The comfort of instability...

Things have been changing around here quite a bit lately. First, I finished my internship at the end of October while J was in Chile for work. Then The G and I spent Halloween in Missouri with my parents which was AWESOME!!! She loved trick-or-treating and still talks about getting "tanny in my buck" (candy in my bucket)! I'll post pics of her in her costume soon! WE also got to celebrate my MaMa's 99th birthday!

Then we got back home just in time to spend about 36 hours packing to go with J for another work trip that's lasting 6 weeks. We're all staying in one room together and I was worried at first but its been great! He comes to the room every day for lunch and is usually done with work for the day by 4:30 or 5 (if not earlier)!!! We've made M a little "room" by hanging sheets in the closet and J and I have learned to embrace early bed times and watching TV with the sound very low and the closed captioning on. There are about 12 other wives and their children who we spend the day playing and chatting with. If only M would stop saying "mine!"

My only complaint is that they haven't turned the heat on yet. I know its the south, but come on people!!! It was 52 degrees in our room this morning! We've resorted to turning on the oven, opening the door, and using a fan to spread the heat around the room. Its not very energy efficient but we try to limit how long we do it (just enough to take the chill off). Hopefully we'll get heat soon!!!

Next, we're off to my parents house. We were planning on going for Thanksgiving but MMG and I will be leaving a bit earlier because my uncle passed away. He was only 61 so it was a big surprise and its made us all realize how important it is to keep in touch with family and friends because you never know when the last time you see someone will be.

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!! I feel so blessed and am thankful for this precious time with my ususally SUPER busy husband and to be back full-time with The G!

NASCAR

Earlier this month, J did the fly-by for the Kansas NASCAR race. He's done them before but I've never seen it in person, only watched it on TV. This time, I got to go to the race and I still can't believe how emotional I got watching the jets go over. First of all, I got really nervous while the National Anthem was being sung. I'm not sure what I was nervous about but I was freakin' out!!! Then, I felt so proud as they flew over and tens of thousands of people were cheering for them. It was crazy and I was a little embarrassed because I was so overwhelmed. Anyway, my sis took some pics of J and I together but here's a couple from that day.

We watched the start of the race from right behind Jimmie Johnson's pit box!!!

The Miss Sprint Cup girls wanted to take a pic with the AWESOME pilots!

Tony Stewart (ehh!) won the race and we got to hang out in Victory Lane after the race.

First face paint

We went to a fair a few weeks ago and Miss G had a wonderful time!!! She got her face painted (it's a lady bug and she smeared it right away. i figure it looks like a lady bug that had a little accident :-), rode on a little train, ate a funnel cake, and danced her heart out to the Chee Wee's. All in all it was a wonderful day... That is until the next morning when she up-chucked because of all the junk food!

Read with emphasis...

I love my MMG. I. Do. Not. Love. Her up-chuck.

23 days

Seriously? It's been 23 days since I added anything new. Well, I can't do any better than this sad little post saying that I really don't think I have anything new to say (man, I'm dull).

C: Internship
J: Flying
MMG: Daycare & General Awesomeness

Good news...

M has been tear-free two days in a row when I dropped her off at daycare! Yay! Plus, apparently she used the potty chair at daycare today. Does that mean we need to start potty-training at home? I don't think that's something we'll work on until I'm back at home with her.

Things that annoy me...

So, why is it that some people feel like I want to be told that The G looks like a boy? In church, yes I said church, a woman was trying to say hi to my precious baby. When I said, "M, can you say hi?" she said "??? She looks like a boy!" Really? The dress? The barrette? The fact that I JUST said her name was M? Come on lady. That's not polite.

1 week down, 9 to go!

Well, let me start off with the good stuff. I love the people I'm working with at my internship, I love being in the library, and I feel like I'm learning a lot.

Now, on to the not so good stuff. Miss G is a MESS!!! She cries when we drop her off at daycare. She cries when we pick her up from daycare. She's cried ALL night long 2 nights this past week. It is breaking my heart!!! Plus, she's sick. Which I'm sure is typical of kids new to daycare. Between Tuesday and Thursday the poor thing (and her poor parents) only got about 12 hours of sleep TOTAL! Last night was better but J (bless him) was up with her 3 times. And, for a girl (me, not The G) who's used to napping during the day was pretty sluggish at work Friday.

