Work in Progress

37 Weeks

2010-08-24T11:29:00.000-04:00

How far along? 37 weeks, 1 day!!!!!
Total weight gain/loss: 25ish pounds
Maternity clothes? Nope! Ok, just kidding..
Sleep: GOOD. I've been sleeping so well the past week. Thank the Lord!
Movement: He's still practicing his ninja skills. I'm so excited to check them out and see what he's learned! ;)
Best moment this week: Being able to be at WEEK 37!!!
Cravings: Sweet tea. Sweet tea. Sweet tea.
Belly Button: still out - or "not" if I'm having a contraction!
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I miss not being able to "easily" shave my legs. I miss not having as much energy although lately I have had some good bursts of energy! I capitalize on those moments :) Soon enough though, soon enough!
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER and meeting our little man!!

Let's just say I'm a little over-the-moon right now. It's exciting to know that sooner than later we'll be holding our little man and I will be WELL 'over-the-moon'!!! But for now, I'm just so excited and THANKFUL to be so far along!! I have my next dr's appointment tomorrow morning so we'll see!

Oh and here's something comical for you... Last Wednesday when I told Matt and my family about already being 3cm dilated/etc.. see if you can find the common thread between their comments...and believe me, we ALL have laughed over these!! :)

Matt: "Really!? Does that mean he might come tonight? What about tomorrow? I have a huge meeting on Thursday at 10am so anytime after 11am would be great!"

Mom: "Wow! So he could come any day now! My conferences won't be over until Tuesday of next week so next Wednesday would be the best!"

Kirsten: "Of course he'd decide to come when school starts up again and not during the 3 weeks I have off! I don't have classes on Thursdays or Fridays so..."

Dad: "Next Thursday would be the best for me; plus you'll be at 37 weeks.. I let the staff have half a day on Friday's so we'd have the whole weekend!"

So being the "people-pleaser" that I have been known to be.. Please note the following (you know, because I have total control of what they're asking for...)

Matt's request: CHECK.

Mom's request: CHECK.

Kirsten's request: Pending...

Dad's request: Pending...

I'll keep you posted!!! :)

36 Weeks

2010-08-18T14:19:00.000-04:00

How far along? 36 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: +24-25 pounds
Maternity clothes? you bet!
Sleep: Not too shabby - getting used to these 11pm/2am/4am/5:30am breaks..
Movement: He's getting strong! I think he's seeing how far out he can stretch his legs!
Best moment this week: The ladies from SS class gave me a 'Diapers and Wipes' shower!! It was perfect! We had lunch together, they had balloons and a cake and it was just so thoughtful. I was very touched by the girls and so thankful for such an awesome group of ladies.
Cravings: Sweet tea. Sweet tea. Sweet tea.
Belly Button: still out
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I miss not being able to "easily" shave my legs. I miss not having as much energy although lately I have had some good bursts of energy! I capitalize on those moments :)
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER and meeting our little man!!

I had my 36 week check up this morning. Turns out, I'm 3cm dilated and 80% effaced (hope that's not too much info for anyone!). WHOA. This is uncharted territory for me as by this point, Kathryn was already BORN. Hopefully we can make it to 37 weeks -- full term! I'm very excited though. I'm confident in Christ taking care of us and our little boy and we all know His timing is perfect. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding"... Prov. 3:5 has always been a favorite for a reason.

35 Weeks

2010-08-12T22:49:00.002-04:00

How far along? 35 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain/loss: +23ish pounds maybe??
Maternity clothes? yeppers and not really planning on that changing overnight!
Sleep: On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd say about a 5 or 6. Definetly could be worse and I'm so grateful it really isn't 'that bad'. Those darn bathroom breaks get the best of me!
Movement: Moving like a ninja!!
Best moment this week: Being able to say that I'm 35 weeks and 3 days along! I'm so thankful that the Lord is keeping our boy safe and sound. And not that this isn't a 'best moment' everyday, but spending my days with sweet Kathryn. She just amazes me daily and I'm so excited to see you as a big sister!
Cravings: Sweet tea. I'm soo tired of drinking water all the time! ;)
Belly Button: still out
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I miss not being able to "easily" shave my legs. I miss not having as much energy. Today I missed not being able to 'jump up' and run and grab the mail lady before she drove off!!
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER and meeting our little man!!

This has been another great week! I'm really excited and grateful to be so close to "36 weeks"!! A friend the other day said I was probably one of the few to be excited 'near the end of pregnancy'. We just have so much to be thankful for and are just praying that he camps out as long as need be! Although, Kathryn almost every other day now keeps asking me when we're going to see Baby Brother...or she'll say, "I want to see Baby Brother tomorrow..and we'll feed him, and change his diaper, and he'll sleep, and play with my blocks, and watch me dance, and..." And every time I tell her she's getting to be such a big girl, she always replys, "and Baby Brother is growing big too!"

34 Weeks

2010-08-04T20:39:00.000-04:00

How far along? 34 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +21 pounds
Maternity clothes? yeppers and not really planning on that changing overnight!
Sleep: Not too bad - praise God! Still not a fan of the bathroom breaks but I'll live :) I did get up this morning around 4am for a bowl of cereal and good solid quiet time but other than that, sleep has been decent.
Movement: Moving around like a champ. He's strong!
Best moment this week: We had our 34 week check up yesterday and had an ultrasound - of course it was WONDERFUL getting to see our little man. He's approx. 5 pounds, 1 oz and in the 40th percentile. WooHoo!! He's measuring perfectly and fluids and all look great. Thank you Lord!!
Cravings: Food.
Belly Button: still out
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I miss not being able to "easily" shave my legs. I miss not having as much energy.
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER and meeting our little man!!

It's been another great week! I'm so thankful he's doing so well measurement/size-wise. I'm just so excited for him to actually get here!! I told mom last week I thought I had mastered the art of "nesting". I don't think there's anything left on my list left to do - except continue to be thrilled and excited!! :) I actually have my hospital bag packed and kept thinking, "so this is what it feels like to pack a bag in advance!" We didn't really have that luxury with Kathryn. I don't think I'll ever forget the day she was born and seeing Matt run around the house throwing anything he saw into a bag! The thought makes me smile every time I think about it.

Tractor & Truck Show

2010-07-31T15:25:00.000-04:00

Yeah, we're cool. We drove out to the country today and had a great time at our very first Tractor & Truck Show! Sweet tea, BBQ, country folks, good music and some big ol' trucks and tractors - can't beat that for a Saturday!!

I also have a picture of Matt trying to have Kathryn go potty in a "porta-potty" without touching ANYTHING. Probably not appropriate to post but hilarious nonetheless!

Holden Beach 2010

2010-07-28T22:39:00.001-04:00

Few favorites from the beach...

And a few other random favorites from the past couple of days...

33 Weeks

2010-07-28T22:21:00.002-04:00

How far along? 33 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +20 pounds
Maternity clothes? yep and i feel kinds a cute too! :)
Sleep: Other than bathroom breaks in the middle of the night (at least FOUR a night!), it hasn't been 'that' bad. Last night though, I laid awake until 12:30am unable to get comfortable, slept in the lazyboy recliner until about 4am, woke up starving..debated about half an hour whether to get up and actually eat, fell back asleep close to 5am in bed. Hope that's not the new trend for the next several weeks!
Movement: Yep, he's a ninja.
Best moment this week: Kathryn ran up to me with an old cell phone up to her ear and she yelled excitedly, "Mama! I'm talking to Baby Brother!!!" And another day she randomly declares, "I want to see Baby Brother tomorrow!" She's too stinkin' cute!! Every day she talks almost constantly about or mentions in some way or fashion about Baby Brother and what they're going to do together or something about his room or his "outfits". She's going to be such a great big sister!!!
Cravings: Food.
Belly Button: still out
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I miss not being able to "easily" shave my legs. I miss not having as much energy.
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER and meeting our little man!!

Other than my lack of sleep last night, it's been a great week! I've been drinking over a cup of prune juice every single night and eating my 'iron fortified' cereal :) A friend asked me yesterday how I could stand nasty prune juice and I said it actually wasn't that bad anymore -- I told her after eating a tablespoon of tar (black strap molasses), prune juice was like a gift from God on my lips! ;) haha. Although, if my dang numbers don't get up for my iron after all this, I'm going to be one mad mama!

It's so interesting to me people's comments during pregnancy. I'm getting comments left and right these days. What cracks me up is getting opinions from complete strangers!!

"You must be having a boy. It's all in how you carry." - Random lady at WalMart

"Ohhh...look at your cute belly! Come here, look at her cute belly!" -Random Lady #1 taking my money "Awwww, it looks like she swallowed a basketball! So sweet!" -Random Lady #2 bagging my food - Women working the drive-through line at Arby's when all I wanted was for the nice ladies to just give me my roast beef sandwich!!

"Honey, how are you standing this weather? It's so hot. Are you due any day now?" - Random lady at store.

"You're pregnant??" - Random lady at hair salon ***This comment and the comment above it literally happened within a DAY of each other!!!***

"Wow, you're very PREGNANT." Random Lady. "Umm. Yep. Thanks." Me. "What's your due date?" Random Lady. "Sept. 13th". Me. "OH. You're not THAT pregnant!" - Random lady in the bathroom at church.

---Matt's response after I tell him the dialog with the random lady in the bathroom.."Yes, she knows everything. She's clearly an expert." <>

32 Weeks

2010-07-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

So, it turns out I'm kind of a slacker. I feel bad for not posting Week 31 -- we were at the beach all last week and I hardly got online. It's crazy how quickly time is going by. Kathryn was born at 35 weeks and 6 days...which is about 3 weeks from now. Trust me, this little guy and I have had quite a few talks and I pray he understands there is no need to try to beat his big sister's record of delivery. Although I have not been as anxious lately as I was earlier in the pregnancy, it definitely comes and goes the closer I get to 35 weeks. I had a dr's appointment earlier this week and I've been measuring right on target - Thank the Lord. Weight gain/blood pressure has been good. The crap news though is that my iron levels are still dropping. This is even after I've been on the horse-size pill iron supplement since 8 weeks of pregnancy, and the past few weeks my dr has had me drinking 1/4 cup of prune juice each day to pump up my iron in addition to my regular diet. As of Wednesday this week, I'm to take my iron pill, drink the prune juice and have a serving of frosted mini wheats -- another great source of iron (who knew!?). I'll take the cereal any day over the disgusting molasses. It's just frustrating to be so cognisant of what I'm eating and it not having any effect. I'm convinced our boy will be the next Iron Man though. :)

How far along? 32 weeks, 4 days

Total weight gain/loss: +20 pounds
Maternity clothes? yep and I'm just going to say it, I didn't have the guts to wear a bikini at the beach. I wore a cute tankini... (Let me clarify this last sentence..I had typed a cute "little" tankini and obviously had to drop the "little" out of the description. There's nothing little about my belly anymore these days!!)
Sleep: Other than bathroom breaks in the middle of the night (at least FOUR a night!), it hasn't been bad. I have definitely napped quite a bit this week too while Kathryn napped. I've been wiped!!
Movement: Yep, he's a ninja.
Best moment this week: Kathryn announcing to me, "I love Baby Brother". And earlier this week I told her she was growing so much and said, "I'm growing like Baby Brother!" She's too precious!!
Cravings: Food.
Belly Button: still out
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I miss not being able to "easily" shave my legs. I miss not having as much energy.
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Deciding on a name - Officially.(!!!!) Meeting our little man!!!

30 Weeks

2010-07-08T19:07:00.000-04:00

How far along? 30 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain/loss: +18ish pounds
Maternity clothes? yep and loving regular sized tank tops since it's the hottest summer EVER :)
Sleep: Still not a fan of the bathroom breaks in the middle of the night but this week's sleep hasn't been too bad. - Thankfully!
Movement: Lots more movement during the day lately.
Best moment this week: Kathryn laying her head on my belly and initiating a conversation to 'Baby Brother'.
Cravings: Fruit. Meat. Cereal. Candy. **It's been recommended that having prune juice daily or a tablespoon of Blackstrap Molasses will increase my iron... For those of you that are unaware, or curious, Blackstrap Molasses is likely the most disgusting thing you could ever eat in you LIFE!!!
Belly Button: still out
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I really miss deli sandwiches. Turkey. Turkey. Turkey...
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Deciding on a name - Officially.(!!!!) Meeting our little man!!!

I wouldn't have it any other way...

2010-06-29T14:07:00.001-04:00

The South is the place where: tea is sweet and accents are sweeter; summer starts in April; macaroni & cheese is a vegetable; front porches are wide and words are long; pecan pie is a staple; Y'all is a proper noun; chicken is fried and biscuits come with gravy; everything is Darlin': and someone's heart is always blessed.

29 Weeks

2010-06-29T14:03:00.000-04:00

How far along? 29 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +18ish pounds
Maternity clothes? yep and loving regular sized tank tops since it's the hottest summer EVER :)
Sleep: H-A-R-D. I feel like I have to do a 30pt turn to get from one side to the other. Add bathroom breaks in the middle of the night and that about covers it.
Movement: Somehow I think our boy is secretly drinking Mtn Dew throughout the day. I haven't figured out how he's getting access to any but he has been kicking up a storm lately!
Best moment this week: Sharing some good ol' quality time with Matt for a few days and narrowing down our name ideas!!
Cravings: Lets just say that I'm making 'anything' with iron in it a "craving". Also lots of milk, fruit and breads/crackers/cereals have been high on my list.
Belly Button: it's in! (haha, just kidding. wanted to type something new in this section for once..)
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I really miss deli sandwiches. I wish I could do more things for myself these days too. Independence and stubbornness are ingrained in my soul I think.

Milestone: First week into the third-trimester!! We're in the homestretch now!
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Deciding on a name - Officially.(!!!!) Meeting our little man!!!

Kathryn's Visit to GA - Day 2

2010-06-26T17:22:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was so eventful, I didn't even have time to type!! (Insert sarcasm right about...NOW.) Actually... I slept "in" until about 8am. Ate breakfast by my lonesome again and caught up on my bible reading. Showered (a long one of course) and straightened my hair and put make up on. Then I went to the movies -- in the theater -- in the middle of the day! After my movie I walked around a few shops in Birkdale. Then I took a nap. When Matt got home we went out to eat at a nice restaurant - fantastic time. We got to talk to Kathryn for about 10 minutes on the phone. She's having a blast so that was wonderful to hear. We sure do miss our girl! I talked to one of my friends earlier on the phone and jokingly told her I felt like such a loser without Kathryn around. I think with her being gone I realize how much of my identity is tied to her. It has been very nice for Matt and I to have some good quality time together like this. I know with the little one on the way, another few days like this will be a long time from now!

Kathryn's Visit to GA - Day 1 (a few hours later...)

