Three Weeks In

Looking through my recent posts....and even so at the endless list of unfinished drafts that have accumulated in my Blogger homepage, it's obvious to me that the school year is definitely upon us. 

I'm two days away from submitting my first progress reports as a full-time math and algebra teacher. Tomorrow marks the second volleyball game for my 8th graders. Open House has come and gone and today I finished up grading the first official math test of the new school year. 

Despite the warm temperatures, fall is in full swing and life is hitting the high gear. 

Here in our home, we are chugging along, all of us adjusting to the new schedule in our own way.  Here are just a few of the highlights.

We had to buy a new car seat (Graco Nautilus) for Natalie to use in my car so that her feet and knees wouldn't hit the back of my seat. Craig also needed a seat in his car for the days when I just can't leave work before five o'clock. 

Yes. I know that I quit coaching n order to be at home more and not spend so much time at school....but if I'm going to take on the responsibility of teaching 8th grade math and algebra, then I'm going to do it right. And sometimes, doing it right means staying late after school to plan lessons, grade papers or give tutorials. 

I started back up with Bible Study in my little town, which is led by the uber talented Jen Wilkin, who happens to be the sister-in-law of one of my dearest friends, Emily. It's two hours of fellowship and faith with similarly minded women every Tuesday night....and it is wonderful. My brain loves a good challenge and as challenging as planning curriculum and managing the education of 150+ students is....I need something that is both challenging AND spiritually fulfilling. 

Natalie has been having night terrors lately which basically consist of her waking us up around midnight with screaming sobs, only for us to find her out of bed and huddled on the floor behind her door, dripping in sweat and shaking. No wonder the little dear has such a fear of bedtime! We had a "come to Jesus" about her bedtime antics the other night (after we had battled her whack-a-mole routine for an hour) and all I can say is THANK GOODNESS for language skills! She was able to tell us that she gets scared at night because of dreams....and because Mommy and Daddy get mad at her for being out of bed. Ouch. Hearing that come out of the mouth of your precious, innocent child is a swift kick in the gut. Needless to say, our bedtime routine AND expectations have changed. No more frustration (at least visible to her), no more closed doors, no more raised voices. Just loving cuddles, lots of stories, a cracked door and the hall bathroom light left on. Hopefully this will help soothe her troubled sleeping pattern. 

All through the past three weeks of school, I've been asked by students, co-workers and parents.....DO I MISS COACHING?  And at the end of the first week, as I exited the building at 4:45 to go have a relaxing evening with my family while the volleyball team practiced until well past 5:30....the answer was and still is a resounding NO. The truth is, if I had to have coached this year, I would have done it to the best of my ability because that's the kind of team player that I am.  But as I sat in the stands last week watching the first game for my 8th graders, I felt relieved. I now have the fun job - I sit, I watch, I cheer and I congratulate. That's it. I can marvel in their talent and tell them how proud I am of their accomplishments. I don't have to worry about playing time or skill development, inter-team squabbles or outsmarting the opponent. I just get to be encouraging and supportive. THAT is a role that I can wholeheartedly sink my teeth into. 

So I guess life is pretty good right now. Sure there are the daily stresses of juggling laundry, meals, housework, child care and some semblance of a romantic marriage, but when I lay my head on my pillow at night....I'm content. 

iPhone Pictures

We didn't leave the house this weekend and it was all sorts of awesome. Some house rearranging happened and Natalie showed off her newfound somersaulting skills.

The many faces of an almost two-year-old.

The older she gets, the more I think she looks like me. And yes, I was very blond as a little girl.

Just taking a selfie with Momma. Cooking dinner with Daddy while I sat on the couch and drank wine.
This creature is not nearly as neglected as she tried to look in this photograph.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I'm Still Alive

It's been awhile since I've been on here.  Christmas break has been happening and it's been an interesting mix of pure magic and indescribable joy while watching Natalie soak up the traditions of the holiday season, but also incredibly frustrating with bouts of anxiety and anger tossed in there as well.

And it's really only been a week and a few days.

There's a lot floating around in my brain regarding the requisite "old year vs. new year" stuff along with a general update on the growth and development of the littlest member of our family.

But that's all for another day.

Right now I am seated on the creamy shag bathroom rug in front of the bathtub whose ledge is full of hair ties, bows and brushes so that Natalie can play with "Momma hair."

It's my own personal hair salon.......try to contain your jealousy.

Last night she packed all the essentials (cell phone, sunglasses, keys and Sesame Street music player) into her handmade Beatles purse and took her babies for a stroll around the house.

This also occurred.

Who is she talking to? Always her Nonna.

