Holiday Family Time

Evening everyone. Boy was it a busy week as we prepare to close out the year in a few days. Got to spend some time with my brother Bryan and his family from California which is always fun. Christmas Eve, we had dinner at my parents and opened gifts. We closed the night with a traditional game of PIT which is always a blast. I did my best to help Mia win a hand, which of course she enjoyed. The next morning, Mia woke up around 8:00am excited to open gifts. 8 isn't too bad to wake up since I've heard most kids are up around 6 or 6:30. My co-worker's daughter got up at 4:15am. That's crazy.

Anyways, Mia had a great time opening stuff but always gives Jill's and my gifts first. She made us little ornaments out of clay. She gave Jill the jewelry that she picked out from the Mall and Target with my a week prior. Jill and Mia got me some high end markers and illustration paper. My big goal for 2020 is to learn how to layer markers for pieces. It'll take some patience and practice but I'm game. Mia LOVED her new Nintendo Switch and games. Luckily unlike most kids, she hasn't been overly obsessed with it, which to me is surprising.

We had lunch at Jill's parents house with Tommy before I went to work. They made their traditional crab legs, mashed potatoes and other tasty food. Mia opened more gifts and had a great time. Work was super busy but somehow I got through it.

Thursday was Boxing Day, so I met up with my brother Bryan at my Mom and Dad's to watch Chelsea take out Southampton. They surprisingly lost to the Saints which certainly sucked. Can't give away points like that. Both BJ and I were certainly disappointed. Later, we all met at Jill's studio to take one large family photo all dressed in our favorite sports teams attire. Jill finished editing it today and it turned out pretty good. We said our goodbyes Thursday to Bryan and the fam as they left Friday morning for the long trek back to CA.

Friday, I worked on a special project with Micah and Gigi. The girls painted a slab of wood for their Dad's office table and needed my guidance and technical advice. They went with a galaxy-style painting with a quote from a movie the family enjoys. Awesome. Later we had my parents over for dinner and my nephews Luke and Joseph with my bro Todd as well. The kids played the Switch with Mia and had a great time.

Saturday morning, I held our New Berlin Dragon's only practice. We reserved some time on a futsal court. Half the girls that RSVP'd to play were on time, other half were a little late. I felt like I'm usually more organized with drills and what I wanted to accomplish but overall, the kids did well. Did a couple drills and a scrimmage which is what I wanted to do. For a lot of them, it was their first time on a futsal court including Mia. Takes a little time getting used to. Hopefully this week, we'll have a schedule soon.

Later, Mia, myself and my bro with Camden went to the Admirals vs Griffins game. It was the kids very first Ads game and they had a great time. Cam ate a lot but enjoyed the hockey. Mia loved all of the action and in between periods stuff like the human hockey puck and some figure skating. It was Princess Night so Elsa even dropped the puck. They had a princess meet up outside out section but Mia claimed that she didn't care about princesses anymore. Despite the Admirals losing, we all had a great time.

Today, I watched Chelsea take on Arsenal. Last match of 2019. The Gunners struck first and held a 0-1 lead for quite a while into the 2nd half. A few adjustments here and there and Jorginho picked up an equalizer off a mistake from the keeper and with that momentum, Tammy Abraham got the 2nd goal securing 3 big points for the Blues against their London neighbors. Great way to end the year. January Transfer Window opens soon so we'll see who they pick up. Returned back to work today only to wish I didn't show up.

This week, I hope to have my soccer schedule, Mia's going to enjoy what she can of her break and returns back to school on Thursday. Thanks for reading!

Holidays

Evening everyone! I gotta say, it's a bit weird that it got to 54 degrees today and I honestly would love a nice dumping of snow right now. Anyways...let's get to it.

Mia had her last week of school this week and is officially on break. Didn't do a lot of drawings for her because she took hot lunch every day. Not sure why but whatever works. Her book is complete (minus drawing the title). She's excited to have some much needed time off to relax with family and friends. Thursday, we picked up a couple things for Jill on Mia's request despite the fact that Jill and I usually don't buy for each other. Oh well. Friday, Mia had a great holiday party and had a lot of fun with her friends and classmates.

Saturday, we had an indoor soccer meeting with her team and met some of the parents and new players at the library. It was a great time and all of the kids are stoked to start up. We were missing Scarlett and Angie sadly. We handed out the beautiful Adidas kits that the kids love. They also saw the logo I designed too which may end up on the jersey. Vida snagged one of the signs for her room. She's quite excited for the season to start. A lot of parents really want to get a practice in, so we're going to try and get in a practice THIS Saturday on the futsal court in New Berlin. We'll be for sure short Adalyn and Cecilia but any practice is better than no practice.

The rest of the day, we hung out, did some shopping and made dinner while watching Elf. Jill wrapped up some gifts as well. Today, the girls went off to Walmart while I watched the Chelsea vs Spurs derby. Going into this match, I was hella nervous because the Blues haven't been doing that well and the Spurs are starting to return to a better form after picking up our former manager Jose Mourinho. There's always a heated rivalry between the clubs so this was certainly going to be a tough one.

Even though they started some players that haven't been playing much lately and even changed it to a 3-4-3, the Blues got two goals in the 2nd half from Willian. One off a great shot early and the 2nd after a careless foul from the keeper in the box. I missed the red card foul early in the 2nd half when Mia and I ran to Noodles for lunch and the racial comments shouted at Rudiger. That's just horrific and uncalled for. It's hard to believe this crap still happens in sports yet here we are. The announcers were super upset about it. All in all, good win for a team that really needed it. While I was at work, Mia and Jill made some cookies. After work, I stopped by my parents to visit with my brother, sister in law and nephew who just arrived from CA for the holidays. Looking forward to spending time with them. Mia especially is excited to chill with Alex. This week, I've got some shifts at work, off Tues Thur and Friday. My brother Todd is coming as well so we'll get to hang with him and his boys as well. Should be a great time. Jill's got to work tomorrow a bit unfortunately.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Turkey Break 2019

Greetings everyone. It's officially December which means every one's fully into the holiday spirit. Mia had a nice short week at school before Thanksgiving break. Wednesday, we roamed around the mall for fun, which she couldn't believe I'd let her do. She walked around Learning Express, Zumiez, the ornament stores, Claire's, Hallmark and that was about it. She unfortunately found out Justice at the Brookfield location closed down and some random and weird toy store opened up there. I say random, because it appeared the store was mainly weird and random junk piled up. Wasn't the best replacement, but Mia still enjoyed our time together.

Thursday was Thanksgiving at my parents house so Jill made two amazing stuffing dishes. One jalapeño cornbread and the 2nd one a savory turkey mushroom. Mia helped mince the mushrooms for that as well as peel and cut potatoes for the mashed potatoes. On top of all that, Jill even made macarons. Everything tasted amazing and we had a great time with family. On our way home, we stopped at Walmart to partake in the craziness. It looked like a damn flea market. Just merch everywhere, people grabbing whatever they could. Mia picked up the 2nd Lego Movie and Jill got a cheap pair of Stitch PJ's and that was enough.

