Today Maeve:
1.) started hitting Kyra and I with a plastic bowling pin....all while laughing her ass off. WTF?
2.) put one of Kyra's Spongebob socks in the toilet, got it dripping wet, and then came to me and put it on my shirt. Again, WTF?
3.) almost pulled a very heavy shelf down on top of her in her room. If I would have been a second later, we would have been at the ER.
Oh and last night, she was fussing in her bed, so I went to see what the problem was and she had completely undressed herself.
Thank God I colored my hair last night because I bet that there's a few extra grays up there now. *sigh*
This kid is something else.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Their obsession....
This is Kyra and Maeve's newest obsession.
Some of the boxes even have a cool little dispenser inside of them. The thing is really handy too! You can clip it right on to your purse or diaper bag and have instant snacks!
Genius!
Some of the boxes even have a cool little dispenser inside of them. The thing is really handy too! You can clip it right on to your purse or diaper bag and have instant snacks!
Genius!
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Yoga and how I love thee.....
So I subbed a Body Flow class this morning and it got me thinking how much I really enjoy that class. I wish I could teach it/do it more often. I've also thought about how far I've come in 4 years. That's right. I've been teaching it for almost 4 years now! Geez!
Initially when I signed up for the Body Flow training, I had no idea what I was in for. That was my fault too. I didn't do my research at all. But I think it was a blessing in disguise because if I had known that it involved yoga, tai chi, and pilates, I would have never done it. Shoot, I even came without a yoga mat the first day. That's how clueless I was. I remember that first day of training too. I was completely sore. Every muscle and bone in my body ached. Yet I felt wonderful all at the same time. I completed the training over the course of 3 days and I have to say that it's one of the best things that I could have ever done for myself. It opened another door to fitness that I never knew was there. Up until then, I thought yoga was for wimps. I thought, "How on earth can this be a good workout if you're just sitting there humming for one hour?" Boy was that a misconception. It's NOTHING like that. The "humming" was part of a relaxation/meditation and we don't even do things like that in a Body Flow class. It's the poses that make up a large portion of the class.
My strength and flexibility have improved dramatically. Even Richard agrees that my body took on a different shape when I started teaching Body Flow. My back felt better than it had in years. I felt more relaxed and at ease after a class. I felt like I could conquer any task. I loved that feeling. One of the biggest benefits was finding another workout to sustain my craving for the gym. I just needed a break from all of the cardio that I was doing and Body Flow provided this. It provided an awesome workout that was very complementary to everything else that I was doing. So my risk of injury probably decreased as well. It also acted as an "escape" and proved to be very therapeutic for the mind and the body.
Recently I encountered a member of the gym that took my class. She'd always been such an advocate for all of the cardio classes too. After my class, she told me how she had gotten into doing Flow and she really enjoys it and she craves it after days of doing other, more intense things. She said that it makes her feel better about herself and her body. I totally saw myself in her! I just love it when other people "get it" and come to understand what the wonderful world of yoga is all about.
Another positive thing about Body Flow is that I can teach it forever if I want to. That class knows no age. I have had a 65 year old man come in to class and perform headstands before class and after. He's only been doing yoga for 7 years or so, but he's in awesome physical shape. He's an inspiration to me.
Yoga is the most gentle exercise that you can give your body. There are too many benefits to name. I cannot say enough good things about it. So if you can get your hands on a video or attend a class at a gym, then do so. I promise that it'll leave you standing taller, and you'll feel relaxed and better than ever.
If you want to learn more about Body Flow, go here.
For more information on yoga, go here.
Namaste! ;)
Initially when I signed up for the Body Flow training, I had no idea what I was in for. That was my fault too. I didn't do my research at all. But I think it was a blessing in disguise because if I had known that it involved yoga, tai chi, and pilates, I would have never done it. Shoot, I even came without a yoga mat the first day. That's how clueless I was. I remember that first day of training too. I was completely sore. Every muscle and bone in my body ached. Yet I felt wonderful all at the same time. I completed the training over the course of 3 days and I have to say that it's one of the best things that I could have ever done for myself. It opened another door to fitness that I never knew was there. Up until then, I thought yoga was for wimps. I thought, "How on earth can this be a good workout if you're just sitting there humming for one hour?" Boy was that a misconception. It's NOTHING like that. The "humming" was part of a relaxation/meditation and we don't even do things like that in a Body Flow class. It's the poses that make up a large portion of the class.
My strength and flexibility have improved dramatically. Even Richard agrees that my body took on a different shape when I started teaching Body Flow. My back felt better than it had in years. I felt more relaxed and at ease after a class. I felt like I could conquer any task. I loved that feeling. One of the biggest benefits was finding another workout to sustain my craving for the gym. I just needed a break from all of the cardio that I was doing and Body Flow provided this. It provided an awesome workout that was very complementary to everything else that I was doing. So my risk of injury probably decreased as well. It also acted as an "escape" and proved to be very therapeutic for the mind and the body.
Recently I encountered a member of the gym that took my class. She'd always been such an advocate for all of the cardio classes too. After my class, she told me how she had gotten into doing Flow and she really enjoys it and she craves it after days of doing other, more intense things. She said that it makes her feel better about herself and her body. I totally saw myself in her! I just love it when other people "get it" and come to understand what the wonderful world of yoga is all about.
Another positive thing about Body Flow is that I can teach it forever if I want to. That class knows no age. I have had a 65 year old man come in to class and perform headstands before class and after. He's only been doing yoga for 7 years or so, but he's in awesome physical shape. He's an inspiration to me.
Yoga is the most gentle exercise that you can give your body. There are too many benefits to name. I cannot say enough good things about it. So if you can get your hands on a video or attend a class at a gym, then do so. I promise that it'll leave you standing taller, and you'll feel relaxed and better than ever.
If you want to learn more about Body Flow, go here.
For more information on yoga, go here.
Namaste! ;)
Friday, July 28, 2006
15 months....
Happy 15 months to my Maeve! Gosh, has it been that long? Wasn't she just a baby yesterday? ;)
I took her to the doctor this morning for her checkup. I had to laugh because she's considerably smaller than Kyra was at this age. She's 23 lbs. 3 oz. and 32 inches long. She's in the 32nd percentile for her weight and the 77th percentile for her height. Kyra was well over 25 lbs. at a year old, so you can see the difference between the two. Of course Kyra weighed 9 lbs. when she was born (Maeve was 7 lbs. 14 oz.), so she's always been on the bigger side. Now you'd never know. She's a string bean. Her growth has slowed way down too. I think she's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight.
Maeve is doing well. We saw a different doctor today and she was very impressed with Maeve's vocabulary. Granted it's just "mama", "dada", "hi", "bye", and "night, night", but she was happy with that. Maeve is on the verge of saying, "doggy" or "puppy". She also does a lot of pointing and head nodding or shaking. She definitely lets you know what she wants. The one thing that really stands out about this kid is that she's a climber. She wants to climb on everything. Kyra never really explored that phase. So all of this is very new and very interesting. I still think a lot of things that Maeve does stems from the fact that she has a big sister who she sees doing it all the time. They have been constantly in battle over the littlest things. Today they were both wanting the same cardboard box. Ugh. Has this started already?
I took her to the doctor this morning for her checkup. I had to laugh because she's considerably smaller than Kyra was at this age. She's 23 lbs. 3 oz. and 32 inches long. She's in the 32nd percentile for her weight and the 77th percentile for her height. Kyra was well over 25 lbs. at a year old, so you can see the difference between the two. Of course Kyra weighed 9 lbs. when she was born (Maeve was 7 lbs. 14 oz.), so she's always been on the bigger side. Now you'd never know. She's a string bean. Her growth has slowed way down too. I think she's in the 75th percentile for both height and weight.
Maeve is doing well. We saw a different doctor today and she was very impressed with Maeve's vocabulary. Granted it's just "mama", "dada", "hi", "bye", and "night, night", but she was happy with that. Maeve is on the verge of saying, "doggy" or "puppy". She also does a lot of pointing and head nodding or shaking. She definitely lets you know what she wants. The one thing that really stands out about this kid is that she's a climber. She wants to climb on everything. Kyra never really explored that phase. So all of this is very new and very interesting. I still think a lot of things that Maeve does stems from the fact that she has a big sister who she sees doing it all the time. They have been constantly in battle over the littlest things. Today they were both wanting the same cardboard box. Ugh. Has this started already?
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Holy molars!
Maeve's 1 year molars have come through. Now I know why she's been so unconsolable the last few days. I finally broke down and gave her Motrin instead of Tylenol last night. That seemed to help her.
