearing up for the "toddler Halloween" party we're throwing on Wednesday. 15 kids under 4 and a bowl full of candy. Mercy.

"Just happy to be me"

Some pics from Reno. Buck loved the family piano. I also had to capture this because Pa Joad is there and not yelling to stop banging on the piano :) It's good to be a grandpa.
Gma J looking SO GOOD at nearly 90 years old. Buck loves her as she helps in spoiling him rotten.

This song is on Sesame Street right now. I think that a giant purple monster is singing.

It's a beautiful day because the cleaning lady came. I am in love with her. I just thought I should admit that right now. I take Buck to music class and she brings sanity to my home. It's amazing that something can make me feel guilty and so happy at the same time. I highly recommend it.

A quick update on our week: Still no Kelly baby for Hoonka and Coach K1. It was both of their birthdays yesterday, though, which is exciting. October is a big birthday month for both the Grady and Kelly families (and Manulkins!). Second big news is that everyone we have spoken with in California is relatively safe from the fires. We had a good friend in San Diego who was displaced 3 times (!) but she is ok now. My aunt and her family (and my older brother and his family) were only saved from the fires by the direction of the wind - and the fire near them was arson, which is just the worst. They are speaking about it as "California's Katrina." It is very difficult for so many people.

Next week we are looking forward to a week of Halloween fun and no traveling so I might be able to answer an email or 2. E, I LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU AND WILL RESPOND TO YOU SOON!!!

"Does anybody really ever know what time it is?"

Just a quick post about the new "world clock" feature I added to the blog. I know that it's a little big - but my sister-in-law, supermodel D forwarded it to me and I was immediately fascinated by it. You can click on the different buttons at the top and change the counter for the stats for each time period. This is all counting from a specific time to today (probably when the site was begun, I'm assuming). There are a few numbers that are exciting (the number of divorces is surprisingly small - Hollywood alone might acount for 2,000 of those!) and there are a few numbers that make my heart so sad (no surprise there). I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

"The leader of the band" 2

Our Canadian Thanksgiving voyage to Kananskis (a local ski resort). The "non-Canadians" do it up traditionally. Rachel (Charlie's mommy) is due early November.
RKZ and Buck ascend the boulder wall as we build scarecrows.
There were a few planned activities for the weekend - one being scarecrow stuffing. It was very fun. Our t-shirt says "Canada, Eh?" Amazingly, no Canadians grabbed up that one.
Charlie and Buck attempt to stuff straw into a pant leg before spending the rest of the time running around (most of the time, I should say).
There were a number of other families with us on the weekend, but these are the 3 that stuck out the chilly scarecrow stuffing. The man in the shot is Charlie's daddy (holding Charlie).
Charlie and Buck racing around the giant "climbing" boulders (I don't know if they were really for climbing, but the boys didn't care).
New British friend, Caroline and her kids stuffing our "canadian scarecrow." She was the mastermind.
RKZ watching Buck as I snapped pictures. He also ended up watching other children from time to time.
Up the rocks!
The crisp Kananaskis view. It was chilly, but lovely at the ski resort. This shows how snowy the near-by mountains have become.

My second go-round with trying to post pictures today. Had a fun time at "ye olde library" today. I am an official Calgary resident as I got my own library card today (I'd gotten a free one for Buck awhile ago). Buck and I went through our standard library procedure - he walked along the child's rack pulling books off of the shelf and I just checked them all out.

"The leader of the band"

Beginning a busy day with Buck playing his "guitar" which is really a New Year's Eve noise maker as he walks around our island listening to "Old MacDonald." Complicated musical theory.

I'm going back in time to our Canadian Thanksgiving weekend for pictures. It has been a busy few weeks! First, a visit from the Duke and Duchess, then Thanksgiving and a week-long trip to Reno and Las Vegas. We're finally home for awhile.

Currently, we're celebrating the Bronco (football) win last night! Also, an added celebration for the Red Sox who came back to win the pennant away from the Cleveland Indians. I had to say that I was sad for the Indians who really just lost the series. It's been quite a sports weekend for us.

OOPS! Blogger is having picture upload issues. I'll upload them later.

"I'm coming up!"

Two hours of my life which I will never get back: traffic school a few years ago where the teacher tried to convert everyone & today's Suzuki music class parent/teacher meeting.

They wanted us all to "share." Share about how our child has been changed by Suzuki music. Buck has been in the class for 2 months and so far I have attended one class with him, he's missed 2 and his father has gone to 1. I have seen no change that I can directly attribute to his music class. I had nothing to share, so I asked a practical question. I'm such a rebel.

