First, just let me say I have been avoiding posting about this in fear that we will lose all of our friends and I would lose all those people out there that enjoy reading my blog. But, after a week of holding back, I have decided to let you all know what exactly I have been dealing with and after reading this, you feel it necessary to never come back, I completely understand.
Last week was crazy and I am hoping this week will be better. It started on Monday, when I took J and K to the doctor to find out J had an ear infection and K was wheezing. J is on antibiotics for his ear infection and coupled with that, he has cut 2 more teeth! 3 teeth in a week! No wonder I have had some sleepless nights! K is on breathing treatments to try and get her cough/wheeze away..which everyone knows those steroids make a child a little bit more excited. But I have to say the thing that takes the cake (for the week) would be the foul smelling odor coming from K's room.
For a few days I had noticed a slightly bad odor coming from K's room when I would wake her up in the morning. Honestly, I just thought it was bad morning breath given that she has been sick and coughing for a while. But the smell continued to get worse, until one day last week, I knew it was something bad and some investigating needed to be done. I was talking to Georgiamom on the phone Monday morning telling her to pray for me as I entered the room to try to get to the bottom of the odor. It was THAT bad...I knew I needed a prayer buddy to ensure my safety, fearing that a bio hazard team might show up and quarantine me in the room with the stinky smell! At first I was hoping to find a random cookie or food item that K had hidden in her room, or perhaps a rancid sippy cup growing mold in it (every mom out there has seen this) in the dark beneath the bed or behind the dresser. After not finding either of the two and as a day or so passed, I knew I was not dealing with food or sippy cup, but rather the obvious offensive odor of a dead animal. (I now have no friends left in the world, I'm sure of it! I bid you a fond farwell) Yes people, a dead animal!
Obviously, we tore the room upside down, including mattress and box springs. I went through every part of that room only to find nothing. Ty investigated in the attic and under the house, which is only a crawl space. As a matter of fact, he said that is the best form of exercise he has had in a long time--pulling all his weight by his elbows alone. But his efforts did not produce any decayed mouse or squirrel, unfortunately (I guess.) As a result, we concluded that the culprit must be in a wall somewhere and my pest control service said there was nothing we could really do about it but wait it out. NICE!
So for the past week we have been one less bedroom, making our little house even smaller. K has been sleeping with M, which has led to bedtimes with giggles and talking instead of sleeping and early mornings for K, when she is used to sleeping until around 9am. And all the while, K's door remains closed off, just waiting for the smell to go away...let nature take it's course. I know....Gross!
Just thought I would let you in on a little of my insanity lately. Now, y'all go have a nice lunch!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Humbled by Halitosis
On very rare occasions we will let both girls sleep in our bed for the night. Ty usually sleeps in M's bed when this happens so he can have his space. They think it's a special treat to do this, and truth be known, I sometimes do as well. Last night was one of those nights that the girls slept with me. K was in the middle and when I got in the bed she said, "Snuggle up Mommy."
Awww, how sweet is that? A shared tender moment in the dark of the night in the warm and cozy bed....
"Ok K, I'd love to" and I pulled her tight and gave her a kiss.
"Mommy?....."
"Yes, K?"
"You're breath stinks."
Way to turn around a moment. These kids will humble you for sure.
Awww, how sweet is that? A shared tender moment in the dark of the night in the warm and cozy bed....
"Ok K, I'd love to" and I pulled her tight and gave her a kiss.
"Mommy?....."
"Yes, K?"
"You're breath stinks."
Way to turn around a moment. These kids will humble you for sure.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Desperate Measures
I am resorting to putting this out in bloggy land in hopes that someone brilliant will have an idea for me....I desperately need a full nights sleep. I cannot believe it, but J is waking up again through the night. At this point I have no clue what is going on with him...is it his ears?..the teeth?..hungry? The later, I am pretty sure, is not the right answer. (But is it?) He does weigh over 18 pounds and is 6 months old...I'm no expert, but I'm thinking he could at least do the 12 hour at night deal, right? I am questioning myself about everything at this point.
Last night he went to bed around 8 pm and slept peacefully until 2 am. From 2 am to 5:30 am it was non-stop....patting his back, giving him a pacifier, rocking him...all the while he is screaming crying (not fussy cry...screaming). I tried to let him cry it out but after a long time, he was still crying this way..no letting up. I would lay him back down and briefly he would drift off, but then as soon as I was snug back in my warm bed, he would start the crying again. Until, knowing I probably shouldn't, I resorted to just giving him a bottle at 5:30 am. He looked like a baby bird trying to get that bottle in his mouth, desperate for that bottle, wide open mouth. He finished the bottle quickly and I put him back in his bed and he slept great until around 8:30 this morning.
Here's the deal, I give him his last bottle at 8 pm and put him down...AWAKE. He puts himself to sleep. At naptime, he doesn't get a bottle before he lays down and again, he puts himself to sleep (sometimes he might fuss for a few minutes, but then he is off to sweet slumber). I say all this to inform you that I am not aware of any bad habits or props that he uses to fall asleep. So why is he doing this still?
For a while, I tried to look at it with a positive attitude, thinking "Aww, it's just a chance for me to cuddle with my sweet boy." I'm sad to say, I can't really find that attitude anymore. I am exhausted. I am desperate. This is the time for all those people who read my blog to please comment and tell me what to do. What am I doing wrong?
I Need Sleep. Brain is not functioning at it's full capacity. (I don't need any wise-cracks about that comment, T!)
H-E-L-P!
Last night he went to bed around 8 pm and slept peacefully until 2 am. From 2 am to 5:30 am it was non-stop....patting his back, giving him a pacifier, rocking him...all the while he is screaming crying (not fussy cry...screaming). I tried to let him cry it out but after a long time, he was still crying this way..no letting up. I would lay him back down and briefly he would drift off, but then as soon as I was snug back in my warm bed, he would start the crying again. Until, knowing I probably shouldn't, I resorted to just giving him a bottle at 5:30 am. He looked like a baby bird trying to get that bottle in his mouth, desperate for that bottle, wide open mouth. He finished the bottle quickly and I put him back in his bed and he slept great until around 8:30 this morning.
Here's the deal, I give him his last bottle at 8 pm and put him down...AWAKE. He puts himself to sleep. At naptime, he doesn't get a bottle before he lays down and again, he puts himself to sleep (sometimes he might fuss for a few minutes, but then he is off to sweet slumber). I say all this to inform you that I am not aware of any bad habits or props that he uses to fall asleep. So why is he doing this still?
For a while, I tried to look at it with a positive attitude, thinking "Aww, it's just a chance for me to cuddle with my sweet boy." I'm sad to say, I can't really find that attitude anymore. I am exhausted. I am desperate. This is the time for all those people who read my blog to please comment and tell me what to do. What am I doing wrong?
I Need Sleep. Brain is not functioning at it's full capacity. (I don't need any wise-cracks about that comment, T!)
H-E-L-P!
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Six Months
Tomorrow marks my sweet boy's 6 month mark. It's amazing how quickly time goes by. J is a sweet baby and a BIG baby. Over 18 pounds now! He is ready to get mobile. I actually think he might crawl before he sits on his own...He is wanting to GO! Oh, the thought of this is frightening....I have a lot of preparing to do before this actually happens. I will have to go through my house with a fine tooth comb to locate all the Polly Pocket outfits, Barbie shoes, beads, etc. that are scattered top to bottom, under cushions, behind sofas and in between furniture. All the innocent girly things that are waiting to be swallowed by a curious little boy!
About 4 days ago, we added a new addition to our house. It didn't come by easily either. There was a lot of fussing, restless nights and lots of drool that came before it. Can you find our new addition in the picture below? (You may have to click on the picture and enlarge it to see)
J's first tooth! The drool is excessive...and the fitful night sleeps are about to kill me. ONLY nineteen more to go! Ughhhhhhh.
Here are a few pictures of J at 6 months. (Please excuse the runny nose and the drool)
In this picture, he looks a lot like my brother, S.
And this is just a small example of why my boy is so sweet. He was playing on the floor as I was cleaning the kitchen...he got really quiet so I checked on him and this is what he was up to. How sweet is that?
And here he is thinking, "How do I get these colorful things off and into my mouth?"
J with his sister K loving on him (this is not just for the picture..she does this ALL the time!)
They grow up too fast, don't they?
Happy 6 month baby boy!
About 4 days ago, we added a new addition to our house. It didn't come by easily either. There was a lot of fussing, restless nights and lots of drool that came before it. Can you find our new addition in the picture below? (You may have to click on the picture and enlarge it to see)
J's first tooth! The drool is excessive...and the fitful night sleeps are about to kill me. ONLY nineteen more to go! Ughhhhhhh.
Here are a few pictures of J at 6 months. (Please excuse the runny nose and the drool)
In this picture, he looks a lot like my brother, S.
And this is just a small example of why my boy is so sweet. He was playing on the floor as I was cleaning the kitchen...he got really quiet so I checked on him and this is what he was up to. How sweet is that?
And here he is thinking, "How do I get these colorful things off and into my mouth?"
J with his sister K loving on him (this is not just for the picture..she does this ALL the time!)
They grow up too fast, don't they?
Happy 6 month baby boy!
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Cheese!? What??
My sister and her children live several states away from us, in TX, and we really don't get to see them too often. My children loved it last week when her kids (their cousins) came for a visit. Sadly, they left yesterday and my girls were so upset to see them leave, knowing it might be a while before they see them again. I guess K's wheels got to turning, trying to figure out a way for us to be closer to them--and then she had it! "Mommy, we can go live in TX. (brief pause) And we can take our cheese there."
O.....K....What? Not sure the brain is working so good....I guess, in her little brain she was worried if we moved to another state that they might not have her favorite snack there. I wish that was the extent of my worries, don't you?
