Zbrzezny's Blog

Mind of a Four Year Old

2009-07-27T20:11:00.002-05:00

I have been working on Aubrie's Disney scrap book from our trip last fall. A bit late, but better late than never. Anyways, Aubrie is very concerned about Ariel. She has just now realized that the ocean is not by the rock that Ariel sits on in her Grotto.

"Mommy, who throws Ariel back in the ocean? Do the other princesses carry her there?"

Aubrie's Garden

2009-07-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

Way back this past winter, Lowes put out seeds and small greenhouse kits. Aubrie really wanted to grow a garden, so we let her pick out a few packs of seed and started in out kitchen. The seeds grew and in May we transplanted the seedlings to a corner of our backyard.

They are now taking over. We thought that we might get a small pumpkin or two and maybe a squash and some sunflowers. Everything is bigger than Aubrie is! The plants have outgrown the space we made for them and have taken over the whole corner and are spreading into the yard.

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-28T10:01:00.003-05:00

We spent the long weekend in Rochester with my parents. Saturday we went to a Rochester Ravens soccer game, Sunday was the Museum and Science Center and Monday was the Seneca Park Zoo. Aubrie loved every minute of it...right up until we left Daddy in Rochester to head back to Albany. Daryl had a conference in Rochester on Tuesday and Wednesday so he stayed behind. Aubrie is currently in an 'I only like Daddy' phase and she was quite upset with mean mommy who left daddy behind.

Aubrie and Papa at the museum.
The white tiger on loan to the zoo.
at the polar bear habitat.
Portraits

Allergies

2009-05-19T12:46:00.002-05:00

We have been having a hell of a time with the kids allergies. We spend Saturday at the Strong Children's Hospital in Rochester after Aubrie had an allergic reaction to something in the car. We were traveling to Buffalo for a baby shower and Aubrie woke up from a nap with her right eye swollen shut and the right side of her face puffed up like a balloon. We are not sure what caused the reaction, but a strong dose of Benadryl seemed to help. We head back to the doctor Thrusday for a follow-up.

Tyler seems to be doing better now than when he was getting milk products, but he is not 100% yet either. Apparently babies who have milk protein allergies (which he has) tend to develop an aversion to soy also. We will now be trying Nutramagin which is made specifically for kids with casein allergies. The first feeding did not go so well, but there is hope. Our next option is prescription formula...I do not what to have to go there because it can get rather pricey.

Other than the allergies, Tyler is doing well. He is not in the 3rd percentile for wight at 17 lbs and 33rd for length. He has 4 teeth, all cut in the last week or so and we are working on crawling...mainly backwards.

Weekend Update

2009-05-12T07:51:00.005-05:00

It has been a few weeks since we posted...a few random updates:

Tyler has cut his first four teeth in the span of about 5 days and he not very happy about it, but he loves his Cars graham crackers.

Aubrie's preschool class had a Mother's Day Tea Party and Concert.
Aubrie and Daddy planted her garden in the back yard...Aubrie chose melon, beans, squash, carrots, corn, peppers, pumpkins and sunflowers to plant.

We also went to the Tulip Festival again this year. Tyler was more interested in the grass than the tulips.

A boy and his dog...

2009-04-28T07:51:00.005-05:00

Barron has quickly learned that the best place to sit at snack time is under Tyler's seat. Tyler loves to feed his poofs to the dog.

and other assorted pictures:
Tyler and Connor

Aubrie and Corinne, her best buddy from preschool, decorating cookies
and blowing bubbles in the backyard
Fun in the sun...it has been close to 90 here the last 5 days! YUCK!
Continued bathroom projects. We took out the bump out from the hall closet that went into the bathroom. This makes the closet a bit smaller, but the bathroom a lot bigger.
We also removed the old, broken, wasp infested shutters and put up new shutters and painted the front door red--good Feng Shui.
Before:
After:

Spring Break

2009-04-19T20:47:00.005-05:00

This past week was Spring Break in the Capital District. No preschool, no gymnastics, no swimming lessons, no big girl lacrosse for mommy...it was a very long week! Fortunately the weather was very nice, so we did get to head out to Five Rivers Environmental Center for a picnic and hike with some of Aubrie's preschool friends.

Aubrie and Evan.Looking for turtles.
We put Tyler's swing up in the backyard, which he loves :)
We also continued work on the bathroom renovation.
Before--ugly tiles on the walls and floor and in the shower, awful vanity and counter top, one sink etc...it is hard to tell in the picture but yes, the bathtub is dark pink.

Our new vanity with double sinks. We are still waiting for our faucets to arrive...stupid UPS delivered them to the wrong address and they got sent back to California.Our new bathtub has BUBBLES!

Happy Easter, again

2009-04-16T20:42:00.004-05:00

We headed back to Western New York for a long Easter weekend. Although very rushed, we got to see just about everyone.

We had an early Good Friday breakfast at the Zaepfel's which also included the Benesch's. Aubrie was very excited to see her buddy Anna, and they had a great time wrecking the house...sorry guys :) Tyler also got 'reacquainted' with Clara. She was very interested in his nose.

That afternoon we went to the Broadway Market to pick up some traditional Polish eggs and Easter food. We then went to Kelly's Country Store to get candy...particulary Carmel Marshmallow Eggs (see previous post...Aubrie does not like Mommy's Carmellow eggs.) I am not sure what the rest of the country is like, but in Buffalo, you can find a candy store on almost every corner around Easter time, each selling different kinds of chocolate shaped items. We drove all over the Capital district and could not find a single store that had anywhere near the selection of chocolates. We have been told that Easter is more about filling the basket with eggs than chocolates around here.

We met Nater for drinks Friday night and got to talk baby. Congrats Nater and Julie...can't wait to find out what you are having.

The Easter Bunny came Saturday morning in Buffalo and then we were able to pick up a few more Buffalo items, while Aubrie and Tyler had Grammy time. We also met Sara and Chris for coffee before having Easter dinner with Jaclyn & John and Kevin & Lindsey and Grammy Lynda. Aubrie was thrilled to see everyone, but very disappointed that the 'baby doggie' did not come. I think Barron traumatized Clinton last time we were in Buffalo, so he got left at home.Saturday night we went to Rochester to see Grammy and Papa P and Aunt Katie. Fortunately Duke and Sadie were there, which pleased Aubrie to no end. She was also very happy with the bat that Aunt Katie bought her, since baseball is her new obsession-not that she have ever really played before.

Overall, a very busy but great Easter.

Really?

2009-04-14T18:20:00.004-05:00

"Mommy, there are no more of the eggs that I like!"

~Aubrie

Happy Easter

2009-04-09T09:25:00.002-05:00

Aubrie and Tyler's Easter photos...We also started our bathroom reno this past weekend--tiles are off one wall and the floor, the old vanity and sink are gone and the new vanity and counter top are in. We are still waiting for our new faucets to come in, so there is no water running to the sinks, but hopefully soon :) Pictures to follow.

