tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79918264808387405402024-03-13T00:42:14.256-07:00This Little Mess of MineThis is just a quick glimpse into my life as I juggle being exactly what I always wanted to be...a wife, a mother, and a teacher. Sometimes it gets a little messy, but with the support of my fabulous husband, a squeeze from my little men, and a Sonic Vanilla Diet Coke in hand I give thanks each day for how big I'm blessed.Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-52820450679957623852011-12-31T21:41:00.000-08:002011-12-31T21:41:20.308-08:002011....Surprise SurpriseAs I am typing this, it is exactly 11:17 pm on December 31, 2011. I'm not going to lie it will be a miracle if I make it to midnight and if it wasn't for the digital clock on the cable box I totally could've convinced Caden it was a New Year when the ball dropped on the east coast and I could be snug in my bed. But instead you are getting my random thoughts on 2011 so I can stay awake for another 40 minutes and welcome 2012 with 2 of my favorite men.<br />
I will forever remember 2011 as being the year that God taught us a big lesson. He has shown me that despite my need to control things He is truly in control and He alone knows the plans he has for me, us, our family.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-twnM8Hy4RhI/Tv_xwzRMrjI/AAAAAAAAAEA/SAi_kVJvNUo/s1600/IMG_2934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-twnM8Hy4RhI/Tv_xwzRMrjI/AAAAAAAAAEA/SAi_kVJvNUo/s320/IMG_2934.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It has been amazing to see Rylan growing and learning in his first year of life. Everything has been a new adventure to him and he embraces life with such ferocity that it is contagious at times. At other times, I won't lie, it's exhausting. He NEVER stops go, go, going! I love it!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qTMSUkcO7H4/Tv_x6VZjpzI/AAAAAAAAAEM/XVQ4uaCg1Fs/s1600/IMG_2955.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qTMSUkcO7H4/Tv_x6VZjpzI/AAAAAAAAAEM/XVQ4uaCg1Fs/s320/IMG_2955.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>Caden started Kindergarten this year and I love seeing him being challenged to try new things and take more risks. He is reading like crazy and surprises us constantly with his insights about the world and life. He continues to be wise beyond his years, but the times I love the most are the ones when he shows us he is still a 6 year old who needs his mommy and daddy, who loves his brother, and thinks owls are scary because of their creepy eyes.<br />
Finally in 2011 we discovered that we will be adding to our little family. I guess we won't be such a little family anymore, huh? Anyway, it took awhile to wrap our minds around the idea, but we are very excited to meet our daughter when she arrives in April. Like I said, God has a plan.......I can't wait to see what He has in store for us in 2012.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T4tklwBTDoU/Tv_xakuOItI/AAAAAAAAAD0/Atw7MrXAUPk/s1600/IMG_3442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-T4tklwBTDoU/Tv_xakuOItI/AAAAAAAAAD0/Atw7MrXAUPk/s320/IMG_3442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Now to find something to fill the next 20 minutes of time, so I won't be shamed by the fact that my 6 year old made it to midnight and I didn't.Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-19236088033831219922011-07-08T20:37:00.000-07:002011-07-08T20:37:33.091-07:00A Series of Unfortunate EventsToday started out better than I could have ever hoped. Both boys slept until after 7 am for the second day in a row. I got both of them fed, changed, and out the door for a walk at the trail before the warm, wet washcloth we call weather settled down upon us. Caden played at the trail and found some "interesting fossil specimens" (his words, not mine) of craw fish while wading in the creek. Ry slept the whole time and we ended up getting in close to 3 miles.<br />
Then we came home. Then the bottom fell out.<br />
In the course of less than an hour the following insued.......<br />
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I put Ry in the floor in the living room to play where I could see him while I made lunch. He crept closer to the candlestick that sets by the fireplace. Sneaky little Pete that he is, he would wait until I looked down and would crawl closer and closer. I should tell you that he is drawn to this candlestick like a moth to a flame. We can smack that little hand all we want, he WANTS that candlestick. So he finally makes his move, just as I bend down to move him away from it. And......well, goodbye candlestick.<br />
