The Manager

Jewelry Favorites

2009-05-02T09:32:00.018-06:00

I normally like to keep my favorites to five, but it was too hard to decide on just five pieces of jewelry that I love. Of course, this doesn't include my long-lost wedding set. If you stick with me to the end of this post, you might just get a great piece of jewelry for yourself!

So here they are:

1. Lia Sophia Ring:I purchased this ring about a year ago at a Lia Sophia jewelry party. I love it. I don't own many "fun" rings, but this one really stood out to me. It matches a lot of things I wear and adds a bit of flair that most of my ensembles are lacking.

2. Gold Arabic Name Necklace:This is the oldest piece of jewelry that I own. I got it while we were living in Oman, when I was about four or five. All of the women in my family have a necklace like this, with their name in Arabic. I have worn it so much that the chain is wearing out and becoming a bit skewed.

3. Strand of Mikimodo pearls and ring:My parents gave me this set for my 21st birthday. I don't wear it that often, frankly because I'm afraid of it being damaged or of losing it (which has already happened to a more important piece of jewelry). But these are classic heirloom pieces, which I will one day pass on to a daughter or granddaughter.

4. Gold James Avery knot ring:This is another piece of jewelry given to me by my parents. It was originally an unofficial sorority symbol. But as that time in my life has passed I have continued to wear it and come to appreciate it for its simple and beautiful design. I am currently wearing this ring on my left hand in place of my wedding ring.

5. Bracelet from the Sudan:
My wonderful friend, Jeannie gave me this bracelet for my birthday a few years ago. She has one as well, and told me that the women of the villages surrounded by war collect the stray bullets from the ground. Then, they make these bracelets out of the metal from the bullets to sell for money for their village. They are able to make something beautiful out of something so horrible.

6. Broken China Heart Necklace:I found this at the Utah Art Festival about four years ago. The artist took broken pieces of antique china and made them into jewelry, frames, and other decorative items. Normally I don't like hearts, but this necklace really caught my eye. I love that it's one of a kind.

7. Emerald ring and earrings:
While living in Colombia, my parents decided to purchase emeralds for my sister and I. One of Colombia's major exports is emeralds, so we were able to get beautiful stones at a fraction of the price in the U.S. This is another heirloom I plan to pass down.

8. Pandora (honorable mention):
I call this an honorable mention, because I don't have it (yet). I recently went to an event hosted by Goldsmith Jewelers here in Utah, where they featured this collection. Currently, they are the only ones in Utah who sell this line. With this line, you are able to build your own bracelet or necklace from a large selection of beads. Each of the beads has a meaning to go along with it, so the piece is very personalized.

Here's the fun part: Goldsmith Jewelers is so awesome. Just for coming to the event they gave us coupons to give away for a free strand of pearls. You do have to go into the store to redeem the coupon - so I'm sorry to all of my non-Utah readers.

All you have to do is print it out and go to the store. Feel free to print out as many as you want for friends and family. Click here to download and print the PDF coupon.

To work or not?

2009-04-27T11:25:00.004-06:00

This battle has been going on for such a long time. I never thought I would feel the way I do at this point in my life, but I do.

I always thought that as soon as I had kids I would stop working. My mom didn't work, so I never envisioned that I would do anything different. Time with your children is such a precious thing that you can never get back. Especially at such a young age.

But as the time came for little Nathan to enter the world, financial road-blocks prevented me from not working, so I continued to partake in the working world while also stumbling through the beginning days of mommy-hood.

Fast-forward two and half years later, and I am still working. And I love it. I have two part-time jobs, which (if necessary) can be done from home. I am at home with my son two days during the week and also weekends. The husband is at home one day a week and also on weekends. The boy spends one day of the week with his grandmother and one day of the week with his aunt and cousins. It works out really well.

Though I miss him tremendously during the days at the office, I feel like it makes me a better mom. I appreciate my time with The Boy so much more than I would, had I stopped working. I am able to develop my professional career while at the same time contribute to our household income. I have full days of not working so I can dedicate attention to him.

Yes, I'm still jealous of those who are stay-at-home-moms. I envy the time you have with your kids, and the memories you will always have of this special time. The job you have as a mother is the one of the hardest, most important jobs in the world. You are the unsung heros of this world.

But because I'm not a part of that club right now, I am thoroughly enjoying where I'm at in life at the moment. I have two jobs that I enjoy, a husband who's supportive of this decision I've made, co-workers who are understanding that family comes first, friends who I consider family and of course a son who brings me endless joy and love (and often frustration too).

I'm doing the best I can.

Apologies

2009-04-08T15:08:00.003-06:00

My apologies for being so absent on my blog. That's what working two jobs, raising a child, and being on a volunteer board will do to you. But NEVER FEAR, for I am back to the blogging world. I have not yet abandoned my internetty friends.

I was watching Oprah the other day and they had an episode on motherhood that had me laughing the whole way through. Confessions from real moms:

"I once made my kids lunch with snacks entirely from my car."

"I didn't bathe my twins for three weeks - I figured the hot-tub would take care of it."

"Nobody told me little boys wake up with woodies. I was freaked out one morning when I came in to get them and they were all pointing at me!"

"I went without diapers for three days using only maxi-pads and duct tape."

It was a great show. First, it made me feel like a really good mom, knowing that I'm not the only one who makes mistakes and doesn't know what in the hell I'm doing. Second, these women came from all walks of life: some working, some young, some with one child, some with several (one had seven!).

My confessions:

When Nate was seven months old we visited Tulsa with him for the first time. I realized early the next morning that we were out of diapers. While BSC ran to the store to get some, Nathan totally ruined his current diaper, leaving us with nothing. Turns out that my MIL had some doggie diapers, which actually worked quite well minus the hole in the back for the tail.

On more than one occasion, Nathan and I have eaten ice-cream for lunch.

One day I let him watch TV ... all day.

I know there are more, these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I wish I would have saved that episode of Oprah so I could watch it every once in a while. It's good to see women totally let down their guard and talk about their total (and often hilarious) falters with child-rearing.

Let's hear it for the moms!

Birthday Wishes

2009-03-10T08:44:00.005-06:00

For my birthday I would like some time. If anyone knows of a place where I can buy, trade, or bargain for some extra time, please let me know. This is what I would like to do with my extra time:

Create fun, educational activities for Nathan and I to enjoy when I am home with him
Cook every weeknight
Go to the gym every day
Write real, hand-written notes and mail them to friends
Clean and organize my garage
Document all of my plant-life like Rachel.
Volunteer more
Organize all of my pictures into digital photo books (or maybe digital scrapbooks)
Read the Bible from beginning to end again
Take calligraphy classes
Create my own cookbook (with my own photography and recipes)
Go on a weekly (or even monthly) date with BSC sans The Boy
Redecorate my living room and bedroom (this also requires extra money, so if you know where I could get some of that too, please let me know)
Read two books per month
Go see all the tourist attractions here

I will be waiting for suggestions of where I can find all this time. Anyone?

This and that

2009-03-03T21:30:00.002-07:00

Sorry for the increased absence, my mind has been here lately. If you know anything about my husband's family history, you'll understand why it's easy to become wrapped up in sympathetic thoughts for my sister's in-laws.

On a much lighter note, I thought I'd share one of my recipes with you. It's easy and fast. I don't have a name for it, so feel free to give suggestions.

Ingredients:

1 bag of frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast tenderloins
1 1/2 cups Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 1/2 cups Italian Dressing
Bag of pasta (your choice, I use linguine)
Package of dried gourmet mushrooms (usually in the same section as the fresh herbs)
Fresh mozzarella balls
Fresh Basil, chopped
Green onions, chopped
Feta

Marinate the frozen chicken in the dressings until chicken is thaw (not in the refrigerator). When thaw, cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, reserving the marinade. Cook the chicken pieces for 2-3 minutes, add marinade and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes then reduce to a simmer. Add dried mushrooms. Simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Cook pasta to your desired firmness and drain. Combine pasta with chicken and sauce. Add basil, onions, mozzarella and toss to combine. Serve in pasta bowls and sprinkle with feta. Great if accompanied with a spinach salad or topped with chopped, steamed asparagus.

Has Anyone Seen Me?

2009-02-22T09:11:00.009-07:00

I was first given here:

Then I went public here:

Made an appearance here:

Sealed love for life here:

You can take a good look at me here:

I became a source of entertainment here:

I was last seen here:

This Little Piggy

2009-02-11T20:29:00.003-07:00

BSC has always collected his spare change in a large orange cup I got from my sorority in college. We decided that we needed to start putting this change (which usually amounts to about $85 when the cup is full) into Nate's college fund. And what better way to collect the change than a cute bank for our boy? We have been meaning to get The Boy a piggy bank ... oh since he was born. It was just one of those tasks that wasn't high on the priority list, so it's been delayed for a couple of years.

A few weeks ago we finally found one that we both like. The color scheme matches his room and has been personalized with his name. As soon as we brought it home and Nathan saw it, he lit up and exclaimed "PIGGY BANK!" Really, I had no idea he even knew what it was. So we took the large orange cup full of change and let Nathan dump it out so he could fill the piggy bank.

**I have to note here that I scrubbed his hands after letting him play with all that dirty, germy money.

So Proud of Him

2009-02-02T21:36:00.002-07:00

BSC and I went to Target tonight to pick up a few things. We did our usual routine: One of us doing the shopping while the other takes The Boy to the toy aisle for some entertainment. This time the boys went off to play while I gathered the items from our list. After putting the shampoo and conditioner into the shopping cart, I turned around and saw my two guys coming toward me, with Nathan riding a bike.

Now why am I so proud of this? Because his daddy didn't even flinch at the thought of letting Nathan ride a pink and purple bike around in public. I know a few dads who would have a fit at the thought of their boy playing with such a "girlie" item. I am ok if Nathan plays with his cousin's dolls, I'm ok if he wants to play dress-up, and I'm ok if he rides a pink bike. Making a big deal out of generally gender-specific toys to a two year old could potentially have a negative effect on him when he's older. So, good job BSC, you've risen above the typical male stereotypes and passed on an excellent lesson to your son!

Favorites for my Home

2009-01-25T10:16:00.004-07:00

It's been a while since I did a list of my favorites. This post is dedicated to my favorite items for my home. From decorations to designers.

1. Anna Griffin - What beautiful designs. My wedding invitations, guest book and photo album were Anna Griffin and I still love all of her designs. If I ever see note cards or accessories of hers on sale, I have to buy them. Her colors and designs are elegant yet modern, some are fancy and some are casual. Very high quality, and pretty enough to display with a nice pen on my secretary in the guest bedroom. She now has fabric and other accessories in her collection too.

2. Keurig Coffee Machine - Though I don't have one of these yet, my dad and friend Sarah have one. I plan to buy one for my office when we move to our new space. It makes individual cups of coffee (of which you can choose the size) and cleans itself. No filters or coffee grounds to mess with (unless you make your own pods). It also makes hot chocolate, tea, and other warm beverages.

3. Clothes Drying Rack - I can't find a link for this, but I was able to find a picture. I found this on clearance at Pottery Barn a couple of years ago, and it has been one of my greatest finds. It hooks onto my laundry room wall and lays flat (object to the left) when it's not in use. When I need to air dry clothes or jeans, it folds up and out (object to the right). This is essential for my laundry duties because I can never tumble dry my jeans. They always shrink and become too short. With this rack I can air dry eight pairs of pants at the same time. I used to have wet jeans hanging all over the house, but this has solved that problem. Plus, the design is simple enough to blend in with my blue and white laundry room decor.

4. Sid Dickens Memory Tiles - I have a collection of these tiles arranged above the sofa in our formal living room. I started my collection in college when the antique store I worked at started selling them. I even have a few that are signed by the artist. The tiles are quite expensive, but raise in value after being discontinued. I love them and would have a few in every room if I could afford it.

5. Lampe Berger - Pronounced lamp burjay (with a soft j sound). A couple of Christmases ago my mother in law purchased one of these oil infusion lamps for me (the one pictured below). At first I thought it was just a regular home-fragrance accessory, but after reading the enclosed material, I found out that these decorative fragrance burners help clean the air. They used to use them in hospitals in France in the 1800s. I have one in the main part of our house and one in our basement. I especially like to use them after cooking a rich meal to eliminate the smell from the house. If I don't feel like using a fragrance in the house, I burn the neutral oil which has no scent. The lamps are sold at all different price points.

CLEAN!

2009-01-19T10:10:00.005-07:00

Oh my goodness, I have just died and gone to heaven. One of my Christmas gifts was money to use toward a professional house cleaning. I had $100 to spend for a one-time cleaning. There are certain things I hate to clean in my house, and this gift was perfect to get those things taken care of. I found a place called The Cleaning Authority online, and was instantly intrigued by their claim that they use only environmentally-friendly products. I made an appointment for a quote and listed off things to be cleaned until I reached the $100 mark. These things include cleaning:

All of my plantation shutters
The ceiling fans
The baseboards and edges
The ceiling
All of the inside windows
The bathtub and shower walls

The cleaning lady arrived at 8:30 on Saturday morning and finished at 12:00. When she was done I was in awe of the job she did. She cleaned my house as if it were her own, not as if it were her job. She got all the little crevices and hidden areas that usually only I notice. She even removed a stain from my sink that I have been unable to conquer. She cleaned way more than I requested including vacuuming all of the upholstery, dusting all the furniture, cleaning inside and underneath the microwave, removing water stains from my fridge water-dispenser, and mopping all of my floors.

At first I was worried that she was doing all of this extra work to rack-up the bill. But when she was done, she handed me the pre-printed invoice which came to exactly $100. She did such an excellent job, I think I'll ask for another cleaning certificate for my birthday in March and have her do the basement. If I could afford to have her come on a regular basis, I would in a heartbeat. This says a lot for the quality of job she did, because I am very picky about how my house is cleaned.

All of you local people, if you ever need a fantastic cleaning job, ask for Luz from The Cleaning Authority. She really knows what she's doing.

Because I Owe Her

2009-01-14T21:27:00.007-07:00

A while back I posted about being a groomswoman in Morgan and Amelia's wedding. The only picture I had was one of her mouth wide open during the cake cutting. So, because I'm such a good friend, I want to show you all what a stunning bride she was ... and how trashy Morgan is.

All the bridesmaids (plus me) with Amelia:

Me, and my trashy BFF.

High five!

Aren't they cute?

Simplify

2009-01-11T14:55:00.004-07:00

I have decided that I have only one resolution, or change, I would like to make for 2009. I would like to try to simplify my life as much as possible. By doing this one thing, I am hoping that all the other changes I would like to make in my life will follow as a result. Some of these things may seem trivial to you, but I know they will make a difference. I was inspired by my friends Cody and Jeannie, who did this a few years ago. They simplified their lives to a higher level than I plan to, but I was so impressed by how much it changed their lives for the better. I am going to start with the smaller things and work my way up.

1. I will use everything I have before I buy another. Really, how many lotions or hair care products do I need? This also applies to cleaning products, food, and other toiletries.

2. Only keep the things I really use. I have already started working on this. I have seven bags full of clothes and household products for the charity truck to take this Wednesday. I need to clean out our closets and storage areas quarterly instead of once per year.

3. Say no to more things. I am constantly feeling stressed and guilty because of my lack of time. I need to learn to be more discriminating about the commitments I make. Between my jobs, volunteer group, and church, I often feel overwhelmed. This sometimes takes away from family and personal time, and I hate that. It's ok to say "no thanks" once in a while.

4. Cook simpler meals. My personal tastes tend to lean toward the more complicated recipes with tons of ingredients. I don't need to make gourmet meals in order for them to be good.

If I can accomplish these four things this year, I will consider this experiment a success. I might even take it to a higher level next year.

Holiday Favorites

2009-01-07T17:18:00.007-07:00

We made it back from almost two weeks away visiting family and friends in Oklahoma. There's way too much to write about the events during the time we were gone, so I'll just highlight the time with some pictures.

Christmas morning with my side of the family. Nathan was more interested in copying Grandpa by putting bows on his head.

On BSC's side, the traditional "dirty Santa" gift exchange was especially vicious. Three awesome gifts were stolen from me. I ended up with a gift nobody wanted.

Second Christmas with BSC's side of the family. Nathan made out well. See all those gifts? Those are all for him.

I'm pretty sure Mr. Potato Head was his favorite.

Tulsa was in the 70's off and on the entire time we were there. It was amazing. We took Nathan for walks around his parents' land.

We found some train tracks, and ten minutes later a train.

But most importantly, Brandi had her baby!

