Updates

Time sure does fly and I am not sure if anyone really reads this. For those who do, here is a bit about what is going on. Abbie had her first little Christmas play she was in. Her little Children's Day Out class "sang" Jingle Bells and I do use the word sang loosely. She was so cute! We have been so enjoying our holiday break and getting to reconnect as a family. I just forget how precious, smart, and fun she is. Thank goodness I am reminded of that. I pray over my daughter daily that God will continue to watch her and help her grow and development. Christmas was very nice and she got lots of goodies. So did Brian and I. We are working on her playroom and getting it to look cuter. So far so good.
Tonight we had a little fiasco. We apparently have (had) a little birdie who spent the night in our wreath on the door. I went out to check the mail and the little birdie decided to fly into the house. I hit the floor screaming my head off out of fear and my eyes being pecked. Brian comes running carrying Abbie to see what was going on. The bird made its way to the back of the house into the living room. We tried turning off lights in the house and outside lights on. Needless to say, Landry got the little birdie and it well, is now in our neighbors yard. Brian "helped" it over the fence if you know what I mean. I feel pretty bad for that little birdie. He was just trying to sleep. :(
We have also found a new church that we just love and hope to attend their class in January to learn more about the church but I feel a peace about where we are at. His sermons are just amazing and so applicable. Abbie likes it too.

Turkey Days

Turkey days are coming and I glad for the break from school. We are lucky and have to go to school the week of Thanksgiving. I only work on Monday since I will be having a student teacher sub on Tuesday. That will be nice. Brian is also going to be off so we will take little monster to school on Tuesday and a have some time to just hang out and be together which we have not done in a long time. My friend and I are planning on doing the Turkey Trot but I got to thinking, why drive to Dallas to run 8 miles when we could do that here in town? So, I am going to talk to her and see what she thinks about that new idea.
Brian and I are going to join a gym. LA Fitness. It is brand new and very nice. They even have free child care there which is a bonus plus an indoor pool. It's out front though where you walk in. I am thinking that is a poor layout idea. Most people don't want to show their "swimming body" to each and every member of the gym. It's their own fault if they look. I am excited though about getting to swim laps. Something I have not done since pregnancy. (Which I truly believe helped me have only 5 1/2 hours of labor from beginning to end!) I hope that my new enthusiasm continues because a couple of days a week I will be heading out at 5 am!! Don't worry, I won't be like the Biggest Loser and post my before and after picture. That can't be good for anyone! :)

Retirement

I am now in retirement. I thought I could train for a half marathon but was not correct in that assumption. It takes way too much time and my knees can't take much more. I ran 6 miles today (the most ever!) and my knees hurt so bad I had to limp around. Probably not the best for my body. I am doing the 8 mile Turkey Trot though and am working on training for that.
This weekend we took Abbie to the Dallas Aquariam at Fair Park. It was ok but probably won't go back. We were suppose to go to the zoo but it was so windy and cold that we postponed it until today and it was beautiful weather. Abbie loved all the animals and seeing everything. She discovered something very fascinating. Acrons. As many as you can possibly hold in your 15 month old hand and if you run out of room, try picking them up with your mouth. Silly girl. We had such a good time and tonight was Treat Night at the Ranch where we live. She dressed up in her pumpking costume and got to go on a hayride and get in a bounce house and do a cake walk. She has had a very busy weekend! She is just so precious!

Today

Today was a good day. It was beautiful outside. My friend came over this morning and we ran 5 miles. It was great! Full moon shining down on us, cool breezes. Loved it. We picked up Abbie's halloween costume. She's going to be a pumpkin. Can't wait to try it on. Then we went to......SUPER TARGET! Yes, in Denton. It was wonderful. We went grocery shopping. We got home and Abs went to sleep. I fixed her some bracelets and necklaces with some beads we had bought there. I am hoping she likes these better than mine. We will find out when she wakes up. It is just a nice relaxing day, TX/OU is playing. I just love the fall.
AND, on Thursday I took the day off and I went to the pumpkin patch with Abbie and her school. It was fun. She had a blast. I have added a couple of pictures for you to see. I sure did enjoy our special day.

In the words of...

In the words of Black-Eyed Peas...running, running, running
yup, that is what I am doing. Today I did a 5 mile run. I again, was dreading it and just about turned around and headed home. But Erwin was on the Ipod and my shoes were on the feet and my legs were already in motion, so I kept on. I am so glad I did. I got to see the sun peak over the horizon, feel the cool breeze, and see and hear a flock of geese in the early morning. I felt great! There is something that I keep thinking of though...I am training for a race I have not entered. That would be bad to miss it! Perhaps I should stop blogging and go register.

Weather

The weather has been so nice around here. Abbie and I enjoy going to the park on these crisp evenings. It is almost like we will actually have fall this year! I went running tonight and it felt great. Much better than Saturday morning in the humidity. It felt as though I was running in a shower. There are days I like running and days I don't. I often think about not continuing on this journey and I have to sit and ask what is keeping me from it? Probably selfishness. Maybe fear of not being able to pull this thing off. After all, if you quit then you don't have to worry about not crossing the finish line. But then I run, get home, and feel fabulous that I did it. I continue to pray that God will bless this journey and that I will be committed to it. Even when I just don't feel like it.

Rockstar Supernova

For those who watch this, I must say, poor Toby. I liked him. Bunches. But I guess Lucas is an ok choice.

Ahhh

I have to say that this new weather is quite lovely. We have so loved taking Abbie to the park each evening. She loves to swing and slide. She likes falling down into the woodchips to come up with a handful. We stroll around in the wagon and head back home. I just love having a park within walking distance. It is great to see neighbors out walking, riding bikes, and hanging out at the park. When we moved here I just thought, nice, a park. Now that we have a little one I have come to appreciate having it. The walking trails are fabulous and we have one that goes into a wooded section and one way leads you to a pond. What a great place to live and raise a family. God knew in advance that this is just what we needed.

