Ramblings of a Pregnant Woman in Her Last Trimester

I've made it. I am in the coveted last trimester of pregnancy. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. This pregnancy won't actually last forever. :) Yea! This is great. This is motivating. This gives me hope. Though I've been in the last trimester for a couple of weeks, there is something about being 30 weeks that makes me feel like I'm almost to the finish line.

Overall, though, this pregnancy has been a really great one. I had some yucky morning sickness in the first trimester, but I made it. The first 12 weeks went by pretty quickly, especially since we only told like two couples we were expecting (that kept me from the constant complaining that I'm sure no one wanted to hear. Well, Channing had to hear it, but other than that, I was forced to keep it to myself.). The second trimester was an easy one. I felt really good, and it seemed to breeze by.Thing is, it's getting tougher. My belly is starting to get heavy, and by heavy, I mean...I tire of standing for more than five minutes. Sleep is often interrupted, and I'm oh so tired. I often need an afternoon nap. Carrying my toddler around has proven to be a difficult task, and most people that see me assume that I'm a week or two from delivering (just one of the joys of getting a ginormous belly).

I must say, it's embarrassing to have to lean over the chair in front of me every five minutes during worship at church on Sundays and Wednesday nights to relieve the weight of my belly. If I wasn't afraid of looking like a big wimp, I would just sit down (oh don't worry, that day will come).

Oh, and with this pregnancy comes the distinct joy of being able to don a maternity swimsuit, something I was able to avoid with my March and April babies. JOY!The last trimester is a tough one, but I am constantly reminding myself to enjoy this time. This will likely (VERY likely) be the last time I ever carry a child; the last time I will feel a baby kick and move around inside my belly, the last time I will grace maternity clothes (SO sad ;)). I know that once Rhiannon is born, I will miss having her all to myself. I will miss her movements inside my tummy. That will be tough. It will be even tougher knowing that I will never feel that movement again. It kind of, a very small kind of, makes me want to be pregnant for even longer.

Because of the things we want for our family, and the things we want to do with our kids, it is important that we stop at three. Three seems just right for us, and God couldn't have worked out the timing and genders more perfectly for us. Though I always pictured myself with three boys, God surprised me with a girl, a challenge. :) I love that he gave us a girl last, after two boys. I love that Rhiannon will have two fabulous big brothers looking out for her. Thank you, God!Each week, day, my feelings about having a girl change. Most days, I am elated, on top of the moon! I love this little girl and can't wait to meet her. There are days, in all honesty, where I am super nervous and almost sad that I'm having a girl. I mean, I'm a boy mom . I do boy things. I buy boy clothes. I get boys.
When it comes to girls, I get super nervous about the "girl attitude" that many little girls have (NOT ALL. I know it's all in the raising. I keep trying to remind myself of that. I know some really really sweet little girls. Many of you have sweet little girls).

I get nervous about starting completely over with wardrobe. I mean, I had lots of boy clothes, and now I have to start over with tights, dresses, bubbles, bows, and puddle jumpers. That brings me to my taste. I have expensive taste when it comes to dressing a girl, and it's kind of a problem. I went in my absolute favorite store in town and fell in love with about at least 10 $80-$100 dresses and bubbles. I can't spend $80 on less than a foot of fabric, on an outfit that she'll likely wear twice. SAD! I am spending LOTS of time on ebay, though!Ok, so the countdown is on. I am going to be meeting this precious little bundle of joy and blessing very soon. I know that once she is here, my fears will be calmed, and I will fall in love all over again. I know that she will be the most fantastic way to end our baby-making. I can't wait!!!

Sorry for the total ramble. My writing probably makes little sense, but I just had to put my wild and crazy thoughts down so that I can look back at them in a few years to remember how I felt at this important time. Sorry to bore you!

Thank you, God, for my sweet kiddos. I am beyond blessed!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

Happy Thursday! I know, I know...you're just so thrilled that I'm back with another installment of my totally strange and random thoughts. I mean, how could you not be. ;) Ok, here's what's been on the brain this week...This past Tuesday marked my eighth wedding anniversary. That's right, Channing and I have officially been married for eight whole years. I almost can't believe it. I mean, eight years seems like a long time. I had big plans of posting about it that day and how thankful I am for my awesome husband (like I did last year), but in all honesty, the day didn't start out that great. Hold on to your seats folks because what you're about to read may shock you...we actually argued that morning. Then I spent the whole day with hurt feelings, even though he apologized and asked me to forgive him (not that it was completely his fault). Yes, I know...you're shocked. Channing and I actually have disagreements?! And on our anniversary?! What has the world come to?!!! It was over something that we shouldn't have even been arguing about in the first place, and in hindsight, seems pointless and silly. At the time, though, my pregnant hormones and I just wanted to pout. So I did. You know what, though? I am so thankful to have a husband who is willing to humble himself (even when it's not totally his fault) and work things out. I am thankful that despite our disagreements, I know he's not going anywhere. I know that he loves me, and he loves our family. I am so incredibly blessed!!! Thank you, Channing, for eight great years! Thank you, God, for my fabulous husband!

