Random Thoughts from Kori

Chances Are...

2012-02-07T17:30:00.001-06:00

We like to share in our family. We share laughs, good news, bad news, hugs, love, kisses, prayers, celebrations...we share everything. Even birthdays.

If you're somehow linked to our family...chances are, you don't celebrate your birthday alone. We have some C.R.A.Z.Y birthday connections.

Growing up, we used to think it was funny that we had several birthdays that fell in December, and several in March. We thought it was cool that so many of us shared birthday months. Now...many of us share birthday DAYS. Crazy stuff.

All of the people below are somehow connected in my pretty immediate family. Take a gander at these connections...

Jacob and Grandpa---Grandfather and grandson---My cousin and my grandpa
Rachel and Uncle Ron----Father and Daughter----My uncle and my cousin
Kim and Glenn----Husband and Wife----My sister and brother-in-law
Michaela and Tyler----Cousins to one another----Both my cousins
Samantha and Great Grandpa-Great Great Grandpa and Granddaughter-My Great Grandpa and cousin
Brady and Big Dave----(Not actually related to one another)----My nephew and my father in law
William and New Baby----Cousins to one another----My cousin and his cousin

All in one family. (Mostly) What are the chances?!?!?!?!

I told you we share everything.

Fear Of The Flush

2012-02-06T17:40:00.000-06:00

Ok....not really a fear of the flush...just a fear. As in a screaming, legs straight out, arms go rigid, real tears falling, whole body shaking, fear.
Of going potty on the big boy potty.

There has been no trauma. There have been no mishaps. There have been no splashes hitting the bum. There has been nothing. N.O.T.H.I.N.G.

We have slowly been building up to going potty on the big boy potty. We talk about it. We look at it. We flush it. We do everything but the deed.

As mentioned before...Reilly's favorite topic is poop. He announces when he has to go. He announces as he's going. He announces when he's done. Everyone who sees it, has the same reply..."Oh, he'll be an easy one to potty train. He's ready."

Nope. Not ready. Not at all.

Every time we try to go potty, it is a complete meltdown. Real tears. His whole little body shakes. He screams. It's awful and it's heartbreaking. We have the potty seat. We've tried to just hold him. We sing songs. We count. We distract using toys. Nothing helps. I think my poor child is traumatized by the toilet.

It's time to reach out to others. What are the potty training tricks? My poor boy can't be in diapers forever.

If Only...

2012-01-08T17:29:00.000-06:00

It's back to work tomorrow. It's been 16 days that I have spent with my little man. 16 amazing, exhausting, fun-filled, busy, hetic, precious, memory filled days. And I'm sad. I'm sad that our lazy mornings are over. I'm sad that we don't get to snuggle while we watch the "Sunny-Side Up" show in the morning. I'm sad that we can just pick up and go, stay in our jammies or visit with family and friends whenever we want.

I love my job. At one point in my life, I thought being a teacher was the greatest profession possible. That was before I was a mommy. Now, it's the second greatest profession. I miss my kiddos like crazy, but I'm going to miss being a "full-time" mommy. Reilly and I have had sooooooo much fun over the past two weeks. We have made so many precious memories...ones that will be with me forever.

A small glimpse of what we've spent our days doing...

*We got to spend time with our family for Christmas--including some cousins in Chicago that we don't see often.
*We went out to lunch.
*We played in the snow.
*We played at the waterpark.
*We shopped.
*We spent time with friends.
*We thought about working on going potty in the big boy potty--Mommy failed with this one!
*We had to say goodbye to our dear Dr. Pepper.
*We bounced at Concord Bounce
*We got to celebrate Brady's birthday at one of his parties.
*We got to spend some amazing time as a family--going out to breakfast, hanging out, and just spending time together.
*We went sledding.
*We sat on the front porch and waved to the neighbors.
*We played trucks. And blocks. And Elmo.
*We talked about trains...oh did we talk about trains.
*We went to a lot of pet stores to see the animals.
*We got to have lunch with Brady at school.
*We snuggled
*We went to see "Gamma and Papa"
*We had fun.

If only hugs, snuggles and kisses would pay the bills...I'd be one rich mommy...and we would have so many more days like the past 16.

2 Weeks...

2012-01-08T17:19:00.000-06:00

We had a great time finding what Santa left under the tree!

Each present was a whole new squeal of delight!

Magna-doodling with Daddy

It would have been better if you could actually see the hat flip flopping back and forth.

We spent a LOT of time snuggling--my FAVORITE!

Instantly fell in love with Splash Universe!

Had a bouncing good time at Concord Bounce!

Discovered life as a King...

Our first snow experience!

We went shopping...love that Petco has peanut sized carts...strongly believe EVERY store should!

We hung out on the front porch

We also hung out in the hallway...

We finished Winter Break with doughnuts from Ms. Sarah!

1 Chair

2012-01-05T18:06:00.000-06:00

In our living room, sits a couch, loveseat and and just one chair. It's a regular, nothing fancy, no frills kinda chair. However, it's the most sought after seat in the living room. But, I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because it's the only seat directly in front of the television. Maybe it's because you can sit in it and still reach the end table to prop your toes. Maybe it's because it's just a well loved, fits to your booty kinda chair. I'm just not sure.

This afternoon, Reilly and I were fighting over who got to sit in the chair. He usually likes to sit in the back, and then have his person of choice sit in front of his legs. However, the chair isn't that big, and he never remembers that it works out quite as well as he thinks it's going to.

Well, today...we both finally got comfortable in the chair. However, he also brought a few of his favorite things.

One chair

1 Mommy
1 Reilly
2 Couch pillows
1 bed pillow
1 television remote
1 large Ziploc bag of pretzels
1 Xbox controller
1 cordless phone base
1 dump truck
1 remote control car
1 book
2 blankets
1 ball popper toy
1 formula container

I think I'm heading to the couch next time. Oh...and perhaps contacting the "Hoarders-Buried Alive" show for a future episode about my son and his chair.

Top 11 for 2011

2011-12-31T10:36:00.000-06:00

It's a day of reflection. Just as every other year on this exact day. We're ready to say goodbye to the past 12 months and prepare to usher in a new set. It's time to sit back and reflect on what's happened, both the high and low lights of the past 365 days.

I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on as I'm sure everyone'd all be delighted to read and hear about! (Ha!) But instead, I'm going to keep the ramblings short, to just our top 11 events for the year 2011.

In no particular order...

**Reilly had his first (and we pray, ONLY) surgery this past Spring when he got his ear tubes put in.
**I had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand.
**Dave officially became the father of two teenagers!
**We sadly had to put Dave's Red Rocket (his not so family friendly red Volkswagen) to rest.
**We moved the two teenagers to the basement! :)
**Dave and I celebrated being married 4 years.
**We celebrated the main man in our house turning 2 with a big ol' Elmo Bash!
**Reilly got to go on his first boat ride this summer with Aunt Kim, Uncle Glenn and Brady
**We spent many, many, many days at the zoo.
**I experienced going to the REAL BINGO hall with my dear friend Kendra and two dear sisters.
**I had my first weekend away (since being a mommy) with a great bunch of women in Chicago for a dear friend's birthday.

There are so many more that didn't make the list. The most important being--Spending such important time as a family, and with our family and friends who mean everything to us.

This remains our New Year's Resolution for 2012....surround ourselves by good people and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Happy New Year!

15 years

2011-12-19T19:54:00.000-06:00

15 years. It's a long time. An even longer time if that's how long you've experienced a heartache of huge proportions. A long time to miss someone who you so dearly love. Trust me, it's a LONG time.

15 years ago this morning, we were forced to say goodbye to the most prized treasure of our lives. She was our rock. Our friend. Our supporter. Our shoulder to cry on. Our "wait till your father gets home" threatener. Our chef. Our bill payer. Our nurse. Our doctor. Our house cleaner. Our MOM. There is no other lady like her. She was the best. Simply the best.

There is not a day in the past 15 years that I haven't talked to her, prayed to her, whispered things in my head to her. There isn't a day that I haven't missed her, wished she was here with me and prayed that I become a mom just like her.

I look at Reilly and know there are parts of my mom in his smile. In his orneriness. In his fits. He's just like me, and I'm just like her. I wouldn't rather it be any other way. I know that she would be proud of him. I also know that he will always have a very special angel always looking over his shoulder and keeping him safe. Just as we all do.

15 years is a long time. Although, if I stop long enough, I can remember her smile. I can remember her laugh. I can remember how angry she would be, and then 5 minutes later, she'd be giving you a hug. I remember everything about her.

No matter the days. No matter the years. I'll never forget.

She'll always be my mom. She'll always be in my heart.

A Perfect Stranger

2011-12-18T19:16:00.000-06:00

Perfect strangers are sometimes the perfect people. Our family is learning a lot about that this week.

On Wednesday afternoon, I received a phone call from my dad sharing that my step-sister's house had been ravaged by fire that morning. He was pretty sure that there wouldn't be anything to save from the three boys' bedrooms. He was indeed right.

They are a family of five who lost a huge chunk of their home, 90% of the loss being the bedrooms that were upstairs. All three boys, and my step-sister and brother in law had the clothes they were wearing that day and a lucky load of whites they later found in the dryer. Much of the house contents were lost to smoke and water damage.

Asking for help doesn't come easy to many people. I'm one of them. So are they. Unfortunately, there hasn't been much choice but to ask, and rely on their faith to pull them through this difficult time. This week has been about AMAZING people reaching into their pocket books, just a week before Christmas, and giving to their family. This includes perfect strangers. AMAZING people, who are strangers. They don't know Teri and Justin, and Teri and Justin don't know them.

Kim, Keely and I have all sent emails to the amazing people we work with, and the love and support that our family has been shown has been overwhelming. These people don't know the kids, and yet they are bringing us bags upon bags of clothes and items that Teri and Justin can start to rebuild their home with.

Today, Keely and I were out shopping. As we were leaving Old Navy, feeling pretty proud of the savings we got and the deals we made, we had an extra pep to our step. There was another lady behind us that shared some of her story. It started as she said,

"That store is really amazing. I am out shopping today for a family that lost everything in a house fire earlier this week. When the worker found out what I was doing, she gave me an extra 30% off. I was so pleased with their customer service and so very thankful. I don't even know the people who had the fire, they are friends of a friend, but I just had to do something. I had some extra this holiday season, so I came here to get a few things for them."

This peaked Keely and I's interest, so much so, that I had to ask. I asked her if she knew the names of the people who had the fire, and she said they were her friends' friends. She finally came up with the name.

The very same name as my step-sister and brother in law.

A perfect stranger, who felt called to help. A stranger who didn't know Teri, Justin or the boys. A stranger who went to Old Navy and purchased clothes for someone they had never met.

Keely and I got in the van, a bit shaken, with goosebumps on our bodies. What are the chances????

I hope that perfect stranger knows she's a perfect person.

"Uh-Oh, It's UCK!"

2011-12-01T14:53:00.000-06:00

I hear "Uh-oh" and "Uck" a lot. As in multiple times a day. As in multiple times an hour. As in over and over and over and over and over.

Thanksgiving morning, Reilly and I were up first and we decided to tackle the chewy pumpkin caramel bars. Part 1 of the process is unwrapping all the caramels. Not a task I love. Reilly enjoyed it though. We had many "extra" caramels that couldn't be used since the nimble hands of a two year old dropped quite a few.

He also sampled some. Ok, he sampled a lot. Sometimes sampling meant licking them and then putting them down. Sometimes sampling meant taking an itty-bitty bit. Sometimes sampling meant putting the whole caramel in his mouth. (This kind of sampling meant I had to stick my fingers in after the whole caramel and take part out.)

We were nearing the end of our unwrapping task, and he had taken yet another bit of the caramel. For some reason, he decided this bite was not worthy of traveling to his stomach. I don't know why.

As he does when he doesn't like the taste, texture or temperature of something, he politely grabbed my hand, opened my palm and placed it under his mouth. He then opened his mouth and tried to let the caramel fall into my hand. This is how it works. I catch it, we discreetly throw it away and we move on. Only this time, it didn't. It stayed and he wasn't happy.

As he was leaning over my hand, trying to let the caramel fall into my palm, he kept saying, "UH-OH, UCK, UH-OH, UCK." As I was trying to hold back from laughing, and his finger was trying to pry the caramel off of his teeth, I am sure we were quite a sight. He struggled for about 45 seconds before I couldn't hold it in any longer, I started laughing, he started crying and I told him to just swallow, which he finally did. All the while, he's still saying, "UH-OH, UCK!"

I'm not sure you know how much I love that silly boy of mine.

11 things...

2011-11-11T21:51:00.000-06:00

It's quickly approaching the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 2011. Therefore, it's 11/11/11. Pretty cool.

Because of this neat-o date, I thought a blog was in order. However, I had nothing earth shattering on my mind that I was dying to share. So...I'm just going to list 11 things on my mind.

1. 4:10 am (which is when I crawled out of bed for the day was a L.O.N.G. time ago.
2. I'm a really lucky girl to be married to my Dave. But, he's even luckier! :)
3. I'm the luckiest girl because the cutest 2 year old calls me MOM.
4. I'm a lil' bit bummed that I didn't win anything at the Paddle Auction tonight.
5. I got another AMAZING gift today from my dear friend Jodi. She made me a pillow, out of one of Reilly's old blankets, that has a turkey on it. The body is made from a footprint of my Rei-Guy and the feathers are his hand prints. PRICELESS.
6. I can think and think and think for hours, and I can't come up with a person who is a luckier daughter, granddaugther, sister, aunt, mommy, wife, step-daughter, cousin or friend because of who I am related to and who I know. My family and friends mean everything to me and I am one lucky girl that they all love me so much.
7. It was disappointing to come home tonight and see that the cleaning fairy got lost on her way here again!
8. I am ready for bed. NOW.
9. I love my job. (most days!)
10. I had to giggle that one of my students asked me what time it was today at 11:11 am. I think it was planned, and I totally fell for it. It made for a fun math class, though.
11. I'm really thankful that I got to enjoy a white hot chocolate this morning.

There you have it, my top 11 thoughts swirling around in my head. And now it's 11:00. Which means I have 11 minutes until it's 11:11 again.

Home Alone...Sorta...

2011-11-10T18:37:00.000-06:00

Two years ago October 27th, my life changed. It was a change that I have never for a second regretted. One that I have thanked God for everyday since then. On that day, I became a Mommy. I hardly remember the days before I was a mommy. It's my job. It's what I love.
For two years, (even more so here recently), I haven't even been able to go to the bathroom alone. I brush my teeth with two eyes watching, I shower with Elmo toys, I make dinner with two "helping hands," I shop with a special "cart pushing helper," everything I do, I have a sidekick. And I love it. (Ok, there are days that I could survive going grocery shopping without a 10 minute visit to see the "ishies," but for the most part...)
Today, I was lucky enough to get to spend the day with Dave, who's on vacation this week. We took Reilly to Ms. Betsy's, went shopping at Wal-Mart, and stopped for breakfast. It was about 8:15 when I started to miss my little man. I mean, really, really miss him. Going to Ms. Betsy's isn't anything new. But every other day that he goes there, I go directly to school, where I am crazy busy for 9 hours before I go back and pick him up. It's not that I don't think of him often when I am at school, but I become a "mom" to a whole new crew of kids that need my full attention, and I'm consumed with their needs. So I'm not sitting at home, staring at his toys without him being there.
After breakfast, we headed home and I was a mommy without a job. It was CRAZY how much I missed that kid. I'm NEVER home without hearing the pitter pat of feet, the giggles, and the toys (Oh, the toys and their noise!) At one point, I started playing with the school bus that sings, "The Wheels On The Bus" because I was missing the noise and smiles that fill my walls.
Although I loved being home with Dave today, and know that we needed the time together, I also found out that I'm not a good Mommy when my little guy is not home with me. I miss him way to much. I spent a good part of the day trying to bring him up in conversation and counting the hours until we could pick him up.
Don't get me wrong, there were plenty of other things to do to keep my busy, (laundry, dishes, sweeping, cleaning, dusting, laundry, straightening up, laundry...) but I just didn't feel that would be quality time off from work! :) Besides, it will still be here this weekend...when thankfully, my little helper will be here to assist!

10 Reasons

2011-10-31T19:13:00.000-05:00

So...there are some critics out there that feel that the Woods should not have their Christmas tree up yet. And for those of you that didn't know that we had our tree up until you read that first sentence, don't judge. Just breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

Let me explain. Here is my list of 10 reasons why it's October 31st, and our Christmas tree is twinkling away in the corner of the living room.

1. I like having the twinkling lights on instead of a lamp. Simple as that.
2. We live with a 2 year old. He likes to touch. EVERYTHING. This way, we can have plenty of practice learning about looking with our eyes, and not touching with our hands. You'll thank me later if there were any plans to invite us over this Holiday Season.
3. We like to give the neighbors something to talk about.
4. My step kids were here this weekend, which means they help carry things up from the basement, where it is stored.
5. Putting up the Christmas tree brings back some of my favorite memories from when I was a child. Waiting for dad to climb to the attic, put together the tree, string the lights and then we got to decorate.
6. I have now have a good excuse to sing Christmas Carols. LOUDLY.
7. When I want to snack at night, I feel bad for eating in front of the angel on the top of the tree.
8. It's dark at 6:00 pm anyway, we might as well pretend it's the dead of winter and we're enjoying ourselves.
9. This gives Dave extra time to be thinking of my Christmas gifts. It's not like he can forget when he is greeted by the twinkling lights each day.
10. Because I asked, Dave said yes and I wanted to!

There you have it. That's why we already put up our Christmas tree.

Years, Not Months

2011-10-27T17:45:00.000-05:00

I knew this day was coming. It doesn't mean I was anymore prepared for it. I knew it would be here before a blink of an eye. And sure enough, here it is.

My precious bundle of joy, coming into the world at just 7lbs, 15 oz, measuring only 21 inches long turned two today. AND I'M NOT SURE I WAS READY FOR IT. I mean, I am so very grateful that God has blessed me with this amazing boy in my life, that we get to celebrate the little things everday. But turning two. Really? Did he have to?

I think I am most hung up on the fact that I now have to start replying, "2 years old" when people ask how old he is. I've heard from a number of people that it may be a bit weird to say 29 months, or 34 months. Ugh...I have to say years. It hurts my heart a little bit. This means my baby is no longer my "baby" (although, future girlfriends of the world, BEWARE, he'll always be my little baby boy!)

I know that October 27th is his birthday, but it's pretty much the day that I recieved the greatest gift God could have given me.

Reilly,
    You are the joy of my life and the sparkle in my eye. I am the luckiest mommy in the world because I get to hear you say, "Mom, Mom, MOM" over and over and over again. You have been so much fun to watch as you learn, grow and discover. I treasure your "Squeeze Tight Hugs," your "Super Sloppy Kisses" and when your little hand reaches for mine. I love when we get to snuggle at night, and when I get you up in the morning and make me rub your back for an extra minute or two. You are my everything, and I love you more than I ever thought possible.

                                                                                        Happy 2nd Birthday, Baby Boy!

                                                                                                                       Mommy

The Battle Of The Broccoli

2011-10-03T18:12:00.000-05:00

I always leave school with an anxious heart at the end of the day. Praying that my almost-two-year-old has made good choices. I just never know what the report is going to be.

Today, just like normal, I pull up and Ms. Betsy is already laughing. Good Grief! What could this mean???

She can barely contain her giggles to tell me that she doesn't remember the last time a little guy has made her laugh so hard. Super. Can't wait to hear this one.

Evidently they had cheese quesadillas and broccoli for lunch. Reilly can eat his weight in cheese quesadillas, apparently. I probably should have already known this, but I didn't. He blew through his main course and was pushing around his one "tree" of broccoli Ms. Betsy had put on his plate. The older kiddos were already done eating, so she had gotten out the package of Chips Ahoy Cookies.

My little man is a COOKIE MONSTER. So he got very excited to see the chocolate chip goodies come out of the pantry. Ms. Betsy explained to him that he had to finish his broccoli before a cookie could be had.

Insert attitude.

(Remember, she is laughing hysterically as she is telling me this!)

She said he picked up his "tree" of broccoli, put it in his mouth, plopped his chin in his hand and started chewing. All while staring at her, as if to say, "I'll eat it, but I'm not gonna like it." She said she and Mr. Brian busted out laughing and he didn't crack. Chewing with his chin in his hand. The whole time.

So she gave him another piece. Same thing. Chin in hand...attitude and staring. She tried to run and get her camera, but couldn't snap the picture in time.

Ohh...I can't wait. He's not even 2 yet...I'm sure the best is yet to come.

At least he got 2 cookies.

When You're Belly Button Goes Missing...

2011-10-03T18:01:00.000-05:00

As usual, after waking Reilly up this morning, we started going through our day. It was no different than any other day. No different at all. Until it came to his belly button. Then it became a day like no other.

While I am getting him dressed each morning, we usually talk about our day and then do something "educational." Sometimes we count, sometimes we sing nursery rhymes, sometimes we sing the ABC's, sometimes we go through body parts. Today was a body part day. Until it came to his belly button.

We went through hair, eyes, nose, mouth, neck, arms and then we got to the belly. For a long time, we had to say, "Do you have a button?" and that would be the only way he would show us his belly. We've moved past that and now we can say "Where is your belly?" and he pats it. Not today. Nope.

