Things that make you go Hmmmm

ed in to complete chaos. I got home today and walked in to complete chaos. I was frustrated and stressed out and it made me really wonder about a few things. For example:

Why does every need have to be met upon immediately walking in the door? Because dogs need to go out and eat, babies need to be held, dishes must be unloaded from the dishwasher and dinner must be made, but it seems as though Mommies could use a beer, when does that get to happen?

Why do toys come without batteries?

Why do Pepsis roll under the seat of a car far enough so the owner forgets abut it and doesn't get it along with the rest of the groceries?

Why do the cutest things in the Target discount aisle always sell for $2.50 instead of $1.00?

Why do replacement debit cards take weeks to arrive? And why can't those who lose their debit cards remember this fact BEFORE pulling into the Wendy's drive-thru?

Why is fleece a magnet for dog hair?

Why does Lucy always yank the football out from underneath Charlie Brown?

Why? Why? WHY?

I guess maybe some questions will always be left unanswered. But tonight as I watched a happy baby pet her doggies and finished up the last few pages of my page-turner, I realized that I'm okay with that. It may have been utter mayhem when I walked in but the peace will come and there is always something good to find in the day.

Thanksgiving Food

I love Thanksgiving just for the food alone. I love, love, love dressing, stuffing, whatever you may call it, I love it. I'm not a stuffing snob, I like it right out of the box, but also doctored up with apples or corn or whatever. Last year, with Reese being so little and with it being cold and flu season, we decided to stay home and celebrate with anyone who wanted to join us. It was nice not to travel. But it was not nice missing my Grandma's stuffing.

This year I am excited to help her make it. I am hoping that she just lets me do it so I can know EXACTLY what she does. Then I am hoping to know what to do to make it from now on. I have tried and failed in the past so maybe just maybe this will be my year. I can't wait.

There are many other foods I enjoy at Thanksgiving. Creamed peas, mashed potatoes, frozen cranberry salad, the topping on my mom's sweet potatoes. I could go on all day. I can hardly contain my excitement of eating all the yummy stuff. And if she's anything like me, Reese is going to be pretty excited too. If she's one thing, it's an eater. But the apple doesn't fall far from the tree on that one.

Pre-Holiday Weekend

The holidays haven't quite started yet, but you wouldn't know that by looking at our house. We took advantage of the opportunity of being home with no plans to clean the house and get our Christmas decorations down from the attic.

For the last 2 years, I haven't even put up a tree. I just didn't have it in me. So this year getting everything out made Dustin and me feel very festive. We did some shopping and I even tried to wrap a couple of things, but that was like blowing leaves from a yard during a tornado. And speaking of tornadoes, getting the decorations put up proved to be a challenge. We had to put everything higher up than a baby can reach or a dog jump. I think we've managed though.

It's up and looks great and now I can just enjoy watching Reese look at the lights in awe.

Miranda

Thursday night we went to see Miranda Lambert. We both really love her so when Dustin had the opportunity to get tickets to see her for our anniversary we just couldn't pass it up. And my goodness are we glad we went!

We had a great time, right down to every last detail. Our tickets were general admission so we were standing only a few feet from the stage. Eric Church was just great. He sings a lot of songs we love too so it was kind of a two for one deal. But the best thing of all was Miranda. She was just fabulous. Her microphone stand was a shotgun, which was pretty cute and she had a pink guitar. She threw out her guitar pick one time and guess who got it? US!! A girl right by us almost kicked Dustin, she was sooo mad!

Overall, it was a fun night. We enjoyed having some time to ourselves, especially seeing such a great show. And if you ever get the chance, go see her, she is like phenomenal!

Wordless Wednesday

Caution: Nerd Alert

Guess what is on my agenda for the weekend? Just guess.

You'll never guess.

What? What's that you say? Harry Potter? Hermione? Voldemort? Well, then, yes, you are right. I'm going to see Harry Potter. And I am so excited!!

As I have stated before, I have a strong love for all things Potter. I am so happy that the final movie is on its way to theaters probably as we speak. The best part is that I have blackmailed my husband into going on the condition I won't tell anyone. So don't tell, okay? I wonder if he would mind wearing that Griffindor robe I bought him?

I Guess she Could do Worse

Today, my very dear friend, Nova and I had one of our little mini-chats that we do so often. We have a 6th sense when the other needs a couple of minutes with a listening ear. We talk about doctor's appointments and baby haircuts. We talk about discipline and our girls' friendship and we share books that are excellent reads. We gave each other support when our babies wouldn't sleep and when things weren't perfect in our job. We have quite a wide-range of discussion topics and we usually end up talking longer than we probably should being the busy teachers we are but all the same, we enjoy our chats.

