Resolutions

Last year I started having one resolution per month instead of a couple for the whole year. My thought was that I don't follow through with resolutions more than a month anyway. Well, as it turned out, I didn't follow through with montly resolutions past April. Mathematically speaking, I still did better than previous years. The biggest problem with last year's monthly resolutions was that I couldn't remember my resolutions from month to month. So this year I've decided to continue with the monthly resolutions, but to work on qualities each month rather than a specific goal.

January - love
February - joy
March - peace
April - patience
May - kindness
June - goodness
July - faithfulness
August - gentleness
September - self control

This is where the fruits of the Spirit run out, so I'm choosing some other qualities that I want to work on.

October - honesty
November - humility
December - selflessness

It's All About Perspective

I went to girl's night tonight at a friend's house and I was immediately overwhelmed and jealous. Her house was beautiful! She had pretty much everything I'd want in my perfect house. It was all decorated for Christmas and there was stuff on the walls and coordinating bathrooms and bedrooms. Plus her closet looked like something from a movie. I was definitely coveting what she had. But it's all about perspective. When I got home, Kaleb was crying in his room so I went in there to see if I could get him back to sleep. As I was holding him and rocking him, he laid his head on my shoulder and fell asleep. I was looking around his messy room, rubbing his back and I realized that this friend of mine would give up everything she had to be able to do what I was doing that very second. It was a very humbling experience. Instead of focusing on what she had that I didn't have, I should have been so grateful for what God has given me. I don't NEED a big house that's perfectly clean and decorated. I mean, I still have things I want to do with my house, but if it's not perfectly clean it can serve as a reminder that I have my sweet boy who I wouldn't trade for anything.

Bucket List Accomplishment

Number 7 on my bucket list says "Witness history." I can now check that off. I got to go to the Saints game yesterday and be there when Drew Brees broke the record for the most passing yards in a regular season. All throughout the game we were keeping track of how many more yards he had to get in order to make history. He did amazing the first half and we felt certain that he would break the record in the third quarter. But he didn't. For those of you who didn't see the game, he had only 30 yards to go for most of the second half. Everytime the Saints got the ball back the whole crowd would stand up and get their cameras (or more accurately, camera phones) out to tape the event. And every time he would either run it or throw an interception or incomplete pass or something else that was totally NOT what we were waiting for. But then, with 4 minutes left in the game, he got the ball back around the 33. Keep in mind he needed 30 yards to break the record so he didn't have much room to spare. Everytime he completed a pass the Superdome erupted into screams and cheers. But it was nothing compared to what happened when he threw for the touchdown. The noise of the crowd was deafening! We were all jumping, high-fiving, cheering, clapping, and basically just going crazy. I imagine it was similar to when the Saints beat the Vikings to advance to the Super Bowl. It was so exciting and  I kept replaying in my head that night. I, of course, saved my ticket and I'll be able to tell my kids that I was there to see history...to see Drew Brees become the NFL's all-time leading passer. So in 20+ years, when someone else is close to beating Brees's record, it'll mean so much more.

A New Christmas

Christmas has come and, once again, I have gotten more than I deserve. We have been blessed by loving parents/grandparents and Kaleb is already rotten - to say the least. We are very appreciative of the outpouring of love shown through Christmas gifts. But I realized that I had to make a conscious effort to bring Jesus into it...and I was terrible at it. After ripping through presents all morning, we got in the car to go to Eric's house and I said something along the lines of, "Oh! You do know that we celebrate Christmas because of Jesus right?" That was the extent of how we incorporated Jesus into His own holiday! Pitiful. I mean, we've talked about Jesus and the wise men and the story leading up to Christmas, but when we ask whose birthday it was, Kaleb said Santa Claus. I'm going to be honest, I felt awful! I don't really want to do the big Santa Claus thing. And by that I mean, when we were growing up, along with presents under the tree, we would wake up and find the big gifts from Santa. It was exciting and ridiculously fun, but I don't think we're going to do it. We'll probably have Santa fill stockings, but gifts are going to come from family. Next year, instead of a lot of presents, I think we're going to try to limit it to just a few presents (3-5 total per family) and then do some service activities like baking cookies to take to a shelter or giving away a gift for every one he gets. Like, I said, I am totally overwhelmed by how much Kaleb is loved by his family and it is a true testament to the loving nature of our parents. I guess I'm just feeling guilty for falling into the trap of making Christmas all about presents and Santa Claus instead of Jesus. Eric and I are going to decide what to do for next year then I'm going do a post about what we choose and why. I just know we have to do better.

Sometimes I Fail

Okay, reality check! Some days I go to bed at the end of the day and feel awesome...like I gave today my all and accomplished everything I wanted. Today was not one of those days. I did get up reasonably early and went to Hattiesburg to do most of the rest of our Christmas shopping....which we accomplished. But then I came home and took a nap. Now, this may not sound like a big deal, but for part of that nap Kaleb was playing by himself. I didn't really go to sleep so much as lay down and rest a while, and I could hear him playing with his trucks, and he came in to see me every now and again, but STILL, I felt horrible! Sometimes I fail. And as I sit here looking at the complete and utter mess of books on the living room floor, I think to myself, "Why did you let him go to bed without cleaning up his mess? Did you even brush his teeth!? Nope." Sometimes I fail. Then I look at the kitchen sink, piled with dishes and wonder why I just spent 2 hours watching episodes of Gilmore Girls instead of washing them. Sometimes I fail. This isn't a pity party, just a day when I realize I could have done a lot more. Tomorrow will be awesome! I will clean the house and wash the dishes. I will wash the clothes and put them up. I will vacuum and sweep the floors. Tomorrow I will NOT take a nap as I have the past 3 days in a row. I will go to the library and check out a book instead of buying one. I will go by Sears and talk to them about a dishwasher (that I should have talked to them about 2 weeks ago). Tomorrow I will not fail. Tomorrow I will win. After all, tomorrow is another day.

Book Review: True Believer

I'm a big Nicholas Sparks fan (aren't we all?) but I never seem to buy any of his books. Just like this one, I either borrow them or check them out at the library. I'm not sure why exactly. In this book, which is the first of two in a sequel, Jeremy Marsh, a writer from New York, goes down to North Carolina to try to debunk the legend that there are ghosts in this small town's cemetary. While there he meets Lexie Darnell, the local librarian. In true Nicholas Sparks fashion there is Southern charm and romance. However, also in true Nicholas Sparks form, it is fairly predictable. You know that the main characters are going to fall in love, have to sacrifice something, end it, and then get back together. I mean, that's how they all are...The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, The Lucky One, etc... It's true that sometimes a main character dies or has to sacrifice himself or herself and it's not a happy ending. I'm not going to tell you whether or not this book falls into that category. You'll just have to read it yourself.

