Whatcha talkin' bout Willis?

Getting back on the horse

2009-07-27T19:23:00.002-04:00

I was sick for the past few days, so I didn't do the treadmill for a few days. Man, could I tell today - I did 15 minutes and about fell off the thing! I did do level 10 incline for 10 minutes, so that was good, I guess. I am definitely going to do it again tomorrow and hopefully it will be a bit easier.

Welcome Home Joshie!!!!!

2009-07-25T21:31:00.003-04:00

Josh came home last night after serving our country in Iraq, Qutar (I think I spelled that wrong) and a few other places. I am so proud of him and we are blessed that he came home safely - so many other families do not have that blessing! In this picture he is hugging cousing Jonathan...you can also see Edna (aka Mama Jean) grinning in the background. I love that woman!

couch to 5K whooped my butt!

2009-07-12T16:26:00.002-04:00

I am so incredibly out of shape it is not even funny! I did the first day of couch to 5K (thanks for telling me about it Kelly!) and it completely wore me out. In all, I probably ran a little less than a mile (I set my speed between 5.0 and 6.0 depending on my ability to BREATHE...)

I know the program says to do it every other day (or something like 3 days a week) but I am going to try and do it at least 5 days a week. I have my skinny pictures hanging on the picture directly in front of my treadmill. Hopefully they will keep me motivated. Now, excuse me while I go pass out....

Ready, Ready, Ready, Ready to Run......

2009-07-10T11:27:00.001-04:00

Okay, well, not quite. But I did manage to run about 1/2 mile before feeling like I was going to collapse. Of course, I could have probably kept going if I didn't have to keep talking to Arwen as she busted in and out of our room. Man, talking uses alot more air than I thought!

one inch...

2009-07-09T11:19:00.002-04:00

After using the treadmill one week, I have lost exactly one inch....that is it....what happened to the major transformation that was supposed to instantly take place???? The one inch I lost was in my waist - and honestly, I am not even sure I measured in the same spot I did last time. Oh well, one is better than none - I am going to keep on truckin!

I did find some old pictures of me when I was smaller as inspiration that I have placed right in front of the treadmill - maybe that will keep me motivated.

BTW - tomorrow is my wedding anniversary - 5 years going on forever!!!!

bye bye binks and big boy bed!

2009-07-06T20:57:00.003-04:00

Arwen went to the dentist today. Long story short, she wouldn't let them take x-rays (which we really needed), but she did let cousin Amanda polish her teeth. She also took her binks in a ziploc bag to give to the dentist (her idea!) She was so excited...until tonight when she realized she didn't have them anymore.

She never really cried, but she did get teary eyed some and even went to Gabe's room to get one :(. She put it back then fell asleep with little fight. Please wish me luck tonight.

Gabe is also in his big-boy bed tonight for the first time. I really did NOT want to put him in a bed yet (I loved having him in the crib because he would just sit there and watch tv while I got ready for work) but it was getting too hard lifting his fat hiney over the rail at night.

Day 6

2009-07-06T12:06:00.002-04:00

Well, after a few days off, I got back on the treadmill last night and did 25 minutes - half of which were at an incline 10. It really whooped my butt, but I felt good afterwards. I even managed to do some crunches on the 1/2 ball afterwards (and man did I feel it). I am sure my abs are in there somewhere, right? (cue sarcastic look now....)

Days 4 and 5

2009-07-04T20:25:00.002-04:00

I took yesterday off because we got up at 8:00 and painted the deck for about 4 hours - I thought that was one heck of a workout. Today does not look good either...I have had a migraine ALL DAY. I know, excuses, excuses....but man, I feel like my eyeball is going to fall out.

Side note - Gabe finally cut his last two teeth (the ones that are on both sides of the four front teeth - I have NO idea what they are called) but that is all of them now! Wow, how exciting!

Day 3

2009-07-02T21:30:00.003-04:00

I did the treadmill today for 30 minutes. I even bumped up the incline to level 10 for about 10 minutes (I didn't say they were all at one time, but I think the time did add up to about 10 minutes). I did not run tonight though.