Mmmmm Poofs

2009-03-27T09:15:00.002-05:00

Tyler's new favorite snack...he just needs to remember to take the pacifier out before the poofs go in :)

Random Stuff

2009-03-25T13:12:00.004-05:00

Aubrie had swimming lessons today, which she loves. She made the choice to stop taking ballet, so she could take swimming. She thinks that she is Ariel, and loves to swim under water. She is in the big kid class, without a floatie pack. She is the only girl with four little boys, which being the little diva that she is, she loves.

Tyler is doing well. He can hold his own bottle or sippy. I on the other hand, hate formula, especially at 3 in the morning when there are no clean bottles! He is gaining weight and seems to be much happier now that he is not scratching all the time. We have also started taking him swimming, which he likes, but he still hates baths at home.

Tyler Update

2009-03-17T11:51:00.004-05:00

Ty went to the doctor today for a weight check, just to make sure that he is back on track after being diagnosed with a milk allergy.

He gained 1 lb 8 oz in the last month...yay! We are in the big numbers now, 14 lbs 14 oz. All the way up to the second percentile for weight :). At least it is upward movement.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-10T15:57:00.006-05:00

A bit early, but we had pictures done today, so enjoy :)
As you can see, Tyler is doing much better now that he is off milk and milk related foods. He has been back to the dermatologist and been given a clean bill of health. We head back to the pediatrician next week to see if he has gained any weight in the last month...we are hoping for big numbers.
This picture seems to capture Aubrie's attitude perfectly! "Seriously, you want me to smile...whatever."

Busy Busy Busy

2009-02-25T22:12:00.004-05:00

What a busy couple of weeks. Aubrie turned four last Thursday; where have the last four years gone? We went to Buffalo to celebrate with our friends and family. Aubrie had a Build-a-Bear party at the mall with most of her friends. Unfortunately Anna was sick and could not be there, but John did a great job filling in as one of the girls.

We then went to Grandma Lynda's for cake and ice cream. I made Aubrie a Princess Build-a-Bear cake, which took much longer than anticipated, but turned out beautiful, if I do say so myself.

Aubrie also got to celebrate at preschool on Tuesday since last week was vacation.

While Aubrie was enjoying the week, Tyler was having a much harder time of it. He turned six months on Valentines Day and went in for is 6 month check up. His hight is progressing well, but unfortunately he only gained 6 onces in the last two months, putting him in the first percentile for weight. He also has really bad eczema which we have not been able to get under control. Due to this combination of problems, the pediatrician decided to send us to some specialists. On Monday we went to the dermatologist, who has Ty on three different ointments. Today we went to the allergist. 17 pin pricks later, we now know Ty has a severe milk allergy. So we either need to switch him to soy formula or I need to cut all milk and milk related products out of my diet to continue to nurse him. We will also have to start carrying an epi-pen in case of an emergency. This could also explain why he throws up after every meal. The doctor is hopeful that he will out grow this allergy in a few years but until that time, he will be on a very strict diet. You would be really surprised at how many products contain some form of milk. Even many of the Stage 2 baby foods have some milk or milk products in them. On a good note, we know that Ty is not allergic to Barron or Bruce, so we can keep our pets :) I am optimistic that this information will help us solve his medical problems so he gains weight and start sleeping more than 3 hours at a time!

Weekend Update

2009-02-02T14:23:00.003-05:00

Not a very exciting Super Bowl weekend at the Zbrzezny household. Both kids have the sniffles so we skipped out on the party we were supposed to go. Instead we hung crown molding in our master. It still needs to touched up, but we now have one room almost done in our house.
Before:
After:
As I mentioned, Tyler has a bit of a cold, so he is not very happy right now, but otherwise he is doing well. At almost 6 months, he is very different from Aubrie. She was very independent; she did not want to be held or cuddled for long periods of time and she was very happy playing with a toy in her crib or on the floor by herself. Tyler wants nothing to do with being put down. If we are awake, he wants to be in our arms (I am currently typing one handed while holding him the other arm.) This is nice in terms of cuddling and bonding, but does not allow me to get much done around the house and is not helping him learn how to roll over or sit up etc. The only place we have found that we can put him down with out him crying is on an old reclining chair that we got from Grandpa years ago.
If we surround him with pillows, he will take his afternoon nap in the chair rather than in my arms. Not the best solution, but for now, it works.

We are still doing well with food. Right now he is partial to cereal and fruit. We have tried squash and sweet potatoes, but neither of those seem to agree with him, even though he liked them. It is much easier having a baby who likes to eat as opposed to Aubrie who is still a terrible eater.

Tyler after his bath. He is not a fan of the actual bath, but a very happy baby afterward.

Food etc.

2009-01-21T19:48:00.006-05:00

Tyler started eating solid food a few weeks ago and he LOVES it!!! In the past few weeks he has eaten more rice cereal than Aubrie has eaten in her entire life. We have already gone through two boxes. We have also tried applesauce and today we added squash. Again he loves both of these. With Aubrie, we were lucky if she ate a whole jar of food in one day. Tyler would eat more than one jar in a sitting, along with a bowl of cereal.

Uncle Justin and Aunt Jessica came to visit last weekend. Aubrie was thrilled to see her 'friends' and had a great time building her Christmas Ginger Bread House. (just a bit behind).We were also able to hang our new TV over the fireplace with their help. Now we just need to finish building the wall to separate the two rooms and build some kind of cabinet/shelving for the rest of the audio components. (can't wait for that tax refund.)
Tyler's Baptism pictures:

Lots and Lots of Photos...

2009-01-12T13:52:00.009-05:00

It has been a while since I posted. We have since gotten heat back, which is a good thing since we have had record lows in the single digits (definitely looking into the new furnace with the tax return)!

Anyways:
Aubrie and Minnie at the World of Disney store in NYC.Tyler and Mom at the Rock to see the tree.
Aubrie's penguin that Santa brought...pre-filling at the Build-a-Bear Store, in her Belle dress that Santa also brought, which she has pretty much not taken off since.
Tyler on his noisy fire truck from Aunt Katie.
Aubrie bringing Happy Feet alive at the mall.
Tyler's baptism, December 28, 2008.
With his God Parents, Jaclyn and Kevin.
Tyler with his future wife, Clara, who was born a few days after him.
Aubrie and her buddies just before midnight on New Years eve.
Aubrie a few minutes after New Years...enough party, time for bed.
Aubrie getting her achievement ribbon at gymnastics class.
My cheerleaders with their first place trophy after competition Saturday.

BRRRRRRRRR

2009-01-04T19:49:00.001-05:00

So we just got back to Albany after spending almost two weeks in Western New York for the holidays...it is 39 degrees in our house! At some point over the last two weeks our furnace stopped working. This sucks!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-21T22:08:00.002-05:00

Christmas Pictures take 2...