2010-06-24T16:28:00.000-04:00

While I was walking around Target by myself with only my purse (no child, no entertainment, no snack, no cart, no rush), it dawned on me what I looked like: A LOST PUPPY!!! I wasn't sure if I wanted to walk the whole store just because I could or just go to a million stores back to back and walk around casually. I ended up at Home Goods and a lady with 3 kids asked me if I knew where the restroom was. I would have been thrilled to walk around looking for it so I'd have some company but unfortunately when I offered to look, a store associate walked up and was able to direct her and I was left to myself again. I may sound a little pathetic right now - like I can't handle being by myself... That's not the case at all. It's just the strangest thing Kathryn being gone and me being HOME with literally no other responsibilities at the moment. Ok, now off to plan my day tomorrow and hoping to minimize calling my mom to less that 10x tomorrow ;)

Kathryn's Visit to GA - Day 1

2010-06-24T13:53:00.004-04:00

What do you do when you have absolutely nothing on the agenda and your sweet daughter just left with her Noni for a few days visit in GA?!? We've left Kathryn overnight a handful of times with Mom and Dad to watch but it was either for an anniversary or overnight trip - some type of organized outing. This time, totally last minute, Mom suggested before she left to drive back to GA that she take Kathryn for a few days so she and Michael can play together and Matt and I have a weekend to ourselves. They left at approximately 11:22am this morning and I still can't wrap my brain around the fact that I am home alone without Kathryn for a few days and with absolutely nothing planned. It's such a weird feeling!!

Right after they left, I started my day with a long shower. Took my time to put makeup on and straightened my hair. I had lunch at the table all by lonesome and wondered what in the world I was going to do. It's funny to think about now because I took almost a solid hour debating whether or not to agree to Mom's suggestion. I thought about how much I'd miss her and what I'd do without her and likely how bored I'd be without her company. Yet, as soon as I asked Kathryn if she wanted to go to GA with Noni for a few days she immediately said yes, went and put a necklace and bracelet on herself, got the calculator out of the drawer that she pretends is a phone and put that in her shorts pocket and then went to put her shoes on and told me she "has to go".

This is the time she would be napping so I keep forgetting if I "wanted" to go to Target or the grocery store or wherever, I actually could go right now and not have to wait until she wakes up around 3pm. It's like the sky's the limit but I don't even know what to do or where to begin! Should clean the house? Do laundry? Go to a movie? Get a prenatal message? Sleep!? Blog until she returns? :)

All in all, it's such a strange feeling not having your favorite girl in the world around you when there really isn't any reason at all for her to be away.

More Pictures...Finally!!

2010-06-24T13:27:00.000-04:00

28 Weeks

2010-06-23T15:13:00.001-04:00

How far along? 28 weeks, 1 day
Total weight gain/loss: +17ish pounds
Maternity clothes? yep and loving regular sized tank tops since it's the hottest summer EVER :)
Sleep: I've been sleeping great this week! I think Brooke's visit and my mom being in town has worn me out so I've gotten great sleep!
Movement: Definitely getting stronger and moving a good bit more. I LOVE IT!
Best moment this week: Getting a few more "boy" items with mom this week and seeing Kathryn go through all his new little clothes. Also knocking a few more items off my 'to-do list before Baby Brother arrives'
Cravings: French toast again this week. Of course chick-fil-a, sweet tea, and fruit (lots of fruit) are still high on my list of cravings!
Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I just realized that apparently all I miss are food-related things... I miss sleeping on my stomach too. I miss being able to do a lot more things without getting tired so easily.
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Deciding on a name!!!!

So I got my results back Monday from my blood work last week. Passed the glucose test but was discouraged to find out I am still very low on iron even though I've been taking the iron supplements and have already been trying to be more cognizant of making sure I was eating enough iron rich foods. I was anemic with Kathryn also so I was trying to be more proactive this prenancy. That at least explains part of why I've been so tired lately (in addition to raising the coolest two year old)! Next step is to pack my diet even MORE with all the rich iron-foods out there. My numbers weren't horrible just still below the range of what they were hoping for. God is good though and I'm thankful for such a smooth pregnancy!!!

A True Friend - Going on 16 years

2010-06-19T14:37:00.001-04:00

Where to start!? There's a lot to be said about a true friend. I am extremely blessed to have several and thank God for those He's put into my life over the years. Brooke just flew home earlier this morning and while this wasn't your typical 'girls-weekend' trip, as always, we had the best time together.

You know you're best friends when...
1. Your friend wants to plan a visit to see you and your family and you mention, "remember all those rooms we've painted together over the years in high school and in college, what do you think about helping me paint the new nursery while you're here?" and she enthusiastically, without a doubt, jumps at the opportunity and goes on and on about how fun it will be.
2. Your friend arrives and you hesitantly and regrettably ask her if she'd be okay having to sleep on an air-mattress and she doesn't even bat-an-eye and replys, "Of course! No problem, I don't care where I sleep- I'm here to spend time with you guys."
3. Your friend (a 120 pound GIRL) moves about 70% of the furniture in the nursery ALL by herself and lets me be the 'supervisor'...
4. Your friend helps you pick out paint, tape the trim and the edges of the ceiling so you don't have to climb a ladder, and paints the entire top half of the room - going on about 'how much fun she's having'.
5. Your friend cooks breakfast for you one morning - "bomb-shell omelets" with the leftover green peppers, onions and sausage from the dinner the night before.
6. Your friend can't wait to go to your dr's appointment with you and helps keep your child entertained for an hour so you can take your glucose test and then continues to thank me about a million times for letting her go with me!
7. Your friend unloads the dishwasher/loads up and constantly offers to cook or help cook.
8. You have the BEST couple of days just hanging out and spending time together when really all we did was get supplies to paint, paint the nursery, go to dr appointments, run a few errands and talk about how much fun we were having just hanging out together!

I've said it before but I am one spoiled rotten girl. I pray I am just as gracious to my friends as they are to me.

27 Weeks

2010-06-19T14:07:00.001-04:00

Time has been so busy lately. We just got a new laptop last weekend so I've been slack in my blogging and uploading pictures. For a few weeks we thought we'd lost a lot of pictures that were on our old laptop but thankfully, Matt was able to get most of them off. Kathryn and I were in GA for a few days visiting my family and celebrating Michael's birthday. We drove home on Tuesday and one of my bestest buds in the world, Brooke, flew in on Wednesday to visit for a few days. (That visit deserves a blog all by itself so more to come! :) I had a Dr's appointment on Friday and had a fantastic report. Baby Brother measured exactly where he should at this point and we have almost reached the Third Trimester and are now onto a two-week rotation for seeing my doctor. I just can't get over how quickly time is going by.

How far along? 27 Weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: 17 pounds gained + (officially)
Maternity clothes? what do you think with 17 extra pounds :) (the summer dresses and skirts though are the BEST!!)
Sleep: so-so. Still a little hard to fall asleep. Usually awake for at least an hour after going to bed before falling asleep.
Movement: he's a kicker in the afternoon and early evening. I'm thinking he may be a night owl like his mama! A little more active lately - he's getting stronger!
Best moment this week: Painting Baby Brother's room!! Brooke helped (A TON) and it looks fantastic! Pics to come soon -- when we get the furniture back in place :)
Cravings: I ate at Cracker Barrel for the first time this week in about 2 years. Couldn't eat the food fast enough. Of course chick-fil-a, sweet tea, and fruit are still high on my list of cravings!
Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I just realized that apparently all I miss are food-related things... I miss sleeping on my stomach too.
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Deciding on a name!!!!

26 Weeks

2010-06-14T13:39:00.000-04:00

How far along? 26 Weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: 14 pounds gained + (who knows ...)
Maternity clothes? yep.
Sleep: so-so. Hard to fall asleep and getting up in the middle of the night for bathroom breaks don't help!
Movement: he's a kicker in the afternoon and early evening. I'm thinking he may be a night owl like his mama! Yep, still active in the afternoon time..
Best moment this week: Getting 'Baby Brother's' new bedding set up! We're going with a monkey theme for his room. Also, Kathryn and I finally picked out some new clothes for him this week. She kept saying, "so cute!!" about the outfits. She notices everything these days, especially if it has to do with Baby Brother.
Cravings: Anything sweet. Hello prego Erin! (Matt's loving this new found sweet tooth of mine.)
Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I just realized that apparently all I miss are food-related things... I miss sleeping on my stomach too.
What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Deciding on a name!!!!

Latest photos..

2010-06-02T19:52:00.001-04:00

Kathryn's "new" room

Kathryn with her lamb and "Baby Boy"

Kathryn all dressed up! (CJ - like the dress?!? ;)

25 Weeks

2010-06-02T13:20:00.000-04:00

I can't believe how fast time is going by. 10 weeks from this week is when Kathryn was born. That means TWO and a HALF months from now!! I am not expecting our little man to be as early as Kathryn but you can bet I plan on doing as much as possible to be 'ready' by that point - ha, and by 'ready' we all know that's not even possible! ;) Kathryn is literally over-the-moon with excitement about her little brother. She talks about him throughout the day and I have no doubt she's going to be an amazing big sister. I just can't get over how grown up she is now. She's a little 'big girl' now!!

How far along? 25 Weeks, 1 day (UNBELIEVABLE. Time is going by soo fast!!!)

Total weight gain/loss: 13 pounds gained + (who knows ...)

Maternity clothes? yep. and a very generous lady my mom works let me borrow a huge container of tons of cute maternity outfits and she just so happens to be my exact same size!!

Sleep: Good sleep once I actually "fall" asleep. Been taking a while to get to sleep.. :(

Movement: he's a kicker in the afternoon and early evening. I'm thinking he may be a night owl like his mama!

Best moment this week: Hands down, best moment was getting to spend a long weekend with my sweet family. Also, setting up Baby Brother's beautiful new crib!! And moving Kathryn into her new bed with her new bedding -- she LOVES it and has slept like a champ in it. Their rooms are finally coming along nicely now! :)

Cravings: Lets just say I accidently went through the candy aisle at Target and let with a box of Hot Tamales, Sugar Babies, and Sour Patch Kids... No shame.

Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I just realized that apparently all I miss are food-related things... Actually, I also miss not being able to be as independent as I am not pregnant. I hate not being able to help Matt out moving things, lifting certain things, carrying things, etc...

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Deciding on a name!!!!

24 Weeks

2010-05-30T15:18:00.000-04:00

How far along? 24 Weeks, 5 days (Sorry for the delay! I was in GA this week visting the fam so didn't log on to blog at all until I got home again.)

Total weight gain/loss: 13 pounds gained +

Maternity clothes? yep. p.s. i hate shopping for maternity clothes.

Sleep: Good sleep this week. I think because I was in GA and we all had so much fun during the days, I was wiped out by bedtime :)

Movement: he's a kicker in the afternoon..

Best moment this week: Kathryn asking about baby brother and I said he wasn't "here" yet and she goes, "he'll be here soon!" Also, Kathryn and I looked for some outfits together for baby brother - (she learned that "outfit" was the same as "clothes") we ended up not buying any but mom gave us three she had bought for him. They've been sitting on our couch since we've been home and every time Kathryn see them she says, "outfits for baby brother! need to wash them first" - Because I keep telling her they haven't been cleaned yet :)

Cravings: FINALLY got my hot boiled peanuts and they were delicious! I've also been wanting french toast. That is SO a prego thing for me because I could go without having that but maybe 1x or 2x a year otherwise!

Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either. I'm adding beer back to the list because it's officially "summer" outside and we grill out all time time and eat out on our deck. I would be perfect for a cold one in the summertime evenings on the deck.

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Arranging the rooms! Deciding on a name!!!

Singing...Umm Yeah.

2010-05-20T22:06:00.000-04:00

So I've never claimed to have the gift of singing. One of my best friends and I joke about it because we've never been blessed with that bit of goodness and while I wish I could sing, I realize my inabilities and I've accepted that about myself. This morning while Kathryn and I were having breakfast, I started humming a song. I can't even remember what song it was but Kathryn goes, "no Mama. no singing." I looked at her and go, "Kathryn, no ma'am. That is not nice to say to someone. It's rude." So I started humming my song again and Kathryn goes, "no Mama. no singing please." Which cracked me up of course.

And just so we're all clear in the blog world, Kathryn and I sing together all the time and have a blast with it. She doesn't know yet how bad I actually sing and I'm hoping to go under the radar with her for as long as possible. This morning I think she just wanted to have her cereal in peace and quiet. I'm okay with that. I sure love that girl.

Moments I love

2010-05-19T20:34:00.000-04:00

Apparently I'm in a picture mood tonight. Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days of Kathryn and I being silly and me trying to get a picture of us together.

First "Official" Haircut

2010-05-19T20:21:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I took Kathryn to get her first haircut ever. Officially. She did such a fantastic job. I took her to Snip-Its in Birkdale, the coolest haircut place for kids EVER. Neither one of us knew what to expect and I think I was the most impressed. When the lady would spray water on Kathryn's hair to get it wet, she would tell Kathryn, "it's like raining on your hair!" By the end of her haircut when she was about to cut Kathryn's bangs and "spray" her hair for the last time, Kathryn goes, "no more rain on hair please." It was so cute! And of course her baby doll had to savor the experience as well. They were such troopers! Enjoy the photos!

23 Weeks

2010-05-19T19:35:00.000-04:00

How far along? 23 Weeks, 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: 13 pounds gained +/-

Maternity clothes? yep. p.s. i hate shopping for maternity clothes.

Sleep: hard to fall asleep. wish i could sleep on my belly again!
Movement: he's a kicker in the afternoon..

Best moment this week: since we found out we're having a boy, one of Kathryn's dolls mysteriously turned into a "boy" doll and she keeps telling me, "he's okay, he's okay." and "baby boy is hungry." another great moment, buying our new crib!!
Cravings: still want hot boiled peanuts (4 more days..) Other than that...fruit, honey wheat bagels with peanut butter and honey. oh, and cheerios

Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section either.

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Arranging the rooms! Deciding on a name!!!

22 Weeks

2010-05-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

How far along? 22 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 12 pounds gained

Maternity clothes? yep, getting bigger by the minute so now a necessity

Sleep: Can't complain, thank God!
Movement: he's practicing being a ninja. pretty sure he's going to be awesome.

Best moment this week: a new lady who was watching Kathryn at church in nursery said to me when I picked Kathryn up, "you must be having a boy. Kathryn kept saying 'mama have a baby BOY." too cute!
Cravings: Seriously. Ok, so I am dying for hot boiled peanuts and in approximately 12 days when I get to GA, my craving will finally be satisfied. Other than that...fruit, honey wheat bagels with peanut butter and honey - YUMMY, ice cream, cheese.. Last night after dinner I ate some chips and guacamole, 2 girl scout cookies, and an orange. For real.

Belly Button: it's out! (hmm.. lets just plan on this section not changing for about 4 more months!)

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section.

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Arranging the rooms!

Today's a very special day. May 11, 2010. Exactly ten years ago today, I met Matt in the Chicago airport when I met up with the group of students from UNI to fly over to Poland for the summer study abroad program. I was "the girl from Georgia" and he was the hot guy with blue eyes wearing a baseball hat. Ten years later: four years of dating, an MBA, a move to NC, many vacations and travels, a beautiful wedding, an amazing daughter, a boy-on-the-way, five-years-and-counting of marriage, ups, downs, laughs, tears, many many memories and by the grace of God, we can celebrate this day.

