Day 12: Something I love...

Okay.  Day 10 is on its way.  Promise.

If you read my blog regularly (and I can't tell you how happy I am to have TWELVE followers! Yippee!! No, really--I am so happy to have you!), you know I love my husband and children with all my heart.  I'm also a pretty big fan of the rest of my family.  So you'll have to forgive me for using this post to show you someTHING I love.  I found while deciding what to write that I actually love lots of things: pedicures, massages, good books, bed and breakfasts, the view from my back porch, mountains, chips and hot sauce...the list goes on and on.  But yesterday when I put Annabelle down for a nap, I realized that there is a product in our house right now that I am currently deeply in love with:  the Angelcare Baby Movement and Sound Monitor.

Right after Annabelle was born, I told you how much I loved her bassinet. It was perfect for her right up until a couple of weeks ago.  She's just too big now. :( So we decided it was time to move her into her own room and her own bed.  With Jackson and Sadie, I had serious anxiety issues about this.  I would lie awake at night with the monitor right next to my ear, just waiting for a breath.  I would fight the urge to check on them every 5 minutes.  I basically didn't sleep very well for worrying (I know, I know, Kim.  YOU'RE the worrier of the family...well apparently it's contagious.). 

I've learned that God knows our hearts so well that sometime He will send us people to answer prayers we didn't even know we were praying.  See, I was praying for Him to watch over and protect my babies as they slept.  What I also should've been praying for was something to help ease my anxiety about it.  That's where Angie Smith comes into play.  If you've never visited her blog, you need to. Start from the very beginning.  It's worth your time.  Anyway, a few months ago, she wrote about how her new baby girl was sleeping in her own bed and how she suffered from severe anxiety and worry about SIDS (her nephew died from it). You can read that post here.  A lot of her readers recommended the monitor to her, and I decided to research it a bit.  It is one of the best reviewed products out there.  I even went back today to make sure the reviews are still positive.  Basically, there are two bad reviews:  one says it's too hard to set up; the other says it works too well.  Well, that's a reason to give a product one star!

This is an awesome product.  First, the sound aspect is the best I've ever had.  It's so quiet--no feedback.  Plus, it's got a thermometer on there that is dead-on with our thermostat.  And the alarm is super loud--it will go off it you pick up the baby and forget to turn off the monitor, which is a hassle, yes, but you learn to turn off the monitor when the baby isn't in the bed. 

I can't tell you how well I've slept in the past week.  Do I still worry about Annabelle?  Yes, a little.  But I don't find myself listening for the slightest sounds anymore.  I have a peace of mind that I didn't have before.

Day 11: Something I Hate...

You may be thinking, Um...doesn't 10 come before 11?
You would be right.  But I have a picture in mind for Day 10, and I can't get that picture on the weekend.  SO.
You will have to wait for Day 10.

There's really only one thing I hate, and that's "hate" with a little "h" because it's more of an annoyance really.

I am not a fan of laundry.  It takes up my Saturdays, and there's nothing theraputic about it.  When you clean other things--like a drawer or  a closet--it tends to stay clean at least for a little while.  Laundry doesn't do that.  Not even for that day!  The folding is my least favorite part.  Which is why all these clothes are still in the basket.  And no, I'm not going to put down the phone and fold them right now.

We Interrupt this Blogathon to Bring You Something Really Cute

Annabelle and I are home this weekend while the rest of the family is at the deer lease.  She confided in me this afternoon that she felt she wasn't being adequately represented in this blog.  So we had a photo shoot. 

Day 9: A person who's gotten you through the most

Honestly, the day I met Kevin, my life took an upswing.  It hasn't always been hearts and flowers, but we have been blessed. But this much I know:  He is my rock.  When I need to cry, he lets me (even though he is incredibly uncomfortable around crying).  He lets me vent, even if I have to give him 15 minutes of background info before I go into full-on rant mode.  He loves me in spite of me sometimes.  He lets me be angry at him for stupid reasons, and he gives me time to reach the conclusion that it's stupid all on my own.  He helps me reach the important decisions.  And he's the best Daddy in the world.   

Day 8: A Picture that Makes Me Laugh...

