The perfect kind of summer Saturday morning...

for me, anyway. Can y'all believe how pleasant the weather has been lately? I can't remember another July where I have truly wanted to be outdoors...

This morning, as soon as Addison woke up and had her bottle, we loaded the car and went out for breakfast at one of our favorite local places, Henpeck Market. We enjoyed a good country breakfast, and I savored what I consider to be their specialty, a blueberry scone! We chatted with some of the regulars and Addison tried to charm everyone while eating her cereal.
From there, we drove to the Factory in Franklin and gathered some fresh goods--Williamson County homegrown. I've never been much of a Farmer's Market fanatic until this summer, but I've been craving fresh summer squash and zucchini, tomatoes, berries, and herbs and spices, and it feels so much more fun and authentic to purchase them from neighboring vendors. Both my hairstylist and a Bunco friend have booths there, and I like to buy from them. Plus, you never know who you are going to run into!We love getting a good Cup of Joe from the Frisky Berry and meandering through the booths. We strolled through, took inventory, enjoyed our coffee beverages, and then went back to select our purchases. I didn't need many veggies this week thanks to Kelly stocking me up with produce from her garden, so this is what we came away with today: Looks like Blackberry Cobbler is going to be on the menu tonight! We're also trying out some local honey for the first time--Patrick is convinced that the one teaspoon he tried is going to clear up his allergies! HA! Enjoy your beautiful Saturdays.

for me, anyway. Can y'all believe how pleasant the weather has been lately? I can't remember another July where I have truly wanted to be outdoors...

This morning, as soon as Addison woke up and had her bottle, we loaded the car and went out for breakfast at one of our favorite local places, Henpeck Market. We enjoyed a good country breakfast, and I savored what I consider to be their specialty, a blueberry scone! We chatted with some of the regulars and Addison tried to charm everyone while eating her cereal.
From there, we drove to the Factory in Franklin and gathered some fresh goods--Williamson County homegrown. I've never been much of a Farmer's Market fanatic until this summer, but I've been craving fresh summer squash and zucchini, tomatoes, berries, and herbs and spices, and it feels so much more fun and authentic to purchase them from neighboring vendors. Both my hairstylist and a Bunco friend have booths there, and I like to buy from them. Plus, you never know who you are going to run into!We love getting a good Cup of Joe from the Frisky Berry and meandering through the booths. We strolled through, took inventory, enjoyed our coffee beverages, and then went back to select our purchases. I didn't need many veggies this week thanks to Kelly stocking me up with produce from her garden, so this is what we came away with today: Looks like Blackberry Cobbler is going to be on the menu tonight! We're also trying out some local honey for the first time--Patrick is convinced that the one teaspoon he tried is going to clear up his allergies! HA! Enjoy your beautiful Saturdays.

What's for dinner?

We love Friday Night pizza night--whether it is going out for pizza with friends, ordering in, or making our own. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Mindy made us a loaded potato pizza for lunch, and I tried it out tonight. Here is a picture:Ingredients:
1 pizza crust (use either a Pillsbury can dough or make your own)
2 potatoes
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese
7-8 slices bacon

Directions: Mix melted butter with sour cream and coat the pizza dough. Bake at dough temperature (~400) for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon, and microwave potatoes for 10-12 minutes. Chop potatoes into bite size pieces and spread on partially cooked dough. (Salt and pepper to taste.) Cover potato pieces with cheddar chesse and crumbled bacon. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with ranch dipping sauce! Enjoy!

We love Friday Night pizza night--whether it is going out for pizza with friends, ordering in, or making our own. Like I mentioned in my previous post, Mindy made us a loaded potato pizza for lunch, and I tried it out tonight. Here is a picture:Ingredients:
1 pizza crust (use either a Pillsbury can dough or make your own)
2 potatoes
1 stick butter (melted)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups cheddar cheese
7-8 slices bacon

Directions: Mix melted butter with sour cream and coat the pizza dough. Bake at dough temperature (~400) for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook bacon, and microwave potatoes for 10-12 minutes. Chop potatoes into bite size pieces and spread on partially cooked dough. (Salt and pepper to taste.) Cover potato pieces with cheddar chesse and crumbled bacon. Bake for 10 minutes. Serve with ranch dipping sauce! Enjoy!

Daytrippin'

Yesterday, I traveled with some of my lifelong girlfriends to see Mindy and her boys in Kentucky. Austin is 3, and Peyton was born at the end of April. We needed to meet the little man and see our dear friend, so we headed northwest for the day.

She welcomed us with homemade pizza and greek salad. Her homemade pizza was to die for--stuffed crust pepperoni and LOADED POTATO pizza. Have you ever heard of the like? It was to die for, and I'm planning to make one for Patrick this weekend, so I'll try to post pics and the recipe.

Anyway, we enjoyed our day trip with full conversation, lots of laughter, and celebration. Our friendship has evolved in such unique ways over the years, and I'm just as refeshed and inspired by this group of women as ever. There's something about having a history with friends, and the safety you feel with a group who knows your good, bad, and ugly and loves you regardless. Here's a picture of the gang below: Kelly, Austin, Andrea (pregnant with baby Knox), Mindy, Lia (pregnant with Reese and Rylee (sp?)), Peyton, me, Addison.

Yesterday, I traveled with some of my lifelong girlfriends to see Mindy and her boys in Kentucky. Austin is 3, and Peyton was born at the end of April. We needed to meet the little man and see our dear friend, so we headed northwest for the day.

She welcomed us with homemade pizza and greek salad. Her homemade pizza was to die for--stuffed crust pepperoni and LOADED POTATO pizza. Have you ever heard of the like? It was to die for, and I'm planning to make one for Patrick this weekend, so I'll try to post pics and the recipe.

Anyway, we enjoyed our day trip with full conversation, lots of laughter, and celebration. Our friendship has evolved in such unique ways over the years, and I'm just as refeshed and inspired by this group of women as ever. There's something about having a history with friends, and the safety you feel with a group who knows your good, bad, and ugly and loves you regardless. Here's a picture of the gang below: Kelly, Austin, Andrea (pregnant with baby Knox), Mindy, Lia (pregnant with Reese and Rylee (sp?)), Peyton, me, Addison.

Take your BEAR to lunch day...

It's something Lindsay and I do each summer to rescue Dad from the office for a little bit and to pay our sweet dad back for all the times he came to eat lunch with us at school when we were growing up. Now, we take our girls with us.

We began our morning at the library like we did last week, and the girls were raring to go once we got to Bear's office. We had fun at Chili's!A couple of days ago I tried to set Addison in the boppy for her "I am 9-month-old" picture, and I wasn't so successful. She was totally playing me, and would smile as she looked AWAY from the camera. While this picture isn't great, it serves its purpose for me in keeping up with her growth. Anyway, she's doing all the 9-month things, and her dr's appointment a couple of weeks ago confirmed what we already knew--she's a long and lean little girl. We're still waiting on teeth and that silly tear duct to clear itself up, but all-in-all she is growing into a healthy, happy little person.



























Lastly, we had a fun weekend getting together with friends and family, and we took a few pictures. I like this one.
In other news, AP scores have been mailed out, and I am anxiously awaiting reports from my first batch of AP kiddos. So far, so good! I've hardly thought about school and work this summer, but this anticipation has begun the stirrings of excitement for a new school year. Don't get me wrong, though, I fully plan to soak up these last few weeks of summer!

{Afterthought EDIT: In rereading this post, I realized I had some follow-ups to include. Remember Thursday's Project? Well, the dress in the 9-month photos is the finished product of that. And, we dressed our girls in matching pillowcase dresses that I made from that leftover fabric for "Take your Bear to lunch day." It may seem silly, but those are some of my big summer accomplishments.}

It's something Lindsay and I do each summer to rescue Dad from the office for a little bit and to pay our sweet dad back for all the times he came to eat lunch with us at school when we were growing up. Now, we take our girls with us.

We began our morning at the library like we did last week, and the girls were raring to go once we got to Bear's office. We had fun at Chili's!A couple of days ago I tried to set Addison in the boppy for her "I am 9-month-old" picture, and I wasn't so successful. She was totally playing me, and would smile as she looked AWAY from the camera. While this picture isn't great, it serves its purpose for me in keeping up with her growth. Anyway, she's doing all the 9-month things, and her dr's appointment a couple of weeks ago confirmed what we already knew--she's a long and lean little girl. We're still waiting on teeth and that silly tear duct to clear itself up, but all-in-all she is growing into a healthy, happy little person.



























Lastly, we had a fun weekend getting together with friends and family, and we took a few pictures. I like this one.
In other news, AP scores have been mailed out, and I am anxiously awaiting reports from my first batch of AP kiddos. So far, so good! I've hardly thought about school and work this summer, but this anticipation has begun the stirrings of excitement for a new school year. Don't get me wrong, though, I fully plan to soak up these last few weeks of summer!

{Afterthought EDIT: In rereading this post, I realized I had some follow-ups to include. Remember Thursday's Project? Well, the dress in the 9-month photos is the finished product of that. And, we dressed our girls in matching pillowcase dresses that I made from that leftover fabric for "Take your Bear to lunch day." It may seem silly, but those are some of my big summer accomplishments.}

Things that I am currently SO OVER

I'm a bit BLAH today... and maybe a little bit hormonally charged too, but seriously?

1. Facebook Status Whores--the people who change their facebook status every 3 hours and flood our homepages with their idle occurrences... What's next? Will you tell us the next time you feel the urge to go to the bathroom? {Come on, you know you feel me on this one...? I could almost write a separate post about it and ask everybody to submit the most obnoxious facebook status you've ever read... My anti-favorite is "So-and-so is sick of backstabbing jerks. Y'all know who y'all are." SERIOUSLY? What is yours?}

2. IKEs--you know the, "I KNOW EVERYTHING" types. They come in all forms, but I am especially annoyed by the "young mommy" IKEs. There's not a manual, people. Every child is different. Every parent is different. We're all just doing the best we can. I ask for help and advice any time I can--from my pediatrician, my mother and sister, my closest girlfriends, and mothers I respect, but don't give *me* condescending, unsolicited advice and act like you are the one who invented it. There's nothing new under the sun, girlfriend! {On the flip side, I am always so inspired by the refreshing humility that some of my mommy friends possess, the kind of humility that reflects a prayerful, searching spirit.}

3. MJ and Steve McNair being immoralized in their tragic deaths--dare I say it? Don't get me wrong, I boo-hooed during MJ's memorial service, have listened to his #1's album repeatedly, and am choosing to try to believe the best of him; McNair's tragedy put a sad damper on our 4th of July party. I hurt for the families, mourn their untimely deaths, but I also recognize their humanity, and I wish the media would let them rest in peace.