Friday, we set up the Christmas tree as well as decorated a bit before I went to work. I went off to Mega Media Exchange and found one of the Switch games Mia REALLY wants. She'll be so stoked come Christmas.

 Saturday, I got up and watched the Chelsea vs West Ham match. Certainly didn't think it would end 0-1 against one of the worst teams in the league. The Blues played two players that haven't seen any action all season. Both struggled along with the rest of the squad. It was a rough sight. We can't afford to drop points to these kinds of teams. They got a draw against Valencia during the week so Lampard decided it was best to rest some of the crucial players over the weekend. They play again this week against Villa so hopefully it'll be a better result.

Later after a visit to Trader's, we went to Jill's parent's Thanksgiving festivities. Awesome food and overall great time with family including Uncle Tommy. We went home later, relaxed and Mia hit the bed late as Jill and I started preparing for Mia's Elf on the Shelf to arrive.

Today, she woke up excited to see what kind of excitement and mischief her elf got into. This week, I've got our Year-End Meeting for KT, Mia's back at school and we're celebrating Jill's Dad's birthday on Saturday. I have almost everyone registered for the indoor team and most kids have payed. Jerseys are to arrive this week so we'll have to set up a meeting day for that.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Roll Out

Greetings! It's been a crazy week with a lot of different things to discuss so let's get to it. Sunday through Wednesday, Remi unfortunately had diarrhea. Ugh. Woke up to crap in our bedroom so we had to clean that pile up. Monday night, I was taking him out every hour and only got an average of about 3 hours of sleep, maybe. Felt like a complete zombie at work and it certainly was a horrid start to the week. Luckily by the end of the weekend, he was better.

Wednesday into Friday, I can't discuss via social media the absolute craziness that occurred but it was definitely an experience for Jill, Mia and myself. Saturday, Mia was stoked to go to her friend Charlie's birthday party at Skate Land. I had all the intentions of leaving Mia after she got her skates on and was ready to go have fun. I ended up talking a while with Scarlett's Mom for a while and after she got on her skates to join in the fun, I honestly thought I was leaving. But...when Vida arrived, her, Tenley and Ryan demanded I stick around and help them skate. Vida was super scared and Tenley struggled as well but after asking Mia "Mia, should I stay or leave?" she responded with "Stay and help, Daddy" so I would have 3-4 girls on my arms at a time. Vida would keep her eyes on the skates and and Tenley would be all over the place. She was actually doing well taking my advice about alternating feet to glide. We would also get one of Mia's new friend's, Lily's who had her first time on roller skates that day as well attach to my arm. Scarlett's sisters laughed and said "WHY are you so popular?!" I don't know. A lot of parents see me as a "fun" Dad for some reason. Only Mia really knows why her friends like me and want the help. It was hard to have so many kids all stay on their feet, but I did my very best preventing them from eating it. Overall, It was a great time and they had a blast. On our way to the party, Mia wasn't sure if she wanted to go to Cecilia's for a sleepover till we were skating and after she heard "Despacito" and I said out loud "Aw, I miss Cecilia" and Mia responds "Alright, I'll sleep over at Cecilia's".

Later, Mia went over for sushi and an epic sleepover. Jill and I wrapped gifts, watched a movie and crashed rather earlier than usual. We got up and after breakfast I went to pick up the diva. Upon arriving, she wasn't even at Cecilia's but on foot with Hayden and Harper walking down the driveway after I had been there a few minutes. She ended up sticking around to play while I ran to Waukesha to feed my in-laws cat as they hang out in Florida with Jill's Grandpa. I came back and the girls made ornaments. Cute. Mia said her goodbyes and we went home. Cecilia's Dad and I discussed the upcoming indoor season and everything going into it. The rest of the day, Mia relaxed with Jill the rest of the day while I went off to work. When I got home I discovered some amazing homemade macadamia nut cookies the girls made for me. Awesome! Before I went into work, I started getting more info for the indoor soccer team. One of the parents said she would order jerseys for the girls so for an additional $10, the kids will have matching uniforms. Totally cool. It's surreal so many kids want to play soccer this Janurary so I'm thrilled to make it happen.

This week, we have Mia's conferences. The little snow we had has mostly melted and with the upcoming warm up, there will be nothing left. Not totally bummed out since it's still November. I worked on my board set up and discovered the previous owner made a mistake with the ankle strap and I ended up having to order a replacement one from Burton. I'll work on Mia's book this week as well so hopefully I'll make some good progress.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Happy Holidaze

Good evening everyone. Going to bang this one out quickly because I'm barely keeping myself awake at the moment. It's been a crazy busy week but mainly a ton of fun. My brother and his family arrived last week via railway so I picked them up and brought them back to our house for pizza. My half brother Todd and our good friend Leanne also met up at our house for a few days of fun. It was great catching up and there was even more fun in store the next day. We went to StoneFire Pizza for lunch. The kids had so much fun playing all the games on Christmas Eve morning. We had a go at the VR game but Luke and Alex kept having issues walking so they ended up giving us credits. Mia and I attempted to do some rock climbing as well. Super fun and reminded me how much fun my friend Andy and I had at Adventure Rock a handful of years ago. The wall I climbed at StoneFire seemed to be more difficult since you had mainly window sills to pull yourself up on.

While I wait up top for Mia to try to catch up, I heard a girl crying from behind me. I turned around and saw a small child dangling from the rope climb. The entire staff looked confused so I repelled down the wall and switched clamps to carefully rescue her. I climbed the rope climb carefully and calmed her down. I released her foot and slowly we made our decent. The Mother was so relieved I jumped into rescue her and throughout the rest of our time at StoneFire Pizza, she would smile and thank me. Just happy she was okay. Later, Jill and I had a Christmas Party to attend to for her boss. Great food and fun times.
The next day, we had Christmas Eve dinner at my parents and everyone opened gifts. Lots of fun playing card games and having an all-out indoor snowball fight (soft balls). Christmas Day, Mia was SO happy we had a dusting of snow. She immediately got up and gave us our painted glassware she made on her own. "DO YOU KNOW HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS TO KEEP THESE A SECRET??!" She did great. She also gave me a pencil holder and Jill a clay giraffe. She loved all of our presents, especially her new snowboard and her Mia and Red Panda Adventures book. She always looks forward to reading them. Jill's family came over and gave out some gifts to us.  My family came over later and we had some delicious pasta as well as Jill's tiramisu (I assume is was good). Awesome evening. The kids decorated cookies which were super fun.

Boxing Day, I picked up Bryan and the family and we watched the first of two soccer games. Fiorentina unfortunately lost to Parma, but at least Chelsea got the win against Watford. Later, we suited up and did some much-needed snow tubing. Alex really wanted to have snow here after the long train ride so this was the closest thing we could deliver. Bryan joined us as well as we raced the iced tube trails. We had a blast racing and the highlight was Bryan slipping out of the tube and having to run down the tube run chasing after it. We didn't last too long as the kids were getting pretty tired but it was a fantastic time. We had some leftovers when we got home and called it a night. This whole week has gone by so quickly...

