Drena Explains It All

Bragging Rights

2012-01-24T21:38:00.004-05:00

Please pardon this mama, but I have to brag. Oliver's favorite teacher moved away over the holidays and I was a little worried how he would do without her there. On day 2 of him being back at school, he reported that his new favorite teacher is Ms. Lawless, hired to replace the one who left. We met Ms. Lawless on Monday afternoon as she was buckling Oliver in his car seat. She introduced herself and starting gushing at what a sweet little boy Oliver was. I told her that he now calls her his favorite teacher. She said "I'm not supposed to have favorites, but I just can't help it. He is my favorite too!" Be still my beating heart. I loved hearing that he is loved at school. It also made me so proud to know that he is a sweet boy even when mama and daddy aren't there to make sure.

Baby Bump

2012-01-23T09:58:00.005-05:00

Mama Bear is in full force

17 weeks

20 weeks above and below on same day

Cupped my shirt around the belly at the top so you can see me and all my glory

Figured out that the only women that look cute while pregnant are those that are referenced as skinny when they are not pregnant. My smallest areas have always been my waist and upper body so when they expand I just look like a house or bus. I'm ok with it. I know that it won't be like this forever.

Picture above is 20 weeks pregnant with Oliver. I think it is safe to say I have gotten bigger faster this time. Hoping that means the biggest weight gain during my former pregnancy (8 lbs) from week 20-24 will not happen this time considering I have already gained 5 lbs more total at 20 weeks than when I was pregnant with Oliver. What? You think I should stop eating dessert every day and exercise? As Oliver says, "you silly goose."

Speaking of Oliver, last night he tried to peek in my belly button to see baby sister! Then he asked if sharks were also in my belly. Hmmm. I think we have settled on a name, but not quite 100%. The last few weeks I've noticed I am starting to reference her in my head by a certain name. That's kinda how it worked with us with Oliver. We liked it pretty well and suddenly he just became Oliver in our conversations. We'll see if this sticks a few more weeks and I'll let you guys in on her name. I will tell you that my sweet husband is letting me pick her name since he feels like he favored Oliver more than I did.

Random Thought Thursday

2012-01-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Figured out if you ever hear a celebrity say "I love my body just the way it is" they are likely either too fat or too thin because otherwise they aren't being questioned about their figure.

My latest mess ups have been pretty epic and at this point I'm really starting to believe that whole pregnancy brain which I thought was total BS until recently. I made Oliver's yearly Picaboo album and on the COVER I wrote Year 4. Wow. Even more sad is the fact that I thought nothing of it until Adam pointed it out. Mess up #2: Last Friday I was to deliver my friend Sarah a meal since she just had a baby. I remembered at 8pm even though I had made the meal the day before and it was staring me in the face every time I opened the fridge.

Can I just say how much I struggle with a can opener. I don't know why. I've had Adam observe my can opening skills and I do it correctly. However, it always ends up that it gets stuck and I have to reattach or something weird happens and there I am trying to pry it open with another utensil. I made chili last night and the number of cans of sauce and beans that I had to open made me nervous.

I know most of you don't have the pleasure of having facebook friends that are very different from you. I am friends with a couple of our tenants. The updates I often read from one tenant are like a sneak peek at a world that I didn't know existed. Here are 3 different updates:

Whether I'm picking up or delivering, the white men will speak or talk to me. My own kind man or woman...will not even speak back when spoken to.

Speaking on niggas & lowdoowwness...he remind me of a husband. (been married twice)

I'll tell you what kills me...niggas that perpetrate. Pretending to be what they're not, pretending to be supportive when they're not. Telling a stupid female lies & she believes him, even tho she's been warned. All she gotta do is start asking that nigga for $$$ every friday. Not $30 or $40 but $100 or more at a time, see how quick he makes himself scarce...deadbeat dads, must be in the water. But the baby mama was also warned. I told cha!!!! ha-ha!!

I can't believe it, but I am at the halfway mark with this pregnancy and I just want time to be still. I can feel her little moves now and they are sweet. I'm at a nice place where I feel good, sleep good, and I haven't reached that huge stage where just breathing is uncomfortable. Maybe I'll try to do a weekly photo update here as I see many other bloggers do. That would require me to get cute at least once a week so I can't make any promises! It sure is nice to know that things are progressing well with this baby even though I don't spend every second of my day thinking of her like I did with Oliver. She doesn't have a name yet and I don't spend much time on babycenter figuring out that she is the size of an orange, but I know she will not be an less loved once she arrives.

Golden Globe Fashion

2012-01-17T16:04:00.010-05:00

Winners:

Angelina Jolie

Love her, hate her...there is no denying that she is stunning. Happy to see her in something other than black.

Salma Hayek

Working the Curves

Nicole Kidman

Pretty daring dress in that you either love it or hate it. I happened to love it.

Kate Beckingsale

Feminine and elegant. Adam hearts her.

Sofia Vergara

Pretty sure she would make a dirty white tee look amazing.

What were they thinking:

Poor Sarah Michelle Gellar. As soon as I saw her I knew she would be at the top of the worst dressed list.

Charlize Theron

Many loved it. I didn't.

Jodie Foster

I usually like her dress style as it always seems simple and understated. This looks like a beaded prom dress from the 80's.

Oliver's Birthday Interview

2012-01-12T17:12:00.006-05:00

Well, December slipped away and I forgot to do this. Thankfully I ran across a NY's interview and it reminded me. I added many questions to his interview since he seriously could talk the horns off a billy goat at this point in our lives!

What is your name? Oliver

How old are you? 3

When is your birthday? I don't remember

What is your favorite color? Red

What is your favorite toy? Eggs (he has been carrying around 2 eggs that go on an easter tree that he found in the basement a few days ago that are super tiny)

What is your favorite food? Tootsie Rolls

What is your favorite thing to do? Play with toys and go to someone else's house

Who is your favorite teacher? Ms. Barker

Who is your best friend? Kaylee (Wang)

What is your favorite song? Ho ho hee hee doodle-e-do

What is your favorite book? Just Grandma and me

What is your favorite drink? tea (that's my southern boy!)

What is your favorite show? The candy apple cooking show (Alton Brown)

What is your favorite game? The ta ta game (helicopter game that even tho he can now say helicopter he continues to call it ta ta. It is a x box game that Adam plays)

What is your favorite movie? John Deere (we have a 30 minute john deere movie)

What is your favorite animal? Cow

What is your favorite thing to wear? John Deere shirt and hat or red UGA suit

What is your favorite restaurant? Mexican with Grandma and Sue. I see Sue a lot.

What is your favorite thing to do at Grandma's house? sit on mower

What is your favorite thing to do at Zane's house? Play games, Ratchet and Clank

Do you like boys are girls better? Girls, like Caroline (Holbrook)

Do you like the kids or the moms better on playdates? The moms.

What do you think we should name baby sister? sister

What would you name a dog? Ben (like talking ben)

Are you excited about baby sister? Yes, but I don't want a sister or brother. (?)

What is your favorite thing to do in the summer? mow

Where would you like to go someday? To Disney or to a park.

What do you want to be when you grow up? A monster like the abominable snowman

The Wait is Over

2012-01-11T22:35:00.005-05:00

When Oliver was a baby and Adam would say he couldn't wait until he could play video games with him, I thought to myself how that felt like forever away. The other night I was in the kitchen and the two of them were doing one of their favorite activities together...playing a video game. I asked Adam if it was everything he dreamed it would be. He said it is definitely getting close as I think his dreams consist of a two player game. While Oliver can't hold the controller well nor does he really do any of the missions, he does do a good job of wondering around in the games while operating the controller from his lap and asking Adam 1,000 questions while they play. Apparently Oliver very much enjoys watching Adam play games which just seems mind boggling to me, but I'm thankful that he finds it fun.

And yes, that is my xmas tree still up in the background minus the ornaments. It is the last remaining decoration and hopefully it will be gone tomorrow when Adam drags the box up from the basement. I'm pregnant so I get a pass on doing things timely. Next year I'll have a baby so I think I'll get a pass then too.

3 Year Well Visit

2012-01-10T20:19:00.004-05:00

Can I just tell you how much difference a year makes? At his 2 year well visit he screamed the entire time...talk about super stressful. Today he talked (nonstop), asked questions, laughed, and was all around awesome. The entire visit I kept thinking to myself how much he had changed in a year. Not so drastically in how he looks, but in how he acts and communicates.

He was a little unsure about going to the doctor since he hadn't been at all since his 2 year well visit. However, we did go to the dentist recently and I explained that the doctor's visit would be similar. They wouldn't hurt him and they would let him look at all the tools. I guess he was really listening to my explanation because he asked the doctor if they were going to shine the big light on him!

When the doctor placed his hands on Oliver's naked chest Oliver said "whoa, your hands are cold!" As I'm pulling his undies off he says "my boo-tay" and when the doctor is bending his leg he said "that's kinda funny." I couldn't help myself... I was beaming with pride at how far he has come and breathing a sigh of relief too. All we parents ever want for our children is for them to be happy and feel comfortable. I think he is there.

Oliver at 3-
Weight: 33.8 lbs (75%)
Height: 38 1/4" (50-75%)

Ok, So I Lied

2012-01-06T10:01:00.013-05:00

I did decide to do a NY resolution after all, but it is VERY simple. I want to take more videos. I take a lot of photos already, but I love hearing the voices of my family and watching Oliver at different stages. Going to try to shoot a couple of minutes talking to Oliver at least twice a month.

I am wrapping up my first complete Project Life album this week. I still have a few things to add, but I am mostly done and it feels amazing. I can look at each week and truly remember the week and our stories. I didn't end up documenting it here very long as I felt I was probably boring most of the readers since I never got any comments. However, I kept chugging along here at home and I love it just as much as I did when I first started.

Anyway, I hadn't done a title or end page since I wasn't sure what to put there. I decided to add a photo of each member of our family, a photo of us all together, and a photo of just me and the hubs for the title page. I also listed the ages we were at the start of the album, Jan. 2011. I included the year for the album and our last name.

For the final page, I considered doing all shots of Oliver's naked rear end saying "the end." Instead, I decided to do shots of us waving or walking away. A couple of these also have my parents which is very appropriate since they are present in every week of our lives. Used sticker letters to say goodbye to 2011 and added a sticker that had a quote I liked.

Check out how thick my album ended up! Check out my furry helper too!

I also took all of our photo xmas cards and made a ring binder for them. I considered making a cute cover for it, but I decided I'm really ok with not going to that trouble. Many of the cards are dated so I'll have no trouble figuring out what year the cards were from. I also included one of our Christmas cards. I organized the cards smallest to largest and then hole punched. Easy peasy.

Side View

Open View

Yippee for crafting already in 2012!

2011 in Review

2011-12-31T20:33:00.005-05:00

What did you do in 2011 that you had never done before? Took my neighbors homemade valentine's day cupcakes, we took a photo of the three of us each month of the year, we had a photo made in costumes, attended our first movie with a child (nerve-wracking!), went on a trip with two of my girlfriends and all of our children, went on vacation with another family and their child.

What moments of 2011 will be etched in your memory? Oliver with Mickey at Disney, Oliver and Evan spontaneously holding hands at the Gardens, and rocking an upset Oliver when my dad came blazing through the pasture honking the horn.

What was your biggest achievement? Hmm, I'd say project life. I have so many memories and photos of our life this year. I also pat myself on the back for never raising my voice to Oliver. Somehow I never lose my patience with him.

What was your biggest failure? I still have curtains in my house that are finished and not hung. It is what I am most shameful about.

What was the best gift or purchase of the year? Best purchase was the Ford Flex and the best gift was my ipad! XOXO mom and dad!

What is your favorite photo?

This is my favorite photo that I took

This is my favorite photo of us that someone else took

What did you get really, really excited about? Pee and poopie in the potty

What song will remind you of 2011? Adele's "Don't you remember" "Someone like you" and "rolling in the deep"

What's something you fell in love with in 2011? The show Justified, caprise tomatoes, and Pinterest

What was your favorite movie? Crazy Stupid Love.

What did you want and not get? I wanted a dinner bell, but never got it. Also wanted containers to hold flour, sugar, and coffee that are pretty to display. I must have not really wanted either enough or I would have likely bought them.

What do you wish you did more of in 2011? I wish I would have invited friends to our house more and still would like to form a closer bond with the neighbors on my street.

What do you wish you would have done less of in 2011? Attending Panhellenic meetings and events. Don't enjoy it, but too proud to quit.

What valuable life lesson did I learn? Cold cream is not the same as face cream!

December Wrap

2011-12-30T21:30:00.006-05:00

I was so relieved at my mom's night out with my neighborhood this year to have been pregnant. We ate at Davio's and many made the mistake of ordering a glass of wine without looking at the wine menu to see the price. Little did they know they were drinking $30/glass of wine!! Many paid over $140 for their evening out. Talk about sobering up real quick when the bill came! Heartbreaking.

For the first time ever, I'm ok with the holidays winding down. Being sick a good portion of this month has made me realize that I get run down very easily when I schedule too many things and December was packed. Looking forward to getting back to the boring routine and hopefully decreasing my daily dosage of headache relief.

The random naps that we do get now are usually in the car. Oliver and I were out while Adam was working one Saturday and he fell asleep. I proceeded to pull over at a park and look at my Oprah magazine for an hour and a half. It was freaking awesome. Finished it in one sitting which I don't think I have ever done.

We had to go to Douglasville a few weeks ago to do a move-out inspection. We decided to go on a Saturday and we'd hit the mall afterward since they have a pretty fun soft play area for kids. It was about a week before Xmas and we knew the mall would be crowded, however, we didn't anticipate not being able to find a seat in the food court. I was craving what dear husband (to Oliver's amusement) refers to as butt chicken. Butt chicken is mall japanese or chinese food. He opted for a much higher end restaurant: Taco Bell. So we propped our trays on a trashcan and scarfed down our lunch of champions while watching Oliver play. It was a classy moment.

We stayed overnight at Calloway Gardens in a cabin and I highly recommend the trip. The light tour is about 45 minutes and it knocks the socks off of Life College. We built a fire and the next morning Oliver woke to say "our fire broke" when it was no longer burning! Watched the bird of prey show that always rocks. Too bad there aren't more of those around. Birds are always my least favorite at zoos, but trained ones are much cooler.

My high school football team won the state championship and I watched it live from home. It was a nail biter going into overtime, but I actually cried shortly after they won for some strange reason and even considered hopping in my car to drive to Calhoun to welcome them home at 10pm. I'm blaming the pregnancy. I'm also blaming the pregnancy for forgetting to invite a friend to Oliver's bday party, sending a xmas card to the wrong address, and going to our neighborhood holiday party on the WRONG NIGHT! These are all things very unlike me. Oh, and for peeing when I sneeze now too. That's really special.

My brother got my 3 year child 4 nerf guns and one gun actually says 8 years and older on the box. This is a classic scenario of what happens when the little boy that lives in your brother goes shopping. Needless to say, Adam has shot me a bazillion times since Christmas. He even managed to shoot himself in the eye. Poor Ralphie. He did place one of the suction cup darts on Oliver's booty while he was having some naked time. That was super cute.

I have to brag a minute and say that Oliver was just so precious on Christmas. We got up around 8am and didn't open presents until around 10am when we finished breakfast with my family. He never once asked to open a gift. It was amazing. When we told him it was Christmas he asked "well, why isn't it snowing?" Love it. Throughout the day he would say in slow talk "ohhh, ma-ma. Thank you for dat. I wuv you" and give me giant hugs. And this would be for items that were not from me or items that were very small like a card. I seriously teared up multiple times at what a sweet soul he is. For the first time as a parent, I really could have cared less about the gifts I received. Not to say I wasn't appreciative, but Christmas now is just all about him.

