The Kruse Zoo

Quick Tidbits

2010-07-29T10:23:00.001-05:00

After a loud groan from Emily when I told her I was going to a do a quick update on the blog, I feel I should keep this quick. Otherwise I will find Ava putting all of our toothbrushes in the toilet again.

Today's exciting agenda includes, making a menu and grocery list, taking my sister lunch, going to the store, making dinner, and then going to the zoo which now has extended hours on Thursdays.

Yesterday Emily had tryouts for softball. She has always just signed up for the one through the park board. She decided she wanted to do something a bit more competitive. She will start playing a few games this fall, take a break and then start practice in January.

A program that Matt created that is used with Facebook was featured on an Apple sight yesterday. I think it was Apple? Anyway, he got lots of hits on his website and many more users of his program. It was exciting for him, I wish I knew more about that stuff….

I also plan to clean Ava's room today, which at the moment could be featured on an episode of Hoarders. Since she doesn't sleep in there it has become kind of a catch all for all of our crap. It is easy to just shut the door and pretend that it isn't a fire hazard.

So that's about it… oh I almost forgot, I also will be letting the dogs in and out about 600 times today, because apparently it is a difficult decision on whether or not to be in or out…

El Guapo

2010-07-28T10:29:00.002-05:00

In our house, going "el guapo" on someone means that you are really mad about something else and taking it out on the person that happens to be with you at the moment. I am not sure where it came from, Matt started saying it. I know he told me where he got it from, but as usual I tuned him out and can't remember what he said…

Anyway.

I know it is hard to believe, but I, on occasion, will go el guapo on Matt. Take this morning for instance. Ava had been up nursing for like 3 hours straight(ok maybe 3 times at 20 minutes each, but it seemed like 3 hours) and at 5:25 a.m. the alarm is going off. Ava and I both woke up and Matt is sound asleep. I gave him a not so gentle shove and woke him. I proceeded to lecture him in my tired, panicky, are you freakin kidding me voice. I was near tears because, damn it, I just need some sleep! He apologized and went to go do whatever one does at 5:30 in the morning.

I know the source of my frustration was just general tiredness and I had just got Ava back to sleep. I did apologize for my harsh words and he said he had "done some reading" on couples that have the same alarm problem. He says he is going to use his cell phone with a quieter alarm. I told him to just get his own room. Sounds fair, right?

Chicago Part 2

2010-07-27T08:52:00.001-05:00

On Sunday we decided to take advantage of being in Chicago and try to do some fun things before we drove home. We went to the beach and even though we were not allowed in the water the kids had a great time playing in the sand.

After the beach we walked over to Lincoln Park Zoo. We didn't stay for too long, but it was nice to see some animals and walk around a bit.

We had a great weekend in Chicago and hope to go back soon. There is just so much to see and do.

On a separate note, I would like to ask everyone to keep my sister Joanna, brother-in-law Brent, and their unborn baby boy in your thoughts and prayers. She is undergoing a surgical procedure this morning to help strengthen her cervix. This will keep her from going into preterm labor. The baby is doing great and the doctors are doing everything in their power to keep him safe and sound until he is ready to be born in early January 2011. I am so proud of both of them for being so strong, being their own advocates, and doing everything they can to ensure the safe arrival of their son. We love you Brent and Joanna!

Transformers, Weddings, and Patrón

2010-07-26T09:37:00.002-05:00

Emily's sleepover with nine girls is over, we are home from Chicago, and both kids appear to be over a virus that left them with a weird rash all over their body. I can finally sit down and blog.

Now that the Ke$ha songs have quit permeating my every thought(a side effect of the sleepover that took place last Wednesday) I think I can put together a few coherent posts. Who spells their name with a dollar sign anyway?