Strength

Tonight I ran. Again. Every day I dread going but every time I am done, I am so happy with myself. I pray before every run that God would keep me safe, bless the run, and give me endurance. Tonight though I got specific. I prayed over my legs, lungs, heart, and anything else I could think of. I prayed for his strength to carry me and that he run through me. Sound weird? God has put running in my heart for a reason. If I am going to do something that is so outside of who I am, I am going to pray over everything I can think of. I don't have the strength to run, but God does!

PS. Doing a 5K on September 23 if anyone wants to join me. You know who you are :)

Fall

I have been teaching elaboration in writing at school and our topic was a critical setting: fall. We used the 5 senses to come up with things associated with fall. I look out at these 100+ days and I dream of fall. So I had to do it. Light a candle. A fall candle. It is to make me think it's cooler than 102 outside and the sun is not beaming down on me taunting me. So far, the house smells super good. As long as I don't walk outside, I can almost see those falling leaves (not because they're dying), feel the cool crisp autumn air sweep my hair back and see Abbie sticking out her tongue to catch the breeze. Ahhhh....fall.

Ugh

It is the second week of school therefore I survived the first. Today I really got to teach and it went so much better than last week. There is hope for this year after all!
I ran again tonight and am quite sure one of the these days I am going to disintegrate since it is so hot out. Pretty much like running inside the core of the earth. When I run on weekends it feels so much better probably because it's morning and I seem to go so much further. On nights, I just beg to make it home before someone finds me in the middle of the road. Yet, I shall press on. I looked at my training schedule and it doesn't look that bad. The week is pretty light but that long run on Saturday, that will be the true test of if I make it or not.
Ladies, in case you have not noticed at your house, you might find your husband a bit more giddy, happy, joyful. One word: football. Yup, it's back and my husband can finally stop his countdown. (He started in February after the Super Bowl). Our Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays shall be filled with men chasing one another, throwing and pouncing on a ball thus pouncing on each other. And dare I go to fantasy football? The one thing I love about football is that it means fall is just around the corner. Oh yeah, I am in Texas, it'll be in about 3 more months.

First Day

Today was the first day of school. It felt like the 100th. I have a sweet class who love to talk. A lot. I told them that tomorrow consequences would come for talking. I have to get this under control before it gets worse.
This evening I went running. And I made it 3 miles! Yeah rah! I think that is the most I have every been in my life! My friend said, get through the second mile and its easy. You know what, that was true tonight. I would like to run in the morning, as I was going to today, but I got a bit scared. Out at 5 in the morning by myself makes me a bit uneasy. If I had only gone 10 more miles, it would have been a 1/2 marathon! :)

Run On

Today we went and got some good running shoes for me. The folks there at Run On know their stuff. Before, I would buy tennis shoes that were cute. After all, who wants to wear an ugly one? At this store though, the shoe picks you. They watch you walk and look at how your foot moves and measure it on the neat little scale (the last time I used that was grade school I think!). They are very knowledgeable because they either walk or run. Of course, with new shoes come socks and shirts. Dry fit my friend, we live in Texas! I bought their logo shirts for $10 each. Not a bad deal I'm thinking. With my new stuff comes a new love. Running. I never though those words would ever come out. Check back in a couple of weeks though and see if I still have this passion!

Walking

I thought little monster would walk at 10 months. Needless to say, it didn't happen. Today though, she took 13 steps on her own! A huge improvement on 2. Good job Abs! Keep it up.

Running

The other night (Friday) I went out and ran 1.25 miles, give or take. I felt really good. Tonight I decided to run like the wind. It was humid and super nasty out but I was on a mission especially after having a big mac for lunch and Red, Hot 'n Blue for dinner. After nearly collapsing and getting in my car, sipping gatorade, I was off to measure my long distance run. A whopping 2.1 miles. That's it?! I am not even sure I ran enough to work off the bun of the big mac! I sure am feeling it and it's only been 2 hours since the run. Again, I go back to the last blog, what was I thinking? I live in Texas! It's too hot to run in August. It doesn't cool off till mid-November! As a reader noted in her comment, I hope all this running gets me the body of a life time. Guess I need to lay off McDonalds too.

Thinking?

What was I thinking? I told my friend that I would train for a half marathon. I am now locked in because there is no way she will let me get away with not being in it now! We will be running in the White Rock Lake marathon on December 10. We begin actual training September 10. She says by then I need to be able to run at least 3 miles. The way I see it, training starts now. I did have a chat with God about this. That I would do it, stick to it, and that he would bless and annoint this committment. If any of you other readers are interested in training with us, we would love to have you aboard! (By the way, I just looked at the map and again I ask myself, What was I thinking?)

Shots

Today was Abbie's first year check up and everything is great! 31 inches and 22 pounds. She got 5 shots though. I have been praying about them that God would make them as pain free as possible considering the situation. She was such a good girl. She cried just a bit, took her pacifier, and was done. I think she cried maybe 30 seconds. Thank you God for answering prayers! She is happy and playing but I am keeping the tylenol in her...just to be sure.
Brian got to spend some time at home this morning which was really nice. I left her with him to get ready and this is what I found. Silly kids!

Getting Close

It's getting closer. Me going to work. I am excited about this year but am a bit sad to leave the monster behind. She went with me to the school today to work. She mainly crawled around eating things off the floor. Staples were her favorite. (I did take them away). I hung my curtains up and they look great. I grabbed a writing book to begin working on lesson plans. Yes, already trying to get ahead. I do hope, by the grace of God, this is my last year for a while. I feel a complete peace about going to work again and will continue to ask God to shower that on me. Plus, this year I get 10 days off! Wow, I can actually take days off this year! How fun will that be!

