Chattanooga CHOO-CHOO

For the first time the "new" Mann family took a family vacation.


Thursday morning at nap time we loaded up and headed out. The drive down went really well and Andrew did great and we got to the cabin just before bed time. He went down great the first night and slept all night- we were shocked and elated!

Most mornings were spent relaxing at the cabin until Andrew had napped and then once he got up we loaded up and he ate lunch on the road to Chattanooga. The little pig- all he did was eat ALL weekend, constantly!!!

Day 1: Although it poured down rain just as we finished getting ready for the day that did not damper our vacation excitement. We adjusted the weekend plans and opted for a day at the aquarium instead. What we didn't realize was that we were so intent on dinner the night before that we forgot to get gas. When we got out to the car we were almost completely empty; I'm talking like on E (but no gas light... yet). Brandon, thinking for sure that we had stopped, started to freak that we'd been siphoned somewhere on the road or at the cabin! Come to find out we're just forgetful; causing a classic loud deep belly laugh from me. Luckily we were at the top of the mountain and spent most of the drive down coasting in neutral. I laughed the whole way but Brandon didn't find it as funny as I did. :) It really was funny though... I mean, come on, knowing us- this would happen. lol.

The aquarium was SO much fun and came with plenty of Andrew exclamations of: wow, whoa, look, and giggles. It even came with some random break dance moves as we passed through a door way and the monkey heard music. The best part was when he would be looking at one fish and another would swim by, scaring him. His eyes would get HUGE and he would turn and asked to be picked up... I couldn't help but laugh each time it happened. The whole trip was hysterical and we had a blast! Dinner was at a Mellow Mushroom and the pizza rivaled our local Wick's.

Day 2: The temperature was in the WONDERFUL upper 70's so we opted for the Incline Railway and Rock City. Super excited about the Incline I found myself sorely disappointed at my terror on the dumb thing! The constant and slow feeling of "maybe" falling to my death at any moment didn't exhilarate my blood in the way I thought it would. Andrew was not impressed either. Although excited to get on the "choo-choo" the ride was too long to keep his attention and he wanted to move around before we were even 1/2 way up the mountain. The view from the top... a let down; I was ready for Rock City. :) Rocky City met my every expectation and Andrew loved hiking down the trail. I loved the swinging bridge more than my husband and son and might have upset a few strangers as I jumped, rocked, and bounced across it. Brandon and I both wished we had more time to spend there but still got to enjoy the visit and got plenty of fun pictures. Dinner was at the INCREDIBLE Sticky Fingers BBQ and everyone walked out stuffed!
Day 3: Not as well planned as the days 1 & 2. Starting out just after breakfast we parked close to the Riverfront and took a free shuttle to the Chattanooga Choo-Choo. Thinking the area would be just as nice as the Riverrfont with plenty to see and restaurants we were shocked to see the part of town it was in; the not so great part... We ate lunch at a small cafe in the hotel (very good) and spent the next hr getting Andrew to nap. The plan was while he napped Brandon and I would enjoy the sights and walk around... that only took about 45 minutes and the monkey naps for 1.5- 2 hours. Again, we just took the time to relax do what little shopping there was (they had a scrapbooking store! :) ) until he woke up. Once he was awake he snacked and walked around checking out the choo-choo. Back down at the Riverfront we thought he would enjoy all the water play- notta. He was done. He would splash his feet in but that was about all. Finally giving up at getting him in the water to play we paid for our parking and headed to dinner.

The restaurant I had chosen, come to find out, was closed on Sundays. Yep, right there on the pamphlet M-F and Saturday hours with nothing listed for Sunday. HAHAHAHA! Tired and hungry we drove back to the same parking gargage parked again and walked to Hennens. AWESOME restaurant with some of the best steak and fish either of us has ever had. Andrew was in a SUPER good mood so it was a VERY enjoyable "last meal" in Chattanooga.
Our last night it stormed something AWFUL and Andrew had a really rough night. His rough night caused us all to over sleep and we left 1.5 hours later than planned. Despite the bump it was a good drive home. The monkey entertained himself until lunch and conked out directly after.