Instead of working out to the tv I decided to plug in my MP3 player and walk to some of the wonderful older songs that I listened to when I first lost all of my weight (somewhere around 7 years ago when I got down to about 151 or so....ooooh, those were the days). I guess I feel that the music would motivate me. It did, somewhat, until I got a glimpse in the mirror and saw my reflection looking back at me...blah.

day 2

2009-07-01T10:37:00.002-04:00

So far so good! I did the treadmill for 30 more minutes today, and actually attempted to run (keyword: attempted.) I made a deal with myself that I would run on commercials and then walk during the show (I worked out to Frasier - not exactly something that would make Tony Little or Jane Fonda proud, but WTH).

I did make it through running the first or second commercial of each set. It really makes me mad because I used to LOVE running and used to run at least 2 and sometimes more miles a day (of course, this was before kids when I was a size 8 or 10). Oh well. I am getting ready to measure myself (this might take a WHILE).

Big fat fatty

2009-06-30T21:13:00.003-04:00

I just realized today that I have not updated things in nearly a month. I think my recent obsession with Facebook may have something to do with that. Perry bought me a treadmill (hold on ladies, I asked for it...heh.) I am tinkering with the idea of posting my stats (inches), weight and even a fatty picture to show everyone what I am currently and to track my progress (for those who care.) My thought behind this is that I may be more likely to stick with it if I have embarassed myself and shared this information with everyone. For my few friends and visitors out there who read this, what do you think?

By the day, today is day one - I did the treadmill for 30 minutes! (Rock on!)

Elmo

2009-06-05T08:34:00.002-04:00

Here is Arwen at intermission - we left shortly after. Poor baby. Daddy looks thrilled, too!

We went to Elmo last weekend. Here are few of the BEFORE/AFTER pics :).

Seven Pounds...

2009-03-22T19:59:00.001-04:00

The name of a new Will Smith movie AND how much weight I have lost since I started working out two weeks ago. =)

Me and my boy!

2009-03-08T15:41:00.001-04:00

FOOTLOOSE part 2

2009-03-08T09:00:00.002-04:00

I heard myself yelling "don't touch her, Arwen - don't touch her!" at the end of the last video - Bad mama! So you won't think I am horrible I will tell you why - Cousin Caroline has just started walking - GO CAROLINE!!! Arwen wanted to dance with Caroline but of course, I didn't want her to knock the poor kid over!

Here is one with Arwen dancing in it - just so you won't think I didn't want her to dance! I think I was just so excited about Gabe shaking his hips like ELVIS I got a bit caught up in the moment.

Gabe is still center focus in the video, but you can definitely see Arwen shakin' it too!

Gabe Dancing

Footloose

2009-03-07T21:06:00.001-05:00

Gabe LOVES the song Footloose. We noticed it a few months back when we were watching the movie. When the song came on he stopped everything and started shaking it. How lucky was I today when it came on the radio at cousin Caroline's birthday party! Here is a little sample of the 5 or 6 videos mama took:

Gabe Footloose

One more thing...

2009-02-25T20:51:00.000-05:00

Also, Gabe is talking up a storm now! He is saying hi, bye, Yaya (Arwen), mama, dadee, more (signs it too), eat eat, hot, cheese (just said that the first time tonight - I had the camera and I told him to say "cheese" and he DID!), bubbles, bath, night night, papa, nana, hemaw, car, juice, ball. I think those are the majority of them, but I really feel I am leaving something else out.

His back two teeth are also coming in on top. He has two knots on the bottom so hopefully they will come in soon.

That is about it. I have a video of him saying cheese that I will try and post tomorrow.

Rest in Peace...

2009-02-25T20:39:00.001-05:00

I had to throw away Arwen's last pink and purple "bink." Perry told me he smelled something "foul" and we could not figure out what in the world it was. When I went to put her in her bed and kiss her goodnight....OH.MY.GOODNESS. The smell, or funk I should say, was HORRIBLE.

Please bow your head for a moment of silence.