Wishing you all a happy NYE celebration. Don't worry, no resolutions happening here. I am fully aware I'll be in survival mode much of 2012.

It's A

2011-12-28T22:46:00.003-05:00

GIRL!

I'm proud that I handled myself well today. I didn't allow myself to get so worked up that my stomach was in knots. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all. The planner in me was just ready for confirmation. Not to say I wouldn't have been shocked if they said boy, but with my baby boy in the room I sure didn't want to make a big deal either way.

Most of the night I have just felt relief. As some of you know, I had charted my temperature and followed Dr. Shettles method even though there is great debate on its effectiveness. I've known a few people from C-town and my neighborhood who have had success with the outcome. I figured it was worth a shot to do all I could on my end to aim for a girl and it would be totally ok if we ended up with another boy. Adam told me it was hogwash and I understand how someone like him would feel that way. However, I still went right ahead with my method and kept it to myself! Who knows...we may have had a girl anyway, but regardless I would always know that I had tried my very hardest...short of mixing it up in a bowl!

I think Adam too feels a lot of relief. He's hoping I'll close up shop with one of each now too!

As my mother said tonight, "let the shopping begin!"

Still Kicking

2011-12-27T23:05:00.003-05:00

What happens when you get a headache that lasts 10 days and at times feel like your teeth must be about to fall out? Your December intentions go to hell in a hand basket. I'm feeling better after a z-pack, but I have a deadline with a picaboo album for this Saturday so all my extra time has been concentrated there since Monday. Never fear, bloggyland, I have many things to say about our holidays and will resume here shortly. I'm planning to spend several more days next week with my parents while Oliver is out of school so it likely will be a little quieter around here than normal. Hopefully I'll fit in a few stories here and there.

It's a big day tomorrow so expect a post on baby #2 by Thursday. Gotta start back here somewhere and why not with a gender reveal!

December 16

2011-12-17T21:06:00.010-05:00

Before going to bed, I blew up 7 balloons and hung them from the top of the door so Oliver would walk through them the next morning. I wanted to do something for him so he would know it was a special day since his party was last week. I woke up at 7:45 and waited outside his door to see his reaction. He looked thoroughly confused as I could tell he literally opens his eyes and jumps out of the bed. No get awake time in the bed for him. I started singing Happy Birthday to him and he of course told me Happy Birthday as well. Then he warmed up the balloons and knocked them around a good bit.

Not only was it his actual birthday, but also his holiday party at school. I loved that before he left for school he wanted to make sure I remembered to bring Ms Barker and Ms Q's Christmas card that we had made for them. He delivered it to them personally at the party.

I know all women want gears like on a lawnmower and circles for Christmas!

Here he is with Kaylee. He talks about her and Isabella frequently. Such a ladies man.

Pretty sure he definitely realized that today was a big day for him as he was pretty wired. He opened all his gifts with the same sweet face.

His clear favorite gift was a my little sandbox. He is so pumped to be able to play in sand inside. I'm pretty pumped too even if it is slightly messy. It was a fun day. We hung outside yesterday evening for a good 45 minutes and I chased him by request. I'm on day 3 with a sinus headache, but I just couldn't tell my birthday boy no. You only turn 3 one time.

3 People, 12 times

2011-12-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

It was a goal to take a photo of our family of 3 each month for 2011. It is more difficult than it sounds! Without further ado, here we are each month of 2011.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

(I have on the same shirt I'm wearing in the Feb photo. Looks different, huh? Boobies and belly went boom! 15 weeks in this photo.)

Random Thought Thursday

2011-12-15T18:21:00.004-05:00

Well, it's obvious I am behind on posting what we have been up to this last week! Got really busy and sick so please forgive me. Hope to be working on that these next few days.

What I do have for you is a bunch of random thoughts that have been running around this head of mine.

First off, am I alone in not wanting to see Lindsey Lohan naked? A pale, crack-using, skinny waste. Umm, no thanks.

The other day I was remembering when my mom, brother, and I would stop at a convenience store before piano lessons and get a treat after school. I often would pick sweeTarts even though I only ate the pink, orange, and purple ones. I do believe I had a talent. I could suck on the sweeTart until it was gone, never biting it. My mom never could and I thought she must have been lame or something. Pretty sure if my life depended on it, I could not melt an entire sweeTart in my mouth today. This is also another reason why children are skinny. A pack of sweeTarts would last me days. Not so much now.

I know they are getting divorced and all, but I just have to say this is the mismatch of the century. I have thought this every time I have seen them for years. She is a whole lotta woman that he just looks unqualified to be sitting by. Marc, drink a milkshake or two hundred.

December 8

2011-12-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

I wore red just in case I had to jump in the Santa @ Phipps photo, but it appears Oliver has mastered Santa! He even smiled for the photo and told Santa he wanted a Mater pillow pet which Santa already has purchased for him. Winning. Oliver gets his candy-cane, I order the cheapest package possible, and we leave one super proud family. Afterward we hopped on the elevator to go to the food court to discover that Phipps no longer has a food court. Alrighty then. To Lenox we go.

After lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, we all ride the pink pig. It's really a dinky little ride, but I like tradition and it is another fun thing we can do while in the area. Had to pick up a pillow sham at Pottery Barn Kids so we take a break to let Oliver play with their toys a bit. He spends all his time playing with a teapot and pink kitchen. That's my boy! He takes a 20 minutes on the car ride home and I unsuccessfully try to transfer him to the bed. No dice.

Instead we make cookies for our cookie exchange that afternoon. By make cookies, I mean I make them while he stands on a stool for 5 minutes semi watching and then wonders off to play Batman with Adam. I made a shortbread cookie that is rolled in powdered sugar since I've thought of little else since having them over the weekend at a party. Oliver and I were one of the first to arrive at my neighbor's house and Oliver immediately starts playing with toys even though I am in the kitchen out of his sight. Pretty soon there are about 30 children there and it is mass chaos. The 5-6 year olds run upstairs slamming doors and the crowd divides between boys and girls. Tears and injuries shortly follow. It's crazy. About this time I'm so thankful I have this awesome toddler who wants to love on me and not an older child. I'm not ready for that yet. Anyway, I make small talk with the neighbor moms and try to listen to what is being said while also making sure my child isn't run over by all that is happening around us. At one point I look over at Oliver and he has his hands covering his ears. This is not uncommon for him as he has always been sensitive to noise, but I couldn't help but agree this time!

The night ended watching The Ides of March with Adam. On a side note, I have this knack for being able to call something in a movie right before it happens. I love that as it helps me to believe in my gut.

December 7

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000-05:00

I get my hair done twice a year. Usually once at the beginning of the holiday season and once at the beginning of summer. Yesterday was that day. Too bad it rained because I usually get a few days of awesome looking hair after I leave.

I decided to hit up the mall quickly to do an hour of shopping before heading home to my boys. I find this easier to do when I don't call Adam to let him know I left my appointment. Shopping guilt free is much more fun! I was absolutely starving so I ate myself some food court hibachi grill. Don't judge, the teriyaki chicken is pretty awesome. My shopping mainly took place at Urban Outfitters for the dear hubs. I did swing in Hanna Andersson quickly and made the decision to pay the $39 to find out the gender of the baby on December 28 in hopes that I will be able to buy awesome matching holiday attire at the end of the season at more than half off. Totally saving money in the long run, right?

December 6

2011-12-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

The story of today is a first time trip to the dentist! He did awesome! The dentist and staff were really amazing with him as well. He got to wear superman sunglasses while under the big light and the hygentist went over everything she was going to do before she did it. They took time to talk to him a good bit before it all started. I was one proud mama.

I had them email me the x-rays because I found them quite funny. I've always loved Adam's large teeth and wished that mine were bigger. It appears Oliver will have himself his very own pair of big 'uns. When the dentist saw them she compared it to how a puppy will hopefully grow into his big paws! As you can see in the photo, the adult teeth are the size of two baby teeth!

In other news, we spent the day playing with all our new toys as it felt like Christmas in our house. We returned to the advent calendar after missing a few days and I experienced the first night of waking from a dead sleep to realize I hadn't moved Sprite (our elf) only to go downstairs in the middle of the night to move him. It was just what the doctor ordered, a relaxing day of toy play!

December 5

2011-12-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Three years ago in December the magic of the season took on a new meaning when Oliver was born. We now have a birthday to celebrate to make our holidays even more special! We did just that at Catch Air yesterday and overall I did well in not getting too stressed. Only two dad-gum moments with Publix forgetting to write on his cake and us accidentally dumping the ice in the cooler before the drinks. In the grand scheme, very minor details.

As we turned on the street that Catch Air is located, my backseat driver hollers out "mama, don't miss it. There's Catch Air!"

Oliver gets pink cheeks within minutes when we go. This place is no joke for adults too as I've found myself sweating profusely before while climbing up a 3 level indoor playground!

As I was at the very top of the playground, Stella (pictured below) tells me that if it doesn't hold us we will fall all the way to the bottom. Comforting.

I'm not sure what this face below is about that Case Martin is making, but it cracked me up so I had to include it!

Morgan (pictured below) had a shadow the entire time named William, her little brother. By the end of the party his head was soaking wet with sweat! I loved it!

I think all the kids had fun as I overheard Charlotte tell her mom that this was the best birthday party she had ever been to!

For the first time many of those that attended wrote on cards for Oliver. I loved seeing the handwriting of Charlotte, Cate (pictured below), and McKenna (pictured above). Some even included a drawing as well! Total keepers.

My parents came by to watch him open his gifts after the party and we recorded that as there was much excitement! It was a fun party and after not sitting much for 3 days, I'm really looking forward to a day at home tomorrow playing with all the new toys!

December 4

2011-12-06T10:52:00.002-05:00

The big day came that I had been working so hard for over the last week. Santa Claus came to our house! He really is a beautiful Santa. Watching him walk up to the house was so exciting! He has a lovely red long coat and is a big guy with big features. The children greeted him with mixed emotions. Some were happy and others he met with tears. Pretty typical. My mom and dad were so in love with this Santa that they thought he had cost $500 for an hour. Silly mom and dad! For the bargain price of $125/hour split between the 7 families that participated, we got our very first photo of Oliver cheese ball smiling with Santa for $17.86! However, I'm not going to lie. It really did about do me in getting the house completely decorated, cleaned, refreshments made, etc, etc. I'm like the walking dead today. It was never ending, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I think even Erin considered it a success as she got them both on his lap with no tears! Plus there was a set of boy twins at the party. You know me...matchmaker extraordinaire!

This was Charlotte's 3rd time seeing Santa this year so she was an old pro!

Santa read all the kiddos a story and sang many songs. Worth every penny in my opinion! Oliver told Santa he would like cars and trains.

Jonah and Gemma Corbitt

After Santa's visit, my family went to eat at a Vietnamese restaurant that is one of my brother's favorites. He had been so kind to set up the lighting, backdrop, and shoot all the photos that I wanted to show him some love too so without complaining I ventured to Buford Hwy to give it a shot. I wouldn't call the soup I ordered "life changing" as he told me it would be, but it also wasn't as gross as I expected. Oliver is a lover of oriental food so he did well slurping down some noodles and broth. I did get a chuckle that we were in a restaurant where the likely barely spoke English, but we were rocking to some Celine Dion and Mariah Carey Christmas music.

December 3

2011-12-05T10:17:00.007-05:00

I don't know what it is about the holidays, but I love to go to Barnes and Noble. Actually I love going there all the time, but even more at Christmas. Adam and I got to spend a little time there on Saturday after we did the Oliver switcheroo with Grandma. It was really nice to wonder around and look except I had this pesky husband who can't seem to get as lost in there as I can. I also love Starbucks more this time of year. While I didn't have any Saturday, I still liked knowing it was there.

Saturday early evening included me wearing a shower cap wrapping bacon around little smokies that had been dredged in brown sugar while watching Ellen. Ellen is another of my favorites but even more so at Christmas. I love seeing the mascot and the 12 days of giveaways. Her show always puts me in an even better mood.

Our night was spent with college friends and their significant others. It was really nice to see everyone without our children as we don't get to do that very often anymore. There was even a new topic in the girls conversation: Botox. What? How did we get here? I scored a $15 chick-fil-a gift card during the present exchange. I think it is only fair that the pregnant lady that couldn't partake in any of the spirits got one of the better gifts! Lianne was slightly embarrassed at what her boyfriend had brought to the party as a gift. Pretty quickly my husband traded his gift for the Little Whizzer that Kyle brought. Hmm, who should be embarrassed? For some reason, the Little Whizzer was in high demand and the husband had it stolen.

Luckily I only watched the first half of the SEC championship game before leaving for dinner. So as far as I'm concerned, that second half never happened! Little man had a game of his own at my brother's house. Shoot the kitty.

December 2

2011-12-03T10:28:00.003-05:00

After we picked Oliver up from school yesterday we went to Chick-fil-A. We played with a brother and sister on the playground that I fell in love with. The 4 year old little girl gave me a giant hug when she first met me and the 3 year old little boy asked Adam if he was a boy! I love questions like that.

Today we didn't do candy in the advent calendar. Instead he got the Duck and Goose Christmas book. I caved and gave him chocolate too because he asks so sweetly to have chocolate in the lil box. Plus I can hardly resist witnessing him stuff an entire Lindt truffle in his mouth while trying to talk to me at the same time. It's a big gooey mess.

We completed our outside lights tonight and tried to figure out what to do with ourselves since the housekeepers were here from 8:45am until 6:30pm. We managed to find our way back to Target for the 3rd time this week which is rare for me who usually goes maybe twice a month. I have never seen more thorough housekeepers in my life. I so love having a spotless house and not having been the one to clean it. Pretty sure that feeling tops peak moments of baby making. ;)

Getting asked daily by Oliver if it is almost his birthday. I think that is really cute. I can remember asking my mom daily if it was Christmas yet when we lived at our old house. His excitement makes everything better.

So relieved to have my decorations done, house clean, and big events over the next 3 days. The rest of December will be much more relaxing and I want to enjoy this special time as a family of 3.

December 1

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

On this day, the first day of December, I felt the magic of the season. Oliver napped for the first time since Halloween. It wasn't just any nap either. He had fallen asleep in the car after our trip to Sears where we rode the escalator while Adam got a tool and a staple gun to put our outside lights up. Oliver has never been a child that transfers from the car to bed well. Today, however, was nothing short of a miracle. We got almost two hours of nap time for me to wrap up final details of holiday decorating, straighten the house for the housekeeper to come in the morning that hasn't been in like a year, and write a lengthy blog post. It was beautiful.

Tonight we squeezed in the holiday festival at Vinings Jubilee before I had dinner with friends. Adam brought us lots of samples that included hot chocolate, apple cider, cookies, chili, and chips with cheese dip to try while Oliver and I waited in line for the train. After our train ride, we got some free Coldstone that I ate the ice cream off the top of the brownie and trashed it. In typical Oliver fashion, he wanted to take his coat off even though it was pretty chilly. My mom often says about Oliver, "he is never cold and he is never sleepy." That pretty much sums him up! As we were leaving and my nose and hands felt like ice, Oliver says "you wanna walk bebe when we get home?" Um, that would be no.