The Big Day

Today is the big 1 for our little girl. I can't believe how much she has grown. To think back to this little baby who could barely keep her eyes open and slept, a lot, to a little girl who crawls and moves and is learning so much and being so active. I am just amazed at what 12 months can do. We had her party on Sunday night. She sure is cute and a blast. Tonight we went to Chuck E Cheese with grandparents. Check this out: she can climb UP the slide all the way to the top by herself in about .23 seconds. :) To you my little monster, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Help

Ok moms. I need some help here. Abbie decided to wake up last night from 1.30-3. I would rock her but she wouldn't fall asleep, I would put her in her bed and she would scream and cry. Needless to say, I am a bit tired this morning. The night before she did the same for about an hour, but not as bad. Why is she doing this? How do I fix it? She is almost 1 and I would think she should be able to sleep through the night. She has done it before. What are some things you have done and tried? Fill me because I need some beauty rest!

Where is she?

Our little monster is very busy. She is almost one and very curious about everything. She loves the cabinets and to take things out and climb into them. The other day she was playing in the laundry room and Brian said she was in the dryer. I didn't believe him because I figured I would have heard a thunk. Sure enough, there she sat in the dryer happy as a clam. What fun she is! Oh, don't worry, I keep it shut now and put a lock on the "dangerous" cabinets.

Humility

We went to church on Saturday night and I was wearing jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops but I felt really good about myself thinking I looked cute. That is when it began. Rated as one of the most embarassing things. I took a step off the curb into a puddle where I slipped and fell right in it. In the parking lot of Fellowship Church I am sitting in a puddle. Mortified I jumped up soaked. We began to walk back to the car but I felt so bad for Abs to have ridden there and not to have gotten to play with friends. I sucked it up and went on in, soaked jeans in all and added mud for flavor. Funny thing is, I didn't really mind. I would have before but somehow after having a kid, things don't bother me like they use to. I guess mommy-hood gives us something that says, "Oh, well. It could be worse."

Chuck E Cheese

Today Brian's aunt called to see if Abbie and I wanted to meet her and her 2 granddaughters (Abbie's cousins) at Chuck E Cheese. I thought Abs wouldn't like it and that it would be too big for her. I was wrong. Abs had a blast. She loved the moving rides and sliding. She loved watching her cousins play the games. I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot more that McDonald's and it felt so much cleaner. We did the sketching booth and had our pic sketched and had about 3 pictures made with her and Chuck E in the car. It is so cute. Again, it wore her out and in about 3 minutes into our car ride home, she was out. What fun we had. I am wanting to go back soon!

Home Depot pt. 2

After yesterday's pitfall with Home Depot (mind you our floors would be done right now!), they worked it out. Turns out we need 15 more cases of tile. I think someone made a big boo-boo. Home Depot is footing the bill on the extra 15 cases though. Even though our floors aren't done today, they will be. To top it off, the extra tile costs over $400! Thank you God that in little inconviences you work out great things! Now the thing is, will it all be in and done by July 23, Abbie's birthday party? Sigh.

Don't Get Mad and Blog

Brian and I returned safely from vacation and we had a lovely time. It was just the right amount of time to be away and rest for a bit. It was great to see little girl too. I missed her and think she great an inch while we were gone. My husband begs to differ.
Have you ever been so excited about something? You make sure you do everything just right so that when the big day comes, you are ready? Brian and I did that with our floors. We have waited 2 years to get new floors, more from not being able to agree, but finally we had it all figured out. We moved all our furniture for the tile and the house became an instant wreck. We woke up excited and the installers show up, our anticipation building. This was the day for new floors. They walk in and look at our floors and very-matter-of-factly say they don't have enough tile to do the job. Our hearts sank. What?! With that, they are gone and who is this great company we ordered from? Well, I must say, Home Depot. Needless to say, Brian and I are outraged and disappointed. The installers had everything right. We were told 11 cases from the beginning. The installers think we need about 25! UGH! That is just a slight difference. How will Home Depot fix the problem they made? I don't know. So, with our house still in shambles because we don't know what to do, we wait for the problem to be solved. And if it can't (it's paid in full), we will just ask for money back and go to Lowe's!

Vacation

This Friday, Brian and I celebrate 5 years of marriage. Wow. So many yet doesn't seem like any! With that comes leaving our little monster behind. Not alone of course for family will be taking care of her. I am ok about leaving her but then I will get a little sad and teary. I packed her sweet little bag last night making sure I didn't miss a thing. Brian and I packed this morning as she crawled all over the suitcase. It is a little sad but I am very excited about getting away a bit and sleeping. Sleep late, go to bed late. Now, I will probably crash at the usual 9.30 or so and be up by 7. Oh well. Abs will be just fine while we are gone. I think it hurts my heart more than hers. I have managed to rationalize it though. Technically I will only not see her one day. We leave Thursday so I will see her in the morning and come home on Saturday so I will see her that night. Technically, I just have to make it through Friday. :)

I Surrender

I was working out this afternoon and was listening to Lincoln Brewster, a praise and worship leader. One song, Surrender, not like the old hymn, began to play and suddenly it was like God was saying to me to surrender my workouts to him. Seriously. I workout to excuse my unhealthy eating. God wants all of me. My eating, exercise, thought life, every part that makes me me. I had to question myself. Do I truly surrender? How I want to. Tears were in my eyes as I realized that I just need to do it all. Surrender.
Here is the first verse:
I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of you my king
I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights,
I'm giving up my pride, for the promise of new life
And I surrender, all to you, all to you
And I surrender, all to you, all to you

Decisions

There are some things that Brian and I have been talking about and one of those things are our dogs. I love them deeply but as most of you understand (Robin) they can become more of a pill than a joy. I am at that point. My dogs cling to me like static cling. They follow me constantly and are always in my face. It gets a bit tough when you are trying to take care of your child. Do we keep them both? Get rid of them? Get rid of one (Sydny)? The problem with Landry is that she won't like anyone else and probably bite their hands off the first chance she gets. Now don't I have people lining up to take her! Sydny is loving, kind, gentle, and great with children. Truly a great dog that has tons of energy and loves to play. What to do? Sometimes I think open the front door and other times I couldn't stand not having them in my face. I just don't think I could get rid of them to someone and not know that they are being spoiled rotten. Which is worse? Having them or worrying about how they are being treated? Any advice?

