Rough Start, Great Finish!

Ok, so this morning was a HORRIBLE morning!  I woke up, and I hadn't had enough sleep, I wasn't able to get ready in my own time, and I was just MAD.  Not really mad because of anything, I was just overwhelmingly ANGRY!  I was so mad that I started to cry.  There was no reason for my anger...I mean, Jenni was a little irritable this morning, and Sean was a little difficult, but nothing I haven't handled before. I finally came to the conclusion that I was under attack.  See, when I said, "You just go with Jenni and I'll stay home from Church."  I started to feel even more angry.  And then when I said, "Maybe we should just stay home." I started to feel even MORE angry.  Then I said, "NO.  Because then he has won.  We need to go to chuch."  The anger started to subside.  Then when we were at church the anger started to be just a lingering memory.  Then, by the time the service was over and I was mingling with some of my sisters in Christ, the anger was gone.  The sermon was a great one too.  Huge about how we need to have friends in Christ.  We can't just go along by ourselves, because two are better than one.  We need to reach out and hold peoples' hands through the tough stuff, and through the good stuff too.  Not just rely on God, but to really reach out and have a community, or a support group of people around us who love us too.

So, then we went to Sean's parent's house and had quesadillas for lunch.  Then we came home, and Stephanie and David came over for coffee.  We got to hang out with them.  Chillax, talk, laugh.  It was such a blessing.  Then, we got to go over to Samm and Luke's for dinner.  Samm is such a great cook.  I was so happy to just be hanging out with them.

So, needless to say, my day ended up being pretty awesome!  I even had to take Jenni to the doctor because I thought she might have an earache or ear infection, but she was good to go, and it only took us 15 mins at the hospital...I think it was a world record.  Then Samm came back here and we had a great time just chatting it up, just us girls!

Just goes to show that Satan has no power, and that God will always prevail!!!!

New Surroundings

So you may have noticed that I changed the look of my wonderful blog.  This idea came to me from the motivation of a very good friend.  See, I have been living in an almost constant state of clutter.  There are always "things" just hanging around.  But, today I decided to start on the big "de-clutter".  So far I have thrown out 2 big orange garbage bags worth of junk, and I have put a bunch of stuff into storage.  I started in my bathroom, and got stuff figured out so that my makeup was all in one fancy box, my nail polish in another, and my hair ties and bobbie pins in yet another.  I have all my bath stuff in one area, all my lotions in another.  It was great to get everything sorted out.  I even got Christmas put away (Yes I realize that it is January 29th and I just got Christmas put away, but hey...welcome to my life.)
I still have a few places that are cluttered, but I think, in a good way...and at the end of February, that very same friend who got me to do this in the first place, is going to come over and help me really de-clutter.  I mean...really see what I want to keep and what I need to get rid of, and what really fits with what I am trying to do, and what just makes the space too crowded.  She will help me do wonders in my home.  I am REALLY excited.

I know, It is going to be AWESOME!!!

So this leads me to my blog.  I needed something that was really girly, and really portrayed my personality.  I know that my house does that, but I can't live this way any more....so, I have my one little place of organized chaos, that I can really call all my own.  I don't have to impress on here, I don't have to make sure that everything is perfectly clean so that others won't judge me...I can just be myself...my messy messy self.

Jenni telling me that she thinks I am crazy!

Yeah, that is another thing.  I love it when my house is clean, and everything is in order, and everything has a place...it is like a little snippit of peace.  But, as well as I am able to clean, I am not very good at keeping it that way.  I just get messy...and it doesn't help that my husband is the same way.  So, today I managed to get my kitchen clean, and I am hoping that it will stay that way.  I know that Sean is "trainable" because I have gotten him to start using a laundry basket, and close the shower curtain...but, who knows if this is something that we can do together, or if it will be a battle I will have to fight on my own.  We will see.

On a completely different note...I was just thinking about how perfectly cute my beautiful baby girl is, and how much she looks like both me and Sean.  So, I thought I would get some baby pics of the two of us and show you what I mean.

Sean

Jenni on Sean's 24th Birthday

Jenni at 3 months

Me

Why so mean?

So, I don't really have a lot to report today.  I have had a crazy busy day with my wonderful friend Cynthia.  I have one word that describes that woman...INSANE!  She has 5 beautiful children under the age of 10.  FIVE KIDS!!!??  It is insane.  And, her house is actually rather small, and so it is just a little heart wrenching watching her do the dance that is juggling the children.  But, regardless of her state of mind, she is an amazingly wonderful friend, and I enjoy all the time I get to spend with her.

But, I think the real reason for my blogging today is because my heart is breaking for my big brother.  He is actually a pretty nice guy when you really get to know him, but he is kind of like Shrek.  A bit of an ogre, but he has layers.  His top layer is very hard and jaded and kind of ugly, but if you can break down past that first layer it does get better.  You just have to take the time to get past the green skin with the funny trumpet-like ears.

Anyhoo, I thought that my brother (we'll keep going with the Shrek analogy, because I just watched the 4th one, and it was cute!) had found his Fiona.  She was a wonderfully sweet woman, who was beautiful to boot, and she had two great kids.  They were in love with Jenni.  So cute!!!  Well, big brother was getting too attached, I think, and he decided to break it off with her.  Stupid choice in my opinion, but hey, it's not my life.  Well, I was on FB today to check out stuff, and I saw a post from her.  So, I clicked on her page and read what was on there.  Some of the things that were said about my big brother were really hard to read.  See, I know that he is a bit of a butt head, but I also know that he does NOT deserve to be knocked down like that in public.  I just hope that he is not too scarred by what happened.  I know that once he sees himself getting those wall knocked down he does his best to build them back up.  It is his version of self preservation.  I just wish that he didn't have to hurt people in the process...that way he wouldn't get hurt in return.  See, that is just it.  I know that what was said was right.  He deserved to hear the words, because I know that he broke her heart first.  I just wish it wasn't so public.  I really liked "Fiona" (Just to be clear, the analogy doesn't work out the greatest, because the girl was not an ogre.  She was wonderful...so, it is more from the first movie when she is human...I guess...well...just...yeah.  Take it how you want to I guess....) and I thought that she would one day be a part of my family for real, but I guess not.  I hope that he finds someone to make him happy.  I think he deserves it.

A Mouse in the House

Ok, so I like to think that my house is not dirty, just lived in.  I do have a messy house, 9 times out of 10, but my house is not dirty.

But, on Monday I got the shock of a lifetime.

Hayden and I were baking cookies, and I told him that one of the most important part of baking is cleaning up afterwards.  So, I proceeded to fill the sink with hot water.  It was a lot hotter than I had expected, so I couldn't get the cutlery from the bottom of the sink until the water cooled down a bit.  So, we finished baking the cookies, and made some green playdough, got Teya out of bed, and I went to go finish the dishes.  So, I washed a bowl, and a pot, and I reached down to the bottom of the sink to get out the cutlery, and low and behold...A MOUSE!  When I wasn't looking a gross, disgusting mouse had fallen into my dish water.  YUCK...Well, needless to say, I SCREAMED bloody murder, scared Hayden and Teya half to death with the sound, and proceeded to call my husband.  He was at work, but sometimes when he has to go to the bathroom really bad, he will come home to use our toilet.  So, he picks up the phone and the first thing I say to him is, "Hi Honey, do you have to poop?"  He laughs and tells me no, and asks why.  I tell him the whole frightening story.  He says that I have to get the mouse out of the sink because he doesn't want the grossness to get into the pores of the sink.  So, I have to get this mouse out of my sink.  I can't do it with my hands,  because I just can't touch that thing again, so I find some tongs in my drawer.  I then proceed to fish the mouse out of my sink.  It was so yucky.  And the whole time Hayden is watching me in wonder.  I finally show him the soaking wet mouse as I put it into the garbage.  He thought it was cool, but not me.  I still get the heeby-geebies just thinking about it.  And, normally I am not afraid of mice, but when you reach into your sink expecting dishes and get a mouse, it is pretty traumatizing.  *shudder*

So, that is my mouse in the house story.  In all reality I should have not had to tell this story because I have two cats and a mouse keeper-awayer, but c'est la vie.  I guess it happens.  Apparently when my mom was a kid, my Oma found a mouse in their milk carton...after everyone had already had their cereal!  Yuck!!!!!  So, it happens to the best of us.  And now my kitchen is really clean, because yesterday I cleaned everything with bleach.  Hayden asked me why he could smell the swimming pool.  So cute!

On the much brighter side, I got a short visit from my friend Wendy this morning, and her two beautiful children.  AND...it is only 16 more days until I get my kitchen redone.  YAY!!!  I will post pics on the day of.  I am so stoked!!!!!

Too Liberal VS Too Conservative?

Ok.  So I am having a hard time.  At our Ladies Bible Study we are doing "Lord is it Warfare? Teach me to Stand!"  That is all fine and good, but it just seems to me like a lot of the ladies in our study are soooo conservative.  I am more liberal in my thinking.  I think that we should expose our children to certain things of the world while they are at home so that I can be the one to answer their questions with my knowledge and understanding of what God wants from us.  I think that there is nothing wrong with Harry Potter if you sit down with your children and explain to them that it is just a make believe world, and that Harry Potter and Hogwarts...etc...do NOT exist, but Witchcraft DOES exist and it is bad.  AND...if they start wishing that they had magic powers then that is when Satan gets control.  Yes there is a fine line between good and bad, and children can be swayed so easily, but is it wrong to let you children have childish treats (like Disney princess movies) and explain to them the difference between imagination and reality??  Granted...not all disney princess movies are good.  I will NEVER have "Princess and the Frog" in my home, or support my little girl watching it because it is DOWN RIGHT evil.  Voodoo does exist and it is SO real, and that is not make-believe because it is a cartoon.  Those things really happen...That is REAL!  And scary.  But a fairy god-mother is not going to show up and turn a pumpkin into a horse drawn carriage to take you to the ball...and mermaids don't even exist in real life.  I think that is where discretion comes in as a parent.  Only you know your child and what they are susceptible to.  I am not going to let my friends' kids watch movies that I haven't okayed with them first...and I expect the same courtesy from them.  But, why are little boys allowed to watch Indiana Jones and StarWars, but little girls shouldn't be allowed to watch Cinderella?

I just feel like I am stuck between a rock and a hard place.

4 Sleepers and 2 nightshirts

Last night was the WORST night of my entire life so far.  It was horrible.

Jenni has that horrible cold that is going around and it has settled itself into her sinuses and chest.  SO, me trying to get her healthy was trying to get her to sleep as much as possible.  Let me start at 5:00pm

5:00pm: Jenni wakes up from an almost 3 hour nap.  What a good girl, sleeping so long.  She is up playing, drinking her bottle...then a HUGE blowout and there is poop everywhere, so I take her, and change her, and put her in a sleeper.

6:00pm: Jenni is rubbing her eyes, getting tired, so I try to put her down again.  She doesn't want to go down, and so she is talking in her crib.  Well, then she starts coughing.  Not fun.  Then she starts crying, which is making the coughing worse.  I go and retrieve her from her bed.  She is happy!

7:00pm: Sean tries to feed Jenni some solid food.  She likes it at first, but 4 or 5 bites in, she starts rubbing her eyes, and gagging.  Key sign that she wants to go to bed.  Meanwhile, as all this is happening, I am ALSO sick as a dog, and just want to lay on the couch and watch Grey's.  So, Sean puts Jenni to bed, and we have the same issues of the coughing and the crying which just makes the coughing worse.  So Sean gets her up...Her sleeper is soaked because of snot and drool, so we change her sleeper.

8:00pm:  Jenni still won't go down.  She has drooled and snotted over another sleeper, so we decide to give her a bath.  She loves her baths.  She was happy as a clam in her bath.  It worked wonders.  So, we took her to her room, put her in yet another sleeper, and tried to put her down....TOUCH DOWN.  She went to sleep.  HOORAY!!!!!

9:00pm:  OH NO!!!  Jenni woke up.  And now it is BAD news.  She won't stop screaming.  So, I have her in my arms, and I am pacing up and down the main room in our house.  She starts to calm.  Sean gets out of the shower, takes her from me so that I can get some sleep.  He starts pacing.  She starts crying.  I guess this was a mommy only job, because she would only settle for me.  So, I go to her room to the rocking chair in there.  She is screaming in my arms and is mad that we are not moving.  So, Sean makes her a bottle, and she is happy with that.  She falls asleep in my arms, but I am in the rocking chair and I want to be sleeping in my bed.  So, I try to get her into her bed...No dice.  She wakes up.  She starts screaming.  So, then I offer her the bottle again.  She takes it, she is eating...she starts coughing....coughing turns into GIANT burp followed by all of the contents of her stomach...all over me, all over her, all over the blanket that Sean put on us.  GROSS!!!!  So, sleeper #3 off, and I take Jenni into the bathroom, close the door and turn on the shower.  She likes that.  She calms down.  Sean brings in a sleeper for Jenni and a clean nightshirt for me.  We are all calmed down now.  So, back to the rocking chair, because she would not allow me to put her down in her crib.  So, she is now chewing on my finger, and falls asleep again.  I finally get her into her crib and I just want to go to bed.  It is now 11:44pm.

12:37am:  Jenni woke up again screaming.  Her little voice is so hoarse and it is just heart breaking.  I just want to make my little girl feel better.  So, this time we curl up on the couch.  Sean brings us another blanket, and Jenni falls asleep in my arms yet again.  Then, I get hit with a coughing spell.  I woke her up.  Ahhh!!!  So, Sean sucks out her nose with the nose bulb (makes her mad) and then we give her some more tylenol and Sean puts her in her crib.  For some reason that made her happy and she went to sleep.  I climb into bed, feeling like absolute GARBAGE, and realize that it is almost 2:00 in the morning.  I go to sleep

9:15am:  I am awake.  I have a shower and clear my throat, chest and sinuses of mucus.  Gross.  Jenni doesn't wake up until 9:45 and she is now playing in her exer-saucer.  I hope I NEVER have to go through something this horrible again...yet I know it is inevitable.  My poor Punkin!!!

Can it be Warfare

So...I am working on Day two of "Lord is it Warfare, Teach me to stand." and there are a list of questions that are in the book.  I thought that I would write the questions (in bold pink) and answer them on my blog.  Then you can take the same questions and answer them for yourself if you want to.  I will then write the little insert from the book as well.  It is all from the book Lord is is Warfare?  Teach me to Stand by Kay Arthur (C) 2000

Have you ever felt like quitting because the hassle of Christianity was too much?
     Yes.  The last summer that I worked at April Point, I decided that I was tired of being different.  I was tired of being set apart from everyone else.  Everyone else had so much fun outside of work, and I wanted to join them...so I did...and it was NOT worth it, and I had to learn my lesson the hard way, but that was Satan telling me that they were having more fun than me.  But I guess it is 20/20 hindsight.


Do you ever doubt the truth of God's Word or the reality of Christianity?  Have you ever been tormented by blasphemous thoughts against God?
     I have doubted the idea of an almighty being, controlling the universe...but God makes it very clear that He is the way, the truth and the life.  He is our almighty Father, and he does everything for the good of those who love Him.  So, the thoughts I have had, have been fleeting, and pushed out.


Have you ever felt captivatingly drawn, almost magnetized, to the things of the world?
     Of course.  I really wonder who hasn't.  Satan knows what he is doing.  He is making the things of the world seem so inviting.  It is whether you give into those feelings of magnetism or not.  The things of the world are the freshly paved path that is flat and smooth.  The way of the Lord is the dirt path with rocks, roots and other obstacles to overcome.  It is not by any means the easy path to take, and it is hard work to get to the end of the path unscathed.


Is there anything you feel compelled to do or to believe, and yet you know it's not of God?
     No.  Although, if I didn't know the truth, I am sure I would easily be sucked into Mormonism because it sounds very good on the outside...even though it is evil.


Are you bombarded with doubts about God's goodness - His love toward you??
     I used to before I was a mother.  I used to wonder how God could love someone like me because I was so imperfect.  I would hurt Him daily by making poor choices.  But, then I became a mother, and the love I have for my beautiful Jenni is beyond anything I have ever felt before.  She is my wonderful, baby girl.  And I know she is going to make mistakes, and poor choices, but that is not going to stop me from loving her.  So, if I, an imperfect human, can still choose to love my beautiful girl, even when she isn't perfect, then I think God can still love me, even when I am perfect.  And the love of my Heavenly Father is SO much more than the love I have for my earthly daughter.  And that is saying something!!!


Have you ever been plagued by feelings of worthlessness and/or inadequacy?
     I am a woman.  Of course I have been plagued with feelings of worthlessness and/or inadequacy.  I feel like I don't match up to what society wants me to be, what my husband wants me to be, what my family wants me to be, what my daughter will want me to be, what GOD wants me to be.  But, this is my newest journey.  I am learning that all these thoughts are lies from Satan himself.  It is my responsibility to ignore those thoughts and to take up the armor of God to help me fight them off for good.


Even though you've confessed past sins, do you live under a cloud of condemnation?
     That is one thing that I do try to not think.  I have forgiven people in my life for hurting me, and I don't hold it against them.  I don't dwell on the hurt that is there, so I would assume that God would NOT do that to me.


Have you ever felt overwhelmed with depression?
     Yes, but that was chemical.  With my medication I feel great.  But I am sure that Satan tried to use that against me.  I didn't let him win though.


Have you ever thoughts about suicide?
     NO!!!!!


Have you ever been haunted by some derogatory remark, thought, memory, desire that you couldn't shake??
     Yes, I have.


Have you heard voices in your Mind?  Is your mind filled with incessant noise?  Are you afraid to tell anyone?
     No.


Are you filled with anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness?  Even though you realize you are wrong to harbor these feelings, do you feel powerless to deal with them?
     No.


Are you physically sick - yet the doctor cannot find the cause?
     No.


Have you ever been joyfully serving the Lord and been suddenly attacked unjustly?
     Not that I can remember.


Have you remembered that the Christian life IS warfare?
     Yes.


      I believe many Christians live in defeat because they don't understand that when they become children of God they enter into war with the devil himself.
      Not realizing that there is a war raging, they don't know victory is theirs for the taking.  They simply need to find out what God's Word says and live in the light of it!
      Ephesians 6:11 tells us to "put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." ...
     ...If you take God at His Word, it is clear from Ephesians 6 that our enemy is cunning and crafty - out to deceive you, me, and every other child of God.  You're not alone!


      Go back and read the questions [before].  Has the enemy deeived you in any of these areas?  If so, next to the question write out how.


     Doesn't it makes sense that Satan would want to keep you blind to the fact that you are in a war?  After all, you won't take up arms if you don't believe there's a war.


     So there you have it.  Day two (exercise 1) of "Lord is it Warfare?  Teach me to Stand."  I think that this is going to be a good journey to take.  If you want the book, and are interested in the concept...Just let me know.  I can get a book to you...I think.

Lord, Is it Warfare??

So, this morning was the first day of our new Bible Study at Bethel in town.  It was awesome.  It is all about Warfare, and how to recognize it and how to overcome it.  The biggest thing is that we need to be in the word every day.  The first assignment is to memorize Ephesians 6:10-18.  It is the passage about the armor of God.  The Breast plate of righteousness, sword of the spirit, shoes of the gospel of peace, helmet of salvation, and the shield of truth.  So cool!!!!  So, because of kids and such, I have to keep this a short entry, but when faced with warfare, just focus on the word, and put on the armor of God!!!!!

Retraction

I need to make a retraction from my blog.  I was complaining about my husband a few days ago, about how he was not making my life very easy.  That was not right of me.  What I wrote was very disrespectful, and it was a wonderful sister in Christ who told me so.  Yes Sean and I have arguments, and yes I was frustrated, but that disagreement was between Sean and me, not me and the whole cyber world.  So, to make the situation just a little bit better, I am going to tell you all the wonderful things about Sean that I love, and couldn't do without.

Sean is one of the best Daddy's in the whole world.  He treats his daughter like a princess, and he loves her more than anything.
Sean makes me smile.  Even when I am really mad at him, he will make me giggle because he can make any situation lighter.
Sean tells me that I am NOT the girl of his dreams...oh no...I am the woman of his prayers.  That means more to me than being the girl of his dreams.
Sean comes home from work and the first thing he does is say hello and give Jenni and I a hug and a kiss.  Not, "what's for dinner" or anything.  He is very excited to see his family.
Sean puts up with me and my insanity.  I make it sound like I have to deal with so much from him, but the truth is...he has to put up with a WHOLE lot more than me.
Before we go to bed, Sean will ask me if I have used up all my words, and if I haven't, he just lets me talk to him while he is trying to sleep.
Sean is so understanding.  I have a few things that I do just for me in the week, and he doesn't complain about it, he just says, "You go and have fun!"
There are many more things, and they don't come to mind at this exact second, and in all honesty, if I did write them all, it would take me a very long time, and this would be the NEVER ending blog.

Last but not least, I would like to publicly apologize to my amazing husband for disrespecting him the way that I did.  I love you Sean, and you mean the world to me.  God has blessed me with You!!!!

Oh Alberta

Gross, gross, gross!!!  That is all I can say!!!!  Yesterday, I woke up beyond early because Jenni wanted to get up and play.  Strange!  Then she slept all afternoon.  Anyhoo, I looked outside, and it was a GROSS blizzard.  I mean really!!?  It didn't have to be that yucky!!  So, I closed all the curtains, turned up the heat and pretended that it was really actually nice outside.  That worked ok until this morning when I had to get up early, again, to go to worship team practice, and had to trudge through the drifts that were shin high.  Gross!!!  AND...to top it all off, we drove to Didsbury for Ethan & Jacob's birthday (Jan 4), and Dad's birthday celebration at Ryan and Linds' house.  It was fun, but we had to leave early because we didn't want to drive home in the dark.  Totally understandable...and truthfully I have gotten a lot done around the house this evening, but I would much rather spend time with family then do housework.

Also, I have really be struggling with body image.  My whole family is OBSESSED with body image.  My dad actually said to me once, " You were so thin when you were young.  What happened to you?"  It just seems like the whole body image message is being SHOUTED at me at all angles.  I mean, I can distinctly remember being told that I was overweight when I was wearing a size 10/11.  Man would I give my eye teeth to be back there again!!!  I am now lucky if I can get into a 14/15, and usually just go with either a 16 or my old maternity pants because they are more comfortable.  I am working at getting some weight off by doing exercise 3x a week and drinking more water.  If that doesn't help then I will go to changing how much and what I eat.  I just think the biggest thing is that I need to be more active, but even when I get to my goal weight, according to BMI and the doctors, and I am sure my family, I will still be overweight.  Once I am at my goal weight though, I will be happy with my body, and I won't care what other people think.  It is right now, where I know that I am not where I should be that I care when people notice.  Do you really think I need to be told that I need to lose weight??  No, I know it myself already, and it is my responsibility to address the problem...NOT YOURS!!!  The famous Billy Joel lyrics come to mind, "I don't care what you say any more this is my life.  Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone!"  I think that is going to be my new motto.  Just think Billy Joel Tiff, just think Billy Joel!

And, to make matters worse, I know that Satan is using this against me.  The most stupid things have been coming to mind lately.  One being that everyone does have an opinion on me and my body, which I am sure that they don't, but Satan just gets in there and picks picks picks...right where it hurts.

So, if you are thinking about it, just toss a prayer in for me.  Satan has been playing with me lately, and I have been falling victim to his EVIL lies!  I know that God cares for me just as I am, and that he is proud of me for taking care of the body that he blessed me with.  But, I don't want to obsess about how I look or how much I weigh, because that is NOT something I want to pass on to my little girl.  She is going to get enough of that in the world, she doesn't need it at home too!

So, prayer for wisdom, and that Satan will LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!

Ps.  Sean and I are good again.  He is no longer a stinky poop of a man!!!

New Settings

So, as I promised I have pictures of the newly rearranged living room.  I like it for now.  I am still not quite sure if it is what I want for long term, but it is fine for now.

SI have my BEAUTIFUL little girl.  She makes even the most annoying days seem wonderful.  I can't believe how lucky I am to have her.  God is Good!

Here's to Healthy

Ok...so you know how when you start something new you are all gung-ho for it?  Well, at least I am...so here I am, day two of blogging, and I am writing another entry.  I have put pics on my page, edited things more than once over, and probably will continue tweaking my page until I am happy with it.  So, here is another day in the life of this mommy.

So, yesterday evening I was watching The Biggest Loser on TV with Sean.  Usually, while I am watching The Biggest Loser I am eating some kind of junky snack and thinking, "Tomorrow I am going to get my butt in gear and I am going to EXERCISE!"...Well...instead of just sitting there, eating my ice cream, and hoping for the best I got up off my butt and I ran in place/jogged in place/walked in place for 25 mins.  Sean was even there and can verify it.  Afterwards I was sweaty and I felt really good.  I felt like I had accomplished something.  And, to top it all off, I slept like an angel too.

This morning I was going to go to the pool with Jenni and Rachel to do the mom and me aquasize but the stupid pool is closed for the next two weeks.  LAME...so, Rachel and I packed Jenni up in her big pink snowsuit, put her in the stroller and went for a walk.  It feels so great to get up and get out of the house.  I am very happy that I did.

So incase you haven't realized, one of my New Years Resolutions is to get my butt in gear and exercise.  It doesn't even really have so much to do with losing weight (although that is a plus), it has more to do with getting in shape.  I am not in shape at all, and I want to teach my beautiful daughter that exercise is good.  That healthy eating is good...and can be easy if you know how to shop in the right seasons.  Fast and easy is NOT always the best idea, because it is usually packed with empty calories and garbage for your body.  So...here's to eating fruit instead of candy, walking instead of driving, and veggies every night wtih dinner.

  

Now, being the crazy woman that I am I am going to very quietly (because Jenni is sleeping) rearrange my living room.  I hope it looks as good as it does in my head!  Here are pics of before, and I will post the after pics anotehr day.

Well, again, adieu my friends...Until we meet again!

A simple Outlet

I am sitting here, at my computer, in my jammies no less, just thinking about how blessed I am.

My daughter, Jenni, who is the STAR of this blog, is playing next to me with her exer-saucer toys, just enjoying being a baby.

See, today is my lazy day.  Yesterday I went for a walk, did some house cleaning, went to play practice and went to bed kind of late, after watching "The Batchelor"...Lame...I know...but that means - considering that the rest of my week is slightly hectic - that I get to do a whole lot of nothing today.  I can play with Jenni and make dinner, but other than that...I have no responsibilities.

So, this is a good way for me to get my thoughts out.  Use my words, as my wonderful husband would put it.  When I have days like this, I don't go out of the house, I don't particularly want anyone coming here, so how am I to have meaningful conversation?  It's not like Jenni can use her words yet, being 6 months old, so the conversations with her get a little tiring.  For example:

Jenni: "Ahhhhhhhhh"
Me: "Is that so?  Tell me more"
Jenni: "Ahhhhhhhhh, hhhhhuhhhhh, mmmmmmmmm, eeeeeeeee"
Me: "Wow.  That's incredible!"
Jenni: *Giggle*

Most mothers, I am sure, go through this stage, but it seems like it will last forever, and I see myself wishing that she could walk and talk and be a small person...but then I would miss out on all the amazing milestones that she is hurdling over.    Just on Sunday she learned how to shake her head "NO".  Not that she has any inclination of what it means, but when someone shakes their head "no" and she copies them, everyone gets really happy and says, "Good Job Jenni"...so why wouldn't she do it again?  It is SOOOOO cute!!!

Also...Today is my twin nephew's birthday.  Jake and Ethan are now officially 1 years old.  I can't believe that time has flown by SO quickly.  I mean, when you are growing up you hear adults say, "You won't believe how fast time flies." And you think..."whatever...it can't go any faster than it already does, and the 4 months between school starting and Christmas take FOREVER, so it can't be that fast."  Well, like anything else in a person's life you will never know until you experience it.  It's like pregnancy.  Everyone tells you that it is hard work, and that you are so tired, and that in all reality...it kind of sucks, but still you want to be preggers so badly.  Then it happens, and you want to wish it away.  It is NOT all that it is cracked up to be...but would you listen?...NOPE.  It's my way or the highway.  (Whimsey, I know you are reading this and chuckling to yourself because you talk to me until you are blue in the face and I still do what I want...then come back to you and confess that you were right and I should have listened in the first place.)

So, as Jenni is on her play mat, on her tummy, yelling at the picture of a dragonfly, I bid you adieu, because as much as I would love to be on here all day, everyday, I do have some responsibilities that I have to take care of, and the main one would be my precious Jenni.