Friday, January 30, 2009

25 Random Things, Facts, Habits, or Goals About Me:

I stole this from Facebook. Enjoy!

1. I met my husband when I was fifteen but we didn't start dating until I was a senior in high school. We've been together ever since and he is perfect for me!

2. My husband is a cop and while that's an admirable calling (and he looks amazing in his uniform, might I add!), it scares me to death. I worry so much about him at work.

3. I love to play the piano and have pretty much been playing for my entire life! I've been my church's pianist since I was 11 and I still continue to play and sing in our worship team.

4. Despite Brooke's delivery ending in a C-Section, I labored med- free for 15 hours (pushing for almost 3 of those hours). I have to have futue babies via C-Section and I HATE THAT.

5. I think that breastfeeding is the best thing ever. I nursed Brooke for 22 months and it was a wonderful experience!

6. I love all of the things that come with being a wife and stay-at-home-mom: Cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc... Some would say that I'm a cleaning freak but I don't think that there is such a thing:-)

7. I absolutely cannot sleep in an un-made bed. I make my bed after getting up almost everyday and on the rare days that I don't, I have to make it right before I climb into it. Maybe that's a little weird??

8. I speak and write in Japanese. At one point I was pretty close to fluent but now that I haven't used it much lately, I'm forgetting much of what I once knew.

9. John and I went on a Carribean cruise for our honeymoon and it was perfect! We stopped in Key West on the cruise and fell in love with it but we haven't had the chance to go back.

10. I cook dinner for sometimes up to 100 people every Wednesday night at church. I've been doing this for years and years and I love it!

11. I went to college for all of two semesters and hated every second of it. It was so NOT for me and that's okay!

12. I'm horrible at coloring, drawing, sketching, etc... I honestly failed art class in middle school. How do you FAIL art class??? It's beyond me...

13. I love to act and be on stage but I haven't had an opportunity to do so since high school. Life is just too busy now....

14. I love my niece, Jenna, and nephew, Nathan, like they were my own babies. I can't wait to have more and more kiddos in my family to love:-)

15. I cried when Barak Obama was elected.

16. I used to be a HUGE Yankee fanatic but after seeing so much about their personal lives I got too discouraged to even watch. Most of them are players, adulterers, steroid-users, etc.... :-(

17. I love being a mommy to a little girl (soon TWO little girls!!!). I love the bows, tights, accessories, and matching shoes that little girls "require." I can't wait to match my two daughters!

18. If I had the time (HA) and the smarts to go through nursing school, I would really love to get my nursing degree to be a labor and delivery nurse for after my kids are grown. I don't think I could ever get through school though.

19. I love Jesus and serving Him gives me great joy! I have learned that there's no peace apart from Him and being in His will.

20. I can't wait to be a "soccer mom!" I seriously want to be one of those room mothers at school or that mom who's always picking kids up or bringing snacks for everyone. I'm really looking forward to having school-aged children.

21. I want my house to be a haven for people who are in need of a friend, food, love, etc... God blessed us with this big house and it only seems appropriate to use it for His glory.

22. I was a vegetarian for 11 years but when I became pregnant with Brooke I HAD to have meat. For a while there I was a "closet-meat-eater" and I didn't tell anyone that I was into meat again until I just couldn't stand it!

23. I'm a text messaging fiend. I can close my eyes and text message with no problem. Pretty sad, huh?

24. I find sweeping and vacuuming to be extremely relaxing. Don't judge me! Lol

25. I love rain and thunderstorms. Gloomy days are my favorite thing ever!

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

A Different Kind of Anniversary

Today is mine and John's wedding anniversary! I know that anniversaries aren't really THAT important because you should show your love to your spouse each and every day, but for some reason, I get VERY excited over our anniversary. I must confess, though, that today was not really "anniversary material." First of all, we are being hit with an awful snowstorm so Brooke and I were trapped in the house all day and when John finally got home (around 6) we couldn't even go anywhere for dinner to celebrate because the roads were yucky. Another thing that added to my less-than-ideal day was that Brooke threw up this morning after breakfast so the whole day I was chasing after her with a towel or bucket every time I heard her cough. Lukcily she been totally fine for the rest of the day somehow. Weird!

