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Visit us at www.teamslocum.com!  It's where all the action is happenin'.  Well, kinda.  See ya soon!

New Year's Resolution...

... figure out the stupid photo upload thing and start posting again!  It's therapeutic and somewhat fun for me. I sound like a broken record, but I promise I'm back on soon with all of my random hilarity.  Love you all - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Argh!

Okay, peeps - I promise I'll make some time this week to fill you in on the past couple of weeks.  Too much on my plate; I'm sorry!  Be in touch soon.  :)

Pardon the interruption

So, apparently my blog is totally lame.  It won't let me upload any more photos because I've hit the "max amount allotted" because my pictures are "too fantastical" [I made that part up].  Ugh!  

So, as much as I want to tell everyone how awesome our Thanksgiving was with Uncle Z-man in town, about Teigan's new crazy-cool habits of eating pencils and cleaning the floor on her hands and knees just like yours truly [still not sure if I should be proud or mortified], and how I started a legit fire in the kitchen tonight, I can't possibly tell a good story without my beloved photo proof.  Gimme some time.  I'm workin' on it.  

In the meantime, I encourage you to get ready for Christmas with this lil' gem of awesomeness...

... because nothing says the commemoration of the birth of Jesus like a beep in a box...

Backstage at the CMA's!
Nikita

Bathtime!

No real reason, other than bath-time adorableness [I swear it's a word]...

So fresh and so clean, clean - ALWAYS,
E

UH OH!

If you knew my weekend, you would know that this was just the perfect ending to it all.  At this point, all I could do was laugh!  But let me tell you, an entire bag of powdered sugar tracked all over the house by Hoolie and Rica made for one hell of a clean-up.  Aye!

Uh oh!
Mama

PS - For the record, the terrible two's totally start at 18 months.  Like, on the freaking day.  Let's just hope they end early, too, or else this mama is going to have an early-onset, third-life freak out!

Zeetus Lapeetus! It's Laura!

Last weekend we had the distinct pleasure of having my absolute bestest friend in the entire world visit us for a long weekend.  Not only did this chica enter total happy-land having Laura here, but Teigan found her new best friend [looks like mama and daughter have even more in common than we thought!].  

While we've been able to see each other at least once every year [despite living on different sides of the US] since graduating high school, it's been more than two years since Laura and I have had serious, multiple day, one-on-one time.  And boy, did we make the most of it!  Laura got into town around lunch on Thursday and we immediately went to doing what we do best - playing and eating - with Teigan, of course.  Thursday night was spent showing Knoxville how GB & BB roll as we spent the evening playing at a rooftop bar on Market Square; enjoying a going-away party for our dear friend, Will; a spectacularly fun concert at Bijou Theatre; post-show drinks at a speakeasy; and then we wrapped up the night at a bar where we heard - gasp! - "last call".  

Pre-dinner reunion with Matt

We each order a cocktail. They bring us each a shot. We could have complained, but instead... we drank! And then ordered a real drink!

Friday we, by chance, caught the Veteran's Day Parade, along Gay Street where Laura proceeded to dance for, well, everyone [theme of the day], while I coyote-called [?] the sweet gentlemen going by.  Not soon after that, we were doing what we do second-best - shopping!  While we had the best of intentions to go out again for dinner that night, we definitely spent the night curled up in PJ's and we may, or may not, have been in bed by 9:30p.  Not much has changed since high school with us... 

USA!

Teigan channeling her inner Laura with her purse and Laura's hair brush

Saturday was spent at the Farmer's Market, having lunch with Matt and Ben, and running errands.  Oh, and plenty of good eatin', sweets devouring, and vino consuming... and ABC Family watching.  Duh.

Besties!

And I would say what we did on Sunday, but other than waking up at 4am to take off to the airport, there wasn't much...

I miss you already, LLC.  And so does Teigan.  I swear I heard her say "Laura" yesterday...

BFFAEAE,
EK

Oh, and PS: If you think that those poor puppy coin slots at random registers at random stores go unnoticed to by society, you're wrong.  Laura is single-handedly saving sad puppies one quarter [or twelve] at a time.  Exhibit A [and I could have gone to Q] at Yankee Candle...

Couch-Table Loungin'

In case you didn't see this on facebook [and um, hello 2012!], probably the greatest picture of Teigan, ever.  This is her life with her Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Doug on Tuesday's... 

Stressful.  Clearly...

Core workouts for life - starting at 17 months!
Coach E$ Mama

PS :: Teigan turned 18 months yesterday.  A year and a half?  Holy WHAT?!

Dinner-zzz's

Well, this was a first.  Teigan was eating dinner.  I begin who-only-knows in the kitchen [which is where she was] for no more than 30 seconds.  I turn around to find this...