Random Thought Thursday

2011-12-01T15:49:00.002-05:00

The other day as I was addressing my Xmas cards, I realized your card list is a good way to see if you have made new friends that year. Alternatively, a good way to see if you lost some too.

I also noticed as I was completing my cards, I haven't deleted my Granny in my contacts folder. Nor my phone for that matter. And I still didn't. Don't know when or if I will ever do that.

55 cent coupons baffle me. Don't manufacturers know that stores often double up to $1.00 so that 5 cents extra is screwing you up? Somebody please explain to me why they do this.

One of my very favorite ways to use the ipad is in front of the tv. I love to look up the wikipedia page for sports figures while I'm watching football or celebrities if I'm watching a movie...you get the picture. Anyway, Adam and I were watching Autofocus the other night and it is about the dude from Hogan's Heroes. I start reading about him and in the first paragraph it said he was famous for that show and for his unsolved murder. Oops, maybe this habit isn't always a good one!

I love my husband and I'll stack him up against some of the best out there. However, his love of throwing things away sometimes makes me want to kill him. Granted I likely need a little help in that department, but he threw away an entire stack of magazines a few weeks ago that I politely dug out of the trash can. He trashed a newspaper over the weekend that had my coupons still in it and he's been known to throw out every jelly or salad dressing in the fridge because he thinks just because they are a little expired they can't still be used. It's not all the time, but he'll just go on this throw away rampage. Ok, I feel better now.

Oliver moved to his bunk bed and it is going very well. It made me slightly sad, but I do love laying in the bed with him at night. I miss his morning singing that he did while in the crib waiting for us to get him. Now I just hear his door slam and within seconds mine open and his little face staring at mine saying "i just woke up."

Target has a xmas song display that Oliver enjoys. He bops his little head along as he is standing in the cart while singing Frosty or We Wish You a Merry Christmas and even bystanders are smiling at the preciousness we have going on. I think I saw tears in Adam's eyes the other day while watching.

Wanna know how tarded I am? I thought the first trimester ends at the start of your 13th week. After thinking how happy I am that today I'm 13 weeks and I'll likely get a burst of energy I read to find out I have another week. Let me just tell you how hard it has been putting up my holiday decorations. You guys know I live for holiday decorations and I really had a lot of dread going on. I'm one of those that usually does it all within one day and run wide open til it is done. Not this year. I'm on day 4 and I'm hoping it will end tonight as we get the lights on the outside of the house. Adam says to, "you know you don't have to put it all out." Does this man know me at all? ;)

Saving the best for last....Oliver is napping today. The first time since Halloween and you can thank him for this super long random thought Thursday! Halle-freaking-lujah!

The Birthday Interview

2011-11-28T21:08:00.003-05:00

You may remember that I did this with Adam in July. Here are my answers

Band/singer: Adele

Food: Blue cheese. I admit that is a weird answer, but I eat it on tomato sandwiches in the summer daily. Eat it on salads all the time. Love it on burgers and the blue cheese risotto at Garrison's is so good I would bathe in it. It really makes everything better in my opinion.

Drink: I love to have tea at lunch.

To Do: Memory keep via scrapbooking, blogging, photos, journals, framing notes, etc.

Dream vacation: Big National Parks by car. I so loved our road trip that I would like to do more of them.

Best Friend: It's a safe bet that I am very close to the hubs and my mom. Too difficult to name a girl friend as many of them apply to different areas of my life. With some I talk kid stuff and others I talk regular life.

Female Celebrity: Rachel McAdams

Male Celebrity: Jimmy Fallon

TV show: Project Runway

Movie: Crazy Stupid Love

Game: Hmm, I don't play too many games unless by request of Oliver. Of his games, my favorite is Cut the Rope on the ipad and I've been tempted to play it even when alone.

toy: ipad, without a doubt

Did I make a wish when I blew out my candle: yes (I let you know if it comes true in about 6 months)

If I could spend a lot of money any way I wanted: I would have a full time chef and a full time maid.

If I could change my name to any name, what would it be: Hmm, it's really hard to imagine being anything other than Drena. I would definitely like to change Brouillard to an easier name to understand. Maybe I would have had an easier time adopting it if it wasn't so dadgum difficult.

Best part of birthday: Adam wrote me a letter and I cried. The handwritten word gets me every time.

What's something specific I love about Adam and Oliver?: I love Oliver's laugh and the silly things he says. I also love it when he remember something or says something that I didn't know he knew. It's so fun to observe his daily changes.

I love to talk to Adam. He's interesting, different, and I like that he is so smart. It makes me feel protected. I also love that he is so helpful with chores and really is one of the best dads I know. Seeing how much Oliver loves him makes me love him even more.

I had a really nice birthday and a great year. Thanks to all of you for bday wishes that came facebook, cards, texts, and here. Really appreciate it!

Random Thought Thursday

2011-11-24T13:00:00.001-05:00

On I-75 North there is a billboard that advertises half off implants with a lady wearing a Braves shirt smiling like a Cheshire cat. Every time I pass it, I do a double thinking they are advertising breast implants when they are actually advertising dental implants. Every time I pass it I wonder too if the dental omission in the headline is by design.
Well, Ashton and Demi went kaput. I'm torn over this one because I really do feel like they had a good thing going for a while. However, the thought of him potentially producing an offspring someday makes me happy. He is just too darn pretty not to make babies.
Earlier this week I was in C-town for a few days. Of course I was in my favorite restaurant, Peng's Pavillion. I went to get Oliver a high chair and as I'm headed that way a boy that looks vaguely familiar stands up and gives me a hug. I have no idea who he is, but he apparently knows me well enough to hug me. I am slightly embarrassed because all I know to say is how good it is to see him and ask how he is doing. After cursing my beer damaged brain cells and wracking my brain, I figure out that he is the younger brother of a boy I went to school with who I wasn't that close to. I see this guy hug another individual in the restaurant and feel relief that he obviously is just a hugger kinda like Lotso from Toy Story.
I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here before, but I live to watch my husband eat fried eggs. He doesn't like to cut the egg because it will run and therefore he figures his plan of attack is to stuff the entire thing in his ginormous mouth. I actually don't attempt to start my breakfast until after the show is over. It brings me immense pleasure.
Luckovich is a genius. I swear, he never misses.
I bet you think today is Thanksgiving. Ok, you are right, but it is also my birthday. Oliver personally picked my card, my cupcakes, and my earrings. I think I'm most excited to see how he will act knowing that it is my birthday. I feel certain he'll sing to me and then likely forget all about it!
Oh, this is likely TMI, but my boobs are filling back up nicely. Goodbye deflated old lady sag bags! Welcome back girls!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good Odds

2011-11-19T17:04:00.002-05:00

I got some amazing news today. My ultrasound tech is 80% sure that it is a GIRL! I've been floating around on cloud 9 the rest of the day.

To say that this pregnancy has been slightly less exciting than my last (up until this point) would be the understatement of the year. I have felt yucky, I'm tired, and I'm busy with Oliver. Plus I know that at the end of this pregnancy, I have to take care of an infant that will cry, mess up my summer plans, interrupt my sleep not to mention our family dynamics. No delusion going on here like you experience with that first pregnancy of how you are going to have the perfect baby. And what am I going to do about Yellow Daisy? It's no surprise that I am not one of those that melts all over babies. I don't actually like to touch other people's babies (for fear of making them cry) and the thought of reliving what we went through with Oliver sends chills down my spine. SO, shoot me. Let's just say that I've been slightly dreading it. Not that I won't love my child because I will, but when I really fall head over heels is when their personality develops.

It all changed today. Tears filled my eyes on my drive home at the likelihood that I may get to have one of those special bonds that mother and daughters share. I felt a relief of self imposed pressure that I had placed on myself to try to have a girl. I had visions of hair bows, striped tights, and smocked dresses. Pink, pink, and more pink! While it hurts my heart to think that Oliver will likely be pulled away from my tight grip one day when he marries, I know that a daughter won't. When Oliver has a child someday, his wife will likely not feel comfortable with me camping out in their home for a week. But my daughter wouldn't have it any other way. "A son is a son til he takes a wife, but a daughter is a daughter for life." While I know every son relationship is different, I think this saying exists for a reason.

Plus my mom's family is short on girls. I only have 1 girl cousin who also had a boy, the only little people in our family.

I also know that the bond between a mother and a son is also super special and I would be feeling this same excitement over having a boy if my first child had been a girl. There is absolutely nothing I love more in the world than being Oliver's mother. He is my life.

I just feel incredibly lucky that I may get the chance to be a mother to both genders. My dreams are coming true, people!

Random Thought Thursday

2011-11-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

The ladybugs are here. They come every year for a bit to visit the ceiling and then one day they decide to leave.
It's catalog season. Makes me seriously happy.
Yesterday as I took my nap on the sofa, Oliver came over and kissed me on the cheek and told me goodnight. He went up to find his dad and told him I had fallen asleep. I love these little precious moments, especially on a day like yesterday when he was a wee bit wild.
I'm beginning to think Steve Williams is missing a link. You would think after he said this he would shut up. Nope, he goes on to say this the following week. Dude, you are a caddie not the professional. Know your place.
I asked Oliver the other night if he would like to have a brother or sister someday. He said "um, sure, how bout a brother?"
Elizabeth Hasselbeck, save your breath. You came across looking slightly pathetic beating a dead horse and showing that you let Bill Maher get to you. Advantage Bill.
Debated on weighing in on the Penn State fiasco. I think I'll pass.
Bradley Cooper is not the Sexiest Man Alive according to me. I think this year should have belonged to Ryan Gosling.
I have almost all my xmas cards addressed and sealed. Does that mean I win some type of early bird award? So happy I'm making good on setting myself up for a hopefully easier December than the last two have been.

There Are Reasons

2011-11-15T20:35:00.003-05:00

for my lack of blogging.

1- Oliver thinks he is done with naps and he may be right. It makes for a long Tuesday and Thursday, but I'm personally so tired that I haven't been up to the fight of making him try. I think his last traditional nap was on Halloween. Nap time was prime blog time. Sigh. He has had most nights of going to bed by 8pm and two nights of 7pm. I still prefer the nap since I'm plum worn out by that time which leads me to #2.

2- I sleep A Lot. I have been in bed most nights by 10:30pm which is purdy early for this night owl. While Oliver is not napping during the day, this mama is for about 30 minutes to an hour on the sofa. I wouldn't call this sound sleep since I get the occasional eyeball poking, the "mama, are you done resting" question, and hear the loud sounds of toys going off all around me. Still I manage to fall asleep usually within one minute of hitting the sofa. The best is when I can get him to lay beside me. He watches some TV and I snore in his ear. It is heaven.

Blogging is not the only thing that is getting the shaft around here. I took my Halloween decorations down today, NOVEMBER 15th. I'm finding I can get about 1 thing done per day that is productive whether that be cleaning, cooking, or some sort of work/volunteer related project. Halloween is my 2nd favorite in the decorations department so I guess I got to enjoy them a little longer this year!

Whatever, don't sweat the small stuff, right?!

Gaurd Dogs

2011-11-10T19:03:00.004-05:00

My Granny had these two dogs at her home. They were whitewashed which I didn't care for that much. I sprayed them a grainy dark brown and I like them much better. They look like very distinguished gentlemen type doggies. I think they made a nice addition to our porch and I like thinking of her when I see them. Miss you, Granny.

I'm Alive

2011-11-07T16:37:00.007-05:00

Well, I meant to take a little break after posting 31 days straight. Didn't mean for it to be an entire week. Oh wells.

Rosie's show on the O network confuses me. She hasn't attracted high end guests. Celebrities always loved her on the view and when she had her daytime show so not sure why they aren't doing her show.

Pretty sure my dryer would blow up if I weren't here to clean out the lint since my hubby never does that after he does his laundry, but I'm not going to complain since he is the only hubby I know that does his own laundry. Love that and I will happily clean out the lint for the rest of my life! The peanut butter knife is a more sore subject. Why would one not scrap it off the edge of the jar instead of throwing it in the sink with the leftover amounts of peanut butter on it? Again, not a battle that I fight since he does so much around here. I just scrub it off and wonder this quietly to myself.

Speaking of hubby love, I was taking a bath last week in the big tub. I realized I didn't have any soap nor did I have my phone. Getting out of the tub to get it myself was just not an option. It was cold and frankly, I would have rather gone dirty since I wasn't that dirty. Anyway, I did have my ipad since I love to relax to some Pandora while soaking. I sent him an email asking him to come to the bathroom. He saved me. Love that and love my ipad too.

Totally sent the Halloween cards that I had printed to a few family members late even though I had them likely the first week in September. Pregnant brain?

I ordered my Xmas cards today and decided against a holiday photo shoot. We usually do photos in November to get a photo for our card, but I decided we will likely do a shoot when I'm huge pregnant in a few more months and then again with the new baby over the summer. Really happy to get my cards early so I can get them all taken care of before December when the madness of the season starts.

Oliver's Halloween candy has been sitting in his bucket on the counter since Halloween and he hasn't once asked for any of the candy. If we start eating some he'll usually want a sucker. That's a 2 yr old for you...pass up all the good chocolate for a nasty sucker.

Speaking of good food, I ate chicken and waffles for the first time a few weeks ago. There is likely a lot of bad chicken and waffles out there, but this was the bomb. It was pecan encrusted chicken and I seriously wanted seconds. Ibiza Bites, I'll be seeing you again!

Kim Kardashian....I don't want to even go there.

Embarrassing to admit, but I don't think I have cooked in over two weeks. I've also been bad about taking photos. Ugh. No excuses.

Met up with Rachel Walters last week and she brought me a gift. You guys remember this post? She hadn't read it and gave me the Mom's Line a Day! Talk about someone who knows me well! It's pink too. You think that is a sign?

Oh, one last thing. Going on a "field trip" to a pumpkin patch that you have to drive your kid an hour to and then tend to them the entire time while you not only pay for the fee to get in, but also likely paid for that day at school as well, kinda sucks. Pretty sure that may be a I'll pass next year.

Name Game

2011-10-31T16:49:00.005-04:00

Potential baby boy names: Sam, Simon, Jude, Miles, or Henry. Middle name will likely be Vaughn which is the same as Adam's.

Girl Names: Audrey, Millie, Macy, Molly, Roseanna (would likely call her Rosie), Roxanne (would call her Roxie), Joni, June, Josie, Bridget, Blaire, Hayley, Annie, Anna, Hazel

Thoughts on those? (don't worry, still gonna name what I want to name) Remember the last name will be Brouillard. Funny note, Madeline is no longer on the list and that was the name we had selected if Oliver was a girl! I think it is a little too common for me to pick it now and maybe it was then, but that was before I knew 200,000 children. Another funny: none of these have been approved by Adam as we haven't started the name game yet.

None of the names have much significance except that my mom almost named me Hayley and my Granny went by Ann.

Notice how many more girl names than boys!! :0) I'm totally giving away my preference, huh? Not that I won't love another little boy, but I would be so over the moon to have a daughter.

Fuzzy Wuzzy

2011-10-30T21:44:00.005-04:00

I don't even know the correct term for these, but I have always called them fuzzy wuzzy which I'm willing to bet is not their proper name. Anyway, I hadn't seen one in a really long time and I was so excited to show it to my kind-hearted little boy. I call him over with excitement. He dashes over and his next move totally shocks me. The little booger tried to stomp it! I couldn't believe it. We look at animals all the time here like lizards, spiders, frogs, and bunnies. Even this weekend we had lots of experience with slugs which is a story for another time that included my mother squealing like a school girl. We've had a lot of talks about being kind to nature. He took a pretty hard tongue lashing from his mama over it and I worried about the fuzzy wuzzy for a good 20 minutes afterward since he didn't appear to be moving much. Finally I moved him away from us and much to my delight, fuzzy wuzzy was just fine! I later found him crawling around my parent's porch.

