Friday, April 30, 2010

There's a Runner in my Pantyhose

Do you have a favorite movie that you've watched over and over and over until the tape blurs or the DVD scratches? Until you have memorized the words so well that you can start at any point in the movie and recite to the end? That 50 or 60 viewings is true of the first year it came out?

I have one of those movies. I can think of a lot of movies that I love but there is one I truly enjoy more than any other.

Pretty Woman
Oh, oh, Pretty Woman.

I know each line of that movie like it is ingrained in my brain. I love it.

So, I'd love to hear what YOUR favorite movie is. One that you can quote word for word. One that you will flip to no matter what every time you see it on TV. What is your Pretty Woman?

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Spring Fling!

Tonight North Kansas City Parents as Teachers put on a spring fling for kids of all ages. This was the first thing that was baby-friendly so I thought it might be fun. I wasn't wrong.

First we went to the baby room. There was a make and take craft and I was intrigued because I couldn't think of any kind of craft that I would make that would be of any revelance to a baby. But, I was pleasantly surprised by the clever craft they had set up. It's hard to see but it was a necklace made from toilet paper rolls with textured fabric glued to the roll. The little necklace was perfect for Reese to feel new materials like pleather, corduroy, and a velvety material. She held that little piece of pleather in her hands like it was saving her life. And she really enjoyed playing with the complete necklace when we were done.


Then we played with some toys they had set out. She loves the musical ones the best. But she enjoyed banging on this one. And she looked pretty sweet in her big bow!



At the end we walked through the big kids' room. It definitely was out of our league but it was exciting to her to look around at all the people. We were also able to sit down at the Mid-Continent area and read some of her favorite Sandra Boynton books. And she was able to feel the animal pelts from the Martha Lafite Nature Sanctuary.

After that we headed home and when I went to get her out of the car, I saw....



Guess she had a little TOO much fun!!

Our Little....Linebacker?

Most everyone knows, Reese was a preemie. We sat in a NICU room for 10 grueling days and cried and begged her to eat 40 mL of formula. I sobbed on the shoulder of a nurse when they had to begin pumping food in her stomach because she wouldn't eat. We pinched her and tickled her, shook her (gently) to wake her up just to get her to eat SOMETHING. Finally she began to eat.

And eat.

And eat.

And eat.

And now, the kid can put it away. She eats more than enough and we don't have to worry too often that she is going to waste away.

We have started now on the fun journey of baby food; I enjoy this phase a lot. I stand in the aisle at the store and think, "Oh, yum, peas, carrots, sweet potatoes; I bet she'll love all those!" And then she does. She has never turned away from anything. And I think it's wonderful. I have visions of a life where she eats her broccoli and begs for more squash.

But now there is a worry that perhaps she is eating too much. Sure she's a growing girl (and I never want to go back to the days of losing weight and crying over a feeding tube). Sure she's eating around what the guidelines say. But she's a little short for her weight so I hope that we raise a petite little girl who eats petite portions and always puts her napkin in her lap. And I hope that we don't raise a little linebacker who is scarfing down calories to beef herself up for the big game.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Home Improvement

Yesterday Dustin started a home improvement project with our brother-in-law Eric. He tore out all of our carpet in the living room. This really sucked because he did it about 3 weeks ago during a case of the boredoms so we've been living with concrete floors for too long.




But yesterday, Eric came down and saved us. And the best part about Eric is that he works cheap. He likes currency such as apple pie or Busch Light or enchiladas from Margaritas.


So, while my mom, Lulu and I went shopping, the boys worked hard on my new living room. And this is what I came home to see.






I am so excited about it, it really looks good with our cabinets and hopefully it will be a selling point someday! So thanks Dustin and Eric! You did a fantastic job!!

Friday, April 16, 2010

Friends

The day started out cloudy and rainy. My hair was frizzy and Reese pooped as I was walking out the door. It was ominous to say the least.

But it all goes to show that looks can be deceiving.

Today, I learned a little lesson. A big lesson. A big lesson about trust and friendship.

I learned that falling back hoping a friend will catch you proves to have great results. As I fell, into fear, into worry, into a place of distress, there was someone to catch me. I closed my eyes took a chance and there they were.

So, to you, I say thank you. You were my sunshine through this cloudy day. You renewed my faith in the good in people. And I count myself lucky to have you.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Hope

Zeus created a woman and gave her many things to bestow on the world, including pain and sorrow, but most importantly; hope. The woman was encased in a box that was never to be opened. But woman's curiosity got the best of her and she opened the box and all of the pain, evil, and sorrow came out. The world knew nothing but pain until the girl chanced to open the box again and hope fluttered out. The world was then restored of hope in evil times.

Right now the story of Pandora reminds me much of my own life. Things are hard in a professional sense. It's like Pandora let all the evil out of the box, each day is hurtful and hard. Each day is a trial that must be done and when it is over, I go home to my second job and work hard again. Going home to work hard is the easy job, the rewarding job, the love-filled job. I wish I could say that about my day job.

