Birthday Blues

Sometimes I get a case of "BLAHrthdays"...can't quite put my finger on it, but it happens.  So today, on my last day as a twenty-something, I have compiled a list of 29 Things that I currently love and/or things I am thankful for to help remind myself just how truly blessed I am. So here were go, in no particular order:

1.       Though it terrifies me (how did I end up with a little country boy??), Brennan’s accent.  You should hear the kid say seven (say-vun) or hotel (ho-tay-el)

2.       The way Luke says most things, but particularly “C’mon Guys!” (Uh-Mon, Dies!) and “Peanut Butter and Jelly” (Pee-buhr-deli)

3.     Freshly shaven legs+clean sheets/freshly made bed...ahhhhh!!!

4.       My Friendly (Friends that are Family), because really. I don’t know where I would be without them.

5.       Reconnecting with long-lost Friendly Members this summer.  It was so wonderful being able to hug and talk and just be there. 

6.       My husband and how devoted he is to our family.  Not many men could be a full service, stay-at-home-Dad, all while maintaining a full time job to provide for us.  He is the best.  Seriously.

7.       My husband and how smokin' hot he is.  Just sayin’. He has taken to running lately and I am so proud of him!

8.       Taking Brennan to school every morning.  It’s typically a pretty quiet ride, but just being able to kiss and hug him goodbye and watch him walk in with his ridiculously huge backpack bouncing against his bum…so sweet.

9.       Naps!!  I have two kids who (usually) don’t put up a fuss about napping on the weekends.  This means that for 1-2 glorious hours on Saturday and Sunday, we all just get to sleep.  Ahhh, sleep…is there anything better??

10.   Fall.  Though it doesn’t mean quite the same thing as it used to now that we live in Texas(it is still 90 degrees outside and probably will continue to be until mid-November), I still love Fall.  How appropriate that I was born on the first day of fall!  Bring on the pumpkin-everything!

11.   Sweet bedtime prayers with my boys.  Brennan’s prayers are so simple, but his love for his friends and family shines through. Melts my heart.

12.   Those random texts from Derek throughout the day.

13.   Listening to my boys play together and laugh with each other.  Don’t be fooled…it’s not an everyday occurrence, sometimes the fight like cats and dogs!  But when they are being nice to each other, it is music to my ears.

14.   The friends that I have made here in Texas.  It has been a process, getting used to living here, but these friends that I have made have certainly made it easier!

15.   Corny Jokes.  Always have, always will.  A new favorite: “You can’t use puns with kleptomaniacs.  They take everything literally.” Love it. Can’t stop. Sorrynotsorry.

16.   Exchanging pictures and/or texts of ridiculously over-the-top Christian t-shirts, billboards, church signs, etc. with my good friend, Liz.  We have done this for years and will continue to do so because it’s just absurd what some people put on the side of church buildings to proclaim the name of Jesus.  Such as: “Bring your sin to the altar and drop it like it’s hot. Drop it like it’s hot.”  (pretty sure even Snoop Dizzle would be like "say whaaaaaaaa???")

17.   Knowing that Derek and I are so close to being debt-free and never looking back.  4 years ago we made the choice to ditch the debt.  We don’t have a lot of “stuff” and we have cut back tremendously, but the funny thing is that in doing so, we realized…we don’t need it and really couldn’t care less about half of it!  TV-Shmeevee…we aint got no bills, folks!! And THAT is an amazing feeling.

18.   Hearing Brennan recite his memory verses.  He does such a great job and it makes my heart happy that he is learning and memorizing scripture.

19.   The fact that me and my husband and my babies are healthy and have the ability to walk and talk and work and be active.

20.   Surprises! Giving and Receiving…but mostly giving.  Although I am notoriously bad about keeping things under wraps.  It’s truly a miracle if a surprise lasts until “surprise time” with me :)
 
21.   Boxers. The dog variety.  Derek and I talk about what kind of dog we want from time to time.  He says Rhodesian Ridegback (which are beautiful dogs and I wouldn’t mind) but I just love Boxers.  I miss Levi.

22.   Oh my gosh, guys…I just discovered this not too long ago, but TEA FLOATS.  I had a hankering for a float but didn’t have any soda.  I thought to myself “I like tea with sugar and cream…I wonder if iced tea over ice cream would be good??”  Spoiler Alert:  IT’S AWESOME.  Unsweetened Iced Tea + Vanilla Ice Cream.  DO IT.

23.   Being able to meet and play with (and allow my kids to meet and play with) my old friend’s kids.  It’s like Mini-Friends…and what we always talked about.  So fun!

24.   Celebrity Gossip Magazines.  Guilty Pleasure.  But I won’t buy them.  Every now and then, Derek will bring them home when passengers leave them on the airplane…happy days!!

25.   Friends Reruns. Derek gets annoyed and will very dryly say “Oh. I have never seen this episode.” But I think he secretly enjoys watching with me because it never gets old. Unlike me.

