Moving

Ha, ha! Made you look :) No, we're not moving...houses, anyway. But we have moved a lot of furniture in the past few days. I (and Scott) have been so busy. I was tired of the cramped feeling in our guest room with the computer desk in there, so we moved it into our bedroom (there's a whole other story there...). I also wanted the rocking chair in Will's room to go in the guest room because we have had a mattress propped up behind Will's bedroom door for a LONG time. I wanted that thing out from behind the door! So, we moved the rocker to the guest
room and the bed to where the rocker was. It's just a mattress on the floor right now, but I feel a lot better about it.

The compuer desk in our room...don't look too closely...I'm not quite finished getting it all together!

What you see when you walk into the guest room now...

Along with all the moving 0f furniture comes much purging and organizing. I have been literally waist deep in crap (figuratively speaking). Ugh. How does a couple who has only been married for 6 six years accumulate so much STUFF?? I mean, I think we have as much junk as my parents who have been married for almost 30! I have thrown away A LOT of stuff in the past two days. And I feel good about it. I really do.

Because of all this moving, purging, and organizing, Will has spent the last two days with sitters. Yesterday, he stayed with one of the sweetest girls in our youth group, Teryn. Teryn has something to offer Will that not many other girls do...cows. Yep, she's got real-live steers in her backyard. Will loves cows. He looks out every window in our house expectantly saying, "Cow?" It's so cute. But Teryn actually has cows. So, she took him to see them. However, he still kept calling our neighbors' large dog a cow today. Oh, well. We're working on it.

Help!

Okay, friends...I have a couple of questions for all you smarty-pants tech-y people out there!

1. Two blogs is getting to be too much for me. I don't really know why I did it in the first place, but, oh well, here I am. So, my question is...can I make the two become one? And if so, how do I do that? (By the way--pictures of the fourth of July and Will in his wagon can be seen by clicking here).

2. How can I get pictures of things I am talking about in my blog from their residence on the Internet onto my blog (ie...I would have liked to put pictures of the Pirates of the Caribbean and Superman Returns up yesterday, but couldn't figure it out). I know there is a way to do it without breaking laws, but I can't seem to get it. Everytime I try, it does not work.

Okay, so there are my questions for all the smarties out there. Yes, I am "Inter-web" retarded. There, I said it. Whew.

Thanks and have a great Tuesday. And HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my beautiful friend Kara!!

Katy Trip and Movie Reviews

We survived the trip and are back at home. Scott had to do an overhaul on this computer, but for the time being, it is working! I am taking the opportunity to give a (hopefully) quick update.

It rained almost the entire time we were in Katy. Argh! We still got in the pool four or five times, though. We just had to take advantage of the sunlight as soon as it was possible. I was able to visit with one of my best friends from high school, Heather, on Thursday. She and her two kids came over to swim and we had a good time catching up. I can't believe her daugther will soon be seven years old. Where does the time go?

I also went to go see Superman Returns. If you like Superman/Clark Kent, it was quite a good flick. Brandon Routh was a great Superman--it is uncanny how much like Christopher Reeve he looked, acted, and sounded. And Kevin Spacey was a great Lex. But Scott and I agree that if Parker Posey had had about 5 more minutes on-screen, she would have stolen the show. She is hilarious. Anyway, Superman was good.

Will had a couple of firsts this week--and not good ones! On Wednesday when we were swimming, I was holding Will and looked down to see a bee on his hand. I immediately swatted it away and looked to see if it had stung him. He wasn't crying or anything...just looking down at his hand curiously. I got the bee out of the water and my brother looked at it. He said it was a baby bee but had no stinger. Will's hand did look red and had a tiny red dot on it. So, evidently, he did get stung by the bee, but not much damage was done.

Later that night (actually in the wee hours of the morning), Will woke up quite wet and his pajamas were soaked through. I got him up and changed him into a different diaper and clothes and put him in the (queen-sized) bed with me. Even though he was in the middle of the bed, he kept tossing and turning and inching closer and closer to the opposite side of the bed. We were sleeping in my brother's room in which the bed is not up against a wall on either side. On the floor below the side of the bed to which Will was heading was a mirror. I, in my half-asleep stupor, grabbed for Will's leg but it was too late. He fell head-first off the bed with a huge crash. He, of course, fell on top of the mirror! I immediately scooped him up and checked for bleeding and broken bones. He, thank heaven, was completely intact. Of course, it scared the hooey out of him and he screamed for a couple of minutes. It must not have been too traumatizing, though, becuase he went back to sleep fairly quickly. I on the other hand, lost a lot of sleep that night because I was very aware of every little twitch he made. As soon as I was confident that he was sound asleep, I put him back in the portacrib. Frightening!!!

We also got to see our friends Kathy, Matt and Patrick on Saturday. They, too, came over to swim, but we had been in the pool no longer than 10 minutes when it started to pour! So, we ended up just visiting inside for a while. It was good to see them again. Patrick has grown so much since we saw him last! He's a cutie.

Sunday was our last day. Our flight was to leave at 2:35 and land at 4:00. But, of course, that didn't quite happen. We were delayed at first because our plane wasn't there. When our plane finally arrived, they told us that our crew was in College Station! The crew arrived fairly quickly and we boarded at 3:45. We then sat in runway traffic for 45 minutes. I think our flight finally landed around 6:00. Wow...what a day. I am just very glad that Will decided to take a nap during most of the flight :)

We were sooooooo glad to see "Daddy" (Scott). We hadn't see him in a long time and it was a nice reunion. Will's face just lit up when he spotted Scott. Then, he was so excited to see him that Scott had to hold him just about the whole time we were in the airport waiting for our bags to come out of the chute. It was so wonderful to see that it made the frustrating afternoon at the airport and on the plane just dissipate from my mind. It was so good to be home!

Tonight, my friends Harmony and Shannon and I went to Midland to share a meal and see Pirates of the Caribbean. Wow...what a movie! It was quite intense...and...gross. But, it was still good! The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger, so I am anxious to see the third installment next summer. I think if you liked the first one, you'd like this one, but I wouldn't take little kids to see it...it might cause some disturbing dreams!

Well, the time is late and I am tired from my little trip back to Midland! I have a busy week of cleaning and errands ahead of me, so I am signing off for now...love to all~~

July 5th

I seem to finally have a few moments in which to update! Yea! Last week, we were actually at home all week, but our computer was acting very strange, so everytime I tried to get on to update, I was booted off. So, a recap for the last two weeks:

Not much really exciting happened last week. I tried to get my house somewhat clean (which miserably failed because everytime I got it picked up, it would last about two hours) and also get geared up to pack for Will and I's trip to Houston. Scott was also busy preparing for Wilderness Trek.

Will and I flew out of Midland on Friday. I have realized that flying with babies is much easier when they are very small because they usually sleep through the entire flight (at least, that is what Will used to do). He wasn't bad during the flight, per se, he was just very active. I told my mom (which she thought was quite humorous) that he was the monkey and I was the jungle gym. What made this even worse was that even though I peed right before getting on the plane, I had to go again with in minutes of take-off. Of course, there was "turbulence," so the captain never turned off the fasten-seat-belt sign. Supposedly, the turbulence was so bad that we didn't even get served our drinks and peanuts. I never felt this so-called turbulence. I think they just didn't want me to pee. So the whole flight, Will was stepping on my bladder and I was cringing in pain. And because of this "turbulence," our flight was delayed about 30 minutes (I'm guessing they flew around the bad weather) so I had to endure even more climbing than usual. Also, he dumped a whole baggie of Cheerios out on my lap, so the kind, caring, grandpa next to me graciously held him while I cleaned up this mess.

Of course, through all of this, Will was extremely cute and flirtatious with all the people around us, so they all thought he was precious (which he is), even though he kept looking out the window and saying "Car!" over and over again.

Car and cow are Will's new favorite words. He has taken to calling my parents' dogs "cows," since they are considerably bigger than our dogs at home. He has also mastered "cat," as my parents also have a cat. Among his new words, another of his new tricks is walking. Well, he's not really walking, but he is SO close. We went and visited with some friends on Saturday night who are expecting a baby in a couple of weeks. They had been given a hand-me-down walking toy and let Will play with it. He must have walked across their living room with that thing 50 times. They were very sweet and allowed him to borrow it for the rest of the week, so he has been enjoying it quite a bit. Also, he has taken a few unassisted steps, but quickly sits down once he realizes what is happening.

Let's see, what else?? My mom and I went to see "The Devil Wears Prada" on Saturday night. It was a cute movie. Of course, Anne Hathaway is very good at playing the ugly-duckling-turned-swan type roles. Meryl Streep was good as the vicious boss.

Yesterday, the 4th, we went my great-aunt's lakehouse to spend the day. It stormed off and on all day, so I never got in the boat or in the water, but all the kids did. We had a good time visiting and playing games. There is just something about the water that relaxes you, I think. Whether just looking at it or lying on the beach, it is calming. I really enjoy getting to spend time out there.