My poor baby though! I hate teeth! ;)
My poor baby though! I hate teeth! ;)
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Mixed feelings....
If this post offends anyone, I'm sorry. This has been on my mind all day and I just felt the need to blog about it.
Andrea Yates was declared not guilty by reason of insanity today. As you may remember, she drowned all 5 of her kids in their bathtub back in June of 2001. This story has weighed heavily on my heart because Kyra was born shortly after that and I suffered from post-partum depression, so all of that was very scary and very real to me.
Before I discuss her, let me discuss a little bit of my mental illness and what I went through.
Having a baby should be one of the most joyous events of your life. It's right up there with meeting the man of your dreams and getting married. But the reality is that many women, myself included, struggle after the birth of a baby. Things aren't so "happily ever after". It's a very harsh reality. I already felt pangs of it in the hospital. I thought once I took Kyra home that things would be better. They weren't. Add a lot of sleep deprivation to those feelings and you've got a very emotional and unstable person. I remember waking up one morning and crying and crying. Richard was scared. I was crying more than Kyra was. I kept thinking, "Gosh, I don't feel like myself. I want to feel better, but I can't. What's wrong with me?" Kyra's reflux peaked around 3 weeks old and she cried nonstop. I struggled with trying different formulas to try and make her feel better. I was stressed. I called my mother-in-law and begged her to come back up here to stay with us. I did not want to be alone with the baby. Clearly, I was not myself at all. One night I had enough, so I called a number that Richard found and by the next day, I had an appointment with a therapist. By this time, I was almost 6 weeks post-partum, so I visited my doctor and told her how I was feeling and she immediately put me on Zoloft.
Very soon after that, I started to feel better. Every day that passed by was better than the one before. My therapist and I discussed the fact that I had probably supressed feelings of grief over my mother's death 10 years before and they were now rising to the surface with the event of Kyra's birth. I agreed. So many things made sense now.
I did my research and became educated on how pregnancy and birth can affect a woman's body and also her hormone levels. I soon learned that depression was nothing to be ashamed of. I never hid the fact that I was on medication and had seen a therapist. The more people I talked to, the more I realized that they too had issues similar to mine.
When Kyra was between 2 and 3 years old, I slowly weaned off of Zoloft. After Maeve's birth, those feelings of helplessness came back, so I got on Zoloft once again. I'm not ashamed of asking for help. I'd rather be a happy mommy and be able to cope rather than be sad all the time. I'm still on it too. I will slowly wean from it when I feel the time is right.
What angers me the most is how people think that you are "looney" when you suffer from depression. It doesn't work like that. It's a chemical imbalance in your body that just causes things to be a little "off" and it really plays with your emotions. Some women have no problem whatsoever after they have had a baby. The levels slowly return to normal and they are fine. Others take longer to bounce back and sometimes their levels are so high and then plummet very quickly. This is what I think happened to me.
With Maeve's birth, I was educated and knew what to do immediately. Richard didn't hesitate to agree with me and support me this time around. I wanted to feel better because I was breastfeeding and had to take care of my baby. I didn't feel that way the first time around. Perhaps I was scared and the depression was really taking over or perhaps it was just normal first-time mom jitters. I don't know.
I'm happy to say that I have overcome it. I saw all of the warning signs and red flags and did something about it. Andrea Yates didn't have the support that I had and it cost 5 small, innocent children their lives.
So what do I think about the verdict? I think it was fair. I honestly believe with all my heart that this woman was and still is very mentally ill. Is she guilty? You better believe she is. The question is did she know whether or not she was killing her children?
The mind is a very strange thing. When I had Kyra all alone as a baby, thoughts ran through my mind as I gave her a bath. What if she fell in? What if I dropped her? I didn't want to hurt her, but I was so scared that something would happen to her and I would be to blame. Maybe it was because of hearing about this case that I reacted like that. I don't know. But never before had my mind turned to thoughts like those. It was very weird.
It's evident that this woman had severe mental issues throughout her life. Yet she kept getting pregnant and kept giving birth to these babies....all while her (ex) husband stood by and thought nothing of it. I honestly wish that there was a way to convict him because I think by his negligence, that he's to blame for a lot of it. If I were in that severe of a depression, you can bet that nobody would have left me alone. I have friends and family that care about me too much and care about the safety of my children. Her (ex) husband should be ashamed of himself and I hope that he lives with guilt forever....guilt for not stepping forward and insisting that his wife get the help that she needed. The least he could have done is removed those children from her care. If she couldn't take care of herself, then how in the world would she take care of 5 small children?
Then the images start to sadden me. I can't imagine the fear that each of those children must have felt as their own mother, the person that they trust and rely upon for love and support, ended their lives....one by one. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. Tonight I will think of those children and hold mine just a little bit tighter. I'll kiss Kyra's cheek and I'll stroke Maeve's hair and remind myself that I'm very lucky. Some people never come out of a mental illness. My therapist talked a lot about how they would perform shock therapy in these institutions as a last resort. Medication doesn't help everyone. I'm just grateful that it helped me.
Justice will never be served on behalf of those 5 children....at least not in this lifetime. It's sad, but true. I can only hope that this case has brought more attention to mental illness. I hope that it's brought more knowledge and understanding. If someone you know is going through a rough time, instead of turning away, offer your support in any way you can. They will be pleasantly surprised and you will be rewarded by the smile on their face.
Andrea Yates was declared not guilty by reason of insanity today. As you may remember, she drowned all 5 of her kids in their bathtub back in June of 2001. This story has weighed heavily on my heart because Kyra was born shortly after that and I suffered from post-partum depression, so all of that was very scary and very real to me.
Before I discuss her, let me discuss a little bit of my mental illness and what I went through.
Having a baby should be one of the most joyous events of your life. It's right up there with meeting the man of your dreams and getting married. But the reality is that many women, myself included, struggle after the birth of a baby. Things aren't so "happily ever after". It's a very harsh reality. I already felt pangs of it in the hospital. I thought once I took Kyra home that things would be better. They weren't. Add a lot of sleep deprivation to those feelings and you've got a very emotional and unstable person. I remember waking up one morning and crying and crying. Richard was scared. I was crying more than Kyra was. I kept thinking, "Gosh, I don't feel like myself. I want to feel better, but I can't. What's wrong with me?" Kyra's reflux peaked around 3 weeks old and she cried nonstop. I struggled with trying different formulas to try and make her feel better. I was stressed. I called my mother-in-law and begged her to come back up here to stay with us. I did not want to be alone with the baby. Clearly, I was not myself at all. One night I had enough, so I called a number that Richard found and by the next day, I had an appointment with a therapist. By this time, I was almost 6 weeks post-partum, so I visited my doctor and told her how I was feeling and she immediately put me on Zoloft.
Very soon after that, I started to feel better. Every day that passed by was better than the one before. My therapist and I discussed the fact that I had probably supressed feelings of grief over my mother's death 10 years before and they were now rising to the surface with the event of Kyra's birth. I agreed. So many things made sense now.
I did my research and became educated on how pregnancy and birth can affect a woman's body and also her hormone levels. I soon learned that depression was nothing to be ashamed of. I never hid the fact that I was on medication and had seen a therapist. The more people I talked to, the more I realized that they too had issues similar to mine.
When Kyra was between 2 and 3 years old, I slowly weaned off of Zoloft. After Maeve's birth, those feelings of helplessness came back, so I got on Zoloft once again. I'm not ashamed of asking for help. I'd rather be a happy mommy and be able to cope rather than be sad all the time. I'm still on it too. I will slowly wean from it when I feel the time is right.
What angers me the most is how people think that you are "looney" when you suffer from depression. It doesn't work like that. It's a chemical imbalance in your body that just causes things to be a little "off" and it really plays with your emotions. Some women have no problem whatsoever after they have had a baby. The levels slowly return to normal and they are fine. Others take longer to bounce back and sometimes their levels are so high and then plummet very quickly. This is what I think happened to me.
With Maeve's birth, I was educated and knew what to do immediately. Richard didn't hesitate to agree with me and support me this time around. I wanted to feel better because I was breastfeeding and had to take care of my baby. I didn't feel that way the first time around. Perhaps I was scared and the depression was really taking over or perhaps it was just normal first-time mom jitters. I don't know.
I'm happy to say that I have overcome it. I saw all of the warning signs and red flags and did something about it. Andrea Yates didn't have the support that I had and it cost 5 small, innocent children their lives.
So what do I think about the verdict? I think it was fair. I honestly believe with all my heart that this woman was and still is very mentally ill. Is she guilty? You better believe she is. The question is did she know whether or not she was killing her children?