Cue Taps...

Vasoline

2009-02-24T21:40:00.002-05:00

I woke up late yesterday morning after a horrible night with Gabe and Arwen. In fact, Arwen never went back to sleep after about 3:00am. When my alarm went off I told her, "Do not get out of bed." When I got out of the shower, I looked in the bed and of course she was not there. I heard laughing, so I knew she was in Gabe's room. What I didn't know is that she was smearing herself and the poor kid in VASOLINE. When I made my way in there, this is what I found...

What makes Gabe's picture priceless is the green boogie hanging ever so slightly out of his nose. heh.

I am still trying to wash it out - the vasoline, not the boogie.

SUPERSTAR!

2009-02-18T14:01:00.002-05:00

My children LOVE LOVE LOVE the movie Superstar (and yes, I know it is not highly appropriate for children but there are AWESOME dance scenes.) Below is a clip of my children BREAKING IT DOWN to one of the dance scenes. If you look closely at the tv, you will see the people dancing. If you look at Arwen, she is attempting to do the same movements. I laughed until I practically PEED on myself. Be sure to watch Gabe too - he danced until he fell!

Carolina and DOOK

2009-02-11T22:15:00.002-05:00

Did I mention how much I LOVE Carolina and DOOK games...or how much I HATE them with every fiber of my being????

Oh, what a mixture of emotions...

(cue Tar Heel fight song here)

My First _______

2009-01-24T18:27:00.003-05:00

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
Curtis - can you say LOSER?

2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
everyday - I am married to him!

3. What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
I think it was natural light mixed in sunny delight - yuck

4. What was your FIRST job?
Afterthoughts piercing ears

5. What was your FIRST car?
1985 Firebird - BIGBIRD - RIP!

6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
none today

7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
myself and how I didn't sleep well

8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Lockhart

9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Florida to see Garth Brooks with Jen and Krissy!

10. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
Cathy Williams, and no - haven't seen her in a while

11. What was your FIRST sport played?
softball

12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
at my house I am sure - I had slumber parties all the time with my cousins, friends, whoever - mom was very PATIENT :)

13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Arwen

14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Sary's

15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Get up and go to Wal-mart

16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
NKOTB Baby!!!!!!

17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
Piercing - Ears, Tattoo - sun on my shoulder

18. FIRST foreign country you went to?
Mexico - Cozumel

19. What was your FIRST run in with the law?
When I got pulled for not wearing my seatbelt (funny part is, I WAS!)

20. When was your FIRST detention?
I don't think i ever had it!

21. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
NC

22. Who was the FIRST person to break your heart?
Some loser I knew a LONG time ago

23. Who was your FIRST roommate?
April - yuck - might as well be Laura and Kelly since I practically LIVED in their room freshman year!

24. Where did you go on your FIRST limmo ride?
to the NKOTB concert, baby!!!

25.Who will be the FIRST to repost this?
I am tagging the usual crew if they are up to it.

random pics

2009-01-20T15:43:00.002-05:00

Here are a few random pics!

Gabe with Arwen's hot pink horn

Arwen's new haircut

Arwen and her new easel - she can write her name!

Gabe, eating the eraser - hehehe

Where is Gabe?

2009-01-20T14:14:00.003-05:00

This happened a few days ago - I let Gabe out of my sight for about 1 1/2 minutes to put some clothes in the dryer. When I came out, I couldn't find him. I walked into my closet (which thank GOODNESS I just cleaned out a few weeks before) and heard laughing. I saw this...

Notice the little white "foot" at the bottom. I called his name and he stuck his head out...

He said, "HEY!"

How cute is that????

Snow Bunnies!

2009-01-20T10:09:00.002-05:00

My kids had me outside at 8:00am this morning to play in the snow. This was Arwen's first real snow (except for a few flakes when she was about 1 year old). It was Gabe's first snow ever. They both had a ball! Gabe kept running around saying, "no...no...meow...meow...woof..." - I guess a combination of the snow and the dogs outside set him into overdrive. heh.

