For the Love of Sleep

2009-05-04T20:18:00.004-05:00

Our house on post was a two bedroom duplex with a good sized garage and a pretty big yard. Behind our yard was nothing but trees, exactly what this country-raised girl needed. We were one the edge of the 'back 40' where the Army did all their training and field exercises.

We moved in at the beginning of September and by the middle of the same month, my husband was deployed for 12 months to Iraq. It was hard to be in a brand new place by myself. I am good at imagining the worst so I thought of those trees and how nobody would see if someone snuck in my back door. I left a light on in the house so that if someone was there I would see their shadow under my door.

It was scary and hard. It took a lot of prayer, but I got through it. Our house made a lot of sounds and it sounded like someone was moving around in the bathroom at night when nobody was. Even other people would make comments about how many noises our little house made. But I got used to it and settled in and felt safe and comfortable.

Then came spring.

One evening I left my room and went across the hall to check on my daughter. On the way back I almost tripped over a huge spider standing right next to my door. Right next to where I had just stepped when walking through the doorway. This spider was big enough it would have taken up my entire palm if I could hold a spider that size without having a heart attack.

I had no bug spray or any other kind of chemicals to kill it with and it was big enough I didn't think I could go at it with only a flyswatter. I wondered how crazy I would look if I knocked on a neighbors door to ask if her husband could come kill my spider. Too crazy, I decided, so I called my brother. He would kill it for me if he could, I knew, only he was 7 hours away in my hometown.

I knew I needed someone to know that I was getting ready to undertake something dangerous in case I didn't make it. They could send someone for my daughter.

While I had him on the phone, I got the biggest, heaviest shoe I could find to go kill the spider. I snuck up on it in the hallway and lunged. At the last second the thing dodged my weapon and into the bathroom. It got between the door and the frame where I couldn't get to it with such a big shoe. I tried and tried but it would only lunge at me between my own strikes. Finally, it took off into my bedroom and hid under a blanket of Lillian's that was on the floor.

I beat that blanket for a full minute. Then, my brother said the words that still make me shiver. "You are going to have to look." I picked up the blanket to check that the spider was indeed dead and *sigh* it was.

After that my mom thought she would have fun with it and told me it was probably a baby spider and now the mama would be coming after me. haha, mom!

I never did see another one so big, but I did see a LOT of them after that day. If they were small enough, I would just drop a heavy shoe on them. If they were bigger, I learned to spray them and just wait until they were dead to sweep them up. If I squished them, they would splat all over the floor (eww!) and make a bigger mess to clean up.

I got handled it, but I never could get used to moving something and finding a spider under it. It would make me jump and squirm every time.

Eventually, my husband came home and became the spider killer. He was amazed at my cool, collected attitude toward the spiders, but inside I still had the shivers.

8 Things Meme

2009-05-04T12:29:00.002-05:00

I saw this meme at Beck's and since she didn't tag anybody, I am going to pick it up. Here we go!

Eight Things I'm Looking Forward To:
1. My husbands parents are coming this weekend to stay. It will be the first time they have stayed with us so we are looking forward to the extra time with them.
2. My 10 year high school reunion this summer. Should be fun. Hope it's fun...
3. I might get to go to the library alone this evening. Alone, but with a friend.
4. Summer!
5. Chris coming home and listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince before bedtime.
6. Watching Lie to Me while I fold laundry
7. Going on a weekend getaway in a few weeks. The kids first trip to an amusement park.
8. Working on some knitting

Eight Things I did Yesterday:
1. Slept too late
2. Got to church a bit late
3. Taught 7 3 year olds in Sunday School
4. Worked in the nursery during the afternoon service
5. Ate leftovers for lunch
6. Took a nap
7. Had our last AWANA night before our award ceremony
8. Cooked bacon and eggs for dinner at 8 PM

Eight Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Eat whatever I wanted and not gain weight
2. Sew- it is my next project. I have already picked out the machine I want.
3. Make time speed up or slow down at will.
4. Trade brains with someone for awhile.
5. Afford a full time house keeper
6. Do a better job staying in touch with people
7. Always know the right thing to say
8. Think of another goal...

Eight Show I Watch:
1. Lie To Me
2. The Office
3. Psych
4. Burn Notice
5. Monk
6. Myth Busters
7. Phineas and Ferb
8. Good Eats

I am tagging you. There, now go do it!

2009-04-21T09:02:00.002-05:00

When we are in the car or on walks, Lillian likes to imagine about her future. She has a whole house planned out with several swimming pools and maids that will take you to Chuck*E*Cheese anytime you want to go.

She wants to wonder who she will marry and what she will do. She has decided to be a princess mermaid. Then a teacher and right now she wants to be a singer. No matter what she says she wants to be, she says "but I will me a mom, too. Because I want kids." We have talked about getting married before you can have kids and that you can do whatever you want to do and have kids too, if you want.

The other day she said something about having kids and it occurred to me that maybe she wouldn't have kids for some reason. Maybe she will decide not to or maybe she will not get married for some reason. Maybe her and/or her husband will not be able to.

I told her that not everyone has kids when they grow up. She said "What!? They get to choose?" I told her yes, people get to choose. Then she said, "Oh, I thought Jesus got to choose."

Advice Needed

2009-04-18T10:22:00.002-05:00

Last weekend our neighbors moved and had a yard sale. They had an Easy Bake oven for sale. I told Lillian what it was and if she wanted it she could go ask about it. They said she could have it for a dollar and I said IN FRONT OF THE MOM that Lillian had to buy it out of her tooth fairy money. So she got it and brought it home and when I looked at it, it was only the oven itself.

So here is where I need the advice. Should I look for the other pieces and buy them for her or buy her a new one or just let her learn a lesson? I should add that this is the very first time Lillian has bought anything with her own money.

Right now I stuck the oven in the garage and she seems to have forgotten about it all together. I told her that she needed to still be a little older to play with it by herself and it didn't have all the pieces yet so we couldn't use it anyway.

What do you think?

2009-04-16T16:55:00.002-05:00

So, I was on this diet. But then I had a package of unwrapped kisses in the cupboard. Did you know that you can buy them already unwrapped? Or, I guess they just don't wrap them in the first place.

Anyway, while I was cleaning the kitchen I had them out on the counter and was popping one in my mouth whenever the kids weren't looking because I am nurturing that way. Then, I put Isaac (who is 2) down for his nap and sent Lillian (who is 5) upstairs to clean her room while I shut myself in my room looking at knitting patterns.

Eventually, Isaac woke up and as I was walking through the kitchen I thought I would grab a piece of chocolate for him but the bag was gone. I looked in the cabinet thinking I had stashed it safely away but it wasn't there. So I asked Lillian where she put my chocolate and she said she flushed it down the toilet. I laughed and said very funny but she said "No really, I did." Then she took me upstairs and showed me. She said she ate a few and then dumped the rest down the toilet and flushed them. I just couldn't stop laughing long enough to be mad at her. I still haven't figured out her reasoning but I am pretty sure it was not with my best interests at heart.

Also, if your 2 year old puts bean and bacon soup in his hair but you just lay him down for his nap anyway, when he wakes up it will look like a stylist for a hip magazine has styled his hair.

2009-04-15T14:30:00.002-05:00

My crazy computer finally died. May it rest in pieces. My husband bought me a snazzy new one so I am finally back.

Just to recap the rest of my diet/detox, I ended up going for 10 days. The last few days I only drank 1 glass of juice the entire day. I just wasn't hungry. Eventually, though, I just couldn't take it any more. I had to chew something. It started to get to me, so I ended it.

I feel like 10 days was an accomplishment that I can be proud of. I fell short of my goal by 4 days but for my first time at this, I am proud of myself. I am already planning on doing another one soon.

I ended up loosing 12 pounds. I have gained back 4 since I started eating again, which is what I expected to happen. Once you eat solid food again, you will naturally gain back 3-5 pounds.

The biggest change that I have noticed is that I get full so fast! I will sit down with the amount of food I am used to eating and I can't finish it. I think the cause of this is first, my stomach is smaller than before. That sounds weird, but when we are used to stuffing our selves (not that I did that. *ahem*) our stomach gets larger and it takes more food to feel full. So my stomach went back to the size it should be, or at least closer to it.

The second thing is, I have learned to read my body better. I know when I am full and can stop eating and when I just want something. Also, when I want something, it is probably water that I am wanting.

I just want to leave you with this recipe. I have eaten this for lunch this week and I look forward to it every day. It is so good you will feel like you are eating something naughty when it is SUPER good for you.

Veggie Wrap

spread:
1/2 block cream cheese (this is enough for several wraps)
Tb sun dried tomato pesto

mix together and spread over tortilla or flat bread

mix:
1 shredded carrot
1/4 shredded and peeled cucumber
shredded Monterrey jack cheese
diced tomato

put a generous amount on tortilla. Add a large handful of fresh spinach leaves and roll.

You can do this wrap SO many different ways. It is the spread that makes it. I also added some bean sprouts. You could add some turkey or even grilled chicken. Trust me- make this today!

Day 6

2009-04-04T14:40:00.005-05:00

Today is day 6 of my detox diet. I have lost a total of 9 pounds so far. I am feeling great and have tons of energy. Exactly like everything has said. I am not hungry, but am always SO thirsty.

I have always been a very low energy person. Lately, probably at partly because of my weight gain, I have been even more sluggish. Anything that I did would wear me out. So today I had enough energy to do everything I wanted to do with out being worn out and needing a nap. For me, that is a big thing. I am loving how I am feeling now.

I thought I would answer a few questions. Becky from Frumpmama wanted to know if I am following a specific book. I'm not. My biggest resource has been http://www.juicefasting.org/. They do have a down loadable book that you can follow. I also just google juice recipes and find some good ideas. I also linked to a great article at cbn.com about fasting.

Phoebe from Cents to Get Debt Free (who is my friend from high school! Hi Phoebz!) wanted to know if I tried a green smoothie. I can't have a smoothie. Even though it does sound good. Spinach with mango blended in a blender. Even though it is a blended smoothie, it is still solid food. I can only have liquid from the vegetables or I will continue to be hungry. There is some pulp that comes out of the juicer. Most of that I let rise to the top and spoon off. I did get some spinach and am deciding what to do with it. I don't really know if I can juice it.

My sister wanted to know if I have had any "poo issues." Thanks, sis. You always keep it real. I have had the issues you would expect to have after eating only raw vegetable and fruit juice for almost a week.

Another thing I wanted to add was that I feel like my taste buds are changing. Before I needed sweet or salty or garlicky food to enjoy it. Today for dinner I drank the juice from a tomato, half a green pepper, a carrot and 2 apples. It was so good! Not something I would have enjoyed a week ago.

Also, I have never been able to drink a lot of water. I was always making sugar-free flavored waters but lately have been feeling bad about all the artificial flavoring and sugar that I was drinking and even giving to the kids. So the amount of water that I crave every day has been great. Water is my favorite thing right now.

The hardest part so far has been cooking for my family and not taking a bite to taste the seasonings. Okay, and not taking just a bite of cheese tonight. I have been making really yummy dinners and sitting down with my glass of juice and watching my husband and kids eat. That is not easy, but not hard any more.

So, thanks for all your support and kind words. It has really helped to raise me up.

Day 4

2009-04-02T21:28:00.002-05:00

Let me just say that I hope today was the worst day and that it is over now. I feel like I have been only complaining these last few days and I need to get away from that.

I have had one weird reaction, though, that I wanted to talk about. My mouth has been burning and I think I figured out why. Sometimes when I juice a lemon I just put the entire lemon in the juicer. I think all the zest from the lemon was burning. So, lesson learned- the little extra flavor is not worth the pain.

So, enough of that and on to my good news. I was down three pounds today. And, I am enjoying an herbal tea with honey tonight to wind down with. I also want to report a success today. I was offered a piece of chocolate- it was even dark chocolate. I turned it down.

Anyway, not a lot to report today. I feel like this post is too boring to even publish, but here we go! I am hoping to have only good things to report for tomorrow.

Day 3

2009-04-01T19:23:00.002-05:00

No weight loss to report for this morning. I was thinking of weighing myself again before bed but I want to stick with my rule of weighing in the morning. I do have some good news, a pair of pants that I couldn't button a few weeks ago fit nicely today. Well, still a little snug but I could wear them. These are pants that fit great last summer and a few weeks ago had a big way to go to fitting. I am looking forward to trying a few other things on.

