(In)fertile Myrtle, and Gunnar's Greatest Weekend

No, the two things in the title have nothing to do with each other.  It's just that I'm going to write about both topics in this post :)

First off, we've officially reached the One Year Mark of trying to get pregnant.  Which means, according to the very definition of "infertility"....we have it.  Infertility, that is.  I mean, just if you're going with the textbook definition of it.  "Inability to achieve pregnancy after a year of trying".  Nason argues that that definition does not apply to us, because it took us a year and a half last time around, and we now have Gunnar, so how could we possibly be infertile?  I guess he's right, but......I want to whine, gripe, complain, vent, feel sorry for myself, and elicit sympathy, so I'm going to go ahead and call us "infertile" for now.

I'm trying to focus on the "spiritual/emotional/mental" implications of this, while at the same time taking some "practical", proactive steps.

From a "spiritual/emotional/mental" standpoint, here's where I am:

- starting to get a bit frustrated

- feeling a bit anxious (but less about "what if we NEVER get pregnant" and more about sort of stupid things, like "I don't want to be an old mom", and "I don't want to be left out, and be one of the only ones amongst my closest friends NOT having/about to have their second child right now", and "what if Baby #2 doesn't have a built in group of best friends, like Gunnar is lucky enough to have, BECAUSE I'm not having a baby at the same time as all my other friends", etc.

- starting to feel stressed (not a lot, but a little bit), and pressured, as though we need to start making big decisions ("Do we need to start considering infertility treatments?" "Should we just assume that maybe God doesn't WANT us to have more kids?" "Should we just forget about trying to have another biological kid, and maybe start considering adoption?".) Nason says I'm getting way ahead of myself, and I probably am.  Or...maybe HE'S stuck way BEHIND himself (as if that even makes sense).

I was telling Krista the other day  that I'm just going to make the best of it, and focus on reasons why it's AWESOME to not be pregnant right now, and maybe even go on some sort of crazy workout/diet regime, and get in the best shape of my whole life, because by doing so:

a) I'll be in somewhat of a win-win situation (I'm NOT pregnant, but in SUPER AWESOME shape), OR I get pregnant (and am therefore NOT in super awesome shape, but who would care at that point?  I'd be so pumped to be pregnant, I'd happily get fat all over again)

b) Murphy's Law would pretty much ensure that as soon as I got at my goal weight/shape, I'd get pregnant, and ruin everything I'd worked so hard for!  So kind of like some reverse psychology on my body....

and Krista, ever my wisest friend, reminded me that (even though it would be fine to do all that) the BETTER thing to focus on would be just that this is God's "portion" for me right now.  Whether I can find a way to construe my "infertility" as awesome or not, isn't the point..maybe I can do things to make it seem cool, or maybe I can't, but it doesn't matter...it's what God has for me right now, and His way is best, and just by accepting that, I can probably gain a lot more peace and contentment in the midst of it, than by scurrying around trying to make myself THINK I don't care about being pregnant.  So true.  So that's what I'm trying to focus on (while at the same time increasing my gym visits, and decreasing my caloric intake..ha ha)

Practical Steps:
1) Thinking about switching doctors.  Long story, but not loving her (she who shall remain nameless).  She's not nearly as proactive as my last doctor (Dr. Shaushua was the Doctor Love of My Life, who sadly, now only specializes in urinary tract problems.  Why would you want to focus on urine instead of babies all day????)

2) Making some healthier changes to my diet.  I've pretty much had the whole gammut of tests run on me (and Nason) and we're fine, BUT I have a pretty horrible diet, and sometimes poor nutrition can contribute to infertility, so I've decided I may as well give that a go (plus, it helps me in my "get in awesome shape" endeavor as well)


Ok anyway.  Enough about that.

On to..Gunnar's Greatest Weekend...

I think the stars must have been aligned just right for Gunnar this weekend, because the kid really couldn't have asked for a better weekend. We didn't AIM to spoil him rotten this weekend...there were just several things we'd be talking about wanting to do with him/get him lately, and for some reason, all of the things seemed to occur this weekend.

First of all, he had a playdate with the Magee Tribe on Friday, whom he adores.

He ended up having a surprise sleepover at Grammy and Poppy's house (which obviously was a nice surprise for us too!!).

He woke up to doughnuts from Poppy.

We picked him up, and went straight to Target, where Nason (I say Nason, because this was totally all his idea) proceeded to buy him a Spiderman, Batman, AND Ironman.

Chick-Fil-A lunch date with Nason.

Went and saw Ice Age after he woke up from his nap.

Poppy bought him a new fishing pole on Sunday, and tried to take him fishing, but it got rained out, so he got to go have milkshakes with him instead.

While he was gone, Nason and I went and bought a new DVD player, because ours broke a while ago, and we just keep forgetting to go buy a new one, so poor kid hasn't been able to watch any of his movies in ages.  I'm pretty sure that out of all the fun things that happened to him over the weekend, he was the MOST excited about coming home to the DVD player.  His jaw dropped, and he kept saying "I'm so excited about the CD player!  I'm so excited about the CD player!".  Funny kid.

Anyway, he's at such a fun age right now, and it's so cute that he's starting to have so many different things that he's "into".  It makes it really hard to not spoil him.

All that fun, and no pictures though!!  I have really become so lame in the picture taking arena.  I NEVER remember to take them anymore.  It's one of many MANY MANY reasons that I need an iPhone.  (other reasons include, but are not limited to:

-Everyone one else has one
-My life would be better if I did too
-T-Mobile is for losers
- If I can't have a baby, I should at least have an iPhone
 

: )

A Fun Week...

Last week, we had something fun going on almost every night of the week.  I aimed to take a picture of each occasion (SOLELY with the purpose in mind of displaying them on my "A Fun Week" blog post), but I failed....and, the ones I did take, kind of suck.  Anyway, it was a fun enough week that it's worth noting in my blog AKA "life scrapbook", so here goes...

Monday Night:

"Pool Night" with our small group.  We've decided to take a break over the summer, from "formally" meeting and doing an actual bible study, so we've decided to do pool nights every other week instead.  This was our second one so far, and the FIRST without the Barrington's (SAD!!!), but we still had a lot of fun. Nothing like stuffing yourself full of pizza and brownies, while baring it all in a bathing suit!  Hey, why not??  

(Forgot to take a picture of this one)

Tuesday Night:

Dinner and Game Night with both sets of our parents, and my little brother

(A picture of all my favorite guys)

Wednesday Night:

Fourth of July.  The whole day was fun.  Parade in the morning with friends.  Time at the pool.  BBQ at our friends Beth and Joey's house, and then fireworks at Milburn Park.  Here are a few pictures from the fireworks:

Thursday Night:

Oh wait...we didn't do anything fun that night :)

Friday Night:

Jake's birthday party.  Dang it!  Didn't take a picture!!  Grrrrrr.  If there was a picture, it would be of margaritas, cigars, the Box's back porch, and a really great group of people.  

Saturday Night:

Girls Night!  Hit up Hopdoddy's on South Congress. Loved it!!

That was it!

