Is it Friday yet?

Life in the Woods has been a little, well, uh, overcome with weeds shall we say. But we are mowin'. We are mowin' our little troubles away! When I say troubles -- plural, I really mean trouble -- singular. The culprit? It starts with the letter "C" and ends with an "roup." Last week, Ava had a run in with the icky croup bug. And although she is still hacking away, we have almost sent it on its way. I knew the time would come when my perfect Sassy would get really sick, but come on...why mess with the breathing, too? There were some rough nights that I snuggled up next to my little snotty nosed baby girl in our guest room just so I could make sure she was breathing. She was working at it so hard. But I did find out some valuable information during my nights with my little roommate. This girl doesn't stay still! I woke up with her nose practically in my mouth, then her entire body was curled up on her pillow, then she was on her back laying on my belly, and then by the time Pak Pak our next door neighbor/donut shop owner started to turn on his lights around 4:00am, I had a foot jammed up into my chin. But I loved every second! Really!

So, after a weekend spent indoors (I am so sorry Granna and Granddaddy!) a brief sabbatical from Sunday School, 3 cancelled playdates, 2 no shows to story time, 5 rounds on the Vicks vaborizor, 1 trip to the doctor, 1 complete body rash, and 3 days of taking 4+ hours of nap (Ava, not me...)..I think we are just about done. Ava doesn't let me forget though. Every single time she coughs she pats her chest and says "Goh Cof?" in the most pathetically sweet voice ever. She's milkin' it folks and I tell you what -- She can have anything she wants right now.

So right before all of this started, I once again got antsy with our paint color in our living room. No big deal right? Well, in our house (and I once liked this, but I don't think I do anymore), when you walk into the front door you can basically see the back door. It is one long straight line. So, when you change one paint color, you have to change the entire foyer, the accent wall in the kitchen, and then our living room. So once you're committed, you're really committed. Our paint before was supposed to be this beautiful shade of beigey gold..."Pebbled Path" was the name. Has a nice ring to it huh, huh? Well, you know you are in trouble when you paint one giant wall and you think to yourself one of two things. 1) "Hm...maybe it'll look better when it's dry." How many of you have thought that one? or, 2) "Wow...maybe when I waste 4 more days and paint the entire room, it'll look better because I'll get the full effect." Yeah. Here's a tip: If you have a thought like 1 or 2 or anything that relates to it in any way, stop. Put your brush down. Go back to Home Depot. So, 1 and 2 went through my mind multiple times, but the end product was still a house filled with way too much sunshine. I am not a sunshiney person. I like dark, and warm, and inviting colors. Not a house full of yellow. It wasn't really "Pebbled Path"....it was more like "Yellow Brick Road."

So before all of the croup chaos, I painted. I painted like no one has ever painted before. This month's choice? mmmm...."Smokey Blue" accented with "Shale Grey." Kinda sounds depressing doesn't it....ooo but, no, it's really nice! This time I was thinking things like "Oh! I can't wait to finish all of this because it looks so AWEsome!" and "Wow! This makes all of my whites POP instead of making them look dirty like Yellow Brick Road did, and "Why didn't my husband tell me he hated the yellow as much as I did?" You know, things like that. Well, now all that's left is the trim in the foyer. Now that my color is so different, we get to redo the rest of our decor. YES!

I have also begun my very first annual Spring Cleaning. Today was day #2. I mentioned to Keith that I needed to come up with a realistic schedule. So I have decided to take on one room a day starting at the front of the house. Yesterday was the piano room/office. We aren't just talking wiping things down, friends. We are talking EVERYTHING. No inch shall go untouched, no drawer shall remain unorganized, (cue patriotic music) no piece of trash shall go unnoticed. Today was the laundry room. The laundry room, you say? Have you ever looked inside the crevices in your washing machine? Go on...I'll give you a second. I am taking the weekend off so the piano room/office and the laundry room can get trashed again, then Monday I start all over. You see? Who says stay at home mommies have nothing to do during nap times?

Well, I'm beat. It has been a week. But life is good. Enjoy the pics and thanks for reading.

Wouldn't YOU give her a pony?

Feelin' better today!

I just pray that if she goes to Baylor, she gets a full ride.

I am deeply ashamed of my mess. Why is it that when we a)paint or b)get ready to spring clean, our house gets really really messy?

Here's the "Smokey Blue." ...in our animal-filled farm house, apparently.

Adventures of a SAHM...

