Say Something Nice, Gideon

29. What you think your reason for being here is.

This is a tough one. I've never really thought about my reason for being here. I know there is a reason...a purpose - God gives us all a purpose in life. Do I think I'm going to do something "big" - something that will get me noticed and famous? No. But I do plenty of little things that may eventually do something "big" - may touch someone, or help encourage someone who will then go on to do something big.

For example: I teach piano lessons to children. Maybe this small instruction will encourage them to become song writers, or musicians, or work in the music industry. Or maybe not. 

I work with little children. I show them love and encouragement every day. Maybe this will affect their future in some small way.

Or maybe my reason for being here is to be Brian's wife. I encouraged him to become a teacher. He affects children's lives every day.

Or maybe, just maybe, my purpose in life is to be Lydia's mom. She is a pretty amazing little girl!

Let me tell you about this past Saturday! In case you didn't know, the Miss America Pageant was on TV Saturday night. And I decided it was a good time to have a women's get together. Unfortunately, not many of the people I invited were able to come, but we still had an amazing time. I wish I had taken pictures!

I set the table with a red table cloth with white (fake) rose petals sprinkled over the top. We had white plates and blue napkins. Everyone brought their favorite finger foods - yummy! I bought plastic champagne glasses that we decorated with markers.

During the pageant, we scored each contestant with score sheets I had found online. That was a lot of fun! During the commercial breaks, we took turns picking a question to answer - pageant questions. Such as, "What is your favorite quality about yourself and why?" or "What is the one thing you would change about the world today and why?" That was a lot of fun!

I love the Miss America Pageants! I think the girls may be "fake" and extra made up...and really, what's the point of a Miss America? But, it's still fun and has been on for a long, long time!

Oh, I Think It's Wonderful; Love At First Sight

28. What do you miss?

I already miss sleeping in late and not being woken up during the night. Brian and I definitely got spoiled this past weekend when my parents watched Lydia for our anniversary. She woke up several times last night, so I was very exhausted this morning. I was so tired, I let Lydia watch TV all morning (my excuse for not going outside? Too cold). She took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap this afternoon and I joined her. The nap definitely helped me perk up and I was ready for piano lessons!

Back to Lydia watching a lot of TV. I am usually really good at not allowing this. It's an easy habit to get into when I'm at home with Lydia during the day. I like to watch the Today Show and Live with Kelly in the morning, then we go off and do an activity or go grocery shopping. When we get home, we play and then eat lunch. I let her watch Gabba before nap time at 12:00. In the afternoon, when she wakes up, we usually go on a walk and play. I let her watch Gabba at 5:00 when I get dinner ready.

Today, though, I was bad. I went to Mentoring Moms last night and didn't get home until 9:45. I had a lot to tell Brian about my night, so we didn't get to sleep until after 10:00. Lydia then woke up at 11:30, then 2:30, then 5:30. And she was up for the day at 6:45. After a week of Lydia sleeping all night and then a weekend of sleeping great, waking up so often was hard. I also got up at 6:00 to exercise (60 jumping jacks, arm work out and 25 minutes of run/walk). I was tired!

Hopefully Lydia will start sleeping great again. I need my sleep! Tomorrow I have work until 1:15 then piano lessons from 3:00 to 5:00 - which means I'll be exhausted. Last Wednesday I went to bed at 8:45!

I made my first crock pot meal in the longest time. And my first pinterest.com meal - Crock Pot Italian Chicken! So delicious! It cooked perfectly. I spooned it over pasta and Lydia and Brian really loved it. I was excited that Lydia was actually willing to try it - and kept eating it! I changed up the recipe, but here's the original (with my change):

(Not my picture)

2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I put mine in frozen and they cooked perfectly)

1 (8 oz) pkg softened cream cheese

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 pkg Italian dressing seasoning (I used a dry veggie dip package - yummy)

rice or pasta (I used pasta)

Put chicken in crock pot and mix all other ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on high 4-6 hours (I cooked mine for 4 hours).

There were plenty of leftovers for everyone - Lydia has a small bit for lunch tomorrow, too. 