There is a great article today at cbn.com about juice fasting. There are a few recipes as well. That was encouraging to read right now. I am hungry right now. Probably the most that I have been so far. It isn't anything that I can't handle. It is so different than how I usually feel when I am hungry. If I didn't eat for a while I would get very shaky and VERY grouchy. Right now, though, in spite of a few tummy rumblings I feel pretty great.

My arms and legs felt sore today and still felt weak. I had a nice nap this afternoon while the kids were in their rooms and it helped a lot. I have been reading that the 3rd or 4th day is the worst. So either today was it and I am past it or tomorrow will be. Either way I can tell things are going to be fine. I did not have much trouble today with the temptation of food at all.

And I know now what a temptation it was. There was an obedience problem that is coming to light. I have been given stewardship over this body, this house, and this family. I have not been properly taking care of any of that. I need to take care of my body and not indulge in whatever craving I have at the moment. That is not God's plan for me or my body. This body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I need to treat it like it is.

So, I am going to keep going with this. I am actually enjoying the process. I am enjoying learning so much about myself, even in these few short days. I can't believe how much I thought about food. I can't wait to see what else is in store!

Breakfast:
1 mango (minus a few pieces for the kids)
enough pineapple to fill up the glass

Dinner:
2 carrots
1/4 cucumber
1 lemon

Day 2

2009-03-31T22:20:00.002-05:00

Today was not so bad. I was really prepared for the worst. I did not wake up hungry and I haven't had any terrible hunger pains all day. I was a bit hungry tonight after dinner, but it was not too bad. Nothing a glass of water didn't fix.

I have had a few weird things today. I don't know if it is really related to the detox or not, but I will report them anyway. I have had a sort of coating on the roof of my mouth that will not go away. Even right after brushing it still feels yucky.

I had a small headache all afternoon. Nothing that I would normally take Tylenol for but it was there.

I have felt sluggish today. Like my arms and especially my legs just didn't have any energy. Climbing the stairs felt like a major accomplishment today. I didn't feel tired today, just like I did something strenuous.

For breakfast I had the BEST drink. It was 2 pears (2 was too many- next time I will use 1 1/2) a lemon and a small piece of ginger root. It could also be made with apple in place of the pear. This was so good! I will be making this even when I am not on a diet/detox!

For dinner I had 1/2 carton of cherry tomatoes- all I could find that were ripe, a few handfuls of grapes for sweetness and 1/2 green pepper. It was not bad, but very thick. The green pepper seemed to stay at the top even after I stirred it. The grape juice sank to the bottom, so the last half was much better than the first. Sort of like dinner and dessert all in one glass.

The hardest thing today was making dinner. (Oh, my husband quit. Did I say that already? He lasted about 12 hours.) I made home made spaghetti sauce. It was hard to make without tasting it. It would not have been a big deal, but I knew it would make me hungry. Also, when I was helping Isaac (who is 2 now) with his food it was very hard not to lick my fingers. Also, the cookies were teasing me today. "Just one butterscotch chip!" they kept calling from the counter.

I have to say, I have been impressed with my willpower so far! Tomorrow, though, is Mops. We are having a spring swap so it won't be a regular meeting with a ton of food, but I know there will still be something good. If I can get through tomorrow morning, I will be set. This is going to take a lot of prayer.

2009-03-31T08:24:00.003-05:00

So, um, I lost 4 pounds? I know it is just water weight at this point, but I like that number on the scale. Also, I was expecting to be SO hungry when I woke up this morning, but I'm not! I feel pretty good. Normally when I wake up in the morning I could eat my own arm I am so hungry so this is a pleasant surprise! I will report more later!

Day 1

2009-03-30T21:26:00.002-05:00

Today was the first day of my juice diet. My cleanse.

For breakfast I had a grapefruit, an orange and 2 small apples. Not bad! Sweet and filling enough. I was hungry by dinner time but not intolerably. Then at dinner I had 4 carrots, 1/4 cucumber, 1 stalk of celery, 1 and 1/2 apple and 1/2 lemon. All I can say is yuck! It was just too thick. I ended up leaving some in the glass. Next time I think I will only use 2 or 3 carrots and a whole lemon. The cucumber gave it a nice flavor, it was just the thickness of the juice that I didn't like. Oh, and a few glasses of water.

The day went fine. I was pretty tired around 2:00, but I don't know if that is really anything different. I kept busy to keep my mind off wanting to eat. That was the biggest struggle today. I had to remember not to just pop something into my mouth as I went about my day. Just a bite of a cookie or just one slice of cheese. I never realized how much I would eat during the day. This has really made me notice how bad my eating habits are.

The biggest question, I think, would be how bad is the hunger. Right now I am hungry but I really feel that it is more of wanting food than needing it. My stomach isn't growling or hurting, but at night when the kids are in bed is my time to sit on the couch and veg. Eat whatever I want and not have to share it with them.

One thing I have been surprised to notice is how thirsty I have been. I have really noticed that a lot more than feeling hungry. My body is in a constant state of dehydration and I really want to change my habits in this area. I need a LOT more water on a daily basis and I hope to start some good habits. I did stay away from coffee today. I am not a person that can not live without it so I might as well do this right.

I think tomorrow is going to be worse than today, but once I am over that it will all get better. I have decided to weigh myself daily first thing in the morning. I am not going to post my weight, but I am going to post my weight loss. I will most likely post once in the morning to report any weight loss. The isn't a great chance of having any to report so early, but I am sure I will be loosing plenty of water weight in these first few days.

Now I am going to sleep (after I fold a few loads of laundry and watch Lie to me) and forget about food for a while.

2009-03-30T07:09:00.004-05:00

Today begins a new season in my life. A new first. My first diet. In the past I have tried to watch what I eat to loose weight and tried to exercise. I had different results each time. The easiest way for me to loose a lot of weight in a small amount of time is to have a nursing baby. Then, the weight just melts off but after that it starts to creep back on and before I know it I have 15 pounds or more to loose, none of my pants fit and I feel lousy.

Today I am starting day 1 of my juice fasting diet. I am excited to see what happens. This is a total detox diet and who knows the amount of junk I am carrying around. I decided to chronicle my experience here. So, after a long absence from blog-land, I am going in a slightly different direction. I am sure I will still pop on and make a comment about my kids or my knitting.

My husband is also trying this with me. Hopefully he will be a built in support system. I also have a friend that is doing a variation of this diet. I decided on this particular diet first because I have witnessed the results and they were amazing. After doing my own research I found there are many health benefits to a fasting diet. I also am hoping to jump start my weight loss. My husband decided to try it just because I am doing it.

The plan is to try this for about 12-14 days. If we are feeling like we can take it, we may add another 5 to 7 days. The health benefits during this last week are the greatest. We will drink a glass of juice in place of every meal. No solids are allowed. Drink plenty of water in between. Coffee is allowed, but only black or with non-dairy creamer. Dairy and all proteins are off limits. Of course no sugar and absolutely no chemicals- nothing processed or enriched. Only fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

I am excited about this. There is of course a very spiritual aspect of fasting, even a juice fast. I am excited what the Lord will show me during this time.

There are so many areas of my life that I need to get into order and this is a good way to get that started. I am armed with my juicer, my Bible and a kitchen full of fruits and vegetables and I am ready to start my journey!

2008-12-11T09:04:00.002-06:00

I spent most of the night before last on the floor of the bathroom with the stomach flu. Which means that I spent the day yesterday on the couch or in bed. My kids ate fruit, shredded cheese out of the bag and cookies from my cookie exchange.

The floor of the living room is still covered in cheese and really needs mopped after the milk tag they played at lunch. Oh, that is where you take a drink of milk and then spit it at each other.

This morning I actually managed to get Lillian to school on time and Isaac dressed- yesterday Lillian stayed home and in her pajamas all day and Isaac only had on a diaper and a button up shirt on with only one button fastened.

I am going to try to take a shower today and maybe do some laundry. The stomach pains have passed, but I am still so light headed. I just think I need to take it easy and have another lounge day. Just. no. energy.

Which means that I have to miss the last day of our ladies Bible study and the pot luck tonight with my knitting group. My husband rented Wal-E (or whatever) last night to keep the kids entertained this afternoon, God bless him! He even filled up the tank of my van last night when he took the kids to McDonald's and stayed there for 2 hours, cuddled up in the back of the van with blankets and watched a movie.

So, if anyone has some spare time and energy- I could put it to good use! Just send it my way!

2008-12-09T22:52:00.004-06:00

We finally decorated our Christmas tree yesterday. We will be going this week to get the kids ornament, which is one of my favorite Christmas traditions. My husband did this growing up and I just love the idea of going through all the ornaments and remembering. I know so many of the stories behind his ornaments but there are still some that I don't know. It is like a new gift when he remembers the story behind them.

I can't find the tree skirt, though.

And that basically concluded our Christmas decorating. We have two nutcrackers and a snow globe. Oh, and a nativity scene, of course. I don't really have any place to set it up so it may live in the kitchen this year. I would like to decorate our small banister this year and hang the stockings on it. If I don't get to all this soon, it is going to be too late.

My husband bought lights for the outside of the house, but they are still in the van.

So basically, we are a bunch of scrooges around here. We never even finished the paper chain to count down the remaining days until Christmas.

But last night, after the tree was decorated and we were all sitting at the table with hot(ish) chocolate I asked Lillian to tell her little brother what Christmas is. She said without even stopping to think that it is Jesus' birthday. She went on with a few more details, none of which included Santa or presents or food. Just the love of Jesus.

Seven Random Things

2008-12-01T18:58:00.002-06:00

I was tagged a few weeks ago by Veronica over at Toddled Dredge for the seven random things meme and so here I go...

1. I am not good at random. I try to be. When I try to make something look random, after I step back and take a look, it looks like a checkerboard pattern

2. I really like to read. I just finished the Twilight saga, which I really enjoyed. Any good recommendations on what to read next?

3. I am on the Women's Ministry team at my church. We are the Lady Bugs.

4. When I was 4 I was playing on a tractor and fell of the step and broke my arm. I only fell about 2 feet. I told my mom that I fell off the porch and was a guilty mess until I finally told her the truth after my cast was off 6 weeks later.

5. I LOVE Chick-fil-a. I don't think i could live anywhere that there wasn't one close by.

6. I don't really like the cold. I think it should only be allowed to snow at Christmas time. The rest of winter it should be at least 50 degrees.

7. I don't like heat either. I get sick when I get too hot. It should never be above 90 degrees.

I am going to tag Becky, Amy, and On Dragonfly Wings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T11:18:00.002-06:00

Right now, the ham is finished, the potatoes are cooking, and my husband is upstairs playing with the kids. Pretty good life.

We decided, since my husband has to work in the morning, that we would stay home for Thanksgiving this year, so this is my first time making a holiday meal on my own. I opted out for the turkey because, well, my husband asked for ham. We are having a jammie day and just hanging out.

My pies turned out fine, but not really very pretty. I was trying to boil the potatoes and they never would start boiling. The coil on my stove went out this morning. Great timing!

But my son likes the cranberry sauce. My kids are doing a puzzle with their dad while some years we have just waited for a 15 minute phone call from him from somewhere far away. We have a warm house and more than enough food. Lillian is enjoying the Macy's parade. I have more blessings than I deserve.

2008-11-09T14:05:00.006-06:00

This week has been the climax of fall. The ground is carpeted with yellow leaves and the trees are all on fire and glowing.

This time of year makes me think of the majesty of God. Imagine the God that loves us so much that instead of the leaves just falling off the trees and going straight into the bleakness of winter, He graces us with the beauty of fall. He takes the time to make the world a beautiful place for our enjoyment and for His glory. All nature and beauty point to our loving Father that wants to bless us.

Imagine the God that even loves a leaf that is about to die and fall to the ground so much that he touches it with beauty. How much, then, does He love us?

2008-11-06T13:00:00.003-06:00

I had one of those moments this morning after dropping my daughter off at school. The kind of moment you never think you will have until becoming a parent. Then you find yourself using the word poopy and using clothing as tissues.

As we were driving home my son was very still and quiet so I looked back in the mirror at him and he was staring very intently at his hands. He just looked so cute and serious. His little forehead was scrunched in concentration and something like confusion. He was touching his finger to his thumb and opening it again very slowly. I realized that they must be sticking together a little and he was wondering why. Then he stuck his finger in his nose and started it all over again.

2008-10-27T13:36:00.006-05:00

We were infested with spiders.

Weird atmospheric phenomenon

Odd looking creatures started lurking about.

Happy 5th Birtday, Lillian!