Arwen loved letting the snow fall on her tongue.

She wanted to make a snowman and snow angel, but I told her we had to wait until a bit more was on the ground. I guess that picture is to come!

Erika, if you are reading this, I know it is NOTHING compared to the avalanches you get hehehe, but it is a good start here down south! :)

Colds suck

2009-01-18T21:32:00.002-05:00

Both Arwen and Gabe have a cough...due to cold...That's all I have to say about that.

Random Survey

2009-01-11T10:22:00.003-05:00

I had a few extra minutes so, why not? I am sending a shout-out to Kelly, Sary and Erika - put down the babies and take 5 so I can know what's going on with you!

LASTS:

Last beverage → milk

Last phone call → my mom

Last instant message → no im

Last person that you hit→ Perry, probably :)

Last song you listened to → Some old rock song Perry was listening to.

Last time you cried→ last week

Last person you talked to→ Perry

HAVE YOU EVER:
Dated someone twice→ yes

Been cheated on → yes

Kissed someone & regreted it → yes

Lost someone special→ yes :(

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
Carolina Blue, Pink, Black

IN THE PAST MONTH HAVE YOU:
Fallen in love → everyday

Laugh until you cried→ yep

Met someone who changed your life → not this month

Found out who your true friends were → yes

Found out someone was talking about you → no, but I am sure some do

How many kids do you want to have → two and I have already got 'em.

Do you have any pets → 2 dogs here and one step-sister dog at mama's.

What did you do for your last birthday → wow - how sad, but I can't really remember.

What time did you wake up today? → 4:45! Gabe got up mega early

What were you doing at midnight last night? → sleeping

Last time you saw your father → Yeah, we won't even go there...I think it was in 2001

What's one thing you wish you could change → there are so many...

Have you ever talked to a person named Tom → sure

Whats getting on your nerves right now → nothing, surprisingly!

What's your real name → Zulu, queen of the dwarf people (Oh wait..that was Sofia on Golden Girls) hehe.

Zodiac sign → Virgo

Hair color → Ronald McDonald orange these days

Long or short → too short

Are you health freak → have you seen me lately?

What do you like about yourself → my open-mindedness

Tattoos → one

Righty or lefty → i'm right handed.

FIRSTS :
First surgery → wisdom teeth

First piercing → my ears.

First best friend → my cousins

First pet → dog, I think his name was Duke?

First vacation → Kings Dominion

CURRENTLY :
Eating → nothing.

Drinking → nothing.

YOUR FUTURE :
Want kids? → Already got two beautiful kids!

Want to get married? → been there, done that, still am!

Careers in mind? → Yep - I have a very rewarding job working with children and families.

HAVE YOU EVER :
Kissed a stranger → yes.

Lost glasses/contacts → no

Ran away from home → tried to when i was about 8 or 9 - Mitchell and a friend were mean to me so I packed up my Elvis record in my purple backpack and hit the road. (Don't ask me how I was going to play it because I sure didn't have a record player with me!)

Broken someones heart → Don't think so

Been arrested → no.

Turned someone down → yes.

Cried when someone died → Lordy yes

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
Yourself → most of the time.

Miracles → yes.

Love at first sight → yes

Heaven → yes

Santa Claus → yes

Angels → yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY :
Is there one person you want to be with right now? → yes, she is with her Hemaw

Had more than one boyfriend/girlfriend at one time → yes

Say what?

2009-01-09T21:01:00.002-05:00

I haven't signed on to brag on my children in a while, so here goes...

Gabe is able to say several words now! He can now say mama, daddy, more (he can even sign more!), uh-oh, and his newest word is baby! He is so incredibly cute.

Arwen is almost completely writing her name now - except she still insists on writing her "w" as a "m" - I know that it is fine for her to do that, but it still makes me wonder why she does that - especially since she knows "m" and "w"...oh well.

Other than that, things are pretty calm for now. I end this class on Monday and start another class on Tuesday...at least I will be in there with one of my previous teammates and new friends - that will make it much better than the previous few!

What?!?!

