Thursday, December 29, 2011

It's Over Already?

Christmas was a blast this year. Ella Kate was full of energy (as always) and really got into the "tearing of the paper". As I started loading gifts Saturday morning, I realized that she had been "tearing paper" for a while without our knowledge. She's a quick little thing. We enjoyed time at home and time with our families. Our Christmas Eve Communion service and Christmas Day sermon from the perspective of a shephard was very encouraging. It was truly a Christmas that left us all feeling especially blessed.

EK has a new bean bag and a whole new wardrobe...or maybe it just seems that way. She also has a recliner, a rocking chair, and a rocking lady bug. That only names a few. Don't worry. My OCD tendancies came out bright and early Monday morning and I've cleaned out and made room for the new. B and I are especially excited about our travel DVD system. Hello, peace in the car! We all received more than we needed. But we are very appreciative.

Our new years tradition continues in the next couple of days. Can't wait! Until then...enjoy the rest of 2011! Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Halleluja!!!!!

I heart my job. But right about now, I heart a 2 week break better than anybody you know. Oh my. AND we still are having many sleepless nights around here. Those teeth may be the death of me. You'd never know she could be so ill, watching her sit quietly and watch A Charlie Brown Christmas right now. She rarely sits quietly. She rarely sits. But at the moment, she's looking oh, so sweet. We took her to see Christmas lights last Thursday night. She was in awe. It was great. She's great. And we love her. Even if she's cutting down on our sleep considerably.

Friday night, B and I left EK with his parents (thanks GiGi and Papa!) and went to dinner and a movie. Aaaahhhh. So nice. We worked around the house on Saturday. Then we started off family Christmas with the Bedsole's today. I'll try to upload pics to facebook later tonight. Tomorrow, my cheerleaders will be here for breakfast bright and early. I'm sure they'll be great entertainment. They always are. I have 11 gifts to wrap between now and then so...

Here's to a great week before Christmas.

And by the way, Neil, Dirty Santa Tag Teaming keeps a marriage strong ; )

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas

We've been Christmas Partying it up around our house. 2 parties in 4 days=enough laughing to make my face hurt. Isn't that the best?

On Saturday night, we visited with B's friends. I personally think they're hilarious. So I was pretty excited. I also was excited about getting dressed for something other than work or church. They didn't dissappoint. Dirty Santa was GREAT. B and I tag-teamed and came home with some pretty good gifts. It was an enjoyable night. Thanks, Neil and DeAnn. I had a great time.

Tonight the elementary teachers had the annual "get together". WOW. My face hurts from laughing. It was so nice to get to socialize outside of the normal situation. Some of us even wore denim. That's not a big deal to some of you. But in Coffee County, you don't do blue jeans. Ever. So if I'm not going to work or church, I'm breaking out the blue jeans. Always. Tonight was no exception. I enjoy you ladies (and Coach Stephenson and Michael) so much. I left tonight feeling so thankful for the opportunity to work with you all. And I was honored to be a "ho ho girl"...I think.

So tonight I'm in the Christmas spirit. My tree is all lit up. My house smells like Christmas tree. And my heart is happy. Now, if only EK would sleep through the night again. Have a good week!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Sometimes I wonder...

Where does the time go??? This has very possibly been the fastest year of my life. EK turned 1. Thanksgiving drifted by. Our house looks like Christmas already. And I feel like just last week we were getting ready for the first day of school. Do children do that to you? Either way, it's a blast. I just have to make extra effort to soak it all in. I can't even remember at the moment if I've blogged about EK's birthday. I think so?

Thanksgiving was nice. My families only get together a few times a year, but it's a blast when we do. It was fun to see each other. I hugged Rebecca when we were leaving (that's right Becca...you got a shout out on the blog) and said "see you next Thanksgiving". We all laughed. But I was serious. Getting to visit is a rare thing. We have to take advantage when we can. We left there and headed over to B's grandmother's. She lives in Jack, but we rarely get to see her. She reminds us of that often ; ) EK was in fine form. She kept everyone entertained and on their toes. Friday, we had lunch with my dad's family. We see them 3 times a year and it's always a good time. It was an above average Thanksgiving and we thoroughly enjoyed the break from our routine.

SO the Christmas tree is up. EK doesn't seem to care. She did bring me a Christmas ornament today from the tree. We had a fire in the fireplace tonight and she did well with that too. I hope I'm not speaking too soon. I was worried she'd take the tree out the first night. I got a wild hair and bought 2 live wreaths for our house. I'm not brave enough for a live tree. I'll let you know how the wreath endeavor goes.

If you do facebook, I posted the last of my pics tonight. Molly crunched on my camera for a while Saturday and it's busted. I wanted to do serious harm to her. I will not lie. I acted ugly and cried. Then I took 30 minutes of Hope time to recover. I get like that sometimes. Lately I get like that alot. Yes, B, I realize it too. I'm not patient. I never claimed to be. When my wreath fell off the back door for the 104th time tonight I wanted to throw it THROUGH the door. When I put up the hanger for the 105th time and realized I put it on upside down, I stomped my feet and screamed. I didn't, but I sure thought long and hard about it. I like to think of myself as laid back, but sometimes the little things get to me. It was that kind of afternoon. My husband did cook dinner and I'm getting to blog and enjoy the Christmas tree and the fire. So I'll let it go and be thankful. Here's to a week that's better than Monday and a husband that knows when I need a moment or 5.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Yes, I'm a blog slacker. Football's been over for well over a week and I still haven't blogged. I've been tossing some blog ideas around in my head this week and I think I'll just combine them this morning. I've been reading all of my fellow facebookers' Thankful Posts. They make me think.

On a peaceful ride to Dothan Friday morning, I broke out an old Point of Grace cd and thought of all I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for a God who loves me enough to want His best for me and not MY best for me. I'm thankful that HE has much bigger plans for our lives than we can ever come up with on our own, although at times, I wondered what He was thinking. I'm thankful for a husband who is more than I could have ever asked for in a man. I'm thankful for a baby girl who makes my heart smile many times each day. I'm thankful for family that we're close to...in distance and in heart. I'm thankful for jobs at a school that we LOVE and for students, faculty, and administrators that we're happy to spend our days with. I'm thankful for a home that we enjoy and friends that we can pick up with even though the time we spend together is limited. I AM THANKFUL. I AM BLESSED. Life has far exceeded my expectations. Thank you, God. Life's not perfect. But it IS Good. And it's far more than I deserve.