Pinterest, You Might Just Be Alright

I'm gonna be honest. I don't really "do" the Pinterest thing. Every now and then I sign on and look at some of the cool stuff that's on there, but I don't have any pins or anything. Honestly, I just don't need another thing to be addicted to. I mean, c'mon, Facebook's plently. However, when I see something that 1. catches my eye and 2. looks easier than scrambled eggs, I try it. First time it was a recipe for s'mores dip and it was some kinda good! This time it was a project for some Kaleb art. Now, my son is an art prodigy. He's just got a way with colors and brush strokes...and I'm totally biased. But Haley pinned something to her board about how to turn a kid's scribbles into something you could actually keep. Kaleb painted a picture on white card stock, but there was a lot of white space left over when he was done. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to try out the Pinterest idea. I took another piece of white card stock and cut it into sixths. (I'm planning on doing some 123's with another painting) I traced the ABC's in pencil then used a knife to cut them out. After that I just taped the ABC's onto the painting in a way that would show off all the colors he used. Then I cut the picture according to where I put the letters and outlined the edges. I realized I needed to do this because you couldn't see the floating parts of the A or B without the outline. Anyway, I thought it turned out pretty cute. Maybe I'll find a long picture frame that I can put them in and hang it up.

12 Days of Christmas

I learned something very interesting in Sunday School this morning. "The 12 Days of Christmas" is a secret song for Christians. Back in the long-ago days, when Christians were persecuted for even mentioning Jesus (ok, that happens now too but I think it was more prevalent back then), they sang this song where each day represented something Biblical.

A partridge in a pear tree = Jesus
Two turtle doves = Old and New Testament
Three french hens = faith, hope, and love
Four calling birds = the books of the Gospel
Five gold rings = first five books of the Bible
Six geese a laying = the days of creation
Seven swans a swimming = gifts of the Spirit
Eight maids a milking = Beatitudes
Nine ladies dancing = fruits of the Spirit
Ten lords a leaping = the Ten Commandments
Eleven pipers piping = faithful disciples
Twelve drummers drumming = 12 parts of the creed

Christmas Wishlist 2011

This is the obligatory Christmas List Post. I wasn't going to do it, but my sisters did, so I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon. I'm just that kinda person.
As our big gift we want a stainless steel dishwasher. Our house doesn't have one and we are desperately wanting one. Plus, it'll help with other things in the future.
Next we have Kaleb. I know that he's getting a wooden workbench...not this one, but something similar from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. He's also getting a tent, playspace, and some books.

Now that he's really enjoying bath time, we wanted to get him some new bath toys. They have all sorts of stuff now like bath paints and cool stuff from Crayola. I don't know what the picture is below, but it gets the "bath toy" idea across.

On to me, I know what I want (and hey, this is my blog after all) so there's more stuff for me. I want some picture frames. I saw these cool framed flower pictures at Kirklands and really wanted them. Then I realized that my bedroom calendar has pictures that are very similar. So instead of buying those from Kirklands I though I could pick my favorite ones and frame them myself. Plus I want some fabric. I'm going to be recovering my kitchen chair cushions, ottoman, and accent pillows (as I've mentiond a bunch of times before) but fabric is way more expensive than I thought.

I also want a Nook. I'm a book fanatic and I've had the idea that if I got a Nook it'd be like I was cheating on books. But frankly, I'm running out of room on my bookshelf and I don't have room for another one. Plus, if I really like a book I can always buy it for my shelf so I can lend it out. I do plan on having a reading space (nook, if you will) in my perfect house surrounded by shelves of books. I may have to end up buying more to fill them.

I found a painting at Bed, Bath, and Beyond that I just loved. It spoke to me. There's just something about it that makes me love it. I don't know if I would put it in the living room or the bedroom, but it would definitely have a home. I need a Swiffer wet jet as well. I don't mop...ever...because it's just a pain in the butt. I think I would mop more if I had one.

Finally, I want some Toms. I'm not sure what kind I want, but I know that I want some. I'll just have to go pick some out. I'm trying to decide between practical or fun.

On to Eric. His list is super easy because it's super short. He wants gift cards and the new Zelda game. Literally, that's it. So that's our list. Hope you enjoyed it!

Book Review: Son of Neptune

It took me a little longer to get through this book because I was sidetracked with rewatching The Vampire Diaries Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix. It was similar to The Lost Hero in the fact that we were introduced to new characters and Percy lost his memory like Jason. Part of it was fairly predictable like all of his books, but it was nice to see some surprises and connections made between this book and the books from the Percy Jackson series. I'm already ready for the next book but it doesn't come out until NEXT Fall. I assume there will be at least 5 books in the series, but I'm thinking it'll be more along the lines of 7 books. If that's the case, it may be a long time before we figure out how it all ends.

The Last 24 Hours

Let me preface this by saying I AM SO TIRED. Last night we had some people over to watch the Saints whoop up on the Giants. Who knew the game would last til 11:00? Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with people and 11:00 isn't too bad (even though it was a school night). I figured, 11:00 - cool. that means I'll be able to sleep about 7 hours. Yeeeaaahhh. It would've been cool but when we let Lucy inside a mouse ran into our bedroom with her! I mean, seriously, it's 11:00, I have school tomorrow, and now we have to look for a mouse amidst all this clutter in our room. About midnight we gave up and went to bed. We figured it went in this little hole we found so we taped it up and tried to sleep soundly.
Then today, being exhausted to begin with, school seemed so long! I love my kids and most days I can find something to laugh about, but today I was just too tired. Plus Kaleb has had a low grade fever the past few days and was just fussy. I tried to take a little nap when I got home so my body would function properly, but that doesn't work so great when you have a toddler...even if you have the best husband in the world who would give up his nap time so you could attempt yours. After about an hour I got up and started thawing the chicken for chicken fried rice. Of course, the rice didn't cook right and it was crunchy so we ended up eating chicken and squash which wasn't that bad.
About halfway through eating Kaleb comes in from the office to tell us he has a booger he can't get out. Well, turns out "booger" is code word for button. Yep, there was a little green button in his nose. Everytime he would blow out so I could try to grab it, he would suck it back up. Super frustrating. Finally I got it out and it was covered in snot (as expected). So to repeat the beginning of this post, I AM SO TIRED. Tomorrow's got to be better. I'm going to hurry up and get there.

Sisterly Inspiration

When I go to Amelia's house I get inspired to make my house more interesting. Usually I just say that and then forget and go on with my bare walls and clutter. This time I'm going to set a goal for each room. Then, hopefully, I'll be able to post before and after pictures.

Living room: Cover the ottoman
Dining room: Cover the chair cushions
Kitchen: Put away the clutter
Laundry room: Put in a shelf
Office: Paint the walls
Guest room: Clean out closet
Bathroom: Art on the wall
Master bedroom: New night stand
Kaleb's room: Put up second shelf

Wish me luck!

My Favorite Place

The clutter fades (though three feet deep)
When I turn out the lights
And gently rock my son to sleep
And wish him sweet "Goodnights."

He tells me all about his day
in his sweet toddler prose
And though I understand most words
Some Heaven only knows.