Early Christmas Presents

2008-12-17T23:11:00.004-05:00

We took Aubrie and Tyler to see Disney on Ice tonight as an early Christmas present. Aubrie was sure that cousin Kate would be there since it was Disney. After she got over the disappointment of not seeing her best buddy Kate, Aubrie had a great time. After all, it was an excuse to wear her Snow White dress out in public again!
She loved seeing all of the Princesses with their men.
Even Tyler enjoyed the show, or rather the flashing lights and fireworks.
Yummy snow cone in a princess mug!On another note, Daryl and I received an early Christmas present from my parents today...
It is now hooked up to the Dish, but we have plans to mount it on the wall over our fireplace and we have to upgrade to HD programing. I am not sure what we are going to do with the outdated entertainment center that we currently have.

Santa

2008-12-17T12:13:00.002-05:00

Tyler's first meeting with Santa.

Overall it went pretty well...no screaming. Aubrie is an old pro at visiting Santa now. This year she would like Santa to bring her a penguin. (good luck with that)

Christmas Pictures

2008-12-07T21:18:00.004-05:00

Round one of the Christmas pictures...not a happy experience. Tyler was miserable and Aubrie had no interest in listening or smiling. We got a few in their pj's but none in their Christmas clothes.

MAC Champions

2008-12-05T23:45:00.001-05:00

Buffalo 42
#12 Ball State 24

Go Bulls!!! UB finally turns things around and we are not in Buffalo to enjoy it.

MAC Champtionship Game Tonight

2008-12-05T18:27:00.001-05:00

GO BULLS GO!!!

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/513996.html

One of those weeks...

2008-12-02T09:49:00.003-05:00

AHHHH, It has definitely been one of those weeks thus far, and it is only Tuesday! Aubrie's gymnastics class was canceled yesterday because they blew a transformer. Of course she was already dressed and we were halfway there when we got the call. This led to a meltdown about wanting to go to gymnastics class.

Last night while tucking Aubrie into bed, Daryl jokingly told Aubrie that he hoped that the lights worked at preschool today...not very funny. The lights work, but the heat does not, so there is no preschool today. Unfortunately, we did not learn about this until we got there...another meltdown.

I had planned on going to the gym while Aubrie was at preschool. I finally got Tyler into a spot at the children's center there-they only take 4 infants at one time, and it is nearly impossible to get one of those spots in the morning. So I told Aubrie we would go to the play room at the gym instead of preschool. Unfortunately, mommy was telling lies, the playroom was completely booked for older kids because preschool was canceled. So now nobody gets to go to the gym and I have two crying children.

I am just waiting for dance class to be canceled tomorrow to cap off the week.

Buffalo Bulls

2008-11-23T11:56:00.002-05:00

Can you say Bowl Game? It may not seem like much to most college football fans, but to those of us who have supported the Bulls through the trasition to 1A this is huge!

Bunches of Random Stuff

2008-11-21T11:35:00.004-05:00

Lot's of random stuff to post about since we got back from Disney. Fall is definately the best time to go if you are thinking about planning a trip...not too hot, but warmer that November in New York, hardly any lines, no crowds!

Tyler is ready to cheer on the Buffalo Bulls tonight against Bowling Green. A win tonight would clinch the MAC East Title and a berth in a Bowl Game!!! At least one team in Buffalo is doing well.

Aubrie at dance class

The latest home renovation project. We installed laminate flooring in our office...no more stinky, ugly green carpet.

Before

During

After

Happy Halloween from Walt Dinsey World

2008-11-04T14:01:00.004-05:00

Just a few pictures from WDW...full album to follow!

Aubrie and Cinderella's Coach

Aubrie and Tinkerbell

The whole family-just to someday prove to Tyler that he really did go to Disney.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-24T13:10:00.002-05:00

A little bit early, but since we are leaving for Disney early next week, we won't be home to post on Halloween.

Update

2008-10-21T12:26:00.003-05:00

We have FIRE!

Aubrie likes to tell us that she is cold, but if we turn on the fireplace, she will be warm.

First Post Tyler Project

2008-10-15T21:50:00.005-05:00

Now that Tyler is 2 months old (where did the last 2 months go?) it is time to get back to work on the house. He might as well learn early what life is like in the Zbrzezny household.

This past weekend we started installing a new gas fireplace in our family room. Our house currently has oil heat and last winter we had a few problems with our heating system breaking (usually in the middle of the night). We eventually want to switch our whole house over to natural gas, but in the mean time we at least have a secondary heat source if the furnace craps out again or we run out of oil in the middle of the night.

Aubrie went on her first field trip with preschool this past Tuesday. She had lots of fun at the pumpkin farm. She went on a hay ride, got to pick a pumpkin, went down a hay slide and played in a hay maze.

Wedding

2008-09-30T20:43:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Jaclyn and John on their marriage this past Saturday. Everything was beautiful.

Aubrie loved getting to be a flower girl again!

Cinnamon

2008-09-29T22:39:00.002-05:00

As long as Aubrie has been alive, we have had two cats and a dog. Within the last year or so, Aubrie decided that Cinnamon was her cat, Barron was Mommy's dog and Bruce was Daddy's cat.

Anyways, Cinnamon does not deal well with change and has been having a very difficult time adjusting to our new house and the new baby would only have added more stress to a cat that was already having "behavioral" issues (vet diagnosis for his refusal to use his litter box). My parents decided to give Cinnamon a chance to live at their house as a last resort before he went back to the SPCA. We did not tell Aubrie that her cat was going to live with Grammy and Papa and she has not seemed to notice that she has not seen her cat in over a month.

This past weekend we went to my parent's house for the first time since Cinnamon moved. We figured that Aubrie would recognize her cat and get very upset, but when she saw Cinnamon she proclaimed: "That kitty is the same color as my Cinnamon, Grammy and Papa got a new kitty just like my kitty. What's his name?" To which my mother responded "Tiger." So my parents now have a 'new' cat named Tiger who looks just like Cinnamon and Aubrie still does not realize that her cat no longer lives with us.

Random Stuff

2008-09-21T20:04:00.005-05:00

Go Bills!
The Bills are 3-0. It has been a long while since the Bills were in first place with a promising future. Unfortunately we live in Giants country and the Bills games are not usually on TV. We did find a Bills bar though, so Aubrie and Tyler had their first bar experience. Tyler slept the whole time, but received many compliments from the other Bills fans on his attire. Aubrie was interested for a little while, but then moved on to work on the puzzle that we brought along.
Aubrie and Tyler in their Bills attire.
Aubrie's new obsession is working on puzzles. She has a few 24 piece puzzles that are for 3-5 year olds, which she can put together in about 2 minutes. We got her a 50 piece puzzle that was supposed to be difficult for her, but she has mastered that as well. Right now she is working on the 150 piece puzzle for 6-8 year olds. This one is taking a bit longer.
Last weekend we went apple picking at a local orchard, which Aubrie loved...Tyler was slightly less interested.
Finally, a video from Aubrie's dance class.

Can't wait until Tyler does more than just lay around :)

1 Month Old

2008-09-13T21:17:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow Tyler will be one month old...I don't know where the last 4 weeks have gone-it certainly was not spent sleeping.