I think Fuzzy Wuzzy being alive and spending at least an hour out in the sunshine on my favorite hill with all but one of my favorite people in the world was the highlight of my day. Watching my doggie try to eat a pear was pretty good too. It was a beautiful day.

A Year

2011-10-29T15:59:00.003-04:00

As you guys may remember, I lost my Bandi a year ago on Halloween. At times I feel like a year has flown when it relates to Oliver, but it sure seems like a long time ago that I cuddled the softest, most loyal, and craziest dog that I ever loved.

Wiping my eyes as I type and I don't want to go there today. Just wanted to quickly remember him here and the good things about him. I miss those and having a dog love me as much as this one did.

I loved him too.

Little Punkin

2011-10-28T14:09:00.001-04:00

A new little punkin will be joining our family!

Random Thought Thursday

2011-10-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Posting a picture of dead deer that you, your husband, or your child has killed on facebook makes me want to cry. It's even worse when they hold up the head of the poor dead animal and smile. Stop posting that people, mkay?
Adam makes fun of me for how I describe a sub sandwich as tasting clean. I probably mean simple, but I love the taste of ham, cheese, mayo, pickle, and onion from Jersey Mike's.

I wore pantyhose, AKA the worst invention ever, over the weekend to Morgan's wedding. I probably haven't worn them in 5 years, but since it was cool I thought I needed them. I realized as I put them on what a mistake it was going to be. The elastic at the top of this brand new pair wasn't working properly. I pretty much had panty hose rolled half way down my crack the entire night. Yes, they were the correct size so don't be judging the size of my bootay. Good thing my dress was not tight or my secret would have been out!
Packaging tape may be a close second to panty hose. No matter how often I have tried to use it I just can't. It makes me furious and I really wanted Adam to offer to do it for me since I'm a spoiled baby. I wasn't going to ask him though. I just had hoped he would take pity on me and say "just let me do it" as he often does when I'm struggling to build, repair, or pretty much all things. Incompetency gets me out of a lot of things I don't want to do. I did it myself, but instead of being full of pride when I finished I was just full of frustration.

As I was shopping over the weekend I found an awesome brand called Aden and Anais. The bamboo fabric is out of this world soft, but Anais is just a little too close to Anus to keep the schoolgirl in me from cracking up.
My Oliver loves him some chinese food and this really makes my heart proud. Over the weekend he asked my mom why they weren't eating chinese when they met her friends for lunch. The apple doesn't fall far, my friends!
Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler was played at the wedding. I had just said to a few at the table that every time I hear the song I'm reminding of the D.A.R.E. production that they did at my school where they turned around actors that had drug names written on their shirts. Not 10 seconds later, Melissa turns around and tells us the same thing. Obviously this was a universal DARE campaign. Had no idea.

Man oh Man

2011-10-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

Yesterday we went to the botanical gardens. Our membership is about to expire and as I took his picture on the same bench from a year prior I wondered where my baby had gone. Sniff, sniff.
We frequently talk to him about growing big and strong to encourage him to eat healthy items. He often asks before eating something if it will help him to grow big and strong. I talk to him about how he grew in my belly then he was an itty biddy baby and now he is a little boy. He has asked how he got in my belly enough now to know that the answer is magic!

His latest funny this week is calling his hotdog from his kitchen a wiener. He walked around yesterday saying "have you seen my wiener?" and "I want to put my wiener in that box." I laughed uncontrollably. Mom reminded me of the Justin Timberlake skit which I totally had forgotten. Speaking of wieners, we had to stop to get him a hotdog on the way home after meeting Camille and Stella because he had seen Stella eat only the wiener. He followed her lead and downed a wiener before bed last night. Thanks Stella! Now if you can just get him to eat grapes and cheese like a normal toddler that would be awesome.

Halloween Party

2011-10-25T15:59:00.005-04:00

At our room mom meeting a few weeks ago we noticed that no one signed up to do the Halloween party. Guess what sucker is now doing it? Yep, that would be me.

So I turned to Pinterest to help me.

We will be playing a game of pumpkin bowling, but I am going to likely use an orange ball instead of a pumpkin. I'll make it look like jack-o-lantern, but one of the moms thought her son would likely throw the pumpkin so I decided to take her suggestion on the orange ball.

Going to wrap the drinks with white electrical tape and stick on eyeballs.

I think for the food I'm going to serve frosted cookies, pretzels, cheese bites, and apple slices. Probably add spiders to the toothpicks for cheese and will try to scatter some other halloween-ish plastic doo-dads around the food.

I think this will be the craft while we take turns pumpkin bowling. Parents and teachers will be there so I figure the kiddos will have help tying the ribbon around their tootsie pop. One site said you can use kleenex to wrap and another recommended an old white sheet. I think I'm going to test it out to see if the kleenex looks cute or if it is too thin. That would obviously be the easiest option!

Party not til Friday so I'm still open to suggestions if you guys have some ideas!

Don Hollingsworth

2011-10-24T14:08:00.003-04:00

This is probably only funny to my family, but my dad answers the phone "Don Hollingsworth" frequently instead of saying hello. O man has picked up on it!

That Baby

2011-10-23T13:27:00.003-04:00

We were at a Halloween event last week and I held a baby to give her mama, Lauren, a break. Oliver who was currently being held by his dad asked to be put down and he wanted mama to hold him. He then looked at me and said "why are you holding baby?" I explained I was helping out Lauren, but that he would always be my baby. I got some stares from him, but he seemed to be ok with that answer. As soon as I gave her back he said "are you done?" I asked him "done what?" and he said "done holding that baby?" Yes, mama is done holding that baby. I accidentally let the baby eat a leaf and Lauren realized my baby watching skills have somewhat diminished so she quickly took back over as baby keeper! Apparently that watching two kids may be a little harder than I estimated since I managed to fail while I also had my husband present. Oliver was never one that put a lot of things in his mouth either so I think you get accustom to what your baby does/did and forget that they are all different. Oh well, good thing her mama loves me and didn't give me a hard time! She just took my baby watching privileges away and that was just fine by Oliver.

Random Thought Thursday

2011-10-22T09:47:00.001-04:00

Yep, it's Saturday, but I started this on Thursday so that totally counts.

I forgot how HOT Enrique Iglesias is. Thank you X factor for the reminder!
Ever make something that totally hits the spot? I found myself really wanting chinese soup, but I was too lazy to drive to pick it up. (Peng's, why must you be so far away from me?) Pulled up allrecipes and cooked up a little egg drop soup and proceeded to eat the entire pot of it all. by. myself! Totally felt like a chef too because I actually had fresh chives on hand.
The photo of those 50 dead exotic animals literally make me sick to my stomach. Refuse to even read about it.
Watched Crazy Stupid Love and it was really funny! Another eye candy man is in it, Ryan Gosling. Emma Stone is one of those people that I sometimes think she is absolutely gorgeous and others think she is pretty fugly. Oh, one cool thing is the girl that plays Jessica is a former contender on ANTM that I really liked! So happy to see her make it!
I love it when Precious is attacking Oliver's sing-a-ma-jig and it starts singing. Freaks her out every time.
Our walks have changed. Oliver is now riding his bike. He can ride it half a mile which seems like a lot to me for a 2 year old, but again I have no frame of reference. There is also the occasional jump off to chase, but he loves to chase (aka run over you) while he rides the bike and you run for dear life.

The hubs and I are away for the weekend attending a wedding. Really happy about that and seeing friends, shopping, eating, and sleeping. Those are a few of my very favorite things!

Mickey and Minnie

2011-10-21T10:00:00.001-04:00

Ok, so you guys have previously poo-pooed my idea of dressing the entire family alike (except Rebecca...god bless you!) so here I am doing the next best thing!

This mom has to find some way to cheese up Halloween!

And who could possible resist being the Minnie to this precious Mickey? He called me Mama Minnie. I mean, seriously, eat him with a spoon!

He Did It

2011-10-20T10:00:00.000-04:00

Today as we were taking Oliver to school, Adam asked him if he was going to be a brave boy and not cry at drop off. Oliver said he was, but this is not the first time he has answered that way. We pulled up and the teacher opened the door. He called out "dada" to make sure Adam was watching him as not one tear shed. The teacher told us when we picked him up that he said to her, "I did it. I didn't cry!" as she was walking him in school. So sweet.

I think I almost cried partly excited and partly sad that he is getting so big. Hats off to his school. It has really made a world of difference for him.

He is pictured with his big prize that we have been promising him. A leaf blower. Pretty sure his pride was the best gift. He had a huge grin all afternoon when we talked about it. Love him to pieces.

Proof

2011-10-19T16:09:00.001-04:00

Our first school photos! This sucker is buying them. Can't wait to see the class photo!

Hitting Home

2011-10-18T09:08:00.000-04:00

Dan Wheldon and I had a few things in common. We were both born in 1978 and we both have a son named Oliver. I'm not gonna pretend like I knew this dude before I heard of his death yesterday, but I'm always gonna read more if there is a major racing accident. Probably also doesn't hurt that he appeared to be very charming and is easy on the eyes. Sounds to me that the oval course and the number of cars allowed to race on Sunday was doomed from the start. Such a shame. Today I hurt for his wife and those 2 little children that will never remember him. Maybe his wife too believed him when told that racing is not that dangerous and the odds of blah, blah, blah. As the wife of an amateur racer, this hits home.

All I'm saying is no matter how severe the paper cut, I know I'm never gonna get dead while scrapbooking.

The Family Clown

2011-10-17T09:42:00.002-04:00

My Aunt Linda sent me a photo of my cousin Jonathan in the same clown costume! Now I just have to get one of my other cousin, Blake, and my collection will be complete!

Seasoned Mom

2011-10-16T18:03:00.005-04:00

My sister-in-law is expecting her first child in February and she emailed a few to get advice on products. I wrote out my list and realized I am now what you call an experienced mom and that is totally find by me. Glad to have my guinea pig infant stage behind me.

So, here was my list of preferences:

pampers over huggies

3marthas brand towels and burp cloths were my favorite. Didn’t like babies r us towels as I felt they were too small and thinner. Buy lots of burp cloths and lots of bibs. Oliver drooled from about 2 months til he was 1 cutting teeth and we often went through several bibs a day when they would get soaked.

Buy lots of sleepers that zip instead of snap as it is so much easier.

Oliver was a big fan of his swing and of the baby bjorn. Next time we have a baby I will also be getting a ring sling to nurse on the go since I’ll have a toddler and can’t sit at home as much. I’ll likely also get an ergo carrier for when the baby is older. This distributes the weight of the baby much better and doesn’t hurt your shoulders/back. Baby bjorn is perfect for when they are little, but as they get bigger purchase the other carrier.

Buy several crib sheets and 2 changing pad covers so that you will have an extra while the other is being washed.

Buy socks that have elastic in them at the top or they will not stay on a baby foot.

I used the boppy, but plan to buy my best friend’s pillow the next time. It latches around you so you can adjust it for higher/lower and prevents you from having to lean down to nurse the baby. It is wider so the baby fully fits on there. It frees up a hand while you are feeding the baby.

Buy several blankets that vary in warmth and length.

We used a white noise machine with oliver for years.

We also have loved our glider and ottoman. We still use it daily.

Btw, all the baby books say to not put much water in the tub. Disregard that even when the baby is very young. Make the water warm, but not hot and fill it up enough to cover her so she doesn’t get cold. If you don’t, she is going to scream.

What did I miss that your baby loved?

Look What I Found

2011-10-15T15:20:00.000-04:00

Pirate Adam with his sister. Adding to my frame collection.

Random Thought Thursday

2011-10-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

I know, it is Friday, but I wrote this on Thursday to post on Friday because I'm cool like that. Oh and because I totally stole the title from Emilie since I don't feel like thinking of one myself.

Apparently they teach children to say criss-cross applesauce instead of indian style now. Oliver is obsessed with it and wants us to sit in the floor criss-cross applesauce all.the.time.
Don't you hate when you have washed the sheets, but you were too lazy to put them back on the bed at that moment. Instead you have to put them on when you are dog tired around midnight because you forgot all about them? I seriously contemplated sleeping on top of the cover.
It should be illegal for a game or a political speech to preempt a scheduled show. Does this likely make me a loser? Yes. Don't care. I WANT MY X FACTOR.
Have you guys seen the reunion photo of the Princess Bride cast? First off, love the photo. Love too how they paid tribute to Andre the Giant.
Has anyone tried the sock bun curl method? I have major reservations about this working on my bushy hair, but I'm going to give it a shot. Probably will be better than what I do most days which is nothing.
I have an acquaintance that got married recently and I remember her posting on facebook that she would never marry again. It would be rude for me to remind her of this, right?
I had to watch the Moves Like Jagger song on Youtube today to finally hear it for the first time. I'm so current.
As I was cooking this week I was reminded of how I once felt like I needed to eat at home more when I was in my twenties. Now that I eat at home all the time, I'm really thankful for those years where I ate out every day. By eat out I don't mean fast food. Me loves good food.
My 2 year old has taught himself how to burp on command. It is special.

Christmas Books

2011-10-13T10:00:00.000-04:00

I saw this idea on.... you guessed it, Pinterest! The idea is that each day your child gets to open a book about Christmas. I thought that was fun and I could put a little note in our advent calendar on days where we open a new book since I think having 25 books about Xmas may be a little overboard. I have bought 5.

He already has several Mercer Mayer books that he loves.

We have Duck and Goose find a pumpkin. These books are pretty, but they are super basic. Not saying that in a bad way since Oliver often has us read them 5 times in a row.

We have this author's book on the night before preschool and we read it every day on the way to school (by Oliver's request). I am now wondering if buying that book was a mistake. The preschool book is about a boy feeling shy and nervous for the first day. During the story, Billy (scared child) stands in a corner at one point. Oliver with excitement told me last week he stood in the corner like Billy as if that was a good thing. Awesome.

Anyways, any spectacular xmas book we should add to our collection?

Where's Your Head At?

2011-10-12T15:17:00.002-04:00

Each time we traveled with Contiki in Europe, the guide picked a theme song for the trip and it was played first thing in the morning on the bus. I had never heard Basement Jaxx's song before our first trip and it really is an awesome pick in my opinion. The first 15 seconds of the song really sound to me like you are heading out on a journey. It will forever be planted in my head with exhaustion as we would load the bus early in the morning and sleep as they drove us to our next destination. However, it is also a source of energy to me as well. That trip was exciting. It was the first time I had been to Europe and the first trip Adam and I went on vacation together.....for 3 weeks. Yep, my style is to totally jump in two feet...no warm up needed. Anyway, I heard this song yesterday and it brought me back. Too bad facebook wasn't around then. I would love to connect with the trip companions, but I really only remember some of their first names. Does me a lot of good.

One story from that trip that always cracks me up is about our guide who was from New Zealand. He announced we were going to see the world's largest titty bar. I remember trying to clarify with Adam what they heck he was talking about, but I've come to find out Adam interprets accents even worse than I do. This was quite a rowdy crowd so it really wouldn't have totally surprised me if that was where we were headed. Finally we pulled up to the world's largest TEDDY BEAR. Ohhhhhh. Adam was likely disappointed, but I was more than a little amused. We southerners say Teeeedy beeaar. I can still hear Malcolm saying titty bar in my head. Classic.

