Show Off Your Shot

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! We certainly did. Mama got a Canon Rebel, which means I'll be taken even more photos than before...go figure. It's so hard choosing just one to use for this week's Show Off Your Shot.

Here's the one I went with:

Show Off Your Shot

In light of my amazing new camera, I've decided to join on with another "meme" of sorts. It's a weekly competition called "Show Off Your Shot" that is done over at And Then She Snapped.

The rules are as follows:

1) Pick your favorite shot of the week, or one that you otherwise feel like "showing off".

2) Show it off!

I think it's going to be a blast! I'm actually really excited to get involved.

Dinosaur Polar Bear

Today I met a Dinosaur Polar Bear. Perhaps you have never heard of one. He is a very elusive creature. Freshly bathed and snuggled in new jammies (which, by complete coincidence, have a polar bear on them), he stalks the bedclothes in search of victims in the quickly disappearing moments before bed time. He blends in, letting out only the occasional giggle to strike fear into the hearts of those he stalks, then pounces with an impressive "Raaaaaawwwwr!", leaving his helpless pray unable to defend themselves due to a horrible case of the giggles! He then informs the one he has pounced upon that "You can't get away from me, Mommy! I have big teeth!"

Vicious he is indeed until bedtime is announced, at which time he wraps his arms around Mommy and Baby Brother, planting messy kisses on both, before he leaps down and follows Daddy (on all fours I might add, feet and hands both flat on the floor) down the hall to his room. Dinosaur Polar Bears then relish in a story and prayers before wrapping Daddy up in an equally fierce hug and kiss and bidding him goodnight. 

*sigh* All is well in my home this night.

Pink In A House Of Blue

So, I have changed things. I feel I have entered a new era in my life and I think that should be reflected in my blog as well. I plan on completely revamping it...yet again...and I am in desperate need of a better header, but for now I have just changed the name. While keeping the "Letters Arranged Into Words" theme, I am now Pink In A House Of Blue. I think it's appropriate. After all, that is exactly what I am as of now. And I'm quite enjoying it.

So, don't be surprised to see things change up a bit as I decide what I want to do. I hope you enjoy my new journeys as much as I am sure I will enjoy having them. (Most of them anyways.)

A Stranger In A Strange Land

Every once in awhile I find myself looking around and feeling like I'm on some strange planet filled with testosterone driven goofballs. Life with boys is so different from life with even just one other female (human) in the house. I'm forever tripping on toy trains, socks, shoes, power shovels...I live on a pure blue planet. :0)

Please don't mistake me, I like it. I love it actually, but there are days that I just don't get it. For example, we came home from the store the other day and the first thing Parker did was unbutton his jeans and start to take them off. When I asked him what in the world he was doing he told me he was taking his pants off "just like Daddy". Yes, Daddy does frequently run around in his boxers at home for comfort. A guy thing I am sure (though I myself am usually in PJ pants at home), and one that Parker has now picked up on.

I had to laugh.

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin Liner

Dear Gallbladder

Dear Gallbladder, 

This isn't working out. We've given it a good run, really we have. After all, most relationships don't last almost 28 years. But I can't do this anymore. We were just fine until I got pregnant with Parker, but you started to hurt me then. You stopped after he was born, and I thought maybe...but it all started up again when I got pregnant with Sebastian, and this time, it's just gotten worse. So, I am sorry, but it's time for us to part ways. A part of me will always miss you, but I just can't do it anymore. I'm going back to my life. 

Always,

Me

Scripture Sunday: Matthew 7:1-5

I had an epiphany tonight. It's an epiphany I've had before, but I guess maybe it hasn't really sunk in. It came to me tonight when we were watching, of all things, the show Sister Wives. (Which I love by the way. This epiphany inspired a blog about the show too.) So, here it is: I am who I am. If you don't like me for that person then I don't need you in my life. It makes sense. It's how more people should live. I think a lot more people would be a lot less stressed out. Besides, the people judging you are being judged in the same fashion as they are judging.