Looking forward to another fun week this week, hosting Backyard Bible Club!!

The Two Best Things I Do Every Day

I'm in a parenting "season" right now, where every single day just seems super difficult.  Not sure if it's the age Gunnar is at, or if he's just an especially difficult child, or if I'm doing a crap job of parenting him,  or I have some sort of hormone imbalance that's making me especially irritable, tired, and impatient, or WHAT.  I just know that at the end of almost every day lately, I'm feeling a bit worn out, defeated, and guilty (guilty, because I've spent the better part of my day griping at, scolding, correcting, and disciplining Gunnar). That's not what I WANT to spend my day doing.  I WANT to have fun together, play, cuddle, you get the idea.  At any rate, there are two things I started implementing a while back, and when all else fails in our day, these two things remain so SO good.

1) In the mornings, during breakfast, we have a little daily devotional time.  We pray together, we say his memory verse from class, I ask him what he thinks the verse means (sometimes he provides me with an excellent explanation.  Other days, he says random things like "I love my friends", or "do the right thing", which, to his credit, ARE things we've discussed in the past, but, bless his heart, have NOTHING to do with the verse we're currently discussing), and then we read a story from his Jesus Storybook Bible.  At the end of the story, I try to give him some practical application from what we've read, and we talk through ways he could implement it during the day.  The whole thing doesn't last any longer than about 10 minutes, but I seriously think it's the most important, and purposeful, thing that I do all day long.  I want Gunnar to grow up going to God's Word FIRST for direction.  I want it to be familiar, and relevant to him.  I want him to see God as a real person in his life, who loves him, and who has important things he wants him to know, and do.  Gunnar literally NEVER sits still, not even for meal time, but he actually genuinely enjoys this time we spend together in the mornings, and because of that, he miraculously sits (somewhat) still for it.  I learn a lot from it, too!  You can't read a story to your child about Joshua marching around the city gates of Jericho, and how God expects us to obey Him even when it seems hard or crazy, and then not feel convicted yourself about how well YOU'RE obeying God, even when it seems hard or crazy.

2) We have "rocking time" right before he goes to bed at night.  Up until just a few months ago, after dinner, I'd clean up the kitchen, while Nason basically took over all of Gunnar's bedtime routine (bath, PJ's, and putting him in bed).  Recently though, Gunnar decided he wanted ME to take him to bed, instead of Nason.  Nason and I were both a bit bummed by this at first.  Nason, because he enjoyed being the one to tuck Gunnar in. Me, because I enjoyed knowing that as soon as dinner was over, I was "off" for the day.  My bubble bath awaited me.  However, I have come to LOVE and look forward to "rocking time" as Gunnar and I both refer to it.  We've settled into a ritual (I've decided I'm a "ritual" kind of girl).  We sit in his rocking chair and talk about our day, and recount all the things we did.  I pick one thing I think he did especially well that day, and really talk it up.  We sing a few songs.  We pray together.  It is SUCH sweet time, and I wouldn't trade it for anything, even my bubble bath (which I still have, just 15 minutes later).  I know there will be a time where he either doesn't want me to rock him anymore, or he's just too big for me to rock, and then I'm going to miss this time, so I cherish it while I have it.

So there you go.  The "daily devotional" time is over by about 8:45 am.  The "rocking time" starts at about 7:15 PM.  Everything between 8:45 am and 7:15 pm may be an absolute disaster, and fail in every way possible. I may have pulled all my hair out, found a mini pile of  Gunnar poop on the kitchen floor, forbidden Gunnar from speaking for ten minutes "while Mama's ears rest for a while" (that actually happened today), and been tempted to pour myself a stiff drink at 2 in the afternoon, but those two special times, are truly "the two best things I do every day".

Little Bit of This and a Little Bit of That....

Friday afternoons during Gunnar's nap time USED to be my designated "do nothing" time.  Every other day during his nap, I would fill the ENTIRE time with a hefty list of to-do's, but for that one day, my naptime itinerary would be: 1) Do nothing 2) Read blogs 3) Play on Facebook 4) Do nothing.  In January though, after sitting down and kind of restructuring my days/time/priorities, I decided to scrap that habit, and use my Friday afternoons a little more wisely.  Today though, for this one Friday only, I'm doing NOTHING again.  Nothing that is, except updating my blog with "a little bit of this and a little bit of that"....

So here are some things we've been up to:

Well, for starters, it was SUPER hard getting back into the swing of things, after our vacation.  It seriously took me the whole week of being home, to feel like I was back in the groove.  That's a little excessive I know...we were only gone for four days, not a month....but it really did take the full week.

We took Gunnar to see his second movie ever (and it was the first one I ever went to with him.  Nason took him to see the Muppets, while I was out of town back in December).  He did really good!  A few times, we had to bribe him with Skittles to stay still and quiet (that's some incredibly awesome parenting, right there), but it did the trick.

In REALLY big news, Mission 82:3, the organization that Nason and I, along with our friends the Hunt's and the Box's, started up last year, put on it's first official fundraising event!  It's been a long time coming, and we were so excited to finally be able to put an event on a for a family that's adopting.  We did a movie night at Alamo Drafthouse, with a silent auction.  The family we are assisting, Jeremy and Ashley Self, received a portion of the ticket sales, as well as ALL of the proceeds from the silent auction, totaling over $6,000.  We definitely learned a lot through the experience...quite a few things we need to figure out better ways of doing next time around....but overall, we were very pleased, and were so happy to be a small part of helping to bring Schella home!

I already posted this video on to Facebook, but in case you missed it (I mean, in case you don't stalk my Facebook page non-stop, so as to never miss a SINGLE thing that I post), here it is again:

 https://vimeo.com/44736904 




If you want to know more about the Self's and their story, and/or donate to the fund to bring Schella home, you can do that here:  http://www.mission823.com/partners


We started potty training!!!  I'm completely at a loss of exactly what kind of report to give you on this...if you'd asked me last week how it was going, I would have said, "SOOOOOO good.  Hardly any accidents, pee OR poo (oh the things you talk about on a blog, when you're a mom), one of the easiest things ever!  If you'd asked me Monday-Wed of THIS week, I would have said, "pretty good.  A few accidents, but overall, still doing good".  If you'd asked me yesterday, I would have probably growled in your face, thrown something at you, and then pointed to the poo smeared on my arm, the floor, and the toilet seat, because we seemed to have had nothing BUT accidents yesterday.  Now today, we're back to doing pretty good again.  So it doesn't really seem to be a gradual improvement each day, rather, it kind of seems to be all over the place.  Literally.  Ha.  A friend recommended this book/method to me, so I'm going to read that over the weekend, and begin implementing that on Monday.


We said goodbye to some great friends.  The Barrington's, our friends from church, and our small group, are moving back to California.  Like, they're actually en route this very second.  We've only known them for just under a year now, and for a good portion of that year, we've known that they were most likely moving back home to California, but it's still sad!  The one positive about the whole thing (well, except for the measly little "positive" of them doing what they feel that God is asking them to do, and the other measly little "positive" of them being close to family again, and the OTHER measly little "positive" of it being a great career move for Tommy...the one positive besides all that, is that we now have a great reason to visit California, AND somewhere to stay when we do!