O.....K....What? Not sure the brain is working so good....I guess, in her little brain she was worried if we moved to another state that they might not have her favorite snack there. I wish that was the extent of my worries, don't you?
I'm No American Idol
I am not a huge fan of reality TV shows, but considering that is all that is on these days, I watch them. I do enjoy watching American Idol and sometimes Dancing With The Stars. I think I like to watch these because I like pretending I'm a judge too. Last night while flipping back and forth between the two, T and I were talking about them and I realized that I was being so critical of everyone. "Simon's right. That was not really good...", and other things like that. At one point, while watching a 6 foot, thin, brunette ballroom dance, I made the comment, "She really isn't all that graceful." It is then that I looked at T and he at me, and we both just started laughing. The reason it's so funny is I'm slightly over 5feet, a little clumsy, and (perhaps) a FEW pounds too heavy and I am saying this about this girl!? I have absolutely no rhythm and can barely carry a tune when singing. The irony of me criticizing these talented people is laughable....but it makes for a fun Tuesday night. I'm going to keep pretending I'm a judge with Simon, Paula and Randy,critique everything about the contestants, and laugh with my husband about it. I will also continue to identify all the shortcomings of beautiful women that my husband is watching on TV!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Modern Day Fairytale
Does anyone else hate those big race car grocery carts? I mean, what seems like an ingenious idea to make grocery shopping entertaining for the kids, is actually just a major inconvenience for me. First of all, whoever made these could have put a little more thought into the handling of them. It is seriously like trying to push a refrigerator box around tight corners of the store. And after the weight of the kids in it and then the groceries themselves, it is like pushing a refrigerator box around with a refrigerator inside it!!! Not an easy task. And heaven forbid if you meet with another mom and HER over sized box on the same isle, because it's crazy to try to maneuver these things out of the way, and now you and that mother are looking at each other hoping the other will have the dexterity to get around you. It's insanity.
Today K, J and I went to do a little grocery shopping at the store that has the refrigerator boxes (oh, race car carts) and K loves these things! Only today I informed her that we could not get one because J's infant carrier doesn't fit on them and if I put him in the buggy part, then we would have no room for the groceries. It is then where K and I were not in agreement. She HAD to ride in one of those cars, but I had to buy food.....what is one to do? Oh, the tears came, the arguments, the "Why Mommy's" and I found myself doing what any self-respecting mother would do in this situation....bribe them. But, unfortunately that didn't work either. As I pushed my little grocery cart around the produce section (it was like driving the Lexus versus the 18 wheeler that I was used to) K just proceeded to carry on with tears and pleads...I explained and explained (very calmly too, I must admit) why she could not ride in that race car over and over again, until I almost came to my breaking point. And then, my knight in shining armor appears! T, knowing I was shopping, took his lunch break and met me at the store to help me shop. (I know!!! He's a keeper)
I was so glad to see him to help me out with this struggle I was having with little K, to help me explain, to help me discipline, and to help me teach a lesson. He took one look at K and said, "What's wrong, K?"
"I wanted to ride in a race car, " she responded with the most pitiful look on her face, looking up at her Daddy.
"Yes" I thought..."Help me out here, honey," as I put tomatoes into a bag and they walked off. "Good," I was thinking, "He'll go have a talk with her."
And he did what any good Daddy would do..........Went and got the biggest blue race car grocery cart and pushed K around in it!
Maybe not so much on the lesson learned here being, do not argue with your mother, or respect your mother and father. Instead, the lesson she learned today is her Daddy is her knight in shining armor too! He rescued her when she was sad and made it all better. Well...at least that's the way I'm looking at it today.
Princess K, her knight in shining armor, and her noble steed, the blue race car!
Today K, J and I went to do a little grocery shopping at the store that has the refrigerator boxes (oh, race car carts) and K loves these things! Only today I informed her that we could not get one because J's infant carrier doesn't fit on them and if I put him in the buggy part, then we would have no room for the groceries. It is then where K and I were not in agreement. She HAD to ride in one of those cars, but I had to buy food.....what is one to do? Oh, the tears came, the arguments, the "Why Mommy's" and I found myself doing what any self-respecting mother would do in this situation....bribe them. But, unfortunately that didn't work either. As I pushed my little grocery cart around the produce section (it was like driving the Lexus versus the 18 wheeler that I was used to) K just proceeded to carry on with tears and pleads...I explained and explained (very calmly too, I must admit) why she could not ride in that race car over and over again, until I almost came to my breaking point. And then, my knight in shining armor appears! T, knowing I was shopping, took his lunch break and met me at the store to help me shop. (I know!!! He's a keeper)
I was so glad to see him to help me out with this struggle I was having with little K, to help me explain, to help me discipline, and to help me teach a lesson. He took one look at K and said, "What's wrong, K?"
"I wanted to ride in a race car, " she responded with the most pitiful look on her face, looking up at her Daddy.
"Yes" I thought..."Help me out here, honey," as I put tomatoes into a bag and they walked off. "Good," I was thinking, "He'll go have a talk with her."
And he did what any good Daddy would do..........Went and got the biggest blue race car grocery cart and pushed K around in it!
Maybe not so much on the lesson learned here being, do not argue with your mother, or respect your mother and father. Instead, the lesson she learned today is her Daddy is her knight in shining armor too! He rescued her when she was sad and made it all better. Well...at least that's the way I'm looking at it today.
Princess K, her knight in shining armor, and her noble steed, the blue race car!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Easter Sunday
A beautiful day today. A little chilly, but the sun was shining and the sky was so blue. It was a really nice day.
Pretty as a picture! M sure knows how to pose.
This one is really funny of K. She is super uncomfortable
because of the sunlight (I told you she has really
sensitive eyes!)
This one is a little better because I took it indoors.
"Bunny Wunny" as K says. J looked adorable!
My 3 precious gifts.
A more relaxed picture of sisters after lunch at my mom's house
It was a good day.
Pretty as a picture! M sure knows how to pose.
This one is really funny of K. She is super uncomfortable
because of the sunlight (I told you she has really
sensitive eyes!)
This one is a little better because I took it indoors.
"Bunny Wunny" as K says. J looked adorable!
My 3 precious gifts.
A more relaxed picture of sisters after lunch at my mom's house
It was a good day.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
A Saturday Easter Egg Hunt
Here are a few pictures from an Easter egg hunt we went to this morning.
My sweet girls M & K at our club hunting eggs.
Sweet K was so non-aggressive, as usual, and
she just strolled along until she found one
(not that many you can guess..but her sister shared)
M, on the other hand, went AFTER them!!
K's eyes are so sensitive to light that
she had to borrow my sunglasses to see.
The coolest girl at the egg hunt.
Here is M&K with friend, HR. Nice to share
fun times with good friends!
Happy Easter All!
My sweet girls M & K at our club hunting eggs.
Sweet K was so non-aggressive, as usual, and
she just strolled along until she found one
(not that many you can guess..but her sister shared)
M, on the other hand, went AFTER them!!
K's eyes are so sensitive to light that
she had to borrow my sunglasses to see.
The coolest girl at the egg hunt.
Here is M&K with friend, HR. Nice to share
fun times with good friends!
Happy Easter All!
Friday, March 21, 2008
Re: Pay it Forward
As T pointed out to me this morning after reading my post, I should have used the phrase "Pay Back" instead of "Paying it Forward." He was right to correct me. Paying it forward would be doing something for someone else in hopes that they, in turn, pay it forward to someone else (not the person that did it for them). So true, T....Paying it back is nice, Paying it forward would be even better. Thanks for that correction, T.
Today is a beautiful day, sunny and 70 degrees. I love it. I do, however have the sweaters ready for Sunday morning because the temperatures are dropping yet again. I think I have everything ready for Easter attire...dresses, socks, shoes, sweaters, even fresh new haircuts for me and the girls. Not that ANY of that matters because that is not at all what Easter is about. We, as Christians, should celebrate our risen Lord every day. I hope I can teach my children this and stiffle the Easter bunny, the new dresses, the jelly beans, etc. and teach them exactly why we do celebrate Easter Sunday.
Today is a beautiful day, sunny and 70 degrees. I love it. I do, however have the sweaters ready for Sunday morning because the temperatures are dropping yet again. I think I have everything ready for Easter attire...dresses, socks, shoes, sweaters, even fresh new haircuts for me and the girls. Not that ANY of that matters because that is not at all what Easter is about. We, as Christians, should celebrate our risen Lord every day. I hope I can teach my children this and stiffle the Easter bunny, the new dresses, the jelly beans, etc. and teach them exactly why we do celebrate Easter Sunday.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Paying it Forward
It feels good when you know you did something good for someone else. I can't help but think of that sweet movie, Pay It Forward. I experienced a little bit of that in my day today.
My dear hubby stretched our budget today and purchased a new grill. We told each other it was our birthday presents to each other this year. We have had our other grill for at least 6 years and it has been rebuilt several times...it was just time for a new one. We grill out a lot, especially with me on a diet. It seems like I have been eating a lot of grilled chicken lately! He even stretched the budget a little further because of course the Tim Allen in him had to cook a steak on that shiny new grill to test it out! Not much for the diet thing...
Well, he called me after he had made the purchase at our local K-Mart store and said it wouldn't fit in his car. I measured my ever so convenient mommy mobile (a minivan) and no luck, it wouldn't fit in mine either. We didn't know anyone with a truck, but after talking to my Dad, he said he would call his friend with a truck and see if he could do it. That sweet man, with a hurt back and in the middle of work, met me at Kmart and we were able to have someone load it onto his truck. He followed me home, but once we got there he could not help me get it out of his truck because of his back. I then called my sweet neighbor who works from home and he was willing to come and help. Together, with my neighbor, we unloaded our shiny new stainless steel wonder. I thanked my neighbor and he went back home. I then thanked my Dad's friend and gave him a little cash to cover his fuel expenses (we ALL know that is an ARM AND A LEG these days!) and his precious time.