Brandon was bummed we had to, yet again, eat lunch on the road at a McDonalds but I teased that we eat where the kid can play. :) We stopped off at a park in a small historic town to run off some energy after the monkey's nap only to find out that the town was shut down on Mondays. NOTHING was open for us to use the restroom or get a snack. There business days were T-Sat., of course! hehehe. After some fun at the park we scronged up a gas station and headed the rest of the way home.

The weather was perfect, our son was entertaining and an angel, and we didn't have internet so Brandon couldn't be tempted to check his work email. Our complaints: the cabin was WAY too small, smaller than our 700 sq. ft. apartment when we first got married- PLUS- when this big bellied prego woman has to pee she does not want to walk down tight spiral stairs to do it, the cabin didn't have a tub thus the monkey didn't get a bath the whole trip. The plan was to put him in the shower our last morning but with us running behind schedule that didn't happen. He actually had an odor and the whole way home. I was in the back seat with him for most of that trip... smelling him. :-P To top it off, our son has an arm on him and loves to throw his trains... at our heads... he also has good aim. :) lol.
It was an awesome and much needed vacation. Now who wants to take my son for a week so I can rest in a whole other way?! ;)

Memorial for a Whole Other Reason

Memorial Day Weekend is a weekend to remember those who served or are serving our country. Tradition has it come with a relaxing weekend of memorial services, cook outs, and a day off work. We found that ours came with a whole lot more... stress.

Let me give you our weekend plan: Andrew gets shipped to the G'rents Fri/ Sat night while Brandon finishes painting our Master and we get the house put back together. Brandon and I get a date night, extra sleep, and a break from parenthood. Sunday after church we leisurely drive to get Andrew, stay the night, leaving the dog when we come home Monday. (They are dog sitting while we vacation this week). THAT was the plan! The plan that DIDN'T happen and here's why:

Wednesday night Brandon and I finished prepping the master bedroom for paint. Brandon took Thursday and Friday off to get it done and with Andrew out of the house for the weekend we could leave bits and pieces of the room through out the house. As we carried our cheap bookcase out of the way it completely collapsed and fell apart on top of us- literally. Luckily neither of us were hurt but the bookcase was totally trashed and now we had no where to put any of the books. *minor detail*

Thursday night on our way home from Life Group Brandon and I were in separate cars. While I picked up Andrew from a friend's Brandon blew 3 tires on my car and bent all 4 wheels. $85 for a flat bed tow for less than 5 mi. and we were down a car. Calls were made, plans changed, and schedules accommodated to our one car situation- it was a late night!

At 12:15 PM Friday I got a call from a from our friend that was watching Andrew that said he was not himself. Come to find out he had an UNDER ARM temp of 102.7 and she has taken it twice! Brandon, who was in the middle of painting our vaulted ceiling master bedroom, ended up having to go get Andrew because I was at work with out a car. Bear in mind that master room furniture, art, and books were spread through out the house and having a toddler roaming about was not ideal (that's why he was going to the grandparents). On his way to get Andrew we picked up the broken car and were now out $600. As I drove it back to work it drove it was hard to control and drove horribly. We knew more work was going to need to be done... it was more than just the tires. (There went a portion of our vacation money.)

Andrew's temperature remained over 102 for the rest of the afternoon keeping us from taking him to his grandparents per the plan. When his temperature finally broke that evening I frantically called and readily offered to meet the in-laws in Frankfort for the hand off in a sad attempt to save our weekend plan and help get the painting done.

Tired from the late night of getting the car towed, sleeping in the guest bedroom due to the painting, and the stress of schedule changes with one car and the day with a sick kid I hopped on the highway- Frankfort and a soon to be good night's sleep fresh in my mind! Time ticked away and my son chattered happily in the backseat. As I came up on the KY speedway I grew concerned and when I saw the sign that read I-75 15 miles my heart sank and my blood pressure sky rocketed... I was on the wrong highway. Did you know that you can't get to Frankfort from I-71, Frankfort is off 64. I did too but have NO IDEA what was going through my head when I got on I-71. Driving an extra 45 minutes out of my way I met my in-laws in Georgetown and took 64 home. I made sure to call Brandon when I passed Frankfort and tell him that I found it. hehehe.