We had his one month pictures taken today:

Go Bulls Go

2008-09-13T20:37:00.004-05:00

The UB Bulls are now 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the MAC. Most college football fans would not consider this a major accomplishment, but for those of us who sat through winless or 1-win seasons in the snow of Buffalo, this is huge. This is the first time since 1969 that the Bulls are above .500 beyond week one.
Tyler enjoying his first UB game via DISH...we had to watch this weeks game over the internet.

Video From ESPN.com of the final play of todays game: UB 30-Temple 28.

Holiday Weekend

2008-09-01T20:20:00.004-05:00

We had a very relaxing family weekend...no major house projects were worked on. Lots of pictures:

The weekend started early and on a good note Thursday night as we listened to the UB Bulls dominate the University of Texas El Paso 42-17. It figures that the first year that we cannot go to Bulls games, they are going to be good.

Saturday we went to Grafton Lake State Park for a picnic and a swim at the beach. Unfortunately, while it was about 85 degrees in the city, once we got up into the mountains, it was only about 70. This did not seem to bother Aubrie at all, but Daryl and I were not going swimming.

Sunday was spent pretty much being lazy. Daryl and Aubrie went to the town pool to get in one last dip before it closed for the season.
Monday we went to the Saratoga Race Track to see the last races of the summer meet. Apparently going to the races is the thing to do in the summer if you live in the greater Albany area. While at the races, Aubrie got her first pony ride.

She also celebrated her horse winning the 6th race. We won $7.10 on a $1 bet. We will have to make sure we don't spend it all in one place...maybe save it for our trip to Orlando :) Too bad we did not bet $10 instead.

Tyler also got his first bath on Monday...quite the traumatic experience.
All in all a very good weekend. I start my new coaching job tomorrow, looking forward to that. I am sure I will post more about that later.

Art Project

2008-08-29T09:49:00.003-05:00

Aubrie made a stepping stone for her garden. The idea was to include her and Tyler's hand prints, but as Ty was uncooperative in putting his hand in the mold, we now have Aubrie's hand and Tyler's foot.
Aubrie especially loved decorating with shinny jewels.
The pumpkins are taking over Aubrie's garden, but at least something is growing :)

Random Stuff

2008-08-26T16:28:00.004-05:00

We have made it though almost two weeks...and I think this is the first time during those two weeks that both kids are asleep (at 5:30 pm, but whose complaining), so I can post a brief message, since I am sure one or both will wake up any minute.

The first week with Tyler home went well. He is a very good baby and only cries when he is hungry, which is hourly at night. Aubrie seems to be adjusting well for the most part. She likes to "help" especially when Ty is crying. Her "helping" usually involves violently trying to get a pacifier into his mouth or singing Little Mermaid louder than the crying.

We took them to the town pool on Sunday. Here is Aubrie showing off her swimming skills in the big pool. She can now swim about 20 feet on her own.

While Ty relaxed with mom under a tree.

Tyler Pictures

2008-08-19T22:43:00.002-05:00

We finally found some time tonight to put together a Tyler photo album.

http://www.zbrzeznys.com/pictures/Tyler%20Week%201/album/index.html

Family Resemblance

2008-08-15T15:56:00.006-05:00

Aubrie and Tyler may wish to deny it someday, but no one will believe them...they are obviously related:

Aubrie & Tyler

Welcome Tyler

2008-08-14T20:51:00.006-05:00

On Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 8:40 am we welcomed Tyler Richard Zbrzezny into our Family.

Tyler and Kristen are doing well.

Tyler weighed in at 7lbs-2oz and 20in, weighing less but measuring slightly longer than Aubrie at birth.

Aubrie seems to accept the concept of being a big sister though she was awfully upset and confused that should could not bring Tyler home tonight. It's been a long day and it is late, so this post is short. More to follow in the days to come.

Minor Setback

2008-08-11T06:59:00.005-05:00

We had a minor housing setback this past week...seems we were not the only ones living in our house. On Monday morning, I heard something clicking when I woke Aubrie up for camp. Above her bed was a large brown spot...turns out we had a large hive of yellow jackets living in our attic and they were eating their way into the house through the ceiling. Just what I needed a week before the baby comes. Anyways, one exterminator and a large bill later, the yellow jackets have been evicted. This whole process took about 5 days.

During this time, Aubrie had to be locked out of her room so it could be sealed off. She spent 4 nights sleeping in the babies room on an air mattress and she is now afraid to sleep in her own room and only wants to sleep with mommy and daddy. (I think this is also partially due to the fact that she knows the baby will get to sleep in mommies room.) She woke up Sunday morning around 3 AM screaming so Daryl had to spend the rest of the night in her room with her. Last night went better, although it was a fight to get her to go to sleep in there.

In terms of the baby, THREE days and counting. I think we have everything ready, room is cleaned, crib and cradle are ready, swing and coming home outfit have been washed. The only thing left to do is wash all of the boy clothes, but I am too superstitious to do that before the baby gets here...I know that if i wash all the boy clothes, it will be a girl. The only one who seems overly concerned about the baby is Barron. The poor dog knows something is going on and he is now my constant shadow. He follows me everywhere and has to sit right next to me on the couch or at my feet if I am in a chair. As soon as I get up, he gets up. He even sits next to the shower when I am in there. I am not sure what he is going to do when I am gone for a few days.

The house is also just about ready. The kitchen in more done. The trim is up on the counter tops, the tile floor is sealed, and the cabinets are sealed. The only things left to do are put up crown molding and door hardware, both of which are completely aesthetic. Unfortunately, due to the yellow jackets, we now have a hole that needs to be fixed.

Aubrie's room was one of the few rooms in our house that was just about all done (new doors and windows next year). Now we have to patch, sand, prime and paint before the baby comes. Oh well, what's another project.

Busy Weekend

2008-07-27T22:34:00.005-05:00

What a busy weekend...but I am sure that they will all be busy right up until the baby gets here. As mentioned before, we finished the second closet in our bedroom and added a new ceiling fan. We (Daryl-my role is as supervisor!) also finished the installing and grouting the ceramic tile in the kitchen as well as adding electric to the island. A few other random small projects also were finished, but the more we get done, the more it seems we have to do!
Aubrie transplanted her pumpkins that she is growing from their pots to her garden yesterday. Unfortunately we had a major downpour this afternoon, so we are not sure how many actually will survive. Aubrie does not know this as she is in Buffalo for the week with Grammy Lynda. I am not sure what I am going to do with myself all week, but sleep seems pretty high on my priority list.
And Congratulations to my cousin Sami and her husband Zach on the birth of their daughter, Annalise Camryn, last week. That makes SEVEN new babies born to friends and family in the last 4 months...only 3 left to go, all due within the next three weeks.

Closet

2008-07-26T09:30:00.008-05:00

We now have a second closet in our bed room, which means that the baby now has his own closet! Yay! All that is left to do is paint the doors and put on the door knobs, but they are both functioning and full of clothes. We also added a new ceiling fan to our bed room, so all that is left to do in there is put up the crown molding.

Aubrie was obviously very interested in the process of building a new closet.

