tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77011456656356532962024-03-12T19:31:05.895-07:00The Mayer familyMeganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-13585718905164670542010-10-12T10:34:00.000-07:002010-10-12T11:34:40.647-07:00Walk this way!Well the Mayer girl small enough to be sitting on my lap right now has some big news! Little (hardly) Audrey has started walking! Last Sunday, after a fun and exhausting full day at Cagle's farm in Canton, GA, Aunt Kristen was playing with Audrey and she took three steps in a row! Three times! We were so proud of her, we got out the cameras and tried to get her to do it again and no....no, she doesn't want to have hard evidence like that. But we were all very proud of her. And now she is walking around a bunch and clapping for herself too! She just perfected her clapping skills this last week too. So we love to watch her walk ten or so steps in a row now and promptly thereafter give her self a round of applause. She's cute. I mean really cute.<br /><br />It's been a challenging week for us her still though, as both girls got a cold, and apparently not from each other, because when they each seemed to be feeling better, they traded colds and Audrey got sicker and Nora got a massive ear infection from cold #2! oh what fun! And of course all you parents out there know exactly when the ear infection hit...that's right, Friday night. Just in time for a nice long weekend when all the doctor's offices will be closed, the Urgent care facilities will be packed and of course, when we finally got her a prescription on Saturday evening, you guessed it! The pharmacies were closed...oh except for the one 24 hr pharmacy 20 minutes away. Eh, that's just how that stuff goes. I blame the government. No I don't. I just wanted to say that. They may have something to do with it, but I honestly haven't figured out the connection yet.<br /><br />Oh, yeah, and of course just before Nora gets sick, her video monitor goes out. Like it totally bites the dust. Great timing. Oh well, I'm sure there was a day in age when kids survived without video monitors or---gasp!---any monitors at all! Now that's scary. Nah, it's ok, we will survive. Some people don't have food. I just can't see my toddler on a screen when I'm floor below her.<br /><br />No, Life is good here at Mayerville. We are all relatively healthy and safe. Stress levels could calm down a bit, but we are getting by just fine. My parents are coming over for dinner tonight and I am pretty excited about that. I'm making soup. I love soup season. We didn't have much of that in old AZ. Nope, this is the time of year I love most...except I could do without the colds. I put Nora in preschool though so I was askin for it!<br /><br />Here are some pictures of the girls as Cagle's farm the other day...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlQOFsb3k8kcOYdjhdJRZ92Mz-ghuvIXKUxi9KumNfEoQx3d_xEk57a7idYoaKNCYdyKu3PIHs2llgZF9QJtRHXGysAjgchh6UnmtrFMwKjqizw3N030oNRqFqpOqS1gDxj9XBqsxpbIR/s1600/IMG_7747.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwlQOFsb3k8kcOYdjhdJRZ92Mz-ghuvIXKUxi9KumNfEoQx3d_xEk57a7idYoaKNCYdyKu3PIHs2llgZF9QJtRHXGysAjgchh6UnmtrFMwKjqizw3N030oNRqFqpOqS1gDxj9XBqsxpbIR/s320/IMG_7747.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527227933322876594" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlZmPc_VigOJ-mBWCeXIPsqcsD6cOfibbufegXIpAfO3d3UTQm-Uy3gL5ApJW7KtvpAOiwY-w-BAJZlvINbqGWdY7TZd1VKECGojFVfelSn_-EpkZwWs220M5h9fuPQkf1NPG0JbTVHim/s1600/IMG_7743.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWlZmPc_VigOJ-mBWCeXIPsqcsD6cOfibbufegXIpAfO3d3UTQm-Uy3gL5ApJW7KtvpAOiwY-w-BAJZlvINbqGWdY7TZd1VKECGojFVfelSn_-EpkZwWs220M5h9fuPQkf1NPG0JbTVHim/s320/IMG_7743.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527227924546275074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBESlIAM1lz9yZHwgLQATyIXloTLUr9JOGdMGVoq798oU3lAkzamXQSb-6T8WXeXCATf56TH7kXqwAlWf1iovF-QPvnR1VzPGwPDpIvriJAgX0hq4gGp9IpudT03kP9W5T_BE1bVyw5xS/s1600/IMG_7662.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigBESlIAM1lz9yZHwgLQATyIXloTLUr9JOGdMGVoq798oU3lAkzamXQSb-6T8WXeXCATf56TH7kXqwAlWf1iovF-QPvnR1VzPGwPDpIvriJAgX0hq4gGp9IpudT03kP9W5T_BE1bVyw5xS/s320/IMG_7662.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527227897637703090" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsNbo5lSAevun4cWVyjVBqXpwHmcXqnCT0KYe6chH-fbKBE6WLm5zo1_aNR5s5IPtaLDeLmRMrcvucSWga6Bvk6xyWB3D1JwlCi9qLxaQj6XTrF7bsiKcumgcVeXqqNX5kQbCFrlJJHX2/s1600/IMG_7707.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPsNbo5lSAevun4cWVyjVBqXpwHmcXqnCT0KYe6chH-fbKBE6WLm5zo1_aNR5s5IPtaLDeLmRMrcvucSWga6Bvk6xyWB3D1JwlCi9qLxaQj6XTrF7bsiKcumgcVeXqqNX5kQbCFrlJJHX2/s320/IMG_7707.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527227915814907410" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIw2OP6eSlcA5PgbJ6K8pkk0yJ24_CsaKHkuqCIxJVvcI49sIZ7WkoxqmcpzfivCCWwMGMWXaNixBn8lNzhVfGDgs_r75ddILRKAbdgyltqC6o65f8BupRjjatc4LY2GpY7laOTFFXSEX/s1600/IMG_7673.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtIw2OP6eSlcA5PgbJ6K8pkk0yJ24_CsaKHkuqCIxJVvcI49sIZ7WkoxqmcpzfivCCWwMGMWXaNixBn8lNzhVfGDgs_r75ddILRKAbdgyltqC6o65f8BupRjjatc4LY2GpY7laOTFFXSEX/s320/IMG_7673.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527227872846674786" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-24463802696305256992010-09-22T06:09:00.000-07:002010-09-22T06:53:58.176-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-0V_CuZgOMuHnl9jMhq12MQYlyxBlrbB7LN4FrhD0WVBd8OUAgV1DBPTkAgyteAJHSbqeUlmyY4sLTIqcwnA-_idiwve98PenbQpPBTVe1pSdGG_7aMQKMcFVdco23eD5WaaXGdVkuCC/s1600/IMG_0969.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI-0V_CuZgOMuHnl9jMhq12MQYlyxBlrbB7LN4FrhD0WVBd8OUAgV1DBPTkAgyteAJHSbqeUlmyY4sLTIqcwnA-_idiwve98PenbQpPBTVe1pSdGG_7aMQKMcFVdco23eD5WaaXGdVkuCC/s320/IMG_0969.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519728301397818162" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />Here is a picture of the costume i made Nora for her first Halloween. She was a "Norabee". It took a LOT of work. I think I actually did a darn good job.<br /><br /><br /><br />You can see the wings and stinger a little better in this shot...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPj_WJ1OTHSuTGCrrqnX9biLXMtjN5_uzZcetWgsTgLTIzThEYwbNAFXEpqmOm-rARBoSpIBWgK9p64JFxCJ48xvCAygEhW6tX0uvdRuRCo0Ub-zIDqguK3QzGrygDoejZ-Pa74bk9HQD/s1600/IMG_0962.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPj_WJ1OTHSuTGCrrqnX9biLXMtjN5_uzZcetWgsTgLTIzThEYwbNAFXEpqmOm-rARBoSpIBWgK9p64JFxCJ48xvCAygEhW6tX0uvdRuRCo0Ub-zIDqguK3QzGrygDoejZ-Pa74bk9HQD/s400/IMG_0962.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519726094196873298" border="0" /></a><br />I had a LOT of fun making it with the help of my lovely mother in law, Claudia and her sewing machine. Never could have done it otherwise. It made me feel like a "good mom".<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhBjHNjrxN2yiKJXx8k1FKpofI3h6ugDTSsQ1T9ygvbAHK5SvRl3juvvkhJeuUX1OobTuv7amBVlGYHQN47hwrUNzs0qY2wK7GZ3ZFuLaJ_wHkzOZPwfiIGMahKMinC6tLEOyLAcnnlCw/s1600/IMG_3741.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkhBjHNjrxN2yiKJXx8k1FKpofI3h6ugDTSsQ1T9ygvbAHK5SvRl3juvvkhJeuUX1OobTuv7amBVlGYHQN47hwrUNzs0qY2wK7GZ3ZFuLaJ_wHkzOZPwfiIGMahKMinC6tLEOyLAcnnlCw/s320/IMG_3741.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519731324728307730" border="0" /></a>Now in these shots to the right, you can see how much work I put into her homemade Rockstar costume last Halloween. She was a hit. She won several costume contests. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QMvNp93DckkFppM5Mluq7BEtTs_WuWRlQ7BTy5As6QSR5waJFrm-MuBaD1XGCrYYfo1RGsL67NlpLS4OzHN2fRdGcWBXGP9xixGHx5A3ZGy8YyeQWprUoL4BAybBbkO7n1R-uBPoPsid/s1600/IMG_3738.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2QMvNp93DckkFppM5Mluq7BEtTs_WuWRlQ7BTy5As6QSR5waJFrm-MuBaD1XGCrYYfo1RGsL67NlpLS4OzHN2fRdGcWBXGP9xixGHx5A3ZGy8YyeQWprUoL4BAybBbkO7n1R-uBPoPsid/s320/IMG_3738.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519731321865378498" border="0" /></a>Everything was made by me. I hand painted the guitar, an exact replica of one of Jimmy Hendrix's own guitars.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />So now, I have two kids...Halloween is coming. I LOVE making Halloween costumes. It is so fun and makes me feel great, but October is approaching and I STILL don't even know what they are going to be. Last year, my orange shirt made Audrey's costume a no-brainer...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMN8VsgNile7RojFsc-bUhuhusMYvhwA9QrHmaON3zZ0DPANswMW9S72SlbkbhRCzz47x1qeCaRVRT-VQkGzhIgvDhL-9XT5H1oeikVvmQBOkJyBRpSSFbT37Po9UToZQ2QIQdUkueyla/s1600/IMG_3837.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLMN8VsgNile7RojFsc-bUhuhusMYvhwA9QrHmaON3zZ0DPANswMW9S72SlbkbhRCzz47x1qeCaRVRT-VQkGzhIgvDhL-9XT5H1oeikVvmQBOkJyBRpSSFbT37Po9UToZQ2QIQdUkueyla/s320/IMG_3837.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519733292938967122" border="0" /></a>I'd really like to make them costumes that are related, like The little Mermaid and Flounder the fish, or Strawberry Shortcake and Audrey can be a strawberry. Another Idea is puppies for sale. I need more ideas. If anyone is out there reading my blogs, please! Give me some ideas!!! We want to use our red wagon as part of the costume, so keep that in mind. ok, shoot! Thanks!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-68536570280830615202010-08-28T11:56:00.000-07:002010-08-28T12:48:07.357-07:00When Momma's happy...Yes, Nora is well into her first year at preschool and she is loving it! And similarly, I am now getting out of the house to do something I love regularly. I am teaching horseback riding lessons again! I started today with just one lesson and MAN did that ever feel good! That eight-year-old student has no idea, but she made my week! It really feels good to feel competent and knowledgeable about something, and to share with others something that you love and are good at...and then it's nice to make a little money too =) A job like motherhood is VERY respectable indeed, and it takes a lot of hard work. It drains you physically and emotionally. But I will say, no matter how good a mother I am, I never quite feel like I have it all figured out, and really, I don't feel like I have any great wisdom to share. When I am at the barn around those horses, I can feel pretty on top of things. I don't make much, but it does something very good for me and it should end up being enough to cover Nora's preschool pretty soon here. <br /> I let Nora up on the saddle in front of me today when I was riding. That was so exciting to her. She tried to take the reins from me, just like anyone who knows Nora would expect her to do. She just kept saying "run!" "run!", like hell was I going to do that with her. But we trotted a few strides and she giggled away, bouncing all over the place. The horse's name was Kobe, but she just kept calling him Toby. "no, Nora, it's Kuh, Kuh, Kuh Kobe!" and she would respond every time with "Kuh, Kuh, Kuh Toby!" Whatever, Nora. But she had a blast and so did I. Her first time on horseback! One for the baby book.