21 Weeks

2010-05-04T20:24:00.000-04:00

How far along? 21 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 10 pounds +/-1 (likely +)!!

Maternity clothes? yep but have to say I was a little bummed today when I went to purchase some cute maternity outfits and they still didn't fit right..

Sleep: Can't complain
Movement: Still not a ton of movement throughout the day, sometimes later in the afternoon/early evening he starts to play

Best moment this week: Kathryn saw her bouncy seat that we used to use for her and she said, "for baby brother!"
Cravings: Food. I just like food in general so what's new? (that about sums it up still..) And Cheerios. My friend Melissa mentioned a few weeks ago about having a bowl of Cheerios and I've been hooked ever since. We've literally gone through 4-5 of the HUGE boxes in the past 2.5 weeks!

Belly Button: it's out!

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section. It is all still true and will probably be listed weekly until our little man is born. I'm adding a cold beer back to this section for now. Sometimes, it'd just be nice to have a cold one.

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Arranging the rooms!

Milestone: Made it to the halfway point!!! ...and then some!

So. Want to hear a few things on my mind lately...? Lets just say, when you're pregnant...

One minute you can have all the energy in the world and the next second, be completely wiped.
One minute you can be over the moon with excitement and joy and all good things and the next, someone can walk across your path and just infuriate you.
One minute you can be comfortable and the next, remind yourself you actually did NOT walk into an invisible sauna.
One minute you know exactly what you're about to do and the next, wonder with curiosity why you're holding the iron in your hand and standing over an ironing board.
One minute you'll get up for ice cream and the next, come back with dill pickles and cheese slices (happened to me last night)..
One minute you'll think you made a breakthrough with a friend and the next, realize 'nope, it's still all about them."
One minute you'll think, 'ok, how am I really going to handle this God?' and the next, be overcome with total peace.
One minute you can be in the middle of a conversation with your husband and the next, ask him, 'so what we were just talking about?'
One minute you can be having a nice enjoyable evening outside with your family watching your little girl cruise on her scooter, and the next, realize you're a pregnant girl looking like a mad woman trekking it down the street trying to "catch" the older lady who lets her dog crap in other people's yards without picking it up. (happened about 45 minutes ago...)

So if one or any of the following apply to you while you're pregnant, you're not alone!

God is so GOOD

2010-04-30T14:15:00.000-04:00

It is AMAZING to see the people God puts into your life at just the right moments. This past week when different ladies found out I was having a boy, I received several responses along the lines like, "your world is going to turn upside down with a boy" or "don't plan on having a break for the first 2 years" or "you are going to have your hands full with a boy!", and so-on, and so-on. I was floored. It was somewhat discouraging because they all seemed to have a negative spin on them. I get that boys and girls are different but come on, a baby is a baby and a two year old is a two year old and they're all BLESSINGS. I remember being pregnant with Kathryn and people trying to "prep" me for having a newborn and all the difficulties of it. I promised myself then that after Kathryn was born, if any new mom's asked for my opinion, I was going to tell them all the joy and excitement they were in for. So many women are fearful enough by themselves of the unknown, why exasperate it with a third party opinion? On top of that, the reality is it is definitely a change to life but not something to be scared or worried or fearful of. Needless to say, after hearing several of the comments this week, I wasn't exactly discouraged (because I know we are in for tons of joy and excitement whether we were having a boy or a girl) but I was struggling a little wrapping my head around it all and sad that that was how some of these mom's described their boys as just being difficult.

Today, less than 24 hours later and still at the forefront of my brain, Kathryn and I went to Barnes and Noble - one of our favorite places to visit. I love it for the atmosphere, unlimited access to books and their delicious drinks and of course, she loves it for the "choo-choo train". It's the best of both worlds. While Kathryn was playing with the train station, wouldn't you know it...a lady came with an older daughter (4 and half years old) and a younger son (2 years old) and sat down right beside us. We were chatting within five minutes and we ended up talking for AT LEAST half an hour if not longer! It was such a fun time!!! We totally hit it off and it was such a comfort to have someone who was basically in my shoes, just a few years ahead of me. On top of that, she was thrilled to hear we were having a boy and went on and on about how fun both genders were. I was just tickled to hear that from her after all I had heard this week and then realized the perfect timing of it all. I know she didn't come across my path by accident and I'm grateful God had her on the calendar.

Visit with Grandma & Grandpa Gram

2010-04-28T19:53:00.000-04:00

She Cracks Me Up!!!

2010-04-28T19:32:00.003-04:00

20 Weeks

2010-04-28T13:15:00.001-04:00

How far along? 20 Weeks and 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: 10 pounds (confirmed by the Dr today!) Whoohooo!!!

Maternity clothes? yep

Sleep: Not too bad, just miss sleeping on my belly!!
Movement: Not a ton of movement throughout the day but at least once a day, he has a great workout session with tons of punches, kicks and jumps. His quads and biceps are going to be AWESOME.

Best moment this week: Asking Kathryn what was in my belly and she said, "Mama has a budda belly!"
Cravings: Food. I just like food in general so what's new?

Belly Button: it's out!

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Figuring out everyone's sleeping arrangements and organizing the guest room.
Milestone: Made it to the halfway point!!!

I had a great dr. appointment today. Blood pressure, weight gain, and the baby's heartbeat were all on track. She said I was measuring 18 weeks (versus 20) but said I likely would measure smaller because I have a long torso. She also mentioned an option about having progesterone shots weekly since Kathryn was preterm so Matt and I have to decide in the next few days if we're going through with that. She said while the shots have worked in the past to prolong pregnancies, there were no guarantees whether it would work or not. And with me having a perfectly normal pregnancy with Kathryn and no signs or reason for the preterm labor, it was a toss up whether I would have the next one early without the shots or even go full term to 40 weeks. We are leaning against the shots but will research a little more tonight. We believe the following: 1.) God is in control regardless 2.) there are no guarantees 3.) why put something additional into my body when the outcome is still uncertain. Yes, we can play devil's advocate with all of the above but God is still in control of all things.

19 Weeks

2010-04-25T15:04:00.000-04:00

How far along? 19 weeks and 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: 6 pounds gained (+/-) probably a little more..I hungry A LOT these days

Maternity clothes? some but man is it hard to find maternity pants that look decent on me!

Sleep: Not too bad, just miss sleeping on my belly!!
Movement: He is a kicking machine. He's been moving around like crazy. He especially loved hearing Beth Moore's telecast yesterday. I think he secretly wanted to meet her...

Best moment this week: Realizing that Matt and our little man can go fishing together and Kathryn and I can have girl nights together!
Cravings: You will not believe this. I actually wanted Chinese food today and I don't think I've eaten it in over a year! Matt was thrilled. Also I've been craving nuts and dried fruit..

Belly Button: it's out!

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now. I am not changing this section. It is all still true and will probably be listed weekly until our little man is born. Maybe I would add having a cold beer every once in a while too.

What I am looking forward to: Kathryn being the coolest big sister EVER. Buying new bedding! Buying boy clothes! Figuring out everyone's sleeping arrangements and organizing the guest room.

18 Weeks

2010-04-13T20:57:00.000-04:00

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: 6 pounds gained (+/-) (I'm pretty sure I gained atleast a pound yesterday with all I ate!!!)

Maternity clothes? Bought some really cute maternity shorts and two great "regular" skirts!

Sleep: Can't complain, just miss sleeping on my belly!!

Best moment this week: FINDING OUT WE'RE HAVING A BOY!!!!!
Cravings: I purchased my second cantaloupe ever and sliced it up this past week to satisfy a craving. Sweets. Lots of sweets too.

Gender: Boy oh BOY! Kathryn was right! All this time when I've been asking her if I'm having a baby boy or a baby girl, I thought she was saying "Baby guuurrllll". I think about 40% of the time, she was saying that but about two weeks ago, I realized the other 60% of the time she was actually saying, "Baby Koooollle" (Baby Kole is my friends baby who Kathryn loves) which sounded to me like "Baby Girl" with a southern drawl to it. She's been saying all week the word "boy" when I've asked her and that's crystal clear to understand! How cool!!

Belly Button: it's out!

What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. And turkey sandwiches (COLD). Yum. That sounds so good right now.

What I am looking forward to: Buying some new bedding for our little man!!

17 Weeks

2010-04-07T08:19:00.001-04:00

I'm sorry this is a day late! Yesterday was a busy day and I didn't log on to the blog at all. I can't believe we're already at 17 weeks!!! Time is going by just so fast!

How far along? 17 weeks and 1 day

Total weight gain/loss: 5 pounds gained (+/-)

Maternity clothes? In need of purchasing some maternity shorts. My belly band is one of the world's greatest inventions so I can still wear my regular shorts with it but I don't have as many shorts as I remember from last summer! Skirts with elastic waists are another fav - especially with our weather lately!
Sleep: Has been a lot better! Feeling great!!
Best moment this week: Feeling baby move around :)

Cravings: I purchased my first cantaloupe and sliced it up this past week to satisfy a craving. I also bought some $5 pickles in a jar from our produce man that just looked way too tempting. Who does that? And yes of course, I made a stop at Arby's for a Jr. Roast Beef sandwich...
Gender: wow, I'm at a total standstill. 50/50. I'll say boy this week because that's what Kathryn said she thought it was for the FIRST time this week!
Belly Button: it's out!
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure. Don't plan on that changing. Also, not being able to move things that are heavy. We're having our carpets cleaned and I couldn't help Matt move any furniture and I can't take the trash can up to the road on Trash Day. Now that I type this I am seeing how most anyone else would be like, "seriously, this girl is sad she can't take the trash out...what a freak" but I know it's something that helps Matt and I wish I could help contribute!!

What I am looking forward to: By this time next week we'll know if Kathryn's going to have a baby brother or a baby sister!!

16 Weeks

2010-03-30T13:51:00.001-04:00

How far along? 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: possibly 3 pounds gained (+/-)

Maternity clothes? I received some BEAUTIFUL tops from my mother-in-law that I just love so I've been wearing those. Along with my awesome Belly-band. Still haven't worn any pants although I am wearing my "lounge" pants a lot more often around the house...(elastic waist)..
Sleep: Has been decent this past week. I feel refreshed.
Best moment this week: definitely feeling slight movements!!

Cravings: oh where should I even start? Ok, so I haven't had Arby's in at least 5 years and I've had their Jr. Roast Beef sandwich probably 5 different times in the past few weeks. I also can't get enough of the big fat burritos from Moe's or Qdoba. One day last week Matt brought home Moe's and I had the huge burrito stuffed with everything in it and Matt pulled out his order which looked like a little weiner dog wrap compared to mine. Very funny.
Gender: this week leaning towards a girl since this pregnancy has been a lot like carrying Kathryn
Belly Button: it's out!
What I miss: sweet tea daily - go figure.

What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex!! and my dr's appointment this Thursday.We should find the sex out during the week of April 12th...

Big Girl Bed

2010-03-29T19:49:00.000-04:00

Kathryn put some of her dolls in her bed and said they were going "night-night". Then she turned her music on, shut the lights off and shut the door and a few seconds later came in to check on them. Here's Kathryn getting ready for bed with all her dolls lined up (would she have it any other way?):

Climbing out of cribs continued...

2010-03-28T12:48:00.002-04:00

I said awhile ago I was baffled by people who were able to update their blog daily. Well, I'm on a hot streak as this is my THIRD post in three days. I'm feeling wild and out of control! Ha. Hope you're wearing your seat belt.

I wanted to update you on the 'climbing out of cribs' saga we've been dealing with. I say that like it's been an issue for months but it's actually just been a few nights. Interrupting my sleep equates to a few months in my book but at least you know the truth. Last night was basically a repeat of my previous post, however Kathryn slept in her "big girl bed" for the first time!! In a way, it's a major victory but truth be told, I think a dose of it was because she was just flat out tired and didn't have the energy or strength to climb back into her crib. She didn't actually fall asleep until almost 11pm -- and she was put to bed around 7:30pm. At one point when I went to check on her, this is what she had created:

Yes, there is a wipe in front of each doll and they each have their own diaper. And yes, she is wearing her Easter shoes. No worries on your end. I know you're dying to know how everything turns out so I will keep you posted.

On to another subject matter, I now have a new thing to add to Erin's Things of Hate in this world. To refresh your memory, this is fairly short to start with:

The Post Office
"Answering Services" at Dr's offices
The Post Office
Changing sheets on cribs OR toddler beds* (*This is the new one)

That's all I have for today. Enjoy your Sunday!!

Last night...& Easter Egg Hunt

2010-03-27T13:48:00.000-04:00

I'll start with the bad and end with the good for this post. Last night was DIFFICULT to say the least. Now that Kathryn can climb out of her crib and there are no chains that I could legally purchase and use without child services putting me behind bars, it's hard keeping her in bed now. Her bedtime is around 7pm and last night she climbed out of bed at least 10 times before 9:45pm. Each time she was disciplined, we spoke about it and a few of those times prayed together yet she still continued to disobey. TWO of those times she climbed out to turn the light on and was sitting on the floor reading her little bible. I mean, what can you do!? She finally fell asleep around 10am, woke up and came into our room around 3am -- just long enough for me to wake up, carry her back to bed and then she fell asleep again but it definitely woke me up enough to not be able to fall back asleep easily -- AND I'm A SLEEP PERSON. THEN, she was bright-eyed and bushy tailed at 6:10am this morning. What a night. I've been re-strategizing for this evening. New battle, new approach. It's all good.

This morning on the other hand, was wonderful. Matt is still taking his Saturday class every other weekend so it was just us girls this morning. Our neighborhood had a Easter Egg Hunt and bouncy castle so Kathryn and I went to that together. This was her first Easter Egg Hunt and she caught on very quickly the idea of the "hunt". She was so cute. After we got home and she was going through her eggs with candy, every time she came across a mini-snickers or milky-way, she'd hand it to me and say, "Mama's..." or "Dada's...". Apparently all other candy types were hers. It was really sweet to see. Enjoy the pictures!

29 Years

2010-03-26T09:14:00.003-04:00

I couldn't have asked for a better birthday! Yesterday was wonderful. Kathryn and I had yummy muffins for breakfast together. Matt got me an AWESOME camera!! I'm so excited to learn how to use it properly :) I also got some BEAUTIFUL tops from Matt's parents that I just love and several sweet cards from friends. After breakfast, we packed a picnic and met my dear friend Melissa and her daughter Payton at the coolest park EVER and let the girls play and run around and enjoy our little picnic together. Afterwards, while Kathryn was napping, I made an oreo and fudge ice cream cake! How can you go wrong with any of those ingredients?? It was delicious!! Matt picked us up dinner - my current favorite craving of the week! And the evening was wrapped up with a few girls from my small group coming over for some excellent discussion, fellowship and chowing down on the best Oreo and Fudge Ice Cream Cake ever! Could a girl ask for more!? Here are a few cute pictures of the girls at the park earlier today:

Climbing out of cribs...

