Life as Lindsay Knows It

Week 12 Ultrasound

2011-12-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

So, yesterday was the big (scary, nerve wrecking) day of my early detection for down syndrome ultrasound. First of all, I appreciate the fact that it's earlier than the triple screen test and in the form of an ultrasound. However, all my friends keep asking, "Why are they doing that? I didn't have to do that." Yes, that's because you had your babies when you were 25. I'm old. So, I get to have old people tests:) Anyway, I won't know any results until they evaluate my blood work too. If I don't hear anything by Tuesday, I'm good. I did, however, poke at the ultrasound tech a bit. Like any profession, I believe at some point you gain an "eye" for red flags. I'm a teacher of young children. I have an "eye" for undiagnosed disorders. I can tell if a child is autistic or ADHD within a few days. So, I asked the tech what she thought about the ultrasound. She told me that there are certain numbers in the measurements that tell her the patient is definitely going to expect bad results. (Please excuse my use of the word bad.) She said my measurements looked good to her. So, I'm hopeful that everything is fine. I also praise Jesus, because the lord knows how much I worry and have worried. The ultrasound was great, though. I've never had one at 12 weeks. I was amazed at how developed the baby is. It has eyes, ears, a nose, arms, legs, fingers. It has a strong little heart. It was definitely awake and moving around. It had one hand propped up on its face and the other was reaching up at my belly. It was super cute. We are all so excited to find out if we are getting a sister or a brother. The boys are already talking about helping prepare its room.

Baby Update

2011-12-28T13:23:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm a horrible blogger. AND, I think I begin EVERY one of my posts by saying something negative about my blogging. I need to stop that. That's one flaw I have that does not amuse my husband. He gets a kick out of the others. It annoys him when I'm apologetic about not doing something perfectly. So, I'm 12 weeks along these days. I've had a few ultrasounds that show healthy heartbeats. Tomorrow, I have an "early detection" ultrasound to check for down syndrome or any other abnormalities. I'm totally freaked out, but hoping to see a perfect, healthy baby. I do feel like things are going by quickly. That may be because of the two crazy boys I chase after or all the holiday festivities. The boys are getting more and more excited about the baby. I can't tell if my growing belly grosses Emory out or if he is entertained by it. Max has LOTS of questions about the baby. I'm eager for us to know WHAT we are having, so we can start planning. The boys are excited to help. Here are some "goings on" with me:
Belly-definitely showing. If I can position myself, I'll take a pic for you.
Cravings-To quote my husband, it changes by the minute. I do really like BOLD tastes-pickles, vinegar, spinach, arugula. I went through a few days of wanting meatballs (gross). I also had a few days of wanting brussel sprouts. There are lots of foods that just don't agree with me--the heavy stuff I usually make for dinner and dairy.
Sickness--I was mainly sick at night. Now, it's on and off throughout the day. I find mint helps--I pretty much have some kind of mint in my mouth all the time.
Sleeping-I'm exhausted. I remember people talking about being tired during pregnancy, and I didn't really think pregnancy was all that tiring. I was wrong. Very wrong. Our timing was perfect on this one. My kiddos are independent enough that I can lay down and maybe doze off while they are entertained by something. When I'm home Max will nap with me while Em plays on the computer. If I don't get a nap during the day, I go to bed when they do. AND I sleep ALL night:) My pregnancy snore has started (poor Cody.)
Mood-I'm very hormonal, so I'm a pill to be around. I have NO patience-AT ALL.
Hunches--I don't have any. I was convinced Max was a girl. Clearly my hunches aren't anything to count on. We are totally expecting another boy, but we think a little girl would be divine.

Operation Baby

2011-12-03T02:44:00.001-08:00

It looks as though Operation Baby is a success! If all goes well, and I trust it will, we will be holding our new bundle sometime in the first week of July. So far, I have had two ultrasounds. We just saw a sack in the first one. And we saw a baby with a strong heartbeat in yesterday's. I have another ultrasound on my birthday that is an early detection for downs syndrome. I'm going to be a nervous wreck on that day, but I'm thankful that I don't have to 1) rely on a blood text and 2) wait for five months to get said blood test. So for now, we're praying for a perfect neural tube ultrasound. So, what's going on right now?
Weight gain: I gained 2 pounds over the last 2 weeks. Yikes.
Symptoms: I have good days and bad days. On any day, I am EXTREMELY tired. All the boys in my house are very understanding about this. On bad days, I puke, I'm nauseous, and I have a headache. Right now, I have developed some kind of crazy, mucousy cough. Boo.
Cravings: Anything sour. Coffee is a complete turn off. That's sad, because coffee is the only reason I wake up in the morning. That's a little dramatic. I just really, really love it.
My family's reaction: The boys are very excited. It's as if they were expecting it. They go back and forth from day to day on whether it's a boy or a girl. Cody was a little weirded out at first. That's pretty much his reaction with each pregnancy. He was getting tired of "trying", so I think he thought it wasn't going to happen. I said I wanted to give it until December. He's fine now. He's excited and being very patient with all my ailing ways.

I Quit

2011-10-20T19:09:00.000-07:00

OK, the 30 day thing didn't work. I'll revisit that one during the summer when I'm not working/planning parties/finished with masters. Onto my thoughts tonight.

Occasionally, just occasionally Emory lets me in on his deep thoughts. Today after school he admitted to me that he had a scary dream that I was in a car accident and died. He was very sad, and he couldn't turn the page (kid language for-wake up.) We talked about how dreams can sometimes seem very real, but they're not. He then moved on to his favorite subject-growing up. He pointed out that sometimes adults cry. We talked about how adults get sad, and they can get their feelings hurt too. He then told me that when he gets married, he'll probably cry a little, because he won't get to live with us anymore. How precious is that? The little guy DOES love me! Who knew!?! Being the good mom that I am I told him that we'll all cry a little, but then we'll all be happy. We'll be so proud of him, and he'll love getting to do whatever he wants.

My struggle with Emory is this: He has my personality. I don't know how to deal with me! I want to snatch him up, and hold onto him and never let go. I want to tell him that he's the MOST amazing bundle of greatness that I've ever experienced. However, he's JUST like me. He cringes at the thought of someone touching him (although he really likes when people try.) He pretends to not believe a word anyone says to him--although he's flattered beyond belief. So, this is my official apology to those of you that have gotten frustrated with my lack of luster and avoidance of affection. Sorry. I get it.

Day 19

2011-10-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'm working on a little craft for the husband for our upcoming anniversary. It's a little book made out of a deck of cards called, "52 Reasons I Love You." Each page is a new reason why I love him. He's mushy and loves cards, so he'll get a kick out of it. I discovered my first reason today. He went on and on today about how pretty I looked all day. I'm a prissy gal, so I dress it up a lot. What was I wearing? A t-shirt, jeans, and running shoes. He LOVES when I'm frumpy. He's a keeper:)

Day 18

2011-10-05T17:06:00.000-07:00

By the way...
If you're wondering why I never post any pictures, it's because my camera broke. I turned it on one day, and it just doesn't work! I could email Iphone pics to myself, but I just don't. I have been taking lots of pictures of my classroom with my (ghetto) classroom camera to share with y'all. Sorry about the lack of pictures. I'm saving some moo-la to buy myself a fancy new one. I'm hoping my uber-talented photographer friend will go shopping with me to help me find a nice one:)

Day 17

2011-10-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

Another lesson learned today. I have another little friend who is linguistically challenged. Except this little guy doesn't speak at all. His mom says he comes home every day talking up a storm about how amazing school was. However, we only hear the occasional giggle out of him. Along with not talking, he refuses to do a lot of other things. He likes for someone to hold his hand (literally) to do pretty much anything. How he reacted to our fire drill is a whole other story! Today, he was the last child to do his seat work. He needed to trace some lines from a guy raking leaves to a kid jumping in a leaf pile. He just looked at me. Then he pretended to trace the line (with no pencil in his hand.) So, I abruptly walked over to him, dug in his pencil box, and said, "Just choose a pencil, you have to hold the pencil to trace the line, here use red, boys love red." My little friend did NOT appreciate that stereotype. He just as abruptly slammed that red pencil down in his box and grabbed a pink one. He traced all his little lines as happy as a lark. Well played, little guy, well played.

Day 16

2011-10-04T14:28:00.000-07:00

I have a little friend in my class that is linguistically challenged. Well, I have many, but I'm referring to just one today. She can say peepee, mommy, Sonja (?), and Mrs. Mandy. She is also an avid jumping jacker, and can motivate the entire class to do jumping jacks when they should be doing something else, like, say, lining up. Today, I called her name to go play in a center, She looked at me, put her hands together, bowed, and said, "Namaste." This gal is crazy!

Day 15

2011-10-01T04:40:00.000-07:00

I really don't like feeling like I'm halfway doing things. However, that's pretty much how I feel about everything right now. I feel like everything in my head is all scrambled up, and I can't seem to make sense of it all. Have you ever felt that way? I'm a really organized person. So, when things start getting chaotic, I get really spacey. When I have a lot going on, I tend to try to chip off a little bit of everything instead of prioritizing it the way I should. Then, I feel like my life is cluttered, and I can't function in clutter. So, what do I do? I stress clean! Yes, Emory has homework, I have 5 articles and a research plan to write, laundry to fold, baseboards to paint, lessons to plan, emails to reply to, 20 minutes of reading to listen to, baths to give, baths to take, dinner to cook, lunches to pack, groceries to buy, and the list goes on. Instead, there I am, on my hands and knees, trying to get my stupid kitchen floors to look clean. Makes sense, right? I need to get my life straight. ASAP!

Day 14

2011-09-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I realize I've already posted today, but I think I have room for a double blog day:)
Funny story...mildy inappropriate, but funny.
I have this memory from childhood. My parents were remodeling our home at the time, so all the doors were off the hinges. I got up to go to the bathroom. When I opened the bathroom door it fell on me, and I peed on myself. At that moment, I woke up with my dad lifting the linen closet door off of me saying, "What are you doing?" I replied, "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm trying to go to the bathroom." He said, (giggling) "The bathroom is that way." I went to the bathroom as I was grumpily saying how I knew exactly where the bathroom was...I've lived there my whole life...bla bla bla. I was sleep walking and turned right instead of left to go to the bathroom. That was the only time I ever sleep walked. My sister was infamous for walking in her sleep. I usually just had nightmares that scared me awake, so I just ran to the nearest bedroom to wake someone up to comfort me. Emory has been having nightmares AND walking in his sleep since he was about 14 months old. It's funny, because when Emory walks in his sleep, Cody gets his Daddy voice on to tell him to go to bed. I can always tell he's asleep, because:
1. His Daddy's voice doesn't phase him.
2. He acts like he just smoked something illegal.
I typically just walk him back to bed where he immediately falls right back to sleep. Last night, we got a completely new show! About 15 minutes into our favorite HBO show saved on DVR, Emory came bee-bopping in, completely naked. He leaned against the couch right behind me, put one arm around me, and propped his head on his hand, and said "Whatch y'all doin?" with a twinkle in his eye and a drunkenness in his voice. Cody responded with, "Get back in bed!" to which Emory didn't respond to. I responded with, "Are you asleep?" to which he still didn't respond. I walked him back in his room, put underwear on him, and he laid down saying "This is SO weird...weird...SO weird..." He'll never live it down, poor baby.

Day 13

2011-09-28T03:43:00.000-07:00

Two things the Toms shouldn't do:
Hike up a mountain with two small children. My ankles hurt the next day. Bad choice of foot wear.
Chase 22 children around a playground yelling "You better run! The tickle monster's gonna get you!" My ankles REALLY hurt. Again, bad choice of foot wear.
Tom needs to stay away from the exercise related activities and stick with casual living:)

Day # 12

2011-09-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

Who am I kidding? This blogging daily stuff isn't very conducive to my hectic schedule. I try. *sigh*
I received a panicked text from a friend of mine a few nights ago. I was there with her during probably the worst moment in her life. She was so young when it happened, and she often thinks about how her life might be different if it hadn't happened. I thought she was past it. She thought she was past it. Clearly she isn't. I really didn't want to call her-it was late. But, thank goodness I did. She needed a friend. Have you ever noticed that? Sometimes you're called to be a friend in the most inopportune times. During our chat, I pointed out that she lets that moment that happened 16 years ago define a big part of who she is. She let a big part of herself just stop when it happened. I also pointed out that her life is wonderful. She is exactly where she is meant to be. I truly believe she would still be where she is even if her father hadn't tragically died so unexpectedly when we were 14 years old. Did she make mistakes and choices her father wouldn't be proud of? Yes. But, she made it through. I helped her realize that instead of living with the what ifs, she needs to start applying all those lessons her dad taught her in the 14 short years he had with her: live your life with joy, laugh at yourself (and at others), enjoy every moment, value your family and good friends, don't waste your life away being busy. I know we all have those moments that rocked our world-shook us to the core. Have you moved beyond that moment, or do you let it hold you back? My advice? Learn from it. Let it change you and the way you think. Don't give it any more power. Move on.

