Life In The Woods

Conga Line!

2009-11-14T14:30:00.018-06:00

**hhhhhhhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!**

That's me...blowing the dust off of enjoylifeinthewoods. Whoa! It's been a little while! You know, I go through my days running across all sorts of things -- what? Ava counted to 10? Blog it! Wow! We survived another year as parents? Oh! Blog it! Really? I have gone a month without my Route 44 Sonic Diet Dr. Pepper with Diet Cherry and Vanilla? Uh...no. BUT, If I had I would have thought, "Blog it!"

So, I have this endless list of items, milestones, and horrifically embarrassing moments in the "Blog it" section of my mental file cabinet. I have NO idea where to start. I mean, out of all of these things what on earth could I start with?! What calls out to me more than anything else? What deserves the spot light after months without blogging? What do I NEED you to know about? Hmmm...oh! I got it.

Yes friends, this has been months in the making. And now, I think I am now ready to share. Ready? Let me present...

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The Conga Line.

By: Ava Claire Wood

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Since I blogged last, Ava has officially taken us by the hand and led, okay pulled, us into a whole new world. A world filled with intentional hugs and kisses, with laughter, with funny little quirks, with a new word every day, with scribbled on kitchen floors, with stomping feet, with naughty chair visits (did you notice the down hill progression?). Yes...Ava is two. And you what? I truly believe that Ava began practicing her two-ish ways the day she turned one. So, she has had a whole year of coming up with and storing her sneaky ideas and now she is putting them to good use. I joke. She may know how to prolong bedtime (even if it means doing something she shouldn't so she can spend a few more minutes awake in the naughty chair); she may have temper tantrums that I expect to see advertised in our community newsletter, but I cannot even begin to express the spirit this child has. Her ability to make me laugh daily baffles me. How can she be so funny? The way she is sensitive to others humbles me and makes me envious of how she sees the world. And the things she does! Just the other day, we were at Walmart (and she talks about "goin' to Walmart" if you simply say hi to her) -- she had on a plastic fireman's hat that is held together with duct-tape, one of those elastic headbands (you know the really thin ones that look like giant rubberbands) around her neck like a necklace, and a fuzzy pink purse draped around her shoulder. Had I not drawn the line somewhere she would have had on her hot pink feather boa, her blue Chinese panda shoes, and her lime green beach bucket in her other hand filled with all of her beloved plastic animals.

That brings me to...The Conga Line.

I have been following this troupe over the last few months. This was their debut. You'll notice that they are all facing in the same direction. Here they are enjoying the nice view of the backyard.

I am glad to see our friends like to stay in shape. They don't go as fast as I would like to see, but here are a few of our dedicated four-legged pals on the treadmill. I think here they were at an incline of 0 and going about 0.0 miles an hour. I can confidently say that I think I can go faster.

And here we have caught the mastermind at work. I think our plush pals were a little jealous of the fun that our friends from the plastic variety were having.

Snack time. With a special guest "Puppy." Yes, we are all about the creative names. Did I add that our faithful friend "Quack Quack" is now "Duck"? He's all grown up I guess.

This was the welcome ceremony for "Horsey" who was a birthday present from a dear friend of ours. Notice how they all look up to her like she's something special. I mean, she does have pretty hair with lots of body and she has long legs (which I would die for) and she may know how to pose....her eyes are a little out of proportion though.

Here are the actors in the bunch. I suspect they are waiting for their curtain call.

This one is something special. I gave Keith a haircut one Sunday afternoon and all of the sudden, they appeared. Kinda creepy, really.

And here they are in true Conga form. We had some new additions in this session. I held onto about 30 Happy Meal toys from when I was in high school and went to McDonald's. Happy Meals were cool. I pulled the bag out for Ava. I was Mom of the Year.

I will post some more pictures in the days to come. Not of animals. But they are still around from time to time. I think they hit their prime in August and September. Every once in a while they will show up when and where you don't expect them. In the bathroom on the edge of the bathtub, on the piano keys, in the tupperwear cabinet...you just never know. It's sort of like me and Santa Claus...you just WAIT with anticipation and excitement for the day you'll see them.

Thanks for reading.

Emily

Breathe Peace

2009-06-30T08:59:00.008-05:00

This is one of those blog entries that I don't really know how to start. I have so much to say and then when I sit down, it seems every single one of those thoughts that I have gathered throughout the last few days just makes a mad dash out of my left ear lobe. I have been so overwhelmed with things going on around me this past week and my heart is filled heavily with so many thoughts. But let me first say this: I cannot even begin to imagine how I, being so small and so flawed, can be loved the way that God loves me. Many times I feel as though I don't deserve the grace and the unconditional forgiveness that He has shown me. I am surrounded by people who are in so much pain and who are struggling with things I couldn't even begin to imagine struggling with.

Attending church this past Sunday at IBC and listening to Pastor Andy's message, it was only natural to put myself in the tattered shoes of those who are grieving or who have grieved after facing tremendous loss or unwelcome challenge. And it allowed me to look at my own challenges the way that God wants me to.

We have unexplainable events of pointless terror that strike us as a nation. We have lost idols and heroes and Hollywood icons. We have all been saddened by loss, illness, or conflict in our own individual lives. In this past week alone I have, like everyone else, anticipated what I might hear next as I turn on the television. Earlier in the week, I learned that a friend's young sister-in-law was hospitalized after a stroke and was fighting against two blood clots in her lungs and one in her brain. The next day, I witnessed another friend reaching out for prayers as her dear friend grieved the loss of her husband to a freak diving accident. The next day after that, another friend's son learned that his 12 year old best friend was hospitalized after a tumor was found on his spine. On Sunday, I sat in church and heard our lead pastor announce that he for 8 days thought he may have cancer. Following that statement, he shared with us that one of our associate pastors just lost his beautiful and vibrant sister to cancer's rage. It has been all around me.

How can we explain this? How can I explain things like this to my daughter if I can't even explain it to myself? I remember when Ava was a little over a week old and she was sleeping in her bouncer next to me as I rested on the couch. I stared at her in the same way I do today -- in true amazement of the gift she has been to us. At that moment, I remember beginning to get emotional (many of the reasons for this can be blamed on the hormones that were asking "uh...what the heck is going on with us, Mrs. Postnatal loonie?", but stick with me here). I became emotional because I realized how much I envied her innocence. How much I envied that she had no idea our nation was at war or how much we stressed about the cost of baby formula. Her world was so untainted -- until I told her "no, don't do that" for the first time. But as her precious ears come in contact with news that she doesn't or can't understand, how will I explain that to her? Because if God loves us and if God can't bear to see his children in pain, why then do the floods come? Why do the 9-11s happen? Why do the earthquakes hit? Why do the homeless starve? Why do the cancers attack?

As we explored Ruth Chapter 1 on Sunday, I was given my answer. God knew my questions and everything that I had run into this week. The truth is friends, we are not immune. God does not promise us that we will never experience darkness. But what He does promise us is that even in that darkness, He is working. You see, God never lets go of us. Ever. And when we are in the depths on despair or witnessing something we just cannot imagine that it's really possible, through that shock, through that grief, through that anger, through that denial -- God is working. And when we hear Him declare "For I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11) we can then begin to heal. Even through this darkness, there is light. I find myself wondering what on earth do people do, when they do not believe in a God, when they are faced with darkness? My God gets me through.

So now, I feel so much better prepared to answer Ava's difficult questions, as well as my own. We are not immune. But what will come out of these times of darkness? What will God lead us to do? How will we be changed forever? How will we make Him proud?

This past Sunday's message began with a video about a mother who has lost her son tragically one afternoon. He was at football practice, started feeling ill, went home from practice early to rest, and never woke up. He had a heart condition that had gone undiagnosed. In her grief, this woman became so angry and so bitter at God. She questioned His existence and she turned away. She confessed that some of the things she wrote in her journal were so horrible she was surprised God didn't strike her dead. But then, as the funds came together in her son's foundation, God led her to begin using that money to save child slaves in Africa. She has saved hundreds of children because of God's miraculous plan for her and her son. She once grieved so heavily in the midst of darkness, but has now been able to rejoice in the difference she has made in this messed up world. She spoke to us on Sunday and shared that she heard about a little boy in Africa who was enslaved. She told her husband "We need to go rescue him." And they did. Not long after that, who also heard about this little boy and wanted to rescue him? Oprah Winfrey. When Oprah found out, she was interested to know who got to him first. And now the story of God's work will soon be shared with the nation on her show. All because of this darkness that tragically and unexpectedly entered this woman's life one afternoon.

It's never a bad thing to be reminded of your blessings in life. Knowing that we aren't immune certainly makes us want to tell our family members that we love them, hug our children a little tighter when putting them to bed, not complain as much when we can't buy unnecessary things even though we really really want them. And through it all, we must praise Him and honor Him. Whether our times of darkness are brought on by a lost job or an ill family member, God is working in ways we can't even begin to understand. But some day we will. And He will breathe peace on us.

Thanks for reading.

I invite you to listen: http://www.irvingbible.org/index.php?id=1275; click on 6/28.

Diving in....

2009-06-11T13:18:00.015-05:00

Aye. I am be-HIND! Well, the birds have left the nest. The End.

Okay...there are more stories.

You know, as things happen throughout my days I make mental notes here and there. I think I have run out of mental sticky notes because everything sorta just blurs together. A month goes by and BAM! Now I have a Blog-buster to create (and the crowd breaks out in uncontrollable laughter...get it? Blogbuster...Blockbuster....Blog instead of Bl...yeah, you know it's funny).

Let's go in reverse since the most recent occasions are fresh on my mind. Or, I guess to segue into my first subject, I can say that my most recent occasion I can feel fresh on my gluts. Yesterday I participated in Stroller Strides for the first time. Holy, holy, holy...it was boot camp for stroller pushers. I think I left my rear end back at that park. It was fantASTic! I wish it wasn't so expensive or I would try it every day. Nothing like sweat dripping in your eyes as you are on your 3rd round of wall squats while singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." Ava thought is was great! I'm sure she was thinking, "Ha! Pay back time Momma! All those things you told me no about!" Anyway, it sure did beat running on the treadmill for an hour staring at the TV.

Keith and I just celebrated 5 years. FIVE YEARS, folks! I can't believe it. We have squeezed in so much into those 5 years. It has been glorious. For a long time we were trying to think of something really special for our 5 year anniversary. We love to travel so we really wanted to go somewhere. As you may remember, we were going to go on a Pacific Coast drive from San Diego all the way up to Napa (with a stop in L.A. so I could dazzle everyone on the Price is Right.) Yeah, well that Price was Wrong. It was going to cost us a brain to go. So then we shortened it down to a few days just in L.A. Yeah, we still had to GET there so it really didn't make it much cheaper. Then we thought Vegas. Well, then we might as well go to L.A. Then we thought San Antonio. Been there a ka-zillion times. We thought a cruise. Done that a ka-zillion times. Finally, we decided. Are you ready? Brace yourselves, brace yourselves. We went to Houston! As in the city we are both from. But I need to tell you something very profound. I FEEL like I went on a Pacific Coast Drive from San Diego to Napa with a stop at the Price is Right. Ava stayed with my parents (mind you, I have never been away from her for more than a couple of hours) and we spent 24 hours away. Now, although I felt like I was missing my right arm without her, I enjoyed every single second. Get this...we like ate when we like wanted to. We actually got coffee at the Galleria and walked around....EVERY FLOOR! We *gasp* went to a movie! And we stayed in an awesome hotel! Now it goes unsaid. I love my baby girl more than my life itself. BUT. I love my quiet time with my Hubby-of-five-years, too. And you better believe it -- Ava ate it up for all it was worth being with her Gigi and Poppy. She was an angel, of course. She went shopping and visited Gigi's work to say hi to her friends, ate an entire Sonic cheeseburger, and played on the playground...oh! It was heaven for her! And there was nothing better than coming home and having this precious child, dressed up in her new digs including, of course, ruffled socks, come running up to me screaming "Mommy!" *sigh* My family is just so precious to me.

Before I add pictures, here's an update of my little chatterbox's vocab...I cannot WAIT until she really starts talking (insert your "oh, just wait until"....here). She is going to be so crack-me-up funny.

Ava's new fave: "No." But it's more like a question...noooo? She hates getting her diaper changed so if I ask her if she has poo pooed, she will say...yeah. But then she realizes that she has just confessed meaning she will need to experience the horrible act of getting changed. So she catches herself. "Ava, did you poo poo?" "Yeah! Noooooo?" So yes and no are here everyday. Along those same lines...(*warning: more poo poo talk) to get her to agree to getting a new diaper, I now let her say bye to the contents of her diaper as they are flushed down the potty. She thinks that is GREAT! So, now, she says "Bye Bye Poo Poo..." Sweet, I know.