4. How FAST time goes by--I've been over this since I was a little girl, praying to Jesus every night for time to go slow so that I could be a little girl forever. Now, as a mommy to a little girl, I find myself saying that same prayer...

5. Missed opportunities--there's a separate post coming about this, but it's something that's been on my mind a lot lately.

I'm a bit BLAH today... and maybe a little bit hormonally charged too, but seriously?

1. Facebook Status Whores--the people who change their facebook status every 3 hours and flood our homepages with their idle occurrences... What's next? Will you tell us the next time you feel the urge to go to the bathroom? {Come on, you know you feel me on this one...? I could almost write a separate post about it and ask everybody to submit the most obnoxious facebook status you've ever read... My anti-favorite is "So-and-so is sick of backstabbing jerks. Y'all know who y'all are." SERIOUSLY? What is yours?}

2. IKEs--you know the, "I KNOW EVERYTHING" types. They come in all forms, but I am especially annoyed by the "young mommy" IKEs. There's not a manual, people. Every child is different. Every parent is different. We're all just doing the best we can. I ask for help and advice any time I can--from my pediatrician, my mother and sister, my closest girlfriends, and mothers I respect, but don't give *me* condescending, unsolicited advice and act like you are the one who invented it. There's nothing new under the sun, girlfriend! {On the flip side, I am always so inspired by the refreshing humility that some of my mommy friends possess, the kind of humility that reflects a prayerful, searching spirit.}

3. MJ and Steve McNair being immoralized in their tragic deaths--dare I say it? Don't get me wrong, I boo-hooed during MJ's memorial service, have listened to his #1's album repeatedly, and am choosing to try to believe the best of him; McNair's tragedy put a sad damper on our 4th of July party. I hurt for the families, mourn their untimely deaths, but I also recognize their humanity, and I wish the media would let them rest in peace.

4. How FAST time goes by--I've been over this since I was a little girl, praying to Jesus every night for time to go slow so that I could be a little girl forever. Now, as a mommy to a little girl, I find myself saying that same prayer...

5. Missed opportunities--there's a separate post coming about this, but it's something that's been on my mind a lot lately.

Nursery Woes

Separation Anxiety is a beast, don't ya think? I know some kids get it worse than others, for some it lasts longer that others, but to whatever degree it exists, it is a rough rite of passage.

Addison, for the most part, has been so laid back during the first months of her life--smiling at everyone, going to anyone, but this summer, it has been a bit of a different story. With me being home, she has become quite the Mama's girl; as constant companions, we are mutually attached to each other. For awhile there, I didn't know if she'd ever like the nursery, if she'd ever NOT scream the entire time I "abandoned" her there. And that makes Sundays HARD.

Sundays have been hard since I was in college. Then, they were my homesick days. After I graduated and was in full-time ministry, they were my longest work days. Then I married a youth minister, and they were HIS longest work days. Now, I have a baby, and the timing thing makes it difficult.

First it was nursing. We'd try timing my mornings so we could make it through service, but then I'd have to nurse the first part of class... or visa versa... or we'd just not go to avoid the hassle of it all... It stressed me out.

Now it's morning naps--She's wakes up, take a bottle, eats cereal 45 minutes-1 hour later, and then takes her morning nap an hour later. If we go to early church, that puts nap time right at class time. If we go to late church, we end up skipping class so she can get her nap in. We've tried both ways.

Throw in some separation/exhaustion induced screaming, and sometimes you begin to wonder if it is even worth it?

Thankfully, last Sunday, we had our first completely successful experience. For one thing, she has moved up to the 9-12 month class that some friends of mine teach. They are calming, and they put her at ease. That put ME at ease, and I was actually able to participate and glean some spiritual encouragement from our adult class.

The first time someone tried to put her in a bucket seat to sing songs and pat the Bible, you'd have though that all Hell had broken loose. Last Sunday she clapped and sang along with them. It was such a relief, but who knows what next time will bring. We'll just take it week by week!

Separation Anxiety is a beast, don't ya think? I know some kids get it worse than others, for some it lasts longer that others, but to whatever degree it exists, it is a rough rite of passage.

Addison, for the most part, has been so laid back during the first months of her life--smiling at everyone, going to anyone, but this summer, it has been a bit of a different story. With me being home, she has become quite the Mama's girl; as constant companions, we are mutually attached to each other. For awhile there, I didn't know if she'd ever like the nursery, if she'd ever NOT scream the entire time I "abandoned" her there. And that makes Sundays HARD.

Sundays have been hard since I was in college. Then, they were my homesick days. After I graduated and was in full-time ministry, they were my longest work days. Then I married a youth minister, and they were HIS longest work days. Now, I have a baby, and the timing thing makes it difficult.

First it was nursing. We'd try timing my mornings so we could make it through service, but then I'd have to nurse the first part of class... or visa versa... or we'd just not go to avoid the hassle of it all... It stressed me out.

Now it's morning naps--She's wakes up, take a bottle, eats cereal 45 minutes-1 hour later, and then takes her morning nap an hour later. If we go to early church, that puts nap time right at class time. If we go to late church, we end up skipping class so she can get her nap in. We've tried both ways.

Throw in some separation/exhaustion induced screaming, and sometimes you begin to wonder if it is even worth it?

Thankfully, last Sunday, we had our first completely successful experience. For one thing, she has moved up to the 9-12 month class that some friends of mine teach. They are calming, and they put her at ease. That put ME at ease, and I was actually able to participate and glean some spiritual encouragement from our adult class.

The first time someone tried to put her in a bucket seat to sing songs and pat the Bible, you'd have though that all Hell had broken loose. Last Sunday she clapped and sang along with them. It was such a relief, but who knows what next time will bring. We'll just take it week by week!

Are monkeys ticklish?

"Fun-loving monkeys swing through the trees, but can you answer this one question, please? Are monkeys ticklish? Yes, monkeys are ticklish."

This comes from Addison's favorite book. And I read it to her every night. EVERY night. On nights that I try to skip it, she closes the one I am reading and pulls herself to where she is hanging over her rocking chair, peering into her book basket, and reaching for the ticklish book. Who can resist that? Once I pick it up, she claps for me and reaches for it. It's touch and feel, and she loves to turn the pages. She also loves to be tickled at the end of it when it reads, "Are YOU ticklish???"

Needless to say, I have the book memorized, word for word, line by line, and my skills came in handy yesterday when we went to the ZOO. There was a rhyme for all of the "major" animals! It was my first time to visit Nashville's zoo because it wasn't around when I was a child. We had so much fun, and we took a few pictures for memories.

"Fun-loving monkeys swing through the trees, but can you answer this one question, please? Are monkeys ticklish? Yes, monkeys are ticklish."

This comes from Addison's favorite book. And I read it to her every night. EVERY night. On nights that I try to skip it, she closes the one I am reading and pulls herself to where she is hanging over her rocking chair, peering into her book basket, and reaching for the ticklish book. Who can resist that? Once I pick it up, she claps for me and reaches for it. It's touch and feel, and she loves to turn the pages. She also loves to be tickled at the end of it when it reads, "Are YOU ticklish???"

Needless to say, I have the book memorized, word for word, line by line, and my skills came in handy yesterday when we went to the ZOO. There was a rhyme for all of the "major" animals! It was my first time to visit Nashville's zoo because it wasn't around when I was a child. We had so much fun, and we took a few pictures for memories.

Sit N' Spins and Library Loves

Remember this toy from when we were kids?

Well, this is my little person's new nickname as well as her new trademark move. I really need to video it to document, but she'll just pivot around on her bootie and squeal with delight. And the girl moves FAST. Sometimes she's looking for a specific toy; sometimes she's pivoting to change direction; mostly she just goes round and round. It is hilarious--especially when she shows off her especially fast moves on hardwoods. She's also constantly flipping her pacie in her mouth--twirling it with her fingers while she's playing, while we're trying to rock her to sleep, any time is is in her mouth. We can't tell if it has something to do with teething, if she's fidgeting, or if she just likes to flip that pacie. It's adorable, and I need to try to video it as well. I did video her whistling today, and if I can figure out how to post it on here, I will.

Today, we enjoyed a trip to the library with Lindsay and Savannah. I almost didn't go because I wondered if she was too young to get into it, but Lindsay assured me that any time a child can be read to is an opportunity to take advantage of. She loves reading like I do, and she was right. Addison loved the theme for today, MUSIC, and she bounced and clapped, squealed and whistled as Ms. Kristin read all of the books aloud. She also tried to engage all of the other little people with her social skills. :) Afterwards we got a couple of pictures of the girls. In this one, they are both intently absorbed with Dora and Boots. Savannah soon became entranced with her dictionary, and Addison tried to take over Dora. It was fun, and we enjoyed our outing!

Remember this toy from when we were kids?

Well, this is my little person's new nickname as well as her new trademark move. I really need to video it to document, but she'll just pivot around on her bootie and squeal with delight. And the girl moves FAST. Sometimes she's looking for a specific toy; sometimes she's pivoting to change direction; mostly she just goes round and round. It is hilarious--especially when she shows off her especially fast moves on hardwoods. She's also constantly flipping her pacie in her mouth--twirling it with her fingers while she's playing, while we're trying to rock her to sleep, any time is is in her mouth. We can't tell if it has something to do with teething, if she's fidgeting, or if she just likes to flip that pacie. It's adorable, and I need to try to video it as well. I did video her whistling today, and if I can figure out how to post it on here, I will.