So, I made the best of our day and prepared a really nice dinner for the three of us. I made spare ribs with homemade barbecue sauce, cheddar biscuits that tasted almost identical to Red Lobster's, fanned potatoes (a new recipe that was incredible) and Italian green beans. Everything turned out really nice and delicious so that was enough to make me feel like our anniversary was semi-special. John also got me a beautiful card with a nice long note, which made my day. I love my husband so much!

This weekend we are planning on going out of town on Friday night to officially celebrate our anniversary. There's this awesome restaurant about and hour and half from here so we thought we would go eat there Friday night and then stay over in a nice hotel. I'm really looking forward to my time alone with John, as my parents are going to be taking Brookie on Friday night. It's always good to get away, even if it's just for a short trip.

Alrighty, I'm off to relax with my husband! After all, it is our anniversary! Lol

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

I've Been M.I.A.

Holy cow, I haven't had two seconds to sit down behind the computer and write up a post. Life is crazy around here. Between chasing after Brooke, being a wife, church (attending services, shopping for and cooking Wednesday night dinners, teaching a women's study, being on the worship team, etc...), family, and John's schedule, I rarely have a minute to myself. Finally, I have some time to catch up!

Brooke has kept us in hysterics lately! The most hilarious things come out of her mouth and we just look at her in shock most of the time. For example:

*I said, "Brooke, are you having a brother or a sister?" She looked at me and said, "No thanks, mommy!"

*Today at lunch I told her to sit down and she said, "No thanks, mommy. I'm not sitting right now."

*We've been trying to get her ready for her big-girl-room by talking about it a lot. I asked Brooke, "Who's going to sleep in your crib?" She said, "Adrienne!" I then said, "Then where will you sleep?" Instead of giving me the expected answer, she yelled with excitement, "Daddy's bed!" Lol... I don't think so, Miss Brooke!

*Brooke is SO independent. Now she has to put her own shoes on every time we leave the house (which is always fun when we're in a hurry), pull down her pants for every diaper change, climb up into her car seat by herself, etc... She basically wants me to do NOTHING for her. Whenever I try to help her she says, "I min (am) feeding myself!" Hahaha! She doesn't understand that "feeding" doesn't mean "doing." I think I might be sad when she learns the difference!

*When I'm lying down on the couch or the bed she'll come up to my belly and say, "Kiss Adrienne." So sweet:-) I'm not sure she realizes what she's doing, but it's still precious to me.

*She likes to be JUST like me! She puts on my high-heels and pushes her grocery cart saying, "I min shopping for food." Sometimes, if we're really lucky, she'll find one of my shirts and put it on for her big shopping trips. It's hilarious!

Yes, my little girl is growing so quickly and is learning so very much! I love this age, despite temper tantrums and willfulness, and am just trying to soak it all in and enjoy my girl as much as possible.

I have a very active little girl in my womb right now! When I was pregnant with Brooke I rarely felt her kick. She would obviously move, but not as often as I would have really liked. This pregnancy is totally different though. Adrienne kicks hard and frequently... Most of the time when I'm trying to sleep! I do feel her a lot when I'm out about too. I wonder if this is a sign of things to come????? Brooke has always been very laid back and I'm starting to wonder if this little girl will give me a run for me money!

Okay, it's time to get some much-needed work done around the house. We're supposed to get 10 inches of snow tonight so I'm sure I'll be couped up tomorrow to do some cleaning, but I'll feel so great if I get it out of the way now!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

FRUSTRATED!

Right now I am SO fed up with our heating bill. We got a bill for $400 in the beginning of this month for last month's use and before we even paid that one, we got a $350 bill in the mail today. GIVE ME A BREAK! Yes, I realize we have a big house, but this is the sick part.... 1) Our heating system doesn't even go upstairs so we're paying this for downstairs alone, and 2) We keep our heat on 60 when we're not home and we try to use space heaters as much as possible while we are home. I can think of very few times that we have had our heat up for an extended period of time.

I called the propane people, thinking that this second bill was surely a glitch in their system, and they're like, "Well it's been really cold, unfortunately." I realize that it's been really cold but seriously... $750 is A LOT OF money for PROPANE. I seriously want to scream right now. The other thing that ticks me off is that our electric bill was $17 in December so we just got a whopping bill of $400 for electricity because apparently it's VERY hard to give us an accurate read each month. I tell ya!

