All the Fingers on Your Hand

It is astonishing yet, at the same time, totally believable that I am the mother of a FIVE year old.  Wowza!  And let me tell you, this kid has been rocking my socks off lately.  He is just so full of life.  He is such a delight to be around and leaves no stone left unturned.

 

Here’s the yearly birthday interview to highlight a few of his favs:

 

 It’s always fun to see how he’s going to answer the questions.  The “three words that describe” me answer made me giggle.  Clearly he didn’t quite understand what I was asking…which is why his answer “crime” doesn’t concern me too much.  Ha!

 

Anyway, some of MY favorite things about five-year-old Easton:

·         He’s been totally into telling jokes for the last few months.  But just recently he’s figured out how to make up his own.  Some of my favs…

Where does a car like to play? The park!
What do Smurfs like to do at the beach? Ride their Smurf boards.

What does the mail learn about at school? Letters.

What’s a toilet’s favorite day? Potty day.  (Clearly he had his birthday in mind here…potty day/party day.)

·         He never lets me leave without a hug and a kiss.  If I head out the door at preschool or day care he’ll stop me in my tracks and say, “Wait Mom!  I need a hug and a kiss!”  I’m sure these days are numbered, so I’m soaking it all in.

·         His passion for trucks, tractors, and big machines continues to grow.  He’s really gotten into Legos the past few months and is constantly creating and inventing new vehicles that are capable of performing any number of tasks.  So cool to see his imagination at work.

·         He is the best snuggler EVER.  He loves it when I wear “comfy clothes” and will ask me multiple times throughout the week (sometimes multiple times in one day!) if I will snuggle with him.  I realize this, too, is probably something that won’t last forever so I rarely turn down a snuggle invite!

·         When he woke up the morning of his birthday I told him something was different about him.  After deliberating for a few minutes I told him the difference must be that he was now five instead of four.  He looked at me with the biggest, brightest smile and said, “Yeah, that must be it!  And I think my voice sounds a little different.  And look at my hands!”  Just LOVE that kid.

 

The past five years of being Easton’s mommy has been an absolute joy.  His smile comes easy and often, and his beaming personality is warming and contagious to everyone.  People ask, “Is he always in a good mood?” “You can just tell he loves life!” “He’s such a fun kid!”  And he really, truly, is.

Conversations Between Friends

A quick bit from earlier this week. We don't exactly converse in a straight line, so hopefully you can follow.

 

Kim: Yesterday Max told me in the sweetest little voice, "I love you so much I'm going to fart.

 

Dana: :) What a riot.

 

Kim: I had to ask him to say it again and it came out the same way. No space, no forgotten comma.

 

Dana: Probably at the same time that Ember was saying "poop on Mommy's head" and giggling ecstatically like only middle-school aged boys should about something like that.

 

Kim: Ha! We talk lots about poop + head + butt + stink. But its funnier coming from a girl. ;)

 

Dana: How does she even know that's inappropriate, which makes her giggle?

Kim: You deserve her because you love me so much. You know that right? I'd have a girly girl because I wouldn't know what to do with one, and you have one just like me. :)

Dana: Yes, it's like living my life with you all over again. Only now I'm in charge and supposed to be responsible. Thanks for that.

 

Kim: Ha! Daycare? Its not an Easton thing at all. If she lived with Gage I could understand it.

 

Dana: At least I can rest assured I'll like her as a teenager and grown-adult. :)

 

Kim: Hahaha! Let's hope so.
 

Dana: No, definitely not day care. I'm praying she doesn't say it at day care. 

 

Kim: I love it!! My kids pick up lots of things at daycare. Its been a great gateway drug for elementary school.

 

 

30 Years of Life: 25 years of Friendship

 

Senior class trip: Sioux Falls SD 2001. Thank goodness for curling irons and perms, eh?

Prom, freshman year. You went with my brother. I stayed home and tried to grow taller. PS, it didn't work.

Freshmen in college. Right? You were playing basektball at DSU and I was a state FFA officer at SDSU. I can tell from my nasty home highlights and your buffness. Holy crap, let's do that workout! mmm, maybe not.

 An actual nice, mature picture of us from our senior year of high school. I didn't know it was possible. We really grew up and blossomed at a young age. So lovely are we.