(I didn't have any great pictures of their whole family...mostly just ones with only Janay in the picture...so I stole this off their blog.  Is that weird, Janay? ;)  )

I'm still reading the Hunger Games (almost done with Catching Fire now), and I still feel the same way as before...I LIKE them, but I don't get the whole craze surrounding them.  I give the books a solid A-, maybe even a B+, and I'm really just so surprised by that, because it seems like every person I know, no matter their age, personality, TYPICAL taste in books, etc all LOVED the series, and claimed to have not even been able to put the books down....and I'm just not feeling that.  Call me weird.  I'm more feeling like I want to hurry and finish them, so I can move on to the next thing.  I'm..dare I say it...a bit bored by them?!?

Oh, I was going to do some "picture dumping", until I realized that pretty much every picture I have on my phone, I've already posted to Facebook.  Wow, that's a bit much, huh?  Do I really need to share EVERY shot I ever take, with the entire Facebook community?  Could I not just experience an event without making sure all of Facebook sees it/knows about it?  You'd think my life was so exciting, judging by how I apparently feel as though everyone I know is dying to be privvy to all the details of it.  By the way, I've been thinking that the whole concept of "checking in" places, is so stupid.  I do it, for sure.  I may even continue to do it, but it's definitely one of those things that when I REALLY think about it, I'm like, "why the heck do I do that??".  "Hey Everyone!  I just checked in to H-E-B!  Isn't that awesome??" "Hey Guys!  Well, here I am having dinner at Chuy's.  I better go ahead and "check in" so that in case there's an emergency and you need to find me, you can come here and get me!". WTH??? No one cares!!  Right??? (Although I will say I KIND of care about other people's check-ins.  Gotta make sure they're not doing something more fun than me! Ha ha).  Anyway, I did find one picture on my phone that I didn't post on Facebook, that I thought was kind of funny, because the way Gunnar looks in it totally sums up in two words, what he's been like the last several weeks: dirty, and mean.

Dirty: I guess just because he's a boy, and that's how they are, but I just feel like I wipe him down a million times a day, and every time I look at him, he has some sort of nastiness smeared all over him (the last few days, poop). Oh but wait...that's not poop on his face in the picture!  It's chocolate.

Mean: He has just been crabby and mean lately!  I wish I could blame it on teething, but of course that phase is long over.  So I don't know what to blame it on!  His age?  He's pissed off we're making him use the toilet?  My parenting skills leaving a lot to be desired?  I have no idea.  He is just a crabby, crabby little thing as of late.

Ok, well that's it's for now.  Toodles!

Lessons

The saddest thing happened this week.  A 17 month old little boy in Cedar Park, drowned in the swimming pool in his backyard.  Nason's cousin Mary is friends with the mother of the child, and she is the one who originally updated me on what happened.  Instantly, upon hearing about it, I felt sick to my stomach.  I've continued to feel just down in the dumps, and kind of in a funk, since then (which obviously pales in comparison to the emotions that the family of the child is experiencing).  I felt (feel) so very very sad for the family.  Also, as is typically the case with situations like that, my mind starts going to, "what if that was Gunnar?" or "what if that happens to Gunnar?", and those are, of course, very sobering (more like, "gut-wrenching") thoughts.

I really just have not been able to quit thinking about the whole thing all week.  I WANT to quit thinking about it.  It's an awful thing to dwell on, and envision.  It hits really close to home, though.  Literally, for one thing.  The family lives really close by to us. Also though, we know the child's aunt and uncle.  The little boy was somewhat close in age to Gunnar (a toddler, at least).  We are in a season where we pretty much LIVE at a swimming pool lately.  I just can so easily envision how something like that could happen, and.....it's awful.

Anyway, I've learned a few lessons this week, that I think are important:

1) Upon hearing about the incident, I felt depressed.  Depressed about what happened to the little boy, yes, and depressed at the idea of something so horrible ever happening to Gunnar, but more than that, depressed that we live in a world where things like that CAN even happen.  Why in the world does that have to be the case?  WHY are such senseless, tragic things like that allowed to happen?  One tiny little moment, an accident, and someone's entire life is changed forever?  That shouldn't even be ALLOWED to occur.  It seems so unfair.  It seems like we deserve to have guarantees that things like that will NEVER happen.  Why should ANYONE have to experience things like that?  Seriously.  The more I thought about it, the more depressed, and even angry, I got.  And then I started thinking (or maybe God started telling me): Those feelings are only valid, if you're operating under the assumption that we live in a GOOD world.  A world that is SUPPOSED to be good, happy, easy, and fair.  If that were the case...if that was the correct expectation...then yes.  We would be justified in being SERIOUSLY pissed off when tragic events occur.  That's NOT the world we live in, though.  There IS a world like that, that's coming..it's called Heaven.  We're not there right now. Why do we try to pretend like we are?? We're here...on Earth...and this is how it is.  God never promised that this world would be good.  This world is ugly, and things like this do unfortunately happen.  We would all do ourselves a huge favor to let go of any expectations we have that this world is going to treat us awesomely, at all times.  However, the very fact that deep inside, we expect something better..KNOW that this is NOT in fact the way things SHOULD be...to me, is evidence of the fact that there IS something better, and this is NOT the way things should be.  THIS LIFE IS NOT ALL THERE IS.  There's another one coming, that's eternal, and in it, God is going to make right, all the things that went wrong here.

2) It made me absolutely cherish and savor every second with Gunnar this week.  I'm just gonna be honest...that handsome little dude can be annoying sometimes.  He can!  I'm just telling you.  He's two, for one thing.  He's also super rambunctious, loud, and whiny at times.  He asks the same question over and over and over again.  He can be moody. He can flat wear me out.  But every time this week that I started to get annoyed about something, I'd think to myself, "how much would the parents of that other little boy WISH that he was here "annoying" them?".  My perspective would then totally change.  One day, before his nap, after Gunnar had tried EVERY OTHER tactic in the book, to delay having to lay down and go to sleep, he asked in an oh-so-sweet (and clever and calculating) way, "Mommy, rock me for just a minute".  As sweet as the request may sound, I know my little one well enough to know he wasn't trying to be sweet..he just knew it was his best shot at buying a few more minutes of awake time.  I almost shot him down, and then remembered, "cherish the time".  So I picked him up and rocked him for a few minutes, and when it was all said and done, I decided I could think of no way I would RATHER have spent five minutes, than rocking my precious boy.

3) It was a reminder to me to WATCH Gunnar carefully.  Not that I need an excuse to be more paranoid, worrisome, and hyper-vigilant than I already am, but the truth of the matter is, accidents happen FAST, and it doesn't take more than a minute or two of taking your eyes off of your curious, fearless toddler, for something bad to happen.  I know I have to strike a healthy balance here, because again, I can tend towards paranoid, worrisome, and hyper-vigilant, BUT other times, in certain situations, I can get a little too lazy, a little too comfortable, a little too preoccupied, and that's really all it takes for disaster to strike.  Nason and I have decided to make it a point to VERBALLY acknowledge which one of us is "on", when it comes to keeping an eye out for Gunnar, specifically in large groups.  Yesterday for example, we had a BBQ at our house, with a lot of friends, and a lot of kids, and the kids were running in and out, and all over the house, and in the bounce house, and in various parts of the yard, and it's easy in situations like that to assume SOMEONE is watching him, when in fact, no one is.  So a simple "you got him?" to one another verifies that one of us is indeed supervising his whereabouts.

