Thursday's Random Thoughts

What a quick week...just the kind I like! It's already Thursday, and I couldn't be more thrilled! NO WORK TOMORROW!!! Woo hoo! Since it's Thursday, that means it's time for you to take a little peek inside my head and to the strange thoughts that have been going through it this week.
What is the big deal about this DTV switch? I am over the commercials and constant warnings. I mean, they even have CLASSES FOR THIS THING! It's such a big deal, President Obama delayed the switch because apparently the year that Bush gave everyone wasn't enough time for everyone to get prepared. What? If you haven't figured it out by now, you're probably not going to. Listen, people, tv is switching to digital. Either get a digital tv set, get a converter box, or subscribe to cable. SIMPLE. I should get paid for that.

Last weekend at the lake, three ducks made Channing's parents' home their one stop shop for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Seriously, at every mealtime, we would hear ducks quacking. We would look over the deck, and there they were...the three amigos, ready for their feast. Tristan thought it would be a good idea to name them. There were two males and one female, and we named the female "Minnie". Then, Tristan named the other two. The first male, he named "Spicy"...ok, Spicy...whatever. The second male, he gave a more "colorful" name, a name we quickly had to change (which totally confused him). He named the second male "Horny". Yeah, for some reason, we didn't think it would be a good idea for our five year old to be yelling, "Hey, Horny!" over the balcony three times a day. After some coaxing, Tristan changed the duck's name. His new name became "Feather".

Did you watch the premiere of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" on Monday night? I will admit, I did watch it. However, I was so uncomfortable. I felt like I was invading on personal family issues. I felt guilty watching it. It's a train wreck and is so incredibly heartbreaking. I mean, to publicly go through your marital problems on national television just seems wrong to me. I feel for those kids, I feel for the couple. I don't know if and what of the rumors are true and probably never will, but still...my heart aches for that family.

Jay Leno has two nights left on "The Tonight Show". Is anyone else sad about this? I admit, I don't regularly watch the show. I watch it every now and then (I'm more of a David Letterman fan), but still...it's Jay Leno...it's his show. I like Conan O'Brian ok but feel like they're pushing Jay out too soon. I mean, even David Letterman talks about how Jay totally knocks his ratings out of the water. Hope NBC is making the right decision.

Is there such a thing as "permanent pregnancy"? I'm wondering because I feel like I'm currently suffering from it. I feel like I've been pregnant FOREVER and that there is no end in sight. I have shown zero progress (according to my doctor), and I'm just wondering if anything will ever change. The only thing that seems to be changing is that I now have CONSTANT heartburn (probably as a result of my stomach that sits on my legs all the time), my clothes are ill-fitting, and I get very little sleep. I will eventually have this baby, right?

So last week, I was dealing with PUPPP. Thankfully, my boys' prayers and Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap has almost completely cleared it up. Seriously, it's a miracle! My doc was pretty shocked and impressed. Supposedly, there is no cure for this stuff. Well, we have found the cure, for me at least. Thanks, boys, for your constant prayers (Asher was so sweet, he would constantly come up and ask to pray for my belly, and Tristan would always remember at bedtime)!

I had a great week at Publix last week. I spent $50 and saved $120. I was totally ethical about it, used their store sales and coupons and didn't just stick to processed foods. I got fresh fruits and veggies too. I LOVE PUBLIX! $170 worth of groceries for $50!!! YEA!

So with Tristan, I did a completely natural childbirth, absolutely no drugs. It was tough, but I was so proud of myself when it was all said and done. Asher's birth was induced (because he was eight days late) and was much more difficult to go sans epidural (I went w/o one for eight hours and finally gave up). With the impending birth (should I not be permanently pregnant), I am hoping for another successful natural childbirth. With natural childbirth, I realize that a lot of people think I'm crazy. Yeah, it's painful, but I think a lot of people think it's crazy because of the way some natural childbirth people present themselves. And by that, I mean in the nude. Seriously, what is up with people thinking they have to be in their noodles (a family term for being in the buff) to deliver their children without drugs? With Tristan, we did the Bradley Method of Natural Childbirth, and all through the videos and books, the women were in their noodles. Not only that, but the men were in speedos and NO SHIRTS. What in the world?! Not necessary. Then, this past weekend, I finally got around to watching "The Business of Being Born" (GREAT movie if you want to know the history of childbirth in America, and if you're at all interested in natural childbirth). I enjoyed it but was turned off by the whole "natural childbirth/noodle show". One woman in the whole movie had a shirt on when she delivered. Listen, people. I delivered Tristan with my hospital gown on. There was no requirement to give up all my clothes in order to go without an epidural. So if that's holding you back, don't let it. :)

I am so in love with my boys. My two year old is currently running around upstairs wearing jammy shorts, no shirt, a fireman's hat, and a Wiggles light up flashing toy. LOVE it!