Today, Mia and Jill traveled to Ohio to visit Aunt Gail. It was an early and rainy drive to Midway Airport but Mia was excited to see her aunt that she sees about this time of the year. They'll return on New Years Eve so I'll work and try to get everything ready for my week off in a few weeks to lead art classes for the big school-wide art show coming in March. So much to do, so little time. For now, it's time for a shower and to hit the bed. That's all for now thanks for reading!

Believe

Good evening everyone. Going to try to make this a quick one. Getting a late start on the blog so bare with me. This week was the "week from hell" from me. 6 days straight of late-shifts till 10. I especially wasn't digging it because it meant I'd only see Mia an hour a day which was to get her ready for school. We hardly get a lot of time to talk in that time and by the time I see her the following day, asking her "how was school" usually gets responded with "I dunno, I forgot." I had told myself "If a survive the week, I'll go to lunch with Mia on Friday" so with that, I surprised her on Friday by lunch time. She totally didn't see that one coming and was stoked I surprised her. We ate lunch with all her crazy friends and had a good time.

One of the things I noticed first hand is how hard it is for her to hang out with a particular friend for recess. If she wants to hang with Cecilia, Charlie or Vida or (insert friend here) want to hang out but don't necessarily want to do what another friend wants to do. Because Mia's such a kind kid, she has a hard time telling one friend she doesn't want to hang out with them for the day because she doesn't want to hurt anyones feelings. She ended up doing a jump rope contest with Vida, Leilani and Charlie for a little bit. Charlie didn't really care for the whole jump rope thing and wanted to play fairies with Mia but Mia was preoccupied with whatever Vida wanted her to do. I could tell Mia was torn between several friends wanting her attention. Poor kid. Eventually when it was time to go, Charlie quietly told Mia how she misses when they would just play together. She's been having issues missing her Mom at school and I think could have used a friend to distract her. Recess is always a part of my lunch time visit I loath because I see how hard it can be on her and friends when they want to all play together, but end up struggling to find things to do. She gave me huge hugs before I left and quietly asked "can you PLEASE ask Mrs Mayer if you could give our class art lessons? She wasn't the only kid begging for that. I had at least 3 of her friends asking the same thing so of course I asked so she'll figure out a good time to do it. I have to figure out what exactly I want to teach. :P

This week was difficult with myself doubting I'll ever get out of KT and into a job I thrive creatively but to hear the sincere requests just to have me come and teach art made me feel better. I've been updating my resume as well as my online portfolio in hopes of possibly getting something new in 2019. I need a job that allows me to be home in the evenings with Mia. I've gone too long working 2nd shift. I'm very grateful that I had the opportunity to hold a job at night so my parents (and later Jill's) could help with Mia. She's at a good age where I should be able to switch a career so I can spend more time with the family. Mia ultimately would be happier if I could be around more too. I truly believe that I can find a new career in 2019 and will have to work really hard to get the job I so very want and deserve.

Friday night she waited up for me which was super nice. Saturday, I watched Chelsea pull off the miracle of the season (so far) beating Man City 2-0. Earlier in the week they lost to the Wolves which really was pretty lousy. I didn't even want to watch the highlights, they were that bad. Somehow Kante and Luiz pulled out two great goals to give City their first loss of the seasons. Unbelievable. We spent the majority of the day working on the kitchen and have a little bit more to do. Getting so close.

Sunday, we drove to Jill's friend Heather's house to bake and decorate cookies with all the kids. I went to work shortly after the kids started to decorate but from what Jill said when I got home tonight, Mia had the BEST time. Arabella really enjoys spending time with Mia and she's pretty chill so Mia always enjoys her.

This week, I will continue my quest for a snowboard for myself. Almost found one on the FB Marketplace but discovered it's an all-mountain board and I need a freestyle board for park riding. Jill and I have an art meeting after school Thursday to hammer out any more details we need for the art gala night at OL. Awesome! That's all for now thanks for reading!

Laughter for Life

Good evening everyone! What. A. Week. What easily could have been a quick and painless week ended up being a pretty stressful one leading up to my incredible 3 days off. Work has just been uber stressful and it has me wanting to leave in 2019 and hopefully find a more suitable job in my field. I've never been more mentally exhausted in all my life. Just completely burned out, and in desperate need of change.

Thursday was the start of my much deserved 3 days off so it was nice to pick up the kiddo. She hung out and attempted to snowboard on her saucer in the little bit of snow we had. She fell so many times but laughed so hard. She's totally ready to start snowboarding (come Christmas time). I just need to find a board for myself + boots.

 Friday after school, I picked her up and we had the furnace guy here AGAIN fixing something. Hopefully it's good. Anyways, we packed up Mia's overnight bag and picked up Jill from work and drove to Grandma Gail's for Mia to have a sleep over. We picked up a bit of food and Jill and I were off to Milwaukee to the Conan and Friends comedy show. The Riverside is such a nice theater and provided the perfect venue for this event. The crowd was packed and Conan was absolutely hilarious. The comedians were also incredible and each of them had their own unique style of comedy. James Veitch was a definite highlight. My face hurt from laughing so hard. Ron Funches closed the night and was equally great. Conan came back out along with Flula to answer some questions. Some of the questions asked were really stupid so I was bummed that I didn't get to ask anything before they ran out of time. Bugger. Would have loved to hang around to see if he was going to come out to meet up with fans, but we ended up leaving. When we got home, we watched a bit of Trevor Noah before heading off to bed. It was a night of comedy and I sure needed it after this week.

 Saturday, Mia came back home after a successful sleepover and we went to Donuts with Santa. Mia wanted noting to do with him (she didn't think he was the real Santa) and ended up hanging a bit with her new friend this year Vida. They share a lot of similarities and is overall a really nice kid.  We didn't get our photos taken with the big man, and ended up leaving. Mia did make a nice ornament though. We drove out later to my in-laws for a great belated Thanksgiving and birthday for my father in law. It was nice to relax and have a great meal with everyone. Mia always loves it when Tommy visits :) 

Sunday, I way overslept and missed my early alarm for the Chelsea vs Fulham match. Caught 10 minutes of the 2nd half and caught RLC's goal. Great win for the Blues. Need to keep it going. Later after painting, I went to work for the night. 

This week, I have to continue working on the book, I have a store meeting Tuesday and I am literally working every day and won't be off till Saturday. Major bummer. That's all for now, thanks for reading!! 

A Snowy Christmas in a Galaxy Far Far Away

Greetings and Happy Holidays everyone. Man, was it a busy week but the holidays are over and we're almost complete with the year, but not before a busy last week of school before Mia's break. We did some cookie baking with some friends on Wednesday. Great time and a possibly new holiday tradition. Mia had a Pajama Day Thursday and a holiday party Friday at school before she was done for the year till January. It'll be a nice break from the schedule and we'll take full advantage of the time to relax and hang with friends. Saturday, Jill made the trek down to Illinois to visit her friends Kara and Sammi while I watched the Chelsea vs Everton match. It was quite the disappointing draw and we really need to stop losing or drawing to these teams that we should be defeating. I missed most of the League Cup match against Boro because A-My half bro Todd came for a surprise visit (which was fantastic) and B-I made a haircut appointment at a barber. Great place that I may return to in the future. CFC won and will be in the semi-finals.

