gate con is a great con

by the end of the day we had seen and heard from a bunch of actors involved in one of my favorite shows, got to joke around and be goofy with brains, and even picked up some new stargate merch.  all in all, a pretty awesome time!  cant wait to do it again next year!
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shanks for the answer

the main draw of the stargate convention this year was michael shanks, the actor who played daniel jackson in stargate sg-1.  i had seen him there the first year i went to the con, but it was really great to see him again.  the first time he was there it was good, but obvious that it wasnt his best day.  either he was too tired or just not interested, last time he wasnt all that good.  this year though, was different.  it was apparent that he was having a great time, enjoying the chance to see fans and share some stories about what he has been up to.
as he was talking and answering questions, i thought of one that i wanted to ask him.  having been emboldened by my first trip up to the microphone, i got up the nerve to go up and ask him a question.  this time it was a serious one.  i could see out of the corner of my eye as i was in line at the microphone that the guys who run the convention were staring me down, wondering if i was going to try that shananigan a second time.  dont worry, i wasnt.  instead i asked michael shanks about the stargate audiobooks that he had narrated and what that process was like.  i've got a few of them that he did and was curious what it was like behind the scenes of making them.  he was very nice and shared some interesting facts about the process and what goes in to putting them together.  it was pretty neat to have him directly address me and respond to my question!

gate con '12

the con didnt start until about 11am, so brains and i took our time getting ready in the morning.  after getting in some good quality ledger time, we headed out around 9:30am over to rosemont to find the convention hotel.  we got there and this time it was nice and relaxed, both of us had done this before, so we were comfortable and able to really just hang out and enjoy the guests and merch!
as the speakers came up we had a lot of fun just listening to the stories and the question and answer time.  when david nykl, the actor who plays dr. zelenka on stargate atlantis was on stage, brains leans over to me and says 'i'll give you twenty bucks if you go up there and say 'doctor zelenka rules!  can i have a high five?'.'  never one to back down from free money, i take that challenge.  i went up there and asked just like brains dared me to, and david nykl laughingly agreed!  i walked up to the stage and he gave me a big high five!  i dont know what anyone else in the crowd thought about it, but i could see brains in the back just laughing hysterically!  twenty bucks, please!

brains and my boy

its that time again, that most exciting weekend at the end of the summer where i get to go all out nerdy and attend my favorite nerdy activity: the stargate convention!  i've been going for the past couple years and love it!  last year brains came down for the weekend and went along with me, and he was totally up for it again this year.  he got here in the afternoon the day before the con so we had a bunch of time to hang out as well- always a bonus!  there was one big change this year compared to when he came last year- this year we've got a baby!  brains knew what he was in for, and actually rather enjoyed spending a little bit of time with our little ledger!  i hope brains didn't teach him too many new bad things...

barbara and ledger

by morning barbara finally arrived home from work and got a chance to spend some quality time with her favorite nephew!  ledger always lights up whenever he sees auntie b!  the five of us got to hang out for a little while, but before we knew it it was time for us to head back to indiana again. boo.
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dishes are done, man

jeffry lee figured he should try to clean up a little while barbara was at work, so he and i got to work cleaning the dishes.  we noticed an apron hanging in the kitchen, so we took full advantage!  aw, doesnt our little gentle giant look so cute and domestic?
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b and jeffry lee

while visiting south bend, we had some time to go and visit barbara too.  it just so happened that good ol' jeffry lee was visiting as well, so we got to have some fun hang out time together!  the problem was though, that barbara had to work the night shift that night, so the three of us just hung out with ledger and the dogs.  we had a great night of just hanging out, chatting, messing around with jeffry lee's new tablet computer, and all kinds of other fun!  it was the first time i got to meet sal, barbara's new dog, so that was really neat.  in order for poco not to viciously attack sal, we tried to take them for a walk together as soon as we got there.  you know, let them both know that they are part of the same pack and not as rivals.  it worked pretty good, poco only snipped at sal if she was trying to take away diana's attention from him!  he's so possessive!

rest at grandmas

with the school year looming ahead, we took the opportunity to stop over in south bend one last time!  with my working all the time at meijer, diana's mom invited her over to stay with them for a couple days so diana could have a little rest and relaxation and her mom could have a little ledger time!  not one to miss an opportunity, diana headed off!  after work on saturday i was able to head out and join them for a day or so.  when i got there it was obvious how thankful diana was to have the extra help during the day and evening- she actually looked well rested!
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room decor 12

with the school year about to start again, i needed to get into my classroom and get to work on filling up those walls!  each year i try to thing of something new to put up, something that will keep the students attention when i might not be able to...  i dont like to use store bought decorations, i always feel like thats cheating!  God gave me the gift of being artistic, i might as well use it, right?
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lunch before work

all summer i've been working an extra job at meijer.  its not too bad, i rather enjoy the work, but it always takes me away from home for far too many hours a day!  i work most days from noon until eight, which means i get to wake up with my boy and spend the morning with him and diana, but that means that i dont get to be a part of his nightly routine and putting him to bed.  it also means that diana and i never get to go out and do anything!  well, we were determined to get out of the house together, with so little time, we decided that even a quick early lunch before i went to work was worth it.  so i met diana and ledger at burger king for a quick bite to eat.  it wasnt anything special, but for us, just getting out of the house together was special!

