Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Alphabet song

I FINALLY have a new video to share of Miss E! She has an alphabet learning toy that sticks to the refrigerator and pronounces the sound of different letters and sings the alphabet song. The other night she got into singing along with the song and dancing in the living room so I grabbed up the camera.

Once again, I apologize for the poor quality and shaky screen. I take these videos on my digital camera so it's not as good as a real video camera.

Click for the Alphabet Song

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Painfully true

Overheard at boxing class after 45 push ups and 45 tricep dips:

Guy: "Man! I really need to start taking steriods!"

Ha! I might or might not have agreed with that statement after the way my triceps felt!

Ain't It the Truth?

Mom sent this to me and I thought it was pretty funny. I have certainly found myself saying each of these things as I watch our gas go up to $3.39! Eeek!

Friday, May 18, 2007

Arg!

Ella Grace the pirate!



Garden Update #1

Drumroll, please! Here we are with the first garden update of the year! Woo hoo!

Everything is just getting started so there isn't anything terribly exciting to report but I will not be deterred!

Our two chili pepper plants are already producing!

E posing with the row of onions

Pea plants springing up


My strawberry plants getting primed for lots of fruit!

Row of peppers of the left and tomatoes on the right (and my footprints where I sank in deep from all that rain we got!)

I hope that this quells all of the cries for the garden update for now! hee hee!

Thursday, May 17, 2007

Sneek peek

Last week David and I abused our priviledges and used the horse ultrasound again! Tee hee hee! We don't have a way of getting the photos off of the machine so I took a picture of the screen. The quality isn't that great initially because it's not the right kind of ultrasound thingy but add that with my picture of a picture and this is what you get! I labeled the pictures to give you some idea of what they are of. Good luck interpreting!


Both legs together, knees at right, feet at left

Profile shot with baby on its back, head at right, chest at bottom with a hand just above it

Monday, May 14, 2007

'How do I look?!'

I finally got my rear in gear and got Ella a much needed new pair of sandals. Now she can finally wear the cute skirt and shirt that my mom gave her at Christmas!

She was so excited to wear all her new stuff to preschool today and show everybody. So excited, in fact, that while I was trying to take her picture she kept 'hop, hop, hopping like a bunny'. The bunny eventually slowed down her hopping and decided that she looked so cute that a picture was definitely in order. (She kept asking me 'How do I look?!' once she got dressed!)




Hopping and being silly

Berry Sweet

Yesterday I was given the neatest Mother's Day gift! Eight little strawberry plants!

David remembered that when we were at the garden center getting everything we needed for the garden I really wanted some strawberry plants but we decided against them. So now I have 'June Bearing' strawberries that promise one large crop of berries in June. That is just a month or so away so some of them already have little fruits on them!

I can't wait to walk out to the garden, pick a strawberry and eat it fresh from the vine. Yum!

Sunday, May 13, 2007

Flowers for you

Until I get out to the garden with my camera to show you the goings on out there, I will supplement with photos of our irises. They are blooming like mad and attracting all kinds of bees. They are a bit tricky to photograph at this point but I tried to work a little magic for you!





Happy Mother's Day!

This email makes the rounds every year near Mother's Day and I really like it. I always end up teary eyed while reading it but it's worth it. If you have seen it before, re-read it and nod your head at all of the parts that you definitely understand. If you haven't seen it, enjoy, and

Happy Mother's Day!!

This is for the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, "It's alright honey, Mommy's here." Who have sat in rocking chairs for hours on end soothing crying babies who can't be comforted.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair and milk stains on their blouses and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who run carpools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And all the mothers who DON'T.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they'll never see. And the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes. And for the mothers who lost their baby in that precious 9 months that they will never get to watch grow on earth but one day will be reunited with in Heaven!

This is for the mothers whose priceless art collections are hanging on their refrigerator doors. And for all the mothers who froze their buns on metal bleachers at football or soccer games instead of watching from the warmth of their cars, so that when their kids asked, "Did you see me, Mom?" they could say, "Of course, I wouldn't have missed it for the world," and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair when they stomp their feet and scream for ice cream before dinner. And for all the mothers who count to ten instead, but realize how child abuse happens.