Day # 11 Old Feet

2011-09-14T17:59:00.000-07:00

I am pretty much known at my school for "dressing up." To others, that means I rarely wear my school issued screen print t-shirt. Instead I typically wear a cute top, cute jeans, and cute flats. I hate feeling frumpy. It makes me want to curl up in a corner and go to sleep. I am tempted sometimes. I have been known to ask a little friend if I can share a mat at nap time. They always look at me like I'm crazy-as they should. "Dressing up" makes me feel better about myself and my job. And, I don't want to go to sleep all day. Well, friends, the cute flats are making my feet ache at the end of the day. I have old feet. What a sad day. So, with the help of my dear cousin and a few loyal Facebook friends, I bought some comfy (expensive) "work" shoes. I purchased some gray Toms and some Borns that look like cute ballet flats:) Even though I have old feet, they're still "dressed up" at work. I can't go and ruin my reputation just because my feet hurt, now can I?!?

Day # 10

2011-09-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things around here. I went to the library today to start my weekly tradition of picking up/dropping off theme related books for my class. I had a hold on my card. Well, first of all I didn't have my card. So, I tried to fake it & had Cody text me the number. I had a hold on it, so I had to go up to the desk. Turns out, I owe the library 50 something bucks & I still had a cd out. Oops! I hate when that happens:/
That was pretty much the most exciting thing that happened to me today. Not blog worthy, but I'm trying!
Oh wait, no there was something more exciting--cheesecake. Do you want a quick indulgence? Ok, do this. Buy some of that no bake cheesecake stuff and some chocolate chip cookie dough and a fruit pie filling. I had cherry in my cabinet so that's what I used. Put some cookie dough in the bottom of some cupcake liners (already placed in the pan) and bake for a few minutes. Once it looks done, take it out. Pour the mixed up cheesecake stuff on top and top with your fruit. Refrigerate for one hour and enjoy. It's gluttonous.
BTW-why do you spell fridge with a d but refrigerator has no d? Weird.

Alleged Day #9 - Keepin It Real

2011-09-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

Real. Have you ever thought about the word real? I love real things. REAL pottery. REAL lace. REAL shoulders to cry on. REAL butter. REAL jewelry. I also love sparkly things, so not all my sparkly things are real;) This post is dedicated to my friend, Kelly Ford. The girl is real, and my heart appreciates that. She called me out on the fact that my 30 day challenge is taking me a bit longer than what I meant for it to. She's right. I value the fact that she can point that out to me, and we both can laugh and joke about the fact that neither of us have ever actually made it through ANY 30 day challenge (Jillian's Shred, anyone?) I also know that by me writing this she's going to think she offended me-no. I'm just using you as an example, girl. I'll pay you later...in brownies. I've reached a point in my life where...let's face it...I'm getting old...er. No, really. I have lots of responsibilities. I put on a show at work. It is my duty to make 22 little ones and their families feel safe, loved, and valued. I do that without being fake at all. However, with 22 little ones comes 22 families, and I sometimes have to put on a happy face when I want to scream. I have to creatively and clearly and positively word things when I would rather just say what is on my mind--sometimes I'm not thinking nice things. I also have two little ones of my own who are watching my every move. I have to be cautious in front of them. I don't want to teach them things I wouldn't want them growing into adults doing. I have lost patience with people that aren't real or won't allow me to be real. So, I appreciate those times when I can just be real. The older I get, the fewer and fewer people I find myself able to be real with. This world is full of so many people that just want to be pet. Unfortunately, I'm not a petter. It's a fault at times. I own that. I work on being more affectionate daily. However, when I say pet, I mean more of the people that are constantly fishing for compliments or rationalizing their actions. I love so much the times I throw an idea or a problem or a crazy thought at someone, and they are real with me and can connect. It saddens me when my realness is misinterpreted as offensive. It amazes me, really. I don't know when honesty became something that needed to be prettied up. The most honest person I know is my dear closest friend. She has given me advice before that cut me to the core, but it was honest. I learn from her honesty. I wish more people could be as real as she is. Tonight, I'm keepin it real: I'm blogging. My 6 year old is laying at my feet talking to himself. My 3 year old is piling every blanket in our house on top of the other for his "picmic." My husband is failing at striking up a conversation with me about my mom's long hair as I nod and say "uh-huh." Now my 3 year old is trying to brush my hair with the dog brush. That's definitely my clue to wrap this up. I hope you appreciate my realness.
*Disclaimer**This post is not directed at any one person. It's just an observation of the world around me:)*

Day #8 The Secret Garden

2011-09-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

I read an article this morning in my new copy of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine (it's a mag about 3D art, collage art in case you're wondering.) It was written in the perspective of a mother who noticed her adult aged daughter loved to read on their back porch, which is rarely used by anyone else. This realization caused her to think about how even in adulthood, some of us long for a tree house, fort, or secret garden to just get away from it all-alone. Reading this made me think about my own childhood secret garden. The older I get, the more I realize what a unique childhood I had. I grew up on several acres of land, which was shared by my family, my grandparents, my uncle's family (which included my very best friend and her little brother), and my grandfather's various plant projects. My grandfather was a dreamer. His dream included growing plants. My memories of him are visions of his arched body, permanent marker in hand, labeling pvc pipes with the names of what he just planted in his gardens. His biggest love was daffodils, but I was blessed enough to walk through his gardens with him and talk about some of the other little guys he loved. He loved the color purple. He told me once that was his favorite. He also told me once that chrysanthemums were actually his favorite flower. About a year after his death, I was hurt badly at a friend's birthday party. Someone sent me purple chrysanthemums. For some reason, this was comforting for me. Between my house and his house, he planted (years before my birth) two or three rows of Camellia trees. By the time I was aware of them, they were over 6 feet tall. If you aren't familiar with these plants, they are trees or bushes that flower in the winter. The blooms are beautiful. I'm not sure about all the colors they bloom. The ones between our houses were a deep magenta color. My cousin and I love these trees. We have always loved the way you can open up a (what's the correct term?) little pod that is just about to bloom to find all the individual petals wrapped up inside. We also love the way you can easily rip off the petals from the bloom to throw them in the air. There is something magical about watching the petals float in the wind. I still can't help myself from doing this to them. So, if you're ever with me in the winter and you see me do this to a camellia, please excuse me. As a child, when I walked between the rows of these trees, I was instantly inside my own secret garden. It was my place to get away from it all. Although I was just yards from my own house, I felt like I was in another world when I went in there. I would sit, read, pray, sing, spread petals all around me. I could do anything I wanted. No one knew where I was. Not my mother, not my sister, not even my cousin who always knew my whereabouts. Grandaddy caught me in there a few times, but he just smiled. He never bothered to ask what I was doing. I believe he knew I was a dreamer too. There are days that I long for that secret garden. Just a moment to walk through those trees and run my hands along the rough branches would be nice. Just a moment to feel the breeze through my hair and hear the rustle of the leaves would be refreshing. Sometimes we do need a secret place to gather ourselves. Maybe I'll plant a few rows of camellia trees beside my house. Suburbia needs that.

Day # 7 Back to School

2011-09-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

This week was back to school for me. I started pre-planning on Monday, Open House on Wednesday, and new kids on Thursday. Everything is clean and organized, but I haven't gotten any of my cutesie stuff up yet. I should take and post some pictures when I get everything done. I changed my theme this year. I've had frogs for several years. Now, it's camping/woodland/owls. I gotta say, the owls are c-u-t-e. I don't think the kids are very excited about it, though. They may just not care. The teenagers that work in the afternoon seem to enjoy it, especially my skunk poster that says "Don't be a little stinker, always follow the rules." Hopefully I'll get the rest of it done during the next week. I hate starting the year feeling like I haven't finished getting ready. But, that's what 3 (actually 1 because of all the useless meetings) planning days gets you. I forgot to mention, I moved classrooms this year after being in the same room for 3 years. I had a LOT of cleaning and unpacking to do. That was pretty much all I had time for. Bummer. My kids seem sweet, and I'm excited to start some real learning in the classroom.

Day # 6

2011-08-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

I'm busy, y'all. No seriously. I have 2 "To Do" lists, and I just wrote out an emergency list. Emergency as in I must do these things before 6:00 pm tomorrow night. Oh the life of a teacher. Now I must convince you about how busy I am. Tonight I got home from work and did the following:
Spray painted a bulletin board (Ocean Breeze)
Spray painted some cookie sheets (Ocean Breeze, Ivy Leaf, and I don't remember the fancy name for the red)
Responded to some emails
Went to soccer practice
Took Emory to his birthday dinner at ChicfilA
Ate
Got the kids ready for bed (kiss kiss, pray pray pray, I love you)
watched about 20 minutes of The Bachelor Pad
Wrote "Mrs. Lindsay's class Handbook" (9 pages, I must think I'm important)
Labeled daily folders
Printed hand washing signs and several other must have signs for my class

I'm tired. I really want a 3 day weekend. Woohoo!

Day # 5

2011-08-29T19:08:00.000-07:00

It's fair to say weekends don't count for this challenge, right? That's my story. I had a really great weekend. We celebrated my sweet Emory's 6th birthday with the much anticipated Super Mario party. Now, we are eagerly anticipating his BFF's 6th birthday with a Super Mario party. They're so funny. I actually think his BFF called dibs first, but they're so sweet they thought it was super cool to have the same birthday theme. They're friendship is precious. They compliment each other so well. Emory is the rule follower. Actually, I think it is safe to say that he is the rule setter. Words that I hear from him daily are: "Those are the rules." "Here are the rules." " Let's make a plan." Okay, I admit it. He gets it from me. Every time we go somewhere, I set the rules or make a plan. I actually think Emory probably had some kind of sensory issue, and I found that setting these boundaries really helped him. I've learned to relax a little bit, so he can learn that life doesn't always go as planned. His BFF is a little more spontaneous. Okay, he's a lot more spontaneous, but he is SO much fun. He just cracks Emory up. I actually think making Emory laugh has become one of his biggest goals in life. Since Emory has the BEST laugh in the world -hands down- I don't blame him.
Then, we had a going away party for my dear cousin. She is just a year older than me, so we grew up playing barbies and talking about boys. We live very different lives. She has a super busy career as an event planner. She is single, and she really takes advantage of enjoying life and what this world has to offer. She has decided to move to San Diego. Yep. Just like that. She pretty much decided she has no ties to Atlanta and nothing to lose, so San Diego it is. I admire her bravery. I always tell Cody that if I was single, I would move away and make a life for myself outside of the familiar. I pray for her safety and success.

Day #4-Curriculum Night

2011-08-25T18:07:00.001-07:00

Tonight was my first ever Curriculum Night, because I have a child in school! Eeks! What I got out of it. Emory is a smarty pants. As soon as his teacher figures out what reading level he is on, she is starting him on the Accelerated Reading program with the first graders. Good for him. After reading his "All about my parents" paper, I now know he notices how much I eat. He listed that as Mommy's favorite past time. Yikes! His teacher is AMAZING! Three weeks in, and we love her:) When posed the question, "If you could go to school or stay home every day, what would you do?" Emory is going to choose school every single time. Hands down! He LOVES to learn.

Day # 3--I missed a day:(

2011-08-25T17:56:00.000-07:00

Yep. Three days in, and I already missed a day. Oopsies. Actually, I tried to post using my phone, but I'm just not that savvy. I was going to write this:

Momma's Still Got It!