<br /> I suppose I can only speak for myself, but I feel like a woman's soul, and particularly a mother's, is so beat down and taken advantage of in this world. There are the basic functions we are expected to perform and there is no room for failure. We are all expected to be good housekeepers, chefs, super-bargain shoppers, nurses, super models, cheerleaders for our kids and husbands, counselors, saints, walking calendars, volunteer social workers and many are expected to be bread-winners too. Forget sleep, hobbies (aside from family photojournalism), relaxation, and fun! I am lucky enough to have a husband who supports me and gives whatever help he can to ensure that I can get the most out of my life. I know many, no, probably most women are not THAT lucky. Today, I feel blessed. Because I got out, and enjoyed myself, and finally got some perspective I have been lacking. I have a handsome loving husband, and two sweet beautiful healthy daughters and I'm home. Who could ask for anything more? <br /><br />Uh oh...I'm afraid the 2 year old is waking up before I have gotten a chance to shower the barn smell off....This is not good.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-83818036605901820612010-08-11T07:22:00.001-07:002010-08-11T07:42:02.505-07:00My baby's all growed up!I can't make this too long a post, because I have to go pick my little baby Nora up from her second day of school! That's right, at the ripe old age of two, she has started preschool at St Michael the Archangel Catholic church. After whining quite enough (me) about how I never get any time away from her (wah wah wah) and how she doesn't know how to act around other kids or adults (boo hoo), I decided to put her in a 2-day per week program. I thought for sure she would kick and scream and just be beside herself all day, but no...she met her teachers at the door, walked in with them and sat down to play with toys, not even glancing my way as I left. BOTH DAYS! I guess I'm the big weenie. I don't know what to do with myself! Audrey went right down for a nap when we got home and it's...quiet...in the house. I forgot about that stuff. It's a little unnerving, and yet...so refreshing. I have to say though, I can't quite let my guard down. There's a hurricane in my head about the phone ringing as the school calls me to say she is sick (you know there are so many germs on those other kids) or she can't stop crying, or I sent her to school in the wrong outfit or shoes. I guess that part gets easier as I become a little more used to this all though. <br /> Yesterday when I picked her up in the carpool, with the sign in the window with her name and her class name, the DUCK class, she was wearing a different pair of shorts from the ones I dropped her off in. Yeah. I asked her when I saw her, "did you go pee pee today at school?" "yea" she proudly said, "on the carpet." So I apologized to her teacher and put her in the car. They told me she tried to eat the other children's watermelon. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. I'm always stealing food off Mark's plate. And it was no surprise as we know she is insanely obsessed with all fruit.<br /> It is insane of me to want to attach a web cam to her shoe, aimed up at her face so I can see every emotion and interaction she has while she is there? Don't answer that. Moving on...<br /> Audrey...our beloved strawberry blond butterball turkey, "Audeebug", we call her. She has been crawling for weeks now, and she is also pulling to standing on everything she sees: sturdy things like her highchair, the coffee table, couch, and not so sturdy things like the cat, or seemingly sturdy things when her sister is in the room (as Nora will either move it to see what will happen, or just knock her down altogether, WWF style). We love Audrey. I've stopped going into her room at night when she wants to eat...as of 2 nights ago. It occurred to me that she really didn't need to eat anyhow, and it was really ticking me off so he cried a few minutes the first two times and now she doesn't wake up. Score!<br /><br /><br />Shoot I gotta go. carpool line is gonna get long. Wow, I'm really a mom now. gulp.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-67709091266879600612010-06-09T18:29:00.000-07:002010-06-09T19:12:36.431-07:00Settling inHere we are on Weatherstone place. Woodstock, GA is our new home. Settling in hasn't been easy. Of course Mark has been starting a new job, and that is always overwhelming. Here at the house, most of the boxes have been unpacked and collapsed. We had to fight to get our little Nora accustomed to a toddler bed and her new room. The first night was a nightmare. She screamed when we closed the door, then later in the middle of the night, we heard her crying again, then a huge thud and a scream. I woke up from a very tired sleep to a bad stomach ache from panic and soothed her till she was quiet, only to hear Audrey screaming! I now have been feeding Audrey in the middle of the night every few nights. Oh, and night #2, Nora woke AGAIN in the middle of the night, and she would not let me leave her. I ended up camping on her floor till daylight. Man did I feel old when I woke up with bruised hips. The sleep thing has improved for Nora...well until she recently got Hand Foot and Mouth Virus AGAIN!!! She has been feeling terrible. Her mouth is all blistered and eating and even yawning hurts and makes her cry. She has hardly eaten or drank for the last few days. The only part I secretly enjoy is how cuddly she now gets on the couch when I put on a movie. Poor baby. Now her high fever is essentially gone and her little sister is getting really fussy and hard to feed or put to sleep at night. I PRAY that she doesn't have it too now.<br /> Since we have been here, Nora has turned 2, and has begun speaking in sentences quite regularly. Audrey has turned 6 months, sits up very well on her own, is contemplating crawling (but has more interest in log-rolling), popped her first two teeth, and started solids. The girls now play together, eat together and bathe together. It's all pretty fun to watch. My favorite part is when they sleep together--er--uh--at the same time anyway. That's when mommy-time happens...or house cleaning anyway. Any kid-free time is pretty therapeutic for me these days. <br /> It's funny, Nora has a few new fascinations she has discovered here in GA that she never knew in Arizona. Mailboxes. The kid LOVES mailboxes. Wants them all to be hers. We cross train tracks in old-town Woodstock, and she LOVES them too. "Thomas goes!" she shouts every time we cross them. She loves passing horses, and she liked that back in AZ too, but here she gets to go see them up close because I have connections with three different stables here. Every night when I tuck her in she tells me she wants to "see horsies" tomorrow. And sometimes we do. Rain is one of her favorite things here. She will hear thunder...or just see a nice little cloud and say "Rain coming! Rain coming!" It keeps our spirits up on overcast days. She is pretty happy here. I'm trying to learn from her and take note of the simple pleasures better. Oh, and she loves "Packick!" Patrick Flowers is 9 weeks younger than her. Their relationship has been long distance until now. Those two are hilarious together. Patrick's little sister, Madelyn is 11 weeks younger than Audrey as well, and those two are as chummy as babies can be...which is a very limited amount of chumminess...but it is still cute to see them together. They'll be great buds someday! Of course Toby and Angie, their parents are wonderful old friends of ours and we are SUPER excited to be near them again! Things are very good here. Tired and somewhat stressful right now, but good. We love our home, and our neighborhood, and the people and weather here, and we are indeed blessed.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-41783687670433248232010-04-20T10:05:00.000-07:002010-04-20T10:50:50.291-07:00We are moving!Dear Arizona,<br /> Let me start by saying, "you're not so bad!" I can see that now that I am no longer committed to you.<br /> You and I got off on the wrong foot from the start. Before we were an item, I would visit you with Mark and you didn't see like such a bad guy. Pretty hot, but it was more intriguing to me than anything. In hindsight, it was just puppy love. But we moved to be with you. Right away after we moved here, I had a hard time finding work. Then I found myself unexpectedly pregnant...a couple of times! I wanted to blame someone, so I blamed you. When I felt nauseous or too large to function, you overheated me. And you should know, your abusive relationship with the sun...yeah she really changes your attitude. I feel like you could really limit her influence on your weather. Many times I found myself wanting to come outside and visit you, but SHE was always there glaring at me. But all that is water under the bridge. Oh, and speaking of water...yeah you put on a very tough face and can seem very strong, but I think it would do you some good to have a good cry from time to time. I found you very dry a lot of the time. Some rain could benefit you by showing your tender side.<br /> I will miss your beautiful mountains that seem to be wrapped around me everywhere I go. You are handsome, there is no doubt. But the fact that I could only hike on them 4 months out of the year when I wouldn't get heat exhaustion, that was annoying.<br /> So I know there will be times when I will see a potted cactus or a very sunny day and think of you fondly, but I'm going to start fresh with another state. Don't be jealous. You don't have enough water for me and my ever-expanding family anyway. So I am breaking up with you. And really, it's not you, it's me. If you need me, I'll be in the humidity on the other side of the country, beneath the shade of the tall pines. Oh, and take care of my friends. If I hear that you are mistreating them, I'll...well...I...hmmm...just don't do it, ok?<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Megan<br /><br />Yep, we are on our way to Georgia. Packing up and flying out on the 8th of May. Yes, it it VERY soon. Especially because we have to pack up our entire house by then while a toddler is trampling all over it and undoing pretty much everything we do. I'm confident we will get it done though.