 

Five minutes later. If there's any "type" of picture I have more than tongue-sticking-out pictures, its butt shots. So maybe that's your "thing". Congratulations. :)

 

Alright, I know. Its fun to rib you a little bit, but the truth is that you mean the world to me. I don't know what I'd do without you and I'm so lucky to have you in my life and the lives of my family. I'm nodding off at the computer so I better cut it short. There's more to say, but its going to have to wait. Until then, one more letter that put it into words pretty well. Just pretend I'm writing it to you instead. Enjoy the rest of your birthday. I hope David spoils the crap out of you. You deserve it.

Dana turns 30: Picture of Youth

Road trip! Thankfully nobody let us drive. That was never a good idea. We didn't have a problem driving fast, but I'm glad I never met us on the road. Thanks for keeping me safe, and shame on you for never letting me drive your cars. I only ran over you once, and that wasn't even with a car.

 Over the years, I've gotten kind of a bad rap for being "that person" who sticks her tongue out in pictures. And yet, when I flilp through my pictures of you I see the SAME THING. Truce?

 

 We could publish a book with the correspondence from our youth. We'll title it Lock Up Your Daughters: They Are Probably Crazy.

 I LOVE the stack of moderately sized film cameras on the table. Hehe.

A couple more posts, hang in there.
K

Dana Turns 30: Flashback 1996

I know I'm posting these out of order, but I think you'll enjoy them anyway. Right Dana? :) PS, I still remember the calf Norman and SO wish I had a picture of him. I probably have gotten one from your mother, but that would have required some forethought. Also, the idea of you at the salebarn picking out a calf cracks me up! Let's do that again sometime k? :)

 I don't remember helping you babysit any cousins so clearly "Mean Old Brice" put the kibosh on that. Or I was off showing cattle or something.

I don't have great pictures from this Dance Line performance, but I have this. Man, were we cool!

 

Marching band! So many great memories stem from the work and trip required for marching band. Quite a few of them are even happy memories. Here's our practice uniforms, obviously. Where's Waldo? Also, are you even carrying your trumpet?

If I still knew how to play an instument, and owned one, you better believe I'd call you up and play you a song. Instead, I'll probably have the kids call and sing to you. I guess they're kind of like an instrument. Full of spit, loud and people get pretty cranky if you drop them.

Kim

VanZanten Family Vacation

The amount I had to look to find something awesome from Dana was way too easy. She sent this in 1999. Just take a look at the envelope. I'm not a hoarder...just following directions.

 

She clearly stole the dinosaur stickers from the letters he brothers were supposed to write for their friends. :)



 

Here's what was inside. In my opinion, a treasure. On a side note, I remember sitting the back of a VanZanten vehicle, writing letters on the way home from ball games using the headlights of the vehicle behind us to see.

I think this picture was from 1998, on a band trip to Chicago, but you get the picture. It'd be a close reference to the letter.

 

 

This picture was most definitely taken at a livestock judging contest. I drug Dana along because we needed another body and her brothers were already going anyway. (at least one of them, I'm not sure if Andy has seen livestock yet). hehe

I expect a letter from the next family trip you take too. :)

Love,
K

On turning 30

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DANA LEE!

Welcome to the world of 30. Since you plastered my picture all over Facebook (thank you for that, by the way), I figured I'd take a turn and share a few stories and pictures here, in a few installments that will post throughout the day. Enjoy. :)


We met in Kindergarten. Mrs. Poppen's class. I look at Gage's Kindergarten class and pray everyday that he starts a friendship and real and wholesome as ours. Who would have known that 25 years later, we still adore each other. I remember the story your mom tells about calling Mrs. Poppen to ask if 'The Franken Girl' was ok for you to hang out with. Thank goodness she said yes. :) Check out this picture I found of us...there you are in the your white dress, red bows, curled hair and fancy black shoes looking mighty fine. At the other end of the Kindergarten girl line is me, in my Little House on the Prairie dress and lion mask. Crayons are still awesome.

Summers were always difficult. You spent a lot of time in Colton with family, church and activities and I did the same in Madison. The 7 or 8 miles that separated us in the summer might as well have been an entire state. Thankfully, our parents were great about letting us sent letters back and forth. And fortunately, some have survived the test of time. I like this one best.