2010-03-23T17:55:00.003-04:00

Storytime... Yesterday, as I was putting Kathryn down for a nap, she climbed "into" her crib and then showed me she apparently also knows how to climb "out" of her crib. This was the first time I had seen either attempt. Today, when I was laying her down for a nap, I didn't want to say anything to her about climbing out because I didn't want to draw attention to it and remind her of yesterday if possibly she had no intentions in the first place of climbing out today! I laid her down. Shut her door and started doing a little work in the room next door. Approximately .004 seconds later, she was opening my door and saying, "Mama? Mama?" looking for me. Not only can she climb out of her crib, she's fast and she's SILENT! She may be the next ninja in the making. So I picked her up, put her back in the crib and had a little "come to Jesus" talk with her if she ever climbed out of the crib again. I was very clear what the consequences would be and very firm. She's in her cute little pig tails again today and as always, just as cute as cute can be so while I'm talking to her, I just can't help but think how precious she is! (Even though of course I'm basically threatening her with her life if she climbs out again..) So she acknowledges that she understands and I lay her down again. I shut the door and go back into the other room to work. Half an hour goes by and by this point I am PUMPED. Just when a little pride starts to settle over my body, I hear Kathryn in the hallway, "Mama? Mama?" and I open the door so she sees me and I can give her my, "You didn't listen to me" face before I discipline her. And she goes, "Kathryn went pooh-pooh in crib, Mama". Sure enough, she was right. So............I actually chuckled a little because I probably should have clarified: "Do not get out of the crib UNLESS you have to go pooh-pooh!" Oh the things you learn!

15 Weeks

2010-03-23T15:39:00.002-04:00

How far along? 15 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: possibly 2 pounds gained

Maternity clothes? still refusing to wear them but I now have to wear my new handy-dandy belly band which I LOVE. what a great invention!!
Sleep: HARD to fall asleep. Not a fan of only being able to sleep on my side
Best moment this week: feeling very, very, very slight flutterings! bragging to Matt about how awesome my belly band is and he said he wanted one for himself! also, my belly "popped" this week so it is so exciting having a little pooch now!

Cravings: smoothies, sweet tea (that will probably never change), mexican!
Gender: absolutely no idea
Belly Button: it's out!
What I miss: sweet tea daily, sleeping on my stomach

What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex
Weekly Wisdom: Purchase multiple belly bands in different colors to go with more clothes!

Pigtails

2010-03-22T19:56:00.002-04:00

A special little girl of mine happens to look ADORABLE in pigtails!! I put her hair up like this for the first time today. Not only did I love them, she loved them too! She kept shaking her head back and forth so her hair would touch her face. Way too cute!

The picture below, she insisted on her baby doll being in the picture as well.

Saying "CHHHHEEEEEESSSSEEE"

This picture is from this morning. After breakfast, she and I put about 20 stickers on each other. She was introduced to "Winnie the Pooh" today with one of the stickers. She looked at me funny when I said "Pooh" and started giggling. She is definitely Matt's girl!

Lollipops, Friends and Thank You Lord!

2010-03-19T14:02:00.006-04:00

What a great week! Today we were driving in the car and Kathryn randomly yells out "Thank You LORD!" It was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard in my life. I usually say that to her during the day or while we're driving - or of course if we were able to get our favorite Chic-fil-a breakfast (#2 three-count with a sweet tea), or if it's a beautiful day, or if we finally got rain we've been needing... But today, I'm pretty sure she said it because it is ABSOLUTELY beautiful outside! Spring is "officially" tomorrow but today we had warm weather, a beautiful blue sky and lots of green around us. I told Kathryn she was exactly right! It was such a sweet moment.

Yesterday we got to meet up with some of our dear friends for a few hours. The picture below is of Kathryn and her sweet friend Payton. They have such a blast together! (Obviously you can tell from the picture!)

And lastly...I saw from another friend's blog (CJ) ...the power of a lollipop... (ahem!) Needless to say, I bought a bag full of THREE HUNDRED LOLLIPOPS. Don't worry, they're all not for Kathryn and that was the smallest amount they sold! We'll be passing most of them out to the neighbors and any strangers we can think to get rid of most of them but nonetheless, they are certainly a powerful tool. I had to lay the ground rules down with Matt and Kathryn. This is a MAJOR treat so hand diligently.

14 Weeks

2010-03-16T19:49:00.003-04:00

My friend Mary started this with her second pregnancy and I thought it was such a fun way to track the progress of the pregnancy! This should hopefully keep me a bit more accountable to at least posting weekly. Although, I am really trying to get into a routine of posting more regularly. I actually could easily type a few Kathryn stories daily if I took the time to. Ok, ok, I convinced myself. Here's one from today:
Mama: (I sneezed)
Kathryn: Bless shu Mama, Bless shu (she thinks you're supposed to say Bless You twice)
Mama: Thank you Kathryn!
Kathryn: Mama coughed
Mama: No, mama sneezed.
Kathryn: Oh mama sneezed.
Mama: Yep. Kathryn, you're such a smart girl!
Kathryn: Thank you Mama! (all proud like)

How far along? 14 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: probably the same (+/- 1 pound)

Maternity clothes? nope, still working my favorite jeans for as long as possible
Sleep: HARD to fall asleep. Not a fan of sleeping on my side
Best moment this week: Asking Kathryn if we're having a baby boy or baby girl. Her proud response, "a giiirrl"

Cravings: fruit, sweet tea!!
Gender: absolutely no idea. very very slight feeling of being a boy
Belly Button: still in and normal
What I miss: sweet tea daily

What I am looking forward to: finding out the sex
Weekly Wisdom: Lord if I had any... Stayed tuned in for next week ;)

Milestones: made it through 1st trimester with no morning sickness!!

Happy Update!!!

2010-03-12T13:16:00.002-05:00

First things first, we heard the heartbeat and our sweet baby is alive and well!!!! Praise the Lord. Thank you so much for your prayers. I hope I never forget the feelings I had that day. It's so hard for me to explain but a big part of me was prepared for the sadness that I believed was coming and all the while, I knew and could feel God just carrying us and loving on us through everyone. On top of that, I had an unexplainable peace that whatever was to happen, we were going to be okay. I was definitely anxious to know the truth but not a panic, worrisome anxiousness.

I am sorry for not posting earlier than now to update. The past 12 days have been a whirlwind to me and I've just been counting down to today for a breather. I'm so glad it's finally here!

Somehow, and I still don't understand it, but Kathryn gets cuter and cuter by the day. She's learned to play Simon Says and pretty much rocks at it. She's speaking so much now - sentences - so we carry on all day long. It's probably a fair bet that she says, "mama" about 3,742 times a day. "Mama, whatcha doin', huuhh?", "There's a bird, mama", "Birds talking, mama", "What's Cooper doin', mama?", "Kathryn go potty, mama", "Whatcha doin' mama, huuhhh?" - I meant to put that in there twice. She says that throughout the day. What else can you do but smile when you hear your name!? Oh what a sweet little girl.

God is so good.

Where I stand.

2010-02-28T12:50:00.002-05:00

Sunday morning. I was helping a friend out today teach the 4 year olds at church during the 8:30am Sunday School hour. Halfway through class I excused myself to go to the restroom and saw what any pregnant girl fears for. I went to get Matt out of SS class and broke into tears telling him. We called the DR immediately and she said since I did not have cramping to try to relax the rest of the day and come in first thing in the morning to their office for an ultrasound. Matt and I are sitting in church holding each other and I can't stop thinking, "I've been under too much stress with situation "x"" and "I shouldn't have moved those things yesterday, I pushed myself way too hard," "I haven't been eating like I should.", "I should have been drinking more water." All things I should have done differently or better to have prevented this - if "this" is what it is. It's funny how you can be in church, God's place of worship, and be overcome with guilt in an instant.

After we spoke to the Dr, I told Matt I wanted to go sit in the chapel - where we have our service at 9:45am and listen to the band prepare for our worship service. I cried more walking there and tried to "contain myself" but knew if I left church, I wouldn't be facing the One person I knew who would get us through this. If you (whoever is reading this) do not have a relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ, I am telling you now that your life is not complete. I will not know until tomorrow morning where we stand with our pregnancy, but I know our Lord is faithful. Matt told me that anything that comes our way, we'll be able to handle it because we have Christ on our side and He'll carry us through. I had several dear, dear friends come up to me and though they didn't know exactly what was wrong, told me we were in their prayers. My sweet friend, Dawn, (I call her "my Paul" because she's my older friend who has a lot more wisdom and guidance than I do!) waved at me when she walked into the service and I smiled and waved back. She came to me at the end of the service and said, "Erin, the spark is not in your eyes, I've been praying for you. What's wrong?" She prayed with me right then and there. Just knowing that God is loving on us is SUCH a comfort. I have a very uneasy feeling for the outcome tomorrow morning. That's not to say that I do not have faith. I do. I have faith that if He is to work it out now, He will and if it is not meant to be right now, He won't. I sure hope He does though!!! And God knows that. We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Romans 8:28.

I'm just so thankful to have a God who cares for us and will carry us through anything that comes our way.

Choosing Words and Random Update

2010-02-25T16:38:00.004-05:00

The other day I was carrying Kathryn and for as long as I can remember, when I carry her she puts her little arm around my neck so her hand kind of just rests on my neck. I just love the feeling. It's like a constant "half hug" while I'm carrying her. Matt was out of town at the time so she was walking with me while we were taking Cooper for a walk. By this point, she had walked too far so I was carrying her and she let go holding onto me and was balancing herself up. Normally I could handle that but trying to walk the dog at the same time, it just wasn't going to work so I said, "Kathryn, put your arms around my neck." She did exactly as I asked...which resulted in a choke hold. Thankfully she didn't squeeze but it just tickled me that she did exactly as I asked her. Guess I need to make sure I choose my words more wisely!

One of her favorite things to ask me throughout the day: "Mama, what'a you doin'? Huuhhh?"

Potty Update: She consistently uses the potty every morning. Today she wore her big girl Elmo panties and has gone at least 4-5 times in the toilet (she even did #2 for the first time today!!)!!!! We had one accident while we were out and about but I had a change of clothes packed and she wore her diaper during naptime. She's back in her big girl panties and doing great!! One word: PROGRESS!!!! Yay!!

Fun Kathryn Pictures...

2010-02-12T17:46:00.000-05:00

I learn something new everyday...

2010-02-12T09:55:00.003-05:00

This past Wednesday I had another doctor's appointment to check on our new little baby growing. Kathryn was with me and was such a big girl. We got to hear the heartbeat which was amazing! My doctor is the same doctor I saw when I was pregnant with Kathryn and she is just fantastic.

We started to go through the typical "discussion" part of my appointment and she's starting to open my file and casually asks me, "did your membranes rupture when you had Kathryn?" And I answer her very sternly, "NO" and I'm thinking, "Goodness NO. What a horrible thing, I'm so glad that didn't happen to me. I can just imagine how bad that would have been..." By this point she's found her notes from delivering Kathryn and she goes, "Your membranes did rupture silly, you must have forgotten." And I'm thinking, "No way I'd forget something like that. I think I would have known if something so horrific happened to me when I was giving birth. Surely I just blocked this scary event from my mind. And why didn't Matt ever tell me I went through this!?" She proceeds to read my file and it hits me. Ooohhh. Ha. Ok, I get it now. "Ruptured membranes" = "Your water broke". Well in that case, yes, my water did break and it was completely okay. If she'd casually asked me, "did your water break?" I would have casually answered, "why yes it did." Instead, my brain took me on a wild, "what in the world did I go through while I was giving birth to Kathryn that it was so tragic I FORGOT!"

So, Mom, just be happy to know that my vocabulary is constantly expanding AND your daughter apparently survived a heroic measure of having "ruptured membranes"!

Princess Potty Chair

2010-02-03T13:48:00.003-05:00

Dear Fans, Supporters, Encouragers, and Friends,

Kathryn used her big girl potty for the FIRST time yesterday!! I have to admit, I was a little curious what would happen and I can tell you she and I both were thoroughly amused! It really does play music when you "potty" in it! So last night was a huge success (and breakthrough) and just the beginning of fun to come. (FYI: it's 1:47pm now and she hasn't used it once today...I know what you're thinking, "girl, this is just the beginning"...) Matt missed this time of celebration so you can just imagine his eagerness to hear this contraption play sweet music when you pee in it.

Sincerely,
A Proud Mama

My Parents

2010-02-02T20:17:00.005-05:00

I was recently informed that I needed to blog more... Two times in January just isn't going to cut it if I'm going to be a real blogger. So, topic of choice tonight: Parenting.

Whenever anyone asks me about growing up or my parents, etc...my response is, "my parents hung the moon". I know everyone is not able to say that but to me, I truly could not have asked for anything more. Of course there were times where we disagreed, and they annoyed the living daylights out of me, but they still established a strong foundation for me to learn who Christ is and what He's all about. I can call either parent up and ask for advice and I'll know they'll be giving me something biblical.

Dad's the kind of guy who when you call him, you just know you're making his day because he always sounds like you just made it. He can always make things look better and I definitely got my "optimistic" trait from him. I remember calling him up while I was in college playing soccer and I was absolutely miserable. I called him up crying and said, "Dad, I have 130 more days of this! There's no way I can do it!" and he said, "Erin, that's just about 5 months, not even half a year. I know you can do this!" I remember thinking, he does have a point, "5 sounds a lot better than 130!!" And he was right; I made it.

Mom is the fun mom. Not the kind of mom who isn't the parent, but the mom who will play cards (or any game with you for that matter), go shopping with you, cook your favorite dinner when you need it and listen when you just need her to listen. We were in a really bad car accident when we were little and she was in a coma for a few days and had to relearn a lot of things. Her memory never quite made a full recovery, at least, that's what I believed for many years...I've just recently been introduced to the word "selective" and I have a hunch that may play a small role in hers.. But all that is to say that she is surprised when I tell her things she used to do for us that meant a lot to me.

They took us to church Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, VBS and church camps. They took us to soccer practice all over the state of Georgia, multiple nights a week and came to all our games. They were our #1 fans. They helped us with homework. They were consistent. They tried to lead by example and they loved us unconditionally.

I've always been and will forever be grateful. Now as a parent, I know I have a big responsibility to carry on.

A favorite...

2010-01-27T16:31:00.003-05:00

This is one of my favorite songs. I think all of us are always "waiting" on something. Whether it's for a new job, a baby, to move, a friendship, retirement, relationships, or even for the sun to come out again after a few days of rain; this describes such a perfect prayer for waiting. I've been learning a lot about obedience lately so when I just heard this song again, the line "taking every step in obedience" rang over and over in my head. I hope this encourages you - as it always encourages me. We serve an ALMIGHTY God who is diligently working life out for us.