Speaking of our anniversary, it's the day after Tristan's birthday. Come on, ladies. You have to know what that means, right? The whole thing is overshadowed by birthday parties and planning. Each year, our anniversary seems to make a smaller blip on the radar. We must change this...next year. Yes, next year will be different. ;)

Tristan's birthday party this year was at Chuck E Cheese. *groan* That place is a kid's wonderland and a parent's nightmare. I mean, it is P-A-C-K-E-D all the time! Your kids hardly play with the other kids because they're so busy trying to play games and win tickets. You are constantly run over by other people's wild and crazy kids, kids who seem to be there with absolutely no parental supervision (seriously, where are those parents?!). That's ok, though. It's all for the love of our kids that we endure places like "The Cheese", right? Whoo...I'm just glad Asher isn't old enough to know that he should be asking to have his party there. AND don't you tell him!

I've got great news, everybody! I am officially B-I-G. You know what that means?! That means endless entertainment for you, of course. From here on out, I will be receiving all kinds of awful, offensive, blunt, and colorful comments from strangers and acquaintances alike. They will become so common, and will come at me so often, that I will probably really have to be diligent about writing them down. I must write them down so that I can share them with you. I mean, you will probably be amazed (unless you get HUGE like me) at some of the things people come up to me and say. I hope you will find some entertainment in them. I'll give you a slight taste of what I received at Tristan's party... As I was getting the table ready, someone from our party came up to me to give me a hug, and when I turned around, she said, "You're big!" To which my reply was, "Why, thank you. That's just what I wanted to hear." She felt terrible, I could tell. So then, of course, I felt terrible. She apologized and insisted she didn't mean that I was "big". I'm not really sure what she did mean, but she's a sweet girl, and in her defense, I AM big. I just don't really love hearing it. Also in her defense, my mom made sure to tell me how big I was too.

Being pregnant with a girl, after already having two boys, I have had a couple of people tell me, "I bet she'll be a tomboy since she's got two big brothers." Most recently, one of my doctor's partners told me that when he was checking me. Hmmmm...how should I take that? I mean, I don't have a problem with Rhiannon being a tomboy. That's totally fine; however, the comment just hits me strangely. This doctor has two older girls and young boy. I wonder what he would have thought if I had said, "I bet your son's pretty girly. You know, with having two older sisters and all." (I know he didn't mean anything by his comment. I think it's funny, just the same).

Since I'm on the subject of pregnancies, who are these pregnant women who have their babies in toilets because they "had no idea" they were pregnant?! Seriously. Who are these women?! What kind of woman doesn't know she's pregnant until she gives birth?! Seriously. What do these women think that movement is in their bellies? And I don't mean the tiny kicks in the beginning...I mean the rolling over, elbows, knees and hiney movements. What do they think that is? Do their stomachs really stay so small that they have no indication? I don't believe for one minute that someone could be nine months pregnant and not know it, unless something is seriously wrong with them. But hey, I'm sure that's just me.

What is it about chocolate and pregnancy that induces heartburn? With all three of my pregnancies, chocolate has brought out the heartburn in me. Maybe that's God's way of trying to keep me away from it. Then He won't have to hear me complain about my weight so much.

Yesterday, I had to drop in the grocery store for three quick items: bread (wheat, of course, with no high fructose syrup), cottage cheese, and mozarella cheese. After my cashier rang up my items and I paid, she asked me if I wanted all my items in one bag. Ok, first off, I at least appreciate that she asked. Some will just jam them all in there. Thing is, what happened to "bagger lessons"? Back in the day, baggers knew how to bag groceries. They knew that bread and eggs were to be bagged together. They knew that canned goods, cereal, and frozen items should be bagged separately from one another. I mean, why would I want cottage cheese bagged with my bread? I don't want my bread squished. I politely asked to have the bread bagged by itself. I was further reminded, though, that bagging groceries is a lost art. These days, you never know what bags your items will be placed in.

Have you prayed for our country lately? I am asking you to please join me in prayer right now. Please pray that God will lead our president to the correct choices when running our great nation. This 3.6 trillion dollar debt has me worried, worried for the future of my children and grandchildren. Please pray for God's grace and mercy on us all as we seek to fix the messes that we have made.

Ok, how about "Lost" last night? Was it the show to see, or what?! How about Sayid eliminating Ben?! What will they do with that??? That would totally change the whole future of Dharma and all the castaways. I can't wait to see where they go from here!

Tonight is the premier of "In the Motherhood". I am going to have to check it out!

