Teatopia

Bucket List

The Bucket List If you want to do this, place an (x) by all the things you've done and remove the (x) from the ones you have not. ). This is for your entire life!

(x) Been to Europe
( ) Been on a cruise
(x) Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school (only in college)
( ) Watched someone die
(x) Been to Canada
(x) Been to Mexico
( ) Been to San Francisco
(x) Washington , DC
( ) Been to Vegas
( ) Climbed a lighthouse
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Seen the Cherry Blossoms in Washington , D..C.
( ) Played cops and robbers
(x) Flown in plane /Helicopter
( ) Watched grandchildren grow
(x) Recently colored with crayons
( ) Been to the Kentucky Derby
( ) Been to Key West
( ) Been to a rodeo
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only?
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't?
(X) Made prank phone calls.
( ) Laughed until some beverage came out of your nose
(x) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(x) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
( ) Seen the green flash at sunset
(x) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies
( ) Owned a convertible
(x) Shot a gun
(x) Been to New York City
(x) Been to England
( ) Swim in the Pacific Ocean
(x) Swim in the Atlantic Ocean
( ) Went to a movie by yourself
( ) Owned a stick shift vehicle

1. Any nickname(s) Yes
2. Body Piercing? yes
3. Any tattoos? NO
4. Birthplace? Columbus, Ga
5. Ever been to Hawaii? no
6. Ever been to Africa? yes!
7. Ever eaten just cookies for dinner? nope, but I've eaten cookies before dinner
8. Ever been on TV? YES
9. Ever steal any traffic signs? no
10. Ever been in a car accident? Yes
11. Drive a 2-door or 4-door vehicle? 4 door
12. Favorite number? 4
13. Favorite movie? You've Got Mail, Blood Diamond, Love Actually, etc
14. Favorite holiday? Christmas
15. Favorite dessert? brownie
16. Favorite food? Indian
17. Favorite day of the week? Saturday
18. Favorite brand of body wash? not sure
19. Favorite smell? coffee, that "new baby" smell
20. How do you relax? massage
21. How do you see yourself in 10 years? a happy homeschooling mommy still very much in love with my husband
22. Furthest place you will send this message? not sure . . .
23. Who will respond to this the fastest? probably no one :-)

Random Thoughts

-- Got in an argument with a very flamboyant man at the shoe store today because I bought Olivia $50 pair of shoes on Friday which she wore to church once and the color scuffed off the front of both shoes. He insisted it was our fault. My argument: they are KIDS shoes. She wore them to church. Once. They should've held up better. I do not like confrontation but dangit, I was not going to be out $50. I won in the end, but I was so upset at having argued so much that it didn't feel like much of a triumph.

-- The second phase of the Chambers Home Edition makeover is now complete. We cleaned out stuff and made room for the playroom, then this past weekend, we traveled to Atlanta to buy out the Container Store and Pottery Barn (an amazing thing happened allowing us to buy her bedding there), and now when the rest of the stuff arrives, we will begin to actually set up everything. Can't wait.

-- Face_book never ceases to amuse me. Gone are the days where you sit and wonder "what ever happened to so-and so?" because in most cases, so-and-so has a Face_book profile where you can learn every last detail of so-and so's life. People I barely knew in high school have asked me to be their friend. I think I know some of them better now than I did back then, and I'm not even on Face-book that much. Even more amazing-- the guy who stalked you in high school, the one who came to the petstore where you worked and continually asked you out even though you he knew you had a boyfriend, who was also hanging around the petstore to see you-- sometimes at the same time as the stalker-- well, even after 11 years, he will again have the opportunity to drive you nuts. Amazing. BTW, I am doing the same thing I did back then. Ignoring him.

Finally, fall!

This past Saturday, we enjoyed our first cold fall day. It was in the upper 40's/low 50's and we decided to take the kids to a local farm to have lunch at their restaurant and ride the hay wagon. The food was yummy, although James made me feel good when he said that my squash casserole and creamed corn blow theirs out of the water. :-) Anyway, after a yummy lunch, we-- including my mom, my dad opted to sit and wait for us-- took the kids on the hay ride, which stopped at a field with pumpkins before returning back to the restaurant.