Can You Hear Me?

I have this sweet little girl who loves to scream. In the car especially and at home. She sometimes will scream in a restaurant. So you moms out there, how do you fix the problem? Let them? Spank hands or legs? Try to cover their mouth? She screams for fun and sometimes when we are mad but I don't know what I should be doing. HELP!

Convinced

I have this thought about God. I am praying for me to be able to stay home which means Brian would have to make more money. Duh. But then I look at our budget that we are suppose to follow and find we are doing lousy! Then I think, how hard would it be to have one salary. I guess it comes down to being faithful in the little things. That has been a heart felt prayer that Brian and I would learn the art of money management. We know what to do so I pray for self-discipline. Also, I have been thinking of volunteering and how that effects things and your walk with God. I mentioned this in an earlier blog so I am going to volunteer. Good for showing Abbie how to serve, good for my heart, and good for God's heart to reach his children. And, I have started my bible studies again. That has brought some fresh air my way. I am doing one called Having a Mary's Heart in a Martha's World. It is was written for me. The busy, type A personality, that is easily distracted from the one good thing. It has been so good to reread that passage in Luke and go deep into it and see what God needs to reteach and I need to "reget."
With all this come faithfulness of following God, loving him, and pleasing him. That is why we were created. For fellowship for God. He doesn't need us, he wants us. He wants me. I have been praying for God to do great things but what I am doing for him? The thought came to me this morning in my study, how can I have the audacity to sit and ask God for stuff and to do great things in my life when I am not doing for him. I am not talking about just any old thing for God to try to get in his good graces to get what I want, but to honestly serve and love the Lord my God. I am asking God to help me step outside of myself, to put on the full armor of God, and to serve him as he has shown me to serve. Will I get to stay home after this season of my life? I don't know and can't answer that. But one thing I do know, I will have a walk that is unbreakable, a marriage that is honorable, a daughter loving her Lord, and a fragrance that is indistinctly God's. Now that is something I can live with.

Surgery

My dad had surgery this morning and it only took an hour. He had a couple of hernias that needed to be taken care of. He is recovering and doing great and should go home tomorrow. Yeah God!

Playdates and Swimmers

Today we had a playdate and Abbie had a blast. Thanks to Beckie for having us over! She swam a lot and crawled all over the back patio playing. She got dirty and tried to eat rocks and grass. I did learn something about swimmers. They are used to hold, shall I say, poop and not pee. I did not know this new moms. I thought that by the magic of diapers, they somehow in the water would suck in the pee (but not pool water?) and keep a pool clean. Not so. Once the kid is out of the pool and on dry land, swimmers still don't hold pee. I have learned that as Abbie has crawled through the house leaving little marks behind her. New moms, don't depend on those swimmers to do all the dirty work, well, actually that is all they do!

Chick-fil-A

Tonight we had family night out at Chick-fil-A. When you buy a combo meal you get a free kid's meal on Tuesdays so I told Brian to do that so that Abbie would have something to eat plus this is her first kid's meal. She got the 4-pack nuggets and fries and she ate all the nuggets and a couple of fries. Now, she is 11 months old and put the chicken away. I was very impressed and wary of what our future holds. When we got ready to leave we pulled her high chair out and found tons of food on the floor. Make that 3 nuggets she ate.

A Beautiful Day

If you live here in Texas you know that summers are about as bearable as a skunk in your house but today was different. This morning it was cool and crisp so Abbie and I went to the park just after 7 (am that is!). We ate lunch outside on the backporch and then went downtown to the square and got ice cream then went across the street and ate on the grass under the trees. We strolled around in and out of the different little shops. By the way, our square is very nice and has come a long way. It was just a wonderful enjoyable day. I thank God that in the heat of the summer, a cool breeze was blowing to provide some relief. Huh, funny how life works that way too.

Selfishness

I think God puts each of us in different seasons to learn different things. Last year was not to gossip and effects of it. This past school year was learning to balance with a baby. And now? Selfishness. This is NOT something I prayed about but God is hammering it out in my life. I didn't realize how selfish I was until I had a kid. I would rather do "me" things instead of "her" things. I keep cooking or doing whatever with Abbie instead of getting up and greeting my husband when he comes home from work. I vacuum like my carpet is a rapidly growing weed that needs to be trimmed so that I can feel like my house is clean. I do little things that end up neglecting others. I watched a video from C3 with Erwin McManus as the speaker. He was speaking to church leaders but God used it to speak to my heart. In a nut shell: choose. Spirtual life comes down to choosing and everything branches off it. To choose or not? To turn to the left like the foolish or the right like the righteous. Everyday I have a choice. To live outside of myself or not. So, with another teaching, I am going to bust this rut! I am going to volunteer at church and begin to be uncomfortably comfortable. Baby steps of course. It is time for me to JUST DO SOMETHING and see what God leads me to do. After all, my purpose is to serve a living God and I can't set an example for Abbie if I am not doing myself. Ouch. That is big. When I stand before God, I want to know that he pleased with me and what I did. That I can say yes, I did something outside of myself. So, with this, my self is dying (a moment by moment battle). And you know what, it's ok. Because I am free to live in the spirit.