It's Halloween Up in Here

2011-10-11T10:00:00.000-04:00

First fall wreath from Yellow Daisy!

Halloween garland on mantle this year instead of staircase. Like it better this year.

The shelves to the left of the fireplace are more fall themed than Halloween. Minus my witch display that isn't photographed for fear of you people thinking I'm creepy. Nah, not true. The photo didn't come out very good. You already know I'm a fan of dolls and I think you still love me.

Most of my little halloween dudes come from hobby lobby or homegoods. I did score some awesome Lori Mitchell figurines at Bayberry Cove this year for half off. Love them so. While that site was half off I bought a Mary Engelbreit witch too. I was happy to see her stuff around again.

I've always wanted to start a halloween house collection like the christmas houses many display. Still haven't done that. Maybe next year. Mom bought me a lighted pumpkin that is sitting out my front door from Walgreen's. It's awesome. Will try to take a photo of it, but I'm not sure I'll be able to do it justice. Several of my neighbors have a big spider web and spider on the porch too. Gotta get one of those someday.

So lucky that halloween crap really tickles my pickle.

Can you smell what the Drena is cooking?

2011-10-10T14:36:00.007-04:00

BBQ chicken is in the crock-pot as we speak.

Serving it with potato salad. I am a sucker for blue cheese.

I'll be crock-potting it again this week with this soup. My first soup of the season. I'm ready.

Paula Deen's avocado salad. Big fan of avocado too.

Making this oh-so-yummy creation on Thursday when I host play group.

Giving these a shot on a cold plate that we'll have that will likely include pimento cheese and pear salad as well.

Throw in there a mom's night out, some tomato sandwiches, salads, lots of leftovers, likely some St. Angelo's, and call it a week.

Magic Shoes

2011-10-09T21:52:00.002-04:00

Owned them for like a week max. Every time I wear them I get a compliment and yesterday two compliments from heterosexual men that were not trying to pick me up. I thought they were cool and they were half off at Honeybee, but had no idea I'd get this response. Even Adam commented and he is not one to be mistaken for being overly complimentary. (still love ya babe)

So ladies, no need to hurt your feet in high heels. Apparently it is t-strap fringed sandals that do it for the men. Knowledge is power.

My Little Monster

2011-10-08T20:33:00.002-04:00

Boy, he's a party animal! We had a great time at a birthday party this morning running like crazy and tonight he cried when we had to leave a housewarming party (that we stayed outside the entire time) after being there for over 3 hours. I'm exhausted, but he's still going. Chad even remarked how social Oliver has become in comparison to the old days when you couldn't make eye contact with him!

I love weekends like this. And today couldn't have been prettier. Today as we were leaving Chastain Park area I pointed out my old condo and told him that was where I once lived. He said, "me too. this is my old neighborhood." Funny little dude. Chastain Park makes me feel a little like Athens does. I love driving my old stomping grounds and remembering. Good times there for sure.

Halloween Past

2011-10-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

Last year some of you may remember that I framed several photos of my visits with Santa when I was a child to display at Christmas. Happy to report I now have on my shelf images of me, my brother, and friends in Halloween costumes growing up as well. Need to see if I can get some of Adam too.

I am probably 5 here

Not in this photo, but had to include one of my brother dressed like a duck! Priceless.

We still have this clown suit that my brother is wearing. Thankfully not the mask.

I also wore it and my cousins did as well. Oliver will wear it too. I love tradition.

I'm think I am 8 here as a bumblebee. I love that these photos include my childhood friends as well. Warm fuzzies.

Maybe 7? Mom, do you remember?

Precious is in two of the photos and Bandit as Yoda too. Oh Bandi, wish you were here.

I don't smoke, never have, but I thought it was funny to pretend I was a drunk old coot. Btw, this was the first Halloween we were married and I had about 5 minutes notice we were going to a party. I was the only chick in the bar dressed in a mask and not in a sex kitten outfit.

No Halloween photo display around here is complete without these two.

2009

2010
Say it with me...Adorable. A friend of mine put on facebook yesterday: the best thing I have ever been a part of, this boy of mine. Well said, my friend.

Autumn

2011-10-06T11:09:00.000-04:00

We've been taking some time on days when Oliver doesn't have school to enjoy the beautiful weather. Last Thursday we went to the Greek Festival. Eh, didn't dig it so much. Don't get the hype. Oliver did get to ride a school bus for the first time so I guess it was worth it.

Saturday was the fair that I previously mentioned.

Yesterday we ventured to Noah's Ark in Locust Grove. Like dumbasses, we forgot our stroller, but it was still fun. We saw a giant snake weighing over 200 lbs named Grandma. Love it. Oliver again asked several times if the animals talked. Maybe it is Charlotte's Webb that is confusing him. I loved seeing a tiger, lion, and bear that live together and have since they were babies. The tiger went to the bear and rubbed up against him like cats do and then the bear play like bit his booty! This coming directly after Adam telling me that they all liked each other probably as well as Bandit and Precious did. Nice to see that wasn't true. Saw wolves, cool monkeys, a chicken running...have you ever seen a furry footed chicken run? It is laugh out loud funny. There was also a very special goat there. By special, I mean not playing with a full deck of cards.

In true Oliver fashion, he was basically only interested in a golf cart we saw and a large piece of equipment. At one point he said to me, "mama, we done looking at animals." Thinking he doesn't share my love of them quite yet.

The Lemon Centerpiece

2011-10-05T10:00:00.001-04:00

Here is my latest creation inspired by Pinterest.

Funny story, while at the grocery store I asked Adam to pick up some popcorn kernels when he headed down the aisle to get his beloved coke zero. As we are unpacking the groceries at home, he shows me he decided to get the buy one, get one popcorn packets since it was much cheaper than the jar of kernels. His exact words were "aren't you going to glue them to something any way?" followed by him more or less telling me I can just wash off the goo. I didn't say a word and it turned out totally fine, but in my head I couldn't help but be reminded of the lemon centerpiece.

I think I've referenced this scene before from The Break-Up. In case I'm dreaming and haven't actually mentioned it, the scene is just classic in my opinion. I love how she says "baby wanted 12." Makes me laugh every time.

This Time

2011-10-04T09:39:00.001-04:00

*edit: this is not a pregnancy announcement. Sorry for the confusion. I was just trying to post about how I have treated the trying phase differently this time and how I feel I will treat any pregnancy differently as well.*

It's no secret that we have been working on adding to our family for a few months.

This time it has been much different than the last. I think I was borderline consumed with it when we were trying to have Oliver. This time, I already feel like my life is very full. Yes, I would be upset if we could never have another child, but I don't think I could compare myself to those families that still don't have their first child. I already feel complete and any baby that comes along will just be gravy.

This time around I have done my homework. I bought this book and I've paid much more attention to the signals that my body gives. I remember previously buying several boxes of pregnancy tests because I was clueless as to how I would know if I was pregnant. Now I know if I have high temperatures for at least 18 days then I am pregnant. Such a money saver! Love it. Before I also had no idea when my peak time was for conceiving and now with understanding how my temperature works, I don't have the added pressure of trying to conceive all month with it is impossible to get pregnant. Relief.

This time around I will enjoy my pregnancy more and not push for meeting him or her. With a baby comes so much change and even when the change is wanted, it is still very hard to adapt to your new life. I have a feeling it will fly by when I felt like my pregnancy with Oliver crept! I really want to take the full 9 months to enjoy being a family of 3 and take advantage of the freedom of schedule that we now have. I am slightly dreading that a new baby will slow us down, but I'm determined this time around for the new baby to just sleep on the go once I'm recovered. I don't want to be confined to the house for a scheduled two naps a day in the crib. I know, I know...best laid plans, right!

This time around I will likely lose track of how many weeks pregnant I am, forget what I am supposed to not eat, and spend about a tenth of the time that I spent before on babycenter. Not that I will love the new baby any less, but I think when you are already so busy with your other child you just don't have the time to concentrate on the fact that your baby is the size of a poppy seed. A friend that had her second baby told me one day she just turned around and her new baby was 8 months old. She didn't have the time to stalk her baby while it slept like we all do with our first. As a second child myself, I never felt slided so I am not going to even consider walking down that road of guilt.

This time around it has been less stressful and for that I am grateful.

Improving

2011-10-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

It has been almost a month since Oliver started preschool and we are seeing many signs of improvement. First off, he wants to talk about school all the time. This has never happened with either of the MMO programs. He also is not whining or crying on the ride there and I'm not having to talk nonstop during the long car ride there. Woohoo! The only time he cries is right when the teacher/helper opens the door at carpool drop off and it is dried up by the time he makes it to the building. It's funny that the one thing I dreaded the most is likely the best plan for him. Carpool drop is like a bandaid. Quick and it is over.

He is really learning a lot and is singing new songs, saying a few Spanish words, talking about the days of the week, and drawing straight lines. When we were at the fair in Marietta over the weekend, he hopped on rides alone with other stranger children without any hesitation. One little boy was scared and needed his mommy and daddy. Oliver told him it would be alright then he held onto his arm on the baby roller coaster. You can see his arm in the crappy photo above. It was kinda precious. Ok, it was super precious!

The communication we are receiving is really worth its weight in gold to me. We get a letter written by the teacher each week that tells us what they did in class and often mentions what each child did really well. We also get a weekly newsletter from the school. Love it! Yes, you know it, I am saving all this stuff to make him a little preschool album because I just can't stand it people. It's who I am.

Anywho, I have been very pleased with the new school and I'm hopeful we are going to see even more progress throughout the year. Go Oliver Go!

Crush Day

2011-10-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Song:

Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts

Memory Keeping:

The 365 daily entries appear five times on each page, allowing you to revisit previous thoughts and memories over five years as they return to each page to record the current day's events. Yep, right up my alley.

Food:

Burgers with Pimento Cheese.
Had my first at South City Kitchen last week. Totally awesome.

Style:

Mad Men Dresses

Recipe:

Angel Chicken

Cuteness Overload:

When Adam Met Drena

2011-10-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

9 Years ago this month, Adam and I began dating.

It was the GA/TN game in 2002 and in typical Drena fashion, I didn't have tickets to the game. It's my thing to make an appearance at the tailgates on North Campus for the biggest game of the year to maximize the number of friends I would see. I never saw the need to "waste" valuable social time while watching a game in a stadium when you could watch it and still talk (and drink) at a bar. Yep, the mind of a 23 year old...oh wait, I still do that. Anyway, I had tailgated with Carrie and friends that day and decided to walk downtown to watch the game with barely acquaintances. While there, I became a little chummy with one of the barely acquaintances that eventually would be a groomsman in my wedding. Awkward! (Actually, it has never been awkward and that really is a testament to what a cool guy our friend really is)

However, in the midst of this chumminess, a new boy appeared. I can remember staring at him with fascination. He was the single most interesting person that I had ever met and still is to this very day. I remember telling him that I liked his vibe. Pretty sure I had never used that word before in my life, but I had lots of liquid courage at the moment. He continued to just be himself and if you know Adam well you may know that he can be very charming when he wants to be. Some of my favorite times with him are when he is in the mood to carry the conversation in a crowd. He doesn't talk about anything that is typical and I love to just be entertained by him.

Feeling slightly frustrated that I was in this dilemma of kinda having a flirtation going on with his friend, I decided to just sit alone and gather my thoughts. Well, that didn't work, because Adam followed me. I noticed I just couldn't stop smiling. Again with my liquid courage, I said "I like you and you make me smile." Wow, way to pull out the 8 year old verbiage, you player. He thanked me and said he liked me too, but we had to think about his friend as well since he thought he liked me too.

The group moved to a new bar. (Side note: constantly moving bars is something I have never understood unless there is a valid reason like smokey or something.) Anyway, at the next bar I think it became a little apparent to all that I was more interested in Adam. The group decides it is time to call it a night, but I'm not happy with that decision. I want to stay up all night long and get to know my future husband. Instead I get dropped off with Erin at our sorority house because said future husband wasn't quick enough on his feet to think of a reason for us to not part. I didn't have his number. I am devastated. I'm pretty sure I even said the corniest words ever spoken that Erin will never let me forget! They may have been something to the effect of not being able to breathe without him. I tell ya, the drama of a 23 year old.

Anyway, my knight in his shining Taurus drives back to get me after dropping the others off and the rest is what you would say is history. In my journal entry written the following day I write, "I think he may be special. I have done nothing today but replay the night." Even today when I remember on those first few months of dating, I can feel that excitement. I love rereading all my thoughts from that time period and I'm so thankful we had so many years of just us. It feels good to have grown in our partnership as well, but it feels like going home to remember how it felt to be so young and to have a brand new love.

Rocking the Rain Boots

2011-09-27T15:28:00.004-04:00

I won a free scrapbook retreat at my scrapbook retreat over the weekend. Pumped!

I bought all of Oliver's toys for his birthday and xmas this past week at the Toys R Us going out of business sale. Double pumped!

I paid Oliver's tuition for school in advance and saved 10%! Triple Pumped!

My alone thoughts while driving to my retreat consisted of: future baby names (no, not pregnant), where to move when we move, blog posts to write, and the occasional urge to point and scream "heavy equipment" when seeing it. What a 2 year old boy will do to you.

I think I met a new friend at this retreat that will fit in with my regular group of scrappers. We tend to be what one might call rowdy and the group over the weekend was a little straight for me. Very nice women, just not my type.

I still had a rocking time because I did over 20 pages and stayed up over 4 hours after all had went to bed because that's how I roll. (Debbie, totally missed you!)

Funny story: Last night I asked Oliver if he knew what number I was holding. He said no so I asked him to just say a number. He said, "a number." Commence fall in floor with laughter.

Blah

2011-09-22T16:32:00.003-04:00

"Even a happy life cannot be without a measure of darkness, and the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness. " Carl Jung

This week has been a hard one for me. Nothing is really wrong with my little world, but I seem to be having heartache over what's going on all around me.

Maybe it is the overcast weather we have had that serves of a reminder that winter is around the corner. January and February are not my friends.

Maybe it is the death of a 22 year old boy who was the son of my mom's friend. Tragic.

Maybe it was Oliver having a fever yesterday.

Maybe it is reading of difficult times on a blog I frequent.

Maybe it is the outrage I feel over Troy Davis.

Maybe it is working this week on my personal tax return.

All I know is that this ole heart of mine has been tugged lately in unpleasant ways. I haven't cooked, cleaned, or exercised all week. Yuck.

But I'm on my way up. Shutterfly offered a great deal today on cards giving a promotion for 10 free ones. Nothing like a good bargain to bring me outta my funkiness! Oliver is feeling great today too so that makes me happy. Plus I head to the land of stickers and glue tomorrow for a weekend scrapping retreat! Not with my normal group, but I'll survive. Been listening to Pandora on my ipad while I get ready. That rocks. Oh, and Simon Cowell returned to tv. I seriously do love him. Today is Thursday and you know what that means. Project Runway.

Anyway, Goodbye Drena Downer. Time to make guacamole for my MOMS club meeting tonight. Homemade guac is just what the doctor ordered. And maybe a spirit or two as well.

Weekend Rundown

2011-09-18T22:27:00.013-04:00

Friday night: Fair

I discovered fried Oreos. Wowza. They are fried in funnel cake batter and I think I could have ate an entire bag of them. But I only ate 2 for some reason. Oh my butt, that's right, that's why.