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopeful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident

Taking every step in obedience

While I'm waiting

I will serve You

While I'm waiting

I will worship

While I'm waiting

I will not faint

I'll be running the race

Even while I wait

I'm waiting

I'm waiting on You, Lord

And I am peaceful

I'm waiting on You, Lord

Though it's not easy

But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve You while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will serve you while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Happy New Year to 2010

2010-01-04T20:25:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year!!! I just wrote the date today for the first time. 2010. How crazy is that - a new decade. It's all about New Year Resolutions these days. My first resolution was to start posting on my blog daily...haha. Yeah right. I can tell you now, that will never be one of my resolutions. Matt and I made a commitment to read our bible in a year. Our church is doing "Voyage through the bible in 2010" and holding us accountable through our sunday school class and church service. We each have a new chronological bible and we're on Day 4 today. So far so good! I already know this is going to be an amazing year and I'm eager to see what all the Lord has in store for us.

Kathryn and I had a little heart to heart on January 1st and we agreed (or rather, I informed her) of her three New Year Resolutions:
1. Learn to go potty on "the big girl potty"
2. Learn to pick up her toys (we like to aim for the sky)
3. Learn to sleep in her big girl bed
I'll keep you posted on those.

One of my best friend's, Dabney, has this quote on her page: Don't rob yourself of the joy of this season by wishing you were in a future or a past one. Each season has its unique value; focus on the present possiblities, and be content wtih today. Live each day to its fullest. (C. Biehl) Wow! What a statement. And what a great mindset to start a new year!

Kathryn to the rescue

2009-12-23T17:48:00.002-05:00

The other day Kathryn and I were in our master bathroom upstairs. I ran out of toilet paper. Grrrrrrr. Kathryn's two years old now and learning all sorts of new words and phrases and about following instructions. I thought, "how wonderful! she can help me out in a crisis!" so I asked her, "Kathryn, can you please get mama some more toilet paper?" She replied, "ok Mama!" and ran off. I heard her little feet go past the other bathroom upstairs and then I heard her going down the steps. I thought, "Thank you Lord for such a smart child!! She knows that there are extra rolls of toilet paper in the downstairs bathroom!" Waiting patiently, I hear her little feet climbing back up the stairs and then run to me in the bathroom. With utter delight and pride she goes, "here go Mama!" and hands me a single square of toilet paper. Awww. She's just way too cute. Yep, I made it work.

Christmas Tree Shopping

2009-12-06T15:00:00.004-05:00

Let me tell you a little story about the Gram Family Christmas Tree... This year will be our 6th Christmas together. Our first Christmas in our apartment in Georgia, we borrowed mom's fake little Christmas tree that she used to use in her classroom at school. Hands-down I prefer live Christmas trees - the smell, picking out "the perfect one", how they look, etc..but having the fake little tree that first year didn't matter since we were celebrating our "first Christmas" together. The past five years living in our house, is where my story begins.

Year #1 - We venture out excited to purchase our very first tree together. We shop a few tree farms and end up at Home Depot and Lowes because we had no idea how expensive trees can get and they had the best (ie cheapest) prices. A little discouraged to be buying from a national superstore, and not driving up a mountain, finding "the perfect tree", chopping it down ourselves while sipping hot cocoa and singing Christmas songs, loading it into the car just as the first snow begins to fall as we drive away... No, that didn't happen our first year. Our first year purchasing our Christmas tree, I learned that Matt did not know how to tie a knot.

Year #2 - We venture out excited to purchase a Christmas tree. We drive to a few tree farms and remember how expensive Christmas trees can be and we end up at Home Depot and Lowes. We pick out the prettiest tree of the bunch and since we learned last year Matt didn't know how to tie a knot, we know this year it's up to me. Our second year purchasing our Christmas tree, I learned that I do not know how to tie knots very well either.

Year #3 - We venture out excited to purchase a Christmas tree. We drive straight to Home Depot and Lowes. We pick out the prettiest tree of the bunch, promise each other we're not going to snap at each other in the parking lot like we did the two previous years and we're going to work together tying the tree to the roof. We successfully tie the tree to the roof and drive home. Our third year purchasing our Christmas tree, I learned that it is exactly 2.3 miles from Lowes to our house and if you drive under 20 miles an hour the whole way home so your tree won't fall off, it takes a really long time to get home and cars behind you aren't happy that you and your husband can't tie knots and have to drive really slow holding onto the tree through the windows.

Year #4 - We venture out to purchase a Christmas tree. We drive straight to Home Depot and Lowes. We find the perfect tree, dread getting it home and promise again to just work together but thankful that we have a Trailblazer this year and believe it will be much easier than year's past transporting. We take no chances tying knots and put it directly in the back of the Trailblazer. Our fourth year purchasing our Christmas tree, I learned that if you put a tree directly into your car, you should have a sheet or plastic under it.

Year #5 - We debate about venturing out to get a Christmas tree. The morning we were planning on going, it was cold and drizzly outside. We step outside to see exactly "how cold and wet" it actually is and like geniuses, remember we need nothing short than ideal weather conditions. We agree we should wait until the sun comes out..there's no point torturing ourselves when we know it's going to be a difficult hour.. We drive straight to Home Depot once the sun came out. We find the perfect tree and then the most amazing thing happened...Two men (I like to think angels..) who work at Home Depot carried our tree out for us, wrapped the netting around it, and told us to pull our car up. We did exactly as we were told without hesitation. They loaded it on top of the Trailblazer, tied knots and tied it down in under two minutes. Matt and I looked at each other, smiled, thanked the men repeatedly and exclaimed that this was the most wonderful tree experience we'd ever had. We drove to McDonalds and got the men gift cards because we were so elated. It's going to be a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Yummy new snack..

2009-12-02T17:34:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to wonder if my blog is turning into the lamest blog ever now that I'm resorting to posts on "yummy snacks"... Hmmm.. Now that I have your attention, try this one day:

Spread peanut butter on a small tortilla. Peel a banana and put onto of the peanut butter. Drizzle honey on top. Wrap up like a taco and eat. Yum.

I'm not going to lie and act like we have whole grain tortillas - I'm not that health concsience but that would make it healthier and I've also heard adding granola to it makes it tasty. That may actually push my health meter too far to the right though... Enjoy.

Favorite Findings...

2009-12-01T19:43:00.003-05:00

Why spend money on toys when your child can play in the coolest "boat" on the planet for the same cost as diapers?

Last night after I put Kathryn to bed, I started to pick up some of her toys she had left out downstairs... This is what I found:

A perfectly set table of tea and grapes for two.

Pizza in a play wallet. Why do I never remember to pack a slice??

Her cup of milk in "her" frig. (Hopefully it was not from earlier in the week..)

Her purse on the pony. It makes sense..

2009-11-23T23:09:00.004-05:00

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is actually THIS week. Time just seems to fly by. This is by far my absolute favorite time of year. I love the leaves changing, the cool air, drinking hot tea and hot chocolate, attempting to make delicious fall treats, the holidays and getting together with family and friends, starting and carrying on traditions. So many things.

This month was Matt and Kathryn's birthday! Matt is officially a "30 year old"...That's so funny to say now. It honestly doesn't seem old to me at all. I've always thought of age as just a number. Of course, he likes to remind me that I should "obey my elders"... He's such a funny old man. (He knows I'm joking.) We celebrated Kathryn's sweet birthday as well. She is two now and every day she is turning into such beautiful little girl. No offense to all my amazing girl friends out there, but she is hands down my favorite girl. (I am sure my friends have already figured that one out..) I can't get over her sense of humor and how witty she can be. It's so fun just laughing at each other during the day over the silliest little thing. Here are a few of her latest phrases:

"Carry-o please" - translation: "Carry me please"

"Help-u please" - translation: "Help me please"

"Whats dat?" - translation: "What's that?"

"Uh-oh, it fall down" - she says this about 50 times a day for anything that falls..

"Where'd he go?" - usually asking where Dada is or Cooper is or where Michael is...

"Luv-lou" - translation: "Love you"

Her current favorite foods:

Bean burritos -- that's my girl!!

Chips and salsa -- that's my girl!!

Carrots and ranch dressing -- (To everyone who thinks I deprive her of sweets, Matt introduced this to her!)

Apples

Oreo Cookies

Pictures to follow soon .... trouble uploading right now and I don't have the patience to keep trying!

frustrations and ramblings

2009-11-13T22:54:00.012-05:00

I know I haven't written in a while and I'm sorry to post for the first time in a while on a "not so light-natured" topic, but I'm in a funk and I need to type and sort my thoughts out. This is one of the toughest situations I've ever had to come to terms with and this post is raw emotion and a needed outlet right now.

Yesterday evening, we had ABC News on with Charles Gibson. We never watch the news. Ever. I hate the news. After you read this, you'll know us having the news on last night was no coincidence. I was cleaning up the kitchen from dinner and in the background I heard, "We have never-seen-before footage from the Taliban. The date, July 13, 2008..." I jerked my head up so fast looking for the remote to turn the volume up. They showed home-video like footage of the Taliban hours before they attacked a remote outpost of American and Afghanistan soldiers. They talked of how they found out about the outpost and their plans of attack, their preparation and their encouragement to one another. They showed their discussion and prayers beforehand then they showed the actual attack - the fire, gunfire, rocket propelled grenades. I was watching the actual footage of the attack that killed MBP and eight other brave American soldiers. To clarify, I'd seen footage of the attack already. When we heard the news, I scoured the internet on any and every piece of information for weeks on end. If there was a story, interview, picture out there, I had to see it. What I saw yesterday didn't compare to anything I had already seen. This footage was all from "their" perspective. The enemy's perspective. I saw the attack from the Taliban's eyes and it was a victory to them.

I was instantly filled with hatred. Hatred may not even properly describe what I was feeling. Words like livid, and despise, and contempt all flushed over my body in an instant. I have never felt such bitter emotion so strongly towards someone in my life. I remember being so angry when I first heard the news about Matt and I really thought for a few weeks that I would never be able to forgive the men that killed him. I struggled with God so much during that time - pleading, questioning, begging, praying. It was almost a year before I had true peace with everything. To even say that is so surreal to me because I know it had nothing to do with my doing. It wouldn't have been possible if it were up to me. The reason I can say that is because I'm very capable of declaring who is evil in this situation and justifying my anger. I'm one of the best 'judges' I know and in this circumstance, my friend was the victim.

Peace in that type of circumstance isn't possible for human beings without God. Up until last night, I had a calmness so to speak knowing where Matt is and the glory that has been and will be received. That, I am firmly grounded on. I also believed I had forgiven. I think in my mind the forgiveness aspect was jumbled up in there since I had a peace about everything. With my reaction to seeing the video footage of the attack and my struggle today, I'm not sure that that may be the case. This is a very conflicting struggle for me. It's hard for me to concentrate on where Matt is rather than how he got there. I know typing this up has definitely helped me bring it back to Christ; which ultimately is where it should be. I'm doing a Beth Moore bible study called, "Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the Fruit of the Spirit". We're only in the third week of the study but I can already tell you that the title, Living Beyond Yourself is the best explanation to how I'm coping now. No peace, no clarity, no forgiveness is even possible without Christ. It's literally beyond myself and my capabilities.

Potty Training at its finest

2009-09-26T14:27:00.005-04:00

Potty training. Hmmm... I can already tell this is going to be an interesting time.

Matt and I loaded Kathryn up in the car today and headed out to the local Wal-Mart. We thought we should go ahead and purchase her little "potty" so she could start getting used to it. I think neither one of us knew really what to expect when we saw multiple brands of "potty chairs". Pretty sure we stood in the aisle reading all the boxes for about 20 minutes. Matt at one point is holding one of the boxes and starts laughing. He literally says, "this one plays music and rewards the kid for doing #2......Sweet." I'm fairly certain he was jealous at that point.

If only you had been a fly on the wall during this process of deciding which "potty" to go with. Again, referencing the parenting bible that doesn't exist, what's the criteria for choosing one? Design? Easiest to clean? One that converts into a million other things? One that plays music? One that makes "flushing" sounds? I mean, I could go on and on.

We settled on the Princess Potty chair. Clearly the title speaks for itself. Yes, it plays music...apparently that was a major selling point for Matt. I never thought I'd go to a store looking for a little box to sit on so Kathryn could learn to use the bathroom and walk out with a musical, plastic Princess Potty chair that converts into a stool, potty, and "seat for the toilet" sort of contraption. Good times.

Prayers for Brian

2009-09-24T13:14:00.004-04:00

Please pray for a sweet little boy, Brian, who is going through his first round of chemo today. He's being treated for Histiocytosis. His aunt, Dabney, is one of my dear friends and her family is going through a whirlwind of events with his diagnosis. Please keep Brian, his family and the doctors in your prayers.

From the Histiocytosis Association of America website: http://www.histio.org/

Histiocytosis is a rare blood disease that is caused by an excess of white blood cells called histiocytes. The histiocytes cluster together and can attack the skin, bones, lung, liver, spleen, gums, ears, eyes, and/or the central nervous system.

The disease can range from limited involvement that spontaneously regresses to progressive multiorgan involvement that can be chronic and debilitating. In some cases, the disease can be life-threatening.In some ways, histiocytosis is similar to cancer and has historically been treated by oncologists with chemotherapy and radiation.

Unlike cancer, histiocytosis sometimes goes into remission without treatment.The vast majority of people diagnosed with histiocytosis are children under the age of 10, but it is also found in adults of all ages.

It is approximated that histiocytosis affects 1 in 200,000 children born each year in the United States. This illness is so rare, there is little research into its cause and treatment, and it is often referred to as an "orphan disease," meaning it strikes too few people to generate government - supported research.

About Being a Mom...Part 2

2009-09-21T15:01:00.014-04:00

These add-ins are to go along with my original post. I'd like to clarify and say that this is what I've learned in 2 years. I'm expecting to have about 900,000+ added to this list in a few years. This is just an inside peek to what a NEW mom has learned. This list is endless...

- "Noise" takes on a whole new meaning when you have a sleeping child. Once your little kid is asleep for a nap, you hear every single noise you never knew existed. It's like you get radar ears the minute your child is born. If you were a cursing individual, you'd curse the sound of the lawnmower 12 houses down from your house, or the mailman two streets over slamming the mailboxes shut, or the dump truck 5 miles away coming down the highway.

- You'd never believe how many times you could listen to the same song or cd over and over just to see the delight and glee of your child.

- You go through kid shoes faster than you can say Willy Wonka Umpa Lumpa.

- If you have a dog before your child is born and he/she is your "baby"...that all changes when you have a child. He gets pushed to the back burner. And if your dog upsets you for whatever reason, he's no longer sent to his cage for "punishment"; your child gets free reign to poke/annoy/irritate/pester him. It's a win-win situation (for parent and child). Poor dog.

- More than you'll like to admit, you'll probably find yourself in a situation where you're in the grocery store, a restaurant, gas station, wherever and your child will start pitching a fit so loud you'd think you gave birth to a pterodactyl. You'll probably believe everyone in the Super WalMart hears your child screaming and you'll think they're thinking "can't that mother control her child?" I can pretty much guarantee this happening at some time or another. All I can say to that is......yep, just giving you a heads up.

- You'd like to think you're never going to say the things your mom used to say that annoyed the crap out of you like, "Because I said so" or "I'm not going to say it again, I said no" or "Say please"...they'll slip out more often than you planned on.

