In sickness and in health

Monday, January 24

We went to McDonald's for dinner tonight. Jack really only eats "real" food now, and he really likes the nuggets and fries.

Tuesday, January 25

One of Jack's favorite toys from Christmas is his Amazing Animals Zoo that Aunt Diannie gave him. While he'll sometimes play with the animals that came with it, he like to put other things on it and make them go around.

Wednesday, January 26

Mara came down with strep throat this week, so we spent a lot of time cuddling while she wasn't feeling well. Jack also discovered that he loves to climb up on top of things—especially his tub of Peek-a-blocks and Roll-Arounds. He kept getting on top of the box while we were watching the OSU basketball game.

Thursday, January 27

Since she was out sick, Mara got a note from the doctor saying that she could return to school tomorrow.

Friday, January 28

The birds are back around town. They just cover the lines, trees, and even the grounds at the corner near where Jack goes to daycare.

Saturday, January 29

We went to the new Disney Store at North Park Mall tonight, and they had a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that Mara kept crawling through.

Sunday, January 30

Jack got a rocking chair from Santa for Christmas, and he loves to sit in it and rock himself. 

We will always remember

Remember the 10. That's being said a lot this week especially in the OSU community and on this day. But to us, it will always be the 10 plus 2.

I've talked about that awful week on this blog before and even wrote down a lot of the details here. It's still hard when the end of January rolls around each year. However, I agree with something I either heard or read this week. The tears and sadness that hits us right now isn't because we're still grieving for those we've lost. They wouldn't want it that way. It's because this time of year always brings back the raw emotions and feelings of that week 10 years ago and in some ways makes us relive it all over again.

I think about what it was like to work in the OSU Athletic Media Relations office. All of the late nights and games. I haven't been back to Gallagher-Iba Arena since the Bedlam game in March 2000. That was the last game played in the "old" arena. I'm glad that those who were lost got to experience the new one. I also think about where we were when we found out—just entering the Will Rogers Turnpike on the way to Aunt Jennie's funeral.

I wish we had spent more time with John's grandparents while we were in Stillwater. I think we spent more time with John's grandma after we moved down to Texas than in the two years we lived on the same street, just separated by a couple of miles.

To me, this time of year isn't just about those we lost that week. It also makes me think of others we have lost in the last 10 years—my grandma, my mom, John's grandma, and John's other grandpa. I look at it as more of a time of reflection and not sadness even though there might be a few tears shed as I remember what it felt like to lose these people.

Here are some news stories and videos that have been published this last week that have really touched me. Some may look familiar because I've shared them on Facebook.

• Remembering the 2001 OSU Plane Crash
• A father's presence never forgotten (a story about my former boss and mentor)
• 'Remember the 10' halftime ceremony
• We Will Remember: The 10th anniversary of the OSU plane crash
  

Would you like to buy some cookies?

Monday, January 17

Being in the Toddler class has really help Jack. He has finally mastered the art of pulling up and especially likes to pull himself up onto things.

Tuesday, January 18

We picked up our family pictures tonight. It was the first time we've had a professional picture of the four of us. However, Jack didn't really want to smile for our photographer either.

Wednesday, January 19

We tried out a new old hairstyle on Mara to keep her bangs out of her face, and that's how she has preferred her hair ever since.

Thursday, January 20 

Jack has so many teeth that are ready to break through at any moment. Before too long, this will be one toothy smile. :)

Friday, January 21

We celebrated Myra's birthday tonight. Jack also discovered that he likes dogs and kept giving Taco hugs.

Saturday, January 22

Mara, Jack, and I walked around the neighborhood selling Girl Scout cookies today. She is so close to her goal that I think she'll be able to easily reach it when we go back out tomorrow. After we walked around for a while, I let Mara and Jack enjoy some time on the swings. 

Sunday, January 23

Jack has started pulling himself up so he can play standing up. It won't be long until he starts letting go and standing on his own.

Peek-a-boo!

Jack recently discovered the game of Peek-a-boo. He likes to hold a blanket up in front of his face, and then he'll pull it down quickly with a big grin.

Polar Bear Swim

Monday, January 10

Today was Jack's first official day in the toddler classroom. He seems to be getting along with the other kids pretty well even though they are walking and he's still crawling.

Tuesday, January 11

See Tuesday's post here.

Wednesday, January 12

Since Mara has decided to grow out her bangs, we need to fix her hair every day. We picked up some hair clips while we were in San Antonio last month, and she has been wearing them almost every day since.

Thursday, January 13

See Thursday's post here.

Friday, January 14

See Friday's post here.

Saturday, January 15

Our Girl Scout service unit was hosting a Polar Bear Swim at one of the rec centers tonight, so Mara and I met up with some of the other girls from her troop. Mara thought it was neat to be able to go swimming when it was freezing outside. And even though he didn't go to the Polar Bear swim, I thought it was funny how Jack crashed that night.

Sunday, January 16

We're a week late, but we finally took our family picture to mark Jack's 10 months. While Mara cooperated this time around, it was hard to get Jack to look at the camera and smile yet again. 

Cheese!

Apparently, Jack is picking up on the "Cheese!" face. When I was taking pictures of the kids playing on the computer tonight (Mara and I introduced Lori, Mikey, and Lani to Plants vs. Zombies), Jack started hamming it up for the camera in the background. At first I thought it was just a coincidence until he started responding to me saying "Cheese!"

Another Tooth Lost

Mara lost her third tooth today. It had been pretty loose for a while, but it was still hanging in there. She really wanted to lose it at school so she could go to the nurse's office. Apparently, they get a special tooth necklace when they lose one at school. Instead, it didn't come out until she was at after-school care. I asked her if it just fell out, but she said she pulled it out. It bled a little, but all was good. Now she's waiting for the Tooth Fairy to make a visit tonight.

Pasta Bake

Remember the Pasta Bake sauce that Prego had about 5-10 years ago? We loved that stuff. It was a quick and easy meal. Mix one can of sauce, a box of pasta, and a jar of water, cover, and bake for an hour or so. Uncover, top with cheese and put back in the oven until the cheese is melted. We made that all of the time, and then Prego pulled the sauce from the shelves. It made sense really. How was that sauce any different from the spaghetti sauce they already produced? However, it led us to forgetting this quick and easy meal. Until tonight...

Tonight, John went ahead and precooked the pasta and browned some ground beef. He combined those with a jar of spaghetti sauce (no extra water since the pasta was cooked) and topped with mozzarella cheese. He stuck it in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, and we had a dinner that all of us loved. Jack couldn't get enough, and even Mara kept talking about how much she liked it. And this is the girl who usually doesn't do casseroles.

I told Mara that I'll let her make this dish one of these weekends. Her first response was, "I can't cook!" But I think she warmed up to the idea when I said I'd help her. I told her that I would brown the meat and put it in the oven, but she can add the pasta, sauce, and water (just like we used to do).