Now for the day to day...we celebrated Ella Kate's first birthday last Saturday. It was great. We snuggled and played that morning and celebrated with family and a few friends that afternoon. She thoroughly enjoyed it. We were thoroughly exhausted. It was a good week at school. B and I get to ride together again except for basketball days. We're hoping to be amazed at what we save on gas. EK is no longer sleeping through the night and I may lose my mind if we don't correct this soon. She seems to be cutting 3 teeth at one time AND got 5 shots on Thursday. She's run fever on and off since then. Last night we were up for several hours. It was like having a newborn again. There was no relief. She's running fever again this morning. So we're having a quiet morning at home. She's still looking stinkin' cute in her ballerina pj's though. Happy Sunday. Hope you all have a great week.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Loving this time of year!

If I had a sunroof, it would be open today. It is marvelous outside. We're hanging out at home today, getting some things done, but resting as well. Just what I needed.

On Tuesday I scored the deal of the century. EK and I set out for Opp after school to meet my mom and check out a dresser she found at a flea market. We walked in the door and there it was. My new dining room table. I wasn't looking for a dining room table. I have one already. But when we have people over, we don't all fit at the table. This table was larger and had more chairs. I needed it. So being the submissive wife that I am, I texted my sweet husband and told him to make room at home. No, really I asked his opinion/permission. My dad went back the next morning and picked it up. No, you can't have my other table. You see, one day I'm building a house with a breakfast nook and that table's going there. But I was super excited to find such a good deal.

EK hasn't been sleeping well which means mommy and daddy aren't sleeping well. With keeping such a busy schedule, it makes for a rough week. I have a first birthday party to finish preparing for this week, Pumpkins on the Square on Monday, fall festival on Thursday, football on Friday, and THE BIG DAY on Saturday. I'll keep you posted on how it all goes.

I completed my 5K this morning. I wasn't fast. But I didn't stop. However, I do have a funny for you. I wasn't going to share. To be honest, I'm embarrassed slightly. But B thinks this is hilarious and definitely blogworthy...SO. I've been to Brundidge, AL before, but only a few times, definitely not enough to know my way around. But I wasn't concerned because they had these neon green signs pointing the way on the race route. I would like to point out that they were only the size of a sheet of paper. Do you see where this is heading? Well because I am fairly slow, I started off in the back and did NOT attempt to keep up. My goal was only to complete the race. It was all good until we reached the center of downtown where the festival was set up. There was traffic. And a sign placed on a board on the sidewalk instead of the light poles like the rest. There was also a car at the intersection...blocking my view of the neon paper with the arrow pointing right. So I continued on. After running a short way, I realized this was NOT correct. But what to do????? I finally backtracked and found the sign and corrected my path. I finished the whole 3.1 miles and then some. I ran without stopping. I reached my goal. I even threw in a little humor for good measure. So if you spotted a runner in downtown Brundidge this morning running the opposite direction than the other runners, that would be me.

Happy Weekend!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Happy Friday!

It's been a busy week, but we like "busy". The alarm went off this morning, I moved Ella Kate into bed with Bradley and began my morning routine. There was no run this morning. It's CHILLY out there! I even slept til 6, or so I thought. Until I began to dry my hair and realized my watch in the bathroom said 5:20. And so did my phone. Somehow my clock jumped ahead an hour. But that's ok. It's giving me some needed quiet time to enjoy this morning. The rest of the day will be full speed ahead. There's ribbons and tattoos to be sold, 5th graders to educate, a pep rally to be had, cheerleaders to feed, and a ballgame to win. Sounds like a perfect October Friday to me. A win tonight puts our boys in the playoffs AND they will host. A loss knocks us out. We're for the WIN. AAANNNDDD...Our volleyball girls secured a trip to the state tournament with a win yesterday. We're proud of them! Congrats. While watching them, I found my body moving from side to side trying to play with them. Old habits die hard, maybe? Regardless, it was an exciting match.

I surprised my husband with a new lamp shade delivered right to our front door yesterday. He wasn't as excited as I thought he'd be. Marrying him cut down considerably on my "packages at the door". Normally, I can retrieve it and dispose of the evidence before he gets home, but we got here at the same time last night and I was caught. That's ok. My lamp is great. The little things in life...

Someone asked me a few weeks ago on a Friday how my day was. I said it was good; it's a Friday! I was informed that everyday is a great day. I thought about this afterwards. I concluded that everyday can be a "good day". Friday's kind of tip the scale for me. Friday's are "great days". Hope yours is great too.

Friday, October 14, 2011

4 Years Ago? Really?

Four years ago, today, I was a nervous girl. You see, I had a date that night with a really cute coach from Highland Home. I'll spare you all the details, but I will tell you that neither of us ate much and he accused me of not making eye contact. 4 years later, he's at school awaiting tonight's big game and I'm at home with our 11 month old daughter. My, how time changes things. I am so thankful that God brought our paths together, B. You're the BEST husband and daddy EK and I could ever ask for. We love you BIG.

So Fall Break is drawing to a close and it's been a productive one. I have nearly finished the spare bedroom that I started at the beginning of summer, and we're making progress on ours. I'll try to post pics when we're done. I've made one haul to the Goodwill Store. B thinks I'd take everything we own to Goodwill if given the chance. I always threaten to clean out his closets while he's gone. I can't stand "stuff". So when I drop off at Goodwill I feel way more organized.

Ella Kate had a minor procedure on Tuesday to remove a skin tag she's had since birth. She had to be put to sleep for a few minutes. She was ill and hilarious all at the same time. Everything went well and so far she is unaware of the stitches in her ear...and that's a good thing. She's roaming everywhere! There is no containing her. And she's been sleeping late this week. She was playing in her crib when I got up this morning. She NEVER does that. EVER.

In closing: GO ZC! We want to be playoff bound after tonight. Hope to see all you ZC people in your purple in honor of Gin Miley AND hope you all have a great weekend!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

No, I didn't quit.

Where to start...where to start? We're still here. Just a little scattered. I survived Homecoming AGAIN. AND I think I was better at it this year. Experience is a good thing. Our yard was rolled. I guess they know where we live now. We don't care...but you better believe I'm going to be buying a good Halloween mask when they go on sale. If you're going to make a mess in my yard, I'm going to enjoy trying to scare the pants off you while you try :) It was a great homecoming at ZC. The weather was perfect. Everything ran smoothly. And we won. AGAIN. 5-1. I'm wondering when was the last time that happened in Jack. It's exciting times at ZC. We're so proud of our boys and EK and I are super excited for Daddy. You see, we think he's pretty great. We're blessed to be a part of the school and community and we're thankful to be there.

