Alex's Haircut

Above: Before Haircut

After Haircut

Alex got a much needed haircut last night at Leslie's. Mom did too and it felt GREAT! There is something about getting your hair done. Why does it feel so good to have someone else blow dry your hair? Leslie also pretty much waxed my entire face. Again there is nothing like putting on eyeshadow after a wax.

Big Al has a booking again today for Pout. Should be pretty cute. We are going to meet Lucy at Ria's studio so they can show off some fun seasonal things for Pout. My little playboy!

Ruby and Charlie, mostly Charlie...

Alex the first and last time you will see him as a pumpkin.
Charlie loving being a pumpkin.
Ruby not so much, very embarrassed.
Alex and Charlie playing.

Well the story goes as follows. Before we had children we became parents of our two dogs Ruby and Charlie. We pretty much lived and breathed them. Brought them with us everywhere, bragged about the new tricks they could do at cocktail parties, and brought them to the vet over every little thing. Then Anthony was born. I kid you not I came home from the hospital, opened up the door to our home, and suddenly realize that we had (gasp) two dogs. Before you have children you swear that you are kindred spirits, maybe even soul mates, and cannot even bare to think of your life without your dogs. As soon as you walk in the door with this teeny little baby it all changes. You soon realize that they are the last in command. They shed, drool, and everything you once thought was cute has become a little annoying. I did feel terrible for thinking these things but unfortunately each and everyone of my friends that has joined us in Parenting 101 realizes that there is some truth to these statements. Regardless you learn to have a new relationship with your "dogs" and still consider them family. Especially when you are faced with the possibility of losing one of them.

Charlie has been having seizures. I called the vet and they told me that they are quite common in dogs especially pugs. Not exactly what you want to hear. We can bring him in for blood work and medication may control it but there are no guarantees. Most the time it is an indicator that something more serious is coming to a head. Erik is beside himself. Anthony is frightened because he doesn't quite understand what Charlie is doing when he has a seizure (they can last up to 20 min). I am thoroughly confused as to what is in the best interest of Charlie's well being. Just a yucky situation and for the first time in a long time I do see him as one of my kids. Logically I know what may need to happen, emotionally I am not willing to face that until we try a few other (I am sure expensive) options.

Charlie is such a good sport, the other day I brought out Anthony's 1st Halloween costume to see if Alex can wear it this year. We decided to bust out our Halloween decorations a little early. Anyways, I could barely snap it around Alex's chubby thighs so I think it is safe to say we will be trying other options. But Charlie is such a trooper he became our magic pumpkin instead. He just goes with the flow, is so gentle with the boys, and a really good guy. Here's to you Charlie!

Slowly but surely...

The business is turning into a more of a "real"business each and every day. We were approved for our line of credit, our first placement should be this week, and we found an office space. Michael and I also went to OfficeMax and printed off new pamphlets for potential clients. Our office is great! It is downtown in the Alerus Bank building, 4th floor. Not too big, not too small, and not too expensive. Leslie's step-dad John was kind enough to help us out with that one.

Cute story about Anthony. I was playing with Alex on the floor a couple days ago, maybe Friday, and Anthony was next to us coloring away in his new Halloween coloring book. Anthony sheepishly shows me his picture and seems as if he is almost embarrassed. He had colored in all the lines. I told him that he didn't have to be embarrassed because his picture looked fantastic and replied to me by saying,"I am not embarrassed. I am just proud of myself." It was one of those moments that time almost stops and you realize that hey they are soaking in some of the guidance we are giving. I wanted to cry on the spot because I was so proud of him right then and there. My only response to him was a big hug. So I took a picture to share.

My boys.

Look who is crawling...go Alex go! He just started yesterday, he has been trying for the last couple weeks.

They seriously LOVE each other, they play, wrestle, eat, and bathe together.

This is Anthony dancing like a "rockstar"...he gets his dancing talents from his dad.

Oh and sometimes nap together.

Our family day at Yunker farm on Labor Day. Included a train ride, an odd carousel ride, a neat "planetarium", and a 25 foot intestine you could pull out. Something for everyone!

Neat blog...

http://blog.care.com/

Great blog for moms and the many questions we run through our heads, Sheila sometimes has some pretty good answers. She is the founder and CEO of http://www.care.com/ a site dedicated to finding childcare, pet care, etc.

Cocktails & Playdates: Balancing kids and your grown-up life- fun article on the above blog.

Grant me some patience please.