After the Chelsea vs Everton match, Mia and I ran to a few stores (bad idea) to get our candy and Izzy before The Last Jedi. She was super excited to see her first Star Wars movie in theaters (as was I). Despite my sister telling me a pivotal moment in the plot, we enjoyed it and Mia lasted the 2 1/2 hours. She of course loved the Porgs and and crystal foxes. The movie has had some serious backlash with parts that could have been omitted or edited, but no movie is perfect and overall, we both liked it. We went home and met up with Jill before heading over to her parents house for a Christmas eve eve dinner. Great time playing the dice game and spending time with family. Mia even tried crab legs and loved them. At Heather's house she tried peanuts and surprise surprise, loved them.

Sunday morning, we got up early and went down to Illinois to skate with Jill's friends Leanne, Jacqui and Rick plus Caleb. Jill somehow got through the crappy snow and we made it. She took pictures of us. It was Mia's 1st time on single-blade skates and Caleb's first time ever skating. Both kids did great and had a lot of fun. We met up with Nicole and Jason after and had lunch before make the trek back to Wisconsin to meet up with my family for Christmas Eve. The drive wasn't as bad going back. Mia got all kinds of great gifts and myself some money towards our big trip. She had a lot of fun playing with her cousins and it is ever so evident that Easton totally looks up to Mia. He wouldn't leave without a hug from her and luckily Mia was cool about it. We drove home, watched a few episodes of Fuller House and Mia crashed for the night. We were all exhausted after the traveling back and forth. I did some final touches on the book before going to bed. Today, Mia got up around 9:00am, remembered we got snow just in time for Christmas, and made her way dow the stairs to check out the loot.

She immediately gave us our gifts she picked out before getting too much into her own. She did the sweet gesture last year as well. As much as she loves to get presents, she equally likes to give. Whether its hand-made gifts or things she picked out with a parent, she's always stoked to give. She LOVED her new Adventures of Mia and Red Panda book that she read before we went to The Ridenours. She got plenty of Shopkins stuff, some Hatchamal toys (ugh) and LOL Dolls (double ugh..) We had breakfast and relaxed before going to the inlaws. Mia opened more gifts as well as Jill and I did. I got an Everything Sucks Descendents record, a cool pocket drone, TLA live dvd, A GoPro stick for our trip, the new Pirates movie, a CFC street sign, A Bob Ross Pop vinyl,  plus plenty more. Jill and Mia both got flippers and snorkels for the trip as well as a crucial inversion table for Jill. Hopefully she can better her body overall with it (as its been recommended a dozen times to her from various people in the medical field) I'm hoping it helps. My parents came over later and we had a delicious dinner, played another few rounds of the dice game before they left. We left soon after. It was a busy weekend and we're off and running with Mia's Winter Break. As far as plans for the week, we have nothing planned. I have work tomorrow again and we may hang out with Mia's friend Olivia. Possibly go sledding? Who knows. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

A Concert And a Sleepover

Good evening everyone! Quite a busy week, and with only a week before Christmas, it's going to get even more intense. Wednesday after school, we raced through the snow to Jill's studio for Mia to have her picture taken with Santa. Like normal, she was pretty shy, but excited to see the big man and tell him what she wants. The reason why we "raced" is that Mia had a holiday concert that night as well, so we had to make sure we were back in time to feed the diva and get her to the school. The snow may have been a bit sketchy, but we made it as well as both her Grandparents and even Uncle Tommy made the trek from Madison. Despite the fact that the songs were a bit silly being related to farms and farm animals and not remotely close to anything holiday-themed, it was pretty adorable and the kids did great. Like always, Mia was stoked everyone could make it. We had a rough angle to watch Mia sing (as you can see on the picture) because one of her classmates stood sorta in front of her most of the concert. Ugh.

Remi's paw has still been a problem. Just when I thought he was improving, I came home tonight and discovered its as rough as ever. The spray and balm I got for it haven't been working much so I dunno what to do. Friday was an exciting day for Mia. She was going to a big sleepover at her friend Noelle's house. Charlie, Cecilia, Noelle, Ellahrose and Katelyn were all spending the night together, watching movies and doing crafts. I came home from work at 10:30 and discovered a pretty cute picture of all of them on the living room floor watching The Santa Clause. Apparently, they were still awake at 11:30 with some wanting to sleep, and others chattering away and giggling. Mia and Katelyn fell asleep first. I spent my Friday evening post-work working on the book.

Saturday morning I got up to watch Chelsea take on Southampton. I got a message from Noelle's Mom that the girls all woke up around 5:00am! WHY kids!? They watched some a Descendants movie and lay around before working on crafts. I picked up Mia at halftime during the game. She had the best time and had so much fun. I thought she'd still want to play with her friends, but she was exhausted and wanted to head home. We went home, watched Chelsea beat the Saints before turning on Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. First of all, great movie. Really fun and Mia would explain every single scene to me whether I wanted her to or not. Really enjoyed it. We didn't finish it till Sunday morning because when Jill got home from some photo sessions at the studio, we packed up some baking supplies and went to my parent's for the traditional cookie baking extravaganza. The ladies had fun making all kinds of tasty treats my Dad and I sampled. Mia's severe lack of sleep started to show its ugly colors and she became more and more crabby. We split and went home. She passed out on the way home but awoken when we got in. Watched a bit of My Little Pony before calling it a night...at 8:30pm. Way early for the kid, but she needed to catch up on sleep. I worked on some drawing and an Ian Bennett photo edit before sleeping.

Sunday, she woke up happy and conquered her homework. We finished HP and a bit later, I went to work. This week I need to finish the book and we're baking cookies with some friends of Jill's as well. Saturday, she's doing a day trip to Chicago to meet up with friends while I take Mia to see Star Wars. That's all for now thanks for reading!

Snowy

Hello everyone! We realized today that we're literally booked the rest of the year as far as any weekends off. Insane. The week started out crappy with Remi having to return to the vet to have his irritated paw looked at. He had a really difficult time walking and limped around. It was heartbreaking so after taking Mia to school I took him to the vet. After an x-ray, they didn't find anything broken or infected so back went on the cone :( Just the other day, we wrapped it up because he could still find a way to lick it. At least now he isn't limping.