- Posted using BlogPress
from my iPhone

This Fall

I have been so bad this fall about taking iPhone pictures and not using my fancy (ish) camera that Craig bought me a few years ago.  So bad, in fact, that my camera's storage capacity has almost been met.  

But I have busted out the "mom" camera a few times this year and then I actually had time to upload them over the weekend.  Here are just a few of the best ones from the past few months.

Okay.  Not the BEST quality of picture but it's pretty hard to get an 18 month old to stand still for any amount of time.  This was her first day back at Ms. Rebecca's house as a "big girl" and although she was a little tentative at first, she quickly fell back into the routine.  

Of course.  The dog kennel is the best place in the house to hang out.

Craig and I took one Tuesday off from work in October and we traveled to the State Fair near downtown Dallas for the day.  We started off the day at the Little Hands on the Farm exhibit but she wasn't really feeling it.  She said NO to the apron and NO to riding around on a mini John Deere tractor.  

Picking the "apples" out of the tree.  See the aprons on the other children?  She would have none of that.

Planting a seed in the dirt.....or you know, playing in the dirt.

Picking out a vegetable from the harvest.  For whatever reason, she chose an eggplant.  Who knows why.

Checking out a baby giraffe at the kid's animal exhibit.  She did not leave my dad's arms for the entire time we were in that place.  There were TONS of people plus lots of big animals and she was perfectly content sitting snug in Granddaddy's arms.

Baby giraffe - probably her favorite.

So intent and focused.

The family checking out the talented jumping dog show.

We even got to meet and pet one of those talented puppy dogs!  She waited so patiently in line while noisy, rude teenagers pushed in front of her and once we got up to the dog, she used her best sweet puppy dog pat.  I will admit - I was a pretty proud Momma.

Natalie loved climbing in and out of several cars at the car show.  My dad has been an autobody repairman for his entire life and cars are one of his great loves.  I know he was happy to see his only granddaughter showing such enthusiasm - she would even turn the wheel and make "vroom, vroom" noises.

The beginning of the whale ride.  She (and I) were both pretty nervous.  She was by far the youngest child on the ride without a parent seated next to them.  But she was a trooper and held on the entire time.

And of course LOVED it in the end.

Another favorite ride was the four-wheeler merry-go-round.  

The only real meltdown we had during the day was the fact that at some moments, she just DID NOT want to sit in her stroller and by 2:00 when we were headed out the gate, I wasn't in the mood to fight her so on my shoulders she rode.  My mom snapped this picture of our little family heading out of the park.

And then of course, what's a trip to the State Fair without the requisite Big Tex picture.  

This is obviously before his untimely incineration.

The best thing about the State Fair is the nap you get to take afterwards.

Switching gears slightly....this was Natalie's outfit on Saturday when we went to pick out her pumpkin.  Such a big girl with her tights, boots and jean jacket.

I don't carve pumpkins.  I don't like the mess and the frustration so I decided to make PAINTING pumpkins our family tradition.  I started out by taping off her initials using painter's tape.

We bought some really great Crayola kids' paint (because I KNOW we'll be painting soon again).

Now.

The actual painting of this pumpkin was pretty hilarious and adorable.  She was naked except for her diaper and freaked out in the beginning because the girl does NOT like to have her hands (or anything else for that matter) dirty.  Craig and I had to soothe her over and over, "it's okay to be a little dirty, this is fun, just paint."  

More and more I'm seeing some OCD tendencies come out in her which absolutely terrifies me, but that's a whole other blog post.

But the painting.  It was full of screeches and hops and slapping our thigh with paint.  And then some paint managed to find it's way onto the pumpkin as well.

But I'm not posting those pictures because she's beginning to be a big girl and I just don't think halfway naked toddler girl pictures are appropriate for the interwebs.  But it makes me sad at the same time, because some of her faces are absolutely ridiculous.

But here she is with her pumpkin all finished and obviously SO excited to be having her picture taken, right?  

Or not.

Nice snarl, honey.

Oh wait!  There's my smiley girl!  Yes.  A tutu.  On a Sunday.  Because, you know, she's 20 months old and it's still cute.

Her new trick?  When I get out the camera...."cheese" and she kind of smiles and looks at me.  Where do they learn these things?

That's all I've got for right now!  I knew I needed to get these pictures and memories out there because pretty soon we're going to be hitting our stride with the holiday season and I have a feeling this year is going to be BUSY.