Things

2008-12-23T20:50:00.004-07:00

I copied this from Jenn.

What Have You Done? To participate, just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done. It's kind of fun!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
101. Learned to play an instrument

This is fun

2008-12-17T11:50:00.002-07:00

How Tall Will Your Child Be?

This was really fun. All of our info guessed that Nate would be 6' 4". BSC is very excited.

Chugga Chugga

2008-12-14T21:00:00.010-07:00

I already posted my birthday letter to Nathan, but have yet to post his party pictures. Nathan is enthralled by trains. He loves to play with them, watch them on TV, points them out any time we're driving, and loves all of his train books. Barnes and Noble has one of the wooden Thomas the Tank Engine sets displayed in the children's section of the store. Nathan loved to go play with it and would be entertained for hours (if I let him). So obviously his party was train themed with his presents being a few of the wooden train sets. We set up the trains while he was taking his afternoon nap so he could see them when he woke up. I should have had the camera ready, because his expression was awesome. The party was a lot of fun, and all the kids went home with a train conductor hat.

He ran up to them and said "look at those!"

His beautiful train cake with TONS of frosting:

Blowing out the candles with the help of his cousin, Caden:

Mmmmm, cake.

What is everyone looking at?

Oh.

Learning how to open the presents:

Cute little Ella in her conductor hat:

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-07T18:39:00.007-07:00

I haven't been in much of the Christmas mood lately. Mostly because the weather in Utah has been unusually warm and we haven't had any snow yet, which is very unusual for us. I haven't been inspired to put up any of our decorations yet but I finally forced myself to put up our Christmas tree last night. I put on Christmas music, and spent the evening trimming the tree and hanging the garland. That did just the trick. I always forget how much I love my tree and decorations. Here are a few of my favorite features on our tree:

1. Tree Elves: I have five of these "mini-Santas" hiding in my tree. I have a white one (pictured), animal print, burgundy, and gold. They are the guardians of the tree.

2. Candle Lights: I like how these give my tree a bit of a Victorian feel. I only bought two strands, and should have bought more for my garland. I haven't been able to find any of these types of lights since I purchased them.

3. Christopher Radko: My mom gives my sister and I a Christopher Radko ornament every year. I love them. They are so detailed and pretty. They give my tree just the right amount of sparkle.

4. Tree Picks: I lay a few of these picks along some of the branches and it makes it look as if the tree is sprouting roses, berries and pears.

Two Years

2008-11-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

My Dearest little Nathan,

Today you turn two years old. Two years ago at exactly 9:18pm you entered the world with a lot to say, and you haven't stopped saying things since. A few cliche sayings have been going through my mind like "I can't believe it's been two years already," and "Time has just flown by," or "You are growing up so fast." And even though I hate to include those phrases in my letter to you, I understand more than ever why those sayings have become popular. They are just so true.

Every day your daddy and I see more and more of your personality develop and we get glimpses of the man you will one day become. You tend to be shy and reserved around groups of people you don't know. You'll cling to me and hide behind my leg, sometimes whimpering at the thought that I might leave you with this evil group of strangers. But when you are with me, your daddy, grandma, grandpa, your aunt Nici, uncle Rocky or your cousins, you let your true personality shine. You run, jump, play and constantly sing, ask questions and talk. You're always asking "[Insert Name] what 'ya doing?"

You've become very good at remembering things and learning to repeat phrases. I hate to admit this, but I taught you your first bad word. Yes, it was me. Not your father, uncle Jim or grandpa. Can you believe it? About a month ago we were finishing up dinner when I accidentally knocked over your plate full of macaroni and cheese, rice, chicken, fruit and chips. Then your juice rolled off the table into the mess and spilled all over the floor. I had just mopped the floors that afternoon and without even thinking, the first words that popped out of my mouth were "OH SH**!" You proceeded to repeat this phrase for the next five minutes, over and over again. Your daddy couldn't stop laughing and I was mortified that I was the one who prompted that string of letters to come out of your mouth.

I currently have two part-time jobs, which means that I have to leave you three days a week. Even though we have the perfect situation with you going to your grandma's one day, your aunt's one day, and staying home with Daddy one day, I still hate to leave you. I'm so torn because I feel like I shouldn't enjoy my job as much as I do. I never thought I would become so career-minded. But after finding a job like I have now, one that allows me to be a mom as well as grow in my professional career, I find myself feeling guilty. Guilty that I enjoy my time without you, and also guilty that I can't be with you all the time. It's like I can't win.

Knowing that I can't be with you all the time makes me enjoy our time together more and more. A few months ago, as we were getting ready to watch a movie together (Toy Story 2 - for the 100th time), you came up behind me while I was putting the movie in the player, hugged me as hard are your little arms could possibly hug and said "I love you Mama." It was the first time you had ever said that without someone saying it first, or being prompted. My heart will never get over that single moment in our lives.

I love the way you say things. Even though you are constantly complimented on how well you pronounce your words, you still have your own little dialect:
packidoes: popsicles
pabo: pacifier
bunby: bunny
uhmba: Simba
blanquen: blanket
mote: remote
cereos: cereal
You also have certain phrases that you love to use. Any time you can get two of something in your hands, you'll always exclaim, "I got two of 'um!" Every time you're on the stairs, going up or down you say you're going "Going upstairs!" You love to give your daddy and I directions in the car to where you want to go (or throw a fit when you realize we're going somewhere you don't want to go). And you've made up this little game where you ask yourself (or whoever happens to be close by), "Does [insert Name] eat cereals? NO!" You ask this question over and over with different names each time. And the answer is always no. Just today you substituted the "eat cereals" with "go poopy." Which brings up another one of your most recent fascinations. Anytime you go poopy you love to watch the toilet flush and exclaim "Buh bye turds!"

You are definitely very stubborn and want your way all the time (who doesn't?). We are trying to teach you how to share and not claim that everything is "yours." This lesson is going slow. You have also given me your fair share of public fits. Grocery stores, restaurants, and more recently on an airplane. It's during these fits that my head just about explodes and I wonder why people love parenting so much. But then you turn around and sing me your ABC's or count to 20 with me (as I'm trying to calm down), and I realize - again - that this is what being a mom is all about.

I love you sweet boy. You are so special and beautiful.

Love,
Mama

What would yours say?

2008-11-19T12:25:00.003-07:00

This was played at church recently. No sermon, no follow-up, just this. Not a dry eye in the congregation when it was done. Powerful.

Before Justin there was Joey

2008-11-16T08:36:00.010-07:00

Last night I attended a concert 20 years in the making. New Kids on the Block came to Tulsa when I was seven years old, and being as young as I was, I wasn't allowed to go. I was sad.

Oh but last night I was transformed into the screaming adolescent of 20 years ago when I got to see Jordan, Jonathan, Joey, Donny and Danny live on stage. It was totally rad.

They sang all of their old hits, plus some new ones. Our seats were awesome, and I swear Joey was looking at me the whole time. I mean, why wouldn't he? It was probably my awesome bangs and teal eyeshadow that hypnotized him. Or my shirt that said "On fire for Joey McIntyre."

Here are some pics to make you just a tad jealous:

Can you believe those shirts are home-made? Yes, that's how awesome they are.

And please don't be jealous of our bangs and multi-colored makeup. We're just that cool.

Just another photo shoot with some awesome poses.

And really, you can never have too much blue eyeshadow.

Nathan really wanted in on the fun. He kept trying to put my boots on.

Yes, they've got The Right Stuff, baby!

Get those girls off the stage!

Yay, no shirt!

Sad, I didn't get a decent picture of my Joey.

"I'll Be Lovin' You Forever!

"Hangin' Tough"

My friend Melissa was also at that concert. And look, she's got an awesome shirt too!

Tagged

2008-11-09T21:40:00.004-07:00

I've been tagged several times for these two particular things. Then BSC posted and tagged me again, so I figured I better obey the husband.

For the first tag, the instructions are to post the sixth photo from the sixth album on my computer. Because I use iPhoto and don't have folders, I had to go by "events." Here's what I came up with:

This picture was taken when I was 20 weeks pregnant with Nathan. This was taken the night before we found out we were having a boy.

The next tag says to list seven weird facts about yourself.

1. I have really sensitive skin. So sensitive than I regularly break out in rashes. Attractive, no? Just last night my arms started to itch uncontrollably. When I looked at them, here's what I found:
2. I have become totally dumb since having a child. Just the other day I discovered that I glued a picture in Nate's baby book on top of the page cover. Seriously, who does stuff like that?

3. Everything has to match: File folders, hangers, towels, pushpins, boxes, etc. I even prefer to have all the same brand of makeup, haircare products, and cleaning products, but that doesn't happen very often.

4. I count all of Nate's toys so I know when one is missing. Today he had 12 crayons and 4 cars in his bag of toys at church. I know that he has 13 balls in his tray and 7 Sponge Bob books in the car. He also has 14 pacifiers and we've been missing an orange one for a few weeks. It's totally bugging me.

5. I can hold my breath for long periods of time. I got my dad's extra-large lungs. Last I tried, I was able to swim two laps of the pool on one breath.

6. I struggle to forgive people. I just recently talked to a friend for the first time in ten years from high school who I was on bad terms with. It was a really big deal for me and she probably had no idea it was that much of an issue.

7. I have very vivid and emotional dreams. Sometimes they end up effecting my day.

The Obligatory Halloween Post

2008-11-03T20:37:00.004-07:00

This year's Halloween festivities were a lot of fun. Nathan understood the concept of trick-or-treating and was excited to see all the "punkins." I'll let the pictures do most of the talking:

We visited the all the witches at Gardner Village with the boy's cousins:

We played at the local pumpkin patch, including a maze made just for the little ones:

And finally, Halloween night. Our little pirate had a great time!

Oh Abilene

2008-10-27T09:22:00.013-06:00

This past weekend was ACU's Homecoming. On Thursday, BSC and I loaded up the boy and flew into Austin and stayed with our friends, Kara and Alan. Before making the four-hour drive to Abilene, Kara had to work for a few hours. So I decided to help her out a bit by washing some dishes and doing a few loads of laundry. I know how hard it is to work full time and take care of an eight month old at the same time (plus her hubby is in med school). So here I am, washing the dishes, thinking I'm helping out my friend. Little did I know that the sink wasn't hooked up to the drain until my feet were soaking wet and the water was rushing out from the cabinets. CRAP!! As fast as I could, I grabbed everything out from underneath the sink and sopped up the water with some towels (some = six towels soaked with water). This was the boys' reaction to the flood:

So the weekend started out a bit stressful, but quickly turned to blissful when Kara brought some Taco Bueno back for lunch. Holy yummy. The drive to Abilene went smooth, both kiddos were great during the drive and we arrived in plenty of time to enjoy the carnival held on campus. It was weird walking on campus again. Once we pulled up to the parking lot, I had a very clear moment of thinking "I'm officially one of the old people who have returned for the sole purpose of reminiscing about my college days."

We awoke very early the next morning to attend my sorority's Homecoming breakfast:

These are some of this year's pledges holding Kaitlyn in her halloween costume. For those of you who don't know, the giraffe is our mascot.

Kara and Kaitlyn the giraffe.

LeighAnn and I (she flew in from DC, we both won a t-shirt for traveling so far).

Circle up girls! Another sorority tradition.

My freakin' hot shoes.

Awww, nothing sweeter.

Me and Allison, who so graciously allowed us to stay at her home while in Abilene.

The ladies in my pledge class who came to breakfast.

The boys at the parade.

The float built by our pledges.

The cute pledges!

All in all the weekend was a blast. After the parade, we attended Chapel, went to the JMC reception and ate more yummy Mexican food. We drove back to Austin that night and spent more time with Kara, Alan and Kaitlyn. Alan had the sink fixed by the time we got back, so I was able to finish their dishes too!

Everything went downhill on Sunday when we left. We had a really early flight out of Austin. Both BSC and I slept through the alarm (which I have NEVER done in my life). So we were one of those people running through the airport to catch our flight. Luckily we made it, but Nathan was in no mood to be on a flight that early in the morning. He was a terror, screaming, kicking the seats, etc, etc. On top of all that, I lost my voice and was unable to say much of anything - even apologize to the people around us who had to deal with Nathan's fit. It was so embarrassing.

I'm so glad we got to go. It was exhausting and a ton of fun. For those of you I didn't see, I wish we would have had more time. I guess I'll see you in another five years!

Thank You

2008-10-19T20:17:00.003-06:00

For those of you who commented on my last post, thank you for being civilized with your answers. For those of you who did not comment, I understand. People are vicious when it comes to politics and religion and exposing yourself so publicly is frightening.

One of my favorite magazines is Real Simple. This month's question posed to readers was "What are your hopes for this country?" I would like to quote some of my favorite answers:

"What I would very much like to see and feel is a renewed commitment to the American spirit. I would like to see all of us unite, not in our religious beliefs or political affiliations, but in our commitment to protecting our country. I believe that we can do this by becoming self-sufficient as a nation. We have what we need here to prosper. We also need to care for our environment an educate our children to prepare them to be future innovators and leaders. We need to look inward and strive to improve the nation. Our efforts will help us maintain peace with others around the globe."

"My hope is that being green isn't just a fad - that it becomes a normal way of life. We should support local farmers and learn to conserve our resources."

"I sincerely hope for decency and a sense of decorum to return to our government and our people. The vulgar name-calling and vicious attitudes of the parties have been the most demoralizing I've ever witnessed. We need to return to the gracious and mannerly demeanor of the 'greatest generation.' In the 1940s, these men and women accomplished the impossible be handing us a secure and prosperous America after World War II. Freedom of speech is a wonderful right. However, as with all rights, if abused and left unattended, it becomes common and full of negativity."

"I'd like to see us regain the respect and integrity we once had, in ourselves and from other countries, as the nation that does the right thing, treats our neighbors as ourselves, and helps other countries pick themselves up again."

"My country has my husband in Iraq until September 2009. My hope is that it brings him home safely."

"If everyone took a few hours to volunteer and connect with their communities, our country would be a nicer place to live in. It would be so refreshing to hear about coworkers' or friends' weekends spent at a local soup kitchen or cleaning up a beach rather than about trips to the mall or how much they had to drink on Saturday night. It's easy to spend money on yourself; it's more of a challenge to give it to your community. We could all use a helping hand."

I voted!

2008-10-14T19:42:00.002-06:00

I have already cast my vote for the 2008 Presidential election, as well as other elected officials and propositions.

I am a huge fan of the permanent absentee ballot. Anytime my district has a vote, a ballot is mailed to me in advance. It gives me the time to research the issues or candidates online before casting my vote. I've also voted in all of elections and on all of the issues since we put ourselves on the permanent absentee ballot (which was about three years ago).

If you're not on it, I highly recommend it. No more standing in line to vote, no more trying to find your official voting location, no more forgetting to go vote.

Come election day, my right to vote has already been taken care of.

PS - I try to stay away from politics on this blog, but I haven't found a direct answer for this question from someone I know. If you are a McCain/Palin supporter, what is your opinion on Palin? More specifically, why do you think she is a good choice for VP? (I really want to know, there is no sarcasm or mocking intended with this question).

We have been busy!

2008-10-08T21:25:00.005-06:00

These past few weeks have been full of fun, including ...

A family trip to Yellowstone:

A fancy date with my sister:

This is the diamond ring we didn't win:

But at least we look freakin' hot:

And my shoes were too awesome:

And a surprise 30th birthday party for my sister:

And the fun isn't going to stop. My mother in-law is currently in town, I'm throwing a wine and cheese party on Friday, my first book club meeting is in a couple weeks, we're flying to Texas for our fifth college reunion and my sister got NKOTB (New Kids On The Block) concert tickets for her birthday which we'll be rocking out to in November. Wahooooo!!!

Poor Boy

2008-10-02T12:13:00.003-06:00

The Boy has been miserable for the past three days. He's had a fever ranging from 101 - 103 degrees. He's not his usual energetic self and even refuses to eat cookies (which is a huge deal). We went to the doctor this morning, who suspected strep. His rapid response machine determined that it was not strep, but we won't know for sure until the culture gets back from the lab on Monday. If the lab determines it's not strep, it's likely a virus. And there's nothing we can do about a virus.

So while we're here being miserable, let's remember some of the good, funny times with The Boy:

~Upon looking in the rear view mirror one day, I noticed that Nathan had his finger all the way up his nose while reading his Thomas the Train books. He noticed me looking at him and proceeded to exclaim "BOOGERS! Thomas eats boogers ... ewwww!" He then moved his finger from his nose, to Thomas' mouth and laughed the rest of the way home. Apparently he thinks he's pretty funny.