Emory brought home a jump rope from school. As he tried and tried to whip it over his head and jump over it, I just couldn't help myself. *side note--Daddy is the BEST at impressing the boys with his mad skills in all things dealing with sports. Not this time, sister!* I grabbed the rope and said, "Watch this!" I proceeded to show him MY mad jump roping skills. I even included some criss cross arm action. Oh yeah! Momma's still got it. I think this moment was the first time I ever did anything that stopped both my boys dead in there tracks. I got lots of cheers and even a "That's Awesome!" All those years of jumping rope on the playground finally paid off. I would like to thank the educators at Claiborne Elementary in West Monroe, LA for finding value in not only giving us jump ropes, but also joining in and teaching us some pretty fun songs to sing while we did it.

Welcome Home!

2011-08-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

I've been slowly reading through a book called "Crazy Love." The book is great. I just haven't had a whole lot of time to read it. Many parts have struck me. However, one passage has really resonated with me. When I became a mother, my views on death seemed to change. It's not that I am fearful of dying or losing someone. Well maybe I am. A little. I don't know. I'm just a worrier, and I am fully aware that we are living in borrowed days. The author of the book examines God's view on death and dying. He compares it to the event that happens daily when you have a young child in the house. In our house it happens when Daddy comes home. Our little boys have anticipated his arrival all. day. long. When they finally get a glimpse of him or hear his footsteps, they immediately begin squealing with delight. The arrival of their father is the highlight of their day. I imagine that Daddy feels immense joy and relief to see the excitement in the eyes of his children that he is FINALLY home. The author of "Crazy Love" points out that this is most likely how God feels when we finally come home to him. He created us. He knew us when we were in our mother's womb. He is anticipating our arrival in heaven to be with him for eternity. Doesn't that put a wonderful spin on the idea of death? It has brought me comfort and joy. I hope that thought also encourages you.

Day #1--Super Dad

2011-08-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

My husband is the best dad ever. Hands down. Emory REALLY wanted to go swimming this afternoon, and we told him we would go if Daddy wasn't too tired after work. Well, Daddy took them swimming-without me. Daddy knows weeknights are pretty hectic for this momma. And the hair. Pool water is no bueno for this crazy hair. He's great. I love him. Now, I'm off to get all those things done I stayed home to do:
-dinner
-letter to my future students
-Jillian's quilt
-cleaning out my theme boxes
I'm gonna be up ALL night!

30 Day Challenge

2011-08-22T03:51:00.000-07:00

I put up a little visitor feed to the right over there ---->
to see if this little Mommy blog gets any visitors. Egocentric, right? Well, I've noticed I do get some visitors, but they have nothing to read. I'm the WORST blogger. To be honest, I blog when I need to vent. I guess that's a good thing that I need to vent once every few months. However, writing is an outlet for me. I'm dangerously introverted, and writing helps me communicate. At least that's what my therapist says ;) So, "Cartersville, GA" who visits me and is bored to tears with nothing to read, I have challenged myself. I've always heard that 30 times makes a habit, so I've made a 30 Day Challenge. Every day, for thirty days, I will post a pic and a post. OOOOO, maybe I should change the name of my challenge--A Pic & Post---Naaa. Hopefully it will be entertaining. Hopefully it will form a habit for me. Enjoy!

Random Thoughts

2011-07-28T05:15:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like your life is just hectic. That's kind of how I feel right now. There are really important life changing things going on around me. Unfortunately, it's not just one thing. There is a whole pile of really significant things going on. My mental image of it isn't really a stack of stuff on a desk. It's more like a mess of debris swirling around me in a tornado. I'm trying really hard not to get smacked in the face with one of them. For a while I couldn't really understand my place in any of it. I've realized that my rightful place is to have faith in my amazing God. I'm focusing on prayer. And he is focusing me on what is right and good in my life. He blessed my son (who has nightmares and we often pray that Jesus will keep them away) with his all time favorite dream last night. In it the four of us were walking hand in hand in the clouds until we all jumped into a swimming pool together. That dream gave him such joy. I'm so thankful that Emory finds such joy in the togetherness of our family. Our love for each other and for God is what is good and right. God has an amazing way of showing and speaking scriptures to me. I'm not someone that easily (or ever) remembers and quotes scriptures. Even as a little girl, I had to put all my memory verses to songs to remember them for the next Sunday. God loves me, and he gives me the words I need when I need it. It's mind boggling actually. Yesterday, he showed me 1 John 4:4, "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." I have a big God. He can do unfathomable things. I just need to wait and see.

Operation Baby Making

2011-07-15T03:36:00.000-07:00

Here it is girls. Cody is on board to make baby #3. However, when he FINALLY agreed I suddenly heard the ear piercing sound of brakes screeching all around me. What is wrong with me? Don't get me wrong. I didn't push or hound him. I only do that when I want him to clean toys out of the yard or take the trash out. I have always handled the baby issue very differently. He is one of those guys that comes from a broken home and doesn't want to repeat history. So, even I knew he wasn't ready for children when we first got married. We needed to get past a few things first. Oh those getting adjusted to each other years. Those were gems. We finally got to a place where I thought we were ready. We tried for several months, and boom! We got Emory...and all his number loving glory. Max was a little different. Cody's family has this weird 2 year rule. The rule is: Your kids need to be 2-3 years apart. I've always rejected this notion. My thoughts are: Spread them out. Give yourself 4-5 years to enjoy your 1st child, and watch him go through each developmental phase. When Emory was about 15 or 16 months old, I felt this sudden urge to have another baby. Mind you, when he was 12 months old I was certain we would never have another child. N-E-V-E-R! Well, 9 months later, and boom! We have Max-2 years younger than Emory-and all his mischief loving glory. Then our lives were utter chaos from that point. I should have stuck to my original 5 year plan. BUT I love me some Max, and he loves him some Emory, and Em loves him some Max. We're tight. But it's crazy. So, here we are all agreed to try for baby # 3. Am I jumping for joy popping prenatal vitamins like they're skittles? no. I'm second guessing myself. Is this REALLY what we need to do. We can't sell this tiny house. I'm THIRTY! Am I too old for this? What if there is some kind of disability involved? Are we good enough parents for that? Am I too old for this? What if I go crazy again? Can we all fit in this tiny house? I'm actually skinny again...do I want to be fat? Am I too old for this? What if we have another BOY? Am I too old for this? That is where I am at friends. Crazy? Yes. I know I need to back away and let our lives take the path they are meant to take. Easier said than done. I do have to be involved in said making of baby. I'm a little freaked out about it. The end.

Beach Vacation 2011

2011-06-27T04:44:00.000-07:00

It's hard for me to put into words my thoughts about our summer vacation. I'll use my favorite word that Cody just loves to imitate my use of. It was WONDERFUL! We haven't been to the beach in two years. Back then, it was a disaster! Emory started out doing alright, but Max was at the absolute worst age to vacation with-and with a large group of people. It was so nice to be at the beach with just the four of us. Of course, the whole time we were saying "Oh, it would be great if so and so were here!" The most entertaining part of the whole trip was the sleeping arrangements. We do not co-sleep with our little ones-EVER! Well, I have the occasional "spend the night party" with them. So we made sure our room had two beds in two separate rooms. What ended up happening was that we all four piled into the king size bed in the master bedroom. It was a hilarious disaster! We got punched. We got kicked. We got peed on. We laughed until we fell asleep. I even woke up in the middle of one night and Max was literally sleeping on my back. The boys loved everything about the trip. They loved our room and the elevator. They are so obsessed with Mario right now that the elevator and our room became known as Bowser's castle. The hotel had a "big" pool and a kiddie pool. The kiddie pool was a 1 1/2 foot splash pool with tons of things spraying and dumping water. We spent lots of time there. They also LOVED the ocean. They had a blast getting toppled over by the waves. We also found lots of shells to bring home. Our trip also consisted of lots of shopping, eating, mini golf, and night time crab hunting. It was a great family vacation. We made lots of memories. AND, Emory lost his first tooth. AND, Emory learned how to swim under water. If you don't know...Emory has been deathly afraid of water since birth. We are VERY proud of him:) If you have a family and are planning any trips to the beach, I highly recommend getting a beach blanket. In the past, I've always rented the chairs with the umbrellas. However, I just couldn't part with $25 dollars a day this year. I also HATE lugging stuff down to the beach (umbrellas & chairs.) So, I bought a beach blanket at Target to try out. I also meant to bring our umbrella, but I left that at home along with our cooler full of food (oops.) The blanket was great! It was compact to carry and roomy enough for us to lay on. Now, on to our next trip...in 4 days! I don't know what we were thinking with our timing!

Before & After

2011-06-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

I have a MILLION projects due this weekend for my Masters program. So, I began doing what I do best when I have something HUGE looming over me that I'm trying to avoid. I stress organize. This week's victim was my bedroom closet. *sigh* Oh, how I love clothes, and shoes, and hats, and belts, and scarves, and anything remotely related to dressing myself. My closet just doesn't reflect this. It reflects the place in the house where we can throw any little piece of junk, because no one will see it there. --Side note: As I was cleaning every thing out, I came across a devotion that Cody and I did a few years after we got married. In it we answered the question: What is one thing you wish you could change about your spouse? I answered...cleanliness! The boy has no clue. He answered...being more affectionate. That's another blog for another day.-- The point of this particular blog is to show you how I transformed an old diaper box into a cute tote to hold my many fancy accessories. All I used was some scrap fabric and my hot glue gun. I think if I were ever stranded on a desert island and could have only one thing, I would want my glue gun. And some electricity, so it would work. Ok, so on my island, I could have two things. So here are my before and after pictures. Please excuse the blurriness of my cell phone picture. I can't seem to find the digital right now. I know it's not in my closet! (I'll post a pic of the whole closet when I'm done.)

My "Learning" Year

2011-06-13T03:39:00.000-07:00

If we've had any sort of conversation over the past 9 months...and you've asked me about my class or teaching...you've heard me use these words..."This is my learning year." I usually say this in my passive, nervous, restrained sort of way. I don't mean it in a good or bad way. This honestly was my learning year. Never in my 6 years of working with Pre-K children have I had a room full of kids that were louder, sweeter, funnier, more active, loving, or immature. This was my learning year. As I reflect on what that actually means...My "Learning" Year, I can see now a few things I did learn:

1) Sometimes, it can take an entire school year for a child to "get it." I pride myself at being good at what I do. I'm the most patient teacher I know. I am realistic at what my children are capable of achieving. However, sometimes kids just don't get it. This year, I heard myself saying the same phrases the entire year. Usually, I focus on rules and routines the first few weeks, maybe the first few months of school. After that, the kids just get it. I'm like the conductor, and they are the orchestra. Everyone plays their part, and I just signal to them when they need it. Not this year. It was truly 9 months of working and teaching rules and routines.

2) Everybody, and I mean everybody just wants to be validated. My class was LOUD! It was painful to walk into my classroom. Come to think of it, I didn't get many visitors this year-interesting. I did have a few children that have those higher octave carrying voices. They were loud as a whole, though. I figured out that most of the loudness was because they didn't understand how to have a conversation. They just talked over each other until it snowballed into a screaming match. I literally had to sit down and model for them how to have a conversation. They just all had something earth shattering and important to say, and they wanted the others to hear them. Aren't we all like that. We all have something important to say. Maybe if we take enough time to listen to and validate someone else's thoughts, they'll want to listen to what we have to say.

3) All we need is love. I gave out more back rubs, hugs, and kisses during this year than I have in the previous 5 years put together. I had several children who had such harsh behaviors, my first instinct was to get angry, lose my patience, and pass out consequences. Those are all appropriate at some point. However, I found with my most ill-behaved children, all they really needed was love. A soft talk. A hug. A new idea. An explanation of "how would you feel?" is all they really needed. I worry about those children as they move on into the public school. I've worked alongside some fabulous public school teachers, but I've also witnessed some that don't often think to love on the children. I pray the kids I'm sending on get the most patient and loving teachers.
4) A plan is only worth the paper it's written on. Isn't that true about life? Before I had kids of my own, I would get so upset if I had plans and they fell through (which they often do.) My own boys have taught me to prepare for disaster. They're getting a lot better, but when I was lugging around a 3 year old and a 1 year old (who already knew how to wrestle with his brother), I learned to prepare for disaster. I learned that this year also. I tend to "over plan" as I call it. I create my lesson plan to cover everything I need to cover for the week. Then, I go back and add in even more stuff. So, if my kids breeze through all the activities, there is no room for disaster (which in the Pre-K world would be children throwing bean bags across the room or chasing a friend with a 4 foot long block or a pair of lovebirds sharing their first kiss under the play kitchen table). Even then, the kids occasionally (sometimes often) revolt and nothing you've planned for is feasible. That's usually when I would come up with some person in our school that needed a card. I mentioned these kids were loving, right. Well, they loved sharing their love through card making. I used that to my advantage (insert a picture of me imitating Austin Powers with my evil pinky up against my mouth.)