Ava "sings" her ABCs. She has the melody down almost perfectly. Almost all of the letters sound the same but she will get the ends of the phrases. So if you sang it with her, she will, with gusto, sing G, P, T, maybe Y, Z, and Me at the end. She is so proud of herself, too.

My vocabulary, on the other hand, has shrunken down a bit to "No, Ma'am," "You're so silly," "Give it to Mommy," and, of course, "Did you poo poo?"

And there you have it. A Bachelor and a Master's degree later...but I wouldn't trade this for anything.

Ava still loves her "Quack-quacks." Granna and Papa (formally "Granddaddy" and renamed by Ava, herself) took us to feed the ducks by their house. They were little monsters (the ducks, that is, not Granna and Papa)! Ava is crazy about her animals though! She fed them right into their mouths (until I got so nervous -- who me? -- that I showed her the park across the lake.)

Someone from my mom's group hostessed a playdate. Ava rode her very first horse, Jett. Yeah! I'm big time, folks! She did so well.

Aaaaaaaand then I found her 30 minutes later trying to talk to her new friend, Jett. I'm telling you...when she has her mind on something she does NOT forget.

Bathing Beauty.

Pudding Princess.
And now friends, notice the delicate use of the spoon. Notice the nice, tall posture. She is focused on eating as a mature and dignified 20 month old young lady. That's my girl. Perfect putting put-awayer.

It's okay Ava. I know you like to be clean. A little chocolate on the mouth is just fine. Keep your calm and enjoy your snack.

Aw geez.

Okay....gettin' a little creative now....

Touch Down!
That's my girl!

I just have to say that I am surprised these shots aren't blurry. I was laughing so hard I could barely see out of my one non-squinted camera eye. Her nose dive was complete with snorting and slurping. It was something special.

Five Years! Happy Anniversary, Keith! Thank you for this incredible adventure.

Thanks for reading.

Now...go nose dive into some chocolate pudding. It'll make you feel like a kid again.

News from The Woods

2009-05-11T13:52:00.006-05:00

Well, this has been a long time coming. I am going to try to squeeze this blog in before Sleeping Beauty wakes up from her golden slumbers. I am starting rather late into her napping time slot. Sooooo, I'll just type until I hear her start to whisper her sweet nothings through the monitor. Usually by me just thinking that wakes her up. You moms know what I mean. Your thoughts jinx your peace and quiet. So I will wait for a second............................................................okay. I'm still good.

So, what's new in life in the Woods? Well, as you can see from the above picture. I am now the proud honorary mommy of 5 precious baby birdies. They live out on our front porch. I just love having them there. I love seeing them all nestled in tight during a rain storm. I love hearing them tweet away while I am on the computer. They looked like they were about to jump out of the nest yesterday. I wasn't ready for it! So I kept knocking on the window so they would hunch back down. I am so nervous for them! At night, the mommy sleeps in the nest with all of the babies, and daddy sleeps on the other column. I was thinking maybe he got the "couch" that night. Five kids though. He's smart for sleeping on the couch.

Ava has a couple of news stories. First and foremost: We have pig tails. Yes, all you "my child could be in a Pantene ad" mommies. I know. These aren't pig tails. But I have waited for 19 months for this child to grow hair. At our house, they are pig tails.

Ava also is finally getting two new bottom teeth. I was starting to think she was going to be a little hillbilly for life. Those teeth were never going to come in! I scared the living day lights out of her last night. I took a peek and screamed "Ava! There they are!" Poor thing started balling.

This isn't new. Ava has always played her own version of dress up. And yes, she has underwear around her neck. About 10 pairs of 'em. And she leaves them on. I call them her "mink wrap." Ava keeps her mink wrap on until it has to come off for her bath. It's just what happens. If I have to go in the closet for something, my little shadow is right behind me ready to open drawers. Getting her out temper tantrum free requires her to exit with a full ensemble of her mink wrap, Ugg boots, a few bracelets, and sometimes a headband or two. What can I say? I pick my battles. And I am also fully aware that someday soon, my child will be the one in Walmart dressed just like this. And I will hold my head up high. I might be wearing sunglasses, a hat, and a trenchcoat, but my head will be held high.

Ava's new tent was moved from our guestroom to the living room for a couple of days. Ohhhhh I had to just suck it up and ignore the voices in my head saying "Emily, owner of the cleanest, most organized, most labled house on the block....your living room has a TENT in it!" I had to get the voices to stop so Ava could enjoy herself, so I cleaned the kitchen. I'm really not that bad. Most of the time. Sometimes. Every once in awhile.

And here is the Naughty Chair. This baby is new....ish. This darling little chair was a yellow potty chair that my dad used when he was little. Then it became a red potty chair that my brother and I used. And now, it is a green naughty no-longer-to-be-pottied-in chair that Ava will use daily I am sure. Here, Ava's books are taking a time out. Lots of things visit the naughty chair. Elmo Live has had a visit. Daddy's shoes have had a visit. Ava has had many voluntary visits (just because this chair is so cool.) I introduced it to Ava weeks ago.

Then yesterday, it happened.

Ava was throwing toys over her head. There seems to be something incredibly fascinating about throwing something and having it end up on the floor behind you. Farm animals, okay. But when she started to reach for her grocery cart, I thought I would nip it in the bud. So Keith and I both told her multiple times to stop throwing her toys. She gave us the look and did it again. I very casually asked her, not really thinking she was going to know what I was talking about, "Ava? Do you need to go to the naughty chair?" What did the little know-it-all do? She walked over to that naughty chair and sat herself down. I wanted to just buy her a pony.

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you mommies. A special one to those who are first-time Mother's Day mommies.

Thanks for reading.

Well, there you have it...

2009-04-21T13:37:00.003-05:00

Do you know him?

Be sure to mute the music on my blog....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4

The Table.

2009-04-15T16:38:00.008-05:00

Hold on to your seats! This is a story about triumph, completing the ol' 180 degree turn, and arising out of the rubble. Imagine yourself feeling hopeless....all is lost. You need to be saved. You are beaten down and feeling like life is worthless. You are practically trash waiting to be picked up and thrown into a pile of life's sad, worn down rejections. Now...if you can even come close to imagining this dark place with no hope for light at the end of the tunnel...then you can get a mere glimpse of how it felt.

Meet.....

The Table.

Yes, friends...I, Emily Wood, went dumpster diving. Actually, it wasn't really dumpster diving per se....it was more trash tip-toeing, pile picking, or even better -- curb consigning. And you should have seen me doing it. You probably would have laughed. Here's the dramatic low-down.

I have been on the hunt for a new table/desk for my new little impromptu craft area that is nestled cozily in our guest bedroom. Up until the birth of my new table, I have had a huge, heavy, monster of a table. You know, the ones that have the fold down legs. You usually see them displaying garage sale items on someone's driveway. Well, I made it work. I covered it with fabric and dressed it up a bit. Blah blah blah. It was still ugly. But, getting a new table for that space was on our priority list...okay, my priority list...right above organizing the garage, which falls at #216. It just wasn't something that was going to happen very soon. So, one early evening, it was a Tuesday to be exact. The sun was setting into a horizon that was filled with shades of lavender and mauve, the temperature sat at a pleasant 62 degrees (I don't know, I just made that up), and the house was filled with a screaming hungry 18 month old sassy pants -- that's why I decided to take her out in her stroller for a walk. And it was the walk that changed the fate of The Table. I'm walking, walking, walking, and as I near the end of the street, there is was. It was lifeless and hidden among the rest of the trash. It was one of those moments when you see someone you think you might know and you want to stare until you can figure it out but you don't want to get caught staring. Yeah. I stared at that table and looked away. Stared, looked away. I didn't want anyone to see that I was checking out this person's pile of rubbish. So, I did a U-ey and checked it out again. It was covered in dust, stains, it was missing a leg...it was gonna to be a project. I didn't get a close look at it but I saw enough that I walked a little bit faster to get home so I could tell Keith about my life changing event.

Long story longer. I slept on it. I would wake up frequently in a panicked night sweat imagining my table out in the cold night air. It was all alone. Should I go get it now? It's 2am..hm....but please, I didn't want to seem obsessive! So I laid back down and continued to imagine what things would be like with The Table in my life.

The next morning, Ava and I went on another leisurely walk. I suddenly felt the urge to get in touch with nature, visit with the birds, soak in the early morning sun if you will. And I managed to find myself back in front of the same pile of trash. I don't know how I got there, seriously. I just followed Ava as she rode in the stroller. The table was still there. It was like it had been untouched. It had made it though the night only looked upon by the angels. But, ladies and gentlemen, I had no time to contemplate any further. Not only could I hear the faint rumble of our garbage truck friends, I saw in the distance a white pick up truck coming in my direction. I turned away pretending to enjoy the breeze on my face but it didn't help the truck disappear. He pulled up right behind me! If I were Hercules-woman, I would have thrown The Table over my shoulder and ran. But I couldn't. Somehow, I had to get back to my car and back down the the curb before my white pickup corner consigner stole my treasure. I had no time to think. I turned that stroller around and ran like my pants were on fire. I ran in my flip flops with a jogging stroller as Ava screamed out "yee-haw!" It was a sight. I threw Ava in the carseat (that is an exaggeration, people), started the car, and drove without looking back. I may have peeled out in the middle of the street, I don't know. Maybe there are tire marks. I popped the back gate up on my SUV, ran over to the table, picked it up, and slid it in. This all happened in about 45 seconds. That man in the white pickup didn't know what hit him! That was because he was also not in his truck. I think he lived next door. But that is beside the point now! He could have been telling all of his friends about this awesome table on his next door neighbor's curb.

So, as I am driving 2.7 mph down the street with a highly confused toddler, I see it....was I dreaming? In another person's trash pile, probably 6 more houses down the street was the FOURTH LEG. The FOURTH LEG TO MY TABLE. The choirs were singing, I'm telling you. So, I pull up my driveway, turn off the car, and ran like the fire in my pants was still raging. I grabbed the leg and made it back to base. I pulled the table out and put it in the garage where I could protect it from the rummaging world. And then I logged in all of my running time on our Wii Fit so I wouldn't get in trouble for missing a day to re-construct my table. Now, take a breath. And if you have a Wii Fit, you can now log in your time for reading this blog. Good work!

So...it is done. Thanks to my wonderful hubby, a few sheets of sand paper, a couple of blocks of wood, 2 coats of paint that nearly stained my hands black, and a layer of clear coat glaze, I have me a dandy craft table. You wanna know what it cost me? $3.50. The cost of my clear coat that was on clearance. Yeah. I'm psyched.

The moral of the story? Don't wear flip flops while your running with a 23lb. toddler. AND, don't ever pass up an opportunity like this one! You'll wish you hadn't!

Now...I wish I was crafty, then I could actually use this table. KIDDING! I have already hot glued egg shakers on this thing! And it didn't collapse. Now that's impressive.

Thanks for reading. Now go to your own local curb consignment sale. It may even be right next door.

I'm such a Mommy...

2009-04-08T13:46:00.004-05:00

"You know you are a Mommy when...."

By Emily K. Wood, Inspired by Ava Claire Wood

You know you are a Mommy when...

- you put your coffee mug in the microwave at 8am. At 5pm, your husband comes home and says to the beeping microwave "Honey, your coffee is ready."

- after the dog barks you say "Baby, you're okay."

- you contemplate not putting your sweet tumbling toddler in the church nursery because you know they will call CPS when they see her little bruised legs.

- you go to the store by yourself and tell the empty shopping cart to "hold on, Mommy just needs to grab something off of the shelf."

- you get back home from the store and just realize that you enjoyed an entire episode of Elmo in the car all by yourself.

- you get up at 7:00am to leave the house to go somewhere by 9:00am only to pull down the driveway at 10:00am.

- you want to declare April 8th a national holiday because the Costco down the road finally opened.

- you take your shirt off at the end of the day and find 3 goldfish crackers in your bra.

- you open the Goldfish cracker bag and find in it a strategically placed pink bracelet, plastic sheep, and a broken crayon.

- you determine how good your day was based on the number of temper tantrums your spirited child had (or how many you had...).

You know you are a Mommy when...

- you feel like you might need to go to the ER after laughing so hard.

- you stop in the middle of the mall and cry because for no reason known to you, your sweet baby gave you a hug.

- you melt because your little lamb said her first "Amen" after a nightly prayer.

- you stare at the baby monitor about to go to sleep and wait until you see a foot twitch, a belly move, or a finger budge...when you see something...anything...then you can go to bed.

- you can't stop staring at God's amazing creation and wonder "How on earth did He do that?"

------------------------------------------

"Come on, Bubba..."

"I SAID come ON, Bubba!"

"Fine. I will take my other puppy for a walk then."

"Okaaaaay...let's go!"

So Ava has started to break dance. Yes, friends. Break dance. She will start out my doing her signature tap routine as she says "Duz, duz, duz" (that is Ava-nese for "Dance"). Then she will proceed to sit down on the floor and spin in circles. She will roll, she will flail her arms, she will belly flop. She does it all. And she thinks she is just the greatest at it, too.