The petting zoo rocked. Me and mom were still in there long after all the boys had left. There was a beautiful 14 month old giraffe that would eat carrots out of your hand and a lama that reminded me of Bandit! Sweet mom would give other kids carrots to feed the animals if they didn't have any to give.

The munchkin rode several rides alone after some "encouraging" from me. I place him on the ride while he is saying "no" and leave. Ride starts, he has fun, and wants to ride more. Now that's just good parenting skills right there.

Wait, is it Christmas? You mean Adam Brouillard went to Calhoun in September? Yep, and he ate his way through the fair consuming tacos, a corndog, oreos, roasted corn, fried snickers, and that's just what I saw.

Thanks to Zane for taking all the photos at the fair!

Saturday: Chattanooga. Or as Oliver would say "here we come, chatt nooga"

The train car was what you would call old as balls, but a 2 year old doesn't really notice. It pretty much needed a major renovation and Oliver asked "where is my room" after 9pm. Um, this is it, babe!

He said this was his favorite part. We rolled his pants up to daisy duke level and didn't realize the pool at the bottom was quite so deep. Bought new outfit about an hour later after letting him ride in the stroller in his whitey tighties. We're really awesome at this grown up stuff.

Here's proof: I hit the water fountain for him before testing how far it shot out. As you can tell from his wet hair, it went a little further than I thought. Good thing I busted out laughing because he did too instead of crying about his mother soaking his entire face in a faucet.

While in Chattanooga, we rode the ducks. It's a military truck that is also a boat. It was pretty cool and something Adam and Oliver had never done. We spent the rest of the day exploring and even had one of those normal toddlers that fell asleep in the stroller. I couldn't believe it. So as to not wake him up we walked for about an hour instead of taking the shuttle back.

I like this photo for some reason.

But I like this one more. He had a blast at Lake Winnie!

Other times he was much more serious. Does my heart good to see him be brave on rides and to need us less today on the playground.

Tonight as I went in to say goodnight after Adam had put him to bed, I found a little boogie on his face. I asked him where it came from expecting to hear him say his nose. Instead he pointed to the exact nostril and said "right here." I laughed again loudly and he did too.

Love my little family and our fun filled weekend!

Around Here

2011-09-15T17:28:00.005-04:00

I managed to get a good 15 bug bites this week. Hello, how does that happen in September?

My 10 year old dog is eating puppy food. So what? Shoot me. She needs the extra calories, they are very small pieces, and I think she likes it!

When I rub the side of Oliver's face he is tilting his head as one would do to show you that they like it. Love that he is leaning into it and feeling comfort.

I have a thing for Mary Jane shoes. Due to my addiction to Pinterest, I have decided I need several colored flats for the winter. Here are a few of my favs.
Today we ventured to Patak Meats in Austell. Many of you know Melanie Patak and Kelly Gibson Patak from DG. I believe Melanie's parents own it. We got peppered bacon, gypsy ham, and beef franks. Sorta felt like the new kid in the neighborhood since we looked a little lost in there, but great prices and a really cool place. Smelled yummy too.

Oliver has started hooking his arm around mine while he watches a show and I surf on the ipad. Love that.

The communication at Oliver's new school to the parents is ah-maz-ing. The drive time to his school is not. 17 very long minutes.

We went to the new Catch Air location in Marietta this week. Totally awesome. The playground is out of this world. This mama actually caught air going down a hugemongous slide there and I won't lie, it slightly scared me. Booked Oliver's birthday party there for a Monday because I'm that cheap. Ok, that's only slightly the reason. The others are that it will avoid December crazy ass weekend conflicts and most of those attending have stay-at-home moms except a few that I notified.

Was totally doing a construction themed birthday party for him until they said a mascot would come to the party. Looks like it will be a Toy Story party instead. Oh wells.

Never cooked with chicken thighs until tonight. They've been marinating all day to make Hawaiian chicken tonight. Another Pinterest recipe. Fingers crossed.

Watched Bridesmaids and sorry to say that I thought all the hype around it ruined it for me. MacGruber, however, definitely has some laugh out loud parts. Adam replayed the scene at the cemetery several times and I loved hearing him laugh so much. Any movie that the character calls another character a turd is a winner in my book.

Tomorrow the whole dang clan is heading to Calhoun for Oliver's first Gordon County Fair experience. Saturday we are spending the night on the Chattanooga Choo Choo train and hitting up Lake Winnie, Tennessee Aquarium, and likely the Children's Museum.

Happy almost weekend and yippee for Project Runway tonight!

Oh, and Brad Pitt. Shut your pie hole

A Real Friend

2011-09-14T15:17:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I read a blog post from Ali Edwards. I have read her blog for years and it is one of my favorite blogs that I read daily. During the post she wrote:

WHAT’S REAL RIGHT NOW is that Chris and I are having a challenging time. There are many things we are great at together and yet many areas in which we struggle to connect. I want you to know that life is real here – just as it is in your home and your life – and there’s good and bad and easy days and hard ones and this happens to be a time in my life that is really hard. I’d totally take your prayers, your positive energy, your wishes of strength and peace, and your compassion. Things are changing here and I’m hoping to face this next chapter of my story with grace and an open heart.

Gulp. I've felt so strange being so bothered by this. It struck me as how amazingly wonderful and weird of a world we live in now. Some of our best connections may be with people that wouldn't recognize us in person. I have never met Ali and likely never will, but I feel like I know her and her family. I guess it is similar to how I wanted to chop up Jesse James into small little pieces for hurting Sandra Bullock, but different too in that I didn't read her words about their life on a daily basis. I just saw pictures and maybe a few interviews. It really boils down to connection and I feel connected to Ali as if she was a real friend. I want her to be happy just as I do all my friends and it makes me sad to know she is struggling. As I'm typing this she had 269 comments and I am one of them. I rarely ever comment on blogs of those I don't know and that get tons of comments. However, after still thinking about it late last night, I logged in and said:

What’s real right now: I haven’t stopped thinking of you since I read this a few hours ago and it makes me feel sorta silly since I don’t know you personally.

What’s real right now: I came back to leave you a comment and let you know my heart is hurting for you.

Social media continues to baffle me and maybe the lines of what a real friend looks like are blurring.

Running the Walk

2011-09-13T22:50:00.003-04:00

I wish he could feel how much joy his run brings to my life. Our nightly walks have very little of Oliver actually walking. He runs. He begs to be chased. I can't pinpoint if it is that he looks so dadgum cute running or if it is that the thought of running for fun is so foreign to me. Regardless of the reason, each night I find myself giddy while watching the fun he has running through the neighborhood. Tonight I said to Adam, "what will we do when he no longer runs?" My logical love, of course, told me there would always be some aspect of each stage of his life that we will find delight. I know he is right. For now, I will love watching him bounce along and secretly hope that he never walks the walk. His run does my heart and soul good.

2011-09-12T16:35:00.003-04:00

It is changing my life.

I'm trying new ways to do my hair. I'm actually thinking about my outfit instead of looking for what doesn't have to be ironed. I'm crafting with Oliver. I'm cooking recipes that didn't come from Allrecipes. I'm building a dream house in my head. I'm organizing. I'm borrowing ideas for photos. I'm grabbing ideas for Oliver's party. I'm planning my wedding. Oh wait.

Seriously, I'm all over it. It is my favorite site since facebook. Are you on there yet? Get over there, silly rabbit!

Relief

2011-09-07T21:27:00.003-04:00

Is this picture not adorable? I love his squinted eyes and wrinkled nose!

Today's ride to school went well because he didn't know we were going to school! I figured I would at least get one day in peace before he figured out the route. He recognized the building from when we went to meet his teachers and started crying, but it was quick. Maybe around 1 minute before the stranger ripped him out of his seat and we floor boarded it outta there. I couldn't see behind me because our car was loaded with a boxed little bistro set we bought and I think it may have been a blessing.

When we picked him up he said "i had fun at school!" His face didn't appear like he had been crying all day. He was all smiles. He told me he made a picture, they did the abc song, that he sat on a rug, and he played in the playroom because it was too wet outside. That's about all the information I got out of him, but when he was talking to my mom he again told her that he had fun. He also said that he goes to school again in 2 days. Maybe, just maybe, he will eventually be happy to go. Either way, I feel a lot better with day 1 behind us.

I also loved getting the daily communication from the teacher in written format. I saw he ate well, interacted well, listened well, went to potty, and that he didn't have to go to time out. Hmm, is it too early to say that we may have just found the right preschool for us? They did mention Mom's Night Out at the new parent orientation. You know this mom loves her some nights out!

Dread

2011-09-06T14:37:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow is Oliver's first day of preschool at his new school. To say that I am dreading it would be an understatement. I almost feel sick over it and I'm regretting signing him up for 3 days. Yep, awesome attitude for me when we haven't even started! If I had a child excited to go it would be a different story. Instead, I have a child that cries the entire ride to school which will be about 15 minutes. Ugh. This year we will be doing carpool drop offs and I know he is going to freak the f#@k out when some stranger pulls him out of the car and I drive off. Double ugh.

I'm trying to remind myself that he often says "mama, i had fun" when we pick him up. I also looked at their schedule and they have allotted times for outdoor play, circle time (stories/songs), art, music class, spanish, and fine motor skills. I'm hopeful that he will like the structure and staying busy. I'm also reminding myself of all the progress he has made with other children and social settings. I feel that progress is a result of my involving him so much with others and going to school. Ok, maybe age too, but I like to take all the credit. So, school is good for both of us, right? He has 7 total in his class with 2 teachers so maybe that means he will get a teacher to hold him lots for the first few weeks.

The back to school fairy is going to visit him tonight with a gift. I think the back to school fairy may need to leave me a shot or two of tequila to get me through the car ride.

The Notebook

2011-09-02T16:42:00.005-04:00

This post isn't about a love story between two humans. It's a love story between this girl and her actual notebook. This girl loves herself some paper. I get sweaty palms when I'm near stores that sell stationary.

Several years ago I picked up a tip somewhere that you should have a single notebook that you keep all of your lists, thoughts, write down numbers as your listening to your messages, etc. This notebook is my life and contains my to do lists, baby names I like, xmas/bday lists, spending/saving ideas, notes about different schools, weekly menus, blog post ideas, notes when I meet with clients, moms club meeting notes...I think you get the picture. It goes with me to every meeting and pretty much every time I leave the house. I have loved this notebook for almost 2 years and I love having a central place that houses all things important to me. I've avoided the train wreck that was once part of my life where I turned the house upside down looking for a sheet of paper. That makes me feel improvement. I love improvement.

Guess what? I am on my last page in my notebook. Sigh. I'm excited to start with a new notebook, but I'm trying a new format and I'm nervous it will take some adjusting. I know that I can always go purchase a new trusty pink mead if I need to, but I'm hopeful I'll enjoy a new system. The new product I purchased is developed by a scrapbooking company and I'm hoping that it will help me to have a prettier place for my lists as well as be functional. I love ripping out articles that I read in Oprah and hanging on to them so this will hopefully be a perfect fit for me.

If you are interested, check out this video on Amazon. It really is a cool idea.

WITL, Day 7

2011-09-01T16:11:00.017-04:00

Morning, why must you come so early?

O drives up and down the driveway while at my parent's house. He reminds you if you happen to forget. We have started calling him backseat driver since he tells us to go, stop, turn right, turn left at traffic lights.

Cracker Barrel breakfast makes us smile.

As soon as Oliver finishes he always wants to "go rock"

Slim pickings for photos of me. I did a bad job of getting photos of myself while in Calhoun, but I basically sat and played on my ipad since Oliver wanted only Grandaddy or Grandmommy. The few times I was invited to play I was asked to "switch" when one of them entered the room. Switching consisted of me returning to the sofa and a grandparent playing in the floor.

A stop to play on some big equipment on the way home from breakfast.

Love this photo. Genuine laughter.

Art birthday party

I love this moment. When we sang happy birthday to Cate, Oliver hugged Grandma's leg.

Then he did some furniture climbing.

An attempt to get a photo with a bunch of 2 and 3 year olds.

Nude night swimming. A favorite in Calhoun.

Can't help but enjoy the view.

And that, folks, is a wrap for 2011 Week in the Life.

WITL, Day 6

2011-08-31T21:14:00.022-04:00

Is it time to go to Calhoun yet?

Yep, so stop playing in your jolly rocker so I can get you dressed.

Can I bring my new red train daddy bought me?

Still time to fit my morning cup of coffee in before leaving.

Bye Dada, see you in a few days

Don't worry, I've got my screwdrivers if mom has any car trouble.

$55 bucks later, we are on the way

to swim and play with Erik, Misty Olsen Greene's son. He's a cutie and super sweet. Love his curls.

Classic mom shot where you hide behind the children when a camera comes out at the pool.

Have I mentioned how much Oliver loves these Puddle Jumpers? He asks to put them on.

Oh, Grandaddy, how I love you.

Look at me!

Like most days in Calhoun, Oliver loves the outdoors.

Rolling golf balls off the front porch was this afternoon's activity instead of napping!

Makes for a hot and tired boy! And a lovely meltdown around 8pm.

Mama often has to sit on the mower first before I sit alone.

Workin' it without a dab of make up

He is seriously obsessed with John Deere. Are all little boys like this?

Time for a cookout..that means Zane took this photo!

Scootie man always so polite.

Drinking some of my Sprite and showing Zane his tongue.

Veggies headed to the grill.

While Oliver heads to the toolbox.

And Chef Zaneboy heads to the grill.

WITL, Day 5

2011-08-26T23:22:00.013-04:00

First shot of the day.

Favorite shot of the day.

Posed shot before Oliver and I left for Botanical Gardens.

Met these cutie patootie twins at the gardens plus Charlotte and Max who are not pictured.

At the splash area in children's garden where Oliver lasted maybe 3 minutes.

He preferred dry clothes and sitting in mama's lap.

Ended up not taking many photos at the gardens because I thought my camera broke. I've been using our little point and shoot when we are out since it is so much easier to carry. Turns out the battery was dead, but that didn't make sense to me since I had charged it last night. When I complain to Adam that it is broken he says upon further investigation, "you do realize the charger isn't plugged into the wall, right?" Umm, no. Major DUH moment for me. Erin took some photos while there so I'll have to steal her images for my project.

While working out I hear, "Give me a boost, mama." Makes perfect sense to sit on a stool on the treadmill.

Welcome to the gun show.

This is what happens if you hang out in the basement without shoes. Yucky.

Calgon, take me away.

Drying my hair to head out to a neighborhood party where I didn't take photos because I didn't want to be uncool. Don't know my neighbors well enough to let them in on how big of a dork I am quite yet.

Oliver and I are headed to Calhoun in the morning for a few days since it will be our last extended visit of the summer. I won't be posting about day 6 and 7 until middle of next week when I return home. Have a happy weekend, folks!

WITL, Day 4

2011-08-25T22:03:00.014-04:00

Many of my favorites from today have Adam which is nice.

Breakfast of champions= popsicle

I'm a morning cleaner. Not that I do it every morning, but if I clean it is usually about an hour or so after I wake up.

Why yes, that is a toothbrush. Dear husband brushes his teeth often in the kitchen. I have yet to figure out why. I think I've yet to even ask why. Don't care. You know, pick your battles.

Sunscreen application compliments of Dad

Rockin' my sunnies

Waiting on my ride outside of Walgreens. The boys went to the grocery due to an emergency shortage of popsicles at the Brouillard home.

