And A Bartlett In A Pear Tree...

Planes, Taxis and Ambulance Rides...

2009-11-29T09:54:00.004-05:00

When I asked my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group to pray that none of us would get sick this time when we flew to Oregon, I forgot to ask them to pray that we wouldn't ride in an ambulance. Because really, what's a vacation without a trip to the ER in an ambulance?

I spent all of Tuesday getting us packed for our trip, then picked up the girls from their schools and rushed home so we could meet Gary. We then packed the car and headed for the airport. We parked the car in economy parking, boarded the shuttle, and made our way to the terminal. We successfully made it through security, which was a feat in itself because despite making FIVE trips to DPS, I still do not have a Texas driver's license. So instead, I brought my three temporary licenses, a letter from DPS, my birth certificate, my marriage certificate, my Social Security card, my Sam's Club card, three children who look like me, and a note from my mother to prove that I am really who I say I am. Just kidding about the last item. I brought all the others, though. But I digress.

As we were walking to our gate to get on the plane, I had Luke in my Moby Wrap. At some point, my ankle turned under me, I stumbled, and fell forward. I was able to catch myself so that I wouldn't fall on top of Luke, but not before Luke's sweet little head hit the concourse. He immediately started screaming and I was panicked. A passerby told us to file an incident report with the airline, so we continued to the gate and told the gate agent. She called the paramedics and asked us to wait nearby. I started to lose it. Fortunately, they arrived quickly and began looking at Luke. He was asleep by now but we were able to wake him up and he began smiling and cooing. The paramedics determined that he was probably OK, but since he was so young, felt that he should be checked out by a physician.

At this point, the gate agent told us that we needed to decide if Gary and the girls should go ahead and get on the plane or stay with me. Since there were not enough seats on flights to Oregon the next day for all of us, I sent him on to Portland and I stayed behind with Luke and the gate agent rebooked us on the 9:30 am Wednesday flight at no charge. Bless her heart.

I figured that we would just walk to the ambulance outside (since both of us were completely fine), but the EMTs insisted on transporting us on the stretcher...through the concourse, through security, through the main terminal where everyone was checking in...all the while, Luke is in my arms and smiling and giggling at everyone we're passing by. I was fairly sure we were going to end up on the evening news. Oy.

We took a short ambulance ride to a local hospital and as we're disembarking, I'm thinking “This will actually be good that we're coming here by ambulance. They can just drop us off in the back and we'll get in and out of here in no time. Maybe we'll even make that 9:05 pm flight tonight!” Um, not so fast, lady with the giggly baby.

They wheeled us through the back entrance, past all the examining rooms, and through the double doors into the lobby, stopping in front of the reception desk and a waiting room of people staring at us. “Hop down!” the paramedic said cheerfully. Hello? What's the point of coming in an ambulance if you don't get to bypass the waiting room? I could have done that in my own car and saved about $500, thankyouverymuch. OK, a slight exaggeration. I couldn't have actually driven straight to the reception desk. I would have had to park in the parking lot and walk in. But you get my drift.

I proceeded to sit in a swine flu-infested waiting room with about 50 of my un-closest friends for three and a half hours before they called our name. Including a couple of interesting characters, one of whom felt free to shout obscenities at the staff whenever he felt like it. And someone whom I never did figure out if he/she was a man or a woman. And a blessed couple who sat next to me who were so incredibly nice to us and visited with me while I ate dinner out of the vending machine and waited for our name to be called. They were a bright spot in an otherwise out-of-body experience.

While I was waiting, I realized that I had in my carry-on bag both of Leah's binkies, the hand sanitizer, the baby wipes, and the Clorox wipes, which meant that Gary was on a germ-infested airplane with no way to clean it, and no way to soothe Leah. I'm pretty sure I got the better end of that deal.

After finally getting called and being examined by the doctor, I took Luke down to get a CT scan. He was such a good boy, laying there on the table, sucking his binky and looking at all the lights. Fortunately, the CT scan came back clear and they decided he was completely fine. Thank goodness. I was SO relieved to hear that he was OK. I was terrified to let him go to sleep for fear that he wouldn't wake up, but once they determined that he was normal, I relaxed a bit.

I walked back to the reception desk and said, “Excuse me? The EMT told me that you transport people a lot between here and the airport and that I should ask you to arrange for a ride.” The receptionist looked up at me (actually, she glared at me) and said, “Um, I'm not aware of that, but you can call a cab if you want.” I'd like to point out here that Luke's car seat has already been put on a plane and is now landing in Oregon with the rest of my family. So I put him back in the Moby Wrap, called a cab and waited outside. Our cab arrived within a few minutes, and we took a quick ride back to the airport, with me praying fervently all the while that we wouldn't get into an accident since Luke was not properly restrained. We arrive safely, and I make my way to baggage claim to borrow a car seat from the airline, then hop on the parking shuttle. It's now 11:15 pm. The parking shuttle driver was kind enough to wait while I installed the car seat in the van and we were finally on our way home.

I got home at midnight and set the alarm for 5:30 am. I didn't sleep much that night but it was wonderful to be in my own bed. We got up quickly the next morning, grabbed some breakfast, drove to the airport while watching the sunrise (which was magnificent), and had a very smooth flight, where Luke napped contentedly in the Moby while I sipped Diet Coke and watched one of my favorite movies. Bliss.

I learned a couple of things. I learned that as independent as I am, I don't like being that far away from my amazing husband. I missed him terribly. I also realized that it's not really me keeping everyone healthy. That's God's job. And God can do it without Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer. And I was reminded that He is the Great Physician and can keep my sweet baby safe despite my stumbles.

I'm thankful that our vacation was much more mundane after that. It was so wonderful to be with family for Thanksgiving, and to introduce Luke to my brother and sister-in-law. We arrived home safely yesterday and have been relaxing, enjoying each other's company, and catching up on sleep. So, all's well that ends well. :)

The First Two Months

2009-10-13T16:38:00.005-04:00

Sweet Luke is two months old today. I can't believe it...the time has really flown. The past two months have honestly been a blur. I guess that's pretty normal when you have a newborn in the house, not to mention two other children.

My parents were immensely helpful for the first three weeks when Luke came home. We were bummed when they had to go home to Oregon but we're looking forward to seeing them again at Thanksgiving. Since we've been on our own, we've done pretty well though. We have been so incredibly blessed to have friends and neighbors deliver meals to us for almost 6 weeks – I cannot describe how much easier the evenings have been because of it. We are so grateful for such amazing friends from church and for our friendly neighbors. It's one of the reasons we love living here so much.

There have definitely been some rough moments too – I had a tough bout with postpartum depression – mostly in part due to a medication error, though I think I would have struggled a little with it anyway since I was so sleep-deprived. I don't do well with ongoing sleep deprivation, which also brings with it debilitating bone pain (residual from chemo). I'm doing much better now and feel like I can cope better with all the demands of each day. It's nice to feel like myself again and not immediately reach for the bottle of Advil in the morning because I ache all over. I'm anxious to get back to my BodyPump class. I haven't been able to go yet because Luke's pediatrician doesn't want him to be in the Y nursery due to the severity of the flu. I am walking on the nice days and looking forward to going back soon. I am really proud of the fact that I'm 35 lbs under what I was when I started my pregnancy and I really want to keep it off and get toned up again. I had been able to do BodyPump until I was seven and a half months pregnant, but then had to stop because I was having so many contractions. So it's been 4 months since I've been to the class.

Luke is a great baby – very laid back and easy, which is a huge blessing. He has started to smile at us and he loves nothing more than to be held, swaddled, cuddled, etc. He adores it when the girls talk to him and Anna Claire is such a huge help, holding him and feeding him the occasional bottle if I'm not nursing. Some of my favorite times are holding and nursing Luke while Anna Claire reads to me, or while I read to Leah. Luke is finally sleeping for approximately 3 hours at a time during the night, so I'm getting some great sleep and waking up feeling rested. He doesn't sleep as much during the day but I'm starting to see the beginning of a routine with him, and that will only get better with time.

Leah has finally stopped biting everyone and is settling down. Part of that is because I'm keeping her on a very strict schedule, which seems to really help her. She is such a pistol, that child. I can barely catch my breath on some days. Last week, she put her fingers up both of Luke's nostrils, tried to curl his eyelashes, and also attempted to floss his (non-existent) teeth. Yesterday morning, I caught her trying to pluck Luke's eyebrows. She is fun, though, and loves to take life by the hair and swing it around like a lasso. Gary and I are already praying about how we'll survive the teenage years with her.

The girls are doing AWANA and kids' choir on Sunday nights, which has given Gary and I the opportunity to have a “date night” once a week (with Luke of course, but he's pretty quiet). It's been so wonderful to have some uninterrupted time to talk and connect with Gary...since that time is extremely limited when we're at home with all 3 kids.

I am doing some freelance work now and really loving it. It's a great opportunity for me to use my brain and earn a little money. And strangely enough, I'm getting better at juggling everything because I have to – so I'm even more organized when I work part-time. I'm finding now that I have to be super-organized in order to keep everything running smoothly. If I let up even for a day, the train begins to run off the tracks.

I'm hoping to get some good family pictures once the weather cools off a bit and we can go outside. There's a fountain near us that is really pretty, so we'll venture over there soon and do a photo shoot. More pictures coming later this week of the kids!

Cancer In My Rear View Mirror

2009-09-12T16:21:00.003-04:00

Six years ago today, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. I went on a journey for which you don't need a passport, a ticket or a suitcase. It was no vacation, I can assure you. I found myself on a runaway train with no stops – and one on which I never intended to be a passenger.

I had a 16 month old baby girl at the time, and I was still fairly newly married. Nothing says “get to know your spouse” like having your husband see digital pictures of your diseased ovary post-surgery, having him help you get dressed, and having him shave your head in the shower because all your hair is falling out. In sickness and in health, indeed. I am painfully aware that there are many marriages that do not survive cancer. I've seen it happen up close and personal.

Today, I want to honor my husband, Gary. He is one of the bravest and most loyal people I know. There were many days when he would get up and go to work when I was sick and I know he was terrified. Terrified that we wouldn't make it through to the spring. Terrified that something would happen to me. Terrified that he would have to raise Anna Claire alone. Gary held my hand through many dark hours, wiping my tears and reminding me that together, we could make it through anything. He reminded me on a regular basis that cancer would not define me – it would be a new ministry. He told me how beautiful I still was to him. He told me how strong I was, even though I was very weak. He assured me constantly of his love for me.

I am happy to say that cancer is now in my rear view mirror...just a part of my past but no longer a part of my “present.” I have now had two beautiful children post-cancer. I've had no recurrences. Miraculously, I have entire days when I don't even think of cancer...something I never thought possible.

And cancer has birthed a beautiful ministry. For a long time after I recovered, I didn't want to have anything to do with cancer. I didn't want to meet anyone else who had cancer, support anyone with cancer, or talk about it. But God gently pursued me and continued to put people in my life who needed a compassionate heart and a willing ear as they traveled their own journey with cancer. I can honestly say now that walking alongside other women who face cancer is one of my passions. I love to encourage them, to cry with them, to make them laugh, and to just sit with them. While it was a devastating diagnosis and a very painful time in my life, ovarian cancer has become one of the best blessings I've experienced.

“Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits -
Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
Psalm 103: 1-5

Lord Jesus, You've been so faithful to me...

The Grocery Game, Take One

2009-09-07T16:57:00.003-04:00

A couple of friends recently introduced me to The Grocery Game. It's an easy way to combine store sales and coupons (clipped, downloaded and "non-clip" coupons) in order to save the maximum amount of money. I've clipped coupons in the past but honestly it got overwhelming when time was running short so I abandoned it for a long time.

I finally realized that I was tired of paying full retail prices for my groceries and other everyday necessities. I haven't worked since last December and with 3 kids now and only one of us working outside the home, I need to find ways to save money any way I can.

I joined last week and spent a couple of days clipping coupons and figuring out how the whole thing works. A lady named Teri put the whole thing together. And she just wrote a great book about The Grocery Game. - it retails for $12.99 but I found it on Amazon.com this morning for only $2.98! Wahoo!!! It does a great job of explaining the whole process for how to get groceries and other items for a significant discount. I can't wait for it to arrive.

Anyway...I shopped two different stores with my game list. I selected Kroger, and although there weren't many items on my list this week due to the holiday weekend, I saved $19.63 and spent $23.92. It was easy to do! Then we went to the other store, which I won't mention by name, because the experience wasn't nearly as good. They had some of the deals, but they were already out of a lot of the items and the store wouldn't substitute similar things. The employees were also not very helpful when I had questions, the store was incredibly busy, Luke was crying some of the time, and basically I decided not to go back to that store - I think I'm going to stick to Kroger. By the time we left the 2nd store, I just wanted to go home and suck my thumb! By the way, I don't recommend doing this little activity with your three-year-old who needs a nap. BAD decision. I'm going by myself next time.

At the second store, I spent $112.31 and saved $31.15. I would have saved more except they were out of some of the items I needed. So, my total savings for today were just under $51.00. Not too shabby for my first attempt! My goal is to save enough money each month that it pays for Leah's school tuition...a goal that should be easily attainable.

Try it for yourself - it's amazing! It only costs $10 every 8 weeks - $1.25 per week. And the first 4 weeks is free to try so you don't have to worry about paying for something you if you don't like it.

Moby Wrap, I Adore You

2009-08-26T13:01:00.001-04:00

Some good friends recently gave us a gift basket of baby items for Luke. It had a toy, a bottle, a pacifier, and a Moby Wrap carrier and receiving blanket. I was especially excited to try the carrier. I'd used other carriers before but never one like this.

It is hands down the BEST baby product I've ever owned. I absolutely love it. And Luke is so happy sitting in it. It swaddles him tightly against me and he immediately goes to sleep in it. I can very discreetly nurse in public if necessary and when he's particularly fussy, he calms right down - so I even wear it when watching TV, sleeping, and doing chores around the house. The beauty of it is that you really do have two hands free to do other things and he stays safely inside. It's made of a lightweight cotton that is very soft and breathes well - which has been wonderful in our hot climate. I really wish that I'd discovered it earlier so I could wear the girls in it. The other thing I love about it is the way that it provides support across my back - both lower and upper - and doesn't put pressure in one part of my back the way other carriers sometimes do. It's awesome!

The other thing I love about the Moby products is the receiving blanket. It's especially large and made of the same soft, breathable cotton so we'll be able to use it to wrap Luke up even after he's bigger. So many of the receiving blankets now are so small - which is fine if you have a newborn, but not so good if you have a bigger baby who still wants to be swaddled or wrapped up. This is a fabulous blanket.

And the best part? If you want to own either of these products, they're completely affordable! The carrier is only about $40, and the blanket is under $20! Such a great deal - especially when other carriers and blankets are so much more expensive and not nearly as nice.

Have a baby? Try it! Need to buy a baby gift and not sure what to give? I'd highly recommend the Moby Wrap and Blanket. They're both winners in my book!

The Story of Luke

2009-08-20T19:09:00.009-04:00

Luke Reagan Bartlett joined our family on Thursday, August 13, 2009 at 6:01 pm. He weighed 7 lbs, 10 oz, and he's 19.25 inches long. We are so in love with him!

I was admitted at 5 am on the 13th for an induction because of my history of blood clots. We checked in, and got settled. They started my antibiotics and ran those for a couple of hours before hanging the pitocin drip. I also got my epidural around the same time as my pitocin because I was already contracting so much...I suspect that I may have been in early labor on my own already. Unfortunately, the epidural caused my blood pressure to crash to 66/32, which made me feel horrible. I hope to never experience that again. They were able to quickly fix it with a shot of ephedrine and things got much better.

My doctor broke my water around 1:30 pm, fully expecting Luke to arrive soon after based on my birth experience with Leah. Unfortunately, Luke had other plans. His hand and elbow were up next to his head and the doctor was unable to tell if he was holding the umbilical cord or not. She tried a couple of times to push his hand out of the way but he moved it back again. Things continued to go very slowly throughout the afternoon, so I finally told my family to come up to the hospital because some good friends were bringing everyone dinner. Mom and Dad arrived with the girls just after 5 pm and shortly after that, I started complaining that I could feel nothing on my left side, but could feel every contraction on the right side - I was getting really uncomfortable. They tried to refresh my epidural but it didn't work. I told my doctor that I was still feeling a lot of pain and she checked and said, "Oh gosh - he's RIGHT here! It's time to have a baby." Just a few pushes later, Luke joined us.

It was fun that my family was already at the hospital - they got to come in the room right after Luke was born and we had a great time holding him and getting to know him. I had the most amazing labor & delivery nurse - she has children similar ages to our girls (and coincidentally is also a good friend of one of my neighbors!), and she asked Anna Claire and Leah if they'd like to watch her check out the baby. At our hospital, the baby never leaves your room - even to be cleaned up, checked out, etc. They watched her do all the newborn procedures on Luke and she was so patient with their many questions. Then the nurse asked if Anna Claire would like to give Luke his first bath. She was SO excited! Our nurse Michelle really made the experience so special for us - Anna Claire washed his hair, bathed him, then put a diaper on him and showed Michelle how she could swaddle him (she learned this in her sibling class). It was so neat.

We came home on Saturday night, and since then, we've been settling in pretty well. He's a great eater and loves to hear his sisters talk to him - he's really responsive to their voices. He is nursing approximately every 2-3 hours and sleeps well in between, which allows me to rest. Since Gary had to go back to work this week, it's been nice to have my parents here - they are such a help with the girls, laundry, cooking, etc. The girls have been having a great time with them!

Luke has had some jaundice and he's lost more weight than the doctor would like, but after a couple of trips to the doctor this week and some blood tests, his bilirubin is improving and he's gained 2 oz in the past 2 days, so he's now up to 7 lbs, 3 oz - his lowest weight was 7 lbs, 1 oz. It's hard to believe that he's my biggest baby.

More updates soon - he happens to be sleeping soundly right now in my lap, which has given me an opportunity to do a blog update. The rest of the time, I'm not sure where the time goes - it seems like there's always something that needs to be done!

