Sullivanisms

"You are cutting off your face to spite your nose."
"Actually," - he may be a bit of a know it all (no clue where he gets that ;))
"That's a good plan." - Think, Martha Stewart's "It's a good thing" for context. Although, one time he said, "I should stab her, that's a good plan." Don't worry, we emphasized to him that stabbing someone is never a good plan.
"__ is so cutie."- can be used in reference to bugs, animals, kids, clothes, whatever.
"Does this have cavity bugs in it?" - Sullivan has a cavity that he wouldn't let the dentist fill, so we are working very hard to prevent more cavities.  It's a hard concept to explain cavities and how they form to a 3 year old.
"When I'm a big brother..."- He will eat vegetables, be able to swim, ride a bike, etc. I think he's going to be a little disappointed in 2 1/2 months when the baby comes and he's not instantly all grown up.

Some of his favorite songs:
"Lexicon Lucky"- actual name: "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk
"Shake, Rattle and Roll"
"Sweater Weather" by The Neighbourhood
"Possibility" by Lyke Li
"So Good at Being in Trouble" by Unknown Mortal Orchestra

The pictures below are a bit random, but I thought I would share anyway.  The first is Sullivan and Sophie.  Sullivan loves to play with our pets and Sophie and Bailey (the dog) are both so patient with him.
 The second picture is for prosperity.  I never thought I would see the day that my child ate a baked chicken wing.  He usually won't touch meat in any sort of natural, un-nuggeted state, so this was huge!  I guess it is a sign of him growing up since in the past few days he's eaten scrambled eggs, beef jerky, and now baked chicken.  He's been trying new foods at school as well, so they must be a good influence on him.  Can't believe he'll be 4 soon!
The third photo is from his first ride on the double decker bus. Ole Eagle Eyes found a quarter as soon as we sat down!
The last is a picture from our beach trip back in June! Not many pics that I actually make it in, so I want to savor the ones I have!

I had my second glucose tolerance test today.  The lab tech didn't seem as confident in my results, so I'm mentally preparing myself for a failure.  At least i've had the last 3 weeks to eat without too much concern.  We are going to the beach this weekend, so I plan to enjoy what could be one of my last weekends of no diet and no finger pricking. Forecast calls for rain just about the entire time we are there, so we may be doing a good bit of swimming in the indoor pool and shopping at the outlet malls! Hopefully we'll get to squeeze some beach time in there somewhere.

I have photos from some of our home projects, but I'll have to do another post on those later. Maybe from the balcony at the beach!

Glucose Tolerance Test

So, I passed my 3 hour glucose tolerance test. Yay, right?  Except I have to take it AGAIN in 3 WEEKS! I plan to ask at my appointment on Thursday just how many times they expect me to take that damn thing.  I know since I had it last time, they are just trying to catch it as early as possible, but geez. I really didn't think I was going to make it through the first hour yesterday.  I got so faint and nauseous I went back and forth between laying out on the couch and standing directly under an air vent.  The nausea got better as the time went by, but I had a horrendous headache until I went to sleep last night.  I wasn't kidding when I said it would almost be better to be on the diet than to go through that test again. I'm supposed to be trying to enjoy and appreciate all the things that come with pregnancy since I plan for this to be the last time I'm pregnant, but some things just don't have a silver lining. Trust me.

Pregnancy Projects... the second time around

Some of you may remember, when I was pregnant with Sullivan, I decided I should make a needlepoint stocking for him.  I did finally complete that stocking before his 3rd Christmas....
So, this time around, I'm picking up my knitting again.  I finally completed this. And I made the booties below for my sister in law.  They are far from perfect, but a decent outcome for my first shot.  I have plans to attempt another pair in pink and then I HAVE to start on a hat for Sullivan that I've been promising him for years.  It feels good to have two completed knitting projects, and does inspire me to do more, so we'll see how long it lasts. I also have plans to make him a duvet cover for his new room...crazy, do-it-yourself, nesting pregnancy hormones.

*Going for my 3 hour glucose tolerance test tomorrow, so any prayers are welcome.  I'm mentally prepared to fail it, and have already started trying to follow the gestational diabetes diet guidelines. Sure would be nice to not be on a diet for half my pregnancy though.

