Check out that hair! Does it get any cuter than that? I think not! This was Anderson after he woke up from a nap a few days ago. Crazy stuff, huh? Anderson is now 9 months old and I went and found a picture of Jackson at 9 months old to compare.
You can definitely tell that they are brothers, but there is no denying that Jackson looks just like Jeremy and Anderson looks just like me!
I’m been so blessed by two amazing boys, and I am so proud that I get to be their mama!
I have been having major sleep issues lately. It started when I was pregnant with Anderson and I thought that my troubles were just because I was pregnant, felt like a beached whale and overall just miserable. Now I have a 9 month old and the sleep issues aren’t any better. I wish I could say that Anderson was sleeping through the night but he, much like me, can’t seem to make it through a complete night of sleep.
My trouble isn’t falling asleep; I can do that anytime. My issue is staying asleep. Lately I’m afraid that I have retrained myself to wake up at 3:00 (usually to go to the bathroom) and after that I’m done. I toss and turn until I finally give up and get out of bed. When my day starts around 3-4 in the morning it’s hard to not feel completely exhausted by 9.
I’ve tried a sleep mask, taking a warm bath before bed and going to bed earlier, with not much benefit.
I’ve also tried Benadryl and while I do sleep better, I don’t want to come to rely on it for sleep every night. I don’t want for Benadryl to become a crutch because of days like today; here it is at 5 and Anderson and Jackson are both up already (who knows why) and I feel like I’m in a fog that I can’t get out from under because I haven’t slept the Benadryl off.
I’m at a point where I’m just exhausted and grumpy and I don’t know what to do. I’ll take any advice you have. Consider me a desperate woman!
It turns out that 2012 has some big travel planes in store for us; Jeremy is going on a company trip to Vegas and I get to go with him! We are super excited. It’s our first trip flying anywhere together, and neither of us have been to Vegas before. The trip is scheduled over a long weekend in May and we can’t wait. Other than a couple of company sponsored luncheons we are free to explore. We are staying at the Paris hotel (pictured below) and I can’t wait to see all the touristy things in Vegas. I’m looking up tour info to go to the Hoover dam because I just want to go on that dam tour so bad! 
After our Vegas adventure we are taking Jackson out of school for a day and heading down to the Alabama gulf coast to spend the weekend at the beach. Jackson is dying to go to the beach and we will be able to visit before the summer season rates go through the roof. I’m a little nervous about taking Anderson to the beach but I think he’ll be fine. Our condo has 6 pools and 1 is indoors so we can stay out of the sun during the hottest part of the day. Hopefully Anderson won’t eat too much sand while we’re there!
And after our beach trip is our trip to Disney World for Jackson’s 6th birthday! I’m booking the trip today and we will be traveling in September. We did decide to leave Anderson at home with his grandparents. I’m going to miss him terribly, but this will give us the chance to have a wonderful trip with Jackson and enjoy Disney to the fullest. We will only have 3 days in the parks, and we’re going to be exhausted when we get home, but I am so excited about seeing Jackson experience Disney. It’s going to be such a fun trip!
If you have any travel tips for Vegas or Disney I’m all mouse ears! I’ll take any advice you have! Y’all have a great day!
I want to wish my sweet nephew Luke a very Happy 2nd Birthday today. Luke is one of the most fun, engaging and smart kiddos that I’ve ever met, and I’m so glad that he’s part of my family. I love that little stinker more than words can describe!!!
Happy Birthday Luke!!!!
Today is the day Anderson gets his tubes put in. We have to be at the surgical center at 6:00, but we have no idea what time the procedure will start. Anderson hasn’t been able to eat or drink anything after midnight, and we’re more than a little concerned about that. A is just like me; when his eyes open he is ready for food! Jeremy gave him an extra bottle last night around 11:30, but I don’t expect that it is going to fool our little man.
Please pray for Anderson during his procedure. We’ve been through this 3 times with Jackson, so we know what to expect, we just pray everything goes perfectly. I’ll update later!
Jeremy, Jackson, Anderson and I want to wish his Mom a very Happy Birthday today! You mean so much to us and we hope you have a wonderful day.
Happy Birthday Gigi!!!
I just got back from a sunrise walk on the beach where I found some of the biggest seashells, completely intact. It's hard to imagine being up to my thighs in the ocean in February, but the shells were completely worth it. The water is cool but very calm and watching the sunrise over the ocean is one of the most peaceful ways to wake up. I should do this more often! Y'all take care and I'll check in later.
