always on my mind

twenty-four-seven-ness

2012-01-20T22:23:00.002-06:00

There are many things in mommy hood you can prepare for. You can do things like buy the right furniture, decorate the nursery, have a college fund started, buy the things you know you will need for day to day life with a child...and do things like learn how give a new born a bath, or potty train a 2 yr old, or figure out the correct medicine dosages needed for a fever, or how to make your own baby food, or how to sooth a crying baby, or how to childproof your kitchen...and the list goes on. So many things you can prepare for and do well.

But the thing that no one can prepare a new mom for is what I like to call the "twenty-four-seven-ness" of the job. The no breaks, no relief, no full nights sleep, no turning off the internal awareness we have of our kids once they are placed in our arms (heck, in our bodies for that matter...it starts when we are pregnant). There is no preparing for it. You can know about it, and see others experiencing it...but you can't prepare for it. And once you are in the middle of it, you can't turn the train around. lol. It's a new way of life. And it is exhausting.

But along with the exhaustion comes never missing a beat, being in tune with our babies, being 100% completely invested into their little lives. It is what makes the twenty-four-seven-ness worth it. So incredibly worth it.

If you have kids, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't have them yet, but think you will someday...you will find out.

So on that note, I am going to sleep. Sleeping when baby sleeps is an important part of surviving the twenty-four-seven-ness...you never know when they will need you. Need...not want, need. No pressure ;-)

I read a great article recently about moms with one child. It was not so long ago that I only had one...and this article rang so true. Yes, two kids is more work...but one kid was a lot of work too. I am hoping that some day the two will keep each other occupied and happy and it won't be as intense as only having one. I guess time will tell :)

"We write to taste life twice..."

2012-01-18T17:39:00.003-06:00

I was in Target trying to find my little wandering family (Lance had both boys alone with a Target cart while I made a return...danger will robinson) when I passed through the stationary aisle and ran across this darling notebook. Now I am super picky about notebooks...there are many many many notebook covers I fall in love with, but if the paper on the inside is lame then it doesn't matter. I don't like the big wide ruled lines and strange little markings in the corners. It's a quirk...I have a few.

Anyhow, I love this notebook but wasn't even tempted to buy it cause the paper was lame. So I pulled out my phone and snapped a pic instead.

I feel this quote. It is why I blog. It is why I don't blog about things that I don't want to relive...like a good fight with the hubs, or family drama, or the poopy diaper that ruined my day...sometimes I do write about the bad days because I survived them, and that IS worth remembering, and "tasting twice". There is so much good in life to remember and to live again through writing. Some of it is too good to capture in words and so I try to capture things in a picture.

Life in Nashrock is starting to fall into a groove, I am hoping to do a bit more blogging if I can master the art of getting two children to sleep at the same time...wish me luck!

Less is more...I hope.

2012-01-12T15:58:00.001-06:00

I have never been a big talker. I remember my mom trying to get me to talk more when I was a kid, but I was just more interested in listening and observing. It's not like I never talked, I just wasn't a chatty girl.
This is still pretty true of me, although I do try to be more vocal now.
But the reason I was thinking about this today is I was praying for my babe Lucas who is still fighting off a cold...going on 6 weeks (he's only 7 weeks old)...and I started wondering if God thinks I'm to quiet when I pray...do I need to say more than "please help my baby boy feel better, please lord" or should I be saying more. I know lots of people who pray and pray and pray...long prayers. Of course comparing isn't good but this is more theoretical than thinking of a specific person.
Is my simple prayer enough? I know the answer is that yes, it is enough. But as someone who has always been a little quiet and I know it bugs people, it just made me wonder if it bugged the big guy too.
Lol. I'm laughing at this post now, just realizing that you can't change a zebra's stripes. This is me. Quiet me. I know God created me this way, so surely he doesn't mind my short prayers.
Okay. Glad I worked that out, blogging does wonders in helping me "think out loud"...my way of being more vocal...with out talking. Lol. I'm done rambling for now.

Please say a short or long (whatever works for you) prayer for Lucas to get better...thanks!

Sent from my iPhone

The urge to purge

2012-01-08T13:44:00.002-06:00

My husband always has the urge to purge, to the extent that he gets rid of some things that he later has to re-buy. I admire it, although I personally enjoy holding onto things. But I don't like feeling cluttered and like I can't enjoy what I have, so I also get the urge to purge...just not the same way my husband does.

I was reading a friend's blog and ran across the idea to purge 7 items a day...so today I did just that, I found a set of glasses at the back of a cupboard I have barely used and they are now in the purge bag.

The thing I like about the idea of 7 things a day (for a month) is that it is manageable. I do not have the ability or the energy to go through all of my things in a day, or even in a week and get rid of stuff. Not physically and not emotionally. Because yes, getting rid of things can be emotional. (I'm sure my husband is going to be ecstatic when he reads this blog post. lol. but honey, I may not get rid of the things you think I should...but it will still be a good purge, I promise.)

So wish me luck! I actually think it's going to be fairly easy to get rid of 7 things a day for a month. Heck, if I started in on Judah's toys, I could do it for 2 months and he'd still have an abundance. But I'm going to keep it focused on my own things & household things first. Toys are good to keep so you can rotate things in and not spend money on new toys.

How about you? are you feeling the urge to purge too? is it a January thing? All those fun christmas gifts and no where to put them? ha. yup. I am inspired. Time to lighten the load.

What my toddler will eat..

2012-01-06T13:36:00.002-06:00

I thought it would be good to document at this season of Judah's life what he will eat. It won't take long:

Baked Beans...this article made me feel better about it being one of the staples of his diet..

Mac-n-cheese...but ONLY the kind that looks like this picture, if it's any other kind of noodle, forget about it. Even the ones shaped like cars or dora or sponge bob do not make the cut.

Hot dogs. This one worries me, not gonna lie. I try to buy the healthier hot dogs (oxymoron I know) but he is really picky about what kind of hot dog he will eat. It can't have tough skin, so the beef ones are out...and he won't eat the ends of a hot dog cause they are "squish" and that is not okay for the jbyrd.

Fun Nuggets...we do not call them chicken nuggets, we call them dinosaur nuggets and he bites their heads off and then their tales, their tummies may or may not get eaten...depends on how hungry the dinosaur devourer is. These only get eaten like once a week if we're lucky and it's very dramatic.

Besides those items, he will eat Lite and Fit Vanilla yogurt and applesauce...and occasionally grapes as long as the skin doesn't look funny. He's a huge fan of Pringles. He will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a grilled cheese sandwich (sometimes). And for breakfast Lance can get him to eat pancakes and oatmeal. The only breakfast cereal he will eat is Frosted Mini Wheats. Sometimes he'll eat a cheese stick, but often he takes one bite and declares them yucky.

Oh yes, and he loves burrito's from Taco Bell (hold the onions please). Yup. That's my boy.

Once upon a time I thought if I made his baby food, introduced him to lots of flavors and yummy things that maybe he'd be a good eater. But that was a pipe dream. So I will continue to warm up the hot dog, mac-n cheese and beans (but not to hot cause if they are even a little bit hot he will refuse the entire meal)...even if it's for breakfast, I guess I should be thankful he's eating at all...I know moms with an even shorter menu.

What does your toddler eat?

ps...we started giving him a Flinstone vitamin every morning to keep him from getting scurvy,(j/k..kinda) thankfully he actually likes them.

Jbyrd the big brover

2012-01-04T22:12:00.003-06:00

Judah is so sweet to Lucas...he gives him kisses, puts his cheek on Lucas's head and says "I wike him mom, he's nice" He also says "he's my baby, not yours!" in typical bossy 2 yr old fashion.

Unfortunately over the holidays, Judah got the pukes twice. Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. And the week in between he was coughing a lung and burning up with fever. I am not convinced he is completely over it all yet either. We knew he really didn't feel well because he was behaving. ha. He's a naughty little jbyrd normally.

I really think there needs to be a support group for parents of two year olds. If your two year old was an angel...well, count your blessings and give a mom with a naughty two year old a break ;)

I just know he'll turn sweet again...please God, let him be sweet again. Not that spicy is all bad, he cracks me up sometimes with how bossy he is and the sassy things he says. But don't tell him I said that. Besides a bossy sassy pants, he's also a ham. If he thinks he can get a laugh out of someone, he goes for it.

I wish it were possible to capture in a picture or video the looks and faces he pulls when he's trying to persuade you sweetly to do what he wants...those eyes can get him out of trouble if used properly...and he knows it. ha.

Today he yelled from the kitchen (I was in the living room working on something) "babe? where are ya? babe-mom?" I was cracking up. Lance calls me babe so I guess it makes sense.
With all the family we have had visit over the holidays, he heard us called all sorts of things like Auntie and Uncle and daughter and son and cousin and such. So he started calling us by our names again (I broke him of the habit one time previously). Or calling daddy "Uncle Lance" and when I say "no, what do you call him?" and he knows the answer should be "daddy" he can't help it but says "daddy Lance" instead...it's his way of getting away with murder. lol. and since he's not good at the letter L yet, it sounds more like "daddy wance" and it cracks me up more. oh boy.

Our routine has been out the window for a while now...the last few weeks of pregnancy and then since Lucas was born have been anything but routine. And we are suffering the consequences of it. I am trying to get back into being very intentional about being in a routine that works, it's not easy though with a new born, but not impossible. Judah needs structure and with out it, he just gets to be larger than life and not in a good way. I am hoping that with less sugar (way to many holiday treats in our house) and more structure, some of the sass will go and more sweetness will return. Wish us luck.

I don't want a day in Judah's life to go by where he does not know and hear that I love him. I try to tell him every day and of course show him. Because I do. Seriously. Love him more than I can ever put into words. He's my joy. Even at his most terrible, I love that kid to pieces :)

"wrap me like a burrito mommy!" haha...oh I love that smile :)

Love these boys

2012-01-03T23:48:00.002-06:00

Lance and Judah have a great relationship, it can be intense at times...they both react to each other intensely and feel what the other feels intensely. I wonder if they can even see it?

It is interesting to watch them interact...sometimes it is the most stressful thing to see, other times it is the most wonderful.

I have a feeling the words "like father like son" will be uttered more times than anyone can count about these two :)

Now if we can only all just survive the terrible terrible two's...(yes I said terrible twice...)

I am testing

2012-01-03T23:39:00.001-06:00

Just checking

Sent from my iPhone

tick, tock

2012-01-03T23:22:00.002-06:00

There's this feeling of desperation that happens when both boys are asleep...I am desperately trying to finish something, do something, think through something, all while a huge mental clock is ticking off the minutes...no time to relish, no time to waste, no time for mulling. Gotta work fast or else. I remember feeling this at the beginning when I had Judah...so I guess it must be normal and part of adjusting.

The big mental clock says I am almost done blogging cause Lucas is about to wake up and want to nurse...but it was nice to stop in for a minute or two. I hope this finds you well!

settle in

2012-01-01T21:29:00.003-06:00

I have things to blog about and show pictures of...like all the fabulous christmas celebrations we had and my birthday and of course our happy new year...lots of sweet baby moments...interesting toddler antics...so many things...

The last of our holiday guests departed this morning...Lucas is 6 weeks old on Tuesday...I am feeling a little more human all the time.

My January resolutions are:
I plan to go hardcore with Judah on potty training...he is SO ready.
I want to get into a routine, again for Judah, he is a mess after the last couple months of crazy schedules and life changes. Time to lock into a routine that sets him up for success.
I want to get back into couponing, I found out I can order my groceries online at Harris Teeter and use coupons...so if I can manage to do these things from the comfort of my home, it may actually be possible.
I have a couple areas of my house that need to be re-organized...and decluttered. I don't know if this is even possible but it's going on the list anyhow...aim high people, aim high.

My life resolution:
To create a space where I can create. I can't leave anything laying around or out in my house for very long...if I do, Judah will ruin it or Lance will want me to clean it up. Those two forces are not to be reckoned with, not by me. So how can i create a win, win? well...I'm not sure. I guess that's the challenge. I want to scrapbook, I want to blog, I want to smash, I want to sew, I want to have piles, I want to leave a cup in one spot for a week and not use a coaster. I have goals people ;) ha.

My 2012 resolution:
To settle into life as a mom of two.

I wish this blog "flowed" or was more coherent...but the fact of the matter is, I have had to stop and do other things at least 5x...and I'm tired. Once Lucas goes to sleep (it's looking like it might be soon) I plan to join him in dream land! Judah has been asleep for a bit (thankfully no puking tonight...we've had way to much of that this week). Lance comes home in the morning...I wish he was coming home to a tidy home, but reality is that if it's going to be more tidy, he's gonna have to do it or watch the kids so I can...they double team me and I am lucky to get half of something done at once...lol. I'm not complaining, just stating the facts of my life as it is currently.
I'm officially rambling...so on that note!

Sweet dreams blog land!

Joyful Joyful

2011-12-31T19:42:00.003-06:00

This sweet baby boy makes me happy :)

I am..

2011-12-28T00:03:00.002-06:00

It's been almost a month since I posted on my blog...I have had lots of "I should blog about this" moments...but the reality of two kids vs one is hard. Double the fun, double the work.

I am lucky to eat or shower...much less do both in one day. We have had a steady stream of visitors which has been helpful and exhausting both. I am hoping once life settles down, to get into a groove with these boys and hopefully my groove will include blogging :) since it's one of my favorite things to do.