Later tonight my Tim Allen got busy with his grilling and culinary skills and man, he put that new piece of machinery to good work. It cooked up the best piece of mouth watering rib-eye ever known to man. I had cooked some potatoes (that later I just might share the wonderful recipe with you) and a salad to top off the meal. Oh, and as an added bonus, A. was willing to part with a little of her special family recipe salad dressing to compliment our meal! Absolute delight!
I looked at my steak, knowing that these calories would for sure push me over my diet boundaries for the day, and I decided to cut that steak in half and take it to me sweet neighbor that helped me today. Of course I threw in the potatoes and salad to go with it. After all, he did help me and I knew his wife was out of town, leaving him with 3 of his 4 kids to take care of. I walked right up in their backyard, while they were cooking smores and hot dogs over a low fire( how cool is this dad!?) and I gave him that plate of food. He was so gracious and said, "You didn't have to do this." But I told him, "Well, I just did. Enjoy, and thanks again for your help today."
It's not much, I know, but when someone helps you, you just should return the favor. I did that today and I can't help but feel really good about that.
Pay it forward, people...pay it forward.
My dear hubby stretched our budget today and purchased a new grill. We told each other it was our birthday presents to each other this year. We have had our other grill for at least 6 years and it has been rebuilt several times...it was just time for a new one. We grill out a lot, especially with me on a diet. It seems like I have been eating a lot of grilled chicken lately! He even stretched the budget a little further because of course the Tim Allen in him had to cook a steak on that shiny new grill to test it out! Not much for the diet thing...
Well, he called me after he had made the purchase at our local K-Mart store and said it wouldn't fit in his car. I measured my ever so convenient mommy mobile (a minivan) and no luck, it wouldn't fit in mine either. We didn't know anyone with a truck, but after talking to my Dad, he said he would call his friend with a truck and see if he could do it. That sweet man, with a hurt back and in the middle of work, met me at Kmart and we were able to have someone load it onto his truck. He followed me home, but once we got there he could not help me get it out of his truck because of his back. I then called my sweet neighbor who works from home and he was willing to come and help. Together, with my neighbor, we unloaded our shiny new stainless steel wonder. I thanked my neighbor and he went back home. I then thanked my Dad's friend and gave him a little cash to cover his fuel expenses (we ALL know that is an ARM AND A LEG these days!) and his precious time.
Later tonight my Tim Allen got busy with his grilling and culinary skills and man, he put that new piece of machinery to good work. It cooked up the best piece of mouth watering rib-eye ever known to man. I had cooked some potatoes (that later I just might share the wonderful recipe with you) and a salad to top off the meal. Oh, and as an added bonus, A. was willing to part with a little of her special family recipe salad dressing to compliment our meal! Absolute delight!
I looked at my steak, knowing that these calories would for sure push me over my diet boundaries for the day, and I decided to cut that steak in half and take it to me sweet neighbor that helped me today. Of course I threw in the potatoes and salad to go with it. After all, he did help me and I knew his wife was out of town, leaving him with 3 of his 4 kids to take care of. I walked right up in their backyard, while they were cooking smores and hot dogs over a low fire( how cool is this dad!?) and I gave him that plate of food. He was so gracious and said, "You didn't have to do this." But I told him, "Well, I just did. Enjoy, and thanks again for your help today."
It's not much, I know, but when someone helps you, you just should return the favor. I did that today and I can't help but feel really good about that.
Pay it forward, people...pay it forward.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Mr. McDreamy wears Timberlands
Just a little story on how I met the man of my dreams.
I was lucky enough to be one of those people who married their High School sweethearts. I just turned 17 years old and 10 days later I was set up on a blind date with T by mutual friends of ours at the time. T was 1 month shy of turning 16.
We were but mere babes. (To think about the possibility of M meeting her husband in 8 years is frightening to say the least)
On our first date we went to the ever so swanky ...Taco Bell (yup, you heard me correctly) Tacos and a Mountain Dew....You had me at "Hello", Baby! We still laugh about us eating at this wonderful establishment on our first date. I'm pretty sure the remainder of the evening we "cruised" around in my friend's convertible to the local "cruising" places...like the Burger King. When you live in a small town, this is the kind of entertainment you get on a Friday night...sad, I know.
I remember well that I thought T was so cute right off the bat. He was so tall (and super skinny), he had huge green eyes and jet black hair. And he was looking ever do dapper in the acid washed cut off blue jeans, purple polo shirt, and Timberlands Don't poke fun...we were fresh out of the eighty's, which despite good memories of the neon fingerless gloves and treetorns, it truly wasn't our best fashion decade.
T remembers as well what I looked like. I was sporting the ever so popular spiral perm, which I had all through high school because back then, big hair was in. I had on a pair of Guess navy and white checked shorts, a white and navy sailor sweater, and (oh, I am so embarrassed...) some white Sam & Libby flats (the ones that looked like ballerina slippers with a big bow)!
Well, despite a bad restaurant choice, really bad fashion sense and some really big hair, we obviously made an impression on each other because 7 years later we got married. I am so lucky because I not only married my high school sweetheart but my best friend as well. And to have the laughs about our "first blind date" is priceless!
I was lucky enough to be one of those people who married their High School sweethearts. I just turned 17 years old and 10 days later I was set up on a blind date with T by mutual friends of ours at the time. T was 1 month shy of turning 16.
We were but mere babes. (To think about the possibility of M meeting her husband in 8 years is frightening to say the least)
On our first date we went to the ever so swanky ...Taco Bell (yup, you heard me correctly) Tacos and a Mountain Dew....You had me at "Hello", Baby! We still laugh about us eating at this wonderful establishment on our first date. I'm pretty sure the remainder of the evening we "cruised" around in my friend's convertible to the local "cruising" places...like the Burger King. When you live in a small town, this is the kind of entertainment you get on a Friday night...sad, I know.
I remember well that I thought T was so cute right off the bat. He was so tall (and super skinny), he had huge green eyes and jet black hair. And he was looking ever do dapper in the acid washed cut off blue jeans, purple polo shirt, and Timberlands Don't poke fun...we were fresh out of the eighty's, which despite good memories of the neon fingerless gloves and treetorns, it truly wasn't our best fashion decade.
T remembers as well what I looked like. I was sporting the ever so popular spiral perm, which I had all through high school because back then, big hair was in. I had on a pair of Guess navy and white checked shorts, a white and navy sailor sweater, and (oh, I am so embarrassed...) some white Sam & Libby flats (the ones that looked like ballerina slippers with a big bow)!
Well, despite a bad restaurant choice, really bad fashion sense and some really big hair, we obviously made an impression on each other because 7 years later we got married. I am so lucky because I not only married my high school sweetheart but my best friend as well. And to have the laughs about our "first blind date" is priceless!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Tornadoes to Squirrels
That's not a title your likely to see ever again.
I don't even know where to start. My weekend was eventful! Notice I didn't use the word, "exciting" but rather "eventful." Just a small series of random events that made this past weekend slightly more entertaining.
First of all, on Saturday morning I went shopping with my mother while T kept the kids. Now, we had storms moving in and T was not real happy that I was going, but I insisted that I would drive "to the city", shop quickly, and be home before the storms would come. Ok, that didn't happen. We did in fact leave early and shop quickly however, the storms did not stick to their plan and moved in quicker than weather.com had informed me. Not knowing how bad the storms were, my mom and I made our purchases, got in the car, and started heading directly toward the storms that were laced with several tornadoes. Looking very ominous I reached in my purse to call T only to see that I had missed 2 calls from him. I called him and needless to say, he was not real happy and he informed me that we were right in the middle of a city that a tornado was passing through right at that moment. We got off the interstate rather quickly and went into BIG LOTS and proceeded to wait out the storm for 2 hours!!! 2 hours....at BIG LOTS. There is only so much Easter basket stuff you can buy and that only took 10 minutes of the 2 hours! The remainder of that time we sat on their lovely patio furniture and waited until it was safe to go home. Well, we made it home just fine. I did get a lot of "I told you so's" and a few nasty looks, but I was just glad we were ok..so I was willing to overlook it.
On Sunday my girls were playing outside with the neighbors and just as I was dozing off on the couch, M and the neighbor run in and say, "Mom, something really bad happened!" I immediately panicked! "Where is K?!" I ask quickly...."Is K ok!?"...Pause...confusion..."Yeah, she's fine, but my purple croc is stuck up on the roof.".............
Later that day we noticed a baby squirrel lying in grass, obviously wounded, and couldn't really move. (Now, we are all animal lovers in this house big time!) The girls saw and asked a million questions and it broke all of our hearts. T goes and gets his work gloves and takes the baby squirrel and puts him on the tree where I thought they lived (and to get it off the ground so our dog wouldn't bother it). Here is a picture of little squirrel:
The tiny squirrel was crying, sounding a lot like a chirping bird, for his mommy, and I swear he(or she?) had real tears coming out of his eyes! T would gently stroke it's back with his gloved finger and it would stop crying. This went on for about 2 hours..baby squirrel crying, us checking on it. There had been no sign of another squirrel in our yard all day!
Then about 2 hours after first rescuing the baby squirrel I said, "T look!" and pointed to the mommy squirrel. We stayed completely still and watched as that mommy squirrel climbed up that tree, grabbed up that baby in her jaw, climbed and jumped tree to tree and put that baby back in her nest (which happened to be the tree under which we were sitting). Oh, such joy in my heart to see that happen! Then, mommy came back out of her nest, went right back to where the baby had been, looked all around...I think honestly trying to figure out what had happened and how her baby got over there. It was like you could see that she was really investigating the situation. Well, what happened next you will call us kooky for,but if you could have been there and seen it..you would believe me. That momma squirrel climbed and jumped tree to tree again, back over to the tree we were under and we sat completely still again watching her. She climbed every branch lower and lower, to the closest branch to us then she peered over the limb and looked at us...(I mean, in the eyes)..sat there a second and she ran back up to her nest. T looked at me, and I at him, both of us had this look on our face like, "ugh, did that really just happen?", and finally T said, "I seriously think she just came over and said 'thank you' ," and I agreed. Wow. It's neat that our little family helped out another of God's families today. We came in, feeling just a "wow" feeling and on the tv was Carrie Underwood singing at the Grand Ole Opry and the song she was singing was "How Great Thou Art." T and I just looked at each other...again. We definitely experienced a "God moment" . It couldn't have been more clear to either of us.
