Before I Forget Part 2

More things I need to write down before I forget….And I’m not forgetting about Ty, either. He’s learning to crawl, but we have it on video, so I don’t need to blog it to remember it ;-)

We have a new CD that we are loving. It’s Phil Joel’s Deliberate Kids. I highly, highly, highly recommend it. This is a kids CD that you will want to listen to even if you’re in the car alone. Emily almost has the Fruit of the Spirit memorized from one of the tracks, and let me tell you, I’m soooo excited that she won’t need to sing the annoying kumquat song! It’s adorable to hear her sing along.

Anyway, last weekend, we were out shopping, and I was in the car nursing Ty while Emily was sitting in the front seat listening to this CD. The last track is I Will Not Be Afraid, so in light of her nightmares and overactive imagination, I decided to talk to her about the meaning of this song. What else did I have to do since my son is a huge pig? We talked about how she can sing this song when she gets scared and how she can remember that she doesn’t need to be afraid since God will take care of her, blah, blah, blah. She paused and looked up at me. (I braced myself because there was no telling what she was going to say. You never know how a 2 y/o will interpret your conversations!) She said, “Mommy, can Daddy be God for Halloween?”

Okay. I never expected that to come out of her mouth. What do I do with that random statement asked at Christmas of all times? I said, “Why do you want Daddy to be God?” She said, “because Daddy takes care of me, and God takes care of me.”

Oh, my heart, how precious! And guess who got tears in their eyes when I told this story? My mom, DUH, and Dee, but he tried to hide it. Then, he acted all smug!

So….Emily was sick last week, and I had to pick her up early from school. I brought her to my classroom until Dee could take her to the doctor. She was obsessed with the overhead. Before my kids got in the room, I was writing something on the overhead, and she was excited about the shadow of my hand, my ring, and my pen. We were playing a game where I would put something on the overhead, turn it on, and she would look at the shape and guess what it was. So when I turned on the overhead to work some math problems, she ran over to the front of the room and is trying to put her hand up there to make shadows WHILE I am trying to teach my students about double and half angle properties for sine and cosine.

I hope she learned from this experience why Mommy’s fingers are always blue (from writing on the overhead). Every day when I pick her up from school and hold her hand as we walk, she comments on my blue fingers. She used to be afraid of them, but now she thinks they’re cool! If you ask her why Mommy’s fingers are blue, she says “from teaching Calculus!”

Well, I will have to do another post about 2 more things. I am out of time for now, and you, my faithful readers, are probably tired of reading. I would like to warn my sister Amy that Emily informed me last night that she will be cutting your hair when we get to Grammy’s house!

Before I Forget

Before I forget, I want to write down the things Emily has been saying lately. I hope that my 5 faithful readers will understand that I write this blog mostly because I want to document these things because my memory gets worse and worse every day!

Any almost 3 year old is going to be fascinated with the packages under the Christmas tree. Emily is especially interested in the biggest box, which happens to be a gift for Dee’s dad. The first few days after we wrapped the presents, she was constantly asking if she could open it. We would say “No, that’s for Papa.” I guess she got tired of hearing “No,” so she eventually tried a different tactic…One evening, I noticed her sitting on the big present. With this sweet, innocent look in her eyes, she said, “Hey, Mama,” and I said, “What, Emily?” She looked up at me and said, “I am Papa….” Well, her tactic didn’t work, but I sure got a good laugh out of it!

Emily loves to give me haircuts. She can use any toy, a plastic fork, a car, a magnet, a cell phone, as a comb, pair of scissors, and spray bottle. She puts a blanket around my neck and tells me to look at my toes. Then she styles away. When I ask her if my hair is pretty, she says, “Not yet…you’re not beautiful yet.” I don’t get my feelings hurt because when she finally finishes, she tells me “Now you’re soooo beautiful, Mommy!” And here’s a warning for my bro and BILs: I have already been telling Emily that she will have to give Uncle Brandon, Uncle Ben, and Uncle Collin all haircuts when we are at Grammy’s house. Be Prepared!!!