Today, we are trapped inside by the rain, again. Of course it would rain the entire week I am here! I was really hoping to spend the majority of my time outside by or in my parents' pool, but instead we have only been in it once since we got here :( Hopefully the rain will cease soon. I hope you all had a great holiday. Thanks for indulging me by reading this insanely long post! Pictures will come next week (hopefully my computer will allow me) when I am back home with my card-reader.

While We were in Lubbock...

Above: a picture of Scott's incomplete Father's Day gift...Will and I made this at the Clay Cafe in Lubbock where our friend Jen works (that's her holding the tile). Will's handprint is in the middle. Jen assures me that the finished product looks great! We put this picture in Scott's Father's Day card so he would know his gift was in the works :)

The family with the new LCU Chapparal statue. This statue was given to LCU last fall and sits in front of the newly remodeled McDonald-Moody Auditorium. Will's t-shirt says "LCU Chapparals." Our future chap :)

Three Amigas

Here we are, the three hot mamas with our babies! From left to right--Kara (Lee) Shelton with Hayden and Brylee, Carrie (Branson) Tungate with Ally (in the stroller) and Branson (in the carrier), and me with Will, who had just woken up from a nap. We met at the South Plains mall for an all too quick shopping and lunch trip. It won't be soon enough that we can get together again!

Ah, Summer...

I know, I know...since I quit working, I have majorly slacked on the blog. Sorry about that. I know, there is really no excuse, except that I do have a couple. Last week was insane with VBS going on and me suddenly thrown into a teaching role that I was unprepared for. Then, on Friday, Will decided it was about time for him to get sick again, so he spent three days this weekend with 100+ degree temperatures. Now that VBS is over and he is back to normal, I have a tiny bit of time to update :)

First, thank you to those who gave me suggestions for my little three-year-olds. We had a good week. Monday was basically just survival, but because I knew more what to expect on Tuesday and Wednesday, it went even more smoothly. My brother, who was teacher for 4 year-olds at a preschool last year, gave me a wonderful little song to go along with my theme ("Fishers of Men"), and that took up lots of great time on Tues. and Wed. We also used scissors and glue and glitter! We played some run-around games and sang silly songs. It worked out quite well in the end. Yea! I just think of how much better it could have been if I'd had a little more warning...but, c'est la vie.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were a challenge for me because I am just not used to my baby being so clingy and screaming so much. We got through it though, and thankfully he slept all night last night (no waking up every hour blazing hot and screaming--yea!) and woke up this morning feeling quite normal to the touch. That's good too, I really didn't want to spend the morning in the doctor's office.

I have been looking forward to today for over a month. Today, (in about one hour, in fact), I am finally getting to use my Mother's Day massage gift certificate. After last week, I am VERY glad of it, too. It is going to be awesome!

On Wednesday, we are leaving for Fredricksburg. We will stay two nights there in a bed and breakfast with my parents and brother. It will be nice to get away and be in a peaceful place liek the Hill Country. I haven't asked them yet (so Mom, if you're reading this--please?), but I am hoping my parents will take Will for the day on Friday to my grandma's house in San Antonio so Scott and I can go to Schlitterbahn! I haven't been in so long and I am really wanting to go. We'll see :)

Other than that, not much is going on for the moment. When we get back though, we'll have another full week at home before Scott goes on Wilderness Trek and Will and I head to Houston/Katy for the first week in July. Summer is so busy--but fun!

I hope everyone out there in Blogworld is having a great one. Oh yeah, I wanted to ask y'all--do any of you know anything about sunless tanners and which ones work and which ones do not? I'd like to have a little color to my skin before going to Schlitterbahn. Give me the scoop! :)

VBS & Insomnia

I can't sleep...I have visions of three-year-olds running through my head.

VBS is upon us. I love my husband dearly; so dearly, in fact that today at 12:30, I agreed to teach the three-year-old class at VBS which started TONIGHT. Yes, you heard me correctly...I learned a mere 5 hours before VBS began that I would be in charge on 11 three-year-olds. Do I know anything about three-year-olds? No. It proved to be an interesting evening, to say the least. Here's hoping that tomorrow and Wednesday night go a little better.

So, does anyone out there have any bright ideas on what I can do with three-year-olds to keep them interested and entertained? Please, any ideas will help. I am desperate!!!

I was hoping for a more relaxing week after the busy-ness of Encounter last week. I was also hoping for a chance for Will and I to settle into a "normal" routine. Fat chance! Please pray that I will keep my sanity.

As for Encounter last week...it went well. We were very busy and didn't get to see everyone we wanted to, or, at least we didn't get to see them enough, but it went well. Scott did an amazing job on his class and the kids were fighting to get the tickets. He had lots of good feedback from kids and sponsors alike. It's always nice to be one of "the" classes to go to at Encounter.

Soon, I will have pictures to post...right now it is dark and I can't find the right plug for my card reader. Oh well. I'll get them up eventually.

Thursday Thirteen

Well, folks, this is it. I am counting down the HOURS I have left before my job at dear ol' Big Spring High is complete! Today was our last day with students. I spent the last two days cleaning out my desk and backing documents up on zip disks, cleaning, shredding, filing...the life of a secretary is never really complete without filing. Tomorrow, I will go to the obligitory last day in-service meeting, turn in my key and I will be free! Oh, except for one tiny thing...graduation tomorrow night at 8:00. I have to be there at 7:30. Woo hoo. Okay, THEN I will be done :)

I am stealing something from my friend Amy today...my Thursday Thirteen...Thirteen reasons I am so ready for my job to be over and for summer to begin!:

1. No more getting up in the morning to go to work. I get to get up in the morning to be with my son!

2. Encounter! (next week!!)

3. Swimming in the pool.

4. Reading for fun.

5. Taking walks.

6. Taking naps.

7. Going to Fredericksburg.

8. Going to New Braunfels. (Woo hoo! Schlitterbahn, baby!)

9. Church Camp.

10. Seeing my friends that I have missed so much!!

11. Going to the store when it isn't crazy busy.

12. Getting to see Will experience new things first hand instead of hearing about them from a babysitter.

13. Not having to go back to work on August 7th!!!!!!

Birth-iversary Weekend

Me, wearing the baby float as an "Aqua Sombraro"...much to Will's amusement.
Scott and Will laughing at my Aqua Sombraro.

Grandpa Tim, Will, and Scott...Will is wearing his floatie swimsuit that makes him look like Sponge Bob!
With Nana and Grandpa in the baby float. He loves it!
Swimming for the first time with Scott...this is so much fun!

Kendall's triboard and cake. The actual pictures of Kendall did not turn out :(

Well, folks, we have returned from our adventure to Katy. It was a quick and eventful weekend, but very good. It is alwasy good to see family and friends again. We didn't get out of town on Saturday until about 10:00 am (my goal had been 9:00). I thought my brother's party started at 7:00 pm. Not so! It started at 6:00! We pulled up to the house right at 6:30, just in time for the blessing. Wow, what a trip! If I had been right, though, we would have made it early :)

The party was great...good food and great people. As you can see, we had a huge red velvet cake to feast on, plus brisket, beans, potato salad, green salad, chips, cokes of all flavors...it was a nice spread.

Saturday also happened to be my 27th birthday...27 on the 27th. I've been waiting for years for this to happen! Although I spent most of my day in the car, it was a very good day. A few minutes away from my parents house, we stopped on the side of the road to quickly change clothes and Scott gave me my birth-iversary gifts. I was happily surprised with a new pair of James Avery scrolled ichthus earrings (my third pair...I keep losing one!) and an ichthus lariat necklace--a new design from J.A. I was very excited. After the party died down and Will was asleep in his pack n' play, we headed out for coffee at one of the several Starbucks. However, it was too late; they had already closed. So, we had our anniversary date at Waffle House! Yum. It made me think of my late night college study times at Denny's and IHOP.

We made the trip back on Monday and made it home right at 10:00 pm. It was a good trip...long, but that is to be expected. Scott's anniversary gift, a portable DVD player, was put to good use entertaining Will with Baby Einstein and Finding Nemo movies. I definitely think it was money well spent.

Today was my last Tuesday at work! Woo hoo! Tomorrow finals start up in full swing and I dont' have to be there until 9:00 am! We get out at 2:30, too. I am loving this schedule. That said, it is now 11:45 and I must be getting some "beauty rest." We'll see if it works :)

Busy Bees

Okay, so I don't know if anyone is actually reading this anymore, since I haven't gotten many comments lately, but I will continue to post anyway :)

First off, things have been NUTS around here. I feel like we have been going and going non-stop. Poor Will took a four hour nap today because he was so exhausted. We started off the week by getting together on Sunday and Monday nights with our friends, Kathy and Matt (see post below). Tuesday, we attended the Journalism banquet at Big Spring High--one of our best friends, Leland, is the journalism adviser and we like to support him when we can. He has an awesome award-winning newspaper and yearbook, and some of the coolest kids ever. The banquet is always a fun time. Plus, free food (yea for Al's barbecue!).