It was cold and I was relieved Liam was willing to wear a hat, and the fact it was a pumpkin hat made it all the more perfect!

This farm dog followed us everywhere. He chased our hay wagon and even hung out with us while we picked pumpkins.

The kids had so much fun, it was hard getting them to leave and get back on the wagon.

I'm always behind the camera, but James held it for a bit, so here's one of me and my booty. :-)

The sky was especially pretty that day. I love greyish-blue skies. It almost looked like rain, but it was really just a blustery day.

They had a lot of quirky displays made up of antiques and nature . . .

Olivia made friends with one of the horses. She kept saying over and over, "I love you horsie, I love you." She really was a friendly horse.

I love fall. It was such an awesome day. After my last post, my spirits were lifted after a wonderful weekend and a playdate invitation yesterday where we had a great time with a bunch of other moms and kids!

Feeling Pathetic

Every once and a while, I feel really lonely. I have an awesome family and precious children who keep me from ever feeling truly lonely, but sometimes there's nothing like a good girl friend. And I haven't had a close one in a while.

There are a few things going on that are responsible for me feeling so bummed. For one, I usually attend a breastfeeding moms group once a week where I have several mommy friends, but because of flu season, only small babies and their moms are able to attend. I'm one of the only ones with an older toddler or without someone to watch mine and so I can't go. Bye bye weekly socialization.

The other one which has me feeling not just lonely but also completely baffled is this: one of my friends didn't invite us to her daughter's birthday. After seeing the pictures on FB, it looks like we were the only ones not invited. We haven't had a falling out. She came to my kids' parties and I'm completely hurt and confused. I asked her this morning via text message if she was upset with me because I felt left out of her life lately, and she said no and said that some family stuff had happened (true-- I knew this) and that it wasn't personal. Still, why were we the only ones left out? It really hurts. If she can't be honest with me, then I'm not sure she's someone I want to be friends with, but it still hurts. We are in the same circle. She's the one who highlights my hair, so it's not like we were just casual friends. We've had playdates and talked about really personal stuff before. I helped her with another friend's shower. Seriously, I'm really confused. I wish I'd questioned her directly about it, but after getting nothing much from her when I texted her, I figured what was the point? Finally, I decided to leave a comment on a photo she posted on her FB page-- a photo of the party and I simply said, "Wish we could've been there." Nothing accusatory about that. I should mention that she did my mom's hair a couple months ago and ruined it. But I wasn't mad at her and I can't see why that would affect our friendship.

I know everything changes when you have kids. They become the center of the universe (as they should) but I stil have room in my life for a good friend. I'm praying God brings one to me.

Update: Just got a message from C. She said that she is really sorry. She sent out e-mails when the invites she ordered had a mistake on them and that she left out other friends too. She said she wants to do something special with me to make up for it. Guess I feel a little better . . . I think she is being truthful. She is very spacey. VERY.

Holey underwear, James's fauxmance

Don't have much to blog about today. I'm still tired from everyone being sick over the weekend, and I ran way too many errands today-- in the rain of all things-- I must be nuts. I think I managed to upset everyone in he library with my screaming toddler who wanted to do nothing but climb up and down the steps. I cut our visit very short, but he screamed the whole time I was in line to check out, but dang it, it was hard finding those books with his squirming all over and I was bound and determined to get them! Note to self though: leave Liam at home next time. We go to the library at least once a week and it's just too hard to bring him.

Now for the funnies:

I've been meaning to buy poor James some new boxers because almost all of his have holes in them, right smack in the back. I joke that he blew the holes out with his gas. LOL. Anyway, the other night, Olivia was following James around telling him a story (she can talk your ear off) and in the middle of her story, she said, "Daddy, you really need new panties. You have too many holes in your fanny. You should go the the grocery store to buy new ones. Target is the best."

