Archives for 2008

Photo shoot

Well, there is one thing in life that I wish I was better at and that is photography. I’m okay, but I’m not great. I admire people who just have the gift and the knack for photography. I think it’s a great skill. One person is Tarah over at In the Beginning Photography. She’s amazing. I love to look at her pictures (or I should say, drool over her pictures). She’s taken pictures for us twice now and she is just so talented. My sister in law, Becke’ is becoming quite the photographer as well. She’s taking great photos of her kids. I’m just amateur. I took the kids to the park last night and took some shots. They turned out okay, but again, I wish Becke’ or Tara could have been there to do it right. Anyway, enjoy the ones that I captured. I had trouble with my zoom (which I figured out later when I read the manual – imagine! Taking the time to learn your camera before using it!) But I did get some cute shots.

We are surviving here without daddy, but we are ready for him to come home tomorrow! Thank God for my mom in town. None of us has felt particularly well and my mom has been a god-send. Seriously, I’m so beyond blessed with a mom who is a servant to her core. She stayed home with the younger kids yesterday because I had to sing in church and they were too sick for the nursery. When I got home, my laundry was done and she’s made me some chicken noodle soup! You’re the best mom! Landon’s hair always sticks up like this – no matter what I do. It’s so cute.
My happy, happy boy

Sloan was getting all GQ on me.

This dress is ridiculous but oh so cute. Strasburg Children’s Boutique in Chesterfield was having a major sale. It was 50% off of 50% off, which is the only way I’d ever make such a purchase.


Dear Daddy

Hey dad! We sure do miss you here at home. We hate it when you leave. But we’re having a lot of fun. Yesterday we went to the zoo and saw all the animals. It was so cool! Especially the giraffes. You can read about that here. Tia really liked the snakes a lot. She kept getting right up to the window and staring at them. For a little girl, she’s not very girly. Landon also got to ride the Carousel and he really liked it. He laughed and squealed the whole time.AND we got to ride the train which was my favorite part. I got to sit in the back and say All Aboard and I said it really, really loud. Mommy sat in front of me with Tia and Bubba.

Last night mommy and Byshka got ready for the garage sale. Ummm…Tia and I didn’t do a very good job going to sleep so tonight mommy is making us go to sleep in different beds. She said we can try to go to sleep in the same room again tomorrow night. Just to let you know, daddy. I think mommy might be losing it a little. You should come home soon.

Today we had the garage sale. Not many people came so mommy is going to do it again on Wednesday. I think she’s crazy, but she wants to get rid of all that stuff! I was a great salesman. I talked several people into items that I don’t think they really needed or wanted. We also went to my soccer game where I totally ruled and kicked the ball so hard. Then we went to Sonic and got a slushie and to Snip-its to get my hair cut. Mommy took a picture of my awesome new hair-do. My hair has never been this short! It was a busy day, daddy. Boy, I sure am tired. I’m going to go to bed now. I’m gonna go right to sleep, like the angel that I am. Night!

(Oh, and no matter what mom may tell you, I really was an angel while you were gone. I followed direction immeditaely, was very respectful, and never talked back. Don’t listen to what mommy says. Not a word…)

Anatomy 101

We went to the Zoo today. It was gorgeous – a perfect day. The first thing the kids wanted to see were the giraffes so we made our way up there. I love the giraffe pen at the zoo because you can stand right in front of those beautiful creatures and just drink in God’s creativity and handiwork. Today, the largest and oldest giraffe was standing directly in front of us. I didn’t know at that very moment that the darker the spots are on a giraffe, the older it is. When Sloan asked me why that particular giraffe was so dark, I said that maybe it was because it’s a boy. Sloan’s response?

“No, mom. It’s a boy because it has a big penis see? That’s what makes it a boy.”

Of course everyone else in St. Louis was at the zoo today and 90% of them were at the giraffe pen to hear Sloan’s anatomy lesson. Laughter erupted all around. Do you know what laughter does to a precocious 5-year-old? Encourages him to say that which incited the laughter in the first place – over and over again. We finally had to leave because I feared my ever reddening face would spontaneously combust and kill the poor creature.

Garage sale madness!!!!