2008-10-21T16:57:00.002-05:00

My kids are upstairs playing by themselves. Together, but by themselves. I don't know what they are doing- if I go look it will all be over. I wish I could record the belly laughs that are coming down the stairs, though. I just wiped down the kitchen and swept the floors, folded a load of laundry and started dinner. I even had a brief telephone call. All without anyone attached to my leg or asking for anything. I think they are building.

My daughter is speaking so sweetly to Isaac. (Lillian is going to be 5 on SUNDAY! and Isaac is 20 months- FYI) She is using her sweet mommy voice that is usually reserved for the babies at church. Isaac is loving the attention and giggling away.

I feel torn, though. I want to go up there and join in the fun, but I know if I do I will also be ruining a bit of their fun. They need to be able to play together and if I go up there, the game will have to change. Also, I am enjoying this bit of apartness before my husband comes home. Oh, and the sound of their little voices are just so, so sweet.

Okay, times up! Chris just pulled into the driveway and so I give them 30 seconds after he walks through the door to come downstairs. I'll keep you posted!

2008-10-15T21:12:00.002-05:00

My hairdryer quit this morning. I was in the middle of drying and a spark came out of the bottom followed by a flame. A FLAME! It was just for an instant but quite scary. Needless to say, I have not had a good hair day.

See, I try to keep things current and relevant here. I am very culturally aware and try to keep you up on what is important. Forget the state of the union. What is important is the state of my hair. I just need to keep my priorities in order, you know?

Okay, something else. Isaac has been talking so much lately. Here are a few of his favorite words. Doggie, Mi-e (Miley, our puppy) Mommy and Daddy. He says them daDDY with the emphasis on the end. so cute. Moo (moon), ball, belly, nose, peeeeesh (please). His favorite word is NO! followed by nonono. It has been so fun to hear him start to talk and remember things that I tell him. His favorite things to look at are animals of any kind and trying to make animal sounds. A few weeks ago anytime I asked him what an animal said he would growl. What does a horse say? ROAR What does a dog say? ROAR Now he knows dog and cat and sheep and (sometimes) cow. I love to hear him sound like a cat because he does it so sweet and soft.

New topic: My good friend is moving away. She is the friend I have had the longest since I have moved here. She has a daughter that my little girl loves to play with. (And get into trouble with) and we had our second babies together. Our due dates were two days apart so it was fun to have a friend to go through that with. That is the hardest thing about the military though (apart from long deployments). Every time you make a friend, they move away! At least we have all this technology so we can easily keep in touch. I'm not too worried though, they will be stationed here again soon. I don't doubt it!

Tonight as Chris and I were putting Lillian to bed and saying prayers, she told Chris to go first and "say something excellent." Then, when it was her turn she said "Thank you for me and Isaac and my family and please help Mommy be good." HA! funny. Can you tell what I am usually praying for her?

2008-10-03T20:33:00.006-05:00

Okay, updates on my life:

~We have moved into our new house and are almost finished unpacking. It has just been under a week and we are loving, loving it!

We love having enough bedrooms, having a huge yard and mostly not having to show our I.D. at the gate on post to go home.

~A few weeks ago (man it has been a looong while since I updated this blog!) was my birthday. September 20. We went to a tourist-y place for window shopping and lunch. Here are a few pictures. Oh, I turned 28 in case you were wondering.

I am not very photogenic, but my daughter took this picture. She is quite the photographer. It just doesn't do justice to how beautiful it is there. I should have taken a picture of the sandwich that I had! Heaven on a plate!

~Who needs chairs? (this is at our old house, on post. The weird thing on the floor is a half-chewed dog bone. Yuck.)

~My husband got a promotion. Although it takes effect December 1, he had a ceremony a few weeks ago and gets to wear his new rank.

~I am in love with the movie The Spiderwick Chronicles. It was such a fun movie. We all watched it for our Friday night movie and the whole family loved it. I am going to have to get the book.

I guess that is the biggest things that have gone on here recently. I plan on posting some knitting posts soon. I will just end this with a funny thing Lillian said the other day:

Lillian: Can I go potty in your bedroom?

Chris: No, but you can go in our bathroom

Lillian: *giggles* Ya, that would be really rude!

2008-09-13T19:47:00.003-05:00

I went to AWANA training all day today. I had to meet the other ladies at church this morning at 6:30 and I am really not used to being up at that time. The sun was just coming up when I left my house. It was really beautiful. Now, it is almost 8 and I am pretty much beat. Before I hit the sack I wanted to share something that I heard today.

The first is a story from one of the instructors. He is a college professor and teaches Christian Ethics so he gave a lecture today on teaching ethics to children. He is also a geologist and likes to explore caves with some of the college students. He said that one thing the students always like to do when they get into the cave is turn off the light to see what happens. What happens is very obvious- it gets very, very dark. There is absolutely no light.

One time, after they turned off the light he was waving his hand in front of his face and he could just barely see it. There was no light anywhere in the cave so he knew someone must have some light somewhere. They all searched through their bags and one student found a flashlight inside his bag that had a glow-in-the-dark sticker on it. That cave was so dark that the sticker gave off enough light inside the bag that they eventually could even make their way around the cave.

The darker the world gets and the more hopeless it seems, the less light it takes to make a difference. One little dim light can light up everything around you and make a huge difference. So, shine your light as bright as you can when the world seems dark. Even if you are only able to give off a little light, it will show the way to someone lost in the darkness.

2008-09-05T16:05:00.003-05:00

In the front yard at our house lives a family of ponies. My daughter talks to them in the mornings while she is waiting for the school bus. They eat the little red berries that grow on the bushes. The smallest pony (Becky) likes Lillian to pick her up and she whispers in Lillians ear that she loves her and is hungry so Lillian shows her where the lowest bunch of berries are. There is also a baby pony named Jessica. The moms name is Miss Tina and is a unicorn. She is shy and likes to stay behind the tree. Every morning Lillian takes the time to pet them and speak very kindly to them and hold the smallest like a baby as long as she wants. They are very good and very quiet ponies and never make any messes. They aren't our pets (I don't think) but they are my favorite animals that we have.

2008-08-31T19:56:00.003-05:00

We went to feed the ducks today. We had a nice time playing at the park and walking out to the duck pond. Isaac ate the bread instead of throwing it to the ducks. Lillian fell right on those sharp rocks and will probably have a bruised bum in the morning. Chris sat back and took care of Miley (the dog). We had a nice time and the best part was not thinking about the house we didn't get. The worse part (for me, anyway) was getting ate up by the bugs. Oh, and the walk all the way back to the car. That part is never fun, for some reason.

2008-08-28T22:26:00.006-05:00

Oh, Alpha, where are you AlphaDogma. Gwen Stefani went and named her child Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale. I need you to mock it. To call him Nestli Quick or something. Sigh, I miss you.

We are finally putting an offer in on a house tomorrow morning. This house hunting stuff is hard work. Especially on a deadline. We need to be out of our house on post by September 30 so we really needed to find a house this week. We probably looked at close to 30 just this week. It was grueling, especially since we have had both kids with us each time. Our realtor is great and so patient and we finally found a house.

Not without drama, of course. We found a house that is PERFECT for us. We knew we would like it, but between the hardwood floors, sun room, covered deck and beautiful big yard, we were in love. The only drawback? The owners won't move out until December 1. So, it just won't work. And as much as I tried to convince my husband to live in an apartment for 2 months and I can go live at home until we can move in, he just didn't think that was a good idea. So, I guess that is what I keep him around for- making good judgement calls.

Then it was just down to two houses that we loved. One smaller, 3 bedrooms but in a great location. One 4 bedrooms with a great layout but in a less than convenient part of town. We went with the smaller of the two because the neighborhood just felt more like home. So, tomorrow we are putting in an offer and I hope to be settled in fairly quickly.

I want to just leave you with some pictures of what I have been knitting lately.

A sweet baby hat (I will be making one of these for Isaac as well) and a pair of socks for myself. If you love to knit and haven't tried socks on two circular needles, you should. It is a way that makes them very quick. And I am loving this self-striping yarn.

2008-08-24T19:52:00.002-05:00

It has been too long since my last post. My mind has just been too preoccupied by a few things and I couldn't bring myself to write about either of them. The first is obviously the house search. It is not going as well as we had hoped. About the only option in our price range is way to small or falling apart. Or both. We are waiting right now to find out if the once house we found that could work is going to be ours. The buyers rejected our first offer. They really aren't willing to negotiate at all so I think we may have to move on. Fun times. But, I haven't wanted to make this a "I'm looking for a house" blog, so I haven't written.

The other thing that I have had on my mind is a very dear friend of mine. She had a baby on August 8 and the next day started running a high fever and having migraine's. They finally discovered she has encephalitis. The swelling in her brain has caused her to have memory loss and be very confused. She didn't know she was in the hospital or who her husband was. They finally removed a rather large piece of her skull to relieve the swelling. She is, as of the last report, doing better. She was finally taken off her ventilator and is responding to them when they talk to her and ask her questions. It seems like things are looking up, finally. They think she will make a full recovery and not have any long term complications. She likely won't remember anything during this time and that may include having her baby. She has already missed the first three weeks of his life and I know she will be disappointed about that. The important thing is, she will be there for the rest of it.

I have not want to write about this while it was so fresh and while I was so worried. My friend just delivered her fourth baby boy. Her oldest just turned five. If you could find a moment, her family sure could use prayer for healing and comfort.

To Do List for the Week of Aug 17

2008-08-16T23:25:00.003-05:00

- Go grocery shopping
- Catch up on laundry
- Buy a house
- Make dentist appointment
- Work on socks and afghan

2008-08-13T13:32:00.003-05:00

The wait is almost over. My husband's medical retirement is almost complete. I will not really go into it because you just have to understand the military and that is impossible even for those in the military. Just know this: the Army's unofficial motto is hurry up and wait. That is not a fun place to be. To make a long story short, we were told in January that it would take 2 or 3 months. He is now, in the middle of August being told it is going to be about 3 weeks.

Anyway, on with the good news. My husband landed a nice job here, at the post where we currently live. This is great news for us. I miss my family a lot and would really like to move closer to them again, but we really love it here. It feels like home to us. I really never thought that I would choose to stay here but it really feels like where we should be. We won't have to find a new church and new mommy groups and a new hairstylist. Okay, maybe just I won't have to do those things. Also, we know what areas are good to live in here and so that does alleviate some stress when it comes to buying a house.

That is stressful enough. This will be our first house. I am really excited to get on with finding one that is perfect for us. Well, I guess we really can't afford perfect, but at least right for us. We have a few that we really like already so hopefully it won't take too long. Because, of course, we have to do this the most stressful way possible. We have just over a month to get out of this house so we really need to have something else lined up.

Also, just because I am really excited about it and also because I don't really know how else to end this post, I am going to change the subject. I am starting my sock knitting class tomorrow night. We are going to learn to make socks on two circular needles. I am almost finished with my afghan so I am going to need something to distract me from all this stress.

Lillian's first day of school

2008-08-11T22:15:00.004-05:00

Plus, I found the USB cable for the camera. Okay, Chris found it.

This is Lillian this morning before school. Very excited to go. Why does the date say May 22?

This is Lillian after class. This is also the wall where they line up for class. Very exciting stuff.

This is Lillian this afternoon after lunch. Completely knocked out.

Trouble comes in threes

2008-08-06T20:19:00.004-05:00

So first, my van was sideswiped and I had to deal with calling police and reporting a hit and run. Then, I got a ticket for pulling out in front of a state patrol car. Now, I hit a cow.

Yes, that really happens. It was one that was not quite full grown. It ran out in front of me and I just got the back hip. It broke its leg very badly. I had to stop and tell the farmer that his cow was out and that I hit it. It is his responsibility, of course, but I felt so horrible! The poor little cow. Plus, I know how much they cost and what a problem that farmer now had to deal with. Luckily, there wasn't a lot of damage to my van. The cow, not so much. He had plenty of damage to his poor leg. I just hope this is the end of the bad car karma.

Just a few things

2008-07-23T20:54:00.004-05:00

In the car on the way home from VBS this afternoon:

Lillian: What does A L O H A spell?
Me: Aloha
Lillian: I know. I just wanted to know if you knew.

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Want to know why I can't keep my house clean? As I am folding laundry in one room, Isaac is pulling potatoes out of the cupboard in the other.

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I finally watched So You Think You Can Dance. I always forget about it, somehow. The best thing about it is watching my kids dance along to the music. The worst thing is Mary. She is SO not on the hot tamale train.

