Okay, so I think we're over the whole Steelers loss thing here in the Smith household. I happen to still believe that the Steelers would have represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in the Superbowl better than the Eagles, but we won't go there. Because my dear grandparents and dear friend Holly read this blog, and I don't want to offend them anymore than I might have just done with that statement (I love you guys!). But I got it off my chest, and we'll talk football again in 7 months.

We're all about boogers this week. Last week it was poop, and now we're all about the Booger. Rowan has learned to pick his nose, and both our kids are a perfect example of "the common cold" this week. Such is life with little ones. One gets sick, then the other, and soon the whole house is sick. I think our house has had one "sicky" in it since Christmas. Such is life with kids during the winter. At least in the spring and summer we can open the windows and kill the sick germs with healthy ones. But in the winter, the sick germs stay inside and procreate.

It's about this time of year that I get really really eager for the Spring. I think Kenny and I are going to move to Arizona. Tomorrow. The desert part of it. Arid. Dry. Sunshine. I haven't talked to him about this yet. But I don't think he'll object since we've both been complaining about the lack of sun (with the exception of today) we've noticed this winter.

Does Arizona have a good football team?

Liz posted her mid-games feelings last night, and I need to vent a bit, so here's my perspective:

One huge problem in Pittsburgh has always been the quarterbacks. Well, not the quarterbacks themselves, but the city's response to the QB. Even the great Terry Bradshaw admits a love-hate relationship with the fans and media in Pittsburgh, and ever since then QBs have struggled to find a place with the black and gold.

Take Kordell Stewart (I whisper the name in Pittsburgh because it harbors so many bad feelings): "Slash" starts as QB passing and running his way to the NFL's biggest threat. Pittsburghers go crazy with expectation, proclaiming Stewart to be the Steelers' messiah; before long he crumbles under the pressure, booed from the stands and boo-hooing on the sideline.

Then there's Tommy Maddox. The former XFLer replaces Stewart as starting QB, and goes on to rally the Steelers for a chance at the Superbowl in spite of a spine-numbing hit midway through the season. Right around the time they start selling "Tommy Gun Cereal" at Giant Eagle, his flakes get soggy and his season is mediocre.

This year's golden calf is "Big Ben" Roethlisberger. I knew he was in trouble as soon as I saw the beef jerky named after him at the store. The city (and the NFL) is all abuzz with the PFJ(play for Jesus)-embossed rookie, but the decline in his play coincides almost directly with the rise in his popularity, and by the time they eke out a victory against the Jets, I'm seriously concerned about the big guy.

My theory is that this city places so much of the credit and/or blame for its football team's performance on the quarterback that any mortal cannot possibly hold up under the pressure, let alone a rookie. Or maybe that's just the difference between really good players and really really phenomenal players: the ability to make the big plays under the most intense pressure.

That brings me to Tom Brady. What a guy. There's ice in his veins. His passes seem to have the most pin-point accuracy, the perfect trajectory and arc for the given play. Congrats to New England -- the better team (at least last night).

Cowher said Ben's going to be a good QB. The plumber this morning said he wanted Cowher to put Maddox in after the first interception (we got our sink fixed), more evidence that burgher's superbowl dreams begin and end with one position. There's no doubt that the loss last night is due largely to the three interceptions, but Big Ben was set up to fail: all the focus, all the attention, all the critical detailed analysis of his every action. Pittsburgh is truly "a drinking city with a football problem," but until they stop worshipping quarterbacks or start cloning Bradys, I'll try to keep my wife from getting too involved in such a dangerous pastime...

posted by kenny

Kenny and I are trying hard to ignore the fact that our Steelers are getting killed by New England which means that once again, we're not headed for the Super Bowl.

Yes, I know that the game isn't over (as I type this we still have a good portion of the 4th quarter left), but the interceptions we're throwing, and the fact that we just can't get any breaks, it's just obvious we're playing our last game of the season tonight.

And why do we care? We're not even football people. And yet I feel so depressed right now because we're throwing away this stupid game.

Maybe it's also because I'm a bit under the weather today. And our kitchen sink is clogged and we're going to have a call a plumber in the morning, and just about every dish in our kitchen is dirty (including the very full dishwasher). And it's Sunday night, which means tomorrow is Monday.

I think I'll go up to bed now.

Good night.

Kenny has recently discovered ebaY

we are now $40 poorer but an accordian richer.

yeah, baby!

I'm not sure how John Lennon might feel if he were to know that the lyrics to his song, "Imagine" are imprinted on the diapers that Rowan and Sawyer use. "Imagine all the people living life in peace" now grace the buns of my sons.

I also wonder how he'd feel about them being Walmart brand diapers. I'm sure my brother Jonathan has a lot to say about Walmart and the fact that they are commercializing one of the world's great musicians.

Right, Jon?

For Christmas, I asked my mom, aka Nana, to buy Rowan the new Sesame Street 35th anniversary DVD. It's called "The Street We Live On" (Yes, children's educational television teaches our kids to end sentences with prepositions) and focuses primarily on the most popular of Sesame Street monsters, Elmo and his world. We walk with Elmo through various parts of Sesame Street, and towards the end we go back in time with Grover to the days of Sesame Street that I remember.

The days of bell bottom, striped pants, pig tails, Mr Hooper, A skinny Gordon, a paler Ernie and Burt, and the pinball 1-12 count.

What I appreciate about Sesame Street is that it assumes the parent is watching it with the child - which is, I think, how it should be. Rowan loves Elmo ("Emoo"), Count von Count ("Ah Ah") and Big Bird ("Bee Bur"). He's not so fond of Grover (when did he turn into a "super hero?") or Cookie Monster. So we watch it together some days. And the makers of Sesame Street are good enough to add humor that we parents can appreciate:

Like a talking peacock puppet ("Ha Cha Cha Cha"), and a dance sequence that stars some famous adults like Dr. Phil, Nora Jones, and Larry King.

Rowan is at the age where he yells out what he sees on television. He watches his Baby Mozart video and yells, "Hhhhhaaaaaa" when the candles appear (that's how he says, "hot"). He watched TeleTubbies and yells "Baby" when the baby face in the sunshine appears. He watches Sesame Street and yells "Ah Ah" when the Count comes on with the number of the day. It's fun to watch him learn. And I know he's learning. All of this is going through his head and he's sharing it with me. He only really enjoys watching it with me or Kenny. We love watching him learn.

Thanks to five straight days of grey skies, constant rain and coolish temperatures, two sick little boys (including a call to the doctor, and a trip there this morning, and two trips to a pharmacy), and now a sick husband, we are ringing in the new year in style. PJs and mugs of tea.

I apologize for the lack in blog entries. There really hasn't been a spare moment around here since we're going to bed much earlier to ward off any future viruses (stay away!)....

I'm learning that being a parent means that sleep is so very precious. So. Very. precious. So now we're off to embrace the lovely land of Lilly White's Party. (My Nana always told me that I was going to Lilly White's party when it was bedtime. I really did think I was going to have cake. And yes, I'm still naive.)