5) Laugh--a lot! Sometimes that's all you can do. I've heard a lot of teachers say "If I don't laugh, I'll cry." It's true sometimes. Sometimes you just have to laugh at the absurd. One of my little handfuls had a tendency to get so mad at me that he would go into screaming and crying fits. Waiting it out didn't work. It would escalate until he would have to be removed from the classroom. Well, all of that is so disruptive. One day, in the midst of a rage, I looked at him and said in a bubbly teacher voice, "Hey, who am I?" I construed my face to look like his and made a whiny sound. He immediately stopped crying and was laughing. I was the best thing in his world (although 2 minutes before, he hated me because I wouldn't let him hit his friend with the butterfly net.) Absurd, right? I have 2 choices (my favorite line right now, btw): I can laugh at the absurdity & dream about how funny a Pre-K reality show would be OR I can take all this stress home with me and cry. I can't do the latter. My kids won't let me. They want to play and read books when we get home. No crying about work.

I could write a book full of anecdotes from this year that taught me something. I don't like to say it was the worst teaching year I've ever experienced. I like to call it "My Learning Year." I'm on my 3rd week of summer break, and I miss those kids. We grew a lot together. So, that's how I'll remember this year. I taught the kids about school and life, and they taught me how to be a better teacher. They taught me about life too. Here's to next year! Let's all observe a moment of silence to pray that next year will be "My Easy Breezy, Lemon Squeezy" year:)

A Few Things God Is Teaching Me

2011-04-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

God is teaching me a few things right now. One of those things comes in the form of little words my little guys tell me. Every night, they ask to pray. They are so eager to speak with God. Yeah, halfway through their prayer they start talking about poo to make each other laugh. Still, they love it. They look forward to it. Some place in my life I got too busy to pray. I had a conversation with a friend about it once, and he admitted to me that he prays to get himself to fall asleep at night. Although he was trying to comfort me with words that related to my own concerns, his thoughts concerned me even more. Do I pray out of laziness or habit or requirement? My desire should be to pray throughout my day. I'm currently reading a book about surrendering. At first, I didn't really see what I would get from this book. I have no drug problems or anything that really binds me. However, the author listed some behaviors that serious Christians have. One of those was a great prayer life. There it was. That is what binds me. My struggle to stop and pray. I'm always thinking about what comes next when I stop. I need to just stop and be in his presence.

God is also teaching me that I need to make some effort. I've seen a lot of friends and people around me go through trials. Trials that I knew would come. I get consumed with concern. Consumed as in physically, mentally, and emotionally affected. God is teaching me that He loves them. He is teaching me that if I want bonds and closeness with people, I need to make an effort. He pointed out the end of the story of Jonah to me. Jonah got really mad that God had compassion on His people. God provided a vine to shelter Jonah then he sent a worm to eat the vine. Jonah was so mad that God took the vine away. God pretty much told him, hey I gave you a vine & you didn't take care of it. What are you griping about? I'm currently seeing this unfolding around me. God has given me so much that I don't take care of and nurture. I need to be a better friend, sister, relative, etc.

Little Life Lessons from Max

2011-03-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

Maxie is so amazing. He teaches me something new everyday. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think you would like to learn a little bit from my main squeeze ( I can say that, because his big brother doesn't really squeeze-he's more of an occasional love pat kind of guy.)

*These are all of huge importance, so they are listed in no particular order*

~Cowboy boots are the most stylish, yet versatile accessory. They go with anything...church clothes, jeans, pjs, or underwear. And, no, they do not slow you down.

~Boys can wear shiny beaded necklaces. To restaurants. And the mall. They're cool.

~No matter how much you try to prove it, when I have on sunglasses, I can see you, but you can't see me.

~Toddlers disappear when they close their eyes.

~Or if they plug their ears with their fingers.

~Anything placed directly across from a toilet actually looks like a target that has a sign that says "PEE ON ME! PLEASE!" for a little boy that sits to poop...a wall, a towel, a rug, a basket of bath toys.

~No matter how busy you are, there is ALWAYS time to stop for a smooch.

~Speaking of smooches...they make EVERYTHING better:)

~Sock monkeys make the BEST friends! And so do 3 year old little boys.

I love me some Max! He can be a handful, but he's never accused of being boring!

Planning ahead for Summer

2011-03-19T06:05:00.001-07:00

The glorious sun warmed us up to almost 80 degrees yesterday. That kind of weather makes me think of summer. I'm so ready to be at home. all day. every day. doing whatever I want. Of course, I'm ALREADY making a list. Here are a few things I would love to find the time to do:

1) Clean out the sunroom, carpet it, and create myself a studio for sewing/making stuff

2) Grow a garden (I need to get started on that one!)

3) Frame some pictures...LOTS of pictures!

I can't wait to start organizing some colorful fabric:)

Step Stools Continued...

2011-02-23T14:33:00.000-08:00

I found 1 of those step stools:) There is a little antique store going out business, and they had it sitting by the street. After I talked to the owners for a bit, I got it for 25 bucks! They also told me there is a man nearby that knows how to recover these particular chairs. I'm thinking vintage vinyl. My cousin says I should make sure it has some avocado green out of respect for the chair we grew up with. Here is what my stool looks like and the kind of vintage vinyl I think would be superb:)

Step Stools & Such

2011-01-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today, Cody kicked Max and I out of the house. There is a little known secret about Cody. He's always looking out for me. He had the surgery on his knee last week. I have been waiting on him hand and foot ever since. And I have been a full time mom, and a teacher, and a college student. Whew. Needless to say, I am exhausted. I try really hard to fake it, but if I don't get sleep (lots of sleep) I am miserable. I think Cody sensed that, so he kicked us out until lunch (and hour and a half). I went to TJMaxx and Marshalls hopeful to find some stainless pans. My cookwear collection that I got 10 years ago is getting pretty sad. It's some kind of tephlon (I don't know how to spell that -- oops) and the handles are plastic. They're just corroding quickly. Well, I didn't find any pans I like. I did, however, buy myself a few things I always say I'll pick up and never do. I bought a salad spinner, a set of bamboo spoons, some picture frames, and a silicon spatula. It felt good to buy myself little stuff for the house (& for me.) It made me think about my grandmother's house. The natural flow of that logic is obvious, right? My grandmother has this chair in her kitchen that all the grandchildren have fought over since I can remember. She calls it a high chair, but I really think it's a step stool. It is made by Cosco. In the 50s, they made high chairs and step stools that look very similar. The high chair had a tray though. Hers does not. Anyway, we still all fight over it. There is just some kind of comfort in sitting in that chair right beside her phone and her phone books that just feels like home. The chair is pea soup green. You know to match her pea soup green formica countertops, the pea soup green wood work and door frames, and the pea soup green oven. I'm pretty sure I remember a pea soup green refridgerator at one time too. It looks a lot like this:

Isn't it great? I want 2 just like it for my kitchen to use as our bar stools. You can buy them new, but they just look too modernized. See?

That's (one of) my new mission! I'm going to start looking for my new (old) chairs. If you happen across one that is in great shape, buy it--I'll totally pay you back!

And Baby Makes 5...?

2011-01-18T11:40:00.000-08:00

It's do or die time, ladies. If Cody and I are gonna TRY to have baby numero tres, it's gonna start this summer. *heart palpitations* Here's the dealy yo. To the open public, Cody is blatantly against any and all third baby making. In the private corridors of our home, he often shares how wonderful it would be to have a little girl. Yes, ladies. He has already named her! To the open public, I give off the idea that I don't really care either way. We're still "keep our options open." Whatever that means. In the private corridors of my heart, I don't always feel like our family is complete. I love babies and children. If I was married to a man that wanted his own football team, I would go right along with it. I'm not, though. Cody would have a third child if it was a guaranteed girl. I don't blame the boy. The guy is the most hands on father I know. I'm still kinda learning what is normal behavior for a boy. Another boy would mean even more work for Cody. He knows if we have a girl, it's all me. He can just tell her how pretty she is. That's where we are at...completely confused. I have all these thoughts and ideas that run through my head, and then I secretly ask God to just make it happen if it's supposed to. I don't think I'm up for Operation Baby Girl. I would love to just "accidentally" get pregnant in August, welcome a baby girl in May, and be home with all the kids for the duration of the summer. That's not asking for too much, is it?

Look Like You Want to Be Here

2011-01-17T12:37:00.001-08:00

I have a confession to make. I tend to overdress. Let's begin with my place of work. If you want to teach Pre-K in Gwinnett County (I'll elaborate on that dream job later *insert sarcastic undertone*), you get to teach in a daycare. The daycare I work at has a very loose dress code. That's great, because I have worked in places that required you to dress like a local Target cashier. The place I work at does require any non-Pre-K teachers to wear issued t-shirts. My point is, I try to "teacher" up my own look at work as much as I can handle & still efficiently teach pre-k. I basically look like I would if I were going to dinner with friends--cute jeans, cute top, flats of some kind, and some accessories (depending on the affection level of my students.) Often, I get asked by the cute little teenagers that teach after school why I always dress stylishly and no one else does. I usually just respond with something about how I just can't do t-shirts everyday, because they make me feel lazy. When I feel lazy, I just want to go to bed--not teach kids. That thought changed the other night as I watched What Not to Wear on TLC. I know! Inspiring show, right?!? There was a mom on the show who couldn't move up the ladder where she worked, because she always looked frumpy. One of the hosts made the point that if you look like you don't want to be there, you'll probably be treated that way. That statement struck me, because that's what I'm doing. I want to look like I want to be there. I rarely wear sweats outside of the house. I partially blame my mom for that one. I can't tell you how many times I heard her say, "I never know who I might run into!" When I was young and perfect in all appearances, I never understood that. Now that I'm THIRTY and have walked straight into so many people I would love to hire me to work for them, I totally understand. Sometimes, it may not take clothes or makeup to show the world that you really want to be here--say at the park with your toddler or at the mall with a friend. Sometimes, it's just in your attitude and the energy you put off. In all you do, look like you want to be here:)
Now I encourage you to go read the book of Ruth. Talk about someone who looked like she wanted to be there! Wowza:) I'll start you off...
"But Ruth said,"Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you." Ruth 1:16,17 Ever said that to your MIL?

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

2011-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

Some days I want to write, but I just don't know what to say. I think on those days, I'll just think about what I'm thankful for. Here goes...
1. "Hey Lil Momma!" That's Max's new catch phrase when he runs up to me. I could listen to his Mommy song all day long, but this phrase may be even cuter. I love him.

2. Polka Dots. There is just nothing better than a good polka dot. I mean, I could put a polka dotted something in every room of my house. They're great.

