What will Ben be when he grows up?

It is funny to me how even at two years old our children give us little bits and pieces of their personality that begin to shape into what they might be like as adults. Ben has really started to show his precision and attention to detail (Surgeon, engineer, computer genius, OCD?) and his flair for dramatic story telling and his love of volume and whimsy (Senator, actor, lawyer, principle role in Lord of the Dance). This is the ultimate surprise and the ultimate Christmas gift - what will he be when he grows up?

Well, let us see shall we? I picked him up a little early from school the other day and decided to strike up an impromptu parent/teacher conference. (Which I am certain they appreciated as they were trying to take passy's, put up mats and change diapers!) Does Ben hit? Does Ben cry? Does Ben mind? Do you wish Ben had an "off button"like I do most days? His teacher Amber just smiled so lovingly and said that Ben of course does not hit (he doesn't like to be that close to people!) and of course he minds (because he has found out that if he talks non-stop you will totally give in out of defense) and he completely stops crying once I leave (show's over folks, go back to what you were doing!)

Hurray! I have the perfectly behaved child. I have the child you can take to play groups, restaurants, the grocery store, wherever! I have won as a Mother! "I'd like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press, Supernanny, and my own mother for..."

As I swirled through my own mind of applause and standing ovations I noticed Amber begin to laugh. Surely she was giggling over her delight in my accomplishments as a parent...but then the laugh turned into "Well...one thing he does do...." I raised my eyebrows in anticipation as she continued. "He loves to point out which "rules" the other children aren't following and likes to tell them what the rule is and "encourages" them to do what he does."

WHAT?!?! My son is the tattle tale? My son is a...Hall Monitor! My son is a NARC!!!! *sigh* maybe that means he'll be in law enforcement or the CIA!

The Trials of the Apple Pie Purist

My husband asks for very little. Some would say he is passive to a fault. (Obviously I would not be one of those people - passive husband = happy wife, right?) His days come and go with very little argument or opposition and even less complaining. The one thing he does demand: A damn good piece of apple pie.

Originally I thought Kevin loved all things "apple baked" and over the last 10 years I have learned that this is so untrue. He loves apple pie - plain & simple. He shudders at the thought of sharing his plate with a glob of ice cream and that whole northeast, add cheddar cheese to pie makes him literally gag. Crumbles? Cobblers? Upside down apple, caramel cake? Forget it! The man wants his pie and he wants it done right.

So my mission was clear: study ever pie recipe and perfect one to make him the happiest man on earth. I mean, I don't keep a clean house and I rarely dote on him at all. The least I can do is make an apple pie! The kicker: I don't bake. I am a cook. I am creative. I like to add a pinch of this and a glob of that and I like to make even the simplest things a much bigger production than they should be. Baking is a science and I am not scientist.

After 10 years of defeat (my pies are runny, the crust is chewy, the crust is salty, the crust is brittle, its lopsided - you name it!) I decided to search for the next best thing in the perfect "store bought" pie. Kevin doesn't care where it came from - he just wants it to be good! Sarah Lee is OK, but she is a bigger fan of the "crumb" topping. So we found the Schwan's Pie. I could have bought 4 pies from the bakery for what I paid the lovely man and his frozen truck to bring me this pie, but maybe it would be worth it. I baked it from frozen (as the directions told me to do) and Kevin waited at the oven door like an street urchin at a McDonald's. 75 minutes and then it would "rest" for 45. Tick Tock, Tick Tock....

At 9:45, Kevin got his plate, a knife, a fork and what seemed to be a 44 oz. glass of whole milk. Much like a brain surgeon would address a skull, he turned the pie clockwise twice and then swung it back again, in search of the perfect "entry point". I hovered, holding my breath. Would it be runny? Would it be mealy? The anticipation was palpable. He cut the pie. The crust flaked, but gave and we had our first incision. The second cut wasn't as pretty, but we were still in the running. He gingerly scooped the pie out with his knife and fork. The entire "apple pie biopsy" took at least 3 minutes and the suspense was killing me. With the pie now on the plate, Kevin stepped back and cocked his head to one side. He looked at me and said, "it should have rested longer..." Yikes...strike one for the Schwan's Pie. It rested 45 minutes and clearly that wasn't long enough. I began to panic! What if it needed to cook longer? Did the crust brown properly?