McDonald's

Today I met Beckie and her kiddos at McDonald's. Abbie has eaten the food but never been inside. It was a first. We managed to eat since it was so exciting to see everything. She loved watching all the kids play and they have a little area for little kids under 3. She played over there for a while too. When I would pick her up she would squirm and fuss to get back down. We were there for 1 1/2 hours. We got home and took a bath in the sink (ew! I tried to over look the germ infested area!) and then she began to fuss. She was already ready for a nap! She had only been up for 2 1/2 hours! Needless to say, we will go to McDonald's every day!! :)

Little Monkey

I have a little monkey. She loves to climb on everything. I always think of Reese when Abbie is climbing. She uses me to climb up on the chair to play. I just caught her climbing on top of the bucket with dog toys on her way up to the firplace. Yikes! She loves to be busy and check everything out. It is so neat to see what she finds interesting and how it can entertain her for a couple of minutes such as banging on the dryer and hearing the echoing sound. What a fun age!

Father's Day

We are celebrating our first Father's Day and it has turned out to be nice. Brian's parent, my parents, Abbie, and I bought Brian an X-Box 360 for Father's Day. He is in love! I don't think he expected it. We went out last night as a family to Mi Cocina in Las Colinas. We sat outside and it was just a wonderful pleasant evening and we had a great time out. Today we went out with my parents to Pei Wei, one of Brian's favorites as well as my dads.
This year for our father's I made a book for them written by Abbie. I took them to Kinko's and had them print them out and bind them. They are very cute. On top of it, pictures of Abbie and Starbucks gift cards. You can't go wrong there.
Hope all you other dads are having a fab day! Enjoy.

Losing Track

Being home I am certainly losing track of time. I can't believe I have been out for 3 weeks and I wonder: What I have done? It seems like laundry is never caught up, house gets messy and needs straightening, errands to run, baby to look after and play with. I am seeing another side to stay at home moms and kudos to you especially since most of you have more than 1 kiddo. I love every minute of being home and doing these things. I will greatly miss playing with her during the day and running errands and having anything I want for lunch. I still have projects to work on around the house and lots more time with Abbie. On the agenda this week: begin planning her 1st birthday party.

Tender Moment

Today I sat down on the kitchen floor with Abbie and we ate animal crackers together. It was a thought of, Wow, I always have wanted to do this. Not necessarily with the dogs too, drooling on me as well. But it was a moment of bonding and just plain coolness that I was grateful that my little one knows how to eat solid food. I think I ate more than her though.

Flooring

We are FINALLY getting new floors. I am so excited. As much fun as my white linoleum with country blue and mauve hearts is, it is time to say good-bye! I have noticed it is so ugly that no one sells it. Must have been on close out when they bought it.
We are getting tile for sure. Maybe laminate floors. I think that will be way too expensive. But my husband is always telling me, When you sell you usually get 80% back. My repsonse, what if we don't? This a huge investment because I know it won't be cheap. We have waited over a year to do this though. When are they coming? I don't know. Hopefully the beginning of July!

Conference

This Saturday I am speaking at a conference and I am beginning to get a bit nervous about it. I will be speaking to girls going into and who are in college and how to fit God in college life. I am discussing schedules, friends, dating, tithing, goal setting, expectations, and such. I think it will be fun but again, nervous about it.
A friend I work with is an ordained minister and her husband and her travel and speak. She is putting the conference together and I casually mentioned being a break-out seminar speaker. And here I am now! I think it will be fun. I do miss speaking and teaching and interacting that way. This may just be what I need to refuel the passion and calling God had spoken over me so long ago. I look forward to what God is going to do. So if you get a chance, pray for God to work in the lives of these young youth and college girls. That they will be open to hear truth, that truth is spoken, that the devil will not have a foothold, and that this generation of believers will rise up and be strong leaders for generations to come. May God do amazing things in the heart of His children!

Play Date

Today is Abbie's first official play date. I have a friend coming with her three daughters (and another girl on the way!) Her girls are 2,1, and 8 months! Should be intersting. In fact, the two oldest are about to have birthdays! I am going to cook lunch for everyone. Hope I have enough food. I think Abbie will enjoy playing with other kids. She loves to look at kids. Hope she enjoys them being in her house playing with her toys! I have a few toys I am going to put away. I have done a lot of reading out of my Parents magazine about playdates. Let's see if any of their advice works. For those who live around here (Robin), I am ready to get together with you and your kiddos. I am also ready for Becky to get back (who is traveling Italy for 10 days) to play.

Questions

Ok Moms. I need some help. I have questions that need to be answered. Here we go.
1) When do you take away the pacifier?
2) What time should they REALLY go to bed? When they are tired? Make them even if they aren't ready?
3) When do you get them to 1 nap a day?
4) When do you drop the bottle?

How did you do these things? I want to make sure she's not 3 with a pacifier in her mouth and waving her bottle in her hand still on formula :)

Little Coughs

Abbie woke up a bit congested this morning and it has continued through the day. We gave her some Pediacare and that is breaking it up but her poor cough sounds so gross and painful. Needless to say, we did not go to church because she is not herself and parents and workers would give us the dirty eye after we dropped her off. Going to sleep though worries me because I am afraid something will happen to her during the night. Is this normal as a mom to think that way and be afraid? I prayed for God to attend to my little girl and to keep her in his care and for me to have peace about it. After all, what can I do? Is there a time as a mom (and dad) that you don't worry about something. Whether it be near or in the future? Oy! Speaking of coughs, I hear her now. Poor baby. I hope we both get some sleep tonight.