Here's what really, really, really ticks me off: Because we are a hard working family, we are offered no assistance to help cover our enormous heating costs. Sure, the state issues grants and such, but we make too much money to have them reduce the cost of our heating and electricity. I'm not looking for handouts, but perhaps we should stop handing things out to people who refuse to work if we're not willing to hand things out to people that work VERY hard for their money. Does anyone else get frustrated by this or is it just me? I'm not saying that there aren't some cases where people really CAN'T work (like when they get laid off or when they have medical reasons), but what really gets me is when I see people (and KNOW people) who literally refuse to work and they have luxuries that I don't because our lovely government hands them things. If you are working and STILL need help, then I am thankful that our government helps you out. That's what the money should be there for, in my opinion.

If you don't hear from me again it's because I've turned into an icicle due to refusing to turn the heat on. UGH!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

I Can't Make Up My Mind!!!

Ugh, just when I thought that I had Brooke's furniture narrowed down to those picks, we went to another store. This is so not good! We found that we can get a beautiful set for her (that is made by Ashley Furniture) for almost $700 cheaper than those other two sets we had originally decided on. I have faith in Ashley because my gorgeous, indestructible bedroom set is made by them, along with my dining room table that I love. This set feels really solid but it's not quite as precious as the super expensive set that I had once hoped for. Although, I think that it might quite a bit more practical and versatile than the other choices.

To add to my indecisiveness, I also came across this furniture. The wonderful thing about this furniture is that my parents have the adult version of this bedroom set (with a full bed and cherry finish) and they LOVE it. They have been very satisfied with it and it has continued to look good even after several years of use. I would really like to get this set because of it's good reputation and also, I think it's precious! It's about $200 more than the furniture I listed above, but I think it's definitely worth it to get something I love so much. I dare say that this is the one. Thoughts, anyone????

I realize that Brooke could care less about her room and that she doesn't NEED the most perfect bedroom to know that mommy and daddy love her, but I'm still agonizing over this so it can be special for her. Really, growing up she won't care how much we spent on her furniture or what color the finish is. If that's the case, why can't I make up my mind??????? I need to soon or I think I'll scream.

Well, it's time for me to get up to the church and cook dinner for the masses. It's a lot of work but a lot of fun. Gotta run!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Baby News!!!!

We had our ultrasound today and we are having a (drum roll, please)..... GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited and I cannot wait to raise another little princess. We have enjoyed Brooke so much so we're really thrilled. Fun days are ahead for our family! The baby's name has officially been chosen and it is Adrienne Reese. If you know our last name then you'll see how pretty it sounds all together. I love the name:-)

More importantly that Miss Adrienne's gender, we are elated that we were told she has a four chambered heart, two kidneys, a functioning bladder, a completely normal brain, and a normal spine. Her measurements look great and she weighs exactly one pound now. God has designed humans so intricately and it brought me to tears to see how He was knitting our daughter together in my womb. It never gets old, does it??

I was so worried that we wouldn't be able to find out the gender and now I see how silly that was! The baby first had her legs spread apart, which was the point that the ultrasound technician said it was a girl. I said, "So, if it was your baby on that screen you would feel safe painting the nursery pink?" He said, "Well, I would buy the paint at this point." Only minutes later she did a big flip and mooned us, which was enough clarification for him to say, "Okay, go ahead and finish your painting!" Lol!

After our ultrasound, we had an appointment with my doctor. He had previously advised me that a repeat C-Section is in our best interest and today he asked me if I had a reached a conclusion about that. I have had A LOT of reservations and fears about another C-Section (which I have written about repeatedly), but the doctor opened up to me a lot and told me that when his wife had their first son (who's now 26) she had a C-Section for similar reasons that I had one with Brooke and when it was time for her to decide how to birth their second son, he decided it was the most prudent thing for her to have a repeat section. He went on to say that if I was his wife and this was his baby, he would hands down choose a C-Section. I have a lot of faith in this doctor and he really put my mind to rest, which was an answer to prayer. Anyways, with all that being said, we scheduled Adrienne's birthday for the 27Th of May. It's so weird to have such an exact, definitive date but we're very, very excited!

