A new theory

I've been thinking lately, the feelings of love we get are just a part of nature, just a release of hormones that are built into us which ensures we will allow our children to make it to adulthood. Otherwise there's just no way we'd be able to deal with the stages. Right now, we are at the whiney stage. What's worse, I think its contagious b/c I want to whine SO bad myself!

It comes out of no where sometimes....

I'll be going about my day, and something will seem to come out of the blue, making me yearn for my mom, then the awful sadness hits that I can't call her, or go over to see her. I can't share good news like before, I can't share with her about all of JJ's daily feats and accomplishments, I can't just get her advice on doing something. The little thoughts still pop in my head all the time "oh, I have to call mom to tell her that." At least these moments are outweighed more and more with the pleasant memories of so much that we shared together, but it still hard, and I expect, will always happen.

Our Swashbuckler

Since the other pirate page on JJ was a paper page for his "ABC of Me" album I wanted a digi page for my own books. *updated digi page with extra photos, now it looks complete!*

Tagged from Facebook

I'm changing the rules a little, if you're reading this you've been tagged. Since you've been tagged, you write a blog post with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. Once you're done leave a comment here so I know to check your blog out to learn some new things about you.
1. My tastes in music is quite eccletic, I know some people think I only listen to country, but I love old rock, jazz, swing, R&B, just about anything!
2. I love old movies, my favorites are Gone With The Wind & My Fair Lady.
3. I have a weird way of remembering useless trivia, but lately I can't remember what I did yesterday.
4. Easter is my favorite holiday, I love seeing my family grouped together and the excitement that the kids have doing all the activities!
5. The sound of kids laughing brings me the greatest joy, doesn't matter if they are my kids are not or even if I know them (and when it happens in public, seeing the smiles on other adults faces brings me pleasure too, it shows that we can all appreciate what really matters and remember when we laughed like that too!)
6. The new song "Cowgirls Don't Cry" makes me cry every time I hear it. Guess I'm not a cowgirl.
7. I was never a chocolate person until I was pregnant with JJ, now I can't get enough.
8. I am addicted to reading. I haven't read a book in about a month and I'm currently going through withdrawls.
9. Photographs are the 2nd things I would save if something happened to my house (my guys being the 1st of course.) I swear that when I'm 90 and have dementia I will be going through my photographs every day.
10. I've always lived within a mile of train tracks.
11. If it were feasable to be the next Duggar family, or of course be like my grandparents who had 21 kids, I would do it in a heartbeat. And it does not matter to me 1 iota how those kids would come into our family!
12. My ancestors came to this country off the Mayflower, others were Native to this country, another is the "Father" of our country. I think its wonderful that JJ is considered a 1st generation American being John wasn't born in the states, but he also has the blood of the 1st generations running through him as well.
13. I consider 13 one of my lucky numbers.
14. I've always been a tomboy, playing baseball with the guys, getting covered in mud, riding 4 wheelers, watching sports. Goes against the 1st impression many seem to have of me.
15. I have a not-so-secret crush on Tyrese Gibson from his Calvin Klein days which was reignited when "Annapolis" came out.
16. I love being a tour-on (tourist/moron). Give me a landmark, a museum, a tour and I'm in heaven!
17. Even though I love the beach, the water still scares me. I tought myself to swim at 9 years old and never got over not quite feeling adequate in the water.
18. I love to play board games or cards.
19. Funky socks and pajamas are a weird weakness for me, you can never have enough!
20. I love sending "care packages" to my dad. A book, a movie, with candy. I like knowing he's getting a little something as a surprise.
21. I want to redo my bedroom so badly right now, getting rid of the purple and going to red & black! But I have no clue just how I'm going to do it yet.
22. Las Vegas and Niagara Falls (Canada) are my top 2 places to visit in the next 5 years.
23. I disdain cold weather, snow makes it 10 times worse to me.
24. I secretly yearn to be able to sew, like I'm meant to do it. Really makes me sorry that I didn't do it more with my mom before she passed away!
25. One day I'd love to write and illustrate a children's book. Just not sure what just yet!

Interviewed by Michelle

1. What are your career goals? Do you want to stay in the same field?
I actually love the medical field. But no matter where I am I just don't want to be complacent, I want movement, challenge. But in reality, no matter what, my career isn't my biggest goal, its my guys. The only job I never wavered from wanting growing up was being a mom and I've been blessed with that coming true.