<br /><br />On a more solemn note, we have to leave behind Mark's parents, and our daughters' new and dearly loved grandparents. They have been wonderful grandparents and very helpful to us. We hope to visit them and receive visits from them often. Our 5 minute drive to their house was very nice and we will miss it a lot. Mark's brother and his beautiful new wife are here as well. We will miss Daniel and Jenny, and the girls will too. Our friends we have made during our three year stay here have been top-notch. My new momma friends have been the reason for any sanity I have left after my struggles with adjusting to motherhood. Our little Audrey's God-parents, Daniel Duran and Andrea Torzala have turned out to be great friends and have made us feel involved in our church community. St Tims will be missed as well. It is a very special place. We have met wonderful neighbors and have been very blessed to stay in such a nice community with great parks and playgrounds nearby.<br /><br />Still, we are thrilled to take the best opportunity offered to us. Georgia will get me a degree, Mark a better income, and hopefully a bit more help with babysitting from friends and family. When I get a chance I am going to post a ton of pictures from our great and special years here. But for now...just one parting shot...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m9ZoXH-dZT3aszYdaFI5z3QZrjTorqrNVVh2E76_4xaT8VHC3zdXBR2mpR9Xa0_kE3OOh-u5sGBXCQPalwzFlOXtGlMWpwUJCBPc1zPgglTW11rODRDUKqll4zgm0yiB0otaUbkGghnB/s1600/IMG_5888.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_m9ZoXH-dZT3aszYdaFI5z3QZrjTorqrNVVh2E76_4xaT8VHC3zdXBR2mpR9Xa0_kE3OOh-u5sGBXCQPalwzFlOXtGlMWpwUJCBPc1zPgglTW11rODRDUKqll4zgm0yiB0otaUbkGghnB/s400/IMG_5888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5462278391315153026" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-49911839434208307112010-03-31T13:23:00.000-07:002010-03-31T14:07:53.413-07:00Though I walk through the valley...I complain that the summer heat is coming, weather that is probably not so different from that which Jesus saw in Jerusalem.<br /><br />I whine that I have to turn on my air conditioning in April. He had to silently carry a cross out in the blinding sun.<br /><br />I wonder how long I have to wait until an opportunity opens up back in GA...three years? Probably not as hard as descending to hell and battling Satan for three days.<br /><br />I think I have a hard time breathing when I am alone and being screamed at by two babies in the evenings. It was all Christ could do to painfully struggle to catch his breath as he hung, bleeding from the cross as he was laughed at.<br /><br /><br />I think it's time I see that I am not alone in this and whatever challenge is laid before me and my family, as long as we use it to see our blessings, God will be glorified in our decisions and we will be more than Okay.<br /><br />We are in limbo about what job Mark will have one month from now. Maybe a training job here in Arizona, maybe a sales job in Georgia...maybe the same darn evening call center job he's been so bored with for the last 3 years here. But our God is faithful, and that means we will all be in good health, with a roof over our heads and food on the table.<br /><br />I don't want to be spiteful anymore. Spite is what makes us miserable. If we are going to stay here, I will allow myself no excuses...We will start anew. Maybe we won't have any more money than we do now, but I have to stop waiting for change. Waiting has been the name of the game for threeand a half years now. Waiting to get our own place, to not be pregnant anymore, for summer to be over, to not be nursing anymore, to not be pregnant anymore, to move to Georgia...and the list could go on the rest of my life. Truth is I am starting to see that my soul has a real sense of unrest. I have a longing spirit, and I'm catching on to the fact that it doesn't go away when good things happen. My longing is because this whole life is temporary. Not just my stay here in Arizona, although I still hope it is...But there's a whole other life we are waiting to begin and that is the cause for the restlessness in our souls.<br /><br />So we aren't doing this alone. This Holy Week is teaching me that. As I reflect on the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord, I see not only that Christ walked the steepest steps of human suffering first and my own are a walk in the park in comparison. His life culmination as he defeated hell is the reason I don't need to focus on which job Mark gets. I need to be the best wife and mother I can right now because my real destination, my real reason for my soul's unrest is my ultimate destination in the arms Christ, and the promise that I am safe forever with him who won that Easter battle for me.<br /><br />I don't want my girls to see that I live life this way. I want them to learn to be women who are strong in Christ and confident in his promises. I want to teach them to make life decisions based on trust in HIM and based on love for themselves and for those God has placed in their lives. I want them to look at every situation with gratitude first and discernment second.<br /><br />My beautiful girls are already helping me find my way home. Happy Easter!<br /><br />And of course some pictures to help lighten the mood =-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL59phwkAf-yy_RmLT_rf7-nBofCqJAius-6j5OXukxhwsjZXkilwl3J0I3HqJKkms4Gfb0RGAO8b8HIyVb9Jme2dcfATGJCeCfulKXLx3COzvKA96hK72EUTIqhXoHPFcxo7tig6r-Pm/s1600/IMG_5259.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNL59phwkAf-yy_RmLT_rf7-nBofCqJAius-6j5OXukxhwsjZXkilwl3J0I3HqJKkms4Gfb0RGAO8b8HIyVb9Jme2dcfATGJCeCfulKXLx3COzvKA96hK72EUTIqhXoHPFcxo7tig6r-Pm/s400/IMG_5259.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454906883123869618" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJMbyXwkUFvRpklxB8I0FHDxiFe_hFHDFa0nvIGWFNa35bXlNXxoE8XeWdpyQoMbxXpdTzTCPE_2JbArJdLokcfODydypjcYAKiLTlrUsxRORtP7kj9NgSGgd8QkFpMMNaqO2LEQLwn_X/s1600/IMG_5305.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIJMbyXwkUFvRpklxB8I0FHDxiFe_hFHDFa0nvIGWFNa35bXlNXxoE8XeWdpyQoMbxXpdTzTCPE_2JbArJdLokcfODydypjcYAKiLTlrUsxRORtP7kj9NgSGgd8QkFpMMNaqO2LEQLwn_X/s400/IMG_5305.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454906889576924978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwLPREyvmN5sVf_KhiCQPjvdwdEXUZ-6a8l80FlODvbngycEpJ8Eo-DdETlEmGoXy_UfNJbDhqonzNw-4PMQQsvlfaP-4BngePenBf5cKVgOxPf1UXPtWLTwHsfkeXRkcDHbFGiS0hxdJ/s1600/IMG_5425.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwLPREyvmN5sVf_KhiCQPjvdwdEXUZ-6a8l80FlODvbngycEpJ8Eo-DdETlEmGoXy_UfNJbDhqonzNw-4PMQQsvlfaP-4BngePenBf5cKVgOxPf1UXPtWLTwHsfkeXRkcDHbFGiS0hxdJ/s400/IMG_5425.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454906907533827714" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWdhf7ARRXUf2_0lky1eEnYufm6JVhHA6bN7WQJlrpNThOZdRDgVi_vonMRQBJNtgTJ9KSOu-OEtg9BDNArCcJuNlsKAknqHcCA7qlHr32S9fWSKUYmYxIWd9hJ0KCZPev_jomSA_p3hV/s1600/IMG_5449.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlWdhf7ARRXUf2_0lky1eEnYufm6JVhHA6bN7WQJlrpNThOZdRDgVi_vonMRQBJNtgTJ9KSOu-OEtg9BDNArCcJuNlsKAknqHcCA7qlHr32S9fWSKUYmYxIWd9hJ0KCZPev_jomSA_p3hV/s400/IMG_5449.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5454906901116589090" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-67400697100058434232010-03-25T21:01:00.000-07:002010-03-25T21:55:50.088-07:0040 days in the desertIt's lent now, the 40 day long Catholic season in which we prepare ourselves for Easter. We make sacrifices, repent for our sins, and reflect on Christ's 40 days of fasting and temptation in the desert.<br /><br />I can honestly say that our family is very involved in this Lenten season. Not only are we in an actual desert, we are stuck in a very challenging time, waiting for change and testing our strength. Mark is working hard on applying for jobs all over to move on with his career, and I am stuck here in my house with the girls and most of the time no car. We are both so tired and impatient, wondering what may be the next step for our little family of four. Will it be in GA? Will it be here in Phoenix? Will we be able to feed our whole family? The future is scary, but it is even scarier to think of being stuck in this unsettled period of question. We simply have to move on soon. We just have to.<br /><br />The kids are definitely keeping us distracted a good deal. We decided that if there were a video of our life with the girls, it would, without question, be a comedy. You would be laughing the whole time. Nora is a barrel of laughs. On our way to take Mark to work one day we were stopped at a red light. It was quiet, a sleepy morning (uhh or well 12:30pm), when she snapped us out of it, yelling, "GOOOO!!!" We cracked up, so now every time we sit at a red light, she does that. She also tortures our cats. She giggles and squeals as she chases them around the house. That's pretty funny to watch too. Every time we go to Costco, which is like twice a week or something ridiculous like that, she yells "CA-CO!" as we pull into the parking lot. She calls stop signs "Stopssss.....Ign", and the list goes on.<br /><br />Nora had a tooth extracted a few weeks ago, full anesthesia and all, the same weekend Mark finished his degree. Crazy times for us. Poor Nora was traumatized. Now her separation anxiety has reached an all time high. She has nightmares frequently now, usually during her naps. May be the trauma, may just be her age. Audrey is sleeping great though. She just went two nights in a row without waking or feeding. She turned 4 months today! To celebrate, we are taking her to get 2 shots tomorrow...exciting.<br /><br />I'm sorry, I just ran out of energy and this happens to be the most boring post ever. I'll try to come back with something really good in the next week. Let me leave you with a parting shot...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopF8_hbIAsRXvOOuohTAF5a2y5F72I5vLDH4ogN6NwHc5Nc6d2gX1CwfBHSTFtf2NPGppvVdGRUuxascZsll41iJ5RrgqjdhKvQeEpxWPxHSi31CJGcgHFtc7OkMa2PH6_85thh9tBGv9/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopF8_hbIAsRXvOOuohTAF5a2y5F72I5vLDH4ogN6NwHc5Nc6d2gX1CwfBHSTFtf2NPGppvVdGRUuxascZsll41iJ5RrgqjdhKvQeEpxWPxHSi31CJGcgHFtc7OkMa2PH6_85thh9tBGv9/s400/IMG_5443.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452801522865353314" border="0" /></a><br />have a nice day...