Today, we enjoyed a trip to the library with Lindsay and Savannah. I almost didn't go because I wondered if she was too young to get into it, but Lindsay assured me that any time a child can be read to is an opportunity to take advantage of. She loves reading like I do, and she was right. Addison loved the theme for today, MUSIC, and she bounced and clapped, squealed and whistled as Ms. Kristin read all of the books aloud. She also tried to engage all of the other little people with her social skills. :) Afterwards we got a couple of pictures of the girls. In this one, they are both intently absorbed with Dora and Boots. Savannah soon became entranced with her dictionary, and Addison tried to take over Dora. It was fun, and we enjoyed our outing!

The beach picture that never was...some recent Addy-isms...and a little bit of lately...

I think that I've mentioned in a previous post that I've come to the realization and acceptance that the days of doing the beach like I've always done it are over... Recently, I also experienced the harsh reality that so are the days of taking the perfect beach picture--at least for this year.

I blogged a little bit about my Destin trip with my college roommate/sorority sister/bf Amy and our girls. Two young mommies, two young babies, beach gear in tow (which far surpasses the tanning oil, towel, book, water bottle bag from previous trips and is replaced with diapers, wipes, swimmie diapers, 50 spf sunscreen, bottles, puffs, sun shades, floats, towels, blankets, hats, toys, etc), and sleep/energy deprivation are hardly the elements required for a successful photo shoot. Even when we would "dress up" to go out for dinner, the hassle of stopping at the beach on our way with our babies on one hip, our picture props, cameras, and overstuffed diaper bags on the other was too much. We sat down for dinner one night, sweating after an exhausting and futile attempt at capturing a good picture, looked at each other, and laughingly said, "Well, that was miserable..." Our trip itself was a blast--in a way that the conditions I described above can be a blast. It was so much fun to celebrate our history of friendship with a girls' trip introducing our little daughters to their future roommates and best friends--no pressure, girls! We sure did miss our husbands, though, and the help/escape that they would have provided... Here is a recap of our trip and some photos that she posted on her blog here. (My favorites of her shots are the ones of the two girls on the beach with their sun hats and matching bathing suits and the "prom picture" of Eli and Addison... so sweet!)

Addison and I spent the last days of June visiting Patrick where he is currently working in North Carolina. We spent Saturday in the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach area, and we loved seeing the beautiful town where Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Nights in Rodanthe, Cape Fear, etc. were filmed and where Woodrow Wilson and Michael Jordan grew up. In planning this day trip, I thought to myself, "YAY! I'll pack some white clothes and my camera, and we can get that family beach picture there!" So we did. We got out to the beach area, changed our clothes, primped a little, and start making our way out to the beach, and the bottom DROPPED OUT. We're not talking a few drops, a summer shower, a passing annoyance. It was a storm to be reckoned with--complete with lightning, thunder, and hard rain. Addison loved it. She squealed and clapped with every boom. Luckily, we found a gazebo to seek shelter under, and we were joined by a wedding party as well. This picture is the best we got... Well, here's to next year!

We spent Sunday of our NC vacay in Durham at Duke's campus where we were entertained by another close friend/Chi O/and summer roommate, Jenn Moody. She is a professor there in the Physical Therapy program and works with a new business they are developing working with college and professional teams and athletes doing preventative PT. It was so interesting to hear about--as were her wild stories about clients. Michael Jordan even invited her to the Derby, making her a celebrity herself these days! We got a few good family shots here that I put on Facebook, but here is a picture of my Mecca of Basketball--Cameron. I felt the energy and intimidation just standing in this arena!

Addison was a great travel companion, and she loved the airplane experience. She engaged other passengers by clapping for them as they walked past us, peering through the seats and laughing at the passengers behind us, and pulling up over the seats in front of us to "talk" to her new friends. Thankfully, she catnapped on both flights, and I'm just thankful it was a positive venture for us all. Lately, she's keeping us laughing with the "new" things she is doing. Besides her crawling, pulling up, and cruising stunts, she is also learning a lot about herself. She has become fascinated with her pointer finger. She examines it, points at everything, saying "Ooooohhhh," and makes everyone around her point as well. She's also snapping her fingers and whistling all the time. She's become obsessed with practicing these new tricks and she laughs and claps for herself each time. I love this stage in her developmental self-discovery.

This weekend we enjoyed celebrating our red, white, and blue with a gathering at our house. We had the Crawford/Hatfield bunch here and enjoyed a day filled with swimming, fireworks, grilling out, homemade ice cream, and ladder ball. We missed Steven and Bern, but we are hoping to see them before the school year starts back. Sadly, this is the only picture I took, and it's of a dessert I made to be a festive compliment to the ice cream. I saw a recipe years ago in Real Simple that I always wanted to try, but I didn't keep it, and so I made this up. It's basically the ingredients from Spring Break cake that we used to make every year. This wasn't the prettiest one of the bunch, but you get the idea. I layered Angel Food cake and vanilla pudding with strawberries and blue berries in mason jars. The topping was cool whip mixed with marshmallow cream. It was so tasty and even pretty healthy!

As an addendum to my post below, on the reading front, I have found some good chick lit to share. I breezed through The Beach House, and while it was plagued with point of view and verb tense inconsistencies, the plot was captivating, and I enjoyed myself. Then, last week, my girl Becky brought over two of Emily Giffen's books--Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I read them both in two days (Addison was taking some hearty naps! :)). The protagonists were refreshingly flawed, the plot not too predictable, and the storyline just complicated enough to keep your heartstrings involved. Nothing earth-shattering or awe-inspiring--just light-hearted summer fun. Now, I am getting pretty into one of the ones that's been hanging out on my bedside table--Same Kind of Different as Me.

I think that I've mentioned in a previous post that I've come to the realization and acceptance that the days of doing the beach like I've always done it are over... Recently, I also experienced the harsh reality that so are the days of taking the perfect beach picture--at least for this year.

I blogged a little bit about my Destin trip with my college roommate/sorority sister/bf Amy and our girls. Two young mommies, two young babies, beach gear in tow (which far surpasses the tanning oil, towel, book, water bottle bag from previous trips and is replaced with diapers, wipes, swimmie diapers, 50 spf sunscreen, bottles, puffs, sun shades, floats, towels, blankets, hats, toys, etc), and sleep/energy deprivation are hardly the elements required for a successful photo shoot. Even when we would "dress up" to go out for dinner, the hassle of stopping at the beach on our way with our babies on one hip, our picture props, cameras, and overstuffed diaper bags on the other was too much. We sat down for dinner one night, sweating after an exhausting and futile attempt at capturing a good picture, looked at each other, and laughingly said, "Well, that was miserable..." Our trip itself was a blast--in a way that the conditions I described above can be a blast. It was so much fun to celebrate our history of friendship with a girls' trip introducing our little daughters to their future roommates and best friends--no pressure, girls! We sure did miss our husbands, though, and the help/escape that they would have provided... Here is a recap of our trip and some photos that she posted on her blog here. (My favorites of her shots are the ones of the two girls on the beach with their sun hats and matching bathing suits and the "prom picture" of Eli and Addison... so sweet!)

Addison and I spent the last days of June visiting Patrick where he is currently working in North Carolina. We spent Saturday in the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach area, and we loved seeing the beautiful town where Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Nights in Rodanthe, Cape Fear, etc. were filmed and where Woodrow Wilson and Michael Jordan grew up. In planning this day trip, I thought to myself, "YAY! I'll pack some white clothes and my camera, and we can get that family beach picture there!" So we did. We got out to the beach area, changed our clothes, primped a little, and start making our way out to the beach, and the bottom DROPPED OUT. We're not talking a few drops, a summer shower, a passing annoyance. It was a storm to be reckoned with--complete with lightning, thunder, and hard rain. Addison loved it. She squealed and clapped with every boom. Luckily, we found a gazebo to seek shelter under, and we were joined by a wedding party as well. This picture is the best we got... Well, here's to next year!

We spent Sunday of our NC vacay in Durham at Duke's campus where we were entertained by another close friend/Chi O/and summer roommate, Jenn Moody. She is a professor there in the Physical Therapy program and works with a new business they are developing working with college and professional teams and athletes doing preventative PT. It was so interesting to hear about--as were her wild stories about clients. Michael Jordan even invited her to the Derby, making her a celebrity herself these days! We got a few good family shots here that I put on Facebook, but here is a picture of my Mecca of Basketball--Cameron. I felt the energy and intimidation just standing in this arena!

Addison was a great travel companion, and she loved the airplane experience. She engaged other passengers by clapping for them as they walked past us, peering through the seats and laughing at the passengers behind us, and pulling up over the seats in front of us to "talk" to her new friends. Thankfully, she catnapped on both flights, and I'm just thankful it was a positive venture for us all. Lately, she's keeping us laughing with the "new" things she is doing. Besides her crawling, pulling up, and cruising stunts, she is also learning a lot about herself. She has become fascinated with her pointer finger. She examines it, points at everything, saying "Ooooohhhh," and makes everyone around her point as well. She's also snapping her fingers and whistling all the time. She's become obsessed with practicing these new tricks and she laughs and claps for herself each time. I love this stage in her developmental self-discovery.

This weekend we enjoyed celebrating our red, white, and blue with a gathering at our house. We had the Crawford/Hatfield bunch here and enjoyed a day filled with swimming, fireworks, grilling out, homemade ice cream, and ladder ball. We missed Steven and Bern, but we are hoping to see them before the school year starts back. Sadly, this is the only picture I took, and it's of a dessert I made to be a festive compliment to the ice cream. I saw a recipe years ago in Real Simple that I always wanted to try, but I didn't keep it, and so I made this up. It's basically the ingredients from Spring Break cake that we used to make every year. This wasn't the prettiest one of the bunch, but you get the idea. I layered Angel Food cake and vanilla pudding with strawberries and blue berries in mason jars. The topping was cool whip mixed with marshmallow cream. It was so tasty and even pretty healthy!

As an addendum to my post below, on the reading front, I have found some good chick lit to share. I breezed through The Beach House, and while it was plagued with point of view and verb tense inconsistencies, the plot was captivating, and I enjoyed myself. Then, last week, my girl Becky brought over two of Emily Giffen's books--Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I read them both in two days (Addison was taking some hearty naps! :)). The protagonists were refreshingly flawed, the plot not too predictable, and the storyline just complicated enough to keep your heartstrings involved. Nothing earth-shattering or awe-inspiring--just light-hearted summer fun. Now, I am getting pretty into one of the ones that's been hanging out on my bedside table--Same Kind of Different as Me.