2. If you could move anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
A warm place! We say when Bran's 18 the plan is FL, which is less than 4 years away! I'd love a couple years in Hawaii with my siblings, but I think that we will have to be happy with going to visit every decade or so.

3. How many children do you see yourself having? Either biological or adopted.
We'll have 4 or 5 (Bran of course included.) We will have 1 more biological child and adopt 1 or 2 children. There's more dependent on what has been planned for us than what we are planning on. I just have to remind myself all the time that things happen for a reason, in their own time! I am not a patient person by nature. But the anticipation will make everything that much sweeter when the additions for our family arrive!

4. If you had to pick a TV character or a character in a book that you were MOST like, who would it be?
Hmm, Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady, I am so not refined, too much of a country girl at heart, but I can pass if needed. Also, it took some time before I discovered the self-confidence to see my own independence (something else that I think I pretended for a long time before actually accomplishing my own identity.) Years ago I would've said Scarlett from Gone With The Wind, and while her strength is an admirable quality, I have tried to move myself away from the selfishness that as an adult I now see in her character.

5. If you were stranded on a deserted island, what three things would you want with you?
Can I say family, even though there are way more than three? I can't imagine anything without them. I'd literally go mad without having contact with them! If I'm limited to material things, I'd say books to escape into, a camera to record the important moments (so many years after I died people can find it and see me making funny faces with coconuts) and lastly candy, a girl can't survive without chocolate and sour gummy worms!

Thanks Michelle, that was fun! It was a nice break from the way today went and I liked learning some things about you from your interview as well!
Now, I get to keep it rolling!
Here are the official rules:
Want to be part of the interview fun? Follow these instructions:
1. Leave me a comment involving the words, “Interview me.”
2. Be sure to include your email address if I don't have it, because I will respond by emailing you five questions.
3. You will update your blog with the questions and your answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will get to ask them five questions.

Today's forecast

29 degrees and snow, 30 degrees and snow, 30 degrees and wintry mix, 29 degrees and freezing rain. ALL DAY LONG! Literally, it doesn't change to rain until midnight (which I do give thanks for since we REALLY do not need frozen roads tomorrow morning!)

Does anyone else find this depressing? I'm sick of the cold for one, I am not meant for winter, this was a cruel joke of nature that I was born here, and just another cruel joke of life that I'm still here. But add to it precipitation and I'm grumpy. Add to it that this all means another high electricity bill for the month and I'm just sour. Add to it that JJ keeps getting sick every couple of weeks, and I keep getting a small dose of each illness, just enough to make itself noticed, and I'm miserable.

I want Spring. I want warmer weather! I want outdoor activities! And I'll sit here in my corner stomping my feet and pouting until I get my way!

Rodeo

Last night was the rodeo at the WYCC. JJ had been seeing the commercials for weeks, telling us he wanted to go. He was enthralled with everything (after he had a tantrum when we 1st got there b/c I wouldn't get him ice cream after he wanted an icee. He's never had a melt down in public before, but the friends we were with he's all comfortable with, so I think some of his true colors came out, lol. BTW, Thanks Tarin & Kerri for going with us!) We did leave right after the intermission, I had no idea it was going to be so long! But after seeing his reaction to everything, I can't wait to take him to Frontier Town this summer! He will have a blast, and I have great memories of taking Bran and Brit there when they were younger, it will be nice to build on those! I still wonder where his interest in cowboy stuff comes from, he even watched a western movie yesterday! Can stuff like that skip a generation, could he be getting it all from my Dad?

Found together again

Man, can't trust these 2 together at all huh, LOL.

Lost his voice

Is it behind your ear? How about between your toes? In your hair? Maybe up your nose? Under your shirt? Maybe its hiding down in the dirt?

Playing find your voice may not have been such a good idea last night, but it was still so cute with a hoarse JJ telling us that his 2 friends took it and we had to go to their house to get it back.

I think last night was the quietest our house has been in a little over 3 years!

Bubble Boy

Oh, he's so going to hate me when he gets older. That's okay, when he starts to act up all we have to do is threaten to take out billboards with all the blackmail pictures we have ;)

Sporting Ravens

While running errands today John got me a white with pink Ravens jersey that I was eyeing on sale. It was really a GREAT price and I think its sweet he can be spontaneous sometimes (come to think about it, he did the same thing last year with my other Ravens jersey, hmm is there a pattern here?) I needed the pick me up too honestly (he asked me later what's been wrong with me, I haven't been lovable lately....) and what is more therapeutic than something new. So tomorrow I will be a little more girly while cheering on our family team, praying I don't eat my words to a Steelers fan!