~We moms rarely get any privacy when the kids are around. Perfect example: while I was in the bathroom doing my business The Boy busted in with some toilet paper and said "Mama done, Mama done. Watch Sesame Street?" We're working on learning patience.

~One particular morning Nathan was angry with BSC. So angry in fact that when BSC sat down to eat breakfast next to him he said "No Daddy, you go away. Mama, come sit." He proves over and over what a Mama's boy he is.

Moms Gone Wild, Part Deux

2008-09-24T15:47:00.012-06:00

**Warning, this post was not written by the author of this blog. Proceed with caution.

Everyone saw and adored my last post about our yearly Moms Gone Wild trip (formerly Wives Gone Wild). I couldn't fit everything I wanted to in it, so this is a follow-up to make sure you know EVERYTHING we did on the trip.

Scene: Cowboy bar, Saturday night in Jackson, Wyoming.

Merecedes: Whoo hoo! I am frahhhking durnk!

Loo: You are too!

The Mormon Girl: I'm Mormon!

Merecedes: Who invited her? Hey look it's my bestest best best friend in the whole world!

Sally: (hiccup) What?

The Blond One: Hey, I once drank so much, my friend called Broadax the alien Glurgle basketball hoop!

Loo: What the hell is she talking about?

Merecedes: Get her some more drinks. Preggo GET OVER HERE!

Preggo: Stop yelling. I'm right next to you. What do you want?

Merecedes: WE NEED MORE DRINKS.

Preggo: I'm pregnant, not deaf. Stop yelling at me!

Mercedes: WHAT?

Preggo: Nothing, nothing at all. (sob)

Loo: Know what we need? A big sexy man.

The Brunette one: A local man! Who's totally manly.

Loo: Ooh, looky over there. How about that guy?

Dick: I'm looking for someone to chain up and whip with a cattle prod. You ladies looking for fun?

Loo: Your bald spot is hot.

Dick: Answer me women!

Mercedes: I LIKE YOUR STYLE. MOO MOO!

Mormon Girl: My husband does that to me too! It's great joy!

Merecedes: WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER WIVES?

Mormon Girl: Shove it you cantankerous oaf.

Mercedes: WHAT?

Mormon Girl: God Bless you and thank you both.

Preggo: Shut up shut up shut up all of you shut up.

Sally: (hic)

The Other Blonde One: I think apodeca doobie doo bunchita whoohoo I am frahking drunk!

Loo: This reminds me of that one episode of 90210, where the slutty one starts running around with the old man and he's buying her stuff like a car and all she has to do is sleep with him and stroke his mustache every once in a while. Remember that one?

Mormon Girl: OhMyHeck that reminds me of this one episode of Friends. It started with Joey sitting in his apartment and Chandler comes in and says "Joey, how'd your audition go?" and Joey says "Audish....OhMyHeck I forgot the audition!" That Joey! He's my favorite. No! Rachel is! No, no it's Ross!

Merecedes: I LOVED THAT EPISODE! DID YOU KNOW I DON'T HAVE CABLE? HOW COOL IS THAT? WE HAVE THIS CATCHPHRASE: I DONT THINK OUR RABBIT EARS PICK THAT CHANNEL UP. HOW HILARIOUS IS THAT?! MY FRIEND IN THE UNIVERSE, THE BEST FRIEND ANYONE EVER HAD CRACKS UP AT IT ALL THE TIME!

OHMYGOD I NEED TO GO BLOG ABOUT THAT! THEN I'LL BLOG ABOUT HOW I BLOGGED ABOUT THAT! THEN I'LL BLOG A BLOG ABOUT THE BLOG ABOUT THE TIME I....WAIT, WHAT AM I DOING?

Sally: (hic)

Mormon Girl: So then Rachel comes in and....hahahahahaha, I love this scene....

Loo: Oh yeah, she says....

(75 minutes later after reciting half of season four in sequence)

Mormon Girl: I loved that season!

Dick: zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Loo: Hey, we should do something to him while he's asleep!

Sally: (hic)

Mormon Girl: My heck, Sally, are you okay?

Mercedes: STOP TALKING TO MY BEST FRIEND I'LL KICK YOUR ASS SISTER

Preggo: Hey, we could take a crap on him. Kind of like what has happens when you go on a girls trip and are pregnant and miserable. But don't mind me.

Wyoming Mountain Stranger: I wouldn't do that if I were you.

Loo: Hey you big sexy bear you!

Mercedes: OH MY GOD I LOVE MEN WITH HAIR ITS SO HOT CAN I RUN MY HANDS THROUGH IT!

Wyoming Mountain Stranger: You can both come with me to my cabin, we'll...uhh, scrapbook.

Mormon Girl: OH My Heck I just love scrapbooking! Do you have a Cricut?!

Wyoming Mountain Stranger: Uhh....sure, if by Cricut you mean young womens' heads in trash bags in my freezer, then sure, I have a lot of Cricuts.

(Mormon Girl leaves with Wyoming Mountain Stranger, never to be heard from again)

Blonde Girl: Mackerel salamander snorful sloot bedazzle tooty frooty choochoo train!

Mercedes: OHMYGOD YOU'RE SO RIGHT! WHAT A GENIUS!

Preggo: This sucks.

Loo: Poop jokes! That's all my husband talks about. It's "crap joke" this and "crap joke" that. Come up with something original! Like fat people jokes! Looks there's a fat bastard over there!

MERCEDES: FATTY ARBUCKLE!
Loo: Gorge W. Bush!
Sally: (hic, giggle)
Preggo: I'll kill your fat ass!
Other Brunette: Flergie Roozins
Other Blonde: Wonka Dude Troika Mademoiselle Freckledass

Mercedes: GET ON ALL FOURS FAT BOY! IMMA RIDE YOU LIKE THE GREASEBUCKET PIG YOU ARE!

(rides helpless but desperate to impress fat guy on floor for next 45 minutes)

Mercedes: GIDDYUP TUBS 'O LARD! WHOOHOOO THIS IS THE BEST TRIP EVAR!

Needless to say, I can't WAIT til next year!

(Note: I don't know all of you that went on the trip, so only the people I know relatively well took part in this. You can write your own Stories)

Moms Gone Wild

2008-09-18T21:15:00.008-06:00

Sorry it's been a while. I've been contemplating this post for the past week wondering how in the world I could do it justice. I've finally realized that there's no way those who weren't there could understand just how amazing this was.

This past weekend a group of ten girlfriends and I took our second annual moms' trip. On Thursday, we loaded up in my sister's mini van and headed to Jackson, WY. After a disappointing dinner and getting lost trying to find our house, we finally arrived. The house was spectacular and had everything we needed, including a hot tub and bed for everyone (I didn't have to sleep with my sister this year, of which we were both thankful).

The weekend was full of laughter, secrets, great food, drinks, and some very memorable quotes. This trip is always much anticipated and such a great experience. It's quite therapeutic to leave all responsibility behind and spend some fun, silly time with moms who can almost always relate (and laugh) at everything we experience on a daily basis.

So instead of giving you a play-by-play of the weekend, I'll give you some pictures and let you experience a part of the fun:

In the van, on the way there:

Surfing for man candy:

Yeehaw, American Idol! These are the sexiest legs I've ever seen:

Mmmmm, homemade fajitas:

Awww, cute little baby bump:

Anyone got any ICE?

Salt, shoot, suck!

We learned from the master ...

Mmmm, chocolate fountain:

Freakin' hot mamas:

She bought this for her hubby for Christmas:

We didn't quite fit in with the rest of the crowd at Bubba's BBQ:

At the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar:

I think we all love this picture ... too bad two of us are missing (probably dancing with the cute old guys):

On the front door of a candy store:

2008-09-07T20:35:00.001-06:00

This had to be written by a mother. I love it.

Rules

2008-09-02T20:41:00.005-06:00

Just in case any of you have to be me for a day, here are the rules:

1. Eat the frosting, leave the cake.
2. Only use matching hangers.
3. Sleep with two pillows: soft one on top, firm on bottom.
4. Stay out of the sun.
5. Heat the water for coffee for 3 1/2 minutes.
6. Put on makeup before doing hair.
7. Be early to everything, sometimes too early.
8. Watch reruns of Friends and Sex and the City.
9. Always double the recipe.
10. Wipe down the counter tops.
11. Make lists.
12. Drool over this, and this and these.
13. If it comes in black, brown or purple ... always buy the purple.

The Boy, Again

2008-08-28T22:06:00.006-06:00

The other day I was driving behind the van of a local locksmith company. The following phrase was on the back of the van:
"If a child is locked in the car, it's free."
Seems like a strange incentive program to me.

Speaking of children, here are some recent pictures of the boy:

Having a good time on the swings at the park:

Most recent favorite activity, "driving" with mama ...

... and Daddy.

Helping me water my flowers:

Snuggling with Bunby and Bear:

Product Test

2008-08-26T21:11:00.002-06:00

Most of you know what a clean freak I am. The day I bought my Dyson was a memorable and exciting day (yes, I'm lame). I've always been curious about the steam cleaners I see on infomercials. So I bought one and was able to test it out yesterday. My kitchen floors were thoroughly soiled after having five kids and three adults over for lunch. I vacuumed up the crumbs, then put the steam mop to work.

Pros:
1. It really does clean. The white cloth was filthy (and I mop once a week).
2. It only uses water - no cleaners or chemicals.
3. It's very small and easy to store, no need for a bucket.
4. The cloths can be thrown in the washer and re-used
5. It can also be used on carpet for stain removal.
6. No waiting for the floors to dry.

Cons:
1. It has a cord. Mopping with a cord will take some getting used to.
2. I kinda missed the "clean floor smell" my other cleaner left behind.

All in all, I really liked it. I should have taken a picture of the cloth after I mopped, but I'm ashamed at how dirty it was. I feel confident enough to throw away all my other mops (I have four total) and replace it with this one. My opinion is that it was money well-spent.

I want this ...

2008-08-24T20:28:00.002-06:00

I saw this door mat at Bed Bath and Beyond today. I think I want it:

Our Fifth Child

2008-08-19T21:03:00.003-06:00

I have come to accept the fact that when Brandon and I have another child, it most certainly will be a boy. BSC's family is comprised totally of the male species. If a girl was born into his family it would be a small miracle. My mother has come up with a theory that our fifth child will be a girl (not that we'll ever get there). I've lightly wondered what this fifth child would look like.

My friend Kara sent me a website that "makes" babies for you by combining a picture of you and your spouse (or whoever else you want to combine). Is it just me, or does it look like this child is from the mailman? View our little girl's picture here.

Ok, I'm done

2008-08-17T21:57:00.002-06:00

Never will I ever buy an old house again. I'm so sick of the replacements, the imperfections, the constant and expensive maintenance. I want to move.

We have three more leaks. One in the laundry room, one in the bar and one in the recently finished garden room. Luckily the garden room was easily fixed, but the mold growing up through the carpet was a stinky, nasty mess. The laundry room and bar leaks are still a mystery. A mystery that will require us to cut away the walls in order to discover the true source. Right now we're just guessing where the water might be coming from.

The irony? We had no leaks until we put new carpet in the basement. New carpet leak total: five.

Yes, I understand that having a house means constant maintenance, but this is getting ridiculous. I'm tired of dealing with all of this crap amongst all the little repairs we have to do in order for our house to be in decent working order.

So our next house will be new. None of this "old with character" crap. I want new. New outlets, new floors, new toilets, new baseboards, new garage, new roof, new water heater, new wiring, and definitely new plumbing.

Garden and Guest

2008-08-11T21:02:00.009-06:00

This is one of the last major redos in our house. It took this amount of time to redo because it was the last priority (being that it holds no real purpose in our house). I've been calling it the "garden room" because it leads to a deck in our backyard alongside one of our gardens. This room has no AC so it can only be used for short times in the summer. It does have a wood burning stove and heats quite well, so we are able to use it in the cooler months. The only problem is that it was built right outside of Nathan's bedroom, so we're afraid to use it after he goes to bed. And yet another reason why it took me so long to complete the room. Finding a time to work on it was quite a challenge since I get most of my things done while the little guy naps.

This is my one very girly room. I figured that if it's a garden room, it should contain flowers and spring-like colors.

Here's the before picture:

And the afters:

What we did:
1. Cleaned the carpets many, many times. The previous owners smoked in this room.
2. Stripped all wall paper
3. Painted the trim and chair rail
4. Painted the walls
5. Cleaned the carpets again.
6. Changed out the fan
7. Hung fabric to cover the ugly orange brick wall

The one thing I can't figure out is how to conceal the orange tile around the wood burning stove. Replacing the tile isn't feasible at this point, neither is painting it. Any suggestions?

This next room has been complete for quite a while, but I just haven't posted it yet. There was nothing in this room at all when we moved in so I have no "before" picture. This is the room in the basement where all the guests stay. This is the famous bed where even my mother has gotten a good-night's sleep. Several friends have requested to visit just to have the chance to sleep in this bed. Here's the finished result:

Wedding Trip

2008-08-06T20:25:00.005-06:00

So sorry for my absence in the blogging world over the last few weeks. I do realize that I owe lots of comments on lots of blogs. Patience my friends, they will come.

BSC and I have been traveling and recently returned from a trip to visit his family in the big OK. Yes, Bueno was consumed. Yes, Mazzios was consumed. And yes, Braums was consumed. It's my theory that anything ingested on vacation doesn't count toward your total caloric intake.

Vacations back home aren't as relaxing as I wish they were, but they're always much more fun than I expect. From the stressful and early flights, to visiting all of our friends and family, eating everything we can't get in Salt Lake and Nathan not napping, we always come home totally exhausted.

This trip back home was made specifically for a wedding. I mentioned back in my life's to-do list that I wanted to witness my best friend get married. Morgan and I met all the way back in 5th grade. He was my best friend's lab partner; the skinny, red-headed, freckle-faced boy with huge plastic-rimmed glasses. He was everyone's friend. I was the quiet dork. Starting in high school we became really good friends. After sophomore year he moved to a city 90 miles away, but still managed to make it out to my house almost every weekend. I think my mom eventually gave him a key to the house because he got locked out one night after I fell asleep before he arrived. We stayed great friends through college and when I got married I was honored to have him stand by me as a bridesman. He's the brother I never had.

I never thought I'd see the day he'd make the commitment to marriage, or find a girl who would put up with him. Amelia is amazing, I just love her. I am so glad they found each other and are happy together. I had the honor of being a groomswoman/bridesmaid in their wedding. I played both roles, but stood as the only girl on Morgan's side. I didn't think I would be as emotional as I was during the ceremony, but when Amelia said her vows to Morgan I couldn't control the tears welling up in my eyes. It was so beautiful.

I don't have any pictures because I was too busy to take any (I was running back and forth from bridesmaids to groomsmen for two days, don't give me crap!) I will post pics later when I steal some from some of the other wedding party.

(The whole wedding party at the rehearsal dinner)

So congratulations to Morgan and Amelia. I love you both so much!

(She's going to kill me for posting this pic, but it was the only one on my camera)

Dear Body,

2008-07-20T20:51:00.004-06:00

Dear Body,

Is 27 really an appropriate age to be falling apart?

Through this life we've been relatively lucky in terms of avoiding any injuries. We've never broken a bone, never had surgery (not including wisdom teeth removal), and only been to the emergency room once for the finger.

This past month we have had two injuries that have left us hobbling around and in need of a cane. The first happened in the Dance Jam class. I guess our groove was getting a bit too feisty and I twisted my ankle. It swelled, and it hurt. It wasn't fun.

Today we were playing with all the kids on Mom's trampoline. During one of our jumps a very sharp pain went flying up our back. It's now four hours later and we are still having a hard time getting around.

Ok body, I get it, I'm old. Now will you please start working properly so I can go about my life and take care of my family and house as I have always done? Pretty please?

Thank you.

De-Clutter

2008-07-14T20:27:00.006-06:00

One of the many interesting discussions we had during the trip to visit our friends involved an article published in Time. The article discusses the phenomenon involving how Americans pride themselves in the mass amounts of "stuff" we acquire during our lives. A movement has begun amongst a small group of people to challenge themselves to live with only 100 things. Just 100 essential items to continue living a rather normal life. The article states that the rules are different for each individual. Do they consider one pair of jeans one item, or all jeans one item? Everyone is different It got me thinking, could I do it? Probably not for a long period of time. I'll be the first to admit that I like my stuff. But if it came down to it, here are my 100 things.