Anyhow, I am alive. I am happy. I am tired. I am stretched. I am delirious. I am barely holding on. I am filled up. I am overflowing with thankfulness. I am transitioning. I am embracing. I am in love. I am thankful. I am a mixed bag of emotions at any given moment. I am a mom. I am a wife. I am blessed.

(Poor Judah got the stomach flu on Christmas, and little Lucas

has had a cold pretty much since he was a week old...tis the season I suppose.

This is a picture of Judah falling asleep on my lap at the mall..a once in a life time moment

for my energizer bunny child)

A brother is a friend given by nature

2011-11-30T17:46:00.006-06:00

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero. ~Marc Brown

I had read somewhere that when you introduce older child to new child at the hospital it is best to not be

holding the new child so the older child does not see their new sibling as a barrier between you and them. Could be a bunch of mumbo jumbo but I thought it seemed like a good idea.

So when my sister brought Judah to the hospital, the baby was resting in his baby cart. Judah

climbed into the hospital bed with me and said he missed me and he wanted to cover up with

me so he climbed under my covers and we cuddled up. We told him that his baby brother,

Lucas, was here and that he had brought him a present! (another little tip I had read about

and seemed like a good idea) So Lance brought the baby all swaddled over to the bed

along with a gift that was wrapped up (a cute little froggy family).

Judah was excited about the gift and we unwrapped it, lots of squeals of happy! and then he

turned to me and asked if we could unwrap the baby too :) haha. So we "unwrapped" the baby

so Judah could see the babies hands...he was very concerned about seeing if Lucas had hands.

Judah had also made a sign for our hospital door with his auntie. He helped hang it up and we

had a really nice visit before little Lucas was whisked off for another little appointment.

Since we have been home, Judah has been incredibly sweet to his little brother.

He calls him his baby sister and baby brother at different times...he confuses "he" and "she"

when talking about the baby and has called him "baby Noah" more times than baby Lucas.

(Our friend Hannah has a baby Noah and a baby Liam, twins, that Judah spends lots of time

around) but that is all semantics. He has also declared that baby to be

"so sweet mama" and has given him lots of hugs and kisses.

This morning he was holding baby Lucas (with my help) and started shaking his booty

and wanted Lucas to shake his booty too...haha. It was hilarious.

So we all shook our booties and laughed. It was fun.

If Lucas makes any little noises or cries Judah declares that "he needs nursies mama, k?"

and says he wants to keep baby safe.

It is a very special thing to watch. I am overwhelmed as their mother to see them already

learning to love each other. I know they will fight and have their issues like any siblings, but

they will have many many memories of sweet family time too. I know that it will be a special

relationship. Have I mentioned before how glad I was when I found out we were having

another boy? I couldn't have been any happier about it, because I knew that the bond of

brothers is something precious...I am glad they will always have each other.

God is good and life is sweet!

2011-11-25T21:10:00.001-06:00

For all those who want the details of Lucas Wylde's birth story, here ya go!

So my due date came and went...talk about frustrating. I was feeling so uncomfortable and tired. I knew he was big. And I knew he was getting bigger by the minute. I was really looking forward to my next doctor appt where we would decide what to do next.

The night before that appointment I started having contractions regularly. Every 8-12 minutes until around 2 in the morning...then they tapered off and I went to bed...the next morning they were like 20 minutes apart and I was losing hope.

We went to the doctor appointment which started with an ultrasound. The ultrasound tech kindly asked me how big my first baby had been, I told her Judah was 9#13oz and she said, "so you've already had a big baby, that's good...this one is measuring at 10#14oz" um. awesome. I had figured as much...I mean, Judah was huge and he was born a day early. I was almost 5 days late with this babe, so of course he was bigger!

Well Dr. Storck brought up c-section which I said no to right away. I knew my body was made to have big babies and wasn't worried. She agreed and then asked when I wanted to induce..."um, how about NOW!" ha. She asked me when I had last eaten and the next possible moment they could induce was at 5:00 pm. So we agreed to the time and off we went!

Judah was with a friend for the morning and my sister, who was just coming into town was going to pick him up...so Lance and I had a last "date day" to pass the time. I got a mani/pedi and then we went and saw the movie "Real Steel" It was a really fun way to pass the time. And during the movie my contractions were back to being around 8-10 minutes apart.

At my doctor appt I was dilated to a 2 and when I was admitted to the hospital I was at a 3...so my body was getting ready which was good.

By 6:00 I was hooked up to my IV (bless the kind nurse who did it where I asked so it wouldn't hurt) and I had my epidural in place...ahhh sweet relief.

Let's talk epidurals...so my epi with Judah was bad, I know that now. I didn't know it then. I had no range of motion and little to no feeling at all during the entire time it was in. My epi with Lucas was ideal...I could move my legs a little bit, I could feel everything, but had no pain. It was awesome. I could hug those anesthesiologists...they were great.

Around 11 o'clock I started really feeling the contractions...it wasn't painful but it was uncomfortable and I knew my body was ready...I was also obsessing over the fact that I was STARVING hungry...you all know that I have suffered Hyperemesis this whole pregnancy, eating has been a challenge but a necessity in order to keep the nausea/puking at bay. I reached a point of hunger that I knew I was going to throw up...and I did. So that was awesome. But the nurses took it as a sign that maybe I was ready to start pushing, so they set my room up and we got going.

Lance went over the game plan for counting and pushing with the nurse so we were all on the same page, and we were ready...both Lance and I thought it would take a while...I pushed for 2 hours with Judah...and this baby was supposed to be big. We really thought it would take some time.

However, 14 minutes later it was all over! It would have been over sooner, but the doctor wasn't in the room so they made me stop pushing (ha, as if that's possible) and kept hollering for the doctor to "HURRY!" lol. Next thing I knew, Lucas was crying and they laid him across my body while they cleaned him up and took care of me.

We had asked to do delayed cord cutting for the benefits of the remaining pulsing blood that passes into the baby when you wait (lowers anemia risks among other benefits) and the doctors were more than happy to comply as it is part of their standard practices now (have I mentioned I love my doctor?) Lance cut the cord and they took Lucas and did all the things they needed to, including weighing him.

We were all super curious what his weight would be, we even ventured guesses in the lower 10# range...we were all surprised when the baby nurse showed the scale as 11#1oz...what a big boy! and what a cutie. totally chubby and sweet :)

I only had 2nd degree tears (compared to the 4th degree ones with Judah that took me forever to recover from) and I really felt good all things considering.

My recovery has been 100% better than my other recovery. I was up and walking with in a couple hours. I guess Judah blazed a trail for this one ;) that's what the nurses kept saying. ha :)

We were able to get out on Thanksgiving and head home for turkey and pie with our "Nashville Family".

Such a blessing and so so so much to be thankful for.

I was treated like a hero at the hospital by all the doctors/nurses/other moms because I gave birth to an eleven pound baby (and 1 ounce people! don't forget that extra ounce! ha!) which I found to be slightly entertaining. I guess because it happened to me, and it wasn't that bad, it doesn't seem like a big deal...although, when I think about it, it does. Hard to explain...lol.

I am really really enjoying Lucas. I will post pictures and tell the story of Judah and Lucas first meeting later on :) It was sweet.

We are nursing and it's going really good. I was a little sore the first day, but we have already worked out the latch and it's going great.

I am just so happy to be done with pregnancy and to have my little family all under one roof. The next month will be so fun, with the holidays and family visits and lovely memories. God is good and life is sweet!

Future Lottery Winner

2011-11-25T20:07:00.002-06:00

Introducing my little turkey!

Just in time for Thanksgiving...

Lucas Wylde Lockhart

11 pounds 1 ounce and 22 inches long!

Born 11-22-11 at 11:34 pm

(I think his lucky numbers are 11 & 22, what do you think?)

I'll come back later and tell the birth story and all the fun baby details, but for now I'll leave you with a couple sweet photos of my precious family.

My new little one!

Home sweet home!

overdue

2011-11-19T18:26:00.002-06:00

yup. I'm overdue. My due date has come and gone...sigh...I am not a fan of overdue.

My boys...

2011-11-10T12:09:00.001-06:00

He's still in there...sigh...I am HUGE!

Lots of braxton hicks but nothing else going on...8 days till my due date. Good times.

hide and seek

2011-11-06T18:07:00.001-06:00

These boys get a huge kick out of hiding from each other,

jumping out behind things and yelling "boo!"

It's pretty funny to watch them.

Jbyrd

2011-11-03T20:27:00.002-05:00

I love my little Jbyrd. He is a joy.

Mostly. Ha.

He's in a terrible 2 phase where things like running away from mom and dad

and doing the exact opposite of what we tell him is his idea of a good time.

Pray for us. Or more importantly, pray for him...haha, he gets in trouble a lot.

New baby is going to be here soon and I imagine it's only gonna get worse before it gets better.

It's just part of the fun of being a parent and I wouldn't trade it...but I could use a day off.

I think overall I've gotten off pretty easy with this child, so I'm not complaining.

Just sharing our current reality.

On a good note, he's been napping this week. Glory.

This preggo mommy needs the naps too so it's been good!

37 weeks Bones Family Fun

2011-10-28T12:56:00.005-05:00

Well, I'm 37 weeks today...so baby can come any time as far as I'm concerned. Although I know there are benefits to the full 40 weeks, so I won't be doing anything crazy to make it happen sooner. Unless you call chasing a 2 yr old around crazy...or emptying the dishwasher...or picking toys up off of the floor repeatedly through out the day...or going up and down the stairs to get to Judah's room and other things I need in the second half of our house. Cause all of that FEELS crazy...hello braxton hicks.

I figured I'd still be pregnant for Halloween, and so far it looks like that will be the case. I found this fun bones shirt on etsy with the baby skeleton. It was easy to find matchy matchy costumes for the rest of the fam.
Lance is off flying right now, but he'll actually be around for Halloween, so the Bones family will be hitting the streets for some candy gathering! In the meantime, Judah and I went to our Moms Club Halloween party this morning, figured it would be a good test run for our costumes. We may or may not add some white make up to the ensemble...depends on the weather and if Judah will tolerate it ;) lol

What are your plans for Halloween? dressing up? gorging on candy corn? hiding from trick-or-treaters in a dark house? church fall "harvest" party? How will you celebrate?

October gave a party...

2011-10-20T14:32:00.002-05:00

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came -

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

I'm not one to skip a good party ;)

So when the weather chilled and the leaves started turning colors

I made some yummy potato soup and we headed out for a little partying with the leaves.

I hate to go to a party alone, so I brought my boys.

Turns out we were crashing the party...tons of people were already out enjoying the festivities.

Party favor.

Snacks for the party of course...grapes, ritz crackers and cream cheese.

Judah's favorite party treats.

(and PS for those who read the post right before this one...about my husbands birthday gift...notice he is now wearing

the shirt...he put it into his party wardrobe after reading what I wrote...lol...ahh, the power of words...wink)

I brought my baby to the party too...he was dancing...he loves to dance.

More party favors. These ones were hand picked.

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~Albert Camus

Always sad to see a good party end...

Low and behold! The party took an unexpected turn...the woodland creatures

decided to make an appearance. So we lingered...something my party going husband

does not do often. And it paid off. The woodland creatures know how to party!

Oh dear, the deer have shiny eyes!

It was a delightful end to the party. A family memory made.

And then it was home for potato soup and nighttime snuggles.

It was one of those perfect English

autumnal days which occur more frequently

in memory than in life. ~P.D. James

This one will live on in our memories for a while...

belated birthday post for my hubs

2011-10-16T15:29:00.001-05:00

This post is only about 2 months late...only.

So my husband had a birthday, which one is irrelevant ;) He is older and wiser and hotter all the time. That said, he is also the hardest person to shop for. He has what he wants, doesn't need much and has outright told me he doesn't like getting gifts. So yeah...not easy.

Lucky for me though, we had recently went to hunt down the new store opened by one of the guys from American Pickers, the show from the history channel about antiquing. We both enjoy the show and love antiques, so it was fun to see the store. It's called Antique Archeology and it has some pretty neat stuff in it...and gobs of memorabilia you can purchase for the show. My husband happens to love memorabilia, especially if it's a T-shirt. But when we were at the store we didn't actually buy anything. (score! I knew what I was getting him...)

We did take a couple pictures though...

I actually remember the episode where they bought this one. ha. cute.

cool old bike Judah wanted to ride...um...no.

"you break it you buy it" is not a rule I enjoy when things are crazy expensive

and breakable and there's a toddler involved...

"straight up now tell me do you really want to love me forever...oh oh oh..."

sorry, having a Paula Abdul moment...

So a week later Judah and I went to the store to find a T-shirt for Lance...only...for some reason I couldn't find anywhere to park, and there were gobs of people with really big nice camera's getting out of their cars. I had no idea why...

Oh yes, that's right. One of the guys from the show was there signing autographs!

I knew, but had totally forgotten.

Getting Lance a T-shirt from Antique Archeology-good.

Getting Lance a T-shirt from Antique Archeology signed by "Mike"-priceless!

So we got in line with my little iphone camera and before long it was our turn...

Judah liked talking to him, and he had his dog with so they instantly had something to chat about. I told him it was my husbands birthday and he graciously signed the T-shirt and a couple little posters for us.

He was a nice guy, just like in the show. You never know if that's going to be true or not so it was refreshing to find that he was as nice as he is portrayed.

Had to snap a pic of the van parked out front :)

So a whole week later (not easy to keep a secret people when you are used to telling your hubby everything)...I hopped an airplane my honey was flying and we jetted off to Panama City beach...it was an overnight for my working husband, but one with enough spare time it was worth my coming along. (thanks to my sis for taking care of Judah!)