Today I'm heading to the beautiful Alabama gulf coast for a work conference. I'm really going to miss my boys but somehow I think that powdery white sand, glistening beaches and temperatures in the low 70's might make me feel a little better about how much I miss everyone!
Yeah, I still have to work, but it's work at the beach!
Friday night, after a super long day traveling for work, I had my Scentsy consultant launch party. It was a huge success! I had some great friends and family come out and browse the amazing Scentsy products, and they were so generous with helping me get started as a Scentsy consultant. We had 7 ladies drop by and 7 kids come with their Mama’s, so it was wild and fun, but we managed just fine. I’ve been so excited entering the orders into the website and browsing all the fun stuff and I can’t wait for my next party.
If you are interested in what Scentsy has to offer, most everything is 10% off for the month of February and there are some great deals to be had. Check out this link to my party page and let me know if you have any questions!!
I want to wish Jeremy a very 33rd Happy Birthday today. You are a great husband and father, and I’m so blessed that you are in my life. I hope you have an amazing day! I love you Jeremy!!!
Happy Birthday!!!
Sunday morning I got to experience a sermon that really spoke to me. Our pastor preached a sermon that encouraged us to be part of the “Courageous” movement and to be willing to stand up for what we believe it, even when it isn’t the popular thing to do. One of the bullet points included a phrase that has stuck with me for days now, “Average or exceptional?”
I have been thinking about that phrase constantly since then. Bro. Bruce was wanting us to think about what kind of person we want to be, and whether or not we want to be an average or exceptional person. For me I immediately got to thinking about every part of life that “average or exceptional” can apply to:
Do I want to be an average or exceptional wife?
Do I want to be an average or exceptional mother?
Do I want to be an average or exceptional daughter?
Do I want to be an average or exceptional sister?
Do I want to be an average or exceptional friend?
Do I want to be an average or exceptional employee?
Do I want to be an average or exceptional Christian?
I guess I’m a point in my life where I’m tired of settling for being average in regards to anything. If I’m only shooting for average, then I’m selling myself short in so many ways. Average is only 50%, which is failing miserably. I should want to seek out perfection in regards to what kind of person I am to the people around me. I don’t want to be just an average wife/mother/sister daughter/friend or employee, and I certainly shouldn’t want to be just an average Christian. Every single person I encounter deserves better than average, and my Heavenly Father deserves far more than that. I wrote the words “Average or Exceptional?” on my bathroom mirror as a constant reminder to strive to be an exceptional person in every aspect of my life, and I feel like “average or exceptional” is going to be my mantra for this season in my life.
"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 (The Message):
If you are the observant type you might have noticed a new icon on my blog, right over there on the left column. After much prayer I have decided to become a Scentsy Consultant!
Scentsy is known for “wickless” candles, in more than 80 different scents. Their warmers use a light bulb to warm the wax so you never have to worry about an open flame or soot, so they are so much safer around kids and pets. Scentsy has full and mid size warmers with amazing scents to choose from; wall plug ins, room sprays, travel tins with fragrance, perfect for places like lockers, Scentsy buddies, small stuffed animals that have openings for scent packs, fragrance foam hand sanitizer, and Scent circles that are perfect for hanging in your car and so much more. As I type this my house smells like “Welcome Home,” a perfect mix of cinnamon and spice and let me just say that it is Heaven on earth!
I’m hosting my Launch Party next Friday night and because everyone loves a giveaway, I’m going to give one lucky reader a surprise little gift featuring one of Scentsy’s amazing scents. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Head over to my Scentsy webpage and browse around to find the perfect scent for you. Make sure to pick carefully because your surprise will probably be in your favorite scent!
2. Come back over here and leave me a comment telling me your favorite. It’s that easy!
You can get a 2nd entry by signing up to receive my newsletter, just leave that in a separate comment.
You don’t have to have a blog to enter, just make sure I have a valid email address to reach you if you win. The only catch is that you must live in the US. I will leave the contest open until midnight on Feb 17th and a winner will be chosen at random.
Good luck and get busy checking out Scentsy!
FTC Disclosure: The giveaway product will be an item I purchase for the winner of this contest based on their fragrance selection with my own hard earned money. I was given no special consideration or compensation for writing about or using this product.
