Window Watcher

Maddi is officially crawling... EVERYWHERE. Today she crawled over to the window and was thrilled to find Sam staring back at her. She spent quite a while there playing with him. He'd mush his nose to the glass and she'd giggle. He'd bark and she'd squeal. It was precious, and I really enjoyed having a few minutes to do the dishes without her fussing or trying to climb up my legs.... maybe this crawling thing isn't so bad after all.

BLING

Maddi loves jewelry, and today she got to wear a little bling of her own. :)

A Choice

lie - noun, verb - an intentional untruth.
I'm a pretty easy going gal. It takes a lot to ruffle my feathers. I, however, abhor lies. Lies are shrouded in secrecy and thrive in manipulation. Truth is freedom and blossoms in light. I choose truth. I choose to be free.

face vs fire

Sean was busy working Saturday night trying to clean up after they had closed. He had a long to-do list because he was trying to get things ready to go to the Big Spring Jam this weekend. He started by cleaning the huge smoker. After he was done, he decided to light it so the water would evaporate and the grill wouldn't rust. He lit the propane and then went on to complete a few other tasks. When he came back and opened the doors to check on the grill, it blew up in his face. His face and arms are pretty icky (the picture just doesn't relay the gruesomeness). The skin bubbled up immediately and has started to sluff off in a few spots. On a brighter note, I think most people have to pay a plastic surgeon for laser treatments to remove the top layer/wrinkles from their skin, and at least he still has eyebrows.... the eyelashes and arm hair weren't so lucky.

9 months

Maddi is 9 months old today! She doesn't see the pediatrician for another week, so I don't have any stats yet, but I'd like to take a moment to commemorate this special day for her.

At nine months Maddi

Is a ray of sunshine in our home

still doesn't sleep through the night

always greets us with a smile and a gummy grin

giggles back and forth with big brother over absolutely nothing

pulls up on EVERYTHING

doesn't conventionally crawl, but gets where she wants to go

chews on EVERYTHING

loves crumpling papers

real food.. well... any food

snuggling on brother's bed while he reads her stories

likes to watch the dog, but hates when the dog touches her

loves music & her pacifier

loves cords, plugs, phones, computers, & electronics

is perfectly content in mommy's arms

fills each day with hugs, kisses, giggles, & smiles.

Play Date

Maddi had her first official play date today. Little Miss B is 8 days younger than M and cute as a button! Maddi wasn't quite as interactive as I hoped she'd be... she took more of the silent observer approach to their blossoming friendship, but we had a great time anyway. :)

After the kids finished playing, we started walking around the mall. We were strolling along when I heard someone shout my name. I looked around but didn't see anyone I knew so I kept walking only to hear the shouting again. I looked around again and through all of the tattoos and piercings, I barely recognized an old acquaintance from high school choir who was now working at a cookie stand. I stopped to catch up for a moment and asked all of the obligatory what have you been up to since high school questions. After an awkward silence, realizing that we had nothing in common, I said, "So, how's your brother (who also went to school with us)? She replied "well he's my sister now. He's living as a woman, but he still has all of his man parts." I was STUNNED. What exactly do you say to that? Great? I'm sorry? I went with the rather meek "well... isn't that something..." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation. in public. with a person I hadn't seen in ten years. All I wanted to do was run away, profusely apologize to C, and cover my baby girl's ears, but as I casually started walking backwards she just started talking louder. "Yeah. He's living with a woman, and even though he looks like a woman, he's not really, so he isn't actually gay or anything." Oh my! I stopped listening after that, and started to frantically plan my getaway. I just caught the random: crazy... drugs...shooting up... blah blah blah. What a mess! So, C probably thinks I'm a freak and won't ever let her baby come near me again. What can I say? People are crazy; I'm sorry C that you had to endure their craziness. and I bet you never knew a play date could be so scandalous :)

Obsessed

I have this obsession... this thing that I'm always thinking about. I crave it. It keeps me up at night, and distracts me from my daily duties. Even when I force myself to do some other mandatory task... like feed my child... it slowly creeps back into my thoughts... my heart starts racing and I get that anxious feeling inside, and it just won't go away until I give in to my obsession.

My obsession?

I am rather quirky about my pleasure reading. I don't read by genre nor do I follow the latest fad. I read by author. I find an author that I like and then I devour every single word he's ever written. On my narrow list of incredible authors, Dan Brown reigns supreme. He is AMAZING... and he just happened to release his newest book this week. I thought I was going to jump out of my skin when my sexy hubby threw it in the cart while we were strolling through Sam's. You gotta love a man that feeds your obsession :)

All About Me

We went to the PTO Meeting and Open House at Drew's school last night. I really enjoy having the opportunity to let Drew show us around, to talk to his teacher, and to meet his friends. Sometimes it feels like he spends more time at school than he does at home, so it's nice to have a little time to share that experience with him as a family. Drew's teacher did an amazing job decorating the hallway and the classroom with their work; she also made a scavenger hunt for the kids to do and even made a bag of goodies for the parents! It's comforting to know that when I drop my little boy off at school each day and watch him stroll down the hallway alone, he's going to spend the day in a cheerful and encouraging environment, and I'm greatful that his teacher sacrafices her time and energy to provide that for him.

Here are a few of the things that Drew made to display:

All About ME

My name is Drew Glouner. I have short black hair and hazel eyes. My nose is rond frelks. My skin is soft and it feels good. My ears are tan. I like to wear shorts clothes. Today I am wearing a shorts shirt. It feels good. My pants are tan. My shoes are red and black. My socks are whit and they smell like candy. I, on the other hand, smell like eggs. If you listen, my voice sounds lite. My favorite thing about myself is my brane. It is helpful. Thanks for getting to know me! Here is a picture that I drew of myself. I am happy!

