Great TV-watching night!

Tonight is such a great night for TV. The Office returns at 8:30 on NBC. My husband and I love that show. The characters are hilarious. Then Grey's Anatomy premieres at 9 p.m. on ABC. Can it get any better than that?

I watched the Grey's two-hour finale from last season last night. I don't know if I could possibly become more addicted to this show! If you aren't watching, you must.

Speaking of TV, I also caught the pilot of Studio 60, a new show on NBC. I thought it was smart and interesting. Not sure that I buy into Amanda Peet playing the network president. She's too young and beautiful to be in that position! But the show has a great cast and is good so far.

Now, soon, maybe I'll blog about something other than TCU and TV. (Did I mention that TCU is off this week and returns to action next Thursday against BYU? Gametime is 6 p.m. EST and the game will be on Versus, or the old OLN.)

Go FROGS!

We were thrilled to watch TCU defeat Texas Tech, 12-3, on Saturday night. The entire day was exciting for college football. But we were the most excited, watching the Frogs' defense completely silence Tech's offense. Now, if only they can keep this winning streak alive!

Even better, we had another Frog fan in the house. Ron visited for the evening after wrapping up a swimming conference in Dearborn. It didn't quite compare to the old days of watching college football on Kent Street, but Ron didn't seem to mind the frequent interruptions from Brendan and Ryan!

Catching up from the weekend

Last Saturday, the Horned Frogs easily defeated UC-Davis, which admittedly is a Division 1-AA school. I didn't catch any of the game online, but my football-loving, TCU-fanatic friend Sunshine tells me they looked pretty good.

Now it's on for the big test. Saturday will tell us if TCU is for real this season. TCU, ranked 20th, hosts No. 22 Texas Tech. The game is sold-out and will also be televised on Versus, which is the old OLN channel that is best known for showing nonstop coverage of the Tour de France. Game time: 5:30 p.m. Eastern.

On to more important matters ... Ryan is walking more and more, though he prefers crawling for those quick sprints across the room to keep up with his brother.

This past weekend, we took the boys to the Fall Festival in downtown Plymouth. The boys loved it (and so did we)! Ryan rode on his first carousel and kept saying "Whoo" as we went round and round. Brendan opted for the more grown-up Ferris wheel and was very "brave." We ate lots of good Fall Festival food, like delicious corn-on-the-cob, BBQ sandwiches, pizza, and popcorn.

TCU hosts UC-Davis

The Horned Frogs open at home against UC-Davis on Saturday at 7 p.m. Eastern. Hopefully, the players aren't looking ahead to next week's Texas Tech showdown, as I suspect most fans are.

No TV or radio for the Michigan fans, but we'll be checking online throughout the night!

Here I come!

Ryan decided today was the day to begin walking. Thankfully, he chose a day in which I was home with the boys because Brendan had a fever (from his immunizations and a cold) and Ryan was a little under the weather.

He has been building to this point, taking a step or two when encouraged or trying to reach something nearby. Today, he did it several times. He was rather proud of himself, though a little tired of it all by the end of the day.

Ryan takes a few steps toward Mom after his bath. Notice the constant drool coming from his mouth. He's teething, too. (Yes, that's the camera strap in the photo. I know, I know. It's hard encouraging, staging, and getting a photo alone!)

Proud parents

Many days, I wonder if I've erred as a parent. Temper tantrums, talking back, even simply getting my preschooler to cover his mouth while coughing ... will it ever get easier?

Then, on a day like yesterday, I see a glimpse of who my son is very capable of being, and it makes me very proud. Brendan visited the doctor's office yesterday for his 4-year checkup. He's never done well at visits, usually squirming and refusing to acknowledge the doctor.

Our most recent memories of his getting shots were 18 months ago when Brendan spent 6 days in the hospital for an extreme version of strep throat. My husband and I had flashbacks to Brendan kicking and screaming while the nurses tried taking blood or reinserting his IV, which Brendan pulled out a couple of times. He was a fighter.