Taking a break.

Thanks for reading.

Emmy K and her 5K...

2009-04-01T14:04:00.006-05:00

So when I was in Jr. High School, I joined the track team. I have no idea why. Maybe it was because all of my friends did it. Or, maybe it was because I wanted the privilege of wearing shorts and a tank top at school. Or, maybe it was because on meet days, we got out of school early. It certainly wasn't because I enjoyed any aspect of getting the exercise. You see, I played soccer, and to me, that was enough physical exertion for one week. I remember being a nervous wreck before each meet. I would get sick to my stomach and nearly have a panic attack. It had gotten so bad once that I had to call my dad to come pick me up -- I never ran that race. I never "placed" in any of my races. And mind you, I ran the 800m. That's twice around the track, friends. Twice. 1-2-done. Then something happened to me in college. I had an epiphany. What? Exercise is good for you? Now, at times I did take it a little too far. But little by little, I actually began to enjoy getting my pulse up. I always did it on my own time though. The "Bear Trail" at Baylor became my best friend. And low and behold, Jillian from The Biggest Loser did make daily appearances on my TV in my living room after Ava was born. So although fitness began to play a bigger part in my life, as well as Keith's, I never had any interest in running a "race." Flashback again to Jr. High -- I had no interest in losing my lunch over a couple of laps.

This weekend, I overcame that. And now I want more. I rarely brag on myself (on purpose). But for the first time in a long time, I am truly proud of what I accomplished. Yes, I'm proud of running my first 5K, yes I am proud of myself for working up to the point of being able to run it at a good time, and yes I am proud that I am digging out "garage sale" clothes because I never thought I would wear them again. But I am mostly proud because I did something that always made me scared, I did it well, and I want to do it again and again and again. And instead of calling my Dad beforehand because I just couldn't bear to run it, I called him afterwards, to tell him I finished. So, stay tuned. There will be more.

Before the race: So remember when I mentioned in my last blog that I wanted to bet a bubble for Ava? Well -- here it is! No more stomach bugs! There are slots in it for food and water. J/K! Like I had to say that! Of all mornings, the Lord in Heaven above decided to make this one a cold one. I actually think the wind at times helped me out. That's what He was up too. Tryin' to help his girl OUT!

The finish line. Not gonna lie...I was not wishing I had taken the 10K route. Maybe next time.

Next time I run, I'm gonna get me a hat like my friend in the green jacket here. I would be the coolest. Did I just say "coolest?" Aye, aye, aye.

Now here's some of my sweet pumpkin pie...

Ava has started to laugh at almost everything (and she has also gotten really good at throwing temper tantrums...Momma's making a time out chair. It will then be in stand-by mode.) But even if Keith or I just laugh, Ava will laugh, too. She doesn't want to be left out! Sometimes it is literally a "HA!" and then she's done. She's pretty hysterical. I can't wait to hear all of the funny things that come out of her mouth. She does call Elmo "Elbow." Yeah...that's pretty cute.

Daddy would be so proud. Look at how she has her cars all lined up so perfectly! I know! I did that!

Sassy LOVES her "joo joo." She has completely emptied out my jewelry box. If our closet door is open, she is in there, putting on her jewelry and high heels.

I showed Ava that she could put her "Super Friends" (as we call them) on the window sill. Now she is ALWAYS in her little corner playing with them. As soon as her feet touch the ground after breakfast, she goes over there and says "Hey!" and plays and plays and plays.

"What?"

Thanks for reading.

The Bug

2009-03-23T13:09:00.002-05:00

Hold on. Give me a second to listen to this silence. *sigh* I just have to soak that in. Breeeeathe in the peace and quiet and allow it to become a part of me. Ooooooooooooom.

Now, why did I need to do that? Three words: Ava, stomach, and virus. Yeah. She got it. You know, I've gotten pretty good at blowing bubbles. I wonder if I could blow one big enough for Ava to live in. She would be just like a little hamster, running around in her ball protected from everything. I don't know where she got The Bug from. But it was almost a week ago and we are just starting to get over it. Yes, I said we. You mommas know, when baby is sick, Momma is sick. Let's recap! Okay!

So, last Tuesday, Adrian and I were on our way to a play date. We were already frustrated because we got lost. Much like us, my sweet baby was just not happy. I don't blame her. But not 30 seconds after I turned around to her in the back seat and gave her a very stern "Ava, that is enough" -- it started. My poor pumpkin's virus introduced itself into our lives. And it went on, and on, and on. From Tuesday to Saturday. And although her body is doing better, she is just not herself. I miss my sweet Sassy. So, now she is sleeping. But we spent the morning screaming (I screamed in my head only...don't worry). Poor thing even screamed as she ate her waffle. It is absolutely pitiful.

On the plus side, and through the tears, Ava now says, "Apple," "sticker," "ouchie," and "poopoo." Yes, friends, The Bug taught us many things.

So I say while a shake my head and smile, while we were uh, "cleaning up", my mom was cruising in her new BMW and my in-laws were in Italy. How is that for pay back? : )

Oh well....through it all we continue to be so blessed.

Thanks for reading and allowing me to wallow in my self pity.

Playing Catch-up

2009-03-11T08:31:00.007-05:00

Suddenly I have Neil Diamond's voice in my head..."Hello, My Friend, Hellooooooo." Keith will be so excited! He is secretly his #1 fan. Not so much a secret anymore. Sorry, Honey. But all that to say, "Hello, again!" This message is being brought to you from my warm bed. I am snuggled in nice and cozy. It's rainy, it's cold, it's gloomy and dark (even though the sun is technically up). It's also garbage pick-up morning, which means I am constantly looking at the baby monitor screen waiting for the noise to disrupt my sleeping angel's sweet dreams. So far, so good.

So let's just give an overall update. Let's see...

Last week, I took Ava to the Children's Museum (why do I always have to spell check that word!?!) Our dear friends Adrian and Jenna joined us and I am SO glad they did. I lost my mind in that place and wouldn't have had them to help me find it! It was an absolute mad house. It didn't help that the event was free. Nor did it help that my little Sassy is so, shall we say, adventurous. If you put her down, she is off. She is an explorer. She is a natural born little Miss Independent. And when there are hundreds of other screaming children and their parents (sometimes screaming, too), it is hard to keep up! I got a work out. But as always, after it's all said and done, these experiences are so worth it. After all, when Ava gets out and does these things it wears her out! (translation in Em-glish: Sassy takes a long nap. Mommy gets an afternoon of peace). We missed Daddy and wished he could have joined us.

How about an update on Daddy? He deserves the spot light! He has just been working so hard for us. I tell you, when he comes home, Ava squeals like a little piggy and just charges at him. That is the best! She loves her Daddy so much. When I am finishing cooking dinner, the two of them cuddle and watch "Max and Ruby" together on Noggin. He is such a good Daddy. And a devoted Wii-er nonetheless! This guy is on something like day #71 on the Wii Fit. He has only taken a handful days off on that thing. I am on day....well let's just say my little "Mii" is sleeping when you pull up the main menu (which I do get a little offended by since I am in the treadmill when Keith is on the Wii. Why doesn't my Mii know that?!) Anyway, go Wii-Fitty Keith! There....if Keith ever becomes a rap star, that'll be his name. "Wii-Fitty."

So, I sent in Ava's picture into Regis and Kelly for the beautiful baby search. Would you know that they didn't choose my baby as a finalist? What?!?!? Yeah. I'm okay. Each day gets better and better and I continue to get stronger.That's why I am really in bed. I am depressed. Kidding! But I am watching waiting for them to flash her picture on the screen among the 300,000 others that were sent in. Next year, friends. It's ours! Confession. I did actually answer most of the "unavailable" or solicitor-ish phone calls just in case it was my friend Regis telling me that she had been chosen. I had a few less Sonic Happy Hour trips just in case they called while I was gone. I had all of my outfits planned out for NY. Bummer. Bubble busted.

Speaking of NY. You may have noticed that I have had a timeline counting us all down to my debut on The Price is Right. That trip for now, has been unfortunately postponed. Date to be determined. You know, honest truth, we have had to do a lot of prioritizing around here. And yes (*grumble*grumble*) my Butterfly Boogie has not been effected by this act of prioritizing. It's still on. But anyway, I digress. A dear dear friend of mine is getting married in October in New York City. So, bet your bottom dollar we are planning on going. Sooooooo, LA will have to wait. Please please please pray that California is still there later on down the road. And although I do prefer my Bob Barker, please please please pray that Drew and The Price is Right are still on the air. So hopefully we will be able to stay in NY for a few extra days and enjoy our time in the city. We were there for our first anniversary (*clearing throat and coughing* When I sang at Carnegie Hall with my college choir....*cough* featured as a soloist *cough* cough*...phew! excuse me!). So, I am pretty pumped about going again. And Keith, boy is he excited! I told him we could drive up to visit our friends at Orange County Choppers. We met Mikey when we went last time and saw Paul and Paul Jr. driving away (with a camera man in the front seat). Yeah, we were such groupies. But now they have a huge new shop/factory that you can walk through and watch the bikes get fabricated. So, he's all about going.

Well, my little turkey is starting to move around so I am anticipating that she might be ready to take on the day pretty soon. I mean, it's 9:30am! Something about the rain...I need to get a rain CD for her room and get her off of that lullaby music! The CD is starting to do funky things from going so much. But, then again, I suppose I do the same thing.

Enjoy the pictures!

Thanks for reading.

Ava LOVES to read! Here she was telling Daddy all about Moses.

She was actually quite comfortable apparently.

Ava and Jenna taking a refreshment break at the Children's Museum.

The Children's Museum is on the Texas State Fair grounds. I've actually been on that thing twice.

There must have been something good down there.

Partners in crime.

This afternoon I took Ava to the Galleria to play. She's started to say "Whoa" a lot. Sure enough, as soon as she grunted her way up onto this zebra, she was saying "Whoa!"

This is a fine example of Ava's signature response to "Ava, smile for the camera!" She always closes her eyes. I guess she anticipates the flash. Silly girl!

Although it's blurry, Ava is signing "All done." So, at that point I had to do as my boss told me and was all done taking pictures.

Is it Friday yet?

2009-02-27T21:32:00.003-06:00

Life in the Woods has been a little, well, uh, overcome with weeds shall we say. But we are mowin'. We are mowin' our little troubles away! When I say troubles -- plural, I really mean trouble -- singular. The culprit? It starts with the letter "C" and ends with an "roup." Last week, Ava had a run in with the icky croup bug. And although she is still hacking away, we have almost sent it on its way. I knew the time would come when my perfect Sassy would get really sick, but come on...why mess with the breathing, too? There were some rough nights that I snuggled up next to my little snotty nosed baby girl in our guest room just so I could make sure she was breathing. She was working at it so hard. But I did find out some valuable information during my nights with my little roommate. This girl doesn't stay still! I woke up with her nose practically in my mouth, then her entire body was curled up on her pillow, then she was on her back laying on my belly, and then by the time Pak Pak our next door neighbor/donut shop owner started to turn on his lights around 4:00am, I had a foot jammed up into my chin. But I loved every second! Really!

So, after a weekend spent indoors (I am so sorry Granna and Granddaddy!) a brief sabbatical from Sunday School, 3 cancelled playdates, 2 no shows to story time, 5 rounds on the Vicks vaborizor, 1 trip to the doctor, 1 complete body rash, and 3 days of taking 4+ hours of nap (Ava, not me...)..I think we are just about done. Ava doesn't let me forget though. Every single time she coughs she pats her chest and says "Goh Cof?" in the most pathetically sweet voice ever. She's milkin' it folks and I tell you what -- She can have anything she wants right now.

So right before all of this started, I once again got antsy with our paint color in our living room. No big deal right? Well, in our house (and I once liked this, but I don't think I do anymore), when you walk into the front door you can basically see the back door. It is one long straight line. So, when you change one paint color, you have to change the entire foyer, the accent wall in the kitchen, and then our living room. So once you're committed, you're really committed. Our paint before was supposed to be this beautiful shade of beigey gold..."Pebbled Path" was the name. Has a nice ring to it huh, huh? Well, you know you are in trouble when you paint one giant wall and you think to yourself one of two things. 1) "Hm...maybe it'll look better when it's dry." How many of you have thought that one? or, 2) "Wow...maybe when I waste 4 more days and paint the entire room, it'll look better because I'll get the full effect." Yeah. Here's a tip: If you have a thought like 1 or 2 or anything that relates to it in any way, stop. Put your brush down. Go back to Home Depot. So, 1 and 2 went through my mind multiple times, but the end product was still a house filled with way too much sunshine. I am not a sunshiney person. I like dark, and warm, and inviting colors. Not a house full of yellow. It wasn't really "Pebbled Path"....it was more like "Yellow Brick Road."