But when his sleepy eyes droop down
And his head falls to my chest
I realize this rocking chair
Is the place I love the best.

Book Review: A Love That Multiplies

I actually finished this book a little while ago, but totally forgot to write up a book review. I didn't read the first book but this one was very interesting. I love watching the Duggars on TLC and they're so interesting in their beliefs and values. This isn't the type of book I usually read. I like books with plots. But it was nice to read something different, something about someone else's life. Iliked that there were recipes throughout the book and I even tried one of them after I read it. They have some pretty conservative beliefs and I don't agree with everything they do, but I respect them for sticking to their faith.

I Remember

I remember when I heard about the news of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York. I was a junior in high school at Jackson Prep. I was in math class when some news leaked about the crash. The teacher kinda said that sucks and we should pray for them, but then we went back to our daily business. During second period more information started coming in. We talked about it a little bit and started voicing our concerns that we were going to be hit next. Then we collectively realized that who would want to attack Jackson, MS? Our history teacher, of course, was very interested in it and was one of the only teachers who had the news on during the day and was letting students watch and discuss it. The other teachers tried to keep to their lesson plans as much as they could so I didn't really hear much about it until I got home. When I got home it was like the world was crashing down around us. Every station on tv (except Disney) was broadcasting about it. I watched the plane fly into the building countless times. I stayed on the station, not even wanting to go to sleep for fear I would miss something big. I saw the towers fall and heard about the people jumping out of the 90th floors. It was absolutely unbelievable. How could this happen? Why would this happen? What must the people in the buildings or the people with loved ones in the buildings be thinking and feeling? That was 10 years ago today. Now, more than ever, the impact of that event hits home. Now that I have a husband and a child, it becomes even more unfathomable. I can't imagine being trapped in a burning building, knowing I was never going to see Eric of Kaleb again. I can't imagine talking to Eric on the phone, hearing him scream, and then being disconnected forever. The American people did something that day ten years ago that is very rarely done. They united together. The tragedy of being attacked on our own soil sparked something inside us that should be apparant daily...pride and resolve. You could almost sense America saying, "Oh no they didn't!" Songs were written about it, books and movies stemmed from it, and a sense of that loss and pride rolls around this time every year. I wish we could harness that pride and resolve every day so that each morning we could say with conviction,
I'm proud to be an American
Where at least I know I'm free
And I won't forget the men who died
Who gave that right to me
So I proudly stand up, next to you
And defend her still today
Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God bless the USA!

Bad Blogger Update

I've been a bad blogger lately. Ever since Kaleb's second birthday party I've kinda been super busy with my class and my students. Plus there's nothing really interesting about my life at the moment. This post is just going to be some random catching up.
On the book front: I'm rereading The Hunger Games in anticipation of the movie (that doesn't come out until March) and I'm on the last book. I only have a few chapters left to read so I'll probably finish that one today or tomorrow. I'm trying to pass the awesomeness on so I lent it to a friend. I don't know if he'll read it, but he said he would. After this I get to start my new book...the new Duggar book! I'm super excited to start reading it. I usually don't go for books without plots (i.e. Jesus books, self help, biographies, etc) but I like them so much and am so curious about their lives.
On the Kaleb/baby front: Kaleb's a handful! He's really able to express what he wants now, but not always what upsets or aggravates him. This leads to several meltdowns a day. We're trying to be firm parents and we're making him calm down before we give him what he wants and say please before we help him. There's no Baby Satterwhite 2 on the way. We're having to take a break from trying because of Brad's wedding this summer. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a bit disappointed. We got pregnant the first time without even trying so I thought it would be super easy this time. Turns out, not so much. I had to cry about it a little bit when I found out I wasn't pregnant because it meant I'd have to wait at least 4 months to start trying again. I really want to be pregnant and hold a newborn baby again. I just have to trust that God's plan is perfect and that I wasn't meant to get pregnant yet.
On the job front: School's pretty good. I've got a routine going and my students are really starting to get used to my style of teaching...which is a lot of groups. On any given day, at any given time, you could walk in and see kids in groups on the floor, desks turned around, and "centers" going. I don't think I could teach whole group all day long. It's just too draining on them and me.
On the September front: I've got class every other Tuesday night and lots of homework to do this month. I also have to sign up to take my comps in November and register to graduate in May. At the end of the month I'll be working at the children's market with my mom to make a little extra money. This is supposed to go towards paying off our bills. I'm sure most of it will. Football season has started which is good for NFL time but bad for WCHS time. Eric's gone every Friday night now. If I didn't have Kaleb then I'd go and hang out with him (and the other directors) on game nights, but with Kaleb it's pretty much impossible to go and enjoy myself. Contests start in October, so for the moment I'm just thankful I can still see him on Saturdays.
And that is my Bad Blogger Update.

Kaleb's Second Birthday Letter

Dear Kaleb,
You are two years old and it seems like youv'e been a part of our lives for much longer. You are the cutests little boy. I have to say little boy because you've transitioned out of the baby stage. Sometimes I like to call you my baby, but in reality you are truly a little boy. Youre blue eyes, sweet smile, and sneaky expressions make everyone around you smile and fall in love with you.
You are so smart and you learn new words every day. You can point to most every part of your body, tel me the names of everyone in our family, tell me the sounds and names of a ton of animals, and are learning to count, say the alphabet, and distinguish your colors. You've even begun ot joke around with us. We'll ask you where your nose is and you'll point to your hair, grin, and say "no!" There are still a lot of sounds you can't say yet, but I'm sure you'll get them. Right now it's the sounds for l, j, z, and r. When you say your name you call yourself "Habub." It's SO cute!
You're very into transportation lately so we're having a transportation themed birthday party. You love trucks, trains, and airplanes the most. You also love to jump. You jumpon beds, couches, chairs, trampolines, and just the floor. You could spend all day outside just running, jumping, kicking, throwing, and exploring. You've recently started loving to play with chalk and swinging on our glider. You throw the biggest fit whenever we have to come inside. I literally have to carry you in screaming and crying.
You love cookies (soo-says) almost more than any other food. You also love juice, milk, spaghetti, chicken nuggets, apples, bananas, raisins, chips, goldfish, yogurt (dodote), beans, and peas. Basically, anything except tomatoes (unless they're covered in Ranch dressing). You can distinguish between milk, water, and apple juice and will ask for which one you want. Mainly you want chocolate milk (chomate milt).
After everything we ask or tell you you say "huh?" It's really funny. We're pretty sure you can actually hear us, but you're so used to hearing us say "huh?" to each other that you think you're supposed to say it. You still don't like a lot of tv. You ask for Elmo and Bob (Spongebob) but you wont' watch them. I guess you just like to know they're there.
You're a little small for your age and may be built more like your P-Daddy. You weight 28 pouds and are 35 inches tall. According to an old wives tale, that means you'll be 5 feet 10 inches tall when you grow up. You idolize your P-Daddy. To be honest we get a little jealous because you always want to spend time with him and you are always aksing about him when you're not with him. He idolizes you, too so it's a pretty even trade. Of course, you love all your grandparents and want to be with them often. On one particularly bad night you were so upset to leave them so I started singing songs to get you to calm down and go to sleep. I was singing "You are my Sunshine" and when I got to the line that says "you make me happy when skies are gray" you started crying again and asking for Happy. It was so sad and sweet at the sam etime.
You say things in the funniest ways. When you cough you say "soff," when you burp you say "bup" and when you poot you say "foot sooze me." You also have an excited face that always make people die with laughter. You put your fists in front of you and smile so big you actually shake. It's hysterical. If you get in trouble for doing something you either say "bad bad" "uh oh" or "hey." You also lvoe toe "fush da fotty" or flush the potty. We have a potty for you, but I don't think you're quite ready for it. If you want us to go somewhere with you you reach up and say "hand" then take our hand and pull us where you want us to go.
We love you so much and it's been a joy to see how you've changed over these past two years. We can't wait to see what a difference a year will make when you turn three.