I don't even know where to start. My weekend was eventful! Notice I didn't use the word, "exciting" but rather "eventful." Just a small series of random events that made this past weekend slightly more entertaining.
First of all, on Saturday morning I went shopping with my mother while T kept the kids. Now, we had storms moving in and T was not real happy that I was going, but I insisted that I would drive "to the city", shop quickly, and be home before the storms would come. Ok, that didn't happen. We did in fact leave early and shop quickly however, the storms did not stick to their plan and moved in quicker than weather.com had informed me. Not knowing how bad the storms were, my mom and I made our purchases, got in the car, and started heading directly toward the storms that were laced with several tornadoes. Looking very ominous I reached in my purse to call T only to see that I had missed 2 calls from him. I called him and needless to say, he was not real happy and he informed me that we were right in the middle of a city that a tornado was passing through right at that moment. We got off the interstate rather quickly and went into BIG LOTS and proceeded to wait out the storm for 2 hours!!! 2 hours....at BIG LOTS. There is only so much Easter basket stuff you can buy and that only took 10 minutes of the 2 hours! The remainder of that time we sat on their lovely patio furniture and waited until it was safe to go home. Well, we made it home just fine. I did get a lot of "I told you so's" and a few nasty looks, but I was just glad we were ok..so I was willing to overlook it.
On Sunday my girls were playing outside with the neighbors and just as I was dozing off on the couch, M and the neighbor run in and say, "Mom, something really bad happened!" I immediately panicked! "Where is K?!" I ask quickly...."Is K ok!?"...Pause...confusion..."Yeah, she's fine, but my purple croc is stuck up on the roof.".............
Later that day we noticed a baby squirrel lying in grass, obviously wounded, and couldn't really move. (Now, we are all animal lovers in this house big time!) The girls saw and asked a million questions and it broke all of our hearts. T goes and gets his work gloves and takes the baby squirrel and puts him on the tree where I thought they lived (and to get it off the ground so our dog wouldn't bother it). Here is a picture of little squirrel:
The tiny squirrel was crying, sounding a lot like a chirping bird, for his mommy, and I swear he(or she?) had real tears coming out of his eyes! T would gently stroke it's back with his gloved finger and it would stop crying. This went on for about 2 hours..baby squirrel crying, us checking on it. There had been no sign of another squirrel in our yard all day!
Then about 2 hours after first rescuing the baby squirrel I said, "T look!" and pointed to the mommy squirrel. We stayed completely still and watched as that mommy squirrel climbed up that tree, grabbed up that baby in her jaw, climbed and jumped tree to tree and put that baby back in her nest (which happened to be the tree under which we were sitting). Oh, such joy in my heart to see that happen! Then, mommy came back out of her nest, went right back to where the baby had been, looked all around...I think honestly trying to figure out what had happened and how her baby got over there. It was like you could see that she was really investigating the situation. Well, what happened next you will call us kooky for,but if you could have been there and seen it..you would believe me. That momma squirrel climbed and jumped tree to tree again, back over to the tree we were under and we sat completely still again watching her. She climbed every branch lower and lower, to the closest branch to us then she peered over the limb and looked at us...(I mean, in the eyes)..sat there a second and she ran back up to her nest. T looked at me, and I at him, both of us had this look on our face like, "ugh, did that really just happen?", and finally T said, "I seriously think she just came over and said 'thank you' ," and I agreed. Wow. It's neat that our little family helped out another of God's families today. We came in, feeling just a "wow" feeling and on the tv was Carrie Underwood singing at the Grand Ole Opry and the song she was singing was "How Great Thou Art." T and I just looked at each other...again. We definitely experienced a "God moment" . It couldn't have been more clear to either of us.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
A New Friend & Photographer
We had the opportunity to work with a great photographer to get pictures of Jack last month. I always love trying new photographers, but I think I am now going to be stuck on this one! January at Unscripted Photography is not only a very talented photographer, but she is an absolute joy to work with. I felt so comfortable with her and we have had conversations like we have been friends for years. She is just that kind of person. Here are just a few pictures that she took. I highly recommend using her to capture your memories as well!
Just thought I would share a few proofs from our sitting. I hope you all can visit her site and see how talented she is!
Just thought I would share a few proofs from our sitting. I hope you all can visit her site and see how talented she is!
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Gifts Continued....
62. long, black eyelashes on 3 beautiful children
63. a true love, my husband who loves me and takes
care of me and his family
64. seeing a little one discover
new things
65. a sweet and tender soul of a seven
yr. old, freckled face little girl
66. a giving and self-less heart of a
four yr. old--always willing to give
up something for someone else--a peacemaker
by nature
67. being able to really see the hearts &
personalities of little ones that
God has created--so unique and so
amazing
68. memories of a 90 yr old Granny snapping
beans on the porch of the family
farmhouse
69. new life springing forth with warmer
weather--tiny buds on our "Mr. Tree"
70. Godly women to share a journey with:
digging deeper, desiring more.
71. apparently dodging several tornadoes
today as my Mom and I drove right
through their path...having us safe
and having my family safe at home.
63. a true love, my husband who loves me and takes
care of me and his family
64. seeing a little one discover
new things
65. a sweet and tender soul of a seven
yr. old, freckled face little girl
66. a giving and self-less heart of a
four yr. old--always willing to give
up something for someone else--a peacemaker
by nature
67. being able to really see the hearts &
personalities of little ones that
God has created--so unique and so
amazing
68. memories of a 90 yr old Granny snapping
beans on the porch of the family
farmhouse
69. new life springing forth with warmer
weather--tiny buds on our "Mr. Tree"
70. Godly women to share a journey with:
digging deeper, desiring more.
71. apparently dodging several tornadoes
today as my Mom and I drove right
through their path...having us safe
and having my family safe at home.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Nothing Much of Anything
I really didn't do much this week. Nothing really exciting, but I did keep myself busy the past 5 days (since Sun night). Here is a little sample of what all I did:
--Woke up 5 times at 4 or 5 am to give a baby a bottle
--Woke up at 7 am, that really felt like 6 am all week,
to get one child dressed, fed, tangled hair brushed,
teeth brushed, and sent off to school.
--Made 5 lunches for a lunchbox and 5 lunches
for K at home
--Cooked or put together 5 dinners (hot dogs,
grilled cheeses, pizza, vegetables, grilled chicken)
--Did at least 13 loads of laundry (with the
help of my sweet, sweet husband)and I'm pretty sure
5 of those loads were bibs!
--Started and remained on a diet for the
past 5 days
--Read several books to little ears
--played "drive-up window/fast food" with
K at least 20 times!
--Cleaned the kitchen 5 times, loaded the dishwasher
at least a dozen times
--Got myself dressed in my holey sweatshirt and pink
crocs 4 times...actually put on tennis shoes and a
NON-holey shirt to go to bible study on Tuesday!
--Prayed with dear friends on Tuesday and could just
feel God in the room there with us
--Witnessed an answered prayer twice this week
--Helped with homework and CRCT practice 4 times,
(got frustrated 4 times).
--Answered a pretend telephone and talked to pretend
people at least 10 times
--Answered the real telephone and talked to real
people too many times to mention.
--Got to sleep with the man of my dreams 5 nights (ooh, la, la)
seeing if you are still paying attention...had to make
it exciting
--prepared and gave 25 bottles (150 oz of formula) which
equates to about $25 (that kind of makes it sound cheap,
but to say $100 per month..whoa)
--Tucked in 3 kids 5 times (or probably more like 10, if
you count the "one more drink of water" or "one more
hug, mommy?" tactics)
--Looked at my husband at least a dozen times and thought
to myself, "I am so lucky to have someone like him"
--Processed at around 25 files on the computer
--Blogged or read a blog too many times to mention
--Disagreed with what M was wearing to school 5 times.
--Burnt lima beans in a pot once....but, unfortunately
we are still smelling it!
--Kissed boo-boos, gave encouraging words, hugged, kissed,
snuggled, smiled, laughed with my kids and husband. (and
that my friend was the best thing
I did all week)
Just a few things, but nothing much of anything.
A friend of mine, and fellow blogger(thanks M) had a post like this and I loved it! I, in fact, told her I was stealing the idea for a post of mine. I think EVERY mom, or really anybody, should do this every so often to realize how much they do. I don't know how many times a friend has asked, "What did you do this week?," and my response is always, "Nothing." I think you can see that most likely that is never the case.
--Woke up 5 times at 4 or 5 am to give a baby a bottle
--Woke up at 7 am, that really felt like 6 am all week,
to get one child dressed, fed, tangled hair brushed,
teeth brushed, and sent off to school.
--Made 5 lunches for a lunchbox and 5 lunches
for K at home
--Cooked or put together 5 dinners (hot dogs,
grilled cheeses, pizza, vegetables, grilled chicken)
--Did at least 13 loads of laundry (with the
help of my sweet, sweet husband)and I'm pretty sure
5 of those loads were bibs!
--Started and remained on a diet for the
past 5 days
--Read several books to little ears
--played "drive-up window/fast food" with
K at least 20 times!
--Cleaned the kitchen 5 times, loaded the dishwasher
at least a dozen times
--Got myself dressed in my holey sweatshirt and pink
crocs 4 times...actually put on tennis shoes and a
NON-holey shirt to go to bible study on Tuesday!