3. Online universities. Thank you Jesus I don't have to drive to school anymore! Hallelujah!

My Heart Is Set on This Thought

2011-01-12T18:12:00.001-08:00

The older I get, the more I realize that there are lots of shoes I have not walked in. I've never had divorced parents. I've never been a single mom. My husband has never beat me. I've never been a mother to a daughter. I've never gone through infertility issues. There is a lot I haven't experienced--and I praise God for most of them often. I'm just sensitive to it. Is it that I'm getting older and having a better perspective on life? Is it that I work in a social environment, so I come into contact with many different people? I am really not so sure. I do know that people's words and opinions of others effect me differently than they used to. This week, I am stuck in my house. Well not exactly. School has been canceled for four days because of snow and ice, so I have been at home with my little guys. We go outside to play a lot. Then, we come in to thaw out a lot. I have spent WAY too much time on Facebook (or Fakebook as my hubs & I call it.) One of my "friends" statuses basically stated that everyone should suck it up and stop whining about being at home. That statement rubbed me the wrong way. Isn't that crazy that I would care so much about a Fakebook status. I must be some kind of hormonal this week. It just made me think. Is it so shocking that people would be a little upset about being stuck inside? True, there isn't much we can do about Mother Nature. However, shouldn't we be sensitive to the financial situations that people are in? Clearly our economy stinks right now, and a lot of people are hurting. There are many reasons why people say what they say. Sometimes I just wish people would think about their words before they put them out there for the world. It's just so easy to put how you think about or do things onto everyone else. If it is one thing I have learned being a mother and a teacher, it's that every single person is different. I mean different. They have different bio makeups, different mental abilities, and different backgrounds. It's amazing how self righteous we can be in our thinking sometimes. Don't misunderstand me. I know there are people (I am guilty!) that just make stupid decisions at times. I also know we're all going to disagree with one another. I just wish we could all be a little more respectful about it. So, the moral of the story is...if you disagree with me-ok, I'm sure I disagree with you somehow too. However, let's not demean each other.

I'm Also a Mother

2011-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

I'm a teacher. I teach Pre-K. I see ALL kinds of children and families. I also see families multiple times. I often have a student's little brother or sister a few years after I have a student. As is the case for Peanut. I had Peanut's sister about three years ago. She was absolutely wonderful. Now I have Peanut, and he is absolutely wonderful--and such a cute little guy. This year, Peanut's parents are having a hard time. I don't think Mommy is around so much right now. Peanut is starting to have a rough time with this, and my heart is starting to break. Today, Peanut wore a brand new shirt that his mommy bought for him. It still had the size sticker on it. Another child took the sticker from him to throw in the trash. Little tough Peanut broke into tears, because his mommy bought him that shirt. He fell asleep holding that sticker as tight as he could, because his mommy gave it to him.
My heart is broken for him.
You see, I'm a mommy too. I hope I never break my little boy's heart.

Three Decades

2010-12-30T05:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I turned the dreaded 30! (Enter music...dun, dun, duuuuun!) My reaction? None, really. I feel like I climbed my mountain during my twenties. I married my love, and had the rocky 1st few years of marriage. I had two little boys, and I made it through the toddler years (which I love, by the way.) I finished college. I have a job teaching. I worked my little tushy off, and now I feel like it's time to just enjoy life. I really feel like my 30s are gonna be just that-enjoying life. I want to take the time to appreciate everything. That's where I am at.
Let's talk about Christmas 2010. It was great. The boys got everything on their lists, and I don't feel broke as a joke. Our boys are incredibly non-materialistic. They are pretty easy to please. We have worked fairly hard not to set a precedent of overloading them with gifts. They were super excited about the gifts they received. However, I really feel like next year we should turn our focus to more giving and less receiving. Our boys are in need of nothing. I think it's time we start blessing others during Christmas. I don't know how we will go about that, but we'll figure it out somehow.
Now, let's talk about work. Is it sad that I'm counting down the days until summer? I love teaching. I mean L-O-V-E it. However, this has been one heck of a year. I have all new procedures to follow. I have had a few students that are absolutely trying. My assistant moved away mid-year. Whew! I'm ready for fun in the sun!
Onto my favorite topic...crafting!!!
I am currently working on a quilt for my soon to be nephew, Griffin. I'm really excited about how cute it's going to be. Everything is cut out and ready to sew. I just have no motivation:( So, I decided to answer his mommy's prayers by creating a cow themed lovie. It's so cute!

2010-11-30T19:15:00.001-08:00

I haven't written on my blog since pre-planning week! I have an explanation. I met my students. Seriously, this group has rocked my world. They are the most spontaneous, loud, and excited group of children I have ever taught. They're definitely not "bad!" School is just so new to all of them. They are so excited about it...and about me...and about each other. So, my day is full of "Quiet voices!" and "Take turns talking. Let's not yell at each other." and "Save those kisses for your mommy!" and "We play and learn with the toys. We don't eat them!" My school world is CrAzY! They are such a tough group. I also have 3 very difficult children that have their own challenges. One of them is no longer in my class, so this week has been much calmer. I'm beginning to think there was a bit of competition for attention going on. I also started the year with a lot of dread. I was not ready to go back to teaching this year. I think I was just still tired from college. Summer was SO great with the boys. I missed it. I started my Masters program. The class is all about why I am teaching--why I went into the profession in the first place. This is EXACTLY what I need. I finally feel motivated again to get some things done...just in time for Christmas-weird!
Let's talk about my kids!
Max-He's such a joy. He's happy about everything. I love him!
Emory-I'm really hoping it's a phase, but his attitude really sucks right now. He is so smart and funny, but he is never happy with anything. I don't know if it is an attention thing--maybe he's trying to be cool. It's such a struggle right now. You would think I was talking about a 15 year old, but NO! He's only 5! He's my 1st born. He has my heart. I love him!

Pre-Planning or Re-Scrubbing?

2010-08-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

Today marked my first day of pre-planning. That means I was on my hands and knees scrubbing like Cinderella. I'm not a germaphobe, but I do like to do everything possible NOT to expose my little babies to all the infectious diseases that come along with preschool. So, that was day #1. I officially reek of bleach. Today also marked my boys' days back to school...well, kinda. Max went back to his 2 year old class with his beloved Ms. Tara. He apparently had tons of fun. My heart ached for his kisses all day. Emory is going to the daycare's last week of summer camp. He was able to play on a huge water slide. My heart ached for his giggles all day. I love planning for my new class, but I sure do miss my guys! Have I updated my decision about Emory and school? I think I should do that. He is eligible to start Kindergarten this year. He turns 5 two days before the age "cutoff" date. My husband and I have been going back and forth about whether or not we should send him to school (now) or let him wait a year. It finally came down to the ifs. IF we let him go now, what will happen if...he's too immature, he's not emotionally ready, not developmentally ready, not physically ready, etc. IF we give him another year, he'll be fine. So, we are at peace with the decision to wait another year. Thank God (literally) there is a church right across from where I work (and where the boys have spent their preschool days) that offers a class just for kids that are eligible for Kindergarten but aren't going yet. AND, Emory's bff will be in his class AND one of his newest buddies will be there too. Emory and I are both a little nervous, but Cody is so excited about Emory's next step.

Those Lazy Summer Days

2010-07-16T12:07:00.000-07:00

Want to know what I love most about my job? No! Not summer! I would be breaking the golden rule of teaching if that was the case. I love that each August I get to start over. I get to build a relationship with a whole new group of kids and their families. I get to spend 9 or so months teaching them and preparing them for Kindergarten. Then, I get to top that off with spending two or so months with my favorite kids in the world! Emory and Lennon Max. Right now, I'm blogging in my bikini as my boys perform dare devil stunts in their Wal-mart plastic kiddy pool. I love this. In the back of my mind I'm reminded that I only have two more weeks of this. Two more weeks of the summer when my boys were two and four years old. I have to say: this has been the best and fastest summer that I can remember. We have done nothing but have absolute fun! I love these moments.

Teaching My Children

2010-07-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

God has been pointing out something to me lately. I suck at teaching my own children. Actually, he's probably pointing out the little amount of time I devote to talking to my children about Him. I add all the rest with my guilty complex. I am finally starting to feel human again. I don't go to class three times a week. I don't have hours of homework. I feel like I am ready to spend a bit more time with Jesus. I also want my children to spend a bit more time with Jesus. A dear member of my family recommended the book, The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Loyd-Jones. Since I am learning that she and I feel very similar on a LOT of things, I knew this would be the perfect book. It's basically a picture book that paraphrases the bible. It has beautiful illustrations to go along with each page. The first story in the bible is, of course, God's creation. In Sunday school I remember learning about the creation. On the first day, God created light. On the second day....I learned wonderful things in Sunday school, but I didn't always learn about His love. This book teaches that God created all things because He loved us. What a great thing to teach children from the very start. He loves you. Everything God does is because He loves you. Emory's favorite part about creation is that God created the sun and the moon and the planets. He's such a boy. Then he points out that God created him, his brother, his mommy and his daddy because He loves all of us. Later, the bible teaches us that without love we have nothing. How true.

Home Is Where the Heart Is

2010-07-07T01:15:00.001-07:00

It's 4:15 in the morning and I can't sleep. It's one of those nights that my body is so uncomfortable and hot nothing cools me off. Gotta love summer in the south. We made it back from our visit to my hometown in Louisiana. Someone asked me recently, well, yesterday where the best place to live in Louisiana is. I know the girl, and she is urban Atlanta to the core. I explained that Louisiana isn't really the place a 24 year old girl moves to to start her life. Louisiana is the place you grow up. It smells bad. It's hot-I mean HOT and humid. There are so many bugs you fear they just might carry you away. You don't really get rich there. You grow up, go to college, marry a boy, raise your kids. Louisiana is the kind of place where you play with your family and enjoy your hobbies and go to work in between. It's the place you leave, and then you reminisce about all the great things about it. Your heart is there. It's home. I love it! It's so quaint. I love it, because if you want to grill corn you go to the farmer's market. If your car won't start, your uncle takes you to walmart to get a battery and then he puts it in for you. If you need candles, you go to the candlemakers store to get them. If you need draperies, you make them yourself-or your mom does it for you. Sometimes-scratch that-all the time, I feel like Metro Atlanta is so franchised and mainstreamed. Yes, the choices are great, but I long for simplicity. Ok I'm rambling. On to my visit:
My time in Louisiana was scrumptious:) I was able to spend great quality time with my cousin's wife. We new we are very similar, but we've never gotten to spend too much time together. That was wonderful. We mainly talked and drank coffee. LOVE! Watching the boys simply enjoy throwing rocks in the pond and eating popsicles was amazing. I was able to amuse my son with stories about the things I did with my cousin when I was just his size. It's weird looking at him and thinking he is bigger than I was when Angela and I became "soul sisters." I also got to spend lovely time with Angela and her sweet baby love. She is one sassy gal-much like her mother:) The visit was wonderful. We get to do it again at Vogel State Park in September when the family comes for the Rankin Reunion.

Here is a shot of a few of the Wee-Rankins

I wonder how many little boys have peed on this tree?

I'm Going on a Road Trip

2010-06-29T02:12:00.000-07:00

I guess I should begin by updating my "green" status. So far, I have stopped my husband from throwing gum wrappers out of the car window. That's about it.

Tomorrow I'm going home to the grand town of West Monroe, Louisiana. I'm so excited:) I love going back to Louisiana. It is just home in the true sense of the word. My sister and her two daughters are going with us. That means it will be my sister and I, 2 four year olds, and 2 two year olds. Jealous? Let's bet on how many times I here "MINE!" and "Are we there?" I'm really excited. Emory is pumped too. He gets to take his fishing pole and fish in the pond. I love that, because it's the same pond that my cousin and I used to hike to in our childhood summer days. One day we even saw a great blue heron. We were so thrilled. I'm so ready for some midnight conversations with my best friend in the whole world.

Tree Huggin Fool

2010-06-11T10:41:00.000-07:00

I was taught to use my own hands to create beautiful and tasty things. Hence, my love for pretty-ing things up, sewing, painting, and cooking. I was also taught to respect life in all its wondrous forms. Aside from Jesus' gift, nature is my favorite of God's works. He sure did show off His creativity. That's why it breaks my heart to see the devastation on the coast of Louisiana. Growing up in Louisiana, we learned all about it's eclectic culture and wildlife. Viewing all the images of the oil soaked life is just heart wrenching. I am seriously tinkering with the idea of going back to my roots and respecting what God has blessed us with. I think I might start making some changes in my life....going green as our society likes to call it. We'll see. Until then I pray for Louisiana...may it's culture and wildlife stay diverse and eclectic.

Countdown to Summer

2010-05-21T15:30:00.000-07:00

The countdown to summer actually began quite sometime ago! Right now, there are officially 3 more days until I have 10 (?) at home with my angel babies. I am so excited to play outside, go to the park, take them for ice cream, and watch their favorite movies! I also have my annual mental list of things I want to get done also. I already have a few projects up my sleeve:
1. Emory & I are going to make my mom some signs for her herb garden.
2. I need to organize all my student teaching copies into binders.
3. I brought home a huge crate so I can organize my lesson plans.
4. Steam clean my carpets.
5. I want to make a back pack station somewhere in our house...the laundry room?