But with all trials, with all evil there is a hope. There will always be a light at the end of the tunnel. The darkest hour is just before dawn. There is no where to go but up. These are the sayings of our society for a reason. There is a truth to these words because no matter how hard it gets, Pandora opens her box and lets the hope out.

So, here are some beautiful words that I sing-song in my head to get me through my day, they're sweet and subtle, but true.

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all.
-Emily Dickenson

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Raspberries

Here is a cute little video of Reese's new trick. Nothing special just something that cracks us up right now!

Friday, April 9, 2010

Family

Someone told me today that being part of family means being part of something bigger than yourself. Of course I knew that but sometimes when someone says something out loud during a time when you need to hear it most it makes the most perfect sense.

Starting our new tiny little family has been the blessing I have always wanted. I love being someone's Mommy. When she hurts I hurt and when she is happy I am too. I love to hear her giggles and see the smiles and that's what makes the cries so sad. She is more a part of me than my own hands and feet. We are a bigger part of a whole and it makes my heart feel two sizes too big sometimes with all of it.


I am so very lucky to have all of the blessings I do. I have a husband who is at the store buying me the beer I so desperately need tonight. I have a girl who thinks I am hilarious (which I most certainly am not). There are endless amounts of things that ensure that I will always be set in the loved and needed department. So today, instead of wallowing in the annoyance of this week I will be glad of the choice I have to be someone's loving mommy and someone's dedicated wife. I will be glad that I love someone and that they love me back and that I am a part of something much bigger than myself.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

A Good Storm

I love storms. I've never been one to be scared of thunder or lightening. Sure, it can get too close sometimes but for the most part a good storm is exciting!

I can always tell when one is going to start blistering up and these past few days have been ripe with possibility. Last night the wind picked up, the sky turned a murky shade of blake and the hail fell from the sky. Reese, Dustin, and I watched out the window enthralled with the excitement. Until....the electricty shut off.


Last night we spent the grueling hour and a half before bedtime without power. It was like hell on earth. Not that one really needs the lights but there are a lot of things that go along with electricity. For one, entertaining Dustin. He loves TV so when it's off he paces the floor, non-stop pacing the floor. The clocks are all off so my habit of watching the clock was broken. And since the sky was so dark, our house was too and candles with fidgety babies just seem like an accident waiting to happen.

Another strange thing about storms is you just never know what you are going to get. Sometimes the sun shines in the middle to charge it all back up. Sometimes the thunder is so big it shakes the entire house. And today the hail looked like snow. You just never know what is going to happen.


Monday, April 5, 2010

Little Pookie

Last week I paid a visit to my school's library. Usually I just stand around and monitor behavior but for some reason I started looking through the books...I know, novel idea, Lindsay. Anyway, I got to looking at some titles that I loved as a kid, The Napping House, Jumanji, Nancy Drew, The Song and Dance Man, I could do this for hours. And I know, I know, it's the teacher in me, but I got excited. And then my mind started flooding with titles of books that I wanted to read to Reese RIGHT THEN. And then I got giddy. And I couldn't help but want to share with her every single good book I had ever read. I pictured stack after stack of hard backs with colorful pictures and captivating words. My head was overwhelmed with ideas.

So okay, Reese can't read. Nor can she really appreciate a good piece of literature or great illustrations. But I can do a lot to work on building the foundation for the future. And tonight we went to Mid-Continent. She has a bajillion books in her room but once I took a glance at all the board books it was downhill from there.

I found tons of great books for her and when we got home I broke them out to see if I could get her to be still long enough to read one or two. I must've done a great job picking because we didn't read one, or two, or even 3, but 7! 7 Books! She loved them and was so excited. She looked at each page and talked to them. Her favorite author is now Sandra Boynton. We had the best time cuddling up and checking them out.

I hope to instill my love of books on to my little pookie. I can't wait until she falls in love with the American Girls or finds the true magic that is Harry Potter. But you have to start somewhere and tonight, it was Sandra Boynton and Pajama Time!, Let's Dance, Little Pookie, and Night-Night Little Pookie. It did my heart good that she was so captivated by the pictures and found so much pleasure in the words of each story. I don't know what will happen when she gets older but for now she loves them and if it means I have to go to the library every single week for the rest of my life I will do what it takes to create a reader.


Thursday, April 1, 2010

Happy Easter!

I am looking forward to Easter so much this year. Mostly because I love walking through the stores looking at the egg dyeing kits and the cute baskets knowing that next year Easter is going to be so much fun. I really think the egg dyeing activity will be a little lost on the audience this year.

But one thing I can do to get in the holiday spirit is dress my poor kid up in Sunday finest and prop books and bunnies around her to make her look like she's really in to it.

Another reason I'm looking forward to Easter is because I really worked hard to make better habits this lent. I gave way more to charities than a dollar a day and I really enjoyed looking up places to donate to. I feel like Easter this year is celebrating my change of heart of what giving should look like.

Easter is many things, it's a time to celebrate sacrifice, a time to celebrate spring, to celebrate new life. And if there is one thing I am up for celebrating; it's new life!!

So, Happy Easter from my little bunny to your's!!