It doesn't work for everything, obviously. There are things you can do that people absolutely shouldn't like you for, and things that very much are your problem, not theirs. For example, a child molester can't say "I am who I am and if you don't like it then eff you." That's a whole other ball game and not what I'm talking about at all. And if I am being a horrible, cruel, witch, I expect people to judge me for that too. But there are so many petty reasons out there that people use to hate each other and use as some justification to judge one another, and I'm getting sick of it.

Every Day Life With My Big Boy!

I love being the mother of a toddler. Not just any toddler...my toddler. I think he is exceptional, though I suppose I would be considered biased. Still, every day he is doing something new that makes me laugh, warms my heart, and leaves me feeling blessed.

Scripture Sunday: Psalm 127:3-5

I don't have a lot to say about this weeks scripture. Every day as I look at my boys I feel the wonderful comfort of the blessing that is them to me and my husband. This week's Scripture Sunday pretty much echos that blessing.

Scripture Sunday: Mark 8:36

It has been far too long since I have done a Scripture Sunday...over a year I am ashamed to say. It is something I really want to get back into, because it is something near and dear to my heart. God has so blessed me, the least I can do is share His word once a week on my blog. Besides, it is a good opportunity for me to review and reflect on His word and His message. Aw, now I sound all preachy, but it's true none the less. So, here we go again. Please feel free to enjoy and join in if you'd like!

Back

There are lots of things that are "back" right now. We are back in Idaho after an amazing, whirlwind Summer in Ohio. Daddy is back home from Afghanistan, which is thrilling for everyone involved. I am back on the blog too, and certainly hope to be updating more often now that things are getting back to normal. You would think that during a deployment and pregnancy I'd blog more because I'd need the outlet. And I do, but I seemed to blog much less this Summer than I am used to. Ah well. Maybe next time.

It's A...

...Boy!

I am pleased to announce the arrival of Sebastian Robert-Magnus, born August, 20, 2011 at 1:11am weighing 8lbs 15.4oz and 21 inches long. There will be a birth story and about a million pictures to follow, but I wanted to let everyone know that our newest little miracle is hear and healthy!

And, of course, I had to show him off!

Pooped

I. Am. Exhausted. I guess this is something that comes along with being 36 weeks pregnant. It could also have something to do with going out to see teh midnight showing of Harry Potter last night and then waking up at 7am to go in and have my gallbladder checked...but let's blame it on the pregnancy. :0) It's just easier.

On the other hand, everything is done (with the exception of my belly cast which we plan on doing tomorrow), and am think I am as ready as I can ever be for Little Legs arrival. 

The Great 35

Nope, I'm not 35 years old or anything, but I did a post like this on my other blog when I hit this milestone with my son. I felt I should do it now too. Today I am 35 weeks pregnant. It is also 35 days until my due date. Pretty neat, huh?

I think I am as ready as I can be. I don't have my belly cast done yet, but my bags are packed, my pre-admissions paperwork is filled out and I'm in the mindset of "I'm going to have this baby soon". I'm still a little scared and worried. How is Parker going to handle it? Will labor go the way I would like it too? But, in the end, none of these are things I can predict ahead of time. They are all things we'll just have to wait and see.

So now we wait.

The Gender Prediction Project Entry 6

Yesterday marked 34 weeks pregnant for me and my little Legs. I'm excited, and nervous, and excited, and scared, and excited...did I mention that already? lol! I have my bags mostly packed except for the last minute things I'll need to throw in like the camera and laptop. I've got the things together for my son's overnight bag. The breast pump is bought and waiting to be used, I got my Moby Wrap in the mail today, and the Moses Basket is all washed up and ready for baby. Clothes are washed, diapers are stacked, I even have a little gift for Parker from his baby brother and sister to give him at the hospital when they meet...so why don't I feel ready? I am sure there is a multitude of reasons, and I am just as sure that everything will fall into place like it always has been when Legs arrives. 

And until then, we still have 6 more weeks (approximately) of gender guessing to go!

Whooo's Who Friday?

