S Club Mama

This kid cracks me up daily. Not only is he the cuddliest kid ever but (sometimes) the whiniest. I know he's just too little to have words right now, so I'm biding time until I actually hear the words "feed me" or "tired." Instead of guessing what's wrong. I have this old cell phone that was a piece of junk. I gave it to Moose when I got a new one. He LOVES this thing! However, he also likes it to be open (it's a flip phone). When it closes, he cries (at least until he loses interest). When it was turned on, he'd turn it off (unbeknownst to himself) & cry. However, I no longer turn it on for him to avoid those crocodile tears. But he still does the close cry thing. Now, at least he'll bring the phone to me and drop it on my lap instead of just crying and me going "what? what?" And I think he's decided he does not like camera flashes. Now he squints 8/10 times I try to take a picture of him. Very cute but doesn't make for

This past weekend, my mom put together a family BBQ for my Grandma Marilyn, Big A, and my Uncle Rick's birthdays. This is the first of family get-togethers in awhile and the first where everyone actually showed up (or at least most people). Usually my one cousins may make an appearance but that's about it. We left here around 1 on Saturday & made it in time to pick up my great grandma, Maxine, to bring her to the BBQ. She sure was talkative! I can imagine though that she gets lonely living by herself in an apartment building. And she does adore Tristan! When we got to my grandma's house, we helped set out food while my Dad manned the barbecue. Everyone was assigned to bring something - we took our famous homemade cheesecake lovingly made by my husband this time. So good! There were hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni & potato salad, 2 types of devil's eggs, baked beans...yummy! Then for dessert we had birthday cake, cheesecake, & ice cream. Oh yeah! I played host

Last year our friend made this for Big A's birthday; this year he requested it. Prep: 10 minutes (you can do this with a one-year-old tugging at your shorts) Total Time: 4 hours 10 minutes Calories: 340 Serves: 12 (could be less or more depending on how you cut the cake) 1/2 c. hot fudge ice cream topping - warmed 1 (8 oz) tub cool whip - thawed 1 (4 serving size) pkg. chocolate pudding 8 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos) - chopped or crushed (approx. 1 c.) 12 vanilla ice cream sandwiches - unwrapped 1. Pour fudge topping into medium bowl. Add 1 cup cool whip; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Add dry pudding mix; stir until well blended. Gently stir in Oreos; lick whisk & set aside. 2. Arrange 4 sandwiches on a 24" long piece of foil; top with 1/2 cool whip mix. Repeat once. Top with 4 sandwiches. Frost top & sides with remaining cool whip. U se 4-5 more Oreos & crush them; sprinkle over sides & top to decorate. Bring up foil sides. Double foil top

Alright friends, join in the fun. Win a prize. Head on over to SITS for your chance to win an iPod. If you have one....let me win it! ha

I mentioned this very fast at the end of the "I'm an aunt" post. Here are more details. We got the job! One of the forest service jobs we've been praying about FOREVER! Big A finally got a call. It's in Illinois. Doesn't pay the greatest, but it's not really worse than what we have now. The big plus is, it has benefits! Woohoo! We've been without benefits since we got married - isn't that awful? So next week sometime, we're going to take a vacation to this town in Illinois where the job is. Unfortunately, it's not near Chicago, so I don't know wha t fun thing we'll do on this vacation. It is probably close enough to make a day trip to Nashville, if my husband wants to. Not only are my best friends moving to Virginia (I'm so excited for them), but we might be moving, too. Probably within the same month span, too. Very crazy. If we have to move, I'm glad we're all doing it at the same time. On that note, I am very sad to l

Alright, try this ....if it doesn't work, let me know.

Oh my love, Where do I begin to wish you a happy birthday? I couldn't have gotten through the past year without you nor do I expect to ever be able to do so (or at least WANT to). You are the best husband anyone could ask for & I thank God He's loaned you to me to help me get through this crazy world. You helped me (gain &) lose all of my baby weight (ok...most of it). Your baking skills make me just want to gain it all back...and, boy, do we try! Moose couldn't ask for a better Daddy! All of those late-night feedings and late afternoon naps - you two sure are buds! He loves to be around you and to hear your voice on the phone. "Dada" isn't his favorite word for nothing. I know this birthday is hectic, especially because you feel you're getting "old." Trust me, you don't look a day older than when I met you 4 years ago. Your hair is just shorter & your beard is longer. You're in better shape than you ever have been (although I