So before all of the croup chaos, I painted. I painted like no one has ever painted before. This month's choice? mmmm...."Smokey Blue" accented with "Shale Grey." Kinda sounds depressing doesn't it....ooo but, no, it's really nice! This time I was thinking things like "Oh! I can't wait to finish all of this because it looks so AWEsome!" and "Wow! This makes all of my whites POP instead of making them look dirty like Yellow Brick Road did, and "Why didn't my husband tell me he hated the yellow as much as I did?" You know, things like that. Well, now all that's left is the trim in the foyer. Now that my color is so different, we get to redo the rest of our decor. YES!

I have also begun my very first annual Spring Cleaning. Today was day #2. I mentioned to Keith that I needed to come up with a realistic schedule. So I have decided to take on one room a day starting at the front of the house. Yesterday was the piano room/office. We aren't just talking wiping things down, friends. We are talking EVERYTHING. No inch shall go untouched, no drawer shall remain unorganized, (cue patriotic music) no piece of trash shall go unnoticed. Today was the laundry room. The laundry room, you say? Have you ever looked inside the crevices in your washing machine? Go on...I'll give you a second. I am taking the weekend off so the piano room/office and the laundry room can get trashed again, then Monday I start all over. You see? Who says stay at home mommies have nothing to do during nap times?

Well, I'm beat. It has been a week. But life is good. Enjoy the pics and thanks for reading.

Wouldn't YOU give her a pony?

Feelin' better today!

I just pray that if she goes to Baylor, she gets a full ride.

I am deeply ashamed of my mess. Why is it that when we a)paint or b)get ready to spring clean, our house gets really really messy?

Here's the "Smokey Blue." ...in our animal-filled farm house, apparently.

Adventures of a SAHM...

2009-02-11T14:33:00.005-06:00

Once upon a time my refrigerator had nothing on it. I mean on the side I had photos, birth announcements from friends, important phone numbers, etc. etc. but I rarely had anything on the front. That was by choice. My fridge just looked cleaner that way (you like how I said "my" fridge...I suppose I can let Keith have some of it, too.) But now....now my friends, I have added a beautiful Monet-quality finger painting and a monthly calendar that has something marked on it pretty much everyday of the week. I have gone from being a stay-at home-what-am-I-going-to-do-today-while-keeping-my-sanity kind of mom (for ease let's abbreviate that SAHWAIGTDTWKMSM) to an SPMOTYBIHTKACOMFTKMS -- Oh! That would stand for a Self-proclaimed-mom-of-the-year-because-I-have-to-keep-a-calendar-on-my-fridge-to-keep-my-sanity...Mom. I tell ya...I am in a new league! I have joined a moms group here in town and there is stuff going on multiple times a week, I have my MOPS group at my church and I am excitedly jumping onto the leadership team for that, Ava and I go to story time every Thursday, the Galleria play area on most Fridays...you guys, I knew I couldn't sit still for long. This is what happens when you go to school straight from Kindergarten through a Masters, jump into a full-time job, and uuuuuurk (those are breaks...) you are at home full-time. I-Love-it (I am all about hyphens today...it makes it dramatic though, doesn't it?).

Today Ava and I went to a Pre-Valentine's Day playdate. Oh, my precious baby. She is just the sweetest thing ever. Who needs toys when you have stairs, dogs, tape, Tupperware, or chocolate. Through Ava's eyes, this house had it all! Ava must have a smell for Tupperware 'cause she found the cabinet within minutes. It was quite amazing to say the least.

This morning, I got up way before Ava did so that I could get everything ready for the playdate we were attending. I was trying to be SuperMom by making her breakfast so it would be on her tray waiting for her when she got up. I had the baby monitor on in the kitchen so I could hear her when she woke up. So I was quietly cooking and all of the sudden I dropped a spoon on the floor. My heart was pounding! I closed my eyes and clenched my fists in anticipation for the screaming that was about to come flying from the monitor speaker. But no. I heard the softest, sweetest, most sleepiest "uh ohhhhhh." After I wiped my melted heart up off the floor I went into her room and smothered her in smooches.

I know, I am ridiculous. Enjoy the pics!

Ava and Corbin...sorta looks like they're on a date, doesn't it? Don't tell Daddy.

"Um Corbin....you said it was just going to be the two of us...."

I think this was after she stole someone else's cookie. Can't you see the guilt?

My clean fridge.

Thanks for reading.

Too many shoes, too little time.

2009-01-29T21:21:00.004-06:00

I know. Can you believe it? Two days in a row! I have to confess that I find myself sitting here in front of my computer for a few reasons: #1) As you may remember me mentioning, we recieved a Nintendo Wii (and Wii Fit) from Keith's very very generous brother for Christmas. And as you may remember, Keith just had a birthday. So, my newly 32-year old husband is playing his brand new car racing game on the Wii. I love watching him concentrate. He's very serious. : ) So I sit here beside him in the "passenger seat" while he drives in our living room. #2) I just ran. Lordy, am I beat. I did some research on preparing for one's first 5k and I learned that while training I shouldn't shoot for a certain distance, but for a certain time. So that was a big adjustment for me. I ended up running an extra mile without knowing it because I had a towel draped over the screen on the treadmill. I don't write about my running endevours to impress you. Trust me. I'm dying. #3) Maestro has never ever been a real cuddle-bug. But lately, as soon as I sit down, he is by my side as close as he can get. He just curls up into a little ball (after I tell him 17 times to stop licking me). I love it. So, why not make the most of my time right now?

Today was a fun day. There is a brand newish library in Rockwall that just started story time for Ava's age group today. I have been so excited about this! As I said yesterday, Ava loves to read and loves to play so I was looking forward to story time and playtime afterward. Adrian and I took the girls together. I tell you, those girls are good buds. Ava chose to really enjoy her breakfast this morning and took a bite every 5 minutes or so. So I ran around like my pants were on fire trying to get ready, while she leisurely enjoyed her morning coffee and newspaper. Little monkey has no idea what it takes! Anyway, we made it on time to the library. There were about 8 or so other kids and their mommies. All the tots are supposed be between 12 and 24 months so it was a good mix. The girls sang, and danced, and listened to 2 stories....well 1 really. By story #2 most of the kids were checkin' out. But the leader of the story time expressed that she didn't at all expect them to stay quiet and still, so it took the pressure off of us all, I'm sure. Ava was really timid at first. She sorta stood in the doorway wondering if I was going to leave her or not. She eventually sat down in my lap. By the 3rd song, she started to dance and then everyone got to meet my Ava. Would you know it? Little Sassy was the one who wanted to pet (and take) the bunny puppet that was on the leaders little hand. "Buh? Buh?" She kept saying. And then when the nice young lady put the first book down, my little Ava was the one who wanted it as her prized possession. Then she danced. Ohhhh...that's my girl. Always making an impression. We had a blast...thanks Adrian! Can't wait until next Thursday!

I also joined a local mommies group today. Adrian and I were very kindly recruited at the library today by the mom who started it up. I am excited! Stay tuned!

We have been spoiled the last few days. Keith has stayed home to work because we have been iced in. Well, today he had to go in for a full day. Bummer. But when he got home he was eagerly greeted with the squealing apple of his eye. She always offers him something different when he comes home. Sort of a welcome home gift. Yesterday, it was a syrup bottle from her grocery cart. Today it was a shoe. His shoe. But he accepted it graciously as he always does. Little by little, she gathered every shoe she could get her hands on. And we learned to not help her...ohhhhh no! She's gotta do it or you'll pay. *sigh* Sign of wonderful things to come.

Thanks for reading.

Just Some Over-Due Rambling

2009-01-26T20:30:00.004-06:00

Phew! So I guess I can always gauge how busy life is by the amount of time that passes in between blog entries. Keith can tell what kind of day I have had when we gets home and my coffee is in one of three places: still in the coffee pot, cold in a mug on the counter, or sitting in the microwave where it had been forgotten after it's 9th 45-second warm up cycle. I have to admit, I have been playing a lot with my little buddy and when she is taking her nap, I have been taking that time to get my run in. So, I haven't managed to find a balance that will allow me to get a lot of blogging time in. Ava is getting extremely active which I absolutely love. She is and has always been satisfied with playing in the house all day. Now that we don't have a morning nap anymore to break up the morning before lunch, I do try to get her out of the house every once in a while (otherwise Mommy can get a little tired). Every other Wednesday we do have MOPS at church. So we both look forward to that (I say "we", but Ava is the one that doesn't get to eat the awesome smorgasbord of MOPS breakfast goodness...so I can probably say that I look forward to those Wednesdays a little more than she does.) This week, story time starts on Thursdays at the library. I am really excited to bring her to that. My little bookworm loves to read. While I am cooking or cleaning in the kitchen, I often peak into the living room to see what trouble she is getting into. Silence is never a good thing (actually, Ava isn't very good at being sneaky...when she's getting into something, that something is usually accompanied by some sort of rip, bang, thump, pop, click, ouch, you name it.) Anyway, I will often find her quietly sitting in a pile of books, flipping the pages of her favorite pick of the moment. It's really cute. For a while she didn't care if the book was right side up or upside down. Now, she'll flip it so it's right. She's gotta read it, you know.

Fridays are my favorite. Fridays are our Galleria day. Some of my most cherished memories that I spent with my mom are a part of our shopping trips. It started with grade school clothes shopping trips and went all the way to just recently shopping for my graduate voice recital gown...oh, the memories. We would get up early in the morning, go to Willowbrook Mall, eat lunch, and shop till we dropped. Now, every Friday I take my little lady to the Galleria. She gets to play on their playground, I get to watch her play, and then we get lunch and eat together at the Mall. It is such precious time that I hope, as she grows older, she will love and cherish it as much as I do. I love hanging out with her. *Just a little sidenote -- Ava has now taken a liking to calling me. All of the sudden she has decided to practice melting my heart all over again. Multiple times throughout the day I will hear out of the blue "Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum." Oh, it's music to my ears. She can have anything she wants when she says that.

Well this last week we celebrated a birthday. Yes, Keith turned 32. He swears that he is 20 on the inside because the Wii Fit said so. And you know the Wii knows it's stuff. We spent his birthday in our quiet, calm, house (well, it turned that way around 7:30 when Sassy went to bed). There is a delicious new Italian restaurant in town, so I brought that home. It was nice to just kick back and relax in honor of his special day.

Keith's parents came into town this last weekend. I don't know what it is, maybe I am really really starting to get homesick, but it is getting harder and harder for me to let family go when they come to visit. We all just have such a good time. Thanks for coming Granna and Granddaddy -- thanks for spoiling our little girl (in doing that, you spoil us.) We love you!

I guess I am not feeling very witty tonight. Sorry if this is missing the entertainment factor. Here are a few pics to make up for it!

When I was little, I remember that I would love to run errands with my parents. I liked going with my Mom because she would always be out looking for something fun to buy. I liked going out with my Dad because we would always stop at a gas station and get a huge Diet Coke fountain drink. But I do remember going with my Dad to Lowes or Home Depot and I would sit on the tractors that were always out front. Here's our little Johanna Deer.

On Friday night Ava got to stay home and play with Granna and Granddaddy while Keith and I went on a date. I see they had lots of fun while we were gone. Keith and I went to the Studio Movie Grill in Plano and saw "Slumdog Millionaire." We even got to get some coffee afterwards! I laughed because while we were in the car I started to tell Keith what I wanted so he could go in and get it for me. It was at that point I realized I could actually get out of the car with him because we didn't have Ava in the backseat. Oh my, have times changed...

Finally...an updated picture of just the two of us. I sure do love him.

Thanks for reading my rambling.

Emily

Counting the Days

2009-01-13T13:00:00.006-06:00

Okay! I must highlight 2 brand-new additions to my blog (see tickers to the right.) MAJ-OR events happenin'! And now, ladies and gentlemen, you are clued into my happenings! I know....yesssssssss!

Okay (deep breath)! Who gets giddy about running???? (*crickets chirping*) Is this mic on? Okay, well, pretend for a second so that you can feel my excitement. I mentioned previously about a rather (uh-hum) large purchase Keith and I made for our Christmas gift this past Christmas. Well, I'll have you know, my feet have been on that treadmill raisin' my pulse at least 4 times a week. And when I wasn't on that, I was doing strength training on our Wii Fit. Why am I torturing myself? Well, I have plans up my sleeve and a new "me" to achieve (haha, you like that? I just came up with it.) Now, it has not been without a major fight. And, I will be the first to tell you that I have yelled out the word "stupid" at my Wii Fit trainer a-many a-times. But for some reason, I feel like I need to prove it to myself that I can do this run. And I am looking at this 5k as a warm-up for longer runs to come (are you gettin' ready Momma?!). And I am way excited! And I just have to add, sidenote: The treadmill has literally become Ava's bowling alley. It's hysterical. She has a plastic bowling ball and pins -- earlier today, I put the treadmill at an incline so she could roll the ball down to knock down the pins. Each time, she would roll it down, knock down the pins, walk around the treadmill, get her ball, and start again. No offense to bowlers, but I thought she would take up tumbling before becoming a Queen-pin. Maybe not.