Hey, Zaneboy. He's looking a little Zane to me here.

Love how the pinky toe is hanging.

Waving at the neighbor as he is mowing the lawn.

Love this photo. The timer on the oven happened to ding as I was taking their photo. Yum, time for some Tollhouse cookies!

Nothing like eating your foot after you just ate a cookie.

Last shot of the day. "Is this ok" he asks me. I said, "well, not really, but let me take your photo first."

WITL, Day 3

2011-08-24T22:11:00.011-04:00

Breakfast. I love that I eat my yogurt each morning out of my Granny's bowls.

Multi-tasking at its best. Why yes, I did wear that shirt and jacket yesterday. That's how I roll, y'all.

Removal of shirt to finger paint. Pause for a photo opp.

Clipping coupons during O's 3 hour nap. Hooray for first real nap of the week.

Precious coming through dog door to visit while I worked out.

Is he really mine? Love him.

Like this one from our walk because you can see he has a dum-dum and I love all the color in the shot. These are beautiful flowers that don't belong to me.

Like this one that features a relationship.

Profile taken by Adam as I'm watching Oliver on our walk.

I love that when he gets hot his little cheeks turn a pretty pink.

Last shot of the day. He soaked himself in the water fountain so he walked the rest of the way shirtless.

WITL, Day 2

2011-08-23T21:54:00.021-04:00

Good morning, Tuesday. First picture of the day.

What I see when I walk downstairs. (Oliver and Adam usually get up before I do.)

Water plant and discover it feels darn good for an August morning in Georgia.

Totally moving coffee time outdoors to enjoy the morning weather. And to watch yard workers.

Can we cuddle all day long?

Nope, we have to get ready. Here is what Oliver does while I put on make up.

We are off to meet Grandaddy and Grandmommy at Home Depot to pick some tile to install at one of my rentals.

That means Grandmommy gets to hang out with us most of the day!

Here I am helping her feed the addiction that is Pinterest.

A startled Adam as he is working out and not expecting a picture.

At the Avenues in West Cobb.

What's a shopping trip without a treat?

What? You actually want me to eat what I said I wanted?

I promised he could ride the gator when the sun went down. Good to get nice and sweaty before bath! Referring to myself since I had to chase him like a mad woman all over the yard while Adam captured our play time.

Get it, Girlfriend!

Last picture of the day. I like the idea of sharing the first and last photo of the day. May stick with that the rest of the week.

Week in the Life, 2011

2011-08-22T22:23:00.014-04:00

I started my week in the life project today. Last year I did it in the fall and I decided to do summer this year. Wanted to see how Ali did hers first and then looked for a week that we would be here mostly to get a true picture of what most weeks look like for me.

Since this is my second time doing this, I knew going into it how much effort this project takes. Today I took 169 pictures. Day 1 tends to be the most pictures of all days.

I start off doing pretty good in setting the self timer to try to get more of me in the shots since it is my week in the life. I also asked Adam to take shots of me at least 5 or 6 times which is really rare for me. Effort, I tell ya.

It's very normal for me to have my camera pretty near and take it out at least once a day for a few shots. This project is a different beast.

I'm usually shooting Oliver and it doesn't matter if I look hideous. I love this project because it is the real me that my lucky family sees daily and I hate this project because it is the me that I don't usually photograph! Sometimes I see a shot of me and I think "no way" and "damn, girl" in not a good "damn, girl" kinda way.

I do really love that all the shots are not posed and it is us living life.

I'm always so thankful I do this project once I start seeing the photos. I have found myself listing what is different this time versus when I last did it. Oliver is potty trained, we have a new car, Bandito is no longer with us, our house interior and deck have been painted, moved a bench to our kitchen table, added some different things to the wall, and Oliver is much more verbal. I'm sure I'll think of more as the week goes on.

Today we had a very normal day of playgroup, going to Target, eating at home, making homemade popsicles that he has been asking to make ever since Agent Oso did it, and giving Precious a trim. It was a 40 minute nap day, but he was really awesome today.

Somehow he has become this amazing little person.

May or May Not

2011-08-19T16:21:00.005-04:00

I drove to Charlotte on Wednesday to visit the Holbrook family and I'm so thankful that I went. Oliver loved playing with Caroline, Owen, and their toys. I loved catching up with Meghan, seeing her kiddos, and as a bonus got to see a beautiful owl and an opossum!

Oliver may or may not have called the entire family (minus Caroline) by the wrong name. Hmm, who else is tall, thin, and purdy? Oh, that would be Adrienne. I see the confusion, Oliver! I don't know where the Jack came from, but he thought that was Matt's name. I believe I also heard him call Owen by Adrienne's son's name, Cohen. It rhymes and if he thinks Meghan is Adrienne then it makes total sense. Whatevs, he totally loves you guys. Mean it.
I may or may not have thought a turtle was a statue in a nature museum until I touched it causing it to move and me to jump. Meghan may or may not have laughed uncontrollably at this. (In my defense, it was a butterfly house and who expects there to be a live turtle in a butterfly house. Not me)
It may or may not have taken me a solid hour to get Oliver to go to sleep resulting in me missing chat time with Molly.
Oliver may or may not have woken in the night and talked to me about mowing with Grandad on a john deere for a good 30 minutes at 1:30 in the morning.
I may or may not have turned his portable tv on at 6:45am when he thought it was time to rise for the day while I snoozed for another hour while getting hit in the face every now and again.

I may or may not have driven for half an hour on my way home before realizing I had Caroline and Owen's booster seats in my car.
Dear husband may or may not have had to scramble my dog an egg each day at my request and give her milk to keep my worrying at bay. (she's doing much better)
When guessing what day Oliver's birthday was on, Meghan asked Caroline who else was born in December and she may or may not have responded "Jesus." Not the answer Meghan was looking for, but a good one no less.
I may or may not have hooked Meghan up with a new addiction called Pinterest.
Meghan, Matt, and I may or may not have sat with our individual ipads on our laps while sipping some wine and watching tv.

Caroline may or may not have beaten me at Uno a good 10 times earning her title as the Queen of Uno.
Oliver may or may not have slept only 10 minutes of a 5 hour car ride to Charlotte leaving me questioning what I was thinking on the ride there. Meghan was amazed at his energy and lack of sleep needed. Yep, it's cute when he is your friend's child.
Oliver may or may not have asked Meghan if there was going to be any big equipment at the nature museum.
Meghan may or may not have said that I am raising a country boy with his accent and incessant talk of tractors, big rigs, mowers, tahoes, and the likes.
Meghan may or may not have elbowed and gave me the stank eye during the puppet show about how you should leave abandoned animals in the woods and not try to adopt them. Apparently she thinks I'm an animal lover or something.

7

2011-08-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday baby girl lost another 7 teeth at her dental cleaning. Not to mention they reported several missing teeth as well. I think she may have more teeth out than in, but her blood work looked good and the vet said she seems to be a young 10! I certainly don't like seeing her all medicine head today. Get well soon, Precious Little! Mama loves you.

Home

2011-08-16T16:19:00.006-04:00

With the start of a new school year, my thoughts have been racing over what we will do in 3 years when Oliver starts Kindergarten. I've always thought we would go the private school route. If we stay in this house, we definitely will. Private school for one child is doable, but it gets a little harder to swallow when you think about tuition for 2 or 3 children. And do we base the number of children we have on this...seems insane to me. Add to all this that I would like to live closer to my parents. So maybe it is a better decision to move in a few years. And this begins the whirlwind of never-ending thoughts I've been having over what area to move, the sadness over saying goodbye to my current home/neighborhood/moms club, and the unknown that this planner-by-nature dislikes.

I think most of you know that I am a sentimental person and moving is difficult for me. C-town folks don't move very often so I'm going to blame the small town girl that lives in me for this fault. I knew moving into my past homes post college that all of them were temporary. Not this last time. I felt like I could live here for a long time. I know we will likely be happy if not happier in another area, it makes me incredibly sad to think about leaving the home that we built and brought our first child home. Throw in there the unsureness over what area to move to, if we are making the right decision on schooling, and you get me awake pretty much all of Sunday night thinking about something that isn't going to happen for a good while. Crazy, party of 1.

Anyway, I think I'm calming down a little and realizing that we will just have to play my most hated wait and see what happens game. Drena likes to make decisions quickly and move on with the good life. This time we will continue to list pros and cons over areas, schools, and slowly but surely we will come to a decision best for us. My excitement will overcome my sadness and it will feel good to know we are doing what we feel is right for our family at the time.

This house, while I love it so, is just a house. Wherever we go will be home.

Come on, Mama

2011-08-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Oliver and I met a few friends at the park after our MOMS club meeting. It was very hot and this particular park is not well shaded. The other moms sat under the shaded area while their children played. I tried to do that, but it didn't work. There was lots of "come on, mama" repeated continuously until I would give up and go wherever my master wanted me.

Later I was telling this to mom and she said that I will be all bummed out when he stops. She's right. None of us are lovers of change and while it is sometimes nice to not be as needed, it still makes me sad to know how quickly he is growing up on me. So, yep, I'm the big girl on the playground. You can find me at the top of most chick-fil-a structures sitting in the white spotted car while the other children stare at me and think to themselves (and sometimes out loud) that I am too big to be on the playground. I totally agree, but what my baby wants my baby gets. And yes, I just referenced The Break Up.

Today I started crying like a complete idiot in the bookstore. I went in to buy him a few books on going to school thinking maybe that will help his separation anxiety. I ended up looking at the book, Love You Forever. Most of you probably either own it or remember it. The book follows a mother and child as he grows up and she gets old. It repeats "I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, As long as I'm living my baby you'll be." I think when you are little you don't get that the mom is probably dying at the end. Um, yeah, that sucks. Especially when you are now in the mom role and it hits you while you are standing in Barnes and Nobles that you are going to die. I vote for all happy endings in children's books. I mean, don't we women have enough emotions going on? Seriously dude, not buying that book.

To end this post on a happier note:

Totally cracks me up. Skinny bitches.

Snippets

2011-08-09T10:00:00.000-04:00

First off, I watched Bad Teacher the other night with Cameron Diaz and Justin Timberlake. While JT was fine and all, I seriously think he needs to get back to making music. That is where his real talent lies. I read an article about him recently and he said that making an album is a several year commitment due to launching a tour. I understand the exhaustion, but just because that is how things are typically done doesn't mean he has to follow suit. JT, if you are reading and I know you are, get back to doing what you do best. Leave acting to those that can't do what you can.

I noticed I was defriended by two people on facebook recently. I don't really care since I more acquaintances, but I often wonder why they don't just hide instead of defriending. I hide all the time and then I don't have that awkward situation to address if I ever run into those people in public. One I never see, but the other lives in my area. Not that I liked her, but I was trying to find something redeeming about her personality since we have several mutual friends. Silly me.

I have the sense of humor of a 2 year old. This past Saturday night, Adam hung out with Mark while Ashlie is away with work. Oliver and I stayed at the house and we seriously laughed for probably 5 straight minutes when he tooted. And again when watching toots while playing Talking Tom Cat on the ipad. He throws his head back and laughs like crazy. It is hilarious. Oh, and have you guys heard that Winnie the Pooh poem read by Katie Holmes on Disney channel? There is a line that says "wherever I go, there's always pooh" and another "Pooh is always with me." Adam and I can't control ourselves.

Oliver is content to sit beside us now on the sofa instead of on our laps. Not sure how I feel about that.

At night we've been letting Oliver watch tv on his portable tv when bedtimes have been a struggle. I've never been one to go in and check on him after we put him down because...well, because I was afraid of him for the first 18 months. The fear of waking him up was just too much for me. The past few weeks I have snuck in like a ninja to turn the tv off. I've even gotten to look lovingly at him as he slept. I once read about a ritual of looking lovingly at your child while he/she slept with your partner and thought that sounded so sweet. The partner in my case has been Precious.

Crush Day

2011-08-08T15:33:00.005-04:00

Musician:

I love Adele's "Don't You Remember." Heartbreaking. Also love "Someone Like You."

Purse:

Spartina 449 in Fuskie Lane. Can you say Drena's 33rd birthday gift?

Blog:

E Tells Tales. Love her writing style and very intrigued with her May-December romance. This is a new term I learned that I apparently should have learned eons ago.

Bad Dream

2011-08-07T17:00:00.004-04:00

Can you imagine that this sweet faced little boy jerked the hair from his mommy's pony tail and slapped her in the face?

Can you imagine that this doting mother busted his hiney for the first time, put him in time out, and almost cried she was so upset?

Nope, can't imagine that. Must have been a bad dream. Too bad his fan club was here to witness his poor behavior and provide proof that this was actually happening.

Later I read this:

The days are long, but the years are short, and I know that this time that seems endless--my husband and I, with our girls, all under the same roof, with hair-bands and magic markers underfoot, and the sound of Jim Dale reading Harry Potter playing constantly in the background—is actually just a short period over the course of my life. I want to appreciate this season and this time.

Maybe I'll let him live after all.

The Ipad

2011-08-06T15:28:00.003-04:00

I got the Ipad a few weeks ago as a gift from my parent's for finding them tenants for some of their properties. I wanted to wait a few weeks to write a post about it so that I had time to become better acquainted with my new favorite toy. I know many of you already have one so please bear with me as I likely repeat what you already know/feel.

What do I love about it?

I love that I can now hang out more with Adam at night. I am not a huge tv person so usually at night I like to catch up on surfing the web. Adam is a big movie watcher. I usually watch two movies a month, but I really only do it to spend time with him even though this is not my idea of great quality time. Now I can half ass pay attention to whatever movie he has going and surf the web. I think this irritates him slightly, but pretty sure it beats the alternative of me being upstairs while he is downstairs.
I love that we have many games for Oliver to play and we use them as rewards for good behavior and a bedtime treat.
I love that it is light and portable
I love that I can do a lot of reading on it while Oliver is watching a show on tv. Totally frees up some of nap time to do other items.
I also love that I think I was right in wanting this over a netbook. Adam and I had discussed purchasing something and he felt positive we needed a keyboard. I didn't think so because we both still have our big computers that we use when we need to blog or type lengthy responses. I knew I wanted it basically as a reader. We were waiting until after we bought the car and paid property taxes in the fall to decide what to purchase. I was going to go along with the netbook, but I'm so thankful mom and dad made the decision for us! The other day he commented that he thought the ipad was the right choice for my needs.
I love that I'm going to get a totally girly cover for it.

Now we just need two so he can have one too! Nah, he just got a new phone today so that will likely take care of our sharing issue. Sharing is highly overrated.

Birthday Interview

2011-08-01T22:04:00.002-04:00

Somewhere on the internet I ran across the idea of a birthday interview where you ask members of your family the same questions year after year. I thought it sounded super cool and a very me thing to do. Adam's birthday was last week.

A: "are you going to put this on your blog?"
me: "no" (because i totally wasn't planning to put it here until he put the idea in my head. I was planning to make a scrapbook layout with it. Still going to.)
A: "ok, let me read back my answers and see if I need to edit myself. I don't trust you."

He didn't change any answers and apparently was right in not trusting me.

The idea is to answer the questions based on what was his favorite for this past year.