Last night, while Scott and Will were at church, I went to one of the retirement homes in Big Spring to visit a sweet little lady by the name of Frankie. We had so much fun talking that I totally lost track of time and didn't get home until 8:30! I am one of the "writers/contributors" for our congregation's ladies newsletter and I interviewed Frankie for June's issue. When I got home, I sat down to type up the interview and format the newsletter. Just as I was finishing at 1:00 am, Will woke up quite unhappy and we spent about an hour convincing him that he was okay and could return to his bed to sleep. It was a long night to say the least!

And tonight, Harmony and I met our friend Katie for dinner at Pizza Hut. Katie and her family are moving to San Angelo this weekend and we are so sad! :( But, it is a good move for their family so we are excited for them, too. And, yea!, San Angelo is on the way to Katy from Big Spring, so hopefully we will get to see them from time to time. Katie's son, Cash, is almost exactly one year older than Will, so it's been fun to watch him grow and see what to expect from Will in the next year. I will miss them dearly.

Tomorrow night we have 2 graduation ceremonies to attend--Coahoma High School (I just learned to day that the word "coahoma" is an Indian word for "signal") and Forsan High School (similarly, I learned today that "Forsan" means 4 sands or 4 pay loads of oil. Wow!). They start at 7:00 and 8:00 pm respectively. It will be a busy evening.

This weekend we are going to my brother's "I'm-done-with-high-school!" party in Katy. We're driving. Eight hours one way. We'll leave Saturday and return Monday. I love you, Kendall :)

And, of course, next week is the last week of school, so things at work have been quite busy. We are trying to get everything done and in order for next year. Aaa!

So, enough rambling, I suppose. Hopefully I will come up with something interesting to post sometime soon. Until then, I leave you with this movie quote. Whoever guesses correctly gets the virtual gold star! :)

"I shan't tell my ant, I mean aunt, about the ants; nor the debutantes--shall I?"

Visit with Friends

Last night we got to see our friend Kathy, her husband Matt, and son Patrick. Kathy and I have reconnected through blogging. A link to her blog is listed under "blogs I read" to the left. Matt is from Big Spring and his brother got married here this weekend. His family let us steal some of their time with Kathy, Matt and Patrick so we could see them too. Harmony and Raylee also came to visit. Here is one of the better pictures I got. With three babies, it was quite hard to get a picture of them that turned out decent. You can see that a lot is going on. Will has discovered that our coffee table has drawers while Matt is busy entertaining Patrick. Unbeknownst to Matt, he was also quite good at entertaining Raylee, who is holding Will's softie! It was a fun evening and we hope to get to see the Holts again while they are in town.

Mother's Day Pics

My beautiful Mother's Day corsage

Grandmother (Terri), Mother (me), and Son (Will)

Party Recap & More

Okay, now there is something wrong with my computer. I haven't been on it at all since I posted Will's birthday stuff last week. I don't know what the problem is; it just keeps shutting itself off. At work, I've been pretty busy, so I haven't had much time to blog. But, I didn't want you all to think I'd fallen off the face of the earth, so here I am.

So much has happened in the last week!! I am almost fully recovered from my illness; I'm still coughing a little. Will is still coughing, too. Hopefully we will both be completely back to normal soon.

Ah, where to begin? Will's birthday party was on Saturday at 3:00. I got up about 9:00 and to finish cleaning my house before my parents arrived. Everything was going quite swimmingly! I got ready at noon in time to pick up the balloons at 1:00 from the flower shop where I used to work. Unfortunately, this weekend also happened to be prom and Mother's Day...very busy times for a flower shop. So, my balloons weren't quite ready. That was fine. I decided to grab a quick bite at Sonic before heading up to the church to decorate the cake and fellowship hall (where we had the party). While I was waiting my turn to get back on to the street from the Sonic parking lot, I started having a coughing attack. You know, one of those where your eyes are streaming and you can barely breathe. Those always seem to happen to me during communion. Anyway, that was the worst part of the day. I stressed out a little about decorating the cake, but really, it was great. Will seemed to have a great time and that is all that matters! Lots of people who love him were able to make it to the party and he got some really nice presents. I will post pictures as soon as I can figure out my computer's problem or get to Scott's office. Whichever comes first! He didn't seem to keen on the cake and ice cream. I thought he would love them, but he had a very funny look on his face when we gave it to him. I think he would have really liked the ice cream if it wasn't so darn cold :)

After the party, we started watching LOST. It is my dad's favorite show and he got the whole first season on DVD for Christmas. He brought it for us to borrow and we ended up watching half of the season before my parents even left on Monday morning. That show is so awesome. We have since finished watching all of the episodes. I have soooo many questions! And I am so sad that I will have to wait until December to find out what happens in season 2. Maybe it won't be that long.

Sunday was of course, Mother's Day. It was a wonderful first Mother's Day! I was able to spend it with Scott, Will, and my parents. Perfect! My parents gave me a beautiful corsage to wear to church and a custom-made bath towel. Scott and Will gave me two shirts from Old Navy, a new TV antenna (so I can pick up stations in my living room now!!), and a gift certificate for a massage!! I am so blessed! I cannot wait to use that massage. Now the problem is finding a time when I can go and get it done. It seems like we are booked from now until eternity. It was a wonderful day.

Will also had his one year check up and shots on Monday. Five shots! Poor guy. He did really well, though. He was fine up until about 7:00pm that night and then it was obvious that he wanted to go to sleep. He ended up sleeping until about 5:00 am and Scott gave him some milk and changed him at that point before putting him back to bed. He did not wake up again until Scott WOKE him up at 1:00 pm on Tuesday afternoon!!!! Shots just wipe him out. He's been fine since then, though. He is such a good kid.

Yesterday, Will's new car seat came by UPS. How exciting! No more infant carrier. He is waayy to heavy for that thing! He can actually stay in it for one more pound, but seriously, I'm surprised my arm hasn't broken off from carrying him around. He still has to face backward for a while, but that's okay. This car seat will hold him up to 80 pounds. I think I weighed 80 pounds when I was in the 5th or 6th grade. Ha! Anyway, I was excited to see it sitting on my front porch when I got home (cleverly hidden with my doormat by the UPS man, by the way).

Pictures to come!

My Birthday Boy

Today my baby turns one! I have been so blessed to be called his mother. He is my joy and my light. I reminisced about his actulal birth here.

Unfortunately, today both Will and I are sick! We spent his "birthday minute" in the doctor's office. But, it looks like it's just bad allergies--no infection this time! That is not the case for me. On Monday I was feeling dizzy and went to the doctor. It turns out that I have double ear infections! Today, my head feels like it weighs about 50 lbs and my throat is raw, but since it is Will's birthday, I wanted to share some pictures. I made blueberry muffins for his birthday breakfast. Here he is about to blow out the candle:

Happy Will's Birthday to everyone! I hope your day is as blessed as mine. Even though I feel crummy, this marks the anniversary of one of the best days of my entire life. To all those who aren't yet parents, I wish you the joy you will experience each time your child smiles, laughs, needs a hug...every moment is blessed and cherished.

The Last Few Days

No, nothing is wrong with my computer! We've just had lots going on this last week. Scott had two major papers due Sunday night, so he dominated the computer most of last week and over the weekend (which was fine with me :)).

Let's see...what has been happening in our lives? This past weekend was also "Senior Sunday" at our church. This group of seniors was a little extra special to us because they are the first group we have seen all the way through high school. When we first got here, they were just 8th graders! They have grown so much and we will miss them dearly. So, needless to say, it was quite a crazy weekend for my dear husband. Senior Sunday and two major papers due. Yea, we are so glad it's all over :)

I also got my hair cut last week. Yes it is even shorter! If I get a good picture of myself, I will post it. I like it a lot...very low maintenance, which is always good for me!

Monday, our school district had a holiday. It was actually an un-used bad weather day, but I'll take whatever I can get. We made a little trip to Abilene because Scott had to return the 30 books he had borrowed from the library in order to write those papers. We got to visit with our friends Ty and Beth which was lots of fun. Beth is a photographer and she took some really cute pictures of Will for his 1st birthday. Hopefully I will be able to post a couple of those, too.

Yesterday, I became ill. I had to come home from work because I was feeling so bad. As I was laying in my bed watching The People's Court, I became very reminiscent of my bedrest days when I would watch that program every day. In fact, one year ago yesterday, I was probably doing the very same thing. That show just kills me. Lessons learned from The People's Court: A) Get everything in writing. B) Don't be stupid.

Today, thankfully, I am feeling much better and was able to return to work. It is a good thing, too, because I only have about 2 days left of sick leave! That is really all the news I have to report for now. Love to all~

Quick Update

For a quick update about Will's ENT appointment and to see some cutericious pictures from our weekend picnic, click on over to Prather Place.