The other one: James is good friends with a co-worker who is a very proper Indian guy. I love he and his wife and they are always sending me yummy food. I've started sending treats and things to them through James, and finally the other day, James's friend said "I think it's better if you only bring stuff to us when you come over. They guys have been making fun of me when you bring muffins to me and stuff." I got the best laugh out of it picturing this poor guy when James is bringing him plates of cookies and stuff all the time. Ha! Obviously, everyone at work knows James and his friend have families and stuff, but guys are so weird about appearing gay. Too funny. James doesn't think like that (obviously, since he's been delivering baked goods to another guy) and I doubt his friend did either until other guys starting teasing his friend. Get over it, but funny anyway.

Family, Fall in Florida

I'm sorry I haven't mentioned anything about our beach trip. We've all been sick with a stomach virus-- everyone but James and thank goodness for it because I needed his help! Both kids threw up over the weekend, which meant loads more laundry. Yesterday, I felt awful. I never threw up, but I felt dead. I spent much of the day on the couch and could hardly move. I had no energy and felt achy. I feel better today, though I'm still tired. We're enjoying a quiet, rainy day at home. You couldn't pay me to go anywhere today. :-) Liam is enjoying watching the "wawa" (water) out the window.

I wanted to share a moment I had last night with Liam. As parents, there are a million wonderful moments we share with our children, but last night will be one of my most treasured. After feeling so terrible yesterday, I dreaded Liam's inevitable nighttime wakings. I knew James would help me, and he did, but I generally nurse Liam at least once in the middle of the night. I'm planning on night-weaning him soon, but that's another story. Anyway, I got up with Liam the first time he woke up and had just gotten him back to sleep. I crawled back into bed and was just drifting back into precious slumber when I heard Liam on the monitor: "Mama! Mama! Mamaaaaaa!!!!" I know I muttered a choice word (and I hate that I sometimes do this) but as I was getting out of bed, I listened. Liam sounded so sweet. Not mad or even that fussy, just wanting. He just wanted me. I went to his room and opened the door. He was still half asleep, trying to sit up. I scooped him up and tried to cradle him, but he leaned forward and with his eyes still closed, he kissed me, long and wet, on the lips. Then he put his head on my shoulder, sweetly saying "mama. mama" and went right back to sleep. I felt tears in my eyes. God knew I needed this. I was so tired and annoyed as I often am at night because my kids don't sleep but Liam melted my heart and reminded me that God never gives us more than we can handle. What a sweet, precious boy I've been blessed with! I've said it before, if I had had my pick, I probably wouldn't have chosen a boy. I grew up with a sister and would've been thrilled for Olivia to have a fellow Barbie player and tea party partner, but thank goodness we can't choose for ourselves. My son is my heart. The relationship with a mother and a son is as unique and special as a mother/daughter relationship. I feel so fulfilled being able to experience both.

Our trip to the beach was pretty special, too. We always go to Florida in the middle of the summer because it's typical vacation time and it's when my mom is off (my parents always go with us). Even this year we went for a few days in July. I was unsure about going in the fall, but it was the best trip ever. The temperature was perfect and made everything we did outdoors more fun because I wasn't sweating like a pig. The ocean water was just warm enough and the breeze was awesome. We dined al fresco when we could and it felt so nice. The humidity was gone (but it's still here in Georgia). The roads weren't crowded. We barely waited to get into restaurants. The beach wasn't crowded either. I just loved it. The prices were awesome too. We got such a good deal on our condo.

The kids had so much fun playing outside at a play area in one of the shopping centers. I played some of the time, and then enjoyed watching them while sipping a white mocha. When we were here in July, Liam was a brand new walker and couldn't play very well. What a difference a few months makes!

Liam still doesn't like the sand. Maybe next year. Olivia loves it!

This was taken before the beach, but I've been meaning to share it. Olivia decided to "do" Liam's hair. He was innocently eating and the next thing I knew, Olivia came in with a comb and hair products. He was very good and let her style his hair. :-)

Back to the beach: Olivia loved playing on the big horse in front of PF Changs. We put Liam up there for a minute too so we could take a picture. James stodd by in case he tried to escape. We could not get Olivia to smile. She kept making funny faces!

We've been buying things for Olivia's new room and the playroom gradually. The plan is to have everything done in the next few weeks. We are planning to go see James's family in the beginning of November, so that might delay it. Oh, and James's great Grandma Janney is still hanging on. She was doing much better, but then they took her off her meds because they were affecting her heart. We're not sure what's happening. Anyway, at the beach I got some time to myself and explored this incredible (but expensive) boutique for ideas. Got some great ideas for sewing and decorating!