Sadly, she has had a few bad dreams. Two nights ago, she woke up screaming “I WANNA GO HOME!!!” Her dad went to check up on her, and she told him that she had a “bad dweam.” Over the course of the next day, she started telling me about the dream. There was a reindeer under her bed, and it scared her. And there were flags waving in the wind, and the flags scared her. Poor baby, I’ve been trying to figure out where she has seen something scary involving mean reindeer and terrorizing flying flags, but I can’t think of it. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Since the little rascal is constantly getting into things, I am constantly asking here where things are. Here are some examples of our conversations:
MT: Emily, where are the wipes?
ET: They should be over there.

MT: Emily, where are my keys?
ET: They should be in the diaper bag.

MT: Emily, where is your sippy cup?
ET: It should be in here.

I don’t know what it is with “should be,” but she loves to use this phrase over and over again!

Well, that should be enough typing for now; I still have 5 more things I wanted to remember, and maybe I’ll post on those later.

Christmas Portraits

Well, we got one more holiday chore done this weekend...Christmas pictures! These are the first prof pictures of Emily and Ty together since they wouldn't cooperate this summer when I tried. They barely cooperated today, but we did end up with some cute ones. Check them out!


This is totally her--Miss Thang!


This one was our non-Christmas background portrait to hang in our house all year long ;-)

This is not a Christmas portrait, but Emily had the wash tub picture taken around this age, and I wanted Ty to do one too. Since we were there and I needed to change him anyway, I just took his clothes off, plopped him in the bucket, he cheesed big time, and we were done!

Have a great week!!!

My New Super Stroller!!!

I am extremely excited about my new stroller. I just wanted to show off!!! When Ty was born, I resisted getting a double stroller. First, Emily wouldn't stay in a stroller for very long anyway. When I went somewhere, I would put Emily in the stroller and Ty in the Baby Bjorn. But since Emily always wanted to get out and walk, I ended up pushing an empty stroller.

Now that Ty is 20+ pounds, even though he is technically below the weight limit on the bjorn, it kills my back to have him in there. I thought that I could put Ty in the stroller and have Emily walk since that's what she wanted to do anyway. But NO...wouldn't you know, as soon as she saw that Ty got to ride in the stroller, she decided she wants in it too. So what's a mom to do?

Double strollers are so big and bulky not to mention expensive. It's hard enough maneuvering through a crowded store w/ a single stroller, so who wants a big ole double stroller? Not me! With that said, I do have a double jogging stroller from my dear friend Dawn, and it's AWESOME for walks outside or a day at Sea World. But I still needed a solution for the mall or Hobby Lobby.

Then, I found the Joovy. This is a stroller that has a spot for your older child to sit or stand on the back and a place for your baby to ride up front. It's even car seat compatible, but Ty's no longer in his infant seat. It's also extremely affordable compared to most double strollers. The best part is, Emily can sit, stand, or hop off and walk, so there's no taking her in and out of the stroller when she changes her mind. I love this thing and now try to find any excuse to go somewhere that I can use it. Dee likes it too because he doesn't have to bend over to push it. I hear a lot of tall people have this problem with some strollers.

The day we got it, Emily wanted to ride all around the house (it was raining outside). I took some pictures because the kids were having too much fun. Ty loves it, too and falls asleep. I am so happy to have a stroller that all 4 Trckas love.





And with my new skip hop duo diaper bag (I'll have to rave about that in another post), the bag doesn't hang down low in Emily's face anymore.

The Head of the Class

I was so proud of my smart daughter. Her Bible class teacher told me that she was the only one who knew who Joseph was. She told me that she was explaining to the 2 y/os that Baby Jesus had a Daddy and a Mommy. She was trying to ask them if they knew what his Daddy's name was, and Emily blurted out "JOSEPH!!!" before she could finish the question. Way to go, Smart Girl!!! Sorry, please excuse the bragging. But we've been working on Mary and Joseph. We haven't set up our nativity yet, but I wanted her to know who they were when we do set it up, so we've been working on it...only I didn't think she was getting it because when I ask her, she always puts her hand on her chin and says "Hmmmm." And then I have to tell her the answer. But apparently, she has figured it out, so the moral of the story is--keep trying, and when you least expect it, they will remember!