I Am not always the Christian woman I want to be I Want to move away from here...even if only for awhile I Have the best friend (yes, Laura Jean, you) I Wish I could make a living making scrapbooks I Hate how stubborn people can be I Fear that my aforementioned best friend will find a new best friend I Hear a calling from God...I just can't understand all the time I Search the internet for people I know I Wonder if my mother-in-law will ever understand she's old enough to be a grandma I Regret high school I Love Jesus...Anthony...Tristan...Laura...Kurt....Marie...etc. I Ache for my best friend's heart's desire I Always cry when I'm mad I Usually stay in my pjs all day I Am Not who my mother wishes I was I Dance slowly with my husband I Sing to myself & Tristan I Never do karaoke I Rarely get my fill of dancing at wedding receptions I Cry when I watch Click, Juno, Legends of the Fall, & The Passion I Am Not Always on time...I hate that I Lose my mind some day

Moose has found it. The trash can. Gross. Mostly, he's just knocked it over, pulling out pieces of paper. Today he pulled a pop-sicle wrapper-thing out of the computer trash. He chewed on it. Not much of a big deal. We don't use that trash can for much (except when I'm feeling too lazy to go to the kitchen). About 10 minutes ago, Moose was playing in the kitchen. Not a big deal. He has a refrigerator toy and he dumped his puzzles out there. After about 2 minutes, I realized he was being awfully quiet. I thought maybe he had opened our cabinets and was emptying the contents (which is all of our canned goods...still not a big deal). So I go out there. Yep, he's in the trash again. And he's got the empty muffin tin/wrappers up to his face, trying to get the burnt little pieces of bottom off of them. Crumbs are all over his face. I peel the one from his hand, telling him "gross, trash is icky." Then I realize he's still chewing on something. I stick my fin

My favorite picture of Moose's baby blues. My favorite pair of jammies. They were feetie ones & said "Lil Sport." My favorite picture of my favorite guys. Challenge: post a favorite picture & link back to me. Leave me a post & let me know about your favorite picture. Let it be a picture of yourself, your spouse, your children, a favorite outfit, a favorite day, or anything.

Today one of my best friends got married...the Trees I was telling you about. Oh, the ceremony was just beautiful! After the welcome & prayer, I went up to read. The pastor didn't give me any indication that he was ready (he later apologized) so after a "dramatic pause" (as the bride told the crowd), one of the bridesmaids (who was also kind of befuddled at the lack of introduction to Scripture) turned around & cued me (I was in a room off the front of the church). Then I read Ephesians 5:21-33 out of the Message Bible & Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 out of the NIV. I like the Message verses...I've honestly never read anything out of the Message. I LOVE the Eccl. verses; probably some of my favorite ones. After I sat down, I heard Moose crying in the back so I snuck out the side to sit with him and Big A. One of my friends Skinny Mom and her son, Cute-as-a-Button (we'll call him Button for short), were back there, too. Skinny is one of those ultra-fashionable

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So Big A hurt his knee during wrestling practice so no wrestling this weekend. He's super disappointed...I think he feels like he's letting other people (i.e. me, his wrestling coach, his boss) down. He's not. I want him healthy and unhurt more than I'd like to see him kick some butt. And I really just want to see his butt in a singlet. I'm just glad it's not a serious injury. I'm sure if he were to wrestle tomorrow, it would just get worse. Poor guy. I know he was so excited about it. Tonight we went to my friends, the Trees' wedding rehearsal. It was so fun. I always see this one girl, Bubbly, at weddings. She & I knew one another in college but she played volleyball, I (at the time) didn't play sports nor did I hang out at the party scene. But she is so open to just sharing about her life. About breaking up with her boyfriend & crying herself to sleep over it (they're ok now...just friends). I just feel like she and I get to have these

He's at it again. Moose bit me 3...count them: 1, 2, 3 times. I don't know how to make him stop. I figured today, he bit me because he was frustrated. But I don't know what he wanted at all. He's at that in between age where he just doesn't have a word for what he wants, so I can't understand him all the time. I know it's frustrating for me so I imagine it is for him, too. I can feel it in his body when he's frustrated; it tenses up and he'll give a little shout sometimes. Then he may start crying, too. So I pick him up to try and comfort him and understand him. This often makes him more frustrated because he doesn't like to be held down (like during shots) so he'll lean in. That's when he bites. It's not like a big chunk of my skin but it hurts! I've calmly told him "no." I've hollered "ow." I've grabbed his face & said "no." (don't worry it's not hard...no harder than a squishy f

