Throwback Thursday

I’ve never really partaken in the whole Throwback Thursday thing on Facebook, but with Father’s Day right around the corner, I figured today would be as good a day as any to start. And rather than bore my FB friends with more cute pictures of Greta…I’ll do it here instead! So, sit back, relax and enjoy a few of my favorite pics of my goofy girl over the years…

 

 

 

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The Walking Dead…

Greta’s birthday party was almost a week ago, and while it was awesome, it was also completely exhausting. Anyone who has ever planned a kid’s birthday party themselves knows what I’m talking about: a lot of work, a lot of money, way too much to do and very little sleep. It’s like going to war. Well, OK, not that bad, but, pretty damn close. And from what I hear it gets worse when the kids get older and start inviting whole classrooms full of kids. Yikes…

Anyway, the party went off without a hitch (although Mrs. Yeti and have decided to jokingly refer to Greta’s birthday parties as “divorce makers” from here on out) and I think everyone had a lot of fun. Most especially the kids. So, yay! I’ll post pics soon. I promise! And I know I’ve said that before, but, this time, the pics have made the jump from my camera to the computer and some of them are even up on Facebook already. So, hang tight, pics really are coming this time.

The other no-so-fun thing about staging a big-ass kids party is that one, or all three of us, inevitably ends up a little sick after it’s all said and done. And this time, it’s Greta and myself who caught the bug. It’s really just a cold, but, coupled with this insane heat wave we’re having — it was 91 degrees outside for most of the day today! — it’s been a really long and nasty week for both of us.

And though we did manage to make it out to the library yesterday, Greta’s runny nose peaked today and going anywhere went right out the window. No need to spread our zombie virus any further.

So, we stayed home today and drove each other crazy instead. Seriously, indoor activities lose their luster pretty quickly when it’s hot as hell outside and both of your noses are draining all day long. Urgh…talk about a germ factory. I’m surprised Mrs. Yeti hasn’t taken to sleeping on the couch!

Thankfully, my most taxxing plans this weekend involve plopping a giant slab of corned beef into a crockpot full of boiling water. And lemme tell ya, Sunday can’t come soon enough.

God bless ye, St. Patrick!

The New Normal

If I’m lucky some of you have probably been wondering where I’ve been for the last few weeks. So, for the hearty few that have stuck with my poor, ill-fed blog lately, I’ll fill you in. First off, I had a number of crushing writing deadlines to meet in the month of December and that kept me a little busier than I liked. Come to think of it, it was probably the hardest I’ve worked since I made a go of this whole stay-at-home-yeti thing three years ago. Seriously, it was a pretty punishing schedule for any time of the year, but, when you toss in the holidays and all the craziness that that entails, well…lets just say I’m glad it’s over.

And though Greta was devastated at the fact that we couldn’t leave our Christmas tree up all year long, I’ve never been happier to put it all away. I know I sound like an old Scrooge, but, the clutter of Christmas really stressed me out this year. All I wanted for Christmas was a clean, clutter free house to work in…and an iPad Mini. Preferably in black.

Luckily for me, I got both, and once the tree and stockings were packed away in the garage. My daily workload shot way up. So, yay for me. Of course, anytime I get a lot of work done I can’t help but feeling guilty for ignoring Greta. Yes, she loves to play alone in her room with her Barbies and My Little Ponys for hours…but, I still feel bad anytime I’m knee deep in work and she’s craving attention. So, we worked out a little deal most days. “Let Daddy work for thirty minutes and then I’ll come play Barbies.” I’d say. “That’s not a good idea.” She’d say. “Here’s a better idea…FIRST you play Barbies in my room, then you work.”

You can guess who usually won that argument.

Anyway, despite the distractions, I did manage to meet all my deadlines and even squeeze in a very last-minute, whirlwind trip to Dubai and the Maldives to cover the inagural flight of flydubai’s new non-stop service to the Maldives. The trip was amazing and though I’d like to say I got loads of sleep on the beaches there while the Indian Ocean lapped at my feet, my time on the beach was limited to a few dips in the water and one long nap on my private deck. Yes, we had private decks with full ocean access…swanky, huh? And though the trip was magical and it was strangely liberating to not have to worry about carseasts and sippy cups for a few days, I came home with loads more work, so, it’s back to crazy town any day now. Actually, the deadlines are a little more evenly spaced this time around, and there’s not that pesky old Christmas/New Years crush to jam me up. But, we do have loads of birthdays, an Oscar party and Greta’s fourth birthday party to plan, so, the next couple of months promise to go by in another crazy blur of activity.

So, if you don’t hear from me for a while, know that I am juggling the twin joys of my life (parenting and writing) the best I can and that somewhere a Barbie is being played with.

Oh yeah, and about my new iPad Mini. It’s wondrous! I don’t know how I lived without it all these years…almost makes me want to add it to my list of “joys in my life”. But, then I think Mrs. Yeti might start to feel a little bit slighted. Aw, screw it, I’m adding my Mini to the list, Mrs. Yeti too. Who says you can’t have four joys in your life?

VIDEO: Greta’s third birthday party!

Greta’s birthday party was almost a month ago and I still haven’t even downloaded the pictures from my camera yet. But, luckily, my multi-talented brother, Ryan — also known in these parts as Uncle Guy-Guy — is much more on top of things. Not only did he shoot some amazing video footage at Greta’s party, but, he also edited it, set it to music and uploaded it to the old internet machine to boot! Whew, thank God for family!

So, though it might be a while before you see any still photos of the magical little garden fairy bash we threw in honor of Greta’s third birthday, this video pretty much captures it all…beautifully! Many thanks to Uncle Guy Guy for taking the time to put this shiny little gem of a movie together for us. You did the fairies proud, hermano!