Now, the second countdown ticker is huge with a capital H. Keith and I have been blessed to take a nice trip every year since we met. The last 2 years, Ava has been our trip...and what a trip she's been! But the time has come. We are itching to go somewhere. Keith and I have always wanted to take a Pacific coast road trip from San Diego all the way up to the Napa Valley. There are so many things we want to see along the way. The top of Keith's priority list? He wants to see the Pacific coast through the windows of a Lotus (I don't think Enterprise rents those out...) My priority list? Hel-lo! I am going to The Price is Right! It is no secret to those of you who know me that it has been a childhood dreeeeam to go see The Price is Right. I didn't get a good night's sleep when my old dear friend Bob Barker left the show. But that's okay! Really! Because I am going to be on that show. Come October 21st, I might be hanging my head low and wiping away a few tears, but all I want is to get into that studio. The CBS angels will be singing gloriously! But, this trip will be bittersweet. My dear sweet Ava will be playing her little heart out with Gigi and Poppy and Granna and Granddaddy. Oh....surprise Granna and Grandaddy! : ) I do get a pain in the pit of my stomach when I think about leaving her for that long. And uh, grand-folks? She'll be freshly 2...are ya ready?!?! Get some good tennis shoes!

So there you have it. I'm just going to run my way to The Price is Right. Let me know if you have any good t-shirt ideas.

Thanks for reading.

Just Hangin' Out...

2009-01-07T20:50:00.003-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know....I couldn't resist the pun. For some reason, the urge to organize something hits me every once in awhile...throughout the day. It seems my biggest "do something" day is Sunday. Unlike someone we all know, Sunday is NOT my day to rest and look at what I created. It is a day to straighten! This past Sunday, I decided to tackle a project that I have been putting off for some time now. I *sniff* sniff* cleaned out my baby girl's closet. As noted on the hanger above, Ava had quite an assortment of clothing sizes in her closet and in her drawers. I keep it all close at hand just in case she'll fit into something again...I mean we have some really cute 0-3 dresses! Just kidding. I already boxed those up. While crying. Just kidding. Not really. But all I have to say is if we ever have a little boy, he is going to look SO cute in all of these clothes. Just kidding. Not really. But we are going to have a lot of shopping to do.

So anyway, as you can probably imagine, I had tons of hangers left over. In a mad dash to de-clutter the living room, I gathered all of the hangers and piled them on the recliner. As I was cooking dinner, Ava was going back and forth from the kitchen hugging on my leg desperate for food, to the living room stepping up and down on the Wii Fit board (which she thinks is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest so one needs to be ready to applaud for her). Then I see Keith charging for the camera. I didn't know what was happening! Was Ava doing somersaults? Was she tap dancing? Was she pushing the couch around the living room? And there she was, my little monster was making snow angels in my pile of hangers. She was having the time of her life doing it, too. And even though it made me a little uneasy, I left those hangers out for days. A couple of times throughout the day I would pile them up onto the recliner. And every single time, A few minutes later, Ava would knock them all down and have a little play date with her hangers. I love this child.

It was a gorgeous Sunday! Keith and I took Ava for a long walk in her stroller and we stopped by the park to play. She met some new friends. One was her age and was about to have a new baby sister (yikes!) The other little boy was about 4 and he wanted Ava to do everything he was doing. Of course she tried to. Her energy at 15 months just amazes me.

Ava, I look at Daddy like this all the time. It has no effect on him whatsoever.

And then there's Maestro. Poor, poor, Maestro. My friends, before Keith and I got married, Maestro was my baby. After Keith and I got married, Maestro became our baby. When Ava was born....Maestro became a dog. He has been so good. I really feel so badly that I have managed to neglect him. I promised him that I would make up for all of my wrong doings this year. He's already been in the car with Keith twice (which was always a rare treat!) Maestro (or "Bubba" as Ava always calls him) just lets Ava pick on him. And I tell you what, she thinks he hung the moon. He just looks at her and she breaks out in laughter. Who wouldn't? Have you ever looked at a pug face to face? They both get a kick out of all of the pillows being on the floor. Ava counts to three and takes a nose dive on top of Maestro who is simply trying to get comfortable, I pounce on Ava because I can't resist covering her in smooches because her laughter is infectious, Maestro gets up because he can't breathe, and I get covered in dog slobber because...well, that just what happens. Aaaaaand Keith gets it all on film, staying high and dry.

Now...go outside and make some snow angels...or if you are in Texas, make 'em in some hangers inside...the heat will kill ya.

Thanks for reading.

Waiting for 2009...

2008-12-30T23:05:00.003-06:00

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7

Every year around this time I find myself looking back at the last 12 months. Remember what I said about being sentimental and hanging onto things? Every year, it never fails...I hang onto the year until the very last second. When that clock hits 11:59, I relive the year in 60 seconds. It's almost like when that clock hits midnight, that's it! The year is gone. Last year was a little difficult because at 11:59 I stared at the clock thinking "This is the year our sweet Ava was given to us. The new year is about to begin....2007 will be in the past." Does it sound strange? I have thought of New Years like that ever since I can remember. And I will let you in something personal. In those 60 seconds as I am waiting for the next year to hit (and yes, I am well aware that Diane next door could have been sitting in the next year for 5 minutes already) I thank God for every last thing that happened that year. I mean everything. I pray the fastest most all-in-one prayer He has ever heard and I also pray that He can understand me as I pray the fastest all-in-one prayer He has ever heard. It is literally as if I am holding on to the year with my finger tips and then I let go when the clock turns 12 midnight. And when I let go, it's a new year. A new file for that mental file cabinet. New memories. New hopes.

This last year, I have learned a lot. I can't even go into some of it otherwise we would miss the new year all together and my entry today would be wrapping up in 2010. But I can tell you one thing. I have truly come to realize the power of prayer, the power of God, the power of love, the power of trust. This year has brought with it the realization that if you wait, God's grace will show itself in your life. And it is hard to wait for it. My goodness, is it hard to wait. But it comes. He comes. And this year, He has certainly been present. And of course, He has always been with me -- sometimes I was the one who stumbled. But this year, and I think I can speak for Keith, too when I say that I have really felt His presence.

My heart is overflowing with thanks for our family. It is through our family that His miraculous work has made it into our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over. I have said it before and I will say it again, we are so incredibly blessed. Our pastor at IBC, Andy, once spoke about spiritual barriers. Spiritual barriers are anything that stand in our way from living the life that God made for us. Sometimes we break down those barriers all by ourselves. Other times, people in our lives lead us to break down those barriers. I look back at my life and I can very easily think about the people who led me to kick my barriers down. My family members are at the top of that list. The grace they have shown Keith, Ava, and I leaves me saying "Wow...this is God's work." Vague, I know...but just break down the barriers, hang on, and wait.

As for 2009...who knows what it will bring. But for some reason, I feel like something great will happen. I don't know why. There are still prayers that I am hoping will be answered. I think God is just mulling them over. And I will hang on and wait patiently for Him.

Happy New Year ~ Thanks for reading.

Christmas Memories

2008-12-30T10:21:00.004-06:00

Oh...my poor sweet Christmas angel. This picture was taken after Christmas Eve Mass. Ava was so tired after being so so so good all the way through church. It was probably about 10:30 when this picture was taken and we just couldn't get a smile outta her. But doesn't she look sweet? And doesn't my hubby look so handsome?! I'll take the credit for his attire...sorry, Honey...

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There she is! Yeah, this was taken before church.

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Ava and her cousin Natalie were so precious. Natalie just reached her hand out and Ava held it. They were walking around the entire house like this. All the cameras busted out like papparazzi. Ava was so slow and Natalie just waited for her. Sigh. It was so cute.
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Ava with her Granddaddy. At least I can rest assured that our baby grand will be put to good use. Ava loves to play the piano!
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We developed a new skill. We can now get up and down from the couch! It's pretty funny to watch (and listen to as well!) Ava's new trick comes complete with a bunch of grunts, uh's, oo's, and when she gets up she concludes with a hand clap (which must be followed by your own), and a "Goot gul"...("Good girl," in Ava-niese.)

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Uh huh...you know that's right. The shirt says it all.

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We met Keith's parents about 2 hours away and had a 5 generation picture taken. Yup -- Keith's great grandmother, his grandmother, his mom, and Ava all in one picture! How often do you get that? Ava wore this sweet dress for her glamour shot. It was made by Keith's mom for Ava. This is a very special dress. The fabric that was used for this dress was left over from Keith's very first Christmas outfit. How 'bout that? Thanks Granna!

Thanks for reading ~

2008-12-23T13:38:00.003-06:00

Remembering the Miracle...

Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus.

Merry Christmas to you all.

With Love,

The Wood Family

Best Pals...

2008-12-18T16:38:00.010-06:00

"You know, my Mum let's me watch my shows (or 'stories' as we call them) everyday from 4:00-5:00. I personally do enjoy my Blue's Clues and Max and Ruby. Usually my Mum sits with me, but when she doesn't, I would sure love to have my own chair to sit in! That way, I can kick back, eat my Goldfish Crackers, and recoup after this long day!"

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"Silly Mommy! Thanks for the chair but I know what this used to be! It's an old potty chair! It's even had a makeover! Don't you try to pull a fast one on me!"

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"Well...I guess it's worth a shot.........."

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"Hm...Yep...I don't think I'm gonna be able to sit in this."

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"What Mr. Joojoo Bear? Aw...you don't look so hot... Are you feeling okay?"

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"Awwww...it's okay Mr. Joojoo Bear...I got your hair....it'll be all over soon...shhhhhhh..."

"Santa, you know Ava. Ava, this is Santa Claus..."

2008-12-17T14:22:00.008-06:00

I would definitely say that I am a sentimental person. When I was little I remember going to a school carnival and getting my face painted. Then of course, when I got home my mom made me take a shower. Boy did I love that face paint. I mean, it had become a part of me. Of course the water from the shower made the face paint start to come off. So, since that rainbow (and clouds) had made it's home on my cheek for a whole hour, it deserved to be saved. I remember taking the pieces of paint off of my cheek and putting them on the edge of the bathtub so they could hang for dear life. It was like watching my best friend dissolve before my very eyes.

I bring this up because it was ridiculous. Therefore, the sentimental moment that I had today won't seem so dramatic. Thanks to our dear friends Jenna and her Mommy Adrian, Ava and I (along with Adrian and Jenna, of course) went to the library for crafts and story time with Santa Claus. Now, I think I may have at some point mentioned Ava's run in with Santa (the plug into the wall species) at Home Depot. He was shakin' his hips (and shakin' it twice....sorry, couldn't resist...come on! You hear it, too) and singing. He had to have been 6 feet tall, this Santa. Anyway, Ava just sat there and watched in amazement. All that to say, I was looking forward to the first moment she would see the real Santa. I was a little nervous because I predicted there might be a meltdown. After all, a couple of weeks in Sunday School, Ava had a breakdown when "the man with the guitar came in"...those were her nursery lady's actual words. So, I thought Santa might freak her out a little bit. Well, Lil'Bit got all dressed up for her Santa. Complete with tights and shiny shoes. And actually, the dress she wore was made out of the same fabric that one of her Daddy's outfits was made out of when he was little like her (thanks, Granna!). The girls loved making Christmas cards and eating cookies and drinking ginger ale...I mean this was a high class party! But just prior to that was my moment. There must have been 25 kids there all ranging in age. Everyone was sitting on the floor waiting for the magical moment when Santa would come through the doors. I could feel my heart pounding through my chest. Everything was in slow motion. Just kidding. I 'm just trying to add some dramatic effect. But then there he was. This Santa was beautiful. And when he came in, those kids cheered and laughed and smiled. I looked down at Ava's face and she just looked at him in awe. I'm serious when I say I got a little lump in my throat. I mean, out of all the real Santa Clauses that she is going to see, this was her first. I just took a few seconds to look around at all of the precious faces. One little girl turned to another and looked right into her eyes and said, "That's Santa Claus." Almost as if she was saying "Now, he's the one...he's the one you want to be good for." Oh, my sweet precious baby.

Santa read a book called "Things Santa Can't Do." Ava and I learned that Santa can't shave, he can't drive a car, he can't remember what Mrs. Claus told him to get at the grocery store, he can't use a door knob, and he can't wear Bermuda shorts and t-shirt (except when he goes on vacation to Hawaii after Christmas is over). Very informative book, I think you can find it at your own local library in the reference section by the encyclopedia.

