Monday, November 2, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - Peek a Boo!

Christopher has been playing Peek a Boo again, and it is so darn cute. He'll hear "Boo" and then cover his eyes with his roly little hands. I immediately have to ask "Where is Christopher?!" and then I have to excitedly cheer when he uncovers his big brown eyes.

Peek...


...a Boo!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Todays Perk of Being a Mama - Trick-or-Treat

This year Lil Bucky had 2 Halloween costumes. The first was a puppy dog - and was he a cute dog! He "woofed!" on command and eagerly took candy when visiting the neighbors. He was so good at taking candy from their bowls, that when we got home from trick or treating, he would answer the door when neighbor kids arrived and try to take candy from their bags (he didn't get that the kids weren't bringing candy to him).

Photos of the 2nd Halloween costume will come soon - we had a family outfit. :) But today's perk is Halloween, especially at this age. He is cute, we get to eat a bunch of candy!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Today's Perk of Being A Mama - Being a Mama

Wow. It has been a month since I posted? I guess I have been busy chasing around my rapidly growing toddler! :) He has learned how to run, so it is a whole new world.

Today's Perk though, is even when you are down, even when you are going through something that has no light at the end of the tunnel, even when you are just sad - one look at the sweet face of the baby you love solves (almost) all. That is until attacks the kitties, or insists on having every toy he owns on the floor of the family room (this someone only happens when Daddy is watching him) or when he throws a ball at the tv screen (which is naughty, but when he does it, I can't help but think "Man, he has a GOOD arm...").

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - Retirement Plan


With dwindling 401ks & general economic uncertainity, it is important to have a back up plan. I think if we start him young enough, he will become a musical genius (which he kind of already is) and then become a successful rock star, eager to care for his loving parents...

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Today's Perk of Being A Mama - A La La

Last night as I was rocking Lil Bucky, he had his little arms wrapped tightly around my neck and was peacefully snuggled against my chest. I said "Christopher, I love you." And he said "A la la..." I said "Did you just say I love you? Can you say I love you?" And he said "A la la..." I immediately called Johnny upstairs and said "C, can you tell dada that you love him?" He said "A la la dada." I said "Can you tell mama you love me?" "A la la mama." My heart was melting....

This morning I tested it again "Christopher - can you say I love you?" He smiled and said "A la la." SO, it may not be clear to the whole world - but I know what he is saying...

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - BUBBLES!

Today's Perk is definitely bath time. I mean seriously - who doesn't love a happy baby (ok TODDLER) that is completely covered in bubbles?

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - The Joy of Teaching...

Since I work, Lil Bucky goes to daycare. At that school, they teach him all kinds of cute things. Where his nose his, colors, what a giraffe says ("LONG NECK!"), etc. They also do flashcards with him. Apparently they gather all 10 toddlers into a circle, then the little ones sit happily and work on flashcards. I recently purhased number flashcards and decided I would take a little time to teach him his numbers. I, too, have the power to wrangle a 16 month old to teach him to count, right?

All in all, I feel like the lesson went really well and he learned a lot.






Saturday, September 5, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - Nap Time

I really love when Lil Bucky is wide awake and running wild, but I also really love to watch him sleep... He just looks like a little angel.



Friday, September 4, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - IT Support

Sometimes your computer fails to operate properly & you need a good IT person to fix it.


"Looks like your computer has a virus... Should be an easy fix..."

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - Assistance with Accessories


For my baby shower, my boss bought me these awesome toy organizers from IKEA. They are really handy, hold tons of toys and are easy to tuck away. More than anything, my child loves to dump all the toys & put the organizers onto his head. Or my head. Or Dada's head. Or the kitties head...

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Today's Perk of Being A Mama - Yardwork

It's always nice to have a (free) extra set of hands with all the yardwork we have to do...





Monday, August 31, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - A Cat's Best Friend

Poor Cici & Gracie...

10 years ago, my college roommie brought home these 2 tiny kitty cats. They were bitty little orange and gray fluff balls and I wanted nothing to do with them. "OK Katie, you can keep them - but you are doing ALL the work. I want nothing to do with them."

That night they slept in my room.

Some time later, when Katie and I parted ways, she took my house plant, I took her cats (fair trade, right?)

I adored, spoiled, loved, snuggled them.

They were suspicious of Lil Bucky when I first brought him home, but he was tiny and surely he would go away soon, right? Suddenly all my adoration, spoiling, loving and snuggling was going to this new little creature - and this little creature was slowly growing up AND growing more interested in them (AND in pulling their tails). Hey, at least they are finally getting some attention again!