A Little 'O This and a Dash of That

2009-08-08T21:29:00.002-04:00

We're down to less than 5 days until the baby is born. It is a surreal feeling. I can hardly believe that our sweet family of four will become an amazing family of five in a few days. And a boy! What will I do with a boy? I really only know pink, purple, princesses, and fairy wands. I'm fairly sure a little boy is going to rock our world – just not completely sure in how many ways (I'm sure there will be many).

From a pregnancy perspective, I am grateful to only have a few days left. I have had some issues lately with horrible skin itching and the feeling like I'm going to jump out of my skin, both of which cannot be attributed to anything specific except hormones. It's virtually impossible to sleep and although my doctor gave me an antihistamine to help, it only worked well for a couple of nights before I had problems with sleeping again. I am also beyond cranky...probably because I'm so tired. From that vantage point, I'll be so grateful not to be pregnant anymore.

But from another side, I know I only have 5 more days to feel this little life inside of me, pushing on my ribs, hiccuping, and rolling around from side to side. He is so much more active than the girls were – and it's fun that he's awake so much. He is starting to slow down a little, probably because he's running out of room. So I'm torn between wanting so much to hold him and wanting to freeze time where I can feel him inside my belly.

I've been nesting like crazy. I cannot get enough of house projects, cleaning, and organizing. I've even nested at Gary's school, helping him get his classroom set up and decorated so he'll be ready for the new school year. I am a frustrated elementary teacher inside, I think. :)

Gary turned 50 yesterday and we had a good time just spending time together as a family. Last night didn't work out to make his birthday dinner, so we're making it tonight for him. He requested chicken pockets and green bean casserole. Chicken pockets have long been a favorite in our family since we got married. I got the recipe from a family friend a long time ago and I've tweaked it over the years to make it better. I got the urge to put vegetables in it once and Gary told me not to – that it would ruin it. So I think I'm done tweaking it and will leave it well enough alone for now. They're super quick to put together and SOOO delicious – great comfort food! Gary also thinks that if made in miniature sizes, they'd be a great appetizer.

Here's the recipe:

Crescent Chicken Pockets

1 block of soft cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat and can't tell the difference)
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine, melted
2 cups of cubed or shredded cooked chicken
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/8 teaspoon of pepper
Dash of dry minced onion (or you can finely chop and sauté a small sweet onion to add in)
Dash of garlic powder
3 tablespoons milk
8 oz can Pillsbury crescent rolls (I use the low-fat ones and can't tell the difference)
3/4 cup seasoned croûtons or potato chips, crushed into fine pieces
1-2 additional teaspoons of butter/margarine, melted (in a small bowl)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese, 3 tablespoons melted margarine, salt, pepper, onion, garlic powder and milk. Keep stirring until very well blended and soft. Add in chicken and stir well.

On a greased cookie sheet, separate dough into 8 rectangles (using 2 triangles for each rectangle) and press perforations to seal. Spoon ¼ of the meat/cheese mixture into the center. Draw up the corners of the dough and press together, then press corners together so a solid seam is on each side (no chicken mixture showing). Repeat until you have 4 pockets. Brush tops of pockets with reserved butter, then dip in croûtons or potato chips.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Serves 4 (one pocket for each). Can easily be doubled or tripled for larger groups.

Serving suggestion: serve with steamed green vegetables and a green salad.

Evil Knievel No Longer Lives Here

2009-07-22T16:48:00.003-04:00

So, we decided to sell our other car about 6 weeks ago. When we bought it last year, we had no idea that Gary would be working so close to home. He had previously commuted over an hour each day in Virginia, so we wanted a reliable car that would be comfortable for him to spend a lot of time in if he needed to. If you recall, he didn't have a job offer until the day we literally moved so it was a shot in the dark to guess where he'd be working when we got to Texas. But once we got here and he began working, it just didn't make sense to have such an expensive car that was only being driven a few miles each day and sitting in a parking lot all the time. So, Gary had the idea that we could sell the car, and he'd ride his bike back and forth to school. Then he thought a little more and while that scenario would work well for nice weather days, it wasn't going to be as ideal on hot days (which we have a lot of here) or rainy days.

He did some research and found that he could buy a little motorized scooter – and with a helmet, jacket and gloves, he could zoom down the street quickly and without getting as sweaty...yet it would still accomplish our goal of saving money because it gets such great gas mileage. He did extensive research, finding the perfect brand and model scooter to buy, and we decided to press forward.

Before he made his purchase, though, he needed to take a motorcycle/scooter safety class. He signed up and last weekend the girls and I got up early on Saturday and Sunday mornings to take him to his class (about 15 minutes away). All went well on Saturday. He had a great time at his class and really enjoyed learning how to ride. We took him on Sunday morning too and then the girls and I headed to church.

At 1:30, I got a phone call from him saying he was finished. I knew there was a chance he'd be done early but I could hear in his voice that something wasn't right. “Are you OK?” I asked. “Just come get me,” he said. He could hardly breathe. “Do you need to go to the ER?” I asked. “Yes,” he replied.

I quickly dropped the girls off at a neighbor's house and went to pick him up. He said he'd been taking his last test and when he tried to stop, he went over the handles of the bike, then the bike landed on top of him. Ouch. Double ouch.

We went to the ER, and they sent him home with painkillers and a muscle relaxer to combat the pain from a bruised kneecap, sprained wrist, abrasions/bruises on his back and shoulder, and several bruised (and probably broken – it takes a few days for it to show up) ribs. His symptoms and pain level are the exact same as when he broke his rib about 18 months ago – and the treatment isn't really any different. He's going back to the doctor later this week to get an update and more pain medication.

I feel so badly for him. He really wanted to do this. And he was so concerned all along with taking every safety precaution. However, the fact that he was injured this badly only going 15 mph is frightening. He's been in an extraordinary amount of pain and it's been hard to see him like that.
So, we've changed courses. We're looking at a much cheaper used car/truck on Craig's List.

Evil Knievel has gone to live elsewhere and Gary's in search of a new dream. :)

Of Sleep and Discipline

2009-07-21T21:02:00.000-04:00

We are tired.

We moved Leah into Anna Claire's room about a week ago when their new bunk beds were delivered. The goal was to make the entire top floor for all the kids so they had their own space and we have ours - including a guest room on the 1st floor for out-of-town guests to stay as long as they like.

The bedroom turned out adorable - I'll post pictures soon. However, the transition has been a rough one. Leah is still at the age where she REALLY needs a nap in the afternoon - at least 4 days a week. Since she moved into Anna Claire's room, she has only napped once - and that was because she fell asleep in the car and I carried her upstairs. Every other time, she just plays. The end result is that she often falls asleep before dinner or during dinner and then she either doesn't wake up until the next morning or she takes a short snooze then doesn't want to go to bed until after 9 pm. And she's no longer sleeping in like she was before she moved rooms either. This has resulted in a new level of defiance and desire to assert her independence (usually shouting "NO!") at every opportunity, and sometimes she even takes a swing at us. Some of this could be her age, too - it's hard to differentiate what is age-related and what is sleep deprivation-related.

She has also figured out over the summer how to push almost all of Anna Claire's buttons - and vice versa. The fighting between them is crazy. And it's mostly over dumb stuff. Now that I think about it, I'm fairly sure the stuff my brother and I fought about was equally dumb but it seemed important at the time. My mother is a saint - I have no idea how she did it without joining the circus.

Anna Claire is going through an equally frustrating phase. We are trying to teach her the importance of obeying the first time we ask her to do something. Instead, we're met with (a) reasons she can't do it, (b) numerous questions about why we need her to do it, or (c) total avoidance. We've had to come down pretty hard on her lately and take away fun things we'd planned in order to send our message.

I know consistency is a good thing and it's the RIGHT thing to do when it comes to discipline. If we're not consistent now with both girls, they will be monsters by the time the baby is born. But sometimes it would be nice to just take the day (or week) off, you know? There are evenings when I just want everyone to get along and for them to stop needling each other.

I recognize my tolerance level is probably short because I'm so close to having the baby and I'm not sleeping well either. I'm hoping that our consistency, especially in discipline, will pay off soon. After all, it's not a matter of doing the right thing - it's a matter of doing the right thing LONG ENOUGH.

Just Hanging Out, Gettin' the Oil Changed in the Car...

2009-07-13T22:49:00.005-04:00

Sibling Class

2009-07-12T23:22:00.008-04:00

Today, Anna Claire and I had a special time together and I took her to a sibling class at the hospital. The kids got to practice holding, diapering and swaddling a baby, they watched a video about being a big sister/brother, and then we took a tour of the labor & delivery unit. She absolutely loved it and was so into each activity - much more interested than she was 3 years ago when Leah was born. It was fun to spend some time alone with her too - she is getting big so quickly!

Below: Learning how to change a diaper. She informed the instructor that she already knows how to do this because she changes her sister's diapers. :)

Practicing swaddling the baby...

Our One Year Texas Anniversary

2009-07-11T22:14:00.006-04:00

One year ago today, we left Virginia and began driving to Texas. I cannot believe how quickly it's gone.

I remember that morning well. We woke up, having barely slept the night before at all because Leah spent a good deal of time opening and shutting the sliding glass door in our hotel room (including at 3 am). And we were sore from packing and loading. I was dreading the potential drive – because we had too much stuff for just one moving truck, we had to rent another one at the last minute, which left both Mom and me to drive the cars. Neither of us was really planning on that, and I'd never driven more than a few hours without falling asleep. I was trying to figure out how I would stay awake.

We went to the final walk-through of our townhouse, and Gary said, “I can't believe we're moving to Texas and I don't have a job yet.” I told him we had to trust that God would provide – after all, we felt so clearly led all along the way that this was where the Lord was leading us. No sooner than we finished the walk-through, Gary's cell phone rang – it was the high school here offering him a teaching job! He had a job offer literally 5 minutes before we got in the truck to move. I knew that God had not brought us this far to leave us, but the reminder of His faithfulness was such a comfort.

We got in the trucks/cars and began driving. Gary and Dad went on ahead, and we stopped for lunch at Chik Fil A – where it was “Cow Appreciation Day” - if you dressed up like a cow, you got a free meal. It was a pretty funny way to introduce Mom to Chik Fil A (they don't have them where my parents live). Add to that the fact that we were in a college town and the costumes were extremely entertaining!

The three day drive was so smooth – I especially enjoyed the drive through Virginia and Tennessee – such beautiful mountains! As we got into Alabama, I found myself getting more excited about our new adventure.

We arrived in Texas on July 14th – it was so fun to show Mom, Dad and the girls our new home! We spent the next few days unloading and unpacking. I'm not sure Mom and Dad really knew what they were signing up for when they offered to help us move across country, but we could not have done it without them. They were truly angels.

I've learned a lot over the past year. I've learned that while you can't ever replace dear, lifelong friends, there's still room for new ones. I've learned that I can keep a brave face for my children through a major hurricane even though I'm quietly freaking out inside. I've learned that it's not the big deal I thought it was to take a year to find the right person to cut your hair, to deliver your babies, and to be your primary care physician. I've learned that people here really do want to be friends – that their friendliness isn't fake but very genuine. God has shown me a new level of what it means to rely on Him for my identity now that I'm not working anymore. I've realized that a slower pace of life is what I've craved for years and it's wonderful to have that craving fulfilled. I've figured out that God really did hear my prayers for a friendly neighborhood,“back door friends” and lots of playmates for my children. I've discovered a new level of love, respect and affection for my husband. And I've learned that despite my initial impressions, I really love living here in Texas. I expected to “not mind it” but never expected to love it. But love it I do, and I really don't want to leave. Even though it's sometimes over 110 degrees with the heat index. Even though the cockroaches qualify as small animals that I think you might be able to rope and ride at the rodeo. Even though there are multiple lizards in my garage and one once made it into my refrigerator. Even though it doesn't often snow here. Even though my dear friends from Virginia aren't here and I still miss them terribly. Even though there's no Wegmans grocery store here. I still love it. I love my life here in Texas. It's been a great year.

July 4th Neighborhood Parade

2009-07-08T10:02:00.001-04:00

We had a great July 4th, though it was oppressively hot. On the night of the 3rd, we went to hear the Houston Symphony give a free patriotic concert - it was outside and very hot but we had a great time. They closed the show with some fireworks.

On the 4th, we went furniture shopping for new bunk beds for the girls - we found some great ones that were on sale and they'll be delivered in about a week. I'm really excited. Then we can start setting up the nursery for the baby. I'll feel a lot better once we have things better organized. Then we went to the mall and let the girls run around, then went home to rest. I was not feeling well that day so Anna Claire and Gary went to watch the fireworks and Leah and I stayed home.

On Sunday night, our neighborhood had a parade for the kids where they decorated their bikes and rode around the block (so fun!) and then we had a big pizza party with snow cones, watermelon and some yummy side dishes. We just sat around in lawn chairs and had a great time getting caught up with the neighbors and the kids had a blast playing together. We live in a very social neighborhood but haven't seen a lot of our neighbors lately because it's been so hot. It was fun to see everyone! Here are some pictures from the neighborhood gathering...

Picture 1 - some of the kids from our neighborhood who rode their bikes in the parade.

Picture 2 - Gary and Leah having some dinner (Leah not being real cooperative about having her picture taken)

Picture 3 - Alyssa, Anna Claire, Leah and Karmen. Leah is looking so big with her hair in pigtails!

Summer Fun

2009-07-07T22:12:00.006-04:00

I had to post these great pictures of Anna Claire's field day on the last day of school. It was so fun! Leah and I went over to her school to watch the festivities and the kids had such a great time. Pictured is also Anna Claire's fabulous 1st grade teacher, Mrs. Koury - we love her and she was such a great teacher this year! We will miss her.

(below) Anna Claire and one of her BFFs, Sarah. Strangely, her dad Brian is Gary's BFF at school too - they teach together!

(above) Anna Claire and Mrs. Koury

A couple weeks after school ended, Gary and I taught 1st grade Vacation Bible School at our church. Anna Claire and Leah also attended. Below is a picture of me with a bunch of my girlfriends from our Sunday school class who also helped out at VBS - we had a great time together!

One of our other favorite things to do this summer has been the Wednesday morning movies for kids - they're only fifty cents to get in and the girls love it! Last week we saw Madagascar 2 with some good friends...here's a picture of Leah & Gary (what you can't tell from the picture is that Leah is wearing her pink tutu - she wouldn't leave the house without it) and one of Anna Claire and her good friend from church, Emma Grace.

We Have a Crib Skirt!

2009-06-27T15:35:00.002-04:00

I am so excited - we found a crib skirt yesterday for $8!!! It's a denim blue and I found it at a baby store here in Houston. The down side is that we had to brave the store when it had no air conditioning, so it was dark and hot but it was completely worth it. I am beside myself - I found all the baby's bedding for a total of $20! I love, love, love me a good deal.

Then we went to Babies R Us to look at carseats, where the girls proceeded to be just about as naughty as they could be - so I finally got frustrated and we left.

As I write, Leah is upstairs in her room (supposed to be napping), yelling "Sissy! Daddy! Sissy! Daddy! I'm awake - come get me! Anna Cware!" Sigh. I don't think I'm going to get a break today. Fortunately, Gary took Anna Claire out for a bike ride so she could burn off some energy.

My Newest Love - The Steam Mop

2009-06-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

I have a new toy. A steam mop. I'm in love with it.

I hate the feeling on my floors after I've mopped them with a traditional mop - they tend to be sticky, no matter how much I dilute the cleaning solution in the hot water. And I just wasn't able to ever really get our tile floor clean...it has a lot of little grooves. And because I hated to mop (because I usually had to do it after the kids went to bed), I just never did it.

Until I bought my Shark Steam Pocket Mop. With the extra fun attachments. And I got it with a 20% off coupon at Bed Bath & Beyond. But wait! It gets better. It's purple...a fun color. And you don't need any cleaning solution. Just water. And the floor is dry almost immediately, so I can mop while the kids are awake. And it comes with washable steam pads that you can throw in the washer. It's super-fun, I'm telling you!

Stream of Consciousness

2009-06-24T22:45:00.004-04:00

We finally have a name for our baby boy! We're not sharing it until he's born, but Gary and I have finally agreed on a name that we both really like. Trust me, this was no small feat. We had several names on our list but I just wasn't passionate about any of them. And neither was he. But now we have a great name that we both love and now I can't wait to meet him!

* * *

When we were getting ready to move here, I looked on the internet and found some cool wooden letters to hang on the wall that spelled the girls' names. I was so excited to have found painted wooden letters that cost less than $15-25 per letter - not such a big deal with Leah, but a huge expense if you're trying to spell Anna Claire's name! Now I can't find the website again and I wanted to find some cool letters to spell our baby's name as we're getting the nursery ready. I'm hoping I can find the website again...

* * *

Amazingly, Gary was able to get Leah to eat chicken stir fry for dinner tonight. He understands her better than anyone, and even got her to eat a couple of bites of broccoli! I couldn't believe it. She practically breaks out in hives when something green is on her fork.

* * *

I am really enjoying having Gary home this summer. We are having a great time together as a family. It's fun sleeping in, making breakfast together, playing with the kids, going to the pool and the $1 movies, and even running errands. It's especially fun to have this time with the 4 of us because the end of the summer brings a new little person. We're making some great memories together.

* * *

I got the cutest baby bedding at a local consignment shop - it's very "baby boy" which is fun. However, it didn't come with a crib skirt. I was thinking, "No problem - I can easily find a cheap crib skirt." Especially because the linens have a bunch of different colors in them. I was obviously wrong - I found a cute one, but it's $59!!! For a crib skirt? I just can't justify that. Not when I only spent $12 on the rest of the bedding/curtains. I love to decorate, but I don't like to pay full price for anything. So I'm still looking...

* * *

I still haven't found a hair stylist I like. I tried to make an appointment today with someone who had been recommended to me, and she can't take me for a haircut until July 23rd! Seriously? A month from now? Does she know that a hair crisis cannot wait a month? I've been growing out my bangs for almost a year and now that they're grown out (along with the rest of my hair), it just kind of hangs there. Could have something also to do with the 100+ degree heat but still...it's lacking a real style. Must get that fixed.