Actually, never mind. I started typing my list and got to number 37 and realized that the list itself was boring minus a few inventive ideas. Here's the short-list of ideas I had:

Library Card - Will give you access to endless books and CDs
Laptop - Portable and all-encompassing information and entertainment available at your fingertips including games, which eliminates the need for any games or consoles.
Passport - Take a trip to a nude beach, and it's one less item you need to own
Digital Cable - Movies on-demand so you don't need to own any DVDs or a DVD player
Rechargeable Batteries - For the next on the list:
Digital Camera - Because you can never turn back time
Swiss Army Knife - All the tools you need
Cell Phone - So you can call a plumber with the SAK just doesn't do
Excedrin Migraine - To take after you get the bill from the plumber
Gym Membership - Showers, pool, exercise equipment, hair dryers, towels, etc., etc.
Dyson Vacuum - Because I love it and it cleans SO much
Deodorant - Because if I ever had to go back in time, I would always bring some deodorant.

Right now, that's all I've got. Let me know if you have any good ideas.

Sick and Tired

2008-07-12T19:11:00.003-06:00

That's what I am. Sick. Tired. Miserable. Not being able to do anything is torture for me. I'm missing a birthday party tonight because all I can do is lay on the couch. There's even clutter around me that I can't muster the energy to clean. I'm not quite sure what I have, it may have something to do with the Greek food I ate last night. Oh the stomach pain, oh the headache! Blahhhhhhhh. I woke up at 5:00 this morning feeling like this, I hope it's gone tomorrow. Please make it go away by tomorrow!

What we've been up to

2008-07-06T20:55:00.010-06:00

We've been busy but we've been having fun. We just returned from spending the holiday in Denver with some great friends. You can see Jeannie's post about it here.

With the car loaded down, we left Thursday morning for the eight hour drive from Salt Lake. I was a bit worried how Nathan would handle such a long car drive, but he did great. He didn't sleep as much as I wanted him to but he did well. We made the mistake of going out to eat when we arrived in Denver. After eight hours in the car, the last thing Nathan wanted to do was sit down at a restaurant. He threw a fit. It was not fun. But the rest of the weekend was great. It's been a long time since we've seen the H family but the friendship picked right back up from where we left off. The weekend was filled with lots of catching up and laughter.

The mommies and babies went to the zoo while the daddies toured a brewery.

(The cuties helping me push the stroller through the zoo)

(They were fascinated by the animals)

(Judah enjoys the petting zoo, Nathan stayed a safe distance clinging to my leg)

We grilled steaks, walked around the Cherry Creek Arts Festival (where I ate the most amazing waffle I have ever had in my life) and played on large breakfast food.

(A strawberry, for a strawberry-blond)

(Mmmmm, waffles)

(Tiny flirtation)

(Trying to muster the courage ... )

(... almost there ...)

( ... tiny love.)

(Stories for Judah and Nathan before bed time.)

The conversation and company was great. Though we had a wonderful time, Nathan didn't hide his joy when we told him that we were driving home this morning. He started doing laps around the hotel room while chanting "Home! Home!" We definitely plan to visit again when we have more time to see and do more things.

Thanks Cody and Jeannie, we had a wonderful time and Judah is such a doll. We love you guys!

To-Do

2008-06-27T22:13:00.008-06:00

I'm a list-maker. I have several lists around the house, posted on bulletin boards, typed in my crackberry, milling around my head. This list happens to be in my head and for the first time written down. Obviously some are more serious than others. This is my life's to-do list, blog idea stolen from Nytro (some items from the list also stolen from her).
1. Find my life partner and marry him - Check!
2. Take #1 to all the places I've lived (Australia, Oman, Colombia)
3. Read all the classics
4. Have children - Half-Check!
5. Skydive
6. Finish my tattoo (didn't know I had one, did ya?)
7. Have my house totally and completely organized
8. Go to culinary school
9. Wear a size 4
10. Travel to Greece
11. Go to the Kentucky Derby
12. Accomplish #11 in a designer outfit with a fabulous hat
13. Go shopping in Italy and Paris
14. Take a world cruise
15. Own a successful small company like a shoe store, book store or pastry shop
16. Get my PhD
17. Hold my children's children
18. Hold my children's children's children
19. Be a hot grandma
20. Re-learn the piano
21. See U2 in concert - Check!
22. Travel to Antarctica
23. Become independent of a vehicle
24. Own a vacation home in Tuscany
25. Walk along The Great Wall of China
26. See all 50 states
27. Raise my children to be wonderful, successful and loving people
28. Volunteer regularly - Check!
29. Become friends with Dooce
30. Go on an African Safari - Check! (but want to do it again with BSC)
31. Swim with Dolphins - Check!
32. Learn to quilt and sew like my mother
33. Know that my parents know how much I appreciate all they've done for me
34. Build a house
35. Have my brother in-law be our architect for #34
36. Live in the same state as both sets of parents
37. See the Egyptian pyramids with my own eyes
38. Run a marathon
39. Find a job I truly enjoy - Check!
40. Pay for my children's college education
41. Attend an episode of So You Think You Can Dance
42. Visit my two friends Sarah and Louise, who I've been writing for over 20 years.
43. Trek/Float through the Amazon - Check!
44. Win big on a game show
45. Grow my hair out again
46. Donate my hair again
47. For as long as I can
48. Learn to write in Japanese
49. Visit Ireland and stay in a castle
50. See a performance at the Bolshoi Ballet
51. Become an expert gardener
52. See my best friend get married - Coming Aug. 1
53. See whales in wild - Check!
54. Find a reliable contractor
55. See Seinfeld live - Check!
56. Learn how to make "special" brownies
57. Cook the perfect meal (which may include "special" brownies)
58. See Garth Brooks in concert
59. Be a judge on Iron Chef
60. Learn to relax
61. Have a walk in closet Carrie Bradshaw would be jealous of
62. See my father in-law walk again
63. Get tickets to Oprah's "Favorite Things" show
64. Be financially stable
65. Develop my own pictures in a dark room - Check!
66. Learn to live in the moment
67. Hold a python across my shoulders - Check!
68. See Wicked on Broadway
69. Own a Boxer
70. Own a Husky
71. Own a teacup Pomeranian
72. Spend an entire day at the spa - Check!
73. After kids, have "the girls" lifted
74. Go to an OU championship football game with BSC (and see them win)
75. Hold all possible yoga poses
76. Stop craving sugar all the time
77. Enjoy a full, gourmet, seven-course French meal - Check!
78. Scuba dive - Check!
79. Go to Mardi Gras
80. Learn how to make sushi
81. Vacation in Sonoma Valley and stay at a different vineyard every night
82. Own a pair of Manolos
83. Own a Fendi
84. Go on a shopping spree ala Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman to accomplish #82 & #83
85. Live to see a major disease abolished from the Earth
86. Feel confident in my faith
87. Find a church we both truly love
88. Have enough courage to get a bikini wax
89. Throw a wedding dress party
90. Throw a wine and cheese party
91. Organize a progressive dinner
92. Be more open with people
93. Memorize poetry
94. Dye my hair a fun color ... like purple
95. Be a vegetarian for a year
96. Become a fix-it person
97. Adopt a baby
98. Finally organize all of my pictures in a beautiful album
99. Live overseas ... again
100. Own an original piece of art
101. To be continued ...

18 (19) months

2008-06-22T20:53:00.012-06:00

My Dearest Nathan,

You are now over 18 months old. My letter to you is late for a variety of reasons, it's been one of those months that seems as if everything is happening, one event on top of the other. A few months ago I got a new job that allows for much more flexibility in my schedule. The extra time I get to spend with you is priceless. I love the days I get to stay at home with you, even the days that end in me collapsing on the couch from exhaustion. I know that raising you is the most important job that I'll ever have. Being your mommy is my highest priority, so being exhausted at the end of the day gives me hope that I'm doing something right.

Often feelings of inadequacy wash over me when you throw fits or cry if you don't get your way. You have developed an explosive temper that comes out when you're tired, hungry or don't feel good. The only way I've found to calm you down is to hug you close to my body and whisper or sometimes sing quietly in your ear. After just a few seconds your screaming subsides and you rub your little face into my shoulder until you've completely calmed down. I love it when you smoosh your little face into my shoulder.

You have become completely attached to me. Sometimes you'll cry even if your daddy picks you up and takes you where I'm out of your sight. But you still love your daddy very much. You often run up to him and demand "chase" or "outside," knowing that he'll happily chase you around the house or take you outside for a walk. Every time we go outside for a walk you always want to walk down the same direction. We recently discovered that you're trying to walk to grandma's house or aunt Nici's house. You'll grab our hands and run down the sidewalk shouting "Nici, Papa, Nici, Papa." You love going over to their house so you can jump on the trampoline or play with your cousins. Not only do you know the way to their house, but you can tell if we're driving to the store, to my weekly Bible study, or to the gym. Once we turn on a certain road, you let mama know that you know where we're going.

You love books so much. You would be perfectly fine if the only thing we ever gave you was books. Several of your books have been taped, glued, re-taped and re-glued because you read them so much. Often you are so good to sit and read on your own so I can start fixing dinner, take a shower or do some laundry. You have several of your books memorized and will read parts of them to me and your daddy. If we leave out a word, you'll tell us. If we skip a page, you'll make sure we know. And often you demand that we read a book to you several times in a row by saying "gain pease, gain" (again please).

About a week ago you had a mysterious fever of 102. I assumed you caught a bug and made sure to give you extra fluids and love. I was surprised to find that all four of your 2-year molars are coming in. This gives you a total of 24 teeth, such a large number for such a young little boy. You'd think with all of those teeth in your mouth that you would be happy to eat whatever we gave you. No, you're not. We never know if you'll eat lunch or dinner. You are so picky. Luckily your daddy and I have discovered a few tricks and can manage to get you to eat a few healthy things during the course of the day. I can now appreciate the art of bribery when we discovered your weakness for milkshakes.

I feel like every day I'm just winging it and sometimes don't really know what I'm doing. This parenthood thing is much harder than I thought it would be, but you are worth it. Your hugs, your kisses, your smiles, your laughs and the funny things you do are so worth it. I love my little Doodah, you make life so interesting, fun and meaningful.

Love,
Mama

Anniversary/18 months/Fathers Day

2008-06-15T16:05:00.005-06:00

Thanks for all the great advice on our anniversary celebration. We decided to spend the money on a really nice dinner that if we were using our own money, would have never done. We went to La Caille, a very nice French restaurant/winery tucked at the base of the mountain in Salt Lake. The area is beautiful and has several peacocks, rabbits, swans and ducks milling about the cottage. A particularly large and beautiful peacock sat right above my head for the majority of the meal. To make you jealous this is what we ate:

Pre appetizers: Baguette, Marinated Cucumbers and Sliced Duck

Hors devours: Escargot (me) and Pate (BSC)

Salad: Crab & Avocado (me) and Wilted Spinach (BSC)

Main Entree: Sirred Duck (me) and Rack of Lamb (BSC)

Dessert: Grand Marnier Souffle (me) and Crepe Suzette (BSC)

Coffee: Copper Cappuccino; cappuccino with butterscotch schnapps, creme de cacao and chantilly creme

After-dinner refresher: White and dark chocolate covered strawberries

I felt like I was going to explode by the time we were done, but it was so yummy. I have never spent so much money on a meal for two in my entire life. Was it worth it? Yes. If I was spending my own money? Probably not.

A couple of weeks ago, Nathan turned 18 months old. As with everything this month, his letter is going to be a bit late. I know, I know, I'm awful. But life has gotten a bit out of hand lately.

Today is Father's Day. Happy FD BSC! You are a wonderful husband and daddy. I couldn't have asked for more.

My not-so-dilemma

2008-06-04T10:52:00.002-06:00

So, I'm sorry I haven't been posting comments on all of your blogs as of late. I have been reading, and I have been keeping up when I can. But because I use Google Reader, comments come well after I've read a post. It's been a while since I've been able to visit each of your blogs individually because I'm still suffering the ramifications of the sewage explosion, which has been taking up any free time that I might have to spare. I also have a job that I love, so I don't really spend a lot of time at work reading and commenting on blogs like I did at the evil ***** ***** ******* job. But never fear, comments will commence soon!

BSC and I will be celebrating our 5th anniversary on June 13th. We had big plans for this anniversary. We were going to combine our birthdays and anniversary and take a cruise to see BSC's best friend and wife. But then I got this job and didn't think it would be appropriate to take two weeks off, two weeks after my first day of work. So after we decided to nix the cruise, BSC said I could have the last part of my ring made. I've always wanted an anniversary band to match my diamond wedding band for the opposite side of my engagement ring. So the cruise money would be spent on my ring, yay! But then, the pipes exploded. The ring money had to be spent on working sewage pipes. I'm a bit sad about it, but I volunteered to give up my ring. I don't think it's wise to go into so much debt over an unnecessary (but also soooo pretty) ring. So we planned to just stay home and watch a movie for this year.

My new awesome boss overheard us talking about this situation the day after it happened. Toward the end of the day he pulled me aside and said "I really want you two to take off some time to celebrate your 5th anniversary. I'm going to give you and BSC $250 toward whatever you want to do." I was totally stunned! I couldn't believe that he would offer us money, especially that much money, to celebrate our marriage.

So here's my not-so-dilemma: What do we do with the money? Nice dinner, bed and breakfast, road trip, put it toward the ring, surprise BSC with something? Anyone have some fun suggestions?

Oh Crap

2008-05-27T13:27:00.003-06:00

Yesterday the sewage pipes in our basement backed up and overflowed into the bathroom.

We had a great Memorial Day.

Trip to Houston

2008-05-21T15:23:00.012-06:00

This past weekend my parents and I made a trip to Houston for a long-time friend's wedding. Our families were great friends when we were living in South America. I hadn't seen them since they came to my wedding five years ago, and now Lisa, my first friend from the seventh grade in Colombia, was getting married. I went sans child and husband for several reasons, but mainly because we didn't think it was worth the money to fly both of us out there so BSC and I could chase Nathan around a wedding.

So we stayed in a hotel near the Galleria, which provided my mom and I hours of entertainment. We played for hours in Neiman Marcus trying on shoes priced at well over $1000. I was SO tempted to buy several pairs. But I decided that my marriage was worth more than a few pairs of shoes. I did however score some amazing deals. I purchased my first pair of designer jeans for $60, originally priced at $300. I also purchased a super-cute sweater for $30 originally priced at $200. Go me!

So, here are some pictures of the wedding.

Mom and I looking posh in our big sunglasses in front of the church:

Here comes the bride!

Adorable little flower girl

The Bride, Lisa, and Groom, Elias

Horrible picture of me, but she looks great

It was a big fat Greek wedding, complete with Greek dancing

Bad Driving Day

2008-05-14T21:41:00.004-06:00

I had one of those days today when it seems like the roads and other cars on the road are totally against you.

My first destination had construction surrounding the perimeter. I needed to turn left at the light to get to the drive-through at the bank. Upon pulling up to the red light I saw the "no left turn" sign. So instead I turned right hoping to u-turn it around and make it to the bank. No such luck, the rest of the road was coned off for the next three miles. So I tried to find a different branch. Finally arriving at the drive-through, I read a sign posted "out of order." I calmly said a bad word and decided to forgo the bank.

Next destination: the post office. Whew, no construction ... damn it, I missed the turn-in! That's ok, I'll just turn in at the next one. Never mind, I guess I won't because it's a ONE-WAY exit. Freakin' post office and their rules.

Then I had to go to ... wait no, change of plans. Abort all other plans and head directly home, no other place will do. In desperate need of a bathroom because lunch has decided that it will stay in my stomach for only another 5 minutes. And wouldn't you know that I hit every single red light on the way home? I didn't think I was going to make it home and that I'd have to spend the next few weeks smelling another awful smell on the interior of my car right as the smell of Nathan's puke is fading away.

But alas, I made it. After a bit of time I was back on the road. No, I wasn't. The idiot neighbor decided it was a good idea to park his huge SUV and truck side by side in the middle of the freaking road! He saw me sitting behind him, I even gave a friendly little honk to let him know that I was there, waiting to drive out of the neighborhood. All I got in response was a dirty look in his rear view mirror.

Errands I hoped to accomplish: 5
Errands accomplished: 0

My secret indulgences

2008-05-08T20:25:00.003-06:00

I guess these aren't secrets anymore.
1. America's Next Top Model - I know, it's totally superficial. But for some reason this show really appeals to me. During ANTM marathons I could easily watch an entire season in one sitting.
2. Cleaning the lint trap in the dryer - it's just so fun!
3. Putting way too much butter on my waffles
4. Vacuuming the ashes out of my fireplace - this obviously stems from my OCD
5. Pulling weeds right after it rains - there's something satisfying about weeds coming out of the ground so easily that makes this normally daunting chore kinda fun.