Growing girls

Baby number two is no joke!  I've always heard your belly gets big faster the second time around, and "they" weren't kidding!  Below is a shot take on June 8 and then photos taken on August 10th.  What a difference 2 months makes!

12 Weeks

21 Weeks

I'm definitely feeling good now that I'm in the second trimester.  The first was pretty brutal this go round as far as feeling nauseous and exhausted.  My only complaint these days is some sciatic pain.  I failed my first glucose test, so I'll be having the 3 hour glucose tolerance test next week.  I've resigned myself to the fact that I probably have gestational diabetes again, so I'm preparing myself for the coming diet and finger pricking.  I haven't had any major cravings this go round, but no major aversions currently either.  We'll see how that changes when my carbs are limited!  Baby girl movements are no longer little flutters, but instead major acrobatics!  Sullivan and Daniel are both able to feel her now, which is always fun.  

By the way, Sullivan had a great first day at Willie Price.  He was so excited when he found out he got to go back the next day.  He's been dressing himself and  brushing his own teeth each morning and night!  We've had no separation issues when dropping him off! The second day he walked in all by himself! I'm so thankful that he's in such a good place and having such a wonderful time!

1st Day at Willie Price Lab School!

Today was Sullivan's first day at Willie Price Lab School.  He did so great when I dropped him off!  Actually, he did a little too great!  He walked into his classroom, and went and sat down next to his friend Jackson and never looked back.  I actually had to go to him and get a kiss goodbye! I'm so glad he's excited for this new chapter in his life!  I can't wait to hear how his first day went!  Where does the time go?

Milestones

Today was Sullivan's last day at his daycare before he begins Willie Price in August.  I did fine dropping him off, but picking him up from his last day was much more emotional than I expected.  His class and teachers were hugging him and telling him "bye", and I couldn't help but tear up.  Has it really been 3 1/2  years since I dropped him off for his first day?  I guess it just hit me how grown up he's getting and how fast it seems to happen.  I suppose it's only fitting that I cried that very first day and cried on his last.  One of many emotional milestones to come.

Filtered Life

Some of you may have noticed I briefly locked down the blog to approved readers only.  I've reversed my decision for a number of reasons, so welcome back public. I've been such a terrible blogger.  I come here frequently to post, and then decide not to share some of the more personal things in my life. It feels so scripted when I try to put together a post about my life while completely editing out major portions.  Regardless, I'm going to continue to try and find the happy medium. 

Summer is almost here, so if someone could pass me a load of money so I could spend it outside with my family, that would be awesome.

 More to come.

Weekend Recap

For a weekend with nothing really planned, we certainly stayed busy!  Sullivan had a haircut appointment Friday afternoon, so we went for an early dinner on the square after that.  Since we were home and fed by 6:30, I spent most of the evening drinking wine and pointing out all the things I have pinned on pinterest in regard to our house/yard.  It was a nice, low-key evening at home.  

Saturday morning, Anna, Lisa, and I went to a yoga class and then to Bottletree for lunch.  It was so nice to start the day with a work out!  This class did so many different poses from my typical class that I am sore in lots of new places!  Feels good though!  I bought a 5 class pass, so I need to figure out what other classes I can fit into my schedule.  I am still working out on Monday and Wednesday evenings and doing regular yoga class at work on Wednesdays, so I'm not sure where I will squeeze in other classes.  The weekend worked nicely though, so maybe that's my answer for now.  

Bottletree was selling king cakes, and since I needed to bring a dessert to the church potluck on Sunday, I bought 2!  I figured I needed something cajun-ish for dinner to go with our king cake, so I decided to utilize the gulf shrimp I already had in the freezer, and make gumbo.  I guess I have never made gumbo before.  I did lots of recipe searching, and ended up sort of combining emeril's and paula deens recipes.  I cheated and used a rotisserie chicken, but even that short cut didn't seem to save me much in the way of time.  It was a good bit of effort, but the delicious outcome made it worthwhile!

Anna, Ricky and Julia came over to have dinner with us, and the adults ended up staying up WAY too late, but it was a fun evening.  My Sullivan wake up call came early!  After attending church and the potluck, I enjoyed a long, fabulous nap! I was back in bed early evening to start reading our bookclub book.  The group decided to re-read The Great Gatsby, since the movie will be out soon.  I found my old college copy, and I'm enjoying refreshing my memory of this story.  