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I don't know what happened, but all the print on my computer is now in size 28 typeface and I don't know how to fix it.

Make sure you go before you go

2008-07-20T20:28:00.002-05:00

My first mistake, not using the restroom while I was still at my knitting class. My last mistake was pulling out in front of a state trooper. Any idea how to come up with $188 for a ticket for failure to yeild?

2008-07-16T08:40:00.002-05:00

We are having a lazy day around here, apparently. It is 8:40 and Isaac is still in bed and Lillian and I are still in our jammies. The only thing that I have so far accomplished is making a pot of coffee and rescuing a few things from Miley the puppy that she thought would be fun to chew on. After we get a few chores done then we may go to the pool and continue in our laziness. But I may be too lazy even for that. This morning would be a great time to work on my knitting, but I am out of yarn until Saturday when I have class again. I do have some great pictures but I still can't find the cable to my camera. Not that I have looked very hard.

I thought this summer would be a nice respite for me. Mops, AWANA, and Wednesday night children services at church are all taking a break for the summer, so I thought it would mean that I would have a lot of down time. For some reason I have been running, running, running every day. I have never been so busy. We still have lots of Mops get togethers and a Bible study. Lillian still has school and I still have lots of errands. I am taking a nutrition class one day a week. Plus, it is summer time which mean a lot more trips to the park and other fun outings. All written down I guess it doesn't seem like much, but it has been a very busy summer.

A summer that is already almost over, really. I finally got Lillian enrolled in school for Pre-K this week. School for most of the kids here starts on August 6 and for her starts on August 11! Can you believe it! All of August is spent in school. When I was a kid and August rolled around that meant we still had a month left of summer. The added bonus to this is that the pools on post are closed since all the lifeguards (or lifegardens as Lillian calls them) are high school students.

So, we are going to try to enjoy the summer and the pool while it lasts. If we can stop being too lazy to even enjoy the lazy days of summer.

Dream Land

2008-07-13T13:25:00.003-05:00

Do you remember you dreams? Sometimes as soon as I wake up I loose my dream and can only remember the feel of it. Other times I can remember small snap shots of information. Other times I can remember the entire thing in amazing detail and relay it like it was a movie I watched.

Sometimes I dream about my husband or another person that I know very well except that in my dream they do not look like themselves. They are a completely different person but I know it is really them.

I can still remember the first bad dream that I ever had. My mom got bitten by a turkey and was paralyzed. I had to go to school that day (in my dream) and I was so worried all day that there was no one there to take care of her while she stood like a statue in the doorway to her room.

I dreamt about my daughter while I was pregnant with her and I knew she would look just like she did in my dream. She did, too.

So it has been very different for me lately to be having so many bad dreams about my husband. Dreams that he is with another woman and laughs when I find out or expects me to be happy and excited for him. I know these dreams are probably just my worries about our future and not a representation of how I feel about our marriage right now. In fact, just in case you are now worried, my marriage is the best it has ever been. Chris has never been unfaithful and I know he never will. It is just not in him. My insecurities about our future are more about where we will live and less about if I will be there with him or not. That is unshakable. Chris and I are one and will always be. When I wake up, I know this, but still I am upset at him. My feelings are hurt and I am angry anyway. I know that it is unreasonable to be grouchy at him because of something that happened in a dream but still I feel so unsettled. I explain it to him, what happened in dream land and he laughs and says that it does seem like a bad dream. Then he holds me and it all melts away and goes back to where it belongs. No where.

2008-07-10T10:02:00.002-05:00

We finally settled on Miley for our puppy. She went through Lisa, Bonnie, and Molly before we decided. Add that to her former family's name, which was Lily and that is a lot of names for one little puppy in a very short amount of time. But, we love Hannah Montana around here so Miley it is. If you don't understand the Hannah/Miley connection, you obviously don't have a daughter above the age of 2. Also, my daughter screams anytime she hears the Jonas Brothers. And she can pick them out even without seeing them. It is almost scary. We are just listening to Radio Disney and on they come, followed by a soul-piercing scream.

I would love to show you a picture of our miniature pincer mix puppy, but I STILL can't find the cord to my camera. What an odd thing to loose. Here are some other things that I have lost in the last week or so: a package of loose leaf paper, the folder with the papers I need to enroll Lillian in school and my ability to put away clean clothes. Only my own, but still. It is getting ridiculous.

So, today is filled with glaring at my laundry and going though cabinets getting ready for our Mops yard sale Saturday and finding time to get to the grocery store. Oh! I keep forgetting to put the roast in the crock pot. Dinner isn't going to be very good without the roast. I'm actually making pulled pork sandwiches so that means that I must get to the grocery store because I don't have anything for it except the pork roast. Man, am I organized or what.

2008-07-05T06:55:00.002-05:00

Happy 4th of July! We have had a great holiday so far. We went out with some people on their boat Thursday night and watched the fireworks display on the water. I was a bit nervous about the kids being out on the water, but they did so well. Plus, they looked so cute in their little life vests. Isaac especially acted like it was something we did all the time.

My mom and my sister came for the weekend, too and so Friday night we went to hang out in the church parking lot to watch the big show that was on post. I miss the display that we usually go to back home, but it was a great fireworks display. There is just something different about the fireworks going off right in front of you and the noise of it all that is part of the experience and I missed that on Friday.

In other news, my sister also brought us a puppy. She is a sweet little thing and we are thinking of calling her Bonnie. That was after Chris decided on Lisa and then everyone laughed at it at church last night. So, he finally listened and conceded that Lisa wasn't a good name for a dog after all.

So today (Saturday) we are going to the water park for a few hours this morning and then later we are going to bar-b-que some chicken and make some red-white-and blue dessert and just hang out and enjoy each other. And as soon as I find the cable to the camera I will post some pictures. I have some great ones that I have really wanted to post and now my cable is missing. (again)

2008-07-03T08:59:00.002-05:00

So many months ago I was tagged for a meme about 8 odd things about me or interesting things about me or something which I found to be so difficult I never finished it. I am just not interesting. I even asked for help from my husband and sister and together we couldn't come up with anything interesting. Which is why I write this blog about my crazy, interesting self. heh. So, I have been tagged again by Beck and I thought this time I would buckle down and do it.

Think back on the last 15 years of your life. What would you tell someone that you hadn’t seen or talked to for 15 years? How would you sum up your life? You get 10 bullet points. A list of 10 things to summarize about you. At the end of your list, tag 5 more people and send on the love…

1. I went away for one semester of college. Just enough to be a waste of money
2 I got married to Chris, yes, the same guy from high school. Yes, he has grown up a lot and is very clean cut and has quit all of his, um, bad habits from high school.
3. I am an Army wife and I live in XXX. I never thought I would leave my hometown and now I did.
4. Yes, my husband has been deployed twice and yes it is hard, but we got through it just fine.
5. We had a baby girl who is now 4 and a half. (She gets upset if you forget the half)
7. I am a stay at home mom.
8. We had another baby almost a year and a half ago. Yes, just two kids so far. Just because we got married a year after high school doesn't mean we were pregnant.
9. I am very involved in church. Not a big shock I guess.
10. I love being an Army wife and a mother and I am really looking forward to the new phase of our life in the civilian world. I can't wait to see where God takes our family and how he will provide for us and bless us.

Okay, now for tags. I tag
1. Lanessa
2. AlphaDogma even though she probably won't do it
3. Amy
and that is all. Just three.

Get Smart

2008-06-27T07:12:00.002-05:00

My husband and I went to see this movie last weekend and we really loved it. It was so funny and of course Steve Carell can be hilarious just with a straight face. I never watched the old series but I think this is totally worth going to see. We had a great time with our kids in childcare and it felt like a real date. He even bought me popcorn and then a smoothy later. It was some much needed adult time.

It is amazing that I have seen this because I am always so behind in movies. The last movie I went to see was Enchanted!

2008-06-23T22:27:00.002-05:00

I have been trying to do yoga these past couple of weeks. I do not get a chance everyday, but when I put Isaac down for his nap and Lillian has room time, I put in my video and do one of the 30 minute routines. Since I began, my back and shoulders have been giving me fits. I do not remember any time when they have hurt this bad except when I had a pinched nerve. It is a good thing in this case. I have terrible posture, I have come to realize. During the day now, especially if I skip a day of yoga, I notice my shoulders up around my ears and all hunched forward. When I put them back where they should go it feels so much better. Like I can breathe again. I feel like my spine is aligning.

I need to find a good instructor in my area, since Haley-O is a little far. I am very inflexible and sometimes I notice how off I am in my poses. I enjoy my videos, though and I do not really enjoy making a fool of myself in public, even at the gym. I have been having a great time learning, though and if the (beginning) poses are too difficult then I can stop if I feel like it.

So far I have really enjoyed the time I spend taking care of myself every day and breating fully is nice. I feel like I am strengthening my arms and legs and slowly working on my endurance. My favorite is when it is over, though. I love the relaxation techniques and every time almost fall asleep during before it is over and am startled when it is over.

I need a reminder

2008-06-22T22:29:00.002-05:00

For we all stumble in many things. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body. Indeed, we put bits in horses' mouths that they may obey us, and we turn their whole body. Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things. See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world on iniquity. The tongue is so set among our memebers that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell.
James 3: 2-6

In-betweener

2008-06-18T20:55:00.003-05:00

Lillian is in that in between stage of growing up. Or, I should say one of the in between stages. At 4 and a half she is not a baby and not a big kid. She sleeps in a twin bed and has not slept with her bottom in the air for a long time, which says big kid. She uses my shampoo and conditioner, but I still wash her hair. She uses baby or kid body wash, but washes herself. She makes her bed, cleans her room, puts away her own laundry and even helps with other chores around the house occasionally. She memorized all of her AWANA verses this year and at the end of the year had memorized almost 20 verses. Sometimes, though, I still see a baby in her. She cries when she gets grumpy and frustrated. But then, she will say, "I'm sorry, I'm just grumpy." Sometimes she just wants to curl up in my lap, but she is getting so long and lanky that it just isn't comfortable for either of us for long. She is so great with her brother sometimes, and others it seems like she just can't help but pester him. She loves to dress up in her princess outfits, but then will put together an outfit that is really great and add lots of different accessories and tell me she is being a cool girl. In fact, she says all the time, "lets pretend we are cool girls". "Pretend?" I say. "We are cool girls." She is only 4 and 8 months and only getting ready to start pre-K, but she is such a big kid, too.

The good, the bad, and the odd.

2008-06-13T20:47:00.003-05:00

-finally able to see the Allman's again and had way too much fun.
-Chris, Isaac and I got a sun burn at the beach in Destin
-Lillian had a blast playing in the waves
-she also had a fit when we saw two crabs. I thought she would never go in the water again
-Isaac's first trip to the beach was better than I ever could have thought. He loved digging and feeling the sand. He didn't even mind the water in his face, too much.
-Chris was stung by a jelly fish and had a bad blister on his foot from his sandals which blistered over and was filled with sand. Gross.
-I went to a fancy smancy grocery store and bought fresh made peanut butter and a 9 dollar carton of cookies. I think this was one of the highlights of the trip.
-Chris was finally able to go on a "date" with his friend Jason and see Indiana Jones. He really misses his buddy.
-We had so much fun we took about 5 pictures on our trip. Most of them I took in the morning before we had to check out of our condo.
-Learned that Alabama has weird city names, loves peanuts, and apparently does not ever clean their public bathrooms.
-Do not take advice from MapQuest. If it says go north on your trip to Florida, do not listen. Use your own good sense and just keep going south.

2008-06-05T16:39:00.002-05:00

Great news. On the way home from picking up Lillian, my van was hit. Fun times. We stopped to eat at Sonic and then went next door to McDonald's to rent a movie and go to the bathroom. We were inside for maybe 5 minutes. When I came back out, there was a big swipe down the back side of the van. I was about to get in the van and just leave because what could I do, really, if the jerk just leaves. Just then a man gets out of his truck and hands me the license plate number and tells me it was a silver Impala. So, I called the cops. They took a report and then I called my insurance company. The entire time I felt like I was making a big fuss about nothing. Really, there is a big scrape but no dents or anything. Very minor damage. It's the principle, though. Who would just hit a car and then just leave? A criminal, that's who. A jerk, at least. So about an hour after I was back on the road the guy called me and apologized. He went to the police station and let them know what happened. After I got back home my husband took over all the phone calls and running that this has caused. I really wanted to just drop the entire thing after he called and apologized which is why I need my husband- to be strong for me. Then today I found out what kind of person does this- a mentally challenged person who was taking his sister to McDonald's. If I didn't feel bad enough already, now I feel terrible. The good news is he did not end up getting a ticket because of his handicap and because he tried to come back and find me and when he couldn't, he went to the police. So, I guess this can just be life experience for him. When you hit a car, stick around or leave a note. Do not get flustered and leave.