* * *
We're moving the girls in together to make room for the baby. I'm so excited that I was able to find reasonably-priced matching linens at Target - and they match the paint job in the bedroom! The lady who lived in the house before us had more creativity in her little pinky than I have in my whole body...the room is so cute. So here's what the new linens look like...it's called "Happy Flower" and has blue, lavender, pink, yellow, green, and white. The sheets are adorable too. Anyway, it will give us lots of accessorizing options.

We were going to buy bunk beds for the girls, but knowing Leah's love for climbing and jumping, I just didn't think I could handle a newborn and several trips to the ER for a broken arm because she'd jumped off the top bunk. So, for now, we're going to do 2 twin beds side by side. I can't wait to put their room together!

Can you tell the nesting instinct is strong right now? I'll tell you tomorrow about my new plans for the master bedroom...

The Vacation That Almost Was...But Wasn't

2009-06-24T20:12:00.004-04:00

We departed on Sunday morning for the Frio River with some friends. We were going to rent a cabin for several days, tube on the river, explore a nearby state park, and enjoy each other's company. Seemed like a great idea.

We had a great drive there and unloaded the cars, then went to dinner to celebrate Father's Day. The kids were remarkably well-behaved all day considering they'd been cooped up in the car for so long.

We put the kids to bed, then finally turned out the light at around 10:30 pm. I woke up at 2 am, having Braxton Hicks contractions. I knew it wasn't real labor, but eventually they were coming non-stop. At 4 am, I woke Gary up because I was still having them. By this point, I was really stressed because we were staying in a place that had no landline phone, neither of us had cell phone coverage, and the nearest hospital was in a small town (i.e. no NICU) 30 miles away. Not a good combination. By 6 am, they were still going strong but I was able to finally go back to sleep for a couple of hours.

When we woke up around 8 am, Gary made the decision that it was time to pack up and go home. I felt so badly - but I agreed with him. I was nervous that the contractions wouldn't stop and that I'd end up having the baby way too early. So we left - after being there only 17 hours.

Since we've been home, I've been taking it easy, drinking lots of water, and the contractions have become almost non-existent. And my stress level is much lower knowing that we're back in a place that has phone service and a hospital nearby in case we need it.

I think the Frio River would have been a lot of fun if we'd (a) been able to stay, and (b) the water level had been higher. We're in the middle of a huge drought right now and the river level was so low that you couldn't even really swim in it. Apparently there are years that the water level is so high that some of the cabins are flooded - but you don't know that when you book the cabin the previous September, so it's hard to know what will happen.

Nevertheless, we've decided to make the best of it and do some fun things here at home, and we're having a great time.

Odds & Ends

2009-06-11T23:45:00.003-04:00

Leah asked last week if I could take the baby out of my tummy so she could "pet him." Then she informed me that she has a baby dolphin in her tummy. After that she told me that it was actually a baby tiger and he goes "ROAR!" :)

I took Anna Claire, Leah and one of Anna Claire's friends blueberry picking on Saturday afternoon. It was really hot but I was desperate to get the kids out of the house so that they'd stop fighting. While we were picking berries, Anna Claire said to her friend, "Can you BELIEVE that it's only the second day of summer and my mom has already THREATENED me?" I had told her that it was going to be a long summer if she didn't straighten up and fly right... I thought it was so funny that at 7 years old, she'd said that to a friend.

We've been doing some fun things lately - Anna Claire has some homeschooling summer activities she does every day and we also try to do something fun each day - renting a $1 movie from Blockbuster, going swimming, going to the library, etc. Today was library day - we met some friends there and went to a "zoo mobile" - the Houston zoo brought some animals out for the kids to see and they did a little talk on animals from Texas. Leah quickly lost interest after she figured out she wasn't going to get to pet a hippo. She is totally into hippos lately. So she and Gary played in the kids area while Anna Claire and I listened to the talk.

I've been taking a nap every afternoon and it's really helping. I don't end up going to bed until midnight or later as a result, but it's making a big difference in my mood and my energy level. I like to think my family appreciates the difference in my mood, too. :)

Gary and I are both going to BodyPump class at the Y now - the only down side is that we're drawing straws to decide who has to put the kids to bed because we're both so sore that neither of us wants to walk up the stairs.

OK, I'm off to bed to read one of my new books from the used book store - I love that place! We traded in several bags of books the other day for a $50 credit and got to pick out some fun new things to read.

Feeling Better

2009-06-09T23:57:00.002-04:00

Today was a much better day. I don't often have bad days like I've had recently. I think a lot of it is lack of sleep. I've had a lot of insomnia with this pregnancy, which is weird - aren't you supposed to be tired all the time when you're pregnant?

Went to Bible study at church today - it was exactly what I needed. And a great friend of mine that I've known since 8th grade in VA happened to be in town visiting and we got the opportunity to catch up and go to dinner. It was awesome. And I got a 2 hour nap today in a quiet house while Gary took the kids to the pool. Exactly what the doctor ordered.

None of my long-range problems are really solved - I'm still pregnant, I still vomited when I woke up, I was still awake from 4:00-5:30 am this morning, and I still have children who seem to love being naughty...but I felt like I could cope a little better today. God was faithful to give me the grace and patience I needed. I had a better outlook and a more eternal perspective.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a good day, too. :)

Sigh...

2009-06-08T23:46:00.000-04:00

I'm in a funk. I'm not sure if it's the heat (which honestly isn't that bad yet) or the fact that I'm pregnant or the fact that I'm still throwing up or just the fact that the girls are already at each others' throats, taunting each other at every opportunity.

I just know that I'm starting to get sick of it. I know full well that there are people facing serious illness, death, unemployment, etc. I was one of those people at one time in my life. I know that if I sit down and think about it, I have so many things to be incredibly grateful for and I have no reason to complain. But I'm tired. Tired of not sleeping well. Tired of bending over to pick stuff up all over the house, only to have it trashed again within a matter of hours (or minutes, depending on the day). The amount of laundry overwhelms me. I have grand plans for this summer – to teach the girls each day their Bible lesson, to work on school work with Anna Claire, to spend time doing fun things. But it seems too big for me to tackle. I want to just crawl in bed and take a nap instead. I constantly fight the feeling that what I'm doing for them just isn't good enough. That I'm not paying enough attention to them. That they're not going to turn out to be the sweet, godly girls that I've always dreamed of raising...and that it will be my fault.

And then there's the cooking. I hate to cook. There, I said it. It just takes too much effort and I ruin dinner more often than I don't. And if I'm being really honest, I don't want to get better at it. Fortunately I have a very understanding husband and he tries to encourage me to try again. I have a hard time justifying why he should cook dinner every night when I'm the one who stays home all day. I'd be thrilled if he wanted to eat cereal for dinner on a regular basis.

I don't know if I'm just having a hard time adjusting to being a stay-at-home mom or if the pregnancy hormones are just out of control. I miss feeling smart. I miss using my brain. And I miss the respect I used to get at work. It's hard to feel respected when your 7-year-old constantly rolls her eyes at you and your 2-year-old yells “No!” at every opportunity.

Maybe I just need more sleep.

First Date

2009-05-27T09:44:00.002-04:00

Nine years ago today, Gary and I went on our first date. Little did I know that May 27, 2000 would change my entire life.

I was up before 6 am that morning, and so excited that I was in the Hechts parking lot by 6:30 am. It was Memorial Day weekend and they were having a huge sale. An hour later, I came out with a great new outfit and a new purse to match (all bought with a coupon – those of you who know me well know that I get a “high” out of coupon sales). Then I grabbed some breakfast, got my car washed, and headed home to get ready.

All that time getting ready turned out to be a bit of a waste. It rained that day, I had a new perm and my hair frizzed beyond what I thought was imaginable. Fortunately, Gary didn't seem to notice.

We met in the church parking lot (we didn't live remotely close to each other so it would have taken him 2 hours to come out and pick me up and drive back into town), got in his car, and headed to the National Gallery of Art in DC. I love that he carried an umbrella and didn't just make us run for the door. I love that he asked directions when we got into the gallery (seriously ladies, how many men do this?). I love that he thanked God for introducing us when he prayed at lunch in the cafe.

We were apparently there to see some sort of exhibit, but I suspect now that it was just a fancy place to walk around, just look at each other and talk. I have vague memories of walking around the gallery. Of looking at the famous art on the walls, not so much.

Eventually, we left, and the date was going so well that I asked Gary if he wanted to join me at a 40th birthday party that night. “You probably won't know anyone there,” I said, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable about saying no. “I'd love to come,” he said. So we headed off to the mall to buy a gift for my friend's son. They had also just adopted a 5 lb baby boy, so I wanted to get a gift for their older son.

When we were in the mall, I had a hard time finding the right gift for a teenage boy. I asked if we could go to one more store. “We can go to ten more stores if you want,” he replied. I almost married him on the spot but thought it might overwhelm him, so I decided to wait.

When we got to the party, he started saying hello to a bunch of people. Apparently he had walked into a home where he knew virtually everyone. It never occurred to me that most of the people at the party would also work on Capitol Hill. The deal was clinched when he willingly held 5-lb Bennett, and sat down on the floor and talked with an elderly woman for awhile. I knew I had a “good egg.” :)

It would be almost a week before he would call me again because he had a bad case of the stomach flu. But we went to dinner the following weekend and after that night, I knew for sure that I was going to marry him. It took him another week or so to figure it out, but we were soon talking about our future.

In some ways, it seems like yesterday that we were dating. And in other ways, we've lived a lifetime in 9 years. Two children, one coming soon, ovarian cancer, blood clots, losing jobs, finding new careers, moving across the country, and so many other things.

Honey, there's no one else I'd want to ride this roller coaster with than you. You have softened me in ways I didn't think possible. Through your example, you have shown me how to be less selfish and given me the opportunity to see what it truly means to lay down your life for another, as you have done for me. While there are many ways I feel like God is changing me to be the wife that you need, it is my greatest joy to be married to you and raise our little family together. I love you!

Baby Kole Is In Heaven

2009-05-20T13:32:00.003-04:00

Remember when I mentioned a few weeks ago that the Kilgo family was facing a tough pregnancy? Well, Kole is in heaven now. They discovered last week that he had died in utero. Will you join me in praying for Steve, Kara, Emma Grace and Keaton as they mourn the loss of this sweet baby? While they are grateful he never experienced any pain, their hearts are broken. They have been such an example to everyone around them with their strong faith despite great sadness.

Cheerleading Party!

2009-05-19T17:28:00.006-04:00

We had Anna Claire's birthday party about a week ago (her actual birthday is the 14th). It was so fun! We had 2 cheerleaders come from the high school where Gary teaches. They brought the whole party with them! A pinata, a cake, decorations, balloons, pom poms, cups, plates, water...you name it, they brought it! They even swept my kitchen floor when they left! This is the way to do a party, I'm telling you!

We had 9 little girls come from AC's class and from our neighborhood. They had such a great time learning new cheers, doing tumbling and watching the cheerleaders do their tricks. As you will see from the pictures, Leah (and her little friend, Sidney) also had a fabulous time being "big girls" at the party.

Lovin' My Nano Lite

2009-05-08T14:08:00.005-04:00

A few months ago, my long-time vacuum cleaner sparked and caught on fire while I was vacuuming the play room upstairs. Fortunately, I was able to quickly get the small fire put out and the vacuum unplugged before it could do any serious damage.

That night, we headed to Wal-Mart for a few things and decided to look at vacuum cleaners. Gary was strongly recommending that in addition to a new heavy-duty vacuum, we buy a light-weight upright for the upstairs, thereby avoiding the need to carry the bigger vacuum up and down the stairs all the time. I will be honest - I felt like it was a little extravagant to buy 2 vacuum cleaners since I'd been lugging the vacuum up and down stairs my whole life. I was already used to it. But, he insisted, so I looked at the inexpensive lightweight ones and chose the Hoover Nano Lite to appease him.

I'm not too proud to say that I think it was one of the best decisions we ever made. I LOVE this little vacuum. I love our bigger one too, but this little one is perfect for the upstairs. It is so easy to lift and it comes with a hose and some attachments - just very simplified ones. It's very narrow (the reason why you wouldn't want to use it for your whole house), which makes it perfect for vacuuming in between furniture, tables, toys, etc. without having to move anything. AND - my favorite part - it's narrow enough to use on stairs because it's the perfect size! It picks up everything that a full-sized vacuum would, but without the bulk and weight of a regular vacuum. And for less than $50, it was a perfect fit with our budget, too.

The only negative is that it has a relatively short cord, so you have to unplug it and re-plug it into another socket a lot, but I don't mind doing that at all because I rarely vacuum an entire floor without stopping to pick stuff up. I usually clean one room at a time, so it's great for me.

The Morning Sickness Returneth

2009-05-01T12:35:00.005-04:00

This morning while taking Anna Claire to school, I stopped at an intersection for a red light, only to discover that there was a dead skunk nearby. The smell was overwhelming, and I immediately began to dry heave in the car (thanks to those fun pregnancy hormones and an enhanced gag reflex). Fortunately, I had plenty of napkins, but it was awful. Skunks in this area have a death wish and they are EVERYWHERE, it seems.

Anna Claire was kind enough to helpfully point out that I might want to "map out" my route ahead of time before I get in the car so I can avoid the skunks. I told my husband that if I hadn't been so busy hurling, I would have found it funny. It is kind of funny that she tried to help me solve my little problem - she just needs to work on her timing. :)

Country Girl, City Girl

2009-04-30T21:35:00.005-04:00

Actual conversation that just took place between Anna Claire and me:

AC (trying to avoid bedtime): Momma? Remember how I told you that I wanted you to buy me the new Hannah Montana movie when it comes out on DVD? Well, I decided that I don't really want it.

Me: Why not, honey?

AC: Because I didn't really like the part where she was out in the country.

Me: Why not?

AC (looking grossed out): Well, the guy kind of talked funny (he had a Southern accent - does she realize that we live in the South now?), and there are a lot of bugs out in the country.

Me (my heart warm with compassion and love for her because she now truly understands why I'm not wild about the country/camping/anything outdoors): I know, hon - there are a lot of bugs out in the country. But it's beautiful, don't you think?

AC: I guess so. But I still don't want the movie because it's about the country.

After she went upstairs, I giggled a little and was reminded of my one and only camping experience - that ended after four and a half hours, where we got lost on the way home and ended up in West Virginia...in the country.

I wonder if she'll ever go camping.

Time To Build Another Ark?

2009-04-28T15:48:00.004-04:00

It has rained so much here the last 2 days, you just cannot imagine. There are places in Houston who got between 9-13 inches of rain. This morning, I went out to pick up my great-nephews, who live a little over an hour from us. The whole trip took me over 4 hours. Coming home was especially crazy - the freeway was closed in both directions at one point except for the shoulder on one side because the water level had risen so high and it was too dangerous to drive through it. I saw a golden retriever rescued by 2 men who had to swim in order to reach the dog. I also saw this guy on the side of the road at an exit near where we live - just waiting for someone to come help him. There were at least 10 other cars around who were under water just like this guy's car. At times, it was raining so hard and it was so dark that you didn't know you'd driven into the high water until it was too late.

Let's hope it dries out soon!

Baby Kole

2009-04-27T00:25:00.001-04:00

We have friends at church who are also expecting Baby #3 - a baby boy. Unfortunately, they recently found out that their baby - whom they've named Kole - has Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 often causes the baby to die during pregnancy or shortly thereafter. Kole is due to arrive somewhere around October 11th.

Will you join me in praying for Steve and Kara, their two children Emma Grace and Keaton, and especially baby Kole? They are walking such a difficult road right now, and although their hearts are broken and weary, their faith our Creator of Life is inspiring. They love the Lord with everything they are, yet they are grieving the impending birth and homegoing of their precious son. Please pray specifically that we would be able to meet their needs as they arise, and that we'd be able to minister to them during these next months. They are really hoping that Kara will be able to carry Kole to term so they can hold him and meet him. I cannot wait to see God write Kole's story. Already there are so many of us who love this little baby dearly.

Kara and Steve have started an amazing website - http://www.kilgofamily.com/ - check it out!

Blog Makeover

2009-04-26T14:48:00.003-04:00

I think part of the reason that I'd been relatively uninspired to blog for a few months is that it was in desperate need of a makeover. It was just so, well, BEIGE. Beige is so not my personality. I'm all about lots of color. I like beige in certain circumstances - my family room is a beautiful color of beige and it's very warm and inviting. But a beige blog? Not so much. I don't wear beige (close to my face) because it washes me out with my hair color. I don't even like beige shoes. I much prefer red, pink, turquoise, or some other fun color.

I've always loved the header that a blogging friend created for me - so I knew that I didn't want to change it. But I really wanted to change the background. I just hadn't had the energy, though. However, last night, Gary was watching a James Bond movie, I sat in the family room with him and decided that it was time to give the old blog a new look. I was able to find some great free backgrounds and finally settled on one that worked well with my header. It's a little brighter than I'd planned, so I may end up changing it again at some point, but it works well for now.

The only thing left to do is to figure out how to put a link in my text that actually WORKS. I'm telling you, I think I have a "linking disability." Every time I try to put one in, it won't work. I need an HTML class. The weird thing is that when I worked for a Christian website as their family editor, I did links all the time - I was a linking genius! I miss those brain cells...

I'll be making some other little changes here and there to keep it fresh but at least it's one of my favorite colors now - turquoise - and it projects a fun, cheery attitude - quite the opposite of beige, don't you think?

Celebrating Momma's Birthday

2009-04-25T22:08:00.004-04:00

We took these pictures of the girls last weekend after my birthday lunch at Cheesecake Factory. The quality isn't spectacular (taken on my cell phone) but the pics are still cute. :)

A Fresh Start

2009-04-25T21:26:00.003-04:00

I know, I know. It's been way too long. This has been a much harder pregnancy in some respects. I thought I was really turning the corner on the morning sickness in late January. I was wrong – really wrong. I vomited through the first week of April. I also had a bad sinus infection, bronchitis and a double ear infection for several weeks in March. Add to that the low energy and overall “don't care” mood I feel during the first trimester and it just didn't make for a good combination to get anything accomplished.