We've got nothing planned for next weekend, so I'm hoping we begin some outdoor projects.  We want to expand our concrete slab patio, so if you've any suggestions on good design websites, please let me know.  

Even the milestones?

Ok, so I realize I've been bad about blogging over the  past year, but I had no idea just how bad it was until I was skimming through old posts.  I did not blog about Sullivan's 3rd birthday.  How did I go from blogging his every month to forgetting to do his 3rd birthday?  Oh, the shame.

Sooooo....pretend today is a lovely Friday in November.

Since Sullivan's birthday fell on a Thursday and between two already full weekends, we decided to do an easy party at 'the jumpy place' on his actual birthday.  Unfortunately, this meant no extended family or out of town friends were able to attend.  Fortunately, this party made things really easy on me. I brought hot and ready pizzas and a cake, and they did the rest.  EASY!

I still can't believe my tiny baby is 3 years old.  He looks less and less a baby every day.  He is a talker and probably asks me about a million questions a day.  When he gets on a roll, every sentence ends with a "Mom?".  I love his curiosity (most of the time....when i've had coffee already) and always try and answer his question with real answers.  I do not always succeed, but I try.  He loves to play with his legos, his cars and trucks, his garbage truck, and the ipad.  He will play by himself frequently, but lately he says, "daddy, will you play with me?" most nights.  We typically read 4 books each night before bed.  He got a customized pirate book for Christmas that has him as one of the characters, so he likes to read that one A LOT.  He and I will always talk about what breakfast we'll have together in the morning as we are saying good night each night.  If I don't mention breakfast, he will bring it up before I can close the door.  So, we'll plan to have our oatmeal or our cereal bars or pancakes each night before bed.  I guess he and I both look forward to that time together (while daddy is still sleeping).  He loves to help me cook, but he still won't eat most of what he or I make.  He loves to 'tell us a secret' and then whisper "I love you!" in our ears.  He really is awesome most of the time.  He does act like a toddler and completely ignore everything we ask him to do on occasion though.  He can throw a fit and hit and spit like nobody's business as well.  Just thought I'd give a reality check there for a moment.  I figure with my stubbornness and Daniel's lack of patience, he's bound to have a temper! All in all, we still feel like the luckiest parents in the world.  I can't wait to share with him all the exciting things the world has to offer!

A New Year

I know better than to add blogging regularly to my long list of New Year's resolutions, but I do want to try. I guess that sort of is my resolution...to try.  Try to floss my teeth every night, try to wash my face every night, try to eat better, try to work out more, try to attend church more often, try to give back to my community more, try to be a better wife and mother...just try to be a better, happier person all around.  2012 brought many challenges and sad times, but lots of good times as well.  I definitely hope for more of the good in 2013, but I also want to just try to be in the moment.  I want to enjoy the small things and not try to rush through the day, week, month.

On that note, I tried a 3 day detox this week. Ha!  I figured it would be easy to limit my diet while stuck at work....only we weren't stuck at work!  The ice storm that wasn't kept us at home Monday and Tuesday, and that was the end of that.  We are still eating amazingly healthier food, but the strict detox diet left me shaky and cranky and really hungry.  Our dinner last night: baked salmon, brown rice, steamed broccoli, and wilted spinach.  Delicious!  I'm the grocery buyer and the chef in our house, so the power to do better is in my hands!  Oh, the pressure!  Sullivan and I also made some oatmeal, banana, chocolate chip muffins last night.  They are very good, but need to be warmed to not taste like a glob of cold oatmeal.  They contain no flour, so it really is just a glob of oatmeal held together with some egg!

I haven't downloaded our holiday pictures yet, but I'm going to try to do that this week or weekend.  We ended up going to 6 towns for Christmas celebrations, so we were worn out by New Years Eve.  I don't plain to repeat 6 again.  We are lucky to have so much family within driving distance, but it felt like we were never anywhere long enough to relax and enjoy the season. Lesson learned.