Recipe found here: http://chef-n-training.blogspot.com/2011/09/crock-pot-italian-chicken.html

I Already Got Me a Wife

Brian and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary on Thursday (January 5th). My parents took us to the Japanese restaurant, SUMO on Monday. It's one of those restaurants where the chefs cook the food right in front of you. Our chef was funny and very entertaining and did an amazing job. Brian loved his steak and shrimp! It's always fun trying new restaurants. 

Friday, we dropped Lydia off at my parent's house around 6:00. We gave her dinner, played some Kinnect for XBOX 360 and then headed home. We had pizza for dinner and watched two movies - The Adjustment Bureau (pretty good) and Soul Surfer (very good). We stayed up until almost 2:00am!! I haven't been up that late for the longest time. We slept in until 9:00 Saturday morning - which was awesome! Being able to go to bed late and sleep as late as I want was all I wanted for my anniversary! It was amazing. 

Brian headed out to get breakfast burritos from McDonald's and then we got up to play some Rock Band 2. I am totally awesome at the guitar - I can even play songs on expert and not fail. I usually play the bass part, but wanted to try the guitar. Brian is so excited that his wife is good at Rock Band - I can play all the instruments and sing. Pretty talented. We cleaned the whole house and did all our laundry. I figured we were lazy in the morning, we can clean the house - it's much easier without Lydia hanging around.

Then we headed out to Outback Steakhouse (Brian had a gift card there). I got to wear my new pink high heels Brian gave me for Christmas - not the comfiest shoes, but when are heels comfy? The food was delicious! We ordered an appetizer, Brian got a margarita, we each got sodas (we always get water), and I ordered the chicken fried chicken and Brian the steak and shrimp. So delicious! We were so full, we were able to bring home leftovers for later. We picked up two more redbox movies - The Hangover Part II (silly) and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (pretty good, although they added a modern story to it; based on a book).

We watched one movie and then went out to enjoy Brian's new fire pit on the porch. Brian had put up white Christmas lights on the porch and they look so good! It wasn't too cold outside and the fire was so nice! Then we put on our wedding clothes for a photo shoot. I can still fit in my dress after four years! It's a bit tighter in the bust (thanks, Lydia), but fits perfectly. I forgot how much I loved my dress. Other girls I know have way fancier dresses, but I love the simplicity of the dress and the skirt! Brian added a belt buckle and cowboy boots to his wedding outfit. And he wore different pants. We also danced to our wedding song, Colbie Caillat's Bubbly.

This morning we slept straight to 10:00, which was awesome. We both exercised for awhile (I ran on the treadmill) and then we watched church online. We then headed to Wal-Mart then Target (to spend my gift card on makeup). Then we picked up my baby!

Lydia was just waking up from a nap when we got to my parent's house and was so excited to see me! She clung to me and didn't want anyone else (poor Daddy). I gave her a snack, and then we enjoyed some Kinnect games. I love the dance game, but the other ones are fun, too. Lydia had a blast watching everyone play and chasing the dogs around. At 5:00, she was ready to go home. I love having her back home with us! I missed her SO MUCH!

We Ain't Never Hardly Ever Seen One

27. What are features you get complimented on a lot?

Hmmm...most recently my eyebrows got complimented on...someone actually thought I had them professionally done and was surprised that I do them myself! But my eyebrows definitely aren't my favorite feature (and they have changed a lot through the years, but I finally like them).

Other than that...not many comments about my features...not sure what that means! I do get comments about how much Lydia looks like me...and then they say Lydia is cute, so does that mean I'm cute?!

Christmas 2011 was awesome! We had a great time and celebrated about 3 times!

On Thursday, we took Leah and Jessie out to dinner to Olive Garden (my parents watched the girls and even kept Lydia over night). I wanted to do something special for Leah for taking care of Lydia these past few months while I've been at work. When we got home, we opened up our presents to each other. Leah and Jessie made us an awesome artwork/picture board, where we hang the pictures from tiny clothespins onto chicken wire. It's super cute and I had been wanting a place to hang Lydia's artwork and pictures. They also made Lydia an ornament with her name carved out in wood.