We were 90% dressed this morning, only missing socks and shoes when we got to the belly question. Just a reminder that it was 38 degrees this morning, so we weren't wearing short sleeves and shorts. This is thermal onesie and sweatpants weather. So, that's what we wore. Until the belly question. After asking Reilly, "Where is your belly?" he got a very sad look on his face and started to whimper. I thought maybe he had bumped his head or something, so I gave him the once over, saw that he was good to go and repeated the question. "Reilly, show Mommy your belly."

OPEN FLOODGATE!

My poor boy was DISTRAUGHT over the fact that he couldn't find his button. He kept saying "Utton, where at?" and crying. It was a sad sight. He kept trying to push his pants down so he could pull up his shirt. Remember...it's thermal onesie weather. There was no pulling up the shirt. I tried to distract him with socks and shoes (his favorite part of getting dressed) and he wasn't having it. He just kept repeating, "Utton, where at?" Oh. My. Word.

I tried to get him out of his bedroom by telling him to turn off the TV so we could go (that's his chore) but he wasn't having it. All I kept hearing in between sad little sobs was, "Utton, where at?" It was getting hard to bear.

The whole way to Ms. Betsy's, same thing..."Utton, where at?" I figured he'd get distracted and forget about it.

I picked Reilly up and he was wearing sweatpants and a long sleeved shirt. No thermal onesie.

Lesson learned. When you ask the poor child where his belly is, let him find it for Pete's sake,.

A Fun Fall Day

2011-10-02T17:15:00.000-05:00

It's become sort of a tradition. My sisters and I load up the van and take the boys to the Pumpkin Patch. For the past several years, we've always gone to Kercher's in Goshen. It's a nice little patch where there are plenty of apple trees for picking and pumpkins for choosing.

We decided to break tradition a bit this year. We took Glenn with us and were off on a new adventure. I had heard about a place up in Columa, Michigan that was lots of fun. So we loaded up the van, met Dad and Diane on the bypass and we were off!

What a fun fall day we had! It was Glenn, Kim, Brady, Keely, Reilly, Dad, Diane and Me! We went to Jollay Orchard and we had lots of fun! They have everything there! Much more than Kerchers! We got to ride on a Ferris wheel, see a puppet show (we didn't actually sit and watch, but we walked by a couple of times), take hay rides, visit haunted houses, go fishing in a pond, pick apples, choose pumpkins, visit the "old town", learn about bees, feed goats, pigs and ducks and crawl through blow up thingies. It was a really nice change from our regular tradition!
Here are some pictures of our day!

Reilly and Grandpa--ready to go!

So excited to be "driving" the tractor

My little man

Brady the Pumpkin

Dad, Diane, and Reilly acting like animals at Jollay Orchards!

These crazy things about came right out the fence to say hello

They just want a little love....and food.

Dad and Diane on the Ferris wheel...that was one chilly ride!

Brady was seeing how high he could swing

Auntie Kim, Brady, Auntie Keely and Rei-Guy on the windy hay ride

The Ornats!

Grandma and Grandpa, with Auntie Keely and the boys

My handsome man

Grandpa and Brady

Reilly had too many choice as to who to sit with, so he just made his rounds while the hay ride was in progress

So many pumpkins...

Umm..this one might be bigger than he is!

Brady found an open pumpkin, so he was "planting" the seeds in new locations

The cutest 6 year old in the world

Say cheese

Ready to pick some apples

Oh, you mean I shouldn't be eating this yet?

Pooped from our fun fall day!

Just Waiting For The Call...

2011-09-21T17:47:00.000-05:00

They should be calling anytime now. I'm just patiently waiting for the phone to start ringing. I've been busily preparing what to say as soon as they call. I see the phone call going something like this:

Me-"Hello."
Them-"This is _____________ from the Mother Of The Year Award Nominating Committee and we've been trying to get a hold of you all day."
Me-"Oh, yes, I've been expecting you to call." (all while doing an awkward nervous giggle)
Them-"I understand you had a special "Mommy Moment" this morning...is that correct?"
Me-"Yep, sure did."
Them-"Can you tell me about it? "
Me-"Well, it just so happened that in our rush to get out the door this morning, I failed to notice that the world's cutest almost-two-year-old only had one shoe on."
Them-"Oh, I see. And when did you happen to notice that this young man was only wearing one shoe?"
Me-"Well, as I was carefully driving to daycare, I had no idea, so therefore, I didn't notice until I opened the back door in order to get my son out of the van."
Them-"And what exactly happened next?"
Me-"I ripped my van apart all while praying that we hadn't possibly left one shoe at home."
Them-"And then?"
Me-"We went in and explained to Ms. Betsy that we came to daycare with only ONE SHOE ON!
Them-"Congratulations, you've been awarded Mother Of The Year."

Yep. That was our morning. Thank goodness Ms. Betsy loves us and she just laughed. My poor boy was the shoeless wonder at daycare today.

Oh. And I ran over a frog on my way to work, too.

64 Years Ago Today...

2011-09-14T18:27:00.000-05:00

Two special people said "I Do" and I'm so very glad they did. 64 years ago today, my grandparents became an official team, one that would grow and develop to be the strongest team I know. I'm so very thankful that their paths crossed and they took one another's hand in marriage.

Anyone who knows me, probably already knows that I am the luckiest granddaughter alive because I have the most AMAZING grandparents. These two special people are like no other. They are in their own class, one that I can only dream of being in.

Think of the two most selfless, helpful, graceful, forgiving, loving, kind, and caring people you know. Now, multiply it by a gazillion...you're still not imagining my grandparents. My G'ma and G'pa are the most special people in the world. I am so thankful that they are the head of our family on my mom's side. I'm so thankful that they had my mom and my uncle so that I got to be a part of their lives.

I know that my grandparents are always going to be there for me, they aren't going to ask questions and they are going to love me unconditionally. I would need every person who lives in Indiana to get out their fingers and toes to try to even count the number of times they have been there for me and my family.

I'm so thankful that they get to celebrate 64 years of marriage today. I'm so thankful they are here so that I know what true love is and what to look up to. I'm so thankful for them!

It's Not Only That I'll Never Forget, But More Like I'll Always Remember

2011-09-11T18:17:00.000-05:00

I've alway s been proud to be an American. I've always been thankful for anyone who has served our country and protected our freedom. I think a whole new meaning was given to all of these phrases 10 years ago today.

There are events in your life that you live through, and don't take an extra minute to think about. Then there are those that mark you forever, and no matter what you do, you'll never forget. Maybe because there was extreme happiness attached, or maybe fierce pain, no matter the reason, you just never forget.

Then, there are those events that change you. They just do.

Tuesday, September 11, 2001 was one was of those moments. It's a day you can talk about and almost everyone you speak to gets that look in their eye, and you know that it changed them too. It's something that 90% of us had nothing to do with, but 100% of us will never forget.

I remember like it was yesterday. I was doing my student teaching at Walt Disney Elementary School. We were in a before school meeting and another teacher walked into the meeting and said, "Some idiot just flew a plane into the World Trade Center." I remember there being a nervous bubble of laughter and a lot of shaking heads about the stupidity of it all. The room we were in happened to have a TV, so as we were watching, it wasn't long after that we watched the other tower get struck with yet another plane.

I remember the room turning ice cold, and the silence was deafening. It hit each and everyone of us at that moment that "some idiot" didn't hit the trade center by accident. It was a plan. And it was scary. I'll never forget the 10 or so people in that room just staring at one another. Finally, the principal looked at us and said "We've got kids coming, and they can't know the world is falling apart outside our doors." Something that marked me as a student teacher. Something that I have held onto in all of my teaching career. I knew in that moment, that whatever happened that day, whatever was going on, I had a classroom full of 3rd graders that needed to believe they were safe.

As I went into the classroom, my supervising teacher went into the lounge where the television was telling the story. She came in about every 10 minutes throughout the entire day with updates about what was going on. With every update, she ended saying, "Keep smiling, they're counting on you." Easier said than done.

Never have I been so thankful to send my kids to specials as I was that day. I needed to hear that my brother in law who is a pilot for United was home and safe. After many phone calls to both sisters and other family members, we did discover he was home, so a huge sigh of relief was expelled.

Throughtout the following days, I remember hearing stories, being stuck to the TV and radio, crying for the wounded and praying for the families. I remember it all.

It's funny how things change you. How an event can mark you forever. September 11, 2001 sure did. I'll never forget.

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)"
Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you in the yard with your wife and children
Or working on some stage in L.A.?
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke
Risin' against that blue sky?
Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry?

Did you weep for the children who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know?
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below?
Did you burst out in pride for the red, white and blue
And the heroes who died just doin' what they do?
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself and what really matters?

[Chorus:]
I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell
you the difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning on that September day?
Were you teaching a class full of innocent children
Or driving down some cold interstate?
Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone?
Did you call up your mother and tell her you loved her?
Did you dust off that Bible at home?

Did you open your eyes, hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep?
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Or speak to some stranger on the street?
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Or go out and buy you a gun?
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin'
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns?

Did you go to a church and hold hands with some strangers
Did you stand in line and give your own blood?
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love?

[Repeat Chorus 2x]
And the greatest is love.
And the greatest is love.

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?

My Son Exploded In The Hallway!

2011-08-31T18:41:00.000-05:00

This post is not for the faint at heart. It's not for the weak stomached. You've been warned.

If you know my family well, you also probably know that Reilly normally has a really hard time pooping. I mean, a REALLY hard time. The entire process usually starts sometime in the morning and isn't productive until shortly after nap time. It's a very loud, very painful ordeal. Even with medicine every morning in his milk. He grunts, groans and cries. He also sits down, no matter what he is doing, so he can grab his knees and scrunch up his face. It breaks my heart every time. He usually times it just about right so we go through the process in a public place. Like a grocery cart or a restaurant as soon as the waiter walks up. It's fantastic.

Well, tonight we were getting ready to get in the shower. Another thing about my son is that he really likes his "naked time." So generally, we get him undressed in the living room, and then he gets to do a couple of naked laps around the house and then runs into the shower. It was no different this time. He got undressed, started his laps and the giggling began.

I went to the bathroom to get the shower ready and saw him in the hallway. All of a sudden, he sat down and groaned. REALLY LOUDLY. I shouted, "No, Reilly, You don't have a diaper on." He stood up and continued his run. On the second time around, he sat down once again, and groaned REALLY LOUDLY. I again shouted, "No buddy!" He didn't move. He was literally 29 inches from the toilet, so I quick grabbed him up (he stayed in what we call the pooping position, knees pulled up, face scrunched) and I whipped him over to the toilet. When I saw whipped him to the toilet, I mean flew him through the air at a high rate of speed.

TOO LATE.

As he was flying through the air, MY SON EXPLODED. More poop than I have ever seen come out of him. GREEN poop. MASSIVE AMOUNTS of poop. SLIMY poop. POOP that splatters on the floor when it lands POOP. So much poop.

As I'm holding him on the toilet (which was unnecessary since he was done) I began to survey the damage. There was a small amount of poop where he was first sitting. There was poop on the hallway closet door, sliming its way to the floor, leaving a nice green streak in its aftermath. There was poop on the bathroom floor. There was poop on the outside of the toilet. So much poop.

Thankfully Dave has a stronger stomach than I do, he was the poop cleaner upper. I was gagging, Dave was scooping poop and Reilly was standing naked in the bathroom screaming, thinking we were mad at him. Dave sent me to the basement to get more paper towel. As I was down there, I hear screaming, then giggling, then screaming again. Then I hear Dave just start laughing. Evidently, Reilly wasn't quite done...he then started peeing all over the floor. AWESOME.

As Dave was cleaning the remaining poop up, he says, "Well, at least we have hard wood floors, this would be really bad on carpet." Yea. At least we have hard wood floors.

With A Heavy Heart...

2011-08-21T17:14:00.000-05:00

Summer vacation is officially over. I just put my favorite little boy in bed (I know, it's only 6:05 pm...but he is a 12 hour sleeper, and tomorrow begins our early morning routines.), which means our summer days have come to an end, and it breaks my heart.
I remember this day last summer, and it was hard. I never dreamed it would get harder, rather than easier. But I am here to tell you, this summer is 10x harder than last. Reilly and I have have had so much fun this summer. Just the two of us (most of the time) and we've made so many memories.
All weekend, with this time looming, I've been trying to focus on the positive points. And we've had plenty of good times, but they are hard to focus on when my heart is hurting about being seperated tomorrow morning.
Our summer has been filled with busy times, lots of giggling, playing and napping. We've been to the zoo about 4 gazillion times (we even know most of the animal's names!), we've played outside, run through the sprinkler, taken walks, had lunch with friends, went shopping, cuddled in bed and watched the Sprout Channel. We've played trucks and watched for trains, we've chased birds across the yard and swam in his little pool. We've cleaned the house, done laundry, washed dishes and swept. We've visited family members,gone to the beach, gone on boat rides (Rei's first!), swam in lakes and eaten watermelon in our bathing suits.
It makes me sad that tomorrow starts the hustle and bustle of "real" life again, and we often forget to take the time to do these super fun and super special things together. I hope that I can remember to take time each day and just cherish my little man who won't be little forever.
I always knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but now winning the lottery and being a stay at home mom wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

Lung Cancer....Perhaps.

2011-08-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

Come One, Come All, We're Going To The Bingo Hall! This was the message I got from my dear friend Kendra just the other day. I blew her off. Then she made the proclamation again. So I figured, what the heck, let's give it a try. And I took my sisters.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Kendra. She is one of my very best friends. She challenges me to do new things, some that I am comfortable with, some that I am not. Going to Bingo, was one of those that I was excited about, but oh so very nervous. With good reason, I quickly found out.

We made a plan. Keely was going to come here, change her clothes and we would head to the Bingo Hall to save seats. Kim was going to meet us there, as was Kendra, Kelsi and Jill. A couple of mistakes here. 1. Keely and I should have NEVER been the first to arrive. Evidently, we had "NEWBIE" printed on our foreheads and as soon as we walked into the smoke filled hall, it felt like everyone turned to stare. EVERYONE. So, we just awkwardly stood in the hallway, trying to assess the situation. It was uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable. 2. We should have brought some sort of sword to slice through the smoke in order to find a seat.

We finally made a move for a table, and sat down like maybe we knew what we were doing. We didn't. We just sat there looking around, while everyone was still staring at us. Then, Keely announces she is going to go to the car to get her drink. So...I'm now alone. In a Bingo Hall. With a lot of toothless people staring at me. Let the fingernail biting begin.

Kim finally showed up, fought her way through the haze, choking and sputtering her way to our table and looked as nervous as I felt. 3 newbies. Not a sole talking to us, not a clue what to do.

Finally, Kendra and her crew show up and show us the ropes.

Let the fun begin!

When you pay your money, the not so friendly lady up front hands you this entire pile of craziness that you are supposed to make sense of. There are like 3 gazillion bingo boards that are assembled in packets, some that are flying around solo, small door prize tickets...just a whole pile of Bingo Goodness.

Kendra and Kelsi (being the wise, experienced Bingo players) showed us what to do, answered my thousands of questions and were very patient throughout the entire night.

Who knew that there were about 104 different ways to play Bingo. It's not just your traditional up, down, diagonal and across business anymore. There are things like starbursts, crazy T's, floating 6 packs, postage stamps and picture frames. This information might have excited me if I had time to actually look at any of those types of Bingos to see if I was winning. I was so worried about daubing (we played something like 28 cards for EACH game!) I just kept saying this, over and over. "Kendra, check my cards, Kendra, check my cards." I was totally relying on her to yell Bingo for me if need be.

I knew going with Kendra and the girls was going to be a blast. However, I didn't know that I was going to laugh nearly as much as I did. And, I came home with more than I left with. Always a bonus. Don't get excited, I didn't get to yell Bingo, which was my ultimate goal. But, Kim's ticket got called for a door prize, which we were sure would be free pass for next week. But it was really $50.00. AND...her number was called on the "Good Neighbor" Door Prize, so I GOT $25.00 JUST FOR SITTING NEXT TO HER! Wahoo!

Here are some very valuable lessons I learned in my first Bingo experience.

1. Buttoning your pants at the Bingo Hall is optional.

2. People are SERIOUS when they play Bingo. (There was a lady one table over from us, who I affectionately named BULLDOG, that was overhead shouting such things as, "Your Mama!", "Get the H*** outta here!", "New Caller!" and a whole lotta F bombs.

3. Bingo is not an activity where you can people watch. There are PLENTY of people that draw your attention, but you just don't have time.

4. I think you can only be a super serious Bingo player if you have a Bingo Bag, complete with a whole rainbow of daubers and your good luck charms spread all around you on the table.

5. Don't even consider breathing during the lightening round. It won't happen.

6. You don't have to wear a bra to Bingo.

7. Cheering when you win is frowned upon. Unless your name is Arthur. Arthur appreciated our cheering. The rest of the table didn't.

Kendra says if we go two more times, we're officially Bingo Babes and she'll buy us a T-shirt. It might be worth it.

The whole night was stressful. Keely has her cards (all for ONE game!) lined up and is ready to go!

I was really glad Jill was as confused as we were.

Kim is not overly happy that I am keeping her from her daubing duties!

Kendra won $50 on some Weasel game that I don't understand. Hooray for her, though!

Kendra is the only one who is truly is happy because she's the only one who knows what's going on!

Nice People Make Me Happy!

2011-07-06T18:44:00.000-05:00

The title says it all. Nice people simply make me happy. Unfortunately, in today's society, it often seems as though the nice people aren't nearly as frequently come across as those who are mean or pessimistic.

Dave and I have decided that we must be doing something right these days, because we've had two of the best encounters with strangers in the past 24 hours. It makes me smile.

It all started last night.

Dave called me from work, (on someone else's phone) during the day yesterday, to tell me that he had dropped his phone and it was no longer working. Ugh. We DO NOT have money to replace an iphone was my first thought. Then he lays it on me that he tried to "fix" it himself, so therefore had voided the warranty. FANTASTIC. He got home last night, and we had some other running around to do, and when we were done, we went to AT&T before heading home. Just as we had imagined, they could do nothing for less than $300 to help us out. Double Ugh! James, the very nice employee at the store encouraged us to go home and call the customer service number before canceling the service, which was Dave's other option.
Although, that would have cost us $265, so we wouldn't have saved much. Well, the suggestion to call customer service didn't fall on open ears, as I would often rather chew off my right arm than deal with them. He also suggested that we go visit the Apple Store in the mall, to see if there was anything they could do.

After leaving the store VERY defeated, with no hope, we checked in with Auntie Kim and Brady who were keeping Rei-Guy, and wandered down to the Apple Store. We had to make an appointment with one of the techs, and had to wait around for another 25 minutes.

Robert called Dave's name, and we walked up to the counter, as though our feet were stuck in quicksand. Robert asked what happened, Dave explained, and with no question, Robert GAVE DAVE ANOTHER PHONE. FOR FREE! Robert is amazing. It was supposed to be a $200 fix according to the signs in the store. He didn't even ask any questions. Just gave him a new one. I'm guessing my hoop of joy could be heard at Penny's. Just goes to show you, nice people, like Robert, do exist.

Then....today rolled around. Reilly and I were out in the sun at the fair most of the day, and Dave was in the hot shop, so neither of us felt like making a big dinner, but were both hungry. I had recently cut out a coupon for Outback Steakhouse from the paper, and also had a gift card from one of my generous families at school. So we decided to load up the car, and head to dinner.

I'm going into insert right here, that taking Reilly into restaurants is NOT EVEN CLOSE TO BEING A GOOD EXPERIENCE RIGHT NOW, but we put on our smiles and hoped for the best.

So we get seated, in a booth, so Reilly didn't have to be tortured, err, put into a highchair, and he could just stand or sit next to me. We were sitting there, after having ordered, and Reilly had picked up the salt shaker and put it on the table rather harshly. Here's what happened next.

I see an older gentleman get up from his booth, which was two down from ours and walk our way. In my mind, I'm thinking, "Oh no, oh no, oh no. It was only one time and Dave has already taken the salt shaker away."

O.G. "Excuse me, can I ask you folks a question?"
Dave "Sure"
O.G. "Would you like to share our Awesome Blossom Onion?"
Dave (who is looking at me like this man has just asked for a million dollars) "Excuse me?"
O.G. "Well, we ordered it, and just saw another one come out of the kitchen, and they are huge, so we're just going to tell our waitress to cut it in half if you will eat it. We know we won't be able to, and it will go to waste. Will you please enjoy it?"
Dave "Um, ok. Thank you very much, we would love to."

I'm just sitting there staring at the man, wondering if he was for real.

So the waitress brings out the onion, they explain what they want to happen, she takes it back into the kitchen, cuts it in half and brings us both a plate. Seriously? Is this really happening?

So we enjoy our onion, and our meals come, all while Reilly is throwing everything he can get his little hands on, had been in 2 time outs, which required him to stare at the wall and was screaming like we were beating him. Dining out has really become a challenge to see just how fast we can eat without choking and getting out of the restaurant before we are asked to leave.

Dave finished first and took Reilly outside and I waited for the bill. As I was waiting for our bill, I noticed the older gentleman and his wife were also paying. I asked the waitress how much the onion was so I could pay for it, and she replied, "Well, that gentleman thought you might try, so he kindly requested that I refuse to answer you." Ok, so that didn't work.