If anyone still reads this blog, I hope you are starting off your new year full of positive energy as well!

something you can do

My friend Sage shared this blog post,and I immediately wanted to share it with you all.  When such horrible things happen in the world, I  feel so incredibly helpless.  What a wonderful idea to vow to pray for the family of one of those sweet angels.  Maybe you will just think of them every night and send positive, healing thoughts to them or maybe you will get on your knees and pray to God to help them through this unimaginable tragedy, but I just ask that you do something.  We are all connected and I know that even something that seems so small can truly help.

I vow to pray for the family of Benjamin Wheeler.

Benjamin Wheeler, 6

Ben loved The Beatles, lighthouses and the No. 7 train to Sunnyside, Queens, his family said in a statement. He and his older brother Nate "filled the house with the noise of four children."

"Ben Wheeler was an irrepressibly bright and spirited boy whose love of fun and excitement at the wonders of life and the world could rarely be contained. His rush to experience life was headlong, creative and immediate," his family said. Ben loved soccer and swimming. Recently, he performed at a piano recital -- a major feat for a little boy who rarely sat still. Friday morning before school, he told him mom: "I still want to be an architect, but I also want to be a paleontologist, because that's what Nate is going to be and I want to do everything Nate does."

The family moved to Newtown in 2007. Francine Wheeler, Ben's mother, is a music teacher and performer. Francine Wheeler's band posted the following message on its Facebook page: "Francine Wheeler, a founding member of The Dream Jam Band, has lost her precious 6-year old son, Ben, to the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut. Our prayers and love go out to Francine, David and Ben's big brother, Nate."

How do you like that?

That's right!  Two days in a row!  Enjoy it while it lasts!

Daniel and I got to get a little of taste of what life with two kids would feel like yesterday.  My sister AND her husband got the stomach virus, so we volunteered to keep their one year old last night.  She did not like our bathtub and woke up at 4am, but was great otherwise.  Sullivan slept with 'us' since it was storming...I say 'us' because Daniel abandoned me to go sleep in Sullivan's room at some point.  My niece joined us at 4,  but there was really no sleep to be had after that point.  A kid asleep on each arm does not make for comfortable sleeping.  I'm am saying prayers that we don't get the stomach virus.  I'm so paranoid now, any twinge sends me into a panic. ;) The stomach virus is evil. I am prepared with Zofran thanks to a wonderful friend should the worst occur.

Labor day weekend was extremely exciting around the Martin household.  We made a trip to Tupelo, went to Kroger, cooked a bunch of stuff, cleaned a little.  We were going to go to Home Depot, but there wasn't enough time. :)  We did attempt a local 'country fair'.  About 5 minutes after arriving, while waiting for the tractor to come pull us up the hill to the fair, Sullivan managed to sit in an army ant pile.  He got about 20+ bites on his legs.  I got one and it itches like the dickens.  Don't know how he's taking it so well.  Those buggers bite and you have to just about pull them off.  After finally making it up the hill, we proceeded to sweat, eat not great food, and spend a fortune on 'junk for a good cause'.  I bought a pound cake that was either under cooked or totally screwed up, so that went in the trash.  All in all, not the best event.  Not sure we'll be back.  We blew up the swimming pool to cool off once we got home.  Popsicles make all things better.

I also attempted my first silk flower arrangement.  It didn't turn out how I had really pictured, but I'm ok with it as a first attempt.  I do want to change out the moss to a less green moss. My dining room table always looks so empty with just a tray or whatever on it.  By the way, Hobby Lobby flower selection overwhelms me.  It's a miracle I was able to pick out stuff that somewhat coordinated.

Tonight I'm making turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and creamed spinach.  Unusual for me to cook during the week, but I have things that need to be cooked before they go bad.  Isn't my life super exciting? :)

Summer

So it's September.  And, yes, I may be the worst blogger ever.  Whenever I take such a long break from the blog, I find it really hard to play catch up.  Here goes..

In May, we went to the carnival.

In June, we went to the beach.  We rented a house with a pool in Inlet Beach, FL.  It was very nice to have so much space and access to a pool 24/7 without fighting crowds.  The week flew by.  I've determined all vacations should be 2 weeks at least in order to unwind and relax before having to leave.  We also learned that renting a golf cart is an excellent idea!

In July, we celebrated the 4th of July at the Lake, at the Farm , and again in our neighborhood.  It was a big day.