It is late, and I am tired, so I will leave it at that for now. I hope everyone has had a most wonderful and blessed Monday!

Branson

No, not the city...the new baby boy! Branson Matthew Tungate was born today at 10:21 am; his proud parents are Carrie and Adam and big sister is Ally. How exciting. I can't wait to meet the little guy. It's always exciting when a new baby arrives in the world.

As for Prather family news...there isn't much to report. I am looking forward to sleeping as late as possible tomorrow before tackling my house with various assundry cleaning chores. Sounds great, huh? It is possible that one of Scott's high school friends and his finacee are coming through town on Sunday, so I'm sure he is excited about catching up.

Other than that, our big news is that Will is seeing the ENT on Monday. Sounds kind of weird to be excited about an ear doctor, but nevertheless, I am. I am just ready to figure out how to keep my boy well.

Have a great weekend, everyone :)

The Trip, Amber, and the Car

I am so exhausted! We went to San Antonio for Easter this weekend and had a good time relaxing and seeing the family. I saw my cousin Amber and her son Cade whom I haven't seen since November of 2004, so it was good to spend a little time with them (not enough!).

Amber was my best friend growing up. It was so cool going to Grandma's house because Amber lived right down the dirt road. When I would stay at my grandparents' house for a week at a time in the summer, you could bet that at least one or two of those nights would be spent and Amber's house. We would stay up late watching Dirty Dancing and Grease (shh, don't tell!). We had the best fun. She also had a pool in her backyard--a real, in-ground pool. What better to cool you off on a hot San Antonio day than a little dip? I don't get to see Amber near enough, even though she and her husband built a house down that same dirt road; we don't get to go down as often as we like and busy lives get the best of us. We'll need to make sure and get together for some good catching up the next time we're there.

My parents brought us a new car. Well, new to us. It's a small SUV (4Runner), so it will be nice to have some more space again. I had forgotten how nice it was to have a pick-up to haul stuff around in. We did have a couple of problems with it over the weekend, though, so my brother and Scott spent a lot of time working on it outside. First, the A/C went out on Kendall when he was driving it up to San Antonio. They figured out fairly quickly that it was a fan belt and got it fixed. Then, we were playing around with stuff (like you do when you get a new car) and got the rear passenger side window stuck in the down position. They worked on it a while and decided to get a new window motor. As it turns out, if you do not shut a car door all the way and leave it that way for several hours, it runs the battery down. They found out the window motor was not the problem, but a new battery would have to be purchased. So, it was not a spectacular weekend on that front, but I think they still had fun being guys and working on the car. Kendall is going to Texas State Technical College next year to be an auto mechanic, so I know he had fun :)

Anyway, we made it home safely after a delicious meal at The Cracker Barrel in Kerrville, several stops, and lots of deer between Ozona and Garden City. Woo hoo! My bed never called my name so loudly as it did last night. It is calling to me yet again...what? I need to crawl in and get comfy and not wake up til noon tomorrow?? I wish, oh, how I wish life were that easy!

New Me?

Okay, folks, it's a record! For two nights in a row, I have cooked a real, home-cooked meal. I'm not talking Hamburger, Chicken, or Tuna Helper, either. Real recipes that require real ingredients. Wow...it truly is amazing. And dare I say it? I actually enjoyed myself. I enjoyed putting everything together correctly and then tasting the scrumptious meal I had produced.

Last night was also special because I installed the child-safety locks on the cabinet doors in the kitchen BY MYSELF (okay, Scott did help me on the first one, but other than that, it was all me, baby!). Incredible. It was a breakthrough evening. I have included a picture of me, the drill-wielding mama, with this post. Watch out, your kitchen may be next.

Soaked

My mother has told me I need to update, so here I am. I decided to give everyone a break from me for a few days because of my incredibly long previous post, but here I am, back to haunt you. For new and exciting Will news, click here. I have just updated that blog as well.

On Sunday night, our youth group had a devo at a member's home. Sunday was a warm, sunny day--perfect for outdoor games where you get all wet and disgusting, right? That was what we thought. We told the kids to wear/bring clothes that could get wet, stained and nasty. Most of them chose to abide by this warning. Some, however, did not.

The host family had prepared "Survivor" type relay games. The first was a puzzle, then digging through jello with their feet to find marbles...then the water balloons came out. At first, they played the actual game with the balloons. Then, all of their carnal instinct kicked in. They went pyscho on each other. The garden hose was brought into play. Everything so far had taken place in the front yard...did I mention that this particular family has a pool in their backyard?

The pool had not been cleaned since last summer, so over the winter it had developed a swampy, murky color. It was so green that you couldn't see through the water at all. Needless to say, it was nasty water. Of course, since a pool was nearby, and more so because it was so dirty (I think), the kids decided it was necessary to jump in, whether forcibly or voluntarily. So, every kid (but one--I think they will later seek revenge against him) was completely soaked to the skin. Remember I said that Sunday was supposed to be warm and sunny? Well, the wind had picked up a bit and it was a bit cooler than we expected it to be. I was completely dry and was chilly (not saying much for me, I know) so I couldn't imagine being soaked trough.

Fortuanately, the family also has an outdoor fire pit, so they were able to spend the rest of the devo huddled around the fire since they were too wet and gross to come inside and eat. We also brought them old blankets, hot cocoa, and coffee to keep warm. It was quite a scene. Thankfully Will and I got inside the house before it got too crazy!

So, remember, if you are told to bring old clothes to an event of some sort, heed the warning. You never know if you'll get dumped in nasty pool water!

If it were last year...

April 8th will forever be a date that sticks out in my mind. If it were last year, today would be my last day at work for the rest of the year. I thought I would share what I wrote in my journal on the 19th of last April. (The picture to the left was taken on April 4, 2005.)

"On Friday, April 8th, I had some really bad back pain. I'd had the same pain on Wednesday and Thursday, but by Friday I was getting concerned. I got to work and immediately started calling [my OB/GYN] Dr. Byerly's office. I didn't get through until after 9:00 AM. Of course, I already knew that Friday is his surgery day. I asked to speak to his nurse, Mitzi. She wasn't in yet and had a full day of patients ahead of her. I asked them to please have her call me. About 20-30 minutes went by and I decided I needed to just go in to see her, so I called back. They didn't know when I'd be able to get in and were going to call me back with a time. More time went by and I couldn't think of anything else but the pain. Finally I decided to call [my general practioner] Kim's office and see if they couldn't see me right away. They told me to come down as soon as I could. I called Byerly's office back and told them nevermind, I was going to see Kim. The receptionist told me that she had just talked to Mitzi and she had said to go to L&D and have them put me on the monitors. I asked if I should do that or go see Kim first. They said to go to Kim and see what she said. So, I went.

Of course, now I'm a bit freaked out because of the mention of the fetal monitor. On the way, I started to cry. I got there and as I'm telling the nurse about the pain, the tears start up again. I told them I was scared. They decide to go ahead and send me to L&D to be hooked up to the monitor. I got there, changed into the hospital gown (by now it's around 10:45, maybe 11:00). Kim called Scott for me to tell him what's going on. They hooked me up right away to the fetal monitor and also a pulse/blood oxygenation reader. Now, I'm really starting to panic. They check to see if I am dialated and she says it's about 1 1/2. They want to keep me on the monitor for at least an hour. Scott finally arrives and we sit and wait--me being in excruciating pain. The nurse is thinking that I am having contractions, even though I haven't noticed any. She checks my dialation again at 12:00 and she thinks I am up to a 2. They want to keep me on the monitor for another hour. I haven't eaten anything since 8:00 that morning and all I'd had was a piece of dry wheat toast and a granola bar. Dr. Byerly came in and said I'd probably be going to Odessa or Lubbock because I was having contractions and was dialated. They soon decided that was indeed the plan and began to hook me up to an IV and a catheter. That was quite painful. I was to ride to Odessa in an ambulance and Scott was going to follow. Scott went to get himself something to eat and pack a bag. They also gave me a shot of steriods for the baby's lungs in case he was going to be delivered because his lungs still had some developing to do. The reason they were sending me to Odessa Regional was because they have a neo-natal intensive care unit there and the high risk OB/GYN consults there as well.

Since I was only 33 weeks and 5 days along, it would still be considered a pre-term birth and [Scenic Mountain Med. Center] wouldn't be able to care for the baby as ORH would. When Scott got back, he realized he'd forgotten few things. I knew that the ambulance guys would get there soon after he left and they did. They transferred me to the gurney and down we went to the ambulance. The guys got me in the ambulance and situated and I told them I was concerned because my husband hadn't gotten back yet. One of the guys lent me his cell phone and right after I dialed the number, Scott poked his head around the door. We were off! I actually got sort of "comfortable" in the ambulance and dozed off a bit.