Aren't these pillows gorgeous?

I love the way this furniture is painted. I'm thinking about repainting an old bookshelf for the playroom.

James is bothered by my pillow obsession. He thinks decorative pillows are pointless and usually tosses them off the couch or bed when he's laying down. Luckily, Olivia shares my affinity for pretty pillows. I thought these little pretties where inspiring too.

Well, I'm off to check on my crockpot chili. Chili is the perfect dinner for this dreary day!

Out of time

Many of us are at the age where we're losing our grandparents. Amazingly, James not only has his grandparents, but his great-grandma is still alive. We've been planning a trip up north to see his family, mainly his great-grandma because she hasn't been well. We've bene planning on going in the next month. We want Liam to meet his great-great grandma. How many people can say they've met a great-great-grandparent? Olivia has a picture with Grandma Janney from when she was around Liam's age and we wanted her to see Liam before she goes.

Well, I just got a message from James's grandma that Great Grandma Janney is in the hospital and not expected to live past today. I'm just so upset. I wanted her to see Liam and for him to meet her, even though we won't remember. But he's always have that precious photograph. I've always loved her. She's just one of those people I could talk to forever.

(from left to right: James's Great Grandma Janney, James's Grandma, James & Olivia, and James's Mom)

I'll never forget her kindness when we took Olivia to see her. Olivia was nearly 14 months and still breastfeeding. She wanted to nurse even more up there because everything was unfamiliar. When word got around that Hannah was "still breastfeeding Olivia" I was concerned where to nurse her because I felt uncomfortable. Now I am more confident and armed with information and will gently, but eagerly, tell anyone who criticizes (or is merely curious) about the benefits of contined BFing. I'd probably even do it in front of them with a blanket. Anyway, I remember Grandma Janney pulling me aside and encouraging me. She said, "I grew up on a farm and we all nursed our babies into toddlerhood. That's just what we did. If you need to nurse Olivia, you can use my room. You go right ahead." And she smiled at me.

Grandma Janney, we will miss you. I'm so sorry we couldn't get Liam up there in time.

I'm praying for a miracle.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

We're back! We came home Sunday night after a wonderful, busy trip. I've been running around like crazy since then: picking up dogs from boarder, groceries, our bank, deposits for LLL, Target, library. thrift store (looking for a white shelf-- no luck), Olivia's ballet lesson, etc.

I'll put together a coherent post complete with pictures soon! I'm just tired. I've had this sinus headache thingy going on two days and I'm beat!

One step forward, two steps back-- but in a good way

We're heading down to Florida this afternoon. It's taken me nearly nine years to pack with the kids trying to help. Olivia keeps changing her mind about what toys to bring and of course, she picked the biggest things she owns, so we've had to do some bargaining. Little Liam is a curious about everything and climbs on everything these days like a monkey (I think I'll call him Curious George) and makes most tasks a bit harder. I often feel like I take one step forward and at least two steps back. He unpacked nearly every bag at least once. I'm still not sure where a few shoes went.

James often is bewildered why some things take so long. He's rarely alone with the kids while trying to get household stuff done. You moms know what I mean. It's not like you can put them in a cage, although the thought has crossed my mind (jokingly of course) about sticking him in the dog's cage when I've just had enough! :-) The best I can do is just try to keep an eye on him and do my best to get things done. I try to take it in stride when he does things like dumping suitcases or giving my toothbrush to the dog to play with, because hey-- it's not every day I'll have an adorable one year old running around. He's just so funny!

Yesterday was even crazier. I took both kids and both dogs to the vet. What was I thinking? I could've used a margarita afterwards, but knowing that wasn't an option (and I rarely drink anyway), I opted for Starbucks instead. An iced Caramel Macchiato usually does the trick! And it did!

I will try to post from the beach. We'll get it after dinner tonight. We're all excited, especially Olivia who has been dancing around the house all morning asking "can we leave yet?"

Let the good times roll . . .