Slow and steady wins the race

Our "Tortise and the Hare"

Happy Halloween!!!!

My two left feet...

I did something today that I rarely do.

I went shoe shopping.

At Wal-Mart.

Sigh.

I remember the days when my shoe shopping consisted of ONLY Nine West stores and the woman's shoe department of Dillards.

Those were good days. And my feet were much more comfortable.

While I was shopping for my weekly groceries this morning, with only ONE child, I thought, "Hey, I just picked up a printer cartridge and conveniently, the electronics section is located right next to the shoes. How appropriate. Well, let me go down the shoe aisles and see if anything catches my fancy..."

I have been looking for a pair of casual black shoes. Since I was at Wal-Mart I figured casual wouldn't be a problem.

I was right.

I came across this pair and they were available for the low, low price of $13.

I did not try them on in the store for two reasons:
1. There was not a friendly saleslady waiting to assist me, with miniature pantyhose for my foot. How I can be expected to try on footwear without assistance? I was never asked to do this at Nine West or Dillards.
2. I feel funny about trying on shoes one aisle away from the dairy section.

Because I did not try the shoes on while I was shopping, I missed out on something pretty important...

Did you see it?

Two left shoes.

Seriously?

But, that's not the only problem...
Two different sizes.

If you keep up with my blog, you will remember that I USED to wear a size 8 shoe. Having children has stretched them out. I forgot this while shopping and picked up an "8" box.

Oh, well, doesn't seem like much of an issue now, does it?

I think I am just going to save my money and shop where I do not have to check the contents of the box.

Some lady with a mini pantyhose does it for me.

I will be getting $13 put back in my checking account tomorrow morning.

I feel sorry for the person that picks up my shoe box tomorrow night.

Although, if she has two left feet that are different sizes, she will be excited!

Beautiful Saturday

We did something today that we rarely do...spend an entire day together.

It was heaven!

Since the weather was PERFECT, we (Matthew) decided that we should go on a hike.

There is a state park about 30 minutes from our house, so we packed up a lunch, threw some long-sleeved shirts on the girls and headed out.

Since our children are not exactly of hiking age, we also packed up the hiking backpack and Baby Bjorn.

This is what we looked like on the trail...and where is Matthew's left hand? Hmmmm....

I was laughing so hard as I put Elyn in the Baby Bjorn. An almost 13-month-old that weighs 20 pounds is not what I thought I would be carrying when I purchased this apparatus a few years ago. But, it worked and that is all that matters. And she LOVED it! She kept swinging her feet and twisting her head around to look at me and laugh.

We stopped about half way for a snack break and for Nora to stretch her legs.

The entire hike took about an hour. An hour of lugging a 20-pound, leg-swinging, head-turning, baby-talking kid on my front. My back doesn't hurt too bad, but I'm going to give it a night before announcing that I am not sore.

After our hike, we stopped for a picnic lunch. It was delightful too. This picture shows you what Elyn's nose has looked like all day. I'm sure the cool air didn't help matters.
It was a great morning! The girls both took long naps when they got home! And they didn't even do any exercise. I guess breathing all that fresh air tuckered them out.

It was a GREAT day!

Guess what I got today?

And the first name I will be practicing with is "Blake".

And if my sister-in-law knew the name of my future nephew, I would practice with his name too.

I'm off to figure out my new machine! Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to me...thanks Mom!

Sleep tight

This is the NAP mat that I made for Nora last week. The mat was a success on Monday and I am hopeful that it serves its purpose every other Monday for the rest of the school year.

Nora is looking rough while she is modeling her nap...give her a break, she had just woken up.

All rolled up and ready to go. (This picture is so deceiving! Do you think she actually carries this? Absolutely not. Her mama lugs this on her shoulder from the car to classroom door. I'm happy if Nora keeps her backpack on her back without saying, "It's too heavy...you carry it."

A built-in pillow makes the naptime better.

Just what her teacher ordered...a larger blanket. And it's attached! Can't ask for more!

Nope, not for sale. Unless you are going to shell out some major buck. But it is easy to make. You can do it!

Happy 300th post Blogger!

Happy 300th post Blogger-land...glad to have you here. I've decided I'm not transferring to another "carrier" and am sticking with Blogger. And now without further ado...