Natalie Lately

At almost twenty months old.....

her language has exploded - she will fearlessly try to pronounce any word you throw her way and she is starting to speak in short sentences.

she loves to run and jump, to twirl and spin.

her favorite playmates and cuddle buddies are still Angie and Ajax.

she's outgrown all her 2T summer outfits and is working into 3T winter clothes.

we have finally gotten her into a solid sleeping routine which starts around 8:00 and ends with her waking up between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning.

there isn't much that she won't eat but her favorites include mac and cheese, peas, milk, strawberries and anything she can dip.

her hair has turned a golden brown and those curls are holding on at the bottom of her hair but I am thinking they won't stay much longer.

she is at the top of curve in both height and weight but her little toddler body is still long and lean....just like Momma.

Conquering the big slide at the playground near our house.  When it comes to doing physical things, she is absolutely fearless.  Climb up the "rock" wall?  Check.  Go down the big slide on her own?  Check.  And of course, every park trip has to end with feeding the duck-ducks.

Watching "ball" on television with her own volleyball in her lap.  Anytime she sees a ball game (football, basketball, volleyball, baseball, golf) on the television (or in real life for that matter) she points and screeches "BALL!  BALL!"  She's not really a television-watching kind of kid - we don't watch cartoons or DVDs in our house at this point in time, but put on a game of volleyball or the Olympics this summer and she is mesmerized.  The other night at my 7th grade volleyball game every time one of my girls would serve, from across the court I could hear her yell "BALL!" and point as the volleyball was launched over the net.  I must admit, this makes my little coaching heart very proud.

And this is how we start our mornings.

Little curly piggies.

We found a great little jean jacket for cheap at JC Penney's and it was love at first sight for Natalie.  She had to carry it on her own to the register but then got a little frightened when it came time to check-out.  Natalie did NOT want to hand it to the lady at the register but luckily she was kind enough to scan the tag while I held Natalie and her jean jacket in my arms.  It's a great little jacket that goes with every outfit she has....but doesn't it make her look so grown up?

Just hanging out in the cart at Garden Ridge waiting for me to pay for the new living room rug.

She disappeared one night before bedtime and this is where I found her - curled up with one of her favorite books...about a dog of course.

Her super cool outfit complete with leggings, long t-shirt and boots.....ready for the high school volleyball game!

And then this happened last week.  Brushing her teeth in the corner with her new boots on coupled with a pink tutu.  If that doesn't scream INDEPENDENT TODDLER I don't know what does.

10 Minutes

I've been a little bit starved for thoughtful blog posts lately.  We've just had a lot going on in addition to the regular hustle and bustle of volleyball season and raising a toddler.

I hate saying that though.

I feel like "I've been so busy" is just cliche.  Because we're ALL busy in some form or fashion.  

I think it's just the nature of the autumn season.  Regardless of whether you have school-age kids or not, the fall season seems to amp up social get-togethers due to the holidays and people wanting to see each other after summer vacations.  It's the time when book clubs, Bible studies and other "meeting" type activities get started.

It's just hectic.

Last week things got a little more hectic for us........and then ridiculously slow.  Maybe it was God's way of providing us with the time to breathe deep and refocus that we need at this point in volleyball season.  I start school full throttle and it doesn't let up for two months straight until the season is over.  At least with basketball season Craig has Thanksgiving, Christmas and final exams thrown in there to break up his season and provide some rest for both him and his players.

Anyways.  Last Wednesday Craig had a doctor's appointment for his irregular blood work that he had received and during this appointment he remarked to the doctor that his right side was aching.  The doctor checked him out and advised him to go directly to the emergency room due to the fact that it appeared to be an infection surrounding his appendix.  I met him at the hospital down the road from us and we sat in the ER until 8:00 that night and all we walked away with was the knowledge that Craig has gall stones.  

On Thursday morning he went back to a different doctor (one affiliated with our local hospital) and this particular doctor was enraged that Craig had been sent home on Wednesday evening without the hospital notifying any doctor on call.  Long story short, I received a phone call at work from Craig telling me that he would be having his gall bladder removed at 1:30 that afternoon.

Yikes.

Luckily I work at a wonderful school and I was able to get coverage for my classroom and met him at the hospital shortly after his phone call.  The surgery was outpatient so we were home at 8:00 that night but I missed my 8th grade volleyball games and the whole day of school on Friday.  For the rest of the weekend we just hung out around the house and ate all the delicious food that our friends from his school brought us.  

It was actually pretty delightful.

Maybe it's what we needed....I just wish we didn't have to pay for a surgery in order to receive the rest and relaxation.

There.  Ten minutes full of thinking, typing and writing.  It's not great.  But it will do for now.

A Drive By Posting

- I've been circulating Alex Clare's "Too Close," Florence and the Machine's "Breath of Life" and Ellie Goulding's "Lights" on my iPod lately.  I can't get enough of those songs.