Gotta love a man in uniform ;)

The next morning after we enjoyed breakfast (and it was his actual birthday) I pulled out his gift...and it was a crowd pleaser...I think I did alright for this birthday. He was pretty happy with it...only he won't wear it cause it's autographed. LOL. Oh well, I tried. haha. It will be treasured for a while :)

It was nice to actually get my husband something he liked and wanted and came with a memory.

Love you dear!

Shower of Joy for a sweet baby boy!

2011-10-12T20:53:00.003-05:00

So right before I got pregnant I joined a local MOMs group...I wanted to meet moms who live in my neighborhood and just get out there and be involved. Unfortunately I got pregnant...well...it's not unfortunate I got pregnant, it's unfortunate that pregnancy hates me. I was not able to go and do anything with the moms group after the first couple outings. I was just to sick. I stayed connected via email and facebook but no real life contact.

I saw on the message board that one of the gals was having a yard sale, she literally lived a block from me on my same street. So I took my zofran pump and exerted all my energy to walk a block and visit the sale. I left Judah at home with my SIL and her kids (they stayed with me for a month to keep me and Judah alive). I bought a couple stuffed animals and met the gal, Sarah Beth, and a few other moms. I barely made the walk home I was so tired.

Well the gals of the moms club still had a baby shower for me even though like 3 people know me. ha. I didn't know what to expect since I am just now starting to be able to attend events and meet ladies.

The gal whose house I visited for the yard sale was the host (on the left). So that was nice, I had at least met her ;) And she's a sweet heart who has her own baby Judah (and a couple other kids too). The shower was for me and one other gal (I had not met her previous to our joint shower, she is on my right). There were several sweet ladies who came to the shower and several who dropped gifts off on their way to doctor appts and other obligations.

I did not expect that I would get more than a couple little gifts, but these ladies truly did shower me...so many cute items and things that I will treasure. I had walked to the shower with Judah and our walk home was sweet. Lots of little gift bags in tow, Judah was my helper...and he stopped to smell the flowers while we joyfully headed home.

It was fun to celebrate this new baby boy...Judah's new little brother. (He really liked helping me open the gifts)

And it was fun to get to know some of the moms in the hood a little bit more.

Bean Soup with a Kick!

2011-10-04T17:41:00.006-05:00

So my husband is on this funky diet...I say funky cause it's not food I really enjoy. ha. but he's losing weight and he likes it so I guess that's what matters. However, it has made it quite challenging to eat together...although with my Hyperemesis, eating wasn't something I have done much of until really recently.

So my goal is to try to find meals that my husband CAN eat and that I WANT to eat. See how that works? not easy...but not impossible.

So tonight I made a bean soup...it is a variation of This Recipe but I didn't have all the ingredients and dumplings aren't an option for him and they are not something I like...so like I said, variation. (ps...just met the gal who runs the food blog I linked to, she is adorable and clearly knows her stuff!)

So here is MY bean soup recipe :)

Bean Soup with a Kick!

2 cans black beans (15 oz cans)

1 can red kidney beans (15 oz can)

1 can green chili's (8ish oz)

1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz can)

1 can Hoppin John (black eyed peas, tomatoes, onions and jalapenos) (15 oz can)

1 box progresso chicken broth (it's like 30 some oz)

2 tsp chili powder

2 cloves garlic (I use the minced stuff in a jar which is 1tsp)

smallish bag of frozen corn

smallish bag of julienned carrots

1/2 large onion chopped

1/8 tsp and a pinch of red pepper (cayenne) (this is the kick! I almost added 1/4 tsp but knew I would regret it)

bring to a boil, simmer for a half hour. (you may need to cook it longer to get the carrots soft, or pre cook them a bit)

serve with pepperjack cheese and chips! or corn bread which is what we had tonight...YUM!

a deal's a deal!

2011-10-04T14:06:00.003-05:00

So thanks to my friend Michelle listening to me complain about how darn expensive my heart burn meds cost...I was able to save a ton-o-money...which was completely fun. So thought I'd share...if anyone else has to buy Prevacid pay attention!

This is a Rite-Aid deal, and there is literally one right behind my house. So in a way I saved even more cause I walked there and didn't drive ;)

I bought a 28ct box of Prevacid, normally $21.99...I used two 4$ off coupons which brought the cost to $13.99, so with tax I paid $16.02. I earned a 10$ UP-reward and turned around and used it to buy a second 28ct box of Prevacid along with another 4$ off coupon...so that box was $10.02. I am mailing in the rebate info and will hopefully (I don't do rebates often so not sure how reliable they always are) get $17.99 back off of the first transaction. Which means I paid a grand total of 8$ (with tax) for 4 weeks worth of heart burn meds! woot!

The deal was shared here, and here it is:

Buy $20 worth of Prevacid or Maalox Stomach Relief or Any Gas-X Softgel or Ex-Lax 90 ct. and Get a $10 +Up Reward *SUPER HOT DEAL*
Buy 1 Prevacid 28 ct. $21.99
Use $4/1 SS 9/18 or printable
Use $4/1 October Video Values
Pay $13.99
Get a $10 +Up Reward (limit 1 offer)
Submit the free after mail-in rebate form from the SS 9/18 or foundhere (you should receive a rebate check for $17.99 as you will be reimbursed for the cost of product minus the $4 manufacturer coupon)
Final price FREE + $14 moneymaker!

Happy Camping comes to a rainy end: Life is really really Good!

2011-10-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

We woke up on our last day of camping to the pitter patter of raindrops. I sent a text to my bro who was in a tent with his kids to make sure they were okay (they were) and then I heard Lance get up and he went out to try to salvage the remains of the fire and put away all our camping chairs.

Once everyone was awake, all the kiddo's and ladies filled the cabin up while the guys went out and dealt with things like cooking and cleaning things up while it rained.

Of course with bunk beds, the kids were having a blast...oh, and Auntie Jessi too :) They thought it was great fun to pile into a top bunk and have a picture taken....lots of giggling and wiggling. No one fell off thankfully :)

Britt was feeling like a big boy! Doll face :)

And once the novelty of climbing bunk beds and being crammed into a teeny cabin in the rain wore off, we pulled out the handy dandy ipad and let the kids watch "Finding Nemo"

oh Dory how we love you.

Oh and puppies were also in the cabin, it was quite a pile of fun!

Ira in his yellow slicker, Lance crouched down cooking on the camp fire. I think this was the most fun these guys had the whole camping trip. For real.

All these photos were taken with my phone, cause I had packed my nice camera into the car the night before and had no desire to get it out in the rain. ha.

These photos were taken from inside the cabin, zoomed in through a screen in the window...thus the high quality ;)

Before long Ira came with a special delivery.

Coffee for Auntie Jessi and Tea for Gramma Lynda. Gotta keep the ladies happy!

(gotta love Ira's style)

Next up Lance appeared with scrambled eggs and bacon. Enough for everyone who wanted any. And some hard boiled eggs (they weren't as popular).

Kids had cereal and pretty soon we were all feeling good! Food does that.

Britt loves his daddy. He pretty much wanted to be in Daddy's arms the entire trip. I think it was a little exhausting for daddy, but good. Oh, and Ira's pants...he said they are like wearing shorts and having protection for your ankles when walking in the woods. Camping pants. Um. I think they need to be used for keeping the fire burning next time we camp...lol.

My husband is a stud. Cooking in the rain. Oh yeah.

Gotta wear a cute hat if you ever want pictures of a gal during a camping trip ;)

Before long being confined in the cabin wasn't working, even with Nemo. So I sent the kids all bundled up off with Auntie Jessi and Gramma Lynda to take a walk in the rain. I used the time they were gone to completely pack and clean out the cabin. It was a mess after hosting the masses that morning.

What's better than watermelon in the rain?!

The little boys especially loved the watermelon treat :)

A little more hot water to warm us up. And that was the end of the campfire.

A little car protection from the rain...not an umbrella but it did the trick.

Grammy was a sport, taking little ones for walks in the rain is not for the faint of heart!

It wasn't long before we finished packing all our stuff into the cars and then we said good bye to our sweet little cabin and camping adventure. This little cabin really did the trick. Made camping at 8 months pregnant in the rain a possibility and dare I say it, a delight!

This is a picture of the fire pit right outside our little cabin...and I have to agree...

Life IS Good!

Happy Camping Continues: Life is still Good!

2011-09-30T21:07:00.001-05:00

I was a little tired the second day.

Judah and I shared the double bed in the front room of the cabin. The back room had two sets of bunk beds...so my sister had a bottom bunk, my mom had a bottom bunk and my husband got a top bunk. We had fans and noise machines going but I forgot my ear plugs (thank God for Walmart! we made a little trip to town later on). So sleeping didn't come easy as my mom makes quite the racket in her sleep :)

The boys did most of the work...husband Lance and brother Ira are outdoorsmen for sure. Lance did all the campfire cooking (thank heaven) and they worked together to keep the fire going and doing all the heavy lifting. We had pancakes and eggs and bacon...yum!

Good morning silly heads!

The cousins were excited for Auntie Jessi to be there...they had plans for her. Racing and walks and adventures...things only an auntie with energy can do :)

Hey look! It's me!

Ah the outhouse...we all used the men's one cause the ladies one was grossy gross. And this is why I brought my own potty for the nights! hello! can I get a witness?!

After breakfast, the dads took the kids off for walks and adventures while the ladies cleaned up and visited. Of course we eventually joined them, but not till we were nice and relaxed ;)

Beck was having a blast with this stick...mountain man in the making!

Judah is a jumper. He jumps over every crack, over every border, over anything that looks like it would make a good jumping obstacle. No surprise to find him jumping along next to his dad on a bench at the amphitheater. Go Judah Go!

This is a big ol' dog pile o' kids!

Miss Evie is always the little mama. Which I am of course grateful for since I'm all big and pregnant and can't chase my own kid currently ;)

There is a big lovely lake right by our campsite and my brothers dog, Sasha, couldn't resist wading in...neither could my husband. lol.

Yup, that's Lance and Sasha wading in the water!

Gramma Lynda had her camera out and ready to capture the moment!

Oh look! There's me and my big ol' belly. It goes everywhere with me, even camping.

Sasha is the best dog. She has been around for SO long I can't imagine her not being around...poor girl was totally shaking and having a hard time walking as she is so old, but there is NO denying she was extremely happy to be camping with her people. She was in doggie bliss...sticks, water, small animals to chase, it was great.

Daddy Ira digging in the dirt with his kiddos. He's a great daddy...

I think Evie and Judah were having a serious nose to nose conversation right here...lol...the looks on their faces makes me wonder what they were conferring about...must have been interesting ;)

Oh I just wanna kiss their little faces off! How adorable are they?!

Here's Ira checking out Jessi's latest tattoos...she gets new ones all the time and it's hard to stay current ;) oh, and we had lunch....this was right after Jessi and I went to town and spent an hour at Walmart...I rode a motorized cart for the first time...that was fun :)

And what's a good nature camping trip with out some bugs?! Britt was really into this ugly caterpillar...yes, I said ugly. It had one of those weird hairy faces that's not really a face...looks like something out of a sci-fi movie. creepy! But the kids thought it was awesome. go figure.

We ended the night with a bonfire and s'mores.

We told stories and laughed the night away.

Ira started a story game where he'd tell a story and when it was time to add a detail he'd point at someone to fill in the blank...it was fun. But it got funner (yes, it's a word) when Beck decided to be the story leader. He was hilarious. And our story was hilarious too :)

Judah even got in on the story telling action.

His story went like this...

"once pon time (pause to jump over a stick) CARS!!! and jumping and big train...hahahahaha"

dramatic pause and then

"thas all"

lol

He was a hoot.

We had all taken advantage of being like the ONLY people at the camp ground and actually taken showers in the shower house, so we were all squeaky clean before the campfire and bed time. It was nice.

So a highlight of this trip for me was sleeping with Judah next to me :) Oh what a sweetie pie. Out of our cabin window we could see the moon and the lake...he thought that was pretty great. And then he'd snuggle up with his blanket and head to dream land...I didn't know what he'd be like seeing as how at home he's always slept on his own and done really well and never really slept with us successfully. But he snuggled right up and slept the night away. Little feet kicking me in the back in the night and seeing his little sleepy face every time I woke up (to pee or to shift around, etc). It was really sweet.

Our second day of camping was really good, it was a hot day and I personally couldn't do much walking/adventuring...but even so it was delightful.

Life is good!

Happy Camping Day 1: Life is Good

2011-09-29T21:17:00.005-05:00

Well it was time for our yearly camping adventure!

You may recall our last adventure...if you care to walk down memory lane here ya go:

Happy Camping Part 1

Happy Camping Continues

Endless happy camping comes to an end

This years trip started off WAY more organized than the year previous, probably because I knew I was going to be almost 8 months pregnant and had to have a plan.

My plan included a cabin. ha! My bro and his kiddos still wanted to genuinely camp, so setting up a tent was the first order of business. Love when these guys work together and get things done!

Judah liked watching the action!