Tuesday was Jackson’s 100th day of kindergarten. His assignment was to do a poster with 100 things on it. Sounds easy enough, but I dare you to try to come up with 100 different things that will actually stay glued to a poster board! We raided the house, first aid kit, bathroom drawers, front yard, Nana’s art supplies, our art supplies and a few other places to get the project finished. We had everything from a Q-tip and dental floss to a bubble wand and sea shell. My favorite thing was probably an empty box of animal crackers. I was super pleased with the end result, and I really liked how we made a stick and 2 free CD’s into a “100” for the center of his poster. It’s hard to believe that Jackson is already 100 days into school, and from here on out it’s all downhill. He’s doing amazing, and we are so proud of our big boy!
My sweet Anderson is still having a rough time. He’s doing better, but he has a terrible cough. He was coughing bad enough that he went back to the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with an ear infection and given prescriptions for steroids and breathing treatments. We gave him the first breathing treatment last night and he hated it! He is breathing better this morning, so I know it helped him. Unfortunately for him, the more he cries and fusses during the treatment, the deeper the medicine gets into his lungs. It’s hard to see him so upset and crying over something, but on the whole, his fussing is actually better for him right now because it will help him breathe better after the treatment.
Personality wise Anderson has gotten spoiled rotten over the past few days. He wants to be held all the time, and if you put him down to play he looks at you like, “What do you think you are doing? I’m supposed to be in your lap!” He is refusing to sleep in his crib at night and for right now we are letting him get his way and sleep in our room. It’s not going to be like this for long, but Jeremy and I both know that we will cross that bridge when he is feeling better. It’s not worth the battle right now when he’s still sick. We’re just going to love on him and cuddle with him as much as he likes, and we’ll figure out everything else later.
That’s it for today. Y’all have a great day!
Anderson was admitted to the hospital Thursday for dehydration due to a viral infection. He was a pitiful little boy. He was lethargic, and was so dehydrated that he didn’t even have enough fluid in his body to make tears or drool, and his veins were collapsing. It was horrible. I haven’t been through a virus this bad as a parent, and I hope to goodness that we never have to go through this again. We never did figure out what was wrong with him, other than a viral infection, and Anderson was discharged Saturday. He’s doing better, but he’s still a long way to being his normal, sunny self. He’s a few pictures from the past few days.
Just got his iv and was sleeping. Pretty pitiful, huh?
Sitting in baby jail, aka the crib.
Friday morning his eyes were so swollen from the iv fluids. He looked so sick.
Friday afternoon he was very puffy but looked perkier.
Saturday morning right before he was released.
It’s been a long few days and I’m exhausted. Over the course of two days and nights at the hospital I think I slept a total of 7 hours. Anderson was a trooper during his stay, but we’re all worn slap out. Please say a prayer for sweet Anderson that he’ll be back to normal soon. Love y’all!
We got home late after karate class on Tuesday night and we got Jackson into the shower when we got home. Anderson was smelling a little bit like sour milk, so we put him into the garden tub while Jackson was taking his shower. Everything was going fine and then in a blink it all changed.
Jackson got out of the shower and Jeremy was drying him off while I still had Anderson in the tub. Jeremy and Jackson were playing a game and about to run to Jackson’s room to get his pajamas and I guess the bottom of Jackson’s feet were a little wet. He took off running and didn’t make it more than a few feet when his feet went out from under him and he slammed his face into the bathroom floor. He started wailing and literally by the time Jeremy grabbed him up off the ground he had a huge goose egg on his forehead. I was panicked; it was a big blue knot about the size of a half dollar in seconds and Jackson was hurting so bad.
I grabbed Anderson out of the tub and sat him butt naked on the bathroom rug and then ran for some Tylenol for Jackson and an ice pack. I had Jackson in my lap and then made a call to the pediatrician to see what to do. I know that when there is a head injury you want to see a bump on the outside because if you can’t see it, then the bump is on the inside of the head, which is not good.
She called back after a few minutes and we had done everything right. Jackson has a nice knot on his head today, but he’s fine.
It’s moments like this in parenting that partly explain why I have a head full of grey hair. I don’t guess it will get any better!
I logged into Facebook last night and saw this on my timeline:
I knew we were meant to be friends!
18 years ago, way back in 1994, I watched her dance the most beautiful talent that I think has ever been done in the Miss America pageant. We had happened to video tape the pageant and after I saw her talent (and she won!) I watched that video over and over.
I danced ballet for 15 years and I was in awe of how someone who couldn’t even hear the music could dance like that. She was amazing! Us both being from Alabama probably didn’t help my stalker rating, because y’all, I was all about Heather Whitestone that year.
