Museum of Science and Industry

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Today we spent the day with my sister and her boyfriend, Lee and Leigh. First the kids and I went to go and see their new apartment and had breakfast. Then we all piled into the car and drove to the Museum of Science and Industry.  I do have to tell you the this museum never disappoints.  It's just as good now as it was the last time I went, riding on a school bus.  We had a bit of a problem with Wyatt wanting to explore the entire museum at mock speed and Ben just being an arrss.  That's my new name for him, Arrss.  Not sure how you would spell that, but it's my nice way of calling him an ass.  Benjamin is currently struggling with boundaries and getting what he wants.  He's so lucky he's cute! 

Funniest moments on the day -

First when the tree in the farm section jumped in front of me and I ran right into it.  All my sister heard was THUMP and then me saying, "Oh, there's a tree there."  I thought she was going to loose it.  Of course I did this while she was taking a sip of water and she almost spit it all over herself.  Now I think that really would have made this story good.

Then when Wyatt found a piece of candy.  My sister took Riley and Wyatt up the stairs while the rest of us took the elevator.  (You might think we're lazy, but have you seen the limo I call a stroller?)  So we get out of the elevator and Leigh and Riley and swallowing laughter and Wyatt is sitting there like nothing happened.  Apparently there was a piece of candy on the bench.  Leigh flung it on the ground and before she could say, "Wyatt - No!"  He already had it in his mouth and half chewed.  His response was, "Aunti, It's strawberry."

After that we went out for pizza where Ben screamed and hollered so much that the guys behind the counter just started giving him candy to try and make him be quiet.  It worked so did I care that my kid was getting all sugared up?  Nope.  Then we dropped Lee at the bus station and took Leigh to work. I'm pretty sure I got my picture taken while driving home and will be getting a nice letter in the mail from the City of Chicago. Guess I have to pay my dues for visiting. 

Thanks for a great day guys!

RIP Kujo Ehlert-Cappert

RIP Kujo Ehlert - Cappert Oct, 1999 - Oct 27,2011

My dad, Alex and I used to live in a farm house together (A.K.A. The Frat House).  We had some great times there, but the house really left much to be desired.  If this gives you any clue - We lived there for 2 years and I never once set foot in the basement.  Some people may say that's weird, but I say it was creepy.  Our first winter we found out that we really did live on a farm (even though it's in the middle of Grayslake).  We had mice.  Not just a few mice, but we were catching a mouse an hour.  Our house wasn't dirty, it just had that many cracks for the critters to get in and we lived amongst corn fields.  It got cold and they looking for somewhere to live.  Our house was it.  Mouse traps weren't cutting it, so we decided to get a cat.

Alex and I went to PetsMart and picked out 2 very cute cats.  We had to fill out paperwork before we could take them home.  "Do you own or rent?" - Rent.  So they went to our crazy, 40/50 something, hairplug wearin', spying on his ex-wife, convertable driving landlord.  He said no.  We were floored!  The house came with a cat!  It literally had a litter box in the basement (so I was told).  The cat that came with the house lived outside.  Alex named her Bitcher because he mistook her meowing for whining.  (As you can see we don't know a lot about animals.  Never really had any growing up.)  So now what??  All these mice and no cat to catch them.  That's where Alex's friend Alec comes into the story.

Alex and Alec worked at the gun club.  Crazy ass place to work!  One day they were out there and Alec found Kujo in the middle of the sporting clay field.  It was October of 1999.  She was so little, cold, and starving.  Alec put her in a box and gave her to Alex because he knew we where looking for a cat.  She was magnificent!  After she came to live with us we never saw a mouse again, and after Alex and I left with Kujo my dad said the mice took over again.  So I guess there really is something to the old saying, "When the cat's away the mice will play."

Kujo came to live with us here.  Alex and I always had a thing going as to who's cat she actually was because when he moved out he left her here.  As you can see I always said she was his cat.  His friend gave her to him.  He said she was "our" cat. 

She lived a good life here.  Once the kids were old enough to chase after her she never really fancied any of them.  She would come out after the kids went to bed looking for attention.   Nobody really knew we had a cat when they came over because she was always in a closet hiding.  

Last night Jason and I started talking and realized neither of us had fed her in about 3 days, but there was still food in her dish.  So we decided to take her to the vet today.  It turns out that she had a heart condition.  Even if we treated her for it, she would have only had another 6 months max.  Jason made the hard call.  Thankfully Alex and my dad were there with him.  Once everything was done Jason called me and I told the kids while he was on his way home.  They didn't understand at first that she wasn't coming home.  "Why?"  Riley asked me, "Is it because I fed her to much food?"  Wyatt just kept crying for Kujo to come home.  First they wanted to pray for her and then they decided that we need a new pet.  A cat or dog they'll be ok with.  Definately no to a dog, but we'll see how persistant they are about a cat.  I'm not ready to jump back into that, but if it means that much to them we will think about it.  I gave the kids a piece of candy to distract and comfort them before Jason came home.  It worked.  Then when Jason came home and they saw how upset he was they said, "Maybe daddy needs a pumpking candy too?"  Daddy came home with a case of beer.  He had his own medicine.  Jason was sitting in the recliner crying with Ben on his lap. Ben looked at his daddy with tears running down his face, pointed to the tears, and said, "Uh - Ohh" and then gave his daddy a big hug. That's exactly what he needed.  