Thursday night, Brian got a slight stomach bug and threw up a few times. The next few days, his tummy was upset and he didn't each much. 

Saturday morning, Brian let me sleep in, but I was woken up at 8:30 when Lydia threw up. We quarantined  her in the front room and kitchen, blocking off all the carpeted areas. She never threw up again, but she did have loose BMs and wasn't eating much. Both Lydia and Brian were better by Sunday evening. Other of my family members also had the stomach bug, but nothing too bad.

On Saturday, Christmas Eve, my family came over at 3:00ish to watch football and get ready for Christmas Eve. My parents brought over steaks and I provided the potatoes. We went to the Christmas Eve service (Brian and Lydia stayed home), and then enjoyed a super yummy dinner. We opened presents from each other and had a great time. Lydia got the cutest pillow with her name embroidered on it. Brian and I each got $100 from my parents to go shopping!

Sunday morning was our Christmas with just the three of us. We got Lydia a crib for her baby doll and put it together for her. She was busy with her baby and toys while we opened each other's gifts. Brian gave me a pair of pink high heels - super cute, can't wait to wear them! He loved the iPhone case I bought him that looks like a calculator on the back. And he got me an iPhone case that is heavy duty protective for Lydia. We had a relaxing morning and took our time getting ready to head out to Austin. Lydia took an hour nap and then we were off!

Sunday evening we opened presents with the Pfeiffer family. Lydia got a high chair that turns into a swing for her baby doll and a baby bottle that she loves to give to Baby! Brian received a fire pit for our porch and a leaf blower that he has already put to good use. I received my first pair of Toms and I love them!

Monday was a dreary day and Lydia was a bit fussy - she was in a new place and it was too cold and rainy to go outside. We did manage to walk down to the local park and have some fun with Aunt Tamara. Tuesday, Brian and I left at 10:00 to go on our Austin date, leaving Lydia with the Pfeiffers. We watched the new Sherlock Holmes movie (it was great!) and used up our $100 on clothes! I made out with two new pairs of jeans (on sale at Old Navy), two new undershirts, long sleeve white shirt, and five new shirts from Ross. Brian bought a new belt (with cow hide) and new jeans (very nice, cowboy jeans). It was great to get out of the house and spend time with just Brian.

Wednesday we went to the Austin Zoo. Lydia had a blast! She was a bit scared of the monkeys and since the lions and tigers weren't moving much, she didn't pay them much attention. She liked the turtles, pigs, and goats. She really liked the train ride!

Thursday we went to Zilker Park. It was the perfect day to get outside and have fun! And the playground was the place to be! Lydia had a great time leading Daddy and Grandma around - swinging and sliding. We also walked the trails for a bit and played at the big rock. Lydia enjoyed watching all the dogs run free around the park.

Friday we took our family pictures! I had us dress in jeans and white shirts, and we were bare foot. We got some great shots of Lydia and of all of us together. I have printed out the pictures to mount on our wall above the couch - where last year's family photos are. I love seeing how much Lydia has changed - she's so big now!

And, of course, we had to get a feet picture (like our boot picture last year):

We headed home Friday after dinner. It is always so nice to return home to your own bed and own routine! Brian started back to work today, but I'm off until Wednesday. So far, Lydia and I have gone to Walgreens to pick up the pictures and juice, and gone on a long walk with Duckie. She is about to have been asleep for 2 hours now. This afternoon we plan on taking a walk with Cousin Abram and this evening my parents are taking us out for our 4th Wedding Anniversary!

These past two weeks have been awesome! It has been so great to hang out with Lydia and Brian for two straight weeks with no work! I am looking forward to Spring Break and Summer with these two!

19 Months

Lydia turned 19 months on December 29th!

I haven't officially weighed her...but she's a bit over 20 pounds and over 31 inches tall. She still only fits in 12 month pants (barely) and wears 18 month t-shirts. I did put her in a 6-9 month pink cardigan this morning and it fit! And she wore 0-3 month tights...and they fit (of course, they were too big when she was that age).