Swimming

Today I took Abbie swimming for the first time and I really think she liked it. She enjoyed sitting in her froggy and kicking her feet. We played in the baby pool and the big pool a bit. She tried drinking the water and was successful until she choked on it. She's ok. Enjoy the pictures of her first swim day.

Being Home

I am getting to see what it is like to be a stay-at-home mom. Boy, it sure is busy stuff. Abbie is constantly on the move and seems like she always needs something or I forget something for her. She is teething and her two top teeth are coming in at the same time and are a bit swollen and the past couple of days she has been a bit cranky. Always fun. I have been giving her meds and teething tablets waiting for them to cut on through. I have thoroughly cleaned my house already including the guest closet. Ooohhh, I hear thunder! Sidetrack...I have the study closet to hit next. Guess I should pace myself since I will be here for a couple of months. I am hoping that by the power of the LORD that I might be able to stay home from here on out...who knows what he has planned? I have been praying God's word out of Jeremiah. He has a plan. For me. Just me. And with that comes a plan to prosper me, not to harm. To give me a hope and a future. Resting in his word is such a delight. I hope to just write his word upon my heart and to pray his promises. He is faithful.

Done

I am done! I have finished school for the summer and am out! I am so excited. Tomorrow is Abbie's dedication at church. I am excited about that and realizing the importance of it and the committment that we are making as a family to keep God the center and focus of our family.

The blog title is mom-in-training and I have learned a lot the past 10 months. I sure don't know it all. I do know that balancing work and home life is a challenge and daily struggle. One or the other got ignored and work was usually it. I look back at my school year and wonder had I spent more time working with kids, or more time tutoring, or more time on planning, would my kids have been more successful? Is success passing the TAKS or 4th grade? I had no one fail any subject on their final grade. Is that success? With this year behind me as a new mom I can look forward to the next year and change things I did not like, find an area to work hard on and excel. Until the LORD lets me stay at home, I need to focus my work on him and his desire and standards of success. Until it is time to think about that, I will enjoy a break, find sanity, hang with Abbie, and just fall in love with the maker of the universe. Praise you LORD for the blessings that abound me daily.

5 Days

I have only 5 school days left. THANK YOU! Then I get to be with my sweet Abbie. Then I will blog more faithfully of course! I think she finally just crawled out of the laundry room where she has been the past 10 minutes just mesmerized. It's the little things that count.

24 lovers: Um, TIVO dumped our episodes! We lost the last two weeks. I now have something bad to say about TIVO. Not JoJo's Circus where we have 40 episodes. Just my 2. Gone. Forever. Deleted. Oh, well. Glad they recap in the beginning of each show!


To me, Happy Last Week of School!!

Catching Up

If you don't watch Young and the Restless, you are missing out on greatness. I got hooked on maternity leave and still TIVo it. I have to watch it or else I might miss something. For Theresa: OH MY! What about Lilly and her dad? Nick calling Sharon out? Nikki getting shot? Victor trying to take things over? Brad: I think he's shady!

Other than Y&R, there is a lot going on. We have 3 weeks left of school and I am grateful for that. I am ready to be done and be home with Abbie. Her little tooth is coming in more and more and I think the one beside it is on its way. She is beginning to sit down a bit more gently now after standing. She pulls up in her crib and when you go to get her in the morning, she is just holding on and bouncing and talking. She is truly a happy child. Smiles in the morning and ready for the day ahead. We have a prayer we pray when I get her that I made up:
Thank you Jesus for today,
Thank you for the sun that's on its way,
Thank you for a good night's rest,
May my day ahead be blessed. Amen.

Brian's company has hit profitability for 3 months now. That is just great news. I hope that in the future, this pays off to get me home. I pray that God has heard my daily cry for him to work this out and for me to be home. I pray that this is his way of doing it and that I remain faithful where I am to be able to lead me to where he wants me to be.


Another TV side note, anyone watch 24? Only 4 episodes left and it so fabulous!

That Long?

I can't believe it has been that long! I have been so busy with life and my selfishness that I forgot to let the world in. Abbie is crawling like crazy, cutting one tooth, another coming, pulling up, laughing, playing, and having such a great time. I love that kiddo. I am still counting school days-18 if you must know. I am still doing my abs and weights and walking. I picked up Walking with Weights again and am hoping to get rid of the underarm wave if you know what I mean.
My battery is running out so I gotta jet. More to come soon.

Ouch

My trainer had to postpone and ended up coming up to school to go over some stuff with. Boy, she makes it look easy! She is very toned and should be...she does this all the time. She put together a program for me mainly my abs, arms, and thighs. And ouch! I can only get through the program once without dying! I hope to be able to get through the program twice some day.
I also have begun to run. A little bit. More walk/run. I am trying though. I hope to get up to being able to run 3 miles some day. I think I want to begin to run little 5K's or something someday.
I will keep you posted on this new endeavor.

Ouch

My trainer had to postpone and ended up coming up to school to go over some stuff with. Boy, she makes it look easy! She is very toned and should be...she does this all the time. She put together a program for me mainly my abs, arms, and thighs. And ouch! I can only get through the program once without dying! I hope to be able to get through the program twice some day.
I also have begun to run. A little bit. More walk/run. I am trying though. I hope to get up to being able to run 3 miles some day. I think I want to begin to run little 5K's or something someday.
I will keep you posted on this new endeavor.

Getting Personal

I am going to get personal with you and tell you something. I have a personal trainer coming this weekend. My husband's response: how much? She is the parent of one of my students and I was asking her a couple of questions about how to work out different parts. She said she wanted to come over and show me personally. I am actually excited about it. My own trainer. Even if it is for just one day.