2009-01-04T21:47:00.002-05:00

I have been in school working on my Master's in Early Childhood Education for almost a year. In that time, I have made all A's in my core courses. The only B I have made was in some little intro course on APA formatting that revolved heavily on teamwork.

I am in a course now that also focuses on APA formatting (the prep. course to my thesis) and I am struggling to keep my head above water! What in the world is going on???

So evidently, I am well on my way to "mastering" the early childhood course, but the very basic ones are giving me fits????

hummmmmmmm....that one will make you think.......

Look at what Santa brought!

2008-12-26T19:15:00.004-05:00

Santa brought Arwen a "pony." Gabe got a hobby horse. We have had tons of fun at our house!

Ponys From Santa

2008-12-26T19:12:00.001-05:00

second baby syndrome

2008-12-18T21:22:00.002-05:00

I am a bad mama. I was going to get Gabe's pictures made the weekend after his first birthday, but something came up. I realized earlier this week that I never got them made. BAD MAMA.

Long story short, here are a few. Better late than never, right?

Freedom

2008-12-14T14:51:00.005-05:00

This is one of the most awesome pictures I have seen. The men in the picture are my brother Josh, and his crew of soldiers/friends/brothers in Iraq. Please keep them all in your prayers and hope they come home safely.

Shoutout to Sary!

2008-12-04T21:46:00.003-05:00

I wanted to give a major shoutout to Sary for the christmas background info, from the cutest blog on the block. And major shoutout to Kelly for getting the info to Sary!

The Office

2008-11-30T18:06:00.004-05:00

Oh My GOODNESS! How have I went so long without watching such a wonderfully hilarious show???? I swear, I know I am out of the loop with some things, but I relish watching TV each night. Perry came home the other day talking about how funny the show, "The Office" was. He showed me some shows from this current season he dvr'd and I was COMPLETELY confused. He tried to explain who was who and who loved who and who was mad with who (I think you get the picture). Since I was lost in utter confusion, we borrowed season 1 and season 2 dvd's from my aunt Cheryl.

OMG. I have become an addict in about a week. We have now started season 3 on DVD and I cannot wait until the kids go to bed to see whether or not Jim is going to ditch Karen for Pam. (Okay, since I saw a few episodes of the current season, I know he does...I just want to see HOW!)

By the way...Jim, far left is such a cutie-pie!!!! He's got nothing on Perry :) hehe...but cute nonetheless.

The Wheels on the Bus...

2008-11-21T22:17:00.003-05:00

Gabe LOVES the song "The Wheels on the Bus." I sing it now and he acts out the motions! He has the "rolling" motion of the wheels down, he kind of beeps his hand for beep, beep, beep, and he claps his hands for open and shut. Of course, Arwen helps him by singing and dancing with her usual undying and wonderful enthusiasm. :)

CHANGE is GOOD

2008-11-05T19:09:00.005-05:00

Well that sucked...I just wrote a wonderfully inspirational blog about change and my computer ate it...go figure. I will try again.

Change - I don't really know what he will be capable of, but we all know that change is necessary and things cannot continue the way they are. I also know that for once, countries around the world embraced - physically, emotionally, and literally the idea and concept of change.

Welcome, Mr. President OBAMA!

Walk Like a Man!

2008-11-04T20:19:00.003-05:00

It is official - my juicy boy is walking! He has been walking here and there for about a month now, but the day after his birthday he just took off and never looked back. He is so incredibly cute and unbalanced. I will try and get a video this weekend.

Happy Birthday Gabe!

2008-10-30T18:52:00.005-04:00

Well, yesterday was Gabe's first birthday - Happy Birthday Gabe! He had an awesome birthday and it was even more special because his great-grandma also celebrated her birthday. We had good fun, good food and good food (wait, I already said that, didn't I???)

CHEESY-POOF!!!

He LOVED his cupcake.

Grandma ALSO had a cake.

Also very exciting news - Gabe took off walking tonight at grandma's - still not completely efficient at it, but did an excellent job back and forth and back and forth around the living room. Of course, he did fall from time to time (but that is what the big ol' diaper is for, right?)