Throughout elementary school, it was pretty evident that our teachers didn't want us in the same class. Or maybe our parents requested that, at any rate, we were reunited a few times, and especially enjoy joint adventures like this fourth grade field trip. How is there only one fanny pack in this picture, and two pairs of Hammer pants? Also in style: windsuits, tight-rolled pants and cheesy grins.

And then we graduated. Through high school, some of our activities overlapped, others did not. We went our separate ways after CHS, attending different colleges. I really thought the separation would make life between us awkward. I feel so fortunate that our friendship is stronger now than ever before. Getting married and having babies has taken the 400 miles between us and given us something to talk about every day. I value the time we can spend together so much, even if that time is 10 minutes of virtual chat a day. It keeps me sane.

My favorite part of us? Sharing the joys and challenges of being Moms. I think its what we've always been meant to do. Gage was so lucky to spend a day with you last summer. Knowing my kids know you and love you means the world. Thanks for the letter. Anytime I see your handwriting in the mailbox, my heart leaps with excitement and anticipation. You never let me down.

Have a great birthday. Check back again later. I have some great letters you sent me and pictures of some high school adventures. I just need to do a little censoring first. :)

Love you dear,
Kim

F-O-U-R

What comes after three?  Before five?  FOUR!  And we are there.  Easton turned four on November 21^st and we partied in style; a monster truck birthday bash it was!  Daddy pulled out his best artistic skillz to create this bad boy:

And we had ourselves a spectacular time, just as you should at a birthday party for a four-year-old boy, right?

First of all, on his birthday wish list?

1)      A grape harvester

2)      A feller buncher

3)      A telehandler

I don’t make this stuff up (And either does he…go ahead, google it.  That stuff really exists!).  I’m also not making it up when I tell you he got all of those wishes granted.  Every. Stinking. One.  He’s put many miles (or hours?) on each one.  He spends hours playing in his room and his imagination cannot be harnessed.  He is so, so full of life and I love him all the more for it.

Now onto the yearly birthday interview!  Remember back to last year when I did the same interview?  SO fun to look back and compare.  I also added a few questions this year that a) he didn’t have a clue how to answer last year or b) just plain didn’t apply.  I so look forward to doing these every year and watching, on paper and with my own eyes, this little guy continue to grow and turn into the amazing person I just know God is planning for him to be.

 

Also, too funny not to mention: At the end of what must have seemed like a million interview questions Easton says, “Mom, I don’t want to do so many words.”

Steadfast: Faith and Family

From Dana:

I sat down to write a post about Easton…his birthday, how awesome he is, and his latest birthday interview.  That’ll come, I promise.  And I’m excited to put into words how much awesome he injects into our lives.  But right now my heart is too heavy and my mind is too full to write the carefree, fun post that needs to be.

Our family has changed a lot in the past two years; I have gained two sister-in-laws and a sweet, snuggly niece.  It’s great to finally have some girl power in our family (prior to said sister-in-laws and niece my mom and I were the only female figures)!  Family get-togethers and holidays have reached a new level of awesome with each new Van Zanten. J

Last week we were deep into preparations for Easton’s monster truck birthday bash.  We were nearly certain my brother and his wife, Katie, wouldn’t be attending as Katie had been struggling with a migraine for a number of days and was struggling to get a handle on it.  Two hours before party time my mom called.  They were headed to the ER to meet Andy and Katie.  After this phone call, came a series of phone calls from the ER including one which I will never forget.  It was my dad and I listened as he said, “Andy and Katie didn’t get very good news.  They found something in Katie’s brain.”  My response:  “No!”  Many of you probably know the feeling that followed.  Your heart sinks and your stomach falls to the floor.  I told David the news and remember telling him with tears in my eyes, “I’m just so scared for them.”

The minutes, hours, and days that followed were a huge emotional and spiritual roller coaster for me.  I went through times when I was completely convinced that God would, without a doubt, remove the tumor from Katie’s brain.  Other times I was scared and almost downright fearful for what the future might hold.  I reached for the Bible more times than I can count and hoped beyond hope that a verse would jump off the page and give me reassurance that everything would be fine.  I tuned Pandora to the Christian music station and yearned for the perfect song to play.  When I think back it seems sort of silly, but I was grasping for hope.  I know any number of uplifting verses in scripture and can list more than a few songs that bring peace to my soul, but I wanted God to throw it in my face instead of having to find it on my own.