Love,
Mama and Daddy

Birthday Tears

I'm going to be honest. I shed a few tears after Kaleb's second birthday party. It wasn't because I was sad my baby was growing up or because I was reminiscing about how small he used to be. It was because only 2 people came who weren't grandparents. TWO! Of all the people I invited, all the friends I thought would want to be there to celebrate my son's birthday, only two came. It broke my heart. It still breaks my heart to think about it. I know Kaleb doesn't care and won't remember it at all, but I was counting on those people to help make his birthday special. Two of the people I invited had legitimate reasons not to be there, but the rest didn't come and didn't even let me know they weren't going to be there. I had to text them 20 minutes after his party started and ask if they were coming. That shouldn't happen! I had a flashback to my lingerie shower, the most hurt I've ever been, and I never want Kaleb to feel what I felt. I'm really going to have to think about things for his part next year. I'm very disappointed in my friends and family.

Book Review: Irish Born trilogy

This is my first experience with Nora Roberts. I borrowed this book from a friend. It's technically three books but they're all bound together in the Irish Born trilogy The three books in the trilogy are Born in Fire, Born in Ice, and Born in Shame. They follow the same family of sisters and their love lives. The first book focuses on Maggie, a glass blowing artist in Ireland. She's very talented and stubborn and is signed on by Rogan Sweeny, also stubborn, who owns Worldwide Galleries. Of course they eventually fall in love. Theh second book focuses on Brianna (Brie) who is Maggie's sister. Brie is quiet, kind, and owns a B&B. She is a miraculous chef, excellent gardener, and all around home-centered individual. During the winter months she has an America guest, Grayson Thane, who authors mystery novels. His latest novel is set in Ireland so he's there to research. Brie and Gray fall in love in an altogether different way than Maggie and Rogan. I think I like the second book best because I like to relate to her. The third book is about Shannon, the other girls' unknown sister from another mother. Shannon learns about her true past rooted in Ireland and travels to meet Brie and Maggie and find out more about her father (their father). Along the way she meets Murphey, the strong farmer who is like a brother to Maggie and Brie. Murphey and Shannon share an otherworldly connection that is revealed at the end of the book. Shannon takes more time to fall because it means forsaking everything she's worked for up to this point. I really like the books even though they were considered smut. I don't know that I'm going to read Nora Roberts exclusively, but I'll definitely read more of her series. I've heard the wedding series is amazing so after I down a few other books, I'll return to her. I honestly hate to return the book.

Slowly but Surely

My goal for this year is to be totally prepared and teach my heart out. I'm going to stay positive and not participate in negative conversations. I'll just keep my mouth shut. I'm going to be organized, proactive, and creative. I'm going to change things as I need to and adapt to my students. I'm going to expect the best from them and not accept anything less. I'm going to completely prepare them for the MCT2, have extra work for my early finishers, and do activities that teach and provide a fun time. But first I have to get my room ready. I got a lot done today after our meeting, but there are still some things I need to do.
1. Review and file my student portfolios
2. File my Saxon stuff
3. Get my desk ready
4. Type up my beginning of the year letter and class list
5. Put up my Show Off plates
6. Decorate my door
7. Get everything copied and prepared for the first day
I'll post pictures of my room when I get it ready.

There's Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself

Yesterday afternoon I got a call from our assistant principal saying that the principal wanted to meet with me this morning at 9:00. Even as a teacher, getting called the the principal's office is a scary thing. All night I thought about what it could be. Was I being fired for something I didn't know I did? Was I being moved to another grade? Was I being sued? Was I getting a student teacher? Was I going to have to teach a choir? These were some of my more logical thoughts...except the choir thing. As it turns out, one of them was right. I will now be a kindergarten teacher trapped in a third grade room. I don't mean trapped, per se, just that I'm going to have to shift my mindset some.
In all honesty, I'm nervous. I REALLY don't want to be under the tested umbrella and have to deal with all the mess that entails including massive amounts of paperwork, crazy stipulations, and lots of chewing out. Who knows? Maybe I'll be a good 3rd grade teacher. That's what I started out wanting to teach. Then again, I thought I was a good kindergarten teacher. Maybe I am, but I don't feel like it right now. I'm trying to convince myself that if I was bad at teaching they wouldn't move me to a tested area, but I'm not buying it.
I'm going to miss kids loving on me, painting, play doh, snacks, fun activities, memory books, etc... I know that 3rd grade isn't 4th (horrible year) and that I have 4 years of experience now. I'm not anticipating it being horrible, but I'm always optimistic at the beginning of the year. I know I'm going to have to adjust some things. Behavior plans, class rules, lesson plans, expectations. I'm going to have to learn long division again. BUT, this group of kids is my first group of kindergarten kids so I know at least half of them. And I've learned a lot in my Masters classes. I just wish I had more time to sit down with the curriculum and the other teacher and plan out what to do when. Me and Lee spent the summer mapping out our kindergarten curriculum and that's all out the window now.
Be looking for some posts about how things are different (good and bad) this coming year. And be praying.

Stay at Home Mom

Well, it's band camp season. Eric is gone from 7:30 - 5:00 most every day. Some times he's gone til 9:00 and some days he'll have to be there at 7:00 so it kind of sucks. With him being gone all day every day, that leaves me being a stay at home mom. I have to be honest, I wasn't looking forward to it. This is the first summer that Kaleb has really been mobile and he's into the "learning twos" (that's the nicer name for "terrible twos") so I figured it would be really hard. In some ways it has been really hard but in other ways it's been fun. I'm glad I have a job and I don't think I have the energy to be a permanent stay at home mom, but it's been nice to spend a lot of time with him...especially since it's really the last summer that I'll be able to devote myself to him. More on that in a couple weeks. Anyway, yes it's hard when he wants to play outside and I won't let him because it a million degrees and yes it's hard when I need to do homework and he wants to run around hitting Lucy with a flyswatter, but it's worth it. I love that little guy.