Thanks for all of your well-wishes for Nathan. He's finally feeling better. After five days of nastiness, his schedule is totally off. I feel like we're back to the transition from two to one nap. I'm feeling kinda yucky today. I really hope I'm not getting what he had.

What a day (or two)

2008-05-01T13:40:00.003-06:00

The boy has been sick for the past couple of days. This is the puking, pooping, nasty, 103 degree fever sick. It all started when we were on the way up to aunt Nici's house, where Nathan would spend the day playing with his cousins so I could go to work. About half-way there, I heard the noise, then I smelled the smell. I could see part of the damage dripping down Nathan's chin in the rear-view mirror. When we got to a red light, I looked behind me to see the poor little boy totally covered in puke. And it kept coming. I turned the car around and headed straight back home. In the 10 minutes it took us to get home, he vomited 5 more times. I'm amazed at how much stuff is able to fit into such a small tummy. The challenging part came when it was time to get him out of his carseat. Why did I decide to wear my silk shirt that day? There was no avoiding the nasty-smelling chunks. I dove right in and dug my way to the belt release, picked up the poor, sobbing baby and ruined my shirt while trying to calm him down. I thought I would be more sad about my shirt, but it didn't even occur to me at the time. I guess this comes with motherhood, right?

Throughout the day Nathan created a total of three full-sized loads of laundry and made the basement smell like a rotten jug of milk. I didn't get the chance to clean out my car, so BSC scrubbed my car and the carseat when he got home. After six hours of puke seeping into the crevices and fabric, my car still smells gross. I left the windows open so it would air out, but that only made the garage smell like puke. I've Febreezed, scrubbed, sprayed, and vacuumed. But I'm not sure the smell will ever leave my car. I'm open to any suggestions you have.

We're not exactly sure what he has, but I think he's finally getting better. He was able to drink some water today without it coming back up. I have to confess that it hasn't been totally bad. When he's feeling sick like this, all he wants to do is lay on me. When he's feeling well, he won't sit still for more than a minute. I hate to admit that I enjoyed the hours he spent snuggling and napping on me (even if it did smell like moldy cottage cheese).

The past two days have felt like weeks. I'm tired and I smell. I should shower, but I'd rather nap. So that it what I'll do. Goodnight.

Yeah, yeah, I know it's time for an update ... quit bugging me!

2008-04-23T21:45:00.011-06:00

This is for the friends who have stuck around and put up with BSC and I for as long as you have:

So my friend "Mercedes" likes to make appearances on my blog every once in a while. She's a real classy gal. She often likes to attend meetings a bit sauced and make a fool of herself when she does her presentation. Then, she steals the rest of the wine from the meeting so she can drink it on the way home. That's how they roll in the big MV (notice all the purses she snatched?).

When Mercedes wakes up the next morning with a massive hangover, she does what she does every morning: have a few beers, then drives over to her friends house, drives back to her house because she forgot her kids, then drives around for a while because she forgot where she was supposed to be in the first place.

Mercedes decides to nap for the rest of the day and lets her dog babysit. After all, he is the most responsible one in the household. When she wakes up she realizes that she hasn't showered this week so she rubs her armpits with a sheet of Bounce.

Once the can of chili has been sufficiently microwaved for dinner, Mercedes opens another six-pack to share with the kids and dog.

We love our friends, they're the most perfect and beautiful bunch ever. Mercedes is no exception.

Friends

2008-04-14T21:32:00.003-06:00

Throughout the time BSC and I have lived in Utah, we have made some amazing friends. Friends who are more like family than anything. These are the type of friends with whom we are comfortable enough talking about the most taboo of subjects without feeling judged. With these friends we can merely sit around a fire in the backyard without feeling like we have to keep the conversation going. They feel comfortable enough walking into our house without knocking, and we feel comfortable enough letting them do so. We expected our first children together, and have seen our children play together. We have stayed up talking until 3:00 in the morning, without even realizing how much time has passed. We have laughed so hard we cried and also cried for each others sorrows. We have shared countless dinners and drinks, and they still stuck with us knowing they would always receive bad service if I was around.

We know that most of these friends will eventually leave Utah for one reason or another. So far, two couples have left, and in the next couple of months, two more will leave. Eight amazing people who have touched our lives and given us unfailing friendship have moved on to the next step in their lives.

Cody, Jeannie, Karen and Cameron ... we miss you! Brandi, Ab, Jackie and Stefan ... don't leave us (but really, we're happy for you). And for the friends who are still here, we couldn't make it without you. You never know, maybe we're next.

Now, THIS is a sticker I can tolerate

2008-04-07T22:00:00.002-06:00

Seriously, seriously!?!?

2008-04-07T09:09:00.003-06:00

This morning, I had to drive to work in this:

Snow, snow, go away. Don't come again another day.

The Boy

2008-04-01T21:36:00.011-06:00

Nathan had his first trip to the zoo a few weeks ago. We went with his aunt Nici and cousins Ciara and Caden. Rather than pay much attention to the animals, he was more interested in pointing out the Coke machine.

Nathan had a fun Easter eating candy, cookies and cake all day (yes, sign me up for Mother of the Year!). Here he is modeling the cutest Easter outfit ever. All credit goes to BSC, good job dear:
This is his "happy/excited" kick. He sits down and kicks his little legs as fast as he can:

And now the outfit without the sweater:Our little Doodah (the most recent nickname) will take a seat anywhere:
Recently the poor little guy gave himself a fat, bloody lip. While playing hide and seek with Daddy, he did a face-plant on the kitchen tile. Screams and blood followed. The swelling came a little later:
Nathan's favorite thing to do is steal my wallet from my purse and empty the entire contents. He also recently shoplifted some underwear from The Gap. Are these the beginning signs that we're raising a kleptomaniac?

Annoyances

2008-03-25T21:21:00.005-06:00

1. Packaging on toys: By the time I get the new toy open, Nathan is no longer interested and is trying to eat the twist-ties.
2. Wrinkled sheets: Several of my sets of sheets have permanent, accordion-like creases at the top. I don't know why they do this, it really annoys me though.
3. "Smart" printers: Don't tell me that my paper is facing the wrong way and then refuse to print when I loaded it like that on purpose.
4. Gas receipts: They make you pay at the pump, then they make you go inside for the receipt. This bugs me!
5. Birthday coupons: I do enjoy birthday coupons, but I don't like the fact that a lot of them are only valid the week of your birthday. Most end up going to waste because I don't have time to use all the coupons in such a short time.

Curling

2008-03-18T14:25:00.005-06:00

Why is it that during the week, I always have great ideas about subjects I can blog. But when I actually sit down to write ... nothing.

Luckily this time, one thing stuck in my forgetful brain.

Last Friday BSC and I met a group of friends at the Olympic Oval for curling lessons. Ya know, that weird sport you see at the winter Olympics involving ice, brooms, and a 40 lb. stone sliding across the ice. It's the type of event you see on TV and think, "Really, this is a sport?" Now I can truthfully answer that question, yes.

Some interesting facts about curling:
1. A set of stones cost about $17,000 each
2. The ice is treated with a semi-sticky substance for better grip
3. The purpose of sweeping is to melt the ice so the stone slides further
4. Curling is hard!

So for $10 we get two, three-hour lessons. The first was this past Friday, the second is this coming Friday. There's nothing like asking your body to do something it's never done before to make you feel awkward and uncoordinated. Poor BSC ended up with his feet in the air on numerous occasions, and all of us left with bruises and sore muscles. But I have never had so much fun with a broom in my hand!

I'm kicking myself now for not bringing my camera, but I'm also glad because it could have been totally smashed after one of my several attempts to slide the stone.

If you ever get the chance to go curling, do it! I guarantee you will have a laugh-so-hard-your-stomach-hurts-and-you-can't-even-sweep-the-ice time.

Here they are

2008-03-11T21:41:00.007-06:00

So last Friday I chopped my hair off. This is something I have decided to do about every five years or so. The first time I did it was after BSC and I got married. I'd been growing my hair for a while and knew I wanted to cut it after the wedding. Through some searching online I found Locks of Love and knew it was something I had to do. So about two months after our wedding I donated a 10" long ponytail, the minimum length required to donate.

This time my ponytail was 13" long (when it's straight). Yes, I said I cut off 17". The remaining four inches was swept off the floor of the salon (they had to leave a bit of length in order to cut my hair into a style).

I plan to keep doing this for as long as I can. It's something I feel like I can do to help people in need that doesn't take any time or money on my part (neither of which I have much to spare).

So, here are the before pictures:And now the afters:

It's Monday ...

2008-03-10T09:28:00.002-06:00

... and it's my birthday. As I get older birthdays become a bit more depressing. Not depressing because I'm getting older, but just less exciting. I can remember my birthdays while I was growing up were so exciting. As soon as the New Year rolled around, I would count down the days until my birthday. When it finally came the whole day was filled with excitement, cupcakes in the classroom, and my mom would have the house decorated with streamers and balloons when I came home from school.

I guess I shouldn't use the word "depressing." Because I'm not depressed about my birthday. I guess I'm more forgetful. I'll have to remind myself that it's my birthday during the day, which is a little sad. This doesn't mean that I don't want presents. Really, presents are awesome!

Other things happening with me:
I finally cut my hair. I cut it a lot. Like, almost 17", a lot. It's the shortest I've ever had my hair, ever. I can't even pull it back. I'll post before and after pictures in a bit.

The "natural" way of life I posted about before is going well. I've discovered that just being conscious about what I'm putting in my body and into the environment makes a difference. I know you were all wanting a favorites list of my natural products, but I still have a lot of stuff to try before I feel like I can say something is my favorite. So that post will be delayed.

Things are going great with the new job, it's been busy, hence the lack of posting. But I love it. It's been a long time coming.

So, that is all.

Changes

2008-02-28T10:55:00.002-07:00

Ever since I've known that I was going to change jobs it seems like everything around me is changing. It's almost as if I'm going through an inner-cleanse. It's as if I know subconsciously that I need to remove all the bad karma, negativity and stress my former job bombarded me with. These first few weeks of the new job have been exhausting. Not only because starting any new job is a bit stressful, but also because I feel like my body and mind are purging all of the negativity at the same time. It's a wonderful feeling!

With this, I've also made some changes in how I treat my body and how I treat the planet we're occupying. I've done quite a bit of research on organic and earth friendly products. It started with changing the type of diapers we use for Nathan, then into his snacks. Now I've started using organic and/or earth-friendly products like lotion, shampoo, conditioner and even some makeup. Most of my cleaning products have now been replaced too. For some reason, it makes me feel like I'm doing a small part in helping erase part of my carbon footprint. We're also trying to only drive one car (my car) because of it's fuel efficiency (36 mpg).

I'm also looking into starting Yoga. With my new flexible schedule, I'm determined to carve out a couple hours each week to focus on getting back to the body I want.

No, I haven't totally changed everything in our house (yet) to organics. But it's a small change I've started making that I'm really excited about. My next post will probably be another list of "favorites" of the natural products I've been using.

There's really not a point to this post. I'm just sharing my excitement that has come as a domino effect from my new job.

Quit bugging me!

2008-02-19T20:52:00.003-07:00

Every single time I drive farther than a few miles, I see all of the things that bug me most about drivers:

1. Not signaling - Seriously, it takes the flick of a finger. How lazy do you have to be to not signal?
2. Changing lanes in the middle of an intersection - Do people not realize this is illegal and very dangerous?
3. Family stickers - I'm sorry if you have these on your cars, but I can't stand the stickers with a stick figures, turtles, or other animals to represent each member of your family stuck on the back window of your car.

Today I was cut off by a driver who didn't use her signal while changing lanes in the middle of an intersection. She also had a family sticker series in her back window. You'd think a woman with six children would drive safer than that. UGH!

Whew

2008-02-11T10:48:00.001-07:00

These past few weeks of training my replacement at work have been so exhausting. Training is one of my least favorite things to do in a job. Luckily Thursday is my last day, so the end is finally in sight!

Here's something I've been thinking about lately: As a woman, mother, wife, friend, sister, etc. How are we supposed to do it all? From being a good mom (with all it includes), to being a good wife (ditto), providing a clean home, providing nutritious meals, being a good employee, spending quality time with friends and family, fulfilling my commitments as a volunteer, when do I find the time to do the things I'm supposed to do for myself?

I've been so sick this winter. I am currently battling my eighth cold of the season (no, this is not an exaggeration). There is no good reason I should have been so sick this winter. I eat relatively healthy, I take vitamins, I'm wash my hands often, my home is clean, so why have I been so sick? My answer: stress. This winter with Nathan turning one, the holidays, travel, work, changing jobs, and the regular every-day stresses has me totally maxed out ... and I didn't even realize it. It took my body trying to force myself to rest for me to realize it.

So even though it's a bit late to start anything for Lent, I've decided to try to do something for myself once a day. I have to force myself to relax. But how do I find the time? There are always better things to be done, bathrooms to be cleaned, Nathans to be played with. I guess it all comes down to the guilty feeling I have for having someone watch Nathan for me ... again. My sister watches him one day a week, and my mom watches him one day a week. A lot of my evenings are taken up by meetings, so he's home with his dad. I feel like weekends should be reserved for time with family.

I'm really not asking you all to solve my problems or answer my questions. This is more of a therapeutic post which will hopefully put things into perspective for me. So, starting this week, I vow to do something just for myself at least three times a week. Be it something huge like a massage at a spa, or small like reading a magazine and lighting my favorite candle. Hopefully this will give me the energy to be all the things I want to be, and stop the sickness.

More of my favorites

2008-01-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all the congrats and well wishes on my new job. Sorry, I won't post details here. But just know that I have left my old job for a much better arrangement and great career opportunity. My first day is February 15th.

With that said, let me give you more of my favorites ... baby style.

1. Robeez shoes: These shoes are perfect for babies who either can't walk yet, or are just learning to walk. The soft, leather soles provide balance and grip, while still allowing their feet to develop properly. Plus, they help keep those little socks from falling off. Nathan wore these shoes constantly. I love them. I buy them for all my friends having babies.

2. Snack Trap: I love this little device because it distracts Nathan long enough for me to do my grocery shopping, go on long car trips, or visit friends houses without making a huge mess. He loves it because he can be a big boy and feed himself snacks.

3. Fleurville Bags: These bags are super cute and wear-resistant. They are covered with a clear plastic material that is easily cleaned with a baby wipe. They are a bit pricey, but I love mine and think it was money well-spent. My bag still looks like new.
4. Books with hard pages: Nathan's favorite toys are his books. He'll sit and "read" a book for quite a while, turning the pages back and forth. The books with paper pages are so easily torn, which makes me cringe. Books should never be destroyed! So I love the books that are made with hard pages. He can be as rough as he wants, they'll never tear. (Sorry, I couldn't find a decent picture or link)

5. Rockabye Baby: Nathan falls asleep to lullabies every night. BSC found these CDs online that have taken music from The Beatles, U2, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, etc. and made them into lullaby CDs for babies. "Stairway to Heaven," "Smells like Teenspirit," and "Hey Jude" all make me think of putting my little boy to bed.

This is huge

2008-01-23T15:00:00.000-07:00

I found a new job.

From point A to point B

2008-01-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

Thoughts while waiting for a stoplight to turn green on my way home last night:

~If Starbucks and Walgreens joined forces, every single corner in every single city in the United States would offer coffee and prescriptions 24/7.
~I like how Walgreens has a drive-thru pharmacy.
~Why don't more people have drive thrus?
~Drive-thrus are a lifesaver for moms with kids in the car.
~We need a drive-thru grocery store.
~But then everyone would have drive thru service and it would get old and cause traffic jams.
~Why does that always happen? One thing becomes popular, then everyone does it.
~Or a designer or personality becomes popular, then their name is on everything.
~Like Rachel Ray
~Or Vera Wang. I really used to like her.
~Then I saw her name on a mattress. Really?? A Vera Wang mattress? Please.
~I admit that I am a bit curious and would try one out if I were furniture shopping though.
~I have her perfume.
~I need new perfume. I got that last bottle for Christmas 4 years ago.
~I need something original and simple.
~I like the magazine Real Simple.
~I would like my house to look like the pictures in that magazine.
~It is officially the first magazine I have ever been able to read cover to cover without getting bored.
~I wish I worked for Real Simple. I bet it would be fun.
~I bet most people who work for that magazine are not as organized and together as the magazine itself.
~Why are people so inefficient?
~Why am I so anal?