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopF8_hbIAsRXvOOuohTAF5a2y5F72I5vLDH4ogN6NwHc5Nc6d2gX1CwfBHSTFtf2NPGppvVdGRUuxascZsll41iJ5RrgqjdhKvQeEpxWPxHSi31CJGcgHFtc7OkMa2PH6_85thh9tBGv9/s1600/IMG_5443.JPG"> </a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-41714921448227382772010-02-23T12:10:00.000-08:002010-02-23T14:15:52.789-08:00The February update!This blog is terribly overdue...much like our second born daughter was! Yep, Audrey Ruth was born November 25th, and that's beyond fashionably late for her due date on the 12th! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnZfmLNq1dzu8wNXsmFO0kAn51CMee7Nwbg_amiS5azMraq6CUJyDuNKjx2WJurcTpszMOeqqNl6hX67C2RqcpS3xdHYN7L1wWqCIdt5n73JdF7JMZG3eoFXiFrq7RkN8dxtryFSxPint/s1600-h/IMG_4779.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnZfmLNq1dzu8wNXsmFO0kAn51CMee7Nwbg_amiS5azMraq6CUJyDuNKjx2WJurcTpszMOeqqNl6hX67C2RqcpS3xdHYN7L1wWqCIdt5n73JdF7JMZG3eoFXiFrq7RkN8dxtryFSxPint/s400/IMG_4779.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441547423645409970" border="0" /></a> The evening before Thanksgiving, our little butterball arrived. Well, not little, more like gigantic. Audrey lay there screaming on the scale and a dozen nurses stood around her...busy saving her life? no. She was healthy. They were all placing bets on her weight. She was a whopping 10 lbs, 2 oz! I don't know whether I should be proud of my work or humiliated. Either way, we are overjoyed to have our sweet little angel in our arms now. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-VpfPqe6J3at7LwXi9Oq9q92vOQfMnt5Y5wOUZgeW0JIjcbUTdpTvNYJbFfzT3s3eugRKjp3Na4oCqTiyjqU5LkhlZGHSe2M7mQVCfvY6JcqHYn1Ye64cQQ7hVqA9SPEPYXJYVJzOeop/s1600-h/IMG_3940.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-VpfPqe6J3at7LwXi9Oq9q92vOQfMnt5Y5wOUZgeW0JIjcbUTdpTvNYJbFfzT3s3eugRKjp3Na4oCqTiyjqU5LkhlZGHSe2M7mQVCfvY6JcqHYn1Ye64cQQ7hVqA9SPEPYXJYVJzOeop/s400/IMG_3940.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441547397867730082" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDLAjEjIg-SxsROcD96WqDjvvu29PUAtKPI9H9d9QF-3FFNH09CBf9iJQ2490nxCODff4mJRZqozy0oRnrgFtVEDopy-0GM2RvMMc60UbcnrJZmk93ks2UTIwUNLiPw4rYH-pF8MtXZwR/s1600-h/IMG_4898.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYDLAjEjIg-SxsROcD96WqDjvvu29PUAtKPI9H9d9QF-3FFNH09CBf9iJQ2490nxCODff4mJRZqozy0oRnrgFtVEDopy-0GM2RvMMc60UbcnrJZmk93ks2UTIwUNLiPw4rYH-pF8MtXZwR/s400/IMG_4898.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441547412511861346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It was exciting to bring her home and introduce the sisters and rather funny to watch it actually happen. Nora got this deer-in-the-headlights look and just kept pointing at her and saying "baby...baby...baby...baby...". After all the talking we did with her beforehand, she was very caught off guard to say the least. Its been a bumpy road as they have tried to get used to each other. As the stay-at-home mom of the family, it has been very challenging for me. That's not to say it isn't extremely rewarding and tons of fun as well. Of course I am home alone with the girls every weeknight for the fussy hour, cooking and serving dinner, giving baths, trying to read bedtime stories and get both kiddos down for bed. That's not easy. Between about 5:30 and 8:30PM, most nights I lose my mind. Audrey often wakes up from her nap screaming and inconsolable, which upsets Nora and makes her whine. All the while I am trying to finish cooking and get Nora to eat. And try bathing a toddler, dressing her and reading to her with a screaming 2 month old attached to your chest in a baby carrier! Unfortunately bedtime is not all that relaxing for Nora...but she is a trooper. I think she's relieved to have some peace and quiet in the dark with her music. I should be so lucky! I love my girls and my heart breaks for them, but I'll be glad when Mark finally has evenings off, one way or another. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw66tRhc54XbCDpKrqCIZZzKPdSwRBld9aH8J3e7AqUuC4WVsadEJO_Ea32hW5erjAd6TIHRJqK0-aRuxKFBukhMgAlcCyL8Q6attyAEnmLtvmhm2Xh5OGGVVn_DPr0KOO605Vrjnxd6Vj/s1600-h/IMG_5038.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw66tRhc54XbCDpKrqCIZZzKPdSwRBld9aH8J3e7AqUuC4WVsadEJO_Ea32hW5erjAd6TIHRJqK0-aRuxKFBukhMgAlcCyL8Q6attyAEnmLtvmhm2Xh5OGGVVn_DPr0KOO605Vrjnxd6Vj/s400/IMG_5038.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441547369085196722" border="0" /></a><br /><br />After 2 long years of online classes, I can't believe it, Mark is graduating next weekend! It has been so hard on our family to have his home time in the mornings be monopolized by school work on the computer. Full time school and full time work has taken its toll on Mark. He's amazing! He still finds time to be a supporting husband and loving father. What a journey this has been these last three years! Starting with the move to AZ from GA, we had our 1 yr anniversary, and the next week became pregnant with our first child, we both got into new jobs, bought our first home together, I left my job, had Nora, then 9 months later we found out we were expecting AGAIN! The economy went down the toilet, Mark's sales job suffered, we had our second beautiful girl, and Mark is now graduating all in less than three years. We are both different people than we were when we moved out here, after all we have been through and seen. And we are so blessed. <br /><br />So now Nora is sick. Last tuesday (one week ago) I took her to the doc for lethargy, a low fever and fever blisters. He found that she had sores all in her mouth, hands, knees and backside, and diagnosed her with Hand, Foot and mouth disease. (Not to be confused with hoof and mouth--very different thing there) So as he looked in her mouth, he found something else, an abscess above one of her front top teeth. Apparently she got it when she fell and bumped her tooth. We went to the dentist yesterday and he confirmed it then referred us to an ORAL SURGEON! She has to have the tooth pulled to save the adult tooth coming behind it. My poor baby is gonna have a missing front tooth until about 6 yrs old! So next friday she'll have the surgery...that's right, surgery. She has to be put under general anesthesia and everything. I am going to cry like a baby. She's going to be so scared, and they say they usually wake up crying. I am about to cry now, typing this! I'm such a baby. My little Nora will be beautiful no matter what happens. I love my girls so much. They are the most wonderfully beautiful things in the world to me.<br /><br />I'm putting some pics of our Valentines day toddler party up. We had five toddlers and two babies. It was fun to see all the babies now that they are almost two. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCIEIDfGTD5mkUTMFVbw10ef5QG8eSk3ghCKXAHpAbitHG1uI2BOqnSYhZ4oHPkEcFPVvHflHiwKKfNT2ziP2yHDwdy9eZhHAJOdYpVOQ1lXzHNFd9L3aOHyaVaBo8s5O8Qtu1cF9pb_u/s1600-h/IMG_5084.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCIEIDfGTD5mkUTMFVbw10ef5QG8eSk3ghCKXAHpAbitHG1uI2BOqnSYhZ4oHPkEcFPVvHflHiwKKfNT2ziP2yHDwdy9eZhHAJOdYpVOQ1lXzHNFd9L3aOHyaVaBo8s5O8Qtu1cF9pb_u/s400/IMG_5084.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441547387222274690" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-53744637897338591032009-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:002009-11-06T16:08:52.364-08:006 days...5 days...4...Baby number two, come on!!!!! Although she is not due for another six days, there are oh, so many good reasons why Audrey should come out right now and not a moment later. Mark really wants to get out of work and start his leave since there is no reason to work hard to hit goal as he has no chance to hit goal this month. I am nervous about having a gigantic baby. I mean Nora was big enough at 9lbs 4 oz, but second babies are often bigger, and I just don't know how much baby I can push out...without getting too graphic. Also, my labor last time was NOT what I had in mind as I wanted to go all natural. I went past my due date by 6 days and was told I had to be induced because of a low level of amniotic fluid. I am really afraid of that happening again. If I have to be given pitocin again, I am just going straight for the epidural. I feel that with the evil intensity of pitocin contractions, it is absolutely necessary. I'm not gonna try and do that again. No point. After 8 hours of Hell last time I needed the epidural anyway to get my body to relax enough to progress, so just forget it. Also, my mom has come out to give a hand. She got here from Atlanta yesterday morning, and while she is extremely useful with Nora, I don't want her to wait too long to help with the new one. I want to maximize her usefulness you know. And then of course we are all excited to meet the little bugger. <br /><br /> I really think Nora has a pretty good idea of the extremity of the change about to take place. I had thought she would be clueless, but she is very much out of whack right now. She is getting over a little bug that gave her a fever for a few days, but she has become so whiney and clingy with me, I really think she knows something big is happening. I guess even an 18 month old can see that I can only grow so much bigger before I explode! I mean it's just logic!<br /><br /> Well, last night I noticed my first regular contractions. It was probably a good couple of hours of them being 7 minutes apart. So that was just thrilling...except that they didn't even hurt. It's probably all for the best because the last few days I was having an intensely sore throat, and yesterday, in particular, I did not feel up to going into labor. That would have been awful. But today, I'm feeling quite a bit better so COME ON LABOR! How did I ever get to be so impatient? It's pathetic. I should be content if I have a healthy little girl and that's all. Don't get me wrong--I do want that. I just want other stuff too = )<br /><br /> Well maybe this will be the weekend. Right now, I'm off to go drink some raspberry leaf tea and do some labor-inducing yoga! Wish me (us) luck!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-8923817735846164812009-10-08T13:36:00.000-07:002009-10-08T14:29:09.981-07:00OK, ok, ok I know...a month between blogs is bad blog etiquette. So sue me. I find myself having a hard time finding the energy to take a nap many of these days...blogging is not the first thing on my list. Cleaning my house, taking care of my off-the-walls one year old, or ya know feeding my family often end up coming first these days. I had really forgotten how tired the last trimester can make you. I seriously take a 2-3 hour nap most days and Nora wakes me up at the end of it. Yeah, I sleep about as much as a one year old baby. She's almost 17 months now, and HOLY COW has the separation anxiety phase gotten bad...It's all about mama these days. I have started to go to a mothers' meeting at my neighbor's church twice a month where they watch your kid for you, and last time I could hear her for a full hour screaming MAMA! MAMA! down the hall. NOT relaxing. Made me want to tear my fingernails off and eat them. eww. What did I just say?