Back to today. As I was leaving she said something along the lines of; it's okay to be nice to your baby, being nice shows them how to be nice and they're going to be good girls.

Hmmm, I thought, I guess Reese could do worse....

So then I thought more about that. She really could do worse. There are worse people in this world than those who hold their baby too much or comfort them when they are sad. There are worse people than those who walk quicker to the milk cup when their baby screams. Or than those who would let their baby have 3 fruit cups for dinner because she loves them so much.

It's easy to end up loving your child too much and wanting to give them everything. It's easy to want to dry every tear and fix every hurt. And it's easy to be the shelter in a storm a little too often. When I do a mirror check, I see a mom who wants to show her daughter love and support. Someone who wants to inspire empathy and a giving heart. So I guess she really could do a lot worse.

Wordless Wednesday

The Birthday Party

As you may know, Reese's first birthday party was this weekend! We had a big time celebrating with our family. Reese really loved the little things about the party; balloons, tissue paper, cards, you know the stuff people really spent a lot of time picking out.

She really had a great time tearing in to her cake. I wanted to make it for her, there's nothing like a cake that someone who loves you really took their time to make, so I gave it a try. It was nothing for an Ace of Cakes episode but it could've been a lot worse.

It was a wonderful day and we are so thankful for the fun toys and cute clothes/shoes that Reese got. And for the amazing food my Aunt Sharon made.

Reese's Birthday Week: The Big Day!!

How do you measure a year?

Sleepless nights, checks with cell phone lights

Cheerios and applesauce, Millions of bottles to wash

Swings and rocking, waiting for talking

Runny nose, tiny toes

Giggles, peekaboo, and nose scrunches too

Eyes just like a doe, and raspberries to blow

A baby who growls, pulling dog jowls

Little yellow pool, throwing crosswords in the stool

Any food you’ll try, pacis, diapers, and bottles, Oh My!

Tears with a whine, sometimes yours sometimes mine

Carrots and fruit, little ugg boots

Peekaboo and board books, always bring a second look

Gap jeans and drama queens

Rolling over, sitting up, and then, a sippy cup

Wet kisses and sweet hugs, little heartstring tugs

Early by 6 weeks, still had chubby cheeks

Baby Girl, you’re such a dear, I can’t believe it’s been a year

A baby you’ll always be, you mean so much to me

This year and many more, happiness is in store

So smile it’s your big day, and we just hope to say…

Happy Birthday, Baby Reese!

Reese's Birthday Week: Day 5

Reese is so affectionate. She loves laying her head on our shoulders. She crawls all over us and wants to be held a lot. It's so nice to have a baby who lovingly interacts with Mommy and Daddy. Last night we read a story and she kept getting so excited every time a new animal would come on the page. As she got so excited, I told her to give the piggy a kiss. I couldn't tear her away after that. She kept kissing and kissing each page. Tonight when we read it the pages were even stuck together because of her wet kisses! She kisses baby dolls and stuffed animals. It is the sweetest thing I've ever seen. My affectionate and sweet baby makes a Mama feel loved.

Wordless Wednesday

Reese's Birthday Week: Day 4

Reese is a hell of an eater. I love that about her. It is so much fun to be creative and pick out different vegetables for her to try. She will eat just about anything. I have given her anything from beets to ice cream to 4 cheese tortellini. And she is pretty proficient at feeding herself. She can shovel that food in as fast as her little fingers can scoop it up. I am looking forward to the day when she can help me make dinner and bake cookies. But as for now, I am definitely enjoying my little foodie!

Reese's Birthday Week: Day 3

Something I adore about Reese is her love for dogs. Now this love can be a little arbitrary, there are times when those dogs really piss her off, but mostly she loves her brothers and all other dogs she comes in to contact with. She loves to drop food on the floor just for them and she loves to grab ahold of their jowls and really give them a squeeze. She is learning how to make the sign for doggie and how to pet "nicely." This morning she reached out to give Elisha's dogs and little pat on the nose. She doesn't seem to mind all the dog hair she eats or the howling at all hours of her sleep cycle. What she DOES mind though is getting kicked in the face from a sneezing dog gone out of control and she doesn't much care for a lick in the face. But in all honesty, who does?

Reese's Birthday Week: Day 2

Last night I asked Dustin what his favorite thing was about Reese. He thought and thought about it. He finally decided that his favorite thing about her was definitely her cutie little smile. She gets so excited and wrinkles up her nose. Its adorable. If the two of us are sitting close to one another we always glance at the other to make sure we saw all the cuteness. In that one look we sum up how we feel; we do good work.