Brooke has been struggling with the news a bit, unfortunately. She'll say sweet things like, "Adrienne sit next to Brookie," but if we ask her if she'll share something with the baby she yells, "NO!" She's also been kind of clingy and fussy and I think that she grasps this whole concept a bit more than we give her credit for. I know that in time she'll adjust!

This has been such a special day and I don't think I've stopped smiling once:-) I think I'll go end it on a positive note and relax with my wonderful, out-numbered husband!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Big Girl Room in the Making!

With the fast approaching arrival of this baby, we are turning our spare room into Brooke's big girl room. We're really excited about the whole process but we are still undecided about her furniture. We went to the furniture store today and these are our final two picks:

This is the white furniture that we like. She would be getting every piece that's in the picture. It's very, very pretty and elegant in person because it has a scalloped detail around the mirror and head board. It's absolutely gorgeous and VERY well made and we also think that it will grow with her, which is always a plus.

Our second choice is cherry wood furniture. She would be getting everything in that picture except for the desk... Instead she would be getting a large chest of drawers. We like this set a lot because it too is very well made. It's a lot more simplistic than the other choice and it's almost identical to our bedroom set that we have in our room. It's gorgeous but less "princess like."

As for her bedding, we have selected this gorgeous set from Pottery Barn Kids:



I think that either set of furniture will go really well with the comforter that we've chosen, which makes my decision even harder. Please give me your thoughts and opinions! We need to decide by Thursday because they're having a sale that ends that day.

Oh, real quick, another good thing about the white furniture is that it is made by the store itself (Raymour and Flanigan) so the guy said it will be around for years to come, which means we can go back in a few years and buy another bed to match Brooke's if this baby is a girl. Decisions, decisions!

Friday, January 16, 2009

"Beautiful, Beautiful Baby"

Brooke had me cracking up this morning! I had put her hair in pigtails and they were so stinking cute. I told her (as I do every chance I get) that she was beautiful. The next thing I knew, she was standing in front of the mirror saying, "I'm so beautiful! Beautiful, beautiful baby!" Lol! It's amazing how quickly they learn about vanity.

I once heard Dr. James Dobson (a Christian Psychologist) say that we shouldn't tell our daughters that they're beautiful too often because of the reasons I just listed above. It kind of struck me as odd when he said that, but I suppose he has a valid point. I wish I could track that message down so I could get some more of his perspective. Anyways, because of that, I thought about this episode with Brooke and all day long have been wrestling with if I really want her knowing just how beautiful she really is. Does that make sense? I think it's healthy for her to know that to mommy and daddy she is the most beautiful and special thing in the universe, but unfortunately, as she grows, she will just be another person in this huge world. It's an awful realization, I realize, but it's true. I want her to know that she's beautiful, but I do NOT want her to think that my love for her is because of that. I want her to see that I love her because God sent her into our family and because HE has made her special. As long as those truths are established, I don't think that there's anything wrong with telling Brooke she's beautiful. I just don't want her thinking that she's more beautiful than anyone else and I guess that if she becomes cocky we'll have to address that! Lol

Well, my "beautiful, beautiful baby" is sleeping so I'm going to try and be productive now! Once she wakes up, all bets are off!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

My Growing Babies

I have two growing babies and I just can't believe how big they're each getting! Brookie is 23-months-old today which means she'll be 2 next month. I'm in shock over that because the time has gone by so quickly. Wow! Also, today I am 20-weeks pregnant. It also feels like my pregnancy is going by in the blink of an eye. It seems like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant but here I am already halfway done.

It's so weird to me because when Brooke was turning one I was hysterical over it. For me, it meant that she was leaving infancy and turning into a little girl. Though I was happy and excited, I was an emotional wreck on her birthday. However, now that's she going to be turning 2, I'm very excited!!! I love this toddler stage and it has proved to be a blast for our family. I so look forward to the new adventures that having a 2-year-old will bring! I hear that parenting gets continually better and if that's the case, I'm in for some pretty amazing days in the future. Yes, I love being a mommy more than anything:-)

Another weird thing is that when I was pregnant with Brooke I wanted the pregnancy to fly away with itself because I couldn't wait to have Brooke and be a mom. I am TRULY excited about this baby, but because I'm armed with the knowledge of how fast pregnancy flies, I'm trying hard to hold onto being pregnant as much as possible. Each new week that comes and goes of my pregnancy is almost bittersweet... I'm happy that baby #2 is one step closer to make his/her arrival, but sad because that's one less week with alone time with Brooke.