Mia had Career Week at her school so Tuesday, she dressed as a dolphin trainer. she still wants the job and loves dolphins. Thursday was Spirit Day so Mia proudly wore her Carroll University shirt. She always loves wearing her shirt and tells people that that's where her Mommy and Daddy met and fell in love. So many great memories. Friday night, Mia had something special to attend. Jill's Dad took her to the Shopkins LIVE! event in Milwaukee. Mia's been looking forward to that for months. He even got her the VIP tickets so she could meet the girls after the show. Mia LOVED it and they had a very nice little night together. I'm so glad he could take the diva and have this fantastic memory together.  Saturday, I got up pretty early to watch Chelsea fall to West Ham in a shockingly terrible match. Couldn't believe they couldn't get in this one. Such garbage. They play this Tuesday and better not lose again. Can't afford to drop points to teams that shouldn't be that difficult. So that sorta set the tone for me for the morning. The girls got up shortly after. Mia was super excited we got more snow and it was enough to run around and play in. She helped me shovel while Jill made apple pie macarons for her Dad for his birthday celebration we had planned for later.<3 .="" a="" about="" and="" artist="" asked="" been="" being="" blast="" careers.="" designer.="" diva.="" excitedly="" for="" freelance="" friday="" going="" graphic="" had="" i="" in="" maybe="" nbsp="" next="" p="" presenters="" school="" several="" she="" snow="" so="" some="" talked="" talking="" that="" the="" their="" they="" times="" to="" up="" ve="" walking="" was="" woke="" year.="">

After breakfast, we went to the studio to get some Christmas card pictures taken for Jill's family. Mia was beyond silly and wanted nothing to do with it. Pretty frustrating for a kid who knows better than that. Later, we fed the little diva and had an early dinner at her parents house. Her Dad enjoyed all the gift and we sorta just hung out till it was time to split.

Today, I didn't accomplish much before work, sadly. This week, I need to kick it into high gear on this book for Mia. I need to average about a page a day to get it complete. Luckily, tomorrow I'm off and after my eye appointment, have the day to work on it as much as possible. I'll have to do my daily sketch for Mia as well. That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Christmas 2016

A day late on my usual blogging but here we go. It's been a busy week, with Mia finishing up school before Christmas break, and my brother/SIL/Nephew flying in for the holidays. Wednesday, Mia and I did her traditional gift where she picks something out for Jill at Charming Charlies for Christmas.  Jill helped with Mia's Holiday party on Thursday. The kids had a lot of fun and did all kinds of fun crafts and games. Friday was Mia's first day off for her break so we met up with Olivia and her brother and the kids went sledding. Myself and Steve (Olivia's Dad) built a kicker for the kids to sled off. Mia had so much fun going off. Olivia on the other hand, was a bit crabby and wasn't having it. After sledding, Mia and I braved the busy stores and got some last-minute items for the feast. Later that day, my bro and his family flew in so we hung out at my parent's house. Mia and Alex were reunited once again, and they didn't skip a beat with their antics involving tackling me, Jill or anyone near them.

Saturday, we had Christmas Eve at my parent's house. Everyone came and it was a lot of fun. The kids ran around like crazy causing all kinds of havoc. The food was delicious. Jill made 4 different types of meatballs (one veggie) and we all ate basically appetizers that my Mom and my SIL Ashley made. The kids all loved their gifts and had an awesome time. We had a big family game of PIT that was a total blast.

Sunday was Christmas morning. Mia got lots of amazing gifts including a beautiful pink violin that we need to fix and adjust so she can play it. The best was saved for last. I somehow was able to complete the book for Mia that Jill and I wrote/illustrated. It came down to the wire, but it was complete and Mia LOVED it. She really liked how I drew the pictures to look like her and even included the detail of Mia wearing her Monster High winter hat. Although I felt rushed doing the book, I'm pretty content with the final product. At one point, Mia said it was her favorite present she received. Later, we had everyone over for breakfast and later dinner. Jill hand-made fettuccine noodles and Alfredo sauce(s) and they tasted AMAZING. Fresh pasta is incredible and we have so much left over, I'll be eating it for days. Jill loved the necklace we got her, and I loved the Sheldon ornament the girls picked out for me. My BIL Tommy got me some much-needed art supplies and I got some money towards my near-future purchase of a Go Pro camera.

Monday, My brothers, myself and I drove down to the Highbury for some Boxing Day soccer. We watched the first half of the Chelsea vs Bournemouth game before jetting to my brother's hotel for the 2nd half. The pub was PACKED with fans watching all of the games on the TV's. We were practically hanging out the door watching and left within a few minutes of the the 1st half. Luckily, my brother had the channel at his hotel and we were able to catch the last few goals. Pedro picked up a pair as well as a PK from Hazard to end the game 3-0. Impressive win from a team that is looking like serious title contenders. Even with out two key players (Costa and Kante) we're looking really good going into our NYE match. Later, we hung out with everyone and swam with the kids. Mia and Alex had a great time chasing and racing each other in the pool. Today, they went back to the usual "tackle Jill and I" again complete with heavy pillow beating and tackling. These cousins are so fun to watch play together. Whether it's Alex showing her apps and games, or the two just being silly together. They said their goodbyes and my brother and his family were on their way.

Later, Mia packed up and Jill's Dad and I drove the girls to Midway International Airport for their trip to Ohio. I miss the girls already but I know they'll have fun visiting Jill's aunt who hasn't seen Mia since LAST December.

My week off from work is almost done. I can't say I'm missing KT. It's been really nice having this time off to spend with family and getting some much needed relaxing in.

This weekend the girls come back. No immediate plans for NYE and we'll probably keep it that way. The girls will be too tired to do anything so we'll probably watch a movie.

That's all for now, thanks for reading!

Holidazed

Good afternoon everyone. Last week before Christmas. This month flew and the stress is high, but first let's look back at the week. I spent the majority of the week sick (finally feeling better yesterday). With the combination of a cold and laryngitis, it's been a really rough week. Mia's had a cough and runny nose, but that was about it. Luckily no flu or fever for her, but Jill picked it up towards the end of the week. She seemed much worse. Mia had a fun little week at school though. Tuesday was "College Gear Day" where the kids could wear the college apparel of whatever college their parents went to if they chose. Mia proudly wore Carroll College/University hat and shirt. Wednesday I watched Chelsea win 1-0 to gain another 3 fantastic points keeping us in 1st.

Thursday was "Career Day" so she wore her dolphin trainer outfit since that's all she talks about wanting to be when she gets older. She even cut out fish and brought a bucket. Friday, we got buried in snow. Lots of it. It was a sketchy drive home Friday night from work, but at least I didn't have to snowplow my car in my own drive way. Saturday, I got up early to watch Chelsea in action again, but this time it was against Palace. Another win, but with two key players banned from the Boxing Day match, it'll be a tricky one. It'll be fun on Boxing Day to get to watch the game with my brothers and Dad. Later, Mia and I went sledding. Well, SHE did. The snow was still pretty thick and powdery, so it was next to impossible to make a good sledding run. We had plans to bake with my Mom, but with another dumping of snow, we stayed home the rest of the day.

Sunday, I got up cleaned up the driveway. This time, we had to get out of the house. Trader Joe's for groceries, and soon after that, Mia and Jill left to go visit her parents and Uncle Tommy before I went back to work on Mia's book before leaving for work.