So this past Saturday night when I was watching the Miss America pageant I typed her name into the Facebook search engine and saw:
1. Her page wasn’t private.
2. She doesn’t have a million Facebook fans like a lot of “celebrity” types do.
3. She actually responds to people on her page and seems so genuine.
So I sent her a friend request and I was rather surprised when she actually accepted it. Squee!!!
For me, being friends with this Miss America on Facebook is like a Catholic getting a friend request accepted from the Pope. You just really don’t think it would happen. I’m thisclose to sending her a private message and suggest we meet for a double date with our hubbies.
Dinner with Miss America really trumps a Facebook friend accept, dontcha think?
Tuesday evening it was pouring when I went to pick up the boys from daycare. I was already frazzled because I realized that I had a hole in the bottom of my work boots and my trouser socks were soaked. Add wet feet to the fact that it was freezing outside meant that I was not in the best of moods as I was trying to load the kids into the car. Our daycare has room for one car under the awning and I was trying to hurry and get the bags into the car, juggle an umbrella that was not worth the trouble, buckle Anderson into the car seat and attempt to stay dry. I was moving as fast as I could and asked Jackson for what had to be the 5th time to please get into the car.
I walked around to his side of the car to see what in the world was taking him so long and I see Jackson jumping around in a huge mud puddle splashing away. His shoes were absolutely soaked and I was not happy. I quickly asked him, “What in the world do you think you are doing?”
Without missing a beat, my sweet 5 year old said, “I’m jumping in a mud puddle, Mom. I’m a kid. This is what I’m supposed to do.”
Score 1 for the kid.
Seriously, is that not the cutest kid ever?
Now that we’re back to parenting a baby again, as opposed to a pretty self reliant 5 year old, I’ve decided that someone needs to get on the ball and invent a few products that would fly off the shelves if they actually existed. These are a few of my dream list baby items:
Now I just need someone to get busy and invent some of these things. I’m too busy parenting!
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I’m going to put it all out there and tell y’all that I’ve been married for 10 years now, and I’m about 17 pounds heavier than I was when we got married. Granted, I’ve had 2 kids, but I’ve lost all my baby weight and then some. I don’t have any excuses for these last 17 pounds.
So I’m going to do my best to watch what I’m eating and get motivated to lose these last 17 pounds, and see if I can fit back into my wedding dress.
What do I have to lose by trying, other than a few pounds?
That’s it for me today. Y’all need to confess anything?
We’re planning on taking our first family trip to Disney this year, and to be quite frank, it’s absolutely terrifying. This is the first vacation I’ve planned where I know I’m going to be exhausted by the time it is over. Jeremy and Jackson have never been to Disney, and the last time I went to Magic Kingdom was 20 years ago. I’ve never been so overwhelmed this early in the planning process of any vacation, and I’m begging you Disney experts out there to help me out with your infinite knowledge of all things Disney.
Here’s what I know so far:
That’s about as far as I’ve gotten with planning our vacation. I’m open to any and all suggestions y’all have to offer. Thanks so much for helping us out!
There's a fine line between using nail glue to repair a broken fingernail and accidentally gluing your fingers to the glue container. Friday night I crossed that line.
The Friday before Christmas I went to get a manicure and got the new gel finger nail polish instead of my usual OPI. The gel polish supposedly stays on about 3 weeks, and I figured since this was a treat that I don’t normally do for myself that I needed to make it last as long as possible. I had 2 nails that were slightly broken and the manicurist used some nail glue to repair them so we didn’t have to cut them off.
A few days after my manicure I noticed that the nails were getting loose again so I ran back by the nail salon and they added some nail glue back to the original breaks and sealed them back.
All was well for a few more days when they came lose again. Instead of running back to the nail salon I made a trip to Wal-Mart and bought some nail glue to fix it myself. About 5 minutes later my nails were fixed and I was back in business.
So the other day I had another nail on my left hand get broken and when I got home I pulled out the nail glue and set out to fix the nail myself. I opened up the nail glue and was trying to figure out the best way to fix my nail when all of a sudden my right hand started to get hot.
That’s when I realized that I had been applying a little too much pressure to the glue container and that I was squeezing nail glue all over my hand.
The heat I was feeling? Turns out that was the glue bonding to my skin.
The glue container? Now stuck to my skin.
I panicked when I realized what was happening and shook my hand hard enough to get the container off of my fingers. Unfortunately when I shook my hand I slung the glue container to the floor where it promptly got stuck on my bathroom rug. Then I did the stupid thing of panicking again and picking the glue back up where it got stuck on my fingers again. I slung it one more time to a clear spot on the counter and began to assess the damage.