I'm baaaaaack!

2008-01-09T12:41:00.000-07:00

I took a short hiatus from blogging because of the holidays, travel and so many other things going on in my little house. I apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you, but never fear, I am BACK! No, things have not calmed down at all and I've finally accepted that they probably never will. It's quite freeing now that I have accepted that my life, and most other people's lives will more likely than not be crunched for time. It's amazing the things I still need to do as a result of the recent holiday season. Most of my Christmas decorations are still up (I know, I know they need to come down!) and just looking at them overwhelms me to the point that I feel like I need to take a nap. I have more Christmas decorations than the average person for several reasons. First, most of them were free. Yes FREE!! For my first job after college, I worked at a Christmas store. We had tons of beautiful decorations and if any of them were damaged in any sort of way or used in our displays, the employees were allowed to take them home at no cost. So I was lucky enough to acquire some beautiful decorations for almost nothing. But every year I have the daunting task of putting up all of these lovelies, then carefully packing and wrapping up each ornament so I can do it all over again the next year. It took me two hours to take the ornaments off the tree alone. I'm not looking forward to the garland, nativity scene, and all the other nick nacks around the house. Do I have any volunteers to come help?

But overall, Christmas was great. We were able to see most people on both sides of the family, we traveled to Oklahoma, ate tons of great food, gave and received some awesome presents, and best of all, we had a white Christmas. I always love the holidays and I always love when they're over.

Last but not least. Look what Santa surprised me with under the tree:

Another re-do

2007-12-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

Quite a while back I posted about the mystery box (or coffin, as we called it) that was attached to a wall at the bottom of our basement stairs. You can find that post here. Take a look at the pictures in that post to get the full effect of what I'm talking about.

When we tore down the awful wood panelling and the mystery box, we ran into all sorts of problems with redoing that small section of wall. First, the paneling was held up with millions of nails along with some sort of thick, black glue. Both of these elements damaged the wall and created a lot more work than we ever thought we'd have to do in order to repair the wall.

So instead of completely repairing the wall, I found some paint called Old World Plaster. It's thick like plaster, but can be applied to the wall with a paint roller. I found a greenish color to match the rest of the basement wall color and luckily it worked like a charm. We didn't have to repair the drywall or scrape off the black glue. The plaster creates a really cool effect on the wall reminiscent of old European homes and cafes.

After the walls were sufficiently plastered and painted to an effect that pleased me, another challenge arose: what do I do with the wall? I have a small collection of classic hardbound books that I've always wanted to display, but never had bookshelves that would do them justice. After some searching and a few hours of frustrating installation, I had a place to display my books along with a few precious pictures of my baby boy.

The bottom of the wall was a bit more damaged than the rest because of the "coffin" and for months I knew I wanted a narrow trunk to to replace the coffin. It would hold my throws and blankets where they would be easily accessible to remedy the chill of our basement. I found just what I wanted at a great price from overstock.com. Unfortunately the trunk came in damaged, with one of the corners cracked and they were sold out of the model I purchased. So, they refunded my money and said I could keep the damaged merchandise at no cost. Awesome! The damage isn't very noticeable and can easily be repaired. Total cost of trunk: $0.

I'm really happy how everything turned out. This is now what you see at the bottom of my basement stairs in place of the mystery coffin and ugly wood paneling:

Marriage

2007-12-12T16:42:00.001-07:00

Just in case you hadn't figured it out. That post down there, the one mentioning farts and such ... wasn't me. The poster also made me promise that I wouldn't delete it. Who knew this would be part of saying "I do?"

Busy day

2007-12-11T20:33:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a busy day I had today. You'd think staying home with the kid all day would be pretty easy. You'd be pretty dumb.

Yay! Kittens! Meowwww!

While The Husband is hard at work, I have a lot of things to do. Here's a breakdown of my day:

7:30 a.m. - wake up, fart under covers, then force Husband's head under. The Dutch Oven is a great way to kick the day off. Smelled like nutmeg and cloves.

7:45 - Smoke break

8 a.m. - Poured a glass of JB. That's my buddy Jim. Jim Beam. We're tight.

8:10 - Waited until Husband started shower, then I proceeded to flush every toilet in the house and start the washer. He really likes it when I do this, but sometimes his laughs sound like anguished screams. Dang southern accent.

8:35 - After the husband left for work, I locked the kid in a closet so I could clean my rifle. The little brat screamed for, like fifteen minutes. Come on, I even put a few toys in there. Little ungrateful twirp.

9:00 - Smoke break

9:50 -
Called my friend, Mercedes, who is also a close associate of JB.

We drove to Magna, where we knocked off a 7/11. I have this awesome little pistol that hides in my boots so well. It's cute, but watch out! I killed a poodle with it yesterday.

Noon - On the way home, I noticed the boy is getting big. Almost too big to fit in front of the passenger seat. His head bumps up against the glove box, which could make the pistol in there go off. Them bullets is expensive.

12:15 p.m. - Smoke break. You know how hard it is to drive and smoke while talking on a cell phone? Especially when trying to wave the aforementioned pistol at the old hag that won't get out of the lane?

1:00 - Me and Mercedes go to a party at Troy's! Whoo hoo!

2:00 - call Husband, sweetly ask how his day is going, tell him mine is fine and the boy is sleeping. Will have dinner ready.

Yay! He looks so scared!

3:35 - Smoke break

4:00 - Run down to the homeless shelter, grab a few meals. I really wasn't wanting to have stroganoff again, but I have to take what I can rip from the cold, tired hands of the hobo-ites.

4:30 - Noticed the car was riding a little bumpy, so I pulled over and looked closer. Turns out I was dragging a Mexican on my bumper. Silly guy! Yay!

5:00 - Change diaper. I can make myself do it at least once a day.

5:30 - Husband arrives. Dinner, bubby time, sleep. Yay!

One year

2007-11-29T11:31:00.000-07:00

My dearest Nathan,

You were born one year ago today. It's hard to believe that an entire year has gone by since the day you changed my life forever. This first year of your life has been the most thrilling, joyful, hardest, emotional roller coaster I've ever had the privilege to ride. One year ago, it was impossible to imagine that we would ever survive those sleepless nights, the colic, the fountains of spit-up, the exploding diapers and all the other things you brought into our little family. But your daddy and I have survived, and we are loving every minute of it. We can't believe that we were chosen to be your parents. What an incredible gift.

You are such a busy little boy. Like your mama, you always have to be doing something. You don't enjoy being confined to a stroller or high chair for too long. You want to be mobile, crawling as fast as you can all over the place so you can explore and discover new things you have never seen before. Your most recent fascination is the lazy suzan we have in the corner cabinet of our kitchen. You love to open the door and empty the entire contents of the cabinet, including soup cans, bottles of vinegar, boxes of rice, jars of cocoa, and anything else you can get your hands on. You reach your little arm as far as it will go into the cabinet, grasp the first thing that touches your fingers, look at it for a minute or so, then toss it behind you as if to say "I'm bored with you, let me find something more entertaining." This little act is repeated every single day and allows me to cook dinner, wash dishes or sort through the mail without having to worry about what you're getting into, knowing that you're fully entertained with some cream of mushroom.

You have such a defined personality. You are very sensitive and get your feelings hurt easily. If I pass through a room and don't say hello to you, or acknowledge you in some sort of way, your little lip starts to quiver, your eyebrows furrow and your mouth opens up to let out a high-pitched cry while you crawl over in my direction to give me a hug. You have learned to hug and love on people now, which totally melts my heart. You will put your head on my shoulder and pat my chest with your tiny little arm, while the other arm grips tight around my neck. I live for these moments. Nothing is wrong in the world when my little Nathan has his head on my shoulder.

We had your first birthday party a couple of weeks ago while your Grammie Debi was in town. You had been sick for the last couple of weeks, so it was a bit overwhelming for you (and your mama). As is your personality, you were very cautious about the cake. The first mouthful made you gag, but as soon as you realized it was sugary-sweet, you kept shoving fist-fulls of crushed cake and icing into your mouth.

Your daddy and I love to make you laugh. You have become quite ticklish, which makes for great entertainment for all. I will usually pin you down with your arms above your head and eat your belly, your sides, and under your arms. You will laugh with a laugh that gives your daddy a joy that can't be explained. When we're both exhausted of the laughter, you usually crawl over to my lap and lay your head on my knee. I always respond, "I love you too Bubba."

You have always been very fond of the cats:

Your vocabulary has exploded these past few months. You try to repeat everything we say. Your most recent favorite words are: Daddy, up, breakfast, done, gone, juice, and more. You're always talking. The other day, while at home with Daddy you got a hold of our phone. By pushing the buttons, you scrolled through our caller ID and called me at work. I answered the phone to hear you loudly saying "Dadadadadadadada!" Your daddy found out too late that you were using the phone and started laughing uncontrollably. It made my day.

As always, bathtime is an adventure. I think your daddy and I share the same opinion: it's our favorite time of the day. You love to splash as much as you can, kicking your legs as fast as possible. By the time we're done bathing you, the entire bathroom is drenched. You always tell us when you've had enough by standing up and saying "done." Then I take you in my arms and wrap you in a warm towel. This is one of the few times you will let me just hold you and rock you while you snuggle into my chest to keep warm.

This first year with you has been indescribable. Though I miss being able to hold your tiny little body for hours on end while you sleep in my arms, I wouldn't trade this time with you for anything. You are so much fun, so smart, and so beautiful. I don't care if you're not supposed to call boys beautiful, you are.

I love you bubba, you're my big boy. Happy birthday!

Spring ... errr Fall Cleaning

2007-11-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've had an itch lately to clean out and organize my entire house. Yes I have that itch all the time, but I think I've been watching too much "Clean House" on the Style Network. I want my closets and drawers to look like the ones on the show after the house has been re-done. I'm jealous.

I started doing that this past week. I started with the worst place in my house: the dreaded guest-room closet. GASP! One of the closets in the room is full of all of my pants and skirts and doesn't look too bad. The other closet is a huge problem. It's my "I can't bare to get rid of this" closet. I have stacks of wedding invitations from friends, old gifts and notes from college, sorority paraphernalia, items from my wedding, remnants of the day Nathan was born, and projects from college, just to name a few. These are things that are very hard for me to get rid of. Some of these items represent days and days of very hard work, memories I don't want to forget, and special friends who mean the world to me. The closet was totally full. And not just full. This was my secret closet that if anyone ever dared to look inside, would be totally shocked that I - the OCD, Monica-like, anal retentive, clean/organization freak - could ever have something like this in my house. But I did. Until last week.

I spent two entire days cleaning out this one little closet. I filled 5 trash bags full of stuff that I know is only going to take up space and never serve a good purpose. It was hard. I hate to throw things like that out. But I did. And I feel FREE! I still have a little organizing to do because I need more storage drawers for the things I still use. I have so much more space in that closet now. I have a gift-wrapping shelf, craft shelf, photo album shelf, and office-supply shelf. It's so pretty. It took me almost six months to get up the energy and will to clean out this closet. Now that it's done, I'm inspired to do the rest of the "scary areas" of my house. I am determined that my house will eventually look like a "Clean House."

Sick

2007-11-09T13:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sick. I'm sick of being sick. This is the third, yes THIRD cold/sinus infection I've had in two months. I'm tired of this. I've always been a relatively healthy person. But this year I've had more than my fair share of colds. Poor little Nathan has to suffer too. Whatever I get, he gets too and it's usually worse than mine because his immature immune system can't handle these things as well as mine. Not only has he had all of the colds I've had, he recently developed a stomach problem causing a fever and diarrhea for six days (going on seven). Poor little guy will not eat, is so tired, and only wants his mama. And here I sit, sick at work, wanting nothing more than to be sick at home with my sick little boy.

I just want to cry.

Halloween!

2007-11-01T17:26:00.001-06:00

Sorry posting has been scarce. Here are some pictures of Halloween to tide you over. More updates to come soon, I promise.

We took little Nathan to the local pumpkin patch. They had a maze, and lots of fun displays that he really enjoyed looking at. It was a fun night!

We dressed him up as a bat for Halloween. He did NOT enjoy his costume:

We finally figured out that he didn't like the neck strap on his hat, so the rest of the night he was his usual happy self. Here he is with his cousins; Caden (the leopard) and Ciara (the witch ... I wore that exact costume when I was her age):

We carved pumpkins the night before Halloween. BSC's is the skull in the corner, mine is the scared face next to Nathan, and Nathan's is (appropriately) the little bat in front.

Some of the worst costumes of the night:

1. A rather LARGE man dressed as a vending machine.
2. An old woman dressed as ... an old woman. Curlers, mumu, bad makeup and all. Wait, maybe it wasn't a costume.
3. Teenage boys dressed as "hunters" in jeans and hoodies.
4. Teenage girls dressed in whatever is the most revealing outfit they can find.

Just some things

2007-10-23T17:03:00.000-06:00

1. Yet another person was shocked to learn that I was in my twenties. I have worked with him for over a year, crap!
2. I really like writing over white-out.
3. BSC and I are planning a cruise to celebrate our birthdays and 5th anniversary in the spring ... advice/suggestions are welcome.
4. The holiday season is upon us, let the shopping extravaganza begin!
5. This past weekend was homecoming at my alma mater, and I was unable to go. I spent a lot of time reminiscing about some of the best times of my life. To all of my ACU friends: I love you and miss you! Let's go back, ok?
6. Why is it that so many of my friends are getting married and having babies all within a two-month time period?
7. My hair is getting long. Too long. Maybe it's time to cut it all off.
8. I just completed an 11-day cleanse. It was SO hard. But, I lost 11 pounds!
9. My parents are in Europe right now. They're staying in the Waterford Castle in Ireland. I am beyond jealous.
10. My china and crystal are both Waterford. (China - Lismore, Crystal -Ballyshannon; ya know, just in case you want to buy me some)
11. My mom is bringing back trunks full of goodies for us.
12. My dad probably won't appreciate that.
13. Neither will BSC because he thinks China isn't good unless you can stand on it.
14. No, I haven't let him try that with ours (not to my knowledge).
15. My little boy will be 11 months old on the 29th.
16. I have already ordered his birthday party invitations.
17. I'm still in shock that he's almost one year old.
18. It's already snowed here and I'm still not done with my fall planting.
19. I made s'mores with Brandi on Friday in my backyard.
20. Starting a fire in my fire pit is hard!
21. That is all.

What it's like living with a BSC - III

2007-10-17T11:37:00.000-06:00

Usually it takes a little while between BSC's events that make our lives so much more interesting. But it seems that latley it's one thing after another. I'll just tell myself that he's doing these things so I have something to blog about.

Just the other day I was driving home from work like normal, anticipating seeing BSC and the little munchkin, drooling over the thought of dinner and getting ready to soak in some relaxation time at home. I pulled my car into the garage and walked to the door. I opened our door only to be smacked in the face with 95 degrees worth of heat spilling out of our heating vents.

Yes, it's been a bit nippy these past few days with the rain and predicted snow for tonight. But on this particular day the temperature and weather were perfect. I think the high for the day was 70 with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" clouds in the sky. So I was quite surprised that the heater was even turned on.

BSC admitted that he may have accidentally bumped the thermostat up, that it may have gone up as far as it could go, and that it may have been running all day while we were at work.

One of our heating vents is located under our bathroom vanity. My lipsticks were melted, the toothpaste was now tooth liquid, and my deoderant was oozing a clear liquid of some sort.

I can't WAIT to get our gas bill for the month.

Aging

2007-10-10T10:19:00.001-06:00

I've come to the conclusion that the reason we age is because of our kids. Sleep deprivation causes bags under the eyes. Stress causes wrinkles. Constant worry causes brain malfunctions. Screaming children cause hearing loss. Put that all together and you're bound to look slightly older than you did in your 20's.

Nathan hasn't even come to his first birthday yet. I shouldn't be aging this fast, should I? Well, apparently I am.

Most of you who read this blog know me. You know how old I am. Those of you who don't know me have seen pictures of me and probably have a guess at my age.

Take a guess at how old people think I am.

Go on, guess.

Got your number?

For the record, I am twenty six years old. I was recently told that I look THIRTY FREAKING FIVE. Not that 35 is old, I don't think it's old at all. But when someone tells me that I look almost ten years older than I really am, it's a bit bothersome. And when people constantly think I'm older than my OLDER sister, I start to wonder.

Maybe it's time to get some work done. A face lift here, a chemical peel there. Or maybe I just need a break. A time to rejuvinate my body and soul to find my inner-youth. Any ideas?