I paid and got up to leave. I walked over to their table to thank them again, and offered to give them money towards the onion and both REFUSED to even think about taking any of my cash. His wife kept insisting that it was going to go to waste and they would have rather someone enjoyed it than do that. We ended up walking towards the door together and I kept thanking them over and over.

Before leaving, the sweet old man reached over and grabbed my arm and this is what he said. "Honey, I know that you and your husband were frustrated with your son, but you should know that he didn't bother a single person in there, and if he did, then they should have gotten up to leave. Don't ever be embarrassed by that sweet little boy, we thought he was adorable." I'm not sure anything could have meant more to me in that moment.

I don't know what we're doing right these days to deserve the kindness that has been showered upon us these past two days, but I pray we keep doing it. I pray even harder that someone, someday, will be writing about the kindness I have showed them. I've had two great examples in the last 24 hours to learn from.

I HEART Summertime!

2011-07-06T05:52:00.000-05:00

I love, love, love summertime. Staying up late, sleeping in (well, not really...), taking naps, swimming, playing outside, cookouts, everything about it, I simply love summer. The single most important thing that I love the most, is getting to hang out with the most precious little boy ever.
I have been taught many lessons in the weeks that we have been home together.
1. We are ALWAYS on the go. If we're not, we're either napping or getting into A LOT of trouble.
2. I am simply exhausted by 9:00 pm and fighting to stay awake, even if I've had a nap. See #1 for the reason.
3. The extra time that we get to spend as a family, or with my sisters is priceless.
4. I have the coolest kid ever.

Here are some pictures, in no particular order, of what we've been doing so far this summer.

We have spent A LOT of time at the zoo!

Hooray for getting to run through the sprinkler!

Hanging out at Silver Beach!

Whew! He loves his Cozy, CRAZY Coup!

Sometimes, we just take naps wherever we land.

Hanging out at the zoo with Brady!

Doing a little mowing with Aunt Keely. Afterall, summer isn't ALL about playing...

We often play at the mall on rainy days...this time we got to meet Baby Ryan up there!

Hanging with Aunt Keely at Summerfest in Mishawaka.

I think there were some serious negotiotions going on regarding getting into the pool!

Thoughts From A Garage Sale

2011-06-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

Who doesn't need a little extra cash every now and then? I certainly do. This is the reason I decided to have and help out at a garage sale...err...make that a couple of garage sales over the past 2 weeks. Before you read any further, you should know, I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE garage sales. I think going garage sale-ing is one of the highlights of summertime. I just love it. So why not partake in the festivities, right? Well...
As I was driving into our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, I saw a sign that said our neighborhood would be having their annual garage sales that same weekend. It is beyond me why not a single person could pass out flyers or something...it's just by chance that you see the sign and have time to throw some tables up and price some goodies. But, we made it happen.
Both sisters and brother in laws brought some stuff over and we were able to fill 6 tables and both edges of the driveway. It was a pretty impressive spread if I do say so myself. I was ready to make some money and go shoppin. W E L L...things didn't exactly go as planned. We had about 17 TOTAL customers in 2 days. It was PATHETIC. Thankfully the weather was good and we didn't cancel any other plans to make it happen. Because it was a total bust. All in all, I made less than $30...in two days. Needless to say, I'm not sure we will be participating in next year's sale!
The following week, we had another (the original) sale planned at my sister's in laws house. We've always had amazing success at their house because they live on a busy road and get lots of traffic. My hopes were once again high.
The sale went from 12:00 on Wednesday (I think our first customer was there by 10) until 6:00 Friday (We packed up at 4!) Wednesday proved to be no different than years past...lots of people, lots of deals, lots of sights and lots of money. Thursday and Friday were slow and COLD, but it was nice to hang out and be outside (even if we were all in jammies that were for sale because it was the only warm clothes we had!)

All in all, the second garage sale went better than the one at my house. But, not unlike any other year, I've learned some things from sitting outside and letting other people shop for my stuff...here's my list...

*For some people, $2.00 is WAY to much to pay for a nearly brand new hand mixer. When my sister told her the price, she dropped it like it was on fire and nearly sprinted off my property.
*No matter how many times you try to fold the clothes on the tables and make it look nice, you won't win the battle.
*I should not fall for people telling me they want the $2.00 DVD (with the wrapper still on) for $1.50 because that is all they have. Then watch them turn around and go to the truck to get the money for an $8.00 blender. Mean ol' rat!
*People are not afraid to go through unpacked boxes, even though they are at your sale 2 hours before you have advertised being open.
*There are still really nice people in the world...they will give money to the world's cutest 6 year old's squirt gun fund even if they don't want the water or popcorn he was selling.
*People are brave enough to knock on your door at 8am in the morning, when your garage is closed and your sale is not opening until noon.
*If you price something at $.01, someone will still ask if you will go any lower.
And my favorite...
*Some old lady will show up at your sale, tell you she wants the entire box of FREE hangers and then ask you to take them to her trunk for her.

Here's to another year of garage sales. I think I've figured out, I'm a much better shopper than I am a seller.

Let Them Fall

2011-06-08T18:46:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, life lessons show up in the most unexpected places. Today was one of those days. And it was in our very own backyard.
Reilly and I went out back this morning to enjoy some time in the pool before the sun was blazing and our events for the day got started. This was our first time in the pool, so I climbed in with Reilly and sat near as he was playing happily with his buckets and shovels. I happened to glance towards the bird nest that is up against the back of the house and saw the four very hungry baby birds with their beaks pointed toward the sky waiting for mama robin to return with breakfast, I suppose.
As I was keeping a close eye on Reilly, and also facinated with the baby birds, I watched mama return and nudge one of the babies towards the edge of the nest. I immediately starting saying, "No, no, no" to the bird, as if it could speak Kori. A glance back at Reilly assured me he was still happily dumping water down his belly out of his favorite purple bucket. I continued my study of the birds, and looked back in time to watch mama bird PUSH THE BABY RIGHT OFF THE LEDGE.
My heart was torn...do I grab a happy, squealing, having fun in the sun baby, and run and rescue the bird, whom I thought for sure was going to be injured or dead or just chalk it up as one less robin in the world and believe there must have been a reason that the mama shoved it out of the nest.
Mom instincts took over, and I remained in the pool, Reilly non the wiser. I did however, stand up to see if I could spy the baby on the ground. Sure enough, I began to see a "bounce, bounce" through the somewhat tall grass, with another robin nearby. Mama stayed in the nest with the other three, watching closely from her "bird's eye view!" (HA!)
For the next 35 minutes, I watched that baby bird explore the grass, the trees and the fence. It was bouncing all over the yard, taking very small flights, all under the careful supervision of another robin, (maybe daddy robin???)
As odd as it was to sit and watch this bird, (and birds aren't usually my thing!) I began to think. Sometimes, I just need to let Reilly fall. There could be a whole world of exploration awaiting for him when he hits the ground.
I think it is every parent's instinct to walk closely, protect, defend, pick up, and hold their little ones close to keep them upright and safe. But maybe, just maybe, they need to fall once in a while. Maybe we just need to be close enough to give a kiss if they don't land gently...
What would have happened if the mama robin didn't push this little guy out of the nest...would it have left on it's own? I have a new goal this summer...I'm going to let Reilly fall (at least once!), I'll just make sure I've put pillows down first! :)

What's A Hoosier?

2011-05-25T12:58:00.002-05:00

I received this a while back in an email...and it's all so very true.

GUIDELINES FOR UNDERSTANDING 'THE HOOSIER CULTURE'

For those of you who are Hoosiers, this is so accurate it hurts. I mean really hurts!!! To those of you who are displaced Hoosiers, you may get homesick.

Know the State casserole. The state casserole consists of canned green beans, Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, and dried onions. You can safely take this casserole to any social event and know that you will be accepted.

Get used to food festivals. The Indiana General Assembly, in an effort to grow bigger athletes, passed legislation years ago requiring every incorporated community to have at least one festival per year dedicated to a high-fat food. It is your duty as a Hoosier in fact to attend these festivals and buy at least one elephant ear.

The Weather. Speaking of Indiana weather is… wear layers or die. The thing to remember about Indiana seasons is that they can occur at anytime. We have spring-like days in January and wintry weekends in October. April is capable of providing a sampling of all four seasons in a single
24-hour period. For these reasons, Indiana is the Layering Capital of the World.

Don't take Indiana place names literally If a town has the same name as a foreign city --- Valparaiso and Versailles, for example --- you must not pronounce them the way the foreigners do lest you come under suspicion as a spy. Also, East Enterprise has no counterpart on the west side of the state. South Bend is in the north. North Putnam is in the south and French Lick isn't what you think either.

You gotta know sports In order to talk sports with obsessive fans in Indiana , you have to be knowledgeable on the three levels -- professional, college and high school.

Botany is easy There are only seven kinds of plants in Indiana: corn, wheat, soybeans, grass, trees, flowers, and weeds. Everything falls into one or another of these categories.

YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM INDIANA WHEN..

§ You think the state Bird is Larry.
§ You can say 'French Lick' without laughing out loud.
§ There's actually a college near you named ' Ball State.’
§ You know Batesville is the casket-making capital of the world and you're proud of it.
§ You could never figure out spring forward-fall back, so still think you should just ignore Daylight Savings Time!
§ You know several people who have hit a deer.
§ Down south to you means Kentucky.
§ You have no problem spelling or pronouncing Terre Haute ...
§ Your school classes were canceled because of cold.
§ Your school classes were canceled because of heat.
§ You know what the phrase 'knee-high by the Fourth of July' means.
§ You've heard of Euchre, you know how to play Euchre, and you are a master of Euchre..
§ You've seen a running car, with nobody in it, in the parking lot of the grocery store, no matter what time of year it is.
§ Detasseling was your first job. Bailing hay, you’re second.
§ Or you could stack hay, swim in the pond to get clean and then have the strength to play a couple of games of hoops, all in the same barn lot on the same day.
§ You say things like catty corner and know what it means.
§ You install security lights on your house and garage, and then leave them both unlocked
§ You carry jumper cables in your car regularly.
§ You drink pop. You catch frogs at the crick. If you want someone to hear you, you holler at 'em.
§ You know that baling wire was the predecessor to duct tape.
§ You know that strangers are the only ones who come to your front door.
§ Kids and dogs ride in the passenger seats of cars and the backs of pickups.
§ You think nothing of driving on the roads and being stuck behind a farm implement in spring and fall. You just hope it's not a hog truck or a manure spreader.
§ High school basketball games draw bigger crowds on the weekend than movie theaters, IF you have a movie theater.
§ Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
§ The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires six for local sports.
§ You can repeat the scores of the last eight NBA games, but unless the MVP is a Hoosier, you are not sure who he is.
§ You can see at least two basketball hoops from your yard.
§ You can name Bobby Knight's exploits over the last few years.
§ The biggest question of your youth was IU or Purdue.
§ Indianapolis is the BIG CITY.
§ Getting stuck by a train is a legitimate excuse for being late to school or work.
§ Everyone knows who the town cops are, where they live, and whether they're at home or on duty.
§ You've been to the Covered Bridge Festival. And you took back roads to get there.
§ To you, tenderloin is not an expensive cut of beef, but a big, salty, breaded, & fried piece of pork served on a bun with a pickle.
§ You end your sentences with prepositions, as in 'Where's it at?' or 'Where's he going to?'

Time Out!

2011-05-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

I know that there are going to be far greater struggles in life than those we are facing currently, but some days, it seems like we are trying to climb mountains when it comes to controlling our very cute, yet stubborn, 18 month old!

I knew there were going to be times of struggle, limit pushing, nerve wracking, & stubbornness. I guess I didn't know it was going to be this early. Everyone talks about the "Terrible Twos" and even worse "Tumultuous Threes", no one ever said anything about messy months!

Recently, Reilly has really taken a liking to touching things on the TV screen. It could be a dog he's trying to pet, another child he's trying to touch, food he's trying to eat, heck, sometimes, it doesn't even need to be on. As some of you may remember, we've lost another TV recently (death by Wii remote) so we're pretty protective of the new one we have now. Every time he was making a break for the entertainment center, we start telling him "No," to which he promptly looks at us, smiles and touches anyway. No matter the diversion we presented, the harshness of a hand slap or the times we say no, he goes right back to doing it. This could not continue. However, I was out of ideas.

I have a couple of friends who have children right at, or just older than my Rei-Guy. I rely on them for help, strategies and sometimes just peace of mind. One of them shared that her child goes to a Time-Out for behavior. This SHOCKED me. An 18 month old in time out? Seriously? I had SERIOUS doubt that this would ever work. But we had to try something.

So, the next time Reilly went for the TV and made contact, I picked him up, very calmly walked him to the hallway outside of his bedroom, (where he couldn't see into the living room or the kitchen), sat him down and repeated over and over in a soft voice, that he was in time out and needed to be still. I stayed in the hallway with him, since this was our first time out of the gate, and he just looked up at me with sad puppy dog eyes for the entire minute we were there. He didn't move, he just sat there. When the minute was up (or as close as could be since I was counting in my head, trying not to cry that my baby was in his first time out), I hugged him tight, told him I loved him. We also walked back to the TV so that he could be reminded that touching it was what got him in time out.

Sadly, the first time out wasn't our only time out. That very same evening (at least he waited a couple of hours), he was right back at trying to get an ice cream cone right out of the TV screen. (Really, these advertisements do set up kids to fail when it comes to this kind of thing!) So, right back to time out is where we headed. This time, he knew what this was about and he wasn't happy. Needless to say, this wasn't easy. He fought, he flung, he cried, he hit, it was a struggle. I stayed calm and held his legs down. We stayed like that for one minute. Once again, when I had counted to 60, we got up, hugged, cuddled and went about the rest of our day.

Since then, there have been about a gazillion other time outs (all for the same thing!), but now, my poor 18 month old baby with big brown sad eyes is becoming a professional. He just needs to be told to go to time out, where he promptly plops down and sits quietly (we don't even have to be in the hallway anymore!) for his entire 60 seconds, and waits patiently for the "You're released!" statement and hug at the end. I think the whole process is still a lot harder on me than it is on him.

For example, last night, he was playing with the blinds on the living room window, when I asked, "Reilly, do you need to go to a time out?" and he replied, "O-tay." and then got up, walked on over and sat down. At which point, I laughed, called him a little stinker and told him to get up. Maybe I should have left him there, but he pretty much put himself in it, so I didn't really feel like it was "real." Mommy mistake? Maybe. But he's just so darn cute...

Lesson learned...I'm proud to say Reilly hasn't had to go to a time out for touching the TV in over a week. He's only been there one other time, for some unnecessary screaming and fit throwing--but we're making progress. Who would have thunk it? Time outs really do work for the "messy months!"

Being A Mom Is Comparable to NO Other Job...

2011-05-06T08:39:00.002-05:00

Invisible Mother.....

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!?

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe .

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devoured - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: 1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. 2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. 3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. 4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a
turkey for 3 hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, he'd say, 'You're gonna love it there...'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

First Surgery--CHECK

2011-04-26T10:44:00.000-05:00

So, it was just over a week ago that I found out that Reilly was a prime candidate for ear tubes. I pretty much knew this going into the appointment, but that didn't at all help the immediate anxiety I felt when the nurse came in to schedule the surgery. UM...SURGERY? Couldn't we have called it a procedure?

I was pretty proud that I didn't break down in the Dr.'s office, I held it together until I was nearly home. Then it hit me, my baby was going to have SURGERY. As in, they were going to take him from me, put him to sleep, slice his ear drums, poke around in his nose and then wake him back up, SURGERY. I was so not ready for it.

It was a long 10 days for Monday, April 25th to show up. That's a long time to come up with a million ways something could go wrong. Besides that, I'm not the most patient mommy when it comes to my little man.

Yesterday morning arrived, and we found ourselves at the hospital at 6:10. We were there with 4 other little buddies (who evidently knew that it was okay to stay in their jammies...not Reilly, he was fully dressed poor kid!) and we all go checked in. We headed up to the surgery waiting room about 6:40 and were called back to the room somewhere around 7:00 am. The parade of nurses began and we answered our questions, dressed him in his "very tired tiger" hospital gown and very sassy yellow booties.

The pre-op nurse came in and I knew time was getting short. (The pre-op nurse is a whole 'nother story for a whole 'nother day. Of course, I was crying far worse than Reilly, who was just miffed that his toosh was hanging out and catching a draft, but otherwise quite content. She went through the last minute instructions and procedures and said it was time to go. Since Dave was still holding him and he didn't want to much to do with the hospital bed/crib, she asked if he would be "squirrely" going down the hall. We both shook our heads yes so she called for back up. Great...calling for backup before we've left the prep room.

At 7:30, the operating room nurse showed up so the pre-op nurse could carry Rei down the hall. I of course was a puddle of tears as he was leaving and he was just looking back at us over her shoulder at us like, "C'mon mom and dad, catch up."

We were taken back to the waiting room, where I was still blubbering and people were staring. Nice. We sat out there for about 30 minutes, pretending to be interested in the Today Show and the Royal Wedding. About 8:00, the receptionist lady called me over because the Dr. was on the phone. He quickly told me that all went well and there was a whole heap of disgusting fluid in my baby's ears that would now go away. He said it wouldn't be long before we were able to see him.

About 10 minutes later, we were called back to his recovery room to help him come out of anesthesia. Other than watching my baby go down the hall without me, this was the hardest part. His little body and mind didn't have a clue where he was, what he was doing and why he was there. He was crying. Like, real tears crying. He's not a cryer, so this was so horrible for all three of us. It took him about 15 minutes to fully recognize us and get his bearings. 15 minutes was a REALLY LONG TIME. He was finally able to have something to eat and drink (nutter butters and apple juice!) and we got him settled down.

All of this and we were back HOME by 9:00 am. I felt as if we had run a marathon by 9:00. Talk about an emotionally draining and exhausting day.

If this is the only surgery my boy has to have, I'll be a really happy mom.

Lessons Learned!

2011-04-12T13:07:00.000-05:00

As I look back at the time in my life where I was choosing a profession, I think maybe I chose teaching because of the days off I would get. (Ok...that's not really true, I've ALWAYS known I wanted to be a teacher, but the days off sure are a bonus!)

Last week was one of those times that we didn't have school. It kinda makes me giggle that the rest of the working world doesn't get random "Spring Breaks" or days off, but teachers do, (The teacher in me wants to point out that these are WELL DESERVED BREAKS) and it makes me happy that sometimes we get off and others don't.

Reilly and I spent a pretty quiet week together overall. I so appreciate and love the time that I get to spend with friends and family that doesn't normally happen on any other week. Time is set aside to catch up on the lives of people who we love and are dear to us. We got to do this two days with two special friends. We also got to go on another AMAZING Longaberger Bus Trip that was hosted by my 3 favorite Longaberger Consultants.

As a relatively new mom, I learn so many lessons each and every day. Spring Break is no different. Actually, more lessons are learned on a daily basis because I spend so much more time with my little man.

Here are my top 10 most important lessons that I learned over Spring Break.

10. Reilly is busy. All the time. He never sits still. Ever.

9. Trying to clean with a 17 month old is pretty much useless. For every toy you put away, 4 more are pulled out.

8. I need to make more time to hang out with friends and be a part of their daily lives. I got to spend time with two dear friends finally, after way to long, and I was reminded how much I've missed them.

7. I'm not the best person to be around when my son gets pooped on by a bird at the zoo. I was not a picture of calmness.

6. We do not pay the amazing Ms. Betsy nearly enough, by 2:30 every afternoon, I was EXHAUSTED.

5. Growing caterpillars into butterflies creeps me out. I get that it's the whole life cycle. It's still gross and I don't like to see it.

4. My son is not a good sleeper when he is not in his crib. (Ok, I knew this, but I was reminded a lot when he was up from 4am-10pm on Friday and 6:45am-midnight on Saturday.)

3. Reilly does not get his luck from me. He won a Longaberger basket in a door prize drawing while we were at the Homestead. I won nothing.

2. My sisters are two of the most giving, selfless people I know. They hosted a bus trip to the Longaberger Homestead for 22 people, where they had over 90 Longaberger prizes to give away on the bus. I came home with 2 woven traditions pizza plates-(Longaberger pottery), an oil bottle and 2 dipping plates -(Longaberger pottery), a wrought iron fruit bowl -( Longaberger wrought iron), a potpourri basket - (Longaberger basket) and a pumpkin pie spiced candle (Longaberger candle). All for free. Just for playing games.

1. I am the luckiest mommy in the world. My son is the luckiest nephew in the world. I'm so blessed to have sisters that help me be the best mom that I can be to the coolest kid on Earth!

On Being BLUE

2011-03-31T12:26:00.000-05:00

The problem with issuing a challenge to 538 elementary aged students is that they OFTEN MEET THE GOAL. They rise to the challenge, embrace it and usually knock it right out of the ball park. That's what happened during the month of February at Northpoint. And I couldn't be happier.

Blue Women of NP!

I love, love, love being a teacher. I love the place I work, the people I work with and the students I teach even more. I also love that we all have a common goal during the month of February and try to read 1,000,000 minutes for the WSBT I Love To Read Celebration. Our school has made this a huge deal all 9 years that I've been privileged enough to work there. I LOVE IT.