Do you walk/run laps at the gym? I just don't get it. Every time I'm on the treadmill or elliptical and see those people walking/running around and around and around, I wonder how they can stand it. I mean, it takes like 50 laps to make a mile. I would go CRAZY trying to keep up with that. Furthermore, now that it's nice outside, why not just walk around out there? At least you would have some change in scenery. I have a friend who told me she walks the track at the gym. She said she can't tolerate the treadmill. To each his own, I guess. :)

Have you ever noticed serving sizes on soups and cereal? A couple of friends and I were talking about this at dinner last week. You know what I'm talking about, right? You know, the Healthy Choice soup bowls that say on the front "Only 80 calories per serving". See, some people would never look at the label to see that there are actually TWO servings in that soup bowl. They are so proud of themselves that they are having an "80 calorie" lunch. I don't blame those people because come on...who is going to share a microwaveable bowl size of soup? What two people are going to split that? Unless they're five and under, how could they possibly be full?! The same goes for cereal. Have you ever noticed that a serving size of cereal is usually 3/4 cup (unless it's plain Cheerios, and then it's 1 cup). Who only eats 3/4 a cup of cereal?! Have you ever measured that out?! Seriously, come on. That's a little ridiculous.

Ok, folks. That's all I've got for this week. How about you? I know some of you have had these same thoughts (which totally makes me feel better), so I know you have had other entertaining thoughts too. Share them! They make my day!!!

Happy Birthday, Tristan!!!

Today is my oldest baby's fifth birthday!!! I can hardly believe it. My sweet Tristan is five years old today. Where has the time gone?!? He's still supposed to be my tiny little toddler, dancing to the Wiggles and poking his tongue out. He's supposed to still love to eat sweet potatoes and running with his arms sticking straight out behind him. He's supposed to be pointing out 'Jesus' at the local Mexican restaurant. He is not supposed to be playing t-ball, riding a bike, writing words, helping with his baby brother, pointing out and naming all the super heroes... He's just not. He's still supposed to be my little baby.

Despite the fact that he is growing up entirely too fast, he is and will always be my baby. He is and will always be my kind-hearted little man, my little momma's boy. He will always have the most beautiful blue eyes I've ever seen. He will always be my 'punkin'. He will always be my cuddle-bug. He will always be my surprise blessing from God...my blessing that drew me closer to my heavenly Father by showing me just a tiny glimpse of the love He must feel for me.

When Channing and I found out we were expecting Tristan, we were shocked and scared. I mean, by all accounts, it was a terrible time for us to be having our first child. We were preparing to move to a new place, open a new business, and we had very little money. At the time, we wondered how we would make it, how we could have been so careless. Little did we know the great blessing God had planned for us. Tristan was such a gift, a gift God granted us, though we didn't deserve him. I thank God every day for my sweet surprise. I thank God that He saw what we couldn't at the time...the love that we would have for Tristan, the joy he would bring to our lives, the incredible blessing that he would always be to us. Thank you, Lord, for my Tristan!

To Tristan, I love you more than life. You are my sweet little man, and though you say you never want to grow up, move away, and leave me, one day you will. And that's ok. Just know that I will always be your mommy, and I will always always cherish you and love you. I am so proud of the little boy that you are and all the plans that God has for you. I can't wait to watch Him continue to work in your life. Your name means 'bold', and I truly believe that you will be a bold leader for the work of Christ. I love you!!!

*On a side note, the picture of Tristan is from today, his actual birthday. He is wearing his special 'Backyardigans' birthday shirt. He is also wearing gloves because he's helping a sweet lady clean our office. He loves her and helping her. You may also notice his hair is unfixed...we haven't gotten around to that yet. :)

Thursday's Random Thoughts

Happy Thursday! It's time again for another peek into my brain. Here are some of my random thoughts from this week...
I don't know whether to laugh or be creeped out by all the listening devices I see advertised on t.v. Many random thoughts ago, I blogged about the 'Listen Up' device. SO weird! I mean, it's a device that is advertised as being good for listening in on neighbor's conversations. What?! Well now there's a new one. I can't remember what it's called, and forgot to write it down when I last saw it, but the commercial shows a girl walking on the beach in her bikini while listening in to some women talk about how much they wish their bodies looked like hers. All the while, the bikini girl is smiling a huge smile. CREEPY! Ok, #1. I don't think I really want to know what people are saying about me as I'm walking by. #2. Why should we assume that people are so focused on us, anyway? #3. Is this listening device guaranteed to let me hear these awesome comments about myself? I mean, I say that because every time I see one of these things, the people only hear about how hot they are. If I get one, will it magically make people believe I'm a hot mama? If so, maybe I should get one...

Have you tried the PedEgg? I have not, but I hear it really works. If so, it might be worth the $9.99 they ask for it.

When someone asks you when you're due, and you tell them the date, and they say, "Whoa!" What do you think that means? I think it means "Whoa...what a great time to have a baby." Yep, I'm pretty sure that's what my neighbor meant when he said it to me. I am totally sure he wasn't making any reference to the size of my belly. No way!