And, the best part is that I cleaned her, the space, and her highchair up, and this is what I end up with for the next 40 minutes...

Looks like we need to have her raking the yard more often!

Kidding!  Or am I?
Mama

Hotlanta!

A week and a half ago, Ben, Matt, Teigan, and I took an epic 24-hour venture to Atlanta to see my grandparents [Big GG and Lil' GG to Teigan] who recently relocated there.  I tell ya, us Kreider's know how to do it when it comes to road trips... music-a-plenty, either/or-game-galore, and stories-so-funny-you-cry [i.e. the Steakhouse Incident - sorry, mom, and you're welcome, dad]!  Amazing.

Grandma and Grandpa's new place is absolutely perfect and we loved every minute of getting to break it in properly with stinky diapers, Matt screaming at the TV, spilled milk, grandkid massages on the floor, loud noises, and near-breaking of antique dishes.  

T wandering in front of Big GG's and Lil GG's place...

Silly T & Lil' GG

And, on top of all of that, Uncle Jack, Aunt Patsy, Catherine, Nick, Jackie, and soon-to-be-introduced Baby Mileson trucked it on over for some football and dinner... and lots of dessert. 

Family sorority pose: Nick, Catherine, Baby Mileson, E, Ben, Grandma, Teigan, Grandpa, Matt, and Jackie 

Grandma & Grandpa with their oldest [and favorite, obvi] grandchild and oldest [and favorite (and only, for the time being) great-grandchild]! 

Such a wonderful quick trip and we're so thankful to have so much family so close,
Grandpa's girl

PS - Check out the most adorbs photo bomb, ever!

A real cartoon education

I have to say, one of the most disappointing things about having a sweet lil' girl to love on for hours on end every weekend morning is that we don't get to share the best kind of bonding time which, at 17 months old, obvi, would happen over Jetson's or Flinstones.  

I mean, where have all of the good cartoons gone?  Cartoons these days are horrific.  Sure, now they may teach you a little something more than about robots or the "stone age", but the cartoons I grew up on were funny, mindless, and generally freaking awesome.  

Anyways, as I was bashing my head into the wall after listening to another round of some unrelenting song having something to do with potty time played along to way-too-progressed animation, I headed over the laptop and found the Jetson's on Hulu.  While Teigan totally loves it, it's really me that's getting all the warm fuzzies.  Brings back great memories of my childhood.... mostly Matt running around the house with next to no clothes on singing the National Anthem... which has nothing to do with cartoons...

Just gotta make sure I get my hands on Dennis the Menace [black & white, duh] and Lassie for her TV transition.  And then not too long off that will be California Dreams and Step by Step and Family Matters.

VENUS-1234 [the Jetson's phone number, duh!],

Erin Beth

Keyboardin'

Fascinated much, Teigs?

 

I feel like this is an electronic flip-book...
E

Costumes!

A couple days before Halloween, we had some of our favorites over for a lil' pre-trick-or-treat bash complete with costumes, candy, and festive totally Pinterest-inspired food!  This was the first Halloween for Tucker and Robert, but Teigan's second [and first to actually dress up].

Great afternoon and evening had by all!  We just have the best friends.... :)

Tuck [the clown] and Handsome Rob [an elephant] 

All three kiddos fogging up the front door!

And a few days later, we took Teigan out to four of the neighbors houses so she could have fun, show off her costume, and run around for a lil' bit.... I mean, so, lesbihonest, Ben and I could score some Halloween candy for the first time in nearly two decades!

Ladybuggin' it for life!
Mama

Oktoberfest Competition

Our favorite place on the planet, Crossfit Ktown, put on their first annual Oktoberfest competition this past weekend.  A day full of five back-to-back workout's by more than 100 competitors from across East Tennessee.  While I haven't been frequenting the gym enough to compete [although I was having major withdrawals and regrets while there all day on Saturday], Ben went for it and competed in his first-ever Crossfit competition!  Boom!

Post 1st WOD [200 m. double-KB run, box-jump burpees, and rowing] - and still smiling. Sheesh! 

2nd WOD of the competition - a chest-to-bar pull-ups & body weight power cleans couplet 

Pretty sure those chest-to-bar are legit. Yowza! 

Teigan watching the ladies on the barbell complex ladder 

T ready for a running break outside!

Right before the skills WOD [#4] with max double-unders [114], handstand push-ups [9] and a shotput throw [23'+]!

Mid-HSPU's!

Shotput throw!

I'm so proud of Ben and all of the other super competitors!  Looks like I've gotta get my boootay back in the gym and show everyone up at Crossfit Ktown's Oktoberfest next year!

Really missing me some Olympic lifting,
E$ Mama