This year, our school was recognized as a NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE. That's huge. That's bigger than huge, that's GINORMOUS. It was such an honor when we found out that we received this very distinguished honor. We've tried to keep the celebration going throughout the year with different "Blue themed events."

When it came time to plan for the IL2R goal, we came up with the idea of doing a "Blue Man Group" performance. Since we only have 2 men that work in the building, we soon became the "Blue Woman Group," and the challenge was on. We had an amazing parent put up an AWESOME bulletin board so we could track our minutes, and it soon filled up. Our kids could only be found with their noses in books during those 28 days, as we recorded 1,080,661 minutes when it was all said and done. We didn't hit a million...we "BLUE" IT AWAY!

Two days before the performance, we decided that we should practice. So practice we did. Based off our amazing performance, you'd think we had been practicing for months. (Okay, maybe I'm a bit biased on this!)

Blue Buddies

Carefully becoming BLUE!

We had such a fun afternoon performing as the "Blue Woman Group" We danced, we played instruments, we tried to catch marshmallows, we threw marshmallows, we covered people in paper towels...we had a BLAST!

The paper towel trick was awesome!

Here lately, the stress level of many public educators has been in the "dangerously high" category, last Friday that was all erased. It was all about celebrating a huge accomplishment and having FUN! I was so blessed to be BLUE. I'm so fortunate to work at such an amazing place. I'm so lucky that I get to go to work and celebrate the things are future leaders are doing. Sometimes, it's good to be BLUE!

ABC's Life Support For Teachers

2011-03-03T12:06:00.004-06:00

ABC's Life Support For Teachers
By: Shelly Harbert

                                                       All
                                          Beloved
                                          Children
                                          Deserve
                                          Educated Teachers !


                                          Future
                                          Generations could be
                                          Hindered
                                          In Indiana !

                                          Just
                                          Keep
                                          Lobbying Against
                                          Mitch !

                                           Never give up on
                                           Our
                                           Public schools !

                                           Quiet and teach
                                           Republicans !
                                           Stop
                                           Tony !

                                            yoUr
                                            Voice
                                            Will eXcite
                                            Youngsters and
                                            Zillions of teachers !

Something To Think About!

2011-02-24T05:00:00.002-06:00

There are so many SCARY things going on in our Legislative Buildings right now. We have political parties that are at polar opposites of the agreement table, we have Representatives fleeing the state (which I think is FABULOUS!) and we have many people at odds with one another.

Before this legislative season, I would have never said I paid a bit of attention as to what was going on. Sad I know, but it's true. Reality is currently smacking me in the face, perhaps it's karma coming back around because I haven't paid attention, but it is what it is. Right now, there are many bills being presented that will directly effect me and my family in the very near future.

One such bill is HB 1585. This will eliminate collective bargaining. I am a better teacher because I can bargain...Passing this bill would be a disaster. Here are some points that were recently brought up:

Teachers have rights with collective bargaining. In non-bargaining classrooms, there is no input, no voice, and no say.
Teachers need to have a say in what goes on in classrooms. Collective bargaining gives teachers that right.
Class sizes are limited, teachers sit on curriculum and textbook committees, and that districts have adopted mentoring programs are the result of collective bargaining.
Ensuring that trained health care specialists provide medical care to students who need it in classrooms is a result of collective bargaining.
Teachers having supplies, textbooks, and other teaching materials are a result of collective bargaining.
Classroom climate, appropriate furniture, cleanliness, etc., are a result of collective bargaining.
Many of the reasons we have collective bargaining in American schools today are to protect women from having a different wage structure from men.
Collective bargaining is about protecting rights, not protecting bad teachers.
Collective bargaining is about:
Fair employment practices, prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, sex, marital status, age, weight, political activities, or membership in association or other employment organizations.
Employment standards and working conditions, ensuring that qualified professionals work with our students.
Allowing teachers, parents, staff, and students to have a say in curriculum development.
Giving teachers and school staffs grievance procedures, due process, and just cause for dismissal.
Giving teachers a say in professional development.
Encouraging professional growth and advancement.
Ensuring that staff has a role in school improvement.
Setting standards of professional responsibility, obligations to students, a code of ethics, obligation to the public, and disciplinary action, if needed.
Collective bargaining allows teachers to stand up for their students and push for education practices that educate all of our students fairly, equitably, and adequately.

Really, after all of these points, can we afford to get rid of collective bargaining? I don't think so! I know I'll be calling and emailing Representatives...won't you? This will directly effect anyone going to school, working in a school, or sending their kids to school. Something to think about!

Poop On A Plane!

2011-01-15T19:08:00.003-06:00

Yep. You read the title right. POOP ON A PLANE. Let me explain.

If you've been keeping up with the blog, or our lives, you know that we were fortunate enough to spend Christmas in Florida this year. We flew out of South Bend at an insane time of 5:45 AM on Christmas Eve, had about an 1.5 hour lay over in Cincinnati, and then continued the journey on a different plane into Ft. Myers. The first plane ride went great. It was a simple plane, with only about 30 seats. Reilly did great! This was after all, his 3rd plane ride.

We had time in Cincinnati to stretch our legs and grab a quick bite to eat. Got on the next plane, again no worries...arrived in sunny Florida with smiles on our faces!

Let me set up the departure day for you a little bit here...we didn't have to fly out of Florida until 5:30 PM, so we had most of the day. That morning, Aunt Kim fed Rei-Guy 4, (THAT'S RIGHT, FOUR) cornbread muffins. WITH REAL CORN IN THEM! He LOVED, LOVED, LOVED them. I guess she didn't see anything wrong with him eating his weight in cornbread muffins, so she just kept giving him more.

We left for the airport about 2:30 and made it through security with no problems. We waited until the last minute to change Rei's diaper and onto the plane we went. We were lucky enough to be seated in a 3 person row, without a third person, so Rei was able to sit by himself and wiggle around! About 30 minutes into the 2.5 hour ride,the following conversation took place:
Dave: "Babe, I think he stinks."
Me: "I'm sure it was just gas."
Dave: "I'm not thinking it's gas, it's still lingering...people are going to start looking."
Me: "So what do you want me to do."
Dave: "I guess take him to the bathroom and change his diaper."
REMINDER: WE ARE ON A PLANE.
Me: "Seriously?"
Dave: (now holding Reilly) "He leaked through, and it smells REALLY bad."
Me: "Ok."

So Reilly and I head to the bathroom, only to quickly realize that the "drink service" is blocking our way, so we turn around and head to the front of the plane through first class (I asked if we could do that first, since I didn't know the proper plane etiquette!) We got into the postage stamp sized bathroom, which of course doesn't have a changing area and I stand Reilly up on the toilet and try to get him all balanced. I quickly assess the situation, and learn rapidly that there is POOP EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!!!!!! Not only is his diaper loaded, it is the worst blowout of his entire 14 month life. There was poop clear up his back, all the way to his neck.

AND THERE WAS CORN, LOTS OF CORN.

Through trying to hold my breath and not gag, I am undressing him and trying to clean him up. I only went into the bathroom with a diaper and the container of wipes. I went through an entire (filled before we left Florida) container of wipes because I essentially had to give my son a bath in the airplane bathroom. Nice. As I was trying to stay poop free and balance Reilly at the same as wiping him from head to toe, he was playing with the faucet. We were near completion when my arm started to get wet. I quickly turned to the right to turn off the faucet that he had managed to turn on. It wasn't on.

THAT'S RIGHT, NOW MY NAKED SON IS PEEING ON ME. IN AN AIRPLANE BATHROOM.

So. There's about 400 poopy wipes, a naked boy, pee streaming down the wall and myself and a laughing baby. My only response to the pee was to grab the clean diaper that I had brought with me and cover up as quick as I could. I had to turn the used wipes, inside out to clean up some of the new bodily function that Reilly has graced the bathroom with. We finally got all cleaned up, but had no diaper to put on, and I couldn't exactly put the poopy pajamas back on either.

THIS IS THE REASON MY SON STREAKED THROUGH FIRST CLASS. Yep, that's right. I loaded him up, naked as the day he was born, and carried him through first class. There was pointing, elbow jabbing and laughing. I got back to our seats, and with a horrified look on his face, Dave says, "Um, what's going on." My response?, "Get a diaper, put it on your son and just don't ask." So he did.

You should also know that we are the parents that did not put extra clothes in the diaper bag prior to leaving Florida, therefore, my son flew home to snow and freezing rain in his SWIMMING TRUNKS. We got off the plane in Cincinnati, with Reilly in shorts, socks pulled up to his knees, a winter jacket and a winter hat. And that's how he stayed until we got back home to Mishawaka.

Nice People Make Me Smile

2011-01-10T12:43:00.004-06:00

So if you're from around the Michiana area, or you watch the news...you know that we were blasted with snow this weekend. A lot of snow. Record breaking amounts of snow.

Dave and I have successfully put off snow blowing this season until Saturday morning. And really, the only reason we decided Saturday was the day to start this task was...well...we couldn't really walk in it because the snow was up to our knees. Yes. There was that much snow. We could have lost Reilly out there. It was bad.

So, being the good wife that I am, I volunteered to take the first duty as snow blower girl. Upon looking and looking and looking for the gas tank to fill up the mentioned snow blower, we came up empty handed. So again, being the good wife that I am, I volunteered to brave the "We could lose Reilly out there" amounts of snow, and head to the store to get another.

MISTAKE #1!

This stage of our life has us being as thrifty as possible, so going to the gas station and paying an exorbitant amount for a gas tank was out of the question. Besides, it was 50% off day at Goodwill too, so by going out south to the Hardware Store, (which happens to be next to Goodwill) was going to hit two birds with one stone.

MISTAKE #2

Reilly and I bundled up and got a running start heading out of the garage...I think we hit about 20mph, I wanted to make sure we didn't get stuck early on! We made it out of the garage, driveway and neighborhood just fine. No problems. What was all the fuss about. My minivan can handle this. We headed up to the bypass, which was a bit covered, but still passable. To be safe, we only hit about 35mph, but we were crusin' along. We hit the exit ramp at a speedy 15 mph and were moving right along. I happened to notice there were quite a few cars at the intersection of Ironwood and Ireland, and thought to myself, "Wow, I didn't really think there would be this many people out and about on this snowy Saturday morning." Something should have registered. There should have been an alarm in my head that started buzzing. But there wasn't.

MISTAKE #3

I eased my way into the left turn lane and patiently waited my turn. I noticed that there were several cars stuck at the intersection in various lanes, one being in the lane I was going to turn into on Ireland. Again, the thought of, "Geesh! People who drive small cars should not be out and about on this snowy Saturday morning" rolled through my head. My turn light turned green and I slowly made the left turn. I had to stop just as I got on the other side of the intersection because the car in front of me wasn't making much progress in moving.

After sitting there, rather impatiently for about 7 minutes watching at least 8 other people trying to push their cars, I noticed that a young man, dressed all in his Army fatigues had come over to help push the car in front of me up the slight hill that seemed to be the problem. Adams (that was the name on his fatigues) the Army man was finally able to get the man pushed out and it was my turn to move. Except not.

My wheels were turnin, and we were sittin still. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Luckily, Mr. Adams Army had not left our lane and he was now helping me, ME, try to get unstuck and up the hill. ME-who drives a mini van. I was instantly sorry that I had thought bad thoughts about people in little cars who drive on snowy Saturdays. As the poor man was trying to get me to back up, pull forward, back up, pull forward (for no kidding-20 MINUTES!), I had a chance to chat with him. He said that he had been in this same intersection since around 6am pushing cars out and had just returned from a Tour of Duty on Sunday. It was 9:45 am...he had been out there in the freezing cold, snowing like crazy, "could lose Reilly out there" amounts of snow for nearly 4 hours just because.

Mr. Adams Army was finally able to get me free, (with the help of another person!) and into the Speedway parking lot. Side note-good thing, my gas light had come on in the midst of all this excitement! So, Reilly and I pumped gas, paid an exorbitant amount of money for a gas tank (there was NO WAY I was going to the hardware store!) and bought Mr. Adams Army a hot chocolate.

We carefully made our way out into the intersection-it's not like we had to watch for incoming cars, there were 19 stuck at this point-and delivered a hot cocoa to the hero of the day. He stood there looking at us like we had three heads, but after explaining that I felt the least we could do was buy him a cocoa for spending his day in the middle of an intersection, he reluctantly agreed to take it.

We bundled back up into the van and headed out the opposite direction from which we came in. There was no way I was going to try that hill again.

MISTAKE #4

And we're stuck. AGAIN. Near tears and out of patience, I had just about had it. However, with a little persistence (and a giggle from the backseat that made me smile), I was able to calm down and start the back up, pull forward, back up, pull forward part of the show. AGAIN. This time however, Ms. Mini van came through for me and wiggled herself right out of there. But I still had no place to go. Back to the driveway that I entered from. This time, however, I waited until the three cars in the lane had been pushed out, backed way up, gunned the gas and hit the hill at full speed. A slight fishtail, near collision with a delivery truck and we hit smooth pavement and set sail.

I had to go all the way down to Michigan Street to get back on the bypass. But anything was better than the last hour spent spinning our wheels.

What a day. I'm really glad that Mr. Adams Army didn't have plans on Saturday so he was there to help Reilly and I out. Nice people make me smile.

Christmas in Florida-2010

2011-01-01T15:02:00.004-06:00

We just returned from an amazing trip to Florida for Christmas. It's always nice to get away, have some fun in the sun, (although it was quite limited due to the cold temperatures down there this time!) and relax with family and friends.

We left South Bend on Christmas Eve in the wee hours of the morning (5:45 am) and flew into Ft. Myers with a brief stop in Cincinnati. We enjoyed the sun that was shining and even jumped into the pool for a bit! Reilly managed to stay awake from 3:45 am until 8:00 pm with only a 15 minute nap on the plane. This kid has STAMINA!

We spent Christmas Morning lazily lounging around before opening presents and then going over to the 4 mile Eco park that's not to far from Kim and Glenn's house in Cape Coral. We headed home for a wonderful Christmas dinner with Kim, Glenn, Brady, Bonnie, Lee, Aunt Mary, Uncle Larry and Kim and Glenn's neighbors, Tom and Janet.

We had breakfast with Aunt Mary and Uncle Larry at the Sunflower Cafe on Sunday morning before heading out to do a little after Christmas shopping at Target and Wal-Mart. We headed back home for naps! :)

On Monday, we headed over to the Manatee Park that's not to far from their house and saw hundreds of manatees. They all come in near the power plant for the warm water. We enjoyed some lunch at Cracker Barrel before heading back to the house for more relaxation and swimming. Dave and I were lucky enough to sneak away for a couple of hours for a "date night." We enjoyed dinner without flying food and flinging straws! :)

On Tuesday, Dave and I were able to meet two friends from Northpoint that were also down in Florida. Pretty neat to see familiar faces in such a faraway locale.

On Wednesday, Dave, Reilly and I headed over to Ft. Myers beach where we saw two dolphins. I was in heaven. We were just watching out over the water, and they went swimming by about 20 feet off shore. It was amazing. We also saw tons of horseshoe crabs (we think!) that had been washed up on shore...probably due to not being able to survive the cold temperatures. We had a great time walking along the water's edge (it was quite chilly, so only our tootsies got wet!) before heading back to the house.

We had to fly home on Thursday. It's always nice to get away and enjoy vacation, but the saying is true, there's no place like home!

Thanks for hosting us Kim, Glenn and Brady. We love you guys and we had a ton of fun! Thanks for the memories.

1/1/11

2011-01-01T14:06:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year!

It's hard to believe that we are at the start of another new year. 2010 was full of laughs, love, family, friends, ups, downs, but most of all-MEMORIES.

The Woods' family had quite a few big events in 2010--here are just a few in no particular order.

*Dave claims he gave up his man card when he agreed to purchase a mini van. I'm almost certain this has been one of the BEST investments of our married lives!

*Rei Guy turned one! He got to celebrate at home on his actual birthday with mommy and daddy and then had a party at Martin's Side Door Deli with a few of our close friends and family.

*I had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand-can't wait to do my left!

*Reilly and I were lucky enough to go to Florida for week this summer...Reilly's first plane ride, first time in the Gulf, first time to be away from daddy for that long...a lot of firsts on the trip!

*The three of us were fortunate enough to spend Christmas in beautiful Cape Coral because of Kim and Glenn's kindness.

*We spent a much needed weekend away in Ft. Wayne with Keely and Jeff.

*Reilly attended his first Longaberger Bee

*Reilly discovered that he LOVES to have the wind flying through his hair when he is on the bicycle with Daddy.

* I am blessed to be a part of the staff at a National Blue Ribbon School-a huge honor for Northpoint and Penn Harris Madison.

*We made a (very sad!) attempt at having a garden. I think the fruits of our labor produced one radish, 4 tomatoes and 1 very small carrot.

*Reilly has learned to LOVE Ms. Betsy, our wonderful babysitter!

*We took an unexpected trip to West Virginia, but had a ton of fun!

2010 has been an AMAZING year for our family! I pray that 2011 is even better!

365 Days

2010-10-28T09:01:00.003-05:00

My Baby Boy is ONE!

I don't know how it's possible. I don't know how 365 days have gone by, how a whole year has passed and Reilly is ONE. I just don't know.

I remember a year ago yesterday like it was 10 minutes ago. I remember vividly the sleep I did not get Monday night, getting up and leaving for the hospital as a family of two. I remember knowing that life would never be the same when we came home as a family of three. I remember playing "Name that Tune" during delivery and listening to Dr. Shah talk about his colorful backyard because his dog eats crayons. I remember panicking because Reilly didn't scream like I thought he was supposed to, and most of all I remember holding him on my chest for the very first time and falling in love. I remember every moment of that day like it was yesterday.
In the mean time, I've learned to clean up puke like a pro, to go with smaller amounts of sleep then I've ever imagined, to worry less about things and more about smiles, to live in the moment instead of having to know what's next, I've learned to love like I didn't know was possible, and most of all I've learned that I would allow anything to happen to me before anything could happen to my baby.

Each day in the past year has brought a "new" to our family. A new Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter, 4th of July, a new smile, food, movement, just a lot of new. I treasure every moment that I get to spend with Reilly. Whether we are playing in the yard, swimming in a pool, sharing a snack, eating dinner, sharing snuggles before bed or he's picking my nose...you couldn't pay me a billion, gazillion, bazillion dollars to trade a single moment with him.

I love that right now, crawling around the house, getting into everything he's not supposed to is his favorite past time. I love that we have to risk Rei playing in the toilet if the bathroom door isn't closed, that we get to find Dave's shoes all over the house if he doesn't put them in the bedroom when he gets home from work. I love that things come up missing from the bottom half of the refrigerator if the kitchen gate isn't up, and I love that we can never find the TV controller or the cordless phone. I love it all!

Being a millionaire wouldn't make me happier than being a mommy does.

Dear Bubbers,

You are the love of my life. I can't believe that you are 1 now. There are so many exciting things for us to do together. I love spending time with you, (especially when you are snugly and let me pretend that you are little and stuck there like you used to be!) I consider being your mommy the best, greatest job ever. There are so many people that love you more than you will ever know. I know you are one, I know the next years will move even quicker than this first one has, but you should know, that you will always be MY little man! Happy Birthday, Big Boy! I love you!
My Heart Is Yours Forever,

Mommy

Job Promotion

2010-10-26T17:10:00.002-05:00

One year ago today, I was up for the biggest job promotion in the world. I knew ahead of time that it could be messy, I would have long days, even longer nights, the possibility of a sassy and demanding boss, and I'd never be off duty. What I didn't know was that the job I was up for would be the most rewarding, amazing, love filled, sloppy kisses everyday wonderful experience that it is.
I am honored to be Reilly's mommy. It's the greatest job in the world!

2010-10-22T11:58:00.002-05:00

10 Things on the 10th Day of the 10th Month...

2010-10-10T18:45:00.003-05:00

Today is October 10th, 2010, or 10/10/10!

I thought it would only be appropriate if I shared the top 10 things on my mind today...

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Double ear infections in my Rei Guy's ears are yucky. If they were human, I wouldn't ever speak to them again, that's how gross I think they are.
2. We had a fantastic day at Kercher's Fall Festival today with Keely, Jeff, Brady, Chad, Shelly, Sami, Reilly, Dave and I. We picked apples, took a hay ride, picked pumpkins and at lunch. All in 80+ degree weather, too!
3. Grocery shopping is awful. There's nothing exciting about it and I really just strongly dislike it.
4. I must always remember to be careful when I am coming down steps. My heart continues to ache for Kim and the ordeal she has gone through in the past 11 months. Just yesterday, she had her fourth surgery...this time to take the nuts and bolts out of her leg!
5. I can't believe that in 17 days my BABY IS GOING TO BE ONE YEAR OLD. That is all I can say, if I think about it to much, I start to get teary eyed and won't be able to finish my list, and I'm only half way done.
6. Although I love my job, there are many days that I wish Bubbers and I could stay home together and play all day long.
7. My family is the most AMAZING group of people I have ever met. I feel very lucky that God decided to give me my parents, sisters, brother in laws, husband, kid, nephew, grandparents, cousins and aunts and uncles.
8. My house is a DISASTER! I guess I thought today would be a good day to go through Reilly's room to get rid of clothes that don't fit him anymore...now I just have to find the energy to clean up the living room.
9. I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wish Similac would have taken care of the insects before they made it into the formula powder. We need formula and everyone has taken it off their shelves. Here's hoping Rei will like his new brand...
10. I think the Simpsons is pretty much the stupidest show on television, and I just wish I could find the remote control so I could change the channel.