Book Review: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events...sort of

Most of you probably know that there's a series of children's books out there by a fictious author (Lemony Snicket) called A Series of Unfortunate Events. What you might not know is that this series is THIRTEEEN books long. That's right! Thirteen! Now, I'm a fan of series just like the next guy. In fact, I prefer series books. Harry Potter, Chronicles of Narnia, Twilight, Hunger Games, Percy Jackson...all great. Lemony Snicket, ehhh, not as great. It tells the story of three children who become orphans when their parents die in a house fire. Each book then gives an account of a new guardian with a weirdo obsession (grammar, things that are "in", crows). Count Olaf is the main bad guy. He's after the Baudelaire fortune and dresses up and finds the children wherever they go. The adults in this series are apparently idiots because they never recognize him. The guardians always come to horrible ends (poison, chainsaw) leaving an opportunity for the next book. The series is too long. I've given up on it. I read the first eight or nine, but they're so predictable and there's not really anything interesting to keep me going. Our library doesn't even have the 13th book. So I quit. Yep, I'm a quitter. Oh well! I'll just look up what happens on Wikipedia. I've moved on to another series by Nora Roberts. I've never read anything by her before, but she has about a million books so I decided to give her a try. So there's my review.

Sex, Tears, and Bubbles

I really feel like all of my posts are pretty lame and not nearly as interesting or deep as some of the ones I read. This one basically gives an update on what's been going on the past couple of days. Warning: I do talk about sex a little bit in this post so if you want to skip over it I'll let you know when it's safe again. Eric and I have taken a challenge initiated by a girl in our Sunday School class through a magazine article. The challenge is to have sex 7 days in a row. So far we've been successful. However, we edited the challenge. We're going to have sex everyday in July. I know what you're thinking, "WHAT?! EVERYDAY?" Yep, everyday. We're doing this for a couple of reasons. 1- It's how I can show Eric that I love him. 2- It's meant to bring us closer together. 3- We could really use the practice. 4- We're trying to have a baby. And that's all I'll say about that.

IT'S SAFE AGAIN
I had a total meltdown tonight. I was laying on the bed, Eric was there too, and Kaleb was playing with his trains. Kaleb kicked me in the mouth and I chomped off part of my cheek (super!) He got in trouble because he was being careless and was told to be sweet and drive his trains on the bed, not on people. About 4 seconds later he rams said train into my head. It hurt physically but it hurt my feelings more. I literally started crying because my almost 2 year old doesn't respect me. Then I started crying harder because I thought I was a bad mom who didn't spend enough quality time with her child. Then I started crying even more when Eric mentioned band camp. I'm telling you, I've never cried like that before. This was hiccupping, squeaky, high-pitched movie crying. Except it wasn't a pretty cry. We Massey girls don't pretty cry. We get red and splotchy and swollen. Anyway, I decided to take a bath so I got in our jacuzzi tub (that I never turn the bubbles on because they annoy me) and read and soaked for about half an hour. I feel better now, but really slothy.

Something else that's going on is Kaleb's "bubble." Ever since he was born he's had this little bump on his knee, a cyst really since it's under his skin. The pediatrician referred us to a dermatologist in Hattiesburg who basically said that if it wasn't bothering him then we shouldn't worry about it. For the first year of his life it mostly stayed skin-colored and every now and then got a little blue. Well, I looked at his legs today while I was changing his diaper and that sucker has gotten HUGE! It's also purple and blue like a bruise. I don't know whether or not to be worried about it because it used to get bruisy when he was a baby. But not like this. As the day wore on it got bigger and he would point to it and say "knee hurt." We decided to see what happens tonight and if it isn't better in the morning then Eric will take him to a doctor in Waynesboro and try to get a referral to a dermatologist in Meridian. I'm trying not to think about it because whenever I do I start imagining the worst. Cancer, tumors, St. Judes, chemo, etc. Obviously things that could have me freaking out in half a second.

And that's basically our update. Oh yeah, and we're going to have to buy a new air conditioning system sometime soon...maybe this week. Our is about 20 years old and is costing us too much a year to fix it. Okay, now that's our update.

Priorities

This kid right here is what really matters so I've issued a challenge to myself. For one week I'm not going to turn the tv on while Kaleb is awake. Instead we're going to play, read, go outside, and clean up. I feel like I spend so much time telling him "no" and I realized it's because I'm so busy "relaxing," aka. watching tv, that I don't pay attention. I know, that's horrible. So the tv goes off while Kaleb is up. Today I had my class so I spent the good part of the day in Hattiesburg. When I got home it was past time for Kaleb's nap so I put him down and, instead of watching tv, worked on some homework to get ahead in my July class. I know that when I have to start working in my classroom I'm going to lose time to work on my homework, so I'm trying to get ahead so I don't fall behind. When he got up about an hour later we played outside and he played with trucks while I cleaned out our junk drawer and double checked our massive beginning of the month shopping list. I think it's going to be tempting to turn on the tv, but I can resist for at least a week. I'm not that lazy. I do find that I'm exhausted at 9:30 so maybe I'll be able to fall asleep before 2:00 am.

July's Menu

We decided to do things a little bit differently in July. Usually we make a menu for each week as it comes so we only buy things we need. This month I decided to make a menu for all of July. We made a list of all the things we cook and put a star by our "two-fers." These are the meals that provide leftovers or when we buy the ingredients we can get several meals out of it without having to buy more (ex. spaghetti).


Then I made a rough calendar for July and filled in my meals. I made sure that we had 2 "two-fer" meals a week and then the other three days picked the meals that we could only use once (ex. shake n bake chicken nuggets). The circled days are days when Eric will be home late from band camp so the meals need to be easily reheated or remade (ex. Shepherd's pie or pizza-dillas).



Then, on the back, I made a shopping list for each week. I know that if I buy spaghetti ingredients I can use them for at least 3 meals so I didn't have to put them on the list again once I bought them. Once I had my list of ingredients for the month I put stars by the ones I could buy that wouldn't go bad like my dry ingredients, canned food, and breads. Then I made a master list of ingredients and circled the meats, vegetables, and fruits that would spoil. Now my weekly WalMart trips will be small and only include the necessaries like cereal, milk, snacks, and meats. Hopefully this will cut down our WalMart bill. We'll see how it works.

June 24

June 24th. One week away from PAYDAY, five days away from my first class's final, 16 days away from the worst time of year -band camp-, and the day things turned around. We've recently discovered some things:

1. We are horrible stewards of God's money. The only thing we faithfully do is tithe and it's the only reason we've been able to survive some months. God's grace is unending and we receive the benefits of it every time we need it. Other than tithing, we don't keep up with the money He's blessed us with very well. Our weakness(es) - food. Eating out, buying too many snacks, wasting food we already have...you name, we do it. However, now we realize it and we have an accountability system with each other so we're going to see how much we can save this year.