With only 18 days left to go until the baby gets here, it is good to get a few more things knocked off the checklist of house projects. This weekends projects include finishing tiling the kitchen floor, putting some shelves in a few kitchen cabinets, and a few other random projects.

35 Days...

2008-07-09T23:04:00.007-05:00

...and counting. My c-section has been scheduled for August 14 at 8 am. Although I am at 33.5 weeks, the baby is measuring a bit big (~35 weeks), so he may show up before then. We have a lot to get done in just a few weeks, including choosing a name. Even though most think that we are not telling the truth, we really have not picked out a baby name yet.

On that note, we spent the past weekend in Rochester and Buffalo, so we did nothing on the house, but we got to see many friends and family. Thursday and Friday were spent in Rochester with Grammy and Papa P. We had frozen custard at Abbots, and went to a parade and craft show. Aubrie got to play bubbles and take long walks with Grammy and Barron.
On Friday night we went to the firework at the University at Buffalo with all of our friends from college. We counted and this makes TEN YEARS in a row that we have gone to the fireworks at UB. Crazy, since everyone is married and starting families. Just think, next year there will be at least 6 kids there. I think this year we spent more time watching the girls play. Suddenly they are more interested in hanging out with each other instead of mom and dad. Guess we're not cool any more.

Saturday was spent in Buffalo with Daryl's family. We got breakfast at Exquisite Taste, my favorite coffee house and then Daryl helped his brother at his new house while I went shopping for Buffalo "things." Unfortunately I came up short in my quest for baby Sabres merchandise, but I was able to find a baby Bills onsie and cap. That afternoon we went swimming at Daryl's Aunt's with his cousins and Aubrie got to play with all of her little cousins in the big pool. Jumping into the pool about a thousand times wore Aubrie out, so she stayed at Grammy Lynda's while we got to go out to Chef's for our sixth anniversary.

Sunday we went to Tim Horton's for our Buffalo doughnut fix and then had our friends over for a picnic. Aubrie got to spend more quality time with her buddies, Anna, Morgan and Riley, whom she misses very much. It was quite the busy weekend.
Monday Aubrie had her "All American" pictures done. If we can get the virus problem with our computer fully resolved, I will post the whole set of pictures on our website.

Unproductive

2008-06-30T10:20:00.003-05:00

We had a very unproductive weekend...and that does not bode well for our long list of projects. Daryl was able to apply drywall compound to the new closet, but due to the ridiculous humidity, it has not dried, so he was unable to sand and prime as per our plan. Justin and Jessica passed through on Saturday, so we were able to move our entertainment center downstairs into the family room and out of the living room, so that is one thing off of our list.

Sunday was spent at the hospital with bleeding, cramps and nausea. Some antibiotics and a severe infection later, I was sent home. Fortunately the baby is fine and shows no sign of making an appearance anytime in the very near future. Needless to say, not much was accomplished yesterday.

On a better note, Aubrie started summer camp today. She will be at camp three days a week for four hours. Swimming, arts and crafts, games and socializing while mommy gets a break to run errands, clean, SLEEP etc. She was very excited when we left so hopefully everything goes well.
Next weekend we are heading back to Buffalo to see our friends and family and to celebrate the Forth of July as well as our 6th anniversary. I am especially looking forward to dinner at either Chef's or Ilio's (two popular Italian restaurants in Buffalo). I have not decided which one yet, but both are better than anything we have found in Albany thus far.

Weekend Project

2008-06-24T12:09:00.008-05:00

The big push is on. Only seven weeks, give or take, until the baby comes and we have a list a mile long of house projects that we would 'like' to finish before he gets here.

Our kitchen is ~85% done...mainly trim work left, and that is fairly low on the priority level since the kitchen is fully functional right now.

Our projects this past weekend included the initial construction of a second closet in our bedroom. Our house severely lacks closet space and until now, Daryl has used the closet in the nursery for his clothes. Once the baby gets here, we will need that closet space for his clothes and other assorted stuff that comes along with babies. Once the closet is finished, the room will need to be painted and a new ceiling fan installed.

Our other major project is the main bathroom renovation. Our bathroom is strait out of the 1970's, which is not really a big deal. We had planned on doing it next year, but Aubrie's exuberant bath taking (water seems to end up everywhere) has led to a leak in the floor of the bathroom into the room below. The floor tiles are also starting to pop off due to the excess water and lack of grout on the floor. Our decisions now revolve around completing the entire bathroom renovation with new whirlpool tub, wall and floor tiles, vanity, double sinks, light fixtures and paint, or do we do a "band aid" renovation and just fix the floor and put in the new vanity over the new floor. I would prefer to get everything done at once, but again, time is an issue.

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-16T09:38:00.005-05:00

We had a very busy Father's Day weekend...

On Saturday we went to Six Flags Great Escape in Lake George for Daryl's company picnic. Aubrie enjoyed all of the rides-the park is very kid orientated and she even went on the log flume, which she compared to going over a waterfall.
Daryl finally got to ride the Crystal Beach Comet, which due to hight regulations he was never able to ride before Crystal Beach closed in 1989!

On Sunday we went to Indian Ladder Farms to pick strawberries and play with the baby animals. Aubrie met baby goats, pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and rabbits.

Sunday night we went to a free "Pops" concert on the waterfront performed by the Albany Symphony Orchestra. The weekend ended with fireworks over the Hudson River. All in all, a very busy but enjoyable weekend.

2008-06-10T08:11:00.004-05:00

Aubrie had her gymnastics show at her new gymnastics school yesterday. She did very well, although she was very disappointed that she only got a ribbon and certificate at the end rather than the "beautiful trophy" she was expecting. (They got trophies at her school in Buffalo last year.)

Tropical Heat Wave

2008-06-08T21:21:00.002-05:00

It has been in the 90's for the last few days and the temperature is going to stay there for a few more....YUCK! No central air, ridiculous humidity and 7+ months pregnant do not mix well.

Aubrie does not seem to care for the temps either...sleeping away the afternoon in Mommy and Daddy's room:

NYC

2008-05-29T07:14:00.005-05:00

Aubrie made her first trip to New York City this past Saturday. We took the train into the city, which she loved. We then took the subway around the city with our friends from Buffalo, who were there for the whole weekend.

We had lunch in Little Italy.

Meeting Tinkerbell and Snow White at the World of Disney Store.

Aubrie once again proved that she can sleep anywhere. She passed out after a very long day on the train home.

Congratulations

2008-05-19T16:27:00.004-05:00

Congratulations to Justin and Jessica on their wedding this past Saturday. Everything was beautiful!

Aubrie loved being the flower girl, but I think she enjoyed the bubbles after the ceremony more than the mass.

But after a very long day, staying awake until the end of the reception was just too much. She can sleep through anything, including a very lively group dancing the night away.

We spent Sunday in Plymouth, MA visiting the Mayflower II, a reconstruction of the original boat that the pilgrims crossed the Atlantic on. Aubrie really wanted to go on the boat until we got inside, at which point she decided it was too dark and scary and she wanted to get off.