Reality Check!

2010-08-25T19:04:00.002-05:00

It's been a week since our 2010-2011 school year has begun! Overall, I have a great group of kids. There's one...he might make me seriously consider early retirement...but that's a whole other post.

I often get reality checks at school. The kids that I have the privilege of teaching are very different than I was when I was there age. Not only in the normal ways...but in the socio-economic ways as well.

Best of example of this happened today.

In Social Studies, we have been learning about Social Scientist and who they are, what they study and why. We've learned about Economists, Historians, Political Scientists and Geographers.

The other day, there was a homework assignment that was sent home that instructed the kids to collect 4 artifacts, one from each category of Social Science. They had to pretend they were that person that chose what to study and why.

It was great. Many of them brought in maps for an example of what a geographer might study. Articles from the newspaper about local government issues as an example for political scientists were shared and very interesting things from history...including one of their grandfather's army hat that he wore in WWII.

For the economists, a variety of things were brought in. One of the boys brought a .45 cent off coupon for a brownie delight that he was very concerned about getting back. Some students brought in things like coins...all sorts of things that showed economists were concerned with the topic of how money was saved and spent.

My team teacher comes through my room, white as a ghost. She's asking me what my kids brought, I'm sharing proudly, just as a good teacher should. She whips out a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL! Yep, you read that right, A ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL. It was real. Crisp. Green. The letter matched the alphabet. We held it to the light. A REAL one hundred dollar bill.

That's what one of her students brought in for his economist artifact. Ummm....REALITY CHECK!

And here I was thinking of trying to talk my student out of his brownie coupon so I could use it...

Music To My Ears...

2010-08-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

Life has been really crazy-busy lately. It always is when the month of August rolls around. The back to school "panic" starts to set in, along with the "We are almost out of summer...what else can we shove into our days" panic. Our house is no different.

In the beginning of August, I was doing everything I could with Reilly, trying to soak up our time together before I headed back to school. Unfortunately, that often meant he and I were spending "quality" time together at school...him often entertaining himself on the floor or being "oohed" and "ahhhd" over by some of the other ladies at school!

So last Monday, August 16th, was one of the highly anticipated days...back to school for the teachers, ice cream social that night, get to meet our kids...just a big day. It was also a very sad day...I knew that when I dropped Rei-Guy off at Miss Betsy's that morning, we weren't going to have our lazy summer days together anymore.

So it was at the ice cream social, about half way through that I get this exact text message from Dave... "I kid you not, I just asked Rei what he wanted and he said Mama." Okay...shot through the heart. Like I wasn't feeling bad enough already...let's add another dagger.

So I pretty much ran out of the ice cream social at 6:30, beating over half the parents out of the parking lot to race home to hear my son say MY NAME! I could barely wait!

When I got home, he and Daddy had been practicing over and over, and as soon as I walked in, I got to hear it, I got to hear Reilly say Mama for the first time.

His first word.

I'm sure it was no accident.

It was music to my ears.

P.S. He still says it, so I know he did it on purpose! :)

Boy Shampoo :(

2010-07-20T19:00:00.002-05:00

Today is Tuesday, July 20, 2010. I'm making note of this day just in case I wake up tomorrow bald.

It was a sad time tonight when I realized that I am COMPLETELY out of shampoo. Like, not an ounce in the house. Well...to clarify...I am out of GIRL shampoo. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

So in a split second decision, I decided to use Dave's boy shampoo. It clearly says MEN on the front.

I hope boy shampoo and girl shampoo is the same and I don't wake up bald.

Baby Food Bomber?!?!?!?!?

2010-07-18T10:59:00.002-05:00

We've just had a delightful week full of memories down in Florida! It was a week of many firsts for Reilly...so exciting to watch him grow and discover.

As we were leaving the Clear Water/St. Pete airport yesterday...a couple of funny things happened. Okay, to be honest, I wasn't laughing at the time, but looking back now, they do make me giggle.

Let's back up a week and talk about what happened as we were departing South Bend and heading to some fun in the sun. Keely was gracious enough to take us to the airport, as I only still had one good hand and Kim only had one good foot. Upon arrival, the security line wasn't to long, so we jumped right in as Keely made a last minute run to the van for a missing Pickles...(one of Rei's favorite blankets.) Pickles was found and we were ready to pass through security.

Brady, who has been known to be a bit tricky through security, was being a great helper and wanted to push the buckets forward towards the x-ray machine. Some, a-little-to-big-for-his-boots-xray-man evidently thought this was a problem and starts snapping at him to back up and let go of the bucket. Um...okay. So we tell him to come back over, and try to convince the 5 year old who just wanted to help that he wasn't being appreciated was interesting. So, then as we get closer, I'm hurriedly trying to empty the stroller and things to get them on the belt so I'm not holding up traffic behind us. I get everything emptied, and placed on the belt, and the before mentioned man, takes the diaper bag and THROWS it under the machine. Now...a little history on the diaper bag...it had most of Reilly's belongings in it that we projected he would need for being away from home for 7 days.

So, after we get through, as Kim is being wanded down, contents of the diaper bag are flying down the other side of the belt at a top speed. We had diapers, baby food, nose suckers, medicine, wipes, toys...you name it, it was coming down the belt...not in the bag. All the while, I'm trying to gather everything else from the belt and still not hold up traffic. Thank goodness for my helpful 5 year old, catching all the diaper bag contents and stuffing them back in. All the while as we're trying to collect all of our items, one of the men says, "Ma'am, is this your luggage." I say, "yes." He says, "Can you step over here, I need to search it." PERFECT! So, after a search, he says, "Oh, it must have been the huggies you have in there that looked suspicious...." Um...SERIOUSLY? Just exactly what am I putting on my son's butt everyday that makes the TSA Security people suspicious? Wow.

Okay...so we're ready to load the plane...no easy feat again...as we carried everything on and didn't check any luggage. We gate checked the stroller and car seat, so after we dropped them off, we were left to carry on a suitcase, 2 purses, a booster seat, a baby, a variety of baby toys that no longer fit in the diaper bag because of it being dumped, and a computer bag...all with only 3 good hands and 3 good feet. We boarded early (I guess that's a least one positive of Kim still being in a cast...) and got situated in row 18, right where we were assigned. Only...not. We sat down, got all situated, only to find out we were in the wrong seats. That's AWESOME. So we moved and ended up having a great flight. Thank goodness.

Okay...fast forward a week to our trip home.

Glenn drops us off at the door to the airport, where again there is hardly anyone in line at security so we jump right in. It's again a challenge to get everything up on the belt while trying not to hold up the line. Brady gets through just fine. Kim goes to her "room" to be wanded down and I am ready to cross over. Once again, i get to the other side when someone says, "Ma'am, are these your belongings?" I say, "yes." Here's how the rest of the conversation went...
Lady: "Ma'am, why do you have so much baby food in your bag?"
Me: "Because I'm traveling with my son."
Lady: "How long is your trip?"
Me: "However long it takes to get to South Bend."
Lady: "I'm going to need to call over my supervisor."
Me: "Um, okay."
Supervisor: "Good afternoon Ma'am. Why are you traveling with so much baby food?"
Me: "Because we are going home, I have a baby and I bought to much baby food and didn't want to waste it."
Supervisor: "Do you have to travel once you get home?
Me: "For a bit."
Supervisor: "Are you aware you are over the limit?"
Me: "I had no idea there was a limit."
Supervisor: "Who is the bottle of water for in the bag?"
Me: "My son's bottle, we went to Urgent Care because he's not feeling well and they said to make sure he had a bottle to suck on take off and landing."
Supervisor:" I see. We'll, it's going to have to be tested."

At this point, they take the water, stick a strip of paper down into it, go into a huddle and discuss their "options."

Lady: "Well, Ma'am, we have decided to let you go through this time, but if you want to take all the food with you, we will need to pat you down and search all your belongings."
Me: "Ok"

So she tells me to spread my arms right there in front of everyone...so I do and I come out clean. Whew! :)
Then the search begins. She empties EVERYTHING from my purse and the diaper bag. Here we go again. She swipes out every compartment, every baby food jar, everything I own to make sure I'm not the bad guy...I guess.

10 minutes later, she hands everything to me in a gray bucket and says, "Okay, you're fine to go through." Here I sit with all of my belongings out in the tray again, left to repack. NICE.

So, we make it through with about 10 minutes to go before boarding begins. When we are finally called, I get up to the desk and the man there tells me that Reilly can't board without his birth certificate. Um...birth certificate in South Bend...Us in Florida. Here's how this conversation went:
Man: "I need to see a form of ID for the child Ma'am."
Me: "Excuse me?"
Man: "The baby cannot board without a passport or birth certificate."
Me: " I have neither of those and no one told me I would need them."
Man: "I can't let him board without seeing one of the two items requested."
Me: "Okay, so you want me to leave my son here with you."
Man: "I need to call my supervisor."

Wow...this all sounds so familiar.

Supervisor: "We'll let you go through this one time, but in the future, you need to bring identification for your child."
Me: "Okay."

Who would have thought leaving Florida could be so difficult?!?!?!?!?!?

Oh well, at least I'm not the baby food bomber.

Couples Skate

2010-07-05T09:06:00.002-05:00

I'm so behind on blogging. I've missed 2 important monthly updates for Bubbers. I feel horrible. I need to blog again soon and catch up. Time just goes so fast.

Yesterday was July 4th. Keely and Jeff have started a great tradition of having a cook-out for our entire family, and Jeff's family too. There's always great food, stories, fireworks and memories (Except where there was a crazy firework last night that blew up on Jeff and shot at Brady. That wasn't a great memory, but something we won' t forget for a long time, thank God everyone is okay!) It's something that Dave and I look forward to each July.

We were pulling into the garage last night, with full bellies and a sleepy little boy when Dave got super excited about a song on the radio. I was only half listening, already planning my route to get from point A (the car) to point B (my bed!) Besides that, Dave had on 95.7 WAOR Dee Snyder's The House Of Hair, which I typically consider his "angry music" and usually tune out. He pulled in, looked at me and said, "Wait! You've got to hear this, don't go anywhere." So I sat there dutifully, as a wife should when her husband tells her too. Soon after the song started, my usually very unromantic husband reaches across the van seats, grabs my hand and says (direct quote!) "You gotta hold my hand, this is couples skate." As in the roller rink couples skate. At this point, I was so tired, and in pain from my hand, I thought perhaps it was all a dream...or the pain meds talking.

So we're sitting in the van, in our garage at 5 till 11, holding hands for a "couples skate." Then, about 30 seconds later, he says, (another direct quote) "Do you want to dance with me." Let's recap, this is my Dave, who does not do this kind of thing, does not dance with me at weddings...only promised me one dance at our own wedding. And he's asking me to dance at 10:55 pm in the garage on July 4th, 2010. So I of course jump at the chance! He turns the van radio up, jumps out on his side, comes over to mine and we danced...WE DANCED in our garage to Steelheart's "I'll Never Let You Go."

He has since decided this is now our song.

I love my Dave.

182 Days...

2010-04-27T12:08:00.003-05:00

182 days...1/2 a year...6 months.

My baby is 6 MONTHS OLD AND I AM IN DENIAL! I can't even begin to remember where all of our time has gone. I just can't grasp the concept of Reilly already reaching the 6 month mark, it's all so surreal!

There have been SO MANY amazing and exciting things that have happened in the past month...2 of the biggest being my little man rolling over and getting a tooth! Such exciting stuff when you're on your way to being 6 months old!

To My Dear Sweet Bubbers,
You're growing up little man. You are still the apple of my eye and I love you more than you will ever know. It's so hard for me to remember life without you...it just seems like you've been here forever! You're little life has changed in so many ways over the past 30 days. Some of the changes you're making are hard for me to deal with. For example, you handled moving to your crib a lot easier than I did. I cried for the first 3 nights and you slept peacefully throughout it all! :)

Here are some of the exciting things that we've gotten to discover together and witness you do

You moved to your crib on April 1st and slept there the whole night. I made Daddy get up to check on you 2 times, and I got up at least 3 times. I think you like it in there. You still sleep most of the night, just waking up to let us know that your "plug" has fallen out and you wish for it back.
We went to the Dr., where we found out you weighed 16 lbs and 10 oz and measured at 27 and 3/4 in long. You are in great health, although you still spit up often.
We started solid foods with carrots, which you LOVED. We gave you these for about a week before starting you on green beans...which you have now become a GREEN BEAN MACHINE! I love that you're a hot mess when you eat either of these...but you're amazingly sweet face smiling at me makes the mess all worth it.
Your first tooth popped through and Auntie Keely was the explorer who found it. Just when we thought you couldn't get any cuter, here's one lonely little tooth on the bottom right side . You continue to chew on everything, (including whoever is silly enough to put their finger in there) and the drool could put a St. Bernard to a test.
There's finally hope that you're not going to look like Grandpa Dick all your life...you have some peach fuzz that is getting thicker and dark...it looks like you're going to take after Mommy and Daddy.
It's surprising that you're bottom lip is not chapped with the amount of sucking you do on it. It's always pulled into your mouth, slobbery wet and being sucked on.
You've met so many new relatives this month. We went to Ryan and Michelle's wedding where you got to meet a bunch of new cousins on mommy's side and then we went to West Virginia for Aunt Jackie's funeral where you met a bunch of people on daddy's side.
You love, love, LOVE spending time in your "jumper" seat. You have started playing with all the toys that are along the outside and smile and laugh like crazy when you are sitting in there.
We went to the zoo for the first (and second times!) and you liked to look around. I can't wait for you to really realize just what you are looking at! :)
We also went to Baugo Park to play Frisbee Golf with Daddy, and you got to play on a playground for the firs time. You LOVED to swing in the baby swing and would have been content there to play all day.
You still like to fall asleep every night in my arms. While I know this probably isn't the best practice, it's my favorite time of day, where it's just you and I snuggled up together.

You are growing up so fast. I try so hard every day to make mental pictures of you at this age. As anxious as I am for you to grow up and be big and strong, I don't ever want to forget this time that we have together. I love you, little man!

Mommy

Where Is Time Going

2010-03-28T16:15:00.009-05:00

Each morning, we hesitate to get out of bed until the very last second. Our days go by pretty quickly, we come home from work, make dinner, do whatever and then go to bed. The cycle starts again. It's hard to remember that with each new sunrise, that's another day that we'll never relive, never get to have a do-over, never get to repeat. It's another day that passes that my Bubbers learns new things, does new tricks and observes. My days are going way to fast.

Reilly is 5 months old. I can't believe it. I'm so VERY excited to watch him grow up, but then when I think about it, I want to freeze time so we have this little boy in our arms forever. He is by far the greatest gift I have ever been given. Each day is such a miracle that we get to watch him grow, learn, laugh, play and even cry. 5 months has gone so quickly, I just want to cherish every moment.

Dear Reilly,

Here are highlights from month 5 Bubber Boy...

We had our first road trip...we went to Ft. Wayne with Aunt Keely and Uncle Jeff. This was your first stay at a hotel (and one to remember since the fire alarm went off at 1:30 am.) We spent time at the mall, went swimming in the pool, and visited a Botanical Garden Center.

We also experienced our first (and hopefully only!) trip to the emergency room on March 7th. Daddy and I took you in at 9:00 pm after you had slept for about 7 hours and we couldn't get you to stay awake. You were diagnosed with an ear infection and a head cold.

We had a small experience with Chicken Pox. Turns out not everything you bring home from Ms. Betsy's is good news! :)
You helped me celebrate a great 31st birthday. I loved the presents you got me; a bib that says "I love My Mommy" and a coloring book with a note inside that said you can't wait until I can teach you to color and we can color the pages together.

At our Dr. appointments this month, you were pretty consistently 14 lbs and 14 oz.
We went to see your first Notre Dame Mens' basketball game. You stayed awake through 90% of it and just enjoyed looking around and taking everything in.

You celebrated your first St. Patrick's Day with a special outfit and a "I'm a Lucky Charm" bib.
Mommy and you went on a bus trip to Longaberger with Auntie Kim, Auntie Keely and Grandma Moroni (there were a lot of other people too!) You were AMAZING and a lot of our bus friends said if they hadn't seen you first thing, they wouldn't have even known you were on the bus!

This has been another wonderful month. I'm so thankful that I get to be your Mommy! I love you, Reilly!

Happy Birthday To Me...

2010-03-20T18:33:00.002-05:00

Ahh...another year older, another year wiser, just like any other day...but only it's not.

I've had a GREAT birthday. This has been the first year that I've been able to convince Dave that I really am a fan of Birthday Chunnaka (sp) and he should be to. He embraced the idea this year and did everything he could to make this a very special birthday!

My celebration started last Sunday, when Reilly arrived in my arms sporting a brand new, "I love my mommy" bib that is waterproof. If you're reading this and don't realize how amazing that is in itself...you must not hang around us very often! The celebration continued on Wednesday, when I received an itunes gift card so I could get some of the cool apps on my iphone that I always want but never "purchase." Then, more celebrating on Friday, when I got a new pink wallet to take the place of mine that has been falling apart for quite some time now.

On to the real day, which is today, I got a new Nintendo DS puzzle game, the movie "Fireproof" and Bubbers got me a coloring book that had a message inside saying he can't wait for me to teach him how to color.

This morning, my dear friend Lisa invited Bubbers and I to breakfast to start my day! We had a great time catching up and visiting. My sister and brother in law, Kim and Glenn, offered to keep Rei for us this afternoon so Dave and I could go on a "date" to finish our celebrations. We dropped him off and had a great time seeing the moving "The Bounty Hunter" and then enjoying a late lunch/early dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

We went back and picked up Rei, then stopped off at Mike and Teri's for a quick visit before heading home and gettin' in our jammies.

Although Dave has made my day very special this year, I received the greatest gift of all earlier this year in October. The best present of my life was born on October 27th. It was exactly one year ago today that the Dr. confirmed that there was indeed a baby in my belly and told me that I was going to be a mommy. I'm not sure what else you can ask for on your 30th birthday.

I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life. I've had so many phone calls, texts, face book messages and well wishes. It's been a great day! I'd kinda like to have a birthday everyday.

3...2...1...PANIC!

2010-03-15T11:54:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday started out as a great day! We woke up in Ft. Wayne during our weekend getaway and spent some great family time together.

Reilly had his first big weekend away, with lots of new things to see and do. He slept pretty well at the hotel, which I was very nervous about. We all would have done much better if the fire alarm had not gone enough at 1:30, but we survived.

Rei fell asleep at lunch before we headed out of town and slept for the majority of the ride back to Mishawaka. He did wake up for about 15 minutes so he and Aunt Keely could visit as I snoozed away.

When we got home, he continued to sleep for most of the afternoon. There were a couple of times that we tried to wake him up so he could eat, but he wanted no part of it. Throughout the evening, until about 9:00, he slept continuously, except for the 4-5 times that he woke up for about 5 minutes and just screamed. Then he would fall right back asleep. Although we were worried with how much he was sleeping, we did realize that he was out of sorts from our weekend away and blamed it on that. However, I did my best to wake him up at about 8:45, even having him sit straight up in my lap as I was sitting in bed, and he zonked right back off, almost falling over. This is when the worrying got bad.

We decided it best to call the Dr. to just get their opinion. Dr. Jagger was on call last weekend, and after giving my report to the call center, he called us right back. Although he didn't sound to worried in the beginning, after he heard about our day, and the fact that Reilly had only eaten about 9 oz the whole day, he urged us to take him to the Emergency Room right away.

3...2...1...PANIC!

Dave and I quickly dressed and made the phone calls to the family. We got to the ER, where Keely and Jeff met us and got checked in. The entire trip there and the check in process still provided sleeping time for the little man. While we were waiting to be called back to triage, Rei finally opened his eyes and kept them open. Of course!

We got called back and they did the necessary tests...temperature, blood oxygen level, etc. Everything appeared to be fine. To top it off, Rei was wide awake and looking at us like, "What are we doin' here guys?" One of those times that we can laugh at now, but felt rather silly during. We went from Triage to the actual room, where my Dad and Diane showed up as well. At this point, I think Rei thought we were throwing a party in his honor was was quite the guest of honor. He was chattering, giggling, moving...everything we had wanted to see the previous 7 hours, but didn't. He even got to wear the special hospital gown to his "party!"

One Dr. came in to make sure he wasn't an "Uh-oh" baby and needed to be seen immediately. He felt good with the way our little actor was acting and said that Dr. Speicher would be in soon. After waiting a bit longer, the Dr. came in, discovered Rei had the start of an ear infection, gave us a prescription and sent us on our way. Yep...an ear infection. (We found out the next day at our regular pediatrician, it wasn't even that impressive of an infection!) We're guessing that with his chicken pox, head cold and later stomach flu (we think!) maybe his body was just exhausted and was fighting off the illnesses with sleep. We made it back home around 11:00 pm.

Being sick is scary. Hearing a Dr. tell you that you should get your four month old to an emergency room as soon as possible is HORRIFYING. I can say that was the most scared I have been in a really long time. My family was amazing that night. Coming to meet us at 9:30 pm, staying with us until 11:00 pm, and calling to check on us after we were home.

