One of the things I love about our 3rd floor condo is that we can always see what's happening in downtown Des Moines. At the 4th of July, we saw four different fireworks shows at the same time. During the music festival, we opened up the windows and (sort of) heard Ben Harper. And this morning when I got Alex out of bed at 6:45, I opened his curtains to see tons of hot air balloons in the sky. Love our view!

Adrien Brody works out at the Y.


This morning when I was at the Downtown Y, I walked into the machine room and saw Adrien Brody working out on one of the ellipticals. I looked at him and then looked around the room to see if anyone else was totally surprised that a major Hollywood film actor was working out in the same room...no one seemed to care. I got on the bike in front of him and listened to a bit of his conversation with the guy who was with him. They were clearly not locals and Adrien in particular had a New York-type accent. I was convinced it was him, so I decided to talk to him once I finished my workout. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you...do you always work out here?"
AB: "Um, I try to."
Me: "Do you live around here?"
AB: "Hmm...I'm staying here for a while."
Me: "Ok, because I was going to say...surely I haven't missed the fact that you always work out here...Do you like Des Moines?"
AB: "Yeah, it's a nice place."
Me: "Yes, particularly in the summer."
AB: "There are a lot of really nice people here."
Me: "Yes, I think so too. Well, I hope you enjoy your time here."
AB: "I will. Thanks."

Nice guy.

I hear he is in town, along with Forest Whitaker, filming a movie called The Experiment, a remake of a German thriller. Supposedly there are two major films being made here in Des Moines this summer. Who knew Iowa was a hot spot for Hollywood?!

Sign this petition.

At our house, we are not excited about the socialized medicine/health care bill that's making it's way through Congress right now. We found this awesome petition started by a Louisiana Representative and thought we'd encourage all of our readers to sign it. In case you are not aware, the bill circulating right now conveniently exempts members of Congress from being required to enroll in a government-run health care plan. Yep, that's right - they create it, but don't use it! (Probably because they know it means that their health care would go in the toilet if they enroll in the government-run plan.) But this petition suggests that Congress should be required to enroll in it if it's passed.

I'm interested to see how many would support a crappy government system it if they are required to enroll in it!

Sign it! Now!

My Baby Boy is 1.

Over the weekend we had so much fun celebrating our one-year-old boy. Hard to believe that it's been a year since Alex joined our family. It seems like he's always been here...well, I guess since he arrived about 9 months after we got married, I guess he sort of has been. =) There are so many things I love about being a mom that it would be impossible to name them all in this post. But for the sake of writing things down on this blog/journal that my kids will look at someday, here's a little list things I love about being a mommy of a one-year-old:

1. I love to sit and read books with Alex. He's old enough now to turn the pages and lift the flaps on the peekaboo books. For some reason, this makes me so proud!

2. I love that he sucks his thumb and lays his head on my shoulder before he gets into his bed. He'd cuddle like that for hours if I'd let him.

3. When he wakes up in the morning or from a nap, he babbles happily. Lately his favorite thing to say is "dadda". I always try to convince Jason that at 6:00 a.m., Alex is really needing him instead of me, but he never takes the bait.

4. He is army crawling all over the house now...mostly to wherever I am. I'm not sure how to train him not to follow me, but you know what? Someday soon he's probably going to start running away from me, so for now I'll take joy in my little shadow.

5. I always have an excuse if there's a stain on my shirt. Seriously, I have never been the type to pull things out of the hamper to wear, but these days it's way more tempting seeing as most of my clothes look like they came from there anyways. I know, I know, some of you are probably thinking that you will always be a stylish mom and keep up a decent looking closet. But believe me, it's not as easy as you think!

6. Alex is really becoming a social creature these days. He is really into smiling at cashiers and people he sees out in public. I'll admit it, it is so sweet to hear from a complete stranger, "what a beautiful baby!" Nothing makes a mama more proud.

7. Everyday (and sometimes twice a day), Alex and I head out in the stroller for a walk or run. We usually end up at the park where he loves to swing. This has been a new discovery for him...it makes him seem like such a big boy.

8. I nursed Alex for the last time on the morning of his birthday. I am thankful I got the opportunity to be such a big part of my baby's nutrition for the first year of his life.

9. I love that he is making himself laugh out loud these days. He laughs when he's playing with his toys or splashing in the tub. It is so cute to think about how entertained his little mind is by the simplest things.

10. As we prepare for the arrival of another baby in March, I find myself wanting to hold on to every minute of babyhood with Alex. Soon there will be another Baby around here and Alex will take on the role of Big Brother. Part of me can't wait and part of me wishes this pregnancy would move slowly so I can soak up every minute of fun with my firstborn.

p.s. If you are interested in seeing pictures of Alex's sweet cowboy birthday party, check them out on our family blog.

One Year Ago Today...

Jason and I were getting all settled into our hospital room at the end of a long day. I went in for my normal 37 week appointment and things started getting a little bit crazy. First it was sudden weight gain (9 pounds in one week), then high blood pressure, then a sonogram that suggested Alex was small...everything snowballed until we found ourselves upstairs in the hospital with this greeting, "hi, welcome to labor and delivery, let's get you all checked in!" Whoa, I was not ready for that! We hadn't even bought a car seat for Alex yet, and I certainly wasn't ready to think about actually delivering him so soon.

But one year ago today, my husband and I had a sweet night in the hospital together...just us. Our family was hundreds of miles away and so we enjoyed the time of anticipation with just the two of us. We spent so much time praying and talking about the days ahead. We were so anxious to meet our baby. I was terrified and weepy...and my husband never left my side. Those four nights we spent in the hospital across the street are ones I will never forget. I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my husband.

I am in the midst of party preparations and such, but thought it was only appropriate for me to tell anyone who reads this blog about how even the days leading up to Alex's birth were very, very special to me. I hope that in future years, my son will be patient with me when I insist on telling him the long version of his birth day story each year. It's a tradition I'd like to start this year...so that he will know (regardless if he's 3 or 43) that his parents loved him, waited for him, and welcomed him with joy.

A Daring Rescue.

Here's a neat story about a hero construction crew that saved a woman's life yesterday in Des Moines. The woman and her husband were on a boat that got caught below the dam of the Des Moines river. Sadly, the man drowned but a nearby construction crew saw the woman struggling and lowered one of their men down on a crane to save her. Interesting to see these guys - normal, everyday construction guys - operate in such a heroic manner and express such humility. Their main goal was to help someone who needed it even if it required a little risk. Three cheers for such a daring rescue!