Y’all, it looked like I had shellacked the fingers on my right hand. I was covered in shiny nail glue.
Remember when you are a kid and you get Elmer’s glue on your hands and it dries all kind of wrinkled and old looking? That’s how my right hand looked.
I got my container of finger nail polish remover out and rubbed some over my hand thinking that it would help me get it off. Turned out that my remover didn’t have any acetone in it. We were already planning on having dinner out, so I had to eat looking like I was trying to preserve my right hand before I could go to Wal-Mart and get some acetone remover.
Then the acetone remover didn’t work either and I had to spend the entire weekend picking dried glue off my fingers. It was about 2 hours into my glue picking when I vowed to myself to quit the madness of nail preservation; from now on I’ll get the nail clippers instead of the glue. It’s much easier!
Jackson has been on this phase lately where he is constantly scoping out potential careers and deciding what he wants to do when he grows up. We were on our way home from church on Sunday and he told me that he needed to talk to me about something very, very important.
Jackson: “Mama, we need to talk.”
Me: “Okay. What do we need to talk about?”
Jackson: “You’re really not gonna want to hear this.”
Me: “Really? What am I not going to want to hear?”
Jackson: “I’ve been thinking….”
Me: “And….”
Jackson: “Well, I’ve decided that I don’t really want to do anything when I grow up.”
Me: “You have?”
Jackson: “Yes ma’am. I just think it’s best if I don’t have a job when I grow up. That way I can just have fun and not have to worry about work. I think I like that plan.”
I think I missed the Peter Pan booth at Career Day.
Jeremy and I want to wish his sister Amy a very happy birthday today. This is her first birthday as a Mom, and we hope she has had a very special day. We love you!
Happy Birthday Amy!!!
I leaned over to Jackson on the couch and whispered to him that his Daddy looked just like Gru.
Y'all, I thought Jackson was going to wet his pants he was laughing so hard. Even Jeremy thought it was hilarious although he has repeatedly declined letting me take a picture to prove my point.
Spoilsport.
It's been 4 days and two things are still happening:
1. Jackson and I still laugh hysterically every time we see the long johns.
2. Jackson and I are both still calling Jeremy, "Gru" every chance we get.
I guess this means that Jackson and I are Jeremy's little minions....
Jackson has gotten a wee bit picky about trying new foods lately. When we introduce him to something new he’ll either say he will try it and back out at the last possible second, or flat out refuse to take a bite.
This morning I decided to make fried eggs for breakfast. I like my eggs cooked over medium, with the whites done and the yellow runny. It grosses Jeremy out, but I love them cooked that way.
I told Jackson I was cooking eggs for breakfast and then made a big production out of how we were going to fry our eggs. I got the oil hot, broke the egg into the grease and cooked one egg perfectly for him. I showed him how the yellow runs when you poke it and he was having a great time playing with the egg yolk. When it came time to eat the egg he was a little hesitant, but he took a bite and pronounced it good.
*Insert sign of relief*
I cooked another egg for myself while he finished his egg. When he got done (and ate the whole egg) he was off to play and I ate my egg. I was cleaning up when Jackson walked back into the kitchen clutching his throat. He walked up to me and said:
“Mama, I can’t eat fried eggs anymore. They give me strep throat.”
I gotta give him points for creativity. Reluctantly.
Today is my Dad’s 60th birthday! We have been so blessed to have him in our lives, and we hope that he has the best birthday ever!
Happy 60th Birthday Dad!!! We love you!!!
That’s it for today. I hope y’all have a great weekend!
Ten years ago today I married my best friend, and I thank God everyday for Jeremy and our kids and what they mean to me. They truly complete my life, and I’m a better person because of them.
Happy Anniversary Jeremy! I love you with all my heart!!!
At the very last minute I decided to take Jackson to Primed last night. He had been complaining of a sore throat for a few days, especially when he swallowed, and I didn’t want to let it get out of hand. He hadn’t been acting like himself all afternoon, complaining that he felt like he was going to throw up, then trying to go to the bathroom, and then saying he was all better when absolutely nothing had changed.
We were at church when I decided to take him on in because he still was complaining. When Jackson caught wind that he was heading to the doctor he was miraculously healed and became particularly clever:
“I was wrong, Mama, my throat decided that it’s all better now.”
And then on the way to the doctor: “Please, Mama, I promise that I was just making it up. I’m not sick!”
And then in the waiting room: “I really don’t need to see the doctor. You can just check me out of the waiting room.”
And then 30 seconds later: “I don’t want a shot. Please don’t let them give me a shot. I’m not sick anymore.”
And then 15 seconds later: “I’ll buy you a Hello Kitty cell phone if you just let me get out of here.”
And then in the exam room: “How about this for an idea; we just leave here and pretend we didn’t ever come.”
And then with the nurse: “I’m not sick and I’m really ready to go home.”
And with the doctor: “I can’t get a shot because its past my bedtime.”
Luckily for my creative kiddo, the strep test was negative and he just has a red throat and slightly red ear canal. He’s being treated with amoxicillin just in case, but no real cause for concern.
Too bad I won’t be getting that Hello Kitty cell phone.
Jackson was part of his children’s choir Christmas special last Sunday night. I was really nervous about this because Jackson has had some problems with stage fright in the past. Imagine my shock (and fear) when I found out that Jackson had been cast as the role of Joseph for the manger scene. He had been doing well in practice for the most part, but when it came time for the dress rehearsal last Saturday he decided that he wasn’t going to do it anymore. It took me promising that he could go to Dollar Tree and spend $5 on whatever he wanted to get him through the practice. I made an even more expensive deal to get him through the Sunday performance. He had to sing the songs, smile and do the part of Joseph and he would get an additional $10 to spend at Dollar Tree. I know it’s bad to start bribing him on stuff, but it was money well spent when he cooperated as well as he did on stage. I did get a little nervous when it was time for the kids to come down the aisle for the manger scene. For a second there I couldn’t see Jackson and I was afraid that Mary (Jackson’s friend Gracie) was going to be unescorted on her trip to Bethlehem! But Jackson did great! He sang, smiled and did such a wonderful job. I was so proud of him for doing something outside his comfort zone, and he was proud of himself for doing such a good job. I wish I had gotten some better pictures, but Jackson had some major red eye going on. Enjoy the pics!
Our sweet Anderson turns 6 months old today. I’m somewhat in shock that it’s already been six months since he was born. I remember when Jackson was a baby I was so overjoyed every time he reached another milestone. I would clap and cheer him on when he began to roll over, crawl and then walk. Now with Anderson I wish I could just freeze time. It’s not that I don’t want him to reach those milestones; it’s just that I know that with every milestone that he passes, he is getting further and further from this sweet stage in babyhood. Already he’s become a “hip baby” that gets toted around on my hip instead of being cradled in my arms. Soon he’ll be walking and time will go even faster. More than likely he’s going to be our last little baby, and I want to enjoy every second that I have with him, even if it means that he’s going to be spoiled rotten in the mean time! We could not have asked for a better baby; at 6 months old Anderson is on a perfect little schedule, so much so that you can set a clock by him. Granted, most mornings we’re still up with him at 4 a.m. but I know that this too shall pass. Anderson doesn’t cry or fuss, and he absolutely adores Jackson. Jeremy and I have been so blessed, and I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months will bring us.
I’m sorry I’ve been so inattentive lately. Life has been crazy busy lately, and while it’s not an excuse, the combination of work, home, 2 kids, 1 husband and church has really done me in lately. Blogging hasn’t even been much of a thought lately, but I promise to do better!
So a few days ago I opened up another round of Ask Amy Anything and here are my Q and A’s.
Miranda asked:
“If you were stranded on a desert island and could ONLY take one person with you (it doesn't have to be a family member, so don't panic), who would it be and why? I have my own ideas about this answer and want to see if I'm right!” I’m not sure how I’m supposed to answer this without offending someone, so I'll just take the safe route and say that I would probably take Jeremy with me. Seeing as how he is my husband, he would probably be pretty peeved if I picked anyone else.
“What one Christmas tradition do you remember from your childhood that you want to make a tradition with your own children?” I remember taking long car rides on Christmas Eve looking at the Christmas lights, and then when we got home we got to open 1 present. It was always torture trying to decide which gift to open because you didn’t want to pick something like socks when you knew there were toys under the tree also. I’ve incorporated the Christmas lights and Christmas gift tradition into what we do with Jackson, and now Anderson gets to join the fun!
“What is your favorite snack/meal/goodie that you only eat during the Christmas season?” Peppermint almond bark and fudge. I love both of them, and only get them at Christmas.
“What are you getting me for Christmas? (just trying to sneak it in there HAHA!)” I thought we weren’t exchanging gifts. Hmm. In that case, how about the gift of knowing that you have the coolest best friend ever!