<center><a href="http://lettersarrangedintowords.blogspot.com/search/label/Whooo%27s%20Who%20Friday" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Sneaky Momma Blog Design" src="http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s125/littlebenjaminbear/Blogger%20Layouts/WhooosWho.jpg" /></a></center>  

One Of Those Weeks

So, I've been gone for awhile again. I wish I could say I just got lazy about keeping up with my blog, but this time it was really much more than that. Again, when I really could have used my blog for an outlet the most, I found that I had way too much on my plate.

Last Monday our oldest niece, Sophia, was rushed to the hospital after she started seizing during her nap. This is not the first time Sophia has had a seizure, but this time they were unable to stop it, even at the hospital. They intubated her and sedated her before taking her by care flight to a hospital in Toledo where they were more able to treat her. It was the same hospital she had been lifted to nearly 5 years ago when she was born, so it was almost surreal when we went up to visit.

Flashback...Saturday?

I missed it. I missed Friday. It was yesterday you see, and I had something very important to do...Which is actually what inspired this week's Flashback. 

Years ago, Michael started working with this young kid named Chris at Elsas. Turns out we all had a lot of the same interests and enjoyed doing the same things to pass our time, so we started hanging out together as a group. Very long story short, Chris is now one of our best friends. He's the Godfather of both of our children, and when we left Ohio for Idaho, he was one of the people we missed most.

Just One Of Those Days

Yup...that's what today was. Just one of those days. Nothing special was planned. It was a little muggy, but not too bad. Not warm enough for a trip to the pool though. Just kind of a blah blah sit around kind of day, which is fine to have every once in awhile, but I've been stir crazy lately. Sit around kind of days don't particularly help the stir crazy side of me.

Part of it is that things have not been all well with my family. I love my family, please don't get me wrong, but there are just key points about every day life we don't agree on. We are all very different people...that is to say, I am very different from the rest of them...and it causes conflict. Conflict that usually ends up in my being "the bad guy" since it is usually me against something they are all basically on the same page about. Like I said, I love them, but I am the very obvious black sheep of the immediate family, and that just causes some natural issues.

Especially when we are all together much of the time experiencing blah blah sit around days.

On the other hand, I have someone very like me around all the time too, and he is the rope that keeps me tethered to sanity most of the time! He is also why I am writing this, because he made a day that could have been "just one of those days" turn into "just one of those days where you sit back and thank God for blessing you!". Yup...it was just one of those days.

Wordless Wednesday: Joys of Puddles

The Gender Prediction Project Entry 5 The Chinese Gender Chart

Ah, the Chinese Gender Chart. Some swear by it, some scoff, some don't even know what it is. I, personally, find all of these gender prediction methods fascinating (or at least amusing), so I had to add it into The Gender Prediction Project! The things is, there are so many versions of this chart running around on the internet that I can't use just one and say that I've done my job for this highly scientific project of mine. So I decided to have one full entry dedicated to nothing except the Chinese Gender Calender...or at least all of them that pop up on the first page of a Google search.

For anyone who doesn't know, the Chinese Gender Calender is said to be over 700 years old and over 90% accurate "when used correctly". Using it correctly means calculation your lunar age for many of the charts, though not all of them seem to make this distinction via the interwebs. It was "recently" discovered in an ancient royal tomb in China and has been correctly predicting births around the globe ever sense. I guess we shall see about that! Let the Chinese Gender Charting begin!

Come On Down!

So, maybe there is too much TV in our house. It's always on. It's not so much that we sit around watching it, but the last time Michael was deployed I get very used to having it on in the background so the house didn't seem so quiet, and so we do that often now when we are sitting around playing or coloring or whatever it is we have decided to do that day.I find I need the background noise.

Something we do watch on occasion though is The Price Is Right. I've loved that show since I was a very little girl, and Parker has a couple of games that really grab his attention when they come on, not to mention that he gets a kick out of them calling people's names and yelling "Come on down!" It makes me giggle when he yells it back and claps as whoever it is jumps and screams and makes a general fool of themselves "coming on down". (I have always sworn that if I was ever on the show I would be the person who calmly sauntered down the isle, shaking the occasional hand, before getting to my little price podium and politely greeting Drew.)