Celebrations and Reading Funks

Sunday was a big day for this busy little person:First, she got to celebrate all of the important men in her life--her daddy, her Bear, her Pop, and her 2 great grandfathers. She's a blessed little girl. {I'm a blessed "big girl" too... I still think my dad has hung the moon... My baby daddy is quite a hunk too... :)} She got her daddy a book about fathers and daughters and a new navy sports coat. She also proudly told the world with her bootie that she's a "daddy's girl."












Then she got to participate in the baby dedication at church. She received her Bible and blessing from Brentwood Hills, the same church her mommy received a Bible and blessing from all those years ago. It was a special celebration for her and a great close to a fun weekend for our family! (Notice that she's already "feasting on God's word" as well as "patting the Bible" while even trying to read it!)












Below is a picture of the books that have been sitting on my bedside table. I'm reading all of them... or should I say plugging through all of them. Each is good; each holding my attention, and each is relevant to some aspect of my life--as a wife, a parent, a teacher, a writer, a human rights advocate... None of them have captured me, though; I cannot immerse myself into any of them; I'm not losing sleep because I can't put them down. And that's the essence, the beauty, of summer reading to me. I am craving something to dig into.

Maybe I haven't found it yet because I'm waiting on this:

Ah, my living literary obsession... I salivate to devour his every word... My 1st Edition copy of The Lords of Discipline is one of my most prized possessions... August 17th seriously can't come soon enough...

Until that time, I'm going to try this piece of chick lit I picked up at the library last night: (Thanks for the suggestion, Jesse.)
If any of you have any good suggestions, I'm wide open!

Sunday was a big day for this busy little person:First, she got to celebrate all of the important men in her life--her daddy, her Bear, her Pop, and her 2 great grandfathers. She's a blessed little girl. {I'm a blessed "big girl" too... I still think my dad has hung the moon... My baby daddy is quite a hunk too... :)} She got her daddy a book about fathers and daughters and a new navy sports coat. She also proudly told the world with her bootie that she's a "daddy's girl."












Then she got to participate in the baby dedication at church. She received her Bible and blessing from Brentwood Hills, the same church her mommy received a Bible and blessing from all those years ago. It was a special celebration for her and a great close to a fun weekend for our family! (Notice that she's already "feasting on God's word" as well as "patting the Bible" while even trying to read it!)












Below is a picture of the books that have been sitting on my bedside table. I'm reading all of them... or should I say plugging through all of them. Each is good; each holding my attention, and each is relevant to some aspect of my life--as a wife, a parent, a teacher, a writer, a human rights advocate... None of them have captured me, though; I cannot immerse myself into any of them; I'm not losing sleep because I can't put them down. And that's the essence, the beauty, of summer reading to me. I am craving something to dig into.

Maybe I haven't found it yet because I'm waiting on this:

Ah, my living literary obsession... I salivate to devour his every word... My 1st Edition copy of The Lords of Discipline is one of my most prized possessions... August 17th seriously can't come soon enough...

Until that time, I'm going to try this piece of chick lit I picked up at the library last night: (Thanks for the suggestion, Jesse.)
If any of you have any good suggestions, I'm wide open!

Weekend Update

We've had a fun and full weekend this weekend, and we have so enjoyed spending this time together as a family. Here's a quick recap, although not in order...Last night we celebrated the wedding of Colin and Kristen (Cover) Allred. It was a beautiful wedding at the Cover family home, and we enjoyed celebrating with our lifelong friends-who-are family as they begin their marriage journey together. It was a great reunion of old friends and a fun celebration with a catchy band. Sadly, we had to leave before we could watch my parents "cut a rug." Apparently, they showed their stuff, and I would have been so proud to see it! :)

It was our first time leaving sweet Addison with someone other than family, and I was so stressed out about who I trusted to keep her. Thankfully I remembered a suggestion from our Marriage Dynamics class about setting up a "trade." Our great friends April and Jeremy kept Addison with her friend and their son, Carter. She's been having some separation anxiety lately, screaming the entire time that I leave her in the church nursery (I'm 0-3 in that department), so I was a little nervous, but April kept me updated through texting--"She's straddling Carter laughing," "No tears, all smiles," "We got her dancing to Soulja Boy," so we were able to fully enjoy ourselves. We can't wait to keep sweet Carter-man for them!

Speaking of our little person, here is what I caught her doing while Daddy was cutting the yard yesterday:

My shutter speed is slow, but when I approached this sight, she was standing up and Maggie was jumping up at the glass with her. This is the best I could do. Isn't it adorable, though??? She LOVES her daddy!

Friday night, we had another night out. We don't get out much these days, so 2 nights in a row have worn us out, but the fun has been worth it. We love live music, and we've been on a bit of a concert craze lately--Jason Mraz at the Ryman, Coldplay at Sommet, an Eagle's Cover Band at Crockett... We're already looking for our next show! Meiko, who has had a couple of songs on Grey's Anatomy opened for Eric Hutchinson who we LOVE at 12th & Porter on Friday night, and we got tickets with our great friends Heather and Briley Price to go listen to them. They were great, even better live, and we thought that 12th & Porter's atmosphere was the perfect venue to see them in. It was intimate and even pretty classy for a bar setting. Before we went to the show, we dined at Sambuca in the Gulch--the food was so yummy, and it was such a unique place that provided live music as well. None of us had been there before, and it was fun to have a different kind of night out.

We've had a fun and full weekend this weekend, and we have so enjoyed spending this time together as a family. Here's a quick recap, although not in order...Last night we celebrated the wedding of Colin and Kristen (Cover) Allred. It was a beautiful wedding at the Cover family home, and we enjoyed celebrating with our lifelong friends-who-are family as they begin their marriage journey together. It was a great reunion of old friends and a fun celebration with a catchy band. Sadly, we had to leave before we could watch my parents "cut a rug." Apparently, they showed their stuff, and I would have been so proud to see it! :)

It was our first time leaving sweet Addison with someone other than family, and I was so stressed out about who I trusted to keep her. Thankfully I remembered a suggestion from our Marriage Dynamics class about setting up a "trade." Our great friends April and Jeremy kept Addison with her friend and their son, Carter. She's been having some separation anxiety lately, screaming the entire time that I leave her in the church nursery (I'm 0-3 in that department), so I was a little nervous, but April kept me updated through texting--"She's straddling Carter laughing," "No tears, all smiles," "We got her dancing to Soulja Boy," so we were able to fully enjoy ourselves. We can't wait to keep sweet Carter-man for them!

Speaking of our little person, here is what I caught her doing while Daddy was cutting the yard yesterday:

My shutter speed is slow, but when I approached this sight, she was standing up and Maggie was jumping up at the glass with her. This is the best I could do. Isn't it adorable, though??? She LOVES her daddy!

Friday night, we had another night out. We don't get out much these days, so 2 nights in a row have worn us out, but the fun has been worth it. We love live music, and we've been on a bit of a concert craze lately--Jason Mraz at the Ryman, Coldplay at Sommet, an Eagle's Cover Band at Crockett... We're already looking for our next show! Meiko, who has had a couple of songs on Grey's Anatomy opened for Eric Hutchinson who we LOVE at 12th & Porter on Friday night, and we got tickets with our great friends Heather and Briley Price to go listen to them. They were great, even better live, and we thought that 12th & Porter's atmosphere was the perfect venue to see them in. It was intimate and even pretty classy for a bar setting. Before we went to the show, we dined at Sambuca in the Gulch--the food was so yummy, and it was such a unique place that provided live music as well. None of us had been there before, and it was fun to have a different kind of night out.

Order Envy and a Summer Craving Fulfilled...

I'm the person who, after deliberating on what to order at a restaurant, narrowing my choices down to 3, eliminating the other possibilities systematically, and emphatically making my selection, STILL wishes I'd ordered what my eating companion chose when the food is brought to the table.

So many times, I try to entice P in the game "Wanna Switch?" where we totally swap entrees and eat what the other person ordered. It worked some when we were dating--not-so-much any more. I'm lucky to swap a few bites. I don't know why I'm this way, why I suffer from what I call "Order Envy" so extremely. But I do.

The latest incident occurred when I was lunching with my friend a couple of weeks ago at Henpeck Market. She ordered a grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwich; I don't even remember what I got. All I remember is salivating over HER plate when they brought my food.

All summer, I've been craving this sandwich. In this miserable heat, it's so hard to find something that sounds good to eat... Every day, when I think about what I want for lunch, I think "A grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwich..." and I never have it on hand. So, yesterday, I finally made a batch and this is what I enjoyed for lunch today:

I used my grandmother's recipe, and just in case you're craving one of these too, here it is:

1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese (grate)
1/2 c mayo
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 oz pimentos (I used more--3 heaping tablespoons)
1 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp garlic salt
(I also added a dash of vinegar, and my grandmother suggests a Tbsp of gravied onion.)

Once you have combined all of the ingredients, the key to making this spread is to use your electric mixer to make it light and fluffy. Mix it longer than you think necessary. It makes a yummy pint!

I enjoyed my WHOLE sandwich (even though only half of it is pictured here) grilled with a slice of tomato. A trick that a friend of mine gave me about grilled cheese's is to sprinkle the buttered bread with a little garlic powder. YUM! My cantaloupe and strawberries were also delicious with it! Enjoy!

{Also, FYI, I'm trying to cut calories, and I tried this with 2% milk cheddar and light mayo, and I couldn't tell the difference!}

I'm the person who, after deliberating on what to order at a restaurant, narrowing my choices down to 3, eliminating the other possibilities systematically, and emphatically making my selection, STILL wishes I'd ordered what my eating companion chose when the food is brought to the table.

So many times, I try to entice P in the game "Wanna Switch?" where we totally swap entrees and eat what the other person ordered. It worked some when we were dating--not-so-much any more. I'm lucky to swap a few bites. I don't know why I'm this way, why I suffer from what I call "Order Envy" so extremely. But I do.

The latest incident occurred when I was lunching with my friend a couple of weeks ago at Henpeck Market. She ordered a grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwich; I don't even remember what I got. All I remember is salivating over HER plate when they brought my food.