Totally stressing out about getting this done. Running out of time, but am positive it'll be ready by Christmas morning. My brother and his family are flying in this week so I can't wait to see then. Mia's been counting down the days till her cousin Alex comes visits.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

This Party is Surreal

Good morning everyone. Phew, what a busy week(end) we had (again).  The Christmas book we're working on for Mia is taking a lot of hard work and I hope I can get it done in time. Wednesday when I picked up Mia from school, she ran out with this 1st grader named Leilani who styled Mia's hair while they wanted to be released for the day. Such a nice kid. I'm always glad when Mia makes a new friend, even if its just for a little bit.  Saturday morning I got up very early to watch Chelsea take on Man City. This match promised to be a good one and the good guys won 3-1. Chelsea came from behind (on an own goal) to take the 3 points, but not before a rather nasty skirmish. Sergio Aguero lunged at David Luiz's leg with two feet causing almost a fight among some of the players. Another player from Man City picked up a red card for grabbing Cesc Fabregas by the throat and shoving him over an advertisement board. Ugly display by the home team. Both players are out for several games, hopefully causing these twits to drop in points in the upcoming matches.

After that intense game, I had to wake up the diva for dance. She's starting to like this more advanced class more and after class, she had to change and go to her friend Noelle's 6th birthday party. She had an art party at her house with all of the girls from the class. Mia was the last one to arrive and when she came down the stairs, all of them screamed "MIA!!" and this girl Hayden ran up and gave her a very big hug. Popular little kid, I have. They painted, did sand art, decorated cup cakes, swatted at a piñata and all in all, had a blast.  Mia loves hanging out with her girls and once again, didn't want to leave.

Later, she someone had the energy to go ice skating at the Petit. She's been insisting on going for weeks. I'm the only one who can take her and skate so later that evening, she grabbed her skates and we went. Took her a bit to get used to skating again but after a lap or two, she refused to hold my hand and wanted to skate solo. I could tell this made Jill nervous, but she looked confident and did very well. Yes, she's on double blades, but she only really skates maybe twice a year, so this was pretty good. Some boy acknowledged her while we were skating, and said she was doing well. She didn't want to leave, but we were all hungry.

We went to MOD pizza later, put on a movie and called it a night. Sunday, we got some snow, so Mia and Jill were out playing in it during the day and later at my in-laws house while I went to work.

This week, work on the book, some IB 26 stuff, and start to plan Mia's holiday party with some of the parents. Thanks for reading!

Sing Out! Sing Out! Sing Out!

Good morning everyone on a very rainy disgusting Monday. It was a very busy week with all kinds of things to discuss. Here we go. Monday, Miss Mia went on a field trip with her class (and Grandma) to Apple Holler. It's about 45 minutes away for a play called Mrs. Claus. They got to meet Santa and his better half. From the pictures, it looked like they had fun. Tuesday was the big day. It was her Christmas Concert. 8 people came from mine and Jill's family. Our parents, her brother and my sister plus us, of course. We took up an entire row. Anyways, as the class came out into the gym, I got nervous. "Is Mia actually going to go through with this and sing? Or, is she going to stand there and not want anything to do with it" Turns out, the diva did amazing and sang her little heart out.

I stood there in the back, with Olivia's Dad videoing our little blond divas. His kid singing as loud as possible (which was funny). I couldn't get over the fact that my little peanut was actually singing in front of a group of probably 50 people. It was great. She sang every single song. When the whole thing was over, I said "I am SO proud of you for singing!" She responded with "I TOLD YOU I could do IT!" Smart ass. Anyways, afterwards she gave Jill and myself a beautiful ornament she made in the class. Three snowmen painted on the ornament. Thanks kid :) After a few pictures with some of her friends, we headed home. Wednesday, she didn't have school because she was going on Thursday for the holiday party. Well, actually it was a Pajama Day. She picked out her Chelsea PJ's (honestly, I had nothing to do with it) They watched Elf and exchanged books. All in all, great time.

Saturday, we were Chicago-bound to visit Jill's pal Whitney on the West Side. Jill and I both loved her apartment. Mia especially enjoyed spending time with Whitney. After an amazing brunch complete with mimosas, we took the L train into downtown and wandered around the German Christmas thing.  It was FREEZING cold, but it was fun. We made our way to Millennium Park and Mia played on the playground till it got dark. I always enjoy going downtown Chicago. Especially with Mia since she hasn't explored much of the city. The few times she goes to the city, it's to the Shedd. Later we went back to the apartment for hot cocoa (Mia and Jill) and said our goodbyes and went home. It was a busy little Saturday off, but we had a great time.

Sunday we cleaned ALL morning. Exciting right? Now on to soccer-related news. Thursday, Chelsea "parted" ways with fan-fav manager Jose Mourinho. Easily the best manager we had, but for some reason this season, we can't get many wins. It's been a really rough season full of lack of confidence, some injuries and one very frustrated manager. The board was sick of the losses, and had "no choice" but to let him go. He was really never to blame, but the players. The same players that one the league last season couldn't get the magic back. The players that were banging out goal after goal last season were barely getting anything in the net. The players knew it was there fault Saturday when Chelsea faced Sunderland. I missed the game, but I saw the highlights and that they won 3-1. First EPL win in 9 games. That's horrid and downright pathetic. The fans gave them a piece of their mind, and now the players who blew the season for Chelsea have something else to fight for: The fight to win back the fans. This Saturday, I'm going to watch Chelsea take on Watford with my little brother at a soccer bar in Milwaukee. It's something that has been on my list of things I want to do for a while, so I'm looking forward to it.

This week is going to be quite busy. Work today and tomorrow. Off Wed-Thurs. Back to work on Christmas. Jill and Mia leave Saturday for Ohio. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday. Thank you very much for reading! :)

The Skating Diva

Good evening. A weekend has come and gone in a blink of an eye. But first, the first week of December. It used to mark the first big dumping of snow, but as I gaze out the window, all I see is super thick fog. Not a lot of snow has fallen yet, which is fine. No rushing the inevitable, really. Mia had a busy week of school. I went to pick her up on a day, and one of her friends yells out "MIA'S DAD IS HERE!" and as Mia got up to walk out the door to me, 6 friends attached themselves to her with a huge group hug. It was cute, but Mia got a bit freaked out. Monday, I did a little editing in Garage Band. That weekend I had recorded Mia and Jill singing "Rudolph" and later, I added a soft drum track to it. Sounded kinda cool but Mia hated it. Such a critic.

Friday, Mia and I went shopping for my sister for Christmas. It was actually kinda nice, just the two of us. Because Mia was so nice at the store we went to, I let her look around the ornament store at the mall. She loved it. Looking at all the different villages and decorations. "This is better than the free popcorn sample I got!" Saturday, she did her Santa pictures at Jill's studio before we watched the rather disappointing Chelsea game. I can not believe they lost to Bournemouth. They made it into the EPL this year and have a lousy record. How did we blow it? The defenders looked pretty lost and I think they mistakenly started Hazard as a striker again. It's getting to the point of "can we at least TRY to win a game?" I don't know what it's going to take for them to win a damn game. It's getting scary that we're barely above the relegation line.