Ok, that's all I've got for this week. My thoughts are pretty much revolved around this pregnancy and childbirth. I have the same thoughts over and over, so I am pleading for you to share your random thoughts. Give my readers something to smile about. :)

He's Officially Graduated!

It's official, Tristan is no longer a pre-schooler. As of last week, he graduated from K4 and is ready to move on to kindergarten. Too bad his daddy and I aren't quite ready for it yet! Last week, we attended his pre-school graduation. It was bittersweet. I just can't believe he will no longer attend the school he's been at for the past five years. My heart breaks! Here are some pictures from graduation:

My two little curly heads:
Tristan riding the rocking horse for the very last time. This horse was a major favorite when he was two. Every time Channing and I would pick him up from school, he would beg to ride it, sometimes waiting up to five minutes for another child to finish their turn. *sniff*Asher's first ride (I'm sure of many) on the rocking horse. He's supposed to get started next year.Here is Tristan with his favorite classmate, "M". They hung out in the classroom until showtime.Tristan and Ms. Ashley. Thanks for a great year, Ms. Ashley!My little man during the performance (a performance which was re-performed all weekend at the lake) with the rest of his precious class. He was too cute! They all were.Holding his certificate, showing that it's official. He's ready for kindergarten!Our family. I am so blessed! I love these boys and am so proud of each of them. I'm proud of Tristan completing pre-school and am now trying to gear myself up for big school. Will I ever be ready??? Get ready kindergarten teachers! I'm going to be up there as much as possible. You'll know me well! :) Hey, I'm a former teacher...you may need me. ;)CONGRATULATIONS, TRISTAN!!! I am so proud of you!!!

Final Game and T-Ball Party

Sadly, our t-ball season came to an end last week. We played the Diamondbacks, and though we played a phenomenal game, we came up short in the last inning. We lost but were so incredibly proud of our little men. They did AWESOME! Here are some pictures from our last game.

My adorable second baseman. He played SO well, even catching a hard ball and getting someone out on second. He was very proud of himself!Lining up to congratulate the Diamondbacks after the game:The last team talk and prayer with Coach B.J. He was a great coach!After every game, Asher had a blast running the bases and yelling, "TIME!" He'll be ready when he gets to t-ball. :)Hat cocked, snack in hand, smile on face. It was a fun game!My Tristan and his favorite first base coach:We were so thankful that Mimi and PaPa were able to make it to so many games this year. It meant a lot to Tristan to have them there. This isn't a picture from the Diamondbacks game (they weren't able to make it to that one), but rather was taken at the first tournament game against the Cubs. We won that one! ;)And the team party. It was at a local pizza place that has an arcade. The boys had a BLAST! Here is our adorable team:Our team mom (the GREATEST EVER!) had this cake and cupcakes made. Each cupcake was designed to look like one of our players. It was TOO CUTE! She was all upset because she dropped them on the way into the party, and they got all messed up. I still thought they looked great...and tasted AMAZING! Tristan shooting some basketball:Ready for pizza!And, of course, the most favorite part of the party...THE TROPHY!!! All the boys were super proud of their trophies, and Tristan was no exception. Here he is showing it off:T-ball is over. Sad, sad, sad. Loved this season and am looking so forward to the fall. In the meantime, I guess we'll have lots of fun practicing and with his new love, golf!

It Stopped Raining Every Once in a While

This past weekend, the boys and I packed up and headed down to the lake for some R & R (we certainly didn't head down there for the sun and warm weather). The boys LOVE going to the lake and hanging out with Mimi and PaPa, so they had a blast, despite all the rain. Here are some pictures from our Memorial Day weekend:

The boys feeding the ducks. These ducks are so trained. They showed up at the house at breakfast time, lunch time, and dinner time. I mean, do ducks not fish for their own food anymore???I LOVE these boys!!!My three favorite boys riding the Sea Doo. I don't which of the three likes it best. It's safe to say, it's a family favorite.Here are the boys having lunch on Mimi and PaPa's new covered deck. Until this year, the deck has been uncovered, but the covering is this year's new addition. Needless to say, it's a hit with the family! This family of boys, including PaPa, loves to eat outside. They don't mind the mosquitos as much as I do.Gotta love corn on the cob!My boys do!And finally, Tristan's new favorite pasttime...golf! PaPa took him to the driving range at the club this weekend, and it's official...he LOVES it! He now has his own clubs and is planning to take some lessons this summer. I know I'm his mom, but he was hitting it pretty well, especially for a kid who has never played. The next Tiger Woods? Probably not, considering he's starting at five and Tiger was already prospering at three, but who knows? It will be fun for him to learn and something he can do with his daddy and PaPa. Golf is a sport you can play all your life. Gotta love that, right?Isn't he the cutest? Of course, he was breaking the "collar rule". We made sure to send him in a collared shirt the next day. Golf is a gentleman's game, and he didn't look much like a gentleman the first day.Well, those are just a few of our snapshots. I hope you had a great Memorial weekend!