26.   The ability to fly most places for free. Perks of being married to a pilot. Sure, it would be nice if we didn’t have to fly stand-by, but I will not complain!  Free is free!

27.   Pickled Okra.  Another new discovery…evidently the country is getting to all of us ‘round here. Hey Y’all!!

28.   Hearing Brennan say “Mom…did you know I love you??” like 500 times a day.  I love this because I know that he says it because he has heard us say it to him about 501 times a day and THAT my friends, is a main goal of mine. That my boys and my man will know that they know that they know that I love them!

29.   Talking about our future with Derek…and being so excited because I won’t lie, I’m not even a little bit sad about turning 30.  I have a feeling that thirty is going to be awesome.  I got 29 Problems and a Birthday aint one. BRING IT!!

Pre-K Interview

I did a "First Day of School" interview with Brennan. So these are his answers (verbatim), at 4 years old, on his first day of Pre-K.

1. What is your favorite color? Green 

 

2. What is your favorite animal? Giraffe

 

3. What is your favorite food? Peanut Butter and Jellies

 

4. What is your favorite toy? My trash truck that has the triangle move button.

 

5. What was your favorite thing you did this summer? Play outside...and ride airplanes!

6. What are you really good at? I'm really good at building towers...LEGO towers.

 

7. What is the hardest thing for you to do? (sigh) work out in the sun...*

 

8. What is your favorite thing to do at home?  Build train tracks in my room.

 

9. Who is your best friend? Dixie Leigh because I like her the most in the whole world.

 

10. What do you want to be when you grow up? A farmer. And I'm gonna have a farm and lots of animals. I'm a young farmer now.**

 

11. Where do you want to live when you grow up? Hmmm...in Dallas-Fort Worth. I want to live where you and Dad met***

 

12. If you could have a super power what would it be? I would cook pancakes with my eyes. I mean my nose. I would put the spoon in my nose and cook it.****

 

13. What is your favorite book? The Little Red Caboose and Library Mouse. Both of them are my favorite.

 

14. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me. Mmm-hmm.

 

15. What is your favorite memory verse? Your teachings are worth...NO. A friend loves at all times. Provers 17:17*****

*For the record, we do not enforce slave labor. The kid practically begs to be outside at all times.

**I wonder what age would classify him as an old farmer?  Or even a middle-aged farmer? 

***Actually,, we met in Lynchburg, VA...NOT Dallas-Ft Worth! 

****BOYS! Always with the bodily function/body-part humor. I tell ya.

*****he always drops the "b" at the end of Proverbs. It's precious. Provers. Also, he couldn't quite decide...he started out with Psalm 119:72 and swiftly changed his mind.

Off He Goes...

My baby boy…the whole reason this blog was started several years ago…my precious Brennan.  He started school today.   

As we were driving to school I warned him that some of his new friends might be a little bit sad or scared today because it would be the first time they were leaving their Mommies and Daddies.  Brennan told me "It's ok, Mom.  I know how to calm them down.  I will be REEEEEEALLY kind to them." Be still my heart.  

I wasn't quite sure how I would react to dropping him off for the first time.  It was a little bit chaotic when we arrived because all of the other parents were, like me, trying to soak it all in.  Pictures were being snapped left and right, school supplies being dropped off, backpacks tucked into their cubbies.  Brennan went right in and sat on the rug to play with toys and mingle with his new friends.  As I walked away the tears came and I tried to discreetly wipe them away, but no one judged because they all knew why.

All at once I am feeling a mixture of heartache, excitement, nervousness, and happiness. How can it be that my little chubby angel baby is now a KID.  A kid that has so much energy, is so smart, so loving, so hilarious.  He is going to love school, I just know it.  I can’t wait to see how this year unfolds and to watch my boy grow some more.  And I have a strong suspicion that this whole “school” endeavor will provide MANY topics for blog worthy posts!

Happy First Day of School, Sweet Boy.  We are so proud of you and love you so much! xoxo

WHAT-A-MELON!

How appropriate that my first post in nearly 2 years would be inspired by food. I mean, it makes the world go 'round, right? (see what I did there??) Or is that love? At any rate, GUYS...you have to try this!*

I bought two Watermelons yesterday. One for eating fresh because, well, I love fresh cold watermelon. And one for freezing. "Freeze Watermelon??" You say?? YES!! Cut it into chunks and freeze it. Then when it is all nice and frozen, put it in the blender with a wee bit of lemon juice and you have yourself a Watermelon Lemonade Slushy. (And not the artificial watermelon flavor like you would find in Bubbalicious, because...bleh!) It is the perfect slushy-texture without adding any ice.  It's just straight-up watermelon and lemon juice. BOOM. Side note, methinks this would also make a fabulous Watermelon Margarita. You're welcome.

 Oh my stars, my life is complete!! This is a delightful treat. Luke wanted a straw because a spoon just wasn't quick enough.

Enjoy!!

*I realize that I am probably behind the times and everyone probably already knew about this.