Yummy Balloon, mwaaaah.

He loves his new tractor from his "hemaw". And yes, that is Joe Biden in the background :).

Political stuffs...

2008-10-19T21:03:00.005-04:00

I am sure someone can and will counter all this information with quotes and facts against Obama, but I figured it was still interesting. Heck, I am sure if I was looked at with a microscope I am sure one would find a bunch of junk on me too (well, who am I kidding...I am perfect!)

100 Reasons Not to Vote for McCain - Click below to read it all.

***100 reasons not to vote for McCain. Retrieved October 19, 2008 from www.kskirby.net/mccain.html.

BINKS - minus one...

2008-10-18T22:06:00.003-04:00

No sooner than I posted that darn picture of the binks did Arwen drop the "smeller" in the toilet! I told her to NEVER take the binks with her to the potty, and in usual fashion she did not listen to me. Needless to say, I had to trash the "smeller."

Now, we will have our moment of silence....good thing she is spending the night with her "hemaw" tonight, heh.

BINKS!

2008-10-16T18:24:00.005-04:00

Arwen loves her binks. In fact, she has at least three with her each night when she goes to sleep. Each bink serves a different purpose and cannot be confused with another bink because all look different. Below is a picture of the three binks...

The one on the left (yellow) is the "smeller" bink. She puts it under her nose and, well, smells it. The one in the middle (purple and pink) is the "sucker" bink. She sucks it...duh. The one on the right (brownish one) is the "rubber" bink. She holds it in her other hand and rubs it with her thumb. She will quickly tell you she does not suck her smeller, she does not rub her sucker and she does not smell her rubber bink. And GOD forbid if we lose one...

walk like a man...almost...

2008-10-08T21:53:00.003-04:00

Gabe took 7 steps tonight by himself! He was after Grandma's scarecrow and just took off! If he would get a bit more self-confidence he could do it all the time...of course he is a bit top-heavy still.

I will try and post a video this weekend!

I've been tagged!

2008-10-07T21:10:00.004-04:00

I was tagged by Kelly at http://www.blogger.com/www.lifeaskelly.com! I have never been tagged, so here goes!

Here's the deal:-Link your tagger and list these rules on your blog.-Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.-Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.-Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

So here we go!

1. I am incredibly sleep deprived right now. I don't think I have slept 3 hours in a row in about 2 years...no exaggeration.

2. I have paid more attention to this year's presidential campaign and election than I think I have EVER - Go OBAMA!

3. I wonder what makes a "soccer mom" think she could ever run the country?

4. I find it amazing that I can work with children everyday and help with problem behaviors but I cannot make my own child listen to me.

5. I am in desperate need of a vacation...anywhere...soon...

6. I always wondered how parents could say that they love both their children the same...I always thought there was no way that I could love my next baby (Gabe) like I loved Arwen - I was right...I do not love him like I love Arwen...I love him because he is who he is!

7. I hate hate hate hate hate large groups of people...I guess I am a social recluse. When most people want to socialize and party, I would love to stay home and sleep.

I think I will tag sara and erika. I don't know any other bloggers (except for Kelly, and since she has ALREADY completed it that would defeat the purpose...)

eleven months

2008-10-05T10:25:00.004-04:00

Gabe is eleven months now and SO much has happened since last month. He now has 3 teeth! No wonder he has been so ill lately - he got his top left tooth first, a week later his top right tooth and then last week his bottom left tooth with the bottom right on the way! Here are his top two teeth (of course in this picture you will need a magnifying glass to see them...)

He is also trying to walk - he can stand by himself without holding onto anything and will take steps if he thinks you are holding onto him - he does great until he realizes he is on his own! Yesterday at grandma's he took 3 steps before falling on his hiney...maybe he will be walking soon! Here he is trying to walk!

And as usual, Arwen is doing great - she thinks she is still the baby (and face it, she will ALWAYS be my baby!)

Three more toothies...