So Saturday we took off for Chicago to attend the wedding of my sister's childhood friend. We enjoyed staying in a four star hotel in the downtown area. The movie Transformers 3 was filming about a block away from the hotel and we could see part of the filming from our room. Joanna and Brent were there a day before us and had seen four bodyguards stationed right outside the room across the hall from them. They never saw who it was, I am thinking it might have been McDreamy himself.

We headed down to where they were filming as soon as we dropped our stuff in the room. At first I didn't think we would get to see anything due to the massive crowds already there. We were behind a second set of barricades. Then the crew had everyone behind the first set of barricades move due to a gunfire scene they were about to film. We were now front row!

The man standing next to the guy with the bull horn is Patrick Dempsey.

You can kind of see him here again with his stunt double. Brent stayed with Emily, who was captivated by all of this, while Matt and I went back to the hotel room with Ava. As they were getting ready to leave some of the actors were walking and Emily stopped them to ask them if they would take a picture with her.

After we got ready for the wedding we took a bus down to Buckingham Fountain for the ceremony. The rain held off and it was a beautiful ceremony.

The reception was at the same hotel that were staying at. I was worried about Ava behaving as this was a fancy place. We let her walk around for while and then Matt took her for a walk while I stayed with Emily.

I enjoyed a gin and tonic before dinner( ok maybe two), and Matt and Ava joined us in time to eat. Shortly after dinner Ava was starting to meltdown so I took her back up to the room so Matt and Emily could dance it up for the wedding guests. I was asleep by ten- Matt and Emily closed down the place. More to come about our trip tomorrow…

I do have to add a note about my favorite gnome Vern. He begged to come along. I hesitated as he is very obnoxious and quite frankly, I get sick of dealing with his shenanigans. But, I relented and he joined us. This is what I found when I got back to the hotel room.

Damn it Vern! Patrón in hotel room, fifty dollars. The look on the face of the lady at the front desk when you tell her that your gnome drank it without permission, priceless…..

Unglued

2010-07-21T08:42:00.002-05:00

I hate fevers. They scare the crap out of me. We have had our fair share of them in the past few days. Emily came down with a fever on Monday evening. She was pretty sick with a sore throat, headache, stomach ache and high fever. I was pretty sure it was the same virus that my nephew Keaton had on Sunday. She started feeling better yesterday afternoon and this morning she is fine.

Ava spiked a fever last night. I don't know if it is the virus or from her shots. I worry so much after vaccines. I automatically assume that we will be the one in a million that has severe complications. I convince myself that something terrible is going to happen. Logically, I know she will be fine, but once you have been the one in a million, statistics don't mean a whole lot. Luckily Matt is here to reason with me and understands my craziness. He is an expert at talking me down…

When the kids get sick I run through every worse case scenario and have to stop myself from taking them to the ER just in case it is meningitis or something equally as awful. I am sure it is some sort of post traumatic stress and probably somewhat normal after our experiences with Kevin.

I hope Ava feels better soon, she is cranky, feverish, and seems pretty miserable. And I know she is getting sick of me obsessively taking her temperature.

Ouchies

2010-07-20T16:31:00.004-05:00

This morning I took Ava in for her one year well baby exam. She is healthy and meeting all her milestones, so no worries there. She weighs 20 pounds and 13 ounces and is 30 inches tall. She is in the 75th percentile for height and 40th for weight. Her Dr. thought that was perfect.

I just deleted my rant on his suggestion to nurse her less and give her cow's milk. Let's just say that suggestion did not go over well. She gets her milk from me, no cow needed, thanks. I didn't get fired up and say anything to the pediatrician, I just nodded and smiled. I told him off in my head though.

I also deleted my rant on his suggestion to get her into her own room. We practice safe co sleeping. I feel that is the healthiest way to ensure good sleep habits and reassure her that all of her needs will be met at all times, not just during the day.

I know other parents make different choices and I am cool with that, I just wish there were more doctors that were familiar with safe co sleeping and breastfeeding into the toddler years.