One particular evening during what seemed to be a never-ending week, I crashed.  I crashed hard.  I was exhausted and couldn’t find the energy to do the most menial tasks.  At 8:30pm my husband picked me up off the floor, told the kids to tell me goodnight, and pushed me down the hall to bed.  I was tired, but there was no way I was going to sleep.  I pulled out my Kindle and started reading scripture; this time with meaning and purpose.  When I came across a moving verse, I’d YouTube a song that correlated.  And I cried.   I emptied my soul until there were no more tears to cry.  All those walls that I had built up behind me for support came crumbling down.  But slowly, one by one, I put the bricks back up.  But this time, God was the mortar that was holding it together.  No more hoping for the right song to play.  No more wishing a meaningful verse would jump off the page.  I know my God and I know He’s always there for me.  I didn’t need those things for proof.

My brother and his wife are insanely incredible.  They have not wavered from the very beginning.  They have not lost faith.  They have, in fact, done the complete opposite.  They are soaring high and finding ways to praise and thank God for his goodness.  My brother called to give me Katie’s preliminary diagnosis and the final words of his phone call were, “So send up a few prayers of thanksgiving.”  In a time when they could have crumbled, they held strong and clung to their loving Father.  They are admirable and I just know this story will have an awesome ending because of their faith and love for God.

So that’s it.  This is not the end.  This is the beginning.  This is the beginning of something we have no control over and don’t need to try to control.  God has this.  He has Andy & Katie in the palm of His hand and they are clinging to him as a child should cling to their Father in a time of need.  They are not ignorant, but they are not fearful.  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” –Philippians 4:13.  Andy & Katie…they are living out this verse.  Christ has given them the strength to handle this situation and they are making Him so, so proud.

If you’d like to pray for Andy & Katie and follow her story you can visit her Caring Bridge site here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/katievanzanten

Connected

The number of miles between Dana and I seems endless at times. There never seems like enough time to talk on the phone, chat on the computer or text one more funny photo. When we do get together these days, we generally spend more time serving up snacks, dragging out toys and snuggling babies than catching up on the latest trends in fashion and painting our nails.

It does not mean we are not connected. It funny how, when chatting, we type the answer a question before it even comes out, or say almost the same thing simultaneously. We like a lot of the same things, and (at least in my case) "Dana" is always in my head. "What would you do?" "How would you handle this?" "Do you like this?" She almost always answers exactly how I want and agrees with me. :)

Last night we opened a few gifts with Max for his third birthday. Dana always has a way of nailing the perfect gift for the boys and this year was no exception. When Max pulled out a pair of leather work gloves, my jaw dropped. Over the river and through the hills, and Dana and I picked out the exact same pair of gloves for Max.

Ember Lee Turns 1!

Here's a little ditty from Dana!

 

It happened.  Ember turned one.  It happened two months ago and I’m just now getting around to posting this (maybe I’ve been in denial?).  It’s one of those things that you know is coming, yet it still manages to sneak up on you.  Having said that, I am LOVIN’ this one y ear old!

She is saucy, fun-loving, energetic, and living life to the fullest.

She is perfect.

Introducing…Ember Lee Neu…Age ONE!

 

 

A study in sleeplessness.

D: Ember doesn't sleep anyway, so we wouldn't be out anything. Easton will...he's a champ. :)

K: Still not sleeping good huh? Is it possible she just needs less that the experts say? I have one like that ;)

D: That's not the problem. She was up 7 times last night, no joke.

And only napped for 1.5 hours TOTAL all day yesterday.

K: Oh wow. The up-lots-of-times-at-night thing sucks big time. When Gage was little like that, I'd sometimes just turn on the TV for him so I could sleep on the couch.

Is she upset when she's awake? Or just wants to be awake?

D:  She's tired. She goes back to sleep. Sometimes within 2 minutes, sometimes within 12 minutes. She just keeps. waking. up.

K: She looks so alert and curious, I just wonder if she's too excited about exploring and playing to sleep.

D: She cries. She's tired.

She hates David between 9pm and 7 am.

K: And she needs you to put her back to sleep.

Ouch, yeah Gage only wanted me at night too. Because Jack didn't mess around - he'd make him go back to sleep. It usually helped him sleep better though.