UPDATE
I’m trying to prepare for a garage sale this Saturday…when Lee’s going to be outof town. Why do I do this to myself? I can hardly see the floor of my garage there’s so much stuff in it right now! I still have three more large garbage bags of stuff to go through and organize. Then I have to price it all. My friend Stephanie is here with two of her kids painting the island. The kids are getting on each other’s nerves, Tia has a cold and is whining, aaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh! Do any of you know the Dr. Demento song They’re coming to take me away? Sing it with me:

They’re coming to take me away, haha
They’re coming to take me away
To the funny farm
Where life is beautiful all the time
And I’ll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats
And they’re coming to take me away, haha!

I had some of the lyrics wrong, but I felt like you people needed to hear the song that’s now pounding its way through my head all.day.long. Enjoy! (Oh, and forgive the bizarrely spelled lyrics in the posted video – it makes no sense, but then, neither does this song!)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HZq62nqE78&hl=en&fs=1]

He knows me so well…

It was a perfect fall night last night. The air was crisp and clean. The sky was clear, and it was relatively quiet outside. I love and hate the fall. I love the weather, but I hate the upcoming winter and that taints my enjoyment of this season a little. Last night, however, Lee and I enjoyed fall. One of our favorite things to do is sit out on our front porch with a cup of hot tea and just relax. We always have great conversation and last night was no exeption. Last nights talk, however, resulted in me having a very restless night.

When Lee and I got married, we were, as most married couples are, full of dreams and ambition. The world was ours. We just had to figure out how to take it. Marrying Lee was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for many, many reasons, one of them being that he exudes confidence whereas I’ve always desperately lacked it. He’s brought me out of my shell in a lot of ways, but I didn’t realize what a frustrating person I must be to live with until last night.

I have always had great dreams. There have always been things that I wanted to do and accomplish, but I sorely lack the drive to go out and do them because I so badly fear failure. I am also quite dependent upon what others think of me. If I try and fail, what will people think? Will they secretly laugh behind my back? Will they shake their heads and wonder why I even tried in the first place? I don’t know why I’m so plagued by these thoughts, but they are very paralyzing. Lee, however, could give a flying flip what people think about him. It helps that he is so likeable that anyone who didn’t like him would have to be mentally unstable. Anyhoo, I was explaining to Lee how I wish that I could go see the debate between Joe Biden and Sarah Palin because I have such an admiration for Sarah Palin. You see, my problem is not a lack of ambition or drive. I have a lot of that, and if I really psych myself up, I can get over the fear thing. But once I became a mom, I began to have a hard time reconciling personal ambition with responsibility. I know that being a mom is my number one priority. So I guess my biggest hold up is a fear that I won’t be able to do everything well. So, I end up doing nothing at all. A bad trade off. Sarah Palin has inspired me that it’s okay to be ambitious and be a mom. Somehow I have a hard time putting those two things together.

Another woman who has inspired me in recent months is Dana from Mamalogues. If you’ve never read her site, you should – it’s great. Here is someone who is just like me. She’s a mom, a writer, a smart, ambitious woman and she’s actually doing something with that. I admire that. I want to do something with my dreams. When I told Lee these things last night, he all but threw his hands up in the air and told me he’s been trying to get me to do something about this for 8 years now. His exact words, so true yet so biting, were, “I’ve never met someone with so much talent and so little confidence to use that talent.” Ouch. You gotta love an honest spouse, yeah? After that he started talking about war and Braveheart as an analogy for networking…Apparently I am like someone on the front lines who gets stabbed and retreats quickly at the discourgement, when I should be running all the way into the middle of the pack so I can see what I’ve got to work with. I admit, I giggled a little during this part of his rant.

After that, we went to bed where I spent the night tossing and turning, thinking about the things I want to accomplish and wondering what I need to do to get started and get past this fear. I’m not sure I’ve come to the conclusion yet, but I am certainly going to try and stop using my kids as an excuse to not be ambitious. That’s not fair to them or to me. I’m not sure I’m ready to share what my dreams are either, because that’s really putting myself out there. But I know I have to do something. It’s not that I’m discontent with motherhood. I’m actually quite content. But I feel like I’m not honoring the Lord by fully using what He’s given me. I’ve felt that way for a long time, but it’s amazing how easy it is to shove those feelings aside and push on. Thank God for an awesome husband who refuses to let me live a life of mediocrity.
To read other ambitious women who are also excellent mothers, go to this site or this site