Band/singer: Rush. (Yes, old school Rush. Vomit.)
Food: Cheeseburgers. (We have been an a burger tour of Atlanta.)
Drink: Coke Zero.
To Do: Race cars
Dream vacation: Tokoyo
Best Friend: Drena ;)
Female Celebrity: Zooey Deschanel
Male Celebrity: Jason Statham
TV show: Beavis and Butthead (he's excited about their return)
Movie: Indiana Jones (he recently re-watched all of them)
Game: iracing
toy: race car
Did he make a wish when he blew out his candle: yes
If he could spend a lot of money any way he wanted: race in an expensive series (are you guys detecting a pattern here? The boy loves him some cars)
If he could change his name to any name, what would it be: "i've always liked the name Alexander"
Best part of birthday: strangers wishing him happy birthday via facebook. (good thing I spent $250)
What's something he loves about Drena and Oliver?: He loves it when I genuinely laugh at something and he loves Oliver's violent hugs.

I told him that when he talks about Jason Statham, I always think of John Stamos because their names are semi similar and b/c I always have to remember who the heck Jason Statham is since he isn't a super well known actor. Adam said "what the guy from Full House" when I told him this. I laughed and said that I bet 99 out of 100 chicks would know who John Stamos is over Jason Statham. Umm, John Stamos is a hottie. Jason Statham is a man's man.

Can I get an amen from the ladies?

The Yin to My Yang

2011-07-29T15:58:00.003-04:00

Yesterday the hubs and I were driving to Marietta while Oliver was in school. I proudly mentioned how I had called the store before we left to confirm their hours and looked up on google maps where it was located. It is more my nature to tear off in route of store without calling and get there to discover they are closed that day. Since I have been married to Adam and maybe since I'm growing a little wiser in my years, I now try to take a few extra steps to make sure we don't waste time. After I told Adam about how I called ahead, he tells me about a conversation he recently had with friends that basically sums up to the fact that although it makes more logical sense to call ahead and be preventive, he loves that I don't think that way. He loves that before him I never cared about reviews of restaurants or movies or pretty much anything. If it felt right, looked right, or sounded good then that's what I did. In a way when he told me this I wished I hadn't called ahead. I don't like the thought of losing myself even if the new version is a better one. When we got to the store we discovered that the ipad covers in the spartina 422 line were on back order. Ahh, it was sweet relief. I think Adam felt a little relieved too and giggled commenting that I likely should have asked if they carried the product I was looking for. Nah, then I would have missed out on discovering a super cutsy new store.

Crock Pot Chicken with 40 Garlic Cloves

2011-07-27T16:05:00.002-04:00

Last night I made this recipe after seeing it on Pinterest. I will say that it was a little labor intensive for me due to being inexperienced at peeling garlic. I got much better by the end. I used 4 pieces of chicken on the bone instead of cutting up a fryer chicken. I loved this sauce. Most sauces that I love have an ingredient with just a wee bit of fat called heavy cream, but not this one! It was just a tad of butter, lots of garlic, a few spices, and a little bit of wine. I'm not sure if this recipe was so fabulous because chicken on the bone is always better or if it was the sauce or the fact that my expectations weren't too high. Often when I make a recipe that is highly reviewed I have super high expectations. Since this recipe didn't come from a site where readers review, I knew I was just taking a shot in the dark. Anyway, Oliver loved it too. There is something so satisfying to me when I've spent a good amount of time planning, preparing, cooking, and cleaning for it actually to be enjoyed by my little man. It was the highlight of my day, but that is not saying a lot considering Oliver was failing operation vacation recovery.

3 1/2-4 pound fryer chicken (chicken cut into serving pieces)
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
40 cloves of garlic, peeled but still whole (about 3 bulbs of garlic)
3/4 cup white wine (optional, but highly recommended)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon butter

1. Spray the inside of your crock pot with non-stick spray. Rub the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place in the crock pot.

2. Heat your olive oil in a small skillet and add the peeled, whole garlic (here’s a short video demonstrating how to peel garlic easily and quickly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th1YOvG5VgQ). Cook for 5-8 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is golden, then add the white wine and stir until the liquid has mostly evaporated, another 3-5 minutes over medium heat.

3. Pour the garlic and white wine over the chicken in the crock pot, and sprinkle the thyme and rosemary over everything. Add in the bay leaf. Turn the crock pot to low and cook for 3-4 hours (I did mine for 3 1/2 hours). When ready, remove the chicken and place on a separate platter, then cover with foil to retain its heat. Set aside.

4. Pour the juices from the pot through a mesh sieve into a pot, then press the garlic through the sieve to form a paste. Cook the gravy with a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Serve over the chicken with potatoes, vegetables, or crusty bread and enjoy! Serves 3-4.

I served this with mashed sweet potatoes. Enjoy and let me know what you think if you give it a try!

3 Women, 4 Children

2011-07-26T17:26:00.015-04:00

Oliver officially has vacation hangover. Whew, he is exhausted from not napping for days. At least we had fun!

My highlights:

Sitting in a beach chair while I sing Wheels on the Bus to Stella and Oliver as they sit on my lap in that order. Suddenly Stella leans forward and I think she is digging in the sand. Nope, she is out cold. Totally dead asleep within seconds. I have never seen anything like it! She slept through a dinner one night and Hudson slept through two dinners. What? My child hasn't done that since his infant stage.

Stella going to tinkle in about an inch of ocean water. She slightly bends her knees and tilts her head forward to watch her pee come out. Seriously hilarious. Pretty sure Camille could win money for this video.

Hudson downing chocolate milk. Adrienne fills his sippy cup with it and no matter how much she gives, he drinks all of it without coming up for air. I know I am the mother of a popsicle addict, but Adrienne has a chocolate milk addict on her hands!

Oliver seeing the rides at Broadway on the Beach and screaming to me "that looks like so much fun!" He rode them alone like a champ and I reminded myself that it was just a year ago that he had major meltdowns riding at Lake Winnie.

Getting a text message from Adam saying his plans with a friend were canceled and he was ready for us to come home early. It feels good to be missed.
Stella being a stripper. The girl loves to be naked.

Cohen frequently reminding Adrienne what he is going to do when he is a grown up. Oh to be 6! It was also a nice reminder to me that these toddlers won't stay this way forever. Cohen is totally self sufficient and helped us buckle in the littles.

Seeing Oliver's smiling face first thing in the morning saying, "I done resting" and either reaching to play Stella's harmonica that he slept with or asking to play bird game (angry birds) on my ipad.

Cohen's obsession with how many beers we drank. Totally didn't drink that many as we had these rug rats to care for, but he loved keeping count!

Not a highlight, but have to mention that on our last day our tent broke and blew down the beach at least 100 feet. Scared me to death and could've really hurt someone. Not sure I'll be investing in another as the winds are always really strong in Myrtle and those tents are so fragile. Too expensive to think of them as disposable.

Was the trip sheer craziness? Yes, but it was totally worth it. I loved opportunity to spend a lot of time with my friend's children and witness their personalities first hand. By the end of the trip, Oliver was calling them buddies. It does my heart good to think that he may have friendships with the children of my hometown friends that I have known my entire life. I loved reconnecting with Adrienne and Camille and seeing them in their role as a mother. I'm hopeful that this trip may be an annual thing for us.

I heart summer.

Tybee

2011-07-19T16:55:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was my annual girls weekend and just like always I had a fabulous time of laughing and talking. It occurred to me during our trip just how different many of our personalities and values are yet I still love each of them dearly. Sure, if you throw in too much politics, the fact that two unnamed friends failed to squish a superman roach leaving third friend to do the dirty work, or the outcome of the Casey Anthony trial, you may find a friend agitated. For the most part, these weekends don't involve controversial subjects and are full of women that came to reconnect, relax, tip the bottle, and make fun of our husbands. Ok, last part only partially true.

What I know for sure, is that I care a lot about each person and sincerely want them to be happy in their lives. It's very easy for me to see the good in all of them and respect the reasons behind decisions even if I choose do things differently. Thank you, girlfriends, for you and your family making the annual commitment for us to enjoy one another like we did back in the good ole days. Our time together is even more precious to me now.

I'm off tomorrow with Camille, Adrienne, and our children to the beach for even more walking down memory lane. I see it now...Camille can recall every detail of some event that I no longer remember and Adrienne can answer our questions from the shower with her go-go gadget hearing. So excited for this. 14 years ago was our last trip together...spring break 1997. Holy smokes, good thing I use my retinol face moisturizer!

1 Year Later

2011-07-12T16:27:00.002-04:00

July 2010

July 2011

Adam's sister and her daughter came for a visit last week and we hadn't seen them in almost exactly one year since they live in California. Oliver was very excited to have visitors, but he called her Em all day. He must think all girls are named Em like his friends Emma and Emelyn! Meredith, our niece, was a sweetie and seemed to have mastered the art of playing happily alone. An art Oliver has yet to attempt. If only they lived closer maybe she could teach him!

Happy Cow Day!

2011-07-08T15:35:00.002-04:00

Dress like a cow, get free food. Ok, sounds good to me. Even met Truett Cathy at the Vinings Chick-fil-a! It was really cute seeing all the kiddos. Some mommies really did a great job with the costumes. I printed the free one from the site about 10 minutes before we left. Maybe next year Camille will whip up something cow-riffic for Oliver!

Proud Day

2011-07-06T15:39:00.003-04:00

Call it bragging, I don't care. I call it being thrifty. Today the hubs and I bought a 2010 Ford Flex Limited with 16k miles at auction for $24,900. We have to pay our dealer, an auction fee, and a transport fee to get to Atlanta from Nashville. Our total will likely come near $26,000. We got the white roof, tan interior, cinnamon exterior, bench second row, navigation...everything that we wanted. And here's the kicker: we are paying cash for it! It feels good to have set out to do something and save for it. I realize we aren't the first to pay for cars in full and I also realize we didn't buy a $50k car, but it still feels damn good.

Time to celebrate with a trip to Pinkberry!

Cute Attack

2011-07-05T21:42:00.002-04:00

I'm stealing that phrase from my friend, Jess. We took the boys to the botanical gardens last week. After being together for well over an hour, Oliver offered his hand to Evan. Evan accepted and adjusted to a comfortable fit. They walked hand-in-hand for several minutes and I thought my heart would burst. My boy, he may have walked around the gardens like a shirtless redneck, but he's a sweetie!

U2

2011-07-05T17:48:00.006-04:00

Last Wednesday while casually emailing with Melissa she mentions she and Craig are going to see U2 in Nashville over the weekend.

Me: I'm jealous.
Her: Why don't you come?
Me: (after thinking why don't we go for 30 seconds) Ok!

During that 30 seconds of thought, I realized it was the month of our anniversary and I like to celebrate them in memorable ways. U2 is likely Adam's favorite band as well. I also knew I was already going to be in Chattanooga on Saturday at the Children's Discovery Museum with my parents and Oliver. I figured we could leave from there and I'd be back in Calhoun in 24 hours so not too hard on the Saints to watch him.

I decide not to tell Adam directly and instead drop hints the next morning. Note to self: it is likely best to clue the person in that you are dropping hints instead of just randomly using U2 song titles in our conversation. "it's going to be a BEAUTIFUL DAY on saturday", "I'll be going WITH OR WITHOUT YOU", "we'll be coming home on SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY."

We get to the hotel room on Saturday afternoon with a whooping 15 minutes before we need to leave for dinner. Like an idiot I didn't realize the concert would pretty much takeover Nashville. Lines at the hotel, no cabs, bathrooms impossible...you get the picture. It actually reminded me a lot of a UGA football weekend. The concert was in an outdoor stadium, it was hot, there were 40,000 fans, we walked a mile to the stadium from dinner, I peed outdoors...you catch my drift. In ways the event made me feel young b/c of the reminder of these types of weekends from Athens and in other ways I wondered if I was getting too old for weekends like this. Not old in the sense that I couldn't hang b/c I did well and had a great time, but old in the sense of the discomfort of the heat, crowds, etc being worth it?

It was worth it. We really had a fun time being goofy together and I didn't overdo it. Adam rallied through the heat and kept a good mood. It's always more fun when he too is having fun. Many times when Oliver is away for weekends I work on projects that I normally don't have time to do. It's always nice when we are the project and the sole purpose is just to enjoy each other.

Happy early 4 year anniversary babe!

I'm Shy

2011-06-27T21:27:00.005-04:00

I'm not one that gets my panties in a wad often so please excuse this rant.

Twice this month Oliver has said "I'm shy." This bothers me. I don't know where he is hearing it. Is it at school? Mom said my Dad has said it before and I know I have said it, but it was at least a year ago since the last time. I've become very conscience about what I say in front of him and I wish all people would consider their words when speaking in front of children. They don't have selective hearing so they are listening to the good and the bad. Plus, why does one feel the need to make excuses for the behavior of children? They are CHILDREN. I can't imagine ever placing a label on him that could be seen as negative. It's my job to be his biggest fan. If he is going to by shy, that's fine. However, I do have a problem with him (and others) placing him in a category this early. A 2 year old should not be labeled.

I remember growing up being told that I had an under bite. Ends up that I didn't, but I had been told that so much that I intentionally shifted my jaw to create it. My point is, children fulfill the roles they are given. I know others aren't trying to deliberately hurt Oliver when labeling him as it is likely just unconscious verbal vomit. Being seen as shy by others is not bad as it is only harmful to the shy person's self esteem. Both times when I've heard him say it, I've told him that he is friendly and can be however he chooses to be. I've been using our talks before nap/night to tell him about experiences I've had that display outgoing behavior and I've been reviewing times during the day when he was friendly/brave/etc.

It strikes me as a little funny that I'm fighting battles that I never faced myself. The Mama Bear surely does come out in me. So does the pocketbook as I've ordered a few toddler books to add to our story time.

So yeah, he's not shy. He's Oliver and he can be however he chooses to be.

Digital Workflow

2011-06-23T23:08:00.005-04:00

This week has been pretty quiet. I've enjoyed it. We've had several play dates, pool outings, and even a photo shoot with Carl's wife, Andrea. I've been able to use almost all of nap times to do whatever I pleased. I got to explore Sparkpeople which is a website that you can track what you eat and your exercise as well as have access to lots of recipes, workouts, and connect with a community of others that are trying to live healthier.

I also spent much of today organizing my digital photos. I've been taking a self paced online class called Photo Freedom that really dives into this. The basics are to divide your photos into seasons or quarters and then make a highlights folder of each season with your favorite photos. It also teaches you to rank your photos on a 4 star rating system and encourages you to delete the not-so-hot ones so you don't feel overwhelmed by the amount of photos that you have in storage. Really great stuff. I've made subcategories in my seasons like for disney, easter, bday, etc where you have lots of photos. It feels good to clean up your photos and develop a more manageable system.

This week we experienced role reversal and I was pretty happy about it! My menu planning for the week included homemade cheese sticks that I thought Oliver would love. Adam smartly decided his frying knowledge compliments of Alton Brown would be better suited to tackle the meal. Sweet! Oliver and I spent our time in the backyard spreading pine straw and pulling weeds. The cheese sticks were so awesome that Adam went and got more cheese to make them again this weekend, but our crazy child was not a fan. Maybe he'll warm up to them next time.

We did a little question avoidance today as we were taking Oliver to school. He asked us several times while on the way if we were going to school. Instead of answering him, I talked about upcoming events we have that he will enjoy. We managed to make the 5-7 minute trip w/ no tears until we got there which is much improved from our normal tear filled trip that causes us stress feeling like we are the worst parents in the entire world. The teacher told us he quit crying after about a minute! Later today he told us he had fun at school. We asked him if he wanted to go back. Of course he said no. Gotta love him!

On a bummer note, we didn't get the Ford Flex that we wanted at auction. Hopefully there will be another one that we like available soon.