The good news is that I'm better now! I've gone over 3 weeks without being sick and I finally have my energy back. Yay! I've been going to BodyPump class at the YMCA, walking, and my nesting instinct has kicked in and I'm busy cleaning out closets. My husband is thrilled. Watch out, Honey, I'm going to start labeling things again!

We had an AWESOME time with my parents, who stayed with us from the end of January through mid-March. It was so fun, and they were an incredible help, especially to me. Most of all, it was just nice to “do life” together for several weeks, and the weather was warm and sunny, so I know they enjoyed it too. We even escaped to San Antonio for a weekend, which is where the picture of the girls (above) was taken.

The girls are doing great in school and here at home and are SO excited that they are having a little brother. Yep, it's a boy! It's been a real mind shift adjusting to the idea that we'll have something other than another princess in our house come August, but we are beyond thrilled and really anticipating his arrival.

School is beginning to wind down and we are looking forward to summer. We're going to try to do swimming lessons for both girls, and Anna Claire wants to take ballet.

OK, I'm off to get kids in bed but I'm officially back into the blogging thing! :)

Rounding the Corner

2009-01-24T20:15:00.006-05:00

So, I'm almost done with my first trimester, which is good, because it hasn't been a cake walk. I've had horrible morning (read between the lines - all day) sickness, and have been pretty reliant on the Zofran my midwife gave me. I'm thankful it's worked well. Almost everything makes me gag - the smell of coffee, leftovers in the frig, my toothbrush, laundry detergent, car exhaust, and the dead animal in our backyard that showed up yesterday, which made me throw up in the kitchen sink (fortunately, some other animal dragged it off and it doesn't smell bad anymore in our yard). I also have a complete aversion to any kind of meat and I can't floss my teeth, which is driving me crazy. I'm not as tired as I've been with past pregnancies, but I do notice that I love a brief nap several days a week. :)

I've noticed this week, though, that I'm starting to turn the corner, which is a huge relief. I've made it through entire days without needing my Zofran. Today was a great day - I even was able to do a bunch of laundry (which has spent the last month just sitting in the hallway). I am starting to feel like my "old self" again at times, which is really nice.

I've been craving weird things to ward off the nausea - anything orange flavored - orange sherbet, orange jello, orange juice, orange slushes from Sonic, etc. I also am going through an apple phase. Unfortunately, I'm also going through a Cap'n Crunch phase too but I guess the milk is good for me. Pizza also has been a favorite. And like my pregnancy with Anna Claire, I don't really love the taste of Diet Coke anymore and I can't stand thinking about chocolate - blech! Those of you who know me well know that normally I LOVE chocolate. And now the thought of anything sweet - except for the aforementioned orange flavored items, of course - grosses me out. So weird, those pregnancy hormones.

I've found a good midwife here - she's very nice and reminds me of a good friend of mine, Jenny. My new midwife is definitely not my beloved Margie, who delivered my girls in VA, but she's great and I like her a lot. I go back in a little more than 2 weeks for another sono and checkup.

Catching Up

2009-01-19T10:12:00.002-05:00

I didn't really intend to let a month go by between posts. It just sort of happened. In late December, I was in the process of finishing up my job, getting Christmas cards out, finalizing shopping and packing for our trip to Portland, and attending the girls' Christmas events/parties, etc. It was kind of a wild time.

So, we found out on Dec 21 that we had a little surprise package coming! I was so shocked to find out that I was pregnant that I spewed my toothpaste across the bathroom. We are very excited and the baby will be coming in August. I've already had a sonogram and a dr's appt and everything looks great. It wasn't really my plan to be in my last trimester of pregnancy through a Texas summer, but God had a different plan and we're thrilled.

We left Dec 22 for Portland, OR. I woke up that morning feeling really sick, and thought it was a little early to already be having morning sickness, seeing how I had just found out the day before that Baby #3 was coming. We got on the plane and hadn't been in flight for more than 30 minutes before I started throwing up. Every 20-30 minutes. It was horrible. The low point of the flight was when I had to lean across the aisle and ask the guy in the other aisle seat if I could have his blue vomit bag because I'd already used all three in my row. Score. I ended up needing a lot more bags than that by the end.

After getting diverted to Eugene for awhile because the runway needed to be plowed in Portland, we finally arrived, only to wait 2+ hours for our luggage. I slept on the floor of baggage claim and didn't even really care. By that time, I knew I had a stomach virus. We finally made it to my parents' house and I was able to sleep in a real bed. It was heavenly.

Unfortunately, Gary also got it but we were able to tag-team and my parents were immensely helpful in taking care of the girls – they were having so much fun, I'm not sure they were even aware we were sick. All in all, we had a really nice Christmas and had a great time seeing my brother and sister-in-law, Mom and Dad, and just relaxing.

Since we arrived home on the 30^th, morning sickness has kicked in full-swing, so I've spent a lot of time just lounging on the couch and grabbing a nap whenever I can get one. I am finally starting to have a day here and there where I feel good, so it's fun to get out and do normal things.

Leah is talking SO much – full sentences now! It's so fun to listen to her jibber jabbering in her crib in the morning through the monitor we keep next to the bed. She is loving her mom's day out program and plays so well with AC – the two of them are such good friends.

AC is back to school and loving being back in her routine. She's very into crafts, playing outside with her friends and talking on the phone to any relative who will listen to her.

We're getting excited about my parents coming to visit in a couple of weeks – and we've been enjoying the warm days here – sometimes up to almost 80 degrees! We've had some cold ones, too, but it's so nice to have our windows open in January. We're getting spoiled!

Have A Coke And A Smile

2008-12-18T09:11:00.004-05:00

I need more sleep.

I just asked Leah if she'd like yogurt for breakfast - she nodded and sat down at the table. I promptly went to the frig, pulled out a Diet Coke, opened it, and put it down in front of her.

"Momma?" she said in her little voice.

I cannot believe I just did that!

Power Balls

2008-12-17T15:32:00.006-05:00

OK, these are seriously my new favorite snack - and they really keep you FULL in between meals, which reduces the snacking. My niece gave me the recipe and I've enjoyed making these for the family and keeping them in the frig. They freeze nicely too (just put them between layers of wax paper). And they're GOOD for you! :)

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey (I use raw honey)
3 cups oats (not the instant kind)
1/2 cup milled flaxseed (you can get this at HEB, Wegmans, any health food store)
1 cup chocolate chips/white chocolate chips
1 cup any of the following - nuts, raisins, craisins, dried apricots, etc.

Mix peanut butter and honey until smooth. Gradually add in oats and flaxseed, then fold in other ingredients. You can do all this in your mixer. Then roll into ping-pong ball sized balls and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. When you roll them they will appear and feel kind of oily from the peaunt butter. Once chilled - they aren't.

You can get really creative with these and add different combinations. I did chocolate chip/almond ones for the kids and pecan/white chocolate chip/craisin ones for Gary. They were a hit!

What We've Been Doing

2008-12-17T15:05:00.012-05:00

Sorry for the bloggy break there - we've been sick. I have a sinus infection and mild double-ear infection, Leah has had a cold, and Gary has also had a cold. In the past 24 hours, Leah has thrown up on me (while I was on a conference call, no less), gotten poop all over her new Christmas shoes (they were a total loss - couldn't even clean them with a toothbrush), peed on the floor, climbed up on my bathroom counter and unrolled most of my dental floss, and broken one of my favorite dishes. She also keeps stealing baby Jesus out of the various manger scenes we have around the house and shouting, "MY baby Jesus!" I'm running constantly and can barely keep up with her in between popping 800 mg of Motrin and holding my head because it hurts so badly.

Anyhoo, we've been busy the past couple of weeks! We had a Christmas activity extravaganza last week - I hosted a Christmas brunch for over 30 women from my Bible study (we had a great time), Gary and I attended Beth Moore's Christmas event, we attended a friend's Christmas show at her church, and we drove with friends to have dinner in College Station, TX and see the lights at a local light display - it was so fun! The girls were so exhausted, they fell asleep on the way home (see picture). On Sunday, I took the girls to the mall to have their hair cut and to do a little shopping while Gary worked.

I spent the first part of the week napping whenever possible, and now I'm scrambling to get caught up with work and get our Christmas letters out the door.

It looks like we're going to have a white Christmas in Oregon - it's down in the 20's there and they keep getting snow! Fortunately, my parents were able to find snow boots for the girls so they can play in it. Snow boots are hard to find down here where the weather is often 70 degrees. :)

I'll Have the Side of Vegetables, Please

2008-12-05T16:05:00.006-05:00

OK, I am giddy. I have figured out how to start hiding pureed vegetables in the stuff I make and my family can't tell the difference. I know, I lead a pathetic existence. But seriously - if I'm not looking out for them, who will?

I bought Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, last summer on eBay. I hadn't been able to take the time to really look at it and start pureeing the veggies until recently. My niece also told me that she was doing it.

Did you know that if you hide a 1/4 cup of cauliflower in scrambled eggs or pancakes, you can't taste it?

Did you know that you can make homemade chicken nuggets and dip them in pureed sweet potatoes before you bread and bake them? No one knows!

I have successfully hidden pumpkin and cauliflower in food this week and my kids gobbled it up (the hubby liked it too). It's an all-natural high!

I'm looking now in my cookbook for some other recipes. I steamed and pureed (and froze in 1/4 cup increments) broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cauliflower.

Forget the fries, kids - we're having vegetables for dinner!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

2008-12-02T16:14:00.003-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend - we had Gary's entire family over and he did all the cooking. It was a fun day. On Saturday night, I surprised Anna Claire and took her to see the Nutcracker ballet. Mom used to take me when I was little, so I thought it would be fun to continue the tradition. She had a great time and almost popped a blood vessel when she figured out where I was taking her - she was so excited! Now she wants to sign up to take ballet classes...

Anna Claire also lost one of her top front teeth on Sunday night, so she's excited about that, too. She was concerned she would look weird but I convinced her that she can suck on a mini candy cane without opening her mouth. Also, my dad is going to teach her how to spit through the hole at Christmas when we see my parents, so she's pretty pumped.

I just killed 2 more house plants. Thank goodness my parenting skills are better than my gardening skills. Also, thank goodness for the Lowes guarantee that comes with all plants where you can return them for a refund if you kill them. I've decided that having "foster plants" is a pretty good deal for me.

I've been decorating for Christmas throughout the day and our house is looking very festive. I'm hoping that Gary will agree to go get the tree tonight because I want to finish getting everything decorated. I put a little tree up in the girls' playroom in the window with a bunch of non-fragile ornaments - and I put a miniature tree in each girl's bedroom. Leah's has Sesame Street ornaments on it, and Anna Claire's has hot pink garland, Hello Kitty ornaments, and a glittery star on the top...just like her personality! I've always dreamed of having a house where I could put several trees up, so this is a fun thing for me.

I'm off to get dinner ready - I did a huge project in the kitchen last night (more on that later) and it's a mess. I want to get it cleaned up before Gary gets home...

Thankful

2008-11-27T07:43:00.006-05:00

I am up early this morning because Leah's monitor had some bizarre feedback on it that was driving me crazy and very loud. So, here I sit. I see now that God had something different planned than sleep for me this morning. I have had some great moments with Him.

He is teaching me so much lately...like the fact that being thankful is sometimes an act of obedience and not based on feelings. "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Lord, thank you for my experience with ovarian cancer. I have seen a ministry birthed out of that whole ordeal that I could not have imagined. I love pouring myself into the lives of other women (especially moms) who are facing cancer. I love supporting them through treatment, sharing funny stories about not having hair, and crying with them when they wonder if they'll ever get out of bed again.

Lord, thank you that my job of seven years is being eliminated. It's been a great ride, and I know You have something amazing planned for me in this next season. Though I don't know what it is, I will trust You and know that You will continue to provide for our family, just as You have always done.

Lord, thank you that I still don't have the results of the breast cancer gene test that I had several weeks ago. I hate to wait, but You have often given me a sense of peace as I wonder if today will be the day that I get the phone call.

Thank You, Lord, that despite my best hopes, some of the friendships I left in VA have seemed to end. I now see that these friendships were for a season, and although it's tough to accept and I miss them very much, I see that they have moved on and You are making room for me to have some close friendships here in TX. Thank You for the lonely moments...I am learning to rely on You more than ever.

And then there are the easy things to thank Him for...for my precious husband who loves me madly even when I'm cranky, high maintenance, and cook the same thing for dinner all the time because it's all I really feel like I do well...I am thankful for his sacrificial love, for our laughs, and for every moment we spend together.

Thank You, Lord, for my amazing daughters who love life with total abandon, who love us, and who love to sing You songs before they go to bed. Thank you for their honest prayers even if they are pretty funny (I think that I can sometimes hear you giggling too). Thank You for Anna Claire and her loose teeth, for her infectious laugh, and for her constant questions. Thank You for Leah and her sweet giggle, her mischevous nature, and for the fact that You helped me maintain my dignity and grace even when she climbed out of the cart in the grocery store, took off her clothes, and peed on the floor when I was checking out. Thank You for her love of cuddling with Momma and for how she dances when she sees Dora on TV.

Thank You for providing not only a home in TX, but the home of my dreams. I am in awe every day when I wake up. I cannot believe I'm still here.

Thank You, God, for my amazing family scattered in several states, and their love and belief in me.

Thank You, Lord, for my life. Having come face to face with losing it five years ago, I am grateful every day that You saw fit to keep me around a little longer. I am so amazingly blessed by so many people and experiences.

God, You are good - even in the tough times. May I always be a light for You and a witness for all the many ways You have worked in my life. To You alone belongs all the glory.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

2008-11-06T10:27:00.005-05:00

This is a pretty typical getup for her - what you may not be able to see is that she's wearing 2 pairs of her sister's High School Musical panties over the swimsuit. :)

What happens when a 2-yr-old helps herself to her momma's purple eye shadow...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-11-05T21:13:00.004-05:00

She has her Uncle Craig's eyes...

Halloween Fun

2008-11-05T20:03:00.007-05:00

We had a FABULOUS time on Halloween night. We live in the coolest neighborhood - everyone here is so incredibly friendly and welcoming - and they love to get together! We went to a house down the street where practically the whole neighborhood gathered to eat pizza and socialize for about an hour before we all took the kids trick-or-treating. We had lots of little princesses and other characters! So many cute kids...

We are so blessed to be living in an area where the families like spending time together, visiting, watching the kids play outside, and being true friends to each other - this is what I grew up with and it is so fun that our kids have it now too...

The picture on the right is Leah and her BFF, Sydney, who is a month younger than Leah. Sydney has 2 older sisters, one of whom is in the same grade as Anna Claire. Sydney was Snow White, and Leah was Sleeping Beauty.

My favorite mermaid - Ariel. :)

Ariel (Anna Claire), the Alien (Samantha), Jasmine (Sheridan), Snow White (Sydney) and Sleeping Beauty (Leah)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-10-29T08:43:00.005-04:00

My favorite Halloween picture ever of the girls - this pretty much summarizes their personalities...

Friday Fun

2008-10-24T09:43:00.008-04:00

Some pictures from the past...thought these would be fun to share...

Anna Claire in her new cheerleading outfit Aunt D. got her - the weekend Leah was born...

Anna Claire's first trip to the pumpkin patch - 5 months old

Anna Claire's 3rd trip to the pumpkin patch - almost 2 1/2...

The very first nancy Drew book I read - sitting in the back of our light blue station wagon, listening to Neil Diamond and John Denver (possibly on 8-track), driving across the country from Norfolk, VA to Spokane, WA. Ahh, the memories...

Nesting

2008-10-24T09:21:00.009-04:00

After we got unpacked, there was a bunch of stuff that still needed to be done but I just couldn't face doing it - I was on overload. Well, I'm really trying to focus on those things now that will make my house look "finished" - returning a plant I successfully killed to get a new one, replacing a set of blinds that broke, hanging pictures, etc. So, I've been busy nesting. :)

The girls are doing well - Leah is keeping me on my toes - she is very insistent on her own fashion choices every day (which is fine unless it's 45 degrees outside like it was this morning when we took AC to the bus and Leah wanted to wear something sleeveless). She has also hit a major growth spurt and has been eating us out of house and home. She's even waking up in the middle of the night asking to eat. We've also been potty training and it's going pretty well - I'm surprised she was ready this early but once she decided to do it, I got out the potty and the rest is history.
There are so many little kids in our neighborhood - and a few of each at the girls' ages, so it's fun to play together. We often walk down the street after Anna Claire gets off the bus and we play for awhile. I snapped this picture the other day of the little girls - Mia, Sydney and Leah - they are all very close in age and have a fabulous time together. Aren't they cute?

Anna Claire is LOVING school and cheerleading. She has the best time at her games and had the opportunity to attend a dance clinic last Friday night with the local high school's dance team. They learned a routine, learned how to cheer to the fight song, and then got to sit with the dance team and perform with them and cheer on the football players at the game on Saturday night. She thought she was SO big and important! When she got dressed, she came down in her t-shirt and hot pink leggings. I told her it would be better to put on her navy blue leggings because it matched the school colors better, and that if she wore the hot pink leggings, she'd be the only one wearing that color. She looked at me, rolled her eyes, and said, "EXACTLY." It turned out to be a good thing that she had her pink leggings on - she was easy to spot on the field!

We have some fun outdoor things planned this weekend that we're looking forward to - the weather here is SO beautiful right now! It's a little chilly in the mornings, and about 80 degrees in the afternoon - low humidity, sunny, a light breeze. Just amazing - I'm loving it!