This is NOT, in any way, meant to be funny AT ALL. I have a serious question. What would cause someone to lose their entire nose? I saw a man at the hospital (when I was there for my checkup) on Tuesday, and he had no nose. He just had a hole in his face. It absolutely broke my heart. I was going to research it but never did. Do you know? Have you ever seen something like that? So sad.

Tristan's birthday is coming up on Monday, so Channing and I have planned lots of fun things for him all weekend. Tomorrow is "Tristan Fun Day". We're going to take him to Subway for lunch (his FAV). After lunch, we're going to take him to the zoo (he's been wanting to go there for so long, but we let our membership lapse). After the zoo (and some time at home), we're taking him to the carnival in town. We went Tuesday night too. He loves that kind of stuff. On Saturday, we're having a little party for him at Chuck E Cheese's, then going to t-ball practice, and then more fun for him Saturday night. I'm sure we'll all be exhausted by his actual birthday on Monday.

Speaking of birthday parties, I'm thinking RSVPs are just totally out of date or something. Out of the 11 kids in his class that we sent invitations to, we only heard back from two. TWO out of ELEVEN. So do people not RSVP at all anymore? I can't say that, though, because all his friends that we MAILED invitations to, called. I don't know. Weird. I will say, though, that we were invited to a birthday party last year, and I found the invitation AFTER the fact. I never called. I was mortified! Maybe the 11 other kids in the class misplace their invitations too. :)

Tristan's party is going to be pretty small. We purposely kept things small this year. In fact, we were just going to do a family party. We felt guilty, though, and ended up letting him invite his closest friends. Chuck E Cheese AND chaos...here we come.

When I was on the treadmill at the gym on Tuesday, I watched, rather perplexed, as a woman in her 50's (at least) read US Magazine. She was on a stationary bike and was reading about Lauren leaving "The Hills". Do you think that woman watches "The Hills"? I mean, she was at least in her 50's. I can say with 99% confidence that my mom has absolutely no idea who Lauren Conrad is and what "The Hills" is.

A patient brought my boys organic suckers today. Who knew there was such a thing?! They loved them!
Speaking of patients and candy...we have a sweet retired lady who is a patient of ours. Every time she comes in, she brings my boys TONS of candy. I don't know how to handle it. I would just throw it away, but she stays a really long time, and gives it directly to them. By the time she's left, they've both loaded up. It drives me crazy! I really need to get a handle on this situation.

My heart and prayers go out to the family of Natasha Richardson. What a sad and shocking death. I pray that God will comfort her boys, her husband, and the rest of her boys during this time of loss.

Due to the crazy economy, home alarm systems are being marketed full force. We had someone come try to sell us a system a week or two ago. Nothing beats Life Alert, though. I keep seeing it advertised on tv, and while it looks like they have good intentions, I have one major problem with it. My problem is the cameras they use to see intruders in your home. If there is actually an intruder in your home, it's great if they can see them. However, how are we, as consumers, to be sure that these Life Alert people aren't spying on us any chance they get??? I mean, I would be worried that these Life Alert people would see me every time I had to make a mad noodle dash to the dryer to get a towel before I jumped in the shower. That's not all. I just don't really want people to have any chance of spying in on my home. That just makes me nervous for some reason. Am I alone in this?

Well folks, that's all I've got for this week. I would love to hear some of your random thoughts. Please share!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

Good day, my faithful reader! Welcome to this week's addition of my random thoughts. Since I didn't post my thoughts last week, this week's post is a culmination of two weeks worth of randomness. So, here goes...What are people thinking? I mean, seriously...what are people thinking? Sometimes I see people out in the general public and think that maybe they should be given some special life-training or something. For instance, today as I was pulling out of my neighborhood, I had to wait on some car that was driving like five miles an hour. I wondered, "Why is this woman driving so slowly?" Well, it was because she had her big giant cat sitting on the dashboard IN FRONT OF HER STEERING WHEEL...in her line of sight. Um, hello? That is not only dangerous for her and the cat but also for the rest of the drivers and pedestrians out there. Nevermind that I had to follow her for two miles of turtle driving, but she was allowing her BIG cat to block her driving vision. Now THAT is crazy. That woman needs some basic life-lessons. If she's driving around with her cat on her dashboard, what else might she be doing? Hmmmm...

When people cut their fingernails or toenails really short, it gives me the heevie cheevies. It really does. I can't even look. It just looks so painful to see nails cut down into the skin. Ouch! How do people do it? I don't even understand how it's possible to cut some nails so short. Aren't they attached to the skin? OWWWWWWEEEEE!!!