Facebook Fridays

Here is this week's notable Facebook status update:

______________ is wondering if the guy I saw, while driving, yesterday brushing his teeth, with what appeared to be gatorade and toothpaste, will still have teeth by the time he is 50?

How about you? Any of your facebook friends have a status this week that made you laugh, smile, or roll your eyes? If so, by all means...SHARE!

Have I Mentioned...

that I love Kris Allen? I think he is so precious, humble, and has such a great voice. I can't wait to start downloading his songs on itunes! Here is one of my favorite performances by him, and it's not from American Idol. Check it out!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

Happy Thursday, folks! Once again, it's time for my completely obscure and random thoughts. These are thoughts that have popped into my head this week, for better or for worse.
Here goes:T-ball is officially over. We played our last game (ok, when I say "we" I mean Tristan and the rest of his team. Though I get into it as if I were on the team, I am merely a bystander...a loud bystander). We made it to the second of three games in the playoffs and were hanging in until the fourth inning. Sadly, we made some fatal errors at bat during the fourth inning and were unable to recover. The other team won, but it didn't feel that way. Our boys played such an amazing game and improved so much this season, it felt like they won. They batted great, they fielded great (Tristan had an AMAZING catch at second and ran to get the runner out. He was SO proud of himself, and I was so proud, I had to fight back the tears. The joy on his face over what he had done was a priceless treasure!). We had a great season, with a great team, and great coaches. I'm incredibly sad it's over, but I still have the fall season to look forward to.

Yesterday, as I was heading to work, I saw some little girls doing a little dance routine behind their house. Did you do that growing up? Don't all little girls? I remember my friends and I making up little dance routines and doing them over and over and over. Of course, we had to make up our own because we didn't make cheerleading when we were little. But really, who needs to make the squad when you can make up your own dances? I mean, we were just as cool, right?

Speaking of making cheerleading, I finally made it in middle school, but I often wonder how in the world I made it. I was AWFUL. I mean really really terrible. I'm pretty sure the judges must have had it out for our middle school. When I look back at videos, I cringe. My skinny legs, my lack of coordination, it was scary. No wonder the eighth grade cheerleaders hated my in the seventh grade! I cheered in HS too, with my skinny legs. I think I was a little better then than in middle school, but still, my skinny legs were not cute, not cute at all. My parents used to say that I had sticks with knots on the back. Yep, that pretty much described my legs. Too bad it's all too easy to gain extra weight these days!

Tuesday night, I attended my first meeting at Tristan's soon to be kindergarten. It was so surreal. I mean, how is it that my baby is old enough to go to big school?! When exactly did that happen??? I had a really hard time with it. I cried all the way home, which made Channing super happy because he thought that would be his chance to convince me to homeschool. It didn't happen. I just can't believe that my baby is going to be going to big school, eating in the lunchroom, going to recess, etc. *SOB*

Speaking of my meeting, ok, seriously. How hard is it to listen to other people's questions so that the rest of us don't have to hear the same questions and answers (phrased only slightly differently) over and over and over again? Really. Aren't we all adults? I don't know why, but that kind of thing drives me crazy. I'm pretty sure if I had been one of the ladies leading the meeting, I would have given a big sarcastic smile and said, "Like I told the other two moms who asked, 'Yes, it's ok for your child to come TO school one way and to GO home another way." Some of the answers to the questions people were asking were in the little book they gave us (which I was reading during the repeat questions). I so desperately wanted to tell the moms to read their guides. I didn't, though. Instead, I sat in a meeting that was supposed to last an hour, but lasted longer, while people repeated the same questions.

Guess what?! This has NEVER happened to me before. This is my third pregnancy, and when I went to the doctor's office on Tuesday, I had not gained ANY WEIGHT. Can you believe it?! I mean, yeah sure, it was only a week...but still! I ALWAYS gain weight. Wow, I'm feeling pretty Cindy Crawford-like this week. Maybe I should break out my bikini this weekend. Ok, I'm not totally out of my mind...just yet.

When I had Asher, they had to page my doctor three times before he finally showed up. He was almost delivered by a nurse. I figured my doc was just super busy or something, but after Channing and I saw him Tuesday, I'm pretty sure he was just out bird-watching. You see, my doc likes birds...he's one of those "bird-watching people". As we were driving by to park, we saw our doc out strolling, in no particular hurry. I laughed and made some jokes about how he seemed to be enjoying himself and didn't seem to be in a hurry. Then I got into the waiting room and laughed even harder. The room was PACKED. Yes, he is one of three docs in the practice, but come on. When his nurse called me back, she said he was out doing a c-section. Clearly he wasn't too worried about anyone waiting on him. As for how long we waited, we were there an hour and a half. Nice, right? I still love my doc, though, even if he takes his time.

While we were waiting, I saw an ad in one of the magazines in his office. It was for a pregnancy test that doubles as a gender predictor. WHA?! Really? I mean, would you trust that? I just don't think I would. I think it's a gimmick to get your money. They have a 50% shot, right? If they get that 50% right, you think it's a great product. If not, oh well, they can't offer guarantees, right?