There is no pacifier while she is awake and out of bed! It went really well and was pretty easy to do. When I have her stay up late, though, I let her have her pacifier (like last night for New Years). She is really good at putting her pacifier back in her crib when we get her out. Although sometimes she goes into her room and sneaks her pacifier out of her crib...but is always willing to put it back. We are currently down to one pacifier...we can't find the pink one (she must have taken it out of her crib and put it somewhere). This is only a problem at night when she sometimes loses her pacifier outside of her crib.

There still isn't much talking - other than babbling - going on...although she does say "no", "yeah", "da da", what sounds like "Gabba", "more", and has started saying what sounds like "thank you". She has started screaming at people when she doesn't want them to talk to her or touch her. I'm trying to get her to say "no" instead of screaming. It will be very nice when she starts talking so that when she gets frustrated and we can't understand what she wants, she could communicate it better.

She is still obsessed with baby dolls - especially her doll that doesn't have any clothes on. She got a crib and high chair that turns into a swing for Christmas, which she loves. She still pushes her baby in the stroller constantly. She also received a baby bottle in her stocking, which she loves to use with the baby doll!

Lydia still loves Yo Gabba Gabba and I really have to limit how much she watches, or she could watch it all day long. She will sit and watch the episode "New Friends" that has Jack Black in it from the beginning to the end. We try only watch Gabba before nap time and before dinnertime.

After two weeks off schedule while on holiday, it will be nice to get back into the groove of our schedule next week (starting Wednesday).

Mondays: 

Up by 7:00am and we head over to Leah's house by 7:30.

I pick her up around 1:30pm...she's usually already had a nap. Adah sometimes joins us.

We do an activity, go on a walk, or just play together until 5:00, when I start dinner.

6:00 is dinnertime.

6:15 is bath time...which will usually last about 30 minutes!

Between 7:00 and 7:30 is bedtime. 

Tuesdays: 

Up by 7:00am and we watch the Today Show and the beginning of Live with Kelly.

We head to the library around 9:55 for story time at 10:15 to 10:30.

We get home around 10:45 and I start fixing lunch, which is at 11:00.

From 11:15-12:00 we watch Yo Gabba Gabba to wind down.

12:00-2:00 is nap time.

2:00-3:00 we play or go on a walk.

3:00-5:00 Lydia heads over to Aunt Rekeisha's house while I do piano lessons. Brian picks her up around 5:00.

I have dinner laid out (or started) before my 5:00 lesson and Brian finishes dinner.

6:00 dinner (same as Monday).

Wednesdays:

Up by 7:00am and we head over to Leah's house around 7:25. We pick Leah and Adah up and I bring them to the church where my mom picks them up for BSF.

I get off work around 1:30, and have lessons from 3:00 to 5:00.

Brian picks Lydia up at Leah's house and I start dinner at 5:00.

Thursdays:

Up by 7:00am and we watch the Today Show and Live with Kelly together.

We head to HEB around 9:30 or 10:00 and get back home around 10:45.

Lunch at 11:00 and nap time from 12:00-2:00.

Lydia and I do an activity, go on a walk, or hang out with Leah and Adah, or run more errands until 5:00, when I start dinner.

Fridays:

Up by 7:00am and we head over to my mom's house by 7:20.

I pick Lydia up around 1:30, but she's usually still sleeping (she takes the longest naps at my mom's house), so I stay to chat and eat some lunch.

We head home around 3:30 or 4:00.

Dinner is started by 5:00.

I'm Just Teasing

26. Is it easy for you to trust others?

Most of my family members would say that I trust too easily! Just about anything Leah or Brian tell me, I'll believe. Recently, Brian started telling me about a community of cannibals, or something, and I though the was telling a story, so I was surprised there was a community of cannibals in the United States! Then I found out he was actually telling a joke.... 

I never really thought people could do such "bad" things until I started working at the movie theater. I quickly discovered that people would sneak alcohol, when it was not allowed. I learned that movie theater employees would steal money or candy from behind the stand. I learned people would lie about their manager to get them in trouble. I learned a lot of things...I became less naive. 