--Prayed with dear friends on Tuesday and could just
feel God in the room there with us
--Witnessed an answered prayer twice this week
--Helped with homework and CRCT practice 4 times,
(got frustrated 4 times).
--Answered a pretend telephone and talked to pretend
people at least 10 times
--Answered the real telephone and talked to real
people too many times to mention.
--Got to sleep with the man of my dreams 5 nights (ooh, la, la)
seeing if you are still paying attention...had to make
it exciting
--prepared and gave 25 bottles (150 oz of formula) which
equates to about $25 (that kind of makes it sound cheap,
but to say $100 per month..whoa)
--Tucked in 3 kids 5 times (or probably more like 10, if
you count the "one more drink of water" or "one more
hug, mommy?" tactics)
--Looked at my husband at least a dozen times and thought
to myself, "I am so lucky to have someone like him"
--Processed at around 25 files on the computer
--Blogged or read a blog too many times to mention
--Disagreed with what M was wearing to school 5 times.
--Burnt lima beans in a pot once....but, unfortunately
we are still smelling it!
--Kissed boo-boos, gave encouraging words, hugged, kissed,
snuggled, smiled, laughed with my kids and husband. (and
that my friend was the best thing
I did all week)
Just a few things, but nothing much of anything.
A friend of mine, and fellow blogger(thanks M) had a post like this and I loved it! I, in fact, told her I was stealing the idea for a post of mine. I think EVERY mom, or really anybody, should do this every so often to realize how much they do. I don't know how many times a friend has asked, "What did you do this week?," and my response is always, "Nothing." I think you can see that most likely that is never the case.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
From the Mouths of Babes
It's no secret to most of you that K watches too much television. I know this and am trying to do better. It's just so easy when I am working for her to watch tv. I know (mom)...books, puzzles..(trust me, I hear you every day in my head)! Well, apparently because of all this TV time, she has learned a few important things from advertisements. Like the fact that I, apparently, need the Purse Bright Lighted Handbag Organizer, or that she needs the tikki hut that goes with her Hanna Montana barbie. Just a wealth of information!
Well, last night a commercial came on (one which she had obviously already seen) and K says, "Oh mommy, watch this. You really need this". I want you to know that it was a commercial for Aveeno Ageless Cream that promised to reduce fine lines and wrinkles! (Gulp...reality check)
Reluctantly I questioned her..."K, why does Mommy need that?"
"So your skin won't be icky," she responded.
I seriously hope she meant,"won't GET icky" instead of "be icky". To maintain any level of self image I may have, I'm convincing myself that she was only trying to prevent the aging process, not stop it. Nevertheless, I think I really might try this cream in fear that if I don't, I might look like this in a few years:
Couldn't resist this picture! I thought it was hysterical.
You all have a happy day!
Well, last night a commercial came on (one which she had obviously already seen) and K says, "Oh mommy, watch this. You really need this". I want you to know that it was a commercial for Aveeno Ageless Cream that promised to reduce fine lines and wrinkles! (Gulp...reality check)
Reluctantly I questioned her..."K, why does Mommy need that?"
"So your skin won't be icky," she responded.
I seriously hope she meant,"won't GET icky" instead of "be icky". To maintain any level of self image I may have, I'm convincing myself that she was only trying to prevent the aging process, not stop it. Nevertheless, I think I really might try this cream in fear that if I don't, I might look like this in a few years:
Couldn't resist this picture! I thought it was hysterical.
You all have a happy day!
Blogging
I was having a conversation with T last night and telling him how much I love to blog. Some of my friends had no idea what I was even talking about when I told them about my blogspot. Many of them enjoy reading my blog, but say I'm crazy and that they would NEVER have the time to do it. Truthfully, I don't have the time either...my time would probably be much better spent mopping the floors or folding another load of laundry, but would it really? What I mean by that is, I think for the first time in many years I have found some "me-time". My friend that also blogs says that it is "free therapy" for her, and I couldn't agree more. This blog has become that for me...it's given me a hobby, one that I enjoy, one that I can do alone, and one that encompasses all the things in my life that bring me joy: family, friends, children.
For me, my blog is like a diary or journal. It's very casual and informal and my entries are from fun & silly to deep and sappy. It's not only a chance for me to chronicle my children growing up, but also I have found that it is a place that I can express my feelings for people in my life. And the amazing thing is usually they return to me with kind words, showing their affection toward me, as well. That is not WHY I do it, but it sure does feel good. I told T that I think my love language is definitely "words of encouragement", because I feel so good when people comment on my blog, tell me they read it, or send me an email in response to a post...
Which brings up my real purpose of this post today: teaching you how to comment on my blog.(This is where all those that already know how to do this can quit reading..) I promise, no pressure to comment at all--that is not why I am doing this. I have had several friends and family tell me that they want to comment and don't know how, or that they tried and it failed. So, I felt a brief tutorial was in need. Here goes:
At the bottom of this post it says in pink:
Posted by Elizabeth at 9:16 am 0 Comments Links
(or it could say "3 posts", depending on how many comments there are)
-Click on the "0 comments" and a page will open up
-On the right side of the new page it will say, "Leave Your Comment"
and you would type in your comment in the box. After you have
said all you want to say, identify yourself to me somehow without
giving your full name.(you can say love, mom or grandmother,
or scott -but no last names--I'll figure it out)
-Once you have finished in the box, under that you will be asked
to choose an identity: The choices are: Google/blogger, Open ID,
Name URL or Anonymous (You choose ANONYMOUS)
-After that it could ask you for a word verification, where you are
given a few letters that you have to type in what you see. Do that
if it asks.
-Then hit "Publish Your Comment" Button
-After you have done that, you should then see your
comment posted on the left side of that page.
I tried to be real simple, so it seems like a lot of steps..but it is really, really easy to do. Again, no pressure to comment. For anyone who just likes to find there way to my spot, read and move on...that is fine too, you are welcome here, friend. And for all my friends and family out there that don't have a blog: What are you waiting for? Find the time for yourself, no matter what you choose to do during that time (blog or not)..I think it is so important.
For me, my blog is like a diary or journal. It's very casual and informal and my entries are from fun & silly to deep and sappy. It's not only a chance for me to chronicle my children growing up, but also I have found that it is a place that I can express my feelings for people in my life. And the amazing thing is usually they return to me with kind words, showing their affection toward me, as well. That is not WHY I do it, but it sure does feel good. I told T that I think my love language is definitely "words of encouragement", because I feel so good when people comment on my blog, tell me they read it, or send me an email in response to a post...
Which brings up my real purpose of this post today: teaching you how to comment on my blog.(This is where all those that already know how to do this can quit reading..) I promise, no pressure to comment at all--that is not why I am doing this. I have had several friends and family tell me that they want to comment and don't know how, or that they tried and it failed. So, I felt a brief tutorial was in need. Here goes:
At the bottom of this post it says in pink:
Posted by Elizabeth at 9:16 am 0 Comments Links
(or it could say "3 posts", depending on how many comments there are)
-Click on the "0 comments" and a page will open up
-On the right side of the new page it will say, "Leave Your Comment"
and you would type in your comment in the box. After you have
said all you want to say, identify yourself to me somehow without
giving your full name.(you can say love, mom or grandmother,
or scott -but no last names--I'll figure it out)
-Once you have finished in the box, under that you will be asked
to choose an identity: The choices are: Google/blogger, Open ID,
Name URL or Anonymous (You choose ANONYMOUS)
-After that it could ask you for a word verification, where you are
given a few letters that you have to type in what you see. Do that
if it asks.
-Then hit "Publish Your Comment" Button
-After you have done that, you should then see your
comment posted on the left side of that page.
I tried to be real simple, so it seems like a lot of steps..but it is really, really easy to do. Again, no pressure to comment. For anyone who just likes to find there way to my spot, read and move on...that is fine too, you are welcome here, friend. And for all my friends and family out there that don't have a blog: What are you waiting for? Find the time for yourself, no matter what you choose to do during that time (blog or not)..I think it is so important.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Little Piece of Heaven
My Dad and A have this great beach house that my brother and family are fortunate enough to be visiting this week and I am so jealous. It got me to thinking of how great that little place is and how much fun we have had there over the past few years. The beach house is for sale now and we all hate to see it go, even Dad and A, but at least we can hope it brings another family as many memories and relaxation as it has us.
Sunshine Cottage is in a quiet, gated community on the emerald waters of the gulf coast. It's name suits and does not disappoint...there is plenty of sunshine. It isn't pretentious, but rather comfortable and nice. When you step up on the front porch it seems to welcome you in and already you feel at ease, a sense of calm. The weathered rockers and porch invite you to sit and enjoy the moment of the breeze and sunshine peeking through the palms. "Relax, it doesn't get much better than this" is what the sign says that I bought them as a house warming present. It now hangs in the den of the cottage and little did I know how true this would really be when I purchased it. That seems to have become the motto while visiting down there.
I would do anything to be there now, listening to some Kenney Chesney, drinking a margarita and floating in the pool. I'm pretty darn sure that's what my brother's doing at the moment!
Here are a few memories we have made there:
I promise Dad and A, I am not trying to talk you out of selling the place.......but did it? No, seriously joking. Thanks for letting my little family stay there and make some great memories. We love you.
Sunshine Cottage is in a quiet, gated community on the emerald waters of the gulf coast. It's name suits and does not disappoint...there is plenty of sunshine. It isn't pretentious, but rather comfortable and nice. When you step up on the front porch it seems to welcome you in and already you feel at ease, a sense of calm. The weathered rockers and porch invite you to sit and enjoy the moment of the breeze and sunshine peeking through the palms. "Relax, it doesn't get much better than this" is what the sign says that I bought them as a house warming present. It now hangs in the den of the cottage and little did I know how true this would really be when I purchased it. That seems to have become the motto while visiting down there.