Pregnancy Brain?

Yes, let's blame it on that. Apparently pregnancy has taken over my brain and started to live my life for me. I went through all day today thinking it was Wednesday and trying to figure out what pictures I should use for my wordless Wednesday post, only to realize around 8pm that it was in fact Thursday and I had completely missed Wednesday this week.

And yesterday I completely snapped the head off another mother because I thought she was going to come over to defend her kid (who was messing with Parker at the pool) when in fact she was one of teh few months who was actually coming over to step in and parent. (I did beg forgiveness, but I am not one to go psycho pregnant b!tch on a person like that either. Very odd.)

Conversations With A Toddler

Every day is filled with fun things when you are the mother of a toddler. Things you swear up and down that you would never, could never, forget. Unfortunately, often times we do forget unless we have the foresight, and time, to jot them down to reflect upon later. One day I will look back on this particular chat, go "I'd forgotten about that!", and laugh. I am sure I'll need it at some point, and here it will be. As a bonus, you get to enjoy it too. Lucky you. :0)

Flashback Friday: 30 Weeks Again

Since yesterday I officially hit the 30 week point in this pregnancy it seemed appropriate to flash back to the last time I was 30 weeks pregnant in the early weeks of 2009. Looking back now it is amazing to me how differently I am thinking at the same stage in my second pregnancy. I look different, I feel different, there is so much going on in my life that is completely different that it was the first time around...I imagine most mother's feel this way, but it's amazing to me.

 I suppose we should start off with some pictures, since that is the point of Flashback Friday to begin with. :0) The story told by the pictures.

The Gender Prediction Project Entry 4

Well, here I am again. 10 weeks until my due date of August 11th and I am still going strong as a member of Team Green! I'm proud of myself. For some reason, it has been much harder this time around not to look at the ultrasound techs, doctors, and my own grandparents (who are the only people who know the gender at this point) and beg to be let in on the secret! I have no idea why it is harder this time around, but I am very, very eager to meet my new little Mr. or Mrs. Not that I wasn't with Parker...it's just different this time around.

So, I figure what better way to pass the time than to continue on with the Gender Prediction Project, and invite others to do the same. After all, even if you know what you're having, you still have time to kill until they get here, right?

Work In Progress

My blog, like my self, is always a work in progress. It changes as I change, but I find I am coming very close to something I am happy with, and might be for awhile. I am not 100% happy with my banner, but that can be changed, and probably will be with the arrival of Baby Legs in just about 10 weeks. (Since it is after midnight on the East Coast and that is where I am at the moment, I am officially 30 weeks right now!)

The point is that, for right now at least, my blog is getting closer to where I want it. I added something tonight that I am just so darn proud of that I felt the need to share it! Who cares what anyone else thinks, because I am thrilled!

Wordless Wednesday: Peep! Peep!

 

Anniversary & Ultrasounds

Today was my husband and my six year wedding anniversary...and I'm not going to lie, it really stunk. I know it's not the "strong" thing to admit, but it was really horrible having him so far away for our anniversary. I also, unlike many of my military wife counterparts, don't mind admitting that I am scared to death for him on a regular basis, and I would be lying if I didn't say that I thought to myself at least once today 'What if I never see him again?'. 

That being said, it didn't ruin my day. I didn't dwell on it. It's a part of the lifestyle and you get through the hard days and move on, but it really did stink. It's not our first anniversary spent apart, nor will it probably be our last, but knowing that doesn't make it a whole lot easier sometimes. Still, I remind myself that, for now, he is OK. He will be home soon, and this is just one day of many that we have to get through. And will. So many other people have it so much worse, especially on a weekend like this one. It's hard to feel sorry for yourself when you know there are women out there celebrating Memorial Day at services to honor their fallen husbands.

Besides, today was also the day of our make-up 3D/4D ultrasound!