Moving along...EK will be 11 months old tomorrow. She is walking and jabbering up a storm. We have no clue what she says most of the time, but the girl means business. She causes lots of smiles and laughter at our house. This time last year I mentioned that I would run a 5K eventually. Well I "ain't done it yet" but I'm still chugging along a few mornings a week and I love it. It's become my "me time". I still can't believe it's almost been a year. I get asked often when we'll go for #2...ha. I still remember pregnancy #1. And I don't forsee those memories fading anytime soon.

I'm loving this time of year. The weather is GREAT. Our house is decorated. It smells like pumpkins and spice...and coffee. Yay for fall. It's the best. BUT the BEST part is coming next week. We refer to it at our house as Fall Break. And, oh, it saves my sanity.

Here's to you for not giving up on my blog. Here's to another ZC win on Friday. And here's to this marvelous time of year. Hope your week is extra, extra good.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

She's growing TOO FAST!

Our baby girl is 10 months old. If I told you it's "flown by", that could definitely be up for understatement of the year. I love you, Ella Kate.

I love how you get super excited when Daddy gets home from football.
I love how you'll let anyone carry you around at the ballgame when Mommy needs a break.
I love how your eyebrows arch like an upside down V.
I love how you laugh out loud...even though it's rare. It's GREAT.
I love that you took your shirt off last night because you were upset. Please don't continue to do this, but last night it was so funny.
I love how you want to eat and drink everything in sight.
I love how you "pat" us.
I love how you say momma when daddy tells you to say daddy.
I love how you snuggle in the mornings.
I love how you kiss with your mouth wide open.
I love how you growl.
I love how you attemp to share your paci with mommy and daddy in the mornings.
I love how you smack your lips as a way of blowing a kiss.
I love to see you read a book.
I love that books are your favorite toys. You're SO my child.
I love to see you make our other family members smile.
I love to see you smile.
I love YOU.

And I am so thankful for you. Daddy and I never thought we could love anyone so much.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Saturday, how I've missed you.

So this is the day after...the day after when I wonder how I can let a high school football game get me so worked up. When I wonder, "did I really cheer until I'm hoarse and jump up and down in the stands?" This is what we do. This is our life for the next few months. And I want my husband and our kids to know what it's like to be successful. I want them to know that doing things the right way will be rewarded.

We're in our 3rd year at Zion. I have never been prouder to be there than I was last night. We have great kids. Let me assure you that we know they aren't all saintly. But you could search the world over and you wouldn't find a school with better kids. They were going into last night's game 2-0...the first time since 1985. Yes, really. They knew it would be an uphill battle. And they were right. But they never quit. And our fans backed them like I have never seen before. I won't complain about the officials, at least not on my blog. My mama said you never complain about the refs. But I WILL say that I wish life were fair. I wish people were fair. I wish everyone taught their kids to do things the right way. But life's not like that. It's a shame. I'm proud of our kids. I'm proud of the men that lead them. And I'm certain that one day doing things the right way will bring about success. I just have to remind myself that doesn't always equal a win. Sometimes success means a lesson learned, even if that lesson is "Life's not always fair."

So I'm putting that behind me. And I'm looking forward to this beautiful Saturday. Ella Kate spent the night with Papa and Gigi. I'm going to get her in a few minutes. We're going to spend the day watching football, eating pigs in a blanket, and being lazy. Sounds perfect doesn't it? I type that and feel slightly guilty as I think of a family up the street who's Saturday doesn't seem so "perfect" this morning. They're dealing with the death of a loved one. It makes me realize that we should cherish these "perfect" days and thank God for them. And I plan to.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

We're still here.

Isn't it time to burn the harvest scented candles???? Who cares that it's 99 degrees outside?! Not me. It's officially football season and that means fall candles at our house. Saturday will also usher in the season of cheese dip and pigs in a blanket: also known as Alabama football. Can't wait! Ella Kate has her Bama cheer suit ready to go. She also has a jersey and tiny little New Balances for when the temperature drops. Yes, we're ready.

Ready and exhausted. I know I say that often. But we ARE. It was 11:30 Friday night when we got home. For B, that was the first time he'd been home since 7:00 that morning. I did get to come home for a few hours in between...long enough to repack the diaper bag, feed EK, and dress us both. Thank goodness for the help our families give us. I would absolutely go insane without them. We have a precious aunt who keeps us in clean clothes on a weekly basis. She's great. Everyone should have one of her. That's what B says. We appreciate all of you, although we don't often say it.

Ella Kate is saying Bye Bye and Mama. We're working on Daddy. She just grins at us. Saturday I decided I would install the cabinet locks myself. It didn't go so well. Bradley took over after shaking his head at me. It took us an hour to install 2. So now 2 of our cabinets are baby proof. She's outgrown her baby carseat. Sad. She mocks us when we cough. Hilarious. She growls when you tell her no. Bad. But hilarious.

Life is good. We run around like crazy people. But it keeps things interesting. Here's to an extra nice Labor Day weekend. And another ZC win: 2-0...Here we go!


Sunday, August 14, 2011

Going Home

Bradley had football this afternoon, and my mom invited us over for the afternoon. She said I could nap and she would watch Ella Kate. We don't turn down offers like that.

I enjoy driving. It's about the only "down time" that I get. And I really enjoy driving home. It makes me feel good. It takes me back. It helps me remember so many good things about growing up. And it makes me thankful for where God's brought me to. My brother and I were texting last week about some things we remember from when we were at home together. I remember watching Reading Rainbow at my grandmother's after school, eating Better Cheddars, and drinking Pepsi. Jim remembers going to Opp on a Sunday afternoon to get the latest Billy Ray Cyrus single, Achy Breaky Heart. We both remember cruising in the green Sunfire to Kinston each morning, listening to Booty Mix 2. Memories. The smells of Sun Ripened Rasberry and cheerleader paints take me back to cheer practice. Gangster's Paradise and The Train send me straight back to a 10th grade pep ralley. And oh, the fall. There was nothing like a Thursday volleyball practice while the band practiced outside. I love going back.

There's nothing like home. There's nothing like sitting in the floor of my parents' living room where I've sat for years. But this time, I get to watch my baby girl play. Thank you, God, for where we've been. Thank you, God, for where we are. And thank you, God, for what you have in store for our future.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Ahhh...Saturday.