Okay today is the day that I had planned a lot of different activities I wanted to focus on as far as organization for our house, specifically my office. This is how the day has gone so far:

6am: Erik is telling me that he has not slept all night due to his neck pain.
6:30am: It is decided (by him) that he is not going to go to work.
7am:Anthony wakes and has had an accident. I am not mad, just a little annoyed.
7:30am: Alex is up. Ready to eat NOW.
7:45am: Anthony is out of the tub and requesting egg whites only with toast that has no crust.
(I did not realize that my house was a bed and breakfast- silly me.)
8am: Erik is sleeping and asks me if I could shut the door because we are too loud.
8:25am: I finally am downstairs in my office ready to get my groove on. Anthony is coloring on the floor and Alex is attempting to crawl around me feet. I am trying not to step on him.
8:45am: Erik decides that his neck is okay enough to fold laundry (it should be okay to work then, but I am not a chiropractor, grr...)
9:00am: My phone starts to ring off the hook by 2 different hiring managers that I am working with that need to rearrange some times ASAP.
9:20am: I can tell that everyone in this house is annoyed that I am WORKING. (Getting a little more annoyed myself).
10am: Anthony wants a snack.
10:30am: Alex wants a bottle and is ready for a nap.
11am:Anthony is ready for lunch (I think that we are in the middle of a growth spurt).
11:15am: Do dishes and FINALLY get one of my filing cabinets under control.

Needless to say the afternoon has calmed down due to nap time for all 3 boys, yes 3. Now I have to go to interview some more candidates for my hiring managers that need to invest in better time management skills. Oh and I can hear Alex becoming restless already...seriously calgon take me away!!

Good food, fun, and friends!!

Well we made an unexpected trip to Minneapolis on Saturday for a very quick trip to stay with our friends Brad and Amy (thanks for the hospitality). When I say quick I mean it. We left at 11am on Saturday and were home by 11am on Sunday. We went with our friends Brian and Kris, Kris is the proud owner of a baby boutique and needed to be back to open the store at noon on Sunday. The original plan was just to go to a Twins baseball game. We ended up going to eat at a place called Maverick's. Awesome food and drinks! I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an uptown feel w/o a 1,000 people and decent pricing. We were sad that the Heer's were not in town and unable to join us. I am very anxious to see AJ and give her a big hug. We were lucky to have Robin and Mike swing over for a visit. Always good to see them!

My sister watched the boys and had a little drama with our kitchen sink backing up but other than that had a good time biking to the park and watching Shaggy Dog with Anthony. Thank you Auntie Faith!

But all and all it was a quick but fun trip. It is always nice to catch up with friends and enjoy the time you have together even if it is short and a bit fuzzy after a few tasty martini's.

On another note Michael and I opened our business checking this last week and are solidifying a line of credit. Pass along the word that we are in full swing. We are going to print our brochure today that Michael put together over the weekend. I am pretty excited. I should be wrapping up our first closes within the month.
www.candidate-connection.com

Prayers are appreciated.

Richard Joseph "Rick" Blajsczak
BLAJSZCAK RICHARD JOSEPH "RICK" BLAJSCZAK, 65, was received into the arms of Our Father on Sept. 3, 2008 in Cleveland. Rick was a loving family man, survived by his wife of 12 years, four children, three step children and 11 grandchildren. He was born Nov. 1, 1942, in Gary, IN of Polish heritage, graduated from St. Joseph's College in 1964 and received two masters degrees from Xavier University in 1971. His survivors include his wife, Claire Feske Blajsczak; sister Mary Jo (Mark) Grote; daughters, Stephanie (Brad) Ashbrook, Kimberly (David) Blayney, Carrie (Edwin) Keener, and Joanna (Beau) Arnason; step-children Adrienne (Bill) Heer, James (Megan) Feske and David Feske; nephews Mark, Michael and Matthew Grote; grandchildren Natalie and Jon Ashbrook, Mary Piper Blayney, Sam, Dan and Mia Keener, Grant Arnason, Cecelia, Delaney, and Laila Heer. Rick's career in specialty foods included executive positions with Borden, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Liberty Richter, and Portland Food Products. In retirement, Rick began his consulting firm, Nu2U. In recent years, Rick spent his summers with his wife Claire, hosting family and friends aboard their boat on Lake Erie. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Sept. 6 at 11 a.m. in the Wade Chapel at Lake View Cemetery.

This is my best friend AJ's stepfather who suddenly passed away. Please keep their family in your prayers. I know that he was a wonderful husband to AJ's mom, a loving step-father, and very important to AJ.

1st day of preschool- so fun!