OK, so I have nothing exciting to write about. However, I was feeling a bit nostalgic this morning when a particular commercial/advertisement came on tv, so I thought I'd share my engagement story. (I realize that most of you will now stop reading. That's fine. My feelings aren't hurt.)
Let's see....Kris and I started dating the Sunday after Thanksgiving of '04. It didn't take long for us (well, me) to realize that we wanted to get married. I was ready! I tried not to push him or act too impatient, but I was getting to that point. We never discussed rings or dates. After a year of dating, we went to a Christmas party at a friend's house. On the way home, he started asking me about my friends' rings since most of them were already married. I remember calling my mom that weekend upset - mom, he's just now asking me about what style of ring I like, which means he hasn't even started looking yet!
A couple weeks before this party, I had gone home for Thanksgiving. He stayed in Houston to study for finals. His mom called me saying something like - Kris has worked really hard this semester, I want to surprise him by sending y'all to a play or something. Pick a date and a show you'd like to see, I'll buy tickets, mail them to you, and the morning of you can call him and let him know that you have plans for the evening. OK, sounds good. I chose the last day of school before my Christmas break for us to go see A Christmas Carol.
Fast forward to the day of the surprise. I sent him an email that morning telling him to get home from work early because we were going out, maybe we could even grab dinner before the show! Who knew how sick I was going to get that day. I had a migraine. Thankfully my migraines aren't severe like they used to be, but this particular day was bad. I came home from school and went to sleep.
When he got home and realized how sick I was, he said that we didn't have to go. Yes, we do, this is YOUR day, Kris! We went on to dinner, but I just sat staring at my food, too sick to eat. Let's go home, Traci. NO. Can I just rest a bit before the show, though? So we sat in his parked car and I slept until showtime. I slept through the entire production. As we were leaving he asked if I wanted to go look at Christmas lights or just go home. Might as well look at lights since I had been asking him to take me. So we got to one spot downtown and we got out of the car to walk around.
We were walking around when he began his speech with - I've been lying to you. Uhm, what? My heart sort of dropped. He then goes on to tell me that the night had been all his idea because...blah blah blah, will you marry me? Of course! Why did it take you so long? And amazingly, my headache went away and I felt fine!
Unfortunately, there's something with me getting sick during major events in my life. Just wait until the day I decide to talk about my wedding week!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Monday, November 12, 2012
To Laugh or Cry? Or Both.
So this afternoon I had to go to the grocery store. I mean, milk and eggs cannot wait in this house. The world crumbles if Sadie doesn't have her milky.
I load up the kids and talk up the Randall's shopping cart with the little red car in order to get Sadie excited about going. (That's the one thing that Randall's does better than HEB - provide easy to maneuver kid-friendly carts.) I only go to Randall's in emergency situations. Like being out of milk. Anyway....get to the store, Sadie gets in the red car, and I put Harrison in the cart while still in his infant carrier/car seat. This only leaves the rack on the bottom of the cart for your groceries.
I had planned on making soup for dinner but had yet to start working on it at 4:30 when I went to the store. Since Harrison started getting cranky on the way to the store (because, of course, he was tired but wouldn't nap), with his crankiness only getting worse, I thought I should come up with Plan B while at the store. Milk, check. Eggs, check. We go through the freezer section and Sadie says - stop! Open that door! She wanted me to open the freezer door so she could show me which popsicles she wanted. Oh, that child!
OK, what if I get some chicken from the deli and go home to make some sides. You know, something nutritious (and quick/easy) like macaroni. And salad, which consists of lettuce, dressing, and croutons. So off to the deli we go. The 79 year old lady working the counter says - I'll be with you in a little while. She said it as though it was going to be quite a wait. I asked how long? With annoyance in her voice, she says - I gotta get this lady a half pound of cheese. Fine, I think I can wait while you get a half pound of cheese, how long will that take? Uhm, long. As we wait, Sadie wants out of the red car. I help her unbuckle. I finally get my chicken....Sadie, let's go. She climbs back into the car and we head to the checkout.
Checkout at Randall's - ugh! It's 5:00 by now, why don't they have every register open?! Remember how I mentioned that Harrison was tired and cranky? He's now tired and cranky and crying. Has been for a while. We finally get everything paid for and head to the car. But we didn't make it. Sadie leans her head out of the cart, and with excitement in her voice says - mommy, look! She proudly shows me a cheese tray that she had in the car with her. Yes, it was a tray decorated with Christmas ribbons. However, the ribbons were gone, and the price sticker was in shreds. Seriously, Sadie? aaahhhh!!!
So, I take the cheese tray from her, which makes her cry. There's no sound more beautiful than two crying children in the grocery store while everyone looks at you to see what's wrong. I turn the cart around and go back in in search of a sympathetic looking cashier. I stand in line again and finally had a chance to share my story. I'm so sorry, I already paid for my groceries and was leaving the store when my daughter showed me what she had. Unfortunately she took off the ribbon and shredded the price sticker (and shook the whole tray so that the cheese is a jumbled mess)....I sort of trailed off thinking I'd get a little laugh, maybe a grin, hopefully a - oh, don't worry about it, I'll take it. But when I saw no expression on her face, I said - I guess I need to pay for it. She rang it up, and now we're the proud owners of a $10.38 cheese tray. Party at our place? We'll provide the appetizer!
Kids still crying, we get to the car. Sadie's cries now aren't just whining cries. What now? Her lip is bleeding. I didn't even try to figure out what she did. I just put them both in the car and drove home. When we got home, what did we do? We ate cheese. And I laughed. That about sums up what my days are like lately. My children....how I love them!
I load up the kids and talk up the Randall's shopping cart with the little red car in order to get Sadie excited about going. (That's the one thing that Randall's does better than HEB - provide easy to maneuver kid-friendly carts.) I only go to Randall's in emergency situations. Like being out of milk. Anyway....get to the store, Sadie gets in the red car, and I put Harrison in the cart while still in his infant carrier/car seat. This only leaves the rack on the bottom of the cart for your groceries.
I had planned on making soup for dinner but had yet to start working on it at 4:30 when I went to the store. Since Harrison started getting cranky on the way to the store (because, of course, he was tired but wouldn't nap), with his crankiness only getting worse, I thought I should come up with Plan B while at the store. Milk, check. Eggs, check. We go through the freezer section and Sadie says - stop! Open that door! She wanted me to open the freezer door so she could show me which popsicles she wanted. Oh, that child!
OK, what if I get some chicken from the deli and go home to make some sides. You know, something nutritious (and quick/easy) like macaroni. And salad, which consists of lettuce, dressing, and croutons. So off to the deli we go. The 79 year old lady working the counter says - I'll be with you in a little while. She said it as though it was going to be quite a wait. I asked how long? With annoyance in her voice, she says - I gotta get this lady a half pound of cheese. Fine, I think I can wait while you get a half pound of cheese, how long will that take? Uhm, long. As we wait, Sadie wants out of the red car. I help her unbuckle. I finally get my chicken....Sadie, let's go. She climbs back into the car and we head to the checkout.
Checkout at Randall's - ugh! It's 5:00 by now, why don't they have every register open?! Remember how I mentioned that Harrison was tired and cranky? He's now tired and cranky and crying. Has been for a while. We finally get everything paid for and head to the car. But we didn't make it. Sadie leans her head out of the cart, and with excitement in her voice says - mommy, look! She proudly shows me a cheese tray that she had in the car with her. Yes, it was a tray decorated with Christmas ribbons. However, the ribbons were gone, and the price sticker was in shreds. Seriously, Sadie? aaahhhh!!!