Toddler-ese

These are some funny things Emily has said lately. I want to write them down before I forget them.

I don't know if you know Dan Zanes, but we love his music. He has this song that says "Ride, Sally, Ride." Emily loves this song and can sing and dance to the whole thing. And when she gets to the above-mentioned line, she sings loudly and clearly, "Ride, SALAD, Ride!"

She has also learned the song Father Abraham. She loves to sing it in the bathtub. There's just one slight problem...to her, it's "Father Neighborhood."

She wanted to go help her Daddy w/ the Christmas decorations outside, so she brought her jacket to me. I helped her put it on and zip it up. Then she said, "Mommy, will you please put my lid on?" So I said, "Of course I will, sweetie," and I pulled her hood on, and off she went!

So, this isn't something she said, but something very funny that she did...

Both kids were contentedly watching cartoons this morning when I went to help Dee pull Christmas decorations out of the attic. After a while, I heard Ty crying, so I came inside to investigate. Emily had Ty pressed to her naked chest. I asked her what she was doing, and she said, "I am feeding him, Mom." No wonder he was crying! I decided to secure him a little better, so I put him in his Bumbo. When Dee and I finished and came back inside, Ty was in the floor on his tummy??? I know he didn't get himself out of the Bumbo. Little Miss Em had decided that she needed to play with Ty and had taken him out!


Here are those 2 cutie pies trying on their Christmas outfits.

And this is Emily "twirling" as she always does when she gets a new dress.

This was something she started one year ago when she tried on her "Mossy" dress at Uncle Brandon and Aunt Joy's house. She couldn't say "Christmas" last year...she said "Mossy Lights," "Mossy Tree," and "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Mossy!"

New 'Do

I hate "postpartum hair." I know this doesn't happen to everyone, but this is what happens to me...While I am pregnant, my hair stops falling out. I mean not one single strand will fall out in the shower or after brushing. I end up with a nice, thick, healthy, fast-growing "mane." And about 3 months after the baby, all of the hair that didn't fall out during the pregnancy begins to fall--in clumps. Don't you know my husband loves this and the results that it has on our shower drain. Okay, so about 6 months pp, it stops. You would think you're done with the torture, but you would be wrong. The hair starts growing back, so you have baby hairs everywhere. It is starting to look like I cut my bangs really, really short. In another month or so, I will probably have to cut actual bangs in order to keep my baby hairs from looking like I let Emily cut my hair. One thing that made me feel better was getting my hair cut and highlighted this weekend. Here's a picture me and my girly-girl after I got home from the salon.

Random things and catching up

First of all, if you wanna see recent pics of the kids, check out Dawn's Blog. She has been more industrious than I as far as posting about her recent visit.

Secondly, thanks for all of your prayers about Dee. He saw the pulmonologist last week, and his sarcoidosis is getting better. He gets to reduce his dosage of meds a little. The doctor said he fully expected Dee's next CT scan in March to show that the granulomas on his lungs are teeny tiny or gone. PRAY for this to happen!

Thirdly, pray for Ty because he is getting over a really bad cold virus. He was wheezing the other day and had to be taken to the dr for a breathing treatment. He seems to be doing better now, but he is also on steroids.

Lastly, I turned 30 on Sunday. I had a great day with my family. It was wonderful because Dee didn't have to work, so we just spent time together. The best part was Emily singing the Happy Birthday song to me all by herself.

Hopefully, I will be a better blogger now that football is over.

SUPERMOM strikes again!!!

Emily and I used to have a tradition. When she was a baby, I would go eat at McAlister's on the nights that Dee's freshman team played football. I just wanted to get out of the house, so I'd load her up along with her baby food and feed her and then eat my sandwich and savor my sweet tea. Fun times! Last year, we moved it to Friday nights when Dee had away games. Emily and I would have our "girl's night" and go to Hobby Lobby and eat at McAlister's. She would always eat a grilled cheese sandwich and both of our fruit cups.