I came home exhausted and stressed from the extra long trip and crashed. No date night. :( Friday night the in-laws battled with Andrew's temperature. If he had medicine in him it would remain normal but the minute it wore off he would spike up over 102. After numerous phones calls Saturday morning to us and urgent cares the in-laws made a trip to a Lexington urgent care with the sick kid. Brandon and I frantically attempted to finish the bedroom and get enough of the house put back together that it wasn't a complete wreck before heading to Winchester a day early. No day with the hubby, no break, nothing! The boy was miserable and once we got to the in-laws he let loose just how miserable he was; needy, fussy, and just generally feeling crappy he only wanted mommy. We fought with his fever until Sunday afternoon and gladly came home early on Monday for a chance to "relax".

After settling in at home Brandon attempted to start the broken car... fail. Nothing more than a click and grind and the car is shot.
Still down a car- plans/schedules were changed to accommodate again. Andrew is feeling better but still recovering.We've lost a bookcase and car and battled illness. When it rains, it pours but I'm just thankful we already had a break planned. We have a long list of need-to-dos before we leave but we BOTH are ready for our vacation; we're just praying it goes better than our weekend. :)

Laid Back Mom With The Good Son

It's true what they say: Once their mobile all life comes to a screeching halt and there is no going back. I don't think I'll be as encouraging with the second one when it comes to moving around. I just don't know if I'll have the energy for it. My son is past his 1st birthday and our second, a little girl, is half way here. Whew, what a whirlwind of life.


While pregnant with our son I always shared that I would be a laid back parent; allowing my child to eat dirt, make a mess, and not living through a hand sanitizer bottle. Everyone would just laugh and say: "yea right, just wait". To give credit and toot my own horn for a moment I have maintained my original thought.

Here's my mentality: You want to hold my kid, perfect that means I don't have to! He did a back flip off the couch and landed on his head, is he bleeding or crying? Was it just one handful of dirt or two that just went in his mouth? Another stain, the shirt only cost one dollar. He likes my shiny necklace, here put it on him. The dishes can wait the boy wants to show me how he emptied the pantry of all contents and found his crackers.

Does my life long love of children and dream of becoming a mom fuel my nonchalant attitude? Do I have some sort of special gift that allows me to be so easy going? Am I so grateful to my heavenly father to giving me Andrew that I'm willing to let him go? Am I lazy? Do I care enough? This is my first child, I'm suppose to be panicky about every germ, mess, and outfit they ruin, right?

With so many questions in mind I can't help but ask why would I want to restrict him with so many rules and a fear of germs? Andrew is safe. Andrew is happy. There are rules in our house, there are rules when we're out in public, and the rules are the same. We ask things of our son and don't yell. Even at 15 months old we give him choices and let him decide. We communicate what we expect and follow through with age appropriate discipline when it's not met. We take cues from him and listen when he's trying to communicate something to us. Andrew's personality is easy going. He loves life, he loves food, he loves people, he is an easy child. Maybe I'm so easy going because with Andrew I can be.

In the past I've been asked what I do to have such an "easy" or "good" child. Nervously laughing my response is always: prayer. My prayer from the moment I found out I was pregnant and to the present moment has always been that my child would be happy, healthy, and love God with all his life. I've never prayed for obedience, a sound sleeper, or a strong and smart man. I've never felt the need to. God created my son. God knows his path and it's my job to trust him and seek his will to help guide Andrew to it; what ever it may be.

Outside of prayer I fully believe that my laid back mentality comes from my own parents. They raised me with a great attitude that has translated to my adult years and now to my own children:

I'm here for you no matter what. If you want to make a decision that causes your life to fall to pieces that's your choice. That choice is okay because I'll be here to help you pick up the pieces!

Please don't misunderstand. My parents did not let us run crazy and do what ever we saw fit. Just as my 15 month old has rules so did we. As we grew and followed them we gained trust and with that trust came independence. As Andrew grows he will gain that trust and independence as well.

In the mean time, he can eat dirt- as long as it's not out of my flower pot (lol). He can flip over the back of the couch, he can completely empty his bookcase of books, bang my pots on the floor, or break my jewelry by accident. It's not that I don't care but that I want my son to learn how to be his own man of God. I keep him safe but am willing to let him learn a few things on his own- even if that means it might hurt a little.