Once upon a time my refrigerator had nothing on it. I mean on the side I had photos, birth announcements from friends, important phone numbers, etc. etc. but I rarely had anything on the front. That was by choice. My fridge just looked cleaner that way (you like how I said "my" fridge...I suppose I can let Keith have some of it, too.) But now....now my friends, I have added a beautiful Monet-quality finger painting and a monthly calendar that has something marked on it pretty much everyday of the week. I have gone from being a stay-at home-what-am-I-going-to-do-today-while-keeping-my-sanity kind of mom (for ease let's abbreviate that SAHWAIGTDTWKMSM) to an SPMOTYBIHTKACOMFTKMS -- Oh! That would stand for a Self-proclaimed-mom-of-the-year-because-I-have-to-keep-a-calendar-on-my-fridge-to-keep-my-sanity...Mom. I tell ya...I am in a new league! I have joined a moms group here in town and there is stuff going on multiple times a week, I have my MOPS group at my church and I am excitedly jumping onto the leadership team for that, Ava and I go to story time every Thursday, the Galleria play area on most Fridays...you guys, I knew I couldn't sit still for long. This is what happens when you go to school straight from Kindergarten through a Masters, jump into a full-time job, and uuuuuurk (those are breaks...) you are at home full-time. I-Love-it (I am all about hyphens today...it makes it dramatic though, doesn't it?).

Today Ava and I went to a Pre-Valentine's Day playdate. Oh, my precious baby. She is just the sweetest thing ever. Who needs toys when you have stairs, dogs, tape, Tupperware, or chocolate. Through Ava's eyes, this house had it all! Ava must have a smell for Tupperware 'cause she found the cabinet within minutes. It was quite amazing to say the least.

This morning, I got up way before Ava did so that I could get everything ready for the playdate we were attending. I was trying to be SuperMom by making her breakfast so it would be on her tray waiting for her when she got up. I had the baby monitor on in the kitchen so I could hear her when she woke up. So I was quietly cooking and all of the sudden I dropped a spoon on the floor. My heart was pounding! I closed my eyes and clenched my fists in anticipation for the screaming that was about to come flying from the monitor speaker. But no. I heard the softest, sweetest, most sleepiest "uh ohhhhhh." After I wiped my melted heart up off the floor I went into her room and smothered her in smooches.

I know, I am ridiculous. Enjoy the pics!

Ava and Corbin...sorta looks like they're on a date, doesn't it? Don't tell Daddy.

"Um Corbin....you said it was just going to be the two of us...."

I think this was after she stole someone else's cookie. Can't you see the guilt?

My clean fridge.

Thanks for reading.

Too many shoes, too little time.

I know. Can you believe it? Two days in a row! I have to confess that I find myself sitting here in front of my computer for a few reasons: #1) As you may remember me mentioning, we recieved a Nintendo Wii (and Wii Fit) from Keith's very very generous brother for Christmas. And as you may remember, Keith just had a birthday. So, my newly 32-year old husband is playing his brand new car racing game on the Wii. I love watching him concentrate. He's very serious. : ) So I sit here beside him in the "passenger seat" while he drives in our living room. #2) I just ran. Lordy, am I beat. I did some research on preparing for one's first 5k and I learned that while training I shouldn't shoot for a certain distance, but for a certain time. So that was a big adjustment for me. I ended up running an extra mile without knowing it because I had a towel draped over the screen on the treadmill. I don't write about my running endevours to impress you. Trust me. I'm dying. #3) Maestro has never ever been a real cuddle-bug. But lately, as soon as I sit down, he is by my side as close as he can get. He just curls up into a little ball (after I tell him 17 times to stop licking me). I love it. So, why not make the most of my time right now?

Today was a fun day. There is a brand newish library in Rockwall that just started story time for Ava's age group today. I have been so excited about this! As I said yesterday, Ava loves to read and loves to play so I was looking forward to story time and playtime afterward. Adrian and I took the girls together. I tell you, those girls are good buds. Ava chose to really enjoy her breakfast this morning and took a bite every 5 minutes or so. So I ran around like my pants were on fire trying to get ready, while she leisurely enjoyed her morning coffee and newspaper. Little monkey has no idea what it takes! Anyway, we made it on time to the library. There were about 8 or so other kids and their mommies. All the tots are supposed be between 12 and 24 months so it was a good mix. The girls sang, and danced, and listened to 2 stories....well 1 really. By story #2 most of the kids were checkin' out. But the leader of the story time expressed that she didn't at all expect them to stay quiet and still, so it took the pressure off of us all, I'm sure. Ava was really timid at first. She sorta stood in the doorway wondering if I was going to leave her or not. She eventually sat down in my lap. By the 3rd song, she started to dance and then everyone got to meet my Ava. Would you know it? Little Sassy was the one who wanted to pet (and take) the bunny puppet that was on the leaders little hand. "Buh? Buh?" She kept saying. And then when the nice young lady put the first book down, my little Ava was the one who wanted it as her prized possession. Then she danced. Ohhhh...that's my girl. Always making an impression. We had a blast...thanks Adrian! Can't wait until next Thursday!