Top 10 for 2010

2009-12-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last year, I copied my friend Christy's idea for New Year's Resolutions. This year, I am changing things up a bit. I am going to list my Top 10 "would love to's" for 2010. I want to make them real and attainable. I think 10 things will be a bit more manageable. Here it goes.

My Top 10 for 2010:

1. Pass the GACE. I really want to add "the 1st time I take it" but I'm going to hold back. I just need to pass...period.---CHECK

2. Graduate from college.---CHECK

3. Get pregnant...I'm really just adding this to freak my husband out, but it would be fun:)

4. Make time for exercise.---CHECK

5.Make a shoe/bag/jacket center in the laundry room.

6. Pay off something.

7. Take some family pics.

8. Clean out my clothes and my hubby's clothes. SERIOUSLY!

9. Sell school textbooks.---CHECK

10. Go on a trip with just my husband.

A Reminder about True Love

2009-12-23T10:25:00.000-08:00

Doesn't that sound so cliche? True love! It makes me think about those cheesy 80's teen movies (that my husband is obsessed with BTW!) I am a happily married lady, so I should believe in true love. I guess the phrase stirs that Jane Austin up in me, and it makes me want to say "Get a life! Mr. Darcy!" But, even the most synical can find true love, right? I have. Let me back up a little bit and explain WHY I'm writing this post. My mother taught me at a very young age to always store my most precious belongings in ONE place, in case there is a fire. You can just grab the one box and throw it out the window. In my case, I'll just pray the box I have them in are really fire proof just as advertised:) I'll be busy throwing my kids out the window, not boxes! So, I REALLY need to clean out the door areas of my computer desk. There are LOTS of pictures in there, so I pulled down my fire safe box to put the pictures in. The box is full of letters from my grandfather to my grandmother while he was in the Korean War. Of course, I had to stop and read a few. I just LOVE the way he talks to her. He uses phrases like "my dearest love Nadine" and "I'm still alive, loving you more everyday." Their love story is my favorite love story of all. They loved each other so deeply. So, back to my point of this post. In one of the letters I read, he wrote "Today, we have been married for 11 months. How long have we been together, or how long have we not been together. Let's see, I've been in the army for 7 months and (I don't remember what he wrote) days. I promise I'll make it up to you." What is precious about that to me is that he did make it up to her. He spent the next year or so in Korea, and then he came home. He met his two year old daughter, and spent more than 50 years married to his dearest love Nadine. That is such a reminder that true love exists, and it can be beautiful.

Christmas Break

2009-12-20T14:26:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. Not only do we get to reflect on the impact of Jesus' birth, enjoy time with family, and give/get gifts, I have 2 whole weeks that I can devote to cleaning (REALLY cleaning) my house and CRAFTING!!! I want so badly to post some pictures of the wreath I made this year and pictures of my tree (I love my white tree:) however, I spilled an entire cup of coffee on my laptop (insert emoticon of an idiot.) Everything works great except for the 2, u, r, and y key, two of which I need to log in to this account:) Anyway, some other crafts I hope to accomplish are:
~cookies for Santa....I'm thinking chocolate chip this year
~dough ornaments....I like to have the kids make ornaments with me every year. The ones from school are super cute, but if I am in control of it I know they will match the decor:)
~I already made my Mammaw's recipe for Spice Tea to give to people we don't really buy gifts for.
~I need to finish Max's lazy mat

Let's see if I get to do any of that! I also have some lesson plans I need to work on for work, but I'm thinking about devoting my last day of the break for that (technically, the teacher work day that I don't ever participate in.)

160 Days

2009-11-29T05:59:00.000-08:00

I have a graduation countdown on my desktop. Today, it says 160 days. I am missing church with my family again this morning so I can get some homework done. At least I am reminded that this is all temporary. 160 days to go.

2009-10-27T18:09:00.001-07:00

There are 2 months left in the year. I think I need to see how I am doing:
1.Read a book that is not related to school or children---CHECK
2.Finish Jillian's quilt---CHECK
3.Finish Baby Ford's quilt---CHECK
4.Get my grandfather to set up my quilting frame
5.Start & stick to an exercise routine
6.Take the boys to the Yellow River Game Ranch
7.Take Emory back to the aquarium
8.Print all the pictures I have saved to my computer
9.Read and organize my grandparent's "letters from war"
10.Get Emory involved in a children's church program---CHECK
11.Start planning our 10th anniversary party
12.Spend more time with friends.---CHECK
13.Go on a family vacation---CHECK
14.Get my hair done more often---CHECK
15.Make a quilt for myself
16.Frame our family portraits from last year:)---CHECK
17.Mail in the application for the GA Prek scholarship---CHECK
18.Change my attitude about the boys wanting bunk beds...it's not about how hideous they look, it's about the fact that they love each other & want to share a room.---CHECK-ish
19.Keep my van clean all the time
20.Straighten up the house at night before I go to bed.
20.9 See the light at the end of the tunnel---CHECK!

A Summer of Sunflowers

2009-09-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

Emory wanted to grow sunflowers during the summer. We started some seedlings inside during late spring, but they all died when we moved them outside. So, we bought more seeds and put them right into the ground. Here is our summer story:

The sunflowers begin to bloom. Right when the sunflowers began to bloom, we had a few weeks of pretty cold weather. They grew to be a little taller than Emory, and then they died off. We had so much fun taking care of our flowers. We will plant them much earlier next year! Hopefully they will get taller and fuller if we do that. Our summer of sunflowers will be a great memory to look back on.

I love goats...

2009-07-28T19:15:00.000-07:00

So, he improvises...

2009-07-26T10:42:00.000-07:00

We do not allow Max to have his binky unless he is in the bed going to sleep. So, he improvises. This is Max using an outlet cover as a binky.
P.S. I also laugh out loud when Max's doctor asks me if our house is baby-proofed:)

This is serious!

2009-07-26T10:37:00.001-07:00

Emory is bowling with the Wii. VERY serious business!

Lessons from the baby in the family

2009-07-24T11:04:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I was under the impression that the 2nd child was going to be much slower to do things than the 1st. Not in our house. I do still view Max as being a baby. I baby him MUCH more than we did Emory. We felt like Emory was a "big boy" by the time he was 15 months old. Max just amazes us sometimes. I guess the younger child observes a lot more. He watches when we don't know he is watching.
Example # 1:
I am teaching Emory how to use the regular swing at the park. You know, pumping your legs and all that jazz. Well, on Wednesday, I ran some errands so we stopped by the little park in Grayson for a break. I'm such a good mom, right. Wrong! My husband (who btw thinks kids should be outside ALL day long in the summer) requested I do that b/c he knew I would be over there. Max insists on getting in a big swing. Um, no! I put him in this weird baby swing that looked like the front 1/2 was cut off, but there was a buckle going across the front. Naturally, Max started pumping his legs to make the swing go. CRAZY!
Example # 2:
Cody is teaching (ok taught about 4 months ago) how to hit a ball off a T, hit a pitched ball, and catch with a glove. Max sets up his own T and hits the ball. He also says "grounder" (in baby lingo) and holds his glove perfectly to catch a ground ball. BTW, he is left-handed, so he has a toddler size left hand glove:)

This child is a mess!

Tha Beach

2009-07-22T19:22:00.000-07:00

Weeeelllll...the beach had its ups and downs. I can't say enough good things about Orange Beach. It is beautiful, and the drive is an absolute breeze! Angela did a GREAT job picking out the condo! Max was sick the 1st day we were there, and Emory was sick the last day and a 1/2. They were out of there element with all the new people, so they were a bit weepy all weekend. It was great seeing Ang & her family and hanging out with the other couples. We will definitely go back again, just with our own room:) We have learned that valuable lesson...our kids like their space & their own time frame (that's the negative of kids that live on a schedule.) However, I will gladly give my kids 360 days of consistency where they are happy, rested, and well-fed even if it means I have to suffer through 5 days of whiny when we are on vacation. I can handle it:) So, as of right now, we have 7 work week days left of summer...that gets a :) & a :( It is bittersweet. I am excited to get the new school year rolling, but I will miss the lazy crazy days of summer at home with the boys. The good news is: I don't have to work for 10 weeks in the spring b/c I will be STUDENT TEACHING!!! How is that for seeing the light at the end of the tunnel?!?!
These are the faces we looked at all weekend.

Going to the beach!

2009-07-08T19:31:00.001-07:00

Yay! In a few days, we will be at the beach. We are going with Ang and fam. This is Max's 1st trip to the beach:) It is also exciting because there were 3 things Angela and I dreamed of doing when we were all grown up:
1) Be each other's maid of honor at our weddings
2) Live next door to each other for the rest of our lives
3) Go on family vacations together

Looks like we have 2 down and 1 more to go:) I think we may have also dreamed of marrying twin brothers, having a double wedding, touring with Debbie Gibson, but for blogging sake I am sticking with those 3. It's more poetic that way. Orange Beach or Bust!

Holy 4th Birthday Batman!

2009-07-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

Emory will 4 years old in less than two months! I can't believe it...actually, in Emory's words, "I can NOT be-LIEVE this!" What a sweetie pie...a stubborn, moody, perfectionist, little bundle of pure joy:) I feel like just yesterday he was our new little bundle screaming for 4 straight hours before bed time. I am SO thankful he can talk now and tell us what is wrong with him. Speaking of telling us what he wants...this year, he would like a Batman birthday party. I have the cake pretty much ordered. I know how I am going to make the invitations. I'll work on those when we get back from the beach. I think I have decided to do the party at home, order a jumpy jump (Emory's words again) and invite the fam. We talked about inviting friends from school, but I don't think I am ready for all that jazz. Plus, we went REALLY low key last year for Max, so I want something a little more fun for him this year...i.e. dress up halloween party. I'm thinking "Our little monster is turning 2!"
Here are my thoughts for Em's party: (totally lifted this from www.birthdaypartyideas.com--I can cite it APA style if you want)
"Holy cake & icecream Batman, Emory is turning 4!"
flash lights, capes, masks for the kids instead of goody bags (HATE goody bags!)
jumpy jump fun
dark purple punch
bat shaped cookies
comic book inspired decor (similar to what we did for Kelly's shower, but boyish)
Uh Oh! Joker stole the cake! Scavenger hunt for the cake.
Found it! Let's eat cake & open presents!
Now, I need to start planning....when we get back from the beach:)

What to do...

2009-06-26T07:54:00.000-07:00

Emory is starting Pre-K in August. I think he actually starts on August 10. He doesn't turn 4 until August 30. This is where the dilemma lies. His birthday is 2 days before the public school cut off. He gets along great with other children. He loves to learn. He knows all his letters. He writes his letters, everyone's name in our family, and many numbers. He is beginning to draw identifiable pictures. He dresses himself, and does most things by himself. So, he is very prepared for school. Emory's biggest issue is that he is a perfectionist and sometimes lacks confidence. Cody wants to hold him back from Kindergarten next year. I was always fine with that until he started maturing and showing that he is a pretty natural learner. I'm kind of on the fence here. I really think he will be just fine going to Kindergarten when he is supposed to. On the other hand, I think having an extra year and the knowledge that he is the big kid in the group might help his confidence. I started Kindergarten at 4 also. My birthday was also 2 days before the cutoff, and I was just fine. Another thing I worry about is that Emory meets whatever expectation is placed on the group. If he is with older kids, he tries to be big like them. If he is with younger kids, he behaves more immature. I'm not worried about any friend issues. He won't be going to school with any of the children he is with right now anyway. Please let me know your candid thoughts.

What does that mean?