Kevin went to the pantry and retrieved the only suitable apple pie topper - powdered sugar. He evenly sifted the sugar over the pie, picked up his milk and went to sit down. I followed him like Bagger follows a T Bone and sat beside him, waiting for the verdict. He ate each bite slowly, chewing as though he was testing for pieces of glass and followed every bite with a glug of milk. The waiting was killing me.

Finally, the piece of pie was gone! Now don't get excited, because even if it is bad pie, Kevin will eat the whole piece. He got up and took his plate to the sink and walked off to the bedroom. "WAIT!" You can't leave me like this!!!! So I said, "WELL....????" With no facial expression he replied, "Not bad."

The search continues....

The Greatest Honor...

Not since I won 2 tickets (twice) to the 1989 Texas Jam (Smithereens, Ziggy Marley, Iggy Pop, GNR, and INXS)and the time I won the Aeroforce One Fan Club's Best Concert Story in 2000, have I achieved such an esteemed Pop Culture Prize.

Ha! Click here to see what I did!

Ben's World

Ben swiped my new camera the other day and when I uploaded photos I found a little snipet of Ben's world when he is left alone...Enjoy!

Where Is Ben?

In a recent review of my posting (and after having lunch with Leslie today) the one person noticeably absent from my blog is my darling Ben. I have been so wrapped up since our trip to Las Vegas and the beating we have all taken (one right after the other) since then, I have forgotten to keep you up on how Benny Boy is doing.

There is too much material to fill you all in right now. But I'll start with this little bit of humor. So while we were in Vegas and I had the flu, Ben stayed with my mom and my grandparents. Since he has been home we have noticed three new favorite sayings.

"My hip hurts! I need my cream!" - Sweet Grandy has a pulled/torn muscle somewhere in the hip area that is giving her fits right now. She never complains, but apparently all she had to do was mention it ONE time to my mother and now when my sweet 2 year old gets up off the floor, he winces his face and cries out, "OHHHHH MY hip HURRRTS. I need my cream!"

"I need my glasses to read the paper" - As most kids are, my child is obsessed with glasses. Sun glasses, reading glasses, toy Harry Potter glasses - doesn't matter. So when he tries to steal my grandfather's reading glasses, he says, "No, Ben. I need my glasses to read my paper and if you take them then I won't have them." Ben has turned this into him propping himself up on the couch with the newspaper, unfolding it and laying it all out and barking to me, "Mamma! I NEEEED my glasses to read the paper!"

"I need batteries for my hearing aid!" - Ok, this is just self explanatory! My grandfather is very much hearing impaired without his hearing aid and apparently those things require multiple battery changes. So he lets Ben help. Great bonding time. Ben loves tiny, tedious tasks. Dandy can sit and entertain him and get something accomplished - it is a win/win for sure. But now, Ben puts the iPod ear pieces in his ear and says, "I can't hear you. I need to get batteries for my hearing aids!"

My little geriatric!

These pictures I took the other day. He put his sweats over his jammies, packed his "work bag", grabbed his little laptop and said, "Bye Mamma! I have to go to work. I'll be at the office if you need me!" and headed to the front door.

Kevin's Guest Post

Since my wife was soo gracious to put in print 35 reasons she is stuck with me in honor of my 35th Birthday, I thought I would come up with 33 reasons I love Allison in honor of her 33rd Birthday.

33. She is kind enough to let me get up with Ben every night for a little Father/Son bonding time.
32. She let's me take her on a vacation every year.
31. She always leaves every light and TV on in the house so that me and Ben don't get lost.