We then traveled down to the Coast to attend the circus and visit with Nanna.

I had a birthday.  Got an awesome new camera, and this was my first photo. :)

Had a Lake gathering.

I believe those are most of the highlights.  Here's to attempt #2562093 to try and blog regularly.  We shall see!

What month is it?

Time seems to be moving so quickly, I really do have trouble believing it's almost mid-May.  I come here often with the intent of blogging, but have felt totally uninspired lately.  Work has been insanely busy/crazy/stressful, and it has really just sapped me.

Since my last post, Daniel and I have hosted Easter at our house, celebrated 6 years of marriage, survived another of Sullivan's stomach viruses, failed at swimming lessons, sweated through Double Decker, and had a more than successful first camping experience with Sullivan.

So, what's up with the Pooh Bear lately?  We have almost fully mastered potty training.  We occasionally have a #2 incident, but if we are watchful, those can be avoided!  He still can't get undressed or dressed without assistance, but he's mastered washing his hands and brushing his teeth on his own.  He's getting so big!  He is such a talker!  He's constantly commenting on the trees, the trucks, the moon, the birds...you name it.  He likes to make up his own lyrics to songs and has quite an imagination.  One of his favorite things is to lay on the floor with one of his tractors and just sing or talk and play all by himself.  He loves to read his books at night and always ask for "just one more".  He's started sneaking into our bed in the pre-dawn hours, so I've got to figure out how to put a stop to that.  It is sweet to wake up next to him though. :)

We went camping in Tishomingo State Park this past weekend and had a blast.  Sullivan got a big kick out of fishing, sleeping in a tent, eating outdoors, feeding the geese and ducks, and hiking.  He got a kick out of the 'swimming' bridge (Swinging Bridge), and counting the rock steps as we went up and down.  We stopped at 'the beach' to check out the creek.  During nap time, we loaded up in the air conditioned car and hit all the sights on the Natchez Trace in that area while Sullivan napped.  Worked out nicely!  All in all, it was the perfect distance with just enough activities to keep us all entertained.  Look forward to taking him to the Nanty this fall!

The garden is coming along nicely this year, so far.  I really tried to follow directions and plant as instructed and use proper nutrients.  I still have a few other things I hope to get planted, but what we have is growing nicely.  I have my first 2 Roma tomatoes on one plant!  We've got 2 kinds of basil, Italian parsley, cilantro, lavender, mint, rosemary, Roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, a variety of heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, cantaloupe, and strawberries.  Our pear tree is FULL of pears, so I've been doing some research on that.  Apparently, after they are ready to be picked, you should let them ripen in a cold area (fridge) before eating or they won't get ripe and will be gritty.  Nice to know why last years weren't so great for eating.  I've also had recommendations for doing pear preserves with the leftovers, so I  might try that out.  There is definitely a part of me that would love to have a bigger piece of land and grow more, have a goat, some chickens, etc.  The reality I'm sure wouldn't be as fun as I imagine, but it's a nice thought.

Daniel's youngest brother is graduating this weekend, so we'll be hosting his family.  Sherri, the girls, and Mom and Freddie are going to the cabin for this weekend since it's Mothers Day.  I'm hoping to get over for a visit with them during the actual graduation ceremony.  Going to be a busy weekend, but I'll be glad to get a visit in with everyone.

whew..

I have no idea how to catch you all up on what's been going on with the Martins lately!  Man, big changes around our house!  Here goes!

1. Sullivan has moved to a big boy bed.  I have to say, this was pretty dang easy.  He had a couple of nights where he would get out of bed a few times and we'd put him back, but now we put him down and he stays all night!  Granted, he gets up much earlier these days and comes to wake up Momma, but I don't mind most days!  It's nice to be up a little earlier to enjoy my coffee and some time with my Pooh bear.  Hoping to start walking in the mornings soon!