Football's back. School's back. And I'm exhausted. It's a lot different having a coaching husband PLUS a child. He's been rolling up around 8 each night, which is typically her bedtime. This means I get to feed her, bathe her, chase her, etc. all by my lonesome. I just want to pass out when she falls asleep. I have a friend who does all this with 4 children. I am quite certain I would be insane. She's pretty good at it though. And I tell myself if she can do this with 4, surely I can handle 1. We'll get adjusted. It's just been a tough week.

I still got up and ran this week. I knew it would be a challenge to rise that early, but I did. It makes me feel much better.

Ella Kate has 2 teeth now. She was 9months old yesterday and is in the 90th percentile for length. She's everywhere and into everything. We clean up spilled drinks on a daily basis. You'd think we would learn not to put them within her reach. After my last post, she feel again the very next day. I won't say where she fell from, because I am sure I'd loose my nomination for mother of the year. But I won't do it again.

Well the sun is out and the pool is calling. I hope you all have a fabulous Saturday.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Gotta Take the Bad with the Good

A few weeks ago, I told you I don't blog on the bad days. I'll break the cycle for you. Last night I burned dinner...bad enough the B had to stop at Burger King on his way home from workouts. I didn't feel well so I took some meds before hitting the sack. They made me sick. At 2:30 this morning I was sick...very sick. After an hour or so I was able to go back to bed and felt better. B had 7 on 7 this morning bright and early so I put EK in bed with me to watch Mickey Mouse. I was a zombie. Obviously I dozed off. I did more than doze. The next thing I heard was Ella Kate as she hit the floor. She cried. I cried. She's ok. I have continued to feel sick all day. (No, I'm not with child, or I'm fairly certain I'm not.) So after feeding EK lunch, I dozed in the floor in the nursery while she crawled all over me. I thought that was safer than getting back in bed. Thankfully B is home for a few hours. And I am getting to rest. This was NOT how I intended to spend a day of my last week of summer. BUT...it could definitely be worse. On a happy note, I am still wearing pajamas and it looks like rain outside. Happy Tuesday.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

10 Things

I love a list so here we go:
1. Ella Kate has a tooth! It's barely peaking through those gums, but it's through. Thank goodness!
2. I saw a road the other day called "Snuffbox Road". Really?
3. Bradley and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary with a short trip to the beach this week. On our last night some intoxicated man asked us (about 15 times) if we would like to ride through Peir Park on his "golf cart" because it was a "promotional thang" and if his boss saw us riding it he would give him a "dollar or two". And he was eating "tomatoes and salt". We know this because he also informed us of this at least 5 times. It was funny at first and then became annoying. But the band was marvelous. As we were leaving they played "Love to Lay you Down" by Conway. I thought maybe someone had called ahead and told them I was coming. Love that song.
4. I worked in my room at school today. I am sad about leaving Ella Kate and going back to work. BUT I am thankful to have a job and enjoy my job SO I still get excited about the beginning of a new school year. Do the rest of you teachers feel this way?
5. I ran farther this morning than I've gone all summer. YAY! I am feeling really good about this running thing. Won't be long til I'm back in those clothes again.
6. I ate junk food for breakfast afterwards to celebrate.
7. Ella Kate now climbs my legs when we're getting ready in the bathroom.
8. I get super excited about a new magazine in the mail.
9. I read 2 books while at the beach this week.
10. This has been absolutely the BEST summer since I've started teaching. I don't want it to end. I plan to soak up every minute of my last week at home for a while with B and EK.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Reaching our goals...

When school let out for summer, I had some goals. One goal was to read more...I've read 5 books and I'm about to start the 6th one. Another was to finish the spare bedroom...almost done. Redo our bedroom...well I've kind of started, but that's it. Run a 5K...not there yet, BUT I have been running 3 mornings a week. I'm at about 2 miles and it's getting easier. I may need to push that goal back to the fall. My biggest goal was to spend lots of time with EK and Bradley. We've been swimming, napping, and trying to find some sort of routine. We've grilled and had friends over. B's done some major work in our yards. I wish I had taken a before picture so you could see just how much. Our garage is clean and organized (for now). Yes, he's a handy husband most of the time. We're thankful for him.

Ella Kate is officially a crawler and we have officially started baby proofing everything. She is also pulling up and letting go. She's a little braver than I'd like her to be sometimes.

Today it's just EK and I. B's gone to an all-day meeting. Blah. She's napping right now and I'm trying to think of something we can get into the rest of the day other than shopping ; ) I'll let you know how that goes. Happy Hump Day!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Let's Be Honest

I've been meaning to do this post for a week or so. Our life's been busy, but B has the week off from workouts and cheer camp is completed. And my July calendar almost looks blank. AND.....it makes me happy.

However, after reading some comments on our blogs, I realize that I make our life seem like we're ALWAYS happy and blissful and serene...you know what I mean. And it's not. Although we are happy, and do feel extremely blessed, sometimes life isn't perfect. In our Sunday school lesson last week, it mentioned how David was honest in his Psalms. He told it like it was. Sometimes it was good. Sometimes it was hard. And although I may not blog about the hard days, sometimes it IS hard. Sometimes we're mean. Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes it's 5:00 and I have nothing fixed for dinner. Sometimes we don't make time for each other like we should. Sometimes I forget to wash clothes and we have no clean underwear/shirts. Sometimes we argue about money. Occasionally we contemplate harming each other. Really. And the rest of you do too, if you're honest. But regardless of all that, we are enormously BLESSED. And we do love each other, even though there are times that we may not "feel" like we love each other. Sometimes love is a choice.

I hope that gives an honest representation of what life is like at our house. It's not always grand. But it is ALWAYS more than we deserve. And we are thankful.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Got My Toes in the Water...

Tail in the sand


Not a worry in the world

Coke Zero in my hand

Life is good today

Life is good today.


It's been birthdays all around this week. Bradley turned 29 on Tuesday. We had a small celebration last Friday night to celebrate. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I don't do secrets well, so..................I told him. Early. Real early. Early as in the beginning of the week. It was lots of fun. I got to listen to lots of stories. Some I'd heard, some I had not. But we had a good time visiting and eating.


I turned the big 3-0 yesterday. Bradley told me we would go out to eat dinner. However, he texted me after practice and told me to hurry or we'd be late. When I got home, he had the truck packed, EK was with his dad, and we took off for the beach. It was BEAUTIFUL. I'm not sure I've ever seen the water so clear. We read, we talked. It was perfect. We enjoyed some good seafood and came home. I'm so thankful for him. And 30 is off to a good start!

Sunday, June 19, 2011

In Pictures

B's 1st Fathers' Day Card. All English teachers, please ignore my error.