All kidding aside....here are the top 30

30. I love that she picks the movie, restaurant and vacation. I don't want that responsibility.
29. That she said yes to marriage before I ever kissed her.
28. She wants to bring home every lost dog.
27. SHE COOKS!!!!! AND IT IS GOOD!!!!
26. She truly loves every member of my family.
25. She doesn't complain when I want a new truck. I have issues with always wanting a new truck.
24. She hasn't gotten mad at me yet since our dry cleaners lost our comforter over 3 months ago and I have yet to buy a new one.
23. I love that she is willing to stay home all day and put up with our wonderful and yet demanding little Ben.
22. She will take out the trash if I don't. Which is often.
21. She has let me win one or maybe two arguments during our marriage. That is rare as those who know her know she doesn't like to lose. AT ANYTHING!!!!!
20. Hurricane Bonnie! You had to be there.
19. She lets me eat my plate full of hot cookies in bed every night. I need to stop this habit.
18. The way she obsesses about her hair. It's like having a new woman in the house every few months.
17. Her pinky toe that has no toenail.
16. Her blogging abilities. Keeps me from forgetting to tell the family what we have been up to.
15. She lets me have pizza once a week. Another habit that I need to get rid of.
14. Her crazy family. Her words not mine. They are truly one of a kind and treat me as an equal.
13. The way she stresses about getting the house clean the day before the cleaning lady comes.
12. She brings Ben by the office after school sometimes and they bring me a milkshake.
11. She can tell a story better than anyone.
10. She doesn't try and change who I am.
9. She cares about Ben more than anything in the world.
8. She likes to go on vacation and do nothing. That is my favorite.
7. She makes me breakfast if I ask.
6. She is always striving to be a better person.
5. She taught Ben how to converse like a 75 year old.
4. Her smile.
3. Her laugh.
2. Her devotion.

And......

1. She is the most beautiful woman inside and out and I am the luckiest person to have been with her for 10 years.

7 Random Facts about Me

Ok, so in the blogging world you get "tagged" with a challenge. It is a pretty neat way of finding out about others. I was tagged by Leslie Petree to write about 7 things that others might not know about me. Hmmm....see this is a big challenge for me because as most of you are accutely aware, I rarely suffer or celebrate in silence and have even been known to throw out random facts about myself and others just because I like to hear my head rattle. So I thought about it for a couple of days and here are my Seven Random Facts about Allison.

1. I am a certified Wizard of Oz junkie - I have seen the movie dozens of times each year since I was three and it never gets old. I have ever word, song, and sigh memorized by heart and yes, I cry every time that Dorothy realizes that the next time she goes searching for her heart's desire she shouldn't look any further than her own backyard.

2. I took Uncle Todd and his then girlfriend, Dena Dillard to Show and Tell in the first grade - Todd was 8 years older than me and I loved him more than words can say. So, my obsession became obvious to my first grade teacher, Mrs. Vletas (yes..Vletas Candy!) and so she told me I should bring Todd to Show and Tell. All of the other children brought toys and pets and pictures from vacations. I brought a 14 year old 8th grader and his girlfriend. The super fun part - HE CAME WITHOUT COMPLAINT and even fielded questions from the class about Madison Jr. High.

3. I prefer food that is meant to be served hot to eat it COLD - No, I am not kidding. I absolutely prefer spaghetti, roast and potatos, mac and cheese, Thanksgiving dressing , pizza, fried chicken and all caseroles COLD from the refrigerator the next day. Get over it. You probably eat some weird stuff, too! Don't knock it until you try it!

4. I want to write the next great American Novel - No this blog is not "practice" and I doubt it will happen...but hey, its a dream.

5. I didn't cross the Mason Dixon Line until August of 2004 - Sheltered, I know.

6. I am a rabid Aerosmith fan - Since the age of 4 my obsession with Steven Tyler has been anything but normal. I even won the "Aeroforce One" fan club's best concert story. I won a new, signed Aerosmith CD and an autographed photo of the band.

7. I am obsessed with really badly made, cult classic movies - I own "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band" with Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees, "Xanadu" and now "Bugsy Malone" (thanks, MOM!) and I watch them regularly!

35 Reasons Why I love Kevin...

In honor of Kevin's 35th Birthday I have compiled a list of 35 reasons out of the thousands of why I love him! Enjoy!