Jessica asked:
“What is your favorite book or who is your favorite author?” I absolutely adore anything by Mary Kay Andrews. She is a southern writer and all of her books are set in the south. She’s funny, charming and we would get along just swimmingly.
“When do you put up your Christmas tree?” We buy a real Christmas tree, so I have to balance when I want to put the tree up, and when I know that if I get the tree too soon that I’m going to end up cleaning up millions of pine needles by the time Christmas rolls around. As it is, I plan on putting up our tree sometime this week.
“What time do you go to bed at night and get up in the mornings?” In a perfect world I would go to bed between 10 and 10:30 and get up about 5:45 during the week. However, I don’t live in a perfect world and I usually end up going to bed around 11 and because of some ill timed insomnia issues of mine, I wake up around 4 in the morning. Its miserable being up that early, but I have a problem that when my eyes my brain kicks into overdrive and I can’t go back to sleep. By 10 or so in the morning I’m just about give out. If I want to sleep all night I have to take Tylenol PM.
Esther asked:
“What's the weirdest gift you've ever gotten?” I got a very girly, frillyish angel for a wedding gift. It was from a distant aunt, and it was one of those gifts that you appreciate the thought, but also think, “We’re in the world am I going to put this thing?” It ended up going on the back of a bookcase!
That’s it for today. I hope y’all have a great week!
I want to wish a Mom a very Happy Birthday today. She’s so special to us, and we love her so much. I hope you have a wonderful day!
Happy Birthday Mom!!!
Because it’s been awhile…
And I have a killer headache…
And it has rained for 2 straight days…
And because I’m trying to finish shopping the cyber Monday deals…
I’m opening today up to another round of “Ask Amy Anything” which basically just means that y’all ask me a question in the comment section and I’ll do my best to give y’all a good answer!
See how uncomplicated that is? So now, y’all get busy asking me question to make me feel better. Have a great day!
So I’m having surgery today. What? That isn’t how you want to spend your Thanksgiving holiday? Seriously though, it’s going to be nothing. I’m having a small cyst removed from my right kneecap. This surgery was scheduled for a year ago and then I found out that Anderson was on his way, so no go on the surgery. I had almost opted to forget about the procedure, and then right at Halloween my knee really started giving me trouble. I made a visit with my orthopedic who agreed to swap my cyst for a small scar in what should be a very short outpatient procedure. I will have to take it easy for a few days, but I’m not expecting that it’s going to be very bad.
I’m checking into the surgical center at 11:00 today which wouldn’t be a big deal if I wasn’t already starving and I know surgery won’t begin until right around 1:00. As usual, I was instructed to have nothing to eat or drink after midnight except for a sip or two of clear fluids around 5:00 a.m. for my blood pressure medication. So right now I’m starving and it’s only 8 in the morning!
So my Thanksgiving is going to be spent with my feet propped up and a remote control in my hand. Now that I think about it, it sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Maybe I’ll even get to watch the parade this year!
I’ll catch up with y’all again soon. Happy Thanksgiving!!!!
Monday morning I received an email from babycenter.com that a nationally produced TV show was looking for kids named Anderson to do a segment about. Babycenter knew about our Anderson based on our profile that send me emails about development for both of the boys. All I had to do was email this producer and tell him when our Anderson was born, give some basic contact info like phone and email address and what region of the country we were in. I knew since it came from babycenter.com and had already been confirmed by a secondary email, it was a legit request, so I fired off a quick email on my blackberry and didn’t think anything else about it.
About an hour later I received a call from a producer of Anderson Cooper 360 and she told me that they were looking to do a piece about babies named Anderson. She asked how old our Anderson was and I answered a few more questions and then she said, “We are specifically looking for babies named after Anderson Cooper. Does that apply to you?” I had to answer honestly and say that no, he was not named after Anderson Cooper. I didn’t tell her this, but I’m not even a fan of Anderson Cooper.
After I begrudgingly told the truth that we just loved the name Anderson, knowing all the while that I was blowing my chance of getting a paid vacation to New York to appear on TV, I also shared with her that one of our Anderson’s nicknames is Anderson Pooper. She loved it! She then offered us tickets for the show if we are ever in New York.
So there was my shot at being on a national tv show and I had to blow it by being honest. I’m such a goody two shoes. But seriously, there is no way I could have gone on tv and claimed that I named my kid after Anderson Cooper. My plane would have probably gone down if I had told that lie!