Needless to say, we were a little nervous about the immunizations. Brendan, though, handled everything like a pro. He was patient, quiet, but spoke to the doctor when she asked him questions. He let her examine him, which had been a battle in the past. And when it came time for shots, he cooperated fully even after the sting of the first shot sent him crying.

In the day to day battles with our children, we sometimes wonder as parents if we're doing anything right. It's events like these that remind me something is working.

Bag of tricks

I plan to be fully armed when our journey across the northeast begins later this month. The enemy? Testy toddlers and cranky preschoolers. We'll be traveling 10 hours in the car -- each way -- as we head toward New Jersey for my hubby's cousin's wedding.

I have vowed to have every trick play up my sleeve to combat boredom, fighting, and that pleasant 4-year-old attitude. We'll sing songs, read books, listen to stories on CDs, and even watch a few DVDs. (Thankfully, our SUV has a DVD entertainment system in it!)

I'm in search of cool, inexpensive, fun travel toys that will entertain Brendan and Ryan. If you have any suggestions, please pass them along.

Right now, I am checking out the Madallie website. Many of its items are expensive, considering I don't want to drop 100 bucks on toys for a trip. Still, it has some good ideas that I can steal and reinvent on my own.

TCU wins and other rantings

The Horned Frogs defeated Baylor last night. Woo hoo! I must admit, no one in the house was too happy at halftime. Gary Patterson isn't known for his blow-out wins. In fact, he tends to keep us guessing and on the edge of our seats. But we're thrilled they won and hope they'll hand Texas Tech the same fate in two weeks. Next up: UC-Davis at home.

We spent Labor Day weekend in Columbus, Ohio, visiting my childhood friend Suzanne and her husband Doug. The boys were thoroughly entertained by their puppy, Jillian. Even Ryan, who had previously shown some fear of dogs, warmed up to her.

I promise Suzanne isn't pinching Ryan! He's just ready for his morning nap.

The purpose of the trip was to attend the Ohio State-Northern Illinois game. What an atmosphere for college football in Columbus. This is the city. Period. Ken and I enjoyed it all, even though it was in the low 60s at game time. We also enjoyed Donato's Pizza. Why can't they expand into Michigan?!?

Finally, a couple of pictures of the boys. Aunt Jenn and Uncle Kenny gave Brendan a big wheel for his birthday. He's now a pro on it. Almost every evening he takes it for a spin around the block. Today, he repeatedly drove it into piles of dirt on the side of the elementary school's parking lot. Boys ...

Brendan rides his big wheel in front of our house. He really picks up speed!

Ryan turned 13 months on Saturday. He's getting more and more daring with his standing, and even took a small step to Mom on Monday morning!

Frogs on TV

A reminder for all of you Horned Frogs, TCU fans, or Frog wannabes: TCU plays at Baylor on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern. This game is being broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net.

Want to prepare for the game? Other than going for a 4-mile run this weekend and throwing around the football, here's all the information you need about TCU, the game, and the old rivarly that ended when politics led to Baylor being swept into the Big 12.

Go FROGS!

It's hard to say goodbye ...

If you live in Michigan, you know that summers are the best time of year. You also know they are highly unpredictable.

Most summers, as best as I can tell, are mild. The temperature may hit 90 a couple of times, but it'll hover around 80 most days. The humidity can be suffocating, but the evenings can be cool and lovely.

But, must we say goodbye already? My main complaint is that summers are too darn short! Here it is, Sept. 1, and I've already been robbed of the last two weeks. Clouds. Gray. Rain. Highs in the low 70s. Days when the Real Feel temperature is cooler than the actual temperature. That shouldn't happen in the summer!

Mind you, summer didn't begin in May. It's debatable whether it even appeared in June. Honestly, there are about 60 summer days in Michigan. You may get lucky with a gorgeous September, but hasn't everyone already packed away summer by then?

I know my family and friends in Texas and Oklahoma would love to experience a summer this mild. But would you also take 6-7 months of cold, grey, rainy, cloudy weather, often snowy weather in between? Sigh.

It's too hard to say goodbye ...