Puppy Love

I was waiting in line to pick Drew up from school and I noticed a sign tied to the fence. As I edged closer and began squinting to read it, I noticed that it said something about a dance. I quickly lost interest. Drew is only in second grade, and therefore I have SEVERAL years before I have to worry about chaperoning and slow dancing and first kisses. Whew! As I got a little closer, I began reading the banner out of sheer boredom... dance.. gym... blah, blah... ages 5-12... WHAT!?!?! 5-12 ??? Okay... maybe I'm over reacting, but does that not seem insane to any other mamas out there? When I was in school, dances were a right of passage for middle schoolers. Dances started the drama of wearing makeup and worrying about who's going with who and who's wearing what and who wants to kiss who. Dance = Dating Drama. Maybe I'm just old fashioned. Maybe it's more of a party/hang out kinda thing nowadays than it was for us, but it just rubs me the wrong way. Well, we talked about it. Drew didn't want to go any way (thank goodness!), and so we will just revisit the issue if he changes his mind in the next five years. Tragedy averted.... until...

Drew gets in the car today after school, and I hit him with the daily barrage of questions. How was your day today? What did you do today? Did you eat your lunch? How did you do on your school work? Did you understand everything that you learned today? Did you take an AR test? Did you make any new friends? You know... the usual.

Well when I got to the friend question he replied, "about that... do you remember the girl Maddy I told you about that sits at my table now?"

"Of course" I said, "the one that cries all of the time right?"

"Yep. That's her. She told me I was hot and cute today and that I'm her boyfriend now"

"Oh ReEeEeAlLy (trying to remain calm). Well... do you like her?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to be her boyfriend?"

"I don't really care, but it seems REALLY important to her"

Ok. I am so unprepared for this conversation. I really appreciate having time to gather my thoughts so I can say exactly what needs to be said with out rambling or dancing around the point, but I guess parenting is often about being prepared to talk about absolutely anything at any given time. So, we went on to discuss how you choose a girlfriend, finding someone you enjoy being with and someone who has the same standards as you, what it means to be in a relationship, respecting each other (ie. not just telling someone they're your boyfriend), and all of the other things I expected to talk to my teenager, not my seven year old about.

I am so glad that Drew felt comfortable talking to me about this little situation. It's times like these that let me know I'm on the right track. I have established an open line of communication. He feels completely comfortable talking to me and knows that I love him unconditionally, and in return, I offer him advice when prompted, but never judgement. My constant goal is never to control him or have him be submissive to my will, but instead to raise a person that can govern himself and make his own educated decisions, and this conversation just reaffirmed that my parenting style is reaping the results that I desire.

On another note, has our society really changed that much in the last twenty years? It wasn't that long ago that I was sitting in school. My first crush was also in second grade, but I was waaaay too shy to even look at him. I never would have dreamed of walking up to him with a pick-up line like "you're really hot". Seriously, what is her Mom/iCarly teaching her?? Oi.

Well, we rounded up our conversation with a few solid guidelines... the main one being NO KISSING. He is WAY too young for this, but this trampy little seven year old has me on edge and I don't want my baby to end up with mono or the swine flu. lol. So, I informed him that his lips were only for me, Daddy, and Maddi. He started laughing so hard that tears were rolling down his face as he managed to sputter "mom.. HER name is Maddy." Dang it!! I was doing so well...

A few shows

We've been to a few shows lately. Before Ben left for school, we took the kids to the circus and last night we went to see Sesame Street Live. Drew informed me repeatedly that he was much too old for Sesame Street, but Maddi sure enjoyed it! Before the show (while I was still working), Sean took her to the meet and greet to meet all of the characters. Sean said she just stared at them and wouldn't even crack a smile. When they were on stage singing and dancing, however, her opinion of them completely changed and she was all smiles and giggles. :)

Handmade Treasures and Happy Hearts

Drew and Daddy have a contest every Sunday in which I get to pick the most handsome boy. Drew definetly won this week... I think it was the toothless grin that won my heart.

Jen made this precious little outfit for Maddi. Jen is incredibly talented and has taught me so much about friendship. I feel blessed to call her my friend.

I am so glad that we had the opportunity to go to church together as a family this Sunday. There have been times (and there still occasionaly are times) that work and other obligations have kept us from being able to spend the Sabath together, so I truly count my blessings each time I sit down to worship with my babies and hubby by my side. Our faith in God and His plan for us have given us strength, peace, and happiness in the best and the worst of times. I am grateful for the experiences that God has given me to help me learn and grow, but I am even more grateful to be exactly where I am in my life... a mother, a wife, a friend... happy, peaceful, content.

Pink Piggies

I have purchased four pairs of shoes for Maddi. Why, you might ask, does an 8 month old need four pairs of shoes when she can't even walk yet? Well... aside from the obvious fact that every girl needs AT LEAST one pair of sandals, a pair of Sunday shoes, and then both a brown and a black pair of everyday shoes, I was trying to find a pair that she would wear longer than five seconds! I have tried everything just short of duck taping them to her feet, but she is much more interested in eating them or chunking them across the room than in being a fashionista. So, today I painted Maddi's toes hot pink in hopes that they'd look cute even though they were always naked. It must have tickled 'cause she was squirming and giggling, and I ended up making a huge mess, but it was so worth it because she looks PRECIOUS :)