Ava was given her vaccines today and also needed a lead screening and her iron level checked. I usually don't let her eat paint chips, but better safe than sorry I guess. She didn't even flinch when they pricked her finger, she was just mad that the nurse wouldn't let go of her hand.

So to sum it all up Ava is healthy, happy, and meeting all her milestones ahead of schedule despite me not giving her cow's milk and letting her sleep with us. Yikes.. that sounds really bitter, imagine if I had not deleted my 8 paragraph rant…

Birthday Day

2010-07-19T09:33:00.002-05:00

Ava woke up on her birthday in a pretty good mood. She, of course, had no idea that yesterday was any different than a normal day at home. I set out to go get the cake first thing. Getting the cake home in one piece took great skill and some expert driving. Ok, I had to go slow and not take corners too fast, but whatever.

My mom and sister helped with all the food. There is no way I could have gotten everything done without their help.

I tried to keep the party small so that Ava would not be overwhelmed with the number of people in the house, and she did great. No meltdowns despite not having a nap. After we ate we headed downstairs to watch her birthday video and open presents.

Everyone was so generous with the gifts they gave to Ava. She is a lucky little girl. After Ava was done checking out her new car it was time for cake. I wondered how the whole cake thing would go. Ava has never had sugar other than the natural sugars found in whole foods. I was very curious to see what her reaction was going to be.

She was a little confused as to why we were all staring at her and singing. No tears though, so far so good.

She was unsure about the frosting, so I cut open the cake so she could taste the cake part.

She warmed up to the idea of eating cake. She didn't go crazy over it, but that's ok she won't be getting anymore until next year…….

While Pancho cleaned up the house we all went outside to swim and enjoy, errr tolerate, the oppressive heat.

Shortly after everyone left Ava passed out on my lap. I think it was either sheer exhaustion or a sugar coma. I guess we'll never know.

It is hard to believe that it has been a year since Ava was born. She came into our family at a time when our hearts were still very much hurting. She gave us all hope that there can be joy again and we can be happy even after great loss. Matt and I feel privileged to be her parents and we can't imagine life without her. Here's to many more years of growing, learning, and happy times!

A Year in Pictures

2010-07-18T19:44:00.001-05:00

Baby Girl Turns One

2010-07-18T18:12:00.001-05:00

I was actually awake this morning at 2:27 a.m., exactly the time that Ava turned one. We were working on Ava's birthday video, because I am procrastinator. I asked Matt if I should re enact her birth- he didn't seem too excited about the idea. I will post more about the big day soon, for now a picture of the birthday girl.

Almost One

2010-07-17T08:48:00.001-05:00

I Was Right

2010-07-15T08:24:00.001-05:00

Our new door stayed goober-free for about 10 minutes. Ava' s new favorite game is walking in and out from the deck over and over again.

I think I will clean the door today and then give up.

Who needs cable T.V. ?

2010-07-14T08:03:00.002-05:00

When a large box shows up at our house(this one from the deck furniture) the creative wheels start turning. Emily and her friend played with this box for hours. First decorating it and then setting up the video camera and making a television show. Just imagine the fun if they ever get their hands on a box from a refrigerator….

Under Bite Anyone?

2010-07-13T09:33:00.001-05:00

I wonder how Duke would look with braces….

Eye on the Prize

2010-07-12T10:13:00.001-05:00

There is a hole in my kitchen wall this morning. The 80 pound brown dog is so scared of the construction workers being in the house that he is drooling buckets and ready to piss himself. The cigarette smoke is billowing into the house and I am too chicken to say anything. But, all is ok. I am getting a new door. One that does not come off the tracks weekly and does not weigh 800 pounds. And it will even be clean for 10 minutes until the dogs and little fingers get to it.

Saturday Fun

2010-07-11T08:44:00.001-05:00

I started out my Saturday by going to garage sales with my Mom, sister, and Emily. When I arrived at my sisters to pick her up I noticed right away that she too was wearing a lime green top. We do this all of the time- match unintentionally. As soon as my mom walked out of her house I was amused to see that she too was wearing a lime green shirt. It was like we were some sort of awkward set of triplets…. from now on we are known as the green team (say this with pizzazz and use jazz hands).