Weekend update

2008-05-11T17:22:00.003-05:00

Aubrie at the Tulip Festival at Washington Park in Albany on Saturday.

On another note, we have still not picked a name, but thanks for the suggestions that are coming in. I found a really cool website that lists the top ten girl & boy names by hospital for last year. It is interesting to see what the popular names are in your area as opposed to the top 10 from across the country.

http://our365.com/wisdom/babynamescape/default.aspx

Name Game

2008-05-06T13:25:00.003-05:00

The most common question people ask regarding the baby is if we have picked out a name yet. With Aubrie we had her first and middle name picked out months in advance and let everyone know the initials so they could start guessing names. With this baby, we cannot seem to pick out any names. I think that is partly due to the fact that Aubrie had me convinced it was a girl, so I had a girl name ready to go. We can also throw the fact that there are SEVEN babies of family, friends and co-workers due within the next three months, not to mention Babies Ella and Natalie who recently arrived. We don't want to pick out a name and have a friend or relative use the same thing. But for those of you who are curious, the front runners are A, O & T. Aubrie suggests that we call him Baby Boy.

Weekend Projects

2008-04-28T10:41:00.004-05:00

We now have running water in our kitchen!!!! Daryl got the new sink and dishwasher hooked up this weekend, so we no longer have to wash our dishes in the bathroom sink. The granite on the main counter top is also in.
Since our kitchen is now fully functioning, we are going to take a break from it so that we can build Aubrie's play set in the back yard. (mainly we have some lighting and tiling left to do in the kitchen). We also want to get the fence up in the back yard since Barron does not care for his leash. We started building the play set last night in the family room. The number of parts and pieces is ridiculous. After 3+ hours of working, all we have is a fort roof and a couple ladders.

Weekend Updates

2008-04-20T22:24:00.002-05:00

Yes it is mid April in New York and Aubrie spent the weekend swimming in the back yard. A bit crazy, but temps were in the high 70's/low 80's...this better not be a sign of things to come this summer, or I will be one miserable pregnant woman!
On another note, while Aubrie was enjoying the outdoors, Daryl was busy working on the kitchen remodel. All of the cabinets are in and the stove, microwave and refrigerator are working. Unfortunately we still do not have plumbing in the kitchen. Hopefully by the end of the week.

It's A Boy!

2008-04-17T18:57:00.003-05:00

Baby kicking Mommy...
Baby waving Hi!

Much to Aubrie's dismay, she is getting a baby brother not a baby sister. At this point in time, she is in denial, and will tell anyone who asks that we don't know what kind of baby we are getting. We have about 16 weeks to convince her that a baby brother is a good thing...she won't have to share her princesses!

Looks like we need to start buying blue clothes...just about everything we have for a baby is pink! More ultrasound pictures to come soon.

ER

2008-04-09T15:27:00.002-05:00

Aubrie made her first trip to the emergency room today. After tripping on the first stair outside our house, she went head first into the second stair, leaving a very bloody hole in her forehead. 3+ hours and some dermabond later, she seems no worse for the wear.

Daddy's Breaking the Kitchen...Again

2008-04-08T13:15:00.004-05:00

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

We started the major part of our kitchen renovation this weekend. Ripping out upper cabinets and sofits, taking the linoleum off the walls (who does that), peeling the wall paper off the remaining walls, and re-dry walling. Unfortunately Aubrie does not care for demolition, she gets very upset whenever daddy "breaks" something. I guess she will have to get used to it if she is going to live in the same house as Daryl.

Thanks Easter Bunny!

2008-03-24T15:39:00.003-05:00

The Easter Bunny brought Aubrie a great big playground for her backyard...now all Daddy has to do is put it together...

Shopping

2008-03-20T11:12:00.004-05:00

Aubrie decided that she wanted to go shopping at the mall today. I told her that she couldn't go to the mall in her PJ's. Apparently Mommy did not move fast enough...Aubrie yelled to me from upstairs that she was ready. She laid out everything that she wanted to wear, including pink socks and pink underwear. I am very impressed that everything matched.
On a completely different topic, Daryl and I really have to watch what we say, as Aubrie is developing a potty mouth. Her new favorite phrase is "Damn It". Usually used when yelling at the dog for something.

Baby etc.

2008-03-13T12:35:00.003-05:00

We have finished the baby's room, all we need now is the baby. Only 5 more months to go. We went to the doctor again today. Apparently I now have low iron, so I get to take another pill everyday. Wonderful. I am also still losing weight instead of gaining, so I got reprimanded. The doctor thinks that I am not eating enough. I tried to explain that the same thing happened with Aubrie and that I more than made up for the weight loss at the end, but she still said to eat more. Oh well. Next month we get our ultra sound, so we can find out if Aubrie is getting the baby sister that she so desperately wants.

We went to the mall last night to get Aubrie's birthday pictures done. A bit late, but after a few minor accidents (Aubrie likes to jump off of things) her face was pretty beat up so we wanted to wait until the cuts and scrapes healed. Anyways the woman at Penny's was awful but the girl doing the Easter Bunny shots was great. After meeting so many characters at Disney this summer, Aubrie is no longer afraid of big furry animals.

Sleepy

2008-03-05T22:38:00.002-05:00

Way too much fun with my friends Gracie, Mac & Eli!

Next Project

2008-02-28T09:21:00.007-05:00

Aubrie and I went to the Baltimore area last weekend for a visit with Katie...Aubrie stayed there all weekend while I traveled on to Ocean City to see my old cheerleaders compete at Nationals. This what the kitchen/dining room/living room looked like when we left on Thursday:

This is what it looked like on Monday:

Apparently remodeling the kitchen is the next project on our list...current plans include removing walls (done) and adding an island so the kitchen is open to the living/dining room, removing the ceiling fan and adding recessed lighting (done), new cabinets, new granite tile counters, new ceramic tile floors and new sink and dishwasher. Got to love tax refunds!

Happy Birthday Aubrie!

2008-02-19T12:57:00.005-05:00

Happy Third Birthday Aubrie!

Aubrie and Baaaa Enjoyed her third birthday party and seeing all of her Buffalo friends. The only person missing was cousin Kate who lives in London. I think that after looking at her map multiple times, Aubrie is finally starting to understand that Kate is very far away and not coming to visit right now.
The Dora cake, balloons, cups etc were a big hit as Aubrie is still obsessed with Dora.

Buffalo to Albany

2008-02-04T12:49:00.000-05:00

Considering that we moved from Buffalo to Albany, and that I work for a construction company, I suppose that we can relate to the following recent article published in the BuffaloNews about Albany:

The payoff is seen in jobs and growth

Published on January 6, 2008
Author: Tom Precious - NEWS ALBANY BUREAU© The Buffalo News Inc.