- There was a dance party in my kitchen and living room last night.  All family members participated.

- I do have my moments of brilliance.  The latest one was hiring the fifteen year old girl down the street (who I used to coach) as a "mother's helper" every week this summer for two hours.....or more if we need her during tournament preparation.  I was able to put down nice shelf liner in all the cabinets that we use on a daily basis.  Hopefully next Monday when she is here I will finish the rest of the kitchen and Craig will take those two hours to organize and clean out the garage.

- Craig surprised me with an early birthday present yesterday.  I will be flying out to Seattle on July 10th to see my very best friend Amy for four whole days all by myself!  After I wiped the tears from my eyes when reading my flight itinerary, I started getting a little nervous about leaving Natalie.  This will be the longest I'll have been away from her since she was born.  But then I think about the fact that Amy and I will be visiting my own personal version of Mecca (the original Starbucks) and scouting for vampires and werewolves in Forks, Washington.......and I get excited again.

- Natalie has been to two "gymnastics" classes at the WinKids near our house (kind of like Gymboree) and she definitely gets an A+ in climbing and bravery but probably a C- in following directions.  She is definitely a determined little girl who likes to stick to her own plan.  I don't know where she gets that from.

- My hand is healing up nicely; the wound has closed over and I'll be getting my stitches out Monday.  It's still a little sore at times, kind of like I've pulled a muscle and there is still some numbness in the very tip of my middle finger.  Natalie likes to flip over my  hand and feel my stitches while very seriously saying "boo boo."

- For Father's Day, Natalie is spending tonight at her Grandmama's house while Craig and I go to dinner and a movie.  We're going to see Rock of Ages and Craig, being a teenager during the 80s, is super psyched.

- I've got so many posts saved as drafts that I have to finish up....topics ranging from change, siblings, being 15 months and so much more....but right now since the munchkin is napping, I'm going to catch up on television while I fold laundry and clean up my bedroom.  Exciting stuff, I know.

iPhone Photo Dump

At the end of April we went to a joint birthday party for the daughters of our friends and it was Natalie's first time to venture into a jump house.  She was tentative at first but by the end of the party I couldn't get her out of it.  At one point, all the big girls would scream in unison while Natalie just looked at them with big saucer eyes.  When the girls quieted down, Natalie looked around at them and screamed - she has to be just like the big kids.


Craig made the mistake of eating his Sonic Oreo blast on the couch and shortly after he sat down our three little creatures descended on him, begging for bites of his sweet treat.


Just the two of us playing around with the cool front camera on my iPhone4.


You can tell it's track season when I start to get awesome sock tan like this. You know you're jealous.


Sorry the picture is so blurry - it's hard to get her to sit still right now.  If you notice, she has her fingers in her ears.  This is a new trick that she learned recently - I'm not really sure where she got it.  The other day we were driving home from school and I was jamming out in the front seat to Eminem and Rihanna.  I pulled into the garage, cut the engine, got out and opened the back door where she sits in her carseat.  When I opened the door, she had those fingers in her ears, her chin tucked down and she was glaring at me from underneath some very angry eyebrows.  Apparently.......she is not a hip hop fan.  Duly noted kiddo.


The newest (oldest) pair of Converse that she has grown into.  This particular pair belonged to my nephews Alexander (8) and Ford (5) before being passed onto Natalie who will pass them back to baby Ian when she outgrows them. 


She loves to sit in her rocking chair and "read" all her stories....which mostly consists of her babbling incoherently to herself.  Adorable nonetheless.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday Morning Musings

- We took family pictures on Saturday the 12th with Natalie and the two pups.  The morning started off with us getting a twenty minute rain/mist delay but I think we were able to get some pretty adorable pictures of all our family.  My mother accompanied us as the child-dog wrangler and since it was Mother's Day weekend, we were even able to have her jump in a few shots with me and Natalie for a three generations picture.

- I took two naps on Mother's Day.  We also ate at Babe's for lunch and I chowed down on fried chicken, yummy biscuits and lots of mashed potatoes.  Craig, Natalie and the pups got me a super awesome printer that prints glossy pictures so that I can finish up Natalie's baby book at home without having to run to Target every five minutes to print off a picture here and there.  But I still must say........the best part of the day were the two naps.

- Natalie officially has a "lovey" that she has grown fiercely attached to in the past few days.  It's a giraffe that I bought during her first trip to the zoo over Christmas break.  As any good mother does, I make the giraffe talk to Natalie, I give it emotions and move it's head around.  When Natalie throws the giraffe down on the ground, I make the giraffe give her a guilt trip about being rough and violent with her very favorite friend.  The giraffe's name is Spot.