When we arrived at ORH, we went up to the L&D floor. They got me into a room and immediately did an ultrasound to check and see how the baby was doing. He looked just fine. The high-risk OB/GYN came in and said he didn't think I would deliver the baby anytime soon (they had checked my dialation again and said it was a 2 and 80% effaced). He thought I was having a kidney infection. They put me on antibiotics, fluids, and magnesium to slow down labor progression. His prediction was that I'd get out on Monday at the earliest--if everything went well. He also told me that from this moment on it was bedrest until the baby was born. He wanted me to stay pretty much horizontal 24/7. On Saturday night, Scott planned to go back to Big Spring so he could teach class on Sunday morning and pick Mom up at the airport in Midland on his way back (she was coming for my shower that was supposed to take place on April 10th). Harmony volunteered to stay Sat. night at the hospital with me. Kara and Carrie (who had also come down for my shower) visited me on Sat. night.

Based on the urine analysis they did on Saturday, they decided to do a renal (kidney) ultrasound on Sunday to see if kidney stones were visible; the UA had come back high in RBC's and WBC's. They also wanted to do another UA on Sun. morning. Around 2 pm, Mom and Scott arrived. Very soon after, the ultrasound tech came to look at my kidneys. He didn't see any visible stones. He also looked at the baby again and said he looked okay. When the doctor came in later, he said that even though the ultrasound didn't show any stones, he still thought that's what it had to be. He also began to wean me off of the magnesium and started me on an oral-based anti-labor drug (terbutaline). They upped my fluids to try and flush the stone out. He also said that I could be detatched from the catheter (yea--that thing was awful!!) and take a shower. He said that I would probably change rooms the next day, but for sure wouldn't go home until Tuesday.

On Monday, the doctor came back to do a bio-physical profile of the baby. While they still had the ultrasound machine on, he looked at my kidneys again to see if any stones were visible. Still, no stones could be seen and I hadn't passed any. He decided that I could go off all the IV medication and be transferred to a post-partum room [I had been in an L&D room this whole time]. I moved rooms pretty quickly. He wanted to keep me on terbutaline, but he did take me off of the antibiotics too. He wanted to do another glucose test to see about gestational diabetes because the level of my amniotic fluid was higher than normal.

Tuesday morning came early, they woke me up at 7:00 to draw blood and give me the nasty orange drink. The doctor came in around lunchtime and said I was free to go home but had to stay on the terbutaline. He also said that my glucose test came back 161 (normal is between 80 and 120) so I had to get the 3 hour test done the next day at Byerly's office. We got all packed up and got home around 3:00. I went to the doctor's office at 7:45 on Wednesday morning to begin the 3 hour glucose test. They drew my blood a total of 4 times--at 8, 9, 10 and 11:00. The waiting in between was the bad part. My results didn't come back until Thursday--hallelujah--we found out that I wasn't diabetic.

It was quite a long ordeal, and I'm just glad it's over and my little one is still safe and snug inside momma's belly for now."

I know this post was long; but it has been something that has been heavy on my mind lately. It doesn't seem that one year could have already passed since this ordeal took place. And yet, so much has happened. Will was born safely and without any complications. We have experienced so many blessings being his parents. He has grown into a very curious little boy! It has been a great year.

Finish the Sentence

I got this fun email today and thought I'd share!

1. My ex: is now happily married, as am I.

2. Maybe I should: do my work instead of writing on my blog!

3. I love: my family, friends, Diet Coke, Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream, and rainy days.

4. I don't understand: how anyone could abuse their child. (April is National Child Abuse Month)

5. I lose: my keys and on occasion, my dogs.

6. People say I'm: shy. (??)

7. Love is: a many splendored thing.

8. Somewhere, someone is: giving birth.

9. I will always: believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and died for my sins.

10. Forever is: a long time.

11. I never want to: go through life without my faith in God.

12. I think the current President is: a man trying his best to govern and protect our country.

13. When I wake up in the morning: I want to go back to sleep.

14. My past was: filled with both mistakes and successes.

15. I get annoyed when: people don't use proper spelling, capitalization, grammar, punctuation, etc. in emails, blogs, and the like. (Ex: hey what up...idk im just chillin bc im bored. u wanna do somethin? well ill see u l8r...)

16. Parties are for: celebrating!

17. My dog is: OCD.

18. My cat is: dead.

19. Kisses are the best when: they are given sincerely.

20. Tomorrow: is Friday!!

21. I really want: a large Diet Coke from Sonic (easy ice). A breakfast burrito would be good too.

22. I have low tolerance for: people who just want to whine and complain all the time.

23. In public: I try to blend in and not look stupid.

24. Today: I am getting the first disc of season 2 of Smallville in the mail from Netflix!

25. My last dream was about: Clark Kent??? I have no idea.

26. I suck at: doing two things at once (ie: driving and talking).

27. I'm going to: get busy doing my work now!

It's Official

In case you don't read my other blog, I'll say it again here: I have officially resigned from my job for next year! I am going to be staying home with Will and I am so excited. I have always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and now I'm getting the chance. I have a little less than two months until school is out "for-ever!" Woo hoo!

Also, can I just say how much I loathe the time changes? I like the summer one because we have longer daylight hours, but I really don't like switching the clock forward. It always takes me weeks to get used to the new time. Almost every morning this week I have woken up late, and I wake up late anyway, so now I'm waking up really late. Hopefully my body will adjust soon! Poor Will's clock is totally messed up, too. Oh well, we'll survive.

Crazy Day

Actually, I should say "crazy days"...I am totally worn out! This weekend I hostessed a shower in Lubbock (2 hours away from my house) for my friend Carrie.

The craziness started yesterday when both my friend Kara and I were late getting to Lubbock. We were supposed to meet there and get the hostess gift together (we gave the mom-to-be a big basket full of baby necessities) and then meet Carrie for dinner. One of the items we needed was the actual basket in which to put all the goodies. We didn't get done shopping for the goodies until almost 8:00 pm and we needed to get the basket from Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby closes at 8:00 pm and isn't open on Sundays! So I drove like a mad woman (not much different than how I normally drive) over to Hobby Lobby to get the basket. I ran up to the door and the little old man manager said, "Sorry, m'am, we're closed." I put on my most pitiful looking face and said, "Please, please, please, let me in there! I just need to get one thing!" He looked like he felt bad for me, so I milked it a little more. I pooched out my lower lip. "What do you need?" he said. "A big basket," I replied. "How long will it take you?" he asked. "5 minutes! 5 minutes, I promise!" He let me in! I ran to get a basket. They did not have the type of basket I was looking for. So I grabbed the closest thing to what I wanted and proceeded to stand in the checkout line for about 10 minutes. I think they train their cashiers to be slow.

So, I met the girls at Chili's for dinner. By the time we got seated it was about 8:25. We finally got our drinks at 8:35 and we sat there for about 10 or 15 more minutes without a server coming by to get our order. Mind you, we had a 8 month pregnant woman and two very tired little children with us. Finally the server came by and said we had "fallen through the cracks" and apologized about a hundred times while taking our order. The manager came by and told us that we would get half-off on our ticket and our appetizer for free! Woo hoo! Our bill was about $12.00. Sweet action.

Now for the real craziness. Last night, Kara and I both set the alarms on our phones to go off at 7:00/7:30, thinking the time would switch over during the night. Neither of our phones switched with the time change! So we woke up an hour later than we meant to. We still had to get ourselves ready, her kids ready, pack up our stuff, and check out of the hotel. We were trying to get to church which started at 9:30.

We got to the church building at about 9:50; late, yes, but still there. On the outside of the building, it has three start times for worship: 8:15, 10:45, and 11:30. Not 9:30. The phone book we had checked twice the night before had it wrong! Grr! So we decided to go to McDonalds to get some breakfast before the 10:45 service. On the way to McDonalds, Kara's daughter threw up the juice she'd had earlier that morning. So, while Kara took her daughter to Walmart to get her some new clothes, her son and I went to McDonalds to eat breakfast.

Pretty much our whole day went like this...crazy!! I could tell you lots more, but I'll stop here. I'm just glad the shower went over well...Carrie got lots of great clothes and other items. We had a good time with her and some other friends from college. This was also my first night without Will since he has been born, so it was sort of a milestone for us. He had a good time with his dad, so it all worked out really well. Yea!

A Good Weekend

I had a good weekend. On Saturday, I started my day by attending a baby shower up at the church building. It was fun; I got to chat with friends and look at all the super-cute baby items that the guest-of-honor received. She really raked it in! I brought Will with me and he had fun crawling around on the floor. I needed to go to Midland to pick up some supplies for another shower next weekend and I had planned on taking Will with me. By the time the shower was over, though, he was completely exhausted. So my dear husband agreed to stay home with him while he slept and I went to Midland by myself.