Flashback Friday: Happy Anniversary!

Tomorrow is my 6 year wedding anniversary. With material like that, it wasn't hard to decide what I was going to flash back to this Friday. I've known my husband for 11 years and in January we will have been together for 10 of those, but tomorrow, May 28th, marks the anniversary of the day I became his Mrs.

Of course, this year it is bittersweet because he is gone. When we got married he wasn't in the military yet, so it never crossed my mind that we'd be spending anniversaries apart. The trend started early though, as he left for BMT on the day of our 2nd anniversary back in 2007. So it's kind of a double anniversary for us every year since. 6 years ago he became my husband, 4 years ago he became a hero. I am so proud and blessed to be his wife.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday Bubba

Ladies Day Rescheduled & Ina May

So Ladies Day, my day I've been waiting for for months and months and months, turned into a slight bust. We went alright, and everyone was excited and cooperative...except for Baby Legs, whose cooperation we desperately needed.

My surprise for my grandmother, mother, sister, and cousin (who is also Parker and Legs's Godmother) was to take them to a 3D/4D ultrasound so that they could "meet" Legs. I was giddy with excitement! It was something I'd wanted to do when I was pregnant with Bubba, but the money we had saved up for it ended up going towards a car emergency, so it was a no go. This was to be my first chance to experience something like this, and I loved that I was going to get to share it with the most important women in my baby's life. (And Parker, of course.)

Flashback Friday: Shamrock Elizabeth

Today's Flashback Friday isn't one I want to write. I wish more than anything that I'd never had to write this, but I also think it's important. After all, if anyone deserves to be remembered in this blog, she does.

On March, 17, 1994 my sweetheart, my dear friend, my first "baby" was born. Shamrock Elizabeth was the most beautiful kitten you've ever hoped to see, and she was my best friend for years. As odd as it must sound to someone who had never experienced a bond like that with an animal, she was just a part of me. I was 10 when I got her, and she was there for most of the major moments in my growing up years.

28 Weeks

I am 28 weeks pregnant as of yesterday, which puts me into my 3rd trimester according to most standards people go by. (I have heard anything from 26 weeks to 29 being your 3rd trimester depending on the doctor you are talking to or book you are reading at the time. This pregnancy stuff is so confusing!)

Since I have been so neglectful in updating my blog, it occurred to me that I haven't had the chance to share any pictures of my growing belly. Usually the rapid expansion of my stomach wouldn't be such a cause for joy, but under the circumstances I am very proud of my baby bump. (Which was measuring 31 weeks at my doctors appointment on Monday! Mommy's little overachiever.) Besides, I am just dying to share!

Updating The Blog...Again...

As you can see, I'm going for a minimal look on the blog. I think I like it. I think. I can only really work on it when Parker is sleeping, so it's been a long road. I'm also trying to keep up with pictured that we send to Daddy, which I am horribly behind on. I might catch up with everything by Christmas.

As I said in my last blog, I have been horribly neglectful of my poor little blog the last 2 months. I feel terrible, because if I have ever needed an outlet it's now. Not to mention I haven't even done a Gender Prediction Project update since the beginning of March. I was having a lot of fun with those.

 

Must Write More

There is so much going on right now that you would think I would be writing like a fiend...instead I have left a sadly neglected blog behind in the hustle and bustle of my every day coming and goings. I will have to remedy this ASAP. After all, a deployment and a pregnancy...I have a well of subjects to choose from to write about. Add into that the fact that my "baby" boy ha turned two, my wonderful Shamrock has left this world, the general drama of being around family all the time...I can't believe I'm not writing all the time! Well, I will be. I promise. I need to do a complete re-vamp of my page and start making some ME time, but I will be back and updating very, very soon! I promise! There is so much to talk about after all! Just wanted to drop by and say that I'm missing everyone. :0)

Wiggle Wiggle Wiggle

I love being pregnant! Yes, I am sick as a dog with no end in site. I have heartburn whenever I eat anything yummy, and sometimes I feel like a whale...but I still love being pregnant. For all the bad (and every pregnancy has various stages of bad) there are things that are just so good that they make up for anything I have to go through to experience them!