And really, it’s totally their loss at not meeting the cutest Anderson Pooper in the world!!!
Jackson is learning tons of “popcorn” words in his kindergarten class. Popcorn words are words that will pop up frequently as he starts to read. He is super interested in spelling words lately, and we’re always spelling things together, especially when we are in the car.
The other day we were doing our spelling game when Jackson walked into the kitchen and announced that he had figured out how to spell another word.
Jackson: “Mama, I can spell ‘dog’ now!”
Me: “Wow! How do you spell ‘dog’?”
Jackson: “B-A-D!”
I guess Jackson has heard me say one too many times that Macy is B-A-D. I’m fairly certain that my days of spelling words because Jackson is in the room and I don’t want him to know what I’m talking about are numbered.
Too B-A-D for me.
I’ve been having chronic headaches again lately. And by “chronic” I mean that I’ve had a headache for 4 weeks straight now. The headaches are part of the reason I’ve been so sporadic with my blogging. It has been awhile since I saw my neurologist (since before I was pregnant with Anderson), and I’m out of the loop on headache medications now. I used to take Maxalt and that medicine was a gift from God except for the $20 per pill price tag. I often had to choose whether or not a headache was Maxalt worthy before I would pop a pill because I didn’t want to waste expensive medicine on something that Tylenol or Excedrin would help. I don’t have any Maxalt right now, so I’m out of luck in that department.
I couldn’t get an appointment with my neurologist until December, so until then I’m just living on a combination of Excedrin, Ibuprofen and Tylenol. I’m completely aware that I’m giving myself rebound headaches, I just don’t know what to do without taking the Tylenol because the pain is so bad.
So, if you suffer from headaches what do you do? Are there any new migraine medications out on the market that might be worth mentioning to my doctor? Because y’all, it feels like an eternity to December, and trying to function with constant pain is getting old. I’m open to any suggestions you have.
Y’all have a great day!
Saturday night we were enjoying dinner out with my sister Kellyn, her husband Jason, and their little boy Luke. We had decided to go to Logan’s Steakhouse since they have delicious rolls and unlimited peanuts to munch on before your food comes out.
Jackson isn’t much for peanuts, but he was being so nice to crack the peanuts for me while I was busy being occupied with Anderson. Jackson had cracked 5 or so peanuts for me (which I had devoured) when I glanced over to Jackson just as he was cracking open another peanut for me.
Unbeknownst to be, my sweet 5 year old was taking the peanuts, dropping them on the filthy peanut covered floor, stomping on them with his dirty cowboy boots, picking them back up off the floor, dusting them off and then handing them to me.
Good times, I tell ya. Good times!
Married: 9 years, 11 months
Pregnant: 78 weeks
2 sons
3 years of diaper/pullup changing
1 state
2 cities
6 vehicles
1 funeral director education (For the hubs)
3 daycares
1 public school
1 dog
1 happy family.
Join in! What's your numbers?
Thanks, Esther!
What have you learned lately?
I shared with you 22 things that I have never done a week ago. At 31 years old, here are 22 things that I have done (in no particular order).
1. Gotten a tattoo.
2. Flown from Alabama to Colorado and back by myself.
3. Spent a combined grand total of 10 hours in labor with my sweet boys.
4. Loved my husband and kids more than life itself.
5. Been a lifeguard.
6. Taught abstinence education and STD prevention to junior high and high school kids.
7. Finished college in exactly 4 years.
8. Performed in front of 100,000 people.
9. Rappelled down a mountain.
10. Gone white water rafting 6 times.
11. Seen Dirty Dancing and Pretty Woman more times than I can count.
12. Ridden in an ambulance once.
13. Been to Puerto Rico twice, Mexico twice, and the Bahamas once.
14. Seen New Kids On The Block 3 times in concert. It would have been 4 times but they cancelled the last show when I had tickets in 2008.
15. Met my husband on the internet.
16. Had my tonsils removed as an adult. It was torture, but totally worth it in the end.
17. Made dear friends all over the country from blogging, and consider their friendship as real to me as people I know in real life.
18. Made a chocolate cake and chocolate icing from scratch.
19. Been a follower of Jesus since I was ten.
20. Gotten stuck on a roller coaster over water at Six Flags.
21. Only had 1 cavity in my life.
22. Drank an entire 2 liter of Mountain Dew in one sitting. I was literally shaking uncontrollably after I got done.
That’s it! Anything surprise you? What have you done? I hope y’all have a great day!
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