<br /><br />We are all gearing up now for the newest Mayer to come along within the next 5 weeks (hopefully). We have had our shower, which was quite beautiful. Thanks to everyone who came and helped. I am having contractions ALL THE TIME now, and many of them are beginning to hurt. We will have an ultrasound next friday which will tell us if she's hangin out in there the wrong way or if she's another baby elephant like her older sister. Judging by my lack of self control lately when it comes to carbs and sugar, I'm gonna say she's probably HUGE. Those are the two things my OB said to limit to help keep her a bit smaller...yeah, it's pretty much all I want. mmm, cinnamon chip muffins......I'm digging my own grave. Yet I am still feeling very hopeful about this birth. I am planning, yet again, to try and do it as naturally as possible. And If I have a medical need to be induced like last time, I'm taking the epidural hand in hand with the pitocin. That stuff is EVIL. EVIL, I TELL YOU. I want to know what it's like to go into labor on my own. Apparently the contractions aren't anything like the mind-numbing pitocin contractions. So I'm gonna give it a shot. And maybe, since Nora is working me so hard, I'll go into labor early...and not have a 10 pound baby! Nora was 9lbs 4oz. I had to push for a LONG time with her. I'm hoping for a quicker pushing experience this time. Anything 9lbs or less sounds like a breeze.<br /><br />Speaking of breeze, life is really looking up around here as the AZ fall weather has set in. It's about 2pm here and I have doors and windows open! I LOVE that. Nora and I can go for a walk to the park pretty much any time of day aside from like 3-430pm just because the sun is so hot. And let me tell you, she is a much happier kiddo this time of year. She was driving me crazy asking to go outside just before October hit. Now the highs are in the 80s and the dry air really feels cool all the time. It's a whole different world now. Good time to have a baby, I'd say. Just a couple weeks ago, Mark and I drove up to Payson and did a bit of hiking up there. That was gorgeous. A great way to kick off fall. I know the highs will probably fly up into the 100s again sometime soon for the last time, and I'll want to kill people again, but for now, I'm content. I can almost imagine the leaves changing color when I close my eyes (when they're open, the cactus-covered desert landscape throws me off). Man do I miss the southeast. Oh well. Maybe we'll be back to the land of FOUR seasons someday soon. Until then, I'm gonna try and enjoy the loveliness here and work this little rib-boxing-champ out of me. Nora's up and making some bizarre sounds in there...I'll try to add some shower, preggo, and payson pics... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aeZh1dDv7wuX2vxeBjiQuy90-mN_7XmTjp6y9W7cdorwlb23PVDN5IIpjNvo14K2zetZbZWy8yXtp71DezFR5UJQWNDOdiJngom5Fh9-68MdYI6RAMOSEo7kdUvBON2eKUl4UCqEa3Ry/s1600-h/IMG_3626.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6aeZh1dDv7wuX2vxeBjiQuy90-mN_7XmTjp6y9W7cdorwlb23PVDN5IIpjNvo14K2zetZbZWy8yXtp71DezFR5UJQWNDOdiJngom5Fh9-68MdYI6RAMOSEo7kdUvBON2eKUl4UCqEa3Ry/s320/IMG_3626.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390339640129968722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuJr4QBRCalPFZwN8XHxio8ISQradQXe26cM87tp8z6urilSziAMNbQwlnzWIYrKAcZzHV_4tsOmcor2IRihRqQUeDbQt0xMId9KM9jr4rXtStCqfJY1aQWNPK3L1T74z-UAhCVhhh9oH/s1600-h/IMG_3619.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQuJr4QBRCalPFZwN8XHxio8ISQradQXe26cM87tp8z6urilSziAMNbQwlnzWIYrKAcZzHV_4tsOmcor2IRihRqQUeDbQt0xMId9KM9jr4rXtStCqfJY1aQWNPK3L1T74z-UAhCVhhh9oH/s320/IMG_3619.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390339625122648050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSU01KyJtevY2oevMgLNHCv_F7_k6AMthmEK3ScrbwZt0UWrnYdMbse6s0R-rJ25Jqsbn7iDyM1fjtINLxInNoO6BSh59GIozfk7IR7oVKmUjJlFGmGwntgjRPmC8QoJAo5VnhFFAhR87a/s1600-h/IMG_3682.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSU01KyJtevY2oevMgLNHCv_F7_k6AMthmEK3ScrbwZt0UWrnYdMbse6s0R-rJ25Jqsbn7iDyM1fjtINLxInNoO6BSh59GIozfk7IR7oVKmUjJlFGmGwntgjRPmC8QoJAo5VnhFFAhR87a/s320/IMG_3682.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390339611113171922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ07-G5r12qo4rWlFWM0ENGjJVM-MCqtL9blyHKaZhx0L7q4NEwtkWZl8yPGm2KPLjMa_tTzXvvzqMTeQI1ZIS7VQkkiP1y4ODFXBXx31RoUWYtoE7V5vexpe-yxrApvJmFtz-tu2FjAn/s1600-h/IMG_3565.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhJ07-G5r12qo4rWlFWM0ENGjJVM-MCqtL9blyHKaZhx0L7q4NEwtkWZl8yPGm2KPLjMa_tTzXvvzqMTeQI1ZIS7VQkkiP1y4ODFXBXx31RoUWYtoE7V5vexpe-yxrApvJmFtz-tu2FjAn/s320/IMG_3565.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390339600918918306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0slK9QOSjXKVxT1uOa33gMqC4p7g0Ep_4c9qZNbqAmpL1EWQQGtVXfHoZrqKqCSWfz66anlPFQDbtnvu9DXZvOXlictqZ2Or3QikMzjjkFsMCcLRGxhP-_uJrA0uYJSB0DW1VELXrNsl/s1600-h/IMG_3578.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0slK9QOSjXKVxT1uOa33gMqC4p7g0Ep_4c9qZNbqAmpL1EWQQGtVXfHoZrqKqCSWfz66anlPFQDbtnvu9DXZvOXlictqZ2Or3QikMzjjkFsMCcLRGxhP-_uJrA0uYJSB0DW1VELXrNsl/s320/IMG_3578.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390339584655865202" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-9080956030411507662009-09-14T15:37:00.000-07:002009-09-14T16:09:24.499-07:00Nesting time...Yeah, I'm officially really bad at keeping a blog. Sorry I can't seem to be very regular about this. Things are getting exciting around here. We're looking for the cooler weather, we're getting strict about out budget, house cleaning and setting up for the second Mayer princess. We are so excited to meet her. Well, I'm excited to meet her...I think Mark is more excited about the time off. Haha JUST KIDDING. No, we are both really jazzed about the new baby. Nora is growing in leaps and bounds. She is figuring out more words and improving on old ones. For instance, now she's beginning to say "daddY" and "doggY" rather than "dadA" and...well, just barking to refer to a dog. Man does that little girl love animals and babies. She's always pointing to my belly and saying BABA (for baby) and giving it hugs. She has not a clue what's in store for her I'm sure.<br /><br />And as for me, I am going nuts with my nesting instincts. I can't seem to satisfy this urge to set up for our new little girl. Of course it's hard because we really don't have a nursery for her. We have only one crib and that's Nora's. She's not ready to move out of there yet. All we have is our pack n play with the bassinet level for the newby to sleep in, and that's not set up yet. We got some diapers and some clothes and a hand-me-down dresser...but other than that, this kid has nothing. I wish we could do for her all the things we did for Nora, but we're totally out of money and not even sure where we will be living in 6 months so ya know...it's a little tough. We are having a baby shower next saturday...so after that maybe we will pull out the pack n play and the infant swing and get serious about set-up. We are also doing a refresher childbirth class at our doctor's office so maybe that will make things feel a little more 'for real'. The only real sign of this little one that I notice is my ever growing torpedo-shaped belly. Yeah, I feel like I already look full term. I shudder to think of what I will look like in the end with this one. It was out of control with Nora. Here's a taste of what I looked like toward the last days:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoGlqvllzqAC6IIRS8wyfn3HJrECpFHHQ9Qg6kDKlBsd6CU5oATybEZWlK8NwM9pCrV3tNh3gAvfhSjnauart6fP1EV3QPFyvdP53TZtRhdXRLd-Y5ozIWmVXRgST8_xBHdFvZdU5kjrz/s1600-h/of=50,332,442_4.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimoGlqvllzqAC6IIRS8wyfn3HJrECpFHHQ9Qg6kDKlBsd6CU5oATybEZWlK8NwM9pCrV3tNh3gAvfhSjnauart6fP1EV3QPFyvdP53TZtRhdXRLd-Y5ozIWmVXRgST8_xBHdFvZdU5kjrz/s200/of=50,332,442_4.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381460990351929122" border="0" /></a>Oh, and notice the swollen head and ankles. Not fun times for Meggy.<br /><br />So Anyway, that's me with a nine-pounder in my belly. What will this pregnancy bring? Who knows? Here are some pictures of Nora at Grandma C and Grandpa Hal's for your entertainment...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXBQsPhxozOu2F_R0PQt2DG8KemAh15DUdDvK-q0WFIRnxQvrYe0dXkpxexR9ymR733T5dgWshWetRIF86RKqtVihRUvnc9iUQ84mnhPw1IYMDgtHkMmA9bfWG0dOh9TssZ-eEOrjbEXj/s1600-h/IMG_0956.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 203px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAXBQsPhxozOu2F_R0PQt2DG8KemAh15DUdDvK-q0WFIRnxQvrYe0dXkpxexR9ymR733T5dgWshWetRIF86RKqtVihRUvnc9iUQ84mnhPw1IYMDgtHkMmA9bfWG0dOh9TssZ-eEOrjbEXj/s200/IMG_0956.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381462933650208434" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQmjbIRLkideFLqRFzmfq0Sm_BwV2OYrLBgzZNtNPV1RWvUqiHDg0sHpMjf_qz6Me0Z4Yd8WDOC_AG2gKI2oVbtwFMBSq07vsreUJUsEf0cEG2nMkgAB5J3L2bQfN5jQSzNml1tbdAbtB/s1600-h/IMG_0953.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgQmjbIRLkideFLqRFzmfq0Sm_BwV2OYrLBgzZNtNPV1RWvUqiHDg0sHpMjf_qz6Me0Z4Yd8WDOC_AG2gKI2oVbtwFMBSq07vsreUJUsEf0cEG2nMkgAB5J3L2bQfN5jQSzNml1tbdAbtB/s200/IMG_0953.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381462958421511266" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7KPBhE5Euw4XnU_3-UWsBrXCtoxEN2whdS03J3Q2hfjAhwf7Ra9Q4-w2BSi2kOAk-4A4n4oWQxqJKEudpbaQ0laXMlZgQvq-Qrj75Ttumt_lnyiPfhjm5Mlx6RaqqIwqYjEWV8Dozw_K/s1600-h/IMG_0955.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7KPBhE5Euw4XnU_3-UWsBrXCtoxEN2whdS03J3Q2hfjAhwf7Ra9Q4-w2BSi2kOAk-4A4n4oWQxqJKEudpbaQ0laXMlZgQvq-Qrj75Ttumt_lnyiPfhjm5Mlx6RaqqIwqYjEWV8Dozw_K/s200/IMG_0955.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381462953105941234" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghY1a5aEASAR7jyCsxpWS27yslNvwZzLOrB6Lj8ho7PSXETaNdxr7n6hYF7U2ggjnN6y2fJUxbvCGnhWrAo8-fGp_vMm4aGcKIl3_Dh3xnvVccO8V38aFovsIlX5wcMiZINB2hEyzG9z-m/s1600-h/IMG_0945.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghY1a5aEASAR7jyCsxpWS27yslNvwZzLOrB6Lj8ho7PSXETaNdxr7n6hYF7U2ggjnN6y2fJUxbvCGnhWrAo8-fGp_vMm4aGcKIl3_Dh3xnvVccO8V38aFovsIlX5wcMiZINB2hEyzG9z-m/s200/IMG_0945.