2008-09-23T21:37:00.002-04:00

Gabe has been busy...getting teeth, that is! He has gone 10 1/2 months of his life with no teeth in his head, then all of the sudden he has his two top teeth, one cutting through on the bottom (you can almost see it) and the top left side tooth also about to make an appearance! Poor kid is so uncomfortable at times - he has gotten to where he practically chews on his passy instead of sucks it.

In other news, he stood up all by himself today (without holding onto anything) for about 14 seconds - he even took two steps - maybe he will be walking soon.

Ten Months Old and a TOOTHIE!

2008-09-08T20:47:00.002-04:00

Gabe FINALLY has a toothie coming in! It is on his left top side. He has been one ill little monkey for the past week (of course, he went to the Dr. yesterday and also has a DOUBLE ear infection).

I must credit Uncle Junior for the find...if it were up to me, I guess he would have had to bite me for me to notice ;).

Happy Birthday To ME

2008-09-01T21:22:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday to ME
Happy Birthday to ME
Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEEEE
Happy Birthday to ME.

Actually, it is tomorrow, but I just wanted to get the word out. I will be 29 - woowoo. Amazing, my body is getting older, but I still feel like a child. I still have nightmares, I still worry about whether or not people like me, I still talk to my mama everyday and seek her approval above anyone elses, I don't know WHAT in the WORLD I am doing with children, because I am still a child myself, but they look up to me to keep them safe and I would do anything to keep them from harm.

A bit cheesy, I know :).

J-E-L-L-O!

2008-08-31T15:19:00.000-04:00

So Gabe had Jello Chocolate Pudding and fed it to himself for the first time.

Arwen also enjoyed some. I do not even need to tell you anymore, as you can IMAGINE the mess we had...

Super Arwen!!!!!!

2008-08-24T11:06:00.001-04:00

She's here to protect the world from "bink stealers" and bad guys....She's.......

SUPER ARWEN!!!!!

She is also in LOVE with Steve from Blue's Clues. I don't have the heart to tell her that he is not really as goofy in life as he is on the show. Ohhhh, the honesty of a child.

Pork chops...and applesauce!

2008-08-17T21:03:00.000-04:00

Wow - fat boy has really started enjoying all kinds of table foods this past week. I took him for his 9 month check-up and he weighed in at a whopping 26.4 pounds and was 31 3/4 inches tall - 97th and 99th percentile respectively. The doctor actually said he was right on target height for weight because he was so BIG all around.

His daycare called Monday and asked if they could give him table foods. Sure, I said, just make sure you cut it up tiny so he can eat it - yeah, like he ever had any problems with that! In the past week he has eaten the following:

smoked sausage
noodles
hotdogs
baked beans
chicken strips
french fries
corn
carrots
garden peas
roast beef

I swear, he is completely opposite from Arwen. She never wants to eat anything. I took her to her 3 year old check week before last and she only weighed in at 34 pounds and was 38 inches tall. She is 3 YEARS OLD and her 9 month old brother only has about 8 pounds and 7 inches to go to catch her!!!

She has been sick the past few days. I hate it when she is sick because she is so pitiful. I hope she gets over it soon.

I leave you with a picture of me and my "big girl-baby" goofing off. I love our time together.

Look out, Hannah Montana!

2008-08-09T17:55:00.000-04:00

Here comes Arwen!!!!!

Look out Hanah-Here comes Arwen

my little jumping beans...

2008-08-03T07:42:00.000-04:00

Arwen got this trampoline for her birthday from her He-maw. They BOTH love it!

Arwen&Gabe

puff daddy....or, baby, that is...

2008-07-30T18:57:00.000-04:00

Check out this video: puff boy

2008-07-30T15:27:00.000-04:00

I can't believe Gabe is already 9 months old. As usual, here is an update...

He is now "talking" all the time

He wakes up about 7:00 and plays in his crib (I put toys at the head of the crib so when he wakes up he can just sit there and play. He does well, until he throws them out and gets mad because he can't reach them!)