Weekend Rundown

We had a full, busy weekend. It was beutiful outside and I’m pleased to say that we spent most of our weekend enjoying the weather. I am not pleased to say that my house looks like it threw up. Anyway, it started Friday night when Lee took the older kids to a high school football game. He told them earlier in the week that he was going to do this and they were beside themselves with excitement. They had a good time, but the fun really started before they left. I was indulging my addiction by reading all of your blogs and Lee had fallen asleep in the bedroom, unbeknownst to me. The kids were awfully quiet, so I went to check on them and found them elbow deep in my makeup. I paused long enough to take a picture, then firmly told them they were not to be in my makeup, especially Sloan, who, you can see, had a particularly good time.Saturday morning was phenomenal, so we packed up the kids and the dog and headed to Castlewood Park, one of my favorite in St. Louis where we ran, played and hiked up to the overlook. It was so fun to be out in nature. Lee, Sloan and I had a blast. Tia whined most of the time and Landon seemed a little perturbed that we were once again denying him of his coveted morning nap. But it was still a good time.I looked just long enough to snap these pictures, but watching my husband and my babies on this rock, hanging perilously over a large and deadly drop-off pretty much terrifies me. I think I lost a couple of years waiting on them to return.Tossing rocks over the edge.
Landon got his first shoulder ride.Later we went to Sloan’s soccer game and had a good laugh at his complete lack of motivation in sports. He’s a great little athlete but is not even remotely competitive so he just runs around and grins and waves. But he has a blast so that’s all that matters.

Saturday night we pulled out our projector and shined a movie up on the garage door for the kids. We ate snacks and had our own little drive in. So fun.
Sunday was filled with church, birthday parties and dinner at the park. Again, so much fun. We’re trying to enjoy this awesome weather before it gets too cold. What did you guys do this weekend?

Sic ’em Bears!

I still don’t have a lot to say. I’m tired these days. I’m trying to be a better steward of my time and get up earlier so that I can get all the things done during the day. I’ve been up since 5:00 this morning, but I’ve gotten a ton done. I did several loads of laundry (I even folded and put them away – shocker!), cleaned both bathrooms (including tubs), windexed the mirrors in our bedroom because someone’s sticky, syrupy hands left a lovely little imprint (I’m not gonna tell you that it’s been there for a couple of weeks now). I tell you what, I deserve a friggin’ trophy for all I’ve done today. Yeah! (I have to motivate myself to keep up this kind of daily pace)

A friend came over to paint the new kitchen island that we built because when it comes to painting Lee and I pretty much stink. Seriously, a band of monkeys on a sugar high could probably paint a wall better than Lee and I. So, while our four kids wreaked havoc on house, I walked behind them and reorganized closets and cabinets. Pulled out more toys for next week’s garage sale and fielded calls from people wanting to buy the items I posted on Craig’s List at 5:45 this morning. (I just sold an old desk that’s been sitting in our basement for five years – I love Craig’s List!) All in all, it was a good day.

So here is a recent picture of my Landon givin’ a big shout out to my Alma Mater. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, Sic ’em Bears! (To all you Baylor Alum out there, I fully expect you to pull your bear paw out while reading this.)

It’s official…

Lee is now older than Jesus. When I told him that the other day he got a little down in the mouth. I told him not to worry, I’m right behind him…in another four years! heh, heh, heh Really, happy 34th birthday to my husband who I am madly in love with. I am so grateful to be Lee’s wife. He brings out the best in me, he makes me laugh every day, he’s a phenomenal father and a superb husband.

When Lee and I first met, he was only 23 – I was only 19. That seems like ages ago and not very long ago all at once. I remember celebrating Lee’s 25th birthday with him. This was at the beginning of our courtship and we were making tentative steps toward being an official “couple.” I went with him that afternoon to HEB to pick up a few items for the K-Life house and I boldly and proudly declared that he was now half a decade old. Mmmmhmmmm. I was ridin’ high on that 4.0 wasn’t I? Horrible, horrible blonde moment. In my defense I am a complete and total literary nerd, which means that my skill level in math ceased somewhere around the 3rd grade. Still, as soon as I said that I knew it didn’t sound right. Lee still brings that up to this day.