I also joined a local mommies group today. Adrian and I were very kindly recruited at the library today by the mom who started it up. I am excited! Stay tuned!

We have been spoiled the last few days. Keith has stayed home to work because we have been iced in. Well, today he had to go in for a full day. Bummer. But when he got home he was eagerly greeted with the squealing apple of his eye. She always offers him something different when he comes home. Sort of a welcome home gift. Yesterday, it was a syrup bottle from her grocery cart. Today it was a shoe. His shoe. But he accepted it graciously as he always does. Little by little, she gathered every shoe she could get her hands on. And we learned to not help her...ohhhhh no! She's gotta do it or you'll pay. *sigh* Sign of wonderful things to come.

Thanks for reading.

Just Some Over-Due Rambling

Phew! So I guess I can always gauge how busy life is by the amount of time that passes in between blog entries. Keith can tell what kind of day I have had when we gets home and my coffee is in one of three places: still in the coffee pot, cold in a mug on the counter, or sitting in the microwave where it had been forgotten after it's 9th 45-second warm up cycle. I have to admit, I have been playing a lot with my little buddy and when she is taking her nap, I have been taking that time to get my run in. So, I haven't managed to find a balance that will allow me to get a lot of blogging time in. Ava is getting extremely active which I absolutely love. She is and has always been satisfied with playing in the house all day. Now that we don't have a morning nap anymore to break up the morning before lunch, I do try to get her out of the house every once in a while (otherwise Mommy can get a little tired). Every other Wednesday we do have MOPS at church. So we both look forward to that (I say "we", but Ava is the one that doesn't get to eat the awesome smorgasbord of MOPS breakfast goodness...so I can probably say that I look forward to those Wednesdays a little more than she does.) This week, story time starts on Thursdays at the library. I am really excited to bring her to that. My little bookworm loves to read. While I am cooking or cleaning in the kitchen, I often peak into the living room to see what trouble she is getting into. Silence is never a good thing (actually, Ava isn't very good at being sneaky...when she's getting into something, that something is usually accompanied by some sort of rip, bang, thump, pop, click, ouch, you name it.) Anyway, I will often find her quietly sitting in a pile of books, flipping the pages of her favorite pick of the moment. It's really cute. For a while she didn't care if the book was right side up or upside down. Now, she'll flip it so it's right. She's gotta read it, you know.

Fridays are my favorite. Fridays are our Galleria day. Some of my most cherished memories that I spent with my mom are a part of our shopping trips. It started with grade school clothes shopping trips and went all the way to just recently shopping for my graduate voice recital gown...oh, the memories. We would get up early in the morning, go to Willowbrook Mall, eat lunch, and shop till we dropped. Now, every Friday I take my little lady to the Galleria. She gets to play on their playground, I get to watch her play, and then we get lunch and eat together at the Mall. It is such precious time that I hope, as she grows older, she will love and cherish it as much as I do. I love hanging out with her. *Just a little sidenote -- Ava has now taken a liking to calling me. All of the sudden she has decided to practice melting my heart all over again. Multiple times throughout the day I will hear out of the blue "Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum, Mum." Oh, it's music to my ears. She can have anything she wants when she says that.

Well this last week we celebrated a birthday. Yes, Keith turned 32. He swears that he is 20 on the inside because the Wii Fit said so. And you know the Wii knows it's stuff. We spent his birthday in our quiet, calm, house (well, it turned that way around 7:30 when Sassy went to bed). There is a delicious new Italian restaurant in town, so I brought that home. It was nice to just kick back and relax in honor of his special day.

Keith's parents came into town this last weekend. I don't know what it is, maybe I am really really starting to get homesick, but it is getting harder and harder for me to let family go when they come to visit. We all just have such a good time. Thanks for coming Granna and Granddaddy -- thanks for spoiling our little girl (in doing that, you spoil us.) We love you!

I guess I am not feeling very witty tonight. Sorry if this is missing the entertainment factor. Here are a few pics to make up for it!

When I was little, I remember that I would love to run errands with my parents. I liked going with my Mom because she would always be out looking for something fun to buy. I liked going out with my Dad because we would always stop at a gas station and get a huge Diet Coke fountain drink. But I do remember going with my Dad to Lowes or Home Depot and I would sit on the tractors that were always out front. Here's our little Johanna Deer.