Also, Hoonka has gone into labor (my sister-in-law). We're praying big Hail Mary's here for a safe mom and baby. More later, I'm sure!

"It was 20 years ago today!"

A few weeks ago, my very handy hubby put in some garage shelving. Buck 'helped.' Buck demonstrating the size of the shelves.
Another job well done by RKZ the builder.

I know....it's been FOREVER since I blogged. I hope that some of you stayed through the lull and will still be checking. I can't think of many things more tragic than me just talking to myself in this blog. ALTHOUGH, I am trying to figure out how to get a hard copy of all of this information as my blogging stretches into more than one year. This might be the only baby book Buck ever gets! He'll have plenty to blame on his mom at that point, I guess.

We're back from Reno/Las Vegas and we all seemed to have a great time! It was so fun to hang out with my parents for a few days - and even more fun to leave Buck with them (happy and spoiled, of course) so that I could meet up with my "lover" (gross) in Vegas. There is almost nothing like asking for a room key to my room so I can meet my "husband." (quote supplied by the front desk girl). I did feel a little wild sans RKZ and Buck. RK was golfing and Buck was spending his third hour at the playground with my mom - what was I to do with myself and all that time?

Well, of course I walked across the street and had a $2.00 piece of pizza at a little strip mall shop. I am a high-roller, I tell ya!

I'm sure that more stories will come up as we all settle back into whatever I pretend is our routine this week. Lastly, GO ROCKIES!!! Colorado in the World Series (Woop! Woop!)

"Send in the clowns"

Buck driving a bus by Lake Windermere.
Panorama ski hill
stopping for some water during our hike
Proof that Buck still wears his birthday gift from Auntie D and Sam and Uncle M
Mountain goats.

It's a late post today as we started with meetings all day.

I'm amazed at how busy a day can be with what amounts to nothing.

Right now, my son just wants to see himself in video. He just asked "Please look at Buck." It's really too bad that there is no more wait time for pictures.

Buck and I are off to Nevada tomorrow early early. I'll try to post in the coming week from my parents' house. No promises.

Today, I am crabby - can you tell?

"Lifestyles of the rich and famous..."

More "couple" photos for the adoption portfolio. I probably won't use this one as it looks like I have hair sticking out of my nose. This is at Lake Windermere in BC. Buck at the same lake. The only moment he wasn't yelling "Let me see Daniel!" I miss film.
Daddy looking studly (he'll love that).
My "won't I make a great mommy for your baby?" picture.
My boys at Lake Windermere. This should be one of those "the end" shots in a photo album.

These are some more shots of Panorama, BC. We saw so many deer! It was incredible, but all I could think of was my friend, Karis, who used to say that all deer should be shot because they ate so much of her mom's garden. I miss Karis. The deer family.
Wobbly Bronco fan in the condo.
Our bartenders making some yummy mango margaritas before we headed to the hot tub. It was a fun vacation.
Nigh - night.

These last few weeks, I've been a bad blogger - but I've had a lot of good excuses (like my life shifting into overdrive). Mainly, RKZ, Buck and I have been out playing and traveling and all of the good stuff that goes into making a good blog (or a good life, anyway). So, you all will benefit from our experiences (or something).

First - HAPPY CANADIAN THANKSGIVING A DAY LATE - to all of you Canadians out there. Yes, yesterday was Canadian T-day and our family spent an amazing weekend out at Kananaskis lodge. It's about 40 minutes from here, but might as well be light years away. We went with a crowd of British acquaintences and their families. Since we all don't have family local, it's a great excuse to spend way too much money on spas, golf, eating and drinking. You know, Thanksgiving without the fighting or emotional involvement. Also, there was only 1 football game on, but it was the Broncos, so RKZ was good with that. I will post some pics tomorow.

Today is also a national holiday as RKZ caved in and I was allowed to hire a cleaning lady. She just spent the 4 most wonderful hours of my life here. Of course, I won't be able to spend any money on clothes or haircuts anymore, so I have traded living like a cavewoman for looking like one. I know, I am a spoiled North American snob - wouldn't have it any other way. I nearly cried as the cleaning woman walked out. It is Easter in October. My salvation is at hand.

"The dreams that you dare to dream..."

I just received this video from a good friend, Richie Cunningham (I don't even know if they look at the blog). I am very good friend with his wife, Oprah. They are California friends.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this video. I would like to see what happened to the little girl in the video. I guess I could Google the show, but that would take TIME :) I barely have time to blog! Buck is particularly crabby today - but I think that the fact that we have some "activity" play dates planned today will perk him right up once we get there. Right now, he's angry that I had to take his pj's off (poop issues). He is saying "Clothes on" to me at this moment. Bad mommy who is ignoring his cries in order to post a video of someone else's kid.