All summer, I've been craving this sandwich. In this miserable heat, it's so hard to find something that sounds good to eat... Every day, when I think about what I want for lunch, I think "A grilled pimento cheese and tomato sandwich..." and I never have it on hand. So, yesterday, I finally made a batch and this is what I enjoyed for lunch today:

I used my grandmother's recipe, and just in case you're craving one of these too, here it is:

1/2 lb sharp cheddar cheese (grate)
1/2 c mayo
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 oz pimentos (I used more--3 heaping tablespoons)
1 Tbsp sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp garlic salt
(I also added a dash of vinegar, and my grandmother suggests a Tbsp of gravied onion.)

Once you have combined all of the ingredients, the key to making this spread is to use your electric mixer to make it light and fluffy. Mix it longer than you think necessary. It makes a yummy pint!

I enjoyed my WHOLE sandwich (even though only half of it is pictured here) grilled with a slice of tomato. A trick that a friend of mine gave me about grilled cheese's is to sprinkle the buttered bread with a little garlic powder. YUM! My cantaloupe and strawberries were also delicious with it! Enjoy!

{Also, FYI, I'm trying to cut calories, and I tried this with 2% milk cheddar and light mayo, and I couldn't tell the difference!}

A Pilly Update and a Tangent on Nicknames

Here are pictures of the Pillar (yeah, I called my daughter the Pillar--I'll explain below.) at 7 months and 8 months. It's getting harder and harder to get this little one to stay still. She's crawling fast and furiously, pulling up, dancing (her favorites tunes being "Boom Boom Pow" and "Kiss me through the Phone"--ghetto girl, I know, she gets it honest), squealing, and talking incessantly. She's even trying to learn how to snap. Now that she's mobile, I spend my days chasing her, shooing her away from Maggie's food and toys, the door stops, the air vents, and my shoes... She's a busy little thing! She still has no teeth, so anything and everything falls prey to her mouth of vengeance. She even tried to eat the man sitting next to us at church's watch on Sunday. I was so embarrassed. Bless her. If one doesn't come soon, I'm looking into Baby Dentures, poor thing... I have loved these past few weeks and months. She's a sponge--soaking up everything that surrounds her. Her favorite times of the day are bath time, puff time, and reading time. I thank God for this little girl daily.

So, Addison has acquired many nicknames already in her short life--so many that I'm not sure where some of them even began or what they have been derived from. P has to remind me that we want our daughter to respond to being called Addison or Addy, so I have to keep myself in check, but he has become almost as bad as me in the nickname department. Some of her nicknames that I've randomly, subconsciously called her are Addison Person, Addisonian, [the] Little Person, Addy Crawdy, and Addypillar which became [the] Pillar and has now evolved into Pilly. She's going to beg me to stop one day.

I get it honest. My dad is the nickname guru. To this day he calls me "Reno" every once in a while. It began as "Kris-a-reno" and was shortened to "Reno." Other nicknames I've gone by have been Kris, Kirsty, KD, Dean, Deaner, Whoopi, PB, Deandrone, but none have been as endearing to me as "Reno."

Poor Lindsay's are wild. Dad called her Linds-a-belle which became "Belle" which became "Belly-welly" which she really hated but even-more-so when it was shortened to "Belly." She's also been Little Dean, Litter Bug, Lit, Intsy, and Linds-a-doodle.

Patrick is Patty Crawdy, Pidilidatrick, Padatrick, Crawdaddy--just to name a few...

I can't help it. I even have them for my friends... They are my terms of endearment.

***Edited Note*** I just realized that I left off my FAVORITE nickname of mine to date--"Kiki." This is how my precious niece "Vanni" hears and speaks my name. I LOVE it. Once she said it, I told Lindsay that I don't ever want her to learn to say, "Kristy." I love how Kiki sounds. It's eccentric, don't you think. Eli Stapler has adopted calling me Kiki too...

Here are pictures of the Pillar (yeah, I called my daughter the Pillar--I'll explain below.) at 7 months and 8 months. It's getting harder and harder to get this little one to stay still. She's crawling fast and furiously, pulling up, dancing (her favorites tunes being "Boom Boom Pow" and "Kiss me through the Phone"--ghetto girl, I know, she gets it honest), squealing, and talking incessantly. She's even trying to learn how to snap. Now that she's mobile, I spend my days chasing her, shooing her away from Maggie's food and toys, the door stops, the air vents, and my shoes... She's a busy little thing! She still has no teeth, so anything and everything falls prey to her mouth of vengeance. She even tried to eat the man sitting next to us at church's watch on Sunday. I was so embarrassed. Bless her. If one doesn't come soon, I'm looking into Baby Dentures, poor thing... I have loved these past few weeks and months. She's a sponge--soaking up everything that surrounds her. Her favorite times of the day are bath time, puff time, and reading time. I thank God for this little girl daily.

So, Addison has acquired many nicknames already in her short life--so many that I'm not sure where some of them even began or what they have been derived from. P has to remind me that we want our daughter to respond to being called Addison or Addy, so I have to keep myself in check, but he has become almost as bad as me in the nickname department. Some of her nicknames that I've randomly, subconsciously called her are Addison Person, Addisonian, [the] Little Person, Addy Crawdy, and Addypillar which became [the] Pillar and has now evolved into Pilly. She's going to beg me to stop one day.

I get it honest. My dad is the nickname guru. To this day he calls me "Reno" every once in a while. It began as "Kris-a-reno" and was shortened to "Reno." Other nicknames I've gone by have been Kris, Kirsty, KD, Dean, Deaner, Whoopi, PB, Deandrone, but none have been as endearing to me as "Reno."

Poor Lindsay's are wild. Dad called her Linds-a-belle which became "Belle" which became "Belly-welly" which she really hated but even-more-so when it was shortened to "Belly." She's also been Little Dean, Litter Bug, Lit, Intsy, and Linds-a-doodle.

Patrick is Patty Crawdy, Pidilidatrick, Padatrick, Crawdaddy--just to name a few...

I can't help it. I even have them for my friends... They are my terms of endearment.

***Edited Note*** I just realized that I left off my FAVORITE nickname of mine to date--"Kiki." This is how my precious niece "Vanni" hears and speaks my name. I LOVE it. Once she said it, I told Lindsay that I don't ever want her to learn to say, "Kristy." I love how Kiki sounds. It's eccentric, don't you think. Eli Stapler has adopted calling me Kiki too...

Second half of 30

I just celebrated my half birthday. It snuck up on me. I had been excited about turning 30 for so long... it was going to be a huge turning point in my life... and then life happened. I've lived long enough at this point to understand that while life is beautiful, it is also unpredictable. The first 6 months of my 30 have been about "surviving"--weathering major life changes and adversity. Looking back on those hard months, I am proud of what God has brought my family through. I am thankful for his strength, patience, and provisions as we've reaquainted what a life truly submitted to him looks like. It's crazy how we can take detours along the way only to get back to that point--realizing that He meets our every need, that He is sufficient to fulfill us. I can truly attest to the Ecclesiastical truth that "there is a season for everything under heaven."

I know I have many more lessons to learn and assuredly more times of adversity to experience in my life, but I also feel like my days of "doggie paddling" are changing into "freestlying." While some of my favorite moments in all of my 30 years took place during this season and I wouldn't change anything, I'm still excited about getting past survivial mode and truly embracing living. I have many ideas about how I want to spend these next 6 months of 30. I hope that my actual living of them will exceed my expecations.

Lamentations 3: 22-26 "Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

I just celebrated my half birthday. It snuck up on me. I had been excited about turning 30 for so long... it was going to be a huge turning point in my life... and then life happened. I've lived long enough at this point to understand that while life is beautiful, it is also unpredictable. The first 6 months of my 30 have been about "surviving"--weathering major life changes and adversity. Looking back on those hard months, I am proud of what God has brought my family through. I am thankful for his strength, patience, and provisions as we've reaquainted what a life truly submitted to him looks like. It's crazy how we can take detours along the way only to get back to that point--realizing that He meets our every need, that He is sufficient to fulfill us. I can truly attest to the Ecclesiastical truth that "there is a season for everything under heaven."

I know I have many more lessons to learn and assuredly more times of adversity to experience in my life, but I also feel like my days of "doggie paddling" are changing into "freestlying." While some of my favorite moments in all of my 30 years took place during this season and I wouldn't change anything, I'm still excited about getting past survivial mode and truly embracing living. I have many ideas about how I want to spend these next 6 months of 30. I hope that my actual living of them will exceed my expecations.

Lamentations 3: 22-26 "Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore, I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

People are good...

Every time I think I'm about to give up on "people" being good, something someone does always surprises me.

I have a friend who is seriously intentional about taking care of her friends. She organizes food when someone is going through a rough time, offers monthly free babysitting to one of her and her husband's couple friends who don't have family in town so that they can have a date night, and encourages people regularly through notes, quotes, scriptures, even care packages.

I have coworker who, anonymously, throughout the year supplied goodie bags with personalized encouragement to members of the faculty--and I'm not even talking about just her circle of friends.

Tonight, I am enjoying a meal courtesy one of my dear friends--yet a friend who I don't keep in touch with as much as I wish I did. When Patrick began traveling so much, an out of town friend sent us a generous giftcard to Super Suppers. (If you are unfamiliar with this concept, click on the link. It's pretty awesome.) She knew that dinners would be difficult to get through alone with a newborn. She heard about our situation and thoughtfully planned a way to help us meet one of our needs. While I love to cook, it is difficult to prepare meals for 1 during the week--especially with my mobile daughter who I chase around every hour of every day. My "super suppers" have been so delicious and allow me to feel like I am eating a homecooked meal every night. Plus, they have a "healthy meal" menu, and each meal in this catergory has under 600 calories. It's truly a beautiful thing. Tonight I had parmesan chicken, sauteed vegetables, and a flake roll. So delicious.

In a world filled with selfishness, materialism, even violence and hatred, it always inspires me to be reminded that there are people who seek goodness, people who truly love. It also makes me want to be one of those people.

God is love, and He is still everpresent in this fallen world.

Every time I think I'm about to give up on "people" being good, something someone does always surprises me.