This is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies. And for all the (grand) mothers who wanted to, but just couldn't find the words.

This is for all the mothers who go hungry, so their children can eat.

For all the mothers who read "Goodnight, Moon" twice a night for a year. And then read it again. "Just one more time."

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school. And for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

This is for all the mothers who teach their sons to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot.

This is for every mother whose head turns automatically when a little voice calls "Mom?" in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home -- or even away at college.

This is for all the mothers who sent their kids to school with stomach aches assuring them they'd be just FINE once they got there, only to get calls from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can't find the words to reach them.

This is for all the step-mothers who raised another woman's child or children, and gave their time, attention, and love... sometimes totally unappreciated!

For all the mothers who bite their lips until they bleed when their 14-year-olds dye their hair green.

For all the mothers of the victims of recent school shootings, and the mothers of those who did the shooting. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TVs in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school, safely.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to be peaceful, and now pray they come home safely from a war.

What makes a good Mother anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it in her heart? Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2 A.M. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The panic, years later, that comes again at 2 A.M. when you just want to hear their key in the door and know they are safe again in your home? Or the need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a fire, a car accident, a child dying?

The emotions of motherhood are universal and so our thoughts are for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation. And mature mothers learning to let go.

For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers.

Single mothers and married mothers.

Mothers with money, mothers without.

This is for you all. For all of us. Hang in there. In the end we can only do the best we can. Tell them every day that we love them. And pray.

Friday, May 11, 2007

Yes, he owns shorts

Ahem.

Did I say that I would be better about posting and then not do it? Me?!

Last night was the first softball game for the Animals of Science (that still makes me laugh!). Ella and I went and cheered them on through not one, but two losses. I lived up to everyone's expectations and broke out the camera to prove that a) David does have legs and b) that he can, in fact, run. I know that both points were disputable at times but here is the proof!



Base hit.

That darn fence...

Wednesday, May 02, 2007

Q & A

Ashley from Kudzu Jungle has enticed me into being interviewed, blogger style. She posted her answers to interview questions and then made the offer that I couldn't refuse. She sent me 5 questions that I will post here with my answers. You, in turn, can ask me to interview you and then you post them to your blog. If you don't have a blog, I will be happy to post them here on mine!

The Rules

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."

2. I will respond by emailing you five questions of my choice.

3. Then, you should update your blog with the answers to the questions.

4. You have to include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.

5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you get to ask them five questions.

Ashley's very customized, very thought inducing interview:

1) What do you miss (other than family and friends) the most about Georgia?

Southern accents (and mine, to a degree, sniff sniff), lots of foods,
drinks and food products (pork bbq, country ham, sweet tea, Duke's
mayo), and the Georgia Bulldogs

2) If you had $500 to spend today on whatever you wanted, what would you buy?

Practical me says a new couch, which we need desperately. Not so
practical me says lots of new shoes and clothes and definitely a pair of
Lucky jeans in a size that I aim to be once this whole pregnancy bit is
over!

3) If you could reenact one scene from Gone With the Wind, what would it be and why?

Oh boy, this is a great question for me! I would definitely reenact the
BBQ scene at the beginning. Scarlett was being her most excellent
bosom showing, charming, jealous, coquettish self and it looks like
fun! Although, the scene in the library where she chews out Rhett and
throws stuff at him would also be pretty fun!

4) What about Kansas was brand new to you or surprising?

I was surprised how much people looooved my accent, that there were
very few black people, the fair amount of racisim, the use of cardinal
direction for everything (ex: 'the classroom is in the northeast corner
of the building' or 'go south 3 blocks and then turn east'... I never got
anywhere for the first few months!) and the fact that women don't use
their maiden names as their middle name when they marry.

5) Tell us one thing that you think most of us don't know about you.

I haven't decided what I want to do when I grow up. Sounds funny,
but I don't have a clear idea as of yet!

Alright, kids, take your mouse on over to the comment link and tell me to interview you!

Spring Showers

The other night Ella took her first big girl shower. She did such a good job with the water getting in her face! She called me in to the bathroom so I could see her being a big girl and of course I felt that the moment was pictureworthy!