Drive around Albany's Capital Region, and you see it happening.
Construction cranes dot the landscape. Cars with out-of-state license plates sit in apartment complexes, their owners lured from California, Texas and elsewhere to companies attracted by big pots of money from state government.
In downtown Albany over the past decade, new office towers -- some state-owned but not all -- have popped up, along with new hotels, while developers eye pricey residential plots.
A California developer, one of the nation's biggest apartment builders, is set to construct a $45 million complex of 300 high-end apartments -- its first project ever in the Northeast.
Across the street from that site is 330-acre, 1960s-era state office campus, which Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer is transforming into a sprawling mix of government and new private-sector structures with the potential for thousands of new jobs. High-end car dealerships and major retailers have opened, including Maine's L.L. Bean, which chose this area for its first New York store.
In nearby Troy, tony restaurants with Manhattan prices are scattered through the Victorian neighborhoods. Nearby buildings, renovated with state money, are filled with private companies and state workers relocated by Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.
In Schenectady, well-paying jobs are moving back to General Electric after generations of bleeding at a complex Thomas Edison once called home. A desolate strip of downtown has been revitalized, again with the state's help, with new streets, state and private office buildings, hotels and a renovated historic theater. Even a new movie theater has opened, a rarity for a downtown area upstate. It is down the street from a new health insurer's offices housing nearly 1,000 workers.
"It's a very good day for our business and our community," GE Power Generation President Steve Bolze said at an October announcement for 500 new jobs, paying between $85,000 and $100,000. The state is giving GE $7.5 million.
"Our downtown is once again thriving," said Schenectady Mayor Brian Stratton.
In Saratoga, one of the most vibrant communities on the East Coast, high-end condos costing $1 million are popping up, and real estate prices have soared so high that some fret over the prospects of lower public school enrollment, because middle-income families are being squeezed out.
This is the "other" upstate, where economic depression, fleeing population and a sense of hopelessness are not topics of nightly dinner conversations.
Imagine this: The state Labor Department says job growth in Albany could be better, if it only had more workers.
The region's population has grown from 830,000 in 1995 to to 851,000 in 2006, according to census figures, though the growth is all in the suburbs. Compared with the nation's growth, that is anemic. But compared with metro areas such as Buffalo and Syracuse, which saw a decline in population, it is an upstate success story.
And reliance on public sector jobs is growing faster in places like Buffalo -- from 87,800 to 93,700 total government employees over a decade -- than in Albany, according to federal statistics. Albany's total state and local government work force rose by just 600, to 106,600, in the same 10 years.
While Spitzer in 2007 added state jobs, Albany's state work force lost 6,000 positions from 1995 to 2006, or a decline of nearly 2 percent as a share of the overall work force, according to state labor figures.
The private-sector work force rose 12.4 percent during the period, while Buffalo's private-sector jobs went up by 0.15 percent.
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York recently called the Albany area's job growth "modest but sustained" since 2000.
Housing prices in the Albany area have climbed -- averaging $195,000, or up 86 percent, between 1996 and 2006.
That compares with the average home price in the Buffalo area of $98,000, or up just 35 percent.
In Saratoga, many families can't afford to buy a home in town. In a couple of communities, social service groups have raised red flags about poor people being displaced in gentrifying neighborhoods.
And on the Northway in Saratoga County, the rush hour commutes now resemble those on parts of Long Island.
These are the kind of growing pains not seen elsewhere in upstate. Even the traditional houses in Saratoga Springs have seen a boom in resaleprices in recent years, not far from the new condos that are going for as muchas $1.2 million.

Aubrie's New Room

2008-01-27T17:37:00.000-05:00

So we finally finished a project at the new house. Aubrie's Big Girl room is all done and she is just about moved in. Just some clothes and closet items left to move. I would love to hear what the hockey player who used to live in the room thinks of the pink and green butterfly/flower theme in the room.

Finishing this room involved patching all the walls, priming, painting, adding a chair rail, and waxing the floor. We would still like to change the light fixture and doors but we are going to do the whole house at once for those projects.

http://www.zbrzeznys.com/album/

check out pictures of the entire project!

Aubrie's New Friend

2008-01-21T21:01:00.001-05:00

This past weekend, Aubrie finally met her (2nd)cousin Kate. They are almost the same age and hit it off immediately. Unfortunately Kate lives an ocean away in London so she will not be back for Aubrie's Birthday Party, much to Aubrie's dismay.

A Message From Aubrie

2008-01-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

Due August 2008

Grandpa Pietrzak

2008-01-15T13:14:00.001-05:00

RIP Grandpa-God Bless!

Microwave

2008-01-07T22:47:00.001-05:00

Over-the-Stove Microwave - $99

50 ft of wire and conduit - $50

20amp circuit breaker - $6

1 weekend's worth of work - $0

Completing the first upgrade at our new house and having the ability to reheat food again...priceless

Lots of Stuff

2008-01-02T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well it has been a little while since we have posted...but things should finally calm down for a little while.

Christmas was crazy! Aubrie now believes that Christmas is a month long holiday and Santa comes to every house that she visits! My parents came to visit on December 8-9 to celebrate with Aubrie. Since we were going to be away for Christmas, Santa came to our house on December 15. We had Christmas with our friends on December 16. She also got to open her box from Papa Z that weekend. Santa came to Grandma Z's house on December 24 and then finally he came again to the Zbrzezny family Christmas party on December 29! Entirely too much Christmas and too many toys.

Daryl and I spent Christmas on the Norwegian Star Cruise Ship in the Mexican Rivera. Very nice, although the weather could have been a bit warmer. We traveled to Cabo San Lucas, Puerto Villarta, Manzinillo & Mazatlan. The last two stops were added b/c we could not reach Acapulco like the original itinerary. Unfortunately, there was a valve problem and we did not leave LA until midnight, which was about 8 hours late. All in all a very nice break from the snow.

Pictures of Christmas and Mexico are now online.
http://www.zbrzeznys.com/Christmas/album/
http://www.zbrzeznys.com/Norwegian%20Cruise%20Line%202007/album/

Accent

2007-12-13T09:56:00.000-05:00

So we have noticed a small problem with our daughter's name...many people in Albany say "Aubrie" like Long Islanders...Auwwwwbrie. Think annoying LI girls from college...it just grates on you after a while.

Santa

2007-12-05T14:48:00.001-05:00

What a difference a year makes. Aubrie is no longer afraid of Santa. She still won't look at him when she talks, but at least she will sit on his lap and tell him what she wants for Christmas...Dora and Princesses of course!

GoodNews, Bad News

2007-12-04T10:28:00.000-05:00

The Good News: Yay...we have internet at home!

The Bad News: We don't have heat at home!

Updates to follow (when I don't have to type with gloves on)

Strange Albany

2007-12-03T12:58:00.000-05:00

So, we have been here for about a week (not counting our trip back 'home') and we are starting to find our way around. A few things are very strange though.

I have mentioned before that the grocery shopping situation is awful...no Wegmans or Tops. So far we have tried Price Chopper (really expensive) and Hannafords (really small). The one thing that they had in common, was that they expect you to bag your own groceries. All the cashier does is scan them and send them down the belt to the back counter area so you can bag them yourself.