35. He has got up with Ben for the past year solely b/c Ben yells, “DADDY!” first.
34. He doesn’t judge my housekeeping disabilities.
33. He loves my cooking!
32. He lets me talk on the phone at night to my friends.
31. He takes Ben on “Date Nights” to give me some free time.
30. He takes me on vacation once a year.
29. He tells me I am pretty when he knows I don’t think I am.
28. He loves my crazy family.
27. He doesn’t complain when I tell him to go to the store at 9:30 to get me some chocolate milk; just because I think it sounds good.
26. He still holds my hand when I least expect it.
25. He’s a good kisser.
24. He looks even better with gray hair.
23. He laughs at the same story I have told 14 times this week.
22. He takes Ben the moment he walks in the door from work so I can finish dinner – or sit and drool on myself.
21. He holds Bagger’s bone so he will chew and won’t bark and wake up Ben.
20. He provides us a wonderfully comfortable lifestyle.
19. He doesn’t let me worry about exactly how comfortable our lifestyle might not reallybe.
18. He let me quit my job to stay home with Ben.
17. He credits me for all of Ben’s accomplishments and never blames me for his shortcomings.
16. He loves my friends as much as I do.
15. He tells me to “Shut Up” when I have gone too far.
14. He taught me to make the best grilled cheese sandwich ever.
13. He taught me not to yell.
12. He still gives me a kiss and tells me he loves me every morning before he goes to work and every night before I go to bed.
11. He lets me watch my TiVo’d shows first.
10. When he makes cookies he saves some for me.
9. He checks in when he is going to be late.
8. He introduced me to Eatzi’s in 1998.
7. He sat up with me on my birthday this year and was just as sad as I was.
6. He lets me pick the movie.
5. He lets me pick the restaurant.
4. He lets me pick the vacation.
3. He’ll argue with me to the death over who loves Ben more.
2. He doesn’t argue politics with me.

And the number one reason I love Kevin…..

1. Just look at him in a tux!

PROM 2008

So I know you all have been waiting with baited breath to hear all about this "PROM" I kept discussing. Well, the Trammells were kind enough to get a big table at the Abilene Philharmonic Ball and include the Bredemeyers at their table. We were all so thrilled! What a fun night! Dress up...no kids...Oh and what a great way to celebrate my birthday. Well, due to some unforseen circumstances, the Bredemeyer's night was cut very short and we only made it thru one cocktail of the Pre - Party. But from what I hear, the night raged on and I am hoping that Katie Browning will guest blog to fill you all in on what a great night it was! The picture above is of all the ladies in their glory. L-R: Molly Roberts, Katie Browning, Sara Trammell, Sarah Proctor and Quasimoto...oh wait...uh...me. Why am I hunching over?

My New Hair Part II

Ok, so call it a Fung Shui attack on my life, but I have been literally JONESING for a new haircut yet again. I know...how we treat our hair is an external reflection of an internal crisis - but whatever. Acceptance is the first step so let us leave it at that. Once again Toby worked his magic. I took in all these pictures of famous people whose hair I love. (Neither of them were Victoria Beckham or Katie Holmes in any stage, by the way!) Toby took those pictures and my hair and its natural wave and said, "How about this?"

Well how about it folks?!? Toby is amazing and once again I am so happy with the results. The real trick - can I learn to use a round brush??? We'll see...perhaps another posting of a "How To" for the round brush disabled. This is my Spring Cut. It is not as short as I had in mind, but Toby said that once Summer comes we can cut it again. (That just totally sounded like the line in "Vacation" where what's her face says, "Eddie says I can quit one of my night jobs after the baby comes." - HA)

Editor's Note: I haven't had my hair colored since Toby did it over a month ago - Look, Ma..NO ROOTS! I told you he was something!

,

Whew!

Kevin's Birthday, my birthday, Valentine's Day, Prom and more! What a whirlwind week the Bredemeyers have had! I have so much to talk about and so very little time, so please be patient while I get my thoughts all together for some stellar posting!

Have a great day!

Queen Latifah is fooling NO ONE

So I was reading an article in a magazine this weekend. Yes, it was one of those extremely reputable publications with weekly circulation that shall remain nameless. Let's call it my "Newsweek". Anyway, there was an article with Queen Latifah. Now, I love the Queen. I know there are all these rumors about her sexuality and buzzing about her lifestyle, but I think that she is a beautiful woman and am glad that she is a wee bit larger than most of the men in Hollywood. So, she has decided to become Jenny Craig's new spokesperson. (Side note...with all of the weight loss choices out there, I have decided that Jenny Craig pays some serious bank. Who would want to eat astronaut food over hiring a personal chef?) So, the Queen is on the Jenny Craig pay roll now, but her schtick is not to lose this mammoth amount of weight. She is promoting what losing 10% of your weight can do to your health. She talked in the article about if you lose just 10% of your weight that you greatly cut your risk of diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, etc. etc. All true! All Hail the Queen! Thanks for being that big girl who stays big, but wants to be healthy.