Anyway, I could tell this Santa had been doing this for awhile. Not just because he broke down and told us his age (which was something like 1,723 years old...) but because of the disclaimer he gave us Mommies and Daddies. He said, "Now Mommies and Daddies, if your child says they don't want to sit on my lap, they probably don't want to sit on my lap." So he invited us to sit in the picture with them. Whiiiiich is exactly what happened. The closer we got to Santa, the bigger the frown my Ava got on her face. She screamed. And she screamed. I sat with her, and she screamed. But that Santa was so sweet. He looked at her and he just said, "You know? You just don't understand it yet, do you? And that's okay." We got our kodak moment and we were done. And Ava continued to hold a grudge until we got to Chick-fil-a. But it was a fantastic morning and yet another bonding experience that I shared with my Ava. We missed you Daddy! And thank you Adrian, for driving and for eating lunch with us. We had a blast with you and Jenna-bo-benna!

So here are a collection of pictures from the day. In the haste of things, I couldn't check the pictures to make sure I got any good usable ones (and Keith's camera is a little too high-tech for me so there was a menu blocking my picture on the viewer screen! I couldn't figure out how to get it off and thought the camera would explode if I pushed a wrong button.) Enjoy the sequence with Santa. I absolutely adore my baby girl.

We love our Jenna! (by the way, might I say how excited the girls look?)

"oooohhhhh no Mommy....here he comes." (cue music from Jaws...)

I really look like I am experiencing joy from this situation. The whole thing was sort of funny, I'll admit it. She was just clinging on to me with everything she had. I have to laugh at this picture, too because it looks like I'm just hangin' with Santa like we're sitting my living room. Well, you know, I'm tight with Santa...we're like this. I mean, he did say that he was going to deliver a bright new ToyWatch with crystals bordering the pearled face and a white wrist band that he found in the watch department at Nordstrom. He did say that. And Santa wouldn't want to let me down. He said that, too. I'm kidding friends...well not really, but Santa did aleady go in on the treadmill with Keith. And you can't run on that with a fancy watch.

"What?" Asked Santa. "You want a duck for Christmas?"

"Ohhhhh why do these Mommies do this to their babies?"

Thanks for reading. May your days be filled with sentimental memories.

Runnin' Around the Christmas Tree

2008-12-12T13:47:00.005-06:00

Well here you have it. The newest addition to the Wood family. Can I just tell you how excited I am to have this 165 pound bundle of joy in my home? It just glows doesn't it? Keith and I went back and forth of what we were going to do for eachother for Christmas. You know, it all comes down to the fact that being active makes us feel good and good about ourselves. Keith used to go to the gym on a daily basis and now he chooses to be home at night with his two girls instead of going to the gym (he's just the greatest). We would go to the gym nightly before Sassy came. That was our time to let off any steam that had collected throughout our day and we really got in some husband and wife bonding time (even if we were across the room from eachother.) Since I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with our Ava, I do have the opportunity to take my jogging stroller out -- last year's Christmas present....do we see a trend? It's sorta increasing with the years isn't it? Next year it'll be our own gym! : ) -- but as I have brought up in former blogs, it just gets a little well, boring. But now! My friends, Keith has used it at night, and I use it in the morning before Sleeping Beauty arises, and it is fantastic! There's nothing wrong with a little variety...now we have options. And, ugh, if I say this I am commited....hold on give me a sec...okay. And now I can train for a half-marathon I have my eyes set on. And Mom! We are SO on for the turkey trot next year. I'll be one trottin' turkey.

Well, I am going to have to sign off for now. I am in the middle of baking (cue "Psycho" music). It usually isn't too pretty when I get in the kitchen. But I am proud to say that I, Emily, made yummy cookies from scratch. Yes, I made everything. Me and my "Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwhich Cookies" are off to a cookie party tonight. Daddy's gonna be home to spend time with his princess and Mr. Gold's Gym 550.

Hope you all have the most pleasant weekend.

Thanks for reading...

Turn Around and Run!

2008-12-08T10:48:00.004-06:00

No really...turn around and run! This one's a doozy cause Momma's a-venting! You know, sometimes I wish I was a nurse. If I was a nurse, I would not have been up at 3:30 in the morning on the Internet trying to find explanations for all of my sweet baby girl's troubles. Poor Sassy has not been feeling so well. But you know, the only things she is struggling with are a little stuffy nose and a fever. Now, her fever has gotten a little high (102.6....I know, I know....it's nothing...), but we are going on day three and by golly, I just want her to feel better! It just really puts me in semi-panic mode when I can feel the heat radiating off of her body onto mine, you know? And she just looks up at me with her snotty nose and those baby blues saying, "Mum, will you give me anything I want?" And I say "Oh yes, Baby! Of course!" Anyway...she is playing the part of Sleeping Beauty miraculously right now. It's hard for me not to go in there and crawl into her crib with her, but I know she needs her rest (and frankly, I would break the crib...).

I have to admit, I am pretty bummed out this morning. With Ava being sick, I am missing out on a morning pj party. My MOPS group is gathering as I sit here listening to the ever-so-familiar lullaby CD through the baby monitor. I even had Ava's fresh pajamas laying out ready for her to change into (she tends to take more than a couple of potty breaks during the night.) We were going to go over to Kristi's house this morning along with the other mommies and kiddos from our MOPS table and bake cookies, and read books, and play until we worked off the cookies, and then eat more cookies. A blissful cycle. But you know? It just didn't work out for us and that's okay. I just imagined how awful I would have felt if we got another baby sick or if her fever just sky rocketed. So, we're staying here today at the Wood Stay in Your Pjs Day party.

I am in my second set of pjs myself. Why? Well (let the trumpets sound!)....I have decided that I am going to get up with Keith (that's 6:00am, friends) and go for a morning run. That way, I know I will do it! Ava and I do a really good job of taking the jogging stroller out maybe 3 or 4 times a week (lately it has been less). But it is just so windy lately. Running is not fun while pushing a 10 or 15 pound stroller with a 21 pound baby inside of it, against the wind. And walking tends to get a little boring in our neighborhood (I don't especially enjoy reminding myself how much I hate not having any trees around here every time we walk). So, Ava and I will continue to go out for a walk for enjoyment and I will make sure I do my run in the morning! It was a good run, until I turned a corner and saw my street's "guard dog" waiting for my arrival. And I couldn't turn around and run, because Lassie would chase me. I tell you, people, put your dogs on a leash! I won't spend too long on my soapbox just because my legs are tired from my run, but dogs belong on a leash. If you are at a dog park, fine. But in a neighborhood? Where there are cars and kids...nuh uh. And this dog is dark brown. I almost ran right into it because it blended in with the dark. And I always see it walking up and down the street. She's beautiful, don't get me wrong. Would I want one? Sure, give me 20. But when I have to walk the other direction because I don't want her to attack my stroller, or change my running route because she is standing there saying "I dare you...come closer...", that's not right. Okay I'm stepping down from my soapbox. Wait! Only with one foot! One more thing! I did call the animal protective services, or whatever you call them, a while back. I was told that they couldn't come out right away but maybe the next week. Whatever! That dog is going to know you are on your way and it is going to hide. That dog will get all cammo on us and sit in a dark bush or something. She's smart! She's already got me changing up my exercise route. Anyway...the moral of this story (is there one?) is never give up on your law enforcement representatives. Maybe 10 minutes after I got back home (my heart still racing from both my run and my near death dog attack) what did I see? Well, I saw my dear friends in their shiny black Navigator with pretty lights on top driving down my street. I think it said something like, oh, "Sheriff" on the side. They were on their way to rescuing that dog. I guess they could hear my mind grumbling this morning...I don't know how they knew. It was 7:00 in the morning after all. Okay, now the other foot's off.

Phew! I need to put something sweet in here now after all of that! Speaking of sweet...Keith and I had a garage sale this weekend and made some sweet money. Boy did we clear out some clutter. And a lot of what we didn't sell I either convinced myself for the 10th time to keep it or it went to our good friends at Goodwill. Keith took my Tribeca to drop the stuff off and it was full. Anyway, this time of year is great for garage sales because the earnings turn into some extra Christmas gift funds. And these days...well, you know how it is. But it felt good to drop off all of that stuff! And I know it will all go to someone who won't just put it in their garage like we did. We are so blessed to have everything and more of everything to give it away.

Now...out of today's blog you can get 6 things (yes 6! I was very informative!)

Don't be afraid to get on your soapbox from time to time. Just remember to get down.
Stay away from guard dogs. When all else fails...turn around and run.
Have a garage sale.
Let your hair air-dry every once in awhile (I didn't address this before, but, yes, it's good for the soul.)
Thank God everyday for your blessings even if they have snotty noses.
Go home and put your pjs on.

Have a wonderful day--hope you smiled. Thanks for reading.

Ava's Christmas List

2008-12-04T08:06:00.003-06:00

"Um...hello, God? If you're up there listening...and I know that you are...can you talk to Santa for me? Can I have a real duck for Christmas? Oh! And can you make all my teeth magically appear for Mommy and Daddy...specifically my molars? Okay, God. Thank you, God. Amen"

Hot off the press!

2008-12-03T14:26:00.005-06:00

Well, my paparazzi turned in their latest work. So, as promised here are some pictures from Thanksgiving. You'll notice that the pictures have a common theme. But who wouldn't want to see how big our little turkey is getting?

A-Claire began to show a new side of herself during Thanksgiving. I knew she was funny and I knew she thought I was funny, but it turns out she now thinks everything is funny! For example, on the way home from Houston, I almost had to have Keith pull over so I could stretch my abs from laughing so hard. All I did was turn around in my seat to look at my precious angel and she thought that was hysterical! I got sorta dizzy from doing it so many times. Then she would get tired and start to fuss, but immediately her crying would turn into a gut-filled laugh. If you haven't seen this precious video, take a look. That's what our ride home was like. http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1181237/4213664 Sigh.

I am so proud of my brother. He is a very accomplished camera man for NBC in San Antonio. Ava found some of his media tags from various things he covered. Being the natural Elizabeth Taylor that she is, she put those things around her neck all by herself. She calls it "joo-joo" (you and I would translate that to "jewelry.") She clunked around in her Keds like she was America's Next Top Model. She was so proud.

Can you tell who wants to go home?

Chunky Monkey loves push stuff around on the floor (she likes to pretend things are cars or trains...she gets that from Daddy). And, if it doesn't have wheels, she'll pretend. And if she hits a surface that won't let her move at a high rate of speed, she'll just pick it up! Here you see Ava showing off her Hercules skills, converting her stool-mobile into an airplane. I was in the other room, and all of the sudden I heard this horrible sound...almost like a seal just squacking (do seals squack?). I went out in the hallway and there she was. Pushing that stool over the tile...back and forth, back and forth, oops! Carpet! Pick it up! Turn around! Put it down! Back and forth...back and forth!

And this is my Emmy. I won it for sitting in the car with Lil' Miss Priss the whole way to San Antonio. Then I let my brother hang onto it for me. I figured it belonged with him. But just because it has his name on it, doesn't mean I won't kidnap it someday. I mean, it just felt so... so natural. It's real! It doesn't even have chocolate on the inside!

I hope you all have a good day....

Thanks for reading.

Emily

Filled To The Rim!

2008-12-01T14:17:00.003-06:00

Boy, am I full! I tell you...this Thanksgiving left me feelin' full to the rim. I am filled with SO much thanks, love, appreciation, admiration, and hope (and yes, of course turkey, stuffing, Mexican food, and sweets.) You see, Keith, Ava, and I had not one, not two, but THREE Thanksgiving gatherings this year. And I think we traveled the entire right side of the great state of Texas. Not kidding. From Dallas on Wednesday afternoon to The Woodlands, from The Woodlands to San Antonio, from San Antonio back to The Woodlands, from The Woodlands to Sugar Land, from Sugar Land to Rosenberg, from Rosenberg to Sugar Land, from Sugar Land to Richmond (TX, not VA...we aren't that crazy), from Richmond to Sugar Land, and Sugar Land back to Dallas on Sunday evening. Are ya tired? I AM!

And I have to chuckle. The house is a mess filled with everything we had packed in the car yesterday, there is unpacking time to be had, grocery shopping to partake in, and a nap to wish for. But it is necessary to blog. I don't feel like cleaning, I think I could live out of suitcases for one more day, I don't really feel like skipping down the grocery aisle, and a nap? Psh. Forget about it...I am stretching my eye lids to prepare for a long afternoon post Ava's Flu-shot (in T minus 1 hour and 31 minutes.)

I do have a lot of pictures from this Thanksgiving family time. My paparazzi took a bunch but they are at work. I promise to post very soon, so stay tuned! But until then, boy oh boy! I'll just give thanks...