I have a friend who is seriously intentional about taking care of her friends. She organizes food when someone is going through a rough time, offers monthly free babysitting to one of her and her husband's couple friends who don't have family in town so that they can have a date night, and encourages people regularly through notes, quotes, scriptures, even care packages.

I have coworker who, anonymously, throughout the year supplied goodie bags with personalized encouragement to members of the faculty--and I'm not even talking about just her circle of friends.

Tonight, I am enjoying a meal courtesy one of my dear friends--yet a friend who I don't keep in touch with as much as I wish I did. When Patrick began traveling so much, an out of town friend sent us a generous giftcard to Super Suppers. (If you are unfamiliar with this concept, click on the link. It's pretty awesome.) She knew that dinners would be difficult to get through alone with a newborn. She heard about our situation and thoughtfully planned a way to help us meet one of our needs. While I love to cook, it is difficult to prepare meals for 1 during the week--especially with my mobile daughter who I chase around every hour of every day. My "super suppers" have been so delicious and allow me to feel like I am eating a homecooked meal every night. Plus, they have a "healthy meal" menu, and each meal in this catergory has under 600 calories. It's truly a beautiful thing. Tonight I had parmesan chicken, sauteed vegetables, and a flake roll. So delicious.

In a world filled with selfishness, materialism, even violence and hatred, it always inspires me to be reminded that there are people who seek goodness, people who truly love. It also makes me want to be one of those people.

God is love, and He is still everpresent in this fallen world.

Sanz-off and the ultimate arm workout

I don't like sand. But I love the beach. Paradox? I like to look at the sand--the way it changes as the ocean waves ebb and flow, and I don't mind if it gets squished between my toes when I walk on the beach; however, I HATE it when it attaches itself to my freshly sunscreened legs, when it shows up in crooks and crevices like armpits, necks, and backs of knees... or when my 8-month-old thinks it is hilarious to roll over face first from her nice plush beach blanket into the grainy grimy sand and then stick fistfulls of it into her mouth.

Amy and I were people-watching today while our girls were napping (wait, read while Caroline was napping because Addison was too "busy" playing and trying to charm onlookers while eating sand...) and we noticed this girl who had the coolest gadget EVER. I need to ask her where she got it because all I have been able to find on the internet is this:

It's the same concept, but not nearly the same caliber of gadget that my lay out neighbor had. She would get up from her towel, brush off the backs of her legs, and then brush off her beach chair. I was mesmerized. I have always wondered how girls can look so perfectly put together while laying out--like they are not hot or sweaty at all, their hair and make-up just perfectly proportionate to their perfect tans. That person is not me! I am the sweaty, visor-wearing girl with tan-streaked legs because I was too impatient to put my sunscreen on evenly. Maybe if I can locate this tool to get the sand off me, I can be one step closer to being girl #1.

We began our morning with a nice long walk after breakfast. Yesterday, we tried to alternate our walks while the girls were taking their morning naps, but that didn't work, so this morning we decided to go early while it was still cool enough to take the girls. Our first half of the walk was perfect--nice breeze, cool shade, happy babies. When we turned around, we were directly facing the rising sun and there was no breeze. In order to protect our sweet babies' porcelain skin, we chose to walk the return portion of our trail like this:

It was HARD. 30 minutes of walking like this is quite the workout. Keeping the stroller from zig-zagging back and forth, making sure the girls were shaded, avoiding bumps and tripping, we were WORN OUT, and my arms are going to be so sore! But it was awesome. We got lots of looks and laughs, but, "oh the things we will endure" for the protection of these little bathing beauties. I may even do it again tomorrow.

I don't like sand. But I love the beach. Paradox? I like to look at the sand--the way it changes as the ocean waves ebb and flow, and I don't mind if it gets squished between my toes when I walk on the beach; however, I HATE it when it attaches itself to my freshly sunscreened legs, when it shows up in crooks and crevices like armpits, necks, and backs of knees... or when my 8-month-old thinks it is hilarious to roll over face first from her nice plush beach blanket into the grainy grimy sand and then stick fistfulls of it into her mouth.

Amy and I were people-watching today while our girls were napping (wait, read while Caroline was napping because Addison was too "busy" playing and trying to charm onlookers while eating sand...) and we noticed this girl who had the coolest gadget EVER. I need to ask her where she got it because all I have been able to find on the internet is this:

It's the same concept, but not nearly the same caliber of gadget that my lay out neighbor had. She would get up from her towel, brush off the backs of her legs, and then brush off her beach chair. I was mesmerized. I have always wondered how girls can look so perfectly put together while laying out--like they are not hot or sweaty at all, their hair and make-up just perfectly proportionate to their perfect tans. That person is not me! I am the sweaty, visor-wearing girl with tan-streaked legs because I was too impatient to put my sunscreen on evenly. Maybe if I can locate this tool to get the sand off me, I can be one step closer to being girl #1.

We began our morning with a nice long walk after breakfast. Yesterday, we tried to alternate our walks while the girls were taking their morning naps, but that didn't work, so this morning we decided to go early while it was still cool enough to take the girls. Our first half of the walk was perfect--nice breeze, cool shade, happy babies. When we turned around, we were directly facing the rising sun and there was no breeze. In order to protect our sweet babies' porcelain skin, we chose to walk the return portion of our trail like this:

It was HARD. 30 minutes of walking like this is quite the workout. Keeping the stroller from zig-zagging back and forth, making sure the girls were shaded, avoiding bumps and tripping, we were WORN OUT, and my arms are going to be so sore! But it was awesome. We got lots of looks and laughs, but, "oh the things we will endure" for the protection of these little bathing beauties. I may even do it again tomorrow.

Little Swimmie Leakage...

We just got in from eating at The Back Porch and shopping at Destin Commons after spending a sunny day out at the beach. Addison took her first nap out on the beach and looked like an old pro, sweet girl. Our first day of vacation feels complete--everybody has full tummies and is ready for bed.

I had an issue with the swimmie diapers this afternoon, though. After the girls woke up from their afternoon naps, Amy and were planning to take them to the pool. I put Addison in her swimmie while I was heating her bottle, and I was feeding her in my lap when I felt a warm puddly sensation in my lap. It took me a minute to realize that she had PEED ON ME--straight through her diaper, through my coverup, through my bathing suit. She took a break from her bottle and sighed real contentedly, like, "Ah, that felt good." What a silly girl. Anyway, not to big of a fan of those swimmies, but it made for a good laugh.

We just got in from eating at The Back Porch and shopping at Destin Commons after spending a sunny day out at the beach. Addison took her first nap out on the beach and looked like an old pro, sweet girl. Our first day of vacation feels complete--everybody has full tummies and is ready for bed.

I had an issue with the swimmie diapers this afternoon, though. After the girls woke up from their afternoon naps, Amy and were planning to take them to the pool. I put Addison in her swimmie while I was heating her bottle, and I was feeding her in my lap when I felt a warm puddly sensation in my lap. It took me a minute to realize that she had PEED ON ME--straight through her diaper, through my coverup, through my bathing suit. She took a break from her bottle and sighed real contentedly, like, "Ah, that felt good." What a silly girl. Anyway, not to big of a fan of those swimmies, but it made for a good laugh.

VIVA LA VIDA

Best. Concert. Ever.

For Mother's Day, one of my gifts from P was a ticket to Coldplay--a "date" with Chris Martin, if you will. :) My man is awesome, I know.

Anyway the show was tonight with Snow Patrol opening for them. They started off the night with a captivating energy. Most of the audience sang along to their familiar songs, and when they played "Chasing Cars," I replayed Grey's Anatomy's Season two finale--scene by scene, line by line--in my mind as I intently listened {which, on a bit of a tangent, is arguably the best episode ever...} It was a great moment.

However, none can compare to Coldplay. I've watched several of their shows on music tv, but seeing them live is altogether an emotional experience. They played for a solid 2 hours, performed every song I would have wanted them to except "Swallowed in the Sea" which I really didn't expect. My personal favorites were "In My Place," "Fix You," and of course "Yellow." Chris was humble, funny, personable, and they gave each audience member a free cd of live tracks.

Before the show, P took me out to eat at Sunset Grill in Hillsboro Village. It was so fun for us to get to go out and be datey lovey. Addison had a blast with her cuz at Jaydee and Bear's, so it was a pleasent evening for all of the fam.

Best. Concert. Ever.

For Mother's Day, one of my gifts from P was a ticket to Coldplay--a "date" with Chris Martin, if you will. :) My man is awesome, I know.

Anyway the show was tonight with Snow Patrol opening for them. They started off the night with a captivating energy. Most of the audience sang along to their familiar songs, and when they played "Chasing Cars," I replayed Grey's Anatomy's Season two finale--scene by scene, line by line--in my mind as I intently listened {which, on a bit of a tangent, is arguably the best episode ever...} It was a great moment.

However, none can compare to Coldplay. I've watched several of their shows on music tv, but seeing them live is altogether an emotional experience. They played for a solid 2 hours, performed every song I would have wanted them to except "Swallowed in the Sea" which I really didn't expect. My personal favorites were "In My Place," "Fix You," and of course "Yellow." Chris was humble, funny, personable, and they gave each audience member a free cd of live tracks.

Before the show, P took me out to eat at Sunset Grill in Hillsboro Village. It was so fun for us to get to go out and be datey lovey. Addison had a blast with her cuz at Jaydee and Bear's, so it was a pleasent evening for all of the fam.

Summer Lovin'

Two weeks into summer, and I am loving it! I have definitely felt thankful for this period of sunshine in my life after going through a season of rain... This week has been a fun one for Addison and me--going to the pool, the park, playdates with friends, time with family! Here are a few things I am especially loving right now:

1. Tomato Pie. I got this recipe from a girl Julie who I don't personally know, but whose blog I read occasionally because she is a Chi-O at Auburn and has a cool sense of style and sense of self. It makes me miss college and the freedom of spirit that goes with it. It's the easiest thing to make... In a pie shell, coat the bottom with 2 Tbsp of spicy mustard. Cover with 2 cups of swiss cheese. Cover with 3 1/4-inch-thick sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with dried basil flakes and Jane's Krazy salt. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Top with fresh basil leaves (missing from my picture). Let cool about 10 minutes.