Rei's much better now...finally back to his old eating habits and feeling much better. I'd be happy if he's never sick again.

Our Weekend Away!

2010-03-15T10:52:00.003-05:00

Last weekend, 3/6-3/7, Dave and I decided to "get away." We were super excited that Keely and Jeff planned to come along, and quickly decided that Ft. Wayne was far enough to feel "away," yet close enough for a quick weekend trip...this was after all going to be Rei's first road trip.

We headed out of town Saturday afternoon and were planning on returning Sunday afternoon. We had a great time, seeing all sorts of fun stuff. We checked into the Hampton Inn, which was to be our home away from home, and then quickly headed over to Glen Brook Mall for some shopping fun. Although we were at the mall for quite some time, we left with money in our pockets! :)

Next, we headed back to the hotel for some swimming and relaxing. Oh, and dinner, too! We ordered pizza to be delivered, ate and headed down to soak in the hot tub and be chlorinated. Dave, Rei and I spent time in the pool only, as the hot tub was flamin' hot. The pool had plenty of chemicals, so we didn't even last in there to long. There were also so very loud, excited kiddies swimming which made it difficult to bear for much longer than about 25 minutes.

We headed up and to bed about 10:30, only to be waken out of a dead sleep by the hotel fire alarm at 1:30 am. Imagine waking up to the loudest sound you've ever heard and not knowing what to do next. I immediately grabbed Reilly to make our escape, and Dave jumped out of bed, looked around in a sleepy panic and said, "What do we do?" After taking a minute to breath, I put Reilly back in bed and headed for the hallway. There didn't appear to be any smoke, so I closed the door, told Dave to lay back down and proceeded to call the front desk. After 4 attempts, and no one willing to answer, I headed down to the lobby.

I found the front desk clerk, who was clearly out of breath and not in a good mood and asked what was going on. She said that she had "run the floors and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary." I asked if we needed to evacuate, (I did pass some poor souls who were standing outside in their jam-jams!) and she said she didn't think so. At this point, a bit of Mama Bear came out, and I replied, "Well, I need to know what we should do, not what you think we should do, because I have a 4 month old upstairs." She said we were welcome to evacuate if we wanted, but she thought everything was okay. She did tell me that the fire department was on its way, and she would know more than. As I went back upstairs, thinking we could be part of a huge weenie roast in under 5 minutes, I gave Dave the update, and he said to chill out and we watched TV for a bit. We heard the sirens come and then I headed back down about 15 minutes later to find out that a sprinkler had been bent and had triggered the alarm to go off. We're in teh clear.

Sunday morning we got up and enjoyed some breakfast downstairs in the lobby before playing some cards and heading out. We made a stop at Gander Mountain and then headed over to the Botanical Gardens that are in downtown Ft. Wayne. We had a great time walking around and exploring the different areas, plants, shrubs and trees. We made a quick stop at Red Robin before heading back home.

We had a great time in Ft. Wayne, took lots of pictures and made lots of memories. And if you thought I used to be a heavy packer before Rei, you should have seen me then...

4 Months!

2010-02-27T18:37:00.002-06:00

Dear Bubbers,

Holy Smokes, Batman!

You, my little man are already 4 months old. I can't believe it. Each day goes by faster and faster...there are so many moments that I want to find a pause button for...but I know there are so many amazing moments yet to come. I try to hit the rewind button in my mind each night as I lay down and say my prayers...there is not a minute, event, or thing I want to forget about your childhood. I hope by replaying each day over and over, I'll never forget...

Month 4 has been very exciting for us. Here are some of our highlights:

*We got to celebrate Great Grandpa's birthday with your first trip to the Essenhaus for dinner.
*We discovered the most amazing inventions for babies...the BUMBO seat! We couldn't live without it.
*We've had our first round of "day care cooties" and still have the snot to prove it!
*You broke mommy's heart by crying your first real tear when I didn't get you out of your swing in what you thought to be an appropriate amount of time.
*We found out that our not-quite-so-chunk-o-man weighs 13 lbs. 14 oz, which was 2 lbs 3 oz more than last month. Even with your weight gain, you are still in the 47%ile.
*You are 26" long, which proudly puts you in the 90%ile.
*Dr. Meier let us quit the scary Reglan medicine.
*One day when I picked you up from Ms. Betsy's, you were wearing PURPLE pants. You had spit up so much, that she had changed you into all three outfits that we have there for spare, and she ran out of clothes. You had to wear Wylie's doll's purple pants home.
*You ate oatmeal cereal for the first time with a spoon. You were a MESS! We left the high chair and went straight into the shower.
*We celebrated our first Valentine's day together. I couldn't ask for a more perfect Valentine. You sent Mommy roses, a teddy bear, a balloon and chocolate to work.
*You had your first Valentine's Day party at Miss Betsy's...I'm sure you were glad to share your Jolly Rancher sucker Valentines with all your friends.
*I lost a lot of sleep this month as we started having you sleep on your belly. You love it, even though I still wake up 4-5 times a night to check on you.
*You wore shoes for the first time...although I think you prefer just socks.
*Similac is still your beverage of choice, although we did have one evening that we had to give you some prune apple juice to get things movin! :)
*We still like to go swimming each week, even though we don't stay long, you always seem happy in the water. You really like to shower, too!
*Tummy time is getting to be better for you, at least you don't start screaming the minute we lay you down.
*It's been a lot of fun watching you in your exersaucer, I think you have finally figured out that you can control the things at the end of your arms and are starting to really reach out and grab things.
*Reilly is your name, and droolin' is your game. You're a mess most of the time...drool, drool, drool!
*You average 2-3 outfits per day, which is far more than Daddy and I. This also means you make the most dirty laundry.
*Daddy and I enjoyed an evening out while you stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. This was your first time being with them. This was also the first time Daddy and I have gone out since we welcomed you into our family.

Bubbers...you are the joy in my life. I don't know what I would do without you. I'll never be able to repay Daddy for giving me such an amazing gift. I love you forever.

Mommy

My Very Special Valentine

2010-02-14T18:36:00.005-06:00

Valentine's Day has never been super special for me before. This year was different, very different. To start things off, I got flowers at school. I only remember one other time getting flowers at school, and that was for my birthday (I think!) And...to top it off, they weren't just any ol' flowers. There were 12 beautiful, long stemmed red roses. AND...they also came with a teddy bear, chocolates and a balloon. I think someone loves me very much. Actually, according to the card, two someones love me very much! My Dave and my Reilly. I could not ask for two better Valentines! They're the best.

Day Care Cooties and Real Tears

2010-02-08T12:31:00.002-06:00

Ugh! Day Care Cooties have hit the Woods' household!

Rei woke up last weekend with a bit of a stuffy nose. We didn't get to concerned, nothing too major. Well...it's been a week and we still have lots of green stuff flying at a high rate of speed each time he sneezes (which happens to be quite a bit due to his AR!) The poor thing gets up in the middle of the night snorting like an aged pig. It's not pretty.

He has also recently decided that the "big blue sucker thing" comes straight from the devil himself and starts to wiggle and whine when he sees it. I'm proud to say that I have mastered holding his head still while taking care of business though. Really, when you think about it, who in their right mind wouldn't whine and wiggle when they saw a big blue pointed object coming towards them and then feel it being shoved up their nose?!?!?! I think it's only right to whine and wiggle.

Sometimes our endeavours are rewarding, sometimes their not. I called the Dr. and he (ours of course wasn't on call) said that we just have to stick it out and keep on "sucking!" Wonderful. I hope we find the end to this soon.

On another note--my Rei is not really a crier. He whines, he groans, he moans, but he doesn't really cry to often. Last week, one day when he wasn't feeling that great, he was crying and I noticed a tear, a REAL tear. I thought maybe it was a fluke. Especially since I hadn't seen anymore since then.

This morning, when I was getting him dressed, I evidently wasn't working fast enough and he got pretty ticked and was screaming at me. I like to think it was encouragement to get to the bottle faster, but I think he was just really mad. There was another tear. Way to break my heart, little man. I think we've seen our first two REAL tears. I didn't really care for them to much. I hope I don't see anymore anytime soon!

Safe In Grandpa's Hands...

2010-01-31T14:34:00.003-06:00

Bumbo Seat Saturday

2010-01-31T14:22:00.006-06:00

If you have a small child, and no BUMBO seat, you should be ashamed. It's WONDERFUL. It's DELIGHTFUL. It's AWESOME. And Reilly LOVES it!

3 Months--Through Pictures (In no particular order!)

2010-01-31T14:07:00.012-06:00

Swimming with Mommy and Daddy at Mishawaka High School on January 25th, 2010Didn't even cry when we first got in..and the water was COLD!
Hangin' with Grandpa at Brady's 5th birthday party on January 10th, 2010

Gettin' ready for Ms. Betsy's...first time at daycare...January 4, 2010

Just lookin' cute bein' naked and in his GAP hat.

Gettin' used to the new exersaucer...first time!

Hangin' with his best friend and cousin, Brady!

Don't know what's more exciting, the beginning of 2010, or the FAT ROLLS that we finally see!

3 Months!

2010-01-27T19:39:00.008-06:00

Oh my goodness gracious! I can't even believe that my baby is already three months old. It seems like only yesterday we were laying awake the whole night imagining what life was going to be like with a baby and freaking out when we drove out of the garage on the morning of October 27th, thinking our family would never be the same! Here we are three months later and I wouldn't trade a single moment for anything in the world.

Here are some highlights from month three...

Reilly decided that nursing with Mommy was no longer cool and went strictly to formula and cereal.

Our little wiggle worm scooted himself all the way from the back of the couch cushions right to the floor under the end table...all done with Mommy crying far more than he did.

We welcomed 2010 in at Aunt Keely and Uncle Jeff's house...and Rei made it until 11:59, and then fell into a deep sleep and drooled through the new year!

Rei went to a babysitter (outside a family member) for the first time. We all quickly fell in love with Ms. Betsy and feel very blessed that she is a part of our little man's life.

I made a very hard transition back to work, and I only cried 3 days...not bad!

Reilly reached 11 lbs 11 oz at his last check-up, and I'm sure he's chunked up even more since then!

Reilly reached the 2 foot mark! I think he's gonna be a tall boy!

We got to celebrate Brady's 5th birthday (Rei's first birthday party!)

We celebrated a late Christmas with the Moroni and Milner side!

Rei's smiles light up my life each and every day. They come so frequently and make his whole face shine.

We've gotten used to 6-8 hours of sleep at a crack. Right now, we usually get up sometime between 2-3 am to "chatter" and "coo" but rarely have to get up and do anything.
There have been little bursts of laughter...one time even scaring him so bad he cried.

Rei got to discover life in his exersaucer for the first time. We're still convincing him that it really is a pretty cool gadget...although he still very much prefers his swing.

Rei discovered his tongue comes out of his mouth. We take turns sticking our tongues out at one another and he plays along for anywhere between 45 seconds to a minute.

Rei, Dave and I went swimming at Mishawaka High School's Open Swim. This was Reilly's first time swimming and although I'm not sure he loved it, he sure didn't hate it!

We had our three month pictures and he was as cute as ever.

I didn't realize that I could love a person this much. He is my life!

January 4th...before we left for daycare and school...before the tears!

I will post more pictures from month three soon!

2009-A Year In Review

2009-12-31T11:58:00.002-06:00

Wow. It's the last day of 2009. We're ending a decade. Unbelievable. It seems like only yesterday I was sitting here writing my 2008 in review, and another year has passed.

Needless to say, God has blessed our family with so many AMAZING events this year! #1 on that list, the birth of my sweet Reilly Alexander. I'm so very thankful that I was given this little boy as the most precious gift of all.

2009 had other interesting and exciting events as well. Here are some of my most memorable, in no particular order.

Keely and Jeff's wedding-what a gift to see my sister beaming and so very happy on July 18th. Jeff is a great addition to our family!
Dave and I traveled, (with his sister, niece and mom) to West Virginia. Not only did we endure an 8 hour car ride with his family (one who requested we stop at least an hour for a smoke break!) with me being pregnant, but we also survived having to fix three flat tires on the way home. We had a great visit with his West Virginia family, many of whom I got to meet for the first time.
We welcomed a new baby cousin, Tyler, into our family.
Grandma kicked butt at her knee replacement surgery and is now walking better than she has in a long time.
Kim survived a freak accident falling off the step at Glenn's Grandma's house, broke her ankle in 5 places and underwent surgery.
Dave and I celebrated 2 years of marriage and are hoping for 40 more, at least!
Kim and Glenn celebrated 10 years of marriage.
Brady and I went on a "Bee Boy" hunt at the Longaberger Bee and were victorious, so much so, that Brady was nearly speechless!
Dave got a job at Puck Distributing, less than a week before Reilly was born.
He also took a stab at selling vacuums...while good at his job, they weren't good for him!
We welcomed 2009 in with Keely and Jeff, the same way we plan to welcome in 2010.

I could sit here all day and continue to put in some of our highlights. While there were many exciting things in our lives, there were some pretty interesting things going on around the world too...

The Jet Liner that landed in the Hudson River-I remember being at Dave's Dentist and watching this breaking news.
Michael Jackson went home to Heaven.
Tiger Woods-nuff said.
We swore in the first African American President...I sat in my classroom eating lunch with my kids watching this history making moment.
Our economy is one of worst recessions we've ever seen
President O'Bama came to speak at Notre Dame...never seen so many planes and protesters.
Charlie Weis was fired from Notre Dame and Brian Kelly was hired to take over.
St. Joe Medical Center moved 4.5 miles from South Bend to Mishawaka
The College Football Hall of Fame announced it was leaving South Bend.
There was a boy in a balloon...again, nuff' said.
One of our own soldiers went crazy at Ft. Hood
There was a huge outbreak of the Swine Flu which had many people sick and dying.

2009 has treated us well, we can only pray that 2010 is as good and even better!

Happy New Year!

One Word Wednesday-PRECIOUS!

2009-12-30T07:16:00.002-06:00

One of Many...

2009-12-24T09:06:00.002-06:00

Again...a day of reflection! It's Christmas Eve and I am sitting here pondering Christmas Eves of the past, and one in particular comes to mind.

Sadly, I don't even remember how old I was, or the year that it happened. All I know is that we (my sisters and I) were around the age when getting everything Cabbage Patch Kids was a dream come true.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, Christmas Eve at the Moroni house meant that the kids had to sleep downstairs (even though our bedrooms were unoccupied upstairs!) I think Kim usually stayed in her own room (the only bedroom in the basement) and Keely and I always slept on the pull-out couch. The reason for this was then we wouldn't wake up when Santa came, because you know he never comes to houses where someone is awake!

For 364 nights a year, my bladder always treated me well. I NEVER had to get up in the middle of the night to go potty, EXCEPT ON CHRISTMAS EVE! It never failed. And it was so amazing that usually the "Potty Fairy" struck Keely at about the same time. During this particular Christmas Eve, I remember going upstairs with Keely to go to the bathroom and taking a sneaky peek at the tree to see if Santa had come yet.

Santa had come alright and he brought with him a CABBAGE PATCH WONDERLAND! It seemed like our entire living room was filled with Cabbage Patch Delights. I don't even remember what all we got, but it was a ton and it was amazing, simply amazing! I remember sneaking around with Keely (ok, she was always the better behaved sister so it was probably me more than her) and quickly taking a peek at all of the fun stuff. I don't know for sure, but it seems like we got a crib, playpen, stroller and other stuff. I do remember it was stuff that Santa had put together for us so we were ready to play with it right away!

I hope that in the near future, we can give Reilly some sort of Christmas Morning Delight like I remember getting all those years ago! I can't wait for him to learn about Santa and enjoy all his gifts!

It's The Day Before, The Day Before Christmas!

2009-12-23T13:48:00.002-06:00

Hooray! Christmas is almost here!

I'm not sure what it is about this Holiday Season, but for whatever reason, I've been thinking about different Christmases from the past a lot lately. I don't know if becoming a mommy has changed my outlook on things, or if it has made me think of and miss my mom more than in recent years.

I don't really remember when the real Christmas "activities" started around our house. I know it must have been the 23rd on some years though, because I can distinctly remember my Grandma saying, "Today is the day before, the day before Christmas!" I remember thinking this was as special a day as Christmas, just because she made it one. I don't know why, but it kinda stuck through the years.

Even this morning, when my almost 10 lb. alarm clock went off at 4:45, the first thing I said to him was, "Today is the day before, the day before Christmas, Little Man." He gave me a one eye open, sleepy little look that only spoke one thing..."Change my diaper, please." And so I did.

Looking back, I can't really recall any extra special traditions that we did in my family for Christmas. We never got to open any gifts on Christmas Eve, we never went anywhere special at a special time for a meal or anything, we just spent the day and those surrounding it, close with family!

I guess there were a few things that happened every year...

Grandma and Grandpa always came up to our house and it was the one night they stayed with us that they slept upstairs, not down.
Grandpa usually made some sort of concoction in the blender (I'm going to say Whiskey Sours) and we always got one little sip.
Grandma and Mom usually made dinner (well, there was this one year...which deserves it's own special entry!)
We had our own bedrooms, but on this one night during the year, we were forced to sleep in the basement. (Again, there is another blog going to be happening about this event!)
When we decorated the tree, (which wasn't usually until the middle of December) we had to wait patiently for dad to put on all the lights, make sure they worked and give us the go ahead to put on the ornaments, then we each took special care in putting on ornaments that we had made or had our names on them.

I'm really looking forward to the next couple of days and getting to cherish Reilly's first Christmas. His first ornament has been hung on our tree with special care and he's ready to celebrate in his many Christmas outfits! He even has one on today...after all...it is "The day before, the day before Christmas!"

Happy Birthday Auntie Keely

2009-12-16T15:25:00.004-06:00

Dear Auntie Keely,

Thanks for being one of the greatest Aunties in the world! I really love spending time with you and love when we get to snuggle together. Thanks for "riding a bike" with me when I have some gas bubblers in my belly that refuse to come out.

Mommy, Daddy and I hope you have a great birthday today and want you to know that we love you bunches.

Happy Birthday! Please come play soon!

Love,

Reilly

Meeting Miss Betsy

2009-12-15T19:20:00.002-06:00

Less than 3 weeks...that's all I have left of my leave, that's less than 21 days that Reilly and I can spend the majority of our days snuggling, cooing, playing and hangin out together. In less than 3 weeks, I have to make the dreaded trip to drop Rei off at Miss Betsy's house for daycare.

Tonight was our official "Meet and Greet" with Miss Betsy. I had the pleasure of getting to know her and her daughter (at least one of them) last year when I tutored Whitney. Miss Betsy comes very highly recommended by many people, so I trust that our lil man will be in the best hands possible, but I still have to make the trip and leave him there in less than 3 weeks. :(

Tonight was the first night that Dave and Reilly got to meet Miss Betsy, and Miss Betsy got to get her hands on Rei. She jumped right in as soon as he was out of his car seat so they could start to get to know one another. I think she already loves him as much as we do! Reilly just sat and stared up at her and then around the play room where we were sitting, plus, Miss Betsy has long hair, which is great for pulling, so I think Reilly was in love, too!

I'm excited for the experiences that Reilly is going to have at Miss Betsy's house, but I sure am sad that we're not super rich and I can't be a stay at home mommy!

Prune Juice = Barium Blowout!

2009-12-06T10:03:00.004-06:00

On Friday, Reilly had to go to the Med Center for his second Upper G.I. in his short little life. Dr. Meier wanted to make sure nothing had changed from the first test and make up for some errors that were done during the original procedure. (They didn't keep him long enough to make sure everything in his belly traveled far enough down--needless to say, we almost had a Mama Bear moment when I found out we could have avoided this second test if the first one had been done correctly!)

For those that don't know the procedure with an Upper G.I., they make him drink a bottle of barium so that they can watch it travel down his pipes to make sure everything is working properly. Thank goodness he's not picky when he's hungry, because the stuff smells disgusting, but he happily drinks away. Imagine liquid chalk...that's what it looks like going in and that's what it looks like coming out, either the top or the bottom!

During both tests, Rei has "painted" the lead vest that I had to wear. The poor thing doesn't have any better luck keeping the barium down than he does the milk.

During the first test, the Radiologist told me there was a chance that the barium would make him constipated. Well...he didn't have any problem passing it that same day. Thankfully, Daddy had decided to change his diaper that time, and boy was he in for a surprise! We had to go straight from the changing table to the shower because it was just all over.

This time was a different story! Same amount of barium, same type of bottle, not the same results. He finished drinking his barium cocktail around 11:15 Friday morning. By Friday night, we'd been given no presents in his diapers and were getting concerned because he was very uncomfortable. His tummy was like a rock, but he was still willing and eager to eat.

We called Dr. Meier, who happened to be on call this weekend, for some tips. She suggested a suppository from the pharmacy (which we passed on!), taking his temperature rectally (to which his Daddy replied, "Be brave, buddy!-and even putting him through this got us no where!), or giving him an ounce of prune juice. Since we had no prune juice, we tried to put him in a warm shower, which again go us no where.

Saturday came and he was still not doing anything, and clearly uncomfortable. Aunt Keely did a lot of "bike riding" with him, along with tummy massages, but we only had noise, no product! We ended up going to Meijer last night for prune juice. Here's what happened:

Prune Juice=Barium BLOWOUT!

Sympathy Pain...

