30 Things...

Most of the time, this blog is about my wonderful children and what we are up to. But today I thought I would do something a bit more personal. A friend of mine did this a while back on her blog, and I loved getting little tidbits of knowledge about her that would never really come up in everyday conversation. Sometimes I feel like knowing those tiny idiosyncrasies about someone is what makes you really, truly call them a friend.

So, without further delay, here are 30 really random truths about me:)

1. I love hummingbirds, I'm practically obsessed with them. Chuck bought me a hummingbird feeder last summer and I could sit and watch them for hours. I can't wait for them to come back!
2. My favorite color is purple. I have a purple vacuum, my Kindle cover is purple, my wallet it purple, my favorite shirt is purple. You get the idea.
3. I love to read. If I'm not reading something, a book or a short story or just something, I feel like something in my life is missing.
4. My favorite candy...it's a tie between gummy worms and Good 'N Plenty, which I know lots of people hate but I absolutely love.
5. This is the first time in my life that I've had long hair, and every once in a while I see my reflection in a mirror and don't recognize myself!
6. I have two half-sisters (daughters of my father) somewhere in the world, but I've never met them and I don't know their last names.
7. I can't stand to not wear socks inside--I wear them almost constantly, even in the summer.
8. I really don't like to watch a movie or tv show more than once. Occasionally I'll love a movie so much that I will watch it a second or even third time, but very rarely. I'd rather spend my time watching something new!
9. My dream job would be proofreading/editing novels. I love grammar (even though mine isn't always perfect).
10. I am terrible at buying gifts. I agonize about what to buy and then when I finally do make a decision I second guess myself for days and usually end up hating what I bought, lol.
11. I love constellations and one of the neatest presents I've ever received was my own star that came with my engagement ring from Chuck. It's called Barbara Bailey and it's part of the constellation Cassiopeia.
12. When it comes to anything technology-related, I am clueless. I don't even know how to hook up a DVD player to a tv. My sister had to load my Ipod with songs for me, I had no idea what to do!
13. I am a huge baby at the dentist office! I've had to get 13 fillings in the past 2 years and have asked for nitrous every time.
14. I haven't worn earrings on a daily basis since I lost one of my diamond earrings 3 years ago. My ears seem to reject earrings, I have lost an earring from almost every pair I own so I just stopped wearing them.
15. I bite my nails, it's a terrible habit. I want to admonish my children for biting their nails, but I know that makes me a huge hypocrite!
16. Even thought I bite my fingernails and never paint them, I always keep my toes painted, even in the middle of winter. I have no idea why!
17. My favorite candle scent is Yankee Candle Harvest, it smells like cinnamon and spice and everything wonderful about fall.
18. I didn't start learning to cook until Aiden was around one and I got tired of making Hamburger Helper every night. It turns out that I love cooking and could spend all day in the kitchen if time let me!
19. My favorite season is fall. I love the changing leaves and the cool crispness in the air.
20. Some people are pool people and some people are beach people. I love both, but I am really a beach person. I love feeling the sand between my toes and listening to the waves and seeing all the boats. Nothing makes me happier than a good day at the lake!
21. I've always wanted to get a tattoo, but I am too chicken! I have no pain tolerance and I can't seem to muster up the courage!
22. I bought a real 4-leaf clover keychain on our honeymoon in Vegas, and it hangs from my rearview mirror in my car. I know it's hokey, but I really believe it's brought me good luck the past 5.5 years and if anything ever happens to it I know I will be crushed!
23. I love taking pictures and someday my dream present would be a great camera and to take a photography class.
24. I sang in my high school show choir and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Being part of a team and winning competitions based on talent was so rewarding. I love to sing and I probably drive my husband and kids crazy because I sing ALL the time!
25. I love being a stay-at-home mom but sometimes I really miss the social aspect of an office. I didn't always love my job before, but it was nice to know when I was doing a good job.
26. I am probably the least picky eater ever. I love almost all types of cuisine and have very few foods that I don't like, but...
27. I can't stand cilantro, it just doesn't taste good to me!
28. I never learned the proper way to type on the computer, so I type using a modified hunt-and-peck method, but even Chuck swears he thinks I am the fastest hunt-and-pack typer he's ever seen! I type pretty fast even though I only use 5 fingers, lol.
29. I have a slight astigmatism in my eyes, which means that my corneas are shaped like footballs instead of like spheres. Secretly I have always wondered if part of my self-confidence issues are a result of seeing myself shorter and fatter than I really am, lol.
30. I have always hated my name because it is so old-fashioned and I purposefully named my children very popular names so that they would never feel self conscious about their names. That's probably very vain on my part;)

So there you have it, 30 things you may or may not have known about me! Happy Monday tomorrow, I love the start of a new week, it always feels so full of promise, a brand new week to try and try again. :)

Meet Chewie!

We got a puppy! Meet Chewbacca "Chewie" Bailey, our 10-week old yorkie poo. He was a somewhat spur-of-the-moment buy, as we had only barely discussed Chuck entertaining the idea of a small dog, but then Chuck called on some yorkie poos for sale and Wednesday night the breeder brought over the sweetest little puppy you've ever seen:) We all fell in love and couldn't not keep him. He does bear somewhat of a resemblance to a certain furry creature from Star Wars, so we named him Chewbacca and call him Chewie for short. He is about 4 lbs right now and should be about 8 lbs when fully grown. He is so soft and sweet and most importantly I've not had any allergy problems at all, which is wonderful for me! I told Chuck that I think this is the first time in my life that I've been able to pet and hold a dog without sneezing and itching.