I made this as a side to poppyseed chicken with fresh salad and key lime pie. One of my goals of the summer is to be a culinary goddess on the weekends when Patrick is home with us so that he feels "home." And so that I make sure that he still "wants me." {And I think it is working... He went on and on about how delicious dinner was and jumped up to do the dishes. What a good man! :)} In all seriousness, I really am enjoying trying new recipes wearing my anthropologie apron--a gift of birthdays past a la Jesse.

2. DMB's new CD release, Big Whiskey. Anybody catch them on the Today Show this morning? So amazing... I spent my high school and college years following them like some people follow Widespread Panic and The Grateful Dead. Their new tracks are so so good, and I have listened to nothing else since I downloaded it on my itunes this week.

3. Catching up with everyone's blogs. I really was totally enmeshed with work and domesticity this winter and spring, and I am enjoying getting caught up on fashion, style, funny stories, and family pictures on everyone's pages.

Addy and I went to the park with my oldest and one of my dearest friends and her kids today, and we were talking about life--how to balance being individuals, adults, moms, wives, friends, and our conversation turned to cooking. She said she got some recipes and sewing tutorials off "someone's random blog." Then, she stopped and said, "Wait, you may know her. She went to Auburn. It's 'Fly through my window.'" I laughed and said, "Yeah, it's Darby. She and I were sorority sisters." Articulate response, huh! Ha!

Usually a blog cynic and boycotter, my friend told me how much she likes how refreshing Darby's blog is... how she appreciates the way she does not brag about how great her life is, but how whenever she has a good idea or completes a successful project, she shares the recipe, tutorial, etc. She went on to say how she really feels like Darby is using her blog to be an encouragement to women and young moms, that she felt good about herself every time she follows one of her practical tutorials--and what a great way to glorify God! It encouraged me to hear, and it made me proud of my Auburn family. I need to email Darby and let her know how widely and far-reaching her blog is read and the kind of impact she is making. If you've not read her before, you should definitely add her to your blogroll.

Two weeks into summer, and I am loving it! I have definitely felt thankful for this period of sunshine in my life after going through a season of rain... This week has been a fun one for Addison and me--going to the pool, the park, playdates with friends, time with family! Here are a few things I am especially loving right now:

1. Tomato Pie. I got this recipe from a girl Julie who I don't personally know, but whose blog I read occasionally because she is a Chi-O at Auburn and has a cool sense of style and sense of self. It makes me miss college and the freedom of spirit that goes with it. It's the easiest thing to make... In a pie shell, coat the bottom with 2 Tbsp of spicy mustard. Cover with 2 cups of swiss cheese. Cover with 3 1/4-inch-thick sliced tomatoes. Sprinkle with dried basil flakes and Jane's Krazy salt. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Top with fresh basil leaves (missing from my picture). Let cool about 10 minutes.

I made this as a side to poppyseed chicken with fresh salad and key lime pie. One of my goals of the summer is to be a culinary goddess on the weekends when Patrick is home with us so that he feels "home." And so that I make sure that he still "wants me." {And I think it is working... He went on and on about how delicious dinner was and jumped up to do the dishes. What a good man! :)} In all seriousness, I really am enjoying trying new recipes wearing my anthropologie apron--a gift of birthdays past a la Jesse.

2. DMB's new CD release, Big Whiskey. Anybody catch them on the Today Show this morning? So amazing... I spent my high school and college years following them like some people follow Widespread Panic and The Grateful Dead. Their new tracks are so so good, and I have listened to nothing else since I downloaded it on my itunes this week.

3. Catching up with everyone's blogs. I really was totally enmeshed with work and domesticity this winter and spring, and I am enjoying getting caught up on fashion, style, funny stories, and family pictures on everyone's pages.

Addy and I went to the park with my oldest and one of my dearest friends and her kids today, and we were talking about life--how to balance being individuals, adults, moms, wives, friends, and our conversation turned to cooking. She said she got some recipes and sewing tutorials off "someone's random blog." Then, she stopped and said, "Wait, you may know her. She went to Auburn. It's 'Fly through my window.'" I laughed and said, "Yeah, it's Darby. She and I were sorority sisters." Articulate response, huh! Ha!

Usually a blog cynic and boycotter, my friend told me how much she likes how refreshing Darby's blog is... how she appreciates the way she does not brag about how great her life is, but how whenever she has a good idea or completes a successful project, she shares the recipe, tutorial, etc. She went on to say how she really feels like Darby is using her blog to be an encouragement to women and young moms, that she felt good about herself every time she follows one of her practical tutorials--and what a great way to glorify God! It encouraged me to hear, and it made me proud of my Auburn family. I need to email Darby and let her know how widely and far-reaching her blog is read and the kind of impact she is making. If you've not read her before, you should definitely add her to your blogroll.

Thursday's Project

But first a peek at Addison's 6 month photos made by my friend Brooke. I love them. It's hard to believe that she had been at Vanderbilt Children's ER just a couple of days before with her stomach flu... She wasn't in a very happy mood this day, but Brooke still got some great shots--she is so talented! Can't believe my baby is 8 months already...

Now onto today's project... Lindsay and I are heading to the Smocking Loft to make our girls some matching summer jumpers tonight. Besides my pillow/table skirt living room rehab a couple of years ago, I haven't done much sewing since Donna Brasher's home ec class in high school. In keeping with my summer mantra {see post 2 below}, the pattern is "Simplicity 2672." Should be interesting, but here's to our new hobby!

But first a peek at Addison's 6 month photos made by my friend Brooke. I love them. It's hard to believe that she had been at Vanderbilt Children's ER just a couple of days before with her stomach flu... She wasn't in a very happy mood this day, but Brooke still got some great shots--she is so talented! Can't believe my baby is 8 months already...

Now onto today's project... Lindsay and I are heading to the Smocking Loft to make our girls some matching summer jumpers tonight. Besides my pillow/table skirt living room rehab a couple of years ago, I haven't done much sewing since Donna Brasher's home ec class in high school. In keeping with my summer mantra {see post 2 below}, the pattern is "Simplicity 2672." Should be interesting, but here's to our new hobby!

Mixed Bathing

This is Addison and her Eagle's Nest boyfriend Jackson. She's quite the water baby, and we had so much fun today at Jen's with Becky and Angie! I love summer!

This is Addison's favorite thing to sleep in. She is recognizing who Elmo is, carries her Elmo with her wherever she goes, bends over to see Elmo on her onesie and giggles. As soon as she wakes up, she crawls to find her balls that Eli Stapler gave her. Think she might be a soccer girl?

This is Addison and her Eagle's Nest boyfriend Jackson. She's quite the water baby, and we had so much fun today at Jen's with Becky and Angie! I love summer!

This is Addison's favorite thing to sleep in. She is recognizing who Elmo is, carries her Elmo with her wherever she goes, bends over to see Elmo on her onesie and giggles. As soon as she wakes up, she crawls to find her balls that Eli Stapler gave her. Think she might be a soccer girl?

"Simplicity...

is the ultimate sophistication," says my Life is Good coffee mug. And I'm buying it. This summer I am seeking simplicity.

And right now I'm enjoying the quiet that comes with morning nap time.

is the ultimate sophistication," says my Life is Good coffee mug. And I'm buying it. This summer I am seeking simplicity.

And right now I'm enjoying the quiet that comes with morning nap time.

You know you are tired when...

you say to your students...

"I need you to STOP... saying WORDS... outLOUD...!!!"

That's my end-of-the-year, exhausted and exasperated attempts at classroom management...

My kids laughed and laughed at me when I said it--they really are good kids.

They are over it too! AP Exams are over. Gateway testing is over. All that's left is grading research essays and honors' portfolios. Hallelujah!

4.5 more days...

you say to your students...

"I need you to STOP... saying WORDS... outLOUD...!!!"

That's my end-of-the-year, exhausted and exasperated attempts at classroom management...

My kids laughed and laughed at me when I said it--they really are good kids.

They are over it too! AP Exams are over. Gateway testing is over. All that's left is grading research essays and honors' portfolios. Hallelujah!

4.5 more days...

things students say

A student, while revising a paper and focusing her thoughts on using precision in her word choice, approached me for help and said,

"Mrs. Crawford, I was thinking that you looked like an oracle of vocabulary..."

HA! I love my job.

A student, while revising a paper and focusing her thoughts on using precision in her word choice, approached me for help and said,

"Mrs. Crawford, I was thinking that you looked like an oracle of vocabulary..."

HA! I love my job.

texting, rumor mills, high school drama...

All in a day's work...

Disclaimer: Despite the story I am about to share, I have been overall very satisfied with my working mommy status and daycare situation. This story is an exception to that satisfaction...

Yesterday, I arrived at work to drop Addison off, and I found out that her 2 full-time teachers were out sick. The co-op student who works in there consistently with the babies was going to be in there all day. I felt ok about that.

When I went to check on her at 11:30--as I do each day--the student was not there, and a floater was feeding one of the younger babies a bottle. I noticed that there were only 3 babies instead of 4, and I inquired about the 4th. I learned that they had checked her temperature, found that it was extremely high, and the student worker had driven her with her mother (also a student) to the doctor--leaving the rest of the babies with the floater. I was NOT happy about that.

When I saw Addison, she'd been placed in a swing with a blanket that wasn't her own. Then, as I was sitting there with her, I looked at her chart and noticed that there was no record of her having been fed her mid-morning bottle OR her having had her diaper changed. At this point, I was trying to keep my composure, but I was increasingly upset. I inquired about the bottle; the lady said that she hadn't had one since she'd been in there, but she had made her one. I looked at it and it looked small, so I asked if she'd just had a little of it. She said, "No, I made her 4 ounces... isn't that what she takes?" I said, "Ummm, NO! She takes 6-7 ounces 4 times a day, and she should have had this an hour and a half ago..." So, I fed her myself. She ravenously sucked it down. Then I changed her myself. Then I walked out of the daycare and had a "mommy meltdown." I mean I was crying so hard. I found one of my mommy friends and asked her how I should handle it--wanting to wait until the emotions had subsided so that I would be heard rather than written off because I was irrational.