Now that Ty has come along, I realized that our "girl's nights" would have to come to an end. In fact, I couldn't forsee a "Mom and Kid's night" either because I didn't know how to go out to eat by myself with 2 children. Well, I am happy to announce that last night while Dee was at a freshman football game, I finally did it--I took both kids to eat at McAlister's ALL BY MYSELF!

I managed to get everyone inside, order, pay, seat us in a booth, place high chair cover in high chair and put Ty in it, carry our drinks to our table, take Emily potty, help her wash her hands (while I was holding the baby), feed Ty some bananas and oatmeal, supervise Emily eating PB&J and fruit, and eat my delicious sandiwich and savor my sweet tea. I am so proud of myself! We had a really good time, and I can definitely see doing it again although probably not weekly.

A funny sidenote--Emily insisted on bringing her baby doll with us. As I got Ty ready to go, she used her baby and copied everything I did--changing diaper, clothes, and packing a diaper bag. She had to buckle her baby in the car, take her baby in the restaurant, and feed her baby pretend baby food. Everytime I wiped Ty's face, she wiped her baby's face. Every time I said something to Ty, she said the same thing to her baby. She even calls her baby doll Baby Ty. I drew the line at getting a high chair for her baby and taking her baby potty with us. So I guess if you count the doll, I really took 3 "things" out to eat.

Happy Halloween!!!

Warning--there are a ton of pictures here. But I've been a bad blogger lately, so I had to catch up somehow. We had THREE Halloween/costume events in the past 5 days. So we dressed the kids up THREE times! Here are the pictures of our crazy but fun outings--Emily was Cinderella, and Ty was a mouse (specifically, Gus from Cinderella according to Emily). My mom made both costumes. Didn't she do a fabulous job?

We started our Fall Festivities last Saturday by attending a birthday/Halloween party for 2 of Emily's friends. This is Emily and Ty at the party.

Emily did the cutest thing when we walked into the party--she saw another little girl and immediately said "Look, Mommy, there's Snow White." She was too excited. I really think that Emily truly believed that she was Cinderella and that the other little girl was really Snow White.

They live out in the country, so we went on a hayride. This was Ty's 1st hayride and Emily's 2nd (her 1st was at the same party 2 years ago).

Emily saw a magazine at Dee's mom's. There were pictures of Halloween cupcakes on the cover, and she asked MeMe if she could have the magazine. And then she begged me for a week to make the cupcakes. So this was our big project last sunday. This is Emily's marshmallow cupcake.

And this is her pumpkin cupcake--isn't she creative?

Dee and I made some too! Emily calls them the funny cupcakes.


On Monday, our class at church had a Halloween party. We set up the church's bounce thingy for our kids, and Emily had a blast! Of course, she was jumping in the princess castle!




Ty was content in his high chair after a full belly of sweet potatoes!

This was this evening. We went to the big carnival at church and then Trick or Treating to a few neighbors. Emily got a kick out of Trick or Treating. After each house, she would say "Let's go to another neighbor's house, so they can give me some more candy." She said trick-or-treat and thank you or your welcome to everyone. She sometimes gets confused on which one to say.



Well, with Dee at fb practice, I had to get them ready all by myself. And I had to try to get a picture of them all by myself. I told Emily to hold her brother up and crossed my fingers that she would. And she managed to keep him upright. She's such a big girl. When I was getting ready for the evening, I had propped Ty up on the couch, and he apparantley spit up. When I walked in to check on them, she was wiping up the spit-up with baby wipes---about 50 of them! She loves to "help."



Ahhh, my little princess. I treasure these moments where she is fully convinced that she is Cinderella. I know that sweet innocence won't last long.

Wow--now I need to insert a picture of an exhausted Mommy. I am SO GLAD all of the festivities are over and we can get back to normal.

6 Months Old--New Teeth and Starting and Stopping Solids!

Ty's half birthday was Friday, and we spent the day home due to a stomach virus. The poor baby was throwing up and having diarrhea. I was constantly changing diapers/Ty's clothes/my clothes. We did go to the doctor and find out that he was not dehydrated and that there really wasn't anything we could do until the bug passes (it made me feel better to have the dr say he was going to be ok). On Friday, I also got the privilege of giving him a suppository--so much fun! On Saturday, the throwing up was pretty much done, but the runs were still "running." And today, he seems to be better although the poop isn't normal yet, and his appetite isn't 100% either.