Ok, so I told you a couple of weeks ago how I got distracted at church by someone dancing super fast during slows song while we were worshiping (I'm not proud of it, ok?). This past Sunday, I was distracted again. This time, it was by a teenage couple who were incredibly touchy-feely during prayer time. I am an eye-closer during prayer, but last week as I was preparing to bow my head for prayer, this couple in front of me all but started making out. Then it was like I couldn't pry my eyes away. I mean, didn't these kids realize we were in church?! During prayer?! Freaked me out, people! If they're doing that during prayer, what are they doing when they aren't in church??? As a mother, I grieved for that couple.

When I see people texting at church, I choose to believe that they are taking notes on their fancy phones. I choose to believe that they are so into Pastor Chris's message, they have to type it all into their phones (I mean, it's lighter than a laptop, right?). Thing is, it would be a little easier to believe if I didn't constantly see facebook updates made about being in the church service.

In my last Random Thoughts post, I posted about my lack of desire to hold hands at church. Case in point...last night, we were asked to hold hands and to pray for the people on both sides of us. I did so, and after we were done praying, the girl beside me rubbed her hand (the one I had previously held) on her pants for a good 30 seconds! MORTIFYING! I promise my hand wasn't sweaty!!! I must have just seemed like a gross, germy person or something. Now my fear of hand-holding is further elevated. Grrrrrreat.

I think Katie Holmes' hair extensions look fabulous! I really like them. They make her look so young and beautiful. Great job, Katie!

Have you seen the previews for the new comedy series, "In the Motherhood?" As a mother, it looks HILARIOUS!!! I am going to have to check it out. It just look so funny!

Speaking of motherhood, if you have more than two children (or, like me, two and one on the way), you have had some random person either ask you if all your kids belong to you or ask in shock, "You're having another one?!" As a mother, I think it's easy to take offense to that question, but lately I have been convinced that people ask with such shock and horror because they have been exposed to such poorly behaved kids out in public. I am serious, people! You may be a parent of three or more super well-behaved kids, but chances are, for every family like yours, there are three that have wild, un-disciplined, destructive kids. I know because I continually come in contact with these kinds of families. The ones where they don't discipline their children because they either a). don't believe in it or b.) don't know how. I don't know, but if your children are a destructive distraction to everyone around, that's NOT o.k. It's really not. My kids are not perfect, by any means. They are a work in progress. However, it is not o.k. for kids to point guns (toy guns, of course, but any gun fits this category) in adults faces and shoot. That's NOT o.k. It's not o.k. for kids to run screaming through professional offices causing destruction with every step they take. It is NOT o.k. for kids to get into other people's personal belongings and help themselves to it. It is NOT o.k. for kids to disrespect adults, including their parents, by sassing back. The Bible is very clear on the need and call to discipline your children. So if you are a hard-working parent who strives to raise disciplined children, and someone asks you in horror if all your kids belong to you...just take pride in knowing that YOU are NOT the reason they ask. It's the wild and woolly family they just had to cross in Target or their doctor's office.

Speaking of parenting, and if I am going to be forthright in sharing my random thoughts for the past two weeks (because this thought has plagued me), I am driven crazy when I hear parents count for their kids. No, I don't mean counting in order to teach your kids how to count. I mean counting to three in order to get your kids to obey. During a parenting course at church, I learned that when you count to three, you are giving your kids two times to totally ignore what you are asking/telling them to do. If you say, "Billy, I am going to count to three, and if you're not over here, you're in trouble!", you are not teaching your kids that you are not serious until you get to three. They are totally disrespecting you until you get to three. Until I learned that, I, too, was a counter. Now I don't count at all, but I do still have to work on not threatening and repeating. It's basically the same thing. So if you're a counter, don't stop because it annoys me. It's none of my business. However, you may want to reflect on the fact that your kids don't obey until you start counting. Are you o.k. with that?

Why do restaurants use any other brand of ketchup besides Heinz? I mean, the rest are pretty terrible. Hunt's? What?! When I see Hunts at a restaurant, I cringe. That is not real ketchup. This girl has got to have the real deal. :)

I wish I could use the stair stepper at the gym. I can't, though. I have no idea how to use it. Every time I try, I end up embarrassing myself. I don't know why I can't figure the thing out, but I can't. I guess I'm not coordinated enough. I tried it again last week and had to get off and get on the elliptical. If you ever see me at the gym, can you give me lessons? I'll probably be too embarrassed to try again.

Ok, so if you have been reading my blog, you know that I am expecting a baby girl this summer. Usually when I tell someone we're having a girl, they tell me how expensive they are. Knowing this little tidbit, I thought I would start doing the dreaded...CONSIGNMENT SHOPPING. You see, I don't do that very well. I avoid places like TJ Maxx and consignment shops because I can't handle sorting through racks of different types of clothes. Having a girl, though, I was determined to learn. I was convinced that it would be worth the trouble. Well, last week I went to my first consignment sale (since being pregnant with a girl). Um, yeah. I had to leave after going through two racks. It COMPLETELY stressed me out. It was terrible. I could not handle it. I called both my mom and Channing to tell them that consignment shopping probably wasn't going to work out for me. I really really want to be a frugal consignment shopper, but it requires a special kind of patience and talent that I just don't possess. That makes me sad, but that's just how it is. I guess I'll just continue to spend my time doing frugal grocery shopping. That, I can handle. Actually, I'm pretty good at it. :) That's how I will save my family extra bucks.