We were lucky to have my sister join us this year too...she rarely takes breaks from her singer/songwriter existence, so we were happy she could come! And of course where she goes, so do her puppies :)

And we were happy that my mom also could come!!! She had just spent a week in St. Louis visiting the grands there and after camping came back to Nashville to spend time with this little grand...Judah funny bunny Byrd...crazy face :)

The cousins had a little reunion pow-wow...pretty sure we all need to be afraid when these kids put their heads together ;)

ahhh yes...my very own potty. This baby insists on sitting/kicking right on my bladder...so I don't go more than an hour with out peeing...and while that is no big deal during the day...no way, no how was I going into a dark, bug filled, stinky outhouse really far from our cabin tons of times in the night...nope...instead, I used this handy dandy potty and did my bizness with no issues. It was great. ha. I have no regrets where this was concerned ;)

I think we all learned a few things last year...including how hard the ground can be, especially if it's cold out...yup, Ira is blowing up an air mattress here...smart man.

Our cabin was on a site next to the tent site...we mostly did all things camping related over at the tent site. All the food, fire and fun happened there. Sleeping (minus my mom's buzz saw like snoring) happened in the cabin.

Our first day was all about getting settled in, finding ways to contain puppies and babies and getting all caught up with family we hadn't seen in a while.

It was great to have us all together! (Minus Mrs. B who is in hard core training to become a nurse...crazy how much work she is assigned in school....we missed her!)

Don't worry, more camping adventures were documented and are on their way...

My sweet heart

2011-09-29T11:21:00.003-05:00

One word almost everyone who meets Judah uses to describe him is "sweet"...and that is because he really genuinely is.

He does things like:

kiss me on the cheek when I don't feel good and say "you fee bwetter mommy?"

sees something he likes and say "is nice mommy, is nice!"

jumps up and down and say "I can't wait! can you wait?!"

laughs at things like a loud truck, scrunches his face up and fake laughs "hehe, it's funny mommy, it's so funny!"

sits in the back seat of the car and sings along to our kids music CD and laughs hysterically when the background singers say "quaaaack, quack quack quack quack"...or when his dad recreates the quacking, he can't stop giggling. It's hilarious.

he is a charmer too...last night we were watching TV and Jennifer Garner was on and he says "she's pretty! that's Hannah"...which it totally did look like our friend Hannah who he adores...she loved getting my text about that one :)

He's declared "I like girls" a couple times...lol...seeing as almost all of our friends have little boys these days, it was especially funny.

The other day we went to the park and he saw this pretty mom who was there with her son and instead of trying to play with her kid...he followed her around the park and kept bringing her leaves he found on the ground and gifting them to her...she was really nice to him and thanked him every time he brought her a "flower" leaf...and he chatted her ear off. I wasn't sure if I should make him leave her alone or not, but she didn't seem to mind...so I let him crush on her for a little while before I distracted him ;)

Don't get me wrong, he has a sour side too....especially since he's currently teething (dang molars come in already! sheesh!) but his sweetness more than balances it out.

And how sour can it really be when your kid says "No Thank you mommy!" when he doesn't like something? lol...even his sour is kinda sweet ;)

I adore my little Jbyrd. I really treasure him.

I need to do a better job writing down the funny things he does. Luckily, the grandparents have all gotten to see him IRL lately, so they have gotten first hand knowledge of him. But I want to keep track in writing so when he grows up (like a week from now) I won't forget the sweet things he does that make me smile and make me happy to be a mom.

Here's an awesome picture of him with my socks on...lol...this is his pose for the camera...

have I mentioned he cracks me up?!

IV Iron

2011-09-28T14:33:00.003-05:00

So last week I had to go for my IV iron treatments...it is always strange sitting in a room full of cancer patients getting their meds and me all pregnant and huge getting iron. It was the same with Judah.
The first day Lance came with me, which was nice...he never came when I went my first pregnancy, my sister was living with me then and she came along. So he got to see for himself what it was like.
The second day the silly nurse couldn't find my veins...I think I might have been a little dehydrated that day in hindsight. I still have bruises in my arms from that ordeal.
The third day went really smooth...and some of the cancer patients I'd seen a couple times started asking me why I was there. I think they thought I was pregnant and dealing with cancer and they were feeling like I was worse off than them...but no. My problems will end roughly Nov 18th...and I will have a baby to enjoy. I try to keep that in mind on my bad days. I think God lets me get to the point of needing IV iron just for the reminder that this is temporary and to keep my attitude in check.

Anyhow, I still think it looks like I'm getting an IV of coffee ;) the dark liquid always makes me think of my coffee drinking friends who always joke they need an IV of the stuff to survive their days...in one way it is a similar concept, more iron is supposed to mean more energy...we'll see if that kicks in...ha. I go back in a month to see if it worked or if I need more treatments before baby comes.

Thomas the Train good times

2011-09-25T20:06:00.003-05:00

So Lance's parents came to town...it was a perfect opportunity to plan some grandparent fun.

And what says grandparent fun more than taking your grandson to see and ride Thomas the Train?!

Judah had a blast of course. He is in love with all things train.

And he adores his grandparents too so it was a great day!

It was a short ride up and down the tracks, just perfect for a toddlers attention span.

Did I mention it was like 100 degrees outside? cause it was. Thus all the sweaty head pics. phew!

Judah really enjoyed seeing Thomas! Even if we were all melting...

Of course the day was complete once he got his Thomas Tattoo :)

Besides our time with Thomas, we had a nice visit...Sandy made Judah curtains for his "big boy" room and made me a couple pairs of pajama pants while she was at it.

Howard left town for a few days and headed to TX but we enjoyed him while he was around!

Judah loves his papa!

It was a great visit and we really enjoyed all the love!

a new development

2011-09-18T20:19:00.002-05:00

...so I found Judah scrubbing and spitting on his arm earlier this week...he discovered he had a mole and of course had to make sure it wasn't just dirt. Then he proudly showed it to me and said "look mommy, I have a mole like you!" I asked to see it and he said "no! leave it alone! it's mine!" haha. So I looked anyways and saw the spit still on his arm and rubbed on it a little myself just to make sure it wasn't really just dirt...he was not happy with me messing with his mole. I was cracking up. So turns out it's still there a couple days later and a few bath times later...I think he really does have a mole now. Just like his mommy :) my arms are covered in them along with freckles. Never imagined my kid would want to be like me so much he'd even want moles like me...ahh...so cute. I love being a mom.

chuggin' along

2011-09-11T17:09:00.004-05:00

Just chuggin' along with this pregnancy and life in general. This month is all about family...visits and travels and such...at some point when I have time to breath I will post gobs of blogs with tons of photo's and fun updates :)

I am suffering less from the Hyperemesis but still have my days...I am off the zofran pump, but take the pills probably 2-3x a week...not bad.

My next pregnancy nemesis that is internet approved (so many things I can't talk about cause they are just none of yo bizness...lol...and trust me, you like it that way) is my anemia. Because I get so horribly sick and nutritionally things go south, my iron levels suffer greatly. So I will be going in for IV iron treatments like I did with Judah...yeehaw. It's a good thing I don't mind needles...cause...

In other news, I am going camping. Yup...8 months pregnant and embracing nature. Well, sort of. I rented a teeny tiny cabin and I bought myself a portable toilet (6$ and worth every penny)...so if I survive I will let you all know...

Oh the Joy!

DIY-someone's trash is now my treasure!

2011-09-09T17:07:00.003-05:00

So I know a lot of bloggers are all about DIY (do it yourself) projects...I have zero interest.

I don't own a hot glue gun and our crafting supplies are all crayola, Judah sized and I am

fine with that. I admire those who love a good DIY project and my hat is off to you.

But when we drove down the street and I spotted in someone's garbage the makings of a

fun toy...well...I made my husband pull the truck over and toss this

beautiful gem into the back seat.

Isn't it lovely?

ha.

I pulled out a bucket of soapy water and my magic eraser...

Next thing I knew it was all shiny and looked like it had potential...

So I persuaded my super handy husband into finishing this DIY project...he can do a DIY like nobody's biznizz...

check it:

And Vwala! The finished project...

Judah loves playing with this toy, it is a ton of fun...and I kinda like that we DIO (did it ourselves)...

This may be the only DIY post I ever do...I hope it was enjoyable...

Fun for your mouth...

2011-08-15T20:11:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time I made Fajita's...they were kind of good, sort of yummy,

but seemed to be lacking in something...

Then...one day...I went shopping at Fresh Market and ran across the most amazing product ever...

Lime Jalapeno - Fajita Bath Brine Concentrate

Fajita's are better now than ever...I highly recommend you try this...you will thank me.

This is just to good to keep to myself...

If you don't have a Fresh Market near by, here is a link to buy it online!

gotta love the internet ;)

A recipe for fun...

2011-08-11T15:30:00.004-05:00

Mr. Spock: "What is the formula for PI?"

Chekov: "Er...apple or blueberry, sir?"

Judah and I had the chance to go blueberry picking recently...it was a little before

they were ripe so it was more of a hunt...find the yummy ones Judah!

Q. What is blue and goes up and down?

A. A blueberry in an elevator!

My friend Katie came along, she locked her keys in her car as we were getting ready to go,

lucky she had already transferred her sons car seat, everything else we figured out as we went.

Q. What is the difference between an elephant and a blueberry?

A. They're both blue, except for the elephant.

I should mention, it was CRAZY hot outside this particular day...

Q: What do you get when 354 blueberries try to go through the door at the same time?

A: A Blueberry Jam!

Besides blueberries, they also had a really fun slide....

Who will come next?!

And a fun petting zoo...

look at that sweaty head...

It was fun to see the horse/donkey animals...they were big and smelly and nice...

Judah enjoyed this part I think :)

We went into the little ice cream shop for lunch...yum!

of course we got some ice cream after we are our yummy PB&J...

Here are some of our other friends who we went with!

ooohhh!!!! what a fun blueberry day!

my husband...

2011-08-06T19:52:00.002-05:00

You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance. ~Franklin P. Jones

I would have to say that on this particular day, my husband had gobs of patience...look at what all he did with the cousins...

He managed to get them all up into a huge train (totally illegal of course) for a photo...

He got all 3 of them to pose in front of their own wheel...

He hoisted them all onto the top of the wheels with minimal protests...

He took two two year old boys out onto a limb...literally...

He took a brave 7 yr old girl out even farther on the limb!

He climbed the steps of the parthenon with the twin cousins...

(this is just proof that he wasn't the only adult along...Jess and I were there too)

(See? there I am...well, my shadow)

He fed Judah his first snow cone...the child who only likes things room temperature actually enjoyed this.

He convinced them to all sit and continue the snow cone fun...

He helped the kiddo's enjoy the local law enforcement horses with no fear...

...and then managed to take them all back to the car by himself...

okay, Jess and I were there the whole time, but at this particular moment, we were considering just vanishing and letting him keep it up while we had a girls night...ha! but we had mercy on him and helped load them into the car and got them ready for bed...we were all exhausted...although I think my husband was actually energized...go figure.

Something I love

2011-08-05T19:22:00.002-05:00

So way back in January, when it was still cold outside, we bought this amazing piece of furniture. We had been searching for a while for just the perfect cabinet. When we went into Nadeau I knew right away this was the piece for us. It was charming, sturdy and just my style.

So my handy dandy husband loaded into the back of our truck with blankets and cardboard and other handy things...and off we went!

Now the reason I needed (ahem...wanted) this cabinet is because I have a serious love for dishes. And my love for dishes is directly related to my love of entertaining. Hostessing a nice dinner and making people feel special is probably one of my favorite activities. Good food, good friends, lovely table, nice dessert, chatting the night away...doesn't get much better than that.

And I had fallen in love with some dishes I could only get at TJ Max...and not all at once...no one TJ Max had all of the pieces...so it became a scavenger hunt. One that I actually got a few friends/family involved in...I have dishes from WI (thanks mom!) and NC (thanks Kristen!) as well as all over Nashville. I found tons of it on clearance, bought some pieces at full price and received many pieces as gifts. It was really quite a fun experience to get them all. Not sure my husband liked it, but he likes eating off of them so I guess it's all good in the end.

Now don't you think they are just lovely all tucked into their sweet cabinet? And wouldn't you just love to come to dinner? We would love to have you!

So much good.

2011-08-04T18:37:00.004-05:00

For a while now my muse has been lost...

Thus no blogging.

But I think I am feeling the return of clear thoughts and stringing words and pictures together...we shall see. I make no promises ;-)

My health update...I am 25 weeks, I am up 2 lbs from my pre pregnancy weight finally, and I am no longer on the zofran pump. I've been off of it for a week and while I have had some moments where I have felt bad, it is nothing like it was at first. I am thankful not to be wearing the pump anymore though...I still have pills for days I feel like I need them.

For now all I will say about my dad's funeral is that it was good. Good to say good bye, good to see family and good to feel God's peace. I may or may not write more about it at a later point...just letting it all simmer for now in my mind and heart.

Here is a picture of me at the gravesite. A picture is worth a thousand words they say. This was one of the last times I wore the pump (the lovely black thing over my shoulder) and I was feeling pretty good. You can see my baby belly, and along with that came a freedom of emotion...no holding back a pregnant woman's tears. Kind of handy during a time of grief ;) And seeing my family all around smiling, the kids with flowers, well it was a lovely good bye.

So now we are back home and just living life. I feel the urge to nest big time. Judah is potty training like a champ, I couldn't be any happier with his progress. By next week he will be sleeping in a big boy bed (pray for that to go well please!). We have plans for family visits and an enjoyable fall. Lots to look forward to...

So much good.

Love

2011-07-20T16:14:00.004-05:00

(my dad holding me when I was a bitty baby)

My dad worked in the oil field for years and years. One of my very earliest memories from when I was barely 2 yrs old, was sitting at the window in my house, watching my dad wave and drive away to go to work (for a few weeks at a time) and crying. Being so incredibly sad that he was leaving. I know as I got older I was more used to it, and we would sometimes even go with him to the oil rigs for a visit.