2. Sullivan is potty trained!  What, what!?!  Ok, we still have issues at night and on the weekends when we are running around, but he stays dry every day at school in big boy underwear.  Everyone told me the 2 year old class's teacher is the potty training master, and they were right!  We didn't have to do anything!  He still doesn't tell us when he has to go, so we just put him on the potty about every hour and voila!  Next we have to conquer going while standing up and the whole aiming thing.  I think I'll let Daniel figure that all out.  :)

3. We have the sweetest boy ever!  Yes, now come the gratuitous bragging on my son.  Move to 4 if you can't take it!  Some of his common statements these days are, "I'm so proud of you" , "Daddy, you have a good day", "Are you ok Mommy?" (if I've said ouch or something), "I stayed dry all day!", "Sophie is a baby jaguar" (we're big into Dora and Diego these days).  Sullivan is big on kisses and hugs and holding hands.  He's learning to do basic addition!  lol.  we've mastered 1 + 1 and 1+2.  He's so smart, and just amazes me daily.  "I'm so proud of him!" (wonder where he learned that, huh?)

4. Daniel and I went skiing in Telluride in February for a whole week!  Did that week ever fly by!  We were in surprisingly better shape than I had anticipated, and had a wonderful time.  There was great snow and we got 17 fresh inches while there in addition to some beautiful blue bird days.  It was hard to be away from Sullivan for that long, but he did great.  It was wonderful to get home to him though.  I think he'll have to go next time.  Every time I saw a little group of kids in ski school, I missed him!

5. My Mom, sisters, and two older nieces all went to Birmingham a couple of weekends ago to see Wicked.  Although the weather was dreary, we had a great time shopping, dining, and watching the show together.  We had taken a cab to the show and there were no cabs after the show, so we ended up riding a city busy to our hotel.  Can't beat 25 cents a person!  I really enjoyed Wicked.  I guess I didn't really know any back story on the show, but I was surprised and I would totally go see it again. 

6. I'm on a health kick that may actually stick!  I'm actually doing Shakeology which may be an expensive load of crap, but if nothing else, I'm hoping it gets my cholesterol and triglycerides lower.  I do feel like I have much more energy since starting it, and I've been exercising much more frequently.  Tonight I'll be going to Zumba for the first time, so we'll see how that goes!  It would be nice to add something else to my rotation of walking, yoga, elliptical.  I'm really hoping to lose at least 10 lbs by June...ie, beach trip.  15 would be super awesome, but I'm really trying to be reasonable and not set goals that are so unreasonable I'll never meet them.

7. It's sunny and 75 here today, so  I'm ready for gardening and working outside!  My garden was a huge flop last year, so I'm determined to do better this year.  I hope to get out there this weekend and pull weeds, turn the dirt and start getting it ready for spring planting.  My biggest challenge is watering, since the bed is located at the back of the yard, we have to drag a hose- yuck.  Sometimes we leave it out there and use with soaker hoses, but every time we mow, it has to be moved.  Have I mentioned how much I hate hoses.  what a pain.  We may participate in a share from one of the local producers as well, so I can just grow what works for me. 

8. We got our storm shelter installed yesterday!  It took 4 1/2 hours start to finish.  They cut a hole in the slab in carport, dug out the dirt, lowered the shelter in, back filled with concrete, and done!  It's small, but would definitely hold 6-8 people- maybe more if some were kids and could sit in the open space between benches.  Since we are on top of a hill and have no interior rooms, it makes me very happy to know we have a safe place to go in bad weather.  I'm very glad we found a solution that wouldn't require us to get out in the elements to get in our safe place.  Here is the link to the company we used.  We qualified for a grant through Mema, so they paid a large portion. 

About to head out for a hair cut, so  must close now.  I'll try and stay on top of things!  I have several recipes I want to share!

Please pray for Tripp

http://randycourtneytripproth.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, Tuesday

This will be a random post, but I did want to share with you a new recipe for Chicken Tamale Casserole I tried last week.  I believe it comes from Cooking Light, and we really enjoyed it.  I actually bought and baked chicken breasts the night before, and just baked 2 extra to be used in this casserole.  doing so made the total time for this recipe probably 30 minutes.  Perfect for a 'school night' when I don't have much time to cook after getting home from work.  I would definitely make this again!  I served seasoned black beans with some frozen corn mixed in on the side. 

In other news, I'm shooting for workout #2 of the new year this afternoon.  I'm sure I shouldn't be proud of 2 workouts in 2 weeks, but it is actually an improvement.  We go skiing (pray for snow) in early February, so I have more motivation to try and prepare my poor, out of shape body.  I'm sad to think about leaving Sullivan for a whole week, but it will be very nice to relax and have some adult time.  I shouldn't be already excited about returning from our trip to see Sullivan, but I admit, it's on my mind. I'm hoping once I get there and get settled in, I'll be able to just enjoy each day without constantly looking ahead.