My prayer remains: Father please let Andrew be healthy, happy, and help me to show him how to love God with all his life.

9 Months

Having a walking infant is insane. He's walking... walking... I just can't get over it. 9 months and walking. It's quite cute to watch him. He walks with his hands up in the air and his chest puffed out; he looks like a gorilla. Despite my attempts to get him to make gorilla sounds when he walks he just looks at me and smiles. It's like he's laughing at me and saying "silly mommy!".

Walking = exhaustion.

8 months

My little monkey is moving so fast sometimes I feel like he is just a blur in my vision as he cruises by. He's pulling up on anything that will support him and moves along the furniture like a pro. He's even begun to move from the couch to the ottoman and back again. He's super proud of himself for this.

He cracks me up because every time he pulls up he grins with such satisfaction that you can't help but smile in return and praise him for his valiant efforts. He continues to be a happy child; something I don't think he'll ever grow out of. He loves charming and smiling at everyone who's willing to look at him. Even when he hits beyond the point of exhaustion he'll pull out one of his heart melting smiles for who ever is standing in line behind us at the grocery store.

He's quite the dare devil; absolutely loving it when Brandon or Pop throw him up in the air, hang him upside down, or bounce him around on the bed or couch. It warms my heart to know my little monkey will one day get on the Vortex, if it's still around, with me at Kings Island. His laughter is contagious and Brandon and I both are truly blessed when it comes to Andrew.

Him and Tiko are still buddies; although, Tiko is struggling with the concept that Andrew is higher on the totem pole and pecking order in our family. It's gotten to the point that any time Tiko gets fed the monkey gets to play in and with the dog food first. Not exactly the way I would want to teach Tiko but I will admit it has been exceedingly effective in making my point. We'll be bringing the treats back out this week to reinforce the behavior we're looking for. That task alone has been exhausting...for everyone.

As the monkey continues to explore his surroundings we've seen that he is a quick learner. He knows what "No" means and is already testing those boundaries. I've known from the beginning that he would be a strong willed child and his pushing only confirms that thought.

Although he may look like his daddy, his social extrovertness and talkative nature he gets from his mommy! His current vocabulary is limited but he does enjoy saying those few words OVER and OVER changing his intonation and volume. He loves to tell stories or just sit in his car seat and chatter. We laugh now but I'm sure once the garble becomes real words we'll long for the days of his coos and silence.

For now we simply enjoy every smile and moment we get. :)

Cemetery Tour

There have been many occasions where family and friends have teased me about my love of organization and over preparedness. I prepare for the worst and always feel ready for anything. In this story there were no jokes or teasing because Brandon was thankful I was ready for it. :)

Although we had seen my parents only a few weeks prior it had been about a month since we had seen my sisters, nephew, and niece. Brandon and I both were feeling in need of some Kyndahl, our nephew, laughs and made plans to make a visit to Cinci. As usual, I packed everyone’s stuff and readied what was to be put in the trunk and what went in the back seat. We made sure to load up and leave around the monkey’s nap time. We headed out in high spirits. I started out in the back seat with the monkey and the dog so that I could administer the bottle that would knock the monkey OUT!

15 minutes down the road and the monkey is wailing. Bottle fail, Monkey 1-Mommy 0. I climb in the front seat to let him cry it out and hoping he’ll drop off to sleep. When his cry escalated I climbed back into the back seat to check out the problem. Orale Gel fail. The monkey is still crying for the hills. Monkey 2- Mommy 0. Reaching down I can feel that he needs to be changed and readied to do the deed mid drive. My plan came to a full halt when I pulled off his pants I noticed the monkey had poop on his legs… the only place to pull over was some Podunk state route exit with nothing more than a cemetery, of course! Thankfully it wasn’t the side of the interstate so it would have to do.

By this time we can smell what the monkey has done. Upon opening the car door Tiko takes off and starts peeing on every headstone in sight; the Mann family offers their condolences and apologies to all those buried in that cemetery. As I pull the monkey out of his car seat dread, and my gag reflex, kick in. The ENTIRE car seat is covered in poop as is my son. Groaning for Brandon I carefully climbed out of the car with my son held out in front of me, arms fully extended.

Luckily I had dressed the monkey in a button down shirt that came off easily. As I held my son out in front of me like a smelly garbage bag, Brandon pulled off his diaper and dropped it on the ground. Placing his burp cloth on the trunk of the car we laid the screaming monkey on his belly and started scraping poop off his ENTIRE back; throwing the wipes on the ground as we went. We now understood why he was so upset. Monkey 3 – Mommy (still) 0. Laughing at the picture I was sure we were making I told Brandon to hold on I wanted to get my camera. LOL.

Having not fully understood the purpose of scented diaper disposal bags that I received at a baby shower realization hit me like a rock on the forehead. I took a second to thank my heavenly Father for the blessing of the giver as I pulled them from the diaper bag. As Brandon changed, dressed, and medicated the monkey with gas drops I picked up all the poopy stuff and placed it in scented bags and threw the 6 bags in the back of the car. (We were in a cemetery so of course there were no trash cans). While Brandon attempted to pacify the monkey, who had started to calm since being cleaned off, I pulled the car seat out and started cleaning it the best I could. As I was, yet again, scraping poop I noticed he had gotten some UNDER the cover. I had to remove the cover and get in a bunch of little nooks and crannies getting poop all under my finger nails. FAIL! Monkey 4- Mommy ZERO! Doing the best I could I warned Brandon that we might be smelling poop all the way to Cinci, and we were less than 30 minutes down the road. LOL.

After all was cleaned up and the monkey was happy we loaded up the car, yet again, but not before snapping a few pictures of some Carrico headstones (Brandon’s family name). Once on the road the monkey fell asleep within 5 minutes and we had a peaceful res of the drive to Cinci. Laughing at the whole ordeal I assured Brandon there would be a story WITH pictures.

Our son may have won the battle that day but the war is not over- IT’S ON NOW! BRING IT!

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

Like any other Thursday I gathered my sheet music and CDs and headed out of the office around 4:30. Making my way over to church I parked my car and set the emergency brake taking care to grab all that I needed for rehearsal. The newly finished lobby brimmed with the evening sun coming through the wall of windows; there was no need to turn on any lights. Stepping into the auditorium cast a shade of pure darkness fell over me as the door shut behind me taking all the light from the lobby with it. Allowing my eyes to adjust to the sudden change in perspective I thought over how I would make my way backstage.

Slowly walking my way up the isle, familiar with the 3 foot width, I reached for the stage with intentions to follow along the edge to the stairs that I knew were on the far wall. With my hand out in front of me, following the stage, confusion suddenly hit only seconds before pain. Doubling over I sensed my muscles and nerves sending messages to my brain although I didn't understand why. Throwing both hands out in front of me frustration added to my confusion as the blackness through out the room maintained it's presence and I couldn't see where I was putting them. Letting out a cry of pain I heard my sunglasses go flying out into the black pitted abyss. The tips of my fingers registered something hard as my hips and thighs took in gravity and made contact with the same object as my fingers many times over. Slowly my brain put all the pieces together and mentally formed stairs. Grasping in the darkness, for what I'm not sure, I hoped for anything that would help me find some sense of balance. The blackness was confusing my brain as to what was up/down/ right or left and I threw all sense of grace away, like my sunglasses across the room somewhere, and landed with a genuine SPLAT.

Jolting to a halt my elbows and forearms made contact with cold concrete that I couldn't see. A burst of color flashed across my eyes like a firework display as more muscles and nerves shot messages of pain to my brain. My head bobbed and I could feel my feet in the air held up by a foreign object although I couldn't see either the object or my feet. What lasted only seconds had felt like ten minutes.

Breathing and moving slowly I lowered my feet to what I hoped was the ground and turned my hips right side up. Nervously I placed my hands on the concrete and searched for the object in question. Stairs. When did they put stairs on the front of the stage, this is new, why are they here, for the special service, I don't have a concussion, can I walk, MAN that hurt. My thoughts began to come tumbling out of no where as quickly as the staircase I just hit. Carefully, I crawled up the stairs taking care to place each hand and foot firmly before dropping my full weight.

Believing that the fall/crash/ incident hadn't been that bad I placed all the music and CD's where they needed to go and limped my way back out to my car.

2 weeks later and the bruise that slowly formed still looks nasty and feels like I just bumped it.