Christopher trying to tackle Gracie...














Hey Gracie, PLEASE come back downstairs, I'll be nice!!!















Hi!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Today's Perk of Being A Mama - Park Trip

My dad is visiting from Ohio, so my dad, brother, hubby, Lil Bucky and I went to Forest Park. The weather was absolutely perfect - bright sun, 75 degrees, no wind... We took a couple of long walks, played on the playground, rode the carosuel, ate SNO CONES, watched a baseball game. Lil Bucky squealed with delight as his Uncle Paul ran down the path while pulling his wagon. He happily found a sea of dirty rocks to play with and I had to let go of my OCD (ah - dirty hands!) and let him just play. Watching him laugh and play with the sun shining on his face was definitely Today's Perk.

Park shots:















Saturday, August 29, 2009

Today's Perk of Being A Mama - I Love You

Christopher takes after his mama and has a LOT to say. Bubble, hi, bye, night-night, shoes and NO are among his favorite things to babble about. As I mentioned before, he has also taken to repeating after me.

Well, every Saturday and Sunday morning we have a little dance party in the living room (who would have thought that Kidz Bop would be in my music collection?!). Today we were dancing around the living room and I said "Hey Christopher, can you say "I love you?"" He smiled sweetly back at me and said "Dada." Nuts, Daddy gets all the glory!

Friday, August 28, 2009

Today's Perk of Being a Mama - Parking Lots

Trouble reading the sign? That is because it is POUR-ING rain...

So while there are many, many perks of being a mama (the first smile, the first "mama," laughter, first steps, the first time rolling over, chubby arms reaching out to you, big chocolate brown eyes, chubby cheeks, should I continue?) - Today's Perk of Being a Mama is Parking Lots. After work I headed to Marsh for a little grocery shopping... Well it was POURING down rain when we arrived. I happily parked in a "Reserved for expectant mothers & mothers with toddlers or infants" spot and saved myself & Lil Bucky from the rain.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Lake Getaway List

Johnny and I recently decided to buy a little lake getaway (make no mistake, this is a teeny, tiny trailer - nothing fancy). In our excitement he asked that I make a list of what we need for the lake getaway (lake getaway sounds WAY better than trailer) and he would also make a list of what we need. Then we would compare lists and fill in with what we forgot.

My list:

Life jackets
Sunscreen
Water shoes
Pots & pans
Dishes
Cups
Shower curtain
Cleaning supplies
Paint
A futon frame & new cover for the futon mattress we already have
A couch with a pull out bed
Sheets & blankets
Towels
Table & chairs for the porch

His list:
Boat
Grill
TV

HA, men.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Hilarious

I usually hate email forwards. I always check them out in hopes that it is a good one, and today I was not disappointed. I actually found myself loudly cracking up in my office and therefore I had to share this with you all. I hope you enjoy!

Random Thoughts of the Day:

I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

More often than not, whern someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

That's enough, Nickelback.

I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all
know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

There is a great need for sarcasm font.

**Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the hell was going on when I first saw it.

I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

Was learning cursive really necessary?

Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

Bad decisions make good stories

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if
I do!

If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

"Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Aghh!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Lake Trip, Part 2

Well, as I previously mentioned, every year my family spends a weekend on the lake with another family. They also have a son, Easton, who is 5 months older than Christopher. Last year was their first trip up to the lake and we decided right then we would take a picture of them on the boat with the same towel every year and watch them grow - same weekend, same towel, same shot (and hopefully the same boat). It is amazing to see how much change happens in 1 year.

Here are the 2 photos, Easton is on the left, Lil Bucky is on the right:

2008:




2009:

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Dear 1980's

Dear 1980's,

Thank you for your music.

Sincerely,

Sarah Buckner


P/S: My brother in law made a cd for my husband titled "Unbelievable 80's." My husband left it in my car a LONG time ago, and I have never paid much attention to it. The other day I grabbed it as I was heading into my office and decided to import it to my I-Tunes. See below for the amazing selection of 80's songs.



I quickly dried the tears of joy I shed over my new selection of songs & began to (quietly) sing along to EACH song. Thanks again 80's, thanks again...

Regular Clothes

Maybe I should change the name of this blog to "As I get older" because lately all the posts have revolved around that topic.