I missed my typical Sullivan's 26 month post, but I did want to share a few of the adorable things he says these days.  This morning in the car it was, "Have a good day! I Lub you!".  Melts my heart every time!  He got a little scared of the fireworks New Years Eve, and since then often tells us or the animals or his toys, "It's ok. Fireworks not scary" or he'll ask "You doing ok Mommy?".  I love listening to him jabber on!  Language and communication are wonderful! 

I'm staring down a huge project at work that is about to take up my days, nights, and weekends, so I may drop off the Earth for a bit. 

2012

A new year is upon us!  I had grand intentions of ringing in the New Year, at least with the East Coasters, but just couldn't make it.  I was in bed by 10:30, but did get to hear, what seemed to be, a never-ending stream of fireworks in our neighborhood.  We had some family and friends over to celebrate, and I got to try some new recipes on them!  I don't know why, but Pinterest has gotten me to try so many new recipes this year!  I get so tired of making the same ole stuff, so I'm grateful for the motivation.  I made bacon wrapped chicken bites and french bread topped with goat cheese, filet, caramelized onions, and yocona sauce.  I got the idea for the yocona bruschetta? from this recipe: http://pinterest.com/pin/148618856422915727/

I also made Korean beef tacos for dinner last week.  Daniel always orders these at a local taco shop, so I thought I would give it a try.  They were wonderful!  A definite keeper in our dinner rotation.  I believe the only modifications I made to the recipe were using the ground ginger in a jar rather than freshly grated and using regular rice vinegar rather than seasoned.  This recipe definitely had some heat to it, but was amazingly good.  The cabbage 'salad' topping was a must! 

I hate making resolutions, but there is something about the end of the holidays and the start of a fresh year that just make me want to start fresh as well.  I have many hopes for the coming year!  I definitely want to be healthier and exercise more.  I also have a huge goal for our family to save a rather large amount of money.  I'm tired of seeing our money go to junk or food or junk food!  I want to get outside more.  I want to do a much better job with my garden this year.  I want to take more weekend trips with my family.  There are so many sites that are driving distance and inexpensive.  I want to volunteer more.  I want to be nicer to my husband and show my appreciation for all he does.  This list could probably go on and on, I'm just glad to start this new year with a positive outlook. Here's to a wonderful 2012!

Christmas 2011

Hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone.  This weekend we will usher in a new year!  2012!  The holidays seemed to fly by quicker than ever this year.  I always hope that things will slow down and we'll be able to sit back and really take in all the magic of the season, but, as usual, that didn't exactly happen.  I was sick the ENTIRE time I was off for Christmas, so that alone was a big hindrance.  We spent Christmas proper in Ocean Springs and came back to Oxford on the Monday after.  My nieces rode with us from Mobile to spend a couple of nights, and it was so wonderful to spend some time with both of them!  I wish I had felt better for all the family time, but at least the mucinex, zyrtec D, nyquil, dayquil, etc kept me out of the bed and mostly present for the festivities. 

this is a video of Sullivan checking out his loot from Santa.  He still doesn't quite understand the concept of Santa, but has definitely enjoyed singing carols, talking about Jesus' birthday, and pointing out all Christmas related decor.  He was also an avid un-wrapper this year!  He really does make Christmas so special!

The next video is of the nieces and Sullivan singing Jingle Bells.

 He had the best time hanging out with his cousins!  They kept him happy and entertained the entire ride back from the coast!  It was wonderful! 

The four of us had breakfast out at Big Bad Breakfast as well.  I sure wish they were closer, so we could do stuff more often!  I hope they'll come up this spring and go to the Tupelo Buffalo Park with us.  I know they would love to feed the giraffes!

For any of you who might not have received an Christmas card in the mail, below are the photos from the card.  We had Bill Dabney come take photos for us again.  He did a great job with what he had to work with.  Of course Sullivan had no desire to smile or sit still! 

And this photo we snapped ourselves. 

May you all have a safe and very Happy New Year!