Homesick

2008-10-12T20:54:00.003-04:00

It happened unexpectedly and caught me by surprise. I was on Facebook tonight, looking at a friend's pictures of a recent gathering of some of my old Bible study buddies, and I just started to cry. They seemed so close in the picture, and yet I couldn't quite reach them. These are the girls I was pregnant with - the ones I met for lunch and talked about nursing and reflux and first steps and losing the baby weight. I wanted to meet them for lunch again – but I don’t live there anymore.

Then there are some of my other good friends. My heart aches for several of them right now who are facing some of life’s toughest moments – and although I know that God is ultimately the One who is carrying them, I would give anything to jump on a plane and go give them a hug…in person, not just a virtual hug.

I feel like I’ve done well with the move. I love my life here and I love the extra time I now get to spend with my family because I’m not working full-time anymore. I’m meeting great people, some of whom have become good friends. But I feel stuck – and very lonely at times. I left the most amazing people in VA…and I feel like I left part of my soul there. I feel ready to embrace my new life here but very unwilling to leave the old life behind…and therein lies the rub.

The loneliness hits at strange times. As busy as I am, I sometimes find myself wandering around my house aimlessly, not sure what to do next. Is this part of the natural grieving process? It may be, but I hate how my heart feels right now…

Let's Play Some Football!

2008-10-10T15:09:00.005-04:00

So, we're going to the BIG GAME tonight between our high school and their major rival. It's a big deal here. A REALLY big deal. There was a pep rally this morning at Gary's school at 4:45 AM. No that is not a misprint. They have another one today at 1:30 PM. It's serious business here. So much so that I can't find a babysitter for next Friday night - EVERYONE goes to the football game here.

Anyway, we're going tonight. We're going to tailgate and bring a picnic. Anna Claire is very excited to watch the cheerleaders now that she's been to a few lessons. She's all about doing her cheerleading moves in our house - she's constantly practicing her split jumps and her dance routine that they're going to perform tomorrow at halftime at the local YMCA football game. My mom told me that she spent a good portion of my childhood talking to my feet because I did handstands in the kitchen. I think I know what she was talking about since I now spend a lot of time talking to AC's pom poms.

Leah and I have had a great day just cuddling on the couch, watching Frosty The Snowman, and potty training. She is so proud of herself. She's not a particularly cuddly child, so I'm taking whatever I can get and loving every minute of it...if I blink, she'll be as tall as AC and not able to fit in my lap anymore.

So, last week, Anna Claire had just come home and we opened the frig to get a snack, and staring at us was a LIVE green lizard. I completely freaked out. I really did not expect that. Anna Claire was quick to point out that it was an "IVY green lizard." I was quick to point out to my husband that I thought it was probably part kimono dragon. Turns out it was a baby lizard and he was hiding under my deli drawer. I called Gary at work and told him I wasn't cooking or opening the frig until he got it out of there. He was a dutiful husband and came home to protect us from the dragon and took the little guy outside. I feel like I've done pretty well with the large roaches and the geckos in the garage, but the lizard in my frig was more than I was willing to take on!

Sitting At The Table, Just Doing A Little Homework

2008-10-10T15:07:00.002-04:00

I'd like to point out that Leah was wearing shoes and socks in this picture...

What Was She Thinking?

2008-09-29T15:33:00.002-04:00

Can someone tell me what compelled my craft-loving 6-year-old to color on sticky notes, then cut them up and GLUE them with a glue stick to my freshly-painted kitchen wall? And to the tile floor?

Hello? What was she THINKING?

I might have to put her on eBay... (ok, all you serious people out there - I'm KIDDING! I would never do this. Every mom has days like this, right? RIGHT?)

This kid needs a job at Michael's...

Stop Teasing Me!

2008-09-29T15:28:00.004-04:00

So I had my first Texas haircut late last week.

I went to the salon, sat down, and told the lady, “I’m not sure what’s wrong with my hair – it just won’t hold a style down here in Texas! Maybe I’m not using the right product or something. As soon as I go outside, it goes completely flat.”

Stylist: “What styling tools do you own?”

Me: “Well, let’s see, I have a hair dryer, a flat iron, a set of hot rollers, a curling iron, and an entire collection of round brushes in various sizes.”

Stylist: “Do you have a teasing comb?”

Me: (picturing my mother in the 60’s) “A what?”

Stylist: (ever so condescendingly) “A teasing comb. It’s how you get your hair to stay where you want it.”

Me: “Um, no. Where do you get one?”

Stylist: (suspicious that I probably won’t buy one on my own and probably a little horrified I have no idea where to buy one) “Here, I’m going to give you mine. Keep it in your purse, honey. You’ll need it to spruce things up a bit if you’ve been out and about.” (she then proudly presents me with a hot pink teasing comb and shows me how to use it)

Me: “Wow. This really does work. And I don’t look like I have a beehive!”

Stylist: “Do you wash your hair every day?”

Me: “Yes, why?”

Stylist: “That’s terrible for your hair, honey. All you do when you wake up in the morning is tease it up a little, and it will look good as new!”

Well, darned if she wasn’t right. And I don’t look crazy or anything. My hair just looks like it's been freshly blown dry. Gary can't run his fingers through it anymore, but after 7 years of marriage, that doesn't really happen much anyway.

You know what they say – the higher the hair, the closer to God! Ha ha.

I think I’m officially a Texan now…

The Glorious Mundane

2008-09-23T00:49:00.007-04:00

We are back from San Antonio – in our home, which has electricity, water, and all the other comforts of home. It is glorious. I cannot say that enough. It is just awesome. I will never again take it for granted.

The hurricane was one of the most surreal things I’ve ever been through. I’ve been through hurricanes before, but Ike’s power and longevity was unbelievable.

On Friday (Sept 12), there was no school because of the impending storm. It was oppressively hot that day – you could hardly breathe. Apparently this is very common before a hurricane. That night, we went to bed around 10:30 pm, fully prepared for the storm, and having watched TV all day, we knew Ike’s arrival was imminent. He arrived as planned during the night, and I remember waking up, thinking the bedroom windows were going to crack because the noise outside was so loud. I eventually went back to sleep, until about 6:20 am when our power went out. Funny how quiet the house gets when that happens. I immediately got out of bed, and went into the kitchen to take stuff out of the frig and put it in the cooler. Once that was done, I turned on the radio, to find out that the eye of the storm was headed right up the freeway (we live right off the interstate a few miles) and it had not yet reached us.

After I took care of our refrigerated stuff, I sent a few text messages from my cell phone, then went back to bed. A few hours later, the eye of the storm had passed us, but we were warned that tornados could still touch down, and the winds would be even stronger on the other side of the storm. We waited all day as it rained and rained. I quickly lost cell coverage and was soon no longer able to email anyone from my blackberry. The girls and I played board games while Gary napped (he had been up much of the night). It was starting to get hot in the house. Finally, around 5 pm, we noticed the storm had stopped for good and we ventured out into our yard to survey the damage.

We had a lot of small branches down in the yard, but nothing major. It was amazing to us that none of the trees in our yard had fallen. Once we started to look around at our neighbors, it was evident that we had been very lucky – there were many trees down – some in yards, some on houses, and some across streets. Pretty soon, all the neighbors gathered at one tree that had fallen across the road, and the kids had a fabulous time wading in all the standing water and catching little frogs. They were so excited to see each other and be outside, running around! They were soaked to the bone but it was so hot out, I think they really enjoyed getting wet. I was able to catch up with some of my girlfriends in the neighborhood and we all traded stories on how we’d spent the day. The guys started helping each other move trees, where possible, and they began to cut some of them apart. Eventually, as it got dark, we went back home and had dinner – Gary cooked macaroni & cheese on the stove top – we have gas cooking, so it worked out great!

We slept with the windows open on Sat night just hoping to get a little air flowing. That didn’t really happen, and soon we had to get up and shut the windows because some unexpected thunderstorms came through and it proceeded to POUR down rain the rest of the night. It was so humid, so stuffy – we hardly slept at all. Sunday morning, we woke up and while the weather had cooled off some, it was still warm. We decided to go for a drive and find somewhere we could get a hot meal, some ice, and a few groceries. We ended up driving almost 3 hours before we found electricity. We had a great time in College Station and really enjoyed our air conditioned car while we were driving! By that night, the weather had really cooled down a lot, so we opened the windows again while we slept. We were treated to gentle breezes, cool, crisp air, and the smell of fresh pine – it smelled like Christmas! There were so many pine trees in our neighborhood that had been knocked over by the hurricane winds, they had to be chopped up in pieces before you could move them – as a result, the air smelled delicious.

On Monday, we made another trip to College Station for supplies for my job. It felt so good to be able to deliver much-needed linens, towels, toiletries, and air mattresses to one of our assisted living facilities. We were pretty discouraged that day, as we’d been told that it could be 2-4 weeks before we had electricity again. So, it was nice to be able to make a difference and help someone else out.

The discouragement got tougher on Tuesday, when we were told that it could be 4-6 weeks before we had power. At that point, there was no mail, no newspaper, no TV (obviously), very spotty cell service, no blackberry service, no electricity anywhere – it was surreal. We felt very isolated and it was tough not knowing what was going on. Leah was acting out, Anna Claire was weepy, and I was sampling my favorite 3 food groups – chocolate, Advil and Diet Coke. These were desperate times. We did begin to see trucks arriving with supplies on Tuesday and FEMA had begun to hand out ice, water, and food, so people were beginning to have a little hope.

We made a decision to pack up and leave and go to San Antonio for the rest of the week. It was the best decision we could have made. Although we got power back to our house late Tuesday night, we still needed time away from everything. We had a fantastic 5 days in San Antonio – eating some of the best (and cheapest!) Mexican food, shopping in a Mexican market that reminded me a lot of our honeymoon in Cozumel, walking and perusing in shops on the Riverwalk, going to the zoo, and ending with a trip to Sea World. I can say that our moods definitely improved while we were away. However, it was obvious that the whole hurricane situation had taken a toll on the girls – Leah continued to be VERY busy and often inconsolable, and Anna Claire burst into tears at dinner one night and said, “I just want to go home.”

We’ve spent the past 2 days unpacking, grocery shopping (the grocery stores are still virtually empty, as they’ve all had to replace their inventory), doing laundry, and getting organized again to be back in school. It’s been so great to be back to “normal.”

The stories around here of what people are doing to help other people are so cool – there are people doing others’ laundry, making meals, and watching people’s children so they can work, and many more. There is a real spirit of camaraderie and closeness in our community that perhaps was fostered because we were completely out of touch with the outside world…we only had each other. We feel blessed to have had the time to just sit and chat with our neighbors and get to know them better.

While we now have electricity and water, there are still many, many others who do not. Please pray for them – they need it. They are discouraged, hot (our cool spell only lasted a few days), and many have lost everything.

Anyhoo, there were some funny moments along the way…perhaps I’ll share those in another post.

In the meantime, know that we are safe, we are back home, and we are enjoying life’s mundane moments immensely. Thanks to all of you who emailed to see how we were faring – we’re doing great!

One last note - many, many thanks to my brother for posting periodic updates about our welfare. I really appreciate it! Didn't he do great as a guest blogger? And so what if he got the name of the hurricane wrong? He can do complicated math problems that no one else can do - so there! :)

Bring on the Alamo...

2008-09-16T12:09:00.003-04:00

Jill and family are heading to San Antonio today for a little vacation - school has been cancelled for the week and what better time to take some time away, find some AC, and make the best of a powerless situation. I talked to Jill last night and they were doing pretty well - Leah was in the backseat sans clothes, Gary had enough caffiene to keep him going, and they had found ice for Jill's diet cokes. So really, all is well.

Here is Jill's update from Sunday afternoon (sorry I'm a little delayed in getting it posted):

We had a great day in College Station (home of the Aggies - WHOOP!). It took us almost 3 hours to get here because the power outages are so wide-spread, every intersection is a 4-way stop. We shopped at Target, we got 5 bags of ice to put in the coolers we brought, and we bought some more milk and cheese. We got to eat in a real restaurant where I got a Diet Coke (WITH ice - yeehaw!) and Gary got a big cup of coffee so all is well. The girls have really enjoyed watching some movies in the car too. We are headed home now because we have to be back at our house before the curfew at 9 pm. The girls seem to be doing ok - we are very tired because we have not slept well but we are fine otherwise.

Please pray for our niece and her husband - they believe a tornado hit their house (they have 2 little boys, ages 2 and 4) and it ripped a large part of their roof off - causing heavy rains to come in the house. They also have no power and will have to replace their drywall and all their carpet. The damage around us is just incredible...please also pray for those around us who have been left with nothing. There is no school tomorrow or Tuesday - and we suspect it will be canceled the rest of the week. We may come back to College Station later in the week to do errands and laundry and stock up on groceries again.

Many thanks to my sweet lil bro, Craig, who may end up updating the blog more in September than I do!

That would be Ike, not Gustav...

2008-09-14T14:38:00.003-04:00

This is why I'm not normally trusted with this level of responsibility...As you all know, 'twas Hurricane Ike who just made his way through Houston, not, as I posted earlier today, Hurricane Gustav.

I spoke with Jill on the phone this morning - they made it through yesterday with no damage sustained to their house. The only sustained damage that she was able to identify as of twenty minutes ago was that Gary hadn't had a cup of warm coffee due to the lack of electricity, and thus, had a rather severe headache. They are currently driving northwest to College Station (and perhaps, beyond) in search of power so that they might recharge electronic devices (and themselves with air conditioning).

Jill asked that I note that she has been informed that they will be without power for 2-4 weeks, which she claims qualifies officially as "camping." It's not entirely clear, at this point, how she's planning to keep her diet coke cold.

More details to follow...

Gustav vs. My Big Sis

2008-09-14T13:08:00.003-04:00

I believe this marks the first time anyone has guest-blogged on luvmy3blessings, so I'm feeling rather honored to be bringing all of you updates on Jill and crew's welfare. This is Craig, Jill's younger (and much dryer) brother, blogging from Portland, Oregon, so that everyone has some idea of how Jill, Gary, and the girls are doing.

As of yesterday morning (Saturday), Jill and Gary were up early and had lost power by 6:20 a.m. local time. In her words: "The storm has been very strong and is still going. The eye has not yet hit us. But we are all safe (Anna Claire is still snoring in the master bedroom)....Lots of tree branches down and the wind is incredible but not damage to the house yet that we can see....We are safe and worst part of storm still to come. Getting a little warm in here but we are happy and doing well and feeling very blessed. Girls want to know hwen we can turn the tv on. :)"

According to the message my mom left for me last night, Jill had been able to get through to my parents and had said that homes in their neighborhood had had trees fall on them, but that Jill and Gary's house had not been hit (thankfully). They were rather hot (with no air conditioning), and had plans today (Sunday) to try and head north and find some air conditioning to cool off.

I will continue to provide updates as I get news. My own opinion (speaking from personal experience) is that mother nature is foolish for trying to take on my sister....

Five Years Ago Today...

2008-09-12T17:10:00.003-04:00

Five years ago, I got a phone call at 6:30 am. I was getting ready for work. When I answered, it was my midwife, Margie. She said, “Honey, you need to go for a sonogram as soon as you can get there – they are waiting for you. Your test results came back and there’s something wrong. I think you’re still pregnant.”

I had been to see her two days prior – I thought I had recently had a miscarriage, and she wanted to do some blood work to make sure my hormone levels were back to normal. I remember how clear the sky was that day – so blue, so sunny, and it was about 75 degrees. I remember thinking, “I feel SO good. I feel healthy. I feel like myself again.” After having Anna Claire, I had struggled with postpartum depression and it took me a long time before I recovered from the physical exhaustion and aching that often accompanies it.

I quickly got Anna Claire out of her crib, and left to drive to the sonogram, with her still in her pajamas. I called Gary, told him to turn around and meet me at the clinic. We met out there, and he entertained Anna Claire while I had my sonogram. Unlike other times I’d had sonograms, the sonographer’s face was very serious. I remember her name was Gloria. She kept going over the same place again and again, and finally put the wand down and got up. She picked up the phone on the wall and began talking in hushed tones. I couldn’t figure out what she was saying, but I knew it was not good. Another doctor came in and performed another sonogram, her face equally grim. The phone rang – it was my midwife. The doctor spoke to her in hushed tones and then turned to me. “You can get up now. You need to go straight to the hospital. Immediately. Go to Margie’s office and she’ll tell you what’s going on.”

Gloria came back in the room, looked at me, then came over and gave me a big hug. When she pulled back, she was crying. “You’re going to be just fine. I’ll be praying for you, honey.” I remember being a little bewildered by that interaction.

Gary and I quickly dropped Anna Claire off at a friend’s house who had twins of her own the same age, so we knew Anna Claire would be well-cared for and entertained. We arrived in Margie’s office and Margie told me that I probably had a tubal pregnancy that was in danger of rupturing. “They’re waiting for you down in surgery,” she said. “Go right down.”

It was surreal. We were quickly making phone calls to let them know what was going on. I probably called some people that day that I didn’t need to, and forgot others who were important. I remember feeling like I was having an out-of-body experience. I was totally oblivious to how bad it was, yet I think I knew deep down that something was terribly wrong. They quickly prepped me for surgery, and when I came out of the anesthesia a couple of hours later, Gary was there.

“Was it a tubal pregnancy?” I asked groggily. “No,” he said. Looking grim, he responded, “It was a tumor.” I thought, “OK, no problem. I’ve had several benign tumors” - which included a benign ovarian tumor I’d had removed 3 years prior when we began dating. I went back to sleep.

Later, I stirred again, vaguely aware of two female voices. “She’s always been the dramatic one in the family. She always wanted all of the attention,” one of them was saying. Once I could shake the grogginess enough to open my eyes, I looked and saw two of my closest friends talking with a nurse. They kept telling her how different each of us was and how it was amazing we all came out of the same family. “Huh?” I thought. I seriously thought I was still sleeping. It turned out that C. and D. had convinced the nurses that they were my sisters, which basically got them a free pass to come back and see me in the recovery room. Mind you, these girls did nothing but continue to tell tall tales to the nurses to further convince them how three women could be so different.