I mean really, REALLY!!! I don't mind looking my age. When I'm 40 and people think I look 40, I'll be ok with that. But when I'm 26 and people think I'm 35, it's a bit depressing.

Excuse me while I go get some Botox.

Motherhood

2007-10-02T17:40:00.000-06:00

I've been asked several times since becoming a mother how my life has changed, or what I find the most surprising about parenthood. Of course the typical answers like not sleeping in, no time to myself, no going to movies, all apply to me. But one of the surprising things about motherhood is the violent instincts that have developed inside of me. Of course I'm not talking about violence toward my little guy! I'm talking about the lioness instinctively protecting her cub. If someone ever tried to hurt my baby boy, I really think I could do them some serious physical damage. I don't think I'd use a weapon of any sort, I'd much rather resort to tearing the person up with my bare hands. Really, I think I would.

Along those same lines, I've never been so emotional. I can't watch medical or forensic shows that focus on a sick, hurt or murdered baby ... I cry the entire show. I can't watch movies that even talk about harming babies or the news when someone has been cruel to a child. I have to change the channel because I simply cannot get the poor baby out of my mind for the entire day or longer.

Last week I stumbled upon a blog of a someone I don't even know. Recently, one of her twin nephews was found in his crib not breathing. He died at the age of two months. Before having a child of my own, I would have been saddened and felt horrible for the family. But now, not only do I feel these things, but I also feel a small bit of the pain the mother must be going through. After reading about the devastation, I sat in my office and cried. I can hardly think about a situation like that without tearing up. I no longer have control over my heart and emotions, they have taken on a new life in the form of a little boy:

What it's like living with a BSC - II

2007-09-24T13:53:00.000-06:00

I make rules. As in, rules for living in the house BSC and I worked so hard to make into a home. Rules to keep the place as clean as possible so I don't freak out on a regular basis. Rules to keep things in order so I can easily find something when I need it.

BSC also has rules. Or should I say, anti-rules. For every rule I like to make, he makes one to oppose it.

For example:
I made a rule that no food items or their containers should be thrown away in any other trashcan than the one in the kitchen. This rule makes sense to me because after a little while, food starts to smell. I don't want to have to go around to every single trashcan in the house to find out why my house smells like rotting vegetables. The kitchen trashcan is emptied every other day, therefore, this eliminates any possibility of making my house smell like refuse. (Yes, I know I'm totally uptight and anal. I've come to terms with this, so should you!)

BSC's anti-rule for this:
Throwing his apple cores, banana peels, peach pits, and orange peels into a trashcan that I don't see very often, hidden in a corner of his bar.

The result:
Fruit flies. Our house has been invaded with fruit flies! Seriously, there are THOUSANDS of them. They are everywhere. No space is safe, no room is clear, the fruit flies have taken over! I can't even feed Nathan without a fruit fly diving into his jar of apples and cherries. It took me a couple of days to figure out why our house was attracting so many of these bugs. Remember that trashcan BSC filled with his fruit? It was never emptied. It sat for weeks.

I think BSC now realizes why such rules are important. Rules BSC ... RULES!

Girls Weekend

2007-09-11T11:44:00.000-06:00

This past weekend six other girls and I left our kids and husbands at home and drove to Moab, Utah for a short break from reality. Friday morning we loaded up in my sister's mini-van to make the three-hour drive to southern Utah. If you've never heard of Moab, it's the place where this is located:

I'm sure you all recognize The Delicate Arch (if not from the Utah license plates, then definitely from Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote).

We arrived in Moab to find that the condo we rented was absolutely amazing. They were newly constructed and included beds to sleep all seven of us, a fully functional kitchen, two decks (one with a brand-new gas grill), and were furnished and decorated like a home. I didn't feel like I was staying in a hotel at all, it felt like home. A couple of hours after exploring the condo, we went out to eat at a Mexican restaurant called La Hacienda. When we were seated we noticed a group of people sitting a couple of tables down from us, with one man wearing an OU hat. Sarah (an OSU graduate), who doesn't have a shy bone in her body (or maybe it was the two glasses of wine she'd had before dinner), walked up to the table and said to the man, "Excuse me, but you're wearing the wrong hat," then made the arm motions for "OSU" and proceeded to give the whole table a hard time. This sort of banter went back and forth between our tables for the duration of our meal. When we were finished, our waiter informed us that everyone's dinner and drinks were taken care of. At first we didn't believe that the "OU table" had paid for our dinner. We asked the waiter quite a few times if they had really paid for all of us. Yes, they did. We didn't even get a chance to thank them because they left before we were done with dinner. How cool is that? My theory is that Sarah and her "nursing boobs" had something to do with it.

We spent the rest of the night hanging out in the condo laughing, talking, laughing some more, learning interesting stuff about each other, and drinking wine. We didn't get to sleep until almost 2:30am.

The next morning I got up and made French toast for breakfast before heading out for our rafting trip. Our river guide, Amy, was pretty cool and joined in with several of our jokes and conversations.

All of us before our rafting trip:

All of us on our raft - let me apologize for blinding you with my legs:

Sarah and I in the river:

Allison with our little friend (do you see the lizard?)
Floating down the river:

Sarah, gripping the rope with her toes ... my pale feet couldn't quite do it.

Sarah and Allison laughing too hard to pull Nici back into the raft:

Amy, our guide:

After the river, we planned to hike up to Delicate Arch, but were way too tired after only four hours of sleep. A few of us had already done the hike before, so we stayed behind while the rest did the hike.

That night we ate out again in hopes that someone might again notice Sarah and her nursing boobs and buy us dinner. No such luck!

Yes, those are matching shirts. Don't be jealous of how cool we are ...

... or of how sexy Nici is:

We drove back Sunday, all of us exhausted from the week with stomachs sore from all the laughter. It was bittersweet coming back to reality. But luckily, I got to come home to this:

Drought

2007-09-04T12:18:00.000-06:00

We have a drought here in Utah, and it is all my fault.

Yes, I'm the reason your grass is brown, your flowers are dying and your A/C bill is sky-high this summer. I'm sorry, it's all me. I should have warned BSC that all of his hard work in our yard this year would be ruined by me.

Why is it my fault? Because I refuse to wash my car.

BSC washed my car for me yesterday.

Today it is pouring.

See? All my fault.

Have a what?

2007-08-23T16:31:00.001-06:00

Today I sauntered over to Staples to purchase some office supplies and other necessities for my office. I must say that I really do like Staples. They are my favorite office supply store of all office supply stores. They tend to be clean and organized and always have what I need in stock. I know most of the sales people at "my" Staples because I go there on a weekly basis for work. But today, a new guy rang up my sale and as he handed me my receipt he says (get this):

"Have a randy day!"

Huh? Does this mean I'm getting old because I don't know the teenage lingo? Or did this guy really want me to have a randy day? The meaning I know for "randy" is not really appropriate for Staples sales people to use as salutations.

Teenagers out there: Please explain!

If you haven't seen this already ...

2007-08-14T16:03:00.000-06:00

EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY
DAY 752 -
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.
DAY 761 -
Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded, must try this at the top of the stairs. In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair ... must try this on their bed.
DAY 765 -
Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was...Hmmm. Not working according to plan.
DAY 768 -
I am finally aware of how sadistic they are. For no good reason I was chosen for the water torture. This time however it included a burning foamy chemical called "shampoo." What sick minds could invent such a liquid. My only consolation is the piece of thumb still stuck between my teeth.
DAY 771 -
There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the foul odor of the glass tubes they call "beer". More importantly I overheard that my confinement was due to MY power of "allergies." Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.
DAY 774 -
I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird on the other hand has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room his safety is assured. But I can wait, it is only a matter of time...

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY
Day number 180
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!
Day number 181
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!
10:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
11:30 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
12:00 noon - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
1:00 pm - OH BOY! THE YARD! MY FAVORITE!
4:00 pm - OH BOY! THE KIDS! MY FAVORITE!
5:00 PM - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
5:30 PM - OH BOY! MOM! MY FAVORITE!
Day number 182
8:00 am - OH BOY! DOG FOOD! MY FAVORITE!
9:30 am - OH BOY! A CAR RIDE! MY FAVORITE!
9:40 am - OH BOY! A WALK! MY FAVORITE!

Portraits

2007-08-06T16:30:00.000-06:00

Age - Eight Months
Hair - Red
Eyes - Blue/Green
Teeth - Eight
Crawls - Backwards
Yoga Moves - Downward Dog
Words - Mama, Dada, Bubba

He's growing up so fast ... I never thought someone so small could have such a huge impact.

Wanna know what's really awesome?

2007-07-30T17:26:00.000-06:00

I love it when I sit on a chocolate chip and it smears across my butt like a big skid-mark ....

but I don't realize it until the day is over and I've been walking around all day like a big idiot with a big brown mark across my butt.

I'm just classy like that.

Job Hunting

2007-07-23T16:22:00.000-06:00

Can I get a nice thought, prayer or good karma sent my way?

It's been over three years, the time has come.

Listen up!

2007-07-19T14:38:00.000-06:00

This has occured on more than one occasion lately. I swear, it's like I don't even make an impact sometimes. Why don't people listen? Why do I have to repeat things three, four or even five times for people to answer my questions? Why do I have to constantly repeat myself over and over again, even when I e-mail someone and it's all right there, laid out in front of them, wrapped up in a nice little package with a bow? I just want to scream at people:

IF YOU WOULD HAVE PAID ATTENTION TO BEGIN WITH, WE COULD HAVE SAVED BOTH OF US LOTS OF TIME, MONEY AND STRESS.

People, would you just listen? Please answer my question the first time I ask it. If you're not going to listen, please don't talk to me. And quit asking me the same question which I have already answered five times over!!

Here's a pretty bouquet from my garden for all of you who had to endure my previous rant:

And could someone please tell me WHAT this creature is?

2007-07-10T21:15:00.000-06:00

Yes, I'm back. Back from vacation, back to work, back on the blog.

So, vacation was great. We had seven full days packed with family, friends, food (BUENO & BRAUMS!), and fun. It's always hard to come back from vacation. I feel like I need a few days to recuperate, especially traveling with a seven month old. His schedule was totally off the entire time we were there. He would only nap for an hour each day, which makes for exhausting days for me. But he did great on the plane, I can't complain about that. Our flight out of Utah was late, and we were hoping he would sleep. But he didn't. Luckily he just laid across our laps and snuggled in his blanket most of the way. Poor guy didn't go to sleep until 1am. The way back he was a bit more energetic with it being an afternoon flight, but I think he was so exhausted from the entire week he ended up sleeping over an hour. It was so nice having him sleep in my arms. It's not that often I can hold him while he sleeps, so I relished every moment of it. My legs were falling asleep and I was totally uncomfortable on the plane ride home, but I loved watching him sleep peacefully on my lap.

Visiting Oklahoma reminded me of just how much I love it there.

Here's some pictures for you to enjoy:

Nathan and I totally exhausted after a VERY long day.

Nathan and Grandpa Kent (BSC's dad)

Nathan with Grammie Debi and Izzie ... who didn't enjoy her hair being pulled

Nathan with Grandpa Tom (he's got lots of grandparents)

Notice a trend? He always has to have something in his mouth ...

... again ...

... and again.

First he'll look at it ...

... then straight to the mouth!

Our little red-head.

The fam

This has nothing to do with our vacation, but Nate met a new friend the other day. This is Jace.

"Vacation"

2007-06-29T15:41:00.000-06:00

Basically this post is meant to make time go faster cause it's Friday afternoon and I want to go home. Everyone is home but me. I want to be home too. This is my way of pouting.

This next week BSC and I will be leaving the great state of Utah to visit his family in Oklahoma. I am beyond nervous. No, not nervous to spend time with his family, of course not! The plane ride scares the crap out of me. No, the actual flying part doesn't scare me, I usually sleep on planes. The fact that I'm about to travel with a seven-month old child is causing me sleepless nights. I have this incredibly horrible fear that Nathan will scream at the top of his lungs for the entire three-hour flight.

Our little boy is a bit sensitive to noise. So much so, that if he hears loud noises such as a lawnmower, weed-eater, power washer, car wash, saw, or other steady and loud sounds he freaks out. I'm certain that airplane noises fall right into this catagory.

First his little lips starts qwivering ...

Then his bottom lip sticks out to form the cutest little baby frowny-face ...

His frowny-face turns from cute to horrified as his mouth opens wide and eyes close ...

Then the most ear-piercing, high-pitched scream comes from his lungs, often compared to a smoke alarm.

His "scared cry" is awful. It hurts my ears. If it hurts his mom's ears I can only imagine what passengers on this flight are going to think when they hear him screaming. We're taking a late flight in hopes that Nathan will sleep most of the time (yes I know, he probably won't). I'm sure the other passengers are hoping to sleep too. I'm praying that Nathan will let them.

Please little Nate, be good for mama!

Confusion

2007-06-25T16:45:00.000-06:00

So, I changed the format of my blog a bit, and in the process of doing so I lost my list of links. So if you are usually on my link-list, please let me know and don't be insulted. After having a child my brain is more useful as pie-filler than anything else. So please excuse the mess. Hopefully things will be back to normal promptly.

I hate it when things are disorganized ... grrr!

More of my favorite crap

2007-06-21T11:18:00.001-06:00

Yes, I have the word "crap" in my title. Wanna know why? Cause I rated my blog with this link from Nytro's blog and mine came up with a G rating. HOW BORING IS THAT???? So I added CRAP into my title to spunk my rating up a bit. I need to un-clean my blog.

Fart

Poo

Butthead

That oughtta spice things up!

Anyway, on with my list. I have compiled more of my favorite things for all you hos and gangstas out there:

1. Orbit Mojito flavored gum - Mojitos have recently become one of my favorite drinks. If they are made well, they are the perfect and refreshing end to a hot summer day. And now they make that flavor into a gum?? YES INDEEDEE. This has become my new favorite flavor of gum. They don't sell it everywhere, but when I do see it, I buy a pack. If you see it, buy some for me!

2. Method Cleaning Supplies - I especially love their lavender-scented cleaning wipes. I stole this excerpt from their website: Our cleaners are powerful formulas made with naturally derived surfactants. They work by absorbing dirt rather than chemically degrading it, like many other products. Also, they're scented with essential oils, so you smell the beauty of nature in your home. The result? Nothing but clean So you all know how Monica-like I am about being clean and organized. Well, little Nate-dogg has thrown me a curve ball with my cleaning habits. I don't like to use bleach and harsh chemicals to clean anymore because his little mouth goes EVERYWHERE. The Method cleaning supplies don't scare me because of their natural ingredients. Maybe it's just a marketing ploy ... but it worked. I love their products.

3. Lint Shaver - You know that favorite sweater that you've had for like 5 years and you just love cause it's so comfy but you hate that it has little balls all over it (hey, maybe that will increase my rating too!). I have a battery-operated lint shaver that removes these annoying little pieces of lint. I love it sooo much. I have a mini-version that I keep in my junk drawer in the kitchen and it works perfectly. No more ball-covered sweaters for me!

4. Moxie Scrub - I discovered these scrubbing pads whilst browsing the cleaning section of my grocery store. They scrub gently enough to use on Teflon surfaces, and they also work better than your typical rough scrubbing sponge. Plus, they are re-usable. Just throw them in the washing machine and voila ... new Moxie Scrub. They also come in lots of cute patterns. I have the grape pattern to match my kitchen.

5. Wheat Thins and Nutella - Basically anything goes well with Nutella. But my most recent indulgence is Reduced Fat Wheat Thins spread with Nutella. Yes, spreading Nutella on "reduced-fat" anything totally defeats the purpose of "reduced-fat." But it makes me feel better. Don't judge me!

6. Super-sticky Post-Its - These post-its actually stick, stay and re-stick on stuff. I hated Post-its before they came out with these because they never stuck to anything for longer than a day or two. These are now the only Post-its I'll use in my office.

Who could have known?

2007-06-13T09:06:00.000-06:00

Who would have ever known that this little boy from Oklahoma ...

... and this little girl who grew up all over the world ...

... would one day find each other ...

... fall in love ...

(notice the golfer in the back?)

... and get married?

It seems like just yesterday that we were walking up these stairs together. These past four years have been incredible.

Happy Anniversary Brandon. I love you!

Mary Mary, Quite Contrary

2007-06-06T11:18:00.000-06:00

BSC and I have worked our butts off this season to make our garden and lawn look semi-decent. We've had to repair three years worth of damage from the previous owners, and we still have a hard time getting plants to grow in our garden. I have a feeling that next season will provide a bounty of beautiful blooms and produce, where as this season we are still a bit lacking.