I have to say, when I found out my dad had passed away on Sunday night, I felt like that same little girl. Sitting at the window crying, watching my dad leave and knowing I couldn't go with him and how much I would miss him until I saw him again.

Yes I am happy he is no longer suffering.

Yes I know he is in heaven and no longer stuck in an earthly body that is working against him.

Yes he is no longer struggling with dementia.

Yes I am glad that the long good bye is over and he is in a better place.

But...

I will miss him.

So much.

And I am sad. I am more eager for heaven than ever before. Maybe I should be more eager for heaven just because of Jesus alone, but I love that I will also get to see my dad again and that it will be a sweet reunion.

Here is a link to his obituary.

For some reason this song just brought me a lot of comfort. Yes, it's Elvis...and it is a bit cheesy...but it's nice.

We are heading to WI tomorrow for a weekend of family time. I am glad to see my siblings and to hug on my mom during this time. As expected as it was, it's still strange that it is finally here. It was a long good bye and I am happy that I had as many chances as I did to spend time with him in the last few years. Saying good bye one last time will be bittersweet for sure.

Potty training success!

2011-07-11T12:37:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, about when Judah was 20ish months, we started potty training.

And you know what? Judah was doing really good.

But...and there is always a butt isn't there ;)

around 24 months, I started puking, and hadn't really stopped until recently...

he's now 27 months.

So I basically quit potty training him for those 3 months. I just couldn't do it.

But now that I'm feeling more human (thanks to my zofran pump) I decided we were going

to go for it again. And this time Judah was more than a little bit ready.

We started the "neked" method...bare bum rush to the potty every 20 min method...by noon he

was doing pretty good...so before his nap, I put big boy undies on him and we walked to Rite

Aid to buy supplies for a potty chart. He asked to use the potty while we were at Rite Aid and

so of course we rushed to their little bathroom in the back of the store and he was a champ! I

was super happy our little 20 min outting didn't result in any accidents.

So while little man napped...I got crafty...

This little chart was in one of the potty books we had acquired, made my job easier :)

I got it on the wall and ready to go by the time he woke up from his nap.

He doesn't look to impressed...probably cause he was still so sleepy.

He gets to pick which color star to put on the chart and then where to place it.

He thought that was pretty great.

He clicks his tongue while he's deciding what color star. It's adorable.

We are on day 6 and I couldn't be more happy with our progress.

We had 3 solid days of being home only doing potty stuff, and on the

third night we went out to dinner and he used the potty twice, no accidents.

On day 4 we spent almost the whole day out and about and no accidents.

Day 5 was a little rocky, but it was also the first time we left him with someone

besides us and so I wasn't to surprised he had a few accidents.

Today is day 6 and again, accident free.

I think we are onto something!

I'm super proud of my boy!

Go JByrd!

It's a.......

2011-06-29T09:23:00.003-05:00

BOY!!!

we're having another boy..so so glad Judah's going to have a brother :)

we are very happy...

I did a little blue shopping just for the fun of it...gotta have some matchy matchy brother stuff!

Ding!

2011-06-23T19:56:00.003-05:00

I realized today it's almost been a month since I blogged. Woah. Even for a sickie that is a long time.

It has been a good month.

I lost 11 lbs total and now I've gained 4 of them back.

I am still on the zofran pump and so thankful for it.

I did a round of steroids to help with the incessant heartburn. It worked. Praying it keeps working.

I am starting to regain energy. By no means am I full of energy, but I can function and do basic things and I even went to the zoo...ha. So there HG!

My SIL has been here all month with her kiddo's...and while I am sure they are eager to be home and back with their daddy/husband...I am eternally grateful for the time they have invested here.

Judah is going to go through cousin withdrawl.

He calls Eliana "Ga-na-na"

He calls Mikey "cuzin Mike/Mikey/Michael" depending on the moment.

He calls my SIL "Jethica" or "Auntie" and occasionally "mommy" :)

It is pretty sweet. He wakes up in the morning and says "where's cousins?!"

Mikey and Judah play a silly game they call "Ding!", basically they pretend to be asleep...fake snoring and all...and then one of them yells "Ding!" and they both wake up and laugh...Judah says "huh?!" every time he fake wakes up and oh the giggles...it is hilarious...until I want him to actually sleep...or I want to close my eyes in the same room as him...then the "Ding" game gets old fast..lol...here they are in matchy matchy playing "Ding!"

Snoozing:

"DING!!!!"

Haha...yup, they are cute and they know it.

I call them:

Double & Trouble

Copy & Cat

Ding & Dong

They are like twin cousins...lol...they can be each others stunt doubles if they ever need one ;-)

We will be very sad here in Lockhart Land when these two leave....

odds and ends

2011-06-03T22:40:00.003-05:00

Lance and I celebrated our 3 yr wedding anniversary this past Sunday. I hadn't thrown up in like 3 days and was feeling okay, so we actually went to church, to lunch and then Lance and I went to a movie...the new Fast and Furious (love!). It was wonderful...I paid the piper the following few days because I totally over did it...but what a lovely day it was.

Lance brought me flowers from our rose trees in the front yard and they brightened up my biohazard medicine table quite nicely ;-) lol...it's the little things people...

So I mentioned before that my sister in law, Jessica, and her kids were coming to spend a month or so with me helping me out....my brother Mike brought them down which was nice because we got to spend some time with him too. I snapped this picture of the dads loving on their 2 yr old baby boys first thing in the morning. It was sweet. They are both great daddies.

Eliana, Mikey and Judah have been having a total blast together. They play in the water, do side walk chalk, share puppies, watch cartoons, eat delicious kid meals and generally just enjoy the heck out of one another.

I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to see Judah being loved on and included in Jessica's little family :) Judah calls her "mom" and "auntie" depending on the moment...which I think is sweet. She has been such a blessing to me while I am running on empty.

well, I need to sleep now...I have to get up in the middle of the night to change my zofran pump...I hope you are doing well...leave a comment if you stop by, I'd love to have you say hi...

Psalm 121:2 My help comes from the LORD...

2011-05-28T13:52:00.003-05:00

So the latest with me...

I have been on the zofran pump for a couple weeks now...almost. They upped my doses last saturday and things got a lot better. I could actually eat some somewhat normal foods besides pretzals and toast.

I am now also on steroids to help with the really really really bad heartburn I have been suffering. Since I started on it, I have had 2 days in a row where I didn't throw up. Feels like a miracle.

My Sister in Law, Jessica Larson, is coming down to spend a month or so with me and help me out with Judah and keeping me company and cooking and whatever...she is bringing her two sweet kiddo's too which Judah will LUV. They arrive tonight and I am beyond happy about this. They are stepping up in my hour of need in a way I never would have expected, but I am SO blessed by.

I am getting better at the zofran pump and dealing with the needles and healing up the sites...which is good...it was uber painful at first...it still is but much more manageable.

So that's the latest and greatest...

thanks for all the prayers and words of encouragement.

I know that this is all "worth it" in the end...but in the meantime...just trying to get through each day.

One day at a time...

2011-05-18T21:56:00.003-05:00

I was just perusing the HER website...this list made me cry...it's basically where I am at. It is hard to keep positive when you feel all of this. But I am trying. Our motto this pregnancy has been "One day at a Time".

I started on the zofran pump yesterday. It is emotionally draining to stick a needle into your stomach every day in a new spot and try to heal the "site" where the first needle was. But I didn't throw up. So I guess it's a small victory in a way.

I do want this baby. I just wish I had a fast forward button.

I do so appreciate the support people have offered...helping with Judah, helping around the house...I would be a total mess with out it. Heck, I still am, but a grateful mess.

Gotta go change my syringe. sigh... :(

Be aware of what may make her feel depressed, guilty, anxious and/or frustrated and try to proactively resolve or minimize their influence:
- Lack of understanding & support from others
- Inability to take vitamins, or eat healthy
- Taking medications perceived as risky
- Missing out on the "fun" of being pregnant
- Loss of a "normal" pregnancy
- Lost work days or quitting work
- Putting life "on hold" for many months
- Longing to eat and drink normally
- Money expended on care and support
- Lack of energy and severe fatigue
- Irritability and lack of enjoyment in life
- Memory loss or inability to think clearly
- Burden of care and time on others
- Lack of socialization (i.e. isolation)
- Inability to prepare for birth/arrival of baby
- Inability to care for family and home
- Wanting to terminate the pregnancy to end the misery
- Other's perception that HG is only in her mind
- Loss of hope that nausea will cease before birth
- Fear of painful treatments or being force fed
- Reluctance of doctors to treat due to cost or liability
- Weight loss or inadequate gain for gestational age of baby
- Fluctuating emotions due to hormones and illness
- Sense of inadequacy and failure at being unable to cope or function
- Fear of harming baby or more difficult birth
- Fear of morbidity or death
- Difficulty bonding with baby
- Lack of energy and socialization for kids
- Lack of excitement about baby's arrival
- Dreading the prolonged recovery time

play dates without mommy...

2011-05-13T12:53:00.003-05:00

All through my really bad morning sickness I have had friends picking Judah up and taking him on little adventures. It is such a blessing to have people who care about me and about my son. I am so thankful. It isn't fair to Judah to have to suffer along with me...granted he doesn't really mind and it's probably more mommy guilt than anything, but I am still thankful for friends who are willing to go the extra mile for us.

Today my friend Tami picked him up and took him to a music class and then to lunch at chick-fil-a ...she has a sweet daughter who is a little younger than Judah and they get along grand. Judah was all excited to go, we got his little back pack ready with what he needed, a rain coat and of course his puppy :) Oh I love my little man.

I can't get over how sweet he is. Yes, he's 2 and has his share of "terrible" moments...but he has more sweet moments that more than make up for them...

His thing lately is to say he "needs" everything...

"I NEED chocolate mommy!"
"I NEED your water mommy!"

and the list goes on....what a great kid :)

checking in

2011-05-12T07:55:00.000-05:00

I'm alive. I am. Still sick all the time, but alive. I have not been online much at all. Zero energy for it. The energy I do have needs to be used for things like feeding my 2 yr old son...ha.

I am 13 weeks tomorrow.

I started going to acupuncture this week to see if it might help with all the nausea and sickness. I'm still wearing the sea bands on my wrists. I take zofran. I am on heartburn meds. I go to sleep at 8:00 every night or else like clock work I throw up at 8:30. I take unisom because it supposedly helps with nausea...but I only take it at night cause I don't want to be sleeping in the day.

Lance is healing good from his knee surgery. He was home for 3 weeks and went back to work last night. I think he has had enough idle time to last him ages. He does not do idle time well. But it is paying off in a healed knee.

I got to see my sister this week, she was here for less than 24 hrs but it was great. She really encouraged me and we did some devotional reading that was just what I needed.

I guess that's all I got for now. I will try not to wait so long before I blog again. And maybe if I start feeling better I'll actually post some pictures and be more interesting...we'll see :)

April showers...

2011-04-23T15:55:00.006-05:00

had our first ultrasound, baby was waving his/her arms around...it was cute. all of this yuck has a purpose...I try to remind myself of that so I can keep a good attitude. It is not easy though. just being honest.

April Showers....

I feel like April has been one long shower of yuck. Pregnancy is just not nice to me. I am 10 weeks and feeling wishful/hopeful that it will truly only be first trimester I am this yuck.

Oh yes, and Lance is having knee surgery next week. Nothing major, but enough that he'll be needing some TLC. April is just not our month this year.

May Flowers....

please please please let May bring flowers and no more showers...

Judah looks at me and asks "frow up mommy?" all concerned and if I do, he pretends like he is too. I guess it's nice to have a little commiseration :) to bad his diapers are killing me these days...phew! good thing he's so cute :)

On another note...I ate an orange today that was divine. so delicious. most of the time my taste buds are not kind to me, but the oranges are workin'.

Oh yes, and I cry all the stinkin' time. The hormones are raging :) watching the final season of Oprah is not helping :) hehe

good news is we have a renter for our house in Mpls. it's a June 1st rental, so it will be empty a month...not ideal, but better than empty longer.

Last night my little bro and his family had a tornado touch down on their street...at least it looks like it and sounded like it...they were hiding in the basement. They only lost some trees, shingles and a fence. Their neighbors were not so lucky. I was crying when I found out. I just kept thinking what I would have done if something had happened to them. Oh Lordy I am glad they are safe.

I guess those are the highlights of my little life. I don't go anywhere cause driving in a car guarantees me getting sick. So I stay home and I'm wearing out our couch currently. Judah has had some friends take him for play dates and we've had folks come over and help us out which has been a blessing.

double trouble

2011-04-10T20:10:00.003-05:00

Well Hello Blog friends/family/lurkers, it has been way to long.

So this will be a bullet point update sort of a post...quick and getting us all up to speed...hopefully you will comment and tell me how you are doing! Not only have I not been blogging, I haven't been on facebook or anything really that keeps me in the loop on people's lives.

I went to WI to visit my parents...wasn't sure what to expect since my dad had previously been on his death bed. But the first day I was there he was up playing Yahtzee...so I guess that is good. lol. He is holding on and you know he feels better when he gets grouchy so I guess until the next time he gets sick, this is his new normal.

I had planned to stay longer in WI but here's the thing...dun dun dun...I am pregnant. Yup. As of today I am 8 weeks and 4 days. I wish with all of my heart I could say that it is a breeze this time...however...that would just be a lie. I have thrown up several times a day for almost a week now. I feel awful and I am discouraged because I was SO hopeful it would be different this time. I guess I am just praying it only lasts the first trimester instead of the whole pregnancy like last time. I'll take that if that's all I am offered.