From this Thanksgiving:

- I am thankful that when we left on Wednesday, we made it to The Woodlands safely, but I am still holding a little grudge on the roadways between Huntsville and Conroe. Traffic = a test on Emily's patience.
- I am thankful for the yummy dinner we had at Willie's Wednesday night with my parents. I felt so special ordering Ava her very first kid's meal. Thanks Mom and Dad! We love ya'll SO much!
- I am thankful that Ava went down without a hitch on Wednesday night. I am also thankful that she and I got to spend some one on one time from 1:30 till 3:00 am (I say that still feeling sleepy 5 days later). I am thankful that she finally fell back asleep. I am thankful that I couldn't so I got to spend some time with my mom....at 3:00 in the morning...watching The Young and The Restless on her computer...at 3:00 in the morning...did I mention that I never went back to sleep?
- I am SO thankful that we got to drive to San Antonio on Thursday to spend Thanksgiving with my brother Chris and his wife Cathe. I am also thankful that Ava's healthy lungs were tested almost the whole way there. They work.
- I am thankful for the awesome Thanksgiving Day feast we had at Chris and Cathe's. It was so great to see the two of them. I am still getting used to the wedding ring on my brother's finger. I am sure he is still getting used to the fact that I am a Mommy. It was just precious to see him interact with Ava. It was precious time all together.
- I am thankful that Ava's lungs were still healthy on the way back to The Woodlands Thursday night. Ava-tested and not mother-approved. But I am thankful.
- I am thankful for Elmo and DVD players (thanks to Santa and Mom and Dad!)
- I am thankful for the second round of family time and yummy food as we spend Thanksgiving #2 out at Keith's Grandparents' house on Friday. I am thankful for the beautiful orange tree in Meme and Pop's backyard. I think we left with at least 60 oranges.
- I am thankful that Ava's legs are healing after they were covered in bruises. Don't call CPS. My little wiggle worm discovered steps. Steps in the side walk, steps in the house, even just steps from grass to concrete. Gosh, she is changing everyday. I am thankful that she loves her life and has all of this loving family surrounding her.
- I am thankful for Maestro for not having a single accident the entire trip. I think at age 6 he has finally figured out how to hold his bladder (well, that was a big shift from the last bullet...sorry.)
- I am thankful for our 3rd Thanksgiving in Richmond. More family than ever! I am thankful for Aunt Barbara and Uncle Jim for choosing to provide Mexican food. Mmmm-m!
- I am thankful for all of the new beautiful babies in our family. All healthy, all loved, all ready to someday get into trouble.
- I am thankful for the opportunity to watch Ava interact with her family. Last year she was only 2 months old at Thanksgiving. This year, she was somethin' else. She was laughing hysterically, playing ball, pushing foot stools around the floor (she LOVES to push anything), and giving away kisses. I took a bunch of mental pictures to keep forever.
- I am thankful for Granna for spending the entire church service on Sunday out in the hallway so that I could learn about finding Blessings in Disguise. I needed to hear it.
- I am thankful for the ducks outside of Beck's Prime Rib. Ava loves them and I love watching her love them.
- I am thankful for my father-in-law for buying us lunch and filling our gas tank.
- I am thankful for my mother-in-law for walking up and down the stairs with Ava 12 times.
- I am thankful for my mom for spending the whole way to San Antonio and back in the backseat with me and my Energizer Bunny.
- I am thankful for my Dad for making our trips home worry-free.
- I am thankful for my husband for always putting me first, especially when I am busy taking care of our daughter on a crazy whirlwind trip.
- I am thankful for my baby girl, for laughing so hard on the way back to Dallas that I cried hearing it.
- I am thankful for the beginning of this Advent season.
- I am thankful for the birth of Jesus Christ.
- I am thankful for the life He gave me and the hope I can have for the future.

Thanks for reading...

Emily

Back From My "Sob"batical

2008-11-20T16:05:00.004-06:00

Well, Life with The Wood's has been rather busy (hence the 7 blogging days that have mysteriously disappeared without a single word...) I guess that's what happens when you are transitioning from 2 naps to 1. You see, I used to sleep at 9:30am and then...no, not me, sillies. Baby girl just decided last Thursday that she had HAD it with morning naps....I mean, they are for babies! So, I had to surrender my morning blog time to play with my sweet morning-nap-free bundle of sassiness. And, let's face it folks, by the time she goes down for her afternoon z's, Momma is beat. AND I still have to squeeze even an hour 1/2 out of her. Ava used to sleep for a total of 4 hours during the day. She's just not in the mood...this girl wants to PLAY! As a matter of fact I am listening to her sweet voice talking to "Quack Quack" right now through the baby monitor. Sigh. We'll figure it out. I think God is trying to get me to be more flexible. So all that to say, she has been keeping me pretty active. I know....get used to it, right?

Fast forwarding to Sunday. Church is always interesting with a little one. Our church has an awesome nursery that Ava has been going to since about 6 months or so. She is also going through a little separation anxiety. I have to be honest...in everyone I have spoken to (including her Dr.) and in everything I have read, I learned that something like 85% of babies go through this separation anxiety by 9 months of age. Well, I felt like I deserved to frame a Star Mother of the Year certificate when we got through 12 months and Ava hadn't gone through it. Low and behold, she was saving it for a rainy day. It hit me like a brick wall. Come to think of it, it started when we began transitioning her off of bottles so now it makes a lot of sense. But anyway, if I started to walk away, there was a penalty to pay. And leaving her in the church nursery? Nuh uh. We tried a couple of Sundays ago and they paged us to come get her. It was really a distressing thing for me to experience. BUT, her Dr. reassured me and told me that I would need to worry if she wasn't going through this right now. So, everytime I get stressed, I remind myself of that. So now we take her to the cry room and enjoy the service together (and 5-6 of her closest screamiest friends). But it takes us back to when she was really little, so it's a-okay with me to get her through this right now.

And then the triumphant morning came! I had my MOPS meeting on Wednesday (which I had been dreading because I would need to leave my nursery drop-out back in the nursery). I literally lost sleep over it. I handed her over to the fabulous girls who work in her room and she did get upset. I did my motherly duty and walked away, leaving her, as she cried "Mum." It was pitiful. About 10 minutes later, one of the girls at my MOPS table (thanks goes to Liz) went to check on her for me and when she came back (trumpets, trumpets, trumpets) she told me that Ava was playing quietly with her friends. I cried. I'm not going to lie. I was so happy and proud of my sweet independent Ava. So, maybe, just maybe, this is the start of something good. And Thanks to God for answering that prayer that I repeated over and over again on Wednesday around 3:30am. (I wanted to make sure He was awake and got my message).

And then today, I spent a wonderful day with Ava and our friends Adrian and Jenna. We went to a yummy lunch and then to the Galleria (Thanks again Adrian! -- send some pics!). We walked around forever, let them play, and even stuck them in the Santa-less chair for a kodak moment. Those girls are too funny.

So that's what we have been doing. Phew! I had MOPS, I had an Uppercase Living Open House, I cleaned, I cooked, I went to the Galleria, I let Keith shave the dog (what?!?! ...nevermind. I'll just let you picture a shaved pug.), I have been to Walmart daily, watched Blue's Clues nightly, and loved my husband and baby hourly. It has been a busy 7 days.

And now, I get to look forward to the weekend with my husband and little A-Claire, and I get to pack till my heart can't take it anymore. Next week we are going to Houston! Yaaaaaay!

"O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods." (Psalm 95)

If I don't blog before we leave for our trip on Wednesday, have a blessed Thanksgiving. Don't worry, I'll be back...don't have any separation anxiety. It'll be okay.

...My Busy Beaver (or bear...)

Our Big Day

2008-11-12T19:09:00.002-06:00

For some reason, today was a big day for Ava. She picked today to demonstrate all kinds of new skills. It got me thinkin'....she's a genius. No...she really is a genius. This little stinker has the memory of the C drive on my computer. You show her something once and she'll do it back. And she'll do it first 5 days later. So needless to say, I must brag. So here you have it...

This is Ava's Dictionary/Vocabulary (at 13 months, 19 days, 1 hour and 17 minutes of age...yes, folks, I DID figure that out! What...Keith is at work late tonight and Ava's asleep...I have the time.)

joos = juice
joos = shoes (see? you have to pay attention!)
dypa (accent on the "pa") = diaper
two....two...two...! = one...two...three! (complete with the change of inflection in the voice on the 3rd two...)
Bubba = "Maestro" (the first born, our pug)
mmmm (sometimes with a nice change of pitch half way through) = this is yummy!

bk = book

sh-sh = I think that's "Gigi" (my mom)

Bebe = baby (she's French)

Mum = Mommy (she's British)
Dada = mostly Daddy (but can also mean giraffe, remote control, car, or man at Walmart)
Kaka = her best friend "Quack Quack," the duck
Baba = bye-bye (can sound very similar to Bubba and Bebe...again, one must pay attention)

Here are the skills that Ava demonstrated this big day:

- The phone rang and Ava said "Dada"...it was Daddy. A while later, Ava kept trying to get the phone, saying "Dada...Dada." It was so pitiful. We already bothered him enough at work so we called Gigi just so Ava could listen to something else besides the dial tone.

- Somewhat related, Ava and I were at Michael's (a craft store for you out-of-towners). Ava was a little fussy (I think we are transitioning to one nap a day...yikes...) so I gave her a piece of paper out of my purse. She at that point, curled it up and put it up next to her ear saying "ha-o." Now, I don't think it was the ambiance that influenced my daughter's creative actions...I think it's her IQ (you know, it's at genius level...like mine.........why do I hear crickets churping?)

- Earlier today, Lil' Miss Priss was stiiiiiiink-y! (Disclaimer: If you don't want to read about topics pertaining to poopiness, continue to the next bullet) Well, Ava has been known to "start" her dirty diaper and then when I change it, she decides to "finish" her dirty diaper. Well like I said before, she was stiiiiink-y. But I checked her and it wasn't a lot so I waited for her to conclude her number 2 bathroom time. About 10-15 minutes later, I couldn't do it anymore. Ava was playing very contently in the living room (which is blocked off from the kitchen with a big gate). I was sitting right by her and casually leaned over to her and said, "um...do I need to change you?" That girl jumped up like she had been bitten on the bottom and walked faster than I had ever seen her walk before ( I think it was almost a run!). She got to the gate, grabbed the bars, and turned to look at me as if she was saying "Mum, are you coming????" I was dumbfounded.

- This one melted my heart. Like I said, Keith was at work late tonight. So since we all normally eat together, bathe Ava together, and get Ava dressed for the night together, our routine was a little out of wack. Normally after Ava gets a bath, we immediately get her dressed and put her in her crib for the night. Well tonight, since Ava Claire amazed me to pieces, I let her stay up a little longer after her bath. I was holding her watching the last 10 minutes of The Biggest Loser that I had DVR'd, and she was holding Quack Quack. I looked down at her and she had Quack Quack draped over her left shoulder and she was patting him on his back and rubbing his head. I cried. I will admit it. She moved me to tears, this little girl. I know that babies pick up on things, but for her to do that just melted my heart.

You know, so many times throughout this sweet child's life I have felt a variety of things that represent my "newness" as a Mommy. I have felt clueless, I have felt embarrassed, I have wondered "what if's", I have asked "is this enough?", I have doubted my decisions, etc, etc. But my baby girl loves me and she is watching me -- learning and remembering all the time. And I think that's why I am getting sentimental. It is the absolute smallest of things that she demonstrates back that shows me I am right. Although I am new at this and at times I am a clueless, embarrassed, and doubtful Mum, I am a good Mum. And that is made clear by Ava every day. My daughter loves me and I am SO blessed that I am home to witness these things and SO thankful that I have a husband who loves to hear about them on the phone seconds after they happen.

What a big day...

This Little Light of Mine

2008-11-10T09:54:00.003-06:00

It's a little gloomy outside today. Is it weird that I sometimes like days like these? It's gloomy and it's cold...okay well it's not cold, it's probably 60 degrees outside but if I say it's cold then it justifies my sitting here in sweatpants and fuzzy socks. When I was growing up I loved days when it was gloomy like this because my mom would always turn on the lamps to bring some light into the house. I loved that! It felt so cozy and comfortable having those lamps on in the middle of the day. To this day, I am very much in favor of lamps vs. overhead lights. Keith always says I am a "direct light" person as opposed to an "indirect light" person. So today, my house is glowing with direct light.

This weekend we did something that I am oh so proud of. No, this does not have anything to do with organization (silly friends, you're hooked! Sorry to disappoint!) but I suppose it does sort of relate. Would it simply amaze you that being the insanely organized person that I am, I am a bit of a procrastinator? Yes, yes, I am. Well, listen to THIS! I am on-the-ball! Okay, let's rewind briefly to Wednesday. At my MOPS group on Wednesday we had a lady come in to speak about getting (breathe with me, breathe with me) organized for the Christmas Season. Let me tell you, this lady is our own local Martha Stewart on steroids. Martha Stewart II has 5 children, and she left me with my jaw dropped. She was a-mazing! She had idea after idea after idea...I found myself feeling a little ashamed at times! But I did leave feeling inspired to jump on it and get ready early! So let's move forward to Friday...ish (when you are a stay at home mom the days run together like my daughter's attempt at finger painting...side story...I took Ava to the pediatrician a couple of weeks ago and I was filling something out that needed a date. I asked the nurse "what is today, the 23rd?" and the nurse said "um, the 29th...Halloween is in 2 days." WHAT?) Anyway, on Friday...ish, I was looking at ideas on the computer for Christmas cards and I was madly inspired by someone else's idea. So I asked Keith if we could try to take Ava's Christmas picture this weekend and of course he was on board (a little less when I told him I needed the Christmas Tree out of the attic). But, he was the supportive husband that he always is and he thought it was a splendid idea. So this weekend, we very successfully took care of our Christmas card picture. Indulge me and say to yourself "Emily, it is only November the 10th! Way to go! " Yes, yes, it is early but I avoided procrastination! Yay! Keith took an amazing picture of our angel as he always does...he said it's because she's beautiful....(*sigh*).