My body...after babies:

(Disclaimer...if you have never had babies and have a fairytale/Demi Moore idea of what will happen to your body after you deliver your cherub, please STOP reading...if you are a man (although, I think only two men actually read this) and you are single/married without children STOP reading because I don't want to put an image in your head that might keep you from wanting your lovely wife from having children later on...if you are a woman who is pregnant, had kids, or NEVER wants kids...this is for you. Read on.)

My body has changed over the years.

When I was born, I weighed 9lbs. 6oz (I know! I was huge!).

While growing up, I wore "slim" jeans...I was pretty skinny.

When I was in junior high, I peaked at 5ft. 3in.

When I was in high school, I was pretty average. I just wanted to blend in and look like everyone else. Thankfully, I did. Well, except for the super skinny ones, I didn't look like them.

When I was in college, I gained the "Freshman 15" and never really lost it while in college. Sigh.

When I was an "adult" I discovered running and lost that Freshman 15 plus some. And, for the first time in my life, I LOVED shopping for clothes. The clothes that I wore had only ONE digit on the tag and it was a small digit.

And my body stayed that way for about 5 years.

Then, I got pregnant.

Then, I got pregnant again.

From top of my head to the tip of my toes, here is how my body has changed.

Hair...About 209 million hairs fall out of my head on a daily basis. I'm not kidding either. Instead of doing "Locks of Love" I think I should just collect all of the hair that falls out of my head and I could send in weekly donations. I'm amazed that I have any hair left.

Brain...I've lost my mind. I think when I delivered Nora I lost half of my mind and when I delivered Elyn I lost the other half. I'm waiting to have a third baby because I am trying to build up a little bit of brain again. When lecturing in my classes, I cannot count the number of times I am mid-sentence and simply cannot think of the next word. I'm sure my students think I am uneducated. I lose things ALL THE TIME. I used to pride myself on my memory...not anymore! I cannot remember anything. If I go to the grocery store without a list, I will leave with 20 things...20 things I don't need. I feel the need to put things in my cart because I don't want someone to see me walking aimlessly, empty-handed, and say, "Oh, look at that poor girl...she has never been grocery shopping before and obviously this is too much for her." It's bad!

Skin...Amazingly, my skin has not become too hindered. Oh sure, the circles under my eyes are darker than they used to be; my eyelids aren't as firm (I blame age and gravity); and my ability to tan instantly is no longer there...but overall, things are about the same. The only truly noticeable difference is the moles. Did you know that when you are pregnant, your belly (and hips, thighs, butt, legs, etc) is not the only thing that grows? So do your moles. I have one on my shoulder that grows with each pregnancy. It's annoying and when I am done making babies, I will have it removed pronto.

Ears...I can pick out Nora or Elyn's cry from a crowd. Easily. My ability to hear them cry or shout while in a large group is nothing short of a super-power. I should be Super Dallas or WonderMom and my special power would be supersonic hearing. But, my skill is limited. I cannot hear whining. It's amazing, this power of mine. And, on occasion, in the middle of the night, when one of the girls is crying, I lose all power to hear and have to rely on my sidekick to get out of bed and see what is going on. It's a tricky thing, that super-power.

Boobs...(I feel the need to put a disclaimer up again. I will not be holding back any. So, quit reading if you don't want to know about what has happened to my "girls". Don't worry, I won't get too graphic.) So sad. This is the saddest part of my body. They have been "worker boobs" for my children. For 11 months each. Bras MUST have underwire and MUST have padding. I have a wide range of bras in my lingerie drawer. WIDE. I know I should probably go and get professionally fitted, but I am embarrassed for the saleslady to say, “You need a 34 B long” or “Let’s go to the shriveled section”. I don’t think my ego could handle that right now. I would definitely spend money to put things back where they belong!

Heart…or maybe I should say “emotions”. I’m not a big crier. I never really have been either. Well, let me have a kid and the floodgates open wide up! After Nora was born, I was a basket case! The first day Matthew went back to work after she was born, he called me on his break. He told me he had stopped by the Donut Store and gotten a few dozen donuts and put a sign on them that said, “Enjoy, from a new dad”. Guess what I did when he told me that? Cried like I had just lost an arm. When Elyn was born, he went to the grocery store a few days after we came home from the hospital and picked up a few things. He came home and said, “Hey, I got that bread that you liked.” That statement sent me into a crying frenzy. I now have the ability to cry easily. But only in the privacy of my own house. I’m still not a public crier.