Judah turns two on Wednesday. I am just so happy to be his mommy. Although lately he likes to call me "jamie" so whatever. ha. he's very cute when he does it and he is insistent that that is who I am when we try to correct him. So we'll see how long this phase lasts.

Anyhow...we had a really super fun party today and I will post more pictures and stories from it later, but for now...here is a picture of little jbyrd with his cake:

I wish I had pictures of all the adults with blue mouths afterwards. lol. that icing was potent.

I am excited to have another child...but to be honest, if I could skip the whole pregnancy thing I would. I totally would. It is just evil to me. Please please pray that it subsides. I would greatly appreciate it.

So that is the latest and greatest in my little life. I hope this finds you well!

heading to Wisconsin...

2011-03-24T20:23:00.002-05:00

So I am heading to WI to stay a while. My dad is not doing so well. This picture is from our visit in January. He is half the size and looks really bad now.

A week ago he was coughing so hard from being sick that they took him off of food, water and antibiotics...he was only getting morphine. My mom went to bat for him because it just didn't seem right. After a couple days he was back on all 3 as well as a cough medicine. They took him off of an acid reflux pill though that is now causing some other issues. It's not good.

I am not sure what will happen. He may pass away, he may rally and get better again. But in the meantime, I am going to go and be there for whatever comes along.

I know my mom is worn down in every way possible. I hope by us being there it will bring comfort.

Plus. I really want to see my dad again. I do not like the idea that I could have seen him and didn't...so I am going to go. I am in a season of life where am able to be mobile. So I am taking advantage of it.

So I may or may not be around much because I have no idea what I will and won't have time for.

Please keep us in your prayers. Please pray for my dad.

My boy

2011-03-22T13:15:00.002-05:00

A boy is Truth with dirt on it's face,
Beauty with a cut on its finger,
Wisdom with bubble gum in its hair,
and the Hope of the future with a frog in its pocket.
-- Author Unknown

Judah is almost 2...oh my...he just keeps getting cuter..in my humble opinion...

Pampers Code for 10, get it fast!

2011-03-21T09:07:00.003-05:00

T9PDXPKKGA3M4GK

this is only good until the 22nd...sorry about putting it up so late, I have been spending a lot less time online the last couple weeks with real life taking over my online time :) not a problem really, but I do love these rewards programs and being online is key :) Hope you get it in time!

For more info visit my BLOG POST all about pampers gift to grow

a smattering

2011-03-17T20:36:00.002-05:00

immense amounts of craziness since I was on here blogging a week ago.

Lance's dad is in poor health.

My dad is in poor health.

Judah had the pukes while we were in a hotel in San Antonio. And somehow managed to get a black eye and stung by a bee.

Other things going on that are not blog/internet approved as well. It's just a crazy time of life and taking it a day at a time.

I am looking forward to Judah's birthday. He is turning 2 in less than a month. I am more in love with that kid every single day.

I am praying there isn't a funeral before then. But only God knows.

I need a pedicure. I need to sleep for a week. I need to pray more. I need to stop eating hot tamales and eat more green peppers.

I feel random. I am a mixed bag of emotions and focus.

I am watching American Idol while I type this. I love music.

I miss my sister.

Could Taco Bell taste any better? I mean really. I so love that place.

I hope you are doing well...leave a comment once in a while why don't ya? a girl can start to feel like she's talking to herself out here all alone...

make ya laugh

2011-03-10T13:22:00.004-06:00

We were driving to our local La Leche League meeting this morning and Judah kept asking if we were driving to see his friend "andew" I told him that Andrew wouldn't be there, it was probably going to be girls..."it will be fun to play with some girlfriends Judah" I said...

his reply:

"I no wanna gul-fend" big pouty face

I am so quoting that back to him when he is 15. haha.

Don’t squat with your spurs on!

2011-03-09T22:17:00.002-06:00

haha, laughing at my blog title right now...

anyhow...just wanted to show you a couple pictures of Judah and I. I already posted the first picture a while back...but wanted to remind everyone how adorable Judah is in cowboy boots...and then debut a golden oldie of little ol' me :)

How stinkin' cute am I?!

Judah comes by it naturally ;)

an amazing nap

2011-03-08T13:09:00.004-06:00

I took an amazing nap yesterday. A nap where I wasn't keeping an ear open to hear if Judah was awake...A nap where I was fully relaxed because I knew my husband would take care of the little man if he needed help...A nap where I wasn't in charge. I took my nap in a guest room so it almost felt like a vacation...like I was a guest in my own home. ahhh...so nice.

I don't even sleep that well at night time. Especially when my husband is gone...and even when he's home...it's just a mom thing, being on alert.

Of course I woke up eventually and could hear Judah hollering for me down the hall, and my husband couldn't run and do all of his errands like he had wanted so we gathered up and did them all together once I woke up. But man, that was an awesome nap.

rainy day in nashville, the rainbows came indoors

2011-03-05T15:14:00.002-06:00

So my husband got me an iphone this last week. I bought the app "Hipstomatic" and I have been having some fun with it :) I took this picture today when we were at our monthly Drum Circle at Fanny's house of music. I love how his drum mallet looks like a rainbow! It was especially appropriate because today was a super duper rainy day. So worth getting out and getting rained on though to have some drum pounding loud fun :)

I am about to join a group called East Nashville Moms Group. They do play dates in the neighborhood...at parks and the community center and in people's homes. I am looking forward to meeting some moms in my hood. I talked to a few of them yesterday at our little local book store called "Fairytales" and they were so incredibly sweet. I had previously been considering joining but was a little bit intimidated because I didn't know anyone...but a few smiling friendly faces is all it took :)

well Judah is yelling "mama!!!" at the top of his lungs over and over and shaking the day lights out of his crib...so I guess that's all I have to say for now!

New GTG Code for 10!

2011-03-03T19:12:00.002-06:00

500000Pampers10 is worth 10! yay for Pamper Gift to Grow!

Head over to MY BLOG POST all about pampers to find out more!

getting in some practice...

2011-02-26T16:27:00.003-06:00

Judah and Leo were having a play date while the mommies were having a play date. We had to stop our play date though to go and figure out what the boys were up to...this is what we found:

One of the best things in the world to be is a boy; it requires no experience,

but needs some practice to be a good one.

Charles Dudley Warner

The Future Mario Andretti :)

2011-02-25T20:00:00.000-06:00

If you've spent 5 minutes with Judah...if you've talked to him at the grocery store while you were standing in line...if you've looked in his general direction and made eye contact...then you know that he loves cars. Like, really really really, loves cars.

So when we were in WI visiting his "grinny" and "great grinny" and we found the local Nascar museum, I knew we had struck gold...black gold...OIL! haha...I am cracking myself up right now....okay...here are a ton of adorable pictures of Judah's mouth hanging open in pure awe and pleasure at the amazingness that was before him...

Hanging onto Grinnie's hand so he didn't slip on the snowy path..

wow!

he actually stood here and admired the car for more than .02 seconds...so like a whole 4 seconds...which is ages in toddler land...

I wish I had been in front of him for this picture...he was crouching down and creeping forward with pure excitement towards the cars he kept seeing at every turn!

pointing to more car stuff!

look, I was there too :) legs! and more pointing from the boy...

The Grinny's were content to watch Judah having all the fun :)

There were even cars hanging from the ceiling! so awesome!

"look grinny!"

trying to figure out how to get in...haha...not yet hunny bunny...gotta wait a few years for that!

"cheese!"

yikes. 14 more years people...

running his hands along the car...did I mention he was in heaven?!

they had tons of these little model cars, he really enjoyed those.

lucky for me, they didn't care if he wandered and touched stuff....

or maybe that is lucky for Judah...hmm..

Great Grinny bought him a fun shirt in the gift shop :) he liked it!

Oh what a fun adventure we had!

Pampers GTG code! for 10 points.

2011-02-25T15:03:00.002-06:00

SEP3PGW7NRKYWXK is worth 10! not sure when it expires so go for it fast!

ps. I think this is only good in the USA...but try it and see if you are elsewhere!

For other Pampers Gift to Grow info head to my BLOG POST all about it and check it out!

food for thought..

2011-02-24T18:28:00.004-06:00

Feeding a toddler has turned out to be one of the more frustrating things I have dealt with as a mom...er...I mean as a human. honey child has a way of making me crazy by not eating and gagging on things he doesn't like and just generally being picky. Now, the things he will eat, he will eat endlessly...but the rest of it is a crapshoot.

Things Judah WILL eat:

Tortilla

Cheese Slice

PBJ sandwich

Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Grapes

Crackers-Ritz, Graham, Club

Corn

Oatmeal

Apple Sauce

pizza

watermelon

hot dogs/corn dogs

french fries

All stage 3 baby food in a jar...

Things Judah MIGHT eat:

Mac N Cheese

Black Beans

Meat Balls

Banana

Bacon

Hummus

Chips

Guacamole

grilled cheese

blue berries (but never the skins)

casadias with cheese or with beans

And pretty much everything else he flat out refuses. And trust me, I have offered him a variety of tastes, textures and types of food. ahhhhh! He just started drinking cow's milk for the first time last week. glory. (he still nurses like 3 or 4 times a day)

He shocked the heck out of me tonight when he ate meatballs...sheesh!

What do you feed your toddler? I need some serious ideas....help...

He is still in the 90+ percentile for all growth and his doc says he is fine...but...I'd like for him to eat more things...maybe I'm just dreaming...

Pampers Code worth 10 gtg points

2011-02-21T15:16:00.002-06:00

NC3XPM9YRD49EMT is worth 10! it expires on the 26th so go enter it NOW! :) I'm bossy, I know :)

And for more Pampers Gift To Grow Codes and info, check out MY BLOG POST all about it!

Zoo Crew

2011-02-17T21:45:00.003-06:00

The weatherman said it was going to be 70 today...so of course we made plans!

The Zooooooooo!!!!! woohooooooo!!!!!

I went with my friend Katie and her doll faced boy, Andrew...or as Judah says "Ah-dew"

It wasn't really as warm as it was projected but it was perfect weather for

the animals to come out and play. And lovely light for a good photo :)

Love Birds!

This Giraffe was walking super close to the fence, I think she wanted her picture taken.

Fine by me! I took a gazillion pictures, these are a couple of my favorites.

Sassy girl! Stickin' out her tongue at us!

I almost forgot I had a child! ha! Katie was on top of the mama photo op

moment though...good thing! ha! So we got the boys together and they humored us for the pic.

These little mere-cats made me laugh, the mommy was peacefully nursing her baby and along

came daddy who wanted to play with the baby all rowdy like...sort of reminded

me of my own little family...lol...

Oh those eyes!

"As we go walking through the Zoo

This is what we'll see,

Elephants and hippos,

And monkeys in a tree.

Tigers roaring loudly,

Giraffes who stand so high,

Dolphins swimming freely,

And parrots in the sky.

So let's all go walking,

Having fun the whole day through,

As we go on our field trip,

To the friendly city zoo."

Author: Beverly Qualheim

The grand finale of the day: Monkeys!!!!

They were kind of far away and I couldn't get a really great shot, so the shots I did get

I edited to look all overexposed and crazy, which I actually kind of liked the look of.

I admit, the monkeys are a favorite! Judah loved them too!

Do you have a zoo?! do you go?! do you love it?!

Pampers GTG code for Vday! worth 10!

2011-02-14T19:05:00.002-06:00

4W34A9BD99YDFWY worth 10 until Feb 19th at like 11:59 pm. So go get 'er!

For more codes and info on this program, head to MY BLOG POST all about it!

the duds were a hit

2011-02-13T21:32:00.003-06:00

So a couple days ago I bought myself some Milk Duds. I had only eaten a couple of them and I left them sitting out. The next morning I heard Judah playing with the box and heard them all fall out of the box onto our couch and the floor, I rushed over to pick them up and found Judah putting one into his mouth. I cleaned them up really quick and got more of them out of his little hands and he kind of looked at me all serious and then swiped a couple more I had missed and shoved them in his mouth really quick. And then backed away from me. haha. He said "mmmm" and then ran away. It was hilarious. I was a little worried they might be a choking hazard but Judah didn't have any problems devouring them.

I am so glad my kid has good taste :)

Earn 10 Pampers Gift to Grow points...

2011-02-13T20:28:00.003-06:00

Take THIS QUIZ on facebook and earn a code for 10 pampers Gift To Grow points.

For more codes and info on this program, head to MY BLOG POST all about it!

you are being warned...

2011-02-11T22:18:00.002-06:00

...when I was in WI visiting my mom I found a ton of old photos of myself when I was a baby and I borrowed them. And then I got a scanner. So consider yourself warned. I have boxes and boxes of photos from college, and high school (eek!) and even some from Jr. High...those may never be seen, we'll see how my self esteem holds up with the others first. lol.

So right out of the chute...here is an adorable baby picture of yours truly.

awh! wasn't I adorable?!

I am especially loving finding pictures where I resemble Judah. From our looks to our expressions to our activities.

It may be a little bit like a forced family slide show around here for a while :)

You have now been warned! hehe :)

blessed and blessing

2011-02-11T18:23:00.004-06:00

Have you ever had someone do something for you that just made all the difference? Because I have.

For instance:

I needed to buy a car. I had no idea what I was doing or how to go about it and the truck I was driving was pretty much at the end of its limits. So a friend let some folks know what I was needing and someone gave me a donation of money that blessed my socks off and another person loaned me a really really nice car for about 6 months so I could save up and not have a car payment for a while.