All my life, I have put my hair behind my ears. It's just a subconscious habit. I've always wanted to have those cool hairstyles where you wear it completely down, and I've gotten some of those haircuts. Thing is, I can never leave it that way. I have to push my hair behind my ears. If I don't, it drives me crazy. Because of this, when I was little, I always worried it would cause my ears to stick out. I'm still waiting for that to happen. Does that happen?

Through my three pregnancies, I have received all kinds of random comments from strangers (and friends, alike). With this pregnancy, I haven't received nearly as many offensive statements as I did with the other two. I'm sure they're coming, especially since I have now entered my final trimester. Last week, though, one comment from a guy Channing and I are friends with really stood out. He saw me at church and said, "Wow! You've really popped out there." Ok, at first this wasn't sounding so good, but then he followed it up with, "I mean, you look the same everywhere else, your belly has just popped out there." Now THAT is how you approach a pregnant woman, especially if you're a guy. I mean, most guys don't know what to say, but he paid me a compliment in a roundabout way. I appreciated his comment. :)

Ok, if you hung with me through this super long random thoughts post, I applaud you. I was pretty long-winded. Now it's your turn. What random thoughts would you like to share??? It would make my day to read them.

In the meantime, I hope you have a thrilling Thursday!!!

Summer Shoes

It's that time again...time to be stocking up on summer shoes. For the past three summers, Tristan has donned Crocs the whole season. Each year, he's had multiple colors to choose from: tan, brown, red, blue, navy... As is usual each summer, Tristan has outgrown all his summer shoes from last year. That leaves me with a big decision...what style of shoe(s) do I get him for this year? I love Crocs because they're just so stinkin' easy. There are no laces to tie, he can pick out a pair and easily get them on, they can be thrown in the washing machine, they're breathable...they're just plain simple.

Thing is, the bigger the Croc, the less cute they are. I mean, when he was two, they were PRECIOUS! His little tiny Crocs on his little tiny feet were too cute for words. They were so great back then because he had such puffy feet that it was hard to get regular sandals on him. Crocs were an easy fit. Now he wears a big size, and I'm worried he'll look silly with big 'ole Crocs on.

So what do I do? Do I go with the convenience and ease of Crocs even though they aren't as cute as they were a couple of years back? Or do I go with something else? What else is there? What is your boy going to be wearing this spring/summer? Asher is easy. I'll get him some Crocs and some little brown sandals (I have a favorite kind of sandal for him). Easy. He's still got cute tiny feet.
Rachel, these are what I like for Asher. He had a pair last year, and they were just so cute and so easy. I love them! They are Sea Wee saltwater sandals:
But what do I do about my big boy?
What is your son going to be sporting this spring and summer season?

Thursday's Random Thoughts

Thursday's Random Thoughts is on hiatus this week. I figured if all the t.v. shows could show repeats, I could keep my thoughts to myself for a week. So tune in next week for more of my strange and random thoughts.

To Be Continued...

Oooo My Bebe!

That's a little phrase Asher and I say to each other. I love this little man!!!

Talk About a Gift...

...my boys LOVE the gift that Holly's friend, Mary, sent them.

This past weekend, I had the joy of celebrating Holly's 30th birthday with her and lots of her good friends. It was a surprise party in Tennessee and was a complete blast! From the ride up with my sweet friend, Ellen, to staying with and getting to know Lindsey's precious family, to the party and ride home, the whole event was so much fun.

One thing that really stood out and was so special was that Holly's friend, Mary, brought my boys (who she has never met, btw) a very special gift. Prior to the party, she emailed me telling me that she knew we just went to Disney. She asked me if we got any of the BIG foam dinosaurs while we were there (because she also knew that Tristan is a big fan of dinos). I told her we saw them but didn't end up buying any. Then she offered to give me the ones her kids had. She said they were too old for them now.

Isn't that awesome?! Mary had never met me or my kids yet so generously offered to search for and bring me a fabulous gift. I knew it from her emails, and it was confirmed in person, but Mary is such a kind-hearted and giving person. She was so great to Ellen and me and treated us like she's known us forever. I feel so blessed to have met her and so pleased to know that Holly has such awesome friends in Tennessee.

Thank you, again, Mary (if you're reading this). My boys LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these dinosaurs! Seriously, people, Tristan wanted to take them in the restaurant at lunch yesterday (I talked him out of it). They haven't left his side much in the day and a half that he's had them.