I had the best time! I got to spend an hour in Target looking at whatever I wanted! I successfully spent an obscene amount of money there (just kidding...or am I?). I went to Rosa's and ate lunch alone while reading People magazine. I headed to Hobby Lobby and acquired cake decorating stuff for Will's birthday party [sob!] and checked out their prices on party supplies. I proceeded to the party supply store and (again) spent an obscene amount of money on supplies for Carrie's shower and Will's party. I had one more stop to make before I headed back home. Dustee's--the accessory and purse emporium. Oh how I love that store! I could have spent big money there, too, but refrained for fear for my life (ha!). I did get some cute earrings and necklaces, though (that's right, I did NOT buy a purse!).

When I got home, I discovered that Will had slept almost the whole time that I was gone. So all went well! Sunday was good, too. We had potluck after morning services and a devo after evening services. Lots of yummy food is always good! We also got the last disc of Smallville season one this weekend and finished it. The last episode was quite a cliffhanger. However, since we're already almost finished with season four, we basically know what's going to happen anyway. It's still fun to watch though!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, too. Have a blessed day~

MySpace

Well, in an effort to stay current and relate to our youth group kids, I've relented and signed up on MySpace. Let me say now that I'm not a huge fan of MySpace because I think it is too hyped up and hard to read because people add way too much stuff to their pages. I much prefer blogs like this one that seem a lot more personal. Having said that...whoa! I was on MySpace last night for (yes, I'm admitting this) hours finding all sorts of people! I found lots of high school classmates and relatives, school kids, youth group kids, college classmates...it was just WEIRD! Getting just a tiny glimpse of what some of my old high school "friends" are up to now was sometimes encouraging, but mostly discouraging. It made me very thankful for the life I have with my husband and son. It may seem boring and humble to my old classmates, but I couldn't be happier with it! I am so blessed to have the people in my life that I do--people who love me and encourage me daily!

So, if you want to check me out on MySpace, be my guest!

My Boys

I thought I'd post some pictures of my boys--Will, Frank, and Cracker. I've mentioned my dogs, but never posted picture of them, so here they are in all their canine glory :) Frank is on the left, Cracker is on the right. They are pictured here in their favorite place, our bed. Speaking of the dogs in my bed, we have been finding ticks on them lately. Scott asked me to pick up some flea and tick shampoo when I went to the store last night. I went to the dog aisle and there were lots of different shampoos to choose from. Hiding behind one of those cheap impulse items they hang on the shelf was Sargeant's Gold Flea and Tick Shampoo. It was $4.68, but I figured if it had "gold" in the title, it must be pretty good. So that's what I bought. Hopefully it will live up to it's name. If nothing else, our dogs are very shiny and smell really good (for once--ha!).

Erin Go Bragh

"Ireland Forever!" Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

I know I haven't posted in quite awhile; I've been pretty busy at work and at home with my sick child. If you didn't know, Will has pneumonia (not bad enough to be in the hospital, thank goodness!). He has been sleeping A LOT (which is good) so one of us has had to be at home with him at all times. I missed work on Wednesday to stay home with him and give Scott a chance to get into his office and prepare for class on Wednesday night. He's been a stay-at-home dad most of the week, and a very good one at that!

What a week...it's been so hard to get back into the swing of things after spring break. I don't know how I'm going to survive work for the next two months. Somehow, I will find the strength, I'm sure! :)

I don't really have anything new to report so I'll make this a short post. I hope everyone has a great weekend and a good St. Paddy's. Shake your shamrocks!

Name Game

I stole this from my mom who stole it from someone else--it's pretty funny!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet and current street name) Jessie West

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME: (grandmother's maiden name on your mother's side, your favorite candy) Graves Snickers (???--my mom's was way cooler--Ramsey Heath)

3. YOUR "FLY GIRL" NAME: (first initial of last name, first two or three letters of your first name) P. La

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite animal, name of high school) Tiger Katy

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Patrice Houston

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters of your last name, last 3 letters of mother's maiden name, first 3 letters of your pet's name) Prasonfra

7. JEDI NAME: (middle name spelled backwards, your father's middle name spelled backwards) Ecirtap Yhtomit

Home

We are back. Will and I had a really good trip to Lubbock and Amarillo. (See pics below!) Sadly, I forgot to get my camera out while we were at Jen and Sam's house, so I don't have any pics to post of them. Next time we'll get some! We had lots of good fun with Chelsey--she is so great with kids. Of course, Will loved her--she was very good at making him laugh.

Unfortunately, I think our little jaunt got the boy sick...he has been coughing and sneezing and very stuffy the last couple of days. A nasty front blew through the Plains and I think it might have aggravated his allergies. Hopefully rest and meds will help him get back to normal soon.

I had such a good time getting to see my friends! I hadn't seen Jen since Labor Day and Chelsey since Jen's wedding in June--way too long!! It was a much needed trip. I am very glad I decided to go. It was sort of scary and frustrating at times traveling alone with Will, but we survived!

One of my major missions for spring break was to find a diaper bag. If you are a parent, you know how hard it is to find a bag to meet all of your needs. If you aren't a parent, one day when you have children of your own, you will understand what I am talking about. I, too, once thought that they were all alike. Boy, was I wrong. I registered for two bags before Will was born--a large backpack style bag and a small tote-type bag. I got them both and have used both on several occasions. I also got a freebie bag from the hospital when Will was born. I have also used that one a lot. But, there was always something that just wasn't right. Thus, my mission to find another bag was born. I think I have found it, my friends--the Amy Coe "Pipper" bag from Target. I will let you know in the near future if it is as wonderful as I think it to be.

Even though we had a great trip, I am glad to be home. It will be nice to be able to just relax around the house for a couple of days before going back to work. I will probably be spending most of tomorrow cleaning up--while we were gone, Scott painted our dining room and baseboards in the whole front room. When it's all dry and safe, we'll be able to put our furniture back where it belongs--yea! Maybe we can make our house a little more livable again :)

Pics from our trip to Amarillo

In the Amarillo Gorillas hockey club office

Yummy beads!!

Chelsey, Will and I

After Will's bath

Chelsey and Will with the gorilla

Will with the gargantuan stuffed gorilla in Chelsey's office.

New Title?

So, any thoughts on the new title? Good, bad, ugly? Be honest!

One More Day

Yes! One more day til Spring Break begins! No work for a full week...ahh, the wonderment of it all. I am so excited for this much needed break. We at BSISD have not had a day off since the Christmas holidays!

Will and I will be traveling to Amarillo next week to see our beloved "Aunt" Chelsey :) We haven't seen her in quite a long time, so this visit is severely overdue! On the way to Amarillo, we'll be stopping through Lubbock to see another of my dearest friends, Jen. I am so excited to see them both.

~~~~~~~~~

Sadly, I think the breastfeeding experience for Will and I is coming to an end. I have been weaning him for over a month and we are down to 3 feedings a day. As you know, Will has four teeth. We've never really had a biting issue before--I mean, he has a little, but never hard enough to really hurt me. Yesterday, that all changed. He bit me so hard that he drew blood. Let me tell you, OUCH!!!! I actually was brave enough to let him try again, but he just kept on biting. I tried feeding him again last night and he did acutally eat without biting. Weaning has been a sad experience anyway because breastfeeding is such a special time to bond with your baby. It just seems like something really special is ending forever. I don't want to abruptly stop because of the biting, but I don't want him to continue biting me either! Argh! I'm having lots of mixed emotions about the whole ordeal.

~~~~~~~~~

If you haven't checked out our family site Prather Place to see our newly refinished floor, do so! It looks magnificent if I do say so myself. My husband is quite talented :)

Have a great Friday!!

Tagged!

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Bookstore/Post Office worker at LCU
2. Funeral home secretary
3. Assistant manager (sort-of) at a floral shop
4. High school credit-recovery program secretary

Four movies you would watch over and over:
1. The Parent Trap (the 60's version with Hayley Mills)
2. Pretty Woman
3. Adventures in Babysitting
4. Back to the Future

Four places you have lived:
1. Houston, TX
2. Katy, TX
3. Lubbock, TX
4. Big Spring, TX

Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. CSI (the original)
2. Friends
3. Gilmore Girls
4. Star Trek: Voyager

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Destin, Florida
2. Cancun, Mexico
3. Pagosa Springs & Durango, Colorado
4. Orlando, Florida

Four websites I visit daily:
1. my blogs
2. Kidd Kraddick
3. BSISD website
4. Other people's blogs

Four of my favorite foods:
1. pizza
2. burritos
3. Mom's chicken and dumplings
4. Grandpa's mashed potatoes

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. in my bed, asleep
2. on the beach
3. shopping in Midland
4. shopping in Houston

Four friends I am tagging that I think will respond:
1. my Mom
2. Scott
3. Kathy
4. Larissa

Sleeping Scholar and Potluck

I came back to our room the other night to get ready for bed and found that Scott had fallen asleep reading for class. I think I would have fallen asleep reading this book, too. Anyway, I just thought they were funny pictures to share with everyone in cyberspace. Do you seen the little stuffed bug under the pillow in the top picture? It giggles like a little kid. Scott keeps it under his pillow so he can freak me out with it at night when I'm trying to go to sleep. He's got a twisted mind.