For instance:

I was new in town and didn't know anyone. And I was sick, really really sick (pregnant...same thing). My neighbor, who was also new to town, knocked on my door. Regularly. She visited me. She invited me along to do things with her. She invited me for dinner and even spent Christmas with me when I was alone for the holiday. A few times. She offered friendship when I needed it most.

For instance:

I had just spent a week in the hospital (dang pregnancy..lol) and when I got home I found a gift that had arrived in the mail. It was a slanket. A blanket with sleeves. It was a simple gift that when I put it on made me feel wrapped in love at a time I was feeling my worst physically.

For instance:

I was discouraged and feeling overtired and overworked at my job. I still loved it, but I was honestly just tired (mono probably didn't help...). I came back from a week of doing something (I forget what) and discovered that a group of friends had painted and decorated my office in a way that made my work space feel so wonderful and special. I was rejuvenated and excited again to come to work every day. I still have the lamp that was given from my boss/senior pastor to help make my office homey. I will probably keep that thing for a long time because it just reminds me of what those folks did for me.

These are just a few instances that come to mind. I have many more examples of ways people have blessed me and made an impact on my life. From money to time to gifts to patience to you name it. The ways we impact those around us and how we are impacted can be vast.

And in the spirit of what all those people did for me, I love when I have a chance to "pay it forward". I had a chance today to do something for someone I care for. It was a "full circle" kind of a moment for me. I knew that the reason I was able to do what I did was because of what others have done for me.

I have been blessed and that has made it possible for me to be a blessing.

I remember watching a "Friends" episode on tv where Phoebe wanted to do a good deed and be completely selfless while doing it. Only she couldn't succeed at it being completely selfless because it made her way to happy to do all of the good deeds she attempted. :) It was just so rewarding to do good things for other people. And if something is rewarding it isn't exactly selfless...well, that was her premise. And I totally get it.

How have you been impacted by someone in your life during a time of need? How have you paid it forward? feel free to comment and share! I'd love to hear about it. Or maybe this will inspire a blog of your own...that would be cool too :)

little drummer boy

2011-02-07T15:10:00.002-06:00

Judah and I spontaneously went to a drum circle here in East Nashville on Saturday. I had known it was going on but didn't think we'd be able to go because we had a birthday party to head to across town in the same ball park of time...but it was a long morning and when I checked my email and saw that it started at 10:30 and the party didn't start until 11:30, we double timed it and got ourselves out the house fast! and boy am I glad we did :)

It was SO much fun! Loud...but fun :) It was at a local music shop called Fanny's house of Music.

Judah was digging it. I was a little nervous because he is not a fan of loud noises. And he did lose it at one point when everyone in the room did a loud drumroll at the same time...it was a little too intense for a moment, but he recovered and went on to be one of the louder drummers in the room :) haha.

I am hoping we get to do a few more of these! It was awesome. It was hosted by Hands on Drums. I am going to look into how much it would cost to use them for a birthday party...seeing as how someone around here is breaking the rules and growing up...

Here's a little video of Judah drumming :)

Before I had a kid I never...

2011-02-06T13:31:00.001-06:00

...forgot to brush my teeth in the morning.

That's all.

Anyone have a mint?

watching over me...like angels...only...not...

2011-02-04T21:02:00.002-06:00

So Judah and I went out today to go to our favorite little neighborhood haunt...it is usually a huge hit...but today it was kinda packed and the story time was endless...which just doesn't work with a squirrley toddler....or 10, cause seriously, there were a lot of little people there today.

So we cut out as quick as we could with out being rude and headed next door to the restaurant that is attached. I ordered us some food and Judah spotted the Thomas Table so I let him down to go and play with the trains.

There was another gal there with these adorable twin boys (holy cow they were cute) and their big sister...turns out she was the aunt...she was clearly out numbered and not used to it. haha. So I offered to watch the twins so she could help the big sis go to the potty. I could tell she wasn't sure if she "should" but the potty dance forced her to trust me.

She headed off pretty shortly after that and then it was back to just Judah and I hanging out.

Judah has started telling me when he is going poop. He usually tells me after...but today he told me and then I could see him start making it happen (if you know what I mean. ha!)...I offered quickly to rush him into the potty so he could go on the potty...he was all excited but sadly it was to late...so we utilized the koala changing station instead. And as I was dealing with poo and a squirrley toddler in a public restroom I was so distracted that it took me probably a full five minutes in the restroom before I realized who was watching me...

10 eyes...staring...watching over me...reminding me of a time in my life when I was horribly awkward...and making me kind of wish I could go back to such carefree moments...back when I had the right stuff...and less poo...

And it was a HUGE poster...like...life sized...

And then I started laughing.

Thanks boys...

I could almost hear them singing as I walked out of the bathroom...

"please don't go girl...it would ruin my whole world..."

2011-02-04T12:24:00.002-06:00

I'm not really feeling all that talkative.

I still haven't off loaded my pictures from my week in WI.

Maybe tonight I will do that. I have a cold and my energy level has been zero this week.

For now I am thanking God for Puffs Plus and quiet days at home.

Hope you are doing better than I am.

Read and Go!!!

2011-01-31T20:30:00.003-06:00

I'm home. I'm tired. More about all that later...

But for today...head over to She's Star-Crossed and check out the giveaway! It closes soon so RUN!!!

She is giving away an adorable hat from this etsy shop, my favorite is the owl...here's a pic:

She is also giving away a book, your choice between two books that I can personally recommend highly.

This is an awesome giveaway. Hop on over and join in the fun! Are you feeling lucky?!

Pampers Codes

2011-01-25T09:40:00.008-06:00

So we are a Pampers family ALL the way. Love them so much. I joined the pampers village and started entering Gift to Grow points listed on each package of pampers. So far I have redeemed the points I earned for 2 of the 10$ starbucks gift cards and a really nice Melissa and Doug puzzle. (I blogged about the puzzle...see for yourself!) Yipee!!!!!

If you are a pampers mom and aren't doing Gift to Grow you need to! it is such a simple process and you get free stuff! If you don't want the hassle feel free to give me your codes :) lol. I have no idea if that is legal but it sounds good :)

In the meantime, if you want to sign up, use this link so I can get some referral credit for your signing up...and then create your own referral link and get your friends to join! sweet! Can't wait to have a free starbucks and think how buying diapers has made that possible :) lol. maybe I won't think about that so much during the coffee itself...just for the paying for it with a gift card part. lol.

So go sign up using a link from this blog post (that helps me out) and get started! Here are a TON of codes you can use...some are worth 5, 10 & 15...if you find out that any of them are expired would you post a comment so I can update my list? Every time I find a new code I will add it to the bottom of this list and list the blog as "new" so it bumps up to the current date. (easier to find that way)

Here is a list of Codes that are possibly/probably expired as of 10/23 but you can still try:

GTGSPRINGFREE10
GETSTARTEDNOW10
GTGPLAY3USA2010
GTGPLAY1USA2010
GTGTEAMUSA2010
GTGPLAY2USA2010
JUSTFOROURFANS1
HAPPYHOLIDAYS10
STARTEARNINGNOW (I got this one twice...so try it a couple times in case it's usable twice)
THRIFTYMOMMYGTG
OHAMANDAAWGTG08
WELCOMEBONUS089
JOINTHEFUNGTG09
JUSTBECAUSE2009
GRATUIT89102009
GROWWITHVILLAGE
XKCMYXFVD96VXVK
WELCOME2GTG0809
15GTGSUMMERFUN
GTGSUMMERFUN5PT
WELOVECHEERIOS2
GTGLEARNMORE089
25GTGSUMMER2010

PAMPERSTWITTER5

1FORMEGTGSEPT23

4happyhalloween

This is the most current list (as of 10/23/10) of active codes!

WELCOME2VILLAGE 10

GTGCOUPONPOINTS 10

GTGTENMONTHCODE 10

WELCOME2PAMPERS 50

GTGFIVEMONTHS10 10

CAREFORNEWBORNS 10

2BEGINEARNING50 50

PAMPERS4MOMSOND 10

GTGGETREADYSOON 10

10PTSFREECODE4U 10

PUNTOSPARAMI123 10

FACEBOOKOCT2010 10

JOINNOW4REWARDS 50

GIFTSTOGROW4MOM 50

GIFTS2GROWBONUS 20

WELCOME2GTG2010 10

PAMPERSGTG10PTS 10

WelcomeMembers5 5

GTGWELCOME10PTS 10

NEWWIPESPACKAGE 10

HAPPYHOLIDAYSFB

CONGRATS2NEWMOM

F9779FYAHFJRYCN worth 10

4WJDHKU4RPP6PT2 worth 10!

January email from Pampers offers bonus double points for size 3 Cruisers, valid through 02-10-2011. (Judah is in size 5's so no idea if this works or not, but if you are in size 3's then go for it!)

VMF776C7HMXXT4A worth 42! get it while it's hot...not sure how long it is good for.

pampers4momjfm1 worth 10! quick!

NC3XPM9YRD49EMT is worth 10 and only good until Feb 26th!

XK6JT33PRDRAK6W (I think this one is only good in the USA) worth 10

SEP3PGW7NRKYWXK worth 10

500000Pampers10 worth 10!

T9PDXPKKGA3M4GK is worth 10, only good until March 22nd though.

Head over to facebook and take THIS QUIZ to earn a code for 10 points!

traveling light

2011-01-24T08:55:00.001-06:00

Heading to WI today to visit my dad and my mom. (and hopefully my gram, my uncle, my bro and his fam too!)

I was determined to pack light. I think I accomplished it, but the real test will be our journey through the airport and airport security. wish me luck!

See ya next week!

I cheated

2011-01-23T15:17:00.004-06:00

I totally cheated on my stylist. What can I say, I was not happy with the last cut she gave me and I just needed a fresh perspective...

...the worst part? I cheated on her in her own salon!!! ahh!! I was so nervous she was going to come in at some point while my hair was getting cut and ask why I hadn't scheduled an appt with her...but she never came in...phew! what a relief.

So here is my new cut...

This is straight from the salon, I will of course attempt to style it myself tomorrow and it will look nothing like this.

She definitely fixed a couple of the things I was unhappy with about my previous hair cut. I can tell that already even before I've gotten my own hands on it.

So now what do I do? Schedule appts with the new girl or go back to the old girl? she wasn't bad, she's given me several really nice hair cuts...but I really liked the new girl...oh boy, I have gotten myself into a mess. haha.

ps. I took these pics with photo booth so I'm all backwards and that is always a weird thing to look at a pic of myself like that..did I mention I am backwards looking? haha I'll stop now..

have you ever cheated? and been caught? and yes, I am really only talking about hair stylists on this one...lol...unless you feel the need to confess anything else and then go right ahead...

baring it all

2011-01-22T13:07:00.002-06:00

No. There are no nakey pics here. Just a truth telling.

The topic? My weight.

Please don't hate me, but I have never struggled with it before. If anything, I needed to gain at different times.

But it's a new day. haha!

I gained 55 lbs when I was pregnant. By the time Judah was a yr old I had lost it all. Thanks to breastfeeding I didn't really need to adjust my diet much at all. It just came off with time.

And then I gained 5 lbs...Judah was nursing half the time and I was still eating like a full time nursing mom.

And then I gained 5 more lbs...I guess I just figured if I ignored it it would just go away. Logic is not always logical people!

And then I gained 5 more lbs....and my pants were tight. Oh Lordy.

I drew a line in the sand.

I am down 8 lbs since I drew the line...that leaves me with 7 more to go...and maybe a little more after that if things are going well.

I have officially cut out anything that would be considered "drinking my calories"...of course I still drink milk, but in moderation. And tons of water.

This cup actually keeps me drinking water. I do not know why. I'm sure there is something psychological about it. ha!

It was a christmas gift. Thanks honey!

I am working to not snack when I am bored...or in the evenings...ayaiyai...I love to snack so this one is hard...adding a few healthy snacks into the mix is helping.

I am also turning into a calorie counter. I have literally never once in my life looked at how many calories were in something...so there is a rather large learning curve on this one.

I am using a sight called....Calorie Count...go figure...so original I know...no one can accuse them of false advertising ;-)

It has been really nice to see and keep track of what I am putting into my "tank" (food is fuel is my mantra).

I am also putting to good use our Elliptical. I talked to my brother who is a fitness expert and he talked me through a plan of action on "The Beast", as I affectionately call it :) Now to work the plan!

So that is another one of my fun (dripping with sarcasm here people) January things. Why must it be such a drab month?

I am working towards keeping my current pants and not buying a bigger size. I am working towards having more energy and feeling good about myself. I am working towards health.

Wish me luck!

New Heights

2011-01-21T13:18:00.002-06:00

So another thing going on in our home and lives this month is....

dun dun dun...

wait for it...

potty training! yes. that is right.

my baby likes to go pee pee on the potty.

I can barely stand it. He is getting big. He pees on the potty and he climbs ladders on the play ground with no help.

When did this happen?!

We are not doing much other than just letting him go if he wants. No potty schedule, no pressure, no expectations.

Just trying something new and fun.

He has been telling us when he is going potty for a while now. So I just offered if he wanted to try it on the potty and he said yes and then he actually went.

He likes it when I count "1, 2, 3 pee pee!" haha.

Taking potty time to new heights people!

It is fun to see him learn and grow and do new things. I just wish I could bottle up the sweetness of his baby days.