Wordless Wednesday: Legs

Wordless Wednesday: The "R" Word

The Gender Prediction Project: Entry 3

Time for another fun installment of the Gender Prediction Project, brought to you by the color yellow and the number 4. :0) I'm having a lot of fun with this little experiment of mine. Looking up various methods of gender prediction has certainly given me a plethora of material to work with, not to mention several great laughs! I still haven't gotten adventurous enough yet to pee on anything, but maybe next time. :0)

Just Another Mama Monday

Time for another Mama Monday, hosted by the wonderful Toddler Awesome blog! It is a great way to meet other blogging mommies and share a little information about yourself!
Every week you get not only a "theme" of questions to answer, but a weekly "task" for you to do, just for yourself! I admit, I completely didn't complete my task for last week. I guess I get an "F", but I can't remember teh last time I took a buble bath! I am pretty sure this weeks task doesn't have a hop in heck of getting done either, but I will try to do my best. So, on to this week's questions:

The Gender Prediction Project: Entry 2

I had wanted to post a few more of the gender prediction experiments today, but didn't feel like peeing on anything. :0) Luckily, there are several that can be done while I'm laying in bed at night getting ready to go to sleep. (Which is what I am doing right now after a day full of packing and sorting.) So, without the necessity of much more energy than I need to type, I can share a couple more of my "results" with you. Prepare to be amazed!

Flashback Friday

First off, I would like to say I am 100% unhappy with the look of my blog. I want something that screams me and mine. I really love blogging, and writing in general, and the fact that my blog doesn't reflect me is bringing me down more than it should. (It could be pregnancy hormones too. Who knows?) I am hoping to re-vamp it, or have it re-vamped, very soon. But for now, please don't judge me based on my horribly generic and cluttered blog.  Secondly, I am so happy to be back and doing Flashback Friday again! I've missed it! It's so much fun to read other people's flashbacks and to share my own. It gives me a chance to go back in time and remember things I might have forgotten. This week I had no idea where to flash back to. There is so much going on in our lives right now, so much that I am finding completely overwhelming, that I was having a very hard time focusing on some of the old happy. So I went to my albums and started searching at random hoping to find something hat would catch my interest. I found something that made me cry, so I suppose that fits the bill. It certainly seems appropriate given some of the main points of stress we are experiencing as a family right now.

The Gender Prediction Project

Part of what was so wonderful about having Bubba, apart of course from just becoming his Mommy, was that we waited to find out the gender until he burst spectacularly from my womb. In reality, there was nothing spectacular about his birth until his arrival. It was a horrible experience that I am going to go out of my way not to repeat this time around, made worth it by the amazing little person I now call my son. Having my husband look down at me, tears in his eyes, to tell me "It's a boy! It's a boy!" was easily one of the top 3 moments in my life, and one I wouldn't give up for anything. We have decided again to wait it out and see what this new little one will be whenever they choose to enter the outside world. It's driving people crazy, but we figure God gives us so few great surprises in life, why would we want to spoil this one by peeking early? Besides, I might need incentive to keep pushing if things get rough. :0)

I've Been Gone, But I've Come Home Again

I've been gone. Absent. Missing. I have been neglecting my blogging duties. I have 1,000 great reasons, none of which many people would care about. Truth be told, I have missed blogging more than blogging has probably missed me. I've had a lot I could have used an outlet for lately, and all I can say is that at the end of the day I have no time and no energy...and possibly no desire to come face to face with all that is leaving me feeling so overwhelmed at the end of a day. Besides, no one wants to read a negative blog.

Getting In On The Ground Floor: Mama Monday

So, to start my comeback to blogging I am adding yet another weekly meme to my rotation. Mama Monday over at Toddler Awesome is a great chance to not only tell people a little about yourself, but to meet other blogging mommies! This is week one of Mama Monday, and I'm excited to start!