2008-05-29T21:01:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am going to pick up my daughter from her grandparents house. She calls them her grandfamily. She has been there since Sunday and it has been nice and quiet here. Isaac has enjoyed having more attention and I have really got a lot of knitting done. (Okay, Lanessa, not completed) The week didn't exactly go as I had imagined, though. The first day and a half I was sick. The next day I spent getting the house cleaned up for company that night and then today was just running errands to get ready for our trip tomorrow. I have The Mermaid Chair to listen to in the car on our 7 hour drive and I am really looking forward to that. So, the week went by too quickly, but I will be glad to have our little family all back together again.

I'm not sure how Lillian feels about it. I think she would stay there all summer if I would let her. She got to go to the pool (the inside one!) and to my aunt's to see them and my grandparents and my aunts ducks and ponies. She didn't take any naps all week and stayed up past her bedtime every night. I plan on bribing her with trips to the pool and our upcoming vacation to see Lanessa and her boys on our way to Florida. Hopefully that is enough.

2008-05-23T20:22:00.003-05:00

It has been three days now, with no nursing. What I have noticed most is much more cuddling. Before if Isaac, who is 15 months, was tired or cranky or hungry (of course) he would want to nurse but never cuddle. The last few days have been very nice in that way.

I have also noticed a change in my body over the last month as we have slowly gotten closer to this point. My boobs are back to their non-existent form and my pants are just a tiny bit more snug.

I feel a little sad that this phase of our relationship is over but a bit relived, too, to be honest. I didn't really see this coming. He was always a good nurser and I thought I would have trouble weaning him. I thought he wouldn't want to give it up. He nursed all the time until he was 12 months. I couldn't get him to eat hardly any food up until that point. After that, he would eat but still want to nurse afterward, before and after bedtime and naps and several times throughout the day. I am happy that it turned out this way, though. I am glad it happened gradually, on its own. I have only had to tell him no once or twice and he didn't cry or anything like he usually would, so that makes it easier. I just feel like my baby is growing up too fast.

I don't feel the baby craving yet, though. (Sorry Lanessa!) I thought I might when I got to this point. I thought I might start wanting that little newborn person. Not yet. Maybe, if Isaac will ever learn to walk...

Isaac is weaned

2008-05-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure how I feel about that.

2008-05-16T07:57:00.003-05:00

Have you ever walked into a room full of people and realized that you didn't know anyone? How did you feel? Usually, when I am in that situation I feel small and lonely. This happened to me on
Wednesday. I was invited to a luncheon for the caregivers of wounded warriors. It was a small group of about 20 women and I arrived late because of another meeting I had that morning. As I walked in, I felt all eyes on me. I felt the normal spotlight that I feel when I am in uncomfortable situations. I felt like everyone was wondering who I was and what I was doing there. Why I thought I belonged in their group. And then, somehow, my thoughts changed. Instead of Oh, no! I don't know anyone! I thought, interesting. I don't know anyone. I realized that no one in that room knew that I was shy and awkward when I am meeting new people. That is is so hard for me to strike up a conversation with new people, or even people that I am acquainted with. So, I decided that I wasn't going to be that person. After we started eating our delicious lunch, I went to say hello to the lady running the meeting and appologize for coming in late. She said that she was just glad I could make it, and instead of thinking she was just being nice, I chose to believe what she said. Then, I sat at my table with two complete stranger who obviously didn't know each other either because there was an uncomfortable silence. So, I started a conversation with them. Everyone soon found out what a small world it is and how closely connected we were. The other two at the table were MySpace friends that had never met or even saw a picture of the other. Then, the speakers started and I put in my questions and comments when I really felt like I wanted to. The last speaker told us all about the life of C.S. Lewis. He had a very difficult life but through it all came back to God. He told us that Jesus died for us and we can all turn to him. But, this was on a military base, so he had to say it in a way that was not offensive. He just told about Lewis's life and how he coped with the heartache and loss he experienced. I was really touched at the gentle way he presented the gospel to these hurting women. So, after the meeting was over, I shook his hand and told him so. As I walked back to my car with my new acquaintances and (awsome) door prizes, I wondered who this person was. This person I became during this meeting where I knew noone. I like her. I am going to have her around more often.

2008-05-12T07:22:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. I did. My husband made me homemade cinnamon and sugar muffins for breakfast and cooked a nice dinner for me after church. We sat on the couch watching movies and then he took the kids to the store for an hour so that I could have some peace and quiet. After they came home I spent some time coloring with Lillian and playing with Isaac. It was one of those days that ends up just like I hoped it would.

Not like the rest of the weekend. We had a date Friday night. All day long my stomach had felt puny, but I thought it was just cramps. We went to a restaurant then a bookstore and about the time we had to pick up the kids it hit me. I was so sick. I ended up in bed and sick all night. My poor husband had to take care of his pukey wife. He is such a great guy when I am sick. Well, I should say he is a great guy when I am getting sick. Anyway, not the way I would have wished our night to end. I was pretty disappointed. I have to wait and get sick on our monthly date night. Nice. Well, I guess there is always next month.

Another Mops post

2008-05-07T13:34:00.002-05:00

Today was our spa day at Mops. We had a local spa come and do a little pampering for us, absolutely free. Is that kind and generous, or what? Here is how it worked: they offered three different services, 5 minute message, facial, or paraffin wax hand treatment. There was a sign-up sheet to sign up for one service. Then, we could just go down the list and make sure everyone was given a bit of pampering. That is how it should have worked, anyway. Of course the message was booked very quickly followed by the facial. A lady came in just as our meeting was starting and I told her to go ahead and sign up. She said she wanted a message and I told her that was the first thing to fill up but she could sign up for another treatment. So, when the lady was introduced and said that she could start taking people, who do you thing RAN from the back of the room and landed herself right in the message chair? And do you think she was the only (so called) lady to barge in? Nope. This meant that some people did not get the treatment they signed up for and some none at all. I just wonder, how do people have the gall to do things like that? How can someone just put their own desires above a whole room full of people who deserve it as much as anyone and actually got their on time to sign up for something? If I saw my daughter act this way, she would be in a lot of trouble and we would have a long conversation about manners and taking turns and courtesy. I guess when we get to be adults and no longer have mothers to point out ways to be better, we just rely on other peoples manners to not call us out.

2008-05-04T13:21:00.003-05:00

I am half way finished with my afghan. I am planning some pictures soon, but as they are just different 12 inch squares, there is not much to show. I am looking for something to work on next and am thinking of learning to make socks. I really want to learn all different techniques. I really enjoy making different patterns, like lace work and cables. I am now on Ravelry. I am cyndiknits. Come by and check it out.

2008-04-24T20:57:00.002-05:00

I think we skipped spring.

Yesterday my kids and I spent quite a while out in the back yard and it is HOT. We filled up the pool and they both got in and out because the water is still freezing, but after a nap we came back out and the water was so nice. It just seems odd to be playing in the water in April. Nice, but odd.

Not that I played in it. I sat and read Little Women. Can you believe it is the first time I ever read this book? I can't. It is wonderful and I will be sad to end it. My sister and I are trying to read all these books that everyone should read, so if you have any suggestions just leave me a comment. We have caught up on Jane Austen and have read Jane Eyre, so hit me up with lots of suggestions.

2008-04-16T20:23:00.002-05:00

Stressed spelled backward is desserts. We learned that today at Mops. Our topic was stress management. Take time for dessert in you life everyday. Desserts in life are laughing, doing something that you enjoy and twirling. Just try to be stressed and focus on what is bothering you while you are twirling around. The worst thing that could happen is that you start worrying about falling and cracking your head open.

After we came home, my kids and I went out to play in the back yard and I now have my first sunburn of the season. It isn't too bad, so I am a little excited about it. No one was wearing sunscreen. (I am not stressed about this, but...) It is just so early in the year it didn't even occur to me. No one else is burnt, thankfully, but this just shows how fair skinned I am and how easily I burn. Anyway, we had such a great time with everyone running or crawling around and climbing over everything and each other. Then, my husband came out to play and I went in for a little 15 minute nap and read a bit of my book.

Later, dinner at church (including ham, coleslaw, and peach cobbler!) and then Bible study. Now it is time for some television and knitting. This was a dessert kind of day.

2008-04-07T20:16:00.002-05:00

My daughters bedtime is 8:00. It is currently 8:16 and she is still in the bathtub and I am blogging. Oh well, she is having a good time with her ponies. Here are some other things going on in our lives right now:

My husband is getting out of the military soon. He is getting med-boarded which means he will have a medical discharge. This is good and bad. It means that he will always have great health insurance and we will too, for a very low cost. Also, we will get a check every month, which will be nice. The bad part is that it is a very lenghty process with no real time line. In January they told us 3 months until it was all finished and now they are telling us 2 months to go. So, we can't really count on that. Also, when it is finally finished they will pretty much say, okay, it is done. You are out of the Army now. Add that to the fact that he can not actually get another job until he is officially out of the military combined with the no time line thing can make this a pretty stressful process. We are thinking of staying in the area that we are currently living in (which my mother is SO happy about, but that is another story...) but that means buying a house, researching school districts and stressing about what will happen if he is offered a job in another part of the country. So, that has been fun.

Isaac has discovered books. I have a few board books out for him and he just can not get enough. His favorites right now is a book about the Muppet babies and The Lonely Firefly. He crawls over to them and brings it over and grunts until we read it to him. He just laughs and laughs while we read it. Today, Lillian and Isaac were in the living room and I was in another room and I heard Lillian "reading" his book to him. It melted my heart. Also, he is not walking yet. He is over 13 months old. Actually he is not even standing alone yet. I am not too worried about it. Lillian walked when she was 15 months, so I know he will get around to it when he is good and ready. That is the way it goes around here. My kids get lots of teeth very early (Isaac already has 12, including 4 molars) and roll over, crawl and walk late.

The Office! New episode on Thursday! Can't wait. Here is what I am wanting to find out: Will Dwight and Angela get back together? Will Michael and Jan break up? What is going on between Pam and Jim, because something didn't seem right.

On our recent trip home I listened to an audio book and what a difference it made! Our 7 hour drive seemed to go by too quickly. I also got a movie from the McDonald's red box. That way Lillian could watch a new movie as many times as she wanted and then when we got where we were going we could return it there. I think we have a new routine for car trips.

Also, while I was gone my husband cleaned the entire house. He was Mr. Spring Clean. He cleaned out closets, drawers, shelves. He moved furniture and scrubbed and made everything look like new. And, even better, he has helped me keep it this clean since I have been home. Isn't he the greatest? To show him my appreciation I bought him the second season of Smallville.

I want Carly or Michael Johns to win American Idol. Chris also likes David Cook and Brooke.

I LOVE knitting. My afghan is coming along really well and I am over a quarter of the way done. I have learned how to do cables, bobbles and lace work. I think the lace work is a lot of fun, which really surprised me. I didn't think I would like it as much, but it is challenging and I really enjoy it.

So those are some random happenings and thoughts of late.

2008-04-02T23:04:00.002-05:00

I haven't been on the big blog-o-sphere for almost a month! Why? Computer problems, of course. First the monitor went down and then the internet. We still have no monitor but I have taken my husbands laptop in the meantime. I miss my keyboard.

So what has been happening since that day in the beginning of March since I last updated? Well, we ended up with about 7 inches of snow (that is quite a bit here) which was completely melted in 2 days. My good friend Lanessa moved away. My husband took 2 whole college classes in 4 weeks and got an A in both. Proud of you, Honey! I went to visit family for about a week. And knitting, of course. So that is a month in review.

Now on to try to catch up with other blogs which seems like a big job. So, I just wanted to pop on with a quick update while I have a working computer. Hopefully I will be back very quickly with a real update.

Today

2008-03-07T11:06:00.003-06:00

Isaac is:

Lillian is:
I am:
then hopefully:

Happy Birthday, Isaac!

2008-02-26T21:42:00.003-06:00

Here, the cake in the face picture.
Oh, look how much you have changed!

2008-02-23T17:33:00.002-06:00

I'm tired. I am tired through to my bones. I am so tired I have misspelled words three times already. If I knew how to cross things out, I would make that four times. I am at the stage (five times) that I can't tell if I am getting really sick with a cold or flu or if I am having a major allergy attack. My eye is itchy and watery so that is saying allergies, but what about the bone numbing weariness accompanied by the waves of weariness and the occasional weariness. My children are both just getting over colds with fever so I could have caught that. I don't know. I know you will be very interested to know, so I will keep you updated on the source of my congestion (and weariness).

In other news, my knitting and I are getting along famously! I have learned to increase and cable. I have learned to read a pattern and correct most mistakes that I make. I have completed two squares so far including the crochet border around both. It made me question my ability to count to 48 but other than that went pretty well. Also, my friend Lanessa bought me a beautiful knitting bag with a zipper (I never realized how important a zipper on a knitting bag was until I had one) so that makes it even more fun.

Oh, also, my husband and I went to a piano bar for Valentine's Day. We had such a great time eating alone and having real conversation that is not peppered with interruptions. We just sat at the restaurant for almost two hours and enjoyed each other and the music.

Okay, my baby is calling me and so is dinner. (Mostly, the couch is calling me.)

2008-02-14T20:11:00.002-06:00

Happy Valentines Day! Did your sweetheart do anything special for you today? My husband didn't notice my new haircut, gave me a card and a knife sharpener and went to the movies with his buddy.

Nice.

Actually, the card was very sweet. The knife sharpener was just a knife sharpener- not a gift. The movie is a longstanding ritual that usually happen on Saturday night but we are going out on a date on Saturday so they are going tonight instead. (The Army has a four day weekend for Presidents Day this weekend.) He really didn't notice my haircut, though.

We are trading babysitting with our friends (hi, Lanessa!) this weekend. They are going out Friday night and we are going Saturday. This is, by the way, the same friend that he is at the movies with right now. So, we are really celebrating love day then, instead. I guess we are going to the Olive Garden. This will be the first time we have been out to eat alone since July. I am really looking forward to it.

Today is also my sisters birthday. (hi, Deanna!) She turned all of 22. For her birthday I got Lillian to tell her that she looks older than me. I am such a good big sister.

It was also friend day at Lillian's preschool and we had to make out 40 (40!) cards. That was a lot more work than I had imagined.

So, whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day today, tomorrow, or Saturday, have a great day and tell someone you care about how much they mean to you.

2008-02-13T22:47:00.002-06:00

First, I wonder when my stomach got so fat. Then, when did my pants get so tight? Then, a few days later I notice that I just can NOT get going in the morning. I don't even have the energy to get the coffee going. And, why am I so grouchy and short with everyone, especially my husband? WHAT is up with my skin, anyway? Then yesterday, everything finally fell into place. Why is it that I wonder at these same things, month after month. One of these days maybe I will catch on.

It's almost sad

2008-02-11T09:18:00.000-06:00

16% Geek

God bless Nora Jones

2008-02-04T09:48:00.000-06:00

Until we move, Isaac, who will be one year old this month (what? can that even be true?) is still sleeping in our bedroom. His crib is in the corner of our quite small room and every noise we make when we go to bed wakes him up so I knew that we had to come up with something better. Chris thought maybe we could put him in the laundry room, but somehow that doesn't seem like a good solution. I couldn't do laundry while he was sleeping. Plus, that just seems wrong, somehow. We can't put him in his sisters room because she has (mild) night terrors and she would wake him up anyway. So I finally came up with the idea, and then thought 'why didn't I think of this sooner?' to put on some music to cover up any noise me might make getting ready for bed. Even just pulling back the blankets could wake him up sometimes. I "borrowed" Lillian's CD player, popped in a CD of Nora Jones and he slept just fine. Then last night as I was getting him ready for bed, he kept looking over at the CD player to look for the music. I turned on the CD and he immediatly cuddled in to me and was ready to sleep. Why didn't I try this earlier?

Good News Bad News

2008-01-28T11:17:00.000-06:00

The good news: When we woke up this morning, everyone was well!

The bad news: I really messed up my knitting.

2008-01-26T15:18:00.001-06:00

EEEP! I had my first knitting class this morning. I have not been out of the house in the past week except for an hour to go to the grocery store, so I enjoyed it that much more. I am working on an afghan and got some actual work done. Marie, the wonderful, patient lady that is teaching me, said that I am going to pick up knitting very well. I knew enough to go ahead and start today. I also learned how to use circular needles and now I wonder why anyone would use anything else. It made things so much easier. This is it! A lot of work for two hours, right? HA! This is a picture of the afgahan that I am going to make.
So, this is what I accomplished today. It is not a lot, but after showing Marie that I could do the knit and purl stitches, learning her cast on technique and making a gauge piece, this is a good bit for me. In case you were wondering, the stitch is called reverse garter stitch rib. And also in case you were wondering, that is my husbands little booty at the top of the picture. I hope you can see the pattern in it alright. I am really having a great time and I hope to have a lot finished before my next class next weekend. I am really glad that I decided to take a class. I never would have tried making something like this so it is really good for building up some confidence. I will post more when I have some work to show. I am going to try to keep myself in check and not post every time I knit another inch.

2008-01-21T16:26:00.000-06:00

Isaac is still sick. He has had a fever for a week now. I had his ear rechecked and it looks fine, so that is a relief. They said it could take up to two weeks for him to feel better. That is a long time for someone so small to feel so crummy.

My husband took Lillian to the movies this afternoon. They saw the Veggie Tales movie. And yes, he took her on a Monday afternoon. Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. What? Your husband doesn't get four days off for this national holiday? He didn't even get the day off? Oh, I'll bet you wish he was in the Army now. Also, because those uniforms are pretty sexy.

While they were gone, I had a peaceful shower. No one came and knocked on the door needing to potty and no one was crying in the other room. I did some laundry and the dishes, read for a while and took a nap on the couch in front of a sunny window. It was a very nice afternoon. The moviegator (as Lillian puts it) was supposed to be a family outing, but since Isaac is still so sick the two of us stayed home. I was a little disappointed because I happen to like both family outings and Veggie Tales, but I can't imagine a better day than Lillian having daddy time and me having a peaceful afternoon that included a nap.

2008-01-17T20:19:00.000-06:00

My poor baby boy has a fever. I took him to the doctor today and even after a dose of Tylenol it was 102. It just won't go down. He has an ear infection. I have been a parent for over 4 years now and this is my first ear infection. Luckily it isn't a bad one and besides the fever he is fine. No cold or major congestion yet. I just hate holding him and feeling his little body all hot against me. Meanwhile, I still have a sore throat and a headache and crampyness. My husband totally bailed me out today by cleaning the house. In the midst of all this is sweet cheerful Lillian, singing her songs and playing her games and generally getting on all of our nerves with her healthy self.

2008-01-16T10:40:00.000-06:00

Wow, I haven't posted in a long time. I have been caught up reading a couple of books and all my free time has gone to that instead. The first book was Three by Ted Dekker. I just love his books and if you like suspenseful books then you should really check him out. I read it through in a couple of days because I just couldn't put it down. It pulls you in from the very beginning and then throws a major twist at you at the end. Um, that isn't a very good description of the book, so you should just take my word for it and pick up any of his books.

I am now reading Animal Vegetable Miracle. I remember reading about it over at scratchin' the surface so when I spotted it at the library I decided to pick it up but I didn't actually think I would read it. Since I started reading it, I have been thinking about this book nonstop and I have not wanted to put it down. In case you haven't heard about it, it is about a family in Virginia that decided to only eat what was found locally for an entire year. Did you know that the US imports over a million pounds of potatoes and also exports over a million pounds of potatoes? The thinking behind it, of course, is making money on our potatoes while buying other countries potatoes for much less so that the farmers make pennies on the dollar while the oil companies make a ton on transporting and the middle men make a lot as well. Have you ever had a tomato or corn that was actually grown in your own county, even your own back yard? It is amazing to taste one. It is like remembering what one really tastes like. The book is a very interesting read and one that can really open your eyes to the way food is grown and consumed in the United States. (There is some information about Canada as well.)

So, in a nut shell that is what I have been doing. Reading. But today my baby is sick and I have a sore throat and my laundry really needs to be caught up and my floors need to be mopped and we have Bible study at church tonight so I don't think I will get a lot of reading time in today. Well, I am sure I can find a little time.

Just a few things

2007-12-31T15:30:00.000-06:00

(my sister said I needed to start putting titles on my posts, so there you go)

My husband is reading The Hobbit to my four year old daughter at bedtime. I think it is a little too old for her but he was really excited about it so he is going for it. Then today a girl came to the door selling girl scout cookies and Lillian stood there quietly watching her, like she was thinking of something to say to this older girl that she had never met. Then, Lillian announces "I have big, harry feet." Then she turned and ran back into the house. I was laughing so hard I could hardly fill out the form and when I tried to tell Chris what I said I couldn't get it out. Oh, that girl. She kills me.

Isaac, who is 10 months old now, is saying a few words. When he sees Chris he says da or dadada. It is pretty adorable. I am na-na. Or, I should probably say that is what he says when he wants to nurse. He is also waving and clapping and pointing. Also, copying everything his big sister does. If she makes a noise, he makes it right back. Already I can tell I am in a lot of trouble. He loves her more than anything. She just wants to play with all of his toys and not share any of her own. Then, she wants to lay on him and see how mad she can make him before I make her leave him alone. All this before he can even walk.

I am not making any new years resolutions again this year. I think I started this last year. I never keep them, so it is just easier if I don't make any. Then, I can't fail. One less thing to feel guilty about. I can't wait to see what is in store for us this year. It is going to be a good one, filled with lot of big changes. I can't wait to get started!

2007-12-11T22:11:00.000-06:00

My poor baby was sick today. Of course it would happen on the crazy warm day we had today. It was supposed to be 73 degrees here today! So no riding bikes or playing at the park. We spent the entire morning in front of the television. This is the first time my daughter in her 4 years of life has been sick with the stomach flu. That is a good thing because I can't handle it very well. Cleaning sick up off of the bathroom floor is enough to make me want to jump ship- and be sick myself. I don't know how she does it, but by this evening you would never know anything was ever wrong except for the pink shirt, purple pants and yellow socks she was wearing. I think for her the worst part of the day was having to miss school. She cried when I told her she would have to stay home.

Today was one of those days that you don't really imagine when you don't have kids. The day when you have planned to run errands while your daughter is happily playing dolly house with her best friend. Errands that MUST be done today. Perhaps stopping by for a coffee on the way home. Or a cranberry limeade. Instead you are at home cleaning up puke from a green child while a baby is on the floor outside of the bathroom screaming because he wants to come in, too. Then spending the rest of the afternoon nursing a baby to sleep just to have him wake up and cling to you the moment you put him in bed. Hey, Isaac- you aren't a newborn anymore! You are 10 months old! Go. To. Sleep!

Then around four o'clock everyone wakes up cheerful and hungry and the horrors of the afternoon forgotten. We went to Wal-Mart with Lillian in her crazy clothes and finished my errands. We even stopped and got a cranberry limeade.

What do you think?

2007-12-04T16:58:00.000-06:00

I was a bit suprised by this. I got her a couple of times using different pictures. My husband, though, got Katherine Hepburn. That cracks me up. I can't wait to show him. Thanks to Stephanie over at Adventures in Babywearing for the great idea.

Blank calendar?

2007-12-01T20:58:00.000-06:00

I was reading some posts recently about the worst Christmas gift you ever received. I have had to really think back because there aren't a lot of gifts that really stand out to me one way or the other. I really enjoy giving more than receiving and my favorite memories of Christmas are of the time spent with my family playing games and things. I have, however, received some pretty unusual gifts that I think are worth mentioning. My mother-in-law always tries to have a kind of theme or meaning behind her gifts. So what was the meaning when I got some shampoo and conditioner? Not even nice shampoo, the cheapest brand you can buy. Uh, thanks! Also, one year she got me a calendar that you have to fill in. I don't mean the kind you can put your own pictures on- I mean the kind that you have to actually fill the dates in for each month. Isn't that kind of the point of calendars? That you don't have to sit down and fill them out? One year when I was a teenager my great aunt bought my brother and sister candy and I got a toothbrush. What is that about? What are you people trying to tell me?

What was your worst/funniest Christmas present ever?

2007-11-25T21:14:00.000-06:00

We just got back from my parents house. I was a 7 hour drive in mostly rain, but it was actually a nice drive. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I did. My only question is, who came and messed up my house while I was gone? If you did it, will you please come over and clean it up, because I don't remember my floors needing swept this badly. I am off to take a long soak with a tall stack of magazines and a thick book.