He could win a medal in the "baby crawl olympics"

He pulls up almost as fast

He pulled up last night, let go and tried to walk (haha...I guess he forgot he couldn't)

He is completely fascinated by Arwen - can you blame him? They just sit and play with each other

His hair is growing out now and he looks like a chia-pet....hehehe....

sick, sick, sicko

2008-07-29T20:17:00.000-04:00

I signed on tonight to do my school work and decided to do a shout out for sympathy. I think I have the flu...and yes, I am a huge baby. My mom kept Arwen and fat boy is asleep, so I too am getting ready to go to bed.

My warm, cozy, soft bed........good thing tomorrow is my day off.

Dada Attack!

2008-07-26T07:16:00.000-04:00

Gabe just loves waking daddy up from his naps!
Check out this video: dada attack!

I'm voting republican???

2008-07-19T21:27:00.000-04:00

I got this in an email from Sara and I thought she was going to try and pursued me to vote republican...as if! This is the funniest video I have seen in a while and really puts things into perspective. Haha.

Old friends, new friends

2008-07-18T21:37:00.000-04:00

I have found so many friends over the past year via the Internet. I have found friends that I have not spoken to in 5 or even 10 years. Just yesterday, I found a friend that I haven't seen since a trip to Florida back in 2002. We did not have a falling out or anything - in fact she was one of my best friends, but she moved away. We had such a great time visiting, but when we left I never spoke to her again (partly because I am HORRIBLE when it comes to calling someone or even writing letters). Well, I decided to look her up and I found her! It is amazing that I can go that long without speaking with someone and then suddenly I find them, and I remember what a wonderful person they are and how much fun we had. I guess I am a bit addicted to the Internet, but it does have its good points from time to time.

I am getting a bit nostalgic, but I hate to think that good friendships are ruined by distance.

Pulling on up!

2008-07-17T06:59:00.000-04:00

Gabe has perfected pulling up now. And boy is he quick at it. I used to go on and on about how I could not wait for him to roll over, then I could not wait for him to crawl, then I could not wait for him to pull up and walk - well, I can definitely wait for him to walk! I know it won't be too much longer.

Arwen turned three last weekend, and I don't want to brag too much (I could go on and on) but man, she is so smart. She has known all of her colors since she was 18 months, she can spell her name, she can almost write her name, she knows her birthday, address (almost), about 19 letters (as she relates them to her friends' names) AND the sound of those letters, and even a few numbers. WOW. And this isn't just over night, she has been doing this since she was about 2 1/2. Okay, I guess I have caught you up enough for now. Here is a movie of Gabe pulling up - enjoy! By the way, I just heard it for the first time...man, who is the "hick" talking in the background??? I sound horrible!

back to school

2008-07-15T20:29:00.000-04:00

I am back in school, currently working on my master's degree in early childhood education. I completing this degree online, and I can tell you I was the first one to downplay anyones completing their degree online. I thought, "ha - they couldn't get into a "real" school..." Well, yeah, I was a MORON.

I had NO IDEA how difficult online learning is. If anything, it is harder than sitting in a class and listening to a professor. Online learning is completely self-motivated, so basically, I complete classwork when I want to, so long as it is before the deadline. This coming from a self-proclaimed procrastinator.

And what is the deal with financial aid??? I have no money, I have to borrow money, I already owe money, but all this so I will be able to make a bit more money when I FINALLY finish my degree and then I get to pay it all back (and probably more). Man, what a endless cycle...

At least I am doing it because I love children and love my job. I am happy that I can say that as I know there are many people who cannot.

Also, brief update on Gabe - he is pulling up all over the place now and crawling in a fast-paced sprint now. WOW....he is growing up so fast. And Arwen is now 3 years old - where did THAT time go?

blogging virgin

2008-07-14T21:20:00.000-04:00

Well, it is my first time - blogging, that is (get your mind out of the gutter!) I have admired Kelly's blog for some time now, so three years later I decided to start my own. I really have alot to say about nothing, so this should be mildly interesting from time to time. Mostly, my posts will be about my children, husband, family and school (try and control your excitement!)