Check 'em out!Both boys LOVE the dinosaurs!
As you can see, Tristan even slept with the dinosaurs! He likes them that much. Now I don't know about you, but that red dinosaur is not something I would not like to have staring me in the face when I wake up in the morning!Dinosaurs...one more great addition to a fantastic weekend!

Everyone Else Is Posting About Snow...

...so why not one more?

Once Ellen and I got back into town on Sunday, I had her drop me off at church to meet up with Channing, Tristan, and PaPa (aka Channing's dad). At the entrance, someone had built a really unique snowman. Since I missed most of the boys playing in the snow, I had to take a picture of Tristan with the ugly, oops, I mean unique snowman.
As we were leaving the church, I had to get a picture of the sign. It looked so pretty surrounded by snow!
I was so excited, when we got home, to see that we still had a good bit of snow. I was able to watch Tristan enjoy it! I figured I would miss it all, but I didn't. YEA!!!

Tristan making a snowball...Good one, T!That's what I like to see...an attack on Daddy! :)He was so proud of himself AND running for dear life after throwing his snowball!Notice Channing is getting ready to lob one at me. I was his favorite target.Channing said the boys played a lot in the snow that morning before church. He said T had a blast but that Asher wasn't a big fan. It was just too cold for his sweet little hands. I wish I had thought to do Leisha's trick...socks on the hands. I couldn't find any of his gloves or mittens. Terrible!

I love the snow, but now I'm ready for spring. I have had enough of this cold weather. I'm ready for the time change, the warm weather, walks around the neighborhood, the whole shabang! Come on, spring!!!

Surprises Are So Much Fun!

Saturday was a very special day. It was the 30th birthday of one of my favorite people...Holly! I met Holly in college when we both pledged Alpha Gam together. Through the years, I have been blessed to call her my friend. I love Holly for so many reasons, but some of my favorite things about her:

• She always shoots it straight. If you want an honest answer or opinion, ask Holly. I love that about her! With some people, you know they'll sugar coat things but leave you wondering if they have given you the truth or what they thought you wanted to hear. With Holly, I know that I can always count on her to tell me the truth. That is a true gift and something that I really appreciate.
• She is so much fun. Holly is the life of the party. She loves to have fun and brings out the fun in others. At her party, she was quick to sing karaoke, not shy one bit. Very different from myself. :)
• She is super chic. Holly is always dressed and styled in the latest fashion, yet she knows how to do it in a budget. How cool is that?! She is a mom of three, but you would never catch her in mom jeans. You will always find Holly showing off the latest trends.
• She's a great mom. She loves her three precious kiddos and will do whatever it takes to ensure that they are healthy and taken care of, even if it goes against traditional thinking. For instance, she delivered two of her three children sans medication. She's a tough mama!
• Holly is a fantastic friend. She would do anything for those she loves. She has a big heart and really cares. I am so blessed to call her my friend!

On to the party! So Saturday afternoon, Ellen (another super sweet friend) and I drove up to Franklin, TN (actually, it was outside of Franklin, I think) to attend Holly's surprise party. It was at the home of a friend of hers. We stopped at her sister, Lindsey's, house first (what a treat! We got to meet her precious husband and kiddos. Thanks, Lindsey, for opening your home to us!). From Lindsey's we drove to the party. We hung out there and met many of Holly's fabulous friends. Once she arrived, those of us who were surprise guests (leave it to Holly to figure out her friends were having a party for her), hid in different rooms of the house. We took turns coming out and surprising her. It was a BLAST! I wish I had a picture of her face. TOTAL surprise! LOVED it!
Here are some pics from Saturday night:

Holly blowing out her candles. I wish I had a picture of the cupcakes. They were so pretty in their boxes! Um, yeah. So she had a baby like a week and a half ago. Where is the baby weight?! Seriously...NO FAIR! Opening presents. She got some great stuff!Showing off some new jewelry!Ellen, Holly, and me:The party was a lot of fun. There was great food and great entertainment...karaoke! Ok, on the note of karaoke, they kept trying to get Ellen and me to sing, but the thing is...all these girls really sing well. It wasn't a fair arena for those of us who don't sound like we're country music stars. Seriously, they all sounded like pros, and they kepts us in stitches! I mean, until you've seen a tiny southern mama of three sing Fergie, you don't know what you're missing!

I feel fortunate to have been able to meet so many of Holly's great friends. They were a lot of fun and so welcoming. They made Ellen and me feel totally at home, like we had known them forever. Holly, you are SO blessed!

As we were leaving the party and heading back to Lindsey's, it was snowing. It was so incredibly beautiful! Here is a shot of Ellen and me in the snow. On the way back to Lindsey's (who I never got a picture with. What is up with that?!), it was snowing so hard, it was hard to see. We felt like we were in some kind of theme park ride!

I am so thankful that I was able to make it to Tennessee to celebrate a very special birthday. AND not only did I get to celebrate with the birthday girl, spend time with great friends, but I also got to meet Holly's precious new addition, Eli. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of him! He is so tiny and so beautiful!!!