I'm super excited for this weekend, although it does mean a long week. Monday & Wednesday, Big A is practicing wrestling with his high school coach & some boys. Tuesday we are having supper at the Spiderleg residence. Big A does have the opportunity to throw hay for someone to make some extra cash; I don't know if he'll do it or not. The S family is going on a mini-vaca/interview trip to Virginia (pray this is where God is leading them and that the opportunity is wide open for them) for the rest of the week, so we won't see them until they get back and then the real world overtakes everyone. Thursday seems to be our only free day. Friday is our friends, the soon-to-be Mr. & Mrs. Tree (they are super tall)'s wedding rehearsal. I have the great opportunity to get to read Scripture at their wedding, so I'm invited for all the festivities and free food! ha! It means so much to me that she has invited me to be a part of her special day, AND to read God

Do you ever have that weekend (or week, day, whatever) where all you seem to do is fight with your husband & get frustrated with your children (and husband)? That was this past week and definitely this weekend. Ugh. I. Hate. Weekends. Like. This. We just haven't had good quality time together. No long talks. No short talks. Just winding down with tv and going to bed. Big A is practicing to compete in the wrestling portion of the Cornhusker State Games. I'm so proud & excited of/for him! But it's taken its toll already. I look to the week ahead and think of the week behind us. Pure stress & chaos. The past week of shots, surgery, and then him working all day Saturday made for a difficult Sunday. Monday & Wednesday wrestling practice, Friday rehearsal for a friend's wedding, & Saturday wrestling & wedding will make for an long, long weekend. Not save for its fun, but long. And I haven't gotten a chance to catch up with my best friend this week.

Friday after work & Saturday after work at the store, Big A went to help our friends, the A-team, with their roof. So while he got to be high up there on the farm house roof, Moose & I got to play with Mama T, Peach, & Birdie. Well, Birdie is only 6 months or so, so she just watched us! I got to have some good adult conversation, which is always nice. Moose got to play (and "share" a little) with someone his own size, if not his own age (Peach is about a year older). Mama T fed us some GOOD food Friday night, and we all stayed up way past bedtime! Moose was pooped; he let me put in his ear drops with very little fussing and fell right back asleep. Saturday was a long day, I won't lie. Long days can be fun days, too. The morning was just beautiful besides the rain. But even the rain was just refreshing. Moose even took 2 naps in Birdie's crib (he hardly sleeps anywhere anymore besides his very own crib). At lunch all the roof hands came in to eat sandwiches

I don't have anything prolific to post today. Hence the Friday Foto below. However, I did come across a post that really made my heart cry. I don't mean that in a negative way, but in a "I've been really selfish and haven't been talking to God about what's on my heart" kind of way. I have something going on in my life right now that I don't feel I can share right now. Among the many reasons I have not to post about it is that I need to chat with God about it. I've been pleading with Him about it for a few days now (and talking it over with my husband); I just don't feel at peace with the situation. I'm sorry I'm not being more open to sharing today. But if you could just pray for me to find peace with God on this issue, I would really appreciate it. It's just one of those days. For a better outlook on life, check out the link in this post. It will take you to various blogs that are really uplifting today.

I read something in Parenting magazine that was a tip from another mom. She said, if you have a crab, put it in water. Well, Moose turned into Crab for awhile, so I got a bowl, filled it with less than 1/2 an inch of water and let him play. He had a blast! And he didn't knock over the bowl or anything (unlike what Daddy said he would do). Then we had to take it away. Back to crab. Crab went to bed. Night night.

I'm so ready for vacation! Lately I have felt like I am just running ragged. This past week was kind of stressful on me with the doctor's visit & tube surgery. Plus, it was right after the 4th of July which was kind of hectic in itself. Big A and I have gotten into a rut where I feel like we just aren't talking like we need to. It seems our time together is less intimate and meaningful than it was and should be. He gets up while we're still sleeping and goes to work out before work. He comes home and we eat and watch tv or chat awhile. He goes to bed around 9 to get up and do it all over again the next day. It's totally not all his fault either; I don't have much to say these days either. My life is pretty much a continual string of nothingness in regards to what I do each day. Moose & I may take a walk or go to the library or grocery store. Other than that, we play at home and....well, that's it. I try to set up play dates, but any SAHMs I know that