A perfect Sunday afternoon: napping with Mommy.



Swimming Lessons: Look at me float!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

A Day in the Life of Us

Ella Kate doesn't care that it's summer. She's not sleeping in. We rise bright and early, fix a bottle, and lay back down with Daddy. She and I snuggle and play (She's EXTRA loving and happy in the morning) and then I box her in with pillows and leave her with B watching MickeyMouse Clubhouse. She loves it. I dress and head out to run because as Mickey says, "we all feel better when we mouse-kersize". I come back, pack her swimming bag, and jump in the shower. Some mornings we go seperate ways to swimming lessons and cheer practice. Some mornings we all go to swimming lessons. This week, we've also had VBS until 12. A busy morning doesn't bother me, as long as I can have a lazy afternoon. Today we all napped. It was ABSOLUTELY marvelous. Don't you love a good nap??? At night, B leaves us for workouts and EK and I spend girl time together. Tonight we played, ate dinner, pulled weeds, and had bath time. Bath time is great. She plays. I sit in the bathroom floor and read. It's my ME-Time. She's usually asleep by 8, so I stretch out in B's chair and have a Coke Zero. This may not seem exciting to you, but I love it. It's the simple things. I am so thankful for this life.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhh. Thank you, God.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Note to Self:

A trip to the beach with a 7 month old may nor may NOT qualify as a "vacation". We left Sunday for a few days of "rest and relaxation" at the beach. We knew we would be traveling with a lot more "stuff" than normal. Our condo was on the beach to help with hauling all our supplies back and forth. We were prepared. We'd purchased a tent and plenty of sunblock. We were READY.

You're looking at these pictures and thinking how sweet..she looks so happy. But pictures can be deceiving. I only posted the happy photos. How come none of you mentioned to me that babies typically don't like the beach???? Or that babies typically don't do well when you move them to a new environment for a few days? Monday morning we were up bright and early. We had to give EK 2 bottles during the night Sunday night. We haven't done that since she was 2 months old! But to spare our neighbors the screaming fits, we gave in. We thought she'd take a good nap and we could head down to the beach. We thought wrong. No nap. By 11, we gave up, and went to the beach with NO nap. A mistake? Yes, probably. But we're new at this. After screaming for an hour, she napped on the beach. B suggested we call the sitter and ask her to drive down...immediately. Ella Kate didn't like the sand, the waves, or the heat. As soon as we took her in, she was fine. Tuesday was slightly better. I was a little more "organized" as we trecked to the beach. She played in the sand for a little while. The water was good as long as the waves didn't crash into us. She still didn't love it, but she was improving. Even though, it was the most exhausting "vacation" I have ever taken, it was fun and I'm glad we took her. I just hope she likes it better next year.









Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Our First Summer Begins...

Ahhhhhhhhhh....summer. We can breathe. We can nap. We can grill. It is absolutely THE BEST. It makes my heart very happy. Ella Kate and Bradley are napping. I've just loaded the dishwasher and am taking a few minutes to blog and have a Coke Zero.

We kicked off summer last Friday with an early departure from school. Yay! We are so thankful to still have jobs, as many are not as fortunate this year. We loaded up and went to Gantt to celebrate the Memorial Day Weekend. It was like old times...reading, taking a tan, grilling all weekend long. Except this year, we have an addition. She's a sporty little thing. She keeps us on our toes. She didn't love the lifejacket, but she seemed to enjoy the boat. Uncle J joined us for the weekend. He deserted us in favor of people who stay up past 9 p.m., but we'll forgive him this time. We came back Monday around lunch. Everyone else napped and I started cleaning out closets. I still had maternity clothes in there...hoping I won't need those for a while. We rode to my parents' house for dinner, and crashed when we got in. Ella Kate slept all night without a peep for the first time in a week. I took it as a sign of good things to come. She started ISR swimming classes yesterday. She's not very keen on floating on her back. She's never very keen about being on her back...on land or water. But I think she'll get the hang of it. We don't have huge plans for the summer...a beach trip here and there, VBS, cheer camp, football workouts, etc. But regardless of what we do, we get to spend our days with Ella Kate. And that is what makes it marvelous. It's only been a few days, but I love it already.



My goals for the summer are to:

*Read-I've already finished 1 book and started a 2nd. Some are my choices; some were recommended by the kids in my class as possibilities for read-alouds for next year.


*Nap-I'll start working towards that one tomorrow.


*Re-do our bedroom- I have the "supplies". I just need to do it.


*Complete the other bedroom- We've been here 2 years, and I finally bought a comforter for that bed yesterday.


*Run- 5K anyone? I will complete 1 without stopping before school starts back in August. I'll be honest. I do it for the shirts. ; )


*Spend as much time with Bradley and Ella Kate as possible before the madness begins in August. I LOVED summers as a single girl. But it doesn't even come close to this. Welcome to "Our First Summer".






Sunday, May 15, 2011

A Night to Remember

I haven't blogged in 2 weeks. Sorry. Summer's coming and maybe I'll do better. I could go back and try to catch up on all that's going on, but I can't remember. I just know we've been really busy. So I'll blog about this weekend and we'll go from here.

Friday night was ZC's spring game. The girls cheered and looked good! I enjoy them. They keep me entertained and they're such a positive bunch of girls. The boys played really well and it leaves us all excited about the coming football season. It was so nice to be able to sit and watch the football game without swollen ankles.

Yesterday, Bradley sat in the Walmart parking lot attempting to sell puppies. No luck. I'm becoming very concerned that we have 5 new additions to our family. VERY CONCERNED. Buy one. Please?

Last night my parents came up to watch Ella Kate while Bradley and I went to Luverne to run a 2 mile race. My goal was to finish. 2 miles is the most I've been able to do without stopping so far. There was a little girl (maybe 5 or 6) running with me. I told her I thought I was last. She informed me there was 1 person behind me, but she could see him and we should probably go faster. She also told me she knew a shortcut. Hilarious. It kept my mind off the burning in my legs and lungs. I did finish. And I didn't stop running. Yay! After having Ella Kate, I was unsure if I'd ever make it back to here physically. I gained ALOT of weight. So I'm really excited to be able to run. There's a 5K in June that I want to tackle. Maybe by then I can do 3.1 miles without stopping. So..........................the starting point for the race was at the church where we got married. It was also across the road from our first home together and my first home on my own. I miss the little apartment. Many memories there. We left the race and went to eat Mexican at the spot of our first date. Yes, we ate mexican on our first date. I told Bradley that I wasn't sure that a race and mexican qualified as a date, but it was sure was nice to eat and ride in the car AND be able to carry on conversation. And all the places brought back memories. It was a nice night. We saw several friends that we rarely get to see. I enjoyed catching up.