So, I take the cheese tray from her, which makes her cry. There's no sound more beautiful than two crying children in the grocery store while everyone looks at you to see what's wrong. I turn the cart around and go back in in search of a sympathetic looking cashier. I stand in line again and finally had a chance to share my story. I'm so sorry, I already paid for my groceries and was leaving the store when my daughter showed me what she had. Unfortunately she took off the ribbon and shredded the price sticker (and shook the whole tray so that the cheese is a jumbled mess)....I sort of trailed off thinking I'd get a little laugh, maybe a grin, hopefully a - oh, don't worry about it, I'll take it. But when I saw no expression on her face, I said - I guess I need to pay for it. She rang it up, and now we're the proud owners of a $10.38 cheese tray. Party at our place? We'll provide the appetizer!
Kids still crying, we get to the car. Sadie's cries now aren't just whining cries. What now? Her lip is bleeding. I didn't even try to figure out what she did. I just put them both in the car and drove home. When we got home, what did we do? We ate cheese. And I laughed. That about sums up what my days are like lately. My children....how I love them!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Mama Said There'll Be Days Like This....
There'll be days like this, Mama said!
Wait, who am I kidding? My mom is the most positive person in the world. She would never tell me that there would be days of misery. But oh, let me tell you, there are! And I've had a couple. Days when....
Wait, who am I kidding? My mom is the most positive person in the world. She would never tell me that there would be days of misery. But oh, let me tell you, there are! And I've had a couple. Days when....
- you wake up with the headache you went to bed with
- you pray that your newborn stays asleep because all you can do is shiver under a blanket on the couch while your two year old crawls all over you
- you can barely keep your eyes open
- you take your temp and find that you have 102.4
- your dog wants in
- your dog wants out
- you want to kill your dog
- you keep taking your temp to find that it continues to rise
- your two year old is hungry at the same time as the newborn
- your dog wants in
- you're "trapped" feeding the baby when the toddler starts crying because she needs a diaper change (yes, you're still working on potty training), so you manage to get the diaper at least off but can't put a new one on yet...next thing you know, she has taken off her gown that you had yet to change her out of even at 11:00 because you had no energy, so she ends up running around the house naked for a while
- said dog that you want to kill throws up on the rug while you're trapped nursing and the toddler is running around naked
- your eyeballs feel like they're on fire
- your toddler cries for 30 minutes because she wants to eat
- you finally make yourself get up, almost pass out while trying to dress the naked toddler
- you realize you have no energy to prepare a meal so your toddler gets cold lunch meat and goldfish for lunch
- you email your husband every 30 minutes letting him know that you're about to die because your temp keeps climbing - all the way to 104.9
- your back aches, and your head, and your neck
- you put a screaming child in bed for a nap, only to have her escape and come downstairs five minutes later
- you sit outside in the sun when it must feel like 105 because to you it feels wonderful
- you just want to crawl in a hole and cry
(OK, so I probably should have put everything in first-person, right? Should have been writing 'I' instead of 'you'? Ugh, never a good one at English. And to think I had to teach it to third graders? My apologies to all my former students. You know what I meant.)
Anyway....thankfully Kris came home from work early on Friday so I could take a little nap. He washed bottles for me (my least favorite thing to do these days) and brought me my medicine. He didn't even tell me how awful I looked. I love that man.
And to quote the most positive person in the world....this too shall pass. She says that a lot when I complain to her. I love that woman also. But she's right. It shall pass. And I'll laugh at my dramatics when it's all behind me.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Things You Just Can't Do in Houston
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| Climb fences..... |
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| Wear your cousin's boots with your skirt..... |
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| Walk hand-in-hand along a fence.... |
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| Play so hard that your hair is soaked with sweat.... |
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| Shell peas..... |
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| Play in the yard until bedtime with cousins and dogs.... |
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| Visit with your miniature horse..... |
Good times, people. That's what we had!
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Ready or Not.....
- I'm ready to not be so uncomfortable.
- We do not have names picked out.
- I'm ready to shop for clothes that will make me look/feel more "normal".