On Friday night Ava got to stay home and play with Granna and Granddaddy while Keith and I went on a date. I see they had lots of fun while we were gone. Keith and I went to the Studio Movie Grill in Plano and saw "Slumdog Millionaire." We even got to get some coffee afterwards! I laughed because while we were in the car I started to tell Keith what I wanted so he could go in and get it for me. It was at that point I realized I could actually get out of the car with him because we didn't have Ava in the backseat. Oh my, have times changed...

Finally...an updated picture of just the two of us. I sure do love him.

Thanks for reading my rambling.

Emily

Counting the Days

Okay! I must highlight 2 brand-new additions to my blog (see tickers to the right.) MAJ-OR events happenin'! And now, ladies and gentlemen, you are clued into my happenings! I know....yesssssssss!

Okay (deep breath)! Who gets giddy about running???? (*crickets chirping*) Is this mic on? Okay, well, pretend for a second so that you can feel my excitement. I mentioned previously about a rather (uh-hum) large purchase Keith and I made for our Christmas gift this past Christmas. Well, I'll have you know, my feet have been on that treadmill raisin' my pulse at least 4 times a week. And when I wasn't on that, I was doing strength training on our Wii Fit. Why am I torturing myself? Well, I have plans up my sleeve and a new "me" to achieve (haha, you like that? I just came up with it.) Now, it has not been without a major fight. And, I will be the first to tell you that I have yelled out the word "stupid" at my Wii Fit trainer a-many a-times. But for some reason, I feel like I need to prove it to myself that I can do this run. And I am looking at this 5k as a warm-up for longer runs to come (are you gettin' ready Momma?!). And I am way excited! And I just have to add, sidenote: The treadmill has literally become Ava's bowling alley. It's hysterical. She has a plastic bowling ball and pins -- earlier today, I put the treadmill at an incline so she could roll the ball down to knock down the pins. Each time, she would roll it down, knock down the pins, walk around the treadmill, get her ball, and start again. No offense to bowlers, but I thought she would take up tumbling before becoming a Queen-pin. Maybe not.

Now, the second countdown ticker is huge with a capital H. Keith and I have been blessed to take a nice trip every year since we met. The last 2 years, Ava has been our trip...and what a trip she's been! But the time has come. We are itching to go somewhere. Keith and I have always wanted to take a Pacific coast road trip from San Diego all the way up to the Napa Valley. There are so many things we want to see along the way. The top of Keith's priority list? He wants to see the Pacific coast through the windows of a Lotus (I don't think Enterprise rents those out...) My priority list? Hel-lo! I am going to The Price is Right! It is no secret to those of you who know me that it has been a childhood dreeeeam to go see The Price is Right. I didn't get a good night's sleep when my old dear friend Bob Barker left the show. But that's okay! Really! Because I am going to be on that show. Come October 21st, I might be hanging my head low and wiping away a few tears, but all I want is to get into that studio. The CBS angels will be singing gloriously! But, this trip will be bittersweet. My dear sweet Ava will be playing her little heart out with Gigi and Poppy and Granna and Granddaddy. Oh....surprise Granna and Grandaddy! : ) I do get a pain in the pit of my stomach when I think about leaving her for that long. And uh, grand-folks? She'll be freshly 2...are ya ready?!?! Get some good tennis shoes!

So there you have it. I'm just going to run my way to The Price is Right. Let me know if you have any good t-shirt ideas.

Thanks for reading.

Just Hangin' Out...

Yeah, yeah, I know....I couldn't resist the pun. For some reason, the urge to organize something hits me every once in awhile...throughout the day. It seems my biggest "do something" day is Sunday. Unlike someone we all know, Sunday is NOT my day to rest and look at what I created. It is a day to straighten! This past Sunday, I decided to tackle a project that I have been putting off for some time now. I *sniff* sniff* cleaned out my baby girl's closet. As noted on the hanger above, Ava had quite an assortment of clothing sizes in her closet and in her drawers. I keep it all close at hand just in case she'll fit into something again...I mean we have some really cute 0-3 dresses! Just kidding. I already boxed those up. While crying. Just kidding. Not really. But all I have to say is if we ever have a little boy, he is going to look SO cute in all of these clothes. Just kidding. Not really. But we are going to have a lot of shopping to do.