The mind is a very strange thing. When I had Kyra all alone as a baby, thoughts ran through my mind as I gave her a bath. What if she fell in? What if I dropped her? I didn't want to hurt her, but I was so scared that something would happen to her and I would be to blame. Maybe it was because of hearing about this case that I reacted like that. I don't know. But never before had my mind turned to thoughts like those. It was very weird.
It's evident that this woman had severe mental issues throughout her life. Yet she kept getting pregnant and kept giving birth to these babies....all while her (ex) husband stood by and thought nothing of it. I honestly wish that there was a way to convict him because I think by his negligence, that he's to blame for a lot of it. If I were in that severe of a depression, you can bet that nobody would have left me alone. I have friends and family that care about me too much and care about the safety of my children. Her (ex) husband should be ashamed of himself and I hope that he lives with guilt forever....guilt for not stepping forward and insisting that his wife get the help that she needed. The least he could have done is removed those children from her care. If she couldn't take care of herself, then how in the world would she take care of 5 small children?
Then the images start to sadden me. I can't imagine the fear that each of those children must have felt as their own mother, the person that they trust and rely upon for love and support, ended their lives....one by one. It literally makes me sick to my stomach. Tonight I will think of those children and hold mine just a little bit tighter. I'll kiss Kyra's cheek and I'll stroke Maeve's hair and remind myself that I'm very lucky. Some people never come out of a mental illness. My therapist talked a lot about how they would perform shock therapy in these institutions as a last resort. Medication doesn't help everyone. I'm just grateful that it helped me.
Justice will never be served on behalf of those 5 children....at least not in this lifetime. It's sad, but true. I can only hope that this case has brought more attention to mental illness. I hope that it's brought more knowledge and understanding. If someone you know is going through a rough time, instead of turning away, offer your support in any way you can. They will be pleasantly surprised and you will be rewarded by the smile on their face.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
That's my girls....
Conversation this afternoon:
Richard: "Kyra, why are you folding clothes?"
Kyra: "Because mommy needs a break!"
Thatta girl! I smiled. She's so darn thoughtful. And she didn't ask for money for doing it either! LOL! She took the entire basket into her room and folded it on her bed so that Maeve wouldn't bother her. I did give her a dollar tonight and we had an entire lesson on coins and counting change. She'll learn it in Kindy anyway, so why not get a head start?
Oh and Maeve is giving those "mouthful" kisses.....you know the ones where babies kiss with their mouths wide open and slober the heck out of you. I LOVE IT!
Tonight in the bathtub, Maeve was opening her mouth to get the trickle of water that was coming out of the faucet. Ewwwwww! I have to admit that it was sooooo cute though! ;)
I love my girlies!
Richard: "Kyra, why are you folding clothes?"
Kyra: "Because mommy needs a break!"
Thatta girl! I smiled. She's so darn thoughtful. And she didn't ask for money for doing it either! LOL! She took the entire basket into her room and folded it on her bed so that Maeve wouldn't bother her. I did give her a dollar tonight and we had an entire lesson on coins and counting change. She'll learn it in Kindy anyway, so why not get a head start?
Oh and Maeve is giving those "mouthful" kisses.....you know the ones where babies kiss with their mouths wide open and slober the heck out of you. I LOVE IT!
Tonight in the bathtub, Maeve was opening her mouth to get the trickle of water that was coming out of the faucet. Ewwwwww! I have to admit that it was sooooo cute though! ;)
I love my girlies!
I can't win.....
So I read this article to Richard.
His response? "Well I guess I'll just have to do more fishing then."
Damn, I can't win.
His response? "Well I guess I'll just have to do more fishing then."
Damn, I can't win.
New bumper stickers.....
A big thanks to my mother-in-law for sending these to me! ;)
"Jesus loves you...but everyone else thinks you are an ass."
"Some people just don't know how to drive.....I call these people 'Everybody But Me.'"
"Don't like my driving? Then quit watching me."
"If you can read this.....I can slam on my brakes and sue you."
"Some people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them."
"Try not to let your mind wander.....it is too small and fragile to be out by itself."
"Hang up and drive!" (There are actually magnets that you can put on your car that say this. I saw them at Academy this weekend!)
"Welcome to America......now speak English!"
"Jesus loves you...but everyone else thinks you are an ass."
"Some people just don't know how to drive.....I call these people 'Everybody But Me.'"
"Don't like my driving? Then quit watching me."
"If you can read this.....I can slam on my brakes and sue you."
"Some people are only alive because it is illegal to shoot them."
"Try not to let your mind wander.....it is too small and fragile to be out by itself."
"Hang up and drive!" (There are actually magnets that you can put on your car that say this. I saw them at Academy this weekend!)
"Welcome to America......now speak English!"
Sunday, July 23, 2006
My kidless weekend......
Well it's Sunday and they're back! LOL! They had fun. They survived. I survived. ;)
Friday evening I met my sister in Bastrop which is about halfway for both of us. So around 6:00, I headed back to Austin. I wanted to run a few errands and then grab my favorite for dinner, Souper Salad. So I ran to Target and then called my old neighbors. They were going to be home, so I told them I'd be over there after grabbing dinner. We had a 2 hour gabfest! FUN! It was sooo nice to visit with them without children around to bother us! I didn't get home till almost 10:00! I really do miss Tom and Mona. Richard always says that if we win the lottery, we are building a house and then building them a house right next to ours so we can be neighbors again! LOL!
Saturday morning, I woke up and took a Body Step class. It's always nice to NOT have to teach and just take someone else's class. After that, I went to Office Depot and finally found the pencils that Kyra needs for Kinder. Not even Target or Walmart had them. I then ventured over to Target and got a backpack for Kyra because my sister said that if I got her one this weekend, she'd take it and have a friend of hers monogram Kyra's name on it. After that, I went to Old Navy. After much contemplation, I left with a black shirt for me and some shoes that were on sale for $2.99! I then came home. Richard had a surprise for me. He took off of work on Saturday night so that we could go out! SAWEEEET! So then I took a nap because I knew that it would be a late night (which I'm not used to....I know, I'm a wuss).
Saturday evening, we left around 6:00 and went to eat at one of our favorite places, Cherry Creek Catfish. Yum! After that, we went to Academy because Richard was looking for some new sandals. Then we went to Midnight Rodeo to hear Stoney LaRue play. We haven't heard live music in so long. It was great! I guess we left there around 12:30 or so and came home and crashed. I slept late this morning and woke up and did Body Flow. My dad came and was waiting for Kyra and Maeve when they got back here. They were so excited to see him. He's spending the night tonight.
Funny thing....Lisa (my sister) told Kyra that she'd have a surprise waiting for her (my dad) when she got home. Kyra said, "I know what it is. I've been asking for a puppy!" Um, oops! She was a little disappointed when Papoo was the surprise instead of a puppy! LOL! So I guess we'll be the next ones getting a puppy. Happy now Jen? ;)
All in all, it was a great weekend. I did miss my kiddos. Richard was up with the chickens this morning, so he worked on flower beds and then did the yard. It looks fabulous. Now if only we could strike gold and get some freakin rain! I swear that it just skips over us everyday!
Have a great week! I have to teach LOTS this week, so I'll be busy!
Friday evening I met my sister in Bastrop which is about halfway for both of us. So around 6:00, I headed back to Austin. I wanted to run a few errands and then grab my favorite for dinner, Souper Salad. So I ran to Target and then called my old neighbors. They were going to be home, so I told them I'd be over there after grabbing dinner. We had a 2 hour gabfest! FUN! It was sooo nice to visit with them without children around to bother us! I didn't get home till almost 10:00! I really do miss Tom and Mona. Richard always says that if we win the lottery, we are building a house and then building them a house right next to ours so we can be neighbors again! LOL!
Saturday morning, I woke up and took a Body Step class. It's always nice to NOT have to teach and just take someone else's class. After that, I went to Office Depot and finally found the pencils that Kyra needs for Kinder. Not even Target or Walmart had them. I then ventured over to Target and got a backpack for Kyra because my sister said that if I got her one this weekend, she'd take it and have a friend of hers monogram Kyra's name on it. After that, I went to Old Navy. After much contemplation, I left with a black shirt for me and some shoes that were on sale for $2.99! I then came home. Richard had a surprise for me. He took off of work on Saturday night so that we could go out! SAWEEEET! So then I took a nap because I knew that it would be a late night (which I'm not used to....I know, I'm a wuss).