On a sidenote...EK was inthe 97th percentile for length last week at her 6 month checkup. "She get it from her mama".

Happy next to the last week of school!

Monday, May 2, 2011

I have a decision to make...

Should I wear my 5K medal on tomorrow or save it for Friday???? That's right. I won my division. I debated on NOT telling all you people that I was the ONLY person in that division, but I was certain word would get out. I WAS the only 1, but I did complete the race...very slowly. But a finish is a finish. And I was excited.

It's 8:33. The kitchen is clean and the dishwasher's going. EK is asleep. I'm about to put on my PJ's. And I might just go on to bed. Oh, that sounds tempting.

I've been thinking on some ideas for future blogs. Let's just see if I can find the time to do it. Goodnight!

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Mommmmmmmmm

I thought you said this park was gonna be fun!



Saturday, April 23, 2011

While we have a moment to breathe...

let me catch you up on what's happening at the Bowers House. The end of another school year is fast approaching, and this means 2 things: 1. Teachers and students alike act/feel like nuts. 2. There are 948 things to do and/or get done. If you keep up with the AL legislature, let me give my opinion on some of the things coming up for discussion or a vote relating to education. Bradley and I both went into this because we love it. We never planned on getting rich. However, if you keep cutting our pay checks, we will have to take jobs at the Dairy Queen at night to keep up.

Bradley and our head coach met with a coach in Florida on Friday so EK and I went along for the ride. We dropped him off and took off to Pier Park. I watched her in the mirror as we pulled in. Her little eyes got so big as she looked up at the stores. She's SO my child. I told her I was feeling the SAME way. I knew I was in trouble when I spent the every bit of the $ I brought along to spend on her in the first store. She'll be looking cute though ; ) We spent the night and came back this morning. We dumped our bags and headed to the lake for the afternoon. So busy, but such a nice day.


D-Day is fast approaching. The 5K is Saturday and I'm coming to realize I will not be ready, but I will do what I can. I haven't reached my goal of running 3 miles without stopping. I'm not even sure I'll make 2. But I will finish...somehow.


Now, I'm sitting here in my new p.j.'s (simple joys) waiting for the Easter Bunny. On a serious note, Easter and sacrifice have taken on a whole new meaning since EK came along. It gives me a greater understanding of the greatness of the sacrifice while giving me less understanding of how you could love enough to sacrifice your own. One of my students said Thursday that Good Friday wasn't at all good. Oh, but it was. It was perfect for us...just what we needed. I will try to remember to take Easter pictures, but I make no promises. I never remember my camera. If I do take them, maybe I'll find another spare minute to post them.

Hope your week is full of moments that make you smile.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Road Trip!!!!!!!!!!!

One of B's friends got married in Birmingham yesterday, so we booked a room, loaded up half our home, a babysitter, and headed north. Ella Kate's got a nasty cough and the medicine I gave her yesterday morning put her out for most of the trip. That was unintentional, but it did make for an easy ride. We took our time, stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and then hit the Galleria. Our friend, Andrea, came to meet us for a little while. So we visited and shopped. Ella Kate walked away with all the purchases for the weekend. They tell me that's just the way it is. I "really needed" a pair of shoes for the wedding so we searched Birmingham over for a Shoe Carnival. (I found a pair in Dothan, but they were out of my size.) We located one and set out for it...drove "all the way around Birmingham" according to my husband and guess what. No Shoe Carnival. So we got all checked in, set Cheyenne and Ella Kate up for a night in, and got ready for the wedding. We knew we were cutting it close on time, but the GPS had us arriving with minutes to spare...until we ran up on that DETOUR sign. We still made it. Finally found the entrance to one of the prettiest churches I have ever seen, and enjoyed a very sweet ceremony. The wedding and reception were beautiful. And it was nice to get all dressed up and not have spit up or baby food on my clothes. EK slept fairly well in bed with us on our full size bed. Bradley, however, was a different story. As was I. Around 3ish I heard our neighbors, obviously arriving back from a hopping reception, shouting "Roll Tide" in the hall. Ella Kate paid them back around 6 this morning. As we passed them checking out, I tried to work up the nerve to greet them with a "Roll Tide" but couldn't. Bradley would have scolded me anyway. We took our time coming home and Ella Kate and I caught a nap after we got all unpacked back at home. She's now sitting with Bradley and wearing nothing but a diaper. She thinks she's in heaven. We have plans to see some Crenshaw County folks later in the week and I am pumped. I miss them ; ) most of them. And it's always nice to visit. Hope you all have a week that you're looking forward to as well.

Monday, March 28, 2011

1-10

1. B had eye surgery a week ago. He was seeing 20/20 in Tuesday. 2. My daddy was sent to Flowers the night of B's surgery with really high blood pressure. 3. Heart cath on Tuesday. 4. I was in the middle of testing. 5. I'm also low on sick days. 6. B scratched his eye on Thursday. 7. I admire single parents. 8. When it rains it pours (sometimes it hails). 9. I am driving a minivan to school tomorrow. 10. I still love my life and a good LIST.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

I Heart Spring Break!

It's Saturday afternoon. We're at the lake (AKA: Gantt Beach), EK is napping in the floor, B's outside, and I'm laying on the couch looking out at the water. This is BLISS. Putting on my swimsuit for the first time was NOT bliss. Not even close. But we won't talk about that. We decided late yesterday afternoon to ride over and spend the night. So we packed up everything but the kitchen sink and headed this way. Seriously, our car was packed. EK screamed most of the way and I was wondering what we were thinking. I also wondered that this morning at 2 a.m. when she was providing birth control for the entire RV park. But since then it's been smooth sailing.

Spring break is almost over. Tear. Oh, how I look forward to summer so we can spend our days home with Ella Kate. She's so much fun right now! I just picked her up because she woke up and she's attempting to help me blog. I'll have to make this short. We've accomplished a few things this week. Those include: making hair bows, cleaning out the guest bedroom (anyone else feel like you do that every other month or so????), putting up EK's 0-3 month clothes, and grilling...a lot. It's been a great week and this weekend is shaping up nicely as well. Happy Saturday!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

A Little Lesson

In honor of all the testing that will take place next week, let's do a little lesson on Plot. Plot is: the events in a story/selection (usually in order). To keep things simple we'll do a BEGINNING, MIDDLE, and END.
BEGINNING
MIDDLE
END! We are loving spring break! EK had her 4 month checkup yesterday. She was in the 90th percentile on length/height and 50th on weight. She's currently weighing in at 13 lbs. We started baby food yesterday and if she's not loving it, who cares! We think it's hilarious. She does love it so far. I started her on carrots because I've always secretly wanted a baby with an orange nose. They're so cute!