Anyway, with each passing day I struggle with wearing "real" clothes. It used to be I would come home from work/school/the day and just wear whatever outfit I had on until it was bed time. Well, over the years I race home, rip off my work attire and immediately get into my comfy t-shirts and sweatshirts. It's the first thing I do each day. If I can't change right away, it is torture. :)

Today I had a meeting after work, so I knew I was in for it. I wore my comfiest "real" outfit, so I made it through, but as I type I am sitting in my best sleepy pants and a over sized t-shirt from a work event. Bury me in this outfit - THIS is what I hope to wear in Heaven! Ah......

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Lake Trip, Part 1

Every year we (the Buckners & the Smiths) take a long weekend and head up to Lake Chapman in Warsaw. We spend an entire weekend eating, talking, relaxing & splashing around in the water. It is Heaven. We have gone 5 years in a row. The first year we went no one was even married, but in the 5 years that has passed, our little group has had 2 weddings, 2 babies and another on the way (and hopes for another one for us).

Here are some of my favorite photos from this years getaway:

On the way to the lake (even 15 & 20 month old boys think nose picking is funny):
















The boys on the boat - those little bitty life jackets are too cute:















Lil Bucky needs a helping hand from his mama:




















The whole family:

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Teenagers

I am not proud to say that I have a general dislike for teenagers. I know, I know - in the (semi) recent past I myself was a teenager, so how can I judge? But as I get older, my tolerance of 14-18 year olds gets smaller. My office is close to the high school and so they park in my valuable parking spot. Even the dudes wear skinny jeans. Their music booms so loudly it hurts my eardrums (to be fair to current teenagers, my eardrums hurt NOW because of the damage I did as a teenager with my own music). And most of all - I seem OLD to teenagers (which makes me dislike them beyond recognition).

My hubby had a late meeting and he does all the good cooking, so what was I to do but go out to eat? So Lil Bucky & I arrive at Noodles & Company ready to eat when we discover teenagers sitting in our usual spot (back corner- it makes it easier to hide my face when Bucky screams with joy at the top of his lungs). These teenagers had random piercings, crazy spiked hair, skinny jeans. I knew I was in for misery, but I sat next to them anyway.

Well, they were really nice. And sweet. Lil Bucky loves to say "HI!" and wave at every human being, so when he started with them I thought they'd be annoyed. But NO - Skinny Jeans Guy was all normal smiles and waves. Girl with the 80's outfit was saying "HI!" right back. I even heard a few "aw, he's so cute" comments. And they stopped to say "Bye!" to my little guy.

It melted my heart to see Lil Bucky smile so brightly... So I am now announcing on my blog that I don't hate teenagers, well at least not all of them.

Monday, August 17, 2009

You SO Husky!

I can't believe it has been over 10 years since our fun, carefree trip to Panama City. That trip was what really changed a lot of our lives - we had our first taste of freedom (not to mention our first attempts at a beer bong). We learned that fashion can go beyond sweatshirts. Some of us regretably got silly tattoos to never forget the week. I love you girls!

10 years later...

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Oops, my bad!

I have a fondness for the F word. I know, I know - what kind of lady uses the F word?! I just feel like it can really emphasize a point. Today (or was it yesterday? My life resembles Groundhog Day, so it all blurs together) I was on the way to drop my sweet, perfect 15 month old off at daycare. I realized I forgot his blanket AGAIN (or was it that I realized I forgot my materials for a conference?!) - anyway, I forgot something vital for the day but I was too far out to head back home (anyone else that deals with I-69 traffic in Fishers feels me). In a situation like this, what else could I say but "F---!"

Well, it was then that I heard a sweet little voice say "uck! uck!" Oops, my bad. thankfully he didn't say the F before the word, so I could easily explain that we are working on different animals (duck!) or maybe his foot was "stuck?" Hmm... OK, time to find a new favorite word - any suggestions?

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Reading and Dancing

I love cell phones. I love that you can take a quick video with one, email it to yourself and have it on youtube in a matter of seconds! I mean I love my real video camera, but that camera has 15 1/2 months worth of Christopher videos on it (including one 10 minute long video of him sleeping as a 1 week old... I would never do that now for fear of waking him up!). Anyway - here are a couple of the recent videos that I captured of the little guy.

Dancing to Lady Gaga:



Reading aloud to Uncle Kevin:



Enjoy!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Facebook

SO... Christopher has decided to get his own Facebook page. I have decided that at 15 months he can totally handle the responsibility of managing his own page, so I gave my permission to start up the page.