- Friday was 6th grade Field Day at my school which, along with a 6th grade teacher, I am in charge of.  All morning I was instructing volunteers, directing traffic and hauling my rear end all over the fields at school making sure things were running smoothly.  Each year we invite some 8th grade National Junior Honor Society students to haul water, play games and lead stations.  This year's 8th graders are a very special group of young people - great attitudes, incredible athletes and all around FUN kids.  At the end of the Field Day as the 6th graders were all sitting outside getting their room assignments for movies in the afternoon, I noticed some of my 8th grade boys lurking around me looking incredibly suspicious.  Please keep in mind, these are kids that I once had in 6th grade PE and then have coached in 7th and 8th grade Cross Country and Track - I've watched them grow up and I'm the one teacher they have had all three years of middle school.  As one of my favorite boys came after me with a bucket of water I tried desperately to get away but to no avail.  I.  WAS.  SOAKED.  They got me from head to toe COVERED with water.  I've spent the past two hours waddling around the school in bare feet because my tennis shoes were in the dryer.  Coming from THOSE kids, I know the intent wasn't malicious but instead I took it as a sign of affection....right?

- In the upcoming month, I have no less than six doctors appointments of some sort scheduled for Natalie and myself.  The cyst on my hand has come back so I'm going in for that this afternoon, on June 1st we are taking Natalie back in to check on her ears to see if the infection is finally gone, June 5th we are going to a hematologist to see about her low iron count, I have my yearly OB appointment, a six month dentist cleaning and then an eye doctor appointment because I have a hard time seeing while driving - especially at night.  And two of those appointments (hand and ears) could potentially lead to some sort of surgery this summer.  Yikes.  It's a good thing Craig has a 200 team tournament this weekend - we'll be using that money to pay off some medical bills.

- I'm making a plan to read all the books gifted to me through my mother that have been collecting dust on my bookshelf and have never been read.  I'm starting with The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells (who wrote Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood) and so far I'm eight chapters in and absolutely loving it.  I don't know if it's the way she writes or the Louisiana culture that she writes about, but I just love getting lost in her writing.  I think there is a little piece of her storytelling that also reminds me of my mother as a young girl growing up in parts of Louisiana with a mystical mother herself.

- Craig and I had a date on Saturday night and I wanted to go somewhere new and different and OUTSIDE of our little town because I didn't want to see any students or parents.  We went to La Hacienda Ranch for Mexican food and I have to say........I was a little disappointed.  I've always heard such great things about the food and the drinks but it just left MUCH to be desired.  Oh well.  It was still a nice evening out with my husband.

- Thankfully this week is a lot less crazy than last week.  A girls night tomorrow followed up by volleyball on Wednesday night and then a fun lunch with my friend Kate and my mother to celebrate the health of Kate's darling little girl Audrey on Saturday afternoon.

Life Lately

Things have been pretty calm around our house lately - nothing too major to report.  So here are a few pictures of what Natalie has been up to recently.

"Say what?!"

I plan to thoroughly embarrass her with this someday during her teenage years.

Those sunglasses stayed firmly in her hands the entire afternoon while she played with her water table but never once did she actually try to put them on her face.

Playing in the water, throwing animals, dumping over the tower and then.........face plant.

I don't think it turned out quite like she had planned.

That hair down the middle of her nose kills me but I just can't bring myself to cut off any of her locks quite yet.

Love her big blue eyes.

Ajax resting comfortably in the dirt and far away from the water.

Angie looking dignified while basking in the sunshine.

Sweet girl.

Sweet girl did NOT expect the tartness of a Sonic Strawberry Limeade!

Drying off after a fun hour playing in the backyard.

Shortly after decimating her Easter basket.

We totally used the same basket as last year and just filled it with a few books from the dollar aisle at Target, a cute bunny sippy cup (which Angie has already destroyed), her favorite goldfish and a few Bert and Ernie characters.

The best picture of her in her Easter dress that I could get - Easter was not a fun day for her.

But THIS certainly did her her get into a better mood.  We had dinner at my parent's house around 5:00 and she was just exhausted so I took her in the back bedroom and rocked her to sleep.  But now she is definitely hovering around 25 pounds and is over 31 inches long.  No more can I comfortably accommodate a sleeping child in my arms and there was no pack n play out and available.  So what is a mother to do?  Use the dog bed.

Cool girls in our swag shades.

Mommy and daughter running shoes.

Wearing a pretty dress to go to the big boy's school with Ms. Rebecca.

Her personalized backpack that she takes to Ms. Rebecca's house full of all her goodies.

Excited little girl!