4) It makes me SO GLAD that we went ahead and did swim lessons with Gunnar this year.  He learned so much, and while I will NOT be taking my eyes off of him at the pool until he's like 15, he did learn some basic skills that I think would help give him a fighting chance if he were to fall into a pool.  For example, he can pretty easily jump in, turn around on his own, swim back to the wall, and pull himself out.  And at this point in the blog, I'd like to HIGHLY recommend his swim teacher, Joy McCain.  She is SO good, and goes far beyond just teaching kids how to get comfortable in the water, and maybe blow bubbles. She teaches them survival skills.  Her email address is joymccain@gmail.com, and really, I just can't say enough good things about her.

My heart and my prayers go out to the Manning family.  I don't even know them, but I have shared in the tiniest, most microscopic little bit of their sadness this week, and that small amount was a lot.  I can't even imagine how they are feeling, but I am confident that even in the midst of it, God truly is making all things right.

 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33

This Time Last Week, We Were __________

You'd think I'd hate my "reality", from how much time I spend bemoaning the idea of having to get "back to reality".  I actually LOVE my reality.  (My reality being the sweetest little boy of all time, whom I missed like crazy while I was gone, and whom I LOVE getting to hang with every day).  And by the way, it really was SO SO SO good to get back home to him.  I enjoyed every single second of my first day back home with him today...watching his swim lessons, a date at chick fil a, a playdate at the sprinkler park, and even ANOTHER date to McDonalds for a cookie after his nap this afternoon.  But gosh....is it ever nice to be waited on hand and foot, while lounging by a pool all day, dining out at amazing restaurants in South Florida, and then collapsing into the most lush hotel bed of all time at the end of your oh-so-exhausting day, only to get up and do it all again the next day.  Call me shallow, but I'm not totally sure I'd ever get tired of that.  Well, maybe I would.  But....maybe I wouldn't.

This was mine and Nason's second time to be away from Gunnar for an "extended" period of time (extended being: more than two nights), and both times, here is how I felt about being gone from him:

- Days Leading Up to Trip: I don't want to go after all!  I'm going to miss Gunnar too much!!  I wish I hadn't agreed to go on a trip.

- First Day Gone: I miss Gunnar!  I wonder what he's doing?  I really wish we were home with him right now!

- Second Day Gone: I still miss Gunnar.  This is pretty nice though.

- Third Day Gone: I still miss Gunnar, but this is REALLY nice, and I kind of wish we were staying a few extra days.

- Fourth Day Gone: I still miss Gunnar, but I could TOTALLY stand to have a few more days alone with his daddy!  WHY didn't we decide to do a solid week vacation?

Anyway, I'm going to write this post, recounting all the highlights of our trip, and then that's it.  I'll be done mourning the end of it, and ready to hit the ground running again here in the real world (which seriously, I really do love).

Highlights:

1) I'm not scared of flying anymore!!!  I seriously don't know what happened.  Last time I flew...no, the last probably five times I flew...I was terrified.  I basically had to sedate myself in order to even appear sane.  I was not being dramatic, or exaggerating, or attempting to get attention, or anything like that.  I was just seriously terrified.  This time, I felt the same way, leading up to getting on the plane, but then....like magic....once I was on the plane, I was totally fine!  Completely cured of my phobia.  I even enjoyed it.  Enough so, that it's appearing in this list of highlights! Crazy!!

2) Our hotel.  Everything about it.  I'm not sure I can ever stay at another hotel again, after staying at the Ritz Carlton.  Here was our room:

Add a crazy big bathroom to that picture, and a balcony overlooking the ocean, and there you go.  Best room ever.

3) The Club Lounge.  There was some promotion at the hotel, and part of our package deal, was that we got full access to the "Club Lounge".  Typically, this would cost you $200 a day, and it would be well worth it.  It's this beautiful, comfy, lounge area, with indoor and outdoor seating, huge TV's, cozy couches, and.....all the food, drink (alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and coffe-ish) that you want, along with your own concierge to attend to any "needs" that you may have.  Talk about being pampered!

4) BMW Resort Driving Tour.  Here, we lucked out again.  Just so happens that BMW is currently doing a promotion, and they had this whole fleet of BMW's (various models, none of which I really know anything about), and if you were a guest at our hotel, and you wanted to take out a BMW for the day, all you did was mosey on down to the front desk, tell them which kind of BMW you wanted, and for how long, and it was yours! It really was that simple.  They even told us, "if you accidentally wreck it, call us, and as long as you aren't intoxicated, we'll just bring you another one of your choice".  What?!?  Anyway, like I said, I don't know a lot about cars...I don't really get all that impressed by even the snazziest of them....but Nason seemed to be pretty pumped, and the cars we took out did have some pretty cool features I must say.  Not even to mention...it was free! No cab fares for us!!

Here's a picture of Nason, in front of one the cars we took out.  The picture is crap, because Nason DESPISES posing for pictures, and basically refuses to do it, but he was in a good mood I guess, because he so graciously decided to grant me a one-second window to snap a shot and be done with it. This was the best I could do:

5) Las Olas Boulevard.  A charming "little" (not really) street, packed with restaurants, shops, bars, and salons.  Twinkling lights everywhere.  Perfect place to stroll around, stuff yourself with good food, and people-watch.

6) People-watching.  Quite possibly the best I've ever done.  Here are the three things that are apparently NOT frowned upon in Fort Lauderdale, that, while a bit inappropriate at times, make for some AWESOME people-watching:

- 70 year old guys dating/married to 20 year old girls
- PDA (and by PDA, I mean "Pretty much Doing it with an Audience)
- Wandering around with your butt-cheeks in full view

Here we are, drinking some way-to-expensive margaritas, in the second best people watching spot in Ft. Lauderdale (the first best being our hotel pool):

7) Our pool.  Ohhhhh it was heavenly.

8) Uninterrupted time and conversations with my Nasie Cat.  Didn't realize just how much we needed that until we got there, but we really did, and it was so nice.  Wouldn't trade it for anything...I love that guy.

9) Uninterrupted reading time.  I read two books while I was there (and had time to read a third, but stupidly only brought two).  One was....The Hunger Games!  I officially caved.  The whole idea of the book seemed kind of stupid and uninteresting to me, so I held off forever, but eventually, my curiosity got the best of me, and I jumped on the bandwagon.  My review of it?  I liked it a lot.  A lot.  It held my attention, kept me interested and entertained.  It was a worthwhile read, for sure. But......I'm not sure it was the best book EVER, and while I DID read it basically all in one sitting, that was mostly just due to the fact that I was at the pool for 4 consecutive hours and had the time to do so.  Not sure I would have been unable to put it down  (as most people claimed they were) if I were at home.  That being said....I am going to buy the second one in the series tomorrow :)

I'm sure there are more highlights, but I'm tired now, and ready to be done with this post.