This has been a completely non-productive weekend so far. Well, I take that back. We've done some laundry and went grocery shopping. Other than that, we've been bums!

Tomorrow we have a fellowship meal after morning service. Yea! The potluck--one of mankind's finest ideas. One of my favorite potluck dishes is macaroni and cheese. Someone always makes mac and cheese. Also, there are a couple of ladies at our current congregation who make some really amazing banana pudding. How about y'all? What is your favorite potluck dish?

Family Photos

Will and his Great-grandpa Roy (that's one proud grandpa!!)

Will and his Uncle Kendall

Will and his Great-grandparents, Glenda and Roy

I was finally able to get these pictures to post! I guess my work computer just couldn't handle it for some reason. Maybe the fact that my computer at work is at least five years old, if not more? Hmm... Anyway, here are a few of the better ones that we got. I absolutely love the one of Will and my grandpa looking at each other! The pic of my brother holding Will was taken with a camera phone, so that's why it looks a little weird. I have to admit, though, his camera phone is a lot better than mine.

Thanks to all those who shared their most annoying songs. I have to agree with the concensus--Mambo #5 was a pretty horrific tune.

I don't have much of anything interesting to say tonight. It's been a pretty long day and I'm insane for not being in bed already. Oh well. We had to finish the last disc of the Gilmore Girls season 4 set. I'm so mad at Rory!! If you know what happens in season 5, don't tell me! We'll find out in a few weeks :)

Later, gators :)

Today is TAKS testing day. All the seniors who aren't taking the test are at Howard College doing something (i have no idea what). The teachers I work with are administering the test. I have one student here who got special permission to stay here and work instead of going to Howard. I don't blame him, he's almost done with us. What this means for me is that I am stuck down here all day, basically alone. What fun.

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I tried for forever to post pictures from this weekend that Mom sent. They simply would not post! I have no idea why. Maybe I need to try from a different computer. I'll get them up somehow, I promise.

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This morning, Kidd Kraddick did a bit where he had people call in and tell him which songs they believed to be the most annoying of all time. Some of the songs suggested were:
Barbie Girl, I'm Blue (Da Ba Di), Tubthumping, Macarena, We Like to Party (the Six-Flags-dancing-guy song), The Thong Song...oh how the list could go on.

Here are some more songs that are currently annoying the poo out of me:
Better Days -- Goo Goo Dolls, Beautiful -- James Blunt, One Wish -- ??

Would anyone like to share thier opinion on the most annoying songs of all time? This could be fun. Come on, people. Share.

Zzzz...

I am so tired. I am an insane person to have traveled this weekend. I just want to curl up in a little ball and lay my head on my desk. Do you think they would notice?

The trip went well for the most part. The actual visit was great. It was wonderful to be able to spend time with the family. The flights, however, were another story. Our flight on Friday was delayed an hour, so we didn't get into Houston til 9:00. Then we had to drive from the airport to Katy (about an hour or more), making a "quick" stop at the grocery store to pick up some baby food for Will (I forgot to pack it!) and some items for my brother who had had oral surgery that morning. We didn't get home until about 11:00. Last night our flight was delayed 30 minutes. We landed at 9:30 and got home at 11:00. Ugh. I really despise travelling. I like the the getting there and doing, just not the going. One positive aspect of our flight last night was our hilarious flight crew. They were quite the comedians. At the end of the little schpeel they do about the emergency exits and such to which no one listens, I heard him say, "blah, blah, blah; yada, yada, yada." Then when they were demonstrating how to use the oxygen masks, she started out by saying,"after you finish screaming and let go of your neighbor's leg..." It went on like that throughout the entire flight. Fun times.

We enjoyed our visit, though. We didn't do a whole lot--it was sooo cold in Houston! The moisture in the air just made it seem even colder than it really was, too. Brr! On Saturday my parents, Will and I met a doctor my mom works with to look at the car he is selling. Then we went out to eat at one of my dad's favorite places, Chuy's. It was the best Mexican food I have had in a long time. Kendall couldn't join us because he was still recovering from his wisdom teeth extraction.

On Sunday morning we went to church at Cinco Ranch. My dad is teaching a class on Barnabas and being an encourager (coincidentally, the lesson I taught last Wednesday was out of a book called The Barnabas Factor, also about being an encourager--weird huh?) and did an excellent job facilitating a good discussion. Worship was uplifting as always. I ended up singing with Mom on the praise team at the last second (literally!) and managed to do a pretty good job. There were a couple of songs I'd never heard before, so that was kind of interesting. Another great thing about church on Sunday was getting to see a fellow blogger and LCU alumna, Kathy, her husband, and precious son! It was fun getting to see her in person again and finally meet Matt and Patrick. A funny thing about Kathy is that she lives where my parents live, and I live where Matt's parents live. Matt was quite weirded out by the fact that I not only live in the town where he grew up, but that I work at the high school from which he graduated. It was fun to compare notes :)

We also got together with the Watson side of the family for "lunch." I put lunch in quotes because we ate it at three in the afternoon. One set of uncle, aunt, and cousins had not met Will yet, so it was fun to introduce them. Everyone else enjoyed seeing how much he'd changed since Thanksgiving.

While Will and I were away, Scott put the top coat on the hard wood floors in our living room. It looks really nice. He still wants to work on it a little more, though. We still have to do the baseboards and quarter-rounds, too, so there's still work to be done before the project is completed.

I suppose I've written enough for now. Hopefully, Mom will send me some pictures she took this weekend and I'll get them posted for you all to see.

Buh-bye, now :)

On the Road Again

Actually, we'll be in the air again, but that doesn't sound as catchy for my title. Will and I are flying to Houston tomorrow evening. It just hit me this morning that I am leaving town in a little over 24 hours. I have to pack for both Will and myself tonight. Ugh. I hate packing. Really, I do. But! I am glad that I will get to see my parents, brother and other assorted family members. Hopefully, we'll get to see some friends as well. I'm sure the visit won't be nearly long enough!

One really great thing is that I don't have to bring the car seat. My parents have some neighbors who have an extra infant seat for their grandson, so we are borrowing it for the weekend. I'm really thankful I don't have to wrestle with that! Instead, I'll be able to bring Will's stroller--I'm hoping it will be a lot easier to deal with in the airport. Only time will tell.

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How did Scott and I bear a child who loves mornings so much? Today as I was getting ready for work, I heard nursery songs coming through the monitor. Will was awake in his crib, playing with his Gloworm. I went into his room a few minutes later and he was just laying in his bed, smiling and as happy as could be. It's really quite an anomaly that he is such a morning person because those of you who know Scott and I can attest to the fact that neither of us are morning people. Mornings are good for staying asleep! Having a morning baby helps to get our mornings off on the right foot, though. We can't help but think positive thoughts when we see that beautiful smile!

Whew!

It's over! I did it. I taught my first adult class. My powerpoint didn't happen, but overall, it went well.

Nothing too exciting is going on around here besides that. Scott gave me two CDs for Valentine's Day--the new Enya and Rob Thomas. Woo hoo! I haven't gotten to listen to either one yet, but I will! We went to the China Dragon Buffet last night with the Malletts to proof the BSHS newspaper. Yes, that was our romantic evening--sitting around with high school students, bleeding red ink all over their articles. The rest of the evening was spent working on my lesson and trying to figure out Will's grumpy attitude. We finally chocked it up to teething and gave him some baby ibuprofen. That seemed to help.

I guess that's about all I've got for now. Now that I am done with my lesson, I can relax a bit. We got a Gilmore Girls dvd in the mail today (yippee!) so I'm going to go watch an episode before I go to bed. Hopefully I will have something interesting to write about soon. Thanks to all those who prayed for my class to go well.

Short and Sweet

I don't have much time, so hopefully I can make this a short post.

First, MasterFollies was great! It was a whirlwind of a day, but it was great to see old friends and visit a bit. The show was really good--almost all the clubs did a fantastic job. And I heard that my clubs won, so that's really awesome! We also got to see the Allisons' new baby, Jarren, so it was a good day.

My mom's flight is taking off in about 30 minutes to take her back to Houston. We had a good visit and she was a big help on Saturday especially. She and Scott brought Will up to my school yesterday and he was the hit of the afternoon. Some of the people I work with have been asking me for a while to bring him back up, so we figured this was a good opportunity. He ate it up, of course.

Well, I am beginning to freak out a little. I have to teach the ladies' class tomorrow night. I have taught teens and little ones before, but never adults. It should be interesting. If anyone has any tips, I would be appreciative.