I did discover on Thursday night that his first 2 teeth had finally cut, so that was exciting. Emily got her first tooth on her 6 month birthday, so both of these kids are together with that milestone. The following pictures are from the past week of Ty starting solids. I am a mean mommy who makes Ty wait basically the full 6 months recommended by AAP. I also hate rice cereal--I think it's a pointless bunch of carbs and has little nutritional value. Instead, he has had organic oatmeal and homemade banana puree. Isn't he a lucky boy? Next he will have homemade sweet potato puree or squash puree, but with the stomach bug, we had to temporarily stop feeding solids. I think we will try oatmeal again tomorrow if today continues to go well.

Enjoy!


Yummy--thanks Daddy for the bananas!


See, I can already feed myself this yummy cereal.


Emily didn't want to be left out; she can feed herself spaghetti!

Ty has recently discovered two entertaining items--water bottles and remote controls.

His #1 talent--drooling

Some people! (warning--breastfeeding is discussed)

Don't you just love the personal questions that people ask you when you are pregnant and have babies? I know I have been shocked to hear normally rational people ask me such personal questions such as...

Was the pregnancy planned or an accident?
So when did you get pregnant?
Have you been peeing all the time?
Did you have hemroids?
Are you taking a stool softner?
When are you going to have another baby?
Are you getting your tubes tied?
Have you started your AF yet?

And, of course, these things are so no one's business. By the way, I am not talking about close, personal friends asking these questions. I am not even referring to conversations with my girlfriends in which we compare pregnancy/birth experiences. These questions have been asked by random people in Wal-Mart and people I barely know!

Now that we are starting Ty on solids (he had his first "meal" of real food tonight--pictures tomorrow hopefully), I am bracing myself for the are you still breastfeeding questions. I don't know why some people think it's so weird to BF your baby for 6+ months. And I don't know why it's anyone's business either. But the "minimum" according to AAP is 1 year and WHO is 2 years. I have no intention of going to 2 years, but I congratulate anyone who does. Now if the kid was Emily's age and nursing, I would think that was weird in my head, but I would never say anything to the parent--it's not my business.

I nursed Emily until she was 1 year and 3 days old, and we stopped because she was ready. But when she was around 6 months, people just started assuming she was weaned. And even if they didn't ask the question, you could still see the "weirded-out" look in their eyes. This is not everyone--most people, by the way, gave me props. I'm just talking about a few silly, uneducated people.

Speaking of uneducated people...this happend to my husband (and he is not the uneducated person to whom I am referring). Dee was telling the female science teachers (can you picture this conversation?) that I was sad that we were having to supplement 4 oz of formula daily when Ty is in daycare. Although I have no supply problem when I nurse him, with pumping, I struggle to keep up with his gy-normous appetite. One of the BIOLOGY teachers said, "Well, I don't see why she's upset because it's actually healthier for them to get breastmilk and formula." I love that my wonderful husband told her how wrong she was! He told me she was an idiot--how could a biology teacher think that something artificial was better than something natural? Go Dee (I love you)! Sorry for the tangent...back to the subject...

I came across these (mostly sarcastic) responses to prep myself for any you're still BFing questions/comments as Ty enters the 2nd half of his 1st year. Some of them really made me laugh, especially because I love sarcasm!

Are you STILL nursing?

Of course, I wouldn't dare ask someone else to do it for me!
Actually, he's the one doing the nursing, I just sit here.
No, I'm not, my mother lives too far away. Ty is, though.
Yes! (then hold up your hand expecting the other person to high-five you)
Right now? No, he's over there playing. I need him to do it.
I was never a nurse. I don't like needles! I'm a teacher, remember?
Everyone asks that, it must be because he's so incredibly healthy!

WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO WEAN?