On another note completely. I am no lactivist, just a mom who nurses her child and wants to do so as long as I see fit with out fear of being in trouble if I do so out in public. TN state law right now states that moms are only allowed to nurse children until 12 months in public. But there is a chance to change that right now on a bill that is being considered. Just taking the age limit off of the current law. If you are interested in participating in getting this changed, follow this link and read the blog I read and take a moment to send an email on behalf of the moms of TN. And remember, if you are a nursing mom and plan to visit TN, drive thru TN or fly thru, this also effects you and your rights.

where I blog...

2011-01-20T21:18:00.002-06:00

A fellow blogger friend asked where people blog...so here's a pic of me doing my thing. My hubs took this pic on the ipod, didn't know he was taking my pic but I'm glad he did. I kept meaning to respond to Andrea's post but never remembered to take a picture...ha!

So yeah, I sit in a chair with the Lappy and usually watch TV too...terribly interesting I know. I can't imagine how you have lived with out knowing this before. You are welcome. haha.

so where do you blog? sitting in a comfy chair? at a coffee shop? in the bedroom? on your porch? do tell...

the contrast

2011-01-20T13:45:00.003-06:00

If you've been around my blog long enough, you know this is a place I keep track of the beauty and joys of my life. I don't spend a lot of time on my blog being a downer or complaining or keeping track of the crappy stuff life brings. But there is a time and a place for all things. Even in my happy place.

I guess in order to see the beauty and the joy you need the contrast. Or so I will tell myself.

So on that note...a few things to share about my January and my life.

My dad. He is almost 81 and has been dealing with dementia for a while now. He lives in assisted living (thank God, it was so hard on my mom to care for him before that) and is in generally speaking, good health. However, recently he suffered a small stroke. And that caused him to have issues in regards to breathing and swallowing and such. He aspirated and got pneumonia. His doctor recommended he get a feeding tube. Now if you know my dad at all, you know his one joy in life is eating. So that was not happening. He has no desire to live on tubes and machines and will just live with what comes his way until he doesn't.
Anyhow...this has been going on for several years now. A slow fade.
But the difference this time is that his doctor has decided he now requires Hospice.
And yes, when I got that news I cried. In the shower. For a long time. Ugly Cry.
I know that people can live for years even on hospice, but it still holds such meaning. It is the last step. The end is coming. Like it or lump it.
So next week I am going to WI to visit my mom and my dad.
I hope it is not the last time I see my dad alive. But there are no guarantees. There never are.

So that is that. Praying for the best, preparing for the worst.

Anyhow...now that I typed that out I don't really feel like talking/blogging anymore. So other stuff will just have to wait I guess. Maybe tonight I'll pop back on and change the mood around here...but for now...even on the good days, this is what is in the back of my mind.

feeling peevish...

2011-01-16T12:23:00.004-06:00

Pet Peeve:

When someone is singing and they start singing louder and they pull the microphone away from their face, causing you to then hear nothing. Lame. Just sing into the dang microphone and if it's loud it's loud. Isn't that the point?

Seriously. Not something important but isn't that the nature of pet peeves?

Pet Peeve:

When someone leaves time on the microwave. Just clear it so you can see what time it is. It's especially annoying when there's like 1:30 seconds left and you think it's 1:30 and it's really like 4 o'clock.

Seriously. Not the end of the world but isn't that the nature of pet peeves?

Pet Peeve:

When someone has messy eyebrows. Oh man, I just want to get in their face and smooth those bad boys out. I just don't understand how that doesn't annoy the person with the messy brows.

Seriously. Who cares. And yet it bothers me. But isn't that the nature of pet peeves?

Pet Peeve:

When people are out in public and smacking and popping their gum. I'd rather be in a cow pasture hanging out with an actual cow than being stuck with a cow like human who has no manners. Ha! there. I said it. Close your mouths people.

Seriously. I think this may be on every persons pet peeve list except for the ones who do it. And again, isn't that the nature of pet peeves?

Pet Peeve:

There, They're, Their being used wrong. Oh man. Not cool. However, I struggle with the use of apostrophes and to, too so I guess I'm not perfect. But it still bugs me.

Seriously. With social networking and rampant tweeting and texting, it's bound to happen thousands/millions of times in a day. And yes, that is the nature of pet peeves...they don't always matter, they just are.

Okay. Got that out of my system.

Your turn. What are your pet peeves? hmm? do tell...

My word.

2011-01-13T21:18:00.000-06:00

My word for 2011:

Good

To see the good in everything. To do good. To know what is good and get rid of what is not. To enjoy the satisfaction that comes with things that are good. A good meal. A good feeling. A good day. A good time. To revel in the fact that my God is good. And to count the many good blessings in my life.

I feel like this word isn't given much credit. And yet...is there anything better? than something good?

This year will be good. It won't be perfect. But it will be good.

Matthew 12:35a "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him..."

Romans 12:9 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good."

a request...

2011-01-13T13:02:00.002-06:00

would you consider clicking the "follow" button at the top of my blog if you are a reader? lots of you already have :)

I appreciate that people take the time to read about the things I share here.

Working on a post for later tonight...picking my "Word for 2011"...have you picked a word?

See you tonight!

girl's night

2011-01-12T09:58:00.002-06:00

"well, it's my night to rock

no watchin' that ol' clock

Ain't no doubt, Lordy, it's a girl's night out"

-Wynona Judd

(don't you just love how sweet baby E looks like she is a cabbage patch baby coming up out of the lettuce wraps? haha)

I went out last night with some girlfriends. oh how I needed this. good for the girly soul :)

Cheesecake Factory. Need I say more? Heaven in your mouth.

If you look up the word "linger" in the dictionary, our photo would be there...we most definitely were in no hurry to leave last night. Our waiter left before we did. Just enjoying each others company and a night out on the town! No kids, No Fuss, No Muss.

The Christmas Chronicles Part 8, Wrapping up Christmas, all good things must come to an end...

2011-01-10T17:11:00.000-06:00

Lance's sister gave us some wonderful "handmeups" for Christmas...

Judah is in Thomas the Train heaven...and I think I can safely say, Lance is too.

Check out the track they built...and by "they" I mean Lance.

This was right before we said good bye to miss Brandy. We loved her visit!

And after Brandy left, my sister Jessi came for a few days!

The Christmas fun just went on and on...and I didn't mind!

Low and behold...my mom sent Jess some gifts and there was one for me in the box too! sweeeeet! haha. My sister will tell you christmas horror stories about how I always got more presents than her...so she was crying foul when the shared gift turned up...haha.

and I'm not gonna lie...I rubbed it in a little...err...a lot...lol

We got matchy matchy books!

Thanks mom!

I just liked this picture. Judah flying high! and he was flying high after all the attention he received over the holidays...bringing him in for a landing may take a while...

Jessi's puppies were along for the ride...puppy cousins.

And this is a series of sweet Judah faces...because I love him.

He is the best gift in my life. Hands down.

Our Christmas season was truly Merry and Bright. And for that I am eternally thankful.

The Christmas Chronicles Part 7, Kiss:Like father like son..

2011-01-10T08:01:00.000-06:00

Now this was a gift from Lance's sister and mom...and I would venture to say it was a rather perfect present! ha!

In the words of his mother:

"when Lance was a pre-teen and young teen he was a HUGE KISS fan--he had posters all over his room--he was such a fan we got tickets to KISS in Mpls and Howard took he and his sister there in a single engine plane through bad weather so he could get to the concert--we were stone deaf parents!!!"

In the words of his father:

"What really happened is that the weather was good starting out but we hit unexpected bad weather which I was able to handle near Minneapolis. We made it on time and the first thing Lance saw when he got in was the KISS leader in full costoom in the hall way. He swore to me that it wasn't really Gene Simmonds but someboy immitating him. It is funny how kids think. We were in a Cherokee Warrior that was operated by the flying club. Alan Reman went with us because I did not go to the concert."

Judah most definitely already loves Rock n Roll.

He loves all music and loves to dance.

I think he has a future in music...look at that style and attitude!

I think his daddy was loving this :) haha

A great Christmas gift!

The Christmas Chronicles Part 6, A new year with old friends

2011-01-09T21:47:00.000-06:00

Before Howard and Sandy left town, my friends Kristen and Tim arrived...which made it possible for us to all enjoy a wonderful breakfast together on New Years Eve Day. Tyler, Jessica and Cassie came over again which was great. We had such a fun morning!

I have spent countless New Years Eve's with my friend Kristen...so many good memories. It was wonderful to have her and her husband here for yet another celebration!

Kristen and Tim are basically an Auntie and an Uncle...and they play the part well!

Judah would agree wholeheartedly!

I will post a little bit more about what they got me for my birthday later on in the month...because it requires it's own grand reveal and back story :) how's that for suspense...muahahaha...

We spent the weekend lounging around, eating good food and just enjoying each others company. Kristen and I were expert frisbee competitors on the Wii before New Years Eve was over...yes...we rock. Brandy and Tim just rolled their eyes at us...haha.

A New Year's Prayer

Dear Lord, please give me

A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;

A work to do which has real value,

without which the world would be the poorer;

A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;

An understanding heart;

A sense of humor;

Time for quiet, silent meditation;

A feeling of the presence of God;

The patience to wait for the coming of these things,

With the wisdom to recognize them when they come.

Amen.

Unknown

The Christmas Chronicles Part 5, Papa Big Boots & A Sweet Parting

2011-01-09T08:34:00.000-06:00

I'm gonna tell you a little secret

You won't believe it's true
Did you know your
"Papa" Big Boots
Once wore little boots like you

-Elvis song from "GI Blues"

Judah found his "papa's" big boots and had to try them on.

What a sweet little man.

Parting is such sweet sorrow...

Some sweet kisses for the road!

Judah has asked about his grammy and papa every day since they left.

What a joy it was to share the holidays with them!

The Christmas Chronicles Part 4, Grammy repairs "banka", A Christmas Miracle

2011-01-08T17:21:00.000-06:00

Anyone else out there have a Linus? I seriously did not know how my child would react to seeing his grammy fixing his blanket. Or has he calls it, his "banka". He is extremely possessive of that blanket!

Not only did he not mind her holding the blanket, he didn't mind watching her cutting pieces of his banka or watching her sew new binding onto the edges! I was probably more nervous about it all than he was. ha!

In the end, his banka was restored and better than ever.

A Christmas Miracle!

The Christmas Chronicles Part 2, A white Christmas & Gifts Galore!

2011-01-08T08:29:00.001-06:00

I already posted about our Christmas Eve experience, but I didn't include some of the fun pictures from Christmas Eve Day that I took...and the fun pics from the middle of the night when the snow was coming down and of course our Christmas Day! So here goes! Lots of photos...and this is not even a tenth of the ones I took...that will be saved to torture someone evil some day...haha...even I don't like looking at that many pics. This is a much more manageable selection, and the fam will love it :)

For days before Christmas, Judah enjoyed stacking the gifts like blocks and sitting on them and he even fell through one box when he stood on it. It was pretty funny. It was nice that he didn't know about opening them, I didn't have to worry about that this time around...next year I anticipate hiding the gifts until the night of christmas...

Judah especially loved the gift bags cause they had handles to carry around the house...

Miss Brandy came to spend Christmas with us. She lives in Virginia and is going to school and needed the break! Judah was super happy to have her here! He called her "Bandy" and wanted to be by her all the time.

Friends!

Christmas eve and we were ready!

All the pretty paper!

One last shopping trip before the big day. We were searching for one more of the Matchy Matchy shirts...we ended up buying the only one they had right off of a mannequin!

We have a time gap in the pictures here, I already blogged about the really lovely Christmas Eve service we attended....and after we got home and Judah was tucked in...I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures of the snow! I wasn't sure it would stick...I'm glad it did! First time it snowed on Christmas in 17 yrs. Nashvillians were going crazy.

It felt like Christmas!

A Magical White Christmas!

Christmas morning dawned and it looks like Santa was here!!! We love Santa!

Judah's stocking was full of fun little things like car ornaments and helicopters and Elmo movies...the kid scored big!

Dig deep kid!

Playing with the loot!

And then it was melt down time...to much fun for this little man...

so off he went for a nap...a nice long happy nap!

It looks like our house was dusted with powdered sugar...

yummy pretty tasty powdered sugar...it put us in the mood for cookies...

Judah was up for more fun! miss Brandy made some amazing gingerbread men...

watching them cook! what a cute pair!

Judah liked biting their legs off first...that's my boy!

Time to see what Santa brought mommy :)

I think Judah liked my gifts as much as I did...especially the socks he turned into a scarf. ha!

We were not sure Lance would make it home on Christmas but he did! We were SO happy! We opened our gifts and enjoyed each other. It was such a fun evening.

Judah's great Aunt Sue bought Judah some fun gifts...by far his favorite gift was the Elmo Slippers she got him...he actually squealed then got up and danced in his slippers...it was a riot.

and then he sneezed. hahahahaha

My boys...this warms my heart.

such a cute little back pack :) meow!

Brandy got us all some really sweet presents. Judah loved his finger puppets!

Kiss the puppy!

daddy got this gift for Judah...which makes this particular picture priceless...

and my favorite gift! my blog in print! awesome. every year is its own book. love love love.

Judah got more matchbox cars than an heir to hot wheels...

Brandy got some fun gifts too. It was fun to get her stuff she liked.

So there is a smattering of our christmas pictures. It was a really fun day. I didn't even know if I'd get to see Lance or not, and it turned out we got to spend a big chunk of the day together.

"Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love."

-Hamilton Wright Mabi