I have to laugh at this picture now, but at the time, not so much.  It was our first effort to have both kids in the same picture at the same time since Sadie was a few weeks old (that was a total disaster).  We just knew this time would be better...but no.  This picture sums up the entire session.  Sadie seems to be saying, "He's a boy.  What'reya gonna do?"  I was furious at the time (Jackson had just turned two and was every bit of terrible that day), but now I love this picture.  It sums up their whole relationship at the time: Jackson loved Sadie, but from a distance, and Sadie was all, "Who's that kid?"

This picture was from a session with the talented young people at the VHS Journalism Department.  This shoot actually went extremely well.  We have tons of wonderful pictures of happy children, together and separate.  This picture was taken right before we were done, and we wanted to get "just one more" picture of the kids together.  Sadie's wearing a tutu her Aunt Kim made for her, and we didn't have a picture of the two of them while she had it on.  For some reason that escapes me now, Sadie began to throw a fit just before this picture was taken--hence the pacifier and the exasperated big brother.  I love it!

Day 7: My most treasured item(s)

There are three pieces of jewelry that mean the world to me:

My new birthstone necklace.

My wedding ring.

My thumb rings.

I love these pieces for different reasons and for the memories they invoke.

Kevin bought me the birthstone necklace for Christmas. He got it from The Vintage Pearl, a great website with beautiful and unique jewelry.  I might have strongly hinted for it (or sent him a link saying, "If you love me...").  But he takes hints well.  I love it because it's a symbol of our sweet little babies, who are constantly getting less little and more sweet, which is a nice trade off.

Every time I look at my wedding ring, it reminds me how blessed I am.  I remember when Kevin and I were dating, he was so careful to guard my heart (and his). He didn't want to say anything flippantly that might hurt me down the road.  Even though I knew beyond any shadow of any doubt that we were going to get married eventually, I had to let him reach that decision on his own and in his own time.  He didn't let on that a proposal was anywhere on the horizon...but I'd learned to be okay with that.  The funniest part is how--just to bug him--I would send him pictures of rings I liked.  Then, on the night he proposed, he asked me what kind of ring I wanted, and I said, "Oh, something simple.  A solitaire, not with a lot of diamonds around it or anything..."  The man's face turned white!  He said, "um...What do you mean, not a lot of diamonds?"  I clarified that I wanted one big stone--not a lot of little stones. A diamond band would be swell, but not a cluster.  The color returned to his face.  I didn't know that he had the ring in his pocket at that time!  He picked it out all by himself, and it is the perfect ring for me. 

My thumb ring is special for a totally different reason.  I bought it myself, with one of my first paychecks from Kaufman ISD.  I hated my job.  I hated my life even more.  But I loved that ring.  I'd always wanted a cool thumb ring.  I also loved the gym I joined that year.  I would go work out for an hour or two every day after school.  I would de-stress and not think about the nightmare my life had become.  Those hours at the gym paid off in a huge way as far as my health and waist size went...it also seemed that the more I worked out, the more focused I became, and the less hopeless my life seemed.  I'll be first to admit I was not in a good place spiritually.  But I was blessed, because people that loved me were praying for me.  I started to feel like a human being again.  Someone that deserved to be happy.  That spring I quit my job at Kaufman, got a job in Van and never looked back.  The only thing I miss is that gym.  When I look at my thumb ring, it reminds me that life does get better, God does have a plan, and whatever He's got in mind is way better than what I tried to do on my own.

Day 6: A person I'd like to trade places with for a day...

Hmmm... I've never really had the desire to trade places with anyone.  I love my life as is.  I also figure everyone else has their own issues.  But if I had to, I suppose I would want to walk in the shoes of the person that lives here:

The End

Day 5: A favorite memory...

This picture has nothing to do with the "memory" part of this day, but it's one of my favorites. 

When I was a kid, before I started school, my mom and I had a morning ritual.  We would wait for everyone else to head off to school or work, and then we would eat breakfast while we watched cartoons or Sesame Street.  I would climb up in her lap and snuggle and share "toast 'ems and coke."  Chocolate Pop Tarts. With lots of butter.  No it wasn't healthy.  But I loved it, every drippy morsel.  And I loved her even more. We would talk and laugh at the TV and plan our day.   She would tell me stories, my most requested one being about the day I was born (I wasn't self-absorbed at all!).  Since I was child #5, she had the patience to repeat herself until my attention wandered elsewhere.