- You'll learn a whole new meaning to love when you meet your little baby.

- For some CRAZY reason, for the first two years of life you're supposed to reference your child's age by months. I've never been a math person and this one just throws me off every time. After four months I was confused and couldn't keep track anymore so my recommendation is to pick the closest YEAR your child will be and round up. Kathryn's been "almost 2" since she was 19 months old.

Pet Peeves...

2009-09-20T13:55:00.004-04:00

- Not returning grocery carts to the "Cart Area". This is a huge issue for me..This actually may be my biggest pet peeve (wouldn't you assume since it's the first one I thought of) If you're "able" to get one you are "able" to put it back where it belongs.

- Going to the post office. I think the post office is worse than the dmv. I despise the post office.

- Having to call Dell's customer service. Don't even get me started on this one.

- All the crap mail we get in our mailbox. No one reads it and it goes straight to recycling. Why waste the postage??

Lesson Learned Today...

2009-09-18T14:56:00.003-04:00

In hopes of avoiding the destruction of your mirror and bathroom sink from looking like mine this morning: Turn electric toothbrush on AFTER it is in your mouth. You're just going to have to trust me on that one.

Never forget, I have endless amounts of advice. Just ask anytime. I am sure you could learn a thing or two. And don't worry, my advice is free of charge...at least, for the time being.

On a completely new topic, I have a new favorite fiction author...Vince Flynn. He writes right up my alley of interest with political thrillers, conspiracy and espionage. You won't be disappointed - unless you don't like books on that type of thing...Oh well.

Quote for the Day

2009-09-17T16:41:00.002-04:00

Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.

About Being a Mom

2009-09-16T12:31:00.006-04:00

I have some friends who are pregnant for the first time and I was thinking of what advice to give them. Below, are a few things I've learned that the books don't tell you about being a mom...

- You should probably be prepared to get the "You are CRAZY" look from other parents or adults at some point or another. Whether it's deserved or not...that's a different story.

- There will be times when you think you've made the best decision for your baby and then realize you didn't. That's okay.

- There are the type of parents who are obsessive-compulsive about using anti-bacterial lotion 3,400 times a day...and there are parents who don't know what it is. I figure, they didn't have that when we were growing up so a happy medium should do just fine.

- At some time or another you may find yourself in a situation where kids are playing on a playground/play area together and a little boy you don't know (and whose parent isn't around) spits on your child. You can either a) spit on him. b) kick him c) remove your child from the play area or d) all of the above. If you're mad enough, you may get away with a) and c)...

- You can never just "run out the door" anymore. If you have some place to go with your child in tow, you will need the following:
extra diapers
wipes
bottle
snack
diaper bag
keys
purse
cell phone

- Kids pick up mannerisms and behaviors very easily. Pick and choose wisely who all you associate with.

- There are hundreds and hundreds of books and everyone has their opinion about how you should raise your child and what you should be doing. Always remember you are the one who is ultimately responsible for their well-being.

- When you hear "raising children is the most rewarding experience"...that's true.

- Be prepared to have your tv, windows, fireplace glass, refrigerator, dishwasher and oven door covered with little hand prints. It becomes part of your home.

- You will likely....or rather, you will most definitely do things you'd never think you would do in your life for your child (and no, I'm not talking about spitting on another kid - I really didn't do that but I did think about it.)

- Modesty is out the window when you have a baby.

- Driving down the road with the windows down and the radio blasting is out the window. (Temporarily)

- I still don't know how to get in and out of a public restroom while trying to pee, holding a child and making sure no one touches anything all at the same time.

- Running errands that used to take 20 minutes, now take about an hour. Plan accordingly.

That's all for now but I am sure I will definitely be adding to this list...

The Race is on...

2009-09-03T12:54:00.002-04:00

I'm hoping to have a great story for you later about me tracking down one of Donald Miller's manuscripts for a friend of mine but you'll just have to wait at the edge of your seat for a little while longer... He is the author of Blue Like Jazz. I've never read it (or anything else by him) but apparently he is hiding 60 of his manuscripts across the nation and on twitter letting everyone know a day in advance what state it will be in and the day of, he'll post the actual address of the hidden manuscript. Whoever gets there first gets the manuscript and a phone conversation with him about any of his books. Today, the state is North Carolina and my friend...who lives in GEORGIA asked if I could help her out since I'm kind of at an advantage. Since she's a dear friend, (and I figure if I'm able to get it, I won't have to worry about her birthday or Christmas present until kingdom come) I told her if it is possible for me to get to the location, I'll be throwing punches to get the manuscript for her. She told me to charge the GPS and thankfully I already have a full tank of gas. I also figured I could use Kathryn as a distraction if it became necessary. I'll just yell "WHOSE CHILD IS THIS!!??" and while everyone's trying to figure it out, I'll snatch the manuscript. I pretty much have it all figured out. I'm prepared to use any means necessary. This is serious business.

On a side note. Does anyone else out there think the Dilbert comics are the funniest things ever? I think Scott Adams is hilarious. The one on the www.dilbert.com site today is great. It won't be as funny if I try to retype it here for you. If you don't laugh at it, consider yourself weird.

Random thoughts from people our age...

2009-08-22T13:55:00.006-04:00

Enjoy...

-I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

-More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

-Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

-I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

-Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

-There is a great need for sarcasm font.

-Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f was going on when I first saw it.

-I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's
laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

-How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

-I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

- I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

- Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart". Or, "I'm an idiot."

- How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

- I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent someone from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

- Every time I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and
said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

- MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

-You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything else productive for the rest of the day.

-Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

-There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

-I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

- "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

- I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

Video of the Week

2009-08-20T21:06:00.004-04:00

Two weekends ago Matt and Kathryn and I went to a place called Lazy 5 Ranch. It's a 3.5 mile drive through a safari. There are over 700 animals - zebras, deer, water buffalo, lamas, giraffes, a rhino, cattle, pot-belly pigs, all kinds of animals! You can purchase buckets of food and feed the animals from your car. They walk straight up to your car window! IT WAS SUCH A FUN TRIP!!!!

The video below is of us feeding one of the animals.... By this point, one of the zebra's had taken a bucket of food from OUT of MY HANDS and walked off with it! So we learned the way of the wild and out smarted this bad boy...Yep, you just roll up the window..

Catch Up Time

2009-08-20T20:22:00.004-04:00

Ok, apparently I have slacked off again at blogging. I really don't see how people are able to blog daily. That just baffles me. Below are the latest updates that I can think of for our family. And by updates, I mean Kathryn updates:

1. Kathryn, of course, is such a amazing gift to us that I still can't believe we've been entrusted with her. She happens to be hilarious and cracks me up on a daily basis. Today we were sitting at the table for lunch and she starts giggling over nothing (that I can tell of). I look at her and kind of giggle back because she looked so cute and all of a sudden she starts farting really loud in her high chair. I start laughing so hard, I can hardly breath. She starts laughing back because of my reaction and then starts to try to make herself fart! Which of course makes me laugh harder and ALL THE WHILE, of course this is not something I would encourage so that made it even funnier to me. We started laughing so much that at one point, she was just holding her breath and squeezing so hard to make a fart come out that I had to tell her, she'd had enough. She's going to kill me when she finds out I blogged about this...

2. She learned to put her shirt on by herself the other day. (Over her clothes and inside out.) You can clearly see how proud she was of herself.

3. She LOVES watching Sesame Street. One of her favorite books has Elmo in it and I was curious to see how she'd react seeing him on tv so a few weeks ago I recorded Sesame Street and she is just enthralled with it. She calls it "ses-see". The minute the show ends and something else starts, she's back to reality and on with her day playing with her toys.

4. I was reading a book to her today and I pointed to a few pictures on one page and asked her what they were. She told me a "turtle", "bird" and "sun" - genius. She was right. And while we were driving she saw a flag high in the air on a flag pole and yelled "kite!" I was so proud. It may not have been a kite but the association is what's brilliant!

5. For the longest time any bug Kathryn saw she called an "ant". She said it with two syllables though like "ann-nt" (emphasis on the "nt"). Spiders, flies, moths, were all "ann-nts". We had a huge break through the other day. She now classifies all bugs into "flies" and "ann-ts".

And that about wraps it up for now.

Happy Anniversary to us!!!

2009-08-20T19:28:00.004-04:00

August 14th was our FIVE year anniversary!! We had a wonderful weekend in Charleston, SC celebrating. It's hard to believe it's already been five years but I can tell you, I truly treasure and value every single year and how it's shaped our marriage. Without a shadow of doubt, Matt and I know that our marriage would not be where it is today if it were not for our Lord Jesus Christ. I came across the poem below a few years ago. It is perfect.

Marriage Takes Three

I once thought marriage took just two to make a go,
but now I am convinced it takes the Lord also.

And not one marriage fails where Christ is asked to enter,
as lovers come together with Jesus at the center.

But marriage seldom thrives and homes are incomplete,
until He’s welcomed there, to help avoid defeat.

In homes where Christ is first, it’s obvious to see,
Those unions really work, for marriage still takes three.

Turkey says "Gobble, Gobble?"

2009-07-27T12:51:00.005-04:00

That's actually a topic of debate in our family. We went to the coolest park EVER this past weekend. It's the Dan Nicholas Park in Salisbury, NC. We had so much fun. We took Kathryn to the see the Nature Center and Petting Barn - where she got to meet a cow, sheep, goat, peacock, pig, turkey and a mini-donkey. Seriously, could a child ask for more!? It was at this petting barn where our little topic of debate came about. I tried telling Kathryn, "A turkey says, "gobble, gobble"." And Matt goes, "No, say "Yummy! Yummy!""... So Thanksgiving this year will be a little interesting... We rode the train through the park and also rode on the carousal! We all had a great time! Enjoy the pictures:

Turkey says, "Gobble, yummy!"

Kathryn isn't quite sure about riding the carousal but Matt's sure having fun!

Clearly Matt's having a great time!

July 13, 2009

2009-07-27T12:10:00.006-04:00

One year later.

This is dedicated to Matthew B. Phillips. Husband, brother, son, friend.

Matt, you are terribly missed and dearly loved. We are very proud of you and remember you often; more than often. We are forever grateful for your sacrifice.

We love you.

Is this for real?

2009-07-09T19:25:00.003-04:00

Remember my dream house? Last weekend while I was in town visiting the family, my mom and I drove over to see the house again. Yes, it was still under contract and no, we still do not have a job in GA nor have we won the lottery since my last post... Apparently the fact of the matter is I enjoy torturing myself. We drove around the curb and as soon as we see the house you can clearly tell some one's been there since my last visit during Memorial weekend. When we saw the house the first time, there was tons of overgrowth and tall grass everywhere. It looked like no one had touched the house in about a year. The sidewalks were overgrown and weeds were all over the place. Of course from my rose-colored glasses, I saw through the overgrowth and saw the house as 'the diamond in the rough'. Since my last visit, someone had cut the grass and trimmed back ALL the overgrowth and hedges. I actually thought, "well that was thoughtful of that person to clean up my yard like that." But then reality kicked in and I figured it was God's way of letting my down easily. So I've been prepared for the past few days to see the word "SOLD" when I look up the house online.

Today, I did my usual search and saw that ANOTHER listing agent was listing the house now! Once it was under contract, all the other sites dropped the listing but I came across this site that had been updated with MY house just a few days ago. I couldn't believe the realtor didn't call me and make me aware that these shenanigans were taking place. I got the nerve to call her and see what was going on. She wasn't available but the lady who answered the phone informed me that it was closing TODAY and the realtor was at the "signing table" but a glitch had come up and for me to call back tomorrow to see if it was still on the market. Seriously?? Seriously. You're telling me I called at the exact moment someone was trying to steal my house away from me? God sure has a sense of humor.

So there you have it. There's another genius out there who fell in love with the same house and just so happens to have stupid essentials like maybe say...a JOB and MONEY and ability to MOVE.

I must put a small little disclaimer on this post...I'm pretty sure a friend of mine is convinced I need to be committed after my last post and I had to clarify I'm not "really" eating, sleeping, dreaming about this house. I mean, yes, I loved it, but I'm making light of circumstances. I had to explain and reiterate these are written in jest. I'm going to call her as soon as I post this and let her know I'm really NOT going to give the new homeowners a basket of poisoned baked goods.

I'm BaAcCK

2009-06-23T21:31:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone! Sorry for being gone for so long. I won't bore you with all the reasons why I haven't posted anything lately. But I will share what I've discovered about myself in the past month or so...

I've come to realize that I am the following two things: 1. Type-A Personality 2. A Dreamer/Idealist. As far as the Type-A personality goes, whoa. That's a post in and of its self. Stay tuned. As for the Dreamer/Idealist....read below.

Some of you may know that we (Matt and I) are trying to move back to Georgia. That's the prayer anyway. A few months ago Matt found a house online that we were kind of keeping an eye on in GA. When we went to visit my family on Memorial Weekend, we all drove over to the house and were able to check it out (only the outside of the house). Instantaneously, we were in love with it. The property, the porch, what we could see through the windows...it was THE house. We drive back to my parent's house (less than 15 minutes away from our dream home) and look up the realtor to see if there's a possibility to walk through the house while we're in town. Turns out, the house was under contract!!!! We went from flying high to being shot down in a matter of minutes. I won't even begin to describe how letdown we were. So the next day, Monday, we drive back to NC sad...

Before I continue this story, let's go over the facts:
1. The house we like is under contract.
2. We've done absolutely nothing to try to sell our house yet.
3. We have no job in Georgia waiting on us.
4. We have millions of dollars sitting aside so we can pay two mortgages and move somewhere without another job to go to. Um. No.

So with those important facts noted, what do I do? I become obsessed with this house. Every single day I look it up online to see if it's still under contract. The realtor has our contact information to let us know if the contract falls through. I've imagined playing in the yard with Kathryn, decorating the porch with flowers, and where the Christmas tree would go at Christmas time. Have I seen the inside of this house? Of course not. Only sane people do that. There's no other word to describe my madness other than: Obsession.

Oh yes, my story continues... We are always checking out jobs in GA for Matt just to have an idea of what's available. The other weekend we found a job that if you asked Matt, would be described as "a shot in the dark". If you asked me, "the sky's the limit". I read the job description and thought it was a perfect fit for Matt. Matt reads the description and said he didn't have experience in half of what they were asking for.... That was the day I learned what Matt actually does at his job. My mom's asked me about a million times what Matt does and apparently I've been giving her and everyone else the wrong description for the past 4 years. Who knew? I now officially know what he does NOT do.

Anyway, since coming across "the perfect fit" job that Matt "only has experience for half of what they are looking for", I've convinced myself of the following: Matt is going to get this job. We are going to move to Georgia. Our dream house is miraculously going to be "For Sale" again in which case, we'll sell our house (in a matter of months because we're in the best economy ever) and live happily ever after.

Shamelessly Honest. The End.

Update to previous post...