- The nursery is not as ready as it should be.
- I'm ready for this baby to hurry up and get here.
- I'm not so ready for this baby to hurry up and get here.
- I'm ready to see how Sadie will act with her new sibling.
- I do not have any bags packed - should probably start thinking about that in the next couple of weeks.
- I'm ready to stop having bathroom breaks every hour.
- Am I ready for this life changing event? Yes and no.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
The Most Intimidating Place in the World
The community swimming pool. Ugh. It's bad enough during a "normal" summer, but this being a pregnant summer....the intimidation level is multiplied.
Moms, you should not look that good after having children. It's really not fair at all. Do you starve yourself and/or workout like crazy five days a week? Please say that you do. If you say that you're just blessed with such bodies, I will gag. And must you wear such small swimsuits while I'm wearing one as big as possible to cover up? Skinny pregnant women....I just have no words.
Women, is it really necessary to wear your giant rings to the pool? You realize when the sun hits multiple carats of diamonds it can be blinding, don't you? Oh, you do know that. Of course you do.
Dads, if you're sent to the pool with the responsibility of watching your children, please do so. Watch your children and make them behave. Don't let them climb up the slide or let your big kids run over the little ones. When the lifeguard has to correct your children, don't act like you didn't see what was happening when you were standing right there witnessing it all.
Men, please don't wear white swim trunks or Speedos. Please.
I wonder if Kris will ever let us build a pool of our own. Hhmmm.....
Moms, you should not look that good after having children. It's really not fair at all. Do you starve yourself and/or workout like crazy five days a week? Please say that you do. If you say that you're just blessed with such bodies, I will gag. And must you wear such small swimsuits while I'm wearing one as big as possible to cover up? Skinny pregnant women....I just have no words.
Women, is it really necessary to wear your giant rings to the pool? You realize when the sun hits multiple carats of diamonds it can be blinding, don't you? Oh, you do know that. Of course you do.
Dads, if you're sent to the pool with the responsibility of watching your children, please do so. Watch your children and make them behave. Don't let them climb up the slide or let your big kids run over the little ones. When the lifeguard has to correct your children, don't act like you didn't see what was happening when you were standing right there witnessing it all.
Men, please don't wear white swim trunks or Speedos. Please.
I wonder if Kris will ever let us build a pool of our own. Hhmmm.....
Monday, May 21, 2012
It's Been a Day!!
Today's been one of those days. After one of those nights. We had a rough night with Sadie not sleeping well, as usual. It was a rough night, but the morning was actually pleasant. Sadie played downstairs for a while and then decided she'd play in her room. Alone. Amazing. I was getting a few things done when she started calling me. I went up to check on her and found this standing at the top of the stairs:
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| I let her pick out her clothes today since we were staying home. I take no credit for this lovely outfit. |
She's holding diaper cream and was very proud of herself. She then runs into her room to show me this:
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| Yeah, she's going to be a great helper when her little brother or sister gets here! |
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| Her legs were covered..... |
As I tried to clean things up, she did this:
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I tried not to laugh too hard as I was telling her that diaper cream is messy (and not cheap) and she shouldn't be playing in it. Anyway, it was funny, we got things cleaned up, and all was well. She ate a good lunch and started getting tired.
When she began yawning before her usual nap time of 1:00, which is no surprise since she didn't sleep well and was up before 7, I put her in bed. Everything was fine for a few minutes until she started coughing. Lots of coughing. Then crying. I tried to settle her down. Yeah, that didn't work. We came downstairs, more crying, I got her calm....and then FedEx bangs on the door. That set things off again. Then the phone rings. And the dogs bark. Then it's UPS. I give up. Well, not really. I got in bed with her for a while. That didn't work. Long story somewhat shortened....it's almost 6:00 and she's been in bed for about 30 minutes now. Time to go wake her up. What will things be like tonight?! I think I'm going to send her to the park with her daddy. I need a break!
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