I still trust people - I trust that what they tell me is the truth and that they are good people.

In other news....

It is almost Christmas! We are done Christmas shopping and all the presents are wrapped and under the tree! This week has been amazing! Brian and I have been off and have spent all our time together. Monday we had Marc's birthday party. Tuesday Brian and I went to Sea World (without Lydia) on Tuesday and then took my parents out to dinner at Tiago's. Wednesday we were lazy in the morning and then went downtown with Leah and Adah. Today we went to HEB in the morning and then Kid to Kid and Wal-Mart in the afternoon. We took Leah and Jessie out to dinner at Olive Garden. Lydia is staying with my parents tonight, which means Brian and I can go to bed late and wake up when we want to! Tomorrow is cleaning and washing day and then Saturday we're hosting Christmas Eve at our house! And Sunday we head up to Austin! It's been a great break so far.

Here's Your Pan, Here's Your Frog

25. Things you do on a rainy day.

Rainy days used to be days that I would sleep in (if I didn't have to work), stay in my pajamas all day, wrap a warm blanket around me and watch movies. I'd probably take a few naps, eat lots of popcorn, and be lazy all day long.

Rainy days now consist of me constantly trying to think up something for my 18-month old to do. Lydia's pretty good in the morning...she used to just playing on her own, watching me clean, watching the Today Show and Live with Kelly with me, eating my breakfast. But, around 9:00 or 10:00, she starts getting bored. And I start feeling guilty for watching our 4th Yo Gabba Gabba show. So, I think up clever activities for her.

When I worked at the day care and it rained (the worst days ever), we had to constantly think up something for 10 12-24 month olds to do so that they wouldn't bite, hit, push or scream. We painted, colored, played in the water table, looked through the Treasure Bag, danced, made playdough, made goop, watched the rain through the big windows, read books, went on indoor wagon rides - anything to keep these little kids busy and happy.

I don't have all of the supplies needed for these activities in my house. At 18-months, Lydia is only interested in paint or crayons for about 5 minutes. She's only interested in home made playdough for about 5 minutes. She is only interested in puzzles and books and sorting toys for about 5 minutes. What Lydia really wants to do is run around outside. But, we can't - it's raining. Lydia doesn't like to curl up on the couch under a blanket and watch movies. She doesn't really like popcorn. And she definitely doesn't like sleeping in.

This past week, on Tuesday, we usually go to Story Time at the library. It was pretty foggy and dreary outside, but I wanted to go because I knew this would be our one chance to get out of the house and my one chance to wear Lydia out for a nap. Unfortunately, Lydia decided that she was more interested in the water fountains outside of the Story Time room than actually being in the Story Time room. I was the embarrassed parent who walked out of the room with a screaming, fussy child. It would be an understatement to say that I was frustrated with Lydia...this was our chance to get out of the house and have fun (and the Story Lady had brought the parachute!) and Lydia didn't want to participate. But, I had to remind myself that Lydia is only 18 months old and doesn't understand. When we got home, I cleaned the house and then cuddled with an upset baby while watching another episode of Yo Gabba Gabba.

Luckily, in Texas, it rarely rains all day. The sun usually manages to come out for at least a little bit. And, although it's "winter", it may even warm up enough to go for a walk outside.

You Broke My Smolder!

24. Something you would change about the world.


Maybe not the world...but I would love to change the current US economy right now. Especially how schools aren't hiring new teachers since the old ones can't retire. Also...I'd love it if teachers actually made the amount of money they deserve for teaching our future presidents, big business owners, etc. That would be really nice.
Of course, I'd love the "ideal" worlds where everyone got along and no one was poor or unemployed and everyone had enough to eat and all children received birthday and Christmas presents. But...there's been enough books written about "worlds" that tried to make everything "perfect". My best example is The Giver, or the Handmaiden. Both good examples that we can't make a "perfect" world.

In other news...I only have one more day of work before my 2 week vacation! So excited!