During this pregnancy, I had the misfortune of developing a horrible, terrible, life-sucking (it seems that way, anyway) condition called PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy). It is the most awful, hideous, and uncomfortable (for the lack of a better word, "uncomfortable" doesn't even BEGIN to explain the pain and need to claw and scratch your skin off feeling). It is really horrible, and I wouldn't wish this condition on anyone. Thing is, I also developed PUPPP with Asher. Well, actually, after having Asher. It was HORRIBLE, MUCH worse case then. I had no idea what it was, and my doctor didn't either. He sent me to a dermatologist (I'll have to share that story later...totally hilarious and totally offensive, that guy. Let's just say that at two weeks post-partum, no mom wants to hear that she "still looks pregnant"). Anyway, this time I developed it during pregnancy, which is much more common. Problem is only 11.something % of women develop this after a first pregnancy. Less than 11% get it post-partum. Around 11% or less get this condition more than one time. 70% have boys....the list goes on. What in the world?! I told my doctor that it makes NO SENSE. Why am I in these LOW percentages?! You know what he said??? "I like to think you're special." WHAT?! I told him I did not want to be special. I'll take average or below-average, thank you very much.

With PUPPP, no one knows the cause (though many speculate...all differently), and no one knows the cure. Of course, docs want to induce, but according to what I've read, the rash sticks around still. My doc offered the induction. No thank you! I did, however, find the closest thing to a cure...PRAISE THE LORD! It's called Grandpa's Pine Tar Soap...the Wonder bar. Can I tell you, it is AWESOME! This rash is supposed to last throughout the pregnancy and up to two weeks after (on average, it lasts 6 weeks...6 weeks of feeling like you want to claw your skin off). Mine is almost gone after four days because of this awesome soap! I got it at a health food store in town, and it works miracles! Now, I DO go around smelling like a pine tree, but hey, I'll take it over red welps on my stomach.

On the subject of this great condition called PUPPP, let me take this time to point out that NO pregnant woman in their last trimester (when they're feeling their most beautiful) wants to have a condition that likens itself to a dog. NO PREGNANT WOMAN, I TELL YOU! How embarrassing to not only have this horrible rash, but to have to tell anyone that you have PUPPP. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them. Oh yeah, I feel GORGEOUS! I'm the big, fat pregnant chick with PUPPP. That's me!

So my mom totally called and ruined the AI results for me. I never would have answered her call had I known she was going to call and blurt out the winner. Who knew she even watched the show?! Of course, I wanted to ruin it for Channing too. It's only fair that we both had our show spoiled, right? Well, I didn't. I let him be surprised, but it sure was tough!

While I'm talking about AI, is it just me, or does Matt Giraud remind you of Freddy Kreuger? I think it's the hat. He always has on that hat.

"If you want my body, and you think I'm sexy, come on sugar let me know..." Um, yeah. Some of those guys definitely should not have been allowed to sing that song while dancing last night. It gave me shivers, and not in a good way. I'm pretty sure I saw some of the most un-sexy moves I've ever seen. Rod Stewart was sexier than an idol contestant or two that was up over-bouncing during the song. Sad, but true.

I have to say that having Kris and Adam sing "We are the Champions" together was not entirely (or even kinda) fair. Clearly Adam Lambert has a Queen voice. There was no way Kris could come close on that one. It's not his genre. Oh well.

Both Adam and Kris are AMAZING. I think they'll both do incredibly well. I love me some Kris Allen, though! What a GREAT season...the best ever!

That's all I've got for this week, folks. Sorry, I know these thoughts aren't very entertaining, but this is what has been on my mind this week. What's been on your mind??? Please share. It sure would make a big, fat pregnant woman with PUPPP very happy!

Thursday's Random Thoughts

Finally...it's Thursday! I don't know how your week has gone, but this has been a looooong one for me. Yesterday seemed like it should have been Thursday to me. Oh well. Thursday is finally here which means that I don't have to work tomorrow...woo hoo!

Since it's finally Thursday, it's time for my random thoughts. These are just strange and random things that have popped into my head this week. Remember when reading, I am a huge, hormonal pregnant woman in the last month of my pregnancy. That means, my thoughts may make absolutely no sense. Hey, they don't even make sense to me!
Here goes:Tuesday night, after Tristan's t-ball game, we were heading home and saw the strangest sight. Actually, saw and heard the strangest thing... At a traffic light, we pulled up beside a man, he had to be in his 60s, on a motorcycle jamming (and I mean jamming...it was LOUD) out to Avril Lavigne's "Complicated". I don't know why, but seeing a man in his 60's, with all his Harley biker gear on (head scarf included), jamming out to Avril Lavigne just strikes me as funny.

Am I the only one who finds all kinds of things to do in order to avoid cleaning? I do. I may take a nap, check the weather online, check the mail, read the paper, just whatever. I do whatever I can to avoid cleaning. It's a problem really.