D: Mostly, yes. Last night she did let him comfort her twice.

Me the other 5 times.

K: And she won't put herself back to sleep? We did let Gage 'cry it out' a few times. After 3-4 days it worked really well and he'd sleep fine. For 3-4 days.

D: I did a trial "cry it out" at naptime on Wednesday. Fail fail fail.

It took me twice as long to get her calmed down as it would've otherwise taken me to just put her to sleep.

K: Right. Gage too when he was little like that. :(

D: Going to sleep isn't usually the problem...rock for a few minutes + pacifier and she's asleep (as long as she's tired and ready for nap).

K: I really have no good advice. We struggled with Gage for a really long time. I thought it was us. I really thought we'd screwed him up for life (and I suppose the jury is still out on that...) and we were awful parents. It really made us think twice about wanting more kids.

Max is SO different. He has been from day 1.

I truly think its more about their wiring and internal clocks. The baby sleep experts just have good sleepers to raise. ;)

D: I agree. I'm not even going to pick up a book or google more ideas. I've tried what I think will work and I guess we'll just have to tough it out in the meantime. I'm going to try a few things over the weekend, but I'm not going to ruin my life over it.

We'll get there.

K: We messed with every variable: light, sound, temperature, sleep atmosphere, nighttime routine, you name it. The only thing that worked: turning 4.

If you need a break, Koreen swears she's being honest when she tells me that he has ALWAYS slept perfectly there. He might get up once, but usually just sleeps right on through the night. And later in the morning than he EVER has for me.

Maybe your mom would be interested in trying her for a night, even if just to give you a break and the chance at a good night's sleep. I always felt bad asking her to watch him, but she says even when he was little he's slept so good there.

D: I might have Mom come a night and use a bottle if she has to. I'm not certain it's not the nursing she wants. The most I'll feed her during the night is twice, and it's usually when I can't stand the thought of getting up again. She'll typically sleep 3 hours after I feed her.

K: If I was there, I'd take her. We'd get along just fine :) I think maybe she's just wired with a personality like mine. Lucky YOU!

D: Then we should get along great for the rest of our lives. ;)

K: Well that is interesting. She can't possibly be hungry ALL night long.

Max did eat every 2 hours, but I stopped  that when he was 6 months old. Was I freaking nuts or what? lol

D: Last night I nursed her @ 8:00, fed her cereal at 8:30 (a big bowl), and let her drink a bottle at 8:45 (she drank almost 4 oz.). There's no WAY she's hungry.

K: She eating good at daycare? The boys both cluster fed...I felt like sometimes all I did between pickup and bedtime was feed them. Gage was even worse.  

D: Her 9 month appointment is Monday. I'll talk to Dr. Jeanne about it. She'll ask if I can let her cry it out. When I say no, she'll smile and say she couldn't do it either. Then she'll make sure there's nothing medically wrong, tell me I'm a good mom, and send me home with hopeful thoughts.

K: OMG, this is great birth control. Ask me more questions about raising newborns. lol

D: She usually drinks 4 or 5 oz. bottles there. That's pretty normal for her.

;)Just don't spend the day with her. You'll want 6 of her. You must stay past 10pm. ;)

K: How's this mystery fever?

or warm body I guess?

D: I think it was the thermometer. I bought a different one and she hasn't had a fever at all...although I'm wondering if that one will EVER read a fever. Ha! I know I had a fever with my last cold and it read normal. Oh well. On the ear thermometer Ember's normal temp. reads 99.2, so I just figure it out from there if she has a fever or not. That's my theory anyway. :)

Go Dr. D.!

Nine Months

A post from Dana!

NINE MONTHS

Ember Lee turned 9 months old last week.  Crazy?  I know.  And it sure gets a Mama to thinking!

In nine short months you experience the transformation from looking like this…

 to looking at this...

That’s where we’re at.  We have a beautiful, smiley, crawling, standing-up-by-everything little girl.  I’ve done this before, but it’s still just incredibly amazing to me how life changes so quickly.

Perhaps equally as amazing is the transition from a cute toddler to a little boy SO ready for preschool.