So anyway, as you can probably imagine, I had tons of hangers left over. In a mad dash to de-clutter the living room, I gathered all of the hangers and piled them on the recliner. As I was cooking dinner, Ava was going back and forth from the kitchen hugging on my leg desperate for food, to the living room stepping up and down on the Wii Fit board (which she thinks is equivalent to climbing Mount Everest so one needs to be ready to applaud for her). Then I see Keith charging for the camera. I didn't know what was happening! Was Ava doing somersaults? Was she tap dancing? Was she pushing the couch around the living room? And there she was, my little monster was making snow angels in my pile of hangers. She was having the time of her life doing it, too. And even though it made me a little uneasy, I left those hangers out for days. A couple of times throughout the day I would pile them up onto the recliner. And every single time, A few minutes later, Ava would knock them all down and have a little play date with her hangers. I love this child.

It was a gorgeous Sunday! Keith and I took Ava for a long walk in her stroller and we stopped by the park to play. She met some new friends. One was her age and was about to have a new baby sister (yikes!) The other little boy was about 4 and he wanted Ava to do everything he was doing. Of course she tried to. Her energy at 15 months just amazes me.

Ava, I look at Daddy like this all the time. It has no effect on him whatsoever.

And then there's Maestro. Poor, poor, Maestro. My friends, before Keith and I got married, Maestro was my baby. After Keith and I got married, Maestro became our baby. When Ava was born....Maestro became a dog. He has been so good. I really feel so badly that I have managed to neglect him. I promised him that I would make up for all of my wrong doings this year. He's already been in the car with Keith twice (which was always a rare treat!) Maestro (or "Bubba" as Ava always calls him) just lets Ava pick on him. And I tell you what, she thinks he hung the moon. He just looks at her and she breaks out in laughter. Who wouldn't? Have you ever looked at a pug face to face? They both get a kick out of all of the pillows being on the floor. Ava counts to three and takes a nose dive on top of Maestro who is simply trying to get comfortable, I pounce on Ava because I can't resist covering her in smooches because her laughter is infectious, Maestro gets up because he can't breathe, and I get covered in dog slobber because...well, that just what happens. Aaaaaand Keith gets it all on film, staying high and dry.

Now...go outside and make some snow angels...or if you are in Texas, make 'em in some hangers inside...the heat will kill ya.

Thanks for reading.

Waiting for 2009...

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7

Every year around this time I find myself looking back at the last 12 months. Remember what I said about being sentimental and hanging onto things? Every year, it never fails...I hang onto the year until the very last second. When that clock hits 11:59, I relive the year in 60 seconds. It's almost like when that clock hits midnight, that's it! The year is gone. Last year was a little difficult because at 11:59 I stared at the clock thinking "This is the year our sweet Ava was given to us. The new year is about to begin....2007 will be in the past." Does it sound strange? I have thought of New Years like that ever since I can remember. And I will let you in something personal. In those 60 seconds as I am waiting for the next year to hit (and yes, I am well aware that Diane next door could have been sitting in the next year for 5 minutes already) I thank God for every last thing that happened that year. I mean everything. I pray the fastest most all-in-one prayer He has ever heard and I also pray that He can understand me as I pray the fastest all-in-one prayer He has ever heard. It is literally as if I am holding on to the year with my finger tips and then I let go when the clock turns 12 midnight. And when I let go, it's a new year. A new file for that mental file cabinet. New memories. New hopes.

This last year, I have learned a lot. I can't even go into some of it otherwise we would miss the new year all together and my entry today would be wrapping up in 2010. But I can tell you one thing. I have truly come to realize the power of prayer, the power of God, the power of love, the power of trust. This year has brought with it the realization that if you wait, God's grace will show itself in your life. And it is hard to wait for it. My goodness, is it hard to wait. But it comes. He comes. And this year, He has certainly been present. And of course, He has always been with me -- sometimes I was the one who stumbled. But this year, and I think I can speak for Keith, too when I say that I have really felt His presence.

My heart is overflowing with thanks for our family. It is through our family that His miraculous work has made it into our lives. Thank you, thank you, thank you a million times over. I have said it before and I will say it again, we are so incredibly blessed. Our pastor at IBC, Andy, once spoke about spiritual barriers. Spiritual barriers are anything that stand in our way from living the life that God made for us. Sometimes we break down those barriers all by ourselves. Other times, people in our lives lead us to break down those barriers. I look back at my life and I can very easily think about the people who led me to kick my barriers down. My family members are at the top of that list. The grace they have shown Keith, Ava, and I leaves me saying "Wow...this is God's work." Vague, I know...but just break down the barriers, hang on, and wait.

As for 2009...who knows what it will bring. But for some reason, I feel like something great will happen. I don't know why. There are still prayers that I am hoping will be answered. I think God is just mulling them over. And I will hang on and wait patiently for Him.

Happy New Year ~ Thanks for reading.