I would do anything to be there now, listening to some Kenney Chesney, drinking a margarita and floating in the pool. I'm pretty darn sure that's what my brother's doing at the moment!
Here are a few memories we have made there:
I promise Dad and A, I am not trying to talk you out of selling the place.......but did it? No, seriously joking. Thanks for letting my little family stay there and make some great memories. We love you.
"Deep Thoughts" not by Jack Handy
In my bible study group yesterday someone asked if there was any one person in your life that really pushed you closer to God, a deeper relationship with Him. As several people shared in our group I couldn't help think about the many people God has put in my life like this. I couldn't come up with just one.
A friend of mine, M comes to mind first. She really got me on a path to go deeper. She invited me to this bible study group that meets every Tuesday at my church. She not only invited me, but encouraged me as well. There were many excuses, many days I didn't want to go. I had just had K so, I had a 3 year old and a newborn and I think it rained every Tuesday for a while. Any mother out there knows that holding a hand of a 3 yr old and carrying a baby in another, leaves no other hands for an umbrella! I was so discouraged every Tuesday that I saw it was raining, but because M was encouraging me, I did it anyway..somehow. Eventually it did not rain every Tuesday, and I was so glad I had overcome that obstacle. Now, 4 and a half years later, I am still meeting with the same group of women every Tuesday. What a blessing this has been in my life. So thanks M for being a very good friend to me!
On the family side, my brother is a pastor. Need I say more?...No seriously, he has always shown such passion and a wealth of knowledge about the Bible that it makes you want to know what he knows (partly so you can understand what he is talking about!). He has shown such faithfulness to God at times I don't know if most people would have. Again, his passion, his knowledge, his faith..it's overwhelming. But I think the thing that I am most impressed with is the fact that he is just a "regular guy" (of course, I know). He's fun, he's not judgemental, he's humble, and he is just my brother (not a pastor) most of the time. I like that he is like this and I think seeing him be this way all of his life, has shown me what a Christian is...someone who loves the Lord, seeks knowledge, digging deeper, but not perfect by any means(sorry, S,you really aren't perfect)--Only kidding-- He does know this.
And although there are many people that have pushed me in the right direction, above all, I have to say my mother has the most. She just has always shown me that you can have an intimate relationship with God. That through anything you are going through, you should go to God in prayer. She has done this over the years by example. I remember calling her from college in tears, devastated after my boyfriend broke up with me (who now happens to be my husband!) and she would just pray for me over the phone and it always made me feel better. (I say always, because we broke up a lot in the 4 years in college). Another example of her doing this is her praying with me every time before I went in for my c-sections. She waited until the last moment, right before they wheeled me in the operating room, and just bent down and whispered a prayer for me in my ear. It's that relationship she has had with God over the years that have shown me He is always there for us...He is with us ALL the time. I am reminded of Beth Moore's title of her book, Believing God...It's not only about believing IN God, it's BELIEVING God. I think my Mom did a good job over the years showing me that she believes God, not just believes in God.
Well, that was a sort of deep post. I promise I'll try to make them a little lighter over the next few days. Guess I was just feeling a little sappy today. I hope I made anyone reading out there think about who this person is in your life. If you know, maybe you should share it with them. It's always nice to know you made a difference in someone's life.
A friend of mine, M comes to mind first. She really got me on a path to go deeper. She invited me to this bible study group that meets every Tuesday at my church. She not only invited me, but encouraged me as well. There were many excuses, many days I didn't want to go. I had just had K so, I had a 3 year old and a newborn and I think it rained every Tuesday for a while. Any mother out there knows that holding a hand of a 3 yr old and carrying a baby in another, leaves no other hands for an umbrella! I was so discouraged every Tuesday that I saw it was raining, but because M was encouraging me, I did it anyway..somehow. Eventually it did not rain every Tuesday, and I was so glad I had overcome that obstacle. Now, 4 and a half years later, I am still meeting with the same group of women every Tuesday. What a blessing this has been in my life. So thanks M for being a very good friend to me!
On the family side, my brother is a pastor. Need I say more?...No seriously, he has always shown such passion and a wealth of knowledge about the Bible that it makes you want to know what he knows (partly so you can understand what he is talking about!). He has shown such faithfulness to God at times I don't know if most people would have. Again, his passion, his knowledge, his faith..it's overwhelming. But I think the thing that I am most impressed with is the fact that he is just a "regular guy" (of course, I know). He's fun, he's not judgemental, he's humble, and he is just my brother (not a pastor) most of the time. I like that he is like this and I think seeing him be this way all of his life, has shown me what a Christian is...someone who loves the Lord, seeks knowledge, digging deeper, but not perfect by any means(sorry, S,you really aren't perfect)--Only kidding-- He does know this.
And although there are many people that have pushed me in the right direction, above all, I have to say my mother has the most. She just has always shown me that you can have an intimate relationship with God. That through anything you are going through, you should go to God in prayer. She has done this over the years by example. I remember calling her from college in tears, devastated after my boyfriend broke up with me (who now happens to be my husband!) and she would just pray for me over the phone and it always made me feel better. (I say always, because we broke up a lot in the 4 years in college). Another example of her doing this is her praying with me every time before I went in for my c-sections. She waited until the last moment, right before they wheeled me in the operating room, and just bent down and whispered a prayer for me in my ear. It's that relationship she has had with God over the years that have shown me He is always there for us...He is with us ALL the time. I am reminded of Beth Moore's title of her book, Believing God...It's not only about believing IN God, it's BELIEVING God. I think my Mom did a good job over the years showing me that she believes God, not just believes in God.
Well, that was a sort of deep post. I promise I'll try to make them a little lighter over the next few days. Guess I was just feeling a little sappy today. I hope I made anyone reading out there think about who this person is in your life. If you know, maybe you should share it with them. It's always nice to know you made a difference in someone's life.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Funniest Home Videos
About 3 weeks ago we converted all of our video recordings onto VHS tapes. This was no easy task as it covered 7 years and we had to record it in REAL time. We watched home videos for days.
It was fun going back and watching my kids grow up. I was kind of under the impression that they sprouted up over night. It all seems like a blur. M is seven? Seriously? When did that happen? Actually, in fact, she did not grow up overnight and neither did her sister, K. We have actual documentation to prove it.
I say it was fun to watch them, but yet a part of me was sad over the fact that those times of my girls being itty bitty are over. Even J has gotten over that tiny infant part and is on his way to growing up too quickly as well.
Another part of me was horrified. I have absolutely no idea why, but every s-i-n-g-l-e time I was going to stop taping one of the kids, I said, "Say Bye-Bye, Bye-Bye", even to a 4 month old! And the voice/accent I used is horrible. The most southern of sorts. I had no idea I sound this bad!
And yet another part of me was so tickled at that fact that I had NO idea what I was doing with a new baby (with M). We have at least a 10 minute video of T taping me bathe M in the sink when she was about 6 weeks old. I want you to know that in that entire 10 minutes I never once even touched her with a wash cloth! I just ringed the wash cloth above her and let the water hit her...never scrubbed any body part...didn't even Touch her...then I got her out of the little tub! I must have had the stinkiest baby ever. God love you M. Mommy didn't quite know what I was doing.
After the years and 3 kids, I feel like I have become a pro, but then something happens, I don't know what to do and I call my mother. I wonder why we do this? I guess I know....she's been there already. She held the exact same title and position as I do now. She's the real pro. "She'll know what to do." And she usually always does, or at the very least, makes me feel better.
Well, I get it wrong a lot of the times. I'm learning how to be a mom as they grow up. Maybe by the time they have their children, I will be able to give good advice and know exactly what to do to help them. At the very least, I can make them feel good when they think they aren't a good mom (or dad) ...and I can relate and tell them about me not giving M a real bath for the first couple of months of her life and we can laugh about it together.
*Side note: K wants to watch these videos over and over and over again....Every single day. I can tell you, Ive heard enough, "Bye-Bye's" to last me for a while!
It was fun going back and watching my kids grow up. I was kind of under the impression that they sprouted up over night. It all seems like a blur. M is seven? Seriously? When did that happen? Actually, in fact, she did not grow up overnight and neither did her sister, K. We have actual documentation to prove it.
I say it was fun to watch them, but yet a part of me was sad over the fact that those times of my girls being itty bitty are over. Even J has gotten over that tiny infant part and is on his way to growing up too quickly as well.
Another part of me was horrified. I have absolutely no idea why, but every s-i-n-g-l-e time I was going to stop taping one of the kids, I said, "Say Bye-Bye, Bye-Bye", even to a 4 month old! And the voice/accent I used is horrible. The most southern of sorts. I had no idea I sound this bad!
And yet another part of me was so tickled at that fact that I had NO idea what I was doing with a new baby (with M). We have at least a 10 minute video of T taping me bathe M in the sink when she was about 6 weeks old. I want you to know that in that entire 10 minutes I never once even touched her with a wash cloth! I just ringed the wash cloth above her and let the water hit her...never scrubbed any body part...didn't even Touch her...then I got her out of the little tub! I must have had the stinkiest baby ever. God love you M. Mommy didn't quite know what I was doing.
After the years and 3 kids, I feel like I have become a pro, but then something happens, I don't know what to do and I call my mother. I wonder why we do this? I guess I know....she's been there already. She held the exact same title and position as I do now. She's the real pro. "She'll know what to do." And she usually always does, or at the very least, makes me feel better.
Well, I get it wrong a lot of the times. I'm learning how to be a mom as they grow up. Maybe by the time they have their children, I will be able to give good advice and know exactly what to do to help them. At the very least, I can make them feel good when they think they aren't a good mom (or dad) ...and I can relate and tell them about me not giving M a real bath for the first couple of months of her life and we can laugh about it together.