Another really strange thing here is the garbage. We knew coming in that we would have to arrange our own garbage service, as not many places have government pick-up like Buffalo. What we did not realize is how expensive it is. The alternative, mentioned by the people we bought our house from, is to take the garbage to the dump yourself. This is what they did and said most of our neighbors do. It costs $1 a can to dump off regular trash. So on Saturday we loaded up the SUV and drove to the dump. For a total of $2 we got rid of three cans and all of our packaging boxes from the move. Very strange and inconvenient but cheaper in the long run.

Albany

2007-11-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

Well...we are here...not unpacked yet, no Internet service yet (scheduled for Dec 8). So anytime I need to check email etc, i need to head to somewhere with free wifi. I am currently at Perfect Grind Coffee Bar.

Aubrie has already decorated our new house with her crayons. All over the white walls in the basement rec room. I will post pictures as soon as I am able.

more to come....

Getting Ahead

2007-11-08T08:10:00.000-05:00

This is a strictly mathematical viewpoint...it goes like this:

What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that while hard work and knowledge will get you close, and attitude will get you there, it's the bullshiT and ass kissing that will put you over the top.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T08:34:00.000-05:00

Good Weekend

2007-10-29T14:25:00.000-05:00

Since wins have been hard to come by recently, this weekend's results are definitely worth posting...

Believe it or not, Buffalo's sports teams went undefeated! That right...

Bills won 13-3 over the Jets and are almost back in the wildcard picture!
Bulls won 26-10 over Akron and are leading the battle for a birth in the MAC title game!
Sabres won (2x) to get back to .500!

And for Justin...

BC beat Virgina Tech in dramatic fashion and remains ranked No. 2 in the country
...and the Red Socks won the World Series.

Hmm.

Little Butterfly

2007-10-24T20:15:00.000-05:00

It was Halloween at Dance Class today!

Polish Humor

2007-10-22T14:39:00.000-05:00

An elderly Polish man lay dying in his bed. While suffering the agonies of impending death. He suddenly smelled the familiar aroma of his favorite pierogi with fried onions wafting up the stairs. He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Gripping the railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs.

Downstairs, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen, where if not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven, for there, spread out upon waxed paper on the kitchen table were hundreds of his favorite pierogi.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of love from his wife of sixty years, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man? He threw himself towards the table, landing on his knees in a crumpled posture. His parched lips parted, the wondrous taste of the pierogi was already in his mouth. He gathered his last ounce of strength and with a trembling hand he reached up to the edge of the table, when suddenly he was smacked with a wooden spoon by his wife.

"Back off!" she said. "Those are for the funeral."

Grandma Steck

2007-10-02T21:18:00.001-05:00

1915-2007

Congratulations

2007-09-29T16:32:00.001-05:00

Congrats to Daryl's brother Justin and long time girlfriend Jessica on their recent engagement.

Halloween Pics

2007-09-28T10:04:00.000-05:00

The proofs from Aubrie's Halloween pictures :)

Milestones

2007-09-13T11:17:00.000-05:00

Aubrie hit a few major milestones in the last week :) On Saturday she got her first hair cut. As you can see, she was a bit concerned but overall was fine. She now asks when she can get her hair cut again.
Today, Aubrie had her first preschool class without Mommy. She will be attending preschool 2 days a week for an hour and a half each day. Much to my dismay, Aubrie did not care that Mommy was leaving and was in quite a hurry to go play with all the toys while the other kids clung to their parents and cried. I can't really complain, now I have 3 hours a week to do what ever I need to do by myself.

Albany's Home of the Bills

2007-09-06T13:49:00.000-05:00

So this is my first week working in Albany and I'm flipping through the radio to find a station that I like and I hear a promotion for Buffalo Bills tickets (HUH). Turns out that I stumbled upon "Albany's home of the Buffalo Bills!"

Albany has a home of Buffalo Bills...WAHOOOOO!

http://www.wqbk.com/events.php?page=events&id=1623

Walt Disney World

2007-09-03T22:19:00.001-05:00

Pictures from our Walt Disney World vacation are finally online-only took 3 weeks to get them uploaded :)

These are just some of the ~500 pictures that we took.

http://www.zbrzeznys.com/Disney%20Pictures/

Getting Fat

2007-07-30T12:29:00.001-05:00

Obviously it's not my fault that I'm gaining weight...it's everybody else...

http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=606718

36 Hours in NYC

2007-06-25T18:06:00.000-05:00

We made it though our whirlwind tour of New York this past weekend:

Saturday morning we flew into JFK, arriving at 7:15 am. We took the Airtrain and then the subway into Manhattan. We got slightly lost trying to find our hotel but managed to find it and drop off all of our luggage. Right out side our hotel was a street fair where we got breakfast (chocolate and strawberry crepes) and knock-off sunglasses. We then headed to lower Manhattan to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Unfortunately, much of the subway in lower Manhattan is under construction and thus closed, so we had to take the bus, which was quite packed. We also went to the Skyscraper Museum. Too much over my head, but Daryl enjoyed it. After we left the museum, we headed to Little Italy for lunch. We ate at an outside cafe which was very good. After lunch we headed back to the hotel to check in and take a nap before the Turner Annual Dinner.

The Annual Dinner was held at Chelsea Piers and was amazing. Quite possibly the best banquet food I have ever eaten, with the best service. Each table of 8 had 4 waiters so they were never trying to balance the plates and everyone at the table was served at exactly the same time. Desert was a chocolate/hazelnut mouse cake...again amazing.

On Sunday we went to Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, which was very nice. I don't think that i have ever been to a mass with so many people or priests. The cardinal said the mass, but there were 4 priests assisting him and during communion, another 10-15 priests came out. After mass we saw the "Gay Pride" parade, which went right down 5th ave. Quite an eye-opening experience. We were still uptown, quite a bit away from the village and it was still crazy. Daryl video taped the "Big Apple Corps" and we will post the video later. After the parade we headed to the UN for a tour which was interesting and we finished up with some shopping around Penn Station before heading back to JFK to catch our flight home.

All in all, a very good, albeit exhausting mini-vacation.

SOLD

2007-06-16T22:13:00.001-05:00

We accepted an offer on our house today...guess we should really start looking in Albany!

2007-06-10T19:05:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Kevin and Lindsay,

who were married this past Friday, June 8.

Aubrie Balboa

2007-06-09T14:41:00.001-05:00

My first shiner...

Thanks Anna

Dance Class

2007-06-05T09:28:00.001-05:00

Aubrie finished her first year of Dance Class...she may not be the star ballerina yet, but she had fun.

Party

2007-05-26T11:48:00.000-05:00

Kitchen

2007-05-12T17:09:00.000-05:00

We have finished our last major project on this house...on to the next one!

BEFORE
AFTER

Let's Go Buffalo

2007-04-12T08:51:00.000-05:00

Aubrie and Morgan are ready for the Sabres Run for the Cup.

Easter Bunny

2007-03-25T13:48:00.000-05:00

We sure hate Santa, but the Easter Bunny is pretty cool!