You have to know that none of us look ANYTHING alike. Not even remotely. We could not be more different looking. And yet the nurses bought the story – hook, line and sinker. It was hilarious. And I was apparently the dramatic one who always needed the attention, which is why I’d taken it upon myself to grow a tumor. Go figure! We still giggle about that one.

It turned out I was never pregnant. And I never had a miscarriage, or a tubal pregnancy. What I had was an ovarian tumor that had been growing for approximately 4-6 weeks, and it contained four different types of cancer cells. Because it was so unusual, it would be October 8th – almost 4 weeks – before I had a definitive diagnosis. And I then began a journey on which I never expected to be a traveler…cancer patient.

I am now strong. I’m healthy. I survived. Many of my friends did not. It wasn’t without many scary, sad, and dark moments. But God has brought me full circle. And now one of my passions is to help other women on this same journey. It’s enormously gratifying and it nurtures my spirit.

To God be the glory – great things He has done in the last five years.

What We're Up To

2008-09-12T16:43:00.004-04:00

We’re doing great!

We’ve had a great day so far. Since schools are cancelled today, we’ve enjoyed a nice family day. We went to the chiropractor, then to one of our favorite breakfast places. Then we went to Target to pick up a few things that Gary needed, and now we’re home. We spent time cleaning the house and Gary put everything outside in the shed and in the garage. Then we put the girls down for a nap, and Gary & I caught up on the news and played a board game. Now he’s relaxing and I’m blogging and doing laundry.

So, we’re safe, we’re happy, and very blessed to be in a place where we have good shelter, each other, and some great snack food.

The storm is scheduled to hit us around midnight – 1 am, so we’re having a slumber party in our master bedroom tonight in case tornados come and we need to move into the closet.

I'll keep blogging as long as I can! Our network connection is very slow all of a sudden, so not sure how long that will be possible, but I'll do the best I can. :)

We're Ready!

2008-09-11T14:24:00.003-04:00

I went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things this morning in advance of Ike coming ashore. They were completely out of ice, water, canned goods and bread. It was fascinating to see what everyone around me had in their grocery carts - and I had plenty of time to survey their carts because each line was about 25 people deep. Here's what I saw:

- a cart filled with fabric and batting - obviously, she plans to spend the weekend quilting
- a cart filled with several packages of hot dogs, chips, buns, beer, and coke - I want to go to HIS house!
- a cart filled with large marshmallows - no, I am not kidding
- a cart filled with 4 large roasted ready-to-eat chickens, with several gallons of sweet tea - welcome to the South!
- a cart filled with diapers, wipes, baby food, and beer
- my personal favorite - two college guys filling their cart with Moon Pies and Little Debbie snacks

Here's our checklist:

Water? Check
Batteries? Check
Toilet paper? Check
Flashlights? Check
Goldfish? Check
Peanut butter? Check
Bananas? Check
Movies? Check
Chocolate cake? Check
Diet Coke? Check, check, check

We're all set! As long as we don't lose power, I'll update the blog this weekend.

Random Thoughts

2008-09-10T22:58:00.004-04:00

I went to a great class at my church today. It's called "After the Boxes Are Unpacked." Isn't that a great name? It's for women who are new to the area. There are 26 of us - several from different countries, many of us with young children, and everyone has a story. We had a great time and even went to lunch afterward. I spent a lot of time looking around the classroom wondering who I would end up being good friends with...

It's weird, though - I have a hard time believing that I'll get close to any of them. I think I left such a close group of girlfriends in VA - and we got so close when I had cancer - these are the women who helped me shop for a wig, who took care of my baby when I couldn't, who made meals for me, who kept me focused on God and prayed for me when I couldn't pray, who took me to chemo treatments, and who pretended to be my sisters and told ridiculous stories so they could get into the recovery room at the hospital to see me (you know who you are, girlies). They cheered me on when I just couldn't do it anymore, and provided me with tumor-humor when I needed a laugh. They have seen me with yellow eyes from chemo, with no hair, and as weak as I can get. These are not just friends - they are SISTERS.

Will I ever meet anyone like that here?

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-10T22:52:00.005-04:00

So, I'm sitting here at my computer tonight, doing some work, with one eye on the TV because there's all sorts of coverage about Hurricane Ike. Many of you have already emailed me to ask if we're evacuating. Here's the deal...

We live about 80 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico, so the chances of us needing to evacuate are slim. We'll probably just shelter in place until the storm passes. Being on the "dirty side" (to the right of the eye of the hurricane), we'll probably be subjected to higher winds, more rain and possibly tornadoes, but we have a plan for where to go - we'll hang out in our master bedroom closet. It's big enough for all of us if I take a few pairs of shoes out. Ha ha! Seriously, we'll have room for all of us.

So, the main thing is to keep stocked up on water, batteries, toilet paper, animal crackers, and bananas (Leah's favorite food). We're all set. I even have extra Diet Coke. :)

We'll be putting on our floaties Friday morning.

Our August Trip

2008-09-05T14:51:00.033-04:00

In August, the girls and I went to Oregon and Washington to visit my family - and especially to see my grandmother. It was so much fun to see her again, and although she doesn't remember much anymore, we love to visit with her, love on her, and take pictures. She seemed to really enjoy seeing the girls especially. Here we are - 4 generations! Gram, my dad, me, and the girls.

One day, Leah had a total meltdown and we just could not console her. Papa had the bright idea to take her for a ride in the wheelbarrow and that was all it took to turn her frown to a smile again.

The girls also had a great time swimming in my aunt & uncle's pool. One day, my dad's brothers and sisters and their families convened and we had a mini family reunion and a pool party. Here are the girls with their second cousins, Josh and Sarah. Sarah is just 4 months younger than Leah. They had so much fun!

Leah in the hot tub with my dad - my aunt let most of the water out of the hot tub and let the water cool - and turned it into a wading pool for the littlest fish. Great idea! :)

The weather was so beautiful there - it was nice to get away from the heat and humidity of Texas for a few days and get some fresh, cool air - it was in the upper 50's at night! Fortunately it warmed up during the day. We had an awesome time but were very glad to get home and see Gary/Daddy again. He had to stay in TX because he had some inservices and meetings to attend since he's a new teacher in the school district.

First Week of School - Finally!

2008-09-05T14:11:00.021-04:00

OK y'all - go get yourself a drink, go potty and then come back and pull up a comfy chair, because this is going to be a long post...

I FINALLY found the cord that connects my camera to the computer. And I was sick the last 2 weeks with bronchitis so I have a bunch to catch up on.

First, we'll cover the first day of school for Gary and Anna Claire, which was last Monday. We have a tradition that I get up early on the first day of school and make a nice breakfast for Gary before he leaves. I made blueberry muffins and eggs. Here's Gary enjoying his breakfast - doesn't he look ready to hit the ground running? :)

When I woke Anna Claire up at 6:30 am, she rubbed her eyes and said, "Momma, it's still NIGHT outside. Is this the time I'm going to have to get up every day?" I said, "Yes, honey," to which she replied, "We should find me a school that starts later so I don't have to get up so early." I didn't have the heart to tell her that once she gets to high school, she'll be getting up even earlier!

Here's Anna Claire's new backpack and lunch box - Barbie backpack, High School Musical lunchbox.

Here's Anna Claire in front of her school...she is SO excited to go in and see her teacher! Mrs. K is newly married (3 weeks!) and has taught for one year in another school district. She graduated from Baylor and is so cute. Anna Claire kept looking at her and saying, "You're SO pretty..."

Leah decided to take the bull by the horns and hang up Anna Claire's backpack for her.

My sweet girls - Leah wants to be big so badly!

Anna Claire absolutely LOVED school - and is still really enjoying it. She has met some great little friends - both in her class and on the bus. She informed me this week that she'd prefer it if I didn't wave goodbye to her once she's on the bus (apparently I was embarrassing her).

Gary had an equally great first week of school (now 2 weeks) - his kids are very polite, and his co-workers have been so helpful and friendly. He is teaching in a school that's only 3 years old, so it's a real treat for him to have the latest and greatest technology, his own classroom, and even better - the school is less than 3 miles from our house! No commute! It really is so nice, and we are getting to spend lots of time together as a family as a result.

So, in other news, we were spared Gustav's devastation - which we were very thankful for. We're hoping that there aren't any other hurricanes that come our way.

I am really enjoying getting to know the ladies in my neighborhood, working out with them at the Y, and spending time with Leah. It's amazing how quickly her vocabulary picked up after Anna Claire went to school last week. She is really talking a lot. Leah definitely misses her big sister, though - she walks around the house saying, "Shissy.....Shissy" (her way of saying "Sissy", which is what she calls AC). I am also enjoying working from home - I have a pretty good schedule of working during Leah's naptimes, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays while she's at Mother's Day Out. I also often work a couple of evenings a week after the girls have gone to bed. So, I have the flexibility I need but still get to keep my feet wet in my work, which I love.

We are going to our first high school football game this weekend, which will be fun. They play at a local stadium that seats 30,000 people! I cannot wait to see what this is all about. Anna Claire is SO thrilled that she will be able to watch the cheerleaders. She begins her cheerleading lessons next week, so she'll be taking notes, I'm sure.

Leah's Second Birthday

2008-08-24T21:58:00.003-04:00

I haven't forgotten. There's a 2nd birthday post coming for Leah. I just have some great pictures I want to download into the post and I can't find the cord to connect my camera to the computer.
More details coming this week, I promise. She had a fabulous birthday last week and loved the celebration.

Just didn't want you to think I'm a slackin' mama.

Twas the Night Before School Started...

2008-08-24T21:54:00.004-04:00

...and all through the house...

Well, I'm too tired at this point to write a poem that rhymes, so you'll just have to trust me on this one.

The backpack is packed...
The lunch box is ready...
The new school clothes are washed and ready to wear...
We've met her teacher...
We've discussed the bus ride several times...

My baby girl is going to first grade tomorrow. I can't believe it.

We'll post pics of the whole event - she is VERY excited but definitely apprehensive.

Stay tuned for live blogging tomorrow (if I can find the cord to download pics from my camera)!

Awake Again

2008-08-24T01:50:00.002-04:00

Yep. Still dealing with insomnia...but I'm getting a lot accomplished. I've been very overwhelmed lately with all the projects to do around the house so that we feel more settled here. There is still SO much to do. I was laying in bed worrying about it all until I finally got fed up and did what any other woman would do who has lost control.

I cleaned out my makeup bag.

I washed and disinfected the brushes, wiped down the inside of the bag with a Clorox wipe (you never know what germs are running around in there and I am NOT about to find out), re-sharpened my eyeliners and lip crayons, and put everything back again.

All is right in my world again and I can sleep now.

Chemo. The Gift That Keeps on Giving

2008-08-15T02:26:00.005-04:00

So, it's a little after 1:30 AM CDT and I'm still awake. Why, you ask? Because I had chemo five years ago. Guess what residual side effects I still have? Insomnia and hot flashes. They say that only gets more intense as you approach menopause. Yippy.

Since I went to bed the first time at around 11 pm, I've watched Letterman, eaten a bowl of cereal, checked my email several times, read a few stories on People.com, printed the directions to the outlet mall I'm going to tomorrow (uh, today), watched the women's Olympic gymnastics all-around final, realized that I forgot to RSVP to 2 weddings this summer (not like me at all), and had random thoughts such as:

What to get my mom for Christmas
Should I go ahead and just hang my new toile shower curtain or will I regret that I didn't wash and iron it first?
What posessed clothing people to make size 6x for girls? Why not 7x or 8x?
I forgot to buy cucumbers at Kroger today
Did I tell my grandmother I loved her enough during my recent visit?
Why do I only have insomnia when I have somewhere to be the next morning?
Why is the Halloween candy already out in stores?
How do you know when you're done having children?

I thought about taking a Tylenol PM to help me sleep, but at this point, I wouldn't wake up until noon, and giving a curious 2-year-old free reign of the house is not in my best interest.

I think I might go make a batch of cookies. If you're up, give me a call. I'll probably answer.

Is There A Doctor In The House?

2008-08-14T23:02:00.001-04:00

It just happened that our trip to see my grandmother coincided with the date that my brother was to defend his doctoral dissertation for his PhD in Math Education. He did his presentation on Tuesday morning and we spent the rest of the day celebrating with family and friends – first at a restaurant in a fun downtown district in Portland, then we came home long enough to change into casual clothes, then we went to a fun pub downtown again. We had a terrific time and I’m so proud of him! He has worked really hard on this for so long and it was a lot of fun to be part of the final chapter and celebration.

So, Professor Swinyard now will be teaching at a local university in their math department in the fall. I caught myself thinking during his defense, “How is it that two such different children came from the same parents?” He’s a total brainiac…my sister-in-law bought him a t-shirt a year ago that says “Mathlete” – it’s very fun. And a Mathlete he his. I’m hoping that he can help our girls with their math problems some day. And maybe I can help him accessorize or decorate or something. I’m much more artsy than academic. Just smart in different ways, I guess. :)

Home Sweet West Coast

2008-08-14T22:16:00.001-04:00

The girls and I just spent 9 days in Oregon/Washington seeing my parents, my brother and sister-in-law, and extended family, including my grandmother. She’s been failing lately, and a series of seizures has caused her cognitive abilities to diminish. I was happy to be able to spend several days with her, have the girls see her, and take some pictures of her with the girls. Here are some of those great pictures! My gram is very special to me – she was only 48 when I was born and we have spent a lot of time together over the years…I love her dearly and was so pleased that she recognized me. She had a harder time remembering the girls but considering the fact that she has 23 or 24 grandchildren (including spouses), and 7 great-grandchildren, she’s doing well to remember us! We had a wonderful time with our extended family and the girls had a great time playing with their fellow second cousins…It was relaxing, the weather was amazing and we hated to leave.

We also spend a few days at my parents’ house in Oregon – they have an incredible yard and our days were spent relaxing and dining on the deck, the girls swam in the wading pool and ran through the sprinkler, went to parks, and played in the yard. The weather was cool and crisp at night and warm and dry during the day, and almost always sunny. My favorite time of day there during the summer is when I first wake up – the windows in the bedroom are open and the air is cool, sweet smelling from the sprinklers being on, and so pure that you feel like you’re breathing pure oxygen. I found myself breathing deeply and taking it all in – the air in Texas is not quite like that- it’s definitely more humid!

We missed Daddy (he had to stay home for orientation for his new job) and we are glad to be home with him. It’s nice to be in our own beds again.

Welcome to the South

2008-07-31T23:14:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, the girls and I ran to Potbelly while we were out doing errands to grab a bite of lunch. We had just ordered our sandwiches and were getting ready to pay, when AC said to the cashier: “We just moved here from Washington, DC” (not really sure why she felt compelled to share this but this was one of the less embarrassing things she’s shared so I was OK with it). The cashier said, “Really? My name is Jim, and I moved here 2 years ago from Chevy Chase!” Quickly, another employee said, “Hi! I’m Carla, and I used to live in VA Beach. It’s so nice to meet you. Can I help you find anything here in The Woodlands? Do you need directions anywhere?”

I was very aware at this point that we were holding up the line. I got my debit card out to pay, and Jim said, “Nope. It’s on us today. We’re just glad to have you here and want to welcome you to your new home.” If this had been DC, that never would have happened. By this time, the Type B personalities in line would have been looking at their watches, sighing loudly and rolling their eyes. And the Type A’s would have been yelling by now. Instead, when I turned around, everyone was smiling, waving “hello” and saying “Welcome!” I was so shocked. It made me smile the rest of the day. I do get a little impatient with how slow things are, but I think it will be good for me.

I cannot believe how much my anxiety level has gone down since we moved. It's amazing. I think this is just what the doctor ordered. :)

We’re Making Some Progress

2008-07-27T23:25:00.005-04:00

We have the top level of the house completely unpacked and everything is in its place. It looks fantastic. We just need to hang a few pictures.

I also finished our bedroom and bathroom, leaving the study, dining room and living room to complete as far as unpacking goes…and we’re almost there. Then, Gary and I need to do a day of picture hanging downstairs and I need to get the curtains I ordered for the kitchen, and we’ll be all set! Pictures coming soon, I promise! (as soon as I find that blasted camera)

In other news, we are having a good time getting settled here...we find a way each day to get to know the area better. Anna Claire is very excited about school starting, and she has decided that she'd like to take cheerleading lessons this fall for her extracurricular activity. They have a league through the YMCA that we belong to and that's how she'll participate. She's SO excited.

Leah is having a tougher adjustment to life in Texas. She is very clingy, very moody, cries a lot, and you never really know what you're going to get when you're with her. She's developed a terrible fear of going to bed at night - she screams for almost an hour, despite many hugs, kisses, stories, leaving the lights on, etc. Nothing seems to really work. She is sleeping peacefully now, but it's been really rough. I'm often at a loss as to how to help her - it's especially hard because she is so tiny and doesn't talk well yet, so she can't really verbalize how she's feeling. Add her hot temper to the mix, and you've got a lethal combination. We're already praying for her future husband. He'll need to be a godly man of unending patience if the mood swings continue!

Leah has also been sick twice just in the time that we've moved...so my next big project is to find a doctor and possibly a naturopath who can help us figure out if she's allergic to something or if she has an immune issue. Although the pediatricians say, "Kids just get sick a lot," my "mommy gut" is telling me that it's just not normal for a child this young to be on antibiotics all the time and it's not normal for her to be sick every 2-3 weeks (seriously, the longest we've ever gone is 26 days between illnesses). I have to think that her being sick is a lot of the bad mood - I'd be in a wicked bad mood if I were sick that often!

Well, I need to head to bed - Anna Claire starts Vacation Bible School tomorrow morning and we have a busy week ahead, including work for me, exercise classes at the Y, women's Bible study on Tuesday morning, and hopefully having the girls' pictures taken this week for Leah's upcoming 2nd birthday. And next week, we head to Oregon for a few days!