Preparations

We are getting ready for the big event. Getting things cleaned, organized, and moved. Crawling. It's coming, I just know it. We have rearranged our furniture to eliminate lots of free crawling room (try to contain her). Brian is currently child proofing by covering the light sockets and putting locks on the kitchen cabinets.
For you parents: did you baby proof all your cabinets in the kitchen or just under the sink where the cleaning stuff is?
Today we get ready for her. Now, we just wait.

Losing It

A long time back I began to blog about weight loss after a baby. One side note before I begin: when I was pregnant, I was told to eat all the time. I don't hear that anymore. Ok. Back to weight loss. I joined a group of Biggest Losers at school and over 10 weeks lost 9.5 pounds and since then, have lost more. I will tell you what has helped the most. I do a daily log on Sparkpeople of my food and it keeps track of my calories and my calories burned in working out. Plus you can set tons of goals etc on it. Another thing is working out. Yes, what they say is true. My biggest help has been Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansome. She is a christian lady who does walking videos. Pop in the video and walk in your own home. Plus she does some upper body work too. All in one in 15 minutes!
If you are trying to be healthy, these two things have been a huge part. Another, has been prayer that I could have some self-control when it comes to food and not letting it control me. I have added another prayer and that is a super-natural change of my tastebuds to like veggies and eat more of them and to not enjoy the fast-food, fried food type of life style I enjoy. With healthy eating (staying within my alloted calories) and exercise, it works!!

Table Cover

As I have mentioned, Abbie is beginning to rock which means crawling is coming. I know she will begin to pull up on stuff including the coffee table. That will lead to her banging, drooling, and throwing things on it. I created a table cover to prevent that. I bought one of the flannel backed table covers (used for outdoors), cut it in half and sewed it together. Then I bought this really cute yellow print fabric with bugs on it and sewed it over the table cover and added little ties on the corners to tie it around the legs. Now she will be able to bang and nothing gets messed up and we can take it off when company comes. I like the idea!

Sad Times

I am entering a time of sadness. Spring break is over and I have to go back to work. I thought that being home with Abbie would be fun then I would get bored and like to go back to work. Nope. I have just loved being home with her. I say it all the time, but she is just so much fun! She is beginning to push up and rock on her hands and knees. I think crawling is coming soon.
So, to you stay at home moms, praise God daily that you get to see it all. Every smile, every tear, every temper-tantrum-calgon-take-me-away-I-want-to-go-back-to-work moment is so worth it.
I need to find the blessing in that I have 10 weeks left till summer!!

Good Girl

Today we went to Freebirds in Addison to eat and then over to the Uptown area to look around. Our little Abbie did such a fantastic job. She ate her lunch when we did, took a brief nap in the car, and hung out in her stroller as we walked around the uptown area and shopped. She laughed, looked around, and never once got fussy. She is such a good baby. She is easy to take care of and I don't have to worry too much about going out in public with her. If she does begin to fret, she is easy to calm down (or distract). We have been completely blessed with her. God answered my prayer before she was born: allow us to have a content baby. Thank you God for answering my prayer.

What We Do

As parents we do things to our children that we think are so cute but one day, your child will grow up, look at the picture and ask you, "Why?" Stay with me here. I am working on some sewing stuff and I took a piece of material and tied it around her head as she was playing with her wooden spoon. She was none other than Rambo. Well, she kinda looked like Aunt Jemima too. You take your pick. I thought it was cute and took a picture of her and laughed and laughed. I think one day I will get the why question from her. My repsonse, "You just looked so cute!"

Abacus

Brian has been working a lot at work and his boss noticed that. He told Brian to take me out on a date and he would pay for it. OK. His boss recommended we go to Abacus in Dallas. So, off we went and since his boss was paying I thought I would try some new things.
First off, I am a hot dogs and spaghetti kind of girl and don't like anything new or any of my food touching. I went out on a limb and tried a lobster shooter. Of course, I will exaggerate but, that was the biggest piece of lobster I have ever had to chew. I took a bite of my husbands buffalo. Yes, I thought they were endangered or something, but apparently not. I ordered some Australian fish. It was ok. I just kept telling myself it was healthy and had Omega-3 and -6 in it. To top it off, the mashed potatoes were wonderful. To my surprise, they turned out to be purity cauliflower. I am shocked too.
This was a night of firsts and lasts. Next time, I will stick with wontons and order a salad to go with it.
If you are looking for a great date night though, I can't completely knock Abacus. It has a pleasant atmosphere and the waiters are really nice and don't make you feel dumb for not knowing what half the stuff is. (ps. shortbreads aren't bread at all...pancreas! ewwwww!)
Go, have fun, and enjoy!

Shiny White

Little monster is getting a tooth. Well, I don't actually know how long it takes to "get" the tooth, but there is a shiny, little white dot beginning to show through. It's on top and cute. I am going to miss her little gummy smile though because she flashes us the biggest, cutest, grins you can imagine. Oh, what a joy she is!

Balanced Literacy

I went to a conference today and an Aussie taught it (ahhh...Australia!) It was pretty good. His whole thing was over guided reading, which I already do, but not good enough. He focused on the different types of learning for a student and how you have to meet the student where they are, then move them up. You have to develop strategies that work for them, don't fit the kid into a strategy that does not work. You need to set expectations that are high, but obtainable. It made me think-I need to focus on asking more questions, getting my students to think, process, and learn for themselves. I hope to get that going by next week.

Computer Genius

My daughter is a computer genius. She knows how to type (baby language of course). She knows how to open files and programs. I am not sure though if Brian would agree since I let her use the laptop for whatever reason she desires. He might not like it if she does something that can't be fixed. Until the computer breaks, I will continue to let her pound on the keys and open programs. Who knows, I might have the next Bill Gates in training!