It feels like having a newborn all over again. Sleepless nights. A total lack of confidence in what I'm doing. And wondering when I'll sleep through the night again.

AND, to top it all off I'm not getting paid for all my efforts. Bummer.

First day

Nap mat. Check
Pillow. Check.
Blankie. Check.
Backpack. Check.
Change of clothes. Check.
Diapers. Check.
Shot records. Check.
Check (for payment). Check.
All of these things were ready to go Monday morning for M's first day of daycare.

However, these two things were NOT ready.

Mommy. Miss G.

Last day

Tomorrow is my last (weekday) to spend with Miss G for a while. I'm starting my school library internship on Monday and she's off to day care. While I know there are weekends and evenings yet to be spent with my little pumpkin, those days won't be the same. I am excited about the internship but it's also breaking my heart to give up my days with The G. At this point, it's only temporary (10 weeks) but I might try to get a job later so this really could be it. Pooh.

Cataloguing the blog

I decided that since I hadn't added any 'milestones' in 9 months, I should put something else in the section to the side of the blog entries. So, I'm putting them in this post as a way of archiving these important achievements in Miss G's life (ahem, I guess I'm giving it away that I haven't filled out every tiny little entry in her baby book)

MMG Milestones
walker extraordinaire!!! -- 12.4.08
I'm crawling!!! -- 9.4.08
my first cold (from daddy) -- 8.22.08
clapping (for myself after I sat up, of course) -- 8.19.08
Sitting up all on my own -- 8.19.08
1st Tooth!!! -- 7.24.2008
waved...seriously, she did it -- 7.04.2008
Started sitting up -- 6.24.2008
FINALLY rolled over --5.17.2008
MMG slept through the night -- 4.8.2008
1st smile -- 1.26.2008
1st bath -- 12.30.2007

And, the new addition to the blog...Miss M's Musings. Just new words and fun things that she says. We'll see if I do a good job of keeping them updated.

It's been hectic, to say the least

July was a hectic month for us. I've been working feverishly on my school work, we went to Arizona, North Carolina, and are now in Missouri. Whew, we're tired.

in Red Rock Country outside of Sedona, AZ

On The Blue Ridge Parkway just outside of Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The G just looking totally awesome

Look how much I've grown!!!

This picture is of me last October at 10 months old.
And this is me at 1 1/2.
I am SO big!

It's been awhile...

So, Grandma Boo and PaPa were in town the past week visiting. I was enjoying it too much to post anything but I'll try to catch up on what's been happening. M is almost 1 1/2 so we had a mini celebration and surprise, surprise, she got a few presents. The best is our new playset for the backyard.

As you can see, the grand-p's love her very much!!!

more climbing

Hello. My name is MMG and I love to climb. I need an intervention quick before my mommy loses her mind. Is there rehab for climbing? Some fancy center with yoga and icky protein shakes where everyone is famous and using an alias? I think my alias would be Gemadia. Sounds mysterious, doesn't it?

Little Curl

There was a little girl who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead;

When she was good she was very good indeed,

But when she was bad she was horrid.

Memorial Day Weekend

We went to exciting and lively town of Wichita Falls, TX for Memorial Day weekend. I know, I know. It doesn't sound exciting to you but it was THE BEST!!! Our most awesomest friends live there and we spent the entire weekend doing a whole bunch of nothing (although I think I ate more in those 4 days than a normal week here at home. Darn you Brooke and your chocolate chip cookies!). Anyway, I only took two pictures the whole time and they are successive shots (so really I just got one). But, I have to say it's SOOOO cute.

Being The G or a "G"???

So M's been pretty spunky lately, mostly in a good way! Here are a couple pictures that make me wanna kiss my computer screen. Her awesomeness grows every day! She's been climbing on EVERYTHING. This one's pretty mild because I'm usually too busy getting her down from the tabletop, back of the couch, etc to snap a pic of the more ambitious scaling adventures.
In this pic she's saying "Big G in House!" She's our little gangsta!