After lunch Brent, Joanna, Keaton, and Emily got in the pool while Matt started on the yard and I kept track of Ava.

Ava checked out her new(to her) slide. I love hand me downs from friends.

After she was done with the slide she played in the dirt and ate some rocks.

Matt will probably not speak to me for days for posting this next picture, but it serves him right for talking to me with his butt cheeks when all I asked him to do was turn around for a picture.

This is my one and only tomato plant. And I didn't even plant it. Kind of a gross story of how it got there, but it involves poop so I will share. Back when the chickens used to roam the yard they would, well, poop all over the yard. They ate lots of tomatoes….see where this is going? I am guessing that any tomato seeds that passed through them came out in a perfect little fertilized mound. We had about ten of these little "volunteer" plants last year. Now if the cluckers could only plant some watermelons for me….

The girls after a long day, almost asleep…

I am off to start our Sunday, Emily and Ava are dancing in the living room to Lady Gaga…..

Fridays with Kevin

2010-07-09T08:47:00.001-05:00

Emily thought putting her baby brother in her doll bed was a great idea. Kevin didn't seem to mind too much.

One of Those Weeks

2010-07-08T16:08:00.001-05:00

This week has caused me to look around and ask whose idea was it to have all these kids… And by all these kids I mean two kids, one who is self sufficient and the other who still poops her pants.

Ava has entered a temper tantrum phase. Like if I decide that diaper rash cream is not a good option for her to eat for a snack and take it away she will scream like a banshee…. seriously. Leg kicking, shrieking, rolling on the ground tantrum. Nice.

This morning I took Kramer to the vet. Ava decided that she wanted to be the one to reside in the cat carrier. She crawled in and was not amused when we had to pull her out and put the cat in. At the moment that she was shrieking so loud that I thought the window might break I thought about leaving her in the cat carrier and just strapping that into the car, sounds safe enough, right?

Kramer is fine, by the way. He has healed enough that he is not in pain. We will just watch him and keep him comfortable. I am relieved that I don't have to make any tough decisions at this point. And today's visit was only $99.00 Yippee!

We decided to hire some help to come in and clean. Honestly, I just can't get it all done. Well, I could, but I hate ignoring the kids to clean. Ava is pretty needy when it comes to wanting my full attention and I feel l owe her that. I hate spending hours on the weekend cleaning when we could be doing something as a family. A lady was recommended to me that is reasonable. So we'll see how it goes. I am hoping that having some help will let me be a little more relaxed and not feel like I am not getting anything accomplished.

The Hikers

2010-07-06T08:22:00.001-05:00

I have been wanting to visit Starved Rock State Park for a few months now. We saw some of it when we went to the water park awhile back. We took a trip out there yesterday and had a great time. We plan to go back this summer and see even more of the park.

While we were there we went to the trained cat show that was in the Lodge. What better way to end a day of hiking than watching a cat play the drums….

Fourth Fun

2010-07-05T08:37:00.001-05:00

We had a great 4th. We made a trip to the zoo and enjoyed the lack of other people there. I brought the camera, but left the SD card in my computer. I blamed it on Matt, of course. We rode the train, fed the Lorikeets, and watched the Sloth move. In all of our years going to the zoo, we have never seen the Sloth move. Maybe he was feeling a little rowdy due to the holiday…

Late in the afternoon we went to my Mom's house for some traditional Fourth of July fun. We lit sparklers, snakes, and threw those little things that pop when they hit the ground.

At dusk we walked to the fireworks. Every year I am amazed at the amount of people that flock to these fireworks. I am grateful we can walk and avoid the insane traffic. This year we sat close…. so close that we could smell the gun powder and pieces of the firework casings were falling on us.