Can you believe "Lost" won't be back on until 2010? AND if I had to guess, I would say not until February. What is up with that? Not only that, but when it does come back on, it will be the final season. What in the world will I do when this show ends?! I will probably cry and go through withdrawals. It's what I do.

I am super pumped about American Idol!!! Can't wait for next week's shows!!!

Have you guys seen this thing? My mil told me about it, and I am super impressed.

It's called a tummy tub. My mil saw it on the "Today Show" and told me how impressive it was. She said they had like eight babies in these tubs and NONE OF THEM WERE CRYING. Can you imagine?! A bath where no babies are crying? That seems almost foreign to me. Anyway, this tub has been widely used throughout Europe for years. They say it gives the baby the feeling of being back in the womb. It looks really cool, and I think I'm going to have to have one. They're pretty pricey at $45, BUT it's something you use every day (well I would, anyway. I have to wash my kids EVERY day. I just love the smell of a clean baby, and who doesn't feel and sleep better after a bath?). I thought it was so cool, I wanted to share. Check out the site and demo for yourself. Just click on this link: tummy tub.

So now that I'm in the last month of my pregnancy, I have had to start going to the doctor every week. Ugh. I mean, as if every other week wasn't bad enough, I now have to go every week. These visits seem like such a waste of time. I go, I pee, I weigh, get my blood pressure checked, he checks for progress (which is totally pointless, by the way. I mean, all that could change overnight or never change. No one knows), and he asks me if I have any questions. Seeing as how this is my third pregnancy (and with the same doc each time), I never have any questions. I pretty much know what to expect. Why oh why do I have to waste time each week driving down there and sitting and waiting? I'm over it.

When you're pregnant, people feel open to say whatever is on their minds...and I mean whatever. I learned that best with my first two pregnancies ("You're HUGE! Are you SURE it's not twins? Positive?!"), where any and every offensive comment possible came my way. This time, I really haven't had too much of that. Maybe everyone in America reads my blog. ;) However, there is a woman who works at Sonic that feels the need to share really strange and random things about her pregnancy (from 20 years ago) with me every time I go through her line (I go a couple of times a week for a large cup of ice. Their ice is the best!). In the past nine months, she has told me how she smoked all through her pregnancy, how her daughter is now pregnant (I hear that EVERY week), and most recently, she told me about how she misses feeling the baby move in her tummy. This comment (about missing the movement) only came after she told me that she misses being pregnant because that is the only time you can be free of your monthly flow. Nice, lady...real nice. I really didn't need or want to hear that. I could have happily picked up my ice and been on my merry way. Who knows what she'll tell me next week?

I have so much to get done before this baby gets here, but I am so over being pregnant. It's sad because it's my last pregnancy, but I am past the point of enjoying this stage of my life. I am BIG, uncomfortable (there is SO much MORE pressure the third time around), have to get up and pee three times a night, and the heartburn...oh the heartburn. I know I'll look back at this time one day and think of how wonderful it was. It's just hard to imagine that right now. I am blessed, though. I am so fortunate to be pregnant with this gift. I'm just ready to meet her on the outside. Then I'll have to learn how to maneuver three kids. Am I crazy?! Will I figure it out?!

I have this nice, new, pretty chandelier that I am dying to hang in Rhiannon's nursery. Thing is, my husband isn't quite as pumped about it as I am. That means, he is in no hurry to find someone to hang it for us (or to help him figure out how to hang it). She is due in three and half weeks, and I really want to finish her nursery, and I really want to see the chandelier hanging. Why isn't he as excited as I am?! This goes right along with painting. I had planned to paint her room. You should have seen his face on that one. He was WAY more willing to drop a fortune on new bedding, curtains, etc. than to touch a paintbrush (we didn't spend a fortune on all new stuff, but we did redo the nursery). I told him I would do it, but he didn't believe me. So when will my chandelier get hung??? Will it? Do you know how to do it??? If you come help me, I'll cook for you and smile really big. Is there anything better than making a BIG, uncomfortable, hormonal pregnant woman happy??? ;)

*AFTERNOON UPDATE*: I had to share this. It's just too wild. So this afternoon, I was doing a google search of "how to hang a chandelier" (I want this done ASAP, people!), and once I got to "how to ha", google started offering suggestions of searches. Guess what was #1??? "How to have sexual intercourse for the first time". SERIOUSLY! And you know HOW MANY searches that has gotten??? You won't believe this... 67,900,000!!! I am NOT kidding!!! Can you believe that?! Almost 70 million people have googled how to have sexual intercourse for the first time. Ok, on so many levels, I just don't get this. Let's just assume that all these people were preparing for their honeymoons (I know, I'm sure at least a thousand weren't), but let's assume they were. Do people really need the internet to tell them how to have sexual intercourse for the first time? Really?! I thought it was just a natural thing. I mean, how in the world did Adam and Eve get by without google???