HUGE thank-you to my in-laws, who not only kept Gunnar for five days, BUT showed him the time of his life while he was there.  I feel a MILLION percent comfortable leaving Gunnar in their care, knowing that he will be taken care of completely, loved on like crazy, and treated like royalty.

Another huge thank-you to my wonderful and amazing husband.  I know technically it's "our" money, but  let's get real here...my "job" isn't generating a lot of cash.  It's generating a pretty awesome kid, but not cash.  So thanks to my sugar daddy for working so hard, and allowing us to be able to go on such an amazing vacation.  I love you, man!

(Speaking of...here's that manly man of mine)

Family Photos

As a Mother's Day gift to our moms this year, Nason and I decided to pay for a family photo session (with BOTH sets of parents, as well as my siblings), and then also purchase a few of the pictures for our moms.  Andrea Foster did them.   She's a good family friend of ours, as well as our go-to photographer.  She does awesome work, and she's very reasonably priced.  She's also GREAT with kids, which really helps out a lot, when you're trying to keep a little one occupied for the duration of a photo shoot.  Especially one with this many people!  I'm going to ask her to "release" a few of the pictures for me, so I can post them to Facebook (because of course pictures aren't really pictures until they've been posted to Facebook), but in the meantime, if you'd like to see our pictures, and/or just scout out Andrea's website for your own future use, here's what to do:

www.andreafosterphotography.com
click on "client proofs"
type in "Family123"

Weekly Musings

Here we go, here we go...

Vacation: 
Do it, and do it a lot, before you have kids.  Once you have them, it will never be the same.  Here's why. You have two options:


1) Take your kids WITH you.  With this option, you'll certainly have fun.  It's likely though, that your fun will mostly have to do with watching your KIDS have fun, seeing things through their eyes, creating memories with them, etc.  It will likely NOT have a lot to do with relaxing, lounging, refreshing.  So..like I said...not the same as what you were accustomed to before kids.


2) Go WITHOUT your kids....and miss them like crazy the whole time.  Nason and I are about to leave next week for Florida, and I am so excited, but I am already feeling a little sad and bluesy and bummed at the idea of leaving my little man behind.  I really hate it. Four nights is a lot, in my opinion (although I HAVE done it once before, and I will definitely say that the sadness of saying goodbye began to dissipate about 5 minutes after leaving him.  I missed him of course, but give me a pool, a poolside beverage, a comfy hotel bed, and four mornings of sleeping late, and you better believe I fared just fine).  It's going to be a blast, and I can't wait, but I feel pretty sure that four nights is my max.  And to think I briefly considered going to Europe with my mom for 10 days!

I Have a New "Issue":
As I frequently mention on this blog, I struggle a fair amount with worry/anxiety.  It's definitely my "issue".  I'm constantly working on/struggling through/focused on/trying to overcome my worry issue.  However, I've become aware recently that I have another "issue" that deserves some attention too.  


In a bible study I'm in right now, we're discussing what it is that we each individually base our sense of identity on (find our value in).  By the way, as a Christian, our identity and value should be embedded in Christ....who HE says we are.  But let's get real....that's hard to do, and especially hard I think for women.  


Anyway, I've concluded that my identity is severely misplaced.  And.....just this very second I realized that my explanation for what I mean exactly would be much too long for this post, and warrants a post of it's own.  So if you're reading this, and if you care to find out more about what I mean, stay tuned for a blog post dedicated solely to that.  


I'm Moving On:
It's time for me to have some closure. 


 I was in a happy, loving, and committed relationship with All My Children for a lot of years.  We grew up together, and fell in love when I was only 15.  We experienced 16 years of life together.  I loved my AMC deeply for those 16 years, and I never strayed once.  AMC was my ONLY true soap love.  I was completely faithful to it, for all those years.  A one soap kind of woman.  I will never get over it. It will never be replaced in my heart. I have to face the facts though, and the reality is, it left me. 


For months, I refused to date any other soap.  None could ever compare to the one I had lost.  However, a new soap has caught my eye.  


I'm not saying I've fallen in love again.I'm not seeing it seriously.  I'm  definitely not saying I'm ready to be in a committed relationship with it.  I'm just saying, I'm intrigued.  I  have a small "crush" on it, if you will.  It has some long-term relationship POTENTIAL.    


Days of Our Lives, you've got some really big shoes to fill, but I'm willing to give you a chance.  Don't let me down.  


Coffee and Sushi:
You know how there's Hard-Core  Coffee people?  Like, they have to have their coffee the second they wake up in the morning, and if they don't, they can neither speak nor process information, nor function in general?


You know how there's Hard-Core Sushi people, and they always talk about NEEDING sushi, CRAVING sushi, having to "go for sushi" or else they're going to die?  


Well, I never thought I could EVER be either of those people, but as it turns out, I'm for sure a Hard-Core Coffee person, and well on my way to being a Hard-Core Sushi person.  


This is bad-timing to start morphing into that kind of person.  When/if I ever get pregnant again, I'm not going to be able to have either of those things.  That puts a little bit of fear into my heart, I have to say.  I can't imagine a coffee-less morning, and although I can still imagine a sushi-less week, more and more I'm finding myself daydreaming about it, and feeling like I must have it.  


Oh one more...


You know how there's Hard-Core Can't Fly On An Airplane Without Being Heavily Drugged or Medicated Because Their Fear of Flying Is So Severe People?  Like, they have crazy-person mental and emotional breakdowns on planes if they're NOT drugged or medicated (but for the record, they're perfectly sane and composed if they ARE heavily medicated)?  Oh, you don't know a person like that?  Well, fly with me sometime, and you can say you've met one.  I fly next week.  I don't fly without taking a Valium (obtained through my network of dealers. Ha ha), and drinking a glass of wine.  On the off-chance that I'm pregnant this month, I don't feel good about doing that next week.  So that means that I, Nason, and everyone else aboard our Southwest Airlines flight from Austin to Baltimore to Fort Lauderdale is SCREWED with a capital "S".  


Ok.  That's all I got for now!  Look for me on the 6:00 news next week.  I'll be the crazy lady that grounded a plane, and had to be physically restrained, because I was unable to compose myself.  It'll be great.  

God We Thank You

I have issues with saying the blessing at meal time.

I know this is such an unpopular opinion to have, but I just have to get this off my chest.

I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE (myself included, sometimes) SAY A "BLESSING" AT MEALTIME.

I'm not confused by the concept of being thankful that God gave us food.  I AM thankful that God gave me, and my family, food.  I really am.  Not just in a "yeah yeah yeah, I'm thankful God gave me food. Whatever" kind of way, but in a legitimate, "I get that there are lots of people who DON'T have food, and I get that it's ONLY by God's provision that I DO have food" kind of way.

But....

Saying the blessing to me seems like so much more of a formality, or an obligatory, or an "expected" thing to do.