Later at night, Mia and I went skating at the Petit. She got to break in her new skates Jill got for her earlier in the year ( I believe). She had so much fun. She's getting better but needs to work on her gliding. She would try to sprint across the ice at times. I would skate backwards and have her skate solo to me. It worked most of the time. A few times she fell and landed on her butt. She'd get upset, cry a little and then want to skate some more. I think she skated about 2 hours which is pretty impressive. She spent most of the night coughing and it was difficult to get her to sleep for a while. Hopefully she's feeling better come Monday morning. I worked on some Milwaukee Torrent art which turned out pretty good. I got an email this week from a woman looking for a business logo for her nail salon. I'm going to work on it after I drop Mia off on Monday.

This week: Wednesday, Chelsea plays Porto, so we'll watch that. She' got Olivia's birthday coming up Saturday so we gotta find something for her blonde BFF. That's all for now. Thanks for reading! :)

Kris Kringle Crunch Time

Good Morning. I'm a bit late on the blogging. Totally forgot to write yesterday morning. Over the weekend, we spent Saturday in Illinois exchanging gifts with some of Jill's friends who were in town
for a short time. Mia played with her old pal Caleb like they've known each other forever (which they have) After playing at lunch and at Jill's parent's house, I came to the conclusion that Mia is full of crap. The whole "boys are yucky and gross, I don't like them" is a total bunch of BS, she had so much fun with Caleb. She did specify that she doesn't want to kiss them (which is fine) when Caleb went in for a smooch, but they had a great time. He was showing her all of his karate moves, and she'd try to imitate them. Maybe that's why she likes him. He could protect her :P

Sunday, we drove up, and I worked 2-10. This week, we've still got a lot to do. This morning we're going to make the effort to wrap Mia's presents (and hopefully not wake her). We were going to yesterday, but Jill had a pinched nerve in her shoulders and couldn't get her self moving. An acupuncture appointment helped with that.

Forgot to mention this: Thursday, I took Mia to her school's Christmas program. She got all dolled up, dress, tights, her red heels etc. She was invited to sing, but of course said "no thank you" but we went anyway to watch her classmates including longtime friend Hannah. She had a great time. She proudly walked to the gym showing me the different rooms and where she plays etc etc. She clapped for every song. She actually knew the lyrics to the 3k songs, but just was too shy to sing. After the concert, she got to hang a bit with her friends. Her teacher was so happy Mia came. Friday when I picked her up from school, she gave Jill and I the most beautiful ornament she made.It was a thumbprint with antlers like a reindeer. "THIS IS FOR YOU GUYS BECAUSE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH"

I finished my Didier Drogba portrait. At the time, I was quite stoked, but the more I look at it, the more I realize it could use some work. Overall, it's not bad. I'm probably going to move on to another player this weekend.

So the other week while listening to the Chelsea FanCast, I wrote in to the show about how Mia and I are big fans, blah blah blah, and last week, they read it on their show and showed a photo of Mia. (with her David Luiz tongue sticking out) Totally awesome. Mia loved it. "MOMMY THESE GUYS IN ENGLAND SAW MY CHELSEA PICTURE!" I sadly missed the Stoke game yesterday, but on my break, I saw we won 0-2. I'll watch the highlights after I post this blog. Doesn't feel like Christmas with the 40 degree temps and rain. Last day of work today. WOO! Thanks for reading :)

A Little Off The Shoulders

Good Morning. Going to try to make this real quick. It was quite the busy, but entertaining week over here. Wednesday, she had her very first professional hair-cut. Mia's had cradle cap for as long as she's been born, and recently I learned that the place that styled her hair like Anna could also treat her condition. She did REALLY well, but didn't care for the cap they put on her head to help lift the pieces off her scalp. After they were done, they gave her a nice trim. I'm very proud of Mia and she'll be going back for hair cuts again in the future. Her hair looks nice and healthy. Mia had a great day in school on Friday. She's currently learning about bears, and animals that hibernate. She was a bit late getting there (lazy bones) but when we arrived at school, her friend Olivia was super excited to see her. When I went to pick her up, once again, Olivia didn't want to go to "potty time" till she gave Mia a hug goodbye. Cue the "awwwww"s. I wasn't able to catch up on sleep this weekend. Woke up nice and early to watch the Chelsea vs Liverpool game. Took the dog for a run, only to come back and see that the game had started and Liverpool was up 1-0. But we quickly equalized when I got breakfast together. The end result was a 2-1 finish thanks to Diego Costa. He looked great playing, very determined to get the Blues ahead. The game was pretty physical, with someone ripping the back of his jersey during a challenge. Not sure how the ref didn't card the fella, but we won, so that's more important. Jill hosted a book party, that her cousin's wife put together at our house, so we had a few people over. I was doing my best to keep all of the kids happy. It was a great way to for people to pick out some wonderful book for Christmas for their kids.
flaky

Saturday night, while playing with Mia we somehow let her pretend she was the Mom and Jill and I were the kids. Jill and I were imitating that we were fighting and not playing well, which of course would require Mia to be the good parent and discipline. She put Jill and time out, and word for word, would explain to Jill why she was in trouble and how to remedy the situation. It was pretty funny and proves that despite the sassy attitude, she does listen.  Sunday, I worked the early shift 7am-3pm. We had a lot of people for a Sunday, but the day went quickly, and soon I was home with my family. Mia and I watched one of my favourite moves, Pirates of the Caribbean-Dead Man's Chest. She liked it, except the Kraken parts when he'd show up.

Art-wise, I'm struggling with a portrait currently, but hope to nail it. I've restarted it 3 times, but recently found a high-res photo that will be a lot easier to get that real fine detail. It's the nose that I"m struggling with. I hope I can pull this off.

Tomorrow, Mia has her first dentist appointment. Once again, I'm nervous. She'll probably be fine, but I just am concerned. She's been doing real well with brushing, and candy is super limited (especially around me). That's about all that's going on this week. I don't think Chelsea has a Champions League game. Saturday, we're gonna watch my brother's hockey game.

Thanks for reading!

Bring it on 2014!

Greetings. With New Years Eve coming tomorrow, I thought I'd do my traditional year end review of how everything went. Before that,  let's get Christmas out of the way first. Christmas Eve, I worked a very busy early shift till 2pm, then we headed over to my brother's house with the rest of the family. Mia got some great new stuff including an awesome doll house. She's in Illinois right now with Jill so I imagine she'll be exciting
to play with it again when they come home tomorrow. My parents got me an AMAZING Chelsea FC away jersey ( I had customized with Oscar on the back). My amazing wife got me a nice, warm and awesome Chelsea FC winter jacket. I think that I'll be truly thankful for it today when I go to work since It's -11 degrees out. BRR! I picked out a bunch of clothes for Jill for Christmas, so she was happy. I hope :) Christmas morning, Mia slept in till 11ish. She wanted to "wait" for Santa Christmas Eve, and eventually fell asleep. She woke up, opening some gifts and loved everything. Her pink PowerWheels Mustang was waiting for her in the driveway. Too much snow to thoroughly enjoy. Come Spring time, she'll get to cruise.