I may not be a pet person, but if I had to have one, she's the one to have.  She was good natured, loving, and never caused anyone any heart ache.  She let the kids hold, pull, push, cradle and what ever else they did to her.  She just waited for her moment to leave and ran when she had the opportunity.  Never once did she hiss, scratch, or bite anyone out of malice.  Rest in peace old friend. 

Ben Eating Play-doh - (Titled by Riley)

So I'm on the phone with my mom the other day and feeding Collin while he sits in his car seat on the kitchen table.  The other 3 kids are playing Play-doh in the breezeway, which is adjacent to the kitchen.  Ben climbs up to the table and startseating a Play-doh ball.  I yell from the kitchen, "Ben, take that out of your mouth!"  Ben puts the Play-doh ball down and picks up the Play-doh pumpkin I made for Wyatt and starts to eat it like an apple.  "Ben!  Get that out of your mouth! Can somebody please stop Ben from eating all the Play-doh?" Ben puts the Play-doh pumpkin down and picks up the screwdriver that I used to make lines on the Play-doh pumpkin and starts to put that in his mouth.  "Ben!!  Get that out of your mouth!!!  Somebody go get that out of his mouth!!!"  Wyatt responds back very calmly, "Don't worry mom - It's a Flathead."  So I yell back, "I don't care if it's a Flathead or a Phillips.  Get it out of his mouth."  Ben put it down.  I'm still stuck standing at the kitchen table feeding Collin and my mom is laughing hysterically on the other end of the phone.

7 years in!

7 year ago I married a man that I thought was great.  The thing was I didn't really get how great.  When we first started dating I didn't see it at all.  In fact I wanted to toss him to the curb.  But Mary and Sandy saved him from that fate.  Thanks for that old friends.

When I see Jason now I see a strong, independant, loving, caring, and open man.  He is a great husband, father, and friend.  I have been so blessed to have him in my life.  When I was younger I was convinced that there wasn't anyone out there for me.  That I was just going to be along forever.  And I was ok with that.  But then Jason walked into my life and I was never the same again. 

It's strange how life is.  We spent years crossing paths and never met.  We went to high school together.  Drove on the same bus every day for a year.  Went to the technology campus together.  Bowled on the same night at Lakes Bowl.  I bowled on the women's league and he bowled on the men's league.  The same league that my dad played on just at the other end of the alley.  We never met until I was a bartender and his brother, Jeff, was a cook at The Hardware Store.  Then when he gave me his number I freaked out!  Not only was his name Jason (the same name as the guy I had just stopped dating) but he was standing right next to a guy that I had just went out with one night earlier. (Awkward!)  I never called.  A week later he and I happened to be hanging out at the bar together and started a wonderful friendship.  After a little while we went out on a date.  It was the weirdest, strangest non-feeling date ever.  After a few weeks I decided I was done and that's when Sandy and Mary stepped in.  Mary told me, "Your right.  He's to cute and to nice.  You should break up with him."  So I gave him one more chance.  Something happened after that and we were never apart again.  6 months later he proposed and 1 1/2 years later we married.  Oct 22, 2004. 

7 years ago I said "I Do" for better or worse, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, till death do us part. I mean it as much today as I did back then. Even though our days might not always be perfect, I couldn't imagine going through it with anyone but him. 

And here's where we're at today. 

Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish VS. Air Force Falcons

WIN for Notre Dame 59 - 33

Big thanks to my in-laws, Jerry and Sherry, for letting Sarah and I use their tickets for the game.  What a great time! 

Few fun facts about the Notre Dame football stadium. 

• The stadium holds 80,000 people (although the attendance for the game was 80,795.  Pretty sure I know where those extra 795 people were sitting.  Our row.)
• The seats are only 12" long and 4" wide (roomy)

• Regis Philbin is always at the game.  I'm pretty sure I found where he sits.

• The Marching Band is humongous and AWESOME! 

Most entertaining moment.

• Drunk girl in front of us turns around and shouts, "There's a little girl in a green shirt whose deaf and she's missing somewhere in our section!"  A wave a panic runs through section 20.  Sarah turns around and tells the people above us.  I ask the drunk girl, "How old is the little girl?"  "I don't know" she replies "Let me ask the usher."  We hear a number that is bellowed back to us that is either 6, 16, or 60.  She shouts back to the user, "16?"  He shouts back loud and clear, "SIXTIES!"  So I turn around and clarify to the people behind us, "Turns out she's not such a little girl, but still deaf and still missing."  Then the guy behind us asked if his grandma was at the game.

Coolest Thing to Happen.

• This award has to go to the B2 Bomber fly over before the game.  It came from behind us and flew right over our heads.  A-MA-ZING!