2009-12-03T19:37:00.005-06:00

As everyone knows, Reilly has brought so much joy to our lives. He makes me smile EVERYDAY! I never imagined loving another person nearly as much as I love "My little man!"

I'm very thankful that God blessed me with a baby who loves to snuggle. It's one of our favorite things to do, and I try to take advantage of every minute he's up for it, because I know it's not going to last long.

This week, we've been spending our days out at Kim and Glenn's house. We're doing all that we can to help Aunt Kim feel better. She was at Glenn's grandparents house on Saturday, and fell down a step while carrying a cedar chest. She's now flat on her back, having undergone surgery on Sunday morning for her ankle which is broken in three places and a messed up ligament.

We've discovered that Reilly isn't only good for snuggles...he's also good at showing sympathy pains...He's even willing to put his foot up so Aunt Kim doesn't have to be the only one!

A Week Of Firsts!

2009-12-03T19:19:00.008-06:00

Wow...it's been quite a week! Reilly has had so many new experiences and events in his life over the past 7 days, it's been a crazy week of firsts for him!

Thursday 11/26 was our little "turkey's" first Thanksgiving. We spent a wonderful day out at Kim and Glenn's house and enjoyed a huge turkey feast. Reilly loved being cuddled by Great Grandma (who didn't share him all that much!), Great Grandpa, Aunt Keely, Uncle Jeff, Aunt Kim, Uncle Glenn and Brady. He also met Father Cam and Father Wally as well as seeing Mr. and Mrs. Ornat again. We had a great time with everyone and this year was extra special because of being so thankful for our 8 pound little man.

Friday 11/27 was Reilly's first BLACK FRIDAY! Although he was up with me at 2:15 am, he didn't venture out with Kim and I at 3:20 when the party started! :) He and Daddy stayed in bed and met us at Menards (we were there for the second time) around 10:15 and then went to lunch with us! He did spend the rest of the day with us learning how to shop, shop, shop!

Monday 11/30-Tuesday 12/1 was the first night that my little "Sleeping Beauty" slept the entire night and didn't get up at all! He went to bed about 9:40 and didn't get up until Dave's alarm went off at 6:00. I woke up around 5 am in a complete panic that something was wrong, but he was happily in dream land! (He slept the entire night again on Wednesday night--I might really learn to like this!)

Wednesday 12/2 Reilly had his first "babysitter" experience. He and I have been spending most of our days out with Aunt Kim, who is recovering from her broken ankle and we were out there again yesterday. Glenn was out cutting wood and it was time for Brady to go to school. I got both boys all packed up and ready to go, (packing Rei went much quicker than Brady, actually!) and by the time we were ready to leave, my little snoozasaurus was zonked out in his car seat so he stayed with Aunt Kim while I took Brady to school! Aunt Kim and Uncle Glenn actually kept him for a much longer period on Thursday when I had a dentist appointment and some errands to run!

Wednesday 12/2 didn't end with the first babysitter. Reilly also got to experience his first Notre Dame event. The three of us went to the Notre Dame Women's Basketball game! Reilly did awesome. He stayed awake for the entire game and loved looking at all the lights! I think he is going to be quite the Irish fan...now if we could just get him a good football team that's worth cheering for!

It's been a big week in my little man's life. I thank my lucky stars that I get to be home with him everyday and experience these things with him.

92 Years Young

2009-11-26T10:53:00.002-06:00

92 years young is how old Gramma is today! For those unfortunate souls who have never met Gramma Moroni, she is the spunkiest, wildest lady I know!

I was just on the phone with her talking about her plans for Turkey Day and her Birthday. She said she was going to our cousins, and looking forward to getting out of the house. I reminded her not to eat much turkey so she would have plenty of room to enjoy cake and ice cream...her response..."Well, there's going to be ham to, so I'm just going to take multiple trips...even if it takes me all day!" Love it.

We also talked about turning 92 and all the fun and exciting things she's gotten to do in her life. I asked if she felt like she was 92...after she thought for a minute she said, "Well, most days I feel like I'm 45." You go girl!

Happy Birthday Gramma, we love you! Enjoy your cake and ice cream...even if it takes all day-you deserve it!

My Second Mama Bear Moment

2009-11-19T07:49:00.002-06:00

These "Mama Bear" moments seem to be coming more frequently these days. I'm quickly learning that there's nothing I won't do to take care of Reilly and his care, health and safety is forever going to come first from now on.

In going through everything with Reilly's upper g.i. test, Dave and I have been thinking long and hard about how happy we were with the pediatrician that we had Reilly seeing. We've had some concerns with things in the past, and this past week, we've just come to the conclusion that we needed to explore other options.

I called a couple of new Dr.'s offices yesterday to see if we could get him in somewhere else. Everyone told me the same thing, they had to get his records from the old Dr. before they would see him. Okay, easy enough.

I called the old Dr. to get the records sent over, and was told I had to come in and sign a release of records form so they could send them. Great, I'm on my way. I get there, get the forms filled out and signed and take them back up to the window. I'm told there's a fee of $20.00 for them to transfer records. Okay, not happy, but I wrote the check.

Then, I'm told that the earliest that the records would be transferred is about a week and a half to two weeks. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I had provided all the information they needed, all they had to do was fax the records over to the new Dr. I was told that there was no way that could happen.

Evidently, Memorial "outsources" their medical records, and the only people that can transfer patient records is the people that they are outsourced too. Of course, the outsourced people aren't coming back to our particular office until Friday of this week. When I then asked if the records could be released to me, as his mother, they said no. UM...WHAT? I'M HIS MOTHER. I HAVE A RIGHT TO MY SON'S MEDICAL RECORDS. Nope. Another not nice lady, comes around the corner and in a very snotty tone tells me that Indiana state law states that Dr.s offices have up to 30 days to transfer records, and I should feel lucky that it only might be 2 weeks. Here go the claws.

Long story short, I fought with the Dr.s office and "outsourced" company for 4.5 hours yesterday over the phone trying to get a copy of my son's medical records. No one seemed to get that my son has a medical issue that we wanted a second opinion on and release the records to me. I couldn't get the nurses or ladies to understand that if they would just give me the records, they could be done dealing with me. They just kept telling me to look up Indiana state laws, they were well within their rights.

At one point, I was told that because I was being so disrespectful (this by the woman who hung up on me!) and if I didn't calm down, I would only be allowed to talk to their lawyer. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? It was the most frustrating day of my life.

It wasn't until our last phone call, that I had shared that I had indeed looked up some of the Indiana state laws (well...really, Aunt Keely did this and shared with me what she found!) that I finally got somewhere. We went from absolutely not being able to access the records before Friday to them suddenly being willing to fax them to the new Dr. today. Miracles of all miracles. It pays not to give up!

I'm not proud of how I acted and some of the things I said to these ladies yesterday...but seriously...don't mess with Reilly's health. You won't win.

My First Mama Bear Moment

2009-11-19T07:32:00.002-06:00

I've always heard of those "crazy" parents that go all nuts when something doesn't go wrong with their child. Being a teacher, I've always understood that feeling to a certain degree. There wasn't much I wasn't willing to do for my kids at school...for the most part, I've always been willing to stand behind them 100% and believe in them.

On Tuesday morning, I officially had my first "Mama Bear" moment. A moment in which I wanted to hurt another human being for "messing" with my little man.

We had to go to the Navarre Place Tuesday morning for Reilly's upper g.i. test. He wasn't allowed to eat for 4 hours prior to the test. He had gotten up at 3:00 on Tuesday morning and I fed him. He didn't get up again, (although we tried at about 4:30 so he wouldn't be starving!) He woke up at 6:15 and of course he wanted to eat. He was hungry. That's what he does.

The poor thing had to endure me walking, rocking, singing, swinging, bouncing, everything I could think of to get his mind off of food. Nothing was working to well...he just wanted to eat. We finally left the house at about 8:00 and were on our way over to the Dr's office for the test. Thankfully Aunt Kim met us in the parking garage so we had some extra support.

We were called back to the room about 9:00 and he was stripped down, ready for his test. I was gowned up in the special x-ray gown so I could stay with him. He was still very hungry. Aunt Kim had to go to the hallway and wait for us.

By the time the nurses had him ready and had talked to me about what he would be doing, it was about 9:10. They told us to hang out, the Dr. would be right in to complete the test. We waited. And waited. And waited some more. At 9:25, I finally opened the door to at least let Kim know nothing was happening. The nurses continued to come in and check on us, (I'm sure it was because my son was SCREAMING from hunger and they were annoyed!)

Aunt Kim took her turn trying to calm our little hungry man down,(side note, at this point, I too was crying with frustration that my baby was having to go through this!) and as she was pacing the hallway, she stumbled upon a room where the Dr. was sitting. This was a conversation she overhead from the hallway.

Nurse: "Dr., we're ready when you are."
Dr. "What do you have?"
Nurse: "A baby-3 weeks old." (In a tone that showed even she was annoyed for making us wait at this point.
Dr. "Ok."

He continued to sit there, not moving. Kim continued to stand outside the door and let Reilly scream...point for Aunt Kim!!!!!!!!

It wasn't long after that, that the Dr. finally came into the room to see us. 50 minutes later than our original appointment, almost 7 hours since the last time my child had eaten. It wasn't pretty. It took all I had not to rip his hair off his head when he was all smiley and asked how we were doing. Seriously???

Needless to say, Reilly sucked down the nasty Barium at a high rate of speed...it could have been rat poison, he didn't care. Unfortunately, almost as soon as it went down, it started to come back up, so wasn't full for long.

Thankfully, with everything we had to endure, the test came back and showed that all Rei's insides are normal and we just have to get this acid reflux issue settled.

I know have a much better understanding of the protective feeling a mother feels for her children. There's nothing like the helpless feeling that you get when you can't fix them. I also think that Dr. should feel pretty blessed that I didn't go crazy, cuz I wanted to.

Here's hoping Reilly won't remember his week 3 birthday, it wasn't the greatest.

This Is What I Make...

2009-11-19T07:31:00.001-06:00

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education. He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?" He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach." To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?" Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, "You want to know what I make?" (She paused for a second, then began...) "Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could. I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor. I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 minutes without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental." "You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.) ''I make kids wonder. I make them question. I make them apologize and mean it. I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions. I teach them to write and then I make them write." "Keyboarding isn't everything. I make them read, read, read. I make them show all their work in math. They use their God given brain, not the man-made calculator." "I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity. I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe. I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America."Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life." (Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.) "Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn't everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant.. You want to know what I make? I MAKE A DIFFERENCE" "What do you make Mr. CEO?" His jaw dropped, and he went silent.

A Helpless Feeling

2009-11-16T11:03:00.002-06:00

Ugh. I was recently talking to one of my dear friends telling her about my experiences of being a mommy. She's an amazing person, friend, mother, co-worker and role model. Through the past years that I've known her, I've learned countless lessons from her and really look up to her. She has been amazing since I've had Reilly, calling nearly every day to see how we are doing and if we need anything.

The last time we were talking, it was the same day that I had found out that Reilly had to have an Upper G.I. test on Tuesday to see why he always gets sick when he is done eating. I was sharing my concerns with her, and I knew she could hear the tears in my voice. She let me vent about how unfair life is and ask over and over why he had to go through this test when he hasn't done anything to deserve it. She listened and sympathised with me. Her next comment really struck me and it's been on my mind ever since.

Here's what she said. "Kori, welcome to motherhood. All of those times that people told you that you could never imagine loving anyone as much as you would love your son suddenly seems so true. You are officially a mommy because you now know what it feels like to be helpless to a situation no matter how hard you try or what you do. Unfortunately, this will be the first of many times like these."

I've thought about what she said a lot since then. Here's my conclusions...this part of motherhood stinks! There is nothing I would love more than to fix Reilly's tummy so that he doesn't spit up each time he eats. I want to fix his belly so that he's not in pain, I want to wave a wand and make him better. I just can't. And it STINKS! This helpless feeling STINKS!

I have realized in the past 20 days that there is no greater joy than being this little man's mama. He is the most precious gift I've ever been given and I am so blessed to call him mine. It's true, you don't know your heart's capacity to love until you see your child for the very first time. I just wish my love for him could fix his belly!

Our Plentiful Harvest

2009-11-16T10:49:00.002-06:00

For those of you reading this that know me well, you probably know that I've pretty much had a lifetime goal of growing pumpkins.

I remember asking my mom and dad (mostly my dad) each year if this was the year that I would get to plant pumpkins in the backyard. Each year, the answer remained the same..."NO!" I even presented it in different ways each year, hoping my persuasive powers would do the trick. They (again, mostly dad) never wavered though, he always stuck with the same answer. Each year, when Halloween was over, I used to sneak back to the big field in the back of our house and throw my pumpkin down as hard as I could in hopes that it would break open, the seeds would spread and the next year, there would be "magical" pumpkin plants that popped up. That didn't even work.

Well, now that I'm married, and have my own backyard, I brought up the idea to Dave this year. He jumped right on board. (Just another reason I love him!) So, let me set this up for you...we went to the friendly Menards store back in June and bought three kinds of pumpkin seeds. We bought seeds to grown mini pumpkins (you know, like the gourd kind), seeds to grow regular sized pumpkins and seeds to grow giant jack-o-lanterns.

Dave went out back in early July to plant our harvest. We carefully dug up the grass and he popped in the seeds. He figured that it was a good idea to plant all three packets because they certainly wouldn't all grow. Much to our amazement, in just a few short weeks, we had a gazillion and a half pumpkin plants growing and taking over our backyard.

We tended our pumpkins with love and care all summer long. We watered, fertilized, talked to and visited them each day. They grew and grew and grew. They were green and lovely. We were proud pumpkin growers.

One problem--the leaves were bountiful, the fruit was not. We soon began to worry because there weren't to many actual pumpkins growing on the vines. We had a couple, but nothing to write home about. It seemed the mini-pumpkins were doing the best, but how were we ever going to carve those?!?!?!?

Well-our plentiful harvest turned out to be two tiny pumpkins (they were full grown, but the mini gourd kind!) My first year of growing pumpkins, and we get two small pumpkins. Oh well, at least I got to grow pumpkins. Maybe next year's harvest will be more plentiful.

The Scoop On Poop...

2009-11-10T07:18:00.003-06:00

So here's a blog I never imagined writing...all about poop.

I've had quite a bit of experience with it lately...nearly 5 times a day as a matter of fact. I guess you could say I've even come to appreciate it a little more than I used to. I've gotten used to checking it out, noticing the color and textures...things I'd never thought I'd be doing or interested in. But, here I am..writing about the scoop on poop.

Here are some things I've learned about poop that comes out of a little man.

It's often interesting that one little person can produce so much.
If the diaper is at a slight angle on the little person's body, there is a greater chance of a blow out, creating a need for a change of clothes, from the onesie, to the outfit to the socks.
Little people like to swing their feet, often using their socks as wipes if you aren't quick enough to anchor them down or get the wipe there first.
Little men don't poop quietly, everyone in the house knows when the job is done.
Little people don't really care if there is a diaper in place or not, if they have to go, they have to go, and they're willing to do the job anywhere...on their mom's chest, in her bed, on the changing table and even on the living room couch.

Just a few more lessons that Reilly teaches me everyday. I wouldn't trade this job for the world!

One Week Later...

2009-11-03T07:13:00.004-06:00

It was almost exactly one week ago that I was walking down the hall at Memorial Hospital, on the way to the Operating Room to welcome Reilly into the world. Yep, that's right, I had to walk down there, looking somewhat like superman, with a blanket cape and all! Dave didn't get to walk with me, he had to come later, after I had been given the epidural.

When we got down to the operating room, I remember the anesteologist talking to me briefly before he began the epidural. Jackie, one of my nurses was standing right in front of me (she could have used a mint) so that I had someone to hold onto as the Doc was doing his thing. I was pretty nervous about the epidural, but it wasn't all that bad. We actually had to do two of them, as he couldn't get the first one to work. The worst part was the numbing shot, just as they said it was going to be.

As soon as he had the epidural in, they had me lay back flat on my back right away. During this time, the other nurse, Chrissy and another one were going through and counting and inventorying all the tools that would be used. I thought that was pretty funny and couldn't quite figure out exactly how we were going to lose anything during the surgery.

Dr. Shah was in there by now, talking to me and getting my belly ready. Dr. Brady, a 4th year resident, was also in there to assist. Dr. Shah went to put up the curtain, so that I couldn't' see anything and warned me that it smelled like a new shower curtain. The anesteologist said that he thought it smelled more like new cheap crayons when you first open the box. These comments got quite the conversation going. We (me included) were then discussing which one the blue sheet smelled more like. I agreed with the crayons, and we eventually convinced Dr. Shah of the same thing. He finally agreed because he said between his two kids and large dog, they had to buy new crayons often because the dog really favored the flavor. Our conversation then went to to how his backyard must be very colorful.

During this time, I heard one of the nurses ask if she should "Go get Daddy?" and Dr. Shah said yes. I think he had already started the process of bringing Reilly into the world. Dave came right in and sat right up by my head. It wasn't to much longer that Dr. Shah told us that Rei's head was out, but I was nervous because there was no crying. Dr. Brady then told me there would be some pressure and my son was born. Again, no crying. I was getting worried, but the nurses and Dave assured me that everything was okay, and at last, we heard a whimper. Not a cry, but a whimper.

During this time, there was a rockin' 80's station on the radio, which started a whole new conversation about good vs. bad 80's music and a small game of "Name that tune", in which Dave participated, but I just listened.

It was about 10-15 minutes later that the nurses finally gave Reilly to Dave and he was able to bring him over to my side of the sheet so that I could get the first glimpse of my son. I was instantly in love.

The Doctors finished their business and we were wheeled into recovery. In recovery, they did what they needed to do, I was finally given some ice chips and then I got to hold my son for the first time! We spent about 25 minutes skin to skin before Dave was able to go tell my family that Reilly had arrived. They came into see us right away.

I didn't get to leave recovery until I was able to move my legs, and my nausea had passed. It wasn't to long before we were wheeled up to room 434, which was to be our home for the next 3 days.

I can't believe it's only been a week that Reilly has been in our lives. I've learned so many lessons in the past 7 days. Just since last Tuesday, I've learned that:

It's true what they say, you feel a whole different kind of love when you look at your child for the first time.

Boys tend to pee when cold air hits them...even if it's 4:00 am and you are trying to be tricky and change their diaper while laying in bed.

Right after cold air makes boys pee, sometimes they poop and it shoots like a fountain, and then you get to change your sheets in the middle of the night.

It's just a good idea to get yourself out of bed and change diapers on the changing table to avoid situations as stated above.

Housework can wait. Snuggling MUST come first.

Doctors can be wrong on predicted weight so you really should have some newborn size clothes around so your son doesn't look like a gangster in every outfit in his closet.

My family and friends are the best in the world.

Spending the first night in the hospital after a C-section stinks. The nurses are only doing their jobs, but ugh, why can't they just let people sleep?

A 7lb being can completely take over your life.

Epidurals make your ENTIRE body itch....so much so that running through a car wash and being hit by those coarse brushes seems like paradise.

Your entire attitude towards most things changes...as long as your baby is okay, you're okay.

I didn't know my heart could expand to love anyone this much.

It's 8:38-and my baby is ONE WEEK OLD! Happy 1 week birthday, Reilly Alexander!

What Does Family Mean?

2009-11-02T18:01:00.003-06:00

What exactly does family mean? I've had some time to reflect on that question the past week. As everyone knows by now, Reilly Alexander joined our family last Tuesday morning. Life changed and I wouldn't go back to the way things were for a million dollars. My family became bigger, a teeny tiny person joined my family that changed my life.
My family has changed in other ways. My two sisters became Aunts (one for the first time, one for the second.) My two brother in laws became Uncles (again, one for the first time, the other one for the second.) My dad became a grandpa again, my stepmom-a grandma. My grandparents became great grandparents...my family has changed.
My family has always been close. My sisters are two of my best friends. They are both people that I know I can count on for ANYTHING, they don't ask questions, they don't hesitate, they just help. This has never been more true then the past 7 days.
It all started last Monday, my last without being a mommy, when they both cleared their schedules to take me to lunch. It continued on Tuesday when they both came to the hospital to be with us before I went in for the C-section (and that was at 7:00 am!). It went on when both of them came to the hospital everyday to sit with Reilly and I when Dave was at work, they helped me learn how to be a mommy, they assured me I was doing the right thing, they supported me when I was unsure about what I was doing. They are always there.
I don't know what I would do without Kim and Keely. They have both been priceless in this process of welcoming my son into the world. They've been there with me from the beginning, taking pictures, holding Reilly, changing diapers, soothing cries, and supporting me. They've brought food, love and care everyday since we've been home.
I can't wait for Reilly to get older and realize what special Aunties he has in his life. I know I count my blessings each day for having such amazing sisters in my life. Thanks for always being there, Kim and Keely. I love you.

Hello World!

2009-10-28T11:12:00.003-05:00

Reilly Alexander Woods

Born October 27th, 8:38 A.M.

7lbs 15 oz 21" long

12 Hours...42 Minutes...

2009-10-26T19:18:00.001-05:00

And I'm going to be a mom. Ok, that might be give or take a few minutes, but I CAN'T WAIT!