Chewie is a really sweet puppy who loves to cuddle and be held. He seems to be very smart for a little guy, and has gotten potty training almost right away (just a few accidents after the first day). He is especially playful (like all puppies are) and loves his rope bone and his little toy monkey. The only issue we're having at all is that he doesn't like his crate at night, but since he's not 100% potty trained yet we can't really have him sleeping in our bed. I hope he gets better about the crate, but I know it will take time. Our cats, Zoe and Bailey, have not yet once come downstairs to brave the "ferocious creature" and we ended up just moving their food upstairs since I didn't want Zoe to starve (it wouldn't hurt Bailey to lose 1 or 10 pounds, lol). I hope they adjust eventually, they are both getting older (Bailey is 7 and Zoe is 9) so I know they don't appreciate a new face in the house (especially such a cute one who is getting so much love and attention!) I can't wait for spring and summer so we can play with Chewie outside and take him with us to the park.

The kids love him and are very sweet and affectionate. We're trying to teach them to be loving without OVERloving him, lol, he is a small guy after all!

Still here...

I've been such a bad blogger lately. I am sorry, we're still here. I haven't taken any pictures lately either. I am terrible! But we are getting ready for a short trip to MI on Thursday to visit my sister and my parents, so I am sure I'll take some pictures then. I really miss taking pictures, but it feels like everything is so dreary and gloomy and there isn't much to photograph!

The kids are doing great. Ava has really had a mental growth spurt suddenly and is very interested in doing her 24 piece puzzles, which is great. She's also starting to show more interest in learning the alphabet and numbers, and is making progress with her speech too. She is a chatty girl by nature, but she's starting to make much longer sentences and strangers aren't having such a difficult time understanding her anymore, so that is great! Aiden is as bright as ever. He loves doing his 100 piece puzzles and has become a master colorer. He colored a picture for Valentine's Day that is probably better than I could do, lol. He's working hard on learning to write and starting to take an interest in reading basic sight words (I'm trying not to push him too hard, I don't want to get reading started off on the wrong foot). He is constantly surprising me with the little things he's learned from either school or (sadly, lol) tv. The other day he said to me, "Mom, I bet you didn't know this. There are 50 states in our country and I've lived in two of them, Georgia and Ohio. Isn't that neat?" I was so impressed, he was just so matter-of-fact about it, lol. He loves attempting to tell silly jokes and both of the kids new favorite thing is to watch American Idol with me (I DVR it and then watch it the next day without the commercials). Aiden always wants the silliest contestants to go through to the next round and Ava was so cute, every time someone got a yellow ticket she applauded and yelled, "They did it! They got a ticket, they got three yes's!" She can be so sweet sometimes.

Both kids had their dental check-ups today and no cavities! Ava was scared because of her recent Dr. check-up (she had two shots) and she screamed bloody murder when the dentist came in and told him, "I DON'T LIKE BOYS!!!!" (he thought Chuck would be happy to hear this news, lol). Aiden, however, was AWESOME and told the dentist and the tech all about how he is in love with the new girl in his class and they both couldn't get over how smart and adorable he is:) Two people in the waiting room told me that my kids were the most polite pre-schoolers they'd ever seen, and of course it always makes a mom feel good to hear that from strangers! Lol.

I'm rambling but I thought I would do a quick update on us. Just waiting on spring and excited to visit Lansing for a few days this weekend. It's supposed to be 50 degrees tomorrow, bring it on!

S.A.D.

The "winter blues," the doldrums, call it what you will. Until this year, when people would tell me that they suffered from "Seasonal Affective Disorder" (also known as SAD), I would think to myself, "Well, yeah, no one really LIKES winter." I didn't really believe that SAD was real.

I was wrong.

Perhaps it is because after 5 mild winters with virtually no snow and above freezing temperatures, I have been thrown into a dark, dismal abyss of snow...more snow...and more snow. I thought I was prepared for this, but clearly, there is no way to prepare yourself for staying indoors all day, every day. Particularly not after I spent perhaps the best summer of my life outdoors 90% of my waking hours. No, no way to be prepared indeed.

But there is little to be gained from complaining about the seasons, or as I have now taken to referring to this winter in my mind: the 5th ring of hell. It is time to lift my chin up and get on with things, as wallowing has never served me well. I've upped my Vitamin D supplement, I'm trying to get to the Y a few times a week (it seems the snow has other plans, but I do try) for exercise for myself and the kids. About once every two weeks I manage to convince the kids to play in the snow, which means 20 minutes of outfitting and preparations for usually 10 minutes of actual outdoor play and then another 20 minutes of de-outfitting and mopping up water and laundering soaked clothes. Though they do enjoy the hot chocolate afterward:)

Anyway, you wouldn't know it from a quick glance at this post, but I do promise that I am trying to take on a more positive outlook. Snow IS quite beautiful to look at, after all. We are blessed with a warm house and warm hearts within it. I have a solid, sturdy car with newer tires that takes me where I absolutely need to go. And I have countless happy memories to call upon of warm, languid stretches on the beach, splashing in the waves with my happy, tanned children, soaking up all the vitamin D that we can handle. It will be here again, eventually.

If you're looking for a fun website, this one is great. It's called 1000 Awesome Things and I read through a few pages today and it made me laugh and smile, two things which are hard to come by these days. http://1000awesomethings.com/.

My Awesome Moment of the day? Ava's "Diaper Dance." Every night she gets a pull-up on before bed (she's 100% potty trained during the day now--go Ava!--but still has accidents at night). Tonight she did this spastic dance and little song, "Diaper time, diaper time, d-d-d-d it's Diaper Time!" It's actually a disturbing little diddy from an episode of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia that I must have sung at some point and she picked up, but it was hilarious none-the-less. :) AWESOME!