Back to the year end review. Last year, I had made a small list of goals to accomplish. Let's take a look.
First Goal- Play in an adult indoor or outdoor soccer league-in 2012, I started to regain my love for soccer, and really wanted to play more soccer in 2013. Well, I didn't get to play in a "league", I did play some adult pick up. Played a few outdoor games in the summer and some futsal a month or so ago as a sub. Man, playing soccer is so incredibly fun. The most amazing work out and exercise. Was hoping to play last night, but there was no need for any subs.
Second Goal- Possibly find a 2nd job. ALMOST HAPPENED! In fact, a graphic design job almost happened. Over the summer, a good friend of mine from college had told me that a woman she works out with at her gym worked at a company that designs neon beer signs for companies. So to get in with this job, I had to create a website for my art work. Which is perfect because that was one of my other goals from LAST year :) So I designed a clean site that's easy to navigate. In the end, the job fell through, but for a few weeks, I had a creative spark to design some new things and challenge myself.

Third Goal-Play pond hockey before the end of Winter with my brothers Didn't happen. Maybe this year we will.  Last two-Try to complete a killer water colour picture and Maybe do a series of some really nice photographs. Water colour didn't happen, but one rainy day, I was able to shoot some awesome photographs of Mia in the rain with an umbrella.

2014 GOALS
1-Another series of great photographs 
2-If the weather cooperates, make a Snow-Minion 
3-Draw a portrait of a Chelsea player  
4-Work on my endurance/Get in better shape 

Not a lot of goals, but how I look at it, everything on here could happen and I need to make them happen.

Real quick, the highlights of my year: 
Mia turned two, which lead to all of the wonderful new things she can say and sing with me.
We lost our Guinea pigs. Both passed away :( 
Started taking Mia to play groups and we both made new friends. 
Chelsea became the Europa Champs :) 
Turned 30 in July :/  
We took a family trip to Indiana and I got to see Chelsea vs Inter in Indianapolis 
Completed more art then last year (including that picture of Remi above next to the one of Haily Jill did for her aunt) 
Saw Alkaline Trio with my brother. First show in a few years and it was fantastic. 

Okay, that's it everyone. Thanks for sticking with me over the year. See you in 2014!! 

You're a mean one....Mr. Grinch

Greetings. For quite a while, I've been able to successfully be able to post here once a week. Getting a little harder these days, so forgive me for my tardiness. Mia and Jill are still sound asleep. I woke up because I was really hungry. Took a glance outside and noticed all of the snow we got. Great. So I put eating two delicious belgian waffles on the hold, and took Remi out for his walk...THEN took on the snow blowing. While snow blowing, I was thinking about how last year, I was able to build two awesome snow-penguins with Mia. This year, I told her I'd build her  bigger ones. Like, 5-6 feet tall. THEN I thought, wouldn't it be cool to build SNOW MINIONS?!?! Of course the answer is yes! So while snow blowing, I kept thinking of how I'd do it, would I use colours, etc etc. Well, that got me through this crap. I've got to work later today, so I'm hoping this crap slows down. Luckily, Mia and Jill can chill at home all day.

Friday, I took Mia to play group. Only a few kids showed up with their parents. Roads weren't the best, so I'm not surprised. Mia's friends Gracie and Hannah weren't there (or last week either) but Weston and Omnia were. Both kids we haven't seen in a while. Mia played so well with them, which was great. Omnia's Grandma (who takes here to playgroup) told this other woman that she doesn't celebrate Christmas because she's Muslim, but her parents still give her a little tree to decorate. I thought to myself, kids are the best. Mia's playing with this little Muslim girl, and there's no judgement, no "you look different, I can't be around you", nothing. This is a great age. Kids are kids. Simple as that. She's such a sweet little girl too. usually compliments Mia on her outfits and hair accessories. They're close in age (apposed to Weston who is 18 months, but pretty tall for his age). I dunno, I was just real

SO Mia tried sledding this year. Last year was a bust, but this year, she LOVED it! I toed her around the yard Monday going fast, and she couldn't get enough of it. I suggested lets go sled down the ditch (hey, baby steps people) and she absolutely loved it. If I was off today, I'd love to take her sledding down a slightly bigger hill. Christmas is just about here. A few work days to go, before the big day. Stoked for Mia to open gifts this year. On Christmas, we're outta here to Illinois. I'll be back on Saturday though. May even get to play some futsal sunday :) Hopefully. While I'm home solo, I hope to get some art accomplished. Lots to do, with little time, so I hope to use some of the time wisely. I'm not the best with time management at times, but hey, I'm working on it. Wish I was able to catch the Chelsea vs Arsenal derby tomorrow. :(

I was going to discuss a rather controversial topic as of lately, but in the spirit of the holiday season, I'm going to be nice. That's all for now. Happy Holidays everyone. Safe travels, and as always, thanks for reading!

That's Using Your Noodle!

Greetings. Damn, is it cold today. The last few days have been rather unpleasant, temperature wise. Winter is closing in and Mia and I are already craving the Summer days. Over the weekend my in laws came up to visit. It was Jill's Dad's birthday. We woke up and saw they had arrived and were helping make room for a car for the Winter season. Totally couldn't have been better timing because on Sunday, we got all that crazy snow. We swam at their hotel and went out to dinner Saturday. All in all, it was a really nice day. Sunday I had the early shift. Later that morning, the snow came in. Honestly, I didn't think it was going to be as serious as the residents of this good ol' state made it seem. There were countless pile ups. 45 car pile up on one road. How? How is this possible that our entire state struggled with the first substantial snow fall of the season? My drive home on the freeway was a bit irritating, but I made it back safe. The subdivisions were bad. Oh well. . Saturday, Mia mastered something new: CHOPSTICKS! It was incredibly entertaining to watch her quickly pick up the ancient art of using chopsticks. She owned a bowl of rice noodles so well. Very proud of my little Mia.
Hahaha

Just have a few things to complete before Christmas arrives. It really is creeping in on us. Mia's stoked. Jill's stoked. We're gonna have a really nice Christmas morning. I can't wait for Mia to see what we have in store for her :)

I haven't been able to do a lot of art lately. Sort of sucks, but I'll get back at it. I hope. Been craving some futsal lately too. Soccer is so much fun, and since my lil bro found his indoor shoes recently, I think we'll be able to get in on a very rare game together. Since the snow is here, I sincerely hope that Miss Mia can attempt to do some sledding. Jill took her out on a sled and pulled her around. Apparently she enjoyed it, so that's rad :)

Mia and I enjoyed watching the Chelsea game (I surprisingly found online at my parent's house on a visit) I love that she enjoys watching with me. Afterwards, she grabbed a ball in my Dad's man-cave. "I play soccer Dadda, not football, that's boring" Earlier in the day we enjoyed a lovely tea party with special guests her giraffe and a yellow little Minion. Very fun. Her imagination keeps me feeling young and always guessing what she will come up with next.
Okay, eyes are getting heavy, off to bed. Thanks for reading!