Now that our internet service is connected correctly and we're not unknowingly hacking into our neighbor's network anymore, I should be able to post more often. And as Gary discovered by calling the computer repairman, "Happy Wife = Happy Life." :)

Ten Things I Love About Texas

2008-07-27T21:11:00.004-04:00

1) The neighbors are very friendly
2) Egg and cheese whole wheat kolaches
3) Pappadeaux
4) Our local YMCA
5) Our new home - we have so much space!
6) Blue Bell ice cream
7) How inexpensive everything is in this area
8) We already have friends here
9) I only have to work part-time
10) Our new church

OK - what I really don't like about Texas - the cockroaches. They're HUGE. I'm telling you, I could slap a saddle on one of these suckers and ride him down to the market to pick up some dinner. Seriously. I'm not exaggerating. And the timing is uncanny, because while I was in the middle of typing up this blog post, what crawled across the desk? A cockroach. I nearly fainted dead away.

So, I'm happy to tell you that one cockroach was fatally harmed (actually maimed and drowned) in the making of this blog post.

And I'm callin' the pest control service at 8 am tomorrow. As my little brother said when he was a toddler, "I be back when bug gone!"

Has Anyone Seen My Stuff?

2008-07-26T21:07:00.001-04:00

We've been here almost 2 weeks, and I have yet to find the following items:

1) Leah's crib tent (which keeps her from crawling out of the crib)

2) My Zyrtec (did I mention I take this for a heat allergy, which causes me to break out in hives? And have you noticed where we're now living? Sure - it's TEXAS - in the SUMMER!). Sorry to be cranky - I'm just very itchy.

3) My pink flats (Debbie, you may have to send me yours since I know you have the same pair)

4) The bedskirt for Leah's crib - obviously not as important, but her room does have an unfinished look without it.

5) The furniture attachment to my vacuum

6) My Bible

7) My Norah Jones "Come Away With Me" CD

8) My digital camera

9) The Johnson & Johnson Head-to-toe Baby Wash I bought before we left VA. I have two very smelly chillins who need a bath…

If you know where I might find some of these things, I'd appreciate it. I really miss them.

New Beginnings

2008-07-23T07:20:00.002-04:00

Howdy! (as you can tell, we're in Texas now)

Sorry to leave everyone hanging - we obviously made it past Tennessee. The computer in Mississippi didn't work, and once we arrived in Texas, we were going at full throttle trying to get moved in, unpacked, and put things where they're supposed to be. We still have a lot of that left. As I type now, there's "miscellaneous stuff" in every room, hallway, nook and cranny. And now that I woke up early and surveyed the house while it's still quiet, I'm pretty convinced that this "stuff" is having babies at night. There's WAY more of that stuff now than when I went to bed. Ugh.

My parents were absolutely AMAZING through the entire move. You wouldn't have believed the physical gymnastics they performed to help us get packed, moved out, loaded into the trucks (yes, truckS - we had to rent two to get down here), unloaded, moved in, unpacked, pictures hung on the walls, curtains hung, boxes flattened, clothes washed, shelf liner laid, etc. And in the middle of all this, they managed to also keep the "fun quotient" up for both girls by readily administering kisses, hugs, baths, fun snacks, reading stories, swimming in the pool, etc. They were incredible and I have no doubt that they'll spend the next few months sleeping to catch up.

We had a great drive across the country. Dad and Gary each drove a truck, and Mom and I drove the cars. We had a great little caravan going. Thanks to my dad, we also each had radios so we could all talk to each other. Anna Claire was particularly fascinated with this part of the trip. I'm happy to say that the drive was completely uneventful and went just as planned. Well, except the fact that I packed 10 DVDs (for our fabulous new DVD player in the minivan) for the girls to watch, which subsequently got packed in another box in the moving truck. Bummer (more for Momma than for the kids). I will say that since I had the girls with me most of the time, I'm really tired of the Hairspray soundtrack - it was the only thing that Leah would listen to without screaming and pointing at the radio. We made it to Meridian, Mississippi before I waved the white flag and just could not go another mile listening to Hairspray, so I ducked into a Sam's Club quickly and bought 2 DVDs...and the rest of the trip was heavenly.

Leah is definitely showing more of her personality lately - and feels free to share her thoughts/desires/demands with anyone at any time. Terrific Twos, here we come! She is a very opinionated little girl, and is either very happy or very mad/sad/frustrated/hysterical (insert any negative emotion here). No grey area for her! But she adores her Papa (my dad) and Nana and is so proud of herself that she can now say their names.

Anna Claire was much more easygoing and we had a great time chatting, playing Travel Bingo, singing, etc. She loved riding in the "big trucks" with Papa and Daddy.

We have been so blessed with friendly neighbors here - 3 have already come over to introduce themselves - and they all have little girls! People are so amazingly (and genuinely) friendly here. We also have some dear friends who brought dinner over for us last week - what a godsend, and it was delicious. We're very excited to finally live near them and have more opportunities to see them. It's also been fun to see Gary's family and know that we're living nearby now.

We visited a great church on Sunday and felt very comfortable there. We'll definitely be going back again for a few weeks to see if we'd like to make it our church home. There's a great Bible study offered for women there - "After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On" - I plan on attending when it starts in the fall.

I'm starting to adjust to my new life here...the lonely moments do come and I desperately miss my girlfriends in Virginia. It is bizarre to be back to work already but not have any reason to get dressed and go somewhere. Not coming into the office and seeing all my amazing work friends is really tough. I had an incredible network of people I loved there and it's a huge hole in my life not to have them with me "in person" anymore. I also was really sad on Sunday morning not to see the members of our Small Group at church - the lonliness hit hard then. I know I'll meet new people - and I'll even become very close to some of them. It's just not the same.

I have to admit, though, that I do love Texas. The people are friendly and helpful, my home is beautiful (I will post some pics as soon as I can eradicate all of that "misc. stuff"), I get to work part-time, the food is great, the area we live in has lots of trees and is pretty, and the shopping is fabulous. I can't wait to discover more of this new land that we now call "home."

Greetings from Tennessee!

2008-07-11T21:29:00.004-04:00

We made it to Bristol, TN! The trip today was pretty easy - though we are definitely tired. There were a couple of funny things that happened today...

As I was exiting Fairfax County Parkway and getting onto 66 W, Anna Claire said, "Momma, where are we going?"

I said, "Remember? We're going to Texas?"

She replied, "Oh. Will we be shopping along the way?"

Also, we stopped for lunch in Harrisonburg. We went to Chick Fil-A - a favorite of ours. I completely forgot it was Cow Appreciation Day - apparently if you dress like a cow, you get a free chicken sandwich. Wish I'd brought our cow costumes! You wouldn't have believed how many people were dressed like cows. It was so funny! My mother had never been to Chick Fil-A before, so for this to be her first impression of it was especially amusing.

We also got some great news today as we were leaving VA - Gary received a phone call informing him that he's been hired at the school of his choice - he got a job!!! We are so thankful to God for providing once again...a fitting last day for us in Virginia.

Please pray for us tomorrow - it's our longest day of driving and I feel like I'm coming down with Hand, Foot & Mouth again (I had a VERY bad case of it about 4 weeks ago and was really sick with large blisters in my throat). I'm taking lots of Vitamin C tonight...

I'll blog again tomorrow night from Mississippi! :)

So Long, Virginia

2008-07-11T09:14:00.003-04:00

Well, our journey here in VA has come to an end. We spend Wednesday packing, then loaded the truck yesterday. We had so much stuff we ended up having to get ANOTHER truck, so we now have two moving trucks, a small SUV, and a minivan. Good thing we have 4 drivers - otherwise we were going to have to quickly get Anna Claire licensed to drive!

Spent last night in a hotel near the house - where Leah proceeded to figure out in about 5 minutes how to get out of the hotel room, unlock the sliding glass door, turn on the TV and take off her clothes so she could have a bath. Then she repeated most of it at 3:45 this morning when she woke up and walked around the hotel room for about 45 minutes. To say that we are tired doesn't even cover it. But we're together, we're healthy, and we got the old house packed up and emptied - which is basically a miracle!

We're off to Tennessee today - I'll blog live from our hotel tonight!

Thanks for all your prayers - we need them!

The Story of Audrey Caroline

2008-06-11T12:27:00.006-04:00

I came across a blog about 6 weeks ago that I just can't stop thinking about. I check it several days a week for updates.

This is an amazing mom whose husband sings with Selah. They have twin daughters, another younger daughter, and they just lost a full-term baby girl named Audrey in April. Her faith is inspiring, her honesty refreshing and her story compelling. I hope it encourages you as much as it has encouraged me. She is an incredible writer.

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/

Five Year Survival Celebration

2008-06-11T12:17:00.006-04:00

On Friday night, we celebrated 5 years of me being cancer-free! We threw a big party with awesome Mexican food, great friends, and family. It was so much fun. I took the opportunity to say a few words – this is what I shared…

A Word of Thanks…

To those who rejoiced over a second pregnancy, then mourned with us over a supposed miscarriage, only to find out later it was a malignant tumor…

To those who stood by us and waited with us for more than a month for a definitive diagnosis…

To my parents and brother, who supported us in so many ways with prayers, visits, pep talks, research, and care of Anna Claire…

To our friends who picked up Anna Claire and returned her later, bathed, fed and in fresh clothes – even when I was not aware of it because I was so sick…

To my girlfriends, C. and D., who refused to let me abandon my faith and insisted that I hear God’s promises each day…

To my girlfriend D., who promised me that God would use this for good someday, and for all your help with feeding Anna Claire dinner and helping me get her bathed and in bed while Gary was in graduate school classes…

To K., my 12-year survivor girlfriend who identified so deeply with what I was going through because she’d been to hell and back herself, and who gave up her precious family time before Christmas to care for Anna Claire around the clock while I was in the hospital, then picked me up and dusted me off when I emotionally crashed several months later…

To D., my maid of honor, who organized the most incredible delivery schedule of meals for Gary, Anna Claire and my family during the entire 4 months I was in treatment…

To my girlfriends at work, who made me laugh, covered for me when I was out, celebrated my new hairstyles, eyelashes, and eyebrows, and provided much-needed emotional support…

To C&J, our next door neighbors, who brought food, came to visit me in the hospital, planted tulip bulbs for me in October to enjoy in the spring once I was all better, mowed our grass, and arrived on our front porch in their pajamas on Christmas morning to bring my mother and Anna Claire a treat…

To all the faithful ladies of St. Stephens, the church where I grew up 25 years ago, who surrounded my mom with love and support while she was here taking care of us for 7 weeks, and to their husbands, who also prayed and supported my dad…

To D., my longtime boss and friend, who charged me with the task of “just getting better,” never asking when I would be back, never giving up on me, and who volunteered to babysit Anna Claire on Christmas Eve so Gary and my mom could both come to visit me in the hospital at the same time…thank you from the bottom of my heart. I want to especially honor you tonight, because you went far and above the call of duty. Thank you also for your understanding and support of my deep passion for walking alongside and ministering to other Sunrise co-workers who are facing cancer. I will always be grateful for the special role you have had in this season of my life.

To all our friends and family who celebrated with us in the arrival of our little miracle baby, Leah Natalie…

To the Warner family, who so lovingly cared for Leah when I came back to work…

To our new friends, who didn’t know me when I went through treatment, but who celebrate my health with me now…

To my incredible husband, who shaved my head then told me I was still the most beautiful woman he knew and stood by me through the really tough times. It's my greatest pleasure to be married to him and I can't wait for the next chapter of our life together...

And finally, but most importantly, to the Lord, who lifted me out of the pit and set my feet upon a rock, allowing me to praise Him and give Him all the glory…

THANK YOU!

I'm Still Alive

2008-06-10T21:14:00.002-04:00

I’m still alive and kickin’! I know that all three of my readers thinks I dropped off the planet, but with family visiting for the past 5 weeks, Leah being sick for 4 weeks, working full-time and making a trip to Houston to buy a house, and trying to keep our current house clean because it’s on the market, I’ve barely been sleeping at night.

So, here’s the update…

We bought a house! Gary and I spend Memorial Day weekend in Houston looking for a house and we found a great one – we are SO excited. It has everything we wanted and needed. We can hardly wait. It’s close to Gary’s new job, close to the church we’d like to attend and close to shopping, the pool, etc. It’s perfect.

My parents have been visiting, helping take care of the girls, running things to Goodwill for us, helping us pack, run errands, and anything else we need. It has been so wonderful to have them here not only to help us, but even more just to spend that much time with them. We’ve had a fabulous time! They left today and we miss them already. It’s a good thing they’re coming back in 3 weeks to help us move (and just as I typed that, I started to break out in hives because ohmygoodnessthistrainisgoingfasterandfasterandIcanhardlycatchmybreath). 3 WEEKS! I’ve got a lot to do!

We’ve also had the opportunity this past weekend to see some great friends from Chicago who we hadn’t seen in a long time. It was so nice to just hang out with them and enjoy a meal together. They have 2 lovely young daughters and T. has been a friend of mine since high school. It was treasured time.

G. is wrapping up his school year and is anxious to have some free time to do all the “honey do’s” on the list I gave him. Just kidding, honey. :) Well, not really, but we’ll talk about that later.

Gotta run get some utilities hooked up at the new house.

A Letter to My Oldest Daughter

2008-05-14T22:16:00.001-04:00

Anna Claire -

I cannot believe you are six years old today. I know many mothers say this, but the time just flew by. You were not terribly anxious to make your arrival - we waited and waited for you to come. When you arrived, I was overwhelmed, overjoyed and in awe of how perfect you were. It was one of the most amazing moments of my life.

It has been such a great joy to watch you grow. We figured a lot of things out together, you and I. I love that you stopped crying immediately whenever I would take you outside and wheel you around in the stroller under the trees. I love that you used to say "I want hold you" whenever you wanted me to pick you up. I love that you peered inquisitively at me in the front seat the morning after my hair fell out and we were on the way to the salon to pick up my wig. I love that you instinctively knew to play quietly by the couch when I was going through chemo and couldn't get up. I love that you would sometimes steal my wig when I wasn't wearing it and you'd wear it around the house, laughing hysterically because you had done something you thought was so funny. I love that you used to yell "E-I-E-I-O" whenever we sang "Old McDonald" in the car. I love that you thought that wearing a pair of my black stockings, my white high-heeled sandals and nothing else was a fashion statement. I love that we play I-Spy while cuddling in bed in the morning. I love that you still say "aminals" instead of "animals." I love that you think only in shades of hot pink, deep purple and lots of sparkles. I love that you were completely convinced that I was giving birth to your baby sister in a stable with animals, just like Mary did. I love that you showcase your hospitality skills by making breakfast for Daddy and me on Saturday mornings. I love that you immediately pray out loud whenever we see a car accident. I love that you sing with your eyes closed, totally lost in the moment. I love how you pray at bedtime, openly pouring your heart out to Jesus. I love that you pray for our friends who have cancer, and then give God the glory for them being healed. I love that you worry about someone at school feeling left out, and that you strategically plan how to prevent it from happening.

You are an amazing little girl, Anna Claire. I am so proud of you and so honored to be your momma. Don't ever stop loving Jesus like you do, and always remember that your gifts and talents are on loan from God, to be used for His glory and purposes. Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I love you.

Catching Up

2008-05-09T11:24:00.003-04:00

So I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth. Since I last posted, we’ve bought two cars, sold two cars, applied for a mortgage, had company come into town, I’ve done approximately 20 loads of laundry and I’ve somehow also maintained a full-time job. So forgive me for not posting in so long – I’ve been busy!

I realized yesterday I am living the dream…I am a wife, mother of two and I now own a minivan. It's gorgeous. A 2008 Honda Odyssey in "Slate Green Metallic." I HAVE ARRIVED. I know for some of you, this scenario makes you want to break out in hives (Debbie), but if I’m being honest, it’s the life I’ve always wanted. I knew early on I was born to be a wife and mother. I love my life and I realized the other day that I’m proud of all those things. When I was in high school and college, I was always the girl that no one really wanted to date but the one someone wanted to marry someday. Well, I snagged myself an amazing husband and I am LIVING THE DREAM.

Anyway, I am just very content right now. I’m extremely busy as we’re preparing for our big move to Texas – we spend a lot of time looking at houses online, getting quotes for various projects, and wrapping up school for AC and Gary, but I’m in a happy place. My brother and sweet sister-in-law are visiting right now, and we’re heading out for a weekend of fun in Pennsylvania. I’m going to a concert with a treasured friend tonight. Next week is Mom’s birthday and Anna Claire’s birthday. The following week, my parents arrive. The fun is just beginning!!!

So, just wanted to let everyone know that I’m still living and breathing. I’ll post more frequently, I promise. We’ll post some great pics soon of our weekend in PA with Craig and Sho.

It’s Hard to Be Humble When You’re Perfect in Every Way (or not so much…)

2008-04-23T10:21:00.003-04:00

This morning in the car on the way to school:

Anna Claire: Momma, do you remember the first time I had my hair done at Libby Lu? (it’s a store in the mall where they do little hair makeovers for girls. Libby Lu = serious amounts of glitter, so we don’t go in very often)

Me: Yes.

AC: Did my hairdo last more than a day?

Me: No, it was kind of messy after you woke up the next morning.

AC: How did you remember that?

Me: Cause I’m the mommy. It’s my job to remember everything.

AC: Then how come you forgot to feed me breakfast?

Thank heavens for McDonald’s drive-thru…

Anyone Have Some Dental Floss?

2008-04-23T10:06:00.005-04:00

Can anyone explain to me how my 2 children could have reallocated all 4 containers of my dental floss? I know what happened to the one in my purse (Leah emptied it and triumphantly handed one big long string of it to me the other night) but seriously – where is the rest of it? I’ve been borrowing Gary’s but it’s only a matter of time before we’ll have to go buy a bunch more.

My kids are ADDICTED to dental floss. It would make my grandmother proud (she’s an avid flosser).

I cannot imagine what happened to the other 3 containers…it’s driving me crazy.

I’m off to Target to buy some more…and I'm gonna put a GPS chip on each one when I get them home.

Seven Year Itch

2008-04-21T17:12:00.004-04:00

Today is Gary’s and my 7th wedding anniversary. My friend D asked me yesterday at lunch if I was itchy (“7-year itch”). I replied, “No, I took a Zyrtec this morning.” Ha ha.