Alrighty, well I'm going to go start dinner so John doesn't die of hunger when he gets home. That wouldn't be good, now would it?

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Writer's Block

Lately I have had no inspiration for things to write about on my blog. Weird, I know! It has always been therapeutic for me to blog and I've never had a shortage of things on my mind, but over the last couple of days I have been drawing a blank when I sit down at the computer. Perhaps a blogging hiatus would do me good? Nah... I'll come out of my slump eventually, I'm sure! Lol

I think a big part of my blogging "struggles" are because now that John's on this new schedule, I have NO time for myself anymore... Which don't get me wrong, is amazing! I used to have 8-11:30 at night to do nothing but kill time around the house. Now that John has a normal schedule, the only time I have go myself is Brooke's nap, which is about 1.5 hours- sometimes shorter, sometimes longer. I use that time to do housework and laundry which leaves me virtually no time to do anything for me. I feel like I'm so busy all of the time!

Another contributing factor to my so-called writer's block is that life has been really routine lately. I usually feel like this in the winter.... Just kind of BLAH. I'm not depressed and I'm totally happy with life, but things just get kind of slow and uneventful. We spend a lot of time at home, which is great, but in the warmer months it seems like we're always at the park or at a picnic or something. That's just a little bit more exciting to write about that sitting around the house, if you ask me!

Brooke has been a total sweetheart lately. Granted, she has her moments where she's a total spaz, but overall, she's a great kid. She'll come up to me and kiss me or put her arms around me in the middle of nowhere and that makes me feel so warm inside! She's really a blast! She's getting so big and she looks like such a little girl now... Where did my baby go??!??!?!?! Her new funny thing is to whisper. I'll ask her, "Do you want a snack?" She'll then whisper as quietly as she possibly can, "Want a snack." She doesn't even think she's being funny, I just think that she's learned how to fine tune this skill so it's fun for her to practice. I have to listen up very carefully to get answers out of this girl! Lol

Alrighty, well someone isn't napping so that means that I have NO time to work around the house today. I love my baby, but man, I can sure clean a lot more quickly and efficiently while she's sleeping!

Friday, January 9, 2009

A Long, Busy Day

Today has a been a busy, busy, busy day... But most importantly, it was a very good day! I don't think I've stopped going until this very minute.

The best part of my day was made possible thanks to my amazing husband. I just want to brag on him for a minute! I was out and about today so John snuck in our house on his lunch break to deliver me a dozen beautiful red roses! I came home and was completely shocked. They just don't make them any more thoughtful, considerate, or sensitive than my husband:-) It's nice to receive flowers and gifts on holidays, birthday, and anniversaries, but for me, the gifts for no apparent reason are what mean the most. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband!

In less-than-wonderful-news, I was having a VERY sharp and persistent pain in my lower right abdomen. It had gone on for about a week and over the last couple of days the pain worsened significantly. Long story short, I went in to see my OBGYN this afternoon and I have a nasty infection that will hopefully be cleared up soon. Anyways, that's totally not the point... I laid on the table for the doctor to poke around and push on my belly and he said to me, "Now, we do know that this is a singleton pregnancy, right? I'm trying to remember if we have confirmed that with an ultrasound." My heart was racing and I said, "Yes. Why? Do you think I'm enormous or something??" The doctor said, "Well, your uterus looks pretty large but because you're a very small women, I bet it's just how you're carrying." To reassure me that everything was normal and right on track, he measured my belly to show me that it measured exactly 19 centimeters. HOLY COW! Way to scare a woman, crazy man! For a brief moment I was completely freaked out.

After John got of work we went to Uno's with my family and then did some MAJOR grocery shopping (that was long overdue). $155 later we finally got that out of the way! Now it's time to enjoy John for the entire weekend:-) I'm SO EXCITED!!!!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

19 Weeks and Counting...

Wow, next week I will be halfway through my pregnancy! I can hardly believe that. UNBELIEVABLE! Where did the last 19 weeks go? I am enjoying being pregnant so, so much and I think that that's because I'm making a conscious effort to savor each and every stage of this long wait. It's starting to get more exciting because I can feel this precious baby moving and kicking very often now! Over the last couple of weeks it has gone from that fluttering feeling to the obvious movements that I'm feeling now. I love it so much!