sleepy smile

this is the sleepy eyed joy that i get to spend my days with.  jealous?
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cage rage

for some reason our dog decided that he was no longer paper trained.  argh.  we have been having a really hard time with him peeing where he shouldnt.  we brought him in to the vet thinking maybe it was a physical problem but no, he just decided to forget what he had been doing for the past ten years.  we were both terribly frustrated and didnt know what to do about it.  well, we decided that we are now going to take him outside to do his business every time (including in the middle of the night...).  part of that transition means that he can no longer have any freedom to go around the house at night because he will just make a wet mess of things!  so diana and i got him a cage to go in at night.  we read up all about it and learned that we need to first make him comfortable with it, not forcing him into the cage or anything.  we would put treats in it and allow him to go in on his own terms.  we did this for a couple days, and then we traded it with his normal bed.  well, that sure didnt work!  when he was in the cage he whimpered all night long, destroying any chance the three of us might have for a normal nights sleep.  finally we decided to give up on it and now we just barricade him in to the little nook where his normal bed is.  he still whimpers a bit, but its been steadily decreasing to the point now where its only a couple times a night.  its not so bad now and he really loves the chance to go outside every couple of hours!

dance for mema

we had such a great time with mema when she visited!  after we went to get pictures taken we went and got a bite to eat, did a little shopping, and headed back to the house.  when we got back ledger even put on a little show for her- he pulled out his best moves and did a little dance!  i think he was just showing mema how excited he was to see her!
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first real food

we have been feeding ledger a bit of rice milk for the past couple weeks, per the doctors request, but since our last visit to the doctor, she told us that we can go ahead to the next level:  baby food!  yikes, our little guy is getting big fast!  well, with mom visiting, we figured we would wait and give her the honor of feeding ledger his first food.  we got him all ready in his chair like we have been for the rice milk, but this time he was going to get some food instead!  the doctor told us to start with orange food: carrots, squash, and sweet potatoes.  we, for some reason, decided on squash first.  let me tell you, seeing him take his first bite was one of the funniest things i have ever seen in my life!  as he took that first spoonful he made a very surprised face.  he wasnt quite sure what was going on in his mouth!  think about it, this is the first food he has ever eaten in his life- up until now the only thing his tongue has tasted is milk, so i'm sure squash was quite a surprise!  but then, before my very eyes, his expression changed from confusion and interest, to one of disgust- he was excited about the new taste but realized pretty quickly that he hated it!  he gave it a couple more tries, but you could see in his reaction that he was not at all interested in continuing!  so funny and so very cute!
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4 month photos

i remember getting pictures now and then from different friends and family over the years of their babies.  they would get some professional pictures taken at olan mills and pass out the wallet sized pictures!  i figured that since we now have a baby, we should continue this old tried and true tradition.  knowing that my mom was going to be in town soon, we scheduled a time with the photographer so mom could join us!  it was fun to watch our little man put into poses and different settings by the photographer.  it was really fun trying to get him to do what we wanted for the pictures, at one time all four of us (diana, mom, myself, and the photographer) were trying to get that kid to look in a certain direction or smile more!  all in all it went well, but we didnt get him to smile as much as we wanted. oh well, we will have to try again sometime soon!
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mema's back

its been two weeks, so that means its time for another visit from mema!  never able to stay away too long, my mom came out to visit us for the day so she could spend some quality time with little ledger.  we never make any plans when mom comes to visit because we know that all she will want to do is spend time with our boy!  no need to entertain her, ledger does that for us!

a guest or two

before miranda goes on her big susan g. coleman walk, she stopped by to visit us for a couple days!  barbara even stopped by for a visit too.  the three of them had a good time hanging out, laughing, and enjoying our little ledger.  how did ledger feel about all of this?  i think the photo speaks for itself...

4 month check-up

wow, four months old already?  our little guy went in for his four month check up at the pediatricians office recently.  diana and i really love our doctor, she is so passionate about children that we know she cares about our little guy almost as much as we do.  ledger was weighed and measured and he is growing just right!  he is still  on the lighter side, but is quite long (by the way, when do we stop measuring babies by how 'long' they are and start measuring by how tall they are?  i guess when they start walking, huh?)  the doctor did a few different tests on him, checking his strength and stuff.  she was very pleased with his development since last time, so it was all positive news.  well, it was positive right up until the point where ledger had to get some more shots!  poor boy!  this time diana was a little more brave and actually stayed in the room with us when he go his shots.  ledge was a trooper, he cried for about thirty seconds and then was over it!
see you again in two more months for the rest of those shots...
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