Two periods later, I spoke with the director, expressed my concerns, got things taken care of; however, a student happened to be in the hallway. Before I knew it, through texting, a rumor had been started that a baby in the daycare had the swine flu. THE SWINE FLU. The next day, my kids were coming in my room asking if I was ok--they'd heard that Addison had gotten the swine flu.

I was so annoyed, but I got over it. Gotta love teenagers...

All in a day's work...

Disclaimer: Despite the story I am about to share, I have been overall very satisfied with my working mommy status and daycare situation. This story is an exception to that satisfaction...

Yesterday, I arrived at work to drop Addison off, and I found out that her 2 full-time teachers were out sick. The co-op student who works in there consistently with the babies was going to be in there all day. I felt ok about that.

When I went to check on her at 11:30--as I do each day--the student was not there, and a floater was feeding one of the younger babies a bottle. I noticed that there were only 3 babies instead of 4, and I inquired about the 4th. I learned that they had checked her temperature, found that it was extremely high, and the student worker had driven her with her mother (also a student) to the doctor--leaving the rest of the babies with the floater. I was NOT happy about that.

When I saw Addison, she'd been placed in a swing with a blanket that wasn't her own. Then, as I was sitting there with her, I looked at her chart and noticed that there was no record of her having been fed her mid-morning bottle OR her having had her diaper changed. At this point, I was trying to keep my composure, but I was increasingly upset. I inquired about the bottle; the lady said that she hadn't had one since she'd been in there, but she had made her one. I looked at it and it looked small, so I asked if she'd just had a little of it. She said, "No, I made her 4 ounces... isn't that what she takes?" I said, "Ummm, NO! She takes 6-7 ounces 4 times a day, and she should have had this an hour and a half ago..." So, I fed her myself. She ravenously sucked it down. Then I changed her myself. Then I walked out of the daycare and had a "mommy meltdown." I mean I was crying so hard. I found one of my mommy friends and asked her how I should handle it--wanting to wait until the emotions had subsided so that I would be heard rather than written off because I was irrational.

Two periods later, I spoke with the director, expressed my concerns, got things taken care of; however, a student happened to be in the hallway. Before I knew it, through texting, a rumor had been started that a baby in the daycare had the swine flu. THE SWINE FLU. The next day, my kids were coming in my room asking if I was ok--they'd heard that Addison had gotten the swine flu.

I was so annoyed, but I got over it. Gotta love teenagers...

Shades...

Funny story for my Chi-O "sister mommies" out there...

True story.

On our Spring Break trek to Destin, Lindsay and I along with our daughters--one, a 6 month old, who was recovering from a viscious fever virus, the other, a 16 month old, who had gotten tubes 2 days prior--made the 7 hour haul in our mountaineer. What usually takes the aforementioned 7 hours took us 9.5 due to longer meal stops, diaper changes, medicine administrations, and time for our little girls to get some physical freedom from their confining car seats. Both kiddos did great travel-wise... until hour 8. At that point, we were seriously all OVER IT. I had spent 2 sleepless nights before this trip with Addison in tepid baths to manage her fever; Lindsay and I had both completed stressful work weeks; and Lindsay had gone through the physical and emotional stress of "tubes."

When the little girls began their simultaneous meltdown, Lindsay and I began our Mommy Reportoire of "sing-songs." We'd already exhausted both girls' personalized cds from Jaydee, so we began singing 37 verses of "Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Jesus Loves the Little Children"--just to name a few. Nothing was working; there was no appeasing these little girls. We were delirious. We were moving from one song to the next without a thought, just one following the other's lead.

All of the sudden, I began belting out our Chi-O alma mater of "Shades" and Lindsay mindlessly followed. We didn't even realize what we were singing. Almost immediately, both girls fell silent--mesmerized by our song. We looked at each other, realized WHAT we were singing, and began laughing hysterically, and at our pause, the girlies started up their crying again. Shrugging our shoulders, we picked up where we left off and began singing again--trying not to laugh too much. Again, silence. So we followed with "The Owl, the carnation, the cardinal and straw..." and then "Hair of gold..." The girls made it the rest of the trip in peaceful bliss. Lindsay and I laughed until we cried when we finally made it to our destination.

Think we have 2 future Chi Omegas???

Funny story for my Chi-O "sister mommies" out there...

True story.

On our Spring Break trek to Destin, Lindsay and I along with our daughters--one, a 6 month old, who was recovering from a viscious fever virus, the other, a 16 month old, who had gotten tubes 2 days prior--made the 7 hour haul in our mountaineer. What usually takes the aforementioned 7 hours took us 9.5 due to longer meal stops, diaper changes, medicine administrations, and time for our little girls to get some physical freedom from their confining car seats. Both kiddos did great travel-wise... until hour 8. At that point, we were seriously all OVER IT. I had spent 2 sleepless nights before this trip with Addison in tepid baths to manage her fever; Lindsay and I had both completed stressful work weeks; and Lindsay had gone through the physical and emotional stress of "tubes."

When the little girls began their simultaneous meltdown, Lindsay and I began our Mommy Reportoire of "sing-songs." We'd already exhausted both girls' personalized cds from Jaydee, so we began singing 37 verses of "Wheels on the Bus," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Jesus Loves the Little Children"--just to name a few. Nothing was working; there was no appeasing these little girls. We were delirious. We were moving from one song to the next without a thought, just one following the other's lead.

All of the sudden, I began belting out our Chi-O alma mater of "Shades" and Lindsay mindlessly followed. We didn't even realize what we were singing. Almost immediately, both girls fell silent--mesmerized by our song. We looked at each other, realized WHAT we were singing, and began laughing hysterically, and at our pause, the girlies started up their crying again. Shrugging our shoulders, we picked up where we left off and began singing again--trying not to laugh too much. Again, silence. So we followed with "The Owl, the carnation, the cardinal and straw..." and then "Hair of gold..." The girls made it the rest of the trip in peaceful bliss. Lindsay and I laughed until we cried when we finally made it to our destination.

Think we have 2 future Chi Omegas???

Several months of catch up

I never blog anymore. Today I sort of realized that I missed it. I've been writing a bunch elsewhere; I've been thinking a bunch; and our family has been going through a bunch. Leisure time has been nonexistent, but I like this outlet, this relationship that I've had with blogger over the past 3 years, and I decided it was time to jump back in.

I don't have tons to write about on my usual topics. I haven't read much--although I am reading an awesome book right now World Without End by Ken Follet and finished Middlesex and The Shack earlier this year; I haven't seen many movies lately--but I did enjoy Marley and Me over Spring Break and was part of the Slumdog Millionaire fan club; the only traveling I've done was a girls' trip to Florida over Spring Break. My life has mostly consisted of taking care of my sweet baby, enjoying Patrick's days when he's been able to come to town, mentoring my student teacher, and preparing my Juniors for their AP exam--which means grading lots and LOTS of essays. I have had fun weekend visits and homecooked meals from Jesse, sleepovers with Heather, and evenings with Lia. I've been busy and distracted, but I've been learning lots of hard lessons through the craziness of life.

The Lord has been teaching our family so much through our experiences these past few months. Mostly, he's been reteaching us how to depend on Him, that He has to be our first love, and that we should not ever take any of our moments together as a family for granted.

Sometimes I complain about how my students have entitlement issues. They think they deserve to have grades, freedoms, luxuries at their disposal. However, through our countries' struggling economic times, our world is changing. My world has totally changed, and upon reflection, I realize that I have had some entitlement issues of my own--expecting my life to go along according to my plan.

I am learning to appreciate the little things--sweet moments with my daughter, quiet moments with my husband, bonding together as a family. I'm learning again how to take time for myself, but I'm learning that I can't do it--and don't have to do it--all by myself. Thank goodness for real friendship and strong family loyalties.

All in all, 2009 has been a whirlwind of change, independence, flexibility, balance, and growing pains. Though some of it has been painful, we have experienced some of our most precious moments and made incredible memories. Being a mother is one of the most challenging, humbling, and rewarding roles I have ever played, and I can truly say that I love every moment of it. I am amazed by Addison every day.

Here are a few recent snapshots of our little girl:

I never blog anymore. Today I sort of realized that I missed it. I've been writing a bunch elsewhere; I've been thinking a bunch; and our family has been going through a bunch. Leisure time has been nonexistent, but I like this outlet, this relationship that I've had with blogger over the past 3 years, and I decided it was time to jump back in.

I don't have tons to write about on my usual topics. I haven't read much--although I am reading an awesome book right now World Without End by Ken Follet and finished Middlesex and The Shack earlier this year; I haven't seen many movies lately--but I did enjoy Marley and Me over Spring Break and was part of the Slumdog Millionaire fan club; the only traveling I've done was a girls' trip to Florida over Spring Break. My life has mostly consisted of taking care of my sweet baby, enjoying Patrick's days when he's been able to come to town, mentoring my student teacher, and preparing my Juniors for their AP exam--which means grading lots and LOTS of essays. I have had fun weekend visits and homecooked meals from Jesse, sleepovers with Heather, and evenings with Lia. I've been busy and distracted, but I've been learning lots of hard lessons through the craziness of life.

The Lord has been teaching our family so much through our experiences these past few months. Mostly, he's been reteaching us how to depend on Him, that He has to be our first love, and that we should not ever take any of our moments together as a family for granted.

Sometimes I complain about how my students have entitlement issues. They think they deserve to have grades, freedoms, luxuries at their disposal. However, through our countries' struggling economic times, our world is changing. My world has totally changed, and upon reflection, I realize that I have had some entitlement issues of my own--expecting my life to go along according to my plan.

I am learning to appreciate the little things--sweet moments with my daughter, quiet moments with my husband, bonding together as a family. I'm learning again how to take time for myself, but I'm learning that I can't do it--and don't have to do it--all by myself. Thank goodness for real friendship and strong family loyalties.

All in all, 2009 has been a whirlwind of change, independence, flexibility, balance, and growing pains. Though some of it has been painful, we have experienced some of our most precious moments and made incredible memories. Being a mother is one of the most challenging, humbling, and rewarding roles I have ever played, and I can truly say that I love every moment of it. I am amazed by Addison every day.

Here are a few recent snapshots of our little girl: