18 Month Check-up!

I can't believe my little man is 18 months old today! He's growing so fast that it makes me a little scared. As soon as I get used to something new that he's doing, he's off to something else! My husband and I sat in bed last night talking about all the cute little things he used to do, that we are already missing. It almost made me want to get pregnant again, almost! Here's my little man as a newborn...

"Would I be a lush if I had my mimosa without the Orange Juice?"

asks Rachel yesterday at the "Women of the Wedding Party" in Charleston for Mandy!

We were supposed to be at the store at 12, but got there and the owner of the store wasn't there, the doors were locked, and it was super windy outside!

We waited a few minutes, tried here cell phone, waited a few more minutes, and tried again! We finally got in touch with her, and found out that we would have to wait a little longer (actually and hour and a half longer) before she could get there, since she had totally forgotten about the party!

While we waited, everyone's hair completely ruined, we decided to go in the restaurant next door and get a round of mimosas to pass the time. Luckily Mandy had purchased the supplies for mimosas for the party, so once our first round was done, we popped open the bottle of champagne and made another round while standing outside the store, like a bunch of college kids!

A few rounds later, we decided to pop open the tray of fruit and cheese, and the box of cupcakes (yes, the same calorie-packed ones that I so enjoyed the day before) and had a little party outside while we waited.

Once the lady finally showed up, we were ready to get down to business. Mandy tried on her dress for us first, and it is GORGEOUS! Then, bridesmaids started trying on various dresses that had been pulled, and once we found one that we all liked, Mandy had us each try it on so she could take pictures! (I also had another cupcake after we got inside, but don't worry, they were mini-cupcakes!)

All-in-all, it was a GREAT day. Even if we didn't get in the store until 1:30, we had a great outdoor party while we waited, and I truly enjoyed the "girl time"! I was so happy to have a day to catch up with some of my friends that I don't get to see as much as I would like, and I really hope to see them all again very soon!

A Family Fun Day

We had a very busy, but very fun, weekend! I had forgotten how much fun it was to have NOTHING planned on a Saturday! It was rainy, but Mom and I got up and headed garage selling at 7:00 AM! I know, we are a little insane, but it was fun. We saw some very interesting things (and people) and had a great time just hanging out. We also got Clark some great outdoor toys!

By the time I got home (at 9:30) Evans was about to pull his hair out! We decided to head out for the afternoon with our little man. We had a great lunch at Moe's and did some shopping around Sandhills. As we were walking around, Evans' suggested we head downtown and try out Cupcake! Before he finished his sentence, my tail was headed for the car!!!

We decided to get 2 different cupcakes, and share them so we could try both. We got a Vanilla and a Black Bottom, and they were to die for! I'm talkin' I didn't even want to share with Clark! I did though, which is why I think he had a hard time going to sleep that night!

After finishing our cupcakes, we waddled out to the car, and headed home for a much needed workout to burn off all those cupcake calories.

Even with all the calories, we had a much needed family fun day!

A New Favorite

When we decided to move back to the Columbia area from our first little home in Tennessee, we had mixed feelings about where we wanted to live. We considered downtown Columbia, Forest Acres, Lexington, and Blythewood. We loved things about each of these places, but ultimately decided that Blythewood was the place for us.

When we first moved back, we lived with parents (and survived that experience, very happily I might add), and we both fell in love with Blythewood all over again. I mean, who wouldn’t love a place that you can run all your errands (grocery store, gas station, bank, post office, and library, in less than 30 minutes- I kid-you-not!)

Of course, after growing up here, I knew off all the usual places to eat/ hang out that have been here FOREVER! (San Jose being our favorite spot!) There are lots of new places we have found though that we are LOVING!

One that I wanted to share with you today is Maggie’s Market. It’s a great little restaurant that serves everything from hamburgers and hot dogs, to sandwiches and salads, and some southern favorites. (They even have Peach Nehi, which Evans was super excited about! He looked like a kid in a candy shop drinking that thing, probably because it tastes like a liquid Jolly Rancher!)

If you live anywhere in the Blythewood/ Columbia area, or if you’re passing through, you should totally check it out.

You can take a look at their menu at www.maggiesmarket.net!

A good read...

I ABSOLUTELY love to read. I love all different kinds of book, and lots of different authors, but I hardly ever have the time to sit down and enjoy a good book!

I did carve out some much needed time this past weekend to read because it was the first weekend we didn’t have anything going on in a loooong time. My mom had checked out Jenny Sanford’s book, Staying True, from the library, and it wasn’t due for another week, so she asked if I was interested in reading it.

I took it home with me, and decided I’d read a few pages before I went to bed. I couldn’t put it down! I ended up reading the whole thing before the weekend was over! Whether you are a fan of Mark Sanford or not, a Democrat or Republican, or don’t even know about their story (which I’m sure most everyone does thanks to his mysterious trip to Argentina, I mean, hike on the Appalachian Trail) it really is a good read.

Hearing about everything she has gone through, from working on Wall Street, to moving “south”, successfully running her husband’s campaigns, and raising 4 boys, it kinda inspired me to get off the couch and get crackin’!

I guess my next step is to try to convince Evans to run for governor? I totally think I could live in the Governor’s Mansion. Sounds like a good location for a Crown Ball! (Although I guess anything would be better than the Holiday Inn, huh!?!)

Has anyone else read any good books lately that you would recommend?

A First Time for Everything

I was watching Clark play in the bathtub a few nights ago, happily splashing water around, accidently swallowing some, then I heard it, and my heart dropped.

He was grunting! (Red faced and all!)

NOOOOOO! I screamed to Evans, who was in the other room, to come and help as fast as he could. I tried my best to quickly get him out of the tub, but I was too late.

He squeezed it out before I could wrap him up!

Evans got Clark out of the tub, and I promptly clean and disinfected both the bath tub, and all the toys in it! I fully expected poop in the tub at some point, but was still kinda grossed out since it was the first time it’s happened!

As I was scrubbing away, I sat there wondering, “How did I get from sorority formals, to this?!?”

As soon as I walked into his room, and saw him sitting there with a big smile on his face, I thought to myself again, “I wouldn’t trade this for the world!”

This isn't exactly what I had planned...

From the time I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. I could think of nothing better than spending every day with our little man, not missing out on any of the amazing little things he does, and not having to get up and get dressed to go to work!

I had visions of drinking my coffee in the morning and watching FOX News, pajama days, play dates, and plenty of time just enjoying our son.

Our son was born in October 2008, and I was still teaching at the time. I had the option to take up to 12 weeks, but knew I would only get paid for the sick days I had accrued. Well, having only taught for 1 school year, I only had about 3.5 paid weeks, but decided to take 7, which would have me returning to school after the Christmas break. There were several times during my maternity leave that my husband encouraged me to not return to school. As much as I wanted to, I knew that the best thing to do was to finish out my contract with the district.

I went back to school in January, just as sad as I could be. I remember telling my husband, with my tear-filled eyes that I would rather have an epidural every day, than to have to deal with the pain of leaving him. Luckily though, my mom and husband have very flexible work schedules, and were able to bounce him around between the 2 of them from January till June, when I could finally stay home!

I remember just squealing with joy as I walked out of school on June 6th last year, and hurried right home! We had a busy summer with traveling, Vacation Bible School, and get-togethers with friends. Once school started back in August, things started to die down. Everyone was busy with their own things, and I started to get lonely. Now, I was more than excited that I wasn’t starting a new school year, but I began to realize that things weren’t going to be exactly as I had planned.

Some weeks we have so much to do that I don’t even have time to think, but some weeks, like this one, are pretty slow. I LOVE getting to play outside with our son, cooking dinner for my family, and having a nice clean home, but sometimes it gets lonely. Most of my friends aren’t stay-at-home moms, and the ones who are, aren’t close enough to come over for a quick visit.

I do miss having adult conversations, and I really wish I had a close friend nearby who is in the same situation I am. There are 2 houses in our cul-de-sac for sale, and I selfishly pray every once-in-a-while for another stay-at-home mom to move in!

Are there any other stay-at-home moms who feel the same way, or am I just crazy?!?

A Big "Thank you!"

While thinking about my brother- and sister-in-law today (who are currently going through a 12-month deployment), I thought I would make a post about them, and everything they are BOTH sacrificing for our country.

I have known my brother-in-law for 9 years now, and he is a wonderful person! He truly believes in our country, the fact that he is overseas for a reason, and that he is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing. He is a great husband, and a wonderful father. I personally can’t wait to see him with his little man again! He is sacrificing so much to ensure that all of us have to ability to enjoy the rights that we have as American citizens. He is missing out on birthdays, their 2nd anniversary, his son’s baptism, and an entire year with his wife and son.

My sister-in-law is equally wonderful! I talk with her often about what she is going through, and she is truly one of the strongest people I know. Since their sweet little boy was only 2-weeks old, she has done an amazing job of taking care of him by herself, and never once complaining. She has tackled sleepless nights, the joys of breastfeeding, trying to tackle a schedule, and cloth diapers! There are days she doesn’t even get to talk to her husband, and some days when she only gets a minute or two.

I have watched these 2 in amazement the last few months, and pray for them daily. I am so thankful, not just to my brother-in-law, but to all other troops who are serving, or have served, our country. YOU are the ones who have given all of us back home the opportunity to see our spouses every day, to live without fear, and to have the rights that we do.

I am also thankful to all the spouses of these soldiers. These are the women/men who “hold down the fort” while their spouses are away, who take care of children, and are the stronghold for their soldiers. Thank you for sacrificing everything you do! There are people out there who know that you are going through a lot, too.

Please say a prayer for the troops’ safety, and for the strength of their spouses today!

Seriously!

The longer I am out of college, the more I look back at the things I did and think, “Did that really seem cool then?” Evans and I joke all the time about the silly things we did and said. The stupid things we thought were such a big deal then, we wouldn’t even waste time thinking about now.

Generally, you graduate from college, get a job, become a part of the “real world,” and grow up. Generally! It still amazes me to this day how some people choose to live their lives through their college years.

I ABSOLUTELY love my college friends! I would not trade them for the world. We still have a girl’s weekend every year, keep in touch through Facebook and over the phone, and get together for weddings and special events. So I don’t think there is anything wrong with keeping those friends, and talking about special memories you have.
It’s really sad though to see someone post things online and to have her little clique join in taking jabs about something that happened 5 years ago! That’s right 5 YEARS AGO!

So I have written a special note to the “girl” this post is written for:

Dear Skank,
It’s one thing to joke with your friends about silly or stupid things you did back in the day, but it’s totally different to call someone else out, when it’s actually YOU that should be called out for the way you were acting. Just because you’re jealous of the place someone else is in their life, or the fact that they are truly happy, and have made good choices, doesn’t give you the right to act immature. Maybe if you weren’t dating a high schooler it would be a little easier for you to grow up. So I hope you have gotten the message that when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!
Love,
Jamye

"Mommy Time"

When I was in college, my friends and I used to show up late to make an entrance. We called it being on “Zeta Time.” I didn’t show up to classes, work, or internships late, just some events. It didn’t bother me to show up late then, because even when I was late it was on purpose, and I was probably walking in wearing a cute outfit (without drool or food on it)!

Well, it bothers me now.

No matter how early I get up, or what time I start getting ready, I can’t seem to get anywhere on time. Take Sunday mornings for example. We need to leave our house at 9:15 in order to get to Sunday school on time. 9:15 NEVER HAPPENS. It’s usually at least 9:20, but more often closer to 9:30. And that’s after I get up at 6:30!
I have to get up at 6:30, so that I can shower and get myself ready, so that when Clark wakes up, I’m ready to tackle the exhausting task of feeding, bathing, entertaining, and dressing him before we leave. (Now, usually after all this is done, I could really use another shower, but no time for that!) Only after he is ready, am I able to put my clothes on (which have to wait until last b/c there is no telling what may end up on them while getting Clark ready)!