Moose had his surgery today. So far, so good. We got to the hospital (oddly enough, no tears despite the no food policy) and put him in this little hospital gown. He looked so stinking cute in it! I only got pictures on my phone of him in it, but, boy, he's adorable. He cried only a bit when the nurse took him away from me (Heather, this is when I broke down, too!). After that I guess he was a trooper. He got put to sleep (I've tried writing this a few different ways - still sounds awful) for 10 minutes or so. The same lady who gave me my epidural administered his sleepy gas. I got to be there when he woke up. I think he was confused and groggy; I was sitting behind him and talking to him, so he reached up to the nurse. But then I gave him water. He liked me then. ha. He did not want the water! So he had to cry up to his room (not in the elevator because he was so astonished by that) until I got him formula. Then he was mad that it was in a cup and not a bottle. So I gave him R

Moose had his birthday party on Saturday. I thought everything turned out wonderfully! If you caught my earlier post, you know about the cakes I made, but too bad, you get to see them again. Everything turned out to be a hit. The only complaint I had was to Pookie ( my lil sis ) who said the jelly beans didn't taste good. I don't know what she was thinking about because I used Jelly Belly beans ( which are the best followed closely by Starburst jelly beans ). Here are my creations : The corncob cupcakes. I found the recipe to decorate in Redbook magazine. It's pretty easy though. Use cupcakes and frost with light yellow frosting. Decorate with various shades of yellow/white jelly beans. The "butter" are gently shaped Starburst pieces. You're supposed to top with black and white decorating sugars but I live in such a small town, you can't find that here. But then use corn skewers for decoration. The Husker cake: Go Big Red !! The football f

I got my necklace from Kristen earlier this week (if you recall from this post , I won it through a SITS contest). I was going to take a picture right away but had just got done working out (and I looked like it). So I waited until I was a little more decent-looking. I don't have the best camera, but here you go. Thank you SITS and Kristen. I really love it!!

That's right...frosting. I have spent the day decorating cakes and cupcakes. These lovely delicacies are for Moose's birthday party tomorrow (so excited!). I made the actual cakes yesterday because the weather was SO nice! I started out decorating the cupcakes. Simple yellow. The jelly beans we made a special trip to Lincoln for (thanks Big A). Running low on jelly beans. Frosting will do. Finished product plus 3 "flower" cupcakes (I ran out of yellow frosting). The green. Chalk the field. Plain little birthday cake. Go Big Red! And I even had time to make a pasta salad for a 4th of July party (plus a little bit of frosting). Phew! Now let's hope the party goes as well as the decorating. I do have to arrange the "corncobs" yet to look like actual corncobs. Will post that and actual birthday pictures later.

Since this is the time for BBQs and cookouts, I was wondering: What is your favorite food or beverage to eat/drink at a BBQ? Mine is potato salad (preferably homemade)

Dear Moose, I just wanted to let you know that, although I had a blast letting you eat cake, you do NOT get cake and sweets every day (even if Daddy & I eat them....right in front of you....and, yes, I know that's mean). You get Cheerios, dude face! We bought you new sippy cups that aren't too hard to get liquid out of. You need to drink your formula (until I switch you over to milk, then milk) out of them - even if the cup is pink or purple (give me a break, the selection at Sunmart was sparse). I will switch between the bottle and sippy until you've gotten the hang of the sippy; I know it will take more than one day. You are one now. You have been alive for one year (post womb). This means you know the routine of things around here pretty much. You still cannot put your hands in the heaters. I know it's summer and they are off, but when it comes winter time again, I know you'll forget they are hot and burn your fingers off. I'm so proud of you for walking

Dear Moose, Today is your first birthday. One year ago at 7:00am, you began your descent from my womb into this crazy world. I was scared of all of the pain, but even more frightened of bringing you into today's world. It's not the same place I grew up in. You will face many issues and challenges that I was clueless about as a child. After a few hours of pushing and a lot more pain, you made your appearance. I didn't get to see you right away. They laid you on my tummy but with your back to me. Then you got whisked away as I got stitches. Daddy & Laura were in the room with me while we worked to get you out of my tummy. I was crying and asked if you were a boy or girl (you were a surprise in so many ways). The nurse said, "it's a moose, it's a moose." I didn't understand until I twisted my head around. There were your boy parts glaringly large (yes, this is meant to embarrass you some day) and all 9 pound 8 ounces of you. I had a son. A son. Someon