Saturday evening, we left around 6:00 and went to eat at one of our favorite places, Cherry Creek Catfish. Yum! After that, we went to Academy because Richard was looking for some new sandals. Then we went to Midnight Rodeo to hear Stoney LaRue play. We haven't heard live music in so long. It was great! I guess we left there around 12:30 or so and came home and crashed. I slept late this morning and woke up and did Body Flow. My dad came and was waiting for Kyra and Maeve when they got back here. They were so excited to see him. He's spending the night tonight.
Funny thing....Lisa (my sister) told Kyra that she'd have a surprise waiting for her (my dad) when she got home. Kyra said, "I know what it is. I've been asking for a puppy!" Um, oops! She was a little disappointed when Papoo was the surprise instead of a puppy! LOL! So I guess we'll be the next ones getting a puppy. Happy now Jen? ;)
All in all, it was a great weekend. I did miss my kiddos. Richard was up with the chickens this morning, so he worked on flower beds and then did the yard. It looks fabulous. Now if only we could strike gold and get some freakin rain! I swear that it just skips over us everyday!
Have a great week! I have to teach LOTS this week, so I'll be busy!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Thursday Thirteen.....
13 things that made me smile today:
1.) Richard asked for the upteenth time what I'm doing this weekend without the kids (he has to work). I keep thinking that something is up and he took vacation on Saturday night, but he denies it. He just said that he cares about me and where I go. Um, no you don't! Since when does a man care whether or not you have a hair appointment? Something is fishy.
2.) Kyra told me that the "kolache" from HEB (which by the way WAS NOT a genuine kolache....I have family in Schulenburg and have frequented the Kountry Bakery and those ARE kolaches!) was yummylicious! So apparently, she made up a new word.
3.) Kyra and Maeve played dress-up this afternoon. Kyra was Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" and I put Maeve in a Cinderella costume. It was hilarious! Maeve was trying to get the outfit off. She's no girly girl right now. I took pics. I'll post them soon.
4.) Kyra coughed. Then Maeve coughed. The next thing out of Kyra's mouth was, "Mommy, Maeve's copying me!" And so it begins.....
5.) Richard took Mia on another walk. This time Kyra went along. Mia came home panting and pacing from just a 15 minute walk. She's a wuss! LOL!
6.) Kyra yelled from the living room and the two of them were in a fairly small cardboard box. Don't ask me how Maeve got in there, but I'm sure Kyra had something to do with it.
7.) Kyra told me today that she will love me even when I'm old and have grandkids. Gee thanks! I don't quite think she has the concept down that SHE will have to provide the grandkids! LOL!
8.) My house is a mess. No I'm not smiling about that. I'm smiling because tomorrow night it won't be and then Saturday there will be nobody here to mess it up! :)
9.) Maeve danced several times today to music on the TV. I just can't explain how freakin cute she is when she does that.
10.) Both girls were "talking" to Mia while she was in her crate and tried to get her to come out. Yeah, she's hiding from the two of you because she wants some peace and quiet! LOL!
11.) I made eye contact for a long time with a girl in my class today while teaching. This is so hard for me to do, but it's very important. She smiled back and I talked to her after class. It was her first class and I wanted her to feel welcome. She did so good and she's coming back! YAY!
12.) Hear that? I don't hear anything. It's quiet.
13.) Both girls were in bed by 7:30 again tonight. Life is grand. ;)
1.) Richard asked for the upteenth time what I'm doing this weekend without the kids (he has to work). I keep thinking that something is up and he took vacation on Saturday night, but he denies it. He just said that he cares about me and where I go. Um, no you don't! Since when does a man care whether or not you have a hair appointment? Something is fishy.
2.) Kyra told me that the "kolache" from HEB (which by the way WAS NOT a genuine kolache....I have family in Schulenburg and have frequented the Kountry Bakery and those ARE kolaches!) was yummylicious! So apparently, she made up a new word.
3.) Kyra and Maeve played dress-up this afternoon. Kyra was Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" and I put Maeve in a Cinderella costume. It was hilarious! Maeve was trying to get the outfit off. She's no girly girl right now. I took pics. I'll post them soon.
4.) Kyra coughed. Then Maeve coughed. The next thing out of Kyra's mouth was, "Mommy, Maeve's copying me!" And so it begins.....
5.) Richard took Mia on another walk. This time Kyra went along. Mia came home panting and pacing from just a 15 minute walk. She's a wuss! LOL!
6.) Kyra yelled from the living room and the two of them were in a fairly small cardboard box. Don't ask me how Maeve got in there, but I'm sure Kyra had something to do with it.
7.) Kyra told me today that she will love me even when I'm old and have grandkids. Gee thanks! I don't quite think she has the concept down that SHE will have to provide the grandkids! LOL!
8.) My house is a mess. No I'm not smiling about that. I'm smiling because tomorrow night it won't be and then Saturday there will be nobody here to mess it up! :)
9.) Maeve danced several times today to music on the TV. I just can't explain how freakin cute she is when she does that.
10.) Both girls were "talking" to Mia while she was in her crate and tried to get her to come out. Yeah, she's hiding from the two of you because she wants some peace and quiet! LOL!
11.) I made eye contact for a long time with a girl in my class today while teaching. This is so hard for me to do, but it's very important. She smiled back and I talked to her after class. It was her first class and I wanted her to feel welcome. She did so good and she's coming back! YAY!
12.) Hear that? I don't hear anything. It's quiet.
13.) Both girls were in bed by 7:30 again tonight. Life is grand. ;)
There are angels out there.....
Click on this.
Then when you get to that page, click on "Janet St. James Reports" on the righthand side.
I'm in tears. I've followed this little girl's story for a long time. Talk about coming full circle....
Then when you get to that page, click on "Janet St. James Reports" on the righthand side.
I'm in tears. I've followed this little girl's story for a long time. Talk about coming full circle....
When was your name most popular?
Click on this to find out.
Mine is right on the money. Kimberly ranked #5 in the 1970's. And my sister's name, Lisa, ranked #6 in the 1970's. I guess my mom wanted to keep up with the trends back then! ;)
Mine is right on the money. Kimberly ranked #5 in the 1970's. And my sister's name, Lisa, ranked #6 in the 1970's. I guess my mom wanted to keep up with the trends back then! ;)
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Another update on Richard....
Richard went for another post-op follow up appointment yesterday. He saw a tech at last week's appointment who ran some tests including an EKG and an ultrasound of his heart. So yesterday he reviewed the results with the cardiologist. Everything looks fine. The closure sealed correctly and there are no leaks anywhere. He cleared Richard to start working out again. He's very happy about that. Last night, he and Mia went for a walk around the block! LOL! Since Maeve's been feeding Mia, Richard bought Mia a harness and we are going to start walking her a few times a week. She was so worn out....panting and pacing. It was so funny.
Richard STILL has an irregular heartbeat though. The doctor said that it could remain irregular for years. Slowly the heart should adjust to the new pressures and blood flow, but it doesn't happen overnight. I agree that it probably took a long time for Richard to develop this condition, so it'll take just as long for things to return to normal. The bottom line is that he's fine and the hole in his heart is fixed. The doctor told him that things could have been fatal if we wouldn't have caught this so early. He could have had a heart attack or a stroke in just a few years down the road. Very scary. I'm so glad that Richard decided to get some work done on his nose (which still isn't fixed by the way) and we discovered this. He saved his own life.
He goes back for a check-up in 6 months. I'll keep you posted.
Richard STILL has an irregular heartbeat though. The doctor said that it could remain irregular for years. Slowly the heart should adjust to the new pressures and blood flow, but it doesn't happen overnight. I agree that it probably took a long time for Richard to develop this condition, so it'll take just as long for things to return to normal. The bottom line is that he's fine and the hole in his heart is fixed. The doctor told him that things could have been fatal if we wouldn't have caught this so early. He could have had a heart attack or a stroke in just a few years down the road. Very scary. I'm so glad that Richard decided to get some work done on his nose (which still isn't fixed by the way) and we discovered this. He saved his own life.
He goes back for a check-up in 6 months. I'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
A small white dot....
A kindergarten class had a homework assignment to find out something 'exciting' and relate it to the class the next day.
When the time came to present what they'd found,
the first little boy the teacher called on
walked up to the front of the class.
With a piece of chalk, made a small white dot on the blackboard
and then sat back down.
Puzzled, the teacher asked him what it was.
"It's a period," he replied.
"I can see that," said the teacher, "But what is so 'exciting' about a period?"
"Darned if I know," he said. "But this morning my sister was 'missing' one."
He went on.