I'll admit, however, that with my pending ultrasound (that's a week from Monday), I've been a little bit anxious. I remember feeling this way before Brooke's big ultrasound at 18 weeks so I realize that this comes with the territory, but STILL! First of all, I worry that they'll find something wrong with this baby... There is a whole list of diseases and possible complications that scare the fire out of me! While I would obvious love a baby who had health problem, of course I prefer that my child can carry on a normal, healthy life. As trivial as this is, I also worry that the baby won't show us his/her gender. I want to know the sex so badly so we can plan the nursery and everything and buy the perfect clothes, but if we can't find out there's not much we can do about it! I have been agonizing over this a lot, which has lead me to some pretty insane dreams about this baby. It's exhausting to dream such crazy things every night! Lol

Brooke, who has always been excited for "brother/sister," told me yesterday, "No brother/sister!" Ever since then she's been shaking her head "no" when we ask her if she's excited for me to have the baby. While I know that you can't really take a 23-month-old too seriously, this has me a nervous wreck that we're screwing up her life and she'll be a jealous disaster. I have really been trying to make these months count for something great with her and I know that she knows she is loved very much... Hopefully that stands for something. I asked my sister today how long it took her after Jenna was born to stop feeling sad that it wasn't just Nathan anymore. Do you know what she told me? " The very second that Jenna was born." That really helped me out A LOT and I was reassured that your heart just grows and opens up to each new life the Lord blesses you with.

Alrighty, time to go relax with my husband after a crazy day. It's so nice having him home at night! I'm in heaven:-)

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

A NORMAL Schedule!

After having the past two days off, John started his new position today! We were struck with a really bad ice storm, leaving Brooke and me housebound, but I have to say, it's so nice having John at work now and knowing that he'll be home tonight for dinner! I can definitely deal with being at home MUCH better now. I'm used to him working the night shift and not being able to accomplish things like putting laundry away in our room or vacuuming, but today I can do whatever I want! I can DEFINITELY get used to this schedule!

Brooke dumped oatmeal all over herself this morning and it was in her hair. Yuck! We started our day with a nice bath (that's usually how we end the day) and we have been playing with blocks and books. I've accomplished some housework like laundry and dishes, which is always good! I think during Brooke's nap I'm going to mop the floors and clean the bathroom. When she wakes up I'm hoping to making John some oatmeal raisin cookie (his favorite) so he'll have a nice treat when he gets home. He won't be getting home until 6, which seems like an eternity from now, but if I keep myself busy he should be here before we know it!

The past few days have been pretty uneventful. Monday we took Brooke to Chuck E. Cheese and she honestly could have cared less that she was there! I felt so sad because I wanted to do something special for her. She basically just walked around and had little interest in the rides. We have 85 tokens left so I sure hope she likes it the next time we go! Yesterday we took her to Barnes and Noble, which was more her speed, and of course she was in heaven! We stayed there for quite some time and had a really nice day as a family.

Brooke's favorite word lately has been "actually." She was helping me with laundry today... which means putting on all of my clothes while I try to clean up... and she said, "These are actually mommy's clothes." Lol! She just cracks me up! Lately EVERY sentence has had "actually" in it. She is just getting TOO big and I hardly see her as a baby anymore.

Well, that's about all that's new and exciting in our house. Life has been pretty routine lately but amazing:-)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Branching Out

I was at Barnes and Noble with Brooke a few weeks ago and she started playing with this little boy. I started talking to the boy's mom and we really hit it off... We had a lot in common too! For instance, she's a stay-at-home-mom and is pregnant with her second baby in April. It was just weird to meet somebody as outgoing and talkative as myself. Many people I encounter are very withdrawn. Anyways, I was shocked because before she left she asked for my number so we could hook up again sometime, so I reluctantly gave it to her. She also gave me her number which, I admit, threw carelessly in my diaper bag. I never really intended on making a new friend at Barnes and Noble!