Waist/stomach…I think I mentioned that the boobs were the saddest part of my body. I was mistaken. Waist/stomach is tied for worst part. Slowly but surely I am getting my waist back. When Nora was about 11 months old, I felt like I had my old body back. I could wear most of my pre-pregnancy clothes and enjoyed shopping. After I had Elyn, I thought, well, give it 11 months and things will be back to normal. Not the case this time. I am FINALLY starting to see some improvements, but, my friends, they are SLLLLLOOOOWWW in coming. I can deal with my waist being MIA, thanks to the current fashion trend of loose fitting shirts (thank you designers!), but it is my stomach that is the most distressing. I obviously understand how gravity works (see “Boobs”), but must it really take all of the extra skin in my midsection and help it pool at the bottom of my torso? Sara Blakely was super-duper smart when she invented Spanx! Smart girl, that Sara. Again, if money were available in mass quantities, I would like to empty the “pool” and flatten things out.

Legs…My legs haven’t changed considerably but I have gotten some extra color on them. What is that color? Purple. Ahhh, one of my favorite colors. It’s especially pretty when it looks like a little spider has been walking over my legs after it stepped on an inkpad. I just have a few new color splotches on my legs, but what brought them on? Yep, pregnancy.

Feet…What size shoe do you wear? 8. Always an 8. Always. Until I had Elyn. Now, “What size shoe do you wear?” Ummm, 8.5. So many cute pairs of size 8 shoes sit in my closet. I still cram my feet into though. What kind of gal do you think I am? I’m not about to let fancy shoes go unworn. Seriously.

So, there you go. Just a few ways my body has altered over the past 3 ½ years.

But, I wouldn’t change it. My sweet napping girls are worth all of the shifting body parts, discoloring on my legs, underwire bras, and blisters on my feet. Do I miss the elasticity? Yep. Do I miss the low-single-digit clothing? Yep. Do I miss quiet afternoons? Nope. Do I miss sitting on the couch with no little bodies in my lap? Nope. Do I miss listening to music without dancing around the living room twirling a little girl? Nope.

The body changes are worth the babies.

Hiatus

I have been on a little Blogger hiatus recently.

Nothing new has been going on and I haven't felt very inspired to write.

I've been boring to be honest.

Last week, I had a break from teaching. My students took a midterm online, so my presence was not required in class.

And I enjoyed just being a mom and not worrying about lessons.

I made a napmat for Nora. I'll be sure and post pictures later because I'm proud of it. My friend Ashley made her son one and I was inspired by her.

Apparently the original napmat that I got for Nora for her ONE day of school wasn't cutting it. It wasn't so much a "nap"mat but a "lay there and stare at the ceiling and whisper to the teacher" mat. Her teacher told me that if I sent a larger blanket and a pillow she might sleep better.

Do I need to pack up her bed too? Will that help out matters?

So, I made one that had blanket and pillow attached. Problem solved.

She used it today and I am happy that we can call it a "NAP"mat!

Another reason I have been absent from Blogger is because something wonderful happened to our television!

We changed Dish providers (still have Dish, but paying $15 a month less) and for a limited time only we are getting extra channels.

One word: BRAVO!

I cannot quit watching BRAVO. Project Runway...I am so happy to end the season with you; Top Design...I am fearful that I will not get to see the finale; Top Chef...oh how I want to watch each chop of the knife and puree of the fruit, I fear that it might not happen.

I hope to be inspired again soon.

Especially by my next post...

it's numero 300.

Okay, okay!

I get it. You read, just don't comment.

That's okay. Really, it is.

Thanks for the comments though, I love it!

I have been researching machines and will let you all know when I make a decision.

I'm sure you will all lose sleep over it.

I think I'll probably stay with blogger and not change. My biggest issue with Blogger is that my feeds don't automatically update. Is that a foreign language to some of you? Yeah, me too.

Good news is that I will continue my relationship with Blogger. Bad news, I better start looking for an anniversary present.