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. Our little family is joining friends at a local ski lodge (only occasional snow these days) - the lodge has fun activities for Thanksgiving planned. It should be fun! I will take loads of pictures.

"It's a very very - Mad world"

More pics of Panorama. I'm thinking that we have enough pictures to flow into next week. Buck
Taking a walk on a mountain trail with the Duke and Duchess.
The big Adorondack (sp?) chair at Panorama ski area.
The boys taking a break.

A short post for a busy day where I have to say that there is nothing like waking up to a toddler yelling for a blanket that I know is in the laundry in the basement. My one-track-mind son has "item days" where he becomes fixated on one item and has to have it all day. I'll have to post the video of him feeding his stuffed monkey some of his cake batter from the mixer paddle. Buck definitely lives in a world apart sometimes.

"War! War! What is it good for?"

More pictures of last week's Duke and Duchess visit. We had some great food while they were here! RK, Buck and Grandma in one of my many "making them pose" pictures.
RKZ and his parents. This is a really cute picture, I think.
There was a snowman outside of this restaurant, and RKZ and Buck went right over to make some snowballs (I think the snowman was decapitated at this point). RK taught Buck that mommy and Grandma are always the first 2 targets.
The evidence that RKZ instigated the snowball throwing! (I know, shocking that there is snow here right now)

RKZ and I went and saw the first of this season's plays at the Calgary Theatre last night. The play is called The Wars and it's based on a famous Canadian novel that all of the school kids here read. It's the All Quiet on the Western Front of Canada. I made the play title into a link so that you can see a little background if you'd like. The play, set in WWI, was really wonderful. It is a world premier and very important for Alberta theater as our province is not usually the one to be known for it's theater (as opposed to Toronto/Ontario). The Wars was beautifully staged and poignant in its message. There were a few things that seemed a bit fuzzy, but that was all writing/adaptation, not the acting, which was excellent. There were a few jokes that were strictly Canadian, and RKZ and I were able to laugh along with the audience - we took this as a sign that we're definitely incorporating into the community. If you ever get the chance to see The Wars (I'm not sure if this will be a traveling company outside of Canada), everyone should try and see it. Even if the ending was particularly vague (and not just "open ended" as I'm sure was the intention).

Enough of my theater blogging - Back to real life! We're just plugging along here - immersed in lives that are moving too quickly to be particularly enjoyed, but things will settle soon! Have a good Wednesday.

"Me! and my family!"

Here are some of our first trips with the Duke and Duchess last week. These first pics are from our trip to Lake Louise. If you're a regular to the blog, you will recognize this place (here are the fall/autumn photos). 3 generations of Grady. Buck looks especially happy (and yes, that's snow back there).
Grandma, Grandpa and Buck in front of the lake. So cute!
RK & me. At the adoption classes, they told us that we needed to have some pictures of "just the 2 of us." Unheard of not to have Buck in the picture. I guess it shows birthparents that we have room in our hearts for another child. We actually have room for about 5, but how do we convey that in a picture?!
Buck with his usual grip on Grandma :)
This is, honestly, RK and Buck doing the sign for "touchdown" where the referees hold both arms straight up into the air (Buck usually does it correctly, I guess he's tired here). I can hear my brothers moaning that I had to explain that sign :) And Nicole (YRT) - "hook'em horns!"
Buck is doing his best impersonation of Jay Cutler here (he's the Bronco QB).

Yesterday, RKZ and I were given a lesson in how old and independent Buck is becoming. I had a toy airplane on one of the shelves in the mud room (a little room where we keep jackets and shoes near the garage door). I was saving the plane for our plane ride to Reno next week (yes, I know we do nothing but travel). Anyway, Buck spied the plane and immediately demanded it. This had happened before and RKZ and I tried to distract Buck by walking into the living room and playing with some old toys. Well - after a while, RK and I started talking and putting somethings away in the kitchen.

I heard Buck go upstairs, which is totally normal - then, I heard him come down the stairs saying, "Focus. Focus." (This is what we tell Buck to say to himself when he needs to concentrate on safely coming down the stairs alone). After hitting the tile on the ground floor, Buck ran into the mud room. This is when I went to investigate.

Buck had gone into the Master bathroom, gotten the stool he uses to reach the sink, carried it down the stairs and was using it to climb the mud room shelves in order to reach the plane!! So determined. Hmmmm - I wonder if he is RKZ's son? Just about completely.

We decided that Buck had earned the plane after all that work.