Much to my shock, the lady called me tonight. I was in the middle of getting Brooke ready for bed so I asked to call her back. The whole time I thought to myself... Do I REALLY want a new friend? What if she's a psycho path? Should I waste my time returning her phone call? Seriously, it was worse than calling John for the first time after we started seeing each other! Lol! After much thought, I called her back. As it turns out, she's a Christian (which is GREAT) and she's looking for some friends to help her fill her days. We talked for a bit and agreed to meet at Barnes and Noble on Friday so the kids can play and then grab some lunch afterwards. I'm really excited to make a new friend now!

I have always, always struggled to see a need for friendship. As a kid we moved several times so by the time we made it to New York it was hard to find motivation to put down new roots. Because of our moves I think I depended more on my family (mainly my wonderful sister), due to the fact that I knew they weren't going anywhere. I've always relied heavily on my family (and now John and his family also) to be my friends and supporters. I'm seeing as I get older, however, that there is nothing in the universe wrong with building new friendships and letting others see the real me. So, here's to friendship!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

The Many Names for "Mommy"

Brooke has started this hilarious game of making up new names for me. The other day she called me "Mamoo" and laughed hysterically each time that she said it. The last name that she created, however, was "Momark." She's gone a little bit farther with this one, though, because she even says it when she's upset now. It's really, really funny but I kind of hate it! Come on... "Momark????" It just doesn't have the same ring to it that "Mommy" or "Mama" does. Hopefully it's just a phase? Lol

John and I have started calling her silly names in return and she HATES it. I'll say to her, "How are you doing, Brook-o?" She'll then respond to me and cry, "How ya doing, BROOKIE???" It makes me laugh every time! Sometimes she'll even tell me, "I min (am) Brookie Madison D****!" You would think she would stop calling me such horrific names considering how much she hates being called Brooke-o! Unfortunately toddlers don't think like that, now do they? That would make life far too easy!

In other news, John's temporarily on the night shift (11-7) until he goes over to the daytime position that I mentioned a few days ago. It's funny because I LOVE having him home in the evenings and sharing dinnertime with him, but every night when he leaves I miss the evening shift so bad. I never thought that I would miss anything about those hours but somehow I do.

Nothing too eventful is really going on in our home right now... Just the same old stuff! That's the way we like it though:-)

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Another Year Over and a New One Just Begun

2008 was a great year for me and I'm sad to see it go, but we have lots of things to look forward to in the coming year! God has been so good to my family and me and I would like to reflect on some highlights of the past year...

*Two wonderful vacations- First to San Diego in March and then to Florida in July. Our two trips were amazing and we made lots of great family memories together!

*Watching Brooke blossom from a baby into a toddler was so much fun! Being able to hear her talk in complete sentences now STILL blows me away and each day I find new aspects of her personality to admire and enjoy. Motherhood was a blast over the last year and something tells me that it only gets better from here:-)

*Being able to learn about God's perfect timing and will for John and me through the trials we faced with our housing situations. Holy cow... If we had ended up with any of the other house deals that we were so close to making, we wouldn't have had this big, gorgeous house that we have now. Now that we're settled and loving our new home, I see how God's plan was far greater than ours! What a trial we endured to get here, though!

*Growing more in love with my amazing husband! It sounds so "sing-songy" to say this, but John is my best friend and being able to share my life with him is one of the greatest blessings ever. I don't think that being his wife and taking care of him will ever get old!

*Enjoying my nephew, Nathan, and getting to see him turn into a little boy. Man, that kid melts me! Another highlight of my year includes Jenna's birth last month. I've enjoyed her brother so much and similarly, I can't wait to experience life with her! I LOVE being aunt!

*Finding out about the precious baby that's growing in my belly! I'm 18 weeks along today and we will find out if it's a boy or a girl very soon. I'm so taken back by the fact that God has entrusted another precious life into our care. Isn't that so humbling?

As for 2009, when I think about the year that is ahead of us, I'm mostly excited for the end of May, when the baby is due. Until then, I want to relish in every single solitary moment that I have with Brooke by herself. Our lives will change soon enough so I want to hold onto the months ahead of us as much as possible. During the next several months I REALLY look forward to transforming our spare room into Brooke's big-girl-room and then making the nursery the perfect place for the baby. It looks like there are lots of fun things in our future!

Happy New Year, everyone!!!!!!!