We're looking forward to enjoying the rest of our week. Hope yours is excellent.




Monday, March 7, 2011

The spring break countdown is ON.

Can I vent? I promise to keep it short. I spent my entire planning time on the phone this morning trying to find out when and why my house is now in a High Risk Flood Zone (according to our mortgage company). It IS in a flood zone, but not a high risk area. It's been over 20 years since it flooded, but all of a sudden we're high risk! This means (according to the mortgage company) that my flood insurance premium will go up when I renew. That's just peachy. As I tried unsuccessfully to look at a flood map online, I called FEMA and was told they couldn't disclose my flood zone over the phone. REALLY? UGH. I came home to find a service charge had been taken out of our account...no one knows why. No one mentioned it when we opened the account. Oh, but wait! We listed the account wrong. Let us fix that. Oh. My. Gosh. You people are making me insane. I'm normally not this "fussy". I need spring break. REALLY. BAD.


Ella Kate and I have been hanging out tonight. Bradley's driving a bus for the baseball team. We miss him, but you all know how I love some Hope time. EK has cut into that quite a bit lately. So tonight, she was in bed by 8:15 and I'm blogging from the recliner. Aaaaahhhhhh. AND I had a frozen pizza. Bliss. All I lacked was a new magazine.


Saturday was a perfect rainy day. We need rainy days sometimes. It's like it gives us "permission" to rest. I attended the 4th-6th grade dance on Saturday night. All I have to say is it was definitely a "party in the USA". We had lunch at Bradley's maw maw's yesterday after church. I heard some of the funniest stories as they sat around and shared. I'm still laughing about them today. After visiting, we came home and laid around. I cleaned a little too. Last night we ate Mexican, just the 3 of us. Ella Kate did so good this weekend. She slept through the night every night (a change from last week...don't know what the deal was). And she was extra happy. We LOVE her so much. Her little personality gets bigger every day and it's so much fun!

I will attempt not to complain/vent any more this week. At least not on the blog. I hope you all have an extra good week. 4 days to spring break! That's enough to make anyone smile.

Monday, February 28, 2011

A Marvelous Monday

I think I'll start with my funny story for the week: Almost everyday this year that I've been by the office after school, there's been a man sitting in there with a FedEx jacket on. So I assumed he was the FedEx man...taking a break? I wondered why he sat in there EVERYDAY. Then last week, I saw the FedEx man walking toward the nurse's office (in a different building). And he was NOT in uniform??? I have since learned he is definitely NOT the FedEx man. He is a student who is obviously a Denny Hamlin racing fan who sports a FedEx jacket on a daily basis. This may not be funny to you. But I thought it was hilarious.

Ella Kate is "talking"! She's making so many sounds. We love it. She'll be 4 months old on Saturday. Where has the time gone?

B now has football a couple days a week, and I am on break from cheerleading. So I get to come home each and every afternoon. It's marvelous. Speaking of marvelous...here's a short list of other things that I've been finding marvelous lately:

1. That hour after EK goes to sleep before I go to sleep.
2. Mexican food when I don't want to cook
3. Being able to complete yet another week in Couch to 5K
4. The tanning bed. I know it's bad. But it feels SO good and it makes me SO relaxed. And if the running doesn't make me skinnier, the tan will make me appear that way.
5. Sharing cheesecake with Bradley before bed
6. This lovely weather
7. Riding home from school with the sunroof open and the radio REALLY loud

Have a "marvelous" week.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Plain 'Ole Life

My sweet husband just informed me that I haven't blogged in over a week. So here we go. Life just hasn't been extremely exciting lately. It hasn't been bad. I just didn't think you'd be interested in making bottles, washing bottles, cleaning house, going to work, etc.

Ella Kate turned 3 months old a few weeks ago. Those teeth I mentioned a month ago...they have yet to come through. But she's been a trooper. For the last week, we've been able to lay her in bed, turn on the mobile, and she's put herself to sleep. It's SOOO nice for us. She doesn't fight us. And we're getting more sleep. I even got to sit down tonight and enjoy a really, really cold can of Coke Zero. I have an addiction. I like my caffeine cold. VERY cold. And it was extremely good. When Bradley and I got married, we drank Mt Dew. I think we did that for a while. But we began to grow. So we decided to make the switch. (I still enjoy a Mt Dew, just not on a daily basis.) Speaking of growing or lack thereof...I've lost more weight and I am thrilled. We're on Week 3 of the Couch to 5K. I was beginning to think I might not ever get back in my clothes. But I just might make it.

Bradley is now a proud member of the 32 oz club at Santa Fe. Why on earth he wanted to do this, I will never know. He's mentioned it the past several times we've eaten there. And with a little encouragement from his parents (as well as financial support...they bought dinner), he gave it a try Saturday night. Who cares that it took him 3 hours to finish eating???? He got a shirt AND his picture on the wall. It didn't take 3 hours...but it seemed like it. Ella Kate needed some fresh air about halfway through the steak. She and I took a little trip outside. I also had steak, but don't recall eating it. That's called multi-tasking. I'm learning that it's also called being a mommy.

I'll close with some sad news about a co-worker who went to the ER Friday was a week ago in pain. She found out last Monday that she had Stage 4 Colon Cancer and spots on her liver. She left the hospital Sunday after making the decision not to take any life prolonging measures. She passed away yesterday. I never got to know Mrs. Mozzo very well. But I knew her well enough to realize she was a very interesting woman. And well enough to know she would have chosen no other way to go. I listened to the other teachers share stories about her after hearing of her passing yesterday. They said she always said if they had her a retirement party, she wouldn't come. ..that when she left that school, she wanted to walk out and never look back. And isn't that how it happened? I'm certain that's the way she left this world. Listening to them share stories about her makes me wish I'd taken the time to get to know her better. Keep her family, friends, and students in your prayers. Many of them are having a tough time with this loss.

May you take notice of the simple blessings in life this week.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Aaaahhhh. Rest, how I've missed you.