Why, for example, do you not say the blessing when you drive through McDonalds and order a fry, or an ice cream?  Are you  not thankful for that?

How come, if you get hungry at work, and you munch on the granola bar that you brought, do you not close your eyes and say a blessing for that?  Didn't God make that granola bar available to you as well?

For that matter, why don't you say a "blessing" when you are at your gas pump?  Aren't you thankful that God gave you gas?  How about when you drink a bottle of water?  Thank GOD we have clean water to drink...seriously...but no one says a "blessing" for that.

If your toddler goes out in the backyard and has a popsicle, do you remind them to say the blessing first?  Or is it only if they're sitting at the table, that a blessing is "required"?  OR is the rule "only if it's a substantial meal, do you need to say the blessing first?".  Or is it like a "we say the blessing three times a day, no more no less" kind of thing?

One quick disclaimer...

We DO say the blessing with Gunnar, but that is because I feel like at two years old, any possible opportunity where I can make God real, and relevant, and practical to him, I'm going to take it.  I want him to understand that God is loving, that God provides for us, that every gift we have is from God, and I feel like when we thank God, our loud, for what's on our plate, it drives the point home to GUNNAR that God gave us our food.

But here's what annoys me....

I hate anything that people do, especially "spiritual" things, that they're ONLY doing because,

a) its just what you're "supposed" to do
b) it's what other people think you should do

when in reality, you personally, have no idea why you're doing it.  Its simply rote, routine, robotic.

Another disclaimer..

I DEFINITELY am guilty of doing this. I'm not calling anyone else out with this rant.  I'm calling myself out.  I do not always say the blessing before every meal, and I don't feel guilty about it.  I ALWAYS say it though, when I'm around other people who I know expect it.  In the pre-Gunnar days, Nason and I did NOT always say the blessing before every dinner, but you can bet your bottom dollar that if we had people over who we knew DID say the blessing before every meal, we'd FOR SURE be saying it that night.  Fake!!!!  Phony!!!!

I'm not opposed to saying a mealtime blessing.  I guess maybe it's a good way to ensure that, if nothing else, at least three times a day, you are reminding yourself of where your blessings come from.  I would just like to think that I could somehow maintain a thankful heart and attitude throughout the day without having to spew out a canned prayer, at designated times, whether my heart and mind truly were aligned with what I was saying or not.  I would like to think that my relationship with God is such that He and I are communicating ALL throughout the day, and that prayers of thankfulness are just intertwined throughout my regular conversations with Him.

But who knows?  I'm probably totally in the wrong here.

My blog posts are nothing more than my opinion, and the random thoughts that bounce around in my head.  They are definitely not meant to sway anyone else's opinion (well for sure this one isn't, anyway), and I'm sure they're often times totally off base.

I guess I could have added this to my "Things I Don't Do" list.

"I do not say the blessing at every mealtime" (except [disclaimer #1] with Gunnar and except [disclaimer #2] when I'm trying to impress people by how Godly I am])

No Idea What This Post Will End Up Being About

Nason is watching basketball with some friends.  I'm watching 90210 (yes, it's the guiltiest of all my guilty pleasures.  Any show that comes on the CW is a bit embarrasing, but this one is FOR SURE aimed at an audience much younger, and I'd like to think much DUMBER than me, and yet, I watch it.  I like it.  I love it). Anyway, I kind of feel like writing on my blog, as it's been a while since I've done so.  However, I don't really have a particular topic in mind to write about.  I figured I'd just start writing, and see if anything interesting came out.  If not, I'll just erase this, and no one will ever see it anyway.  Or, you may be reading this wondering, "Why in the world didn't she just erase this.  Clearly nothing interesting ever came out"

I haven't done a "weekly update" in a while, and I don't really think that's what I'm in the mood to write about right now.  If I WERE going to do one, our week basically looked like: getting our house painted, hanging with friends, an impromptu family date to Chuy's, one lazy morning at home, an evening spent in the Losurdo's backyard, Gunnar's ear tubes, an impromptu family breakfast at Kerby Lane, women's bible study, hanging with Baby Josie and Fam, Chuy's once again. But yeah...I don't really feel like writing about our week.

I've read two really good books lately:

Both are REALLY good.  At least I thought so.  If you are a HUGE, die-hard Obama fan, and/or don't have a sense of humor, I don't recommend The Obama Diaries.  If you have horrible taste in books, I don't recommend In The Woods.  Seriously, that's the only way you could NOT like it.  Up next on my book list, to be started tomorrow, is Mere Christianity.  I've read it before, but it was a lot of years ago.  Its kind of a "thinking" book, but after zoning out for the last hour to 90210, I think my brain is going to need some use again, by tomorrow.



I totally (well, almost totally) lost interest in American Idol this season, BUT there was one redeeming factor for me:  Philip Phillips.  I seriously love this guy.  If I was 21, and not married, I may have an itsy bitsy "American Idol Crush" on him.  But I'm not and I am, so I don't.  Anyway, me, Nason, AND Gunnar ALL loved this performance:



Gunnar insisted on getting his guitar out, sitting on the living room floor, and singing along with him.   Over and over and over.  Seriously wish I had a video of THAT, but I don't.



We started a new sermon series at church that I'm really excited about.  It's called "Ecclesiastes: The Search For Meaning".  Last week was the first week, and we basically discussed how ironic (dumb)it is that we spend so much time spinning our wheels, exerting mental and physical energy, time, money, and resources, in an attempt to make THIS life significant, and specifically, make ourselves seem/feel significant, when really, this life is "but a vapor", compared to our life in eternity.  Two things Pastor Tim did during the sermon that I liked, and that really made me think:

1) He brought a bottle of bubbles up on the stage, and blew a few.  We watched the bubbles float across the stage for all of about 10 seconds, and then they popped.  He then compared that our lives.  Fun for a few minutes, and then over.

2) He asked us to try to think of our great great grandmothers name.  If you can come up with yours, then you are better than me, because I have no idea, and the assumption was that most of the people in the congregation couldn't either.  The point: when you're gone, not a lot of people even remember you. Even people in your own flippin' family!

Depressed yet?  That was kind of the point.  To come to terms with how INsignificant this life is, so that we can begin to understand that we were created for something SO MUCH bigger and better, and then begin to make our lives here be about THAT.

If you'd like to listen to/watch the sermon, you can go here:

http://mediaplayer.hcbc.com/sermon/monotony-1269



Nason and I are going on a vacation in June (I think).  I say "I think" because we've gone back and forth for months now, changing our mind a million times about if/when/where, so until we're actually in a plane, train, or car headed to our destination, I'm not getting my hopes super high.  However, we do have a date picked out, we do have a sitter secured, so I THINK it's pretty close to being official.  We CANNOT decide where to go, though!  We've considered everything from a "staycation" in downtown Austin (we love doing that), to Mexico, to Florida, to California, to New Orleans, to Vegas, to New York.  It really shouldn't be so hard.  The only components that we're looking for in a vacation are:

- a comfortable bed, where we can sleep late
- close proximity to at least one decent restaurant
- a pool, preferably one where people bring you drinks
- a comfortable place to sit/lay, while we read books all day long

If anyone has suggestions, feel free to send them my way!  Otherwise, we may just end up sending Gunnar to the grandparents, and staying HOME for four days.  After all, there's a comfortable bed that we could sleep late in, Chuy's nearby, a neighborhood pool (and maybe we could pay someone to bring us some drinks), and our own two recliners to sit and read books in all day.  We're not picky.