It's November the 10th. My pictures are being printed as we speak. I can proudly say that my Christmas cards will be sent out weeks before Christmas. My husband is awesome, my daughter is precious, and I found out this weekend that we get to spend Thanksgiving with my family in San Antonio visiting my brother who I haven't seen since March. The weather is perfect, just how I sometimes like it, and I now have a beautiful Christmas Tree. It's assembled a little early, but it's joining my lamps -- lighting up my house with it's beautiful direct glow.

"Let the Suuuuuun-shine In!"

2008-11-06T10:13:00.007-06:00

Brace yourselves, folks! This is an exciting entry! For those of you who really know me, you probably already know that I thrive on being organized, orderly, consistent, what have you. Sometimes it can tend to be a little extreme. I do prefer my clothes to all have the same colored hanger (white). I give all of the wired ones and assorted colored ones to Keith who could care less. It just looks neater when they all match, admit it. Now Ava's closet must have the pjs on the bottom row and all other clothes on the top...jeans on the left, bigger clothes tucked nicely toward the right. The kitchen MUST be clean before I can go to bed (everything else can be a little messy if it must be, but the kitchen has to be clean...I'll have nightmares.) The bed needs to be made. Keith can confirm that in the past I have in fact made the bed just minutes before we get into it for the night. I asked for and graciously received a label maker for Christmas last year...I almost labeled my husband out of excitement. I love getting new items for Ava because I can't wait to put them in their appropriate place (closet, bathroom, drawers, so on and so forth.) It's serious.

For those of you who really know me and for those of you who don't, you now no longer think that I thrive on organization, order, and consistency, but you now think I am simply obsessive-compulsive. Be that as it may : ), boy, do I have some pictures for you! Okay! (*clearing throat*) First we have my longtime friend -- The Junk Drawer. See Exhibit A.

Exhibit A

Now, Exhibit A is actually The Craft Drawer (one of many). The Craft Drawer is on the waiting list. But this is what The Junk Drawer looked like before I was let loose to work my magic on it. So we'll call this the "before" shot. Now let's see Exhibit B.

Exhibit B

As the Angels are singing "Hallelujah!" in all of our minds, we can now see the miraculous organization that has taken place. To the left we have a contained space which houses pens, pencils, small tools for quick access so I don't have to go into the garage, suntan lotions conveniently placed next to our pool key, and an ink pad with spare ink...I probably should move that to the craft drawer, doh! To the right we have our coupons separated in zip lock baggies (one for Baby stuff, the other for grocery items) Underneath that we have our to-go/delivery menus and restaurant coupons. Ahhhhh...the Earth is more balanced now. Where did I put everything else? (cue the drum roll)

Exhibit C

Look what we got! Who else has dreamed of having a file cabinet? Anyone? Anyone? My friends! We have a place for receipts, instruction manuals, Uppercase Living stuff, house stuff, bills, music therapy stuff from school, we-have-it-all! What? You want to see when the pest control people came out last? Well, here, let me tell you! July 8th! What does Maestro need to get at the vet? His Bortetella shot! (...oh, October...yikes...I better do that.) Where is my husband right now? Work! It's THAT easy! Everything that once filled my life with clutter is now in its place. Now, focus on your breathing and allow yourself to calm down. Now don't you see how exciting this is?

Next time you can't find something, go ahead, think of me and this bliss that I am in. Go and clean your junk drawer and give yourself a little shot of organization. I am telling you, it will bring sunshine into your WORLD!

.... I think I have had too much coffee.

Our Halloween On The Run

2008-11-03T10:38:00.005-06:00

Well, just like every other mom out there is probably doing today, I am of course going to share my precious baby girl's Halloween pictures with the world. I have to admit that I was indeed a slacker this year. I was a slacker because we evacuated our house on Halloween night as if there was a hurricane coming. We closed up shop. We put the dog in our bedroom away from the front door, we turned off our lights, and we ran.

You know, Ava is just too young to take out trick-or-treating. And I certainly did not want buckets of candy in the house. Last year, we put our one month old pumpkin in her Halloween pjs, sat on the front porch, and handed out candy. Here's a thought...aren't kids a little too old for going door to door trick-or-treating when they aren't in a costume, mumble what I think is a "Trick-or-Treat," and hold out a Walmart bag for you to fill up? So, Keith and I decided to avoid it all! We dressed our little Miss Priss up in her tutu, tights, and tap shoes, and hit the road to go explore another pumpkin patch. This girl had so much fun running around that place. There were so many pumpkins, a playhouse made out of hay, a playground, a petting zoo, a few tractors....it was great! She wouldn't stand still for 5 seconds. And get this...this is great...there was a little boy there dressed up as Winnie the Pooh. Well, Miss Ava caught a glimpse of him and went after him growling like a bear herself (just picture a child pointing at what she wants and walking like a zombie in a trance...that what she was doing...while growling....) When she got up to him she grabbed a hold of is hood (which was the head of his Pooh Bear costume). She tried to rip the poor boy's Winnie the Pooh head off of his head! She wanted to play with it so badly! It was great! Another priceless moment brought to us by Ava Claire.

We had a great time. I love putting this little busy bee down and watching her go. She just takes in everything, watching every person and checking out every object. Everyone just stops to watch her and talk to her. She makes everyone smile. Our Ava is just such a light in our lives. I know, I know, my blogs tend to have a common theme...but this little girl is my life. She is everything to us. And she has made me a better person. So why not write about what makes me whole?

Our faaaaaab-ulous weekend

2008-10-28T09:18:00.027-05:00

Well, we decided that this weekend was a great time to take our little pumpkin to a pumpkin patch. Of course, being the sentimental woman that I am, I had flashbacks of last year when we took our brand new, fresh out of the patch pumpkin to her very first pumkin patch. My, what a difference a year makes, right? Ava wouldn't even sit still for a picture (if we wanted one with her we had to work fast!) But it was a lot of fun and more precious family memories. I don't know if you watch "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" on TLC (I am obsessed with that show! Love-it!) but Kate always talks about how she doesn't give her children things but she gives them experiences. Keith and I do keep that in mind with Ava. That's why we find any chance to bring her somewhere where she can learn something and experience something new (such as driving an hour away so she could feed camels through a fence...yes, we did do that...) We just love to see her reactions. I want her to have wonderful memories (I know she is a little young still) from her childhood like I have. So this last weekend, we took her to a really big pumpkin patch and she also enjoyed her very first helping of McDonald's chicken McNuggets. I know...HUGE! Then on Saturday, we went out and got her a new pair of walking shoes because she is now such a big girl. Of all places, we found her shoes at Bass Shoes. Now, when I think of Bass I think of leather and loafers. But we did find her a pair of really cute shoes suitable for walking (and complete with three pink rinestones on the strap...very Ava...and Mommy). This weekend Ava also started a new love...dress-up. I put a hat on her thinking it would come off in 5 seconds as hats always do. She kept it on! For a long time! Then I threw on a couple of scarves...she loved that, too! Our little Coco Chanel was prancing around with her latest work looking at Keith just waiting for him to take a picture. *sigh* This weekend was filled with just so much laughter and family time. I highly recommend it.

Sometimes you gotta just open the windows

2008-10-24T10:29:00.004-05:00

I just love our church! Keith and I have been going to Irving Bible Church (http://www.irvingbible.org/) since before we got married. Throughout these last5 or 6 years we have lived all around town and have always driven a little bit of distance to get there (from our house now it takes us about 45 minutes) So it MUST be a good church, right?! Well, since I had Ava, I became a Mommy (....), and because I became a Mommy, I was able to join a MOPS group at my church. Now, MOPS stands for Mothers Of Pre-Schoolers. I know, I know, Ava is one...she is not in pre-school yet, but you should see this little child and her energy. She is going to give those pre-school teachers a run for their money (and me). But, I was able to join anyway. I tell you something...you have no idea how much I look forward to those Wednesdays that I go. Ava gets to play with her friends in the nursery, and I get to play with my friends in my meeting. It's just plain awesome. Not only do I get to put on make-up for the first time in a week, but I get to listen to fantastic speakers (i.e. we had a doc come in who specializes in discipline...ooooo I ate that up!) and I get to hang out with some wonderful moms. Last night, my table had a girls night out. I had almost forgotten what that meant! I have no guilt confessing that it was a lot of fun. I have no guilt confessing that I cranked the volume of Leona Lewis' voice AND the bass in my car....with the sunroof open...and all of the other windows...(I had been listening to Baby Einstein's day at the farm DVD...) and I have no guilt confessing that I ate a part of that mouth watering, gooey, luscious, delectable, what-ever-it-was chocolate brownie fudge cake (go ahead, picture it and drool...) But all that to say, my Tutti Frutti Snowcone moms are great! I think our waiter got a little mad at us because we were there for three hours talking until almost 10:30. They close at 10. Oops. But, I enjoyed my night out, and I know Keith enjoyed his night in. It's good for him, too. He gets to spend time with Lil' Miss Priss and then catch up on all of his DVRs. So it was good for the both of us, I know. And, even though I ended up on the recliner at 5:30am with a sad, stuffy, sniffly baby...I feel remarkably refreshed for this Friday and the weekend (can I just add in there that I am SO excited to get my brand new state of the art old file cabinet painted this weekend...I LOVE to organize!!!!) Anyway, life is good and has so much promise right now. A few things I am SO thankful for: a husband who makes a daily effort to love me and understand the complicated creature that I am, my precious baby girl who melted my heart at 5:30 this morning as she breathed like a little piggy, my car for taking me to Sonic everyday, and this beautiful weather. I can't help but be in a good mood when I have all of the windows open in the house.

Be All That You Can Be

2008-10-22T10:11:00.000-05:00

Everyday, this little spirited child of mine inspires me to "be all that I can be." It simply amazes me how much energy she has. I often tell Keith that we are in so much trouble because she just turned one and has the energy of a 2 or 3 year old. This lil' outfit has an unexpected story. A story that leaves the very simple message that when you least expect it, your questions about life will be answered. Years ago, Keith and I went to a Halloween party dressed in full Army gear (courtesy of the Waco Goodwill Store). These "costumes" have been collecting dust in the closet since then. The other night around 3am, I woke up as I sometimes do and had trouble going back to sleep. My mind was jumping from one random subject to another. I managed to find me way to a thought regarding Halloween. What would we be? We have a child now! She has to be something, too! We have those Army uniforms...but, of course we have to have a theme, isn't that the law of parenting through Halloween?! Once I stopped sweating and my heart stopped having palpitations, I did fall asleep. And for days I kept this very serious and stressful decision to myself. Afterall, I didn't want to raise Keith's blood pressure, too. A few days later, Keith's parents came for a visit. I was handed a shopping bag filled with new clothes for Ava (Granna's a great shopper). On the very bottom was this sweatsuit. Granddaddy and Daddy had picked this out all by themselves weeks ago. As she smiled with embarrassment, Granna told me I could return it if I wanted to. It's not going anywhere. So, although we don't plan on attending a big Halloween bash this year, nor do we plan on loading up on candy that Ava can't have (and Mommy doesn't want)...my huge, life altering dilemma had been solved...when I least expected it. He's working up there on bigger things. I just know it.

Ready to Share

2008-10-21T10:51:00.000-05:00

I am glad that I have an incredbile memory. I have always had the ability to store things away into my mind's file cabinet where it stays nice and organized. I remember the smallest things...where my spot was on the floor during story time in Kindergarden, what I wore to my first dance in Jr. High, my deepest but most calm breath I ever took as I walked down the aisle on my wedding day, stroking my sweet baby girl's warm velvet-like back as she rested in the NICU....I remember it all. But I often wish that I could let others in, too. Sure, I treasure some things and keep them selfishly stored with lock and key in these file cabinets of mine. But this life of ours, although it can be challenging at times (aren't they all?), has been given to us by the grace of our God. I hope that by keeping this blog, even though I feel I should have started it years ago, I will remember to thank God daily as I am reminded of these little (and big) things that happen in my family's life. And, at the same time open the file cabinets so to speak, letting others learn what life is like in the Woods. Enjoy...