I am married to the most phenomenal man. He chose ME out of all the women in the world. ME! Our courtship was a whirlwind – we met in March, went on our first date on May 27th, talked about getting married in July, looked at rings in August, got engaged in November, and were married the following April. But it was amazing, and it still is. Sure, it’s not all thunderclaps and clanging bells anymore…sometimes it’s a child wretching in the back seat, but there’s no one I’d rather “do life” with than him.

I think one of the moments that stands out the most in our marriage was the day that my hair started falling out from chemo. It was November 13, 2003. That night, I asked Gary to shave my head for me so I didn’t have to worry about shedding hair all over the house. I think it was the saddest I’d ever seen him. When he was done, I took a shower, and when I got out and put on my pajamas, he looked at me and said, “Honey, you are still so beautiful to me.” I never loved him more. He has been my cheerleader, my champion, my constant friend and during treatment, he was also my security blanket. I was frantic if he left my side.

We have now settled into a wonderful companionship together, and immensely enjoy being parents together. But we also still love spending time alone together. Date nights are our favorite - it's a chance to sit and just talk (without cutting anyone's meat, changing a diaper or telling one of the girls to stop talking long enough so we can get in a word edgewise). It's precious time.

Sweetheart, I'd marry you all over again if you asked. Thanks for seven wonderful years - and here's to the next seven years! I love you and am so proud to be your wife.

And, since you're a Texan, and I'm the wife of a dedicated Texan...Happy San Jacinto Day too. :)

Birthday!

2008-04-19T22:09:00.001-04:00

Today was my birthday – we had such a great time, starting with last night…Anna Claire’s friend, Sarah, came to dinner with us (her mom gave birth to Sarah’s little sister yesterday – Rebeca Grace!) to one of our favorite restaurants, Coastal Flats…after dinner, the kids ran around the town center, then we went home and they had some ice cream. Sarah got to spend the night at our house and the girls had a fabulous time…at 10:00 pm, they were still snuggled in AC’s bed, giggling, talking, eating Goldfish, drinking water, and playing with their flashlights (and about 1300 pieces of Polly Pocket stuff was on the floor – I have no idea how they didn’t step on something!).

This morning, Gary, the girls, and I went to breakfast at a local joint here, then we ran a couple of errands on the way home (which included some new shoes for me – woo hoo!). And Gary carried the shoes – I love me a man who carries my packages so I can shop unencumbered! J We decided to make a quick stop at Target, but as soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Leah vomited all over herself in the car…Happy Birthday, Momma!

Sooo…we went home instead, gave Leah a bath (she was much happier), and played at the house. Then we all took naps (heavenly), then went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, where Leah threw a massive tantrum – she was SO cranky. I’m thinking she may be getting sick. Anyway, the food was great and we made it out of the restaurant without Leah throwing herself on the floor and screaming, so in my mind, it was a huge success.

I got some fabulous gifts – a couple of seasons of Frasier, my favorite Bath & Body Works lotion, a couple of CDs, Season 2 of The Closer, an offer from my brother and sister-in-law to treat us to dinner and babysitting when they arrive in 2 weeks (yay!), a beautiful necklace from my parents, and some other great things…but the best was just spending it with my amazing husband and two beautiful girls, and talking to the rest of my family on the phone…I am so blessed.

Tomorrow, I’m going to lunch with a couple of girlfriends to continue the celebrating – can’t wait!

It was a wonderful day, and I’m happy to say that for the first time since I was diagnosed with cancer, I was able to really enjoy my birthday and I wasn’t melancholy about it…in the past, it’s been an emotional day for me with very mixed feelings. Today it was just awesome and I enjoyed every minute…and it helped that it was 80 degrees and sunny!

Hannah Montana Madness

2008-04-11T11:20:00.004-04:00

Hannah Montana madness has invaded our household...here is this morning's conversation:

(Anna Claire comes walking in my room wearing a mini skirt, her school t-shirt, and her Hannah Montana hair)

Me: Cute outfit, honey. But no Hannah Montana hair at school.

AC: Why not, Momma? It's so cool!

Me: Well, because (a) it's not appropriate and (b) Hannah Montana doesn't wear her hair to school - she goes to school as Miley, not Hannah Montana.

AC: No she doesn't.

Me: Yes she does - she's Miley at school, and Hannah Montana on stage (she only THINKS I don't pay attention! I know my Hannah Montana stuff, people!). As soon as you get home from school, you can wear your Hannah Montana hair and pretend you're on stage.

AC: I sing better than she does.

Me: I'm sure you do, but you still can't wear your Hannah Montana hair to school.

(scowl from AC)

I think I'm now officially a "mean mom."

Happy Birthday, Shoshi!

2008-04-10T15:38:00.006-04:00

On September 17, 2005, a very special lady joined our family. My brother married Shoshawna, or “Shoshi,” as we like to call her. Sho has added such a beautiful dimension to our family. She is one of 4 children, so she added a bunch of fun “in-laws” to our clan, and their children have become good friends with Anna Claire. A social worker who works with seniors, Sho and I have shared a similar career industry, which has been fun. In addition, she loves People magazine, Nancy Drew books, chocolate, and consignment shops, so we have a fabulous time whenever we’re together. Her parents live close to my parents, and the four of them have become great friends. I have a difficult time remembering our family before Sho’s family joined us…we really are one big happy family now. My only regret is that we don’t live closer so we could see them more often.

Sho has not only become a great friend and sister, but she is an incredible “auntie,” eagerly awaiting updated pictures and funny antics of the girls. She is stunningly beautiful (inside and out), thoughtful, creative, compassionate, and loves my brother madly (I can’t blame her for that because I also love him madly – he’s amazing). She is the perfect wife for him and complements him in wonderful ways. She has been a special gift to our family and we are especially thankful for her today, her birthday.

Happy Birthday, dear Shoshi – we love you oodles and can’t wait to see you next month when you come to visit us! :)

Another One Joins the Survivor's Club!

2008-04-09T22:36:00.002-04:00

Today was a very special and long-awaited day. I had the opportunity tonight to finally meet my friend K in person! K has become a very special girlfriend over the past year. I work with her, and she was diagnosed 1 year ago with non-smoker’s Stage 4 lung cancer. Fortunately, it was non-small cell lung cancer, which means there were actual tumors that the doctors could remove from both her spine and her lungs. She has endured not only surgery to remove part of a lung, but many chemo and radiation treatments. Because she lives in Texas, our friendship really developed over email and phone calls as I reached out to her to provide some comfort and support as she was navigating many scary days. We talked about side effects of treatment, which side to have the mediport installed on, the importance of pain management during treatment and recovery, why it’s normal to have good and bad days with regard to physical strength, how to talk with your kids about cancer, how to maintain your marriage as you deal with cancer, and the therapeutic effect of working even on the bad days. We discussed how emotional holidays and anniversaries are after you’ve been diagnosed, products that help dry skin that comes with chemo and radiation, how to reconcile insurance charges, how to get through days when you can’t stop crying, and cravings from chemo.

One of my greatest passions and pleasures is ministering to other women who are facing cancer treatment. It has been such a privilege to come alongside K over the past year and walk through this valley with her. And I’m pleased to tell you that after having finished treatment and completed her first set of scans, she is “NED” – or “No Evidence of Disease.” God is good and we are celebrating her good report!

K happened to be in town for a business event on Capitol Hill, so Gary, the girls and I met her for dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. We had a wonderful time together and it was so fun to finally see her in person, get to know her better, and introduce her to my little family.

K, your friendship is a blessing and I can’t wait until we get to Texas so we can go to Sea World with you and your kids!

An Update on the Knee Surgery

2008-04-08T15:10:00.001-04:00

I had my surgery on Friday and all went well…I spent the weekend on the couch recovering, reading magazines, watching TV, visiting with friends and sleeping a lot. I’m doing really well and returned to work on Monday. I’m getting ready to leave work a little early today because I’m in more pain today but overall the process has been a great one. I’ll get my stitches out on Thursday and will hopefully be back on the treadmill on Friday!

Thanks so much to all my great friends who called, brought flowers, Diet Cokes, magazines, meals, etc. It’s been such a great help and really provided some support to Gary and the girls.

Gary was busy this weekend taking Anna Claire to birthday parties – tis the season! Many of her friends have spring birthdays, so she had a wonderful time attending parties and playing with her friends. Even Leah was able to go to the mall with Gary and Anna Claire on Saturday and she had a fabulous time running around (and running him ragged!).

Insomnia

2008-04-02T03:18:00.001-04:00

I’m still awake – I haven’t gone to bed yet. I’m trying to make the best of it. So far, I’ve done 3 loads of laundry, done a bunch of paperwork for work, tidied up the kitchen and living room, paid a few bills, read some of my book, made lunches for tomorrow and am now watching a rerun of Oprah. I have to get up just after 6 am so it’s definitely going to be a short night if I ever get to sleep.

I didn’t used to have problems sleeping at all. But since I had chemo 4 years ago, I’ve dealt with insomnia every so often. It was really bad at first, but it’s gotten better over time. It’s a long-standing side effect from chemo that many survivors experience. I’ve had it more often lately, but probably because I have a lot on my mind with our upcoming move. It’s maddening sometimes – not so much on the weekends, but during the week when I have to be at a full-time job (and act intelligently most of the time), take care of the girls, and all the other things that life brings, I find myself nodding off occasionally…

I think I also can’t get to sleep because I’m in so much pain – I also have residual bone pain and achy joints from chemo, and it doesn’t bother me very often anymore, but this week has been awful – it’s like having a bad case of arthritis and I can hardly move because I’m so sore and stiff – I’m walking like an old lady! I spent most of the day on Sunday resting on the couch (lying perfectly still seems to be the only “cure”) but now that the week has started again and I’m so busy, I’m in a lot of pain again. Normally I take Advil and that seems to help but I can’t take any this week because of my knee surgery coming up on Friday, so I’m left with Tylenol – which is basically like candy and does nothing for me. Argh. I can’t wait until Friday so I can take something for the pain – it’s so bad this week, it’s distracting. I don’t complain much and I try to keep a good attitude about it, but it’s the worst it’s been in a long time. The only thing I can think of is because I’m not allowed to take my vitamins this week due to the upcoming surgery (B vitamins especially make you bleed more). Other than that, it seems to be random.

If you know someone who has had cancer, just know that the effects of treatment go on far longer than the time period when they’re actually receiving it and have no hair…cancer sucks and it seems to be the gift that keeps on giving sometimes.

Alrighty – enough complaining! I’m off to bed to see if I can get to sleep.

Happiness

2008-03-31T13:21:00.003-04:00

I had a fabulous weekend with the girls. Gary was in Houston interviewing for jobs, and so it was just us girls for 3 days. We spent time at the mall, at Target, at the grocery store, meeting a good friend for lunch, planting spring flowers, painting our toenails, and just playing at home. It was blissful…especially because they were so well-behaved. I was able to have some great conversations with Anna Claire. She is becoming quite the conversationalist and is really fun to talk with.

In other news, I’m frantically trying to get caught up on laundry in preparation for my knee surgery on Friday (our laundry room is in the basement and I won’t be able to navigate stairs for a few days). And yes, my dear husband does do laundry – but he is so good about doing other chores around the house, I usually take care of the laundry (and fewer of my clothes experience shrinking – ha ha).

I’ve been so happy lately – the weather is warming up, I’ve been cleaning out closets like crazy and getting rid of stuff, spending some great time with my family, and just overall becoming more relaxed but also excited about our upcoming move. There will be parts that will be difficult, like leaving good friends, but I am excited about our upcoming adventure and am looking forward to decorating and nesting in our new home. I’m also excited to only work part-time and spend more time with Gary and the girls.

Life is good and I am richly blessed. :)

Cowboys and Indians

2008-03-31T13:20:00.001-04:00

How you know your kids have been watching too many Westerns with your husband when you’re not home:

Anna Claire praying last night:

“Dear Jesus, please help those wild Indians not to be so wild.”

Busted!

Happy Easter To You!

2008-03-23T18:39:00.001-04:00

Happy Resurrection Day to all of you!

I'm happy to say that Gary is feeling a bit better today and doing well. He even got out of bed this morning and came to church and to brunch with us. After we returned home from brunch, the girls looked at their Easter baskets and then hunted for eggs both inside and outside...then we all settled down for naptime, enjoyed a low-key dinner, and we ended the day with the girls in bed and Gary and I on the couch watching a Netflix DVD of CSI Miami - one of our favorite shows…it was a great day with beautiful weather and I was so glad that he was feeling well enough to participate.

Here are some pictures of the Easter egg hunting outside! The girls had such a great time and Leah really caught on quickly to how to pick up the eggs and put them in her basket. The flower headband is compliments of the Easter Bunny. :)

Sometimes, You Just Need A Girlfriend...

2008-03-22T15:08:00.002-04:00

My friend D. is such a rock star. Gary is VERY sick with the flu (the kind that you get the flu shot for that obviously didn’t work for him). High fever, body aches, chills, bad headache, etc. The poor guy is miserable. Anyway, that means I can’t get out of the house without the girls to go get stuff for their Easter baskets. And obviously, I can’t do that or they’ll figure out who the Easter Bunny is, so I was going to go after they went to bed tonight. But my girlfriend D. came to our rescue and decided that she would help us out by doing a Target run for me. I opened the door, and sitting on the front doorstep was a 6-pack of Coke for Gary to settle his stomach, all the fixings for the Easter baskets for the girls, and a BIG Diet Coke with extra ice for me. Pure bliss. It just doesn’t get any better than a girlfriend who buys everything you could need or want for you when you can’t get out of the house.

I love you, D. You’re the best!

Momma Anna Claire

2008-03-21T10:03:00.001-04:00

Overheard this morning over the baby monitor:

Anna Claire opens door to Leah’s room.

Anna Claire clucks her tongue and says, “LEAH! I am SO disappointed in you for taking off your diaper and throwing it on the floor. You are going to get a thump on the heinie!”

No response from Leah.

A few moments later, Anna Claire says, “Leah, now repeat after me…Que pasa, que pasa, que pasa!”

No response from Leah.

Miss Manners Would Roll Over In Her Grave

2008-03-17T19:28:00.003-04:00

Tonight at dinner, my dear husband decided to amuse our children by showing them all the ways you can play with mini corn cobs (remember the kind that Tom Hanks tried to eat like corn on the cob in the movie Big?). Anna Claire especially thought it was hilarious.

How can I expect my girls to act like ladies when their daddy is showing them how to put a mini corn cob up their nose?

Ladies, can I get an "Amen?"

(OK, between you and me, I thought it was pretty funny, but it also further supported my theory that in every man, there lies a little boy who is still in about 5th grade).

Show Me Some Comment Love!

2008-03-17T14:32:00.005-04:00

OK, all of you out there who are reading my blog...time to make yourselves known! :)

Do you know what delurking is? It's when you anonymously read someone's blog but don't post a comment...so come on and show me some "comment love"! At the end of each post, there's an opportunity for you to add a comment. Tell me what you like and give me some ideas for new posts (I do get writer's block from time to time), or just let me know that you're out there!

This One's For You, Kristin

2008-03-16T19:32:00.005-04:00

A girlfriend of mine, Kristin, has three beautiful children, two of whom are girls. Since Anna Claire was 3 months old, Kristin has been kind enough to pass down the clothes that no longer fit Katie and Annie, and we have been SO unbelievably blessed with some beautiful outfits! Seriously, my children dress better than I do!

So, this morning I put on one of the sweetest outfits given to us - and I had to take a few pictures of Leah in it so Kristin could see how much we love Katie and Annie for sharing with us...thanks so much! We continue to enjoy the clothes more than you know.

(and Leah is not crying in the last picture - she's laughing!).

Big Girl Day!

2008-03-16T19:12:00.008-04:00

Anna Claire and I had a great time today after church. She and I went to the mall and had our nails done and then we met my friend Mary and her daughter, Madeleine, to see the movie Horton Hears A Who. We had so much fun! I had been given a $50 spa gift card, which we used to get our nails done, and I'd also received a $50 gift card to the movies, so our whole day was free with the exception of a few dollars at the movie theater. So, not only did we have a great time together, but I hardly spent any money! Yahoo!

Here are some pictures of Anna Claire having her nails done - the lady painted them pink with 3 blades of green grass on each - they look really cute and Easter-y.

Here's Anna Claire waiting for Madeleine to arrive before the movie.

Here's Anna Claire and Madeleine after the movie standing in front of the Horton movie poster.

Needless to say, after doing so many fun things this weekend, Anna Claire is flying high!

Our Little Princess

2008-03-15T16:02:00.008-04:00

This afternoon, Anna Claire had the pleasure of attending a school friend's birthday party where they were instructed to wear their best princess dress! She dressed up in her Halloween costume as Tinkerbell...she had such a great time!

She is really having a fun weekend - we have another surprise for her tomorrow afternoon, so you'll have to stay tuned to see what we do!

Well, the clock has struck midnight and it's time for our Disney princess to clean her bedroom - I can hardly walk in there because there is so much stuff on the floor. I guess eventually every princess's carriage turns into a pumpkin...

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...

2008-03-15T15:41:00.013-04:00

We took the girls to an Easter egg hunt this morning at the historic Freeman House in Vienna. It was so much fun! This was Leah's first egg hunt, and she loved it. Anna Claire was a wonderful big sister and showed her how it's done. Leah even did pretty well when it was time for her to have her picture taken with the Easter Bunny - I wasn't sure how she'd react because she's terrified of Red Robin and other characters who are dressed up. In sharp contract, Anna Claire practically tackles Red Robin and often stands up in her chair and yells enthusiastically across the restaurant, "I love you, Red Robin!"

Anyhoo...back to the egg hunt - it was a bit chilly, so we didn't stay for for the story time or the egg roll, but they loved hunting the eggs and were excited to find out that there was CANDY in the eggs! Here are some pictures:

I love the last picture of Anna Claire with her arm around Leah - they are becoming such good friends...