Well, that brings me to the end of this post, I think.  When it's all said and done, it ended up being pretty pointless and non-interesting, BUT I did give you some good book recommendations, I DID introduce you to the awesomeness that is Philip Phillips, and I DID link you to a potentially life-changing sermon, so I guess it's not a total wash.

I'm off to go kill a few more brain cells watching So You Think You Can Dance!

Why I Love Being Gunnar's Mama

In honor of Mother's Day yesterday, I wrote two blog posts dedicated to my two moms.  However, I am, after all, a mother myself, so I thought it only fitting that I also write something about myself as a mom.  Now I am obviously not going to write a post about what makes me a great mom, so instead, I am going to write something much better...why I LOVE being Gunnar's mom.

Top Ten Things I Love About Being Gunnar's Mom

1) I laugh...a lot....every single day.  A funnier little guy, there never was.  I'm telling you.

2) I love having something(one)  to love that much.  It's so true what everyone says...there is no love, like the love you have for your child.  

3) I love that we get to do so many fun things together.  Now, this quite possibly goes against all that a modern woman is supposed to be.  Perhaps it would make me seem smarter, edgier, more independent, more "real woman-ish" if what I WANTED to spend my time doing was climbing up a corporate ladder somewhere, but the truth of the matter is...I'd rather watch Gunnar climb up the ladder at the playground.  Truly.  It's not just that I feel like it's my JOB to stay home with Gunnar...it's just that I WANT to.  I LIKE going to Big Bounce, to the park, to playdates, to the sprinkler park.  I LIKE curling up on the couch with him to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks for the 50th time that week.  I LIKE playing cars with him on his playroom floor.  Ok, no, I actually don't like that one.  I have to admit...I kind of hate playing cars.  I don't ever know what to make them do, or what noises they're supposed to make.  How many times can you drive a car back and forth across the floor, and it still be fun? The answer for me is, "once".  The answer for Gunnar is "a million".  Anyway, you get my drift.  Being a mom is just plain fun.

4) I love getting to watch him grow and change.  It's amazing how fun it is to watch your kid master hitting a baseball, or going down the steep slide at the park, when you've seen a trillion other kids do the same thing before, and couldn't have really cared less about it.  When my Gunnar is the one doing it, it's the coolest thing I've ever seen before.

5) I love that he keeps me on my toes.  There are plenty of days when I might say that I dislike this aspect of him, but really, I love it.  I like that he's got spunk, and he's feisty, and energetic, and smart enough to be mischievous.  I like that he's somewhat of a challenge (a challenge that often times, I fail).  I LOVE that he is the single hugest exercise in patience I have EVER had in my life, and probably ever will have.

6) I love that by being Gunnar's mom, it means I get to watch Nason be Gunnar's dad....and he's awesome at it.  Really, really just amazing.  

7) I love that it took us a long time to get pregnant with him, and that when I finally did, I was SO SHOCKED that it had FINALLY happened, that I will never quit being amazed that we have him, and never quit being so thankful for him.  He is a good reminder, as we try for this second baby, that God's timing is perfect, and that His blessings are worth the wait.

8) I love how random he is with doling out love and affection...he doesn't necessarily give out a ton of hugs and kisses, or tell us "I love you" as often as I would like, but when he does, it's all on his own accord, and it's so spontaneous, that you know it's authentic, and it makes it even more special.

9) I love how smart he is, and how good he is at having conversation.  We spend lots and lots and lots of time talking during the day.  Sometimes, a bit too much for my liking, but at the end of every day...even when in the MIDST of that day, there were moments when all I wanted was for him to be quiet for two seconds... at the end of the day, my heart literally melts thinking back on all of the funny conversations we had, and crazy questions that he asked throughout the day.

10) I love seeing his smile.  Chipped tooth and all.  

Spotlight On....My Mama

An Ode To You, Mom

You're the one who gave birth to me

I believe the time was six-oh-three

What a glorious evening that must have been for you,

I'm sure you and dad were tired of it just being you two

A greater daughter I'm sure there's never been,

When you look at me, you must think, "what a win!!"

I kid, I kid. After all, this post is dedicated to YOU,

So let's begin to describe all the things that are wonderful about Linda Sue!!!

Well, this blog post is throwing me for a loop.  Not because I can't think of anything wonderful or sweet to say about my mom, but because:

a) I can think of too many things

b) I'm not one for a whole lot of mush and sap, but when it comes to my mom, and how much I love her, and what all makes her wonderful, it's kind of hard to NOT incorporate some mush and sap.  

So let the challenge begin.  Goal: communicate just how wonderful my mom is, without going OVERBOARD on the mush and sap.

Best Three Things About My Mom:

1) Her Selflessness

    My mom, without a doubt, puts EVERYONE'S needs and wants ahead of her own. Always.  If her kids are happy, she's happy.  If they're not, she's not. And she'll go to great lengths to make sure that we all always are.  

2) Her Helpfulness

    If my mom is with me, she's helping me, in some capacity.  ESPECIALLY now that I have Gunnar.  Most of the time, not only does she help me with things, but she helps me without me having to ask, and sometimes without me even be able to articulate what it is that would be helpful.  She just knows.  

3) She's An Enthusiastic Listener

    This one may sound weird, but it drives me nuts when you tell a story to someone, and you WANT them to really get into the story you're telling...excited, upset, amused, whatever it is you want them to feel with you......and they just stay kind of.....blah.  Well, maybe it's just because she's my mom, and therefore more interested in my tales than most people, but she always is (or at least always SEEMS) like she really cares about what I'm saying.

4) She's Really Pretty

    Ok, so what if this is shallow??  This bodes well for my future, right?  Assuming I have her genes, that is??

Top Ten Random Great Things About Growing Up With Her As My Mom:

1) Back when big, curled, sprayed bangs were awesome, I had the BEST bangs of everyone I knew.  My mom was an absolute pro at it.

2) A lot of times, when I'd come home from school (high school OR college), she'd have some cool little "treat" laid out on my bed, that she'd gotten me while I'd been gone.  Magazines, candy of some sort, a new outfit, etc.  

3) When I was in the hospital after having had my scoliosis surgery, and feeling and looking like crap, she shaved my legs for me, washed and blow dried my hair, and did my makeup, so that even if I felt like crap, at least I didn't have to look like it, too.

4) She makes the best chicken and rice recipe of all time.  It is literally to this day probably my favorite thing to eat.

5) Sometimes when she baby-sits for Gunnar at our house, I'll come home and randomly find my furniture dusted, my refrigerator cleaned out, or my floor swept.