OH BUT WAIT...so to lose the 10% of her body weight she is shooting to lose 15 - 20 lbs. WHAT?!?! The Queen is trying to tell me she might weigh 150 lbs?!?! WHAT!??! I know the camera adds a few, but come on! 20 lbs would put her at 200. Still a stretch, but whatever. But 150 lbs. - who does she think she is kidding!

But I have been inspired by Latifah and I too shall lose 10% of my body weight. I will be healthy and trim and fit and the picture of health and perfection. Thank God I only have to lose 12 lbs. - tee hee

Still sick?!?!

So I am not sure what disease has plagued our family but Ben has been sick now for three weeks. The week I had the flu, Ben got an ear infection. The week after he ran 103 - 104 fever for 4 days. Now, we have a terrible cough and snotty nose. NOW, Kevin is sick. I went to drop off Ben's second antibiotic the other day and had to wait in line for over 20 minutes, just to drop off the prescription. I know everyone in town has some sort of ailment right now, but why must it infect my house??

That aside, I am starting back to my boot camp classes next week. MWF at 6:00 a.m. now instead of 5:30 - HURRAY and the double joy is that they added a "Southside" class which is literally 2 minutes from my house. No more having to get up at 4:30 and haul over to ACU! Seriously, if you are looking for a great workout at a STEAL of a price, I highly recommend the EverFIT team. They are tremendous!

I tried to think of some funny banter for today's post. I tried to be clever and cute about the goings on at the Bredemeyers. But frankly, I am not feeling super witty (no pun intended) nor do I feel that much of what is going on is particularly funny.

But this too shall pass and I know with the warmer weather, all of my boys will be back to their old, bouncy selves in no time.

Stay tuned for details on upcoming Kevin and Allison birthdays and our upcoming 2008 Prom Night. Intrigued, arent' you?

The Joys of Being "Mommy"

So last we left, I was down and out with the flu and I have to say to everyone: GET YOUR FLU SHOTS! I know we all hear about these people who get the flu shot and then end up with the flu regardless and well, that would suck. But you have a much greater chance of getting the flu with no flu shot than if you have one. Don't risk it people! You will never fully appreciate the phrases, "My bones ache. My hair hurts. My teeth itch." until you have the flu and trust me - You DON'T want to know!


That said, I am almost all better and got to pick up my darling Ben from his great grandparents house yesterday. I was kind of nervous. Like the time I left our chihuahua for a week and she poo'd in my closet and wouldn't look at me for 3 days. I had no idea how Ben would react. Well, I was fairly sure he wouldn't poo in my closet, but still...I was NERVOUS.


I pulled up in the driveway and got out of my car. I walked around the front and I could see my little mop head waiting at the front door. He was all grins. Then I saw him look at Mamoo and say, "My MOMMY!" He pushed open the door and ran to me full speed with his arms wide open and hugged me so tight! I picked him up and he ran his fingers through the back of my hair and said, "Hi Mommy!" His voice was so tiny and sweet I could have just eaten him up right there.


We went inside and opened our "Las Vebas" presents and hugged some more. We went back to the guest bedroom for nap time and he laid in bed next to me, all curled up, playing with my hair and said, "I love you, Mommy" - Thank the Lord he's not old enough to know how to ask for things at this time because his wish was my total command. We napped for about 3 hours and got up and went to "Ben's House!" What a blessed day!


Today has been a wee bit trying. He's trying to push some buttons and test some old rules to make sure that they still exsist. But I am still so happy to have him home! I love being Ben's Mommy!

Update on Ron

This is the latest email update from my father-in-law. As you can see, his attitude and faith and everyone's prayers continue to be his strongest defense against the cancer. Thank you, everyone!!

Hello,

Just a quick note about the checkup.

Proof that your prayers do work. The doctor at MDA said the chemo has stopped the growth in size of the tumor and that the cancer activity within the tumor had been reduced significantly. The exact answer that all of us had been praying for: that this chemo would work.

He wants to do one more 9 week session of the same chemo and then come down for surgery if that is agreeable with the surgeon. No signs of any cancer activity anywhere else in my body!!

God is good all the time!! Thanks to all of you and your continued prayers this second session should go quickly. This is short because we are going on a weekend camping trip with three other couples, but wanted to thank all of your for the great results. I continue to feel your presence in prayer and know that He is in control of all.

Please continue to pray for good results the second round and minimum side effects.


Love to all,

Ron and Brenda