Again, thanks for the help and thanks for the love. All of my readers are dear to me.

Redeem yourself

Well, I have come to the conclusion that:

a. I have only two readers...thank you Lisa and Scott for your helpful info about my question in the previous post
b. I have many readers but NO ONE takes the time to comment
c. No one knows anything about wordpress or typepad or Blogger.

I am choosing to believe that "C" is the reason I only had two comments on my previous post.

Speaking of comments, there are a few of you (Kim, Whitney) who are faithful commenters. The rest of you, you are AWFUL at commenting. I know, I know, I should be taking out the plank in my own eye before pointing out the speck in yours...but seriously people, we ALL need to do a better job at commenting on our blogs. I vow to start doing a better job.

Okay, so let me give you an opportunity to redeem yourself. I realize what I am about to ask, few of you will have enough knowledge to even comment, so I am already setting many of you up to fail. Sorry.

I am in the market for a new embroidering machine. I purchased a used one about 2 1/2 years ago and I have gotten plenty of good use out of it. It gets the job done...most of the time. The lovely lady I bought it from had already been using it for a long while (I'm guessing 7-10 years). So, it is about 9-12 years old. But, it still works. It's a Bernina and I have a MagicBox to go with it.

I'm ready to upgrade. Those of you who own embroidering machines, what do you recommend? I know I want one that is compatible with my PC (I can download fonts and pictures directly from my computer), the hoop size is at least 5x7, and there are not so many bells and whistles that I won't be able to understand it.

I'm not looking to open a business. I just want to make some cute things for my girls and give out great presents.

Okay, any ideas/suggestions?

Oh, and I have an embroidery machine for sale. Let me know if you are interested!

You may now start commenting...

Breaking up is hard to do...without help.

I'm considering breaking up with Blogger. Shhh, don't tell Blogger yet...I have to figure out how to put it exactly.

My question to you it this...WordPress or TypePad or something else...what should I go with?

What is easiest to use? What is user friendly? What is FREE?

Help me out Geek Squad. I'm nearing my 300th post and wanted to make some changes to my relationship to Blogger before we celebrate our anniversary.

It saves me having to go get a gift.

How they have grown...

What a difference a year makes...

Pumpkin Patch 2007

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Pictures, pictures

I'm posting a ton of pictures today...I've really been a slacker in uploading pictures and posting them. Sorry grandparents.

If you look at all of them, and I know you will because who can resist the cuteness of my kids, congrats.

Here we go...

Let's start off with Elyn's first birthday party, shall we:

She looked so cute in her little pink and gold tutu
Trying to show you that she is "one".
The first tastes of icing...
She loves it!
But she did NOT like it when we forced her to quit eating 1/2 way through the cake

She is so mistreated!
Happy again, present time!
This will have to do as a "family" picture
Sweet one year old!
On her actual birthday...one year old!

We ate lunch with Matthew that day. (I don't know why my face is so round in all pictures. I guess I just have a round face. If it was just in one picture, I could make excuses like, "Oh, it's the lighting, or, the shirt I was wearing makes my face look really round". But, it's in all pictures, so I guess, I have a perfectly circular face. Sigh....)
After we ate Elyn's birthday dinner we went to the hospital to meet our new friend, Warren Balentine. He was born on September 30.

It was raining last week on "school day", so Nora wore her rain gear.
Matthew's birthday...we went and ate lunch with him at school on his birthday. Elyn was very happy to be there!

They made a sign for him to hang in our house. I help some too.
Matthew's mom gave him a coin counter for his birthday...obviously, he is thrilled with the gift!
The girls helping him open his presents.
The coin counter was a big hit with Nora too. She loved putting in the coins and seeing where they dropped.
Last week we went to the Pumpkin Patch with my Mommy and Me group. I'm sure this will not be our last visit to the patch this season!

I need to post a picture of our Pumpkin Patch trip from last year. Elyn was 10 days old, I think.
Picking out her pumpkin.
The best picture I got of the group. It was a little chaotic.
Nora and her friends.
Okay, well, I have caught up on pictures and I have all of them uploaded to Flickr. It takes forever to go through them, so unless you don't have an extra 25-30 minutes, don't even bother looking at them.

Happy Saturday!