I weaned a long time ago, when I was two I think.
(pause) Oh, you were talking to me? I thought you were asking him...he can't answer you yet.
Oh...sometime in the future. (be vague, it gets them every time!)
I suppose whenever he stops nursing, that would be a good time.
That's funny, I was going to ask you when are you planning on going vegetarian (or something equally as ridiculous to ask)
When his mustache gets in the way.

HE DOESN'T NEED TO NURSE AT THIS AGE!

Maybe not, why don't you read up on it for me. Maybe you can find out if there is an expiration date for my milk.
And you don't NEED to eat that doughnut, but you still are.

HE SHOULD BE DRINKING COW'S MILK FROM A CUP BY NOW

He likes human milk from these cups better at the moment.


and my favorite.........




ISN'T HE A LITTLE OLD FOR THAT?

Aren't you a little old to be wearing those jeans?

Hope you enjoyed! And if my brother or any other male read this, that's what you get! You can't expect a Mommy of 2 children to have "bodily function-free" posts all the time :-)

I can't believe I cried...

over Meerkat Manor. To quote my husband, I "need to get a life...you are crying over a small mammal that eats bugs and digs holes." But since he has football on Fridays, he isn't hooked on this "soap opera" like I am. So if you are not a fan, let me explain...Meerkat Manor is a show on Animal Planet which documents the day-to-day happenings of meerkats. The thing is, they name them, and the narrator gives them personalities. You end up loving them like they are your little pets. On Friday's episode, Flower, the dominant female and matriarch of the Whiskers clan of meerkats was killed trying to defend her pups from a cobra. I was really enjoying the episode, too, because she had adopted an abandoned pup from a rival gang. She spared little Axle's life and took him in to her family. She died doing what she did best, taking care of her babies. And yes I know I'm a total dork for posting this!

We have a DISEASE!!!

and it's NOT cancer!!! Dee finally found out a diagnosis on Monday. He has sarcoidosis. And it is responsible for all of the symptoms he has been experiencing. He had a biopsy of lymph nodes in his lungs on Monday. He was very nervous that it would be lymphoma because that was a possibility we were given. I was nervous it would be tuberculosis because that was another possibility we were given (I could just see them having to test the whole school and us being on the news like that guy that flew on an airplane). But it turned out to be the 3rd possibility we were given--sarcoidosis. In short, the symptoms are treatable w/ steroids, and the disease can go away on its own. It can also not go away and/or cause permanent lung damage. We just won't know until we see what happens, but we pray for the best outcome. The pulmonologist is waiting on cultures to make sure Dee is free from infection (steroids compromise the immune system), and he will begin treatment at the end of next week. Hopefully, that will make him feel much better.

We ask for prayers that Dee will have a successful treatment, that his doctor will be wise and make the best decisions. Also, we pray that he won't have permanent damage done. And we definitely are thankful that it did not turn out to be lymphoma.

I know I need to get on here and post pictures, but I am drowning in a sea of calculus tests right now. I just wanted to update anyone who reads this and has been wondering about Dee.

Friday Night Lights

I decided to take my camera along with me to the football game to hopefully catch some cute shots after the game when the families go out on the field. Emily and Ty were so cute in their matching shirts, and Dee was in a good mood since we won (we're now 2-0). Enjoy the pics!

A Photo Essay on Sitting Up

I'm not sure what to think about this

Hey, this sitting up thing is kinda cool!

I can just sit and drool, sit and drool

Uh-oh...going down

Boom!

Ya know, this is pretty comfy

I think I'll stay here and look at this silly monkey toy

Bye everyone! p.s. I know how cute I am!

Please Pray For Our Family

So I have been terrible at updating lately. But here's the reason--I get up at 5 a.m. and don't go to bed until midnight. I never get a break during the day, seriously, I am not exaggerating. In fact, 2 days this past week, I have gone all day at work without peeing. That's how packed my days are.

The reason is not only back-to-school but my husband Dee. He is having a lot of health problems right now. It all started about 3 1/2 weeks ago when his left ankle got really swollen. To make a long story short, severe joint pain has spread to his other ankle, both wrists, and neck. He has been running fevers and has a dry cough that won't go away. His blood sugar is going haywire, up and down; he has no appetite and has lost over 10 lbs. He is miserable, sad, and not himself. He comes home from work in so much pain that he literally can't move. That's why I am up so late; I have to do so much to get ready for the next day, clean up the kitchen, wash bottles, etc.