Last night, our awesome friends kept the kids for us so Lee and I could have a night out. Because we are (ahem) broke these days, I decided to surprise Lee with a special dinner at home. We love The Melting Pot, so I downloaded a couple of their recipes, cut up a bunch of meat and veggies and brought out our seldom used fondue pot. It was awesome! It was so relaxing to sit at home, in the quiet, and have a leisurely dinner. We had the Coq Au Vin with steak, pork, chicken, broccoli and mushrooms. We had three different dipping sauces, Sesame Soy, Thai Peanut and Melting Pot’s Green Goddess dip. We had a lovely bottle of red wine and for dessert had chocolate fondure with all the goodies. It was so fun.

So Happy Birthday, babe. To me, you’ll always be the Cat’s Pajamas – the bee’s knees! I love you. 60, 4, 22 +

Random

*update: Go to Julie’s site to see pictures of our fun karaoke night. You can also watch a little video. Have a mentioned my neighbors are awesome? Cause they are…

I don’t have much to say today. So here are a couple of random thoughts/experiences over the past few days.
-Inter:PLAY was awesome. It was really fun to be around a whole new group of people. It’s energizing to be with people who get it. They understand how you feel and where you’re coming from. I only had the chance to attend two panels this weekend, but both were so informative. The first was on building a brand. How do you brand yourself so that you stand out in the cyber world of blogs? I have to think a little bit on that one. I have some ideas – I’m just not sure how to pull them off.

-The other topic covered ways to generate income through online social media. It was nice to sit with a group of people who were successfully generating income and know that it’s okay to have this desire. I don’t have to feel guilty about looking for opportunities to make a little money. I did not begin blogging with that in mind, and I will continue blogging whether or not I get paid. Truthfully, I don’t want to get paid for my blog, but I would like to make some writing contacts and get paid to write.

-Moving on…Saturday night we had a neighborhood Karaoke party. Mmmmhmmm. A lot of fun was had by all. Some were dressed in toga’s – more power to them. Lee and I tore it up on our rendition of Linda Rondstadt and Aaron Neville’s “All I Need to Know.” If you’ve never heard Lee’s Aaron Neville impersonation, I’m sorry for you. Stellar.

-As I was putting the kids to bed Saturday night, Sloan asked me if I had another baby in my tummy, then told me he wanted me to get another baby in my tummy because babies are fun. I put them to bed and immediately took a week’s worth of birth control pills just to be sure.

-Tia got kicked out of the church nursery for the fourth or fifth time due to complete hysterics. We don’t know what started this. Part of the problem is she is very modest and doesn’t like anyone to take her to the bathroom. She told us she doesn’t want anyone to see her penis…Not sure how to combat that one. I also think that she has become so dependant on Sloan that she has a hard time playing when he’s not around. We’re working on that.

-Some kid woke me up every hour on the hour last night. Landon’s teething, Sloan got cold, I don’t know what Tia wanted and on and on it went.

-I’m off to take a cat nap while I have the chance!

Sunday, Monday, Happy Days…

Poor Sloan just can’t seem to get a grasp on the days of the week. And poor mommy is getting tired of telling him 10,000 times a day what day it is, what we have that day and what tomorrow is. So, off we went to Bradburn’s today to pick up some handy dandy supplies. Here is our new calendar, displayed proudly on the kitchen door. It has a picture of each days activity, and it will help him remember what comes tomorrow and what we did yesterday. We’re going to work on learning the days in English and in Russian – two birds, one stone. Hopefully it won’t take him long to catch on. We’re also going to work on months of the year.Bradburns is a fun place. It makes me wish I were homeschooling so I could get all the fun little gadgets and gizmos for learning. Then I hear Tia start screaming and Sloan smack her for doing God-knows-what that made him and angry and I thank the good Lord above we live in a good school district! I did buy a couple of books to help him work on reading though. While I am thrilled, nay ecstatic, that he can read in russian, I’m a little concerned that he doesn’t know English phonics – like, at all. So, we will begin working on that. I really want him to have basic reading skills by the time he goes to kindegarten. He knows all his letters and can write most of them, but he doesn’t really know how they sound. And guess what? Russian is a lot easier than English when it comes to phonics because, in general, every letter has only one sound. Geesh. I think I’m going to let daddy teach him to read in English! For those of you with kids already in kindegarten, or higher grades, what do kids need to know when they enter school? What is expected of them and what will give them a leg up? Sloan is a smart kid and I want him to be challenged, but I don’t want to have too high of expectations. I’m not expecting him to be reading Dostoevsky by the end of this year, maybe just a little Pushkin. No, seriously, three or four letter words would be great. Is that too much to expect? I dunno.