2009-05-10T19:33:00.003-04:00

Since posting my last post, I wanted everyone to know that the flower company I had previously written about has won my favor back. Not completely because I am still upset about the issue, but without question they have responded exactly as I asked of them and their customer service has handled my issue superbly. Now I feel a little bad about posting their name in my previous post so I'm making some edits so you'll just have to guess which flower company I used! (Unless you're quick readers and already read who I'm talking about!!) There goes my cool previous title that took me 4 minutes to come up with! (kidding..)

Consider this issue dropped now.

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T13:22:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day!! It has been a wonderful day today, although, most days are wonderful to me anyway. What an honor it is to actually be a mother! I'm so thankful to be a 'mama' and I'm so thankful to have great Mom's of my own. How fun to have a day to celebrate that!! I'm all about cooking delicious meals and making yummy treats for the sake of "celebrating"! And by "cooking delicious meals", I mean, eating the delicious meals Matt cooks!

Maybe you're curious about my title regarding Amazing Flower Company... Unfortunately, "Amazing" fell off their name when I used them for Mother's Day this year. We've used them a lot in the past and Matt tends to prefer them over other companies. I placed the order a week ago and ordered the "Lilies for Mom" arrangement because both of our mom's love lilies and when in bloom, they're beautiful. Below is a picture of what my Mom received and a picture of what I thought I was ordering...

No joke. My sister said maybe next year I should ask them to just mail Mom some seeds and she can plant them herself. And for your reference, there are supposed to be at least 12-16 FLOWERS.

Kathryn Story...

2009-05-08T12:51:00.006-04:00

I wanted to post this yesterday but ran out of time. I have two cute Kathryn stories for you... The first one, yesterday morning I was cleaning upstairs and Kathryn was "helping me". She found a pair of black dress shoes that were hers but a few sizes too big so I was holding on to them for this Fall for her to wear. Since she found them she was anxious to test these cute shoes out so I put them on her and she goes tromping around the house so proud of her dressy black shoes. After about twenty minutes, I told her we needed to take the shoes off and put them up because we were going downstairs. I took the shoes off her and told her to put them up and I finished whatever I was working on. She came back to me empty handed so I figured she put them back in her room where she'd found them. Later that afternoon while she was napping, I finished cleaning upstairs and was in our master closet and saw that Kathryn had put her dressy black shoes on the rack with all my dress shoes!! There was a tiny little space on the rack that was empty and she put them there - TOO CUTE! Here's a picture but I promise this won't give justice to my delight when I came across this realization...

Second story...Same day. So Kathryn wakes up from her nap and I can hear her in her room just talking to herself and playing with her little "Ellie" (pink little elephant that she sleeps with). Side note: Kathryn the past few days has learned what a "dirty" diaper is. Not just a wet diaper, she knows DIRTY. And she can say dirty now too - (she says derrrdy). So now back to the story... I open the door to go pick her up out the crib and as soon as the door opens, the room is filled with a very stinky smell..... At the exact moment I smell the stink bomb, Kathryn is standing up and pointing down to her diaper and smiling really big saying "DERRRRRRDDY!" If you know the look of a proud child, she had that look.

I am sure she will probably kill me when she's older knowing that I've just told this story but with her sense of humor, I think I'll be fine..

Today - Project CARE: Mission Possible

2009-04-25T19:34:00.002-04:00

Wow. What a day. I'm actually having a little difficulty figuring out where and how to start this.

I'm going to start from the beginning (sort of) so you understand what I'm talking about. About 10 of us have been planning and organizing the projects and details for our Project CARE: Mission Possible since January. Our goal was to get at least 60% of the Sunday morning congregation involved which equated to about 500 people. Two weeks ago, we had 254 people signed up. At the end of the day today, we had a total of 571 volunteers. The plan was for everyone working on some type of project to come to the church this morning at 8:00am for a praise and worship service and then we'd all disperse to our projects. Projects included: making care packages for transitional families in need, serving brunch to a family homeless shelter, serving at the crisis women's pregnancy center, collecting canned foods, a habitat for humanity project, various yard work projects for people in need, school beautification projects, home cleaning for older or disabled individuals, cooking and delivering casseroles to various agencies, a car wash to raise money for various ministries, etc... the list goes on and on.

I fell asleep last night to lightening and hearing the rain pounding on our window, knowing that many of our projects today would be outside.

I woke up to one of the most beautiful days we have had yet this year. It couldn't have been more beautiful. On the way to the church, I was already overcome with total awe and just humility for knowing what was about to happen today that the drop of a hat would have brought me to tears. My own private, personal "theme song" so to speak during this whole planning process for Project CARE was Casting Crowns' "Lifesong". It's funny how you can hear a song so many times and it's just a song and then all of a sudden it totally applies to something huge in your life. The words are perfect:

Empty hands held high
Such small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord I give my life
A living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet

So yes, yours truly, got a little teary-eyed on the drive to the kick-off service listening to my song. The service was fantastic. If you can imagine a gym filled with men, women, and children in "Mission Possible" tshirts all ready to serve. It was short and sweet, pumped us all up before we left for each of our projects, and ended with a round of applause to the One orchestrating it all.

I oversaw a few projects that were being held at the church but I was able to deliver packed lunches with one of my girlfriends to two projects near by while they were taking place. One of the projects we were able to go to was at a grocery store in which a few of our volunteers were asking the patrons as they were entering the store if they'd like to buy an extra canned item to donate to the local food pantry. TRUST me when I tell you, this is NOT a project I would have signed up to do. I would not feel comfortable in the slightest doing that and truth be told, I even walk in the opposite entrance when I see Girl Scouts selling cookies at the grocery store I go to if I already have all the cookies I need for the year just to avoid them! But I got to witness this take place and meet Diane (on one entrance) who was representing our church. We arrived at noon with their lunches and they already had a human size BARREL FULL of food. While she was telling us about her day and how gracious and giving people had been, she said she asked one boy who was about 17 or 18 years old and she said when he came out, he handed her a whole grocery bag full of food. Just hearing that made me want to cry again and while she's still talking to us, a man walks out and hands her a bag FULL of mac&cheese boxes. That brought some tears. That was just the icing on the cake for me. I saw her story in action. I'm not a sissy. I just am brought to my knees with how gracious and compassionate people are when our economy is such a mess and so many people are without jobs right now.

At 2pm I had an appointment to pick up three HUGE trays of Baked Ziti at a small local restaurant in town called Prosciuttos. The owner, Joel, donated these casseroles to us which were to be used for a dinner this evening at a homeless shelter in Charlotte. When I pulled up, their staff was so kind to me. I was not able to meet Joel to thank him in person but his staff just repeatedly thanked ME and loaded the steaming hot casseroles in my car. It was enough food to feed SIXTY-FIVE of the 100 people our team was serving tonight! If you live in the area, go to Proschiuttos at Shops on the Green!!

When I arrived back at the church to transfer the casseroles, I was informed that $840 was donated during the car wash. Can you believe that!?

I can't wait for church tomorrow to hear all the other stories that took place today. It was an amazing day and I really hope I use all that I've learned the past few months and today not for next year's Project CARE: Mission Possible but throughout the year. It's not just a one day message.

Thank you for letting me share this with you. What better way to end this day than with the words from my theme song, "I want to sign Your name to the end of this day..."

Couldn't resist...she's too cute!

2009-04-23T20:52:00.005-04:00

First there were two....

Wanting nothing more than to be outside...

And then there was only one...

Who wanted nothing more than to help her Dada stain the deck...

And she was so jealous because the neighbor boy Braden got to help her Dada and she was stuck inside. (see him in the picture!?) She really would not leave the window or the door. She had to see what all was going on with her Dada.

Huh?

2009-04-23T20:16:00.002-04:00

Fresh Air

2009-04-22T15:10:00.003-04:00

I needed to take a quick break from the busyness of life so I'm checking out of the real world and visiting the blog world for a moment to give my brain a rest. Our Project CARE: Mission Possible event is this Saturday so this has been a CRAZY week so far trying to get the many last details in place. We now have over 400 people signed up for various projects and more numbers are still trickling in. I really can't wait to see how Saturday goes!!

This is random but I'm pretty certain that I have a fetish with notebooks. The other night I ask Matt to hand me my notebook and he goes, "which one?" I said the one on the counter and he goes, "there's two up there." So I started to take a look around the room and apparently, this is what my world has come to:
1 notebook for Project CARE: Mission Possible
1 notebook for Meals/Menu for the week
1 notebook as my planner
1 notebook just because it was cute when I saw it at Target
1 notebook for "Random" stuff
Oh, and no joke, today I walked through the office section at Target again and wanted to get ANOTHER notebook to try to start a prayer journal. You'll be happy to hear I didn't buy anything because the voice in my head said YOU HAVE TOO MANY TO BEGIN WITH.

I do think it'd be cool to start a prayer journal though. Just not really sure how to go about it. I'll have to find someone who uses one and see how they have it set up.

My INBOX is overflowing with all your requests and responses for me to write more blog posts and how my writings have impacted your life... So to all of my fans: I'm sorry for not responding directly to your emails but more posts are coming!

Kidding. (About the Inbox overflowing, and getting so many requests and responses and having fans and impacting your life with my goofiness). Everything else was for real.

In honor of my sister doing such a fantastic job in her nursing program at Mercer, the list below are all the parts of the body that Kathryn can name/point to:
nose
hair
head
chin
ears
eyes
teeth -- she chomps down and says teeeeef
belly - she also knows when we refer to her 'budda belly'
knees
elbow - yesterday we were working on that. I can't even type what she was trying to call it....she was kind of close so that's why it's on the list!

Our Sweet Girl

2009-04-15T22:13:00.002-04:00

Yes, she put both her cups in her purse...

Pink Camo, Christmas PJ's and a Strawberry Shortcake necklace...
Could a girl ask for anything more?

Happy Easter!

2009-04-14T15:09:00.003-04:00

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!! It's so interesting to me how year after year you can celebrate the same holiday and each year the impact is always different from the last. This Easter was really special. This time of year is one of the few times you can actually follow along Christ's footsteps leading up to his resurrection. I remember from years past always hearing "The Easter Story" at church on Easter Sunday. I always loved it - and singing "He Lives" and "Up from the Grave He Arose". I actually made a bet with Matt that we'd sing those two songs at church...we sang "He Lives"!! Hmm...Hopefully God saw the humor of me betting on a Sunday! Easter was always a day of celebration but this year was a little different. For the week leading up to Good Friday and Easter Sunday, Matt and I read the Gospels of Jesus' last week. If you need something to bring you to your knees, read that! It's just a glimpse of what Jesus went through for us.Talk about a roller coaster week of emotions. By the time Sunday came around, I knew exactly want the world CELEBRATION meant. Thank you LORD!

Sunday afternoon Matt and I cooked a scrumptious meal together. The menu:

Honey Baked Ham - Mom surprised us and got us one! Yummy!!
Deviled Eggs
Sweet Potato Casserole
Green Beans
Homemade Yeast Rolls
Pumpkin Bars with cream cheese icing for dessert

What a wonderful Easter!!

Trash Day

2009-04-13T16:32:00.006-04:00

For our neighborhood, 'Trash Day' is on Tuesdays. Every Monday afternoon, I drag the big fat nasty trash can around the side of the house to the street for the trash people to get the next morning. **Disclaimer: I've pretty much convinced myself that the reason I take the trash to the street is to help Matt out. He has no problem doing it but I figure it's one less thing for him to have to worry about on a Monday night.** And trust me, it's not a far walk at all and it usually takes me all of 40 seconds to do. Well today was another story. I went out like every other Monday to move the trash can and I could barely budge it. It was packed FULL and Matt had cut the grass this weekend and must have dumped all the grass clippings in it plus probably one or two couple hundred pound weights. (That's a rough estimate). So I stopped and thought a second. My first thought: Do I really want to help Matt out today? And then my second thought: Just because I have a 17 month old and haven't played soccer/really worked out consistently in 5+ years doesn't mean I can't handle this stupid trash can. And now hindsight thought: I am so stubborn! You guessed it. I went for it. I heaved. I grunted. I literally broke a sweat. And came very close to using a few foul choice words. While I would have said we have level terrain prior to moving the trash can, I could draw you the most precise topographical map of the 15 feet I walked. It is indeed NOT level. I'm finally about to make it to the sidewalk and wouldn't you know it, there was an older lady walking by who I am sure heard me the ENTIRE time. As soon as we made eye contact she said, "Are you alright?" I had just gotten my momentum going so I couldn't really stop to answer her question until I got the darn beast on the street. So there. Mission Accomplished. I told the lady there would be another free showing next Monday afternoon if my husband cuts the grass again.

Update to "My Mother"

2009-04-08T15:05:00.006-04:00

You're going to get a kick out of this post... Last night I logged on and saw that someone else voted on my poll where I'm asking if you think it's okay to give a child their first hair cut without asking their mother first... Read the blog titled "My Mother" for the story. When I logged on to the poll, someone had actually voted "Yes, I can do what I want" - which clearly is the wrong answer. Today I was emailing a friend and telling her about the blog and I told her...and I quote... "some retard voted "YES". Surely that must have been my mom. At least, that's what I hope! There better not be any other crazy's out there!!" Nope, turns out it was my father-in-law!!! Seriously.

Note to self: Throw out master "Do Not" list and begin working immediately on a "Grandparent Manual" for all future visits. Include the following: 1. Coaching on answering questions correctly. 2. Teaching children to not call people retards and crazy when they could be your family.

No Thanks to Sweetness...

2009-04-06T19:18:00.007-04:00

Aside from this being one of the cutest videos you'll ever see in your life...it's also proof that our daughter does in fact, NOT like sweets! Oh how this makes me proud because she's just like her mama in this area! Don't get me wrong, I definitely can enjoy yummy cakes or brownies but I was not born with the "sweet tooth". Now my husband and my family on the other hand, are the type that if there is anything sweet in the house, WWIII will take place and if you're still standing after the fight, you'll usually only have about 24 hours (or less) before the next battle. Looks like Kathryn will be Switzerland with me...

Enjoy!

Project CARE: Mission Possible

2009-04-06T14:53:00.007-04:00

If you know me, you've heard me talking a lot about this for the past several months. On April 25th, our church is participating in Project CARE: Mission Possible. It is a one day, hands-on mission blitz in the Lake Norman and surrounding areas. We will be serving our community and people in need through various projects including collecting and donating food to local shelters and food banks, organizing care baskets, preparing food and gathering items to give to the youth homes and shelters and many others. Our verse for this event is Ephesians 2:10 "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." If you live close by and would like to join us, click here for more information or we'd love for you to be one of our prayer warriors and pray for us and everyone we meet that day!

Rated PG-13

2009-04-01T11:30:00.006-04:00

I forgot to mention another "moment" while at my parent's house last weekend. My sister and I were sitting in the living room hanging out while Kathryn and Michael were playing. We were talking and Kirsten was telling some story about her week and I asked her a question about it and although she responds with a much lowered voice than "normal" she says, "That's a big, fat H*LL No!" Kathryn looks up and says to us, "EL No!" No joke, my eyes almost popped out of my head like, did my daughter seriously just say her first curse word at age 16 months??