I think about this time a lot when I snuggle with my own kids.  Most mornings, there just isn't time...which I hate.  But some rare mornings, everything just works out.  I will be up early, Jackson or Sadie will crawl into my lap, and we'll watch cartoons and talk.  And even though I've never purchased chocolate Pop Tarts on my own, and even though real Coke hasn't crossed my lips since age 8, the two moments in time seem so similar. 

Maybe it's because it all goes by too fast. 

Day 4: My night...

I am a night person.

I have always been a night person.

I remember when I was 7 or 8.  A teacher friend of my mom's called around 10 p.m., and I answered the phone.  She proceeded to tell me how I should've been in bed an hour ago and why in the world did my mother let me stay up so late.  I don't think my mom appreciated it very much.

I also remember being in 6th grade and remembering the night before that I had a social studies project due the next day.  I was one of those kids that never told my parents about projects, and they never asked because I always got good grades.  But that particular night, around midnight, my mom comes walking down the hall to see why my light is still on.  Let's just say she wasn't pleased.  Her punishment for me?  I had to stay up until it was finished, and I would have to suffer the consequences of sleep deprivation.

It didn't quite have the effect she was going for.

The truth was yes, I stayed up late.  But not because my mom didn't try to get me to go to bed early.  It was because I couldn't just hop into bed and shut off my mind.  The other truth was  no amount of sleep was going to make me a morning person.  I'm still not a morning person.

But my nights have changed over the years. 

In college and before marriage, I would stay up all night organizing closets or cleaning out cabinets or painting furniture or working on scrapbooks or some other project, because my most creative moments seemed to occur amidst the reruns and infomercials.  I loved going to bed, whether it be at midnight or 5 a.m., with a sense of accomplishment.

When I met Kevin, all that changed.  He is the polar opposite of a night owl.  When we were dating, our nights usually consisted of him coming over after football practice, eating dinner, and falling asleep on the couch at 8 p.m.  After all, he was at work by 5 a.m. most mornings.  Needless to say, married life was a little bit of an adjustment in the beginning.  But as time went on, I came to appreciate the early bedtime snuggle. 

After our kids came along, nights changed again.  Kids tend to require structure.  So each night revolves around dinner, baths, and quality cuddle/wrestle/cartoon time.  We try our best to have our kids in bed by 8:00.  After that I'm able to finish all those little tasks around the house that are impossible with kids running around.  You know, like have a conversation with another adult.  Or watch a TV show from beginning to end and actually hear it.  Or blog.

Some things haven't changed though.  I still get a burst of energy most nights around 10 p.m., regardless of how tired I was earlier in the day.  I still have trouble shutting off my mind and going to sleep, even though I know 6 a.m. comes really, really early (and even though I also know that Annabelle will probably wake me before then).  And I still am not a morning person.

Day 3: My favorite TV show

I had to think about this one for a while. I love TV and I love so many shows.  I can remember being in college and thinking that someone should create a network that played old reruns for my generation--Dukes of Hazzard, Gilligan's Island, Charlie's Angels, Designing Women, Cosby Show...yeah, Nick At Nite totally stole my idea.  I say all that to say I watch shows from beginning to end, and usually when I've seen them all, I will move on to something else for awhile.  I've done that with so many shows over the years...Boy Meets World, Golden Girls, In the Heat of the Night, Little House on the Prairie, and most recently Friends...which is probably the only show I can watch over and over and never get tired of seeing.  But here's my favorite current show:

I love Brothers and Sisters.  Coming from a big family, I can relate to this show on so many levels!  In my opinion it's one of the best casts on television right now.  It is the only show that I will sit down and watch every week without fail.  I like that it doesn't take itself too seriously.  I will miss it when it goes off the air next year. 

Day 2: The person I've been closest to longest...

One thing this little challenge has taught me is that I don't have very many pictures of myself!  Not only that, I don't have pictures of myself with people I love.  I must remedy this.  I was sure I had a picture of me with my dear friend, but I still haven't located one, so....

Anywho.

This is my friend Janet.

This is proof that we've been friends a really long time:

...a really, really long time.