Ok, that's all I've got for this week. I'm sure your random thoughts are much more entertaining. Please share! We would all love to know what goes on in your head.

Have a great weekend!!!

My Friends Never Cease to Amaze Me

Walt Whitman once said, "I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don't believe I deserved my friends."

If there's one thing I know, it's that I don't deserve my friends. For some reason, though, God has chosen to bless me with the greatest friends this planet has to offer. I have great friends from high school, amazing friends from college, and fantastic friends I have met since becoming a wife and mom. I often look at my life and wonder what I did that so pleased God that He would bring these amazing women into my life. I am still clueless but oh so very thankful. Words can't express how I feel about my friends, and for me, not being one who is very good at expressing my feelings verbally, it is even more difficult. Just know that my friends are so important to me, each and every one. I don't call them enough, I don't see them enough, I definitely don't tell them enough, but I love them so much!

This past week, some of my super sweet friends planned a surprise baby shower for me. It was set up like a Mom's Night Out. We had not had one in a while, and my friend, Rachael, sent an email out to everyone (really just me) trying to get one set. She set it for a Mexican restaurant in town that we all like. Another friend, Ashley, told me she wouldn't go if I didn't go (to make sure I went) and offered to drive me. Channing, who knew the whole time, acted like he could care less if I went or not (every time I mentioned I might not go, "Ok. That's fine.").

So Ashley picked me up, and we chatted the whole way there. Once we got there and walked around to the back of the restaurant, I saw a group of some of the dearest people in the world...my friends! They were all smiling and proud that they had surprised me (and surprised I was!). I couldn't believe that so many of them took time out of their busy schedules to come shower me. I was so humbled, surprised, somewhat embarrassed, and excited. I think the most exciting part was getting to hang out with these awesome women that I don't get to see nearly enough. There were friends there that I haven't seen in person in FOREVER! It was such an awesome night. I had the greatest time!

Not only did I have a fabulous time with these awesome ladies...
but they also spoiled Rhiannon (and myself) rotten! They way outdid themselves on gifts for baby girl. I was taken aback by all that they did. Here is a shot of the goodies:
She got all kinds of cute stuff. I can't wait to use it all!!! Oh, and I got some things too. One of my sweet friends gave me some chocolate (yummo!) and another gave me an hour massage...awesome!!!

Ladies, thank you all so much. I am truly blessed to know each and every one of you...and your precious kiddos. I love you all!!! Thank you for a great night, a spectacular surprise, and for showering me with love

Facebook Fridays

Here are this week's notable facebook updates:

___________ used to play sports. Then I realized you could just buy trophies. Now I'm good at everything.

And my second:

______________ pick me, Annie, pick me. haha!

LOVE it! :):):)

Have your facebook friends left posted tmi this week? How about something really funny? Strange? Inspiring? If so, please share! :)

Thursday's Random Thoughts

It's Thursday again! That means you, my friend, get to take a peek inside my brain. Be warned, my thoughts are incredibly complex. I hope you can follow along. ;)
Here goes:

This morning, after I dropped Tristan off at school, I was driving to work and nearly plowed a cardinal (the bird) with my car. It flew right in front of my bumper. I literally had to slow WAY down. What in the world?! Ok, I've mentioned it a few times on here, and those who know me well already know, I don't particularly care for birds. They freak me out (Asher feels the same way. He loathes the bird exhibit at the zoo as much as I do~you know...the one where you go in and birds land on your shoulder? *shudder*). Anyway, I didn't want to kill the bird, so I slowed down, but he should really watch where he's going next time. As for bird watchers, I totally don't get it. Why do you want to watch birds? That would bore me to tears. Some people I really admire are bird watchers, so there must be something to it. Who knows?

Is anyone else super sad for Jon and Kate? I don't want to speculate as to whether the rumors are true about Jon's affair, however, I do grieve for the family. Regardless of whether or not he has cheated on Kate, his actions (which he has admitted) are not acceptable for a married man. I wouldn't think it was appropriate for Channing, my husband and the father of my kids, to be out at a club and leaving with a 23 year old girl when I wasn't around. Furthermore, I wouldn't find it appropriate for him to have that same girl over to sunbathe on our front lawn. As a married person, it's just not acceptable. My heart aches for their marriage and for their precious children. I hope the hurts can be healed and their marriage totally restored. I know it's none of my business, but my heart hurts all the same.

What is it about water and heartburn? Why are they such great friends? Maybe you don't know what I'm talking about. Maybe you've never had massive heartburn after sipping a nice, cold glass of water. I, however, have had the "pleasure" of this experience with every pregnancy. I'm over it. I am ready for heartburn to take a hike!

Speaking of heartburn taking a hike, as of this Sunday, I will be at a point in my pregnancy where we could be welcoming baby Rhiannon anywhere from the next two to six weeks (depending on whether she's early, on time, or late). That is so hard to believe. In many ways (especially physically), I'm ready. However, I have so much to get done before she arrives. Will I ever truly be ready?