This is her first corn on the cob. It was soooo cute to watch her figure it out! She licked all the butter off before she took a bite!

Visit to the plantations

Visions of Gone with the Wind come to mind when I hear the term plantation and my expectations were fairly appropriate. Here in southern Louisiana they farmed sugar cane, not cotton, and still do today. We visited 2 places, Oak Alley (awesome) and Nottoway (snobby & pretentious). We couldn't take the stroller inside on the tour and our Miss G doesn't like to be held so she didn't make it one minute before J took her outside. But, because she's SOOO cute and the tour guide ladies couldn't resist the father/daughter duo, they got a private tour after the large group was done. There's nothing like a man and a baby to encourage people to be super-nice!!!

Josh, G, & I in front of a three-hundred year old live oak.

Oak Alley has a 1/4 mile walk-up from the Mississippi lined with 28 (I think) live oaks. It's breathtaking!

Josh & The G on their private tour.

The G & Aunt J in front of a live oak.

Hangin' with Aunt J

Miss G and Aunt J have been having a wonderful time playing together! The G is showing her all of her tricks and playing with the new wagon Aunt J brought.

We went to the zoo and had a wonderful time. It was a toasty 87 degrees here today and Aunt J isn't quite acclimated to our southern weather. Tomorrow we're off to see some of the famous River Road plantations here in Louisiana.

Ungardening

So, I've been doing a little gardening lately. I planted some caladiums in a small bed in the back corner of the yard and also cucumber, cherry tomatoes, basil (my favorite), and chives in pots on the patio. While I am doing my best to keep them alive, M is more of an "ungardener." Check out this little clip to see what I mean!

A few of my favorite words...

Miss G's vocabulary is growing everday. Besides "uh-oh" "oh man" "oh no" and the all encompassing "dah", she's starting to say things that I actually recognize. This morning she said "nose" and she also says "dog" "da" (meaning Dad, not to be confused with dah). I'm still anxiously awaiting "mama" but I figure that when she crawls from J's lap to mine that's good enough.

Trip to Florida

Last weekend J, The G, and I went to Panama City, FL. I had to take a test for school (don't ask, agh!) and we made it into a mini vacation and a visit with our friends. The weather was nice although not great for the beach but we headed out anyway and M loved playing in the sand. Here are a few shots of her and J (I can always count on him to dig a big hole in the sand!).

Getting hurt when trying to help the environment

OK, so I was trying to be environmentally friendly today by drying the quilt for our bed outside instead of in the dryer. And what do I get for my efforts...bird poop! Seriously. So instead of using the energy to dry the dumb thing, now I have to wash it again AND dry it in the dryer anyway so I can use it tonight. Being green = bah!

Happy Easter!

I hop (I mean hope :-) everyone had a wonderful Easter. It's such a promising time. There is new life all around us, outside in the blooms and blossoms, and within with Jesus Christ our Savior. This time of year makes me miss England and seeing all the baby lambs, pigs, and calves in the fields (stinkin' US. Why are all the animals locked away in barns or mucking it up in feed lots?!). It always overwhelms me with a sense of excitment and enthusiasm for things to come. We had a wonderful weekend of dying Easter eggs, celebrating the resurrection with our church family, and then having a wonderful lunch with friends.

This was The G's first time dying eggs and she really got into it. We took everything outside, coated her with SPF 50, and let her have at it. She broke 6 of the 12 eggs but we dyed and hid them anyway.


She was also a pro at egg hunting.

Multiple MMG's

So my mom and dad recently sent a request for Multiple MMG's. Is that a hint that they want another grandchild or just an exact clone of Miss G to keep at their house? As The G goes on a destruction rampage through our house I'm thinking that the clone is more likely:-)

Just like everyone across the US, we're experiencing a bit of cold (OK, cool) weather and I sure am glad we played outside as much as we did over the weekend! We're off to do a little shopping today and I've got to find a jacket for M. She's outgrown most of her winter stuff and I didn't buy a jacket because, come on people!, it's April in New Orleans!!!