Enjoyment

I never knew the joy that a kid can bring to your life and that is exactly what Abbie has done for me. She is just growing and growing (in a size 12 month pajamas for length!). She smiles and laughs and loves to play. She rolls over both ways and is beginning to try to push up a bit so crawling is in the near future! Brian and her play a lot too! He holds her facing out and chases the dogs and she just laughs and laughs. She loves her two puppies. She is a delight in every sense of the word. I pray daily over her that God will protect her and that she will come to know the Lord and not stray from the path. I pray that God keeps her all the days of her life. I pray for Brian and I to be an example where God is modeled and where we raise her by the principles God has laid out. With all this enjoyment comes responsibility and each day is a learning experience. I thank God for giving me such a wonderful gift to take care of. May it be to his glory!

New Trick

Abbie can now do zurbuts(sp?) with her mouth. It is very cute and slobbery. I am sure I won't think it's cute when she is eating and doing it.

Peek-a-boo

Little Abs is learning peek-a-boo. Tonight Brian had the burp rag over her face (in a good way) and played the game we all know and love, "Where is Abbie?" Take the rag away and say, "There she is!" She would smile real big and we would play again. She would pick up the rag and hold it in front her face then pull it down. Now, whether or not she knew what she was doing, it was super cute. For the record-I think she knew exactly what she was doing!

She'll Be Coming Around the Mountain

Well, she did it. Again. Now she is rolling from front to back!! I can't believe it. Within a week she is doing both and sitting up even better. Today we went to the park for the first time to swing. She was very cute in the little bucket swing. She kept looking at the kids playing. Too cute! My little girl is just too cute and gets cuter by the day.
Today was also my evaluation at school. I don't know how I did yet. I was a bit worried and nervous as one can expect when your boss is watching you. I should know something tomorrow.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

She did it. She finally rolled over and I got the last part of it on tape. This lovely event occured on Thursday, February 2 in the evening. She rolls over all the time now. It is so cute how she just flops herself over and poof! There she is on her tummy. Here's the kicker-she doesn't know how to get back over and gets a bit mad after a bit that she can't get on her back. She will get there. To top that off, she is beginning to sit up by herself! She needs some support but is doing a great job. Wow, what a lot to do in just 6 months. Busy little thing.

Rollergirls

Have you seen it? It is about roller derby and follows some girls that are well, rough looking. They have names that I can't write and they are very competitive. It comes on Monday nights on A&E. You should check it out. Me? Oh, I am not the one in the house that watches it.

Missing Abbie

Well, working has caught up with me. I officially don't like it. I miss Abbie. She is at such a fun stage in life where she is discovering so much. She loves to people watch and play!She is just so fun and I am missing out...or so I feel. She smiles all the time and slips a giggle every now and then. I want to see it all! Am I being selfish??

Rain

I am over joyed by the rain. It is such a beautiful thing! Even if my backyard has puddles that will turn into mud which dogs will run through and track into the house. I did learn something though about the rain today.
Yourself, baby, rain, groceries. They don't mix.

I had this blog

I had this blog. I had it posted. Then I took it off. My husband told me that if someone from school read it that I could get fired. YIKES! Has freedom of speech come to this? Where I write in my free time what I am thinking and could have consequences for it? Do you think it's fair to blog and to write what you think (without discrediting others, businesses, companies, etc) and be fired?

Daddy Congrats

First off, I love the responses to the thoughts about the two types of churches. Much to think about.

This is for Brian. Yesterday I was blessed with illness. One way, a blessing: I had the day off so I did not miss any pay. Another way: Brian was off.

Brian took care of Abbie all day long. He fed her breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and all the bottles in between. He played with her, put her down for naps, and changed her diapers. He did it all. On top of it, he did laundry, and would take a peek at me every now and then for I slept most of the day (or so it felt).

To you dear, thanks so much for being a great husband to me and a wonderful daddy to Abbie. I know she enjoyed hanging out with you yesterday.

School Of Thought

I think there might be two schools of thought when it comes to churches. Is the church seeker driven or not?
I had dinner with my friend and we were talking about churches. One idea is a church is seeker driven. This is where the church will "perform" to get non-believers to come. Then, the individual will have to plug in. I asked if she thought that a church could compromise themselves with this, and she says yes.
I told my husband about it and his idea was the other church would focus on the christian and be non-evangelical or more commonly, the "holy huddle."
Are there benefits to both? I think so. Are there downfalls for both? I think so. With that, how do you choose which type of church to choose?

Weight Loss

I have been introduced to a new site for weight loss. It is called Spark People. It is very user friendly. It keeps track of what you eat, what you weigh, how much you work out and what you burn. You just plug in the info. If you need help coming up with exercise, weight lifting, or eating ideas, just click on a tab and there are many things to choose from. I think you should check it out!

Again

We have (had) another ear infection in the same ear. I noticed she was kind of putting her hand up to her left ear. Now, being 5 months, our coordination was not all there so she actually put her hand behind the ear. I got the point just the same. Sure enough: ear infection. Right ear. Again. For some reason though she was pulling on her left. She is on antibiotics. We are doing a different one since the last made her throw up daily. That was fun. So far, this new medicine works much better.
She is just too cute and getting cuter. Tonight, I got her to laugh real good. So I kept calling family so she could laugh for them. No one picked up except my husband at work. We left messages for the others.
She is an active baby and enjoys playing in her exersaucer, jumper, or hanging out on her play gym. She still has not rolled over (getting concerned). She rolled over on Sunday and Monday night in her sleep. And, last night she finally slept through the night again. It was lovely! Thanks Abbie. :0
What a fun time in life!