Slacker = Week 2

OK, I'm such a slacker, these are the only pictures I took this week! And no, the irony of these pictures and my last post is not lost on me. Looks like I will only be doing a calendar with the pictures in the dates and I guess the empty dates I can put cute phrases or something.

Sleeping patterns = heredity?

Can I blame it on John that JJ is a night owl? How about him not being a morning person? Guess I'll just chalk it up to a phase for now, but something's gotta give, the kid can stay up later than me! Cutting out naps on weekends helps some, but we can't do that every day! Where's my down time? Where's John and my "our" time?

Ahhh, uh, maybe

Here's to a weekend of doing nothing, if you consider nothing picking up after a toddler, cooking meals, laundry, etc. And the trees are still up, I'm NOT happy about that, but I'm not moving the Harley to make room for the ladder to get the boxes off the top shelf. If that bike gets scratched I will not shoulder the responsibility. I'll say this, I will not leave them up for Tres Reyes next year if this is the way its going to be! But, I put the 4' tree on the floor and JJ was telling me how pretty it was and how he loved it. Made me think that maybe I could leave that one out and use it to decorate year round for the holidays. I've toyed with the idea before but with JJ's reaction of wanting the tree turned on each night, I think it might be something nice to start.

Week 1 - Project 365

Along with some friends I am attempting to do the Project 365 - taking a picture a day this year. I've already missed, I didn't get a picture New Years Day and this week I missed a few days from working overtime and not feeling well. But, here's week 1! On top of the Project 365 I'm also doing a 52 digital scrap challenge, meaning a scrap-page a week. So, please let me know which picture out of week 1 you like best. I'll post the week 1 scrap page at a later date!

Change

Hopefully there's going to be some changes very soon to our family. We are looking forward to what is to come with so much joy and anticipation on many levels. We want to thank everyone who has already offered to help in any way, as well as the encouragement. It means a lot to us to have such strong connections with family members and friends, we are so richly blessed!

Is there anything better...

I can think of nothing sweeter than walking through the door and hearing a happy voice exclaim "Mommy's here!"

Found in he back of a truck.....

Huh, us, no, we weren't doing any-thing

Another digi page

I wanted to try a layout using the letter JJ "dictated" to Santa plus put the history behind "Chris Moose" on it (we changed around Elf on a Shelf some.)

And BTW, happy Tres Reyes (3 Kings) or Ephinany everyone! NOW, the tree can go down!

Some scrap lifts

Trish is just too good, I can't help but scraplift off her some! And look, I FINALLY did JJ's 3 year page, or at least part 1, part 2 will be the journaling, the same thing I had posted here to him.

pics from today

Oh, it was hard to pick a picture to post from today, I got some really cute ones of the boys, but this of them play wrestling was my favorite!

So my blog isn't all about daily pics I'll post at the end of each week. So, next Saturday I'll have my pics from Sunday til then posted.

Can't wait to see some of the others who are doing this along with me!

Our little superhero....

I'm a few days late starting this, this pic was taken yesterday, I'll post today's later.

http://photojojo.com/content/tutorials/project-365-take-a-photo-a-day/

JJ has a huge fascination with superheros right now. Seems pretty normal, his 2nd cousin was into Superman and Bran was into Batman. It stared out with JJ being solely into Spiderman, then Iron Man took first place, but he's broadened his likes to ALL of them.

Darn allergies!

Oh, when will it end? What's the worst part is the sore throat. I could put with most everything else, but as much as I don't WANT to talk (and who thought they'd never hear that from me?) I have to daily. I think being on the go so much has caught up with me!

Happy New Year!

Hope everyone brought the New Year in right and you are continuing that into today. There's a saying that how you do this sets the standard for the rest of the year. Hope this rings true, there's no better way for the year to go than spend with family and friends!

And on resolutions, what has everyone decided upon? I normally don't do them, but this year we decided that having a 3 year old who remembers and repeats everything means we have to watch our vocabulary. Now, neither of us have sailor tongues or anything, but the little things pop up here and there, and JJ notices.