2. We're about to make a big change. I can't say much about it now, but I can say that this is truly the first time in our married lives that we're really going to have to trust God to open some doors and provide for us.

3. Our house is never going to stay truly clean. It's just not going to happen. With a baby and a dog we'd have to be constantly cleaning. That's not to say that we're going to live in a pigpen, just that you shouldn't expect to come over and see no mess. Floors will be swept, clothes will be clean (just not put up all the time), we'll have clean dishes to eat on, it just won't be spotless. We're trying.

4. It's okay to neglect other things (especially our selfish natures) in order to play with Kaleb. Homework can wait until he's asleep, housework can wait til naptime, he can help us pick up toys and we can make it a game. He's only at this stage for a little while then he's slamming doors and screaming "I hate you!" This is the time we need to make those memories we think back on during those more trying times. If we do have another baby this time next year, his little life will be changed, too.

They may be "DUH" realizations for y'all, but it takes time for me.

Anniversary Week

Eric and I had our 4th anniversary on June 16. We went to Natchez for a few days during the week to celebrate while our parents took turns taking care of Kaleb. It was really nice to be able to eat out without worrying about a fussy or loud baby who wants to get down and walk around. We went to the cemetaries in Natchez and there were some pretty old tombstones there. Most of them were from the Civil War time period, obviously. There weren't rows and rows of tombs in the city cemetary (there were in the national one that is reserved for military), instead it was more like square plots where families were. One gravesite was for a man who fought in the Revolutionary War and died in 1823. That's pretty unfathomable for me. Eric pointed out that if we went to Europe (YES PLEASE!) the tombs would be so much older than the ones we were looking at.
We also toured one of the old homes, Stanton Hall. It was only a thirty minute tour and covered the first two floors (out of five) and we weren't allowed to take pictures, so nothing to show there. It was pretty interesting though. They still had a lot of the original pieces of the house and made some replications of carpets and stuff so we could see what it was really like. It must've been HOT back in those days with no air. Can you imagine?
One cool thing about Natchez is that you can walk just about anywhere. We stayed at the Grand Hotel near the river and were able to walk to everywhere except the cemetaries. There were some cute little shops and restaurants and just a short drive to WalMart and a more commercialized area.
We ended up watching movies in the hotel for a good part of the day because it was so hot. Judge if you must, but when we go on vacation we want to relax, watch movies, and take it easy so that suited us just fine. Plus it was so hot outside that we didn't really feel like walking all day. Overall it was a fantastic trip and probably the last one we'll be able to take solo for awhile.

What's Been Going On

This is our second week of summer (8 more to go) and it's been kind of a chill week. We got Kaleb back from my parents on Sunday and it was like he'd grown into a big boy within those 3 days away. The smile on his face when we walked into the McDonald's play place was priceless. We learned very quickly that he has a new favorite word - airplane, or rather, "airpane." All week we've been cleaning up and playing outside a lot. Kaleb could play outside all day everyday, but it's so hot outside that it makes me nervous to keep him out for long. Starting at about 5:30 we spend the rest of the time outside, sometimes in our yard, sometimes at a park, but always a good time. Last night we watched The Social Network with Jessica and it was really pretty good. It made Mark Zuckerberg seem like a complete jerk, but it was an interesting movie about the rise of the Facebook phenomenon. We got to talking afterwards about how profoundly Facebook has affected all of us.
Next week I have my class on Monday and Heather's wedding and festivities starting Friday. The week after that Eric and I are going to Natchez for our anniversary.

A Jammy Jam Review

These were his first jammies in the hospital.

Kaleb and Daddy swaddled up in his usual night time jammies.

Safari jammies

Truck jammies. I thought they were robots forever until I looked closer at them.

Sweet footie jammies with trucks.

A blue onesie that I used as jammies alot because it was so sweet.

Blue striped jammies

Shrek jammies

Footie jammies with a butt flap

Green dino footie jammies

Christmas jammies

Puppy dog jammies

Newest summertime jammies

I'm sure a few got left out, but there's some pictures of Kaleb's first 2 years of jammy jams.

A Little Summer Fun

My parents wanted to take Kaleb for the weekend so we dropped him off with Eric's parents for lunch on Friday. We ended up spending a good amount of money in Hattiesburg that day. We bought a book and a shirt for Kaleb, 2 pairs of shorts for Eric, and 2 pairs of shorts, a pair of capris, a dress, sunglasses, and a shirt for me. Of course, I really needed some shoes for Heather's wedding, but I didn't find any. In fact, all of the shoes I like end up being out of stock or not in my size. I'm hoping we can get back to Hattiesburg or Meridian before the wedding because I HAVE to find some before June 11th. We also got sushi and ice cream while we were there. When we got home we watched Justin Bieber's movie. It's actually really good. I like learning more about the people I listen to or watch. I kinda want to see it again, but that would seem too lame. Maybe in secret.
Today we slept late then watched Lemony Snicket since we're both reading the series. We did some cleaning up (not much, I'll admit - that's for tomorrow) before we went to Wal Mart to shop for the week's food. We ran into some people from church, who happen to have a pool, so we spend about an hour at their house while they were out to eat. Don't worry, we got permission. We bought a lot of fruit so I'm about to go make a fruit salad then watch The Time Traveler's Wife.

Summer Rules

There are a few rules for summer that I'd like to set in place from the beginning. Yes, even summer has rules.

1. Limited TV time - Only a couple hours a day


2. Eat fruits every day


3. Play outside a lot


4. See at least 3 movies in a movie theater


5. Go to the library


6. Keep the house clean, or at least clean enough that I'm not miserable all summer


7. Go out to eat once a week


8. Read every day


9. Make some home improvements


10. Declutter my life

A Speech

It seems like all of my blog posts lately have been about book reviews. As of right now I'm reading the Lemony Snicket series so it'll be awhile before I post another book review (there are 13 books in the series). Instead, I'm going to write the speech I'm planning to give at Heather's rehearsal dinner. Heather, if you are reading this, STOP RIGHT NOW!

I haven't known Heather since we were kids or anything, but I did live with her for a couple of years so I learned a few things. She doesn't separate her whites and colors when she washes clothes. Her favorite movie is You've Got Mail. She and I both cried when Rory told Logan she wouldn't marry him. She gets really silly around 3 am. The most apparant thing I learned is that she loves God and her family above everything else.
I got to be there at the beginning of Mark and Heather. I got to be there to peek out the window to see if Mark's light was on in his room. He lived in an apartment across the street from ours. I got to hear the first, flirty text messages and figure out what to say back. I got to hear about the first time they held hands, the first time they kissed, the first time they broke up and got back together, and the second time, and the third time. Through all of those ups and downs, while all her girlfriends were telling her how crazy Mark was, she always had a peace that God would work things out for her. Well, Heather, all your faith has paid off because tomorrow, you're going to walk down the aisle and marry the man I got to watch you fall in love with. And I've never been more sure about two people. Congratulations.