2009-06-22T10:18:00.000-07:00

Occasionally, I catch myself saying something that makes perfect sense to me & no one else. Sometimes, I come out with a phrase that makes me question myself. Where did I get that from? Is it a Rankin thing? Or maybe it's a Louisiana thing. Maybe it's something I have just picked up on my way through life.
Today's phrase in question: (Yes, Kelly, you may recognize this from today.)
"I'll be by your house around lunch time."
Great! Now, what time would that be? McDonald's considers lunch to be around 10:30. My children think lunch is around 11:30. I sometimes eat around 1:00. So, I guess what I mean is I'm not telling you what time I'll be at your house, but it will be anywhere between 10:30 and 2:00. Isn't that nice of me to block off such a huge chunk of your day? I also use the phrase "around dinner time" quite often. That means anytime after 5:00pm. The worst part of this is that I have such a HUGE double standard! I would get so irritated with someone else if they told me they were going to be at my house around lunch time. Nope, I would expect to know what time you are coming by, and you better not be late (unless I'm not finished cleaning-then I don't care.) Aren't you glad you are my friend?

I'm Crafty!

2009-06-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

If you've noticed some strangely named blogs over to the right, I want to explain. My cousin, Angela, and I are pretty much obsessed with all things handmade. We exchange links, ideas, etc. that we come across. I figured what better way to keep them organized than to put them on my blog. So, if you need any ideas for clothes, accessories, parties, etc. go ahead and click a link. Also, if you have any you would like to add, just leave the link in my comment section. Enjoy!

Follow Up to Transitions

2009-06-16T05:04:00.000-07:00

We went to a local church called 12Stone on Sunday. I was very hopeful that everyone would love it, and it will become our new home. I was a little nervous, because the music and the message wasn't quite as exciting as I have seen it before. However, Cody loved the preacher, the music, and the message. Emory also loved his class and his teacher. Apparently his teacher taught them some songs, so of course, that won Emory over. I am very excited about this turn of events. I love Jesus. Cody loves Jesus. We've taught Emory what we can about Jesus, but I'm ready to see him really love Jesus. With that being said, I have a few things I'm praying about. With my days in college quickly coming to an end, our desire to move is also growing. Our conversations lately have very much been focused on the hows, whens, and what ifs of moving. For me, I would go tomorrow-no doubts, worries, regrets. Cody, on the other hand, is a little more rational. I don't really know what to pray in this situation. I just pray that God opens doors or whatever needs to happen for this to work out. If it is not meant to be, then I need some kind of reassurance. As far as college goes, I can actually see the light! Praise Jesus! I have class until the end of July, then I have 4 classes in the fall. Then I student teach in the spring. Technically I have less than a year. I'm so ready to be done!

The Gift of Gab

2009-06-10T19:12:00.001-07:00

Wow! I just blogged about the things Max says, and he already has another list! Here are even more newbies:
I eat pizza.
Papa, you got PooPoo?
No No, Mommy
ball, phone, bowl (all sound the same to me..."baw")
ketchup
Are you ready?
I sit
want down (except my kids talk with my Louisiana draw..."wont down"
what's that?
remote (mote)

I know, I know, he's a genius! What can I say? I am his mother. KIDDING! He's a clever kid. I tell my family Emory is smart. He loves to read, write, all the smart stuff. Max is clever. He has street smarts. He watches someone do something, and he just does it. No fear. He thinks he can do anything, and he tries until he figures it out.
Emory is not too shabby himself. Today, I was griping about how much cleaning I needed to do. Emory jumps up and says, "I can clean my cars so fast." Cool. So, he cleaned all the cars and all the toys that were tossed all over the place. Then, he comes up to me and says, "now I can have pennies?" What??? I have never told this child anything about allowance. However, I think Emory just established the allowance system in our house. What 3 year old does that? I didn't have any pennies, so he got about $1.50 in silver change. Not too bad for a day's work. SPOILED!

Transitions

2009-06-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

*Before you read this, please keep in mind that these are my thoughts. I do not intend for anyone else to think or do as I say-or even agree. The last time I wrote about this, some people took offense to my words. I do not mean to offend, but sometimes we don't always agree.*

We all know that in life, we go through phases and stages. Cody and my biggest transition in our marriage has been with our beliefs. We both grew up very much Southern Baptist. As we went through different changes in our own lives and in our marriage, we both felt like our true beliefs just didn't line up with the doctrine of our denomination of choice. I spent quite a few summers in a Pentacostal church during my teen years. Obviously, what I learned there wasn't exactly the same as what I learned in my own church. However, I didn't share the same negative thoughts about different denominations that many of my fellow congregation members did. I am a pretty open-minded person. I just took opportunities to use my confusion as my study tool. The biggest disappointment for us with church was the absence of love. (and services and schedules that are completely non-condusive to children's schedules) I don't mean to point fingers at certain churches. I am not doing that at all. I mean, in general, we just felt like church was missing love. We didn't feel like people's ultimate motives were out of love. We were at a point where we had no desire anymore to go to church. So, exactly 2 years ago we decided to leave church. Emory was about to turn 2 years old, and I was pregnant with Max. Since then, I have gone back to school. For a while I felt like I was handling all I could handle. School has become just another part of life right now. Emory is almost 4 years old, and he has started asking a lot of questions that I don't know how to answer. We have decided to go back to church. This Sunday, we plan on visiting (as a family) a local church that I have visited a few times. I have been very impressed with their love for their surrounding community. We are very excited. So, my prayer is that Emory fits in quickly, Max doesn't have any meltdowns, and we make an easy transition into our new Sunday habit. I'm really looking forward to this.

New Favorite Products

2009-06-01T16:38:00.000-07:00

My cousin, Angela, and I have this habit of trying new products out and telling each other about it when we really love something. Through this system, I have discovered Wallflowers from Bath & Body Works, Alba chapsticks, Italian herb bread crumbs, and various other products. Here are a few of my new faves. Swiffer has come out with a furniture polish. I'm slightly obsessed with polishing, so I'm always on the look out for polish that isn't waxy or oily. This product is just that. It sprays out in a mist, and the lavendar smells so good. The awesome part is that you can use it on wood, laminate, marble, and LEATHER!!! So I can pretty much clean everything with this stuff except for my floors and mirrors. The other product I found is brown sugar. I HATE using brown sugar because of the hardening factor. I don't like the idea of putting food in with other food. I've heard that the sugar won't harden if you put orange peel, onion, or garlic in it. That is just gross to me. I found a product that the sugar is individually packed in 1/4 cup packets. Recipes usually call for 1/4 or 3/4 cup of sugar, so it works out perfectly. I bought Dixie Crystal, but I think there are quite a few brands that make this. The box I bought has 12 1/4 cup pouches.

This is what Max does....

2009-05-31T15:56:00.000-07:00

...when no one is watching him. That would be Max with a remote control, sitting on his potty on the couch. All of which he did himself. That is why I have to follow the child around CONSTANTLY!

Max-itude!

2009-05-29T12:58:00.000-07:00

Have I told you lately how B-A-D Max is? He is CrAzY! I love the little guy SOOOOO much, but woah...he is a handful. I give Emory and Max their bath at the same time. A few days ago, I was lathering up Emory's hair and...CRASH. There was Max sliding around on the bathroom floor on his belly. He dove, head first, out of the bath. What is that? He gets something in his head, and he doesn't let it go until his mission is accomplished. I have been home with the boys for one week, and I am pooped! Yesterday, he started saying a new phrase, "NO, NO, Max!" Poor baby. He must hear that from me and Emory a million times a day. He also has a mad face that he makes now when I do tell him no. He's so precious, and he is talking so much now. Here are some newbies: juice (joosh), shoes (shoosh), hey, hello, bye, ducky, coco (his monkey), emmy, grandmamma (no-mama), nana, papa, my butt (change my diaper, i pooped), feet (da beet), owwww, oh no, aw man (oh meeeeeen), choo choo, books, blankey, night night (not not), fruit bar (bar bar). WOW! He's a talking fool. Right now, we are also trying to get the BINKY out of his life. We have been letting him have it only when he sleeps, but now we just stopped giving it to him. He's a clever little thing, so let's hope he doesn't figure out how to get it back. That's an update on our crazy little monkey. P.S. I've kinda been having a little baby fever lately. YIKES!

Goals...2009

2009-05-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

I think it's time to revisit this. Let's see how I am doing:
1.Read a book that is not related to school or children---CHECK
2.Finish Jillian's quilt
3.Finish Baby Ford's quilt---CHECK
4.Get my grandfather to set up my quilting frame
5.Start & stick to an exercise routine
6.Take the boys to the Yellow River Game Ranch
7.Take Emory back to the aquarium
8.Print all the pictures I have saved to my computer
9.Read and organize my grandparent's "letters from war"
10.Get Emory involved in a children's church program
11.Start planning our 10th anniversary party
12.Spend more time with friends.---CHECK
13.Go on a family vacation---CHECK
14.Get my hair done more often
15.Make a quilt for myself
16.Frame our family portraits from last year:)---CHECK
17.Mail in the application for the GA Prek scholarship---CHECK
18.Change my attitude about the boys wanting bunk beds...it's not about how hideous they look, it's about the fact that they love each other & want to share a room.
19.Keep my van clean all the time
20.Straighten up the house at night before I go to bed.
20.9 See the light at the end of the tunnel

Upon Watching Jon & Kate...

2009-05-26T15:22:00.000-07:00

1st of all, I watched it this morning on DVR, so my rating didn't count. Good. I have not watched the show in a while. Do you remember the episode when they all went to party city to buy party supplies or maybe it was when they had the shopping spree at toys r us. Anyway, Kate started screaming at Jon literally from across the store. That's when I stopped watching. I would NEVER talk to Cody like that. He knows that if he did something like that to me, I would walk out of the store and drive home leaving him in the toy store with all 8 kids by himself. Many of my friends will testify to that for me. Anyway, I found this particular episode quite disturbing. I love marriage. I'm not going to lie. It's not easy. Cody and I are as opposite as opposite can get. We love each other, and we are determined to make it work. Cody and I were married for almost 5 years before Emory was born. We had a LOT of time together. We laid a LOT of ground rules. Then, we laid a LOT more rules when Emory was born. So, this is my blog dedicated to some rules of marriage and parenting that we have. I feel I have to mention them, because I am so bothered by all the bs that was dished out at us watching the show. Here are our rules:
Marriage:
Rule # 1: Always keep a level of respect. Remember "the golden rule" that we all remember posted all over our elementary school classrooms. "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." It works. We call it being nice.
Rule # 2: Talk, talk, talk. I have the tendency to shut down & let things fall where they may. Cody doesn't. If he senses that something is wrong, we have to talk it out. I appreciate that in him.
Rule # 3: Fight like you are married, not like you are siblings. O.K. this may seem really weird. When we were first married, I felt like Cody was always picking at me to cause fights. When we would fight, he would say really hateful things that he didn't mean. He was just trying to inflict pain. I discussed this with a much older friend of mine. She opened my eyes. She told me the he was probably fighting with me the only way he knew how to: the same way he fought with his sister. I told Cody that and everything really fell into place. That's when rule # 1 started happening.
Rule # 4: Laugh...enough said, right?
Parenting:
Rule # 1: This one is for all the controlling ladies out there! NEVER complain about how your husband helps you with the baby. If he changes the diaper in a weird way...say thank you. If he forgets to lotion the baby after the bath...say thank you. If he puts mismatched clothes on the baby...say thank you--ok laugh & then give him something that matches, too. My point is, the minute you complain that the husband didn't do it exactly as you would have, he will never help you again. If he does, it will be full of resentment. I HATE the way my hubby washes & folds laundry, but he does it so I'm not complaining. My husband knows that I'm a perfectionist, and he takes huge offense when I complain about something. All he hears me saying is that he is not as awesome as I am. There is an exception to this rule....after not complaining about 10 times, then I will say "You know, I really appreciate you washing clothes, but would you mind PLEASE making sure the towels and clothes are completely separated? That would help us save money, because the clothes will not wear out so fast."
Rule # 2: Have a united front. We pretty much have what we let Emory get away with and what he doesn't get away with. I just give Emory a stern look when his father gives a punishment. His father says "Do what your mother says" when I give a punishment. Emory knows he is going to get the same answer out of both of us. We don't argue about discipline in front of him. If there is a problem or miscommunication, we discuss it away from him.
Rule # 3: Show affection & talk lovingly to each other in front of your children. It is amazing how their little eyes light up when they see their mom & dad loving each other. It warms their little hearts.

Cody came from a divorced family: I did not. We approach marriage very differently. I never think about divorce or separation. That reality is always in the back of Cody's mind. I find myself being the lazy spouse, letting things just flow. Cody is always at work making sure our marriage is in harmony. What are your thoughts? What makes your marriage work?