*Side note: K wants to watch these videos over and over and over again....Every single day. I can tell you, Ive heard enough, "Bye-Bye's" to last me for a while!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Cookie Monsters
I don't know what I did in my previous Girl Scout cookie post, but I'm pretty sure I summoned all the Girl Scouts to sell me cookies and I'm pretty sure they read it! On Saturday alone, I saw or passed by six girl scouts selling cookies (including the beloved Tagalongs). You will be very proud to know that I passed up all of them without even buying a single box! So glad I did that too because I started my diet today and as ravenous as I am feeling right now, I would have lost it if those dreamy peanut butter and chocolate delights were in my house!
Mickey Mouse Countdown
35 More days until our Disney trip. Yup, we're going to see Mickey and his friends soon. Me, T and the girls are going, but sadly, leaving J behind here. (sorry J..you'll have had your day by the time you're old enough to read this, I hope) I can't believe I am going to be without him for a few days. I think I might cry all the way there and not stop until I see the Magic Kingdom in all it's glory. But I think at that point all my tears will turn into smiles and laughter getting to experience that with my girls.
What a magical place it is. I think I might be more excited than the 2 of them. We have plans to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table one day and we are going to Chef Mickey's for breakfast on another day. The rest of the time we will ride rides, see fun things, watch amazing fireworks, be exhausted to the bone, and spend an exorbitant amount of money. Money pit USA. Do you think they have ever done one of those Mastercard commercials about Disney? (surely they have..but here's one anyway):
a pretzel from a vendor..........$10
a Mickey T-shirt souvenier.......$40
a dinner at Cinderella's
Castle...........................$100
tickets for 4 and a hotel
stay.............................$1500
a trip with your children
that will make fond memories
of their childhoood and to see
their faces light up in
that magical theme park.........Priceless
Oh, Im so excited!! Just counting down the days while singing to myself,..... "It's a small world after all, It's a small world after all, It's a small, small world."
What a magical place it is. I think I might be more excited than the 2 of them. We have plans to eat at Cinderella's Royal Table one day and we are going to Chef Mickey's for breakfast on another day. The rest of the time we will ride rides, see fun things, watch amazing fireworks, be exhausted to the bone, and spend an exorbitant amount of money. Money pit USA. Do you think they have ever done one of those Mastercard commercials about Disney? (surely they have..but here's one anyway):
a pretzel from a vendor..........$10
a Mickey T-shirt souvenier.......$40
a dinner at Cinderella's
Castle...........................$100
tickets for 4 and a hotel
stay.............................$1500
a trip with your children
that will make fond memories
of their childhoood and to see
their faces light up in
that magical theme park.........Priceless
Oh, Im so excited!! Just counting down the days while singing to myself,..... "It's a small world after all, It's a small world after all, It's a small, small world."
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Gifts
51. good times with good friends
52. seeing little children excited about
pretty snowflakes falling from the sky
53. a warm place to be on a cold, snowy
morning
54. to be able to put my son in my Dad's
arms after 4 long months and to
see the pride in his face as he
looks at how much his grandson has
changed
55. a salad dressing do die for that
only A. can make from a family
recipie passed down (and one which
she won't tell) Mmmmmmm
56. a hot bath and a few minutes
alone
57. giggles from little girls
playing in the next room
58. squeals of joy from my baby
boy who loves to be naked
59. hearing the loud belly laughter
from the kids while being tickled
by their grandfather
60. a baby that finally is sleeping
10 hours at night
61. snuggling with my sweet K in her
twin size bed, tickling, holding,
keeping each other warm...savoring
the moment
52. seeing little children excited about
pretty snowflakes falling from the sky
53. a warm place to be on a cold, snowy
morning
54. to be able to put my son in my Dad's
arms after 4 long months and to
see the pride in his face as he
looks at how much his grandson has
changed
55. a salad dressing do die for that
only A. can make from a family
recipie passed down (and one which
she won't tell) Mmmmmmm
56. a hot bath and a few minutes
alone
57. giggles from little girls
playing in the next room
58. squeals of joy from my baby
boy who loves to be naked
59. hearing the loud belly laughter
from the kids while being tickled
by their grandfather
60. a baby that finally is sleeping
10 hours at night
61. snuggling with my sweet K in her
twin size bed, tickling, holding,
keeping each other warm...savoring
the moment
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Lady and the Tramp
Tonight T and are going out! I don't think I've been out, alone with my hubby, in over 6 months, and then I was miserably pregnant and probably just dying to come home and put on my pj's. Well, NOT tonight. My mom has agreed to babysit my 3 for a couple of hours to which I am so grateful. I am watching the clock tick already and it's only 9:48 am. Can you tell I'm extremely excited about going out?
Yesterday I explained to my kids that their Grandmother was going to babysit them Saturday night and M asked, "Why?"
"Because your Daddy and I are going on a date," I replied.
"O.K. I know what y'all need to do. You need to go somewhere and order spaghetti. When you get it, you share a noodle together, suck it up....and then you kiss," M says.
I wonder where she got this idea? Maybe from a certain Disney classic?
Well, even so, it's still cute that to a seven year old this is her kind of romance. My how that will change as she grows older and has children...'cause my idea of romance these days would be a bubble bath, some candles, a good magazine and to be totally alone (sorry honey). OR, eight hours of uninterupted sleep would be even better. I clearly need to change my thinking on this within the next few hours, because a quiet dinner with my husband and good conversation sounds very romantic right now too.
Now, I just have to find something to wear ...better get started. That in itself could take all day.
Yesterday I explained to my kids that their Grandmother was going to babysit them Saturday night and M asked, "Why?"
"Because your Daddy and I are going on a date," I replied.
"O.K. I know what y'all need to do. You need to go somewhere and order spaghetti. When you get it, you share a noodle together, suck it up....and then you kiss," M says.
I wonder where she got this idea? Maybe from a certain Disney classic?
Well, even so, it's still cute that to a seven year old this is her kind of romance. My how that will change as she grows older and has children...'cause my idea of romance these days would be a bubble bath, some candles, a good magazine and to be totally alone (sorry honey). OR, eight hours of uninterupted sleep would be even better. I clearly need to change my thinking on this within the next few hours, because a quiet dinner with my husband and good conversation sounds very romantic right now too.
Now, I just have to find something to wear ...better get started. That in itself could take all day.
Friday, March 7, 2008
True Love
We have the sweetest couple that live next door to us. They are in their early eighty's, I would presume, and they have been married for 60 years. You wouldn't know they are in their 80's either. They are very active and look great.
Well, the wife has had cancer now for over a year and she has refused anymore treatments. They are fine Christian people and know that God is in control and I think they are both at peace with that. But lately when I have seen him or heard him talk about her, it breaks my heart because you can just see the great sadness he has.
Recently, she has not been feeling well, in a great deal of pain and doesn't eat much of anything. They have had people in and out over there all day...preachers, family, etc. Apparently, everybody is offering to help. They have offered to make meals or sit with her so that the husband could have a break. He tells everyone "NO...I KNOW what she'll eat, how she likes it fixed, what she needs. I need to stay here with her." He won't let ANYONE, not even their daughter or grand-daughter stay with her as opposed to him. He doesn't want to leave her side and doesn't want anyone else taking care of her but him. How sweet is that? Doesn't it just break your heart?
Sixty years together. Now you just wait to be seperated, even if only briefly. I've heard of people dying of a "broken heart" before and don't know if it's true or not. I do know that if there ever were to be a case of this, it will happen to him. He seems to just live for her and would be totally lost without her.
What a sweet, sweet couple. What an example of true love and I'm thankful to have been able to see it and have the opportunity to watch the two of them over the years. I am also thankful that I too, married my true love. T and I will be faced with a similar situation one day and I think that is why this hits at my heart strings so much. To think about it is so sad. I would be losing a piece of myself.
Please pray for my neighbors...for her to be free of pain and for him, peace in knowing that when indeed they are eventually separated by death, that he can be comforted by knowing that he will soon be with her again.
Well, the wife has had cancer now for over a year and she has refused anymore treatments. They are fine Christian people and know that God is in control and I think they are both at peace with that. But lately when I have seen him or heard him talk about her, it breaks my heart because you can just see the great sadness he has.
Recently, she has not been feeling well, in a great deal of pain and doesn't eat much of anything. They have had people in and out over there all day...preachers, family, etc. Apparently, everybody is offering to help. They have offered to make meals or sit with her so that the husband could have a break. He tells everyone "NO...I KNOW what she'll eat, how she likes it fixed, what she needs. I need to stay here with her." He won't let ANYONE, not even their daughter or grand-daughter stay with her as opposed to him. He doesn't want to leave her side and doesn't want anyone else taking care of her but him. How sweet is that? Doesn't it just break your heart?
Sixty years together. Now you just wait to be seperated, even if only briefly. I've heard of people dying of a "broken heart" before and don't know if it's true or not. I do know that if there ever were to be a case of this, it will happen to him. He seems to just live for her and would be totally lost without her.
What a sweet, sweet couple. What an example of true love and I'm thankful to have been able to see it and have the opportunity to watch the two of them over the years. I am also thankful that I too, married my true love. T and I will be faced with a similar situation one day and I think that is why this hits at my heart strings so much. To think about it is so sad. I would be losing a piece of myself.
Please pray for my neighbors...for her to be free of pain and for him, peace in knowing that when indeed they are eventually separated by death, that he can be comforted by knowing that he will soon be with her again.
Music
I figured out how to put music on my blog. Yeah! Now that it's on there, I don't know if I like it. What do you think? (This is hilarious that I am even asking this because I think only about 10 people read this blog and only 2 of them comment) Guess I'll be making this decision on my own. Maybe some instrumental music would be better. It seems kind of hard to read at the same time as listening to words in a song.......or is that just me? Also, I was thinking about all those people that might open this up at work or something ("ALL" those people...tens of people that is) might not like the Kenny Chesney or Steven Curtis Chapman blairing. Afterall, that just may send the message to your boss that you aren't working on the other side of that computer!