Book Review: Chocolate Fever

Chocolate Fever is no Newbery book, but it's a cute book to read to a group of school kids in the afternoon. When I have to proctor for the MCT2 I always bring a book to read to the kids before and after the test while we wait for the teacher to get back. Usually I read The Twits by Roald Dahl but it never lasts the full amount of time so I'd probably add this to my repretoire. In the book the main character is obsessed with chocolate and develops chocolate fever. While he's running away from the powers that be he meets an unlikely friend who helps him deal with his newfound problems. I'd recommend it to middle school students, but for the most part it's one of my in between books. (Book I read in between books that are on my list)

Book Review: The Final Journey

I just finished reading The Final Journey about 2 minutes ago. It's a story about a young Jewish girl named Alice and her trip in the infamous cattle cars. Many (most) stories relating tales from the Holocaust focus on what happened at Auschwitz and other camps. This story is all about the journey to the camp. You'll read about how Alice becomes aware of life, death, truth, and growing up in a matter of days. You'll feel disgust, heartache, outrage, and disbelief. The first 20-something chapters detail the trip. The last couple tell what happens to them when they reach their final destination.

I've always been tender-hearted so I don't know why I'm interested in books about the Holocaust. I always feel like crying and can't imagine what it would be like to have lived during that time as a Jew. I can't fathom having a child going through it. It seems like it couldn't have really happened even though I know it did. I borrowed this book from Crissy about 12 years ago and just now got around to reading it even though it's a short read (154 pages). If you read it, be prepared.

My Favorite Post

This isn't a list that I saw anywhere, it's just one that I've made up as I went along. I really just wanted to do a blog post and didn't have anything to post about.

My Favorite(s)....

...book - Gone with the Wind, Tale of Two Cities, Harry Potter
...movie - Gone with the Wind, Becoming Jane
...restaurant - Keifers, Bonsai
...show - Gilmore Girls (RIP), The Office
...color - pretty much all greens
...number- 20
...letter - K or G
...ice cream - tub: mint chocolate chip, out: Katie's Crunch
...drink - Diet Coke
...Bible verse - Romans 8:38-39
...memory - oh man! There are so many! That summer in the mountains, lots of times with Kaleb, vacations with Eric
...actor - Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp are pretty awesome, but I don't watch a lot of the types of movies they do
...actress - Anne Hathaway, Ellen Page
...CD - Bruno Mars
...vacation - Hawaii was AH-mazing
...flower - orchid
...part about my job - the kids love you so much and you can literally see them learn and grow
...part about my church - either my pastor or the group of girls that I've come into
...part about my husband - he's always willing to do anything I need

Book Review: Love the One You're With

I stayed up until almost midnight last night (yes, I paid for it today at school) so I could finish this book. Emily Giffin, the same author who wrote the now book-turned-movie Something Borrowed also wrote this one. In this book, the main character, Ellen, is unexpectedly faced with a decision between the one who got away - Leo - and the one she married - Andy. Each decision, however seemingly small, about what to do about the surprise run-in with Leo impacts future decisions and leaves the reader wondering who she is going to choose. She keeps you in suspense until the last few chapters. At some points (one, actually) you're actually rooting for Leo. I won't ruin it for you, but it's worth the read.

Girl's Weekend

We had our annual girl's weekend with our Sunday School class this weekend. We went down to Orange Beach Friday afternoon and left Saturday. It was so nice to take off half a day on Friday and know that I was going to the beach with some friends. It ended up being 8 of us - me, Jessica, Erin, Julie, Jenni, Mandy, Carrie, and Mel Ann. Mel Ann got us four rooms so we each got our own bed, which was awesome. We left from the church parking lot around 11:30 and stopped in Citronelle to eat some McDonalds. All I wanted was a chocolate milkshake, since I was on a strict $70 budget, but when I went to pay I realized that I left my debit card at school and had NO cash! I was so embarrassed to have to borrow money from my friends. Of course if the situation was reversed I would be more than happy to lend some cash to one of them, but being on the other end wasn't any fun. Erin lent me $60 in cash so my $70 budget was slashed to $60 in an instant, but I was so grateful that I didn't care. After we left McDonald's we were on our way to Loxley to stop at the fruit stand and get some stuff to snack on. We made it to Orange Beach around 3:00 and immediately hit the beach until about 6:00 before we went back to the room to get ready for supper. It was nice to just sit around on the beach talking about nothing and sunning. It was windy so we didn't get too hot. In fact, it got a little bit chilly. By the end we were in our bathing suits, chairs facing the sun, toes in the sand, and covered up by our towels. We went to Doc's for supper and it was pretty good. We had to wait FOREVER and we were pretty hungry (and just a little bit ill) by the time we sat down and got our food. Once that first bite of food hits your mouth, everything is better. Unless you're sitting at a table next to a table full of loud, drunk people. Seriously, there was a girl by us that was busting out of her dress and was as loud as they come. She wasn't just talking loudly, she was talking loudly about totally inappropriate things - like pooping. And her mom was right there with her! My mom would kill me. After we finished eating we all went back to our rooms and changed into our jammy jams then stayed up til about 12:30 talking.
We got up around 9:00 the next morning and the rest of the girls hit the beach. They said it was a little cold so I stayed in the room and read my book and talked to Eric on the phone. Much what I prefer to chilly beaches. My book is very good, too - a book review will be coming shortly I'm sure. We had an 11:00 check out so the girls came back, got ready, packed up, and we went to eat lunch at Lulu's. I got a fried green tomato BLT that was super good, although all of the fried food made me feel sick that night and a little bit this morning. We were so tired from the sun, staying up early, getting up early, and being full and warm that Erin and I were having a hard time staying awake while Jessica was driving. We stopped near the Bass outlet to catch up with Julie and Jenni because Julie was going to ride with us from Buckatunna. We were sitting on a bench, waiting, falling asleep so we went to McDonald's (again) and got some mocha frappes to help keep us awake. The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful but I was very ready for a nap when I got home. Luckily Eric is the best husband ever and he let me take a nap even though he had taken care of Kaleb all weekend. And that was my weekend.

Book Review: The Secret Garden

I watched this movie a LONG time ago and thought I'd read the book. You can definitely tell a difference in writing style from present-day authors and authors in the late 1800s and early 1900s. If this story was rewritten by a contemporary author, I imagine it would be pretty different. Having said that, this book actually makes me want to start a garden. I know I have a brown thumb and everything I touch dies, but it all sounds so beautiful that I'd like to give it a try. This wasn't my favorite book that I've read. It's just kind of...well...boring. That sounds awful and I hate saying it because the author spent time and energy writing it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I like twists and interconnectedness among characters (aka Charles Dickens or JK Rowling). If you're an old soul you might like this.

A Few Random Thoughts On and About Easter

There isn't really a cohesive way to organize this, it's just some things I've been thinking about or reading about.