"Mommy fainted; daddy had a heart attack,
and the boy next door joined the Navy."
When the time came to present what they'd found,
the first little boy the teacher called on
walked up to the front of the class.
With a piece of chalk, made a small white dot on the blackboard
and then sat back down.
Puzzled, the teacher asked him what it was.
"It's a period," he replied.
"I can see that," said the teacher, "But what is so 'exciting' about a period?"
"Darned if I know," he said. "But this morning my sister was 'missing' one."
He went on.
"Mommy fainted; daddy had a heart attack,
and the boy next door joined the Navy."
This has gone on long enough....
So the big question is: "Where's Suri Cruise?" It's been over 3 months and nobody has seen a picture of this kid. Does the alien spawn of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes even exist? There are a few theories out there. I'll discuss.
-Katie was pregnant, but the kid is not Tom's.- This is what I think is true. I think that Katie gave birth in January or February if she was indeed pregnant. The reason they aren't showing the baby is because it would look waaaay older than Brooke Shield's baby who was born the same day. They want the kid to get older so you can't really tell just how old she is. A long time ago, it was revealed that Tom is sterile. So whose baby is it? Well, they are saying that it might be Chris Klein's. He and Katie broke up before she met Tom. As for Katie, she did look pregnant there for a while. In March and April though, her "bump" shifted around. One day she was small and the next day she looked like she was about to give birth to a beach ball.
-Katie was never pregnant.- Yeah, she could have just packed on a few pounds and wore a pillow under there or a prosthetic belly. The possibilities are endless with these freaks. They also could have been counting on a surrogate to have a baby or even tried to adopt, but that fell through. Who knows.
-This was all a big sham.- I believe this too. Could have been a big PR move on Tom's part to promote his movie. I'm glad to see that the public saw right through him and the movie didn't do well at all. It's just too strange that he was so public with Katie and his "love" for her. He was so public over their engagement and this pregnancy. Now he's all "hush hush". WTF? Something smells fishy.
In the photos that I've seen of Katie, she looks very tired and brainwashed. Poor girl. She got sucked into believing that Tom Cruise was the man of her dreams when in reality he's her worst nightmare. I still hope that she escapes him and those evil Scientologists.
-Katie was pregnant, but the kid is not Tom's.- This is what I think is true. I think that Katie gave birth in January or February if she was indeed pregnant. The reason they aren't showing the baby is because it would look waaaay older than Brooke Shield's baby who was born the same day. They want the kid to get older so you can't really tell just how old she is. A long time ago, it was revealed that Tom is sterile. So whose baby is it? Well, they are saying that it might be Chris Klein's. He and Katie broke up before she met Tom. As for Katie, she did look pregnant there for a while. In March and April though, her "bump" shifted around. One day she was small and the next day she looked like she was about to give birth to a beach ball.
-Katie was never pregnant.- Yeah, she could have just packed on a few pounds and wore a pillow under there or a prosthetic belly. The possibilities are endless with these freaks. They also could have been counting on a surrogate to have a baby or even tried to adopt, but that fell through. Who knows.
-This was all a big sham.- I believe this too. Could have been a big PR move on Tom's part to promote his movie. I'm glad to see that the public saw right through him and the movie didn't do well at all. It's just too strange that he was so public with Katie and his "love" for her. He was so public over their engagement and this pregnancy. Now he's all "hush hush". WTF? Something smells fishy.
In the photos that I've seen of Katie, she looks very tired and brainwashed. Poor girl. She got sucked into believing that Tom Cruise was the man of her dreams when in reality he's her worst nightmare. I still hope that she escapes him and those evil Scientologists.
Monday, July 17, 2006
All about our weekend....
Of course I *should* be unpacking and cleaning house and getting ready for the week, but what am I doing? I'm sitting here at the computer!
We had a fabulous time in Corpus Christi with our dear friends Krishna and Richard and their two kids, Payne and Avery. We got there around noon on Saturday. Both of the Richard's really hit it off. Soon after unpacking, we went to a local burger joint that was yummy! I opted for a salad because everything on the salad bar looked delicious! After we ate, we went back to their house. My Richard and Maeve took a nap while Krishna, Payne, Kyra and I headed to the Aquarium. The first words out of Kyra's mouth when we got there were, "This place is amazing!" LOL! She loved all of the exhibits and the dolphin show. We left there in the early evening and went back to their house and had BBQ chicken and sausage. Yum!
Sunday morning, we woke up and went to the beach. It was already so hot when we got there. Maeve did not like the beach at all. She cried. I think she was tired. Kyra, Krishna, and Payne built sand castles and waded in the water. Kyra loved it. Around noon, my Richard met up with us because he had gone fishing that morning with a friend of ours from this area who was also down there. They didn't catch much, but he had a good time. I guess we got back to the house around 1:00 or so. We ate sandwiches for lunch and just rested in the afternoon. In the evening, the kids played outside in a little pool and a Slip and Slide. Kyra finally got the hang of that after some lessons from her daddy. ;) Then Krishna cooked us some delicious Chicken Carbonara. My Kyra is a very picky eater, but she ate great all weekend! I was so proud of her!
We left this morning around 9:00 and got back here around noon. It was a wonderful trip....exactly what we needed. Staying with Krishna and Richard was like staying with family. They are so laid back and friendly. The kids got along great and played. Even the babies played. And their dog and cats were friendly too!
I have a few thank yous. The first goes to Miss Avery for letting Richard and I sleep in her room. Maeve would like to thank Avery for letting her sleep in her crib and letting her play with her toys. Kyra wants to thank Mr. Payne for letting her sleep on the air mattress in his room and sharing his toys with her. Krishna and Richard, thanks so much for the hospitality and Krishna, thanks again for the yummy recipes. I can't wait to try them! My Richard wants to thank Krishna's Richard for the dry deer sausage that he sent home with us! He was so excited. Oh and Krishna, next time we'll bring some margarita blend to make up for what my Richard drank! LOL!
Kyra keeps asking when we are going back and I told her soon! ;)
Pics to come soon as well. I'm totally beat and have some things to do yet tonight.
Have a great week!
We had a fabulous time in Corpus Christi with our dear friends Krishna and Richard and their two kids, Payne and Avery. We got there around noon on Saturday. Both of the Richard's really hit it off. Soon after unpacking, we went to a local burger joint that was yummy! I opted for a salad because everything on the salad bar looked delicious! After we ate, we went back to their house. My Richard and Maeve took a nap while Krishna, Payne, Kyra and I headed to the Aquarium. The first words out of Kyra's mouth when we got there were, "This place is amazing!" LOL! She loved all of the exhibits and the dolphin show. We left there in the early evening and went back to their house and had BBQ chicken and sausage. Yum!
Sunday morning, we woke up and went to the beach. It was already so hot when we got there. Maeve did not like the beach at all. She cried. I think she was tired. Kyra, Krishna, and Payne built sand castles and waded in the water. Kyra loved it. Around noon, my Richard met up with us because he had gone fishing that morning with a friend of ours from this area who was also down there. They didn't catch much, but he had a good time. I guess we got back to the house around 1:00 or so. We ate sandwiches for lunch and just rested in the afternoon. In the evening, the kids played outside in a little pool and a Slip and Slide. Kyra finally got the hang of that after some lessons from her daddy. ;) Then Krishna cooked us some delicious Chicken Carbonara. My Kyra is a very picky eater, but she ate great all weekend! I was so proud of her!
We left this morning around 9:00 and got back here around noon. It was a wonderful trip....exactly what we needed. Staying with Krishna and Richard was like staying with family. They are so laid back and friendly. The kids got along great and played. Even the babies played. And their dog and cats were friendly too!
I have a few thank yous. The first goes to Miss Avery for letting Richard and I sleep in her room. Maeve would like to thank Avery for letting her sleep in her crib and letting her play with her toys. Kyra wants to thank Mr. Payne for letting her sleep on the air mattress in his room and sharing his toys with her. Krishna and Richard, thanks so much for the hospitality and Krishna, thanks again for the yummy recipes. I can't wait to try them! My Richard wants to thank Krishna's Richard for the dry deer sausage that he sent home with us! He was so excited. Oh and Krishna, next time we'll bring some margarita blend to make up for what my Richard drank! LOL!
Kyra keeps asking when we are going back and I told her soon! ;)
Pics to come soon as well. I'm totally beat and have some things to do yet tonight.
Have a great week!
Friday, July 14, 2006
Where are we going? To the beach!
Now I'm sure you'll have Dora's annoying voice stuck in your head! LOL!