+ 9 months =

I can’t wait to see what the next 9 months will bring (think birthdays, walking, preschool, and more!) for my kids and my family.  I’m planning to just hang on and enjoy the ride. J

Ten on Tuesday. Day Job

We're back with some Ten On Tuesday Action. We answered these questions a long time ago, but I'm just not getting around to posting them. I'm the boss, so we follow my rules. :)

Enjoy!

1. What do you do for a living?
K: My husband and I run The Current Connection, specializing in computer and electronics sales and service. We also offer office supplies, furniture and children’s toys. We operate Midwest Rodeo Entries, contracting with rodeo associations to take and manage an online-based rodeo entry system. I also continue to pursue professional photography. Plenty of reasons to stay busy.

D: I am a children's librarian.  Sounds magical, doesn't it?  It is, actually.  We have a super stellar group of dedicated library moms (that's what I call them anyway) that make my job a lot of fun and really rewarding.

2. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
K: Our job can look however we want it to, and different every day. I like the flexibility it offers our family even though that flexibility might mean leaving the office to help out at preschool and then working after the kids go to bed at night. When my kiddos are sick I know I'll be able to pull them from school or daycare to take care of them though. And that means the world to me.

D: The kids...and once in a while I enjoy their parents too.  But mostly, I enjoy when they come together.  Cool things can happen at the library, you should go there sometime...with your kids. :o)

3. What’s your least favorite thing about your job?
K: Its difficult to leave the office to get away. We don’t get to travel back to see my parents and family as much as I’d like and we do end up working quite a few more hours than a “traditional” job. It isn’t possible to just shut down the store after we’ve put in our 40 hours for the week.

D: That I can't do it from home.  Wait, maybe I can.  I may have just thought of something!  The Neu Club Library (meaning you have to pay fees...I've got to make money somehow!).  But it would be a rockin' awesome place, trust me!

4. If you weren’t a ____________, what would you be?
K: A librarian. I have serious job envy toward Dana. She gets to work with kids AND books. How cool is that? I really do like where I’m at right now though.

D: If I weren't a children's librarian, I would be a stay at home mom.  I imagine myself being this way cool stay at home mom.  In reality, I'd probably drive my kids (and my husband) a little nuts and still not have the laundry done or dinner on the table.  A girl can dream.

5. What is something that you would love to get paid for that you think no one would ever pay you for?
K: Professional volunteer. I love helping people. If I could just randomly choose to spend my day volunteering different places, helping different people it would be divine. Let me know if you’re willing to pay me for something like that. J

D: Read books.  All day, 8-5.  Just pleasure reading.  No assignments, no editing, just reading for enjoyment.  Our library is full of great books that I'm certain I'll never get a chance to read.  Breaks my heart.

6. If you could have any job for exactly one day, what would it be?
K: Paramedic – I’m certain I couldn’t handle that for more than one day, but I’ve always been curious.

D: I think everybody should be a kindergarten teacher for one day.  I've worked in a kindergarten classroom before, but should probably do it again.  Everybody needs a wake-up call once in a while. :o)

7. If you had to do manual labor, what would you do?
K: Farmer/Rancher

D: Groundskeeper.  Give me a mower (ride-on, please) and I'd be pleased as punch.  Wait, the fact that I requested a ride-on mower probably takes the manual labor part away.

8. What is something you were forced to learn in high school that was supposed to be super important, but you never actually use?
K: I really had a love/hate with social studies all four years. The material was interesting to me, but our teacher’s style did nothing for me. As a result I trained myself to zone out when I start hearing historical material. It’s a shame really – there’s so much cool stuff out there.

D: Algebra.  I don't actually use it now, but I guess I did have to use it to graduate from college.

9. Who was your favorite boss? Why?
K: Besides ourselves, I would have to say my college job. The two owners complimented each other well, and let me see what managing several different styles of businesses could look like. And the person who I ran my scheduling through was fantastic – one of the nicest people I know.

D: I've only ever had one boss, really, and she's not bad.  I guess I did work for Dakota Ethanol and a bunch of our dads were our bosses.  That was pretty awesome.

10. Where would you rather work: Dunder Mifflin Paper Company (The Office), Wernham Hogg Paper Company (The Office, UK), or Initech (Office Space)?
K: Hands down Dunder Mifflin. Michael Scott would have been my BFF. My kids even reference Michael Scott in daily conversation. Support the Rabid.

D: Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.  I think Pam and I could be friends--we'd definitely take our break together.