Random but True

1/5/11

If looks could kill, I would give our 12-year old Sheltie a super mean one right about now. She has either whined or barked off and on all.night.long. And by off and on, I mean Off................(long pause...oh about ten minutes long...long enough for me to get relaxed and sleepy again) and On (repeat this process at least a hundred times). If she only knew her life span rested in our hands and just one quick trip to our vet clinic. But with her brain cells numbering the teeth she still has left, she wouldn't know.

I had two strangers ask me yesterday when in the world I was due to have Parker - all because I "look like I'm ready to pop." Awesome!

Jake has been in our bed since 1 am. He went for quite a stretch of staying in his own bed, at least a good month or so. But for the past two weeks, he has stalked my side of the bed, climbing in with random things in tow (his blanket that he'll probably go to college with, his Toy Story garbage truck stuffed with Matchbox cars, and let's not forget the green aliens from the same movie or the Batman that sits on my bedside table at this very moment).

Last night Jim went to a meeting at Jake's preschool about what to expect as he enters K-4 in the Fall. He said he was more than glad he took one for the home team and went to that one himself. He was blown away by just how different his routine will be and what a big boy he will become next year. Sniff...sniff...

The Bachelor started on Monday night (which has me now saying T.G.I.M), and I just have a few words - Fangs, Hot Pink Wedges, Ruby Slippers (only they weren't really slippers), and Slap-in-the-face.

The alarm on Jim's cell phone jams every morning to "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and The News.

Now that I mention alarms, mine is about to do the same thing, so I guess it's about time I get my day on.

about a boy and his scooter

1/4/11

While I'm still working on my list of New Year's resolutions...

wishing I hadn't forgotten to record the first episode of The Bachelor that aired tonight...

and wondering how long I'll be awake since I came home from a half day spent at work (yes, it's officially back to the grind or half-grind I should say, since I'm shortening my days now) and a half day spent driving to and from my doctor's appointment...

I thought I would make this post all about Jake riding the Toy Story themed (since that's the only movie that exists to him right now) scooter that he got from his grandparents for Christmas...

no words in between...

just photos that tell a story about a boy and his scooter.







Do you get the impression he loves this thing or what? 

Uh huh.  I figured you might say that you did.

What I'm Loving This Week

1/2/11

I'm loving....

it that I've slept like a baby - any time of any day.  In fact, I ate that way, took showers that way, had absolutely no schedule at all, and it was complete paradise right here in my own home!

my new do!  Finally...the blond highlights are back, and I'm pretty sure I've told them every day since I got them how much I missed them.

my heating pad - because it's worked wonders for this mean upper back pain.

that I technically got nothing done (Or at least that's what I would ordinarily feel like - trying to scratch things off of a list of "Things to Do" and feeling like I actually accomplished stuff like doing extra cleaning or projects around the house), but what I did do is more important than anything I didn't do.

Pillsbury reindeer and snowman ready-to-bake cookies that Jim found on clearance at Target.

the time I spent this week with my husband and son that I'll never get back.

my list of New Year's Resolutions (that I usually don't make, but this year, I'm going for it) that's still a work in progress, and the thought of actually accomplishing every single one.

Back to 2009 Rewind

Well, 2011 is in full swing. The first day has come and gone, and it's been a great one. From resting to doing laundry to watching Julia Robert's movie Eat Pray Love to deciding I will never spend over twenty dollars again to have an applique sewn onto one of Parker's gowns and doing it myself to doing pretty much anything else I can do while reclining, it's been fantastic.

I also happened to run across these old photos when I was going through all the ones that are tucked away on my computer and thinking about how another year has come and gone.


In fact, I could have sworn these are taken just this past year, and then I realized they're actually from 2009.

They're also from our trip to the Animal Safari in Pine Mountain, Georgia - one of which I've shared way back when.


The way this place works is you rent a van (Or you can use your own vehicle - but having done this one time around, I seriously never, ever recommend anyone do that...ever!), buy some food, and try to make your way through the crowd of animals that will literally come right up to your vehicle, and stick as much of their bodies as they possible can inside with you to reach the pellets of food they can smell a mile away.


They'll follow you, acting like they've never eaten in their lives and will allow you to reach right out and pet them like a new puppy that Santa Claus brought last week.

It's one of the wildest and, come to think of it, most un-natural things ever...


just ask my Mom and Dad because they were with us.


This was definitely one ride was my mom was more then ready to get off of...


but judging from his expression, he had the time of his life.


These two were pretty happy we came too.



After a water break and visits with a few more animals that weren't allowed to "roam free", we called it a day -



a day, a trip, an experience we won't forget and hopefully one day get to do all over again (Only next time I'm certain my mom will pass on the opportunity. Yep. I'm pretty sure this was a once-in-a-lifetime for her.).

Our New Year's Eve in Review

12/31/10

It's one down and two to go in our house.