In order to make it out on time, we have to be downstairs by 9:00. There are bags to be loaded into the car (which I have already spent time packing the night before, in order to save myself that time in the morning), possible last minute diaper changes, sippy cups to be filled, a husband who may need a shirt ironed, and a dog to be fed/watered.

Needless to say, even if we do get out the door on time to wherever we are going, I usually need a nap before we get there. (Not that I could nap in the car, because there is almost always a Veggie Tales movie playing that Clark tries to sing-along to!) For a while, I kept thinking to myself, “It will get better when he’s older, and can get himself ready!” I need to just quit trying to fool myself, that’s not how it’s going to be. I’m sure by that point there will be other things that keep me from getting ready on time, but I don’t even want to guess what those “things” might be.

So basically, I think I’ll just acknowledge the fact that I’ll be forever late, and if anyone has a problem with that, they can just get over it!

Oh Boy!

I grew up in a house with 2 males (my Dad and my brother), and have been with my husband for 9 years, but I have learned so many new things about boys since having my son. They are a completely different species than women, and the things they do just crack me up sometimes.

I put Clark in the tub yesterday for his nightly bath, and he proceeded to stand up and urinate. The actual peeing in the tub didn’t surprise me, but he then proceeded to bend over so that he could touch the stream as it fell to the water. The only problem was that when he bent over to grab it, the flow stopped. He would stand up, the flow would start again, he would bend over to grab it again, and it stopped again. After 2 or 3 times, he was either tired of trying, or just didn’t have any left, so he sat down and began playing with his toys.

The bottom line: Boys do weird things! I’m sure that most guys think girls do weird things also, but there is no way that the things we do are as entertaining as the crazy things that males do, but I wouldn’t trade my boys for the world.

A Great Husband

There are days when I look at my husband and just want to scream! Does he not understand where I'm coming from, or does he just not even try? He works so hard to provide for us, and to give me the opportunity to stay home with our son, but sometimes I think he takes everything I do for granted. I think he just assumes that I enjoy washing 4 or 5 load of his laundry a week, picking his dirty underwear up off the floor, cleaning his little hairs out of the sink, and scraping the dried-on food off of his dishes that he leaves in the sink (rather than putting them in the empty dishwasher!)

Today; however, he came home, picked up our son, and took him shopping for the afternoon to buy my birthday presents! He was so excited to spend the day with him, and even made him promise not to tell me what they bought (even though he can't talk yet)!

I know I get frustrated with him sometimes, but I love him more than anything in the world! I know that he does more than a lot of Dad's do, and I truly appreciate everything he does for us. Having him take Clark for the afternoon, or tell me "Thanks" just melts my heart! We have spent 9 years together already, and I'm hoping for 90 more!

Getting Older

Watching Clark get older is has been a blast. There are so many "new" things he is learning to do everyday!

We are in the process of getting his "playground" ready for the summer. We have cleaned up the area, and are putting down mulch (which he loves to help with, one piece at a time). His Papa is working hard on building a swing, and some other pieces for him to play on this summer. He has really enjoyed playing outside lately. I can't wait it to get a little warmer, then I'm shooing his cute little fannie out the door right after breakfast!

We played in the driveway this afternoon so he could ride in his car, and it was much warmer than I thought it was. We decided to sit in the shade on the front porch and eat a freeze pop to cool off. Watching him eat his pop like a big boy made met think about how fast he's growing up. This time last spring, he was so little, and was satisfied just being held. Now, he doesn't like to be held at all!

Watching him grow up so fast is kinda making me want another, but that will have to wait a while. For now, I'm looking forward to our summer, and I'm going to enjoy all the new and exciting things I'm exploring with Clark!