 ...and I hereby give her permission to publish any junior high mullet or high school big hair pictures she might have of me. That's only fair. :)

Janet is one of those "forever friends." One of those people that you want to share good news with.  One that will laugh with you and cry with you.  One that will literally dumpster dive for a friend.  Literally.  But that's another blog.

We've known each other since Little Dribblers in 3rd grade. We also played softball together, and it was then that I realized what a great friend she was.  I've always been the kind of person that liked to be by myself, and Janet was one of the few people that I really enjoyed having around for long periods of time!  We spent so much time together "back in the day"...summers were split between our houses.  Many of my favorite memories include her.  She is truly one of those friends that knows everything about me and likes me anyway.  (And thankfully she doesn't tell everything she knows either!:)  I still enjoy the times we are able to get together and just talk.

One time when we were in high school, we were doing something with our youth group...I don't even remember what it was. But  Janet had to leave early, and I will never forget what the teacher said about her after she left, because it was such an accurate description of her.  She said, "Janet has such a kind heart.  She is so accepting of everyone. She is one of the nicest people I  know."

That was her in a nutshell back then...and it's still so true today.  I dare you to try to get her to say something mean.  :)

I have so many good memories of Janet and me.  We've shared lots of laughter and tears.   Our boys are best buddies, and it warms my heart.  I'm honored that after all these years, I can still say she's one of my best friends.

The 30 Days of Me: Day One

When I first saw the "30 days of Me" challenge on Karen's blog, my initial thought was, "Really?"  But as I read through this little blogging challenge, I felt my creative juices begin to flow.  If you're a blogger--or if you're not--I think you should participate.  It's not nearly as self-centered as it sounds, AND it isn't just one of those "What did you eat last Thursday?" kinds of lists. It's really more a celebration of the people, places and things in your life that make you who you are.  Which really makes it more about them, and less about you doesn't it?

Day One says to include a picture of yourself along with 10 facts.  The 10 facts I can do...no problemo.  But of the thousand or so pictures on my computer, 10 are of me and I don't care for any of them!  So I searched and thought and searched some more, and then decided to ask my husband to send me a picture he had at his office...it was when I felt the prettiest.  Yes, it's almost 7 years old. But it's my blog, dadgummit, and it doesn't matter that the picture is almost 7 years old! 

I love the backstory to it:  It was Valentine's Day 2004, and when we scheduled the photo session a few weeks earlier, I had no idea that we would get 4 INCHES OF SNOW that morning. At first we discussed rescheduling, but Karen Price and Cathy Dykes--the brilliant photographers behind this picture--were more than willing to venture out into the muddy slush that remained that afternoon.  It was still FREEZING, but it was still a wonderful day.

And here are the 10 facts...

1.  When I was 8 years old, I was riding my four-wheeler around my parent's land.  I came across a huge opening in the woods that to me was the most beautiful place on earth.  I went home and told my mom and dad that I was going to build my house there one day.  And I did.

2.  I had a very vivid imagination as a child.  I see that same imagination in my kids and it makes me smile.

3. Drying my daughter's hair is one of my favorite things to do. She's very patient with me while I pretend to be a hairstylist.  And her hair looks so beautiful afterward.  And I know she's not going to let me do it forever.

4.  I had a poem published in college.  Yes, it was just a college publication, but I was published nonetheless.  The funniest part?  My significant other at the time thought the poem was about him.  And it wasn't.

5.  I was voted "Most Likely to Succeed" in high school.  I still have no idea what my peers were thinking.  Ironically, I teach next door to another person voted "Most Likely to Succeed."  Both graduates of VHS now teaching at VJH, and both feeling pretty successful.  :)

6.  I loved high school and hated college... so much so that the very thought of graduate school makes me break out in a cold sweat.

7.  As much as I love our house now, I still miss our little house on Stadium Lane.

8.  I remember several years ago I asked someone whose singing ability amazes me why she didn't try out for American Idol or try to break into the music business.  She said, "I love to sing so much.  If someone who knew something about music told me I wasn't very good, I don't think I could get over it."  That's how I feel about writing.

9.  I am a total homebody, who is blessed to be married to another homebody.  Some nights we look at each other and say, "We need friends."  But then we'd have to leave our house at night.

10.  Every year on our anniversary, Kevin and I take a little trip to celebrate.  Part of the fun is finding a cool bed and breakfast.  Yes, we are B&B people.