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381462942797452386" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-83460630606328011132009-08-25T11:28:00.000-07:002009-08-25T11:59:31.074-07:00I have to sit down and put my feet up out of the San Diego sun from time to time anyway, so I figured I may as well post a blog while I'm at it! We're having more and more fun each day we're out here. Yesterday (Monday) we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was amazing. We toted Nora around in the wagon the whole time...well except when She wanted to get out and push it. I was tempted to jump in and take advantage of her kindness, but thought that might look a little wrong...well, and...not...work. So I wanted to post some good zoo photos, as there are many. I think the only animal we didn't see was a giraffe. We see those at the Phoenix Zoo when we go though so that's not too big a deal. OK, here they are: One happy kid at the zoo...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQc46hZdOFed1KJx3qX6i_obNeZ8dkiYwyu7M6gqogXY7V2aIgRakjz6j2pcboK3lNU_UBKekcFJwK55XNcY0oSEh47sXDsNBcpVLFJVOX4c_BDL3RSiHsTCOa08qCZHpLs1TQGaq-ykr/s1600-h/IMG_3437.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQc46hZdOFed1KJx3qX6i_obNeZ8dkiYwyu7M6gqogXY7V2aIgRakjz6j2pcboK3lNU_UBKekcFJwK55XNcY0oSEh47sXDsNBcpVLFJVOX4c_BDL3RSiHsTCOa08qCZHpLs1TQGaq-ykr/s320/IMG_3437.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373974100707194450" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOTDoTRWFVBPPmd__w68zfg0Ox7ZzmeLpn-J384myVQMI2tttVXlNqQD9ROrQTcxub-eNOm862hqzBlnQ1uf_jLgckOXi_3emUwbOSAqUgFtlJtcCpIplAYYk8LoCP9ZW8493La3JOwZc/s1600-h/IMG_3427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwOTDoTRWFVBPPmd__w68zfg0Ox7ZzmeLpn-J384myVQMI2tttVXlNqQD9ROrQTcxub-eNOm862hqzBlnQ1uf_jLgckOXi_3emUwbOSAqUgFtlJtcCpIplAYYk8LoCP9ZW8493La3JOwZc/s320/IMG_3427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373974090068318658" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNt2lDkXsCP9rOQ3Ne7oGBNXFbHd8BatYqs8Xe3wCu0XNN6JXPKkGKODAeD7srTzvaWWoKJe-6SVCsz-K-hVFmOnqjUjuh4eW1T6SC4d-OXWBN5sa6EeuGZI3W-xLG_7T0mlK8OUc2S50/s1600-h/IMG_3418.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNt2lDkXsCP9rOQ3Ne7oGBNXFbHd8BatYqs8Xe3wCu0XNN6JXPKkGKODAeD7srTzvaWWoKJe-6SVCsz-K-hVFmOnqjUjuh4eW1T6SC4d-OXWBN5sa6EeuGZI3W-xLG_7T0mlK8OUc2S50/s320/IMG_3418.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373974082445175874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-1dEV4_kekgz15aYpTKjmha5BY5-Ct1-XWtqudOBjSHNP3wQRUobFOo5OYPHKk4SNl2iigpi6ZKzQnGnU5kDtBFVaUoCtyBcH8qgeHq7Ioay1C81i1nZUX8oF0qQFIiSXfWoGdYxCmv1/s1600-h/IMG_3408.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB-1dEV4_kekgz15aYpTKjmha5BY5-Ct1-XWtqudOBjSHNP3wQRUobFOo5OYPHKk4SNl2iigpi6ZKzQnGnU5kDtBFVaUoCtyBcH8qgeHq7Ioay1C81i1nZUX8oF0qQFIiSXfWoGdYxCmv1/s320/IMG_3408.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373974074543279634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoJ7HEdwK20fmtoJxKAhIqCFdrwdg_MgVKNTzd5Uz5NVEzVxjSN-b_y7NO95g1DDWrfDkBkOEAIl7j8VFcuOtlFr1kCWc8L2yQSc4qP-EUWOimgBmNGFnpmf3Yg9auVIhv-CKNR6cyeYH/s1600-h/IMG_3401.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoJ7HEdwK20fmtoJxKAhIqCFdrwdg_MgVKNTzd5Uz5NVEzVxjSN-b_y7NO95g1DDWrfDkBkOEAIl7j8VFcuOtlFr1kCWc8L2yQSc4qP-EUWOimgBmNGFnpmf3Yg9auVIhv-CKNR6cyeYH/s320/IMG_3401.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373974066342661458" border="0" /></a><br />We also went to the beach a bit yesterday morning and made a few good memories. So I am posting a couple pictures of that. We've been having great breakfasts at this cute place called Cafe Mono. Sooo good. They make this fresh 5 dollar breakfast wrap that we just can't get enough of, until we saw the tiny breakfast cafe on the boardwalk that had COCONUT BANANA PANCAKES with MAPLE SYRUP. Hubba Hubba. So that's where we went this morning (Pics should be posted tonight or tomorrow). Nora chose to eat sand instead. Here's yesterday morning's pics to leave you with. You'll love the shot of Nora punching my lights out. Enjoy!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtvoa9x0f9XsnZDY3xK2PNBlCZsCDJGPh2HUXux9UMScLEwlybCOZ3KUNN8uum3FUyLJVgg7iWAsJdsXrWHFGeE2W55zLnNb5THQ8mqjCVUrP7uk8Sg_3Tw_CgPgDCYmuBdU1MhJkZvpU/s1600-h/IMG_3387.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNtvoa9x0f9XsnZDY3xK2PNBlCZsCDJGPh2HUXux9UMScLEwlybCOZ3KUNN8uum3FUyLJVgg7iWAsJdsXrWHFGeE2W55zLnNb5THQ8mqjCVUrP7uk8Sg_3Tw_CgPgDCYmuBdU1MhJkZvpU/s320/IMG_3387.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373977327242066706" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXklKzz9cOt2nInlMoxw5UMpIn3mhcIFLBHB4jOUah_tk6DHjZc6dX-ik1qwnZLjgS4sCcQASedTGdxC1yCezndVlB4JzMSQ2J1AwIp8U5T3Sd3IVeGQ1nIaqCpar2BPYvnG9tNTMJgsR/s1600-h/IMG_3394.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXklKzz9cOt2nInlMoxw5UMpIn3mhcIFLBHB4jOUah_tk6DHjZc6dX-ik1qwnZLjgS4sCcQASedTGdxC1yCezndVlB4JzMSQ2J1AwIp8U5T3Sd3IVeGQ1nIaqCpar2BPYvnG9tNTMJgsR/s320/IMG_3394.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373977319093928050" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CZvo38e6Ff4B5_Gv6Xcrb-aOh3WxroLg2vHuv8ZVAFkZeNRafJ6aQKCSCrqLms8baUIrr9PhTKhswDnk2a5x8atzx7wCiR8ktUQ-VJ-gO6_ONVUFPqm9N2-WXriOpSbG2DgewzTcJ9dX/s1600-h/IMG_3382.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4CZvo38e6Ff4B5_Gv6Xcrb-aOh3WxroLg2vHuv8ZVAFkZeNRafJ6aQKCSCrqLms8baUIrr9PhTKhswDnk2a5x8atzx7wCiR8ktUQ-VJ-gO6_ONVUFPqm9N2-WXriOpSbG2DgewzTcJ9dX/s320/IMG_3382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373977311213193154" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOY2Z3SGv-WXs0KXOj1jPMBD6wlucFwUoW_KvVDJjxYt40iyCcWC7kRqolXSsWvdrrqkKkMucvOzlfhyjW0C1UlKKELrWtggsm4Mungc4XhkUiHHtCAGfuOaXUGmRbwfRUh_Hay07IaIS/s1600-h/IMG_3378.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOY2Z3SGv-WXs0KXOj1jPMBD6wlucFwUoW_KvVDJjxYt40iyCcWC7kRqolXSsWvdrrqkKkMucvOzlfhyjW0C1UlKKELrWtggsm4Mungc4XhkUiHHtCAGfuOaXUGmRbwfRUh_Hay07IaIS/s320/IMG_3378.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373977299011558722" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnLe1pwr7LPjCVrSLQckg_l90XhZk-eutinHXxxlEF1xjfrNZ83PPoj6ovveKbvKGwAjdzHNFX1LBluRNPtIbjyTxy6BvQbh9X7DN1lVTz8tOiB7yB-PGfdqurswNzzOY95GwXgsEUmnq/s1600-h/IMG_3377.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnLe1pwr7LPjCVrSLQckg_l90XhZk-eutinHXxxlEF1xjfrNZ83PPoj6ovveKbvKGwAjdzHNFX1LBluRNPtIbjyTxy6BvQbh9X7DN1lVTz8tOiB7yB-PGfdqurswNzzOY95GwXgsEUmnq/s320/IMG_3377.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373977290584758658" border="0" /><br /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-62774638589062870532009-08-23T16:47:00.000-07:002009-08-23T17:26:10.088-07:00Nora at the BeachI'm sorry to everyone (if anyone) who has been expecting a blog for a long while now. I'm sure that's poor "blog etiquette." Please forgive me in my tired busy pregnant-ness...= ) Mark, Nora and I are in San Diego right now. We are on a family vacation for the first time in way too long. I haven't been to a beach in about 5 years, and I've never been to a Cali beach, so this is quite exciting to me. We are having a blast!<br /><br />We arrived last night around midnight after a six hour drive with a one-year-old who doesn't approve of sleeping anywhere but in her crib. The drive was a little rough, and the parking was even worse. It took us an hour to park. Yes we have a garage in our cute little beach house, but we decided to borrow Mark's folks' minivan so we could fit all Nora's "gear" we wanted to bring, and it didn't even remotely fit in the garage. What a long night that was. Then, to make matters worse, Nora screamed probably 45 minutes after we put her down in the pack-n-play...I didn't sleep well.<br /><br />But this morning we woke up to the sound of the Pacific Ocean waves and beautiful cool foggy weather (at the earliest 7AM I can remember in a while). We walked down the street to a cute little cafe with great coffee and very fresh breakfasts then strolled back on the beach. So life is good again. And later today after a good lunch, we took Nora to the beach, only about 100 feet from our cute little red front door. She had a blast. Loves sand. Cold ocean water not so much...but we did get some great photos. She was towed around like the Queen of Sheba in her red wagon, ate her first whole apple (not a fragment went to waste), hugged some poor random sleeping guy she thought was Dad, and helped build--and destroy--her first sand castle. It was great. Now she's sleeping after all her accomplishments, and we're just kicking back having a beer or gestating a fetus, depending on which one of us you are talking about. Good times.<br /><br />Oh, and I'm finally 3rd trimester--28 weeks and change now. I feel like I am looking huge again already, and am rocking the contractions many times a day. Maybe this kid isn't going to wait a week after her due date like Nora. Eh...we'll see. For now, I'm just going to thing about the sand in my toes and my lovely family. How's that?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXcqKmHPZdRy1ZAVC4MU1RsxIP9bjFzhWielZ5c_liqSBoDXg-XA3r2fSHwAzd2Ei2ybQ6lS0nxjG5m66PGOxlCNEoIkJ760qMaHInm1h3w4K4zmuFDRKrQJu8yC_qKTjBQ5ENHxjjjwE/s1600-h/IMG_3358.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXcqKmHPZdRy1ZAVC4MU1RsxIP9bjFzhWielZ5c_liqSBoDXg-XA3r2fSHwAzd2Ei2ybQ6lS0nxjG5m66PGOxlCNEoIkJ760qMaHInm1h3w4K4zmuFDRKrQJu8yC_qKTjBQ5ENHxjjjwE/s320/IMG_3358.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373318489049649570" border="0" /></a> First WHOLE apple ever (sand, seeds and all)...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9Ar3xKCkgAtHnKH8FmYOY6qIIhleB3vgG41rNWqOsxma2GCxD8YozK9mW0VEJw_Z5UD_sNDedKUxKIrVCQdBQQgjm1xHdsuNFFirYgY0EfdPaW6UIoE9La5bzphK4sc6F5GgHmvIw-Rb/s1600-h/IMG_3370.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG9Ar3xKCkgAtHnKH8FmYOY6qIIhleB3vgG41rNWqOsxma2GCxD8YozK9mW0VEJw_Z5UD_sNDedKUxKIrVCQdBQQgjm1xHdsuNFFirYgY0EfdPaW6UIoE9La5bzphK4sc6F5GgHmvIw-Rb/s320/IMG_3370.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373318475732362018" border="0" /></a> Queen Nora...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzugwYkYDJp_qM2KMSoqlw8sIDyV6QPS-iZnTU8-JwsJ2mZBy1zGNCxlHbsANPEnjABtxb3ykuHYWyf8Yq5xGoneejeMi7dkmoURKow4wMuTVlF-wwXy8xIKdFOoeiHCAlRummX1p8xSg6/s1600-h/IMG_3347.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzugwYkYDJp_qM2KMSoqlw8sIDyV6QPS-iZnTU8-JwsJ2mZBy1zGNCxlHbsANPEnjABtxb3ykuHYWyf8Yq5xGoneejeMi7dkmoURKow4wMuTVlF-wwXy8xIKdFOoeiHCAlRummX1p8xSg6/s320/IMG_3347.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373318469765621762" border="0" /></a> giving baby sister hugs....<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalRNN-3hq_KQe7Ee-BYMxLRrIEgZWC1SzO4mPks0twk3QVh9qdqyyZDtXPRLjJqJ82fv2CDDC3O2UXsBNcc0ql4a50qNYoAlAyAooQf2NFOzP9GCuwz0dWAy2dsrbu2SYo_0JARJmX6u_/s1600-h/IMG_3339.