Ballaholic

 

Ball-a-hol-ic : A person who plays with sporting balls to excess, habitually. Someone who possesses an addiction to sporting balls of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Yep, that's definitely me. I apparently come from a long line of ballaholics - my great grandfather played pro football back in the days of leather helmets, all four of my grandparents are terrific athletes, and my parents (as you all know), are a bit insane when it comes to competitive sports. So it's pretty fair to say it's in my blood.

I honestly can't help myself, I must throw any ball in site. It doesn't matter if they are small or big, blue or orange, mine or not - I must have them. Amid 100 toys at playgroup I can sniff out the hidden ping pong ball in the bottom of the toy bin - I know, it's a gift.

I don't care if a dog has just licked it, I will scoop it up and away I go. In the car, at the house, during church, in the park, it doesn't matter the location, I must have a ball. (Hey, this sounds like a Dr. Seuss book!) And if it's not "officially" a ball, but still can be tossed, that will serve as my fix. Should I be worried? Do you think there is a cure?

One Small Step for Mankind, One Giant Step for Bodie!

After literally months of Bodie taking two to four steps and then crawling away, he's decided walking upright may just be the way to go. We even have proof - check it out.

Aside from the ceremonious "first" this week, we got together with several friends and family. Bodie and I had fun outdoors enjoying DC's weather jump into the 70's with lots of playdates. Saturday we watched our niece Francesca score all of her team's points for her basketball game. And we even met Dave downtown after work for an stroll and dinner. A pretty delightful week!

Madly in Love!

This Valentines stuff is a bit weird. I woke up to find a stuttering singing ape waiting for me. He's "ma, ma, ma mad....ma ma ma mad...ma ma ma madly in love" with me. Is this how you show someone you REALLY love them? Odd. Now don't get me wrong, I love music and it was a very nice gift, but I eventually let that ape have it. His stuttering got to me and he found himself comfortably tossed on the floor. Hmm, I wonder if he's still madly in love with me now? (click play on the video below) HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE!

Bob & Edith

If you've lived in the DC area, you've probably been to Bob & Edith's diner on Columbia Pike in south Arlington. It's a comfortable dive with average food and really great people. It's been on the Pike since 1969 (that's a lot of pancakes). It became a weekend treat to pop by for brunch when I was living just a few blocks away. Then I moved a mile further down the road, but still made a point to stop in for a flat mushroom omelet with a slice of melted American cheese and tomato on the side (it sounds about how it tastes).
When Dave and I began dating, he'd pick me up really early on an occasional weekday and we'd stop at Bob & Edith's for breakfast before work - which was oddly romantic and something I grew to look forward to. The place has lots of happy memories for me - visits with my parents always include a trip to the diner.

This weekend we took Bodie for his first Bob & Edith's experience. They can't really accommodate babies, but are equipped enough to toss you an old-school plastic booster seat as you walk in the door holding a miniature. Bodie loved the place. He ate his egg and toast like he was a regular. The waiter made faces with Bodie then stopped by again with 10, yes 10 napkins - was he trying to tell us something?

I doubt Bob & Edith's diner will ever win any awards for its food, but regardless of where I live, the names Bob & Edith will always bring a smile to my face.

Gimme a "U"

 We just got back from a fun trip to Utah. Check out our spontaneous family pic - even I looked at the camera! Best part about this picture is my Aunt Margo - no neck brace. (See "3am Call" post in October for more details.) She got the neck brace off just over a week ago and is already moving her neck, it's awesome.

You might notice I'm walking....well, sort of. I still take 2-4 steps and then crawl away. But I promised Aunt Margo that if she'd walk, so would I. So with a little prompting from a lollipop, I walked over to Margo (then sat down and enjoyed a lick or two). 

Now you're asking, "No way, your parents didn't put you on their skis in the middle of a snow storm, did they?" Um, yes. This is the clearest picture they got because the snow was coming down so hard. Lucky for them I like the snow and didn't make one peep - though my eyelashes were filled with snowflakes so it was kind of hard to see.

 I hear that several years ago, my Uncle Rick promised to never eat "that disgusting sushi stuff." I guess he must think it's less disgusting these days because at his request, my parents taught him how to roll his own sushi. Salmon, mangos, avacado - who wouldn't love that stuff. Then we dined until we were stuffed - yum!

So with such a great trip what was the best part....hanging out with family. My grandparents spent so much time playing with me - I must have closed my grandma in the closet a hundred times and threw a ball with my grandpa even more. My parents even let me have a sleepover as they headed to Snowbird Mountain Resort for a night of spa treatments and sleep - who needs that stuff?