• I always think about what Mary must have felt like when she was watching her son being mocked, beaten, stripped, nailed, and pierced. Before I had a son myself it was painful. Now it's agonizing and almost impossible to think about. Even when I consider it, I NEVER picture those things happening to Kaleb. As much as I love Kaleb, it's a human, imperfect love. Jesus wasn't only Mary's son, He was God's son, too. Since God IS love, He had a perfect love towards his son. How much more agonizing was it for God, love itself, to watch His only son die?


• I read some facts about crucifixion on a blog today. Most of it I had already heard or known, but something new stood out to me. It said that, even though most pictures don't show it, most crucifixion victims didn't wear a loin cloth during the process. They were stripped naked. That meant that if they had to use the bathroom, they had to do it out in the open for everyone to see and mock. That would be so humiliating. I know it's a small thing compared to being stripped and nailed to a cross, but it's something else that Jesus may have had to go through.


• The angels guarding Jesus's body were the only beings to have the priviledge of witnessing Jesus actually bursting through the gates of death and coming back to life. How amazing that must have been! On a similar note, I believe all of Heaven, God, the angels, Moses, etc, were weeping with sadness while watching Jesus die. I also believe that there was never such a celebration as when he rose from the dead.


• I'd never read it before, but in Matthew it says that, after Christ arose, other godly people also arose from the dead and spread the Good Word.


• On a lighter note, I've picked out some of the traditions I want to start for Easter. I want to have an Easter basket for each child (obviously) but also do a basket for Eric and myself. I make his, he makes mine. We've been doing the Easter basket thing after nap time and I really like it because it makes the whole morning about Jesus. I want to make an Easter bunny cake or Easter egg cupcakes on Easter week (maybe alternating between them). I want to buy new clothes for each Easter Sunday and I want the kid(s) to know that we get new clothes because Christ arose a new person on Easter. I want to do the Easter story with Easter eggs (12 days, each egg representing something different about the Easter story). Most importantly, I want to make sure that the focus of Easter for our family is JESUS. If the kid(s) ever lose the meaning of the celebration because of bunnies, eggs, and chocolate, we're cutting those things out!

Kaleb Update

How cute is this baby? I love that he has blue eyes like his daddy and me. And those apple cheeks. I just can't get enough of him and I'm filled with pride everytime I pick him up from daycare or nursery and the workers tell me how awesome he is. I love how he says "hey" and "bye" to everyone. As Eric says, he can break anyone. The toughest looking dudes could be sitting by us in a restaurant and Kaleb will tell them "hey" and smile and wave and they just melt.

Kaleb has learned to say a few new things. He can say "cheese!" when he's taking a picture (as above). He says "dropped it" when he drops something on the ground. He can let us know that he wants yogurt (dodot), juice, Ohs, puzzles, books, and to jump. And he can tell us the sounds that a lion, tiger, snake, horse, cat, dog, fish (fish face), sometimes chicken, and car make. Plus he can point to his nose, eyes, mouth, hair, teeth, tongue, ears, belly button, toes, fingers, and chin. I'm really beginning to see that he is comprehending what we're saying and he's imitating what we're saying a lot more.

Along with that, I can really see his personality developing. Let me just say that he's going to be very independent...and he's going to have a temper. I told him to put his blocks in his room today and he looked at me, shook his head, and "uh uh." Then I gave him the mommy look and he gave it right back to me! What a stinker! Eric told him not to tear something up (he's in a tearing phase where he's ripped apart board books, tears any type of paper, and has even torn apart some of his cardboard blocks) and he looked at him and did it anyway. Eric popped him and told him no then Kaleb pouted his lip, looked around, picked up a drum stick, and threw it at Eric's head. Needless to say he was in big trouble for it. I'm not sure if punishment is working sometimes, but we're consistent with it and now when we say no he at least pauses to consider if it's worth it.

He isn't one of those babies that freaks out when we leave him in the nursery. He says bye bye and he shuts the door. But then he still runs and squeals mommy when I come back to get him. He's very attached to me (he's started sitting at my feet and wrapping his arms around my leg when I do the dishes) but he also knows that when we leave him, we'll come back. I really couldn't ask for a better baby and I feel so blessed. Let's just hope the next one (no, I'm not pregnant) will be just a sweet.

Another Busy Saturday

Another busy Saturday in the books. Kaleb woke up around 7 and Eric got up with him. I laid in bed til about 8:15. Once Kaleb gets up, sleep is impossible so laying is about my only option. We had an Easter Egg Hunt at church at 10:30 so we got ready, made a Wal Mart list, and went to Sonic and Hardees for breakfast. We had about an hour so we went to WalMart toget a gift for a birthday party we were going to that afternoon and to buy a new camera so we could continue to document Kaleb's life. We picked something out for Camden and chose a few things for Kaleb's Easter basket (although we'll have to go back and get them when we don't have Kaleb with us). We went to the camera section and finally picked out one we liked, but they didn't have any and they're supposed to get some in tonight so we'll go get it tomorrow. My mom gave us $200 because they were tired of not seeing new pics of Kaleb I would imagine. We were a little later getting to the Easter Egg Hunt because of the Wal Mart trip, but we got there just in time to start hunting. Kaleb couldn't have cared less about those eggs. He was all about playing on the playground...especially the slides. He "hunted" for about thirty minutes then we went into the gym to have cupcakes and juice. Those blue cupcakes from Wal Mart really stain, you know?

Camden's birthday party was at 12 so we had time to wash him up a little bit, relax about 10 minutes, then head over there. I was a little nervous that he would be really grouchy from being up so long, but he did a good job being sweet. He shared the toys and was really agreeable. He got a little sleepy about 1:00 so we headed out. He fell asleep in the car even though it was only a 5 -10 minute drive. He napped for about an hour and a half and I did the same.

We got up and went to Wal Mart to do the shopping for the month, came home, put up the groceries and Eric watched Kaleb play outside while I started the beef tips over rice. It turned out pretty good actually, except it needed a little salt. We went for a short (because it was kinda chilly) walk at the hospital, came home, give Kaleb a bath, and let himplay for about 30 minutes while we watched a rerun of My Life as Liz. Now we're watching Se7en - well, Eric's watching and I'm turning my eyes away every few minutes. I have to say that I'm exhausted from today's festivities. Hopefully I'll be able to finish my book this week, write the review, and start a new one.

Top 5 Favorite Shows Right Now

1. My Life as Liz - This is a super funny show on MTV and believe it or not it's not trashy at all.


2. The Office - I didn't think I would like it at first, but now I look forward to it each week.


3. Modern Family - Hilarious! I think Cam is my favorite.


4. How I Met Your Mother - Oldie, but new to us. I still haven't seen all of the episodes in order so it gets a little confusing.


5. Glee - I used to like it alot, but now it's getting really trashy. If they don't clean up I'm going to stop watching. Maybe.

This post was a lot longer and went into a more detailed description, but then it got deleted somehow so you get the short version.