Jim threw in the towel on trying to make it to midnight at around 8 o'clock, but Jake and I are still going strong. Jake is reclining on our couch next to me watching Thundarr the Barbarian on the Boomerang channel, and I'm battling reflux/indigestion, checking my e-mail, making umpteen trips to the bathroom because I've had well over the recommended intake of water, and debating on whether or not to eat just one or maybe even two more of the cookies Jim baked earlier tonight.

Today has been oh so fun! The weather has been warm - warm enough for Jim to play a round of golf while I actually did things that make me feel like I'm a stay-at-home-mom all over again. After an episode of Live with Regis and Kelly and The Martha Stewart Show, Jake and I started our day off with an hour at the Children's Hands On Museum and a run through the drive-thru at McDonald's for lunch. After two episodes of Caillou, chicken nuggets, french fries, and one fish sandwich later, we spent the next two hours outside. Jake rode the new Toy Story scooter he got from his grandparents for Christmas like he stole it, hit a few golf balls, flipped over backwards on his swing set (Yeah, that wasn't the best part of our day, but I thought I would share it anyway.), and antagonized our two dogs (or at least that's how they see it) while he found a place for me to rest (He really and truly did. "Mommy, you sit right here and rest, alright? And you can watch me, okay?) and watch it all.

One three-year old bathed and a little bit of making sense out of the chaos in our den later (chaos equals white powder from donuts eaten for a snack on the floor, superhero figures lined up neatly on our coffee table, and orange bullets from his Nerf gun stuck to the walls), Jim came home. We ordered dinner out, rented a few movies, and it was off to dreamland for me. I woke up around 6:30 with completely unswollen legs (Yes, they are back to normal now ninety percent of the time.) and the taste of acid in my mouth from this case of reflux I've got. Jim baked cookies, we talked a while, and I handed off the sleep baton.

Now here we sit, and since I've been typing, Jake has drifted off to sleep next to me on the couch. It's also raining cats and dogs outside which I guess means no fireworks for anyone who bought them (we did not).

I'm waiting for the ball and Parker to drop. Yes, I can't honestly say it's about time. It's been real, it's been fun, (though not always real fun), and I'm ready to get this punkin' here safe, sound, and healthy. By the way, I don't think I've mentioned that my follow-up appointment this past Monday went terrific. My blood pressure was almost as good as new, and we got to take a peak at the baby himself. He weighed 5 pounds 11 ounces...almost as much as Jake did when he was born two weeks from this gestational age...and looked perfectly squished in his head-down position. I swear, if I could have reached in, grabbed him, and plopped him on my chest all by myself, I would have. Makes my head spin just thinking about what a unexpectedly blessed 2010 we've had and what an exciting 2011 it is to come!

Speaking of 2011, it won't be long now before it's here, I need to make another trip to the bathroom, Jake's bed is calling his name (Thank goodness because we aren't fitting on this couch so well anymore.), and I have some photos to edit that I took of him riding his scooter today, so I'm going to call it a wrap for this post.

Happy 2011, Everyone!

Extreme TV

After several episodes under my belt of Toddlers & Tiaras...

during their all-day marathon on Thursday, I'm pretty sure I used drama, Prozac, wooden spoon, four year old sucking a pacifier, their makeup looks better than mine ever has, meltdowns, and no amount of money is worth that almost all in one sentence when Jim asked me what in the world I was watching.

And here's a new one...My Strange Addiction.

A woman who eats toilet paper, one who eats laundry detergent, another who sleeps with her hair dryer, and this one who is a non-stop ventriloquist - yeah, it's strange...you hit the nail on the head with that title!

And there is absolutely no way, no how I can leave out the Duggar family.

I'm seriously hoping 2011 will be the year the name of this show will go from 19 Kids & Counting to 19 Kids & No More Counting.

Speaking of 2011, I cannot believe today is the last day of the year 2010! 

I hope your 2010 was as incredible as mine has been, and here's to 2011 (without any of the above TV listings being set to record on my DVR).

Who Ya Gonna Call?

12/29/10

So this was my "Who to Call" list that I made when I was just weeks (or maybe even months) away from Jake's birth day (And yes, I'll forgive you if you think this was completely overdoing it just a little and call me weird or anal right about now. Even I have those thoughts when I look at it now, and I definitely won't get into what my sister had to say about it when she saw it for the first time.).

But just like I do now with Parker (because I seriously sleep an average of four to five hours each night on top of being ordered by my doctor to rest as much as possible), I had lots of time on my hands for the same reasons with Jake (or at least that's my excuse anyway, and it wasn't because I really am capable of being this anal).

Anyway, since I'd like to think I'm as organized this time around (and not feeling like I'm doing everything at the eleventh hour), I figure why not just update this one and use it all over again. 

And as for my sister...well...at least she won't be as surprised this time, right?