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalRNN-3hq_KQe7Ee-BYMxLRrIEgZWC1SzO4mPks0twk3QVh9qdqyyZDtXPRLjJqJ82fv2CDDC3O2UXsBNcc0ql4a50qNYoAlAyAooQf2NFOzP9GCuwz0dWAy2dsrbu2SYo_0JARJmX6u_/s320/IMG_3339.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373318461465585170" border="0" /></a> Our cute little "red door" beach house we're renting...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarsejd0njnzmFu5C3iQShdZK2HmlC2AB_uWe1y5Zi9G96AlPtPcf2j5gDUp-3PO2G_RMUuCBvzRSskBbX-cpYot1fT4P8O7ZSlUS_xR2sb8yid8IiuAQQK8Hoh1gtsYSlosAzNl7LgT_b/s1600-h/IMG_3328.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarsejd0njnzmFu5C3iQShdZK2HmlC2AB_uWe1y5Zi9G96AlPtPcf2j5gDUp-3PO2G_RMUuCBvzRSskBbX-cpYot1fT4P8O7ZSlUS_xR2sb8yid8IiuAQQK8Hoh1gtsYSlosAzNl7LgT_b/s320/IMG_3328.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373318452249489986" border="0" /><br /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-22008324599718203682009-08-05T16:22:00.000-07:002009-08-05T17:34:36.207-07:00Just another day in paradise...Nora's sleeping so I'm blogging and cooking. She seems to be getting back into her two-nap schedule after a few weeks of only one a day. She was sleeping in until almost 9AM, but now she's up at 7 or 7:30 daily. I, myself have been unbelievably tired these last few days. I slept through her entire 2 hour first nap today, and I'm tempted to lay down now, during her second. She's been out an hour and a half now though, so I'm sure she'll be up soon. <br /><br />Mark and I just can't believe how much she is growing up. She does sign language now very consistently for "more", "I'm hungry", and "please". Usually "I'm hungry" is the first thing she tells me when she wakes up. She's a good eater, what can I say? She's always poking my tummy now, saying "baba", which I'm pretty sure is nora for "baby", and when I tell her to give the baby hugs, she lays her head on my belly and pats it. It's gotta be the cutest thing ever. I need to get pictures of that. Most of the time she runs around saying DADA, and I know she knows who Daddy is, and that that is what that means, but she likes to say it all the time too. She'll say MAMA when I encourage her to, but DADA is definately her favorite word-ish thing.<br /><br />Mark had the day off yesterday so the three of us spent the day together. We cleaned and cooked and got the car serviced for almost 3 hours, and it was PARADISE! I love the time we spend together. MArk was saying the other day that we are lucky because we have a lot of those moments that you just long for when you're bored or having hard times, but really just about every time we are together ends up being one of those times. I love seeing him with our little girl, and I absolutely can't wait to see him with our newest little girl (due now in 14 weeks). We are so lucky to have the relationship that we have, and our daughters are so lucky to have parents this much in love. I thank God often for this. <br /><br />I am so excited. We are going to San Diego on the 22nd. I haven't been to a beach in 5 years and it's killing me! We got a great deal on a beach condo, and we are going to the San Diego Zoo. I've not been to California since I was to young to remember, so it will be very exciting. I hope Nora enjoys the ocean. I'm thrilled that we're gonna have a chance to kick back and make some good memories together.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-44823484607402762132009-07-27T13:42:00.000-07:002009-07-27T14:25:31.323-07:00Back to life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsWydB461A3pyO0-Tu6KDoBTcyBcqgXtw7QKW8t7eZSuGRgfa-RPLKToWtSzj2dcs5p6Fw1QxICYABDzUXAaDeRA9JeOKtnl22hVyzsIg3PMJJRxk4Rd6loEAxpLEFWfyIVuU7_SYzgmj/s1600-h/IMG_3177.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsWydB461A3pyO0-Tu6KDoBTcyBcqgXtw7QKW8t7eZSuGRgfa-RPLKToWtSzj2dcs5p6Fw1QxICYABDzUXAaDeRA9JeOKtnl22hVyzsIg3PMJJRxk4Rd6loEAxpLEFWfyIVuU7_SYzgmj/s320/IMG_3177.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363245036321378674" border="0" /></a><br />We are officially back into the swing of things here in the desert. The wedding was beautiful, and EXHAUSTING. But watching Kristen and Chris so in love and having the time of their lives together and being a part of it all was so worth the work. I'll put up some wedding pictures when I get some. I couldn't exactly manage to take pictures while juggling my baby girl and my matron of honor duties.<br /><br />Kristen was absolutely stunning. The rehearsal dinner at Wisteria downtown was a blast. It was so nice to have some time with Mark after all that time apart. And man did he look handsome! I love this picture my aunt took of us outside of Wisteria. How I got through the night in those heels I still can't figure out. I will say, it was not very graceful. I felt like a Goodyear blimp in stilettos. My toast that night to the happy couple was nothing like what it was supposed to be. Strange things kept coming out of my mouth. I think I said something about not being a "toaster" and how I "don't even like toast much." Well, give me the floor when I am nervous and I just start making stupid jokes. I just hope Kristen and Chris heard a small fraction of what was on my heart, which was how overwhelmingly happy I am for them.<br /><br />The trip to GA was slightly surreal. I'll say it had me and Mark into another bout of really wanting to live there again. The weather was so inviting and it was just amazing to see our old dear friends like Toby and Angie with their little boy, Patrick.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWCC3EH3CJD_FqPTKJz5OiDOKWcvjGqo-CSlXA7FaaXBqgqXnT1xE1CSt9-1_Elo30PPDT6_vero2ezrBTJ4VWgWSf6DuOJgHKgvS5b_oXUn7EtZCa0-e2vUv1K66yiPU1hBmj2VdZWhf/s1600-h/IMG_3150.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTWCC3EH3CJD_FqPTKJz5OiDOKWcvjGqo-CSlXA7FaaXBqgqXnT1xE1CSt9-1_Elo30PPDT6_vero2ezrBTJ4VWgWSf6DuOJgHKgvS5b_oXUn7EtZCa0-e2vUv1K66yiPU1hBmj2VdZWhf/s200/IMG_3150.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363247359590328626" border="0" /></a> Here's a picture of the little cutie bug. He just turned one, and I was SO lucky to have been in town for his birthday party. His mommy and daddy threw a heck of a party. Nora and I had a blast--even though she was WELL overdue for a nap. He and Nora has several "dates" at the pool and playground while we were in town. We miss them so much.<br /><br />Another great memory from the trip was Nora's first taste of chocolate. Mind you the timing was not of my choosing. My dad and I were in the kitchen working on wedding stuff of course when I noticed Nora had gotten awfully quiet in the next room over. My dad went to check and found her completely covered in chocolate. She had found a low-lying dish of wrapped truffles for the wedding. She was eating her fourth when he brought her into the kitchen to me. OH MY GOSH, I had to get some pictures. It was hilarious. Th poor thing got so nervous because we were laughing at her for so long and taking pictures that she started crying. Here's a few we took...showing the progression...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkqutJubNoSTC1qrHioeMBbGuNaJTddpcrUkbTKwDbboMlraKnMbPp4hC5nMsOXAHID8LK9c1tu33ruqXqP8-1i_omOEoMQsSrNEAV3VB29JsvmWxK7xeI0QfMMqtDQTNbK2JStawaOFq/s1600-h/IMG_3136.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMkqutJubNoSTC1qrHioeMBbGuNaJTddpcrUkbTKwDbboMlraKnMbPp4hC5nMsOXAHID8LK9c1tu33ruqXqP8-1i_omOEoMQsSrNEAV3VB29JsvmWxK7xeI0QfMMqtDQTNbK2JStawaOFq/s200/IMG_3136.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363250117466073954" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U0QiSmOHVIZhMgcL9WgUKOCIplojCKu7CHemxDt16Y0P8fx895uJUROEH-TCZkOot6cOCiBl_sEotKI6NCZN0o0lZuU602UhoWoKeDS6nahfzcyre2CmYef6X158lHxD5V1FPnZq2KZx/s1600-h/IMG_3138.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4U0QiSmOHVIZhMgcL9WgUKOCIplojCKu7CHemxDt16Y0P8fx895uJUROEH-TCZkOot6cOCiBl_sEotKI6NCZN0o0lZuU602UhoWoKeDS6nahfzcyre2CmYef6X158lHxD5V1FPnZq2KZx/s200/IMG_3138.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363250117974443298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9BpOuOSvyQZvDCySx59La2dEW4MkEWWO8DRPYeRgfSwaQuM8JUkQUVoRywSQ4S2FQOtUc0AmpMTlr8V_rPOdPw7hdfRT2OpLNfWKBCoxCIHMONTEAgjMQwXKlQjg3KaZ2GhllUGY8N-N/s1600-h/IMG_3139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9BpOuOSvyQZvDCySx59La2dEW4MkEWWO8DRPYeRgfSwaQuM8JUkQUVoRywSQ4S2FQOtUc0AmpMTlr8V_rPOdPw7hdfRT2OpLNfWKBCoxCIHMONTEAgjMQwXKlQjg3KaZ2GhllUGY8N-N/s200/IMG_3139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363250126997012354" border="0" /></a><br />Is it bad for a mommy to think a picture of her baby crying is hilarious? Oh well...It cracks me up.<br /><br />So now back to life here in Arizona. Mark and I are celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary this week. We went out Saturday while his folks watched Nora, though it's actually the 29th of July, which is this wednesday. But of course he works until 8 and I have to go to vocal rehearsal anyway that night at church. Saturday was very nice. we went to Gordon Biersch and sat under the misters on the patio, looking out over Mill Avenue then we walked a bit till my ankles started to swell (UGH) then we got frozen yogurt and went home before ten. That's about as romantic as it can get anymore. Although after his folks left he gave me my anniversary gift...for the second time ever, he wrote me an AMAZING song. I love it. No one can hear it yet. Just me. That's cuz it's my song and I can do that. It's so good. You're gonna love it one day when you hear it. The guy is good. Here's a picture of us out on Mill Ave...<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDJxC2iz_A476QGJl9BuT9iQPyr8wmxzaKpmRFFIqxiOMEgAnqxYsmPFwfBmAkIIwxKYLAT_VsLvssUg9h-HdfsBm0Je39oT8U8EfLiu_XEOzEnQqNgYMxg4j0OI1RVX4S_uEVy2zNmZl/s1600-h/IMG_3212.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDJxC2iz_A476QGJl9BuT9iQPyr8wmxzaKpmRFFIqxiOMEgAnqxYsmPFwfBmAkIIwxKYLAT_VsLvssUg9h-HdfsBm0Je39oT8U8EfLiu_XEOzEnQqNgYMxg4j0OI1RVX4S_uEVy2zNmZl/s200/IMG_3212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363253077843038290" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's a cute shot of Mark playing guitar with Nora climbing all over him. We got a cute family. I like these two...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_xIIvR-iCq1U-2IpIVmukmANWRPc6LoCLTFp9jVtXCBNHTk7CXzP1mG5ExiBfpZYkKTYosqKCmFzT_ypW4iwH40VwnGAEX5SzfgEexskti-A5-wBFpnBTCauAOl5D3P-PcXTqoeWembT/s1600-h/IMG_3204.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB_xIIvR-iCq1U-2IpIVmukmANWRPc6LoCLTFp9jVtXCBNHTk7CXzP1mG5ExiBfpZYkKTYosqKCmFzT_ypW4iwH40VwnGAEX5SzfgEexskti-A5-wBFpnBTCauAOl5D3P-PcXTqoeWembT/s200/IMG_3204.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363253089284087954" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Until next time...Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-66593101020590515342009-07-09T17:49:00.000-07:002009-07-09T18:33:51.852-07:00Ahh, the blushing bride...Today, I saw my sister in her wedding dress for the first time. I know she's had a lot of anxiety about getting the dress to work out for her, but I must say...<br /><br /><em>She was exquisite!</em><br /><br />I am so excited for her. She's just so beautiful, and I'm flattered that she wants to use my veil. This wedding is going to be just breathtaking. My sister's attention to details and type A personality are really going to show. Her colors are great. I wish I'd thought more about my own wedding colors now that I see all she has done with color. Her brides maids are all over everything. I just am amazed at the work they are all doing for her. She's got some really dedicated friends. She's a lucky girl. And I'm pretty certain that Chris is a lucky guy. I wish them all the best. I hope they have all the kids they want, and all the success in the world. <br /><br />I am so excited that it will only be a week before Mark flies in to GA. I love it here and everything is just perfect--even the cloudy days--except that the thing that I am most passionate about, my husband, is not here. It is so hard to sleep at night without him, and so boring to wake up alone. I love that these times can show me how much I love him, but I am feeling ready to show HIM how much I love him. I wanna be next to him again so badly. I actually found myself saying today that being a bride is fun and exciting, but I am so much happer just being married now. I think a lot of people just want to be a bride and get married for the wedding, overlooking the years and dues of marriage. I know I didn't do that. I am so happily married and I never doubt that I found the perfect guy for me...well maybe when I can't get him to clean...no I'm kidding. I couldn't imagine a better match for my spirituality, my musicality, my mind, my heart, my body. We see eye to eye on finances, parenting, even style. Usually. =) I think I am the luckiest lady I know.<br /><br />I wish the same joy for my sister. I pray that her marriage brings her frequent moments of looking at her husband and wondering how she ever deserved such a blessing. For me, Mark's love for me is proof that God knows my heart through and through and wants the absolute best for me. Everyone needs love like that. Everyone deserves it.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-66942486217452547592009-07-06T17:02:00.000-07:002009-07-06T17:56:51.378-07:00Just another day in the ATLHello friends...I just put Nora down for bed an hour earlier than she has been going down as of late. A whopping 8 o'clock! I think she is enjoying her stay here in Woodstock. My dad and I took Nora and the dogs for a good three mile walk. Wow! I forget how tough it is to climb all those hills. And last time I was here doing that regularly, there were no babies involved and I was in MUCH better shape. It did feel good tho to kick my own butt a little and sweat.<br /><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div>Well, last night my dad and I were driving through the neighborhood running an errand, and we noticed a toy ride-on car sitting in a drive way on the curb for the garbage men. Ya know the big yellow and red plastic kind you drive around with your feet pushing you along like the flinstones? It looked like it was in perfect shape so we stopped the car and snatched it right up. No, I'm not above dumpster diving! We have no shame I suppose. Oh well. We cleaned the thing up and wow, Nora LOVES it. It's in perfect condition! I don't know why someone would want to throw suck a thing away. We got some good pictures, shown below...</div><br /><div></div><div>trying to honk the horn...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355507795437439266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhixl_KUDfImllJS-PCvE2YuI2TmsMcMpQeBBiwYCBlXPAzk1r5Xaq349nGyr9H31xh6h1pde2F3ra-AmZPFJiRD8kOzS-Jen2tO4O5hX193bNJxDS9Vu1NSgRziB1yAZMwoWaFtYg_IC4i/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+090.jpg" /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 243px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 277px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355507803409364050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnBg7XYDKNSQebzo48Tjx9KPgJZpP3Mzf7iE2ukFErKlNUa3RhnAVV1b1w4IeNBqLs2TWJM2uNdSOwBsi8gt8qqp7XYsdc4AEC890Q3gwsI0RObn78RurXLniJH7ee7ZaMtmp04tQjrDg/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+093.jpg" /></div><br /><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 231px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 304px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355507786949719490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUxRLCcZdsUoRB4_A6uqiMwhcx5FlLT-KmGl-c2yzLDm0KKpkyE7XR6RAiomWeNLizxCCVv3EUaQqJx2J0eJmFwFDosaKI_agfcnhMf76QQ_4B-vrCuIWBatpMaAbnC6jQhJaU1AS5aq12/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+078.jpg" /></div></div></div></div><div>I am missing Mark so much and I know Nora is too, but she definitely has found a strong attatchment to her Grandpa since she's been here. She is always running to him and pulling on his shorts to pick her up. It's cute. Maybe she is just looking for a daddy figure. Maybe he'sjust really good with her. I think he is. And Grandma has been giving her baths every night. I hear the two of them laughing up a storm and squealing every night before bed time. She is a happy girl. She has even been playing around with her Aunt Kristen and soon-to-be "Uncle Chris". I think Chris's bald head throws her off a little, but she's started to warm up to him. She has a blast with Kristen though, who is just plain good with kids. Here are some more pics...</div><div></div><div>Bonding with Grandma... </div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355513312905670530" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRzwmZvTb6BgrySInstksHV696hLRpkqtmhZ4SmYTPjHniUHMYKTzN5mapugXoKeZqWbYTnkx4iT_opPLRvC7IiLND16LkKt4H8UgLj4go_4vPbXd5XXHSjPSlgIvayTsvV_Wn1HPUovFP/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+015.jpg" />asking Grandpa to read to her...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355513328227414978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHiA_UVcpmbQdMcxyjc7_ekimyZFqfQJGayaQ2bnLTb8APq6CYQhBkJlyBRWXZUMDr_vimbwRYx7vuntSEK6u8ukJ7LXL9Op_J9g3pv-BbeyvYfknUCaNlcb8kyRFaW2ryovZQLWz2raQN/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+060.jpg" />Aunt Kristen's lap...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355513342031596946" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Dp8apAleWamXORE3kSXH29t9PUnyDA7FcL2I_AO30lBqfJw9tryk2UNSvx5gX_Z5iTbokmSSXgq8ipSpMBp_iydMiF2NgueDdjca1qjWFaVeoUzfqI2osdivZYQNC3foVajkrjsDmD7c/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+055.jpg" />And considering playing ball with Uncle Chris...<img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355513335555669186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0sSZFxPt4_VpfcVaqnZTYrIIPWiyZLnld4KlR4IkKngsGT1ileCiznTjgN0OglCh6HkgDO6VB2xAA6_v81XE6sImrAQ4SsTHZd62BWgaym58-suN-MDMKtPVLGnXt7TW4vA3xSn8vcHff/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+061.jpg" />And then there's Cousin Bear...</div><div><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355513315353067410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJBva-gf76_2A86pNKKa3xOLt2p2IkUfdOee7H49d1eLwv6eJxLcVayK13-15Flv2TsHU5HqjsZY8jXgqUwH0R3DFH-BryQGAYNAiXv8P6aryD9t-NYU8-YOIck3Q9omjHTKZRexn1Bu4b/s320/Kow+Wedding+Prep+072.jpg" /></div></div><br />Y'all come back now, ya hear!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-16505928671064116022009-07-04T19:20:00.000-07:002009-07-06T19:00:26.984-07:00My girl can SLEEP!So I'm here in GA on the fourth of July, and the redneck neighbors across the street are setting off some REALLY expensive, REALLY loud fireworks right in front of our house. Nora Went down for bed about 30 minutes ago and I am SHOCKED, but she has not made a peep. What a good girl.<br /><br />Now the airplane ride, however, that was a different story. We gave her a good dose of Benadryl, and ran her around the airport for an hour. She fought. And fought. AND FOUGHT. She was rubbing her eyes, and getting fussy, and laying her head down a few seconds at a time. She was sooo not gonna fall asleep though she was drugged and way overdue for a nap. Finally, she could not take it. She dosed off on Grandma Rox's chest. AW so sweet...until 3 minutes later they announced, "we are now approaching our initial decent into the Atlanta area." UUUGGHH, Nora! She slept right through the bumpy landing and woke up when everyone was exiting the plane. So that day, she got a 20 minute nap. Whoopdee doo. She is one strong willed little girl. I still like her though.<br /><br />We are missing our man back at home very much. Mark misses us too I know, but man it's not showing at the office! He is ROCKING the SOCKS OFF of the sales floor! In the last three days he has sold 24 policies, which DANG! If he can keep that up, we're getting a heck of a paycheck this month. Maybe we can actually afford the trip were planning next month to San Diego! What a novel idea. Hehe. We're proud of our big strong man.<br /><br />We are working hard to get things ready for Kristen and Chris's wedding. It's coming up soon: July 18th, about 2 weeks! She's driving her slave labor team efficiently. Last night I was glueing labels until midnight. Oh pooh, it's 11:30pm now! I'm just glad Nora's been sleeping till 9 or 10am. Well I'm off to bed. Until next time...night y'all!Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-61198565385381742462009-06-29T19:58:00.000-07:002009-07-04T18:50:05.901-07:00Leavin' on a jet plane...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6-5_6kQqHa1bRS7AYt3Kt_uuz4lgVZufFYXBYRMIeJZOZLY03WixxFq5-VgmAm1QPW2cE-UojJcH4AHYloOtMcme7-2AJlYqwTldre-sCaLjuMkCr7ITjmHWuRRsHkB3Nm3MIgrRIxBx/s1600-h/IMG_2985.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964964854564482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6-5_6kQqHa1bRS7AYt3Kt_uuz4lgVZufFYXBYRMIeJZOZLY03WixxFq5-VgmAm1QPW2cE-UojJcH4AHYloOtMcme7-2AJlYqwTldre-sCaLjuMkCr7ITjmHWuRRsHkB3Nm3MIgrRIxBx/s320/IMG_2985.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKjn4pSsLUNsjgdQW8b3Z1Pql5Dqxqkg0r1Ue2ND3PvHBKAUDaiZao5D4bT1GtYa5NGl7KMeBdQKoQuPR1yVbsYqUsIi7kILO5zSr_njXUDlMz3lG32DqJrcE8zc5ztBWp91AJv_X3Esd/s1600-h/IMG_2975.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964959032097970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVKjