Polish people

Just trying to scare the neighbors...it worked.

Educational Polish decor

Yesterday was our Palbicki Party. We had a red & white (national colors of Poland, of course) house decked out with Polish books, maps, trivia and even custom I'm a Palbicki beer mugs complete with family crest. Jake even made a special trip to the Polish deli in Minneapolis to get authentic kielbasa and kraut.

Melanie & Katie are hiding but there were there.

To say it was a blast would be a lie. In fact, it could be the shortest party on record. How do you say this in Polish, "They came, they ate, they left"? Jake might have said it best when he said "it was the lamest party ever...and it was at my house". No really, it was great to see everyone for a few seconds. Grandma Sylvia, Melanie & Maddy drove up from Winona, Jeremy, Katie & Grace from Rochester and everyone else from around the cities. Norelle was terrified to wake-up finding all these Polish people at her house so she clung to me like an a 23-lb baby orangutan the entire time while Jake manned the grilled, so we really really didn't get to chat too much. Thankfully, my tan Dad & Linda organized all the food in my suddenly tiny, cramped house for the crew.

Unlce Rick with his wife Dana, kids and grandkids. And his toupee.

It was wonderful to see Uncle Knob, who has completed 3 rounds of chemo and now has a week off. He is tired, skinnier and has more pain so he is really going through a lot. He has decided to just go on disability instead of trying to work since it's more stressful than anything. He LOVED the funny cards you all sent him so feel free to send more to keep him smiling! It's a scary no-fun time but he has many people giving him love everyday!

After most people left, Mekensie played the drum leading a Polish parade. They got laughed at.

Happy 3rd Birthday Lo Lo!

Patiently waiting for her serenade

Star of the party!

Little friends (Liam, Nori, Lo and Makenenna)

Is this weird?

Not my actual dad because I am pretty sure he wears speedos in there

I was looking at a Father's Day ad and it suggested buying your dad a canteen as the ultimate gift. This prompted me to a) laugh and b) think about what my dad would actually like. All that I could come up with is tanning oil. My dad goes tanning. Weekly. He has for years. It's bad for you but he doesn't really care... he always looks like he just got off a cruise. So, to my original question: is this weird? And this one: how can I get him to stop?

I saw myself in this article...

about Jon & Kate. This part, here:

We've all known (or read the blog of) an intense mother who cannot shut up about every banal detail of the household, who (as Kate does) surrounds herself in the minutiae of the mundane -- the trips to Gymboree, the perky Bible verses on her kitchen wall

And then, I didn't:

Also there's the anachronistic, psychological freak show: Daddy is a sure-shooter and Mommy's body is a clown car; we have no purpose other than to eat, sleep, argue, reproduce and grow. Perpetuation of the family gene pool is our only purpose, and all costs (material or emotional) are beside the point. Biologically this makes some animal sense, and it's no accident, at least on my dial, that these shows play out so close to the travails of the Serengeti.

Peruvian Preview

We are finalizing our trip planning and I am getting really excited for my first South American trip! Take a peek at what we are planning...

On August 29th, we fly to Lima for brief overnight stay and then fly out to Arequipa the next morning. In Arequipa we are staying at the adorable Casa Arequipa B & B for two nights while exploring all the local sights, restaurants and cultures of Peru's "White City", the county's second largest.

From there we fly in to Cusco, elevation11,000 feet, to tour historic buildings and enormous Catholic churches built on Inca ruins, view Incan art, and try new culinary adventures such as cuy (roasted Guinea pig) and ceviche. Did I mention you can get an hour long massage for $15?

After two nights at the Hotel Rumi Punku in Cusco, we will trek to Machu Picchu

The rest of our trip will be in the Sacred Valley for some R&R and Ross & Yesika's wedding at our resort, Aranwa Hotel Spa just outside of Urumbamba. We fly home on Sept 7th, perhaps with an appreciation for pisco sour?

Want to come along?

How lucky am I?

My little baby girl is a riot! Yes, her newfound legs are WEARING me out as I chase her from one end of the yard to the other and watch her try to climb ungracefully on concrete steps and retaining walls. Jake taught her to pray so she knows to fold her hands and bow her head for brief prayers before bed. Her new favorite game at daycare is Puppy Doctor. Tammy rotates toys and just brought out lots of little puppy kennels, puppies and doctor kits so the kids go around caring for the sick and tired puppies to make them all better. I wonder if Nori will try to take over when we take Dorothy to the vet tomorrow?

But her new vocabulary is hilarious. We taught her how to rub noses together so she likes to do that but she loves to push mine and Jake's faces together so she can watch us rub noses. She insists we do it over and over again, forcefully guiding our heads. She would not let us stop so I said to her "you perv" and she replied back "perv!" This morning she brought her shoes over saying "shoes" so I put them on her and then she said, clear as day, "go outside?". Somehow she graduated from animal nosies to conversations in no time at all. I really don't know where she gets it from because I am super shy and unassuming and Jake only speaks Spanish.

This blog is turning in to a mom blog.

It walks and talks...

I'm not scared of you!

I recently read this article about how mothers who teach their babies about other people's feelings greatly help develop their social kills. So when Nori recently colored on the wall I told her it made the wall feel sad. Do you think I am doing this right? Anyway, not only does T.McB walk but she talks too! We went to the Como Zoo (along with every single elementary school in the state of Minnesota) where Nori got up close to "rooooaaar" at the lions and "eee ooo" at the gorillas who were eating corn on the cob. She even said "that big" when pointing at the buffalo. Later she busted out a whole sentence saying "I want that!" and then "that mine!". Now, when we ask her, "Who is pretty, pretty, pretty way too pretty?" she knows to says "Me! Me! Me!". I can not believe the changes I am seeing!

At Jeff & Katie's big baby shower we caught up with the Winona crew and Nori hung out with the kids: Mason, Gavin, Grace, Olivia and baby Nova. Nori takes after Gramsie Holly as she could suddenly walk like a fiend, making multiple beelines for Cafe Latte and Quince gift shop (my mom also has increased mobility and energy spurts when shopping or near cheesecake). It was a fun day and we are all very happy for the Harringtons!

Jake's only fan

Yesterday us Seltzes all woke up early to make homemade blueberry muffins and lounge in our jammies. Nori & I walked to the park to play and then later over to SPA to watch Daddy play tennis. She shrieked when she realized it wasn't just some guy we were watching but rather her daddy and has been playing with his tennis rackets ever since. Future tennis star in the making?

Mothers

Already knows more about electronics than I do.

See this photo? Nori found the camera while I was packing, smiled at it, and then said, "see?" requesting to look at the digital image. Suddenly her language skills are in full force! Favorite words include: sock, shoe, teeth, bluuuueee (for blueberries), dog, yeah, baby, moo moo (for milk) but she can repeat just about any word you say. I swear she said "Minnesota".

"Grandpa, why don't we have a yard at my house?"

I managed to get packed up, be the only driver downtown Minneapolis with a baby in the back and a yellow lab sticking her head out the window, pick up Jake, and drive Winona for the weekend. When we got to town, Gramise Hol and Papa Michael went with us the park to enjoy the warm weather. That night Nori played on the swings with Grandpa Steve and we had some Rocco's pizza. Charlie refused to make us his signature cookies because he is on a health kick. But, since we have given up on ourselves, after he left we we guiltily enjoyed Liz's hot brownies.

We miss you, Grandma!

On Saturday we went to Rollingstone for my Grandma Audrey's burial. The headstone looks beautiful and she has a lovely resting place overlooking a pond with lots of trees. Afterwards, Toni & Jodi hosted lunch for the family at their house. Later, Nori found the best toy ever at her grandparents house, her little booster chair. She literally spent hours sitting in it, buckling and unbuckling the straps. That night we enjoyed great steaks & shrimp on the grill and sat in the hot tub outside looking at the stars.

Casey reminds Nori that Mozart had already composed a symphony at her age...

This morning Hol & Casey joined us out at Seltzes for a Mother's Day brunch. It was special to able to spend the day with our moms and we are very grateful for them! It is proven that the mother-child relationship is the most influential one in your whole life so if you don't like me, blame my mom...I think she held me too much as a baby. To our moms and Nori's grandmas: We love you! Happy Mother's Day!

Grandma Liz + Nori = BFF's forever

3 generations

My dad brought me these! We didn't get to see Linda but we sent her flowers, too.

Nori painted this at daycare- it's a pen for my desk!

To my daughter, thank you for making me a mom! I love you sooooooooooo much!

I'm a jet setter!

I was selected for a site visit!!! After weeks of checking my mailbox for news, today I finally received the phone call telling me I was "one of the top choices" and will get to go abroad to have my own little study abroad experience!! Contrary to what my mother thinks, I will not be leaving my baby and husband for months on end. It will likely be only a week of "work". The woman who called me did say that they are not sure if New Zealand or rather London would be a better fit for my student population so I have some homework to do to look for courses and departments that will work for my students. Originally, I was set on New Zealand but now I am thinking London would be equally cool because odds are better that we could afford to have Jake & Nori fly over so we could travel for a week as well. I am so grateful!!!

Eltit (title backwards)

I remember the first time I ever heard the term "blog". It was described as an online dairy which seemed like an oxymoron because aren't diaries supposed to be private? Little did I know it would catch on and be the perfect way to simultaneously embarrass yourself and show off your bad spelling and punctuation skills to everyone who knows you!

Lots of action coming my way in the weeks to come. Tomorrow we head down to Winona to see our families, inter my Grandma Audrey's casket in the Rollingstone Cemetery, and celebrate Mother's Day with our moms! I already have a mental list going of everything I need to pack for Nori and it's getting longer every minute. If I forget her "baby" (a.k.a Curious George), she will not be happy. Then, I am wisely taking Monday off as special MOM's Day for myself! I hope to get some flowers for outside and do some planting. And cleaning and laundry and groceries.

Next weekend is the big baby shower for the Harringtons hosted by us Winona Girls so we have final preparations to do for that. I hope Katie doesn't mind when we surprise her by insisting she strip buck naked so we can all help do a cast of her belly at the shower. Then we can play that really fun game where she pre-enacts the birth, yelling at Jeff for getting her into this predicament and swearing up a storm like she usually does. Another big party on the agenda is the Palbicki Party we are hosting at the end of May. Us poor Pal.B's have had a rough year with the loss of Uncle Jim and then Uncle Knob's cancer diagnosis, so we are overdue for a get together to celebrate our Polish-ness. I asked my Grandma Sylvia to wear her Polish Heritage costume so we'll see if she is a true team player or not.

Also, we are having a blast planning our trip to Peru...look for a preview of our adventure in the days to come. Off to keep up on the latest in the Jon & Kate Plus 8 saga...

Cinco de Mayo!

You are welcome to come over for dinner...we are making fajitas! Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Knob News

Uncle Knob had his oncologist appointment today and as feared, the news was not good. The doctors think that with treatment, he could live a year or so. His onc did say he has one miracle patient who has made it nine years. He will also be part of a clinical trial so there is a chance he may receive some band new wonder-drug but of course, there is a chance it's a placebo. Please keep Rick & Dana in your prayers as Rick starts chemo and prepares to fight! The good news is that Rick wears a toupee (what, it's true...all the Palbicki men are bald) so no need to worry about hair loss. My dad said Knob has been really touched by all your cards so thank you for putting a smile on his face!

Overheard

"Let's brush your teeth........brush your teeth.......brush your teeth. Honey, I just want to brush your teeth, not have you play with every dangerous thing in the bathroom!". Jake to Nori 7:22 p.m.

My 1,000th post!

Actually, it's not. No idea what number I am on. But, what if?

Tube girl

Thanks to my Aunt Jill for babysitting Nori on Friday while I attended an advising conference and to Aunt Ellen for babysitting on Saturday while I worked Commencement. After my double shift, I dipped into my birthday funds (you know, that cash I have in my top drawer next to my dry-fit shirts that I am saving...the cash not the shirts) to get a real pedicure. I must say, my toes look lovely!!

Naked ladies

Jake, Nori & I had Family Date Night at the Blue Door Pub on Friday. Other than that, we have been sticking to our mostly healthy eating with lots of fruits and vegetables. Nori loves her red peppers, carrots, and even spinach as well as blueberries and blackberries so she is easy to please. I wish I could say we got more done this weekend but just caring for, feeding, and cleaning up after a one-year-old seems to take up the entire day.

Playin at the park

Jake did however lend Pat a hand building Liam's new swingset...in just three to five short weeks it might be half done. We were handsomely rewarded for his efforts with a delightful dinner we did not have to cook. Ahh! The kids had fun playing together and have big plans for a secret club that will meet in the new fort. The password is...never mind, I will keep that a secret, too.

Jake & Andy screwing around (get it?)