We are leaving in the morning after Richard gets off of work and heading to Corpus Christi for a long weekend! We'll be back on Monday. We are staying with my dear friend Krishna and her family. The kids can't wait to take a road trip! Even Maeve keeps jumping up and down and saying, "Bye bye? Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" ;)
I don't think Kyra's ever been to the beach either. She's already asking where the sharks are! LOL! I told her that I hope we don't see any! I'm taking my camera with me and want to take lots of pics.
See ya'll next week!
We are leaving in the morning after Richard gets off of work and heading to Corpus Christi for a long weekend! We'll be back on Monday. We are staying with my dear friend Krishna and her family. The kids can't wait to take a road trip! Even Maeve keeps jumping up and down and saying, "Bye bye? Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" ;)
I don't think Kyra's ever been to the beach either. She's already asking where the sharks are! LOL! I told her that I hope we don't see any! I'm taking my camera with me and want to take lots of pics.
See ya'll next week!
Mia's "time out"......
I've devised a plan to put Mia in her crate every time Maeve eats. You see where this is going, right? Yes Maeve LOVES to feed the dog! She thinks it's soooo nice and funny too! Ugh. I was already warned back in March by the vet that Mia is looking a little on the chunky side. Fine. She'll lose all of that weight this summer. Or will she?
Richard has been wanting to get Mia a harness so that he can walk her on the leash a few times a week. I think it's a good idea. This dog's metabolism has got to speed up a bit. She's lazy and sleeps all day with Richard and all night with me. Being outside for more than 5 minutes kills her. She's spoiled by the a/c. It wouldn't hurt her to sweat off a few pounds, right? ;)
Richard has been wanting to get Mia a harness so that he can walk her on the leash a few times a week. I think it's a good idea. This dog's metabolism has got to speed up a bit. She's lazy and sleeps all day with Richard and all night with me. Being outside for more than 5 minutes kills her. She's spoiled by the a/c. It wouldn't hurt her to sweat off a few pounds, right? ;)
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Thursday Thirteen.....
13 random thoughts.....
1.) Found this little gem yesterday after I watched the local news and they had a story on it. Great. Just one more thing to worry about.
2.) To the ticket happy cop that's stopping people every flippin day by our house: Get over yourself! Surely you can patrol a different area! You've been doing this for 3 months and people now know that the speed limit is 40 mph!
3.) HEB is NOT on my good side right now. With the opening of the new Walmart looming, they decided to do a complete overhaul on the store. They added an aisle full of seasonal stuff, thus making all of the other aisles smaller. I feel claustrophobic in there now. They have rearranged everything and now I cannot find anything! It took me 30 minutes to hunt down the bar soap the other day. Ugh. I hate change. They should have left good enough alone.
4.) My elbow hurts. I don't know what I did to it.
5.) We went to Walmart today and bought some school supplies. Is this REALLY happening in like a month? :(
6.) Anybody watching this? Patrice Pike from Austin is on there. She ROCKS! I have to laugh at some of them though. They are making idiots out of themselves.
7.) This is another one of my guilty pleasures. I caught two episodes last night. Good trainwreck tv at its best! LOL!
8.) The Husband has called me twice in one hour while at work. Dude, are you bored? Cause I'm NOT! ;) I've got plenty of things to do now that the kids are in bed.
9.) I seriously do not know how people with more than two kids do it. Mine are wearing me out.....especially that little Maeve. She covers A LOT of territory during the day. Kyra calls her a tornado! LOL!
10.) Is NEXT weekend here yet? (I'll be childless!)
11.) Richard had a migraine on Tuesday and I think my dad seriously thought he was dying. He was like, "I went to church and prayed for him." WTF? Oh and then my dad says, "He needs to get up and eat something to settle his stomach since he threw up." Um, it's NOT a stomach bug, it's a MIGRAINE! Ugh.
12.) I'd pay good money for a person to come to my house and give me a pedicure right about now. I hate messing with my feet. :(
13.) Two more days till we head down to Corpus for some sun and fun with some wonderful friends! I can't wait!
1.) Found this little gem yesterday after I watched the local news and they had a story on it. Great. Just one more thing to worry about.
2.) To the ticket happy cop that's stopping people every flippin day by our house: Get over yourself! Surely you can patrol a different area! You've been doing this for 3 months and people now know that the speed limit is 40 mph!
3.) HEB is NOT on my good side right now. With the opening of the new Walmart looming, they decided to do a complete overhaul on the store. They added an aisle full of seasonal stuff, thus making all of the other aisles smaller. I feel claustrophobic in there now. They have rearranged everything and now I cannot find anything! It took me 30 minutes to hunt down the bar soap the other day. Ugh. I hate change. They should have left good enough alone.
4.) My elbow hurts. I don't know what I did to it.
5.) We went to Walmart today and bought some school supplies. Is this REALLY happening in like a month? :(
6.) Anybody watching this? Patrice Pike from Austin is on there. She ROCKS! I have to laugh at some of them though. They are making idiots out of themselves.
7.) This is another one of my guilty pleasures. I caught two episodes last night. Good trainwreck tv at its best! LOL!
8.) The Husband has called me twice in one hour while at work. Dude, are you bored? Cause I'm NOT! ;) I've got plenty of things to do now that the kids are in bed.
9.) I seriously do not know how people with more than two kids do it. Mine are wearing me out.....especially that little Maeve. She covers A LOT of territory during the day. Kyra calls her a tornado! LOL!
10.) Is NEXT weekend here yet? (I'll be childless!)
11.) Richard had a migraine on Tuesday and I think my dad seriously thought he was dying. He was like, "I went to church and prayed for him." WTF? Oh and then my dad says, "He needs to get up and eat something to settle his stomach since he threw up." Um, it's NOT a stomach bug, it's a MIGRAINE! Ugh.
12.) I'd pay good money for a person to come to my house and give me a pedicure right about now. I hate messing with my feet. :(
13.) Two more days till we head down to Corpus for some sun and fun with some wonderful friends! I can't wait!
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
She's gone.....
Losing a best friend is hard at any age. Try losing one at 5 years old. This is Kyra and her friend Becca. Becca moved to Fort Worth today. Yesterday was Becca's last day of dance camp with Kyra. That is where I took this picture. These girls met back in August when they were put in the same class out at Hays Hills. From then on all I heard was, "Becca this...." and "Becca that...." They were inseparable. Becca's mom told me that she talked about Kyra all of the time too. I was so thrilled that Kyra made a friend.....one of the first that she made on her own. Even the teachers took notice of these girls and the bond they shared.
Becca's family is so nice too. We are really going to miss them. Kyra and Becca will talk on the phone and be great pen pals. It's still not the same though. Becca's mom promised that she'd call on every visit down here so the girls can see each other. Yesterday Kyra was a little upset about it all and started to cry. This prompted my husband to show his emotional side and he cried too. He hated seeing Kyra so upset over something that he had no control over.
As I type this, Kyra is at a playdate with another girl that she went to school with that lives in our neighborhood. They will go to Kinder together. I'm glad that Kyra still wants to play with and make other friends. But I know that Becca will always be close to her heart. *sigh*
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
The name game.....
If you missed out on how Mia got her name, then you'll have to go here and read that post. I think it was the second one ever on my blog! LOL!
When I found out I was pregnant with Kyra, I immediately started thinking about names. I had 10 (and I'll say 10 because 40 weeks divided by 4 is 10...not 9!) months to search for the perfect name. I knew that if I had a boy, he'd be named Jaden Lee. Jaden wasn't too trendy at the time and Lee is Richard's middle name. So that was set. As for a girl, I had no freakin clue. Finally, one of my friends let me borrow a baby book. I had thought about Kelsey for a girl. Then I came upon the name Kyra. I liked it. I wanted to pronounce it just like it's spelled, KY-RUH (rhymes with Tyra), not KIER-A. I suggested it to Richard and it finally grew on him. I knew that I wanted to use Marie as a middle name. Marie is just a very common name in my family and in Richard's. His sister's name is Marie and my sister's middle name is Marie. I found out at 29 weeks that I was indeed having a girl. I was so happy. After having Kyra, I was happy that I didn't have a boy because Jaden was becoming very trendy and was gaining unisex (boy or girl name) notoriety. For those wondering, Kyra is Greek and means "ladylike". LOL!
As for Maeve (MAY-V), her name was decided way before she was even conceived. I didn't tell Richard this though! ;) When Kyra was about 2 years old, we were at the doctor's office and we were sitting in the waiting room. All of a sudden a nurse comes out to call a patient and she says, "Maeve". Hmmmm....interesting. I think I like it.