3 visits to the ER and 5 or 6 doctor visits later, they still have no idea what is wrong. They have done tests for gout, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, lyme disease, and lots more. Last week, he was finally able to see the rheumatologist where they are testing him for some rare types of arthritis. It could be some type of autoimmune disease, but there are so many of them out there, and some are really rare that it could take a while to solve the mystery. He's been on different non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, but for the most part, the only thing that makes him feel better is vicodin and staying off of his feet. And driving 25 minutes to work, teaching high school, and coaching is not really compatible with that regimen.

Please keep him in your prayers that they can hurry up and find a diagnosis and treat this thing. If you have any questions about what has been tested or any other symptoms (because everyone seems to be playing detective here), feel free to ask. I was just trying to post this in a concise manner as I have a few moments of spare time. There were literally 2 nights last week that I didn't get to check my yahoo email because I have no spare time. Hopefully, things start to smooth out with the 2nd week of school.

Oh, and you can keep me in your prayers while you're at it--I am having a hard time handling all of these responsibilities, lack of sleep, and remaining patient and nice with my children, students, and husband.

A few other items of stress that happened last week, the first day of school, we forgot to bring the breastmilk to daycare, so Ty had to have formula until I pumped and could run some over there. And then, they decided to feed Ty solids even though we haven't started him on solids yet...but I think we have everything straightened out now.

Maternity Leave is Officially Over :-(

I have been back at work this week for inservice. Monday is the first day of classes, and I'm ready as far as that goes, but I'm not ready to leave my kiddos. It's always extra hard since we're in football season, so I will be doing evenings at home all by myself. This week, Grammy (my mom) came down from New Mexico to watch the kids. Everyone (except me) had a blast. But it made life so much easier since we didn't have to get kids ready in the morning along with ourselves. Here are some pictures taken today.



This is the first picture of me where I can actually tell I've lost weight. I am -13 lbs as of Thursday. I am 4 lbs away from my first goal of losing 10% of my weight. I highly highly highly recommend Weight Watchers especially if you are nursing because I have so many points that I find it hard in my busy day to eat all of the food I am supposed to eat. It's nice to lose weight and not feel hungry or deprived.

Toddler Talk + More WW Success

Two funny things Emily did today...
While I was nursing Ty this morning, Emily was keeping herself entertained by "playing" Cinderella. She carried a shoe on a pillow and wanted to see if it would fit me. She tried to beat it onto my foot just like the movie. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Later, about an hour after I put her down for a nap, I hear "I need to go POTTY!!!" coming from her room. Hallelujah! Even though she's been pt for a while, I've been working with her all summer on telling me she needs to go once she's gone to bed. Anyway, after a "strenuous" few minutes on the toilet, she informed me "Mommy, it's time for my bowel movement to go home now." Then she stood up and flushed and said "bye-bye." How smart is that girl!

Last but definitely not least, I lost almost 2 lbs last week, so my total weight loss is 11.4 lbs. WOO-HOO!!! I am going to have to work really hard next week with teacher inservice week with all of the potlucks and snacks that will be provided. I told Dee I was going to bring healthy snacks and food to the potlucks, and when I want one of the unhealthy snacks, I am going to look at the people in line for food and tell myself I don't want to look like them; I want to be thin. I hope that doesn't sound mean because it's not like I'm perfect. I am just trying to give myself a little extra motivation!

4 Months Old + New Talents + Silly Big Sister

Look what I can do...I can pick up Mr. Turtle and put him in my mouth!

I can also hold a baseball. Daddy is so proud!



Cute 4 Month Old Shots

My other talent is drool and lots of it!

And Miss Emily couldn't be left out either.

I walked in the living room the other day, and there she was wearing TY'S bathing suit and hat. She is so silly! She was ready to go! I think the feather duster makes a nice accessory, don't you?


Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I am dreading Monday; I go back to work. Dee started football this week, so our life is getting crazy.