Well, I will hopefully have more time to post later. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Return of the Bug

Well, I guess I shouldn't have said that I was dreading work today because when I woke up this morning, I was SICK. Evidently, the stomach bug I recently had decided to pay me another little visit. This is the first time I have ventured all the way down the hall today. I still don't feel well, but hopefully I will be able to go to work tomorrow. I just can't miss anymore days! I only get 10 sick days per year. Usually people are able to build them up over the years, but since my last day last year was April 7th (I had a pre-term labor scare at 33 1/2 weeks on April 8th that landed me on bed-rest until 37 weeks. I had one week of semi-freedom before Will was born!). I think I used my 5th sick day today. So, please pray that my stomach and intestines will cease the rebellion so I can get back to my office and start entering all those answers into the computer! (Never thought I'd say that...)

The Cabbage in my Fridge

Two things I absolutely must do before my mom gets here on Friday:

1. Discard the cooked cabbage she put into a tupperware container and then stored in my refrigerator when she was here over New Year's weekend. (My mother makes us eat cabbage and black-eyed peas on New Year's Day "for money and good luck...it's tradition!" I honestly don't know why she put it in a tupperware container. Did she really think I was going to eat cooked cabbage--or any cabbage for that matter!--again on my own accord?)

2. Put away the Christmas gift bags (that she brought filled with gifts over that same weekend) that are still folded up in the corner of my den.

Yes, I know my mom is going to read this anyway, but oh well.

On a completely unrelated topic (surprise, surprise), I am so dreading work tomorrow. Part of my job in the credit-recovery program at dear ol' Big Spring High (which would take WAY too long to explain) is to help the supervising teacher put new courses into place. She just finished a new version of World History. Today I spent several hours making copies and filing, etc., and tomorrow I have to enter all the answers to the tests and study packets into the computers (all the tests are done on scan cards and graded by the computer). It is unequivocally the worst part of my job. It is boring, repititious, and you have to be so very careful because if you make a mistake, you have to do it all over again. Pray for my sanity, my friends. I would greatly appreciate it!

Random Ramblings

Before I start, I just want everyone to know that I am a truely random person. My train of thought is all over the place. So, if my posts sometimes seem like they are unrelated to anything, you're probably right.

That said, here are my random thoughts:

I am so tired of hearing about and seeing the following celebrities on magazine covers, etc: Brangelina (ugh!), TomKat (double ugh!), Paris Hilton (can some one please tell me why she is a celebrity??), and K-Fed (triple ugh!). I wish they would all just go away. Or that the paparazzi would leave them alone so we don't have to hear about every detail of their lives!!

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Three songs I am really tired of hearing over and over again on the radio:
Photograph by Nickelback
When September Ends by Green Day
Sugar Gone Down by Fallout Boy

Three songs that I secretly like hearing on the radio (my disclaimer--the morning radio show I listen to is on a mainly hip hop/R & B station, so I get to hear lots of that genre while the cast takes a break--yea me!):
Stickwitu by PCD (it's catchy!)
Shake it Off by Mariah Carey
Gold Digger by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx (mainly the Jamie Foxx part)

I can't believe I just admitted that.

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Why is it that every time we put our son in his ExerSaucer, he poops? I mean, it's almost a guarantee--every time! If we want him to poop (ie: before we put him in his church clothes), we just put him in the saucer. We've taken to calling it the "ExerPooper."

(This picture was taken back in October--looks like he's concentraing hard, though, doesn't it?)

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"On the road again..."
On February 16th, Willie Nelson will be in concert in Big Spring. That's right, I said Big Spring. Why, you ask? I have no idea. But the real Willie will be here in concert at the Howard College Coliseum in one week and he's bringing David Alan Coe with him. What a crazy world.

"We are the Blog..."

"You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile."

Yes, I finally got my cheesy Star Trek reference in!

Reasons I love blogging:

• It doesn't hurt my hand to type like it does to write.
• I can tell everyone bits of news and such all at the same time instead of having to write mass emails.
• You find random people through other people's blogs and it's like seeing old friends again!
• It gives me something to do when I'm bored at work.
• It's informative. You can find out all sorts of good stuff, like what people are up to, what's on their minds, etc.
• It's (at times) inspirational. You can also get a "pick me up" from lots of blogs (ie: those of ministers and the like).

Yes. I love the blog. I have been sucked in by it's allure. Those of you who don't have one, give in. Resistance is futile!

You know you grew up in the 80's if...

I got this email this morning and it brought back such wonderful memories! I just thought I'd share :)

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "SIKE."
2. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" and can do
the "Carlton."
3. Girls wore biker shorts under their skirts and felt stylishly sexy.
4. Two words: Hammer Pants.
5. You wore a ponytail on the side of your head.
6. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt
in a knot on the side.
7. You wore stone washed Jordache jean jackets and were proud of it.
8. L.A.Gear....need I say more?
9. You remember reading "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing" and all the
Ramona Quimby books.
10. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF."
11. You ever wore fluorescent clothing. (Some of us...head-to-toe).
12. You can remember what Michael Jackson looked like before his nose
fell off and his cheeks shifted.
13. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
14. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes (and probably in neon colors,
too).
15. After you saw "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" you kept saying "I know
you are, but what am I?
16. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up."
17. You remember going to the skating rink before there were inline
skates.
18. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and slide.
19. You have played with a Skip-It.
20. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
21. You've gone through this nodding your head in agreement.
22. "Don't worry, be happy."
23. You wore, like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top
Reeboks.
24. You wore socks scrunched down (and sometimes still do).
25. You remember boom boxes.
26. You remember Alf, the li'l furry brown alien from Melmac.
27. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
28. You know all the words to Bon Jovi's "You Give Love A Bad Name"
29. (You just sang those words to yourself.)
30. You remember watching Magic vs. Bird. Oh yeah............it will
never be that good again
31. Homemade Levi shorts... (The shorter the better.)
32. You remember when mullets were cool!
33. You had a mullet!
34. You still sing "We are the World."
35. You tight rolled your jeans.
36. You owned a banana clip.
37. You remember "Where's the Beef?
38. You used to (and probably still do) say "What you talkin' 'bout
Willis?"
39. You had big hair and you knew how to use it.
40. You wanted to be a 'Goonie'

You're still singing "You Give Love A Bad Name" in your head, aren't
you!!

Well, I just put Will down for the night. Maybe. He has been reverting lately and waking up in the wee hours; I guess it's because he doesn't feel good. Hopefully we will get past all this soon. Just when his stomach was getting better, he started tugging at his ears again. We took him to the doctor on Saturday and sure enough, it looks like he is getting another ear infection. So he is on antibiotics yet again. Yea! The doctor wants to try a full month of taking Zyrtec every day (we had stopped it for a couple of days when he had the rotavirus) and then we will see how the ears are doing. If he gets an infection even while on Zyrtec (the theory is: when we get the allergies under control the ear infections will stop), then we will start thinking about getting tubes put in his ears. Oh, such fun!

Tonight, we went over to one of our youth group member's house to watch the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl is the only NFL game I watch every year. I don't really care for football, but usually enjoy the Super Bowl; mainly because of the funny commercials. I didn't watch for long (I had to get Will home, plus the whole first hour of the game was during church time), but the funniest commercial I saw had to be the one for Desperate Housewives with Shaq, Tony Hawk, Hugh Hefner and the like. The Rolling Stones were horrendous. That is the worst half-time show I've seen in a long time. There's nothing grosser than old, ugly Mick Jagger shaking his fanny. Ugh. I mean, the Stones were very cool at one point in time, but this is not that point. So, that is what I have to say about the Super Bowl. (Who was playing?? Just kidding...I know it was Pittsburgh and Seattle).

All in all it was a good weekend. We had a great visit with Scott's mom and grandma. I wish they could have stayed a little longer, but they were ready to get back home and to their normal routines. My mom is coming on Friday and will be going to Master Follies with us. She's going to take care of Will during the show if need be. Isn't that sweet? I'm really looking forward to Follies/breakfast, etc.

Oh, one more thing I want to share. We decided to do the free trial for Netflix. So far, I think it is awesome. We have one of the smallest Blockbusters known to man here in Big Spring and their selection is less than stellar. So, in order to get caught up on Smallville and Gilmore Girls, what is more perfect than Netflix which has like 500,000,000 titles or something! We have already gotten 2 discs and finished them. It is very cool. I suggest at least trying it out, especially if you live in the Stone Age like us and don't have cable.

Well, I hope everyone has an excellent week. Live long and prosper :)

Diagnosis

For those of you who are wondering what happened with the doctor the other day, here's the scoop: when I finally talked to the nurse and doctor, they decided they wanted to run some tests on Will's stool (eww!). So we found out on Wednesday that he has rotavirus, one of the leading causes of stomach flu (gastrointestinitis). Hopefully, he will be better by Monday or Tuesday of next week. He is eating better and more playful, but still not quite himself.

Love to all~