My favorite thing about fireworks….. you can fart and no one can hear you.

Catch Up

2010-07-03T08:47:00.002-05:00

So… a few little birdies have told me that I am slacking on updating my blog. I told them that I have been sick(true) and that I have been busy( also true). I pinky swear that I will be better and offer more of my humor and wit on a daily basis. In the meantime here are some things that I have neglected to write about lately.

Kramer: He is doing well. I still need to take him in to be re x rayed. He does not seem like he is in pain and is getting around fine with a slight limp. I am not looking forward to paying the $200 to have new x rays done when I am 99% sure he is fine. Does that make me a bad cat owner? I will call this week to get him in.

Our deck is nearing competition. I would have posted pictures but the depression that I feel from not having hot shirtless men working on my deck runs deep. Don't get me wrong the guys did a fantastic job, but kept their shirts on( this is a good thing) and smoked like chimneys the entire time. Emily walked in and said in a very annoyed tone, " You know, Mom, we are going to have to clean all the cigarette butts out of the planter, disgusting." At least I am pretty sure I don't have to worry about her ever smoking.

I am well!!! That's right, bitches, no coughing for 48 hours! I almost forgot what it feels like to feel well.

We have some fun plans for this weekend, including cleaning out the chicken coop. Those little cluckers are messy.

That is all I can think of for now, I need to get ready for work. Yes, I do work… one day a month. Someone has to pay the bills….

Fridays with Kevin

2010-07-02T08:41:00.001-05:00

Kevin and his buddy Keaton celebrating the fourth of July.

Happy

2010-07-01T18:59:00.001-05:00

First Win

2010-06-30T07:51:00.001-05:00

Last night Emily's softball team won! The have previously tied and come close to winning, but last night they came out ahead, 25-17! They only have a few games left and I am so glad they will have at least one win under their belts.

Charlotte

2010-06-28T15:51:00.001-05:00

This is Charlotte. She hangs out near our patio door at night. She catches bugs and quickly wraps them up. We like her.

Big City

2010-06-27T21:00:00.002-05:00

My sister and I had a great time in Chicago. It was a short visit, I was away for 16 hours in total. We survived driving in heavy traffic and didn't get lost once. We did have to have her friend parallel park the car. What can I say, we are used to pulling into a garage, not parking in a spot that seems just big enough for a shopping cart.

Once we arrived at her apartment we got ready for our night out. We walked to the train and took it downtown to the apartment of another friend. She had drinks and snacks on the roof top of her building. The view was fantastic.

I didn't take my regular camera so I snapped these with my iPhone. After awhile we headed to Maggiano's for dinner. I ate the best mushroom filled ravioli that I have ever tasted. All of the food was fabulous. After drinks at the Hard Rock Cafe we walked to the Baton Lounge to see a show featuring female impersonators. I was intrigued as I have never seen anything like it. As we were led to our seats I was thinking, "please let us sit in the back…." Well, we were seated in the front row. Like right in front of the stage. So close that I was pretty sure I would be able to tell exactly how much female impersonating was going on. I really enjoyed the show though. It didn't bother me too much that dollar bills were being handed to the performers right over my head. I was not aware that you were supposed to hand ones to the ladies, and I just had 20's…. Maybe next time..

After the show we took a cab home, slept for a few hours and were on the road by 8:30. I needed to get home to the kids. I am hoping that Ava will forgive me for leaving her. As soon as I walked in the door Ava smiled, giggled frantically, and stuck her hand down my shirt.

Matt had his hash run this morning and it was a super hero themed run. He and our friend Nathan dressed as Ace and Gary, the Ambiguously Gay Duo. It is a skit on Saturday Night Live.

Matt ran though the streets in this outfit. So I was thinking that in less that a 24 hour period I attended a female impersonator show and Matt was running around town dressed as a gay superhero. Perhaps I need to start adding more money to the fund that I have started to pay for Ava and Emily's future therapy.