2007-11-14T20:16:00.000-06:00

It is raining leaves. It is just beautiful and magical. I wish I was a better writer so that I could adequately describe the scene. It is also raining. I love the rain except if I have to go somewhere. Then, I hate the rain. I love to cuddle up on the couch with a book and a hot/cold drink and a quilt and listen to the thunder and the rain drops. I do not like feeling soggy and damp.

On other news, the other two teeth have came in and things are going better. I guess it was a teething issue. I still clench every time in case he bites, which he has still done a few times, but things are definitely better. When he bites, I take him off and tell him no and try not to smile at his cute face. He thinks I am being funny, I guess, but he always smiles big at me and his little teeth and dimples are too cute to be upset with.

My daughter, Lillian, who just turned four, has discovered online games. Everyday she comes and asks if she can play a game on the computer. So far it has been Noggin games which are cute and easy enough. If anyone knows of some good preschool games or preschool friendly websites, let me know so she can switch it up a bit.

2007-11-06T14:48:00.000-06:00

I am trying to still nurse Isaac, who is now 8 months old and who has two very sharp teeth and two more coming in, but really, I am starting to look down the road and wonder if I can keep it up. I don't remember being this sore with Lillian when she was teething. I am going to stick it out for a little while longer and see if maybe we are just at a difficult time. If maybe in a week or few weeks I will hardly remember it. It can't last forever. That is what I keep telling myself. What happens, though, when those other two teeth come in?

Happy Birthday!

2007-10-26T14:05:00.000-05:00

My baby is 4 years old today. I can hardly believe it! We are doing a whole lot of nothing today. The weather is not great so we can't go anywhere and as much as she may want to, we are not going to the dentist. She has said every time I asked what she wanted to do today that she wanted to go to the dentist. Well, you went Wednesday, that's enough for this week. I don't get it. Anyway, we have just been trying to ready the house for the party tomorrow but with a clingy 8 month old, that hasn't really been happening, either. I did, however, make the best pot of coffee that I think I have ever had so that is exciting for me, but for Lillian not so much. Tonight we are going out for pizza and maybe a smoothie afterward so that should be fun. Then, of course, the party tomorrow and a church function all evening so that will be a fun day for her. Don't tell her, but she is getting a bike. I think she is really going to be excited and we can even bring it with us that night. I'll post some pictures soon if I can get my act together and charge my camera battery.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-10-10T08:50:00.000-05:00

What happens when you tell your husband you might be late.

2007-10-05T13:58:00.000-05:00

Our Army career is almost over. I'm still not sure how I feel about this. It will be just a few months and we will be living like civilians again. It will be so nice to go back home and live close to family. My son has only been around his grandparents a couple of times in his 7 months. We can buy a house and settle down and not have to worry about orders coming in out of the blue to move us to another part of the world. My husband can have a normal schedule. He can be home the same time every day and not have to leave us for days or even 15 months at a time. All of this make me very happy and excited.

At the same time, I have been an Army wife for almost 6 years and it is part of my identity now. I am very proud to be an Army wife. I know about things like AR's (Army regulations) and M4's (which you are not allowed to call a gun- it is a weapon). I am still figuring some things out but show me an Army movie and I will show you all the mistakes in their uniform. I was really looking forward to adventures like living in Germany or Alaska that I never got to experience. I love, love, love it here. I have great friends and a church that I don't know what I will do without. There are drawbacks to being in the Army, there are great benefits. We have amazing health insurance. We never pay a dime for anything including prescriptions and over the counter medicine. My husband gets 30 days off a year plus lots of paid holidays. Monday is Columbus Day so he gets a four day weekend! How great is that? Can we give all this up to have him home safe and sound? I think it is a price we are more than willing to pay.

Boys stink

2007-10-01T11:32:00.000-05:00

My baby stinks. I am beginning to be embarrassed to be near him in public. He has gas something awful. I'm talking really bad, really stinky. It lingers. He is only 7 months! I don't know what to do about it. He is eating regularly and everything else is still baby smelling, if you catch my drift, but this is just awful. We went to the science center on Sunday and kept smelling something. We knew someone had gas but kept blaming it on the other kids that were there. Then I noticed it was following us around, this bad odor. I checked his diaper and it was fine but he was just so smelly. Like a cat that passes gas and then goes to the other room where the air is fresher. I have never smelled something like that come out of such a sweet baby! I had to put him in another room for awhile before I passed out or started having hallucinations. I just don't want people to think it is me! I don't want to be blamed for his foulness!

Anyway, enough gross talk.

I have read the best book recently! The author is Ted Dekker and he is a Christian author who writes thriller novels. The book that I read is called Showdown. It is about a battle between good and evil, as are many of his novels. It is about a town called Paradise and evil walks down main street one day and turns their lives upside down. I am reading another of his novels now, called Skin. So far, it is really good. It is pretty creepy and I can't put it down. If you have never read one of his books, I would suggest picking it up. It is good to finally read a Christian novel that has some really good edgy writing in it. The only problem with his books are the same as I have with all good books, I read them too fast.

2007-09-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

On the way home from dinner tonight:

Lillian- I know what I want for my birthday!
me- What?
Lillian- a horn
me- um, no, I don't think so.
Lillian- a flute?
me- no
Lillian- a trumpet?
me- nope
Lillian- a tuba?

Happy Fall!

2007-09-24T14:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Fall,ya'll! Here, it is still in the 90's but it is about time to pull out those long sleeved shirts and fuzzy socks. I already made a big pot of chili and am deciding what kind of comfort food to make next while getting in all the bar-b-que in while I still can. This picture was taken standing in front of my parents house. This is what I call a view! My mom is a lucky, lucky woman.

2007-09-21T13:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was my birthday, but I was too busy to post. Last night family members called to see if I had a good day. Well, no. Not really. It was just another Thursday that happened to be September 20, the day I was born. We went to the library for story and craft time then came home and had lunch. After lunch my daughter went to preschool and I came home and did some house work. Then it was time for my daughter to be picked up from preschool and we came home and played awhile and then cooked dinner. I put Isaac in the bath while Lillian ate dinner and then she got in the bath and put them both to bed early at 7:30. About 8:00 my husband got home from a long, long day at work. He brought me roses and a German chocolate cake and we had dinner together, which was very nice to have alone for once. Almost felt like a date! I remember being a kid and the entire day felt special and magical but now it just feels like any other day.

2007-09-19T16:19:00.000-05:00

Today is my husbands first day back at work after his surgery. I haven't been able to get him to sit still the entire time. He is still using his crutches, but can get around quite well on them. We have had a trying couple of weeks, though. Car trouble. Those two words can make anyone cringe. We are (still) in the process of buying a minivan and we were test driving one last week that we really like. My husband went to test drive it again and find out what we can get for a trade in for my car. He called me to say that he wanted to think about it for another night, which was frustrating enough but then about 30 minutes later he called back to say that our car broke down as he was leaving the dealership. AAAHHH!!! Our car is a good car and never really has problems except for this problem. The same thing happened this time last year except last time my husband was in Iraq so that was a lot more stressful! Anyway, if we would have just bought the van we wouldn't have had to deal with this situation and put money into a car that we are getting rid of anyway. So beyond frustrating!

On a plus side, we had our second Mops meeting today! Who-ho for Mops! We had a couple come teach us some self-defense techniques and now I really want to learn Muay-Thai. It is something that I hope I will never have to use, but I really can't wait to show my husband what I learned and 'practice' on him. Uh, as long as I stay away from that knee!

2007-09-07T10:11:00.000-05:00

I live in a house of zombies. It started with my husband. He sleeps with his eyes open. I know, freaky, right? It's not all the time, but it looks like he is looking at me. Then it was my daughter. Her eyes are just open like slits. Again, only sometimes. Then today, I went to check on Isaac while he was napping and I was not so shocked to find him with his eyes open while he was sleeping. My mission is to capture this on camera.

2007-09-06T08:39:00.000-05:00

at dinner:

Lillian: what is this?
me: lasagna
Lillian: What's on me!?

2007-09-04T18:39:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend. We both love it when my family comes to visit. I am so lucky that my husband likes my family so much. My husband and my dad are such buddies and he has so much fun with them all. My brother-in-law wasn't able to come as planned so he was missed. (I have to say that, my sister reads this blog! Just kidding!) It seemed, though, that the weekend was a little cursed. When they got here, it took an hour for them to get the visitor's pass to come onto the Army post that usually takes all of 10 minutes. Then, our garbage disposal clogged up mysteriously. *coughchriscough* Then, our grill ran out of propane just as we were putting the burgers on and when I went to flip them, the whole grill fell in. The burgers were fine and quite tasty, if I do say so myself. So all in all, a pretty good weekend. To short as always, but good. Except for the rest of Monday, after they left, I was so sad and pouty.

It made both of us really realize how badly we want to move back. In about a years time, a year and a half at the most, and we will be back. The Lord willing, of course. We don't know what to expect after we separate from the Army, but we are planning on good things. I am already looking at houses and doing some planning and dreaming. I just can't wait to live at least within an hour of my family as opposed to 7 hours. That will be such a dream come true. It is really something that I took for granted when we lived close. Being gone for these last few years has really shown me how much we love our home. We love here, too, though so I am already sad to leave. I want to just move my family here. I guess that would really be ideal, but I don't really think they would go for it.

So, tomorrow is the big surgery. We really aren't stressed about it at all. It should only take 30 minutes, so we aren't looking at it as being more than a doctors appointment. I am going to stay until Chris is out and then I am leaving because tomorrow is the first day of MOPS! I just can't even say how excited I am for this! I have been more excited in my life plenty of times, but I am still pretty excited. And Chris really doesn't seem nervous at all so that is good, I guess. He already has the crutches and the pain killers so we will see how it all goes tomorrow. He will be home for 2 weeks and then I guess we will see how much he works after that. I am so glad that he gets to be home for awhile. I love having him home. Even though he is going to be doped up on pain meds for the next little bit. My goal during the next couple of days is to have him write a blog post. We'll see how that goes! Until then!

2007-09-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

Yay for family! My family is coming to visit today. Well, most of them. My mom and dad and sister (Hi, D!) are going to be here shortly. This is the second time in the last month that we have had family come to visit us. We are blessed. The only difference is that this time we will be sad when it is time for them to go...

Nothing really planned except watching the kids grow. And eating. There will be lots of eating.

2007-08-28T20:10:00.000-05:00

Not a lot going on around here, hence very few and far between posts. My baby is trying to crawl. Somehow everything new that he has done lately, I have missed. My husband has been the one to tell me and then I can watch for it. Anyway, he is up on hands and knees sometimes. He is finally becoming a bit more independent so that I can set him down for short periods of time without him wailing. He is 6 months now. Wow! I just can't believe it. His half birthday was yesterday. I remember when Lillian was 6 months and my sister called to wish her a happy half-birthday. How different life was back then, over 3 years ago!

At church Sunday night someone looked at me shocked that I was holding a baby and said that she didn't even realize that I was pregnant! She decided it was because I didn't look pregnant. Hmmm... ya, that must be it. (see pic above. i couldn't move it for some reason)

One piece of news around here is that my husband will soon be hobbling around. Well, hobbling more than normal. He is having surgery on his knee next week, so that should be fun. Another person to take care of, not to sound selfish or anything.

IT'S HOT!

2007-08-19T21:23:00.000-05:00

It is so hot. We have been stuck inside like it is the dead of winter because it is so hot. There is a drought and our grass is dead because it is so hot. On Thursday, our air conditioner went out and I thought I was going to roast inside my own house because it is so hot. I can't wait for things to cool off a bit. The sign outside our church says "and you think this is hot?" That really made me giggle.

I am glad that everything that comes with fall is starting up again. I need some structure and more activities to keep us all occupied. MOPS is getting underway soon, and until then we are busy planning and preparing. AWANA is starting in a few weeks, too, so that will be nice. We have started going back to church on Wednesday night after taking a break from it after my son was born in February. I am really looking forward to it. Plus, our church has dinner before church every Wednesday, so that combined with MOPS in the morning makes Wednesday a busy but nice day. Almost like a day off.

Don't know what MOPS is? MOPS is Mothers of Preschoolers. There is one near you. Go to MOPS.org and you can do a search or find out how to start one yourself. It is a great program of mothers supporting mothers, getting out of the house for some mommy time while your child enjoys themselves in another room. There is something for everyone- crafts, fellowship, food.