Kris made it in the top three!!! YEA!!! I was so excited! He is my favorite American Idol contestant. I was sad to see Allison go (she is incredibly talented and will, no doubt, have a big career in her future), but I was glad Kris was saved.

Have you ever seen Cindy Crawford's kids? She has a son and daughter, and seriously, it should be illegal to be that gorgeous. Her kids are even more beautiful than she is. I don't even know how it's possible. If you have never seen them, you should google them right now. UNREAL!

Our dog, Bubsy (one of his MANY nicknames), got a haircut a couple of days ago, and it's like we got a brand new dog (Asher thought he was a new dog. He refused to believe it was Bubsy for the first 12 hours or so). That haircut gave him so much confidence. He is no longer hiding under the bed, he is constantly out and about, as if to show off his new look. It's funny to think that something like a haircut can do the same for a dog as it does for you and me. Speaking of, I am in DESPERATE need. I need to go downstairs and call my hairdresser ASAP!

So I had a patient ask me this week if the baby is still a girl. I found that to be a strange question, as if maybe 'she' had changed into a 'he' over the past couple of months. I told her, "I hope so." She said, "Oh, me too! You need a girl." I was thinking "I hope so" because we've invested a good bit of time and $ into getting girl stuff. I don't know what we would do with all this stuff if 'she' were a 'he'. We would be in trouble!

I wondered when it was going to happen. I have been shocked that I haven't been asked sooner. I was asked with both previous pregnancies. Well, I was finally asked this week. You know what I'm talking about, right? The "twins" question. "Are you having twins?" "Are you sure it's not twins?" At Wal-Mart this week, someone asked me the "twins" question but not in the way I've been asked before or even expected. A woman at Wal-Mart asked me if my boys were twins. "Um, I'm sorry?" "Are they twins? They're so cute?" "No ma'am, but they do look a lot alike." This was said with a huge smile on my face. The fact that someone could think that my two year old and five year old (who do, in her defense, look A LOT alike) could be twins just makes me laugh. I mean, one is two and one is five! Hilarious!

So at my last doctor's appointment, I was "thrilled" to find out that thus far, I have gained a whopping 37 pounds. Wow, every pregnancy, same thing. LOTS of weight. But my doctor went on and on about how good I'm doing; how proud he is of me, blah blah blah. You know why? He's so proud because I'm eight pounds lighter than I was with Asher. I tried explaining to him that it is only because I started out 10 pounds lighter this time. He refused to accept it (I'm sure because he wanted me to feel good about myself). He just praised me for doing so good. Too bad I know the truth!

My neighbor saw me outside yesterday and said, "Oooooooooo...getting big!" Yes, Teresa, thank you sooooo much. I couldn't have made it through the day without that comment. You see, my neighbor is Vietnamese, and not that that matters, but I say that to tell you that I don't know if it's normal in their custom to tell people that. Maybe it is. I don't know, but she told me the same thing with Asher...constantly. She even told me after Asher was born that I was still big. Yep, whenever I need a little pick-me-up, I head outside to see Teresa.

Ok, folks, that's all I've got for this week. I would love to know some of what goes on in your brain. Got some random thoughts, this is the place to share. It sure would make a big, fat pregnant woman happy!

The Rhythm is Gonna Get You?

I believe it was Gloria Estefan that told us that. Right? Well, I can say after last night's Dodgers vs. Braves game (not the majors, folks... t-ball, of course!), the rhythm does not always get you. Tristan's team, the Braves, played the #1 t-ball team last night, the Dodgers. Let me say, we all knew it would be tough to win. The Dodgers are pretty amazing; however, I didn't expect us to have such a tough time finding our rhythm last night. Seriously, anything that could go wrong with our team did. Case in point, before the game even started, our third baseman (and one of our best players) had an asthma attack and couldn't play. Not a good start.

We got out, fair and square, several times, but then we also had some really crazy outs. Outs nonetheless, but outs that NEVER happen. One out: Tristan was running home, totally outran the first baseman who was trying to get him out, but missed the plate. He stepped right over it. So guess what? He was out. His coach was not happy with him after that one. Poor Tristan. I think he was told by four or five people on the way back to the dugout to make sure he touches home plate (btw, to this moment, he still insists he touched the plate...Sadly, I saw it. He missed it). Another crazy out: One of our boys was running from second to third, and the ball hit him in the foot. He tried to jump over it, but he couldn't avoid it. It hit him, and he was out. CRAZY!
Next crazy out: One of our boys was running to first, and instead of running straight through the base, he turned just a little and ran smack into the first baseman...who was holding the ball. It was a huge collision, both boys crying, and guess what? Our boy was out. I mean, these things never happen. We were just not meant to win last night.