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He just looked at me with this face, like "What?!" Ry got to go spend a few minutes in his crib "thinking" about this. I cleaned it up, finished making lunch, put my plate with my sandwich on it on the table in the living room while I go spring him out of baby jail. Caden starts screaming from the living room, "MOMMMM, Roxy is eating your sandwich!!" I walk in the living room to see Roxy (who is now available to a new home) drag my plate off the table and start eating MY lunch. I will not go into detail about what I did to her. PETA may be monitoring my blog. Let's just say there is a reason there is not a pic these shenanigans. My hands were otherwise occupied at the moment:) I stick Ry in his walker, begin cleaning up and making myself another sandwich. Which on a side note, I only had one piece of turkey left. The second sandwich sucked. I turned around for just a second to talk to Caden and this is what Ry did to my kitchen. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPSVHyMOOkERwmQSK1MYZ-Z_eC8rPjH0HRHeffLx6zdvhZwMVoOBCtTXjvQncCENK5xv6E19TJ3TRkvbsZEQuukTFKUAXpEGA5f3Iu0Ooyz5mw96QxjTFvN0t-s-pN6AOg6XQeMpwdvI/s1600/kitchen" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPSVHyMOOkERwmQSK1MYZ-Z_eC8rPjH0HRHeffLx6zdvhZwMVoOBCtTXjvQncCENK5xv6E19TJ3TRkvbsZEQuukTFKUAXpEGA5f3Iu0Ooyz5mw96QxjTFvN0t-s-pN6AOg6XQeMpwdvI/s1600/kitchen" /></a></div><br />
Yes, yes Honie that is the newly purchased decorative dishtowel you gave me trailing behind him. It use to hang beautifully from the oven door. Now it is safe in the drawer until Mr. Man gets control of himself. <br />
Apparently he wasn't happy with any of the snack selections he grabbed the first time, so he went back for more.....<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazawS1wH3usADHLa2jpRnMTiP4jZb4lZ8S7zUtzqqDanTOkd8v9LGqBIHAlUv1cInhY0uTjXXPZ3HfbmUl-l664TgQKY1f5JBCezc9JgIMawOal7T25f5DntDBue_YAPGVO-bNGC6tWU/s1600/snack" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjazawS1wH3usADHLa2jpRnMTiP4jZb4lZ8S7zUtzqqDanTOkd8v9LGqBIHAlUv1cInhY0uTjXXPZ3HfbmUl-l664TgQKY1f5JBCezc9JgIMawOal7T25f5DntDBue_YAPGVO-bNGC6tWU/s1600/snack" /></a></div>I love that he isn't even paying attention to me he is so focused on getting to a snack. Josh came home not long after and Caden said, "I'm the only one here that isn't in trouble!"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuV0Bpke6e8LaboClwRnd6kEIUh8SHeL-tlE5pMatHxrNqu81zCkFN7ZJeWBhA3LS5toNouOjt_tzFJjFOklqFsCraAWXQrXurFyhDvl0FClK3SPCvm5Y2cqEtj-bvtQbYLhayu7Uxzgs/s1600/caden" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuV0Bpke6e8LaboClwRnd6kEIUh8SHeL-tlE5pMatHxrNqu81zCkFN7ZJeWBhA3LS5toNouOjt_tzFJjFOklqFsCraAWXQrXurFyhDvl0FClK3SPCvm5Y2cqEtj-bvtQbYLhayu7Uxzgs/s1600/caden" /></a></div>Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-72375475733425183292011-07-07T07:24:00.000-07:002011-07-07T08:35:45.715-07:00Crawling.....at last!Rylan is crawling now.....I do not have time to post more. I must go pull him out of the fireplace. Enjoy the pics and pray for us:)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cKUk-5QTLd_h3_BkCRExgO2q-jjzVv8RddkiftGVmVQfClyf7MC_gnDn52FTdk83cuiidNi49MU7Y1K0xNumOVD39cjq6ix7yEAytB7F43ZvhIUNBP2OVJloaPdpTa2Qg6uyCEltvZI/s1600/IMG_2619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3cKUk-5QTLd_h3_BkCRExgO2q-jjzVv8RddkiftGVmVQfClyf7MC_gnDn52FTdk83cuiidNi49MU7Y1K0xNumOVD39cjq6ix7yEAytB7F43ZvhIUNBP2OVJloaPdpTa2Qg6uyCEltvZI/s320/IMG_2619.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-82526126981238768342011-06-30T19:29:00.000-07:002011-07-01T05:27:16.468-07:00Let them be littleFirst off, I'm a terrible blogger. Life gets a little hectic and the first 2 things to go are blogging and running. Why is that?? What is probably my two best forms of therapy are the first things I give up when I get stressed. Enough about that, the real reason for this post is to share a milestone that happened around our house this past month.<br />
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On June 10, 2011 my baby, my first-born little bundle of words and questions graduated from pre-school....FINALLY! I know, I know most moms would be sobbing and trying to hold on to those last few moments of the "pre-school" years with all their might. But, that's just not me. As I was sitting in the playground at Caden's pre-school waiting on the graduation to start a drama queen mommy came and sat down next to me. She was all tears and "I can't believe my baby is going to Kindergarten! Kindergarten!!! It's so scary! I need more Kleenex!" Geez, lady save some of it for HS graduation OK? and no I don't have any Kleenex, now suck it up it's only Kindergarten it's not like they are going off to war. I wish I had a good explanation for my lack of tear stained Kleenex as my baby belted out some cutesy songs about school, but I don't. Do I want to capture every sweet moment of his innocent years in a bottle and peek in from time to time to remember him as he was, absolutely. Do I wish he would think his mommy is the Queen of Everything for the rest of his life? uhhh, yea. But I also know that Caden has been wise beyond his years, and sometimes beyond mine and Josh's, since he started talking at 9 months old and kindergarten's got nothin' on him. He will still me my little walking/talking dictionary who sees the world in a way too few of us are honored to see it in and he will still love his mommy. Plus, now I get to have the best lunch date in the world at least once a week.Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-91332783148016131412011-02-06T19:57:00.000-08:002011-02-06T19:57:13.063-08:00Oh, snow!I have the strangest form of half marathon training. Pretty sure Jillian would be appalled by it, but it's working for me and today for the first time since having Rylan four months ago I put on pre-baby jeans and wore them in public. That's huge, because I usually just put them on by wrestling around on the floor and doing squats, Lay down on the bed to zip them, make Josh lie about them not giving me a muffin top and then peel them off and yell curse words as I hurl them across the bedroom. Anyawho...since it's been snowing, I've been cooking. With butter, lots of butter. I made cookies, dumplings, enchiladas, sloppy joes (not even a red meat eater, see what snow does to me?) Therefor inducing guilt in this normally health conscious eater, so I run. I jump on and run. The best plan, no. Gaining speed, no. Breaking PR's, no. But I'm moving and I haven't given a pair of jeans a tongue lashing in almost a week!Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-51562200373426115722010-11-27T06:22:00.000-08:002010-11-27T06:22:40.781-08:00Turkey, Hair, and a 2 month old if you dare.....This week we celebrated Thanksgiving with the family. Which means we played a couple mean games of Skip Bo and ate ourselves silly. I tried my best to enjoy the holiday and not dwell on the fact that I am going back to being a working mom on Monday. It's somewhat bittersweet. I love what I do and can't imagine not going to school everyday, but I also leave my heart out walking around when I go out the door and leave my boys. However, I think I am a better mommy when I am working. Plus, Christmas break is only 3 weeks away and I plan to soak up as much boy time as possible then. In preparation for returning to work I had a hair appointment on Friday. WOW! such a better and more relaxing experience than going to throw bows at the store with all those crazies! It may become a Black Friday tradition for me...maybe I'll even throw in a mani/pedi and a massage next time.<br />
Rylan has decided he no longer needs to nap. FUN TIMES! Actually, I can't complain too much, because he is sleeping about 8-9 hours at night. But aren't 2 month olds suppose to nap? Isn't it like their job at this point? Well, our two month old has decided to make eating his job and now tops the scale at a whopping 13+ pounds! I guess healthy would be the word to describe him:)<br />
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Before I close this short update I have to take a minute to remember my dear friend Peggy. She passed away on Thanksgiving Day after a very long 16 month battle with cancer. When I met her I was just starting my teaching career. She was a mentor, supporter, listening ear, and cheerleader for me both at school and in my personal life. After my first date with Josh, I came to school the next day and Peg took one look at me and said, "You're going to marry that boy." I thought she was crazy, but she knew. She is the reason I am the teacher I am today and I hope when she peers down from heaven into my classroom that she can smile and see that she taught me well. I love you, Peg....and I give thanks for the honor of calling you my friend.Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7991826480838740540.post-42503414065123744092010-07-30T20:52:00.000-07:002010-07-30T20:52:18.604-07:0033, Number of the WeekJust came to the crazy realization that on Monday I will turn 33, while also being 33 weeks pregnant. Monday is also the first day of school for me. What a birthday!! 33 is definitely going to be a memorable year. Now if I could just decide what I want for my birthday gift.....apparently pregnant women are hard to buy for, who knew? Right now, I feel like we should just go straight to the store and buy every color they have in elastic waisted pants!! It is going to be a long time before I see those cute size 2 skinny cords I bought just 3 days before finding out I was pregnant. I pray to the breastfeeding gods that they help me shed those extra 500 calories a day we are all promised by the nipple nazis. Hopefully, by 34 years those cords can see the light of day again:)Mom to Memphishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10183753422287636957noreply@blogger.com0