Ooooh, life is good. It's Sunday night. We have pigs in blanket. Ella Kate's napping. Our house is fairly clean. Our patio is clean. AND we ran this afternoon. I feel thinner already! I will be honest. I thought my lungs were collapsing a few times. But Bradley kept pumping me up and I didn't quit. He told me I need to take longer strides. I'm not sure he realizes that I'm way shorter than him. I just gave him "the look" and kept running.

Yesterday, we had a date day in Dothan. We ate breakfast together and made a Sam's run. I needed that day. I became very aware of that on Friday night when I pulled up to the garage after the ballgame and remembered that I was supposed to pick up supper in town. So I turned the Acadia around and went back for our dinner. Sleep hasn't been great for the last week or so. Ella Kate's been waking up in the early morning hours and having to be rocked back to sleep. The last 2 nights have been WAY better though. Maybe we're getting back to normal. I apologize to Tessa for falling asleep while she was here last night. I told you people I'm tired!

Let me leave you with a funny for the week: On Tuesday I told my kids to look Wednesday morning to see if the groundhog saw his shadow (the 1st grade teacher in me was trying to get out). I had 1 very concerned young man because there are NO GROUNDHOGS around his house! I told him I guessed he'd have to watch for it on the news.

Have an extra good, snuggly, cozy kind of week.

Monday, January 31, 2011

Exercise and Stuffy Noses

I continued on my Couch to 5K plan on Saturday. I am, however, still on Week 1. And it's raining...this does not motivate me. at. all. April 2nd is D-Day. I will run in that race. Somehow.

Bradley's asleep on the couch, EK is asleep in her bed, and my eyes are also feeling heavy. We were all up at 3:30 a.m. fighting with a stuffy nose. She's finally asleep this afternoon. We're trying to let her sleep on a wedge, hoping it will help her breathe better and sleep longer. We are exhausted. My sweet husband rocked her for the 3rd time this morning and slept with her on his chest in the recliner until time to get up. I took the first 2 rounds. He's a good daddy, and I appreciate him so much.

It's poppy seed chicken for supper (made it last night). I feel so accomplished that it's already done. It doesn't take much to excite me. I know some of you are wondering if I'm really going to eat that stuff all mixed together. I absolutely am. I've been branching out lately. You should all be impressed.

May each one of you get the kind of week you're wishing for. Me. I'm just living for the nights at home and the weekend, and counting down the days until basketball season ends. And I see the light at the end of the tunnel. I need a BREAK!

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Monday was bus re-certification (not a blast, but still a day off...kind of), today was 4H (yes, Joni, I needed it more this week), and tomorrow I have a guest from AMSTI coming to do some lessons with my kids. I MUST be living right. ; ) On a funny school note, my kids traced their shadows all over the parking lot on Thursday and it looks like there was a massacre out there. They thought it was great. Then we played shadow challenges. Can you make your shadow shake hands with another shadow? They were hilarious. I love my job.

Ella Kate threw a small fit one night last week and I noticed what I thought were teeth on her bottom gums. But I thought, "there's no way". Sunday morning when we picked her up from the nursery, the lady mentioned them to me. Ok, so maybe I'm not losing my mind. This baby girl who will be 3 months old next week is getting 2 teeth. And soon. She's been sleeping through the night for well over a month now, but last night, that was absolutely NOT the case. We were up every 30-40 minutes or so. I finally realized that she had a slight fever. So when I decided to break out the Tylenol at 4:30 (finally!), things went a little better. She was still asleep when I left for school. I wanted to still be asleep too.

She's asleep in her swing right now and I'm already in my pj's. It's not even 5:30. Don't you love it? I'm not a fan of winter, but it does have some perks. Being cozy is one of them. I'm hoping that husband of mine will whip us up some hamburger steaks for supper. That or pancakes. I'd take either one. I think I'll catch a nap while I wait......

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

When am I supposed to breathe?

I just put that precious baby girl to bed, and to say I'm tired is the understatement of the year. AND I was off yesterday! We had yet another ballgame tonight. And we are hosting a competition on Saturday. My brain and my body feel like they're running in a hundred directions. I have NEVER been IN a cheerleader competition, TO a cheerleader competition, and certainly have never HOSTED one. I have watched one on TV. But we'll survive. The shirts are cute ; ) That's what matters, right? Thanks Tessa!

Bradley's up for Husband of the Year. He comes home, feeds and dresses EK (she matches too!), packs the bag, and brings her to the game so I can see her at least for a little while. I don't know if I'd consider it "quality time" but it's better than no time at all.

I was all pumped this morning because today was "4H Day". I even told B when we were getting ready that if I owned a shirt that said, "I Heart 4H" I'd wear it today. I get to sit and enjoy my whole afternoon and listen to the 4H lady give her spill 3 times. It's great for catching up. 4H Day was arriving just in time. Would you believe the schedule was wrong????? I NEEDED 4H Day. And it's not until next week. How sad.

I promise to blog after this weekend when I get a moment to catch my breath. Hope you're all doing well. Happy Hump Day tomorrow!

Disclaimer: if anything is spelled incorrectly or does not make sense, please don't hold it against me. I'm THAT tired. Really.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Back to work we go...

On Sunday, I thought I just might not make it through the day on Monday. It was going to be my first day back. My first day away from Ella Kate. I almost lost it in church Sunday morning. I fought tears all through the service. I didn't want to be away from her. But I also have this fear of something happening and I have this false sense that I can keep anything from happening. I know the truth is that I have no control over things. But I like to feel as if I do. The sermon was so good for me. It reminded me that I have to trust. And it's been a good week. After a small breakdown on Sunday night when I didn't want to bathe her because I didn't want her to go to sleep (she goes to bed after her bath), Monday was a good day. All of you must have been praying for me. If you were, I appreciate it so much.



I am EXHAUSTED. All these ballgames are killing me. I also had to take EK to get shots Thursday in Dothan. Can't I just have a holiday? I'm hoping tomorrow will be one. I think that would improve the dark circles forming under my eyes.



Ella Kate was 2 months old Wednesday. Wow. Wasn't she just born last week? She is:

*sleeping through the night and has been for a few weeks

*taking 6 4oz bottles a day

*smiling and cooing, especially at her daddy

*wearing 0-3 month clothes, but is getting ready to move up. She's a LONG girl! We might could keep wearing the 0-3 month clothes, but I'll have to cut the feet out of her sleepers. She's gonna be tall like her momma, huh? ; )

*11lbs 10 oz and 24.5 inches long



I'm enjoying my kids at school. I love them. But I love them even better when I've had a break. Hope your week goes well and lots of things make you smile.