Now let me tell you about the Dodgers. They are a good team, a really good team, but they also have a dangerous weapon. This weapon comes in the form of a really tall (freshly turned) five year old. A five year old who hit a grand slam, over the fence, last Saturday. The kid's last name is Quick, and well, it suits him. I've never seen a kid hit like this kid. The coach has him batting clean up, so every time he gets up to the plate, he is a guarantee to score four runs. When you only have to score seven runs before your turn is up, you can see how having this kid is a HUGE advantage.

Now don't get me wrong, he's not the only good kid on this team. They have some other good players, like the rest of us, but he is beyond good. It would be like playing church softball, and the church across town is playing with Chipper Jones or something, or if your office was playing basketball against an office across town, and they had Shaq on their team. The whole team isn't going to depend solely on Chipper Jones or Shaq to get the job done, but they would be a huge part...huge. Let me also say that the Dodgers have an experienced head coach who does a great job too. He knows just how to turn every batter to hit it in any holes there may be on the field. That, my friends, comes from much experience. He's a nice guy and a good coach. It is obvious that he knows what he's doing (on a side note, we have a great coach too. He is a man of integrity and a good leader...very important when there are other coaches yelling and screaming at umps, kids, and other coaches).

So, the future looks bleak if we have to play against Mr. Quick every year. The kid is a force. Let's just hope some of the rest of our boys catch up, or we at least get on his team. :)

Here is Tristan at bat. He didn't hit as well last night as he normally does (again, the whole "finding our rhythm thing"). He got on base every time, though. Way to go, Tristan!
On second, waiting for his chance to run.After the game, he was still happy...despite the loss. First thing he told me, "Mommy, we loseded." I told him it was ok because they gave it their best, and that's what makes us and God happy. As you can see from his face, he seemed ok with the loss. I mean, a popcicle and snack cures it all, right?
And as his mom, I sure think he's a super cute t-ball player, win or lose, out or safe.On a fun note, we got to play against one of Tristan's best buddies, T. T is a great hitter! I didn't really get to watch him play third base because I was so busy watching and cheering for our batters and runners, but I sure enjoyed watching him hit. Great job, T!

Here is T with Tristan. He wasn't interested in smiling for the camera. It was much more fun to do silly faces. Super funny story...first thing T said to Tristan when we went over to see him, "Y'all had eight points, and we had 19!" Ha! Love T!!!A silly shot:Another silly face:We didn't win last night, but we sure were entertained. It was a super fun game, and we are proud of the Dodgers. They have yet to lose. They are definitely the envy of many teams (if you only knew). Way to go, Dodgers! Way to go, Braves! I'm super proud of you guys!!!

Who Needs Floss Anyway?

Today was a big day for our boys. It was teeth-cleaning day. This was Asher's very first dental visit and Tristan's second (I know, I know. We missed some visits. We're back on track now, though). Both boys were very excited about visiting Dr. Massey (aka Coach Massey~he is one of Tristan's t-ball coaches, and he's awesome!). Here are some shots from our visit:

The boys posing in the play area. Dr. Massey has a great play area. The boys were thoroughly entertained!
Always a favorite...the school bus!
Tristan's smile~ pre-cleaning:
Asher's smile~ pre-cleaning (it really helps having a big brother. I can convince Asher to do all kinds of things if big brother does it too):Asher's first trip on the dental chair. As you can see by his hand over his eye (his automatic response when he's being shy), he was really apprehensive:
"Open wide, Asher." Um, yeah. He wasn't so keen on opening wide at first. Notice his lips are clamped together:
Once he tasted the bubblegum toothpaste, he was more than willing to open up!
For the most part, Asher did GREAT on his first cleaning. He did have a breakdown when the hygenist started flossing his teeth. He lost it. So she gave up on the flossing. I mean, who needs floss anyway, right?
Here he is post-cleaning. You can still see the tears from the flossing experience. He enjoyed watching brother take his turn on the dental table.
Big brother did an awesome job on the table...he did last time too! He really likes going to the dentist. Let's hope he enjoys it throughout his lifetime.
The funniest part of the visit was when the hygenist brought Tristan to the table after taking his x-rays. She told me she asked Tristan where he got his pretty curls from. She said he said, "Jesus, I think." She said, "What?" He said, "Jesus and my dad, I think." She got a big kick out of that. :)
Here he is getting his teeth cleaned:
He is such a big boy!All clean!!!
While we were waiting for Dr. Massey to come inspect their teeth, Asher had a great time checking out the Noah's Ark mural on the wall. He LOVED the zebras.
Here is Tristan showing off his loot. Notice his coin? It was for the prize machine at the checkout desk:
Dr. Massey checking out Tristan's teeth. A clean bill of health! No cavities! Woo hoo!!!
Asher getting his checked. Great job, Ash! Cavity-free!!!
The prize machine...a definite Tristan favorite. He remembered it very well from his last visit.
After the visit, we had to go straight to daddy's office to show him the boys' pearly whites. Asher was excited to show his:
And Tristan was next:
All in all, our trip to the dentist was GREAT! Both boys were good patients, we have THE best pediatric dentist and dental office, and the boys had a blast. What more could a mom ask for?