Bittersweet

2009-10-23T11:54:00.003-05:00

Such a bittersweet day. I couldn't possible be any more excited that in just over 3 days, I'm going to get to hug, cuddle, kiss and snuggle with Reilly. It has seemed like forever ago since the day that Dave and I found out that we were going to be parents. In many ways, it also seems like yesterday.

As time draws near, it's made me a bit reflective. Today is one of those days that are truly bittersweet. For the past 7.5 years, I've come to work each day to be with "my kids." My students have always been my kids. There's not a lot I wouldn't do for them. Even on the bad days, they've still been my kids. I've still loved them.

Don't get me wrong, come about the end of May, I'm ready to send those kiddos home for the summer...but it's only October 23, and the realization hit me this morning that I'm going home for the summer it seems, and they're still going to be here. Bittersweet. I have the most amazing sub coming in to be with my kids for the next 7 weeks, but she gets them, and I don't.

I'm fairly certain saying goodbye this afternoon, even for such a short time, is going to be a hard task. I hope I don't cry. I know they are in awesome hands. I know I'll be in to check on them. I know that my sub is going to keep me informed. I know I'll be busy with MY REILLY, but I'm still going to miss my 24 other ones!

So Much On My Mind...

2009-10-22T18:03:00.002-05:00

I don't even know where to begin with just what is swirling like a tornado around my head. The Dr.'s office called to confirm that Tuesday, 10/27 will be my son's BIRTHDAY. My son. My baby. Hard to believe that I'm going to be a mom.

There have been so very many positive, amazing mother role models in my life, I pray each and every night that I can be half the mom to Reilly that these wonderful ladies have been to me. It seems like an appropriate time to recognize these amazing women, even though most don't read my blog.

My mom-simply one of the most magnificent people I've ever had the opportunity of knowing. It's hard to wrap my mind around the person that she was, putting all others before herself, feeling sick more than half of my life, yet never letting her illness get in the way of her love for her family. Without a doubt, I know that my mom would have done any one thing that I could of ever asked from her. She is my greatest role model and there is not a day that goes by that I don't think of her and smile and wish she was here. I miss her more than I could ever say. It breaks my heart that Reilly will only know Grandma Debbie through pictures and memories.

My Grandma Milner-Another pillar in my life. Grandma and Grandpa have done so MUCH for us throughout my life. I don't know why I deserve to be a granddaughter to one of the most amazing ladies I've ever known. Grandma doesn't know the meaning of selfish and would lay down in a busy street if she thought she would be helping one of us.

My Sisters-Kim and Keely-although one isn't even a mom, she's cared for me more times that I can count. I've learned compassion, love, patience, kindness and generosity from both of them. I don't know what I would do without both Kim and Keely who continue to believe in my and support me in everything I do. (On a side note, it was so exciting to have Aunt Keely with Dave and I for her first (and second) ultra sound yesterday!) My sisters are my rocks, and I know that I can call them in the middle of the night with a problem and they would both be on my doorstep as soon as they could get here if they thought it would help. Reilly is one lucky nephew to call these two amazing girls aunties.

My Step-Mom Diane-I'll be the first to admit, I didn't make her marriage to my dad those first few months (OK, maybe first year) easy. It was a hard transition for me, and I let everyone know. Diane never gave up on me and because of that, she means a lot to me now. I see her parent her three kids, and grandparent her grand kids with love and patience. She makes my dad happy and I couldn't ask for anything else. I value her opinion and hope that Reilly realizes how lucky he is to have Grandma Diane in his life.

There are so many people that I look up to for advice, love, understanding and help. Even those I didn't mention here...there are so many more. I'm such a blessed soul to be surrounded by such awesome ladies each day. I hope that Reilly can look back on his childhood and know that his mommy did her very best each and every day to make him happy, healthy and loved.

One Thing Missing!

2009-10-12T10:39:00.003-05:00

Crib--CHECK
Bassinet--CHECK
Diapers--CHECK
Clothes (and lots of em!)--CHECK
Play Pen--CHECK
Rocking Chair--CHECK
Bouncy Seat--CHECK
Swing--CHECK
Exersaucer--CHECK
High Chair--CHECK
Bumbo Seat--CHECK
Stroller--CHECK
Car Seat--CHECK
Monitor--CHECK
Baby--MISSING--But we're pretty dang close!

It's Fitting!

2009-09-21T08:06:00.002-05:00

I just got done taking a personality test...here's my results...I agree with most of them. (I'm not real sure about the rap/hip-hop music though!) What do you think?

Warm

You have a genuine interest in other people. You're a natural host, and are always thinking about how you can increase the happiness of those around you. When friends have problems or are in trouble, you're usually the first person they turn to for aid and comfort. Scoring high on the "warm" trait suggests that you are among those who enjoy domestic activities — doing things around the house — and are enthusiastic about charitable work, helping others, and making the world a better place.

You don't always say exactly what you're thinking; you don't like the idea of causing anyone pain because of your criticism.

Empathetic

You are in touch with your own feelings, which helps put you in touch with the feelings of others.

You don't buy the logic that your happiness comes ahead of everyone else's because unless you're happy you're incapable of making anyone else happy.

Sympathetic

You have a knack for knowing what's going on in the hearts and minds of those around you, without their having to tell you explicitly. People tend to turn to you with their problems because they know you care, and that you will likely offer good advice and a helping hand.

You do not feel that people with sad stories are just looking for attention, or have brought their problems upon themselves.

Friendly

You would rather hang out with others than spend time alone, and you'd far rather be doing something with your friends than just sitting around. You're happy in a crowded room, club, stadium, or auditorium.

You're not a private person who is ill at ease in a group; you don't view excessive socializing as a waste of time.

Accessible

You're comfortable expressing yourself in words and actions, with no self-censorship. You believe that if someone doesn't like what they see it's not your problem, but theirs. A high score on the "accessible" trait suggests that you have a lot of friends, socialize often, and enjoy rap/hip-hop music.

You don't see the need to keep your thoughts to yourself, or to have a zone of privacy that encompasses only yourself and a small circle of friends and relatives.

Poised

You tend to feel at home wherever you find yourself, even in unfamiliar settings, with new people. It takes a lot to rattle you, and when rattled you recover quickly and gracefully.

You are usually not self-conscious or nervous when you're in an unfamiliar environment or with people you don't know.

Understanding

You are willing to take the time to find out what's going on with other people, especially if they're in distress. You're a good listener, you don't criticize, and you offer unbiased, respectful, honest advice when it's requested. With a high score on the "understanding" trait, it is likely that you are enthusiastic about charitable work, helping others, and making the world a better place.

You don't feel the need to impose your standards on others or say things that, even though true, cause pain.

Tender

You are gentle with others, both physically and emotionally. You are careful not to upset people and go out of your way to find the nicest way to say something. You naturally focus on the fact that the world is full of wonderful people, places, and things. More often than not, people with a high score on the "tender" trait enjoy spending time with children, love romantic movies, and are enthusiastic about making the world a better place.

You don't think of yourself as tough-minded or gruff, nor do you need to be seen as some kind of objective source of truth and rationality.

Outspoken

You like to talk. Luckily, you always have something to say, you tell a good story, and people generally enjoy listening to you. It's no wonder that you're often the center of attention.

You don't tend to keep your thoughts to yourself, and you don't feel you're imposing on others when you share your thoughts and opinions with them.

Scrupulous

You are an honest, fair person. You don't lie or cheat to get ahead. You treat others with respect and hope for the same in return.

You do not feel that you are above the rules that everyone else follows; you are definitely not willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead.

The Pictures From My REJECT Friends....(Finally!)

2009-09-13T18:31:00.004-05:00

This is the super cute wash cloth bouquet that I was given.
Who doesn't love all these little goodies?

I'm a big fan of the frogs on the left and the puppies on the toes to the right!

Cute lil' giraffe and more frogs! I love it!

9/9/09

2009-09-09T06:54:00.003-05:00

It's the ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year (after the millennium, that is!)

Here are nine things on my mind today...

We have 8 weeks (give or take a few days hopefully) until I get to hold Reilly in my arms and kiss his face!
I have 7 hours until I'm probably getting the news that I will have to start taking insulin because of my gestational diabetes.
I really hope my sister and brother-in-law's garage sale goes well this weekend...and all our stuff sells! The more money we make, the more diapers we can buy!
Dave and I go to birthing class on Saturday...will we survive?
Kids really need to be more accountable...and parents need to stop giving in to them!
I'm so very blessed in life, sometimes it's a hard thing to wrap my mind around.
I have the best family and friends ever!
My sister made asparagus for dinner the other night, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.
I wonder when I will ever sleep the entire night through again, and not just take a series of short naps for 7 hours?

There's a gazoodle of other things flying around in my brain on this ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year, but I'll stop there.

Is It Really Worth It?

2009-09-08T11:45:00.000-05:00

It's September 8th. Just an ordinary day in September. No big deal. Nothing even that outstanding happened on this day in history. It's just another day.

Only it's not. Today is the day that the President of the United States is going to address school aged children across the nation. Big deal. People are in an uproar. Are ya kiddin' me? Good grief people, get a grip. It's been an issue that I've been trying to wrap my head around since we first found out about it last week. I just can't figure out why people are going nuts-o about this.

President Obama, the leader of our nation, the one that was voted to make decisions for us, is going to address school aged children. Radio stations are advising parents not to allow their children to watch, news programs are warning parents it may become a political issue. HE'S JUST GOING TO TALK TO THE KIDS ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY! Seriously!

For the life of me, I can't think of a single child that couldn't and won't benefit from a reminder about being responsible. It'll be good for them. Besides, this is a man that is an authority figure in our country. Even if you didn't vote for him, the majority did, and therefore he deserves our attention for 20 minutes. Isn't one of the greatest lessons we can teach our children to respect authority. Even if we don't' agree with it, even if we have other views? Shouldn't they be taught to respect authority? Won't that lesson take them further in life? It's certainly a lesson I want my son to learn.

The speech is over, and I don't think any of our kids are going to suffer any long term ill effects from it. Just in case you're wondering what was said...here it is!

(Just for the record...I still think it's just another ordinary day in September...)

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama

Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009

The President: Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

My Reject Friends

2009-09-02T19:28:00.003-05:00

I have a group of friends that are all "rejects." Before anyone gets their boxers in a bunch...these friends all know they are rejects...they all know I call them rejects...they are okay with it. I'm a reject too!

You see, the reason we are all rejects is because we have either all resigned or been asked to leave the Camp Fire Council. Again...we're okay with that. It's no longer a place we want to be. However, when we were all there, we got to become good friends. Although we're no longer associated with the council, we still hang out once a month!

Last night was our monthly "reject dinner." We went to Reggios in Mishawaka for the yummy salad...(ok, we had regular food too!) Little did I know...my reject friends planned a little party in my honor. I didn't know a thing about it, they keep good secrets! Imagine my surprise when one of them told me that we were having a little celebration...and I was the one being celebrated! Ok...well not only me, but Mr. Reilly too!

They all brought awesome gifts for our new little bundle...we got 2 giraffe outfits, 2 frog outfits, pacifers, bibs, snack cups, a frog blanket, a laundry basket, a "bouquet of washcloths", money, onesies, a travel bath set, a doggie outfit and a teether. I couldn't believe it! I was so overwhelmed by their kindness...and sneakiness!

I have an amazing group of reject friends! And I love them! I will post pics of our new goodies soon!

Just Call Me Caddy Kori...

2009-08-30T20:00:00.007-05:00

When I do a job, I try to do the job well. Most of the time.

Today, my job was to be a golf caddy. I had the task of carrying the "clubs" for my golfing trio that I was accompanying around 18 "holes."

Ok, who am I kidding, I carried a bag with Frisbees and powerade in it. But I still think I did a pretty darn good job of it.

Dave, Jeff, Keely and I went for a Frisbee golf adventure today at Ferrettie Baugo. We had blast. This was Keely and Jeff's first go round at Frisbee Golf. They did a great job...not as great as Dave, who played his best game ever...but it was their first time after all!
Even though Jeff managed to hit about 90% of the trees along the course (not an easy task) and Keely managed to get her Frisbee stuck in not one, but two different trees...and she wasn't even aiming for them, they both would have kicked my butt had I been playing instead of supervising and score keeping! I'd say they had a pretty successful day!

I hope Keely and Jeff had as much fun as Dave and I did. It was a great afternoon spent with super siblings!

10 Weeks And Counting...

2009-08-27T13:40:00.002-05:00

Holy Smokes, Batman! I can't believe that Dave and I have 10 weeks, (maybe give or take a few days) until we get to welcome our new son into the world! I'M SO EXCITED! I can't wait to see his little face, his 10 tiny fingers and 10 tiny toes, how big he will be, how long he will measure...there's just so much to think about.

I might be EVEN more excited to get his foot and arm (or whatever it may be) out of my left rib. Not that I don't absolutely love feeling him squirm all around my innerds, but really... I forget what that feeling is like...to be able to read aloud to kids, or even just carry on a 60 second conversation without stopping to catch my breath. It's a hard thing to do when there are things in ribs that just don't belong.

Here's our latest vegetable update...he's now about the weight of head of cabbage. That's right...a head of cabbage...just about 3 lbs. (In my opinion, that's to much cabbage, but oh well!)

Here's what our site said this week:

"Your baby is 30 weeks old. Your baby continues to grow and develop inside of you. Measuring 15.7 inches long, he weighs 3 lbs. He now almost fills up your entire uterine cavity and his arms and legs have grown much plumper, thanks to the continued growth of subcutaneous fat.
By 30 weeks, his eyelids open and close. He'll keep his eyes closed for most of the day though. When his eyes are open, he will be able to track light inside of your womb, though his vision isn't "perfect" or 20/20."

Just 10 more weeks and I get to say hello to my cabbage. I CAN'T WAIT!

4 hours, 44 minutes...

2009-08-16T18:16:00.001-05:00

And summer break 2009 is over.

It's back to school time tomorrow, bright and early, and I'm just not sure how I feel about that.

Simply Amazing!

2009-08-03T20:09:00.002-05:00

I consider myself to have a lot of friends in my life. When I really think about it, I guess I have friends, and then I have FRIENDS.

Friends are the people that you know, maybe you've been to dinner with once or twice, have a little something common with and can call when things are really bad. I have quite a few of them in my life and they mean a lot to me.

On the other hand, there are FRIENDS that I wouldn't trade for the world. These people are the ones that I hold closest to my heart at all times. They are the ones that make a point to call you, actually make dinner plans (not let you get by with "let's get together sometime..."), know when you need a hug and put you before themselves.

Tonight, I got to see a true friend. One that I never want to lose, one that is close to my heart, one that means the world to me, one that is so unselfish she makes me cry, one that I want to be just like. She has an amazing spirit, a heart full of God and an amazing giving attitude.

I know that if she is reading this, she will know who she is, and she deserves to know just how thankful I am that she is in my life.

Tonight, she proved to me that really great people exist in the world, that there are people who care about others more than they care about themselves and that there will never be words to express my gratitude towards her actions and friendship.

Friend...what you did tonight for our family was so much more than we deserve. We love you and are so thankful you are in our lives. I only hope that one day, I can be the friend to you that you have been to me.

Good-Bye Office, Hello Nursery, Part II

2009-07-15T08:45:00.011-05:00

Dave has officially completed the nursery make-over by completing all the painting. Within in about the first hour of the paint being dry, I had the curtain hung (I know, it still needs to be ironed) because I was so excited to see it all start to come together. Since then, we've had Grandma Moroni (my step-mom) over with her decorator eye to help us visualize where things will go and where to hang shelves and decos. Here's another picture update of what it looks like...

The super cute curtain

The shelf that is hanging by the closet

Crib with mobile

Wall hangings above crib

Shelves that will be over a dresser (hopefully!)

Another angle of the crib

Good-Bye Office, Hello Nursery!

2009-07-05T19:54:00.009-05:00

Dave and I started stage one of preparing the nursery this afternoon! It's so exciting to start this new step...it means we are getting closer and closer to bringing home our new baby boy! There's a bit of background to our getting here though...

The day of the ultrasound, Dave and I went to Babies-R-Us to start to "shop" for baby stuff. We weren't overly impressed with the nursery decoration selection...considering my heart was set on frogs. There was one that caught our eye, that we agreed we could settle on, although it wasn't exactly what I had in mind. It had frogs, among other jungle animals...it was going to have to do.

Then...to what should our wandering eyes appear...but the PERFECT FROG GEAR...in the clearance aisle. Argh! Although it was on clearance, it was still out of our price range. Realizing that since it was on clearance, we didn't have a hope for registering for it, so we continued to visit frown town and made our way out of the store.

Kim, Keely and I were out (supposed to be finishing up wedding stuff for the bride!) but found ourselves in Once Upon A Child on Friday afternoon. There was another frog nursery set there that I liked. When we were asking the clerk about it, she pointed out another one they had in the front of the store that they were going to put up on display...and...IT WAS THE PERFECT FROG GEAR FROM BABIES-R-US! I was pretty much sold from the get go, but went through the motions of looking over everything and pretending like I had to think things over. Needless to say, it's now in my living room!

One of our other stops on Friday (again, not really helping Keely to much :(...) was going to Menards to look for paint that would match. We came home with about 10 examples so Dave would get some sort of say. We've decided up Cascading Water as our main color, with touches of a pale yellow for trim and closet doors.

So, Dave and I made our Menards voyage today to get the paint. We came home, got things taped up and my amazing husband (per his request to get those words in here somewhere) Dave started rolling. He was originally going to only do a small square so we could really get a good look and then fully decide. I think the roller got the best of him! The first two walls are done and look great. (They will need another coat...but I know it's going to be perfect!)

Enjoy the transformation!

This is the before...looking in from the door.

From the window...looking towards the hall.

Dave is just getting started.

Working on the first wall.
First two walls...done with the first coat!

We're going to continue tomorrow...the other two walls will be getting their first coat, and these two will be getting their second! Stay tuned for more updates!

I'm Sure You'll Agree!

2009-06-25T14:45:00.004-05:00

We are opening this to a vote. We spent some time at Center Lake the other day and Dave was in charge of putting on his own sunscreen. Please enjoy the results. (*Please note, this was the only area he was in charge of, and therefore the only area he has complained about since.)

I'm almost certain you will agree that protecting our child with sunscreen will be MY job in the future.

Thank you for voting.

I'm Not Going Professional...Yet!

2009-06-18T14:25:00.002-05:00

Dave was feeling adventurous this afternoon and took me Frisbee golfing. We went out to George Wilson Park. Quite shortly after hole number one, we realized I wouldn't be recruited for the Olympic Team anytime in the near future. The first three or four of my throws found Dave in the woods, hunting for my disc. Oops.

I'd like to say I eventually got the hang of it, but I didn't. My score after 9 holes, (we skipped hold number 8, so Dave gave me par!) was 57, with a par of 35. Again, I'd like to say I feel good about that score, but I don't.

Dave feels strongly that I should report his score of 40 for those same 9 holes. Please keep in mind however, he's done this course many times before, I was a newbie.

I'd be happy to report what I got on the "back nine" (I sound like a professional when I use the right terms!) but we came home instead. It was blazing hot out there, I have a baby resting on my bladder that was making me have to pee and Dave was feeling dizzy from the heat. (Or maybe...he just wanted the agony to end, and he's to nice to say anything!)

We had a great time, and I'm anxious to get back out there and improve my score.

I really think they should rent golf carts though.

Care To Take A Walk?

2009-06-18T09:20:00.003-05:00

So...Dave and I have been on the hunt for baby items at recent garage sales! We struck it rich the other weekend, in our very own neighborhood. There was only one small problem...our purchase was made 6 streets over...and we were walking! It was a deal we couldn't pass up. I think it's safe to say, Dave took one for the team as he pushed this home and had to endure the many comments on the way! Just another reason I love my husband so much!

I love that it also doubled as our shopping cart!

Sometimes, The Best Thing To Do...

2009-06-18T09:18:00.002-05:00

Is just smile and shake your head!

Evidently, this is how Kendra copes with being in a class for 8 hours a day. I love this girl!

God's Gift To Us...

2009-06-15T16:26:00.001-05:00

Tiny movements like tiny kicks
Tiny baby, a mother’s bliss
Can’t wait to give the tiny you
Huge hugs and lots of kisses too

What tiny dreams you might have now?
I would understand someday, somehow
I dreamed last night, your tiny face
An angel indeed, made from God’s sweet embrace

How else would mommy know?
How much her tiny little angel has grown?
How else would mommy guess?
If her little angel have some requests?

I know that somehow you could now hear
Oh, what a thrill you will bring us here!
Now hush my baby, it’s time to rest
Inside my womb, your own calm nest

May God help me to keep you safe
And always keep you strong, I pray
I love you more than you will ever know

Baby Boy, I can't wait to meet you one day!

It's A Boy!!!!!!!!

YIKES! There's Just Not A Lot Of Room In There...

2009-06-10T15:57:00.004-05:00

Well, well, well...19 weeks today! I'm getting a bit concerend that this is what my website is saying about that our little bun in the oven is looking like....

Seems kinda cramped in there....yikes!

Here's our latest reference and quote: "Your baby equals a large heirloom tomato in size and weighs 8 1/2 ounces. (length: 6 inches, head to bottom)" A tomato...really?

23 Weeks And Counting...

2009-05-27T16:42:00.002-05:00

This lil' turnip in my belly is really indeed the size of a turnip this week!

Check out how it compares to the size of a quarter...we're getting there!