6) She and I are just typically always on the same wavelength

7) She loved Nason, even before I did.  He used to come over to our house all the time with a bunch of other guys from high school, and she started buying his favorite candy for him, and keeping it in a bowl in our kitchen.  Who knows? Had it not been for her, I may not have even ended up with Nason! 

8) She actually saved my life when I was little.  I almost choked to death on a vitamin, and she fished it out of my throat, seconds before I died (that sounds so dramatic, but I swear it's true)

9) She taught me a lot about maintaining a clean, tidy household.  Now, my house doesn't even hold a candle to hers, in terms of being clean and tidy.  Hers may as well be a model home, and well, mine is a toddler home.  But, I do think most of the time I do a pretty decent job of keeping it pretty nice, and I know it's something Nason really appreciates, so I'm thankful to her for instilling that in me.

10) She introduced me to The Donna Reed Show, The Patty Duke Show, Beach Blanket Bingo, and of course...my beloved All My Children.  

You know what?  I just thought of one more thing.  I know it was supposed to be a Top Ten List, but this is a big one. One that I really appreciate, AND one that I want to strive to duplicate now that I'm a mom, too:

11) A lot of kids, especially when they get to middle school age, and ESPECIALLY high school age, don't really want to hang out with their parents anymore.  But I ALWAYS loved hanging out with my mom, and my parents in general, because I think they both did a really great job of creating fun memories with me, my brother, and my sister.  I don't have memories of just laying around the house being bored.  I have memories of constantly doing fun thing, and being on the go..festivals, picnics, checking out some new cool attraction or restaurant, getting snow cones and strolling around campus at the University of Florida (when we still lived in Florida) ROLLERBLADING AS A FAMILY (how dorky is that?? I loved it though.), and many other fun things.  That is a nod to BOTH of my parents, but I definitely think my mom had a big part to play in that.   

Well, neither of the above lists really did any justice to my mom, but they at least scratch the surface.  How about we try this?

Mom, 

I love you SO VERY VERY MUCH.  You are truly the best mom a girl could ever have.  The primary reason I hope to have a daughter of my own some day, is so that her and I can have a relationship like mine and yours.  Thanks for being my biggest supporter and fan.  Thanks for being such a great example to me of what a lady should be.  Thanks for sacrificing so much for me over the years.  Thanks for showing me how to be strong, in difficult circumstances. Thanks for giving me such a happy childhood. Thanks for being such a great mimi to my Butterton. He loves you SO much. Thanks for fishing that vitamin out of my throat all those years ago, so that I could grow up to HAVE a Butterton.  You are my third favorite person in all the world, and the other two are boys :)

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spotlight On....My Mother In Law

Remember a while ago when I wrote this post about our friends the Looper's?  And I was all gung-ho about making that a regular feature on my blog (highlighting important people in our lives, and writing a post about them, that is?)  Well, I kind of dropped the ball on that.  I think maybe I must have had a lot more time on my hands back in February, when I promised that, than I do now.  However, I thought in honor of Mother's Day, I would write not just one, but TWO, "Spotlight On's"...one about my mother in law, one about my mom.  So.....let's start with my M.I.L.

Phyllis Hengst, "Ma" as I call her, has proven to be QUITE the awesome mother-in-law over the last 9 years of mine and Nason's marriage.  She is the mother-in-law that every girl wants.  She's also proven to be QUITE the awesome "grammy" over the last (almost) 3 years.  She is the grandmother that every kid wants.

Now, I will say,  it DID kind of take her a while to realize that I wasn't going anywhere.  She liked me just fine, I suppose, but she just wasn't a  huge fan of the whole "serious dating relationship while still in high school" thing.  She referred to me as Nason's "friend" literally until we were engaged, I'm pretty sure (Nason and I never could decide if we were amused or irritated by that).  However, a mom to a boy myself now, I have to say.....I get it.  Anyway, even back in those days, before she was 100% "Team Hayley", she was already kind of becoming like a second mom to me.  And now......she most CERTAINLY is like a second mom to me.  I seriously don't get, and can't even imagine, what it's like to have a mother-in-law that you either can't stand, or, at best, that you just politely tolerate.  Similarly to my own mom, my mother-in-law is TOTALLY one of my BEST friends.

So, what are some specific things that make her such a great mother-in-law?  Well, glad you asked, because I just happened to have composed a little list here.

1) She raised her son WELL.
    She (along with Nason's dad of course, but this "spotlight" isn't about him) taught Nason from an early age what it means to be a man.  She made SURE that he knew how to do things for himself.  She made sure that he understood the concept of, "if you want something, figure out a way to get it YOURSELF".  He learned how to EARN things, versus just being given a handout.  She made him garden with her when he was little, because "some day your wife may want to have pretty flowers in the yard, and you'll need to know how to do that for her" (well, ok, that one backfired.  She should have known it would when his six year old self apparently replied, "why couldn't she just plant her own flowers if she wants them?"  He seems to still operate under that mindset.  Ha ha).  I could go on and on, but bottom line: a son who is raised well, goes on to become a husband who leads his own family well, and for that, I am very grateful.

2) She constantly does thoughtful things for me
    Case in point: just this week alone, she volunteered, on her own accord, to come over and help me install knobs on all of our cabinets in our house, AND two day later, volunteered to not only go and get a zillion different plants/flowers/trees for our yard, but also help me plant them all.  I didn't even ask for those things!  Didn't even hint!  She just thought of it, offered it, and then gave up her own free time to come help me with it.  And these are not remarkable and isolated events...she does that kind of thing all the time!

3) She is so.incredibly.helpful with Gunnar
    It is really rare that we even have to ASK her if she can watch Gunnar for us, while we have a date night, etc.  She volunteers so often, that she beats us to it!  Also greatly appreciated: she has learned/observed/memorized all the various things he needs/uses/likes, and has made sure to stock her house with all of it, so that when we bring him over there, we pretty much don't have to pack anything.  It's so helpful, and it's so thoughtful, and we really really appreciate it.

4) She's fun!!!!
    She's a little bit crazy.  She really is.  Her and my mom refer to each other as "Pootie".  Long story, that I'm not going to go into here, but you have to have a little bit of crazy in you to willingly refer to yourself as "Pootie".  Have you ever read the book "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"?  She'd make a good Ya-Ya.

We've talked about this before (her and I), and our first memory of each other is this:

I was 16, Nason and I were just friends at that point (as we would remain for the next 6 years in her mind..ha ha), and Nason brought me, and my little sister (who for some reason was tagging along with me that day) over to his house, because he'd left something at home that he needed.  We pulled up, and she was working out in the yard.

I thought: She's so cute!  She's got a ponytail, and this cute little baseball cap on her head, and she's covered in dirt, and she kind of looks like a little girl that been's outside playing.

She thought: I've never seen such tiny little shorts before, as what those two girls have on!  This looks like trouble!!!

So....Ma.....15 years later....I'm glad that you were able to get past the short shorts, and the "Hi Mrs. Hengst, it's Hayley again. I'm sorry to wake you up/call for the 50th time tonight/etc" phone calls, and love me anyway.  It's so great having you as a mother-in-law, and I am so very thankful for you!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!