2007-08-09T11:04:00.000-05:00

You Belong in Fall

Intelligent, introspective, and quite expressive at times...
You appreciate the changes in color, climate, and mood that fall brings
Whether you're carving wacky pumpkins or taking long drives, autumn is a favorite time of year for you

What Season Are You?

I love taking quizes. This is pretty right on, I guess. I do love fall, except that it means winter is on its way. I get excited every year at seeing the trees change. The description is pretty acurate, too.

National Night Out

2007-08-08T11:45:00.000-05:00

Last night was not a total blast. Lillian had fun going down the huge inflatable slide and running around with her friends. But for the rest of us, it was just really, really hot with not enough food. It wasn't all bad. We had a nice time visiting with some friends and Chris got hit on by a little girl and her mother. We entered a drawing for a lawn mower (we really need a new one!) so we had to stay until the very end to see if we had won, which of course we didn't. Isaac got his first ride in a real swing. Even though we didn't have the best time, I am glad that we went and I will probably go again next year because it is nice that the community has these kinds of events for us and has them for free and also, the kids really did have a lot of fun.

2007-08-07T16:53:00.001-05:00

Today was my baby girl's first day of pre-school. (Don't tell her I called her baby girl) She seemed to have a good time and had lots to tell. She played with play-dough and painted. She didn't get to go outside, though, because all the teachers said it was too hot. Two boys got into a fight and one got in trouble. She said she forgot to learn and was pretty distraught. I think she wanted to go back to learn. I told her she probably did, just didn't realize it.

And what did I do with my time? I did my Bible study, folded some laundry and watched People's Court. Not really the relaxing day that I had envisioned, but it was nice and quiet. Now, I only need to plan Isaac's naps on this same time frame and I will be all set!

Tonight is National Night Out. We are going to our community center for some fun and food. Probably hot dogs, but it will be fun. That is, if my husband gets home from work on time, which is really not likely to happen since we have plans. I guess I shouldn't complain, he did have a four day weekend. We didn't do much, mostly stayed home and enjoyed each other, which is nice. Chris and I played games and we went swimming yesterday. It was a very relaxing, enjoyable weekend.

short, short stories

2007-08-01T16:45:00.000-05:00

By: Lillian

Once upon a time there was a beautiful mermaid call Ceochana mermaid.Then her mom washed her clothes in the washing machine so she could be so pretty. And then she said"Mom, your so pretty. Thank you for washing my clothes, they are so beautiful." Then she said, "Mom, I'm ready to go to bed." And then she said, "Mom, can you sing me a good-night song. Can I wash my teeth and take a bath, please?" Then she had to take a bath. She said, "I will stay in bed, Mommy. I will see you in the morning and then my daddy will be here." The End

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess called Sleeping Doobie and her moms name was Cinderella and her sisters name was Snow White and her fathers name was Followtheleaderconchonda. The End

2007-08-01T15:03:00.000-05:00

We have been trying to get our 5 month old to fall asleep by himself at night. I have been reading up on all the latest ways of doing this. They all seem about the same to me. I know I am tired of nursing him to sleep and then as soon as I lay him down he wakes up. We have tried the cry it out method, but it makes me feel jittery. So we are taking what we like from a few different methods and basically doing what we have already been doing. There was an article recently in Parenting magazine about different methods and this pretty much makes up my research on the subject. With our daughter we pretty much let her cry it out and had planned to do the same with Isaac but now we remember that he is not Lillian the second, he is Isaac and we have to do things in the way that is best for him, not what worked for Lillian. That is a hard lesson to learn. But anyway, last night he cried for about 30 minutes before finally conking out. So, we will see how it goes the next few nights. I don't know if my poor heart can take it.

I signed Lillian up for part-day preschool today. She starts on Tuesday and we are all so excited! It will be only on Tuesday and Thursday for 3 hours but I am totally looking forward to it. She needs more of an outlet to be around other kids and not around me. She keeps reminding me that I can not stay with her, I can only drop her off. Like I need reminding. So this fall we will have school Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, MOPS on Wednesdays and church Wednesday night and Sunday morning and AWANA Sunday night. So this will give us a nice break from each other. Although, she is moving into the Sunday School class that I am assistant teacher in, so that will be interesting. This all sounds like we don't really like each other very much, but that sure isn't the case. She is almost 4 now and really needs to be independent. We are both ready for a few hours apart and this will ease us into regular school as next year she will be in pre-k every day for a few hours.

We also went to the pool today where Lillian spent most of the time pouting because her friend was playing with another little girl instead of her. When does this go away? When do kids learn to play with more than one person at a time? Why is Lillian seem to always be the one left out? I told her to just go play with them- they weren't excluding her- or just find someone else to play with but she just didn't seem to feel like she fit in with them.

We are looking forward to a good extended weekend this week. My husband 'might' have Friday off and will have Monday off, too, so that should be fun. Maybe more van shopping, maybe some water park fun, for sure some being lazy around the house. Should be lots of fun!

2007-07-28T19:03:00.001-05:00

Alright, I finally finished The Deathly Hallows on Thursday. What a bad HP fan I must be to take 6 whole days to read it! I'm not going to put my thoughts in too much detail because I wouldn't want to spoil it for anybody, and because my husband will read this and I won't tell him what happens. All I will say is, I loved it. It took awhile for it all to sink in, but it is a great book. I can't wait to see what else she writes. She says that nothing will ever be like Harry Potter and she is probably right, but she is still a great author and I'm sure that whatever she writes will be great.

I'm going to try some new Italian recipes this week. I got a cook book from the library and I really want to keep it! I am really excited about trying them. I was a little overwhelmed, looking through it and trying to pick one to try so I let Chris pick a couple. He picked about 4 and I went with two of them that seemed pretty simple. I am really happy with the ones that he picked, too, because they were some of the ones that seemed the best to me. I need to find a good garden vegetable sauce recipe to try too so I can trick my daughter (and my husband) into eating more vegetables. I am really excited to try some of the soup recipes, but I think I will wait until cooler weather for the soup. I am just going to have to get this book or one like it. Ya to trying new things!

My daughter has been playing restaurant lately and yesterday she served me cherry pie for dinner, something called cacalou- which is cooked fish with a cherry inside- for desert along with chocolate soup. After I 'ate' the fish, though, she told me it had gone bad so I didn't give her any money.

Growing up

2007-07-21T13:56:00.001-05:00

My husband, who is the greatest ever, has taken down the bassinet. I feel like this is such a big move for my baby, going from a baby bassinet to a crib. The bassinet was right next to our bed and the crib is about two feet away, still in our bedroom because there just isn't enough room in Lillians room for the both of them and I don't want them waking each other up in the middle of the night. I just walked in the house about 10 minutes ago and went to check it all out and it made me feel really weepy. It was my daughters bed and I love it. It is a beautiful crib. Plain, but beautiful. I took him to it and put him in it to show it to him. Chris put his tiny dog in that he likes to sleep with so I showed him that it would still be in there with him. My baby is growing up. And I want to know who stretched my daughter!

My Harry Potter book arrived just as I was walking out the door this morning. The mailman made sure that I knew it was here because he knew I was probably waiting for it. I thought that was sweet. I haven't opened the box yet. I am afraid. Once I open that box a few things will happen. One is that I will not want to spend any time with my family until I am finished and the other thing is that I will never get to read a Harry Potter book for the first time again. My goodness! That sounds so melodramatic!

Also going on in my life right now, we are looking into buying a minivan. We really like the Dodge Grand Caravan. I am so proud of my husband for wanting to take this step because he never wanted one and now his is all about the soccer-mobile. My husband is growing up!

Nearly there!

2007-07-20T21:45:00.000-05:00

Just about 2 hours and 15 minutes until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released. And am I going to a release party? No. Am I waiting in line for 30 hours for a book? Nope. I ordered my book a few weeks ago from Amazon to be delivered Saturday- only after I read all the fine print in the guarantee that it will be on my doorstep the day it comes out or it's free. Am I staying up all day and night reading it? Probably not. I am doing a (4th) re-read of the series and I'm not even half way finished with the Order of the Phoenix yet. WAY miscalculated how much time I would need. The plan is to go ahead and plow through them in order. Any bets that when it ends up on my doorstep tomorrow I will forget about all 6 previous books and dive right in?

Dinner a la toilet

2007-07-18T08:51:00.000-05:00

I recently saw a signature, I think it was on the baby center chat room, that said something like I breastfeed in public, but feel free to take your meal to the restroom. I just loved it. I wanted to have it for myself. I remember when Lillian was nursing and I was a new mom I was so scared of people seeing me nurse. I had never noticed women nursing in public and I always felt like there was a big spotlight on me. In hindsight, I see now that the fact that I had never notice any nursing mothers should have shown me that no one would probably notice me either. But I was too scared and timid and my husband was uncomfortable so I was uncomfortable. So I hid in bathrooms and dressing rooms or in my car. Then, I tried it. I think we were at a restaurant and we were a little secluded and no one said anything and my husband (bless him) didn't feel like everyone in the whole restaurant was thinking about my boobs or something like he was afraid of. Now, it is no big deal. It is so much not a big deal that I can't believe it ever was a big deal. There is a lady at my church and she nursed everywhere. I met her while I was pregnant with my baby, Isaac, and she really was/is an inspiration to me. In the middle of church she would nurse and she didn't feel like she needed to sit in the back and hide. I saw her walking around while she was nursing, which to me is like a miracle because I just can't figure that out. So after I had the baby I just went for it. I just nursed where ever I was and didn't act embarrassed and now, people tell me that I am so good at it- that they don't even notice that I am nursing. I still feel a bit, something- self-conscious?, but that is just me. I am very timid about my body, about people really noticing me or anything that draws attention to me or my body and I will just always be this way but something has changed in me. I asked my husband why he feels comfortable now with me nursing in public and he said, "I don't know. I guess I grew up." Maybe that is it with me, too. I view myself as a woman now. An actual card-carrying adult and if you have a problem with my son eating, go ahead and take your meal into the toilet.

Fun weekend

2007-07-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend was such a nice, relaxing one. I went out with a friend for coffee on Saturday and then just sat around the house with my family the rest of the day. I don't know what it is about going out with a friend with out (most) of my family that recharges me so much. I pretty much have to bring Isaac along with me where ever I go since he is nursing ALL THE TIME. Even though while we were out we were pretty much talking about our families, the time away makes it so nice to go home and see them again. It's like taking a nice deep breath of fresh air.

Then on Sunday, we went to church. Lillian was so happy to see her Sunday School teacher after going out of town last week and not getting to see her. She was so excited and I have to admit, I was too. I miss my church when we are gone. Also, this Sunday was the first in our brand new sanctuary. It was so pretty and light and roomy. I think the best thing about it, though (besides the better air conditioning), was that it was almost full. I think that really is special, to open a new building and the first week be able to fill it up. We had a nice dinner after the service and I ate some wonderful peach cobbler because as everyone knows, church dinners are always the absolute best! After church, we all went home and took a nap. Lillian in her bed and the rest of us on the couch cuddled together. Then, we went to the splash park so that Lillian could run around but when we got there, she decided it would be better to run to the park and then back to us on the bench so that she was back about every 30 seconds. My husband had to actually go out and get her wet before she would play.

So now, it's Monday and my husband is back at work and I have to catch up on all of the house work that I neglected over the weekend which now that I look around isn't too much, really. Mostly my nemesis, laundry. My daughter decided she wanted to take a shower and my son is napping. I think I will take advantage of the quiet and be lazy a little more while I wait for the dryer and try to catch up on my reading.

Summer blues

2007-07-13T18:23:00.000-05:00

So, we have had a pretty relaxing week. I am a little bummed that my husbands leave is almost over. He has to be back to work on Monday. I just really like having him around the house. We have had a lot of fun the last week, hanging out and being lazy, going to the park and the swimming pool. I had so many more plans for his leave, I just don't know how time goes by so fast. I guess it is just like summer. I feel like it just started but really it is about half over. While we do not have any school age children yet, everything closes down when school starts. I feel like I have a case of summer time blues. Who sings that song? Alan Jackson? Anyway, I just feel sort of melancholy today and I am trying really hard to shake this funk. Anyone have any suggestions?

On a different note, my son is rolling over onto his tummy all the time now. It makes him so mad, which is just funny. He loves his toys in a way that my daughter never did. He rolls to try and get them and eat them. I think that is what is going through his head pretty much all the time. "I want to eat it." I say this out loud for him in a Dracula sort of voice. Or maybe an Igor sort of voice. I don't think it really amuses anyone but me, but I find it hilarious.

Happy Friday the 13th. Watch some scary movies.