For now, if you DO NOT like the music, you can scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and turn it off.
For now, if you DO NOT like the music, you can scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and turn it off.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Big and Squishy
Ok, only about 5 minutes have past since my last post, but I had to share this. I was passing K by the side of my bed (not very roomy) and she said, "Your big and squishy, Mommy." .......O.K. (gulp)....The Lord does work in mysterious ways, doesn't he? I think he was using my child to tell me something here. I'm not willing to overlook that, so, Girl Scouts, HERE ME NOW...I retract everything I just said in my previous post. DO NOT come to my house next year. I repeat, DO NOT. I don't need anymore "sympathy boxes" either. Stay away. I don't want to be known as "big and squishy" ANYmore.
And that's all I have to say about that.
And that's all I have to say about that.
Any Girl Scouts Reading?
Ok. How does my house get overlooked by the little girls in green jumpers? I've been informed that Girl Scout cookies are out and NOBODY came a knockin' at my door selling them. How does THAT happen!? Oh my, I'm dreaming of some Tagalongs or some Thin Mints, but none in the house. This is what I want to know,... Are girl scout cookies only good because you can only have them once a year or are they truly THAT good? I'm thinking the Tagalongs are by far the best cookie i've ever put in my mouth...oh, the smooth peanut butter and chocolate ...just thinking of them makes my mouth water!
Apparently my hubby, T, expressed my deepest disappointment about me missing out on the girl scout cookies to his ladies at work. Well, out of pure sympathy I now have 1 box of shortbread cookies (i like these alot too). They were graciously given to me by one of his co-workers. Praise the Lord for at least one box! Thank you M for that box! Tomorrow, I assume I will be yet again without girl scout cookies, afterall, do a box of girl scout cookies really last more than ONE DAY!? I'm seriously hoping without all that peanut butter and chocolate that these shortbread cookies are the "low calorie" option of the choices. My thighs will let you know in about a week...stay tuned.
Be informed all you Girl Scouts....I am a sucker for some cookies. You didn't make it to my house this year, and trust me on this, my thighs do thank you for that. Next year, however, just know you have a willing customer that will by several boxes of your sweet cookies for your club. Come one, come all...I WILL buy.
Apparently my hubby, T, expressed my deepest disappointment about me missing out on the girl scout cookies to his ladies at work. Well, out of pure sympathy I now have 1 box of shortbread cookies (i like these alot too). They were graciously given to me by one of his co-workers. Praise the Lord for at least one box! Thank you M for that box! Tomorrow, I assume I will be yet again without girl scout cookies, afterall, do a box of girl scout cookies really last more than ONE DAY!? I'm seriously hoping without all that peanut butter and chocolate that these shortbread cookies are the "low calorie" option of the choices. My thighs will let you know in about a week...stay tuned.
Be informed all you Girl Scouts....I am a sucker for some cookies. You didn't make it to my house this year, and trust me on this, my thighs do thank you for that. Next year, however, just know you have a willing customer that will by several boxes of your sweet cookies for your club. Come one, come all...I WILL buy.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
My Buddy
For some reason or another when J was born I found myself referring to him as, "Buddy". I guess it just seemed more affectionate, just a pet name for him. Trust me, I DO NOT want this to be a nickname outside of the immediate family.
The nickname has really caught on with K. She pronounces it even better,..."Buh-dee"
I love to hear her say it. She gets up in his face and says, "Good morning, Buh-dee. Good morning." And occasionaly the "Buh-dee" turns into "Bunny-wunny". The later, I don't think J will love so much as he grows older. It still warms a mommy's heart to hear it for now.
With no further ado, here are some pictures of "Buddy" taken today. He is 5 months and oh so sweet and cute. (By the way, the dark dot on his nose is a scratch. He is constantly scratching himself with his razorblade-like fingernails. The other reddish marks on his face are called stork-bites and they are fading with age. By a year old, they probably won't be visible at all)
The nickname has really caught on with K. She pronounces it even better,..."Buh-dee"
I love to hear her say it. She gets up in his face and says, "Good morning, Buh-dee. Good morning." And occasionaly the "Buh-dee" turns into "Bunny-wunny". The later, I don't think J will love so much as he grows older. It still warms a mommy's heart to hear it for now.
With no further ado, here are some pictures of "Buddy" taken today. He is 5 months and oh so sweet and cute. (By the way, the dark dot on his nose is a scratch. He is constantly scratching himself with his razorblade-like fingernails. The other reddish marks on his face are called stork-bites and they are fading with age. By a year old, they probably won't be visible at all)
Monday, March 3, 2008
Springtime
We had a nice weekend. The weather was warm and we relished in the opportunity to get a little Vitamin D and be out in it. It was the kind of weather that just makes you happy. Springtime is by far my favorite time of year. The flowers are blooming, new leaves budding, and the grass is getting greener. New life just springing up all around you and it's a breath of fresh air after the dry, dead and chilly winter.
My mom, the kids and I went for a stroll down our local broad street in an attempt to go to the tea room for lunch, having forgotten that they are closed on Saturdays. We walked down the street to a local favorite sandwich shop and enjoyed a nice lunch and even though we didn't have pretty little teapots on the table and dress up hats we still enjoyed our meal very much. After that we did a little shopping and topped it off with a Brusters ice cream. I couldn't help while we were doing all this to think that pretty soon little J will not want to be a part of any of this girly stuff. I informed T of this so he could get ready to have J in tow with him during his Saturday golf game. I can't tell you how much I delight in the fact that HE now will get a taste of what I have been doing the past 7 years. Not that T doesn't help me out a great deal, but there haven't been many times that I have been alone for 5 hours or more like he gets to experience while on the golf course. I know that J will want nothing to do with tea rooms and shopping on a pretty Saturday afternoon therefore T will hopefully be taking him to do the "guy things".
On Sunday we went to the movies to see the Spiderwick Cronicles. A good movie, but a little scary. I'm worried what kind of night terrors might occur in the wee hours of the mornings around my house this week. After the movies we went to the park and took in the opportunity to soak in the sun and let the kids expend a little energy. They had a lot of fun and I think J enjoyed being outdoors as well. We then went to dinner, probably offending the people near us with our sweaty smelling kids, and enjoyed a family dinner together. I was very appreciative of this, since our cupboards are extremely scarce and after the day we had, I didn't feel much like going to the grocery store and then cooking a meal for all of us. It was nice to have someone cook it and no mess for me to clean up (because I had enough mess at home already to deal with).
Today is Monday, which is my least favorite day of the week. However, having that extra dose of Vitamin D must have done me some good because I woke up very motivated. I had cleaned my kitchen, put on the laundry, swept and mopped the floors, made all the beds and picked up and put back toys before I even got on the computer today. And this is all without coffee this morning! (Told you the cupboards are bare) I'd like to say I did it "backwards in high heels" as the good ole Kenny Chesney puts it, but I didn't feel like attempting that one this morning, mainly because I didn't want to end up at the emergency room today.
Isn't it amazing how spring weather brings forth a rejuvinated spirit and body? Have I said that I loved spring? Now here is the laughable part....the weather isn't here to stay. Nope, a storm is coming in and the temperatures are dropping. Today we are yet again enjoying 70 degree temperatures but by this Saturday it will be in the 50's. So dissapointing, such a tease that spring.
My mom, the kids and I went for a stroll down our local broad street in an attempt to go to the tea room for lunch, having forgotten that they are closed on Saturdays. We walked down the street to a local favorite sandwich shop and enjoyed a nice lunch and even though we didn't have pretty little teapots on the table and dress up hats we still enjoyed our meal very much. After that we did a little shopping and topped it off with a Brusters ice cream. I couldn't help while we were doing all this to think that pretty soon little J will not want to be a part of any of this girly stuff. I informed T of this so he could get ready to have J in tow with him during his Saturday golf game. I can't tell you how much I delight in the fact that HE now will get a taste of what I have been doing the past 7 years. Not that T doesn't help me out a great deal, but there haven't been many times that I have been alone for 5 hours or more like he gets to experience while on the golf course. I know that J will want nothing to do with tea rooms and shopping on a pretty Saturday afternoon therefore T will hopefully be taking him to do the "guy things".
On Sunday we went to the movies to see the Spiderwick Cronicles. A good movie, but a little scary. I'm worried what kind of night terrors might occur in the wee hours of the mornings around my house this week. After the movies we went to the park and took in the opportunity to soak in the sun and let the kids expend a little energy. They had a lot of fun and I think J enjoyed being outdoors as well. We then went to dinner, probably offending the people near us with our sweaty smelling kids, and enjoyed a family dinner together. I was very appreciative of this, since our cupboards are extremely scarce and after the day we had, I didn't feel much like going to the grocery store and then cooking a meal for all of us. It was nice to have someone cook it and no mess for me to clean up (because I had enough mess at home already to deal with).
Today is Monday, which is my least favorite day of the week. However, having that extra dose of Vitamin D must have done me some good because I woke up very motivated. I had cleaned my kitchen, put on the laundry, swept and mopped the floors, made all the beds and picked up and put back toys before I even got on the computer today. And this is all without coffee this morning! (Told you the cupboards are bare) I'd like to say I did it "backwards in high heels" as the good ole Kenny Chesney puts it, but I didn't feel like attempting that one this morning, mainly because I didn't want to end up at the emergency room today.
Isn't it amazing how spring weather brings forth a rejuvinated spirit and body? Have I said that I loved spring? Now here is the laughable part....the weather isn't here to stay. Nope, a storm is coming in and the temperatures are dropping. Today we are yet again enjoying 70 degree temperatures but by this Saturday it will be in the 50's. So dissapointing, such a tease that spring.
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