First bike ride

J & I took G for her first bike ride on Wednesday. It was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day. We went to Abita Springs (north of Lake Ponchatrain) for lunch then rode on the Tammany Trace trail. It's part of the program Rails to Trails where old unused railways are turned into bike/walking/jogging paths. I'm not usually one to get into causes but this is something that I can really stand behind. The paths are beautiful because even if they run through towns, they are surrounded by trees so only a few of the icky run-down trailers that were once right next to the tracks peek through :-). Unfortunately, in an effort to take the more scenic route in the swamp, we (OK, I), sent us the wrong direction (northwest instead of south...what is it about this darn state that makes me lose my sense of direction?) and we ended up going through a town. It wasn't bad because the trail was marked but we had to ride on some small streets with traffic (minimal) which we didn't want to do with The G. It was still a great success, for J and I at least. M sat in her little bike trailer much like she does in her stroller. She just gives us the "OK, I'll tolerate this because I love you guys but this isn't my idea of fun" face. She's just too wiggly to be constrained for any amount of time right now. The best part was her bike helmet. AWESOME!!! Do you all get tired of me saying awesome? I use it a lot when talking about the G but it just describes her so perfectly!

Copycat

M has turned into quite the little copycat these days. Last night, J was thinking that his throut was sore so he had me look at it with the flashlight. It took awhile to see because I guess he has a really fat tongue or is just incapable of holding it down (I'm not sure which one and that's probably too much information). Anyway, afterward, M came up to me with the flashlight. She tried to turn it on but couldn't push the button hard enough so I turned it on for her. I tried to hand it to her but she pushed it away, stuck her little tongue out (and it is so tiny and cute), and said "ahhhhh." My baby is the BOMB. She's such a genius. So we spent a couple minutes looking in each other's mouths with the flashlight. All in all a great Wednesday night.

Also, she turned 15 months yesterday which warranted another doctor appointment. She hasn't grown at all in the past 3 months. Still 30 inches and 20 pounds. I described her eating habits, etc and the doctor said we were doing the right things so who knows?!? But, since J is gone tonight I'm gonna try and fatten her up with grilled cheese... lotsa butter and 2 slices of cheese! Oh, I'll have one too I think!

Lazy bum!

M is perfectly capable of holding her own bottle. In fact, she uses a sippy cup most of the time now. But, when we give her that last bottle before she hits the hay, she just flops down in my lap (or the lap of whoever has the pleasure of holding her for the 3 minutes she's still each day), flops her arms to the side, and is totally and utterly useless. She refuses to hold it. Crazy baby!
Also, does this look like a happy girl or what?!? I have a hard time explaining her awesomeness.

Mighty MO

The G and I are livin' it up at my mom & dad's in Missouri. We're enjoying the company but NOT the weather. I usually don't mind chilly weather (love sweaters, hats, and scarves) but G & I have gotten used to going outside everyday to play (plus she sleeps so much better after she runs around and wears herself out). It's not just cool, it's downright cold. The wind is biting but at least there's some sunshine today. I'm usually such a big fan of MO (especially when something in New Orleans has ticked me off) but this gives me a reason to be glad I live in NOLA. M wore shorts and a t-shirt the day before we came home for goodness sakes!

Is this cute or what???

I have to say that my favorite times these days are those spent watching J and M together. I especially love it when I know they don't realize that all eyes (ok, just mine) are on them. Almost every night my two favorite people make a trip to the mailbox together and I caught them in the act this time.

It makes me sad for so many of my friends whose husbands are off being heroes while they're home being heroes to their kids (love you Candie, Tiffany, and Kristin).

Baking Part II

So, everything turned out great!!! But, I remember why I don't like to bake... all the dishes to wash when I'm finished!
The finished product
The outside wasn't very pretty after I took off the springform ring but it sure did taste good
You definately want to let it sit in the fridge at least 4 hours. I have to admit that we cut into it after only 2 1/2 hours and it was good, but was even better today!