Nevertheless, we still really enjoy relaxing in our back yard. We recently bought a patio set with four swivel/rocker chairs and a tiled fire pit table that also doubles as a drink cooler when it's too hot for a fire. I'll just not mention here that our deck is a safety hazard and on more than one occasion my guests and I have almost fallen through the deck ... note to self: next year we must replace our deck!

I just thought I'd share with you some of my blooms so far this year. I don't know the names of any of them, so just look and enjoy the fruits of my labor:

These beautiful purple flowers are part of a vine I planted last year. It surrounds the lamppost in our front yard and has recently exploded with these blooms. The vine has grown very fast and has made our out-dated lamppost look spectacular.

We have tons of roses. Roses are some of my favorite flowers because they are so easy, and bloom all season long. We have several different types of rose bushes growing in our front and back yard. I never realized how easy roses are ... why are they so freaking expensive to buy at flower shops?

This little purple bloom looks like an old man. Can you see it?

This is my bleeding heart bush. One of the few names I actually know.

This is one of my mini mums.

Some pretty pink perennials.

Also, someone has been into my cookies. Maybe you can help me decide which one of these suspects it could possibly be: Could it be this little angel?

Or one of these two boys?

Aha! Cookie crumbs in the eyelashes ... I have a clue who it might be:

Yep, he's been into the cookies. If he weren't so stinkin' cute, there'd be some trouble.

Six Months

2007-05-29T10:40:00.000-06:00

My Dearest Nathan,

Today you are six months old. I can hardly believe that half a year has passed since you were born. In those six months you have changed so much, as have I. You have transformed from a tiny and helpless 7 1/2 lb. newborn to a curious and entertaining 18 lb. baby. When your daddy and I lay you on your stomach, you move your arms and legs so fast it's as if you are swimming on the carpet, but you only move yourself in circles or roll from one side to the next. You desperately want to be mobile so you can cause even more commotion than you already do, but you just haven't quite mastered the concept. You now reach for anything within your grasp. You want to touch and taste any object placed near you, including nasty objects deposited in your diaper. When you have something in your grasp, the first thing you do is put it directly into your mouth. Much to your dismay, your daddy and I have had to dig leaves, grass, dirt, napkins, socks, keys, candy, and several other items out of your mouth.

Your personality is really starting to show. You love to be the center of attention and will smile at almost anyone who comes your way. The only people who you really haven't quite warmed up to are your cousins. Any time they make a noise or come near you, you jump and make your "frowny face." They will often make you cry. Several times you have stressed out your aunt Nici so much because you insist on being held anytime your cousins are in the same vicinity as you. I know one of these days you and Caden will be ganging up on Ciara and causing all sorts of trouble. But for now, Caden scares you to the point of tears.

I have been bringing you to work with me almost every day since you were two months old. Though it has been extremely stressful for me and you make it really hard to get my work done, I would have it no other way. I could not go week after week without holding you in my arms, seeing your beautiful smile, or listening to you having conversations with your elephant and turtle friends. Everyone here loves you and you love everyone here. You smile and laugh and bringing out the best in all of my co-workers. It has benefited everyone having your personality around. I dread the day approaching sooner and sooner that I can no longer bring you with me. I will miss having all of my papers wrinkled after your tiny fist grasps them, I will miss the drool all over my phone cord (your toy of choice on my desk), I will miss the huge smiles you give me when I'm having a stressful day, I will miss typing on my computer while you sit on my lap and sing, I will miss you grabbing my fingers to chew on until you notice my wedding ring when you will stop to examine it like you know the meaning behind it and I will mostly miss the sound of your swing behind me knowing that you are sleeping peacefully within my arm's reach.

You have grown so much over the past six months. When we first brought you home, your newborn clothes and diapers totally engulfed your little body. Before you were born we thought you were going to be huge like most babies in our family, but you were so tiny. I look at babies now who are bigger than you when you were born and I don't believe that you were ever that small. Now at six months old you are wearing 12 month clothing. You are so long! At your four month doctor appointment you shot up 5 1/2 inches from the day you were born, putting you in the 95th percentile for length in babies your age. Just like your mom, we have trouble finding pants the right length that also fit around the waist. Your daddy is sure you will be well above 6' 5" making for an excellent pro-athlete (of course football is his first choice for you, but he'll settle for any sport). We can already tell that you have your daddy's muscular legs, which again indicates to him that you will be a pro-athlete of some sort. You have wanted to walk since you were about two weeks old. We figured this out by letting you stand supported by our grasp, and your legs automatically move one in front of the other ... this is one of your favorite things to do.

You have been eating solid foods since you were four months old. It was a constant battle to get you to eat your rice or barley cereal, but ever since we introduced you to fruits and vegetables you just can't get enough of them! So now, we trick you into eating your cereal by mixing it with some of your favorites: pears, applesauce, green beans or squash. Like your daddy, you are a messy eater and tend to fling food in all directions. Keeping your clothes clean is a constant battle. No matter what we feed you, you make the most disgusted face with your first bite. You act so grossed out that you just about gag until you realize that the mushy stuff in your mouth tastes yummy, then you get mad because we don't shovel it in fast enough.

You love to laugh and play. You especially like toys that make noise or music. Music seems to enchant you, which makes me happy. You have been surrounded by beautiful classical music before you were even born. You are not much for playing alone, you prefer to have company on the floor with you, especially your daddy. You love to laugh and smile at him, you love it when we eat your feet and belly or when we dangle you upside-down from your feet. You love to have conversations with us, even though we have no clue what you're trying to tell us. You love to be outside on a blanket so you can chew on your toes or sitting up staring at the pretty flowers blowing in the wind. You have come to love bathtime, storytime and getting ready for bed. But as long as you have your daddy or me, you can be happy anywhere.

I could go on forever about how you know exactly who we are, how you say "mama" all the time (and your daddy responds to that by saying "dada!"), how you smile so big when you see your daddy walk into the room, how you love your Grandma Jill and Grandpa Ron, how you wish you could spend more time with your Grammie Debi and Papa Kent. You have changed my life more than I could ever have imagined. You have forced me to become more flexible, you keep me on my toes by changing every week. You take up all of my free-time and a lot of my sleep-time, but I would have it no other way.

Love,

Mama

A friend of mine recently asked me if she should have children. I have no better answer for her than this: I love my Nathan more than you could ever know, he is my heart and soul. Is it worth it? Yes.

Weeds

2007-05-22T09:38:00.001-06:00

Ever since the weather has been warmer, BSC, Nathan and I spend almost every weekend outside working in the yard. Obviously Nathan doesn't contribute much to the yard-work, unless you consider drooling a form of watering the plants. I spend most of my time in our numerous flower beds pulling weeds. We usually have a dandelion or two, but the weeds that keep me out in the yard for an entire day are more like trees. Their roots are ENORMOUS and it takes a full-sized shovel to pull them out of the ground. The roots develop underground before any form of plant can be seen above ground. So by the time they're big enough for me to spot them, it's a battle waiting to happen. They also grow particularly fast (about 6" each week) and don't die easily. When we first moved in to this home, our backyard was full of these "trees." I hate these weeds, I hate them with a passion. The reason why I hate them so much?

Our neighbor.

We have an awful neighbor. No, not the neighbor who smokes a lot of pot and blasts En Vogue from his garage at midnight every night (he's actually quite entertaining). Nope, not the molester neighbor who is listed on the sex offender registry for having his way with underage boys. Not even the neighbor who has a ton of kids that run rampant about the neighborhood half-naked in the middle of the street. This utterly awful person, who we'll call "Dora" lives right next to us. This lady, who has nothing better to do with her time, who is so bored and angry at life, feels like it is her duty to come over to our house almost every weekend and point out all the weeds growing in our yard.

Oh yes she does.

All the time.

And not in a helpful-grandmotherly-want-to-take-care-of-my-young-neighbors sort of way. No, she's mad that we have the audacity to let weeds grow in our yard. And she wants us to know about it.

The irony? She's too old and decrepit to take care of her own yard. Our one and only really awesome neighbor does it for her. That's not the worst part. Her front yard has a rather large tree that drops little seeds all over our yard in early spring. Those little seeds are what cause the weeds to overrun our garden. I'm tempted to cut it down in the middle of the night.

She also reported us to the city resulting in a citation being issued to BSC for parking where he does. You see, we have a one-car garage (yes, I know, it TOTALLY sucks). Our driveway used to have a patch of grass extending out from one side where BSC would park his truck. Paving this area of the driveway was one of the many projects we planned to do with the house. But we moved in to this house during the winter months, and nobody is going to pour concrete when the ground is frozen and snowy. The next spring I was pregnant and everything was put on hold. But that wasn't good enough for Dora. She reported us to the city "cause it was ugly." Yes, it was ugly, but there wasn't much we could do about it. So we were given a citation and told we had to improve the land with concrete in two weeks.

Two weeks. Like that's gonna happen.

Dora is a weed. She is the worst kind of weed. She's old, ugly and doesn't die easy. Yes, that's mean, but so is she.

To Dora, from Nathan. Kiss my:

Wow, it's been two weeks already

2007-05-09T16:23:00.000-06:00

I feel like I just updated this thing, but over two weeks have passed since my last post. Where does the time go? It's the baby boy ... he's a time stealer.

I don't have much to say because with the other half all the way across the country this week I'm busy, busy, busy and too exhausted to think. So I'll give you some pictures to keep you entertained:

When he turned four months old he got his first food: Yummy rice cereal.

Maybe not so yummy!

Mmmmm milk, much better!

Over a month later, and he's still not sure about this odd substance we keep shoving in his mouth.

Mr. Fancy Pants, all dressed up for Easter

Laughing at Daddy!

This picture was too funny not to include.

Here's our All-Star sitting up like a big boy ...

... and stealing Mommy's candy. Yep, already got the sweet tooth like his mom.

Creepy People

2007-04-26T16:22:00.000-06:00

This past week has brought two rather creepy people into my life. Have people always been this weird and I just never noticed, or are people getting worse as time goes on?

Person #1: During one of my lunch breaks Nathan and I were browsing through Barnes & Noble. One of the displays was too small for the stroller to fit around, so I parked the stroller on the side of the display while I was looking at the other side (with Nathan in clear view and my hand on the stroller).

I got the weird feeling that someone was behind me, or looking at me. I looked over at the other side of the display to find a little old lady staring down at Nathan with an odd look on her face. I immediately went into protective mom-mode and strolled to a different aisle away from the creepy old lady. Just looking at her you would think this lady was the perfect little grandma, which could be how she gets away with her creepiness.

I later saw her in a different part of the store with her hand on a little boy's shoulder (he was maybe 6 or 7 years old) talking to him. I watched for a bit and he quickly ran away from her and said, "NO! I'm not lost!" She was browsing Barnes & Noble for lost children. I was temped to call security.

Person #2: Yesterday I attended a surprise baby shower for a most perfect and beautiful friend at a local restaurant. Our waitress was horrible and creepy (of course we got awful service, the curse has not let up, I just haven't blogged about it in a while). While we were waiting for the guest of honor to arrive our waitress didn't even come in to offer us drinks. We waited for 45 minutes before she took our drink order. When she got to me I told her that my table was ready to place our dinner order (since we'd had 45-freaking minutes to look over the menu). She said "I'm just doing drinks now, I'll take your dinner order later when I bring the drinks cause some of these will take a while," and walked off. After I scraped my jaw off the floor I just about wanted to cry because I was SO hungry.

When she finally came back to take our food order she decided it would be appropriate baby-shower conversation to tell us about how her brother died from an allergic reaction. Ok not to be insensitive about her brother's death, but that had nothing to do with our conversation. She just started talking about her allergy to scented lotion then about her brother's food allergy. Excuse me, but weren't you supposed to be putting in my food order by now? And thanks for ruining the festive mood of the shower.

After we were done eating she announced to the table that she didn't want to be tacky (too late for that), but that her tip wasn't added in to the check. Uhhhhh, that right there just docked her tip even more.

Then to top it all off she found Sarah (the most perfect and beautiful pregnant friend) on MySpace and asked to be her friend. This lady has some serious social issues.

This is how I felt about her service:

Nathan used to be so small ...

Now he's a football captain.

They grow so fast.

My Favorite Things

2007-04-17T16:20:00.000-06:00

I stole this idea from Rachel. She has posted about her favorite things on two different occasions, and they are some of my favorite posts. I really enjoy reading about good finds, products that work well, and gadgets that can make my life easier. So, here I am sharing with all of you some of my favorite things:

1. Facial cleansing cloths: Several different companies make these types of cleansing cloths (I use the ones from Mary Kay) with the cleanser already in the disposable wash rag. I love these for several reasons; they are easy to pack in a suitcase with no risk of a mess, they cleanse and remove makeup all in one step, and when I'm done washing my face I use the leftover cloth to rinse out the sink so no residue is left to dry overnight.

2. Springhill Nursery: I'm not an expert gardener by any means. In fact, this is the first season I have fully committed myself to having a beautiful blooming garden (last year at this time I was pregnant and sick, gardening was NOT a priority). We have a lamppost in our front yard with a circle of landscaping around it. Right now it is empty except for a few tulips I planted earlier in the fall. I found that Springhill Nursery not only customizes gardens according to your planting zone, but also gives you instructions on how to plant in various shapes and sizes. I ordered this full-circle lamppost garden during their pre-season 50% off sale. It's full of perennials so my garden will continue to bloom year after year.

3. Velvet Padded Hangers: I use padded hangers for several articles of clothing that risk getting deformed shoulders if I use regular hangers. The problem with satin hangers is that several of my sweaters easily slip off and lay in a wrinkled mess on the bottom of the closet and I don't find them until it's too late. I recently found padded hangers made of velvet instead of satin and voila ... no more slippage! (I found mine at Smiths Marketplace, sorry I couldn't find a link for the product.)

4. Archer Farms: I haven't found anything from this brand that I don't like. They make food products, beverages, etc. Archer Farms is a Target brand. I'm usually very disappointed in store-brand products, but I've been quite impressed with everything I've tried so far, not to mention that they are reasonably priced. I especially like their blood orange Italian soda. Yummy.

5. Plinks - I hate wasting lemons to deodorize my disposal. I don't use fresh lemons enough to deodorize it as often as I would like. I saw these at Bed Bath and Beyond a few months ago (I also got them in my stocking for Christmas this year). I decided to try them, and I really like them. One little "plink" and no more odors ... until I decide to throw some onions and garlic down there again.

6. The Rabbit - This can also be found at Bed Bath and Beyond, Sur la Table, or any other kitchen store. It's a bit pricey, but worth every penny. BSC and I have had too many experiences with broken corks, so we invested in this fancy schmancy wine opener. We love it! There's no effort involved at all and it corks the wine perfectly every single time. The set we bought even came with extra corks in case we don't finish an entire bottle and want to save the rest of the wine.

That's all for now, I will post more favorites every once in a while. Here's some recent pictures of the little one:

He wanted to be like Daddy ... so Daddy shared his hat.

Pig nose! Apparently the pacifier was no longer needed, so it was discarded with no remorse.

Pictures, etc.

2007-04-04T15:49:00.000-06:00

BSC and I finally got around to getting the boy in for some professional pictures. This is NOT an easy task. Trying to find a time that he'll be:
1. Awake
2. In a good mood
3. Not hungry
4. Clean
It's just not very easy for anyone. The first weekend we tried to take him to Kiddie Kandids, but they don't take appointments, it's just first come first serve. We went to two different locations, both of which had three hour waits. Yeah, my list of four things would have been destroyed after waiting three hours. We decided it was necessary to go to a place that would take appointments. Off to JCPenny! The morning started out stressful as Nathan decided it was a good idea to poo all over himself. This wasn't just any up-the-back, run-of-the-mill poo. It was EVERYWHERE! I don't know how he did it. One minute I was changing his diaper, the next minute I was trying to keep him from shoving poo-filled fingers into his mouth. I had to wake BSC up early to help me bathe him because poo was getting all over the place. This totally violated rule #4. I must say that I was rather impressed with the JCPenny. I never thought department stores had very good photography studios, but I'm very happy with how the pictures turned out. We will be returning there for his six month pictures.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Little Sooner

Our Little Family

Baby Butt!

Little BSC

He's Got My Toes!

Spoke too soon

2007-03-26T11:53:00.000-06:00

So remember when I said that Nathan was too young for teeth? Apparently he's not. Yep, he's sprouting teeth already. His first tooth appeared a couple of weeks ago at 3 1/2 months. I couldn't believe it. Teeth ... ALREADY? What the crap?

The cutest profile in the world!

Victory! I have finally conquered sleep.