Note to self: Add "Do not use profanity" to master "DO NOT" list when visiting grandparents

Birthday Festivities...

2009-04-01T11:16:00.007-04:00

I had a great birthday last week. For some reason I kept thinking I was going to be 29 but when it came down to my actual "birth day" I realized I was really turning 28. I did the math and now I have TWO more years to plan for my 30th!!

Kathryn and I met my friend Leslyn for a play date with her two children, Titus and Eden. Eden is still a little baby but Titus and Kathryn had a ball together. They were so sweet together. In the afternoon, we baked my favorite birthday cake, chocolate cake with cream cheese icing. That evening my sweet husband went to the Fresh Market and got some yummy Salmon (my favorite) and cooked a delicious meal for us. He also gave me a new camera and the movie Twilight... Which if you know me, you know I'm a huge fan of the books. And if you know my husband, Matt, you know he must really love me to have walked through Target carrying around a movie about vampires!

Here are a few pictures from my new camera!

My Mother

2009-03-26T15:40:00.005-04:00

I'm pretty sure my mom thinks she made it under the blog radar but nope, I wanted to give her a few days so she'd think she was in the clear before I made this tragedy known to the entire universe. As you know, I just returned from visiting my friend Brooke in Cleveland. While I was out of town, my parents enthusiastically agreed to watch Kathryn. We've only left her over night before so this was a leep for us to leave her for three nights. Thankfully, we both have great parents and we totally trust them with our precious girl. When I was flying out of Cleveland on Sunday, I called mom to ask if she could bring Kathryn with her to the airport when she picked me up because I hadn't seen her in three days and just wanted to love on her as soon as I could. When Mom pulled up at the airport, I saw Kathryn in the backseat and she was all smiles and just looked as beautiful as ever. But she looked different. I told mom she looked all grown up and how could that be since I was only gone for three days? We start to drive and I keep looking back and patting Kathryn and trying to blow her kisses and I say again how she looks different. In hindsight, mom was clearly dodging my comments and finally the truth was made known. My mother had Kathryn's hair CUT while I was out of town. Kathryn has never had her haircut before and my dear mother took it upon herself to have the honor. Oh. I. Was. Livid. To. Say. The. Least. If you have kids, I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. If you don't have kids, I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. That's just something you do not do. Even if you are the Nonni. And to add fuel to my fire, when I asked my mother if she cut Kathryn's hair, she replied, "No, "I" did not cut her hair...." She only AGREED to have her friend cut it! So no, I was not at my daughter's first haircut. Lesson learned: Begin working on a master "DO NOT" list for future overnight visits with grandparents.

Cleveland Trip

2009-03-25T15:23:00.008-04:00

My trip up to Cleveland was tons of fun!!! It was so great visiting with Brooke and Todd, we crammed in as much as we could in three days. I flew in Thursday evening and we headed straight to Harpo's to chow down on their delicious wings. Afterwards we headed to their house - which I finally got to see for the first time and they've been living there going on three years! Their house is 106 years old! It had beautiful maple floors and tall doors with gorgeous trim and moldings. Their dining room had the original built in china hutch with glass doors on the sides and a bench in the middle. I could probably type an entire post on their home but we'll save that for another day. As beautiful as their home was, there was one major, major fault.... they kept their thermostat at like 27 degrees! Maybe that's a slight exaggeration but it was a bit on the chilly side. Although I will say, Brooke did warn me of how cold it is in Cleveland. When I called her the day before I was flying out to ask if I needed to pack long johns, she said "No, of course not!" I'm kind of thinking she should have probably said "Yes!" Note to self: Bring all the long johns you can find for the next visit to Brooke and Todd's...

Friday, we spent the day in Amish Country. Touring shops, antique stores, wineries, and eating so much food we could barely walk. We ate lunch at the Der Dutchman Restaurant. It's been almost a week since my trip and I'm still full from eating there! Delicious!! We seriously ate so much, Brooke was half tempted to ask one of the Amish for a ride to our car. The country side was beautiful. Rolling hills, lots of farm houses, and old barns. I think my favorite was seeing the Amish riding in their little buggies, especially when the kids were the ones driving!

Saturday was another great day. Brooke and Todd drove me all over Cleveland. We took our pictures in front of Lake Erie and got to see all of downtown Cleveland. We went to the West Side Market - more fresh food than you can imagine in one place. We got some clams, bread, veggies and herbs for dinner that night. I wish we had a place like that in Charlotte! We ate lunch at Panini's and ate their famous "overstuffed sandwich". Mine was piled high with turkey, swiss cheese, french fries and coleslaw. No joke. It sounds disgusting but it was really good! Again, still full from that meal. Saturday night we cooked our feast from the West Side Market. Or rather, Todd graciously cooked dinner for all of us. You may be wondering at this point, what did we do in the evenings during my visit to Cleveland? Two words for you: Guitar Hero. I had never played before until this trip. I am convinced we played over 20 hours while I was visiting. Brooke just emailed me her pictures from my visit...and the only pictures she had on her camera were of us playing Guitar Hero. Oh, yes of course, let me answer your question. I AM a rock star.

It was such a wonderful trip. Like always, we had a blast hanging out together. Brooke and I figured out that we've been best friends for sixteen years now and we've been through middle school, high school, college, roommates, and weddings together. Two minutes after that discovery, she spilt her drink all over my pants and my shirt and I didn't think once about punching her for it. We really are true friends.

Rabid Coon Showdown

2009-03-23T20:07:00.012-04:00

Yes, you read the title correctly. There's never a dull moment when visiting my family in GA. Yesterday afternoon my sister and I were sitting outside my parent's house watching her boy Michael play in the yard when Dad comes flying up the driveway in his truck. He parks right in front of the house and yells "I'm getting my gun!" as he runs into the house. Two seconds later he runs back to his truck with his gun and tells us to stay where we are because he just passed a rabid racoon on the driveway near the road. He speeds down the driveway in his truck again looking for the coon. As soon as he drives away, Kirsten and I run after him (sort of, and obviously cautiously since he told us to stay where we were) to see where he was going because of course we wanted to see what was happening. Through the trees, we saw him drive up the road a little ways until he was out of sight. After a minute or two we saw his truck again and he stopped in front of our driveway and then Dad was out of the truck, hopped our neighbor's fence and was RUNNING up hill through our neighbor's pasture apparently chasing this coon. By this point we decided to call our neighbors (who are practically family to us) to let them know of the shenanigans about to take place on their property. We told Rodney what was going on and he said he'd grab his gun and meet Dad in the field. So now Kirsten and I are dying since we're not part of the action so we convince mom to drive us over to their house to see if we could see the showdown. We load up the car (Mom, Kirsten, her son Michael, my daughter Kathryn and I) and drove to the end of our driveway with the windows down so we could at least try to hear anything. A few moments later we heard the gunshot! Macho Dad comes walking over the hill towards us through the pasture and Rodney drives down in the gator to let us in the gate to their property. We follow them (children and all) to the other side of the pasture where the rabid coon lay. Dead of course. Check out the pictures below for the full effect. We were so proud of Dad! **And if this post offends anyone, please note: our children, pets, and our neighbor's children, horses and pets are all much safer now.

Macho Dad and the fence and hill he conquered.

On our way to see the showdown scene...

Me, Kathryn, Kirsten and Michael

Macho Rodney after the showdown

"Room Time"

2009-03-15T13:38:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago, a new friend of mine told me about "Room Time". I had also heard of it from a parenting book I had read but had completely forgotten about the idea until my friend brought it up. In an ideal world (obviously major emphasis on IDEAL), "Room Time" is where you put the little baby gate up and let your little one play in their room for 30 minutes or so and while they're happily playing on their own and their sweet music is playing in the background, you have that bit of freedom to finish a load of laundry, clean the house, start dinner, etc, etc. And of course the idea is to help them learn independent play and to teach them that they cannot be catered to 100% of the time and that they have boundaries when they play. After my friend told me of her experience and explained how it had impacted their family, I thought, "That sure sounds like a wonderful idea. Let's give it a go!" So the following Monday, I decided to test this new little theory out. I told Kathryn all about "Room Time" and how much fun she was going to have (and how much I was going to get accomplished) and I put our little baby gate up and turned her soft music on and went about my list of things 'To Do'. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday went by and every single day for those 20 minutes of "Room Time", Kathryn stood at the baby gate crying and begging me to let her out. I know if she could actually say these words, she was saying "I H-AAA-T-E room time! Room Time isn't fun mama!! Get me out of here!!" But since parenting is all about consistency, I wasn't giving up. At least not that easily... So Friday rolls around and I put her extra favorite toys in her room and encourage her again with how much FUN it's going to be. YIPPY!!! And so I leave the room and (like every other day) stand a little ways away from the door where she can't see me, to see if she's actually going to play...I mean, TOUCH any of her toys. After about five minutes she STOPS crying! I couldn't believe my consistent parenting skills had already worked! I started doing the little "Who's the Super Mom? I'm the Super Mom!" Dance.. And so I waited a few more minutes before I did my "peek" to see what she was actually playing with and this is what my sweet girl was up to...

Yep, my sweet girl was sound asleep on the floor. That would only happen to my child. She probably figured, "I'll show mama what I think about her 'Room Time'...and her tacky "Super Mom" dance!" Our sweet little girl. She totally has my heart.

Is there such a thing as coincidence?

2009-03-14T20:12:00.007-04:00

Hello again. It's been a while since I've posted... I'm not in the 'routine' yet of being a true blogger I suppose. I wanted to share a little story that happened to me today. Actually, to start the story off, you'll need a little background information. In July 2008, my family and I lost a dear friend of many years who was killed in Afghanistan while fighting for Operation Enduring Freedom. His name was Matt Phillips and he was 27 years old. Many people took his loss to heart and desperately tried (and continue to try) to come to terms with his passing. As a believer, I can now confidently say that I know he is in heaven with our Lord and Savior but there are still days that I am brought to my knees in confusion and sadness. After his funeral, my sister and I had a little bumper sticker made that said "Cpl Matthew B. Phillips - Matthew 5:8 - Will Not Be Forgotten", as a reminder of him and of his favorite verse. We wanted him to be remembered and we wanted to be reminded to pray for he and his family every time we saw the sticker on our cars. So now, fast forward to March 2009...just a few days ago, I had the fantastic pleasure of having an old friend come to visit for the night and we were able to catch up and talk for hours on end about life, boys, work, and anything and everything two girls could think to gab about. Late in the night while we were talking, our conversation turned to christianity. My friend and I have discussed this topic before over the years, and while she is still searching for her Truth, we had some great breakthroughs in our discussion. At one point, our conversation took the turn of her questioning, "If God is good, why would he allow someone such a horrible death" - referring to a friend of hers. And of course, I instantly thought of my friend Matt so I brought his story to light. I didn't have the answer to her question, other than knowing that all things work to God's glory and He controls every single thing that happens. Although, I think unless you are grounded in the word, those blanket statements my not make sense to all. And even to me, I still have many questions I would like to know answers to. But regardless, our conversation was fantastic and we cried and put our hearts on our sleeves. She left the next day as planned and for the next two days, I'm sure because I brought him up in conversation, Matt Phillips was on my mind more than usual. Last night before I fell asleep, I said my prayers and literally ended with tears to God saying, "and please tell Matt I said hello". Today, my husband and I were driving to the store in the rain and stopped at a red light. As we started to move forward, the car beside us honked and had us roll down our windows. It was a father and he had a car full of kids. He said to us, "Our bibles are in the trunk, but what is Matthew 5:8?" And I stared at him stunned and then smiled and said, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God." He and the kids all said thank you and drove away smiling and waving at us through the rain. It wasn't until a few minutes later that I was overcome with emotion. I couldn't stop crying. That was the first time anyone had ever asked me about the sticker. To have Matt's favorite verse passed on to car full of complete strangers and to have God recognized, is a feeling more than I can type into words. And the most amazing part of it all, I know God was saying "hello back".

Facebook

2009-02-09T11:27:00.010-05:00

I'm posting again for the sake of posting and I'm trying to get myself into a little routine of keeping up with my new fascination of 'blogging'. My husband thinks I'm being a goob but I do have a topic of interest today...Facebook.

I'll admit, I'm a fan. I think it's a great way for people to keep in touch and to reunite with old friends or coworkers or whatever. With that being said, what gets me is how trivial it is when it comes to accepting a friend request from 'your friend's cousin's boyfriend's friend' who you met once in 1997 at a highschool football game who somehow happened to find you on FB and now wants to be your friend. Seriously? So do you accept the friend request or ignore it. But then it just really boils down to who has the most friends so of course you accept it. Why not? Aren't we cooler with 253 friends versus 252? I know I am. I'm planning to join the Facebook group, "Why are we friends on Facebook when I don't know you in real life?". I think that group speaks volumes to me.

Introductions

2009-02-07T16:22:00.017-05:00

Hello! To anyone reading this, it's taken me literally months to make my mind up on what to name this blog site and what url address to use..and I finally decided on something I'll probably change anyway. I figured at this rate, my first blog would be posted by year 2011 so now I'm throwing caution to the wind and we'll see where it takes us.

To answer your question, "who is this person writing the most amazing blog I've ever read?" A little about me...

1.) I think The Office is one of the funniest television shows EVER. And if you like their sense of humor, you'll get mine. I'm sarcastic and use dry humor on a semi-regular basis. There. You've been warned. Sure, I know you're curious as to why in the world I would start describing myself by referencing a TV show, but if you had just seen the last episode I saw, you'd have to talk about it too.

2.) I'm a horrible speller and have a fairly limited vocabulary. If you're wanting to read a blog with fancy words..you are definitely at the wrong site. I like words like 'fun', 'cool', etc..anything beyond that, is straight from the thesaurus (which I totally just googled how to spell...).

3.) I like to secretly think I could be one of the best spies in the world. I imagine I'd be like Jason Bourne - but the female version. And minus the assassin part. I'd be able to walk into a room and know the license plate numbers to the six cars outside, know the altitude and distance to the nearest town and be able to fight off any punk that got in my way. And speaking of Jason Bourne, I've watched the Bourne Identity at least 10 times and it's always the movie I suggest to watch again. Probably so I can secretly work on my skills.

4.) Speaking of skills, these are a few that I LACK: I cannot sing (not that you care). I'm not going to lie though, I'm horrible. And my nunchuck skills are seriously pathetic. Little shout out to Napoleon. I can't believe I really just said that. I'll probably delete this whole entire #4 in a few weeks or so.

5.) I am one of those "organized, detail-oriented" types. But not to the extreme where everything is tabbed and color-coordinated and has to be filed away just so. That's a little over the top.

6.) I've been married to my hubby Matt for almost five years. We have one of the greatest gifts God has ever given - our daughter, Kathryn. As of today, she's almost 15 months old. She is the delight of my life.

Ok, I just did a "preview" of this and it's looking rather long so enough about me for now. I'm sure you'll get to know me over time. Feel free to comment any time. Happy Reading!