All in all, Saturday was so much fun!!!

More About Disney

Disney~Part 2

So after our yummy ummy delicious breakfast at O'Hana, the boys and I headed to Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom are our personal family favorites. Since we love Magic Kingdom so much, we spent the whole day there. This day also happened to be my actual 30th birthday. If I had realized, at the time, that we were going to spend the whole day there, I would have taken advantage of the Disney deal where you get a FREE park visit on your birthday. I never printed my pass out because I was sure we would park hop. Well, we didn't, and I wasted a free ticket. BUMMER! Oh well. We had a blast anyway.

Here is a shot of Tristan and me on the Dumbo ride. Tristan is a good driver. :)
This trip, we actually got to ride the race cars (well, Tristan and Channing did. Since I am pregnant, it isn't recommended that I ride this ride). I got to watch, though. That was fun. On our other trips, the line for this ride was always so long, we just always skipped it. This trip was great, though, because the parks were not nearly as busy as the last two. Woo hoo!
Saturday night,we enjoyed a super duper fabulous dinner at Boma (I highly recommend. Seriously, the food was AWESOME!). Boma was located at our hotel, and it was a huge African-inspired buffet. The food was amazing. Even Tristan loved it. And since it was my birthday, I got a card from the servers, and this extra special dessert. I had already eaten dessert, and I'm not a huge chocolate fan, so I let my boys enjoy it. :) After dinner, we headed back to Magic Kingdom to watch the Magic Lights Parade and fireworks. The fireworks were so incredibly beautiful, and it was really cool to see Tinkerbell fly from the top of Cinderella's Castle (ok, this was a real person, and that is one high castle. There is NO way I could ever do that. She was attached to a cord, but oh my! Scary).Sunday was our last day at Disney. It was a quick trip, and we fit in as much as possible. We started Sunday with a character breakfast at Tusker House in Animal Kingdom. We tried all week to get reservations, but they were always full. Lucky for us, though, we just showed up, and they fit us in. YEA!!!
Here is a shot of my boys enjoying their breakfast. Notice Tristan has a musical instrument in his hand. The characters, and some of the patrons, were doing a parade through the restaurant. Tristan was way more interested in eating but made a little music on the side. :)A visit from Daisy:And Goofy:And since it's Donald's Tusker House, of course, he was there:A family shot with the host:And you always have to have a picture with Mickey!After a great breakfast at Tusker House, we decided to spend our last day at Animal Kingdom. First up, the Kilimanjaro Safari. This is one of our most favorite rides. You see so many animals, right outside your jeep. VERY cool! Here is a shot of the crocodiles. SCARY!!!Some of the African elephants:These trees are so impressive! I forget the actual name of the trees, but they're upside down trees. They look like their roots are coming out the top. I think they're beautiful!Reticulated giraffe. We had these at our hotel too. Incredibly beautiful:I think this is a kudu:Here is a shot of our family in front of the Tree of Life. It's at the center of Animal Kingdom and is really cool. It's got animals cut into the tree. Really neat!Ok, so at one point, I think after seeing the tigers, Tristan wanted to stop by a store. Mind you, it was our last day at Disney, and he wanted to spend his time playing with the store's dragons. Oh yeah. Just what every parent dreams of when they dream of taking their kids to Disney World...their kids wanting to watch tv or play with dragons. Grrrrreat.Here he is in his "sombrero". Yes, I know it's not a sombrero, and I told him several times that it wasn't a sombrero, but I don't think he believed me. Oh well.Here are my boys in Asia. This was taken right after seeing the gorgeous tigers, which we somehow missed on both our last trips. How? I have no idea.Ok, this was the coolest thing! Tristan told me his friend, D, from school was going to be at Disney during the same time, but I didn't really believe it. Well guess what?! As we were getting ready to leave Animal Kindgom, I heard a man say, "Tristan". I was sure it was someone who had heard me calling Tristan's name and asking him to speed up. I turned around, and I saw D's mom and dad. CRAZY! We could not believe that we ran into them. I mean, talk about small world!One last shot from our balcony before we checked out. A shot of my boys at the hotel in front of the animal exhibit:This was some big structure in the hotel lobby. It had something to do with Africa. It was really cool, so I had to get a shot. Of course, Tristan just wanted to get back to his favorite spot...Yep, this was Tristan's favorite spot...the t.v!The flight home...Tristan was exhausted! He passed out before we were fully in the air. One minute, he was watching the takeoff, next minute, this is what he was doing:All in all, this was a super quick but super great trip! It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with Tristan, doing what he wanted to do. You know, I figured he would be so excited to have a weekend focused solely on him, but he really missed Asher. Several times, he said, "I wish Asher was here. He would love seeing that." Or "I wish Asher was here. He really likes Mickey Mouse." Stuff like that. It was really really sweet. See, he does love his brother after all. :)

GREAT trip!