Fruit Loops

2009-04-08T04:25:00.000-07:00

As I was pouring Fruit Loops this morning, I was reminded of an event that my sister and I won't let my dad live down. It's funny to us. Maybe you will enjoy it also. When I was in elementary school, my mom had to go to "school" for a week every year. I think school was more fun than work. She always came back with great stories of cajun food and cajun dancing and cajun music from Lafayette. My dad was left to take care of us. We lived within walking distance of my grandparents' house and my Aunt/Uncle/cousins. So, we were fed. One year, though, we ate at home A LOT. I don't know if my dad was trying to prove something or if my grandmother was out of town. He bought one of those elephant sized bags of Fruit Loops that can only be found at warehouse stores like SAMS. We pretty much ate Fruit Loops for breakfast, snacks, lunch, and dinner. To this day, my sister and I both have an aversion to the fruity cereal. Pour Daddy gets reminded of his lack of culinary skills anytime anything is mentioned about Fruit Loops when we are all together. That particular week was probably the worst one that we experienced. I had a tramatic hair styling session with my grandmother--she had to style my hair for an awards ceremony:( All I can say is she kept saying "oh, this is exactly how your Aunt Mary wore her hair when she was your age." Enough said! My dad also had to spank me for the 1st and last time I ever remember him spanking me. I deserved it; I was being very ugly to him. Well, that's my story about fruit loops.

Dandelions

2009-03-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know if ya'll know, but...I'm not from Georgia. I grew up in the sticks of Louisiana right next door to the prettiest little blonde girl I know. Well, she technically lived behind me. Sometimes, especially in the spring when the grass (& the dandelions) start to grow, I miss it so much. Remember when you were little and you didn't pass a dandelion without picking it and blowing all its little puff balls off. Angela, the blonde, and I did those kind of things together. Every memory I have, she plays some part in it. So, as life with a husband, kids, work, and school zooms by, I wish we could share more of the details together. I wish I could go over and help her replant her pots. I wish she could see Max's face during bath time. Details. Depressing. So, I'm pretty much praying Cody can find a job in LA in about a year and five months. If not, I will survive (to quote my oh so sympathetic mother.) I just won't have any details.

Snow Day!

2009-03-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

I did not have to go to work today, because IT SNOWED!!! Snow days are VERY exciting for me. Growing up in Louisiana, I remember snow two times. When I was somewhere between 3 and 5 we had a pretty big snow. I remember my parents shooing me out of the way as they made a snow man. Of course any "Rankin" snow man must include a bow shooting through a camelia on its chest. Nice:) My aunt came over and entertained me by showing me how to make snow angels. Thanks, Aunt Mary. I remember my mom wrapping my feet and hands in plastic wrap before I put socks or gloves on to keep me dry. I would never think to do that. The next snow I remember was really just ice. Angela & I ran around collecting icicles, and we went inside for hot chocolate every 5 minutes. My Aunt Jane must have made 5 pots of hot chocolate. That's one thing that is great about Georgia-it snows. It does not snow often, but it snows enough to still get that nostalgic feeling.

Laziness

2009-02-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

OK, so I am usually thoughtful and upbeat...a happy camper. Not so much in this post. I can be a bit lazy at times. It's true. I don't, however, let my laziness affect anyone else. I leave my laziness at home. Never does it follow me to work or anywhere else where others are affected by it. I do not like picking up other people's slack. So, I just wanted to vent about lazy people. If you are lazy, do it on your own time...not mine:)

On a happier note, Max is becoming quite the talker!

Being a Mom

2009-01-22T14:09:00.000-08:00

So, I have been trying to catch up on everyone's blogs. I happened upon a pretty interesting question/answer list over on Katie G's blog. My favorite question was " what's the best/worst thing about being a mother." I love so much about being a mom...pretty much everything. Before I had children, I was convinced I would have a house FULL of girls. The joke's on me:) Just kidding. I love my boys. So, here is my list of my favorite mommy things:
1. sleeping babies...I still look at both of the boys before I go to bed.
2.baby words...Emory said"moon" & is still obsessed with the moon/ Max said "uh oh" now he points to his belly and says "baby"
3. baby kisses...those full open slobber mouths
4. toddler kisses...those puckered up sweet lips
5."Peek a Doo!"...the night b4 I had Max, I had to do pre-op at the hospital. Emory was just 26mths old. He was running around playing peek a boo yelling "PEEK A DOO!"
6. Belly laughs at any age:)
7.When your children start displaying certain characteristics that you recognize from your own family...Emory twirls his hair when he's bored- just like my dad
8.Conversations with a 3 year old...they can get deep-Emory has asked where the music from the radio comes from & if Jesus lives in churches ("God's House")...sometimes they are just pictures of childhood innocence, like "Ms. Heather says I can't say can't anymore." (Emory can be a bit lazy:)
9. How baby #2 seems so much more like a baby longer than baby #1. At 15 months, I felt like Emory was such a big boy. He's so huge now, and Max seems like he's still such a baby. I'm glad that feeling has lasted longer this time.
9.Watching my babies grow into people.

What I don't like as much:
1. The way my heart feels when my babies cry. I've tried to explain it to Cody. It is like my heart is going to explode if I don't help them immediately.
2.Sick babies...they are pitiful
3. Stomach viruses
4.Watching my babies grow into people.

So far in 2009

2009-01-18T05:01:00.000-08:00

So far I have accomplished (or began working on) these goals:

#20. I have been straightening the house in the evening, and I'm getting Emory involved in the task.

#14. I have already gotten my hair done once. My friend, Maggie, did it. I promised to call her every couple of months. My hair will be beautiful and we will keep in touch with each other:)

#12. I've been making the attempt to contact friends to hang out more. I planned and went on a movie date with Ashley. It was great:)

OK, these were NOT on the goal list, but they are important accomplishments...
~I finally got a dining table:) It's been over a year of eating on the ottoman (boo.) I've been obsessing over it, and I think my husband finally got sick of listening to it. Last night he said let's just go get the one at Haverty's. I found 2 that I liked...a round iron one at Haverty's and a wooden one at World Market. We ended up getting the one at World Market...better deal & it came with a bench...SCORE! Anyway, I'm excited:)

LWB Chapter One

2009-01-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today's lesson on boys is "What is the obsession with superheroes?"
I actually think I have figured this one out. They save the day! Do you know any men who don't want to save the day...at least every once in a while? I remember playing with my barbies and dolls. What did I do with them. Well, I either played teacher, mom, or nurse. Did I want their insignia plastered to everything I own? No! But, what mom, teacher, or nurse wears an emblem on the front of their shirt to let the world know what they are doing. Superheroes have super emblems. They want the world to know "Hey! The hero is here!" Therefore, little boys want that defining S on their shoes, underwear, socks, shirts, hats, backpacks, and yes, bed sheets. Is it absolutely atrocious? God love my little boy, yes! Do I care? No, Emory can be my hero anytime he wants:)

Leaving a Legacy

2009-01-05T13:22:00.000-08:00

My maternal grandmother died when Emory was about a year old. She had Alzheimer's . Very sad. She was such a treasure. When she finally died, I didn't feel sad or weepy. I think I had that moment when I first noticed how sick she was really getting. When she died, I had this feeling of how much the world was just less because it didn't include her anymore. I know, very hippy of me. That's just how I felt. She was just so wonderful. She taught me so many things:
1.When I was in 2nd grade, my sister had a boyfriend. My cousin and I, of course, spied on them religiously. We were witness to her first kiss (which included some exchanging of bubble gum-gross!) I told my grandparents about that. Mammaw took the opportunity to teach me about being equally yolked when dating. How great is that?
2.Black eyed peas are best cooked in a crock pot all day with salt and pepper...very mushy:)
3.Drive carefully...the majority of car accidents I have been in were with her driving.
4.Marriage is for people who are crazy about each other...I have a box of love letters written between my grandparents while he was in war and they lived it every day of their lives together.
5.She taught me how to quilt:)

Mammaw made Emory a baby quilt 1 year after I got married. Emory was born 2 months shy of our 5th wedding anniversary. She told me she didn't know if she would be able to hold my babies, so she wanted to make sure they had a quilt (waaaaaay b/4 she got sick.) Anyway, Emory has a beautiful Noah's Ark quilt. Yesterday, I was digging through some of her quilting stuff that was passed on to me. Underneath lots of scrap material was quilted squares...in boy colors! What's the big deal? Now, I can complete a quilt she started. Max can have a little bit of me and a little bit of her. There just isn't a better gift:)

Living with Boys

2009-01-04T14:36:00.000-08:00

My name is Lindsay Robertson, and I am a boy mom. Yes, it's shocking. I know. I only birth boys. Am I disappointed? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Let me tell you how many times I have gotten that sympathetic look from other moms. Oh, and I can't tell you how many times I've heard "are you going to try for that girl?" Girls are so precious, and I might want to get one of those for myself one day:) just not today. I'm devoting my "Living with Boys" section of my blog to all the new things my life experiences because of, well, living with boys.
P.S. If you ever visit my house, you will hear "No, Max!" about every 5 seconds. I'm not lying! I told my husband about a children's book by David Shannon called No, David! It's based on his own childhood:) Now, my husband & I take a picture of what Max is doing every time we say NO! (positive reinforcement?) We're going to make a "No Max!" scrap book...maybe we'll show it to him when he's 35 & in prison (please, Lord, no, I'm kidding:)

My Goals (not resolutions) for 2009

2009-01-04T05:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not big on making resolutions, but I am very much a goal-oriented person. So, instead of resolutions this year, I am setting goals. My friend over at www.christymartinphotography.com/blog
created a blog about this very thing. She called it her 20.9 in 2009. Her list is great...you should check it out! OK, so here's my list of goals:
1.Read a book that is not related to school or child-rearing
2.Finish Jillian's quilt
3.Finish Baby Ford's quilt
4.Get my grandfather to set up my quilting frame
5.Start & stick to an exercise routine
6.Take the boys to the Yellow River Game Ranch
7.Take Emory back to the aquarium
8.Print all the pictures I have saved to my computer
9.Read and organize my grandparent's "letters from war"
10.Get Emory involved in a children's church program
11.Start planning our 10th anniversary party
12.Spend more time with friends.
13.Go on a family vacation
14.Get my hair done more often
15.Make a quilt for myself
16.Frame our family portraits from last year:)
17.Mail in the application for the GA Prek scholarship
18.Change my attitude about the boys wanting bunk beds...it's not about how hideous they look, it's about the fact that they love each other & want to share a room.
19.Keep my van clean all the time
20.Straighten up the house at night before I go to bed.
20.9 See the light at the end of the tunnel

Hmm...I may need to change my title to...200.9 in 2009. I could go on and on. I told you. I love goals!

A Balancing Act

2008-06-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

My life has become a complete effort to have balance. I envision myself walking across a tightrope. Behind me is selfishness and immaturity. At the end of my rope are all of my personal goals. On one hand I hold all things that make me Lindsay. On the other hand I hold all things that make me Mommy and wife. Under me is a huge pool of self pity and failure. I need to make it across with my hair kept, clothes straight, and sexy heels on my feet.

Lindsay Is a Mommy

2008-05-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

My husband often teases me saying my sole purpose in life is to be a mother. I usually roll my eyes. It's true, though. Being a mother is not my only purpose. It is one of my favorites. The only part of being a mom that drives me crazy is making the endless pb&j sandwiches. How petty. I love blogging. I decided to start this blog for a few reasons:
1. It's prettier.
2. I felt like my old one was...bla.
3. I want to gear my thoughts in a more spiritual direction.
With that being said, I want to reflect on my title scripture. I came across it in a book my mother gave to me. I love it, because so many of us become mothers without choosing to. That is wonderful and inspiring all in itself. I however very much chose to become a mother. Praise Jesus, He allowed me to have children fairly easily. Having children has always been such a desire of mine. I am thankful for it everyday, every second. In that scripture, I am told to be a shepherd. My children are part of God's flock. That is so very powerful and heavy at the same time. I've always made my faith such a personal thing. Now I really have other people's faith to consider. What an amazing duty to have as a mother. I get to share my creator with my creation. I love it!