Here is the link to become his friend: CJ Buckner Facebook

(thank you Uncle Kevin for being so cute and secretly making this page)

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Walking the Monon Trail



This past Monday I took Christopher for a stroll along the Monon Trail... Halfway into the walk, I could tell he wanted OUT of his wagon, so I thought I would give him a little freedom (surely he would get tired after a few steps). Well, Christopher walked... and walked... and walked... When I finally put him back into his wagon (kicking and screaming), we were almost done walking. I can happily report he then crashed on the car ride home.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Christopher, July 2009

As a blogger for my work, you would think I would be sure to have constant posts on my family page. After all my motto is (for work) "Its better to have no blog than a blog with infrequent posts." But really, a family blog is just ANOTHER thing to mess with! Can't facebook be enough?!

OK, update. Christopher is about as cute as ever - except he has a nasty little tummy bug that doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Um, I am sad to say that is really it. We play outside, we read books, we like to have a weekly visit to a pool or at least a sprinkler. Um, we like the Bachelorette and So You Think You Can Dance (ok I do). Christopher changes everyday. He says new words, understands new directions and is less and less of a baby everyday. I can't believe how quickly life goes from holding and snuggling and watching them sleep to squirming when you hold them, crying for freedom and chasing after running toddlers. I love each stage, but I wish they would last longer!

Friday, June 19, 2009

NNNNO!




Today was my last workday off of work - so Christopher and I hung out and played all day. We actually spent over 3 hours playing the backyard. Christopher loves the outside more than he loves anything else - the wind, the grass, the sunshine... He was a happy baby. He also learned 2 new things today (well, new to me) - he learned how to say "Please" in sign language and when you ask him what a Fish says he opens and shuts his mouth making a fish face. SO cute... Oh and he recently started saying "NO!" with his index finger pointed out.

Thursday, May 28, 2009

It's Been a Long Time!

We haven't had a chance to update our blog in a LONG time! We are still alive and just wanted to post a few pictures of Christopher from Memorial Day. He had lots of fun over the long weekend. We went shopping (he is such a boy - he had NO TOLERANCE for clothing stores), we went to lunch, we stopped for ice cream, we played with friends on Race Day, we went to the park on Monday... He is a fun, happy baby who is eager to explore and see everything. The most difficult thing about Christopher is keeping up with him, but that is the fun stuff!



Thursday, April 23, 2009

Out without a diaper bag!

This past weekend Johnny & I went to a gorgeous wedding and we got all dressed up!


Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A Day at Forest Park

This past weekend was so nice that Johnny and I had to get C out in the sunshine. We took him to Forest Park for a long walk and playtime on the toddler jungle gym. He loves to swing! Johnny and I couldn't let him have all the fun though as you can see from the pictures of us in the spinning seats... :)

He is a stud in his Elmo shades & mohawk!

Isn't he so cute?

Daddy- I am trying to check out the toddler chicks!

Make it stop!

Whee!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Piano Man


The image may be hard to see (the picture was taken in a dimly lit room with a cell phone!), but it is of Christopher "playing" the piano. The little guy LOVES music and spent all of Saturday watching his cousins play their various instruments. He was so enthralled he didn't even take a nap - and Buckners don't miss naps!

Christopher also has begun the transition to the next room at his daycare - and got into trouble on his first day! There was some kind of finger paint situation. :)

Monday, April 6, 2009

"Naked" Sunday!



Yesterday Christopher turned 11 months old - time flies! To honor this event we let him crawl around in his diaper for the majority of the day and he was in Heaven. The rain must have made him sleepy because he took 2 two hour long naps!

Friday, April 3, 2009

A Day at the Park



Christopher, Grandpa Karl, Uncle Paul & I went to the park yesterday. Christopher had so much fun swinging in the baby swing, bouncing, crawling through the grass and watching the big kids play. He loves being outdoors and letting the sun shine on his face.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Early Easter Party


Today we had visitors - Grandma & Grandpa Ahlrichs, Uncle Paul, Great Aunt Betsy & Great Uncle Ron. We had so much fun! Betsy & Ron brought Christopher an early Easter basket and he loved all the fun little toys. Check out more pictures at the link below!

http://family.webshots.com/slideshow/570735038hrKUcH

Wednesday, March 25, 2009


It has been a long time. We are not up to anything new - just work, work, work and then playing with Christopher. He is such a joy!