I have a few conditions when it comes to naming my children (and since my Mia is pretty much my kid, I'll include her too). One condition is that the name has to be short. My mother named me Kimberly, but called me Kim. Because Kimberly was on every flippin roster at school, in Kindergarten, my teacher wanted me to write Kimberly. Um, no. That's too freakin long! I was upset and after my mom had a talk with my teacher, she let me write Kim. Thank God. So I didn't want to put my kids through that same hell. That's why each of them got short names. Another condition that I have is that the name must not be popular. I graduated high school with like 5 Amy's. I guess Amy was a popular name in 1977. I didn't want my girls to go to school and be known by their last initial. I went to school for 13 years with an Amy E. and an Amy M. Ugh.
As soon as I picked Maeve, I started thinking about middle names. Elizabeth seemed like a perfect fit for Maeve. I still think it is to this day. :) When I was 22 weeks pregnant, we found out we were indeed having another girl! I was thrilled beyond words! I'll finally get my Maeve! If Maeve were a boy, she would have been Brady Andrew. I just like the two names together. Richard LOVED the name Brady. Of course he'll never get his Brady. Oh well. And for those wanting to know, Maeve is Irish and means "joyous".
When I found out I was pregnant with Kyra, I immediately started thinking about names. I had 10 (and I'll say 10 because 40 weeks divided by 4 is 10...not 9!) months to search for the perfect name. I knew that if I had a boy, he'd be named Jaden Lee. Jaden wasn't too trendy at the time and Lee is Richard's middle name. So that was set. As for a girl, I had no freakin clue. Finally, one of my friends let me borrow a baby book. I had thought about Kelsey for a girl. Then I came upon the name Kyra. I liked it. I wanted to pronounce it just like it's spelled, KY-RUH (rhymes with Tyra), not KIER-A. I suggested it to Richard and it finally grew on him. I knew that I wanted to use Marie as a middle name. Marie is just a very common name in my family and in Richard's. His sister's name is Marie and my sister's middle name is Marie. I found out at 29 weeks that I was indeed having a girl. I was so happy. After having Kyra, I was happy that I didn't have a boy because Jaden was becoming very trendy and was gaining unisex (boy or girl name) notoriety. For those wondering, Kyra is Greek and means "ladylike". LOL!
As for Maeve (MAY-V), her name was decided way before she was even conceived. I didn't tell Richard this though! ;) When Kyra was about 2 years old, we were at the doctor's office and we were sitting in the waiting room. All of a sudden a nurse comes out to call a patient and she says, "Maeve". Hmmmm....interesting. I think I like it.
I have a few conditions when it comes to naming my children (and since my Mia is pretty much my kid, I'll include her too). One condition is that the name has to be short. My mother named me Kimberly, but called me Kim. Because Kimberly was on every flippin roster at school, in Kindergarten, my teacher wanted me to write Kimberly. Um, no. That's too freakin long! I was upset and after my mom had a talk with my teacher, she let me write Kim. Thank God. So I didn't want to put my kids through that same hell. That's why each of them got short names. Another condition that I have is that the name must not be popular. I graduated high school with like 5 Amy's. I guess Amy was a popular name in 1977. I didn't want my girls to go to school and be known by their last initial. I went to school for 13 years with an Amy E. and an Amy M. Ugh.
As soon as I picked Maeve, I started thinking about middle names. Elizabeth seemed like a perfect fit for Maeve. I still think it is to this day. :) When I was 22 weeks pregnant, we found out we were indeed having another girl! I was thrilled beyond words! I'll finally get my Maeve! If Maeve were a boy, she would have been Brady Andrew. I just like the two names together. Richard LOVED the name Brady. Of course he'll never get his Brady. Oh well. And for those wanting to know, Maeve is Irish and means "joyous".
Well that's just great....
Kyra caught a short-lived bug (I hope) early Monday morning. She had like 3 episodes and that was it. The only bad thing was that episode #1 came at 4:30 in the morning. Richard and I were awakened with, "I threw up in my bed." Lovely. We put everything in the washer, but blankets on the floor next to our bed for Kyra, and went back to sleep. By 10am, she was fine....her chipper, hyper self.
Today is a different story for another family member though. Richard took Kyra to dance camp across the street and came home and did not feel good at all. He put Maeve down for a nap and threw up. He said that he was dizzy and couldn't read anything. Light bothered him. Sound bothered him. He wanted to be left alone in complete darkness. This means one thing: migraine.
Richard gets a migraine headache 1-2 times per year. I'm thankful that it's not more frequent. His mom and his sister get them all the time.....they just run in his family. Boy is he down though. He's been in bed for almost 12 hours now. I keep going in to check on him. He says he's fine and feeling a lot better. I won't believe that till he gets up and gets something to eat or drink. I went to the store and got him some Tylenol and some Dramamine (per his mom's request). I just hope he's feeling better soon. I've had kid duty all day today. Thank God they were good. They sure missed daddy though. And tomorrow is already Wednesday again. :(
Today is a different story for another family member though. Richard took Kyra to dance camp across the street and came home and did not feel good at all. He put Maeve down for a nap and threw up. He said that he was dizzy and couldn't read anything. Light bothered him. Sound bothered him. He wanted to be left alone in complete darkness. This means one thing: migraine.
Richard gets a migraine headache 1-2 times per year. I'm thankful that it's not more frequent. His mom and his sister get them all the time.....they just run in his family. Boy is he down though. He's been in bed for almost 12 hours now. I keep going in to check on him. He says he's fine and feeling a lot better. I won't believe that till he gets up and gets something to eat or drink. I went to the store and got him some Tylenol and some Dramamine (per his mom's request). I just hope he's feeling better soon. I've had kid duty all day today. Thank God they were good. They sure missed daddy though. And tomorrow is already Wednesday again. :(
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Kyra's gonna have some holy kids....
Kyra and I went to church this morning while both Richard and Maeve napped. Toward the end of Mass, this is what I asked her in a whisper:
Me: "Kyra, when you have kids, are you going to take them to church?"
Kyra: "Yes, I'm going to bring them and drop them off and leave them here for 130 years!"
OMG! I really had to resist the urge to burst out into laughter.
Where the heck do they get this stuff?
Me: "Kyra, when you have kids, are you going to take them to church?"
Kyra: "Yes, I'm going to bring them and drop them off and leave them here for 130 years!"
OMG! I really had to resist the urge to burst out into laughter.
Where the heck do they get this stuff?
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Let the fun begin.....
Well it's happening. Maeve is wanting to do everything that big sister Kyra is doing.
And she's already getting on Kyra's nerves. LOL!
Maeve's newest stunt is grunting and jumping up and down and saying, "Yeah!" every time Kyra climbs on the sofa. What does Kyra do? She lifts Maeve's legs up and puts her up there with her! Then Kyra gets down. Then Maeve wants down. Repeat. ;)
Poor Kyra can't get any peace in her room now either. If she goes in there alone and Maeve sees that she's gone in there and closes the door, she throws a fit. If she hears Kyra in there and the door is closed, she bangs on it. It's a no-win situation. Sorry Maeve! Actually, I'm glad that Maeve isn't in there all the time because Kyra's room already looks horrible now that Hurricane Maeve ripped through it. Mommy just hasn't had the motivation to assess the damage and begin the cleanup. :(
I can tell that these next few years will be quite interesting. And I know that when the going gets rough, the daddy will go fishing. *sigh* Then mommy will be left to deal with the aftermath.
And she's already getting on Kyra's nerves. LOL!
Maeve's newest stunt is grunting and jumping up and down and saying, "Yeah!" every time Kyra climbs on the sofa. What does Kyra do? She lifts Maeve's legs up and puts her up there with her! Then Kyra gets down. Then Maeve wants down. Repeat. ;)
Poor Kyra can't get any peace in her room now either. If she goes in there alone and Maeve sees that she's gone in there and closes the door, she throws a fit. If she hears Kyra in there and the door is closed, she bangs on it. It's a no-win situation. Sorry Maeve! Actually, I'm glad that Maeve isn't in there all the time because Kyra's room already looks horrible now that Hurricane Maeve ripped through it. Mommy just hasn't had the motivation to assess the damage and begin the cleanup. :(
I can tell that these next few years will be quite interesting. And I know that when the going gets rough, the daddy will go fishing. *sigh* Then mommy will be left to deal with the aftermath.
Friday, July 07, 2006
So sweet.....
Richard stays home with Maeve on Mondays and Tuesdays while Kyra and I go to the gym and run errands and just have some "us" time. Earlier in the week he was telling me how Maeve doesn't wake up in the mornings or from naps very well. It takes her a while to fully wake up. Today after her nap, I scooped her up and sat with her on the recliner with a bunch of blankets and rocked her. She fell back asleep on my chest! I was in awe! She hasn't done that since she was an itty bitty newborn.
I think I have it figured out though. The reason why she's so clingy to me after she wakes up is because we used to nurse during that time. And after nursing for 12.5 months, I guess she's just used to being close to me. I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense, right?
In other news, I taught Body Step this morning and pulled my calf muscle in my right leg. Ouch! It happened during track 6 of 12. Crap! It hurts like the dickens too. I hope it's better by Monday. Tomorrow I'm going to do Body Flow here at home and see how it feels on Sunday and judge whether or not Maeve and I shall take our 4.2 mile run.
I think I have it figured out though. The reason why she's so clingy to me after she wakes up is because we used to nurse during that time. And after nursing for 12.5 months, I guess she's just used to being close to me. I never thought of it that way, but it makes sense, right?
In other news, I taught Body Step this morning and pulled my calf muscle in my right leg. Ouch! It happened during track 6 of 12. Crap! It hurts like the dickens too. I hope it's better by Monday. Tomorrow I'm going to do Body Flow here at home and see how it feels on Sunday and judge whether or not Maeve and I shall take our 4.2 mile run.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Redneck fireworks....
Better late than never.....
For some odd reason I thought of my dear husband and brother-in-law Nathan while watching this. ;)
http://addictingclips.com/Clip.aspx?key=D343F5A11ECB0172
This guy cracks me up. He's so passionate about it.....like he wants to win a Science Fair or something. LOL!
For some odd reason I thought of my dear husband and brother-in-law Nathan while watching this. ;)
http://addictingclips.com/Clip.aspx?key=D343F5A11ECB0172
This guy cracks me up. He's so passionate about it.....like he wants to win a Science Fair or something. LOL!
Shut your trap!
Don't you just hate people that gossip and spread rumors? I know I do! It's soooo junior high! Lately I've come to the conclusion that the older you get, the more bored you get, so that's just what you do....meddle in everyone else's business.
For example, my cousin John came down with pneumonia almost two weeks ago. He and my cousin Mark were supposed to play for the St. John Picnic on the 4th of July, but cancelled that gig late last week because John still wasn't feeling up to par. So I'm talking to Suzanne (Mark's wife) at the picnic and an older lady comes over and says, "How's John doing? Is he out of ICU yet?" Um, WTF? Suzanne replied, "He was never IN ICU!" Ugh. I wonder who the heck put him in ICU. You know that someone just wanted to blow this whole thing out of proportion. It worked. When the other band was about to play, they announced that John was fine and he was never in ICU or the hospital.
So who are the gossips? Well, like I said above, a lot of them are older people that have nothing to do with their time except speculate and create lies of their own just because they want to be the first ones getting the "word" out there.
There are a few of my family members (not immediate family) that I'm ashamed to say LOVE to gossip. It's gotten them a BAD reputation around town. Nobody likes them. They all of a sudden aren't getting invited to events anymore. Oh darn. Looks like everyone finally sees through your gossip and lies. Good for them! I hope you've learned your lesson, but you probably haven't. In fact, I'm almost positive that you haven't. You'll keep doing it. I can't believe how bored some people are. Really. Get a freakin life. I know that you think you're these holy rollers, but would God really be proud of what you are doing? I don't think so! So stop it! Find something worthwhile to spend your time on. Talking about other people behind their backs and making up things just to make yourself look good and POPULAR in your little hometown will get you nowhere. Like I said, you'll have more enemies than friends because nobody will trust you anymore. It's sad, but true. :(
Oh, and I didn't feel like doing a "Thursday Thirteen" again today. Sorry folks. I thought I'd carry out this little rant instead. ;)
For example, my cousin John came down with pneumonia almost two weeks ago. He and my cousin Mark were supposed to play for the St. John Picnic on the 4th of July, but cancelled that gig late last week because John still wasn't feeling up to par. So I'm talking to Suzanne (Mark's wife) at the picnic and an older lady comes over and says, "How's John doing? Is he out of ICU yet?" Um, WTF? Suzanne replied, "He was never IN ICU!" Ugh. I wonder who the heck put him in ICU. You know that someone just wanted to blow this whole thing out of proportion. It worked. When the other band was about to play, they announced that John was fine and he was never in ICU or the hospital.
So who are the gossips? Well, like I said above, a lot of them are older people that have nothing to do with their time except speculate and create lies of their own just because they want to be the first ones getting the "word" out there.
There are a few of my family members (not immediate family) that I'm ashamed to say LOVE to gossip. It's gotten them a BAD reputation around town. Nobody likes them. They all of a sudden aren't getting invited to events anymore. Oh darn. Looks like everyone finally sees through your gossip and lies. Good for them! I hope you've learned your lesson, but you probably haven't. In fact, I'm almost positive that you haven't. You'll keep doing it. I can't believe how bored some people are. Really. Get a freakin life. I know that you think you're these holy rollers, but would God really be proud of what you are doing? I don't think so! So stop it! Find something worthwhile to spend your time on. Talking about other people behind their backs and making up things just to make yourself look good and POPULAR in your little hometown will get you nowhere. Like I said, you'll have more enemies than friends because nobody will trust you anymore. It's sad, but true. :(
Oh, and I didn't feel like doing a "Thursday Thirteen" again today. Sorry folks. I thought I'd carry out this little rant instead. ;)
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
Dear you,
Has there been someone in your life that was there for you in your time of need and had a tremendous impact on you? Well there's been someone in mine. Someone who was there for me when nobody else was.....to talk to, laugh with, cry with, just a shoulder to lean on. Times were tough and I don't think that I'll ever forget the kindness that this person expressed toward me. I'm sure it's not a big deal to them, but it is to me. I was very vulnerable and young and did not know where to turn to. This person stepped up and was a constant means of support for a while. Never in my wildest dreams would I have expected that from this person. And never in my wildest dreams did I think I would sit here 15 years later and still remember every little detail of our times spent together.
I consider this person to be a friend even though we don't talk at all. They always will be no matter what. I've tried to keep in touch with this person, but they never respond back. And it hurts. I don't know why we can't just leave our childhood behind and be adults about the situation? Things are different now, but I still feel like we have a lot in common. And there are things about this person that I know nobody else knows except for me. I take comfort in that special bond that we shared. Circumstances brought us together for a reason. You were my angel then and you are my angel now. I will never, ever forget you. I just wonder if you cherished our time together as much as I did.
I guess I'm sending out an open plea to this person to keep in touch with me every once in a while. It doesn't have to be often because I know that you're so busy. When you're at the computer and at a loss of something to search for, search for me. I'll be here for you always. I'll probably never be able to repay you for all that you've done for me, but I can try. If I could offer advice, laughter, or a shoulder to cry on, I would do it in a heartbeat. We're grown up now and life has taken us in opposite directions, but we'll always have those memories that I think so fondly of.
So if you're out there and are reading this, just know that I still care. A lot. Hopefully, we can reconnect as adults, but even more importantly, as friends.
I consider this person to be a friend even though we don't talk at all. They always will be no matter what. I've tried to keep in touch with this person, but they never respond back. And it hurts. I don't know why we can't just leave our childhood behind and be adults about the situation? Things are different now, but I still feel like we have a lot in common. And there are things about this person that I know nobody else knows except for me. I take comfort in that special bond that we shared. Circumstances brought us together for a reason. You were my angel then and you are my angel now. I will never, ever forget you. I just wonder if you cherished our time together as much as I did.
I guess I'm sending out an open plea to this person to keep in touch with me every once in a while. It doesn't have to be often because I know that you're so busy. When you're at the computer and at a loss of something to search for, search for me. I'll be here for you always. I'll probably never be able to repay you for all that you've done for me, but I can try. If I could offer advice, laughter, or a shoulder to cry on, I would do it in a heartbeat. We're grown up now and life has taken us in opposite directions, but we'll always have those memories that I think so fondly of.
So if you're out there and are reading this, just know that I still care. A lot. Hopefully, we can reconnect as adults, but even more importantly, as friends.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
My manipulative munchkin.....
So Maeve is due for an afternoon nap. She's refusing it. She wants to get my attention and wants me to come back in her room. What does she do? She throws all of her blankies and her bear OUT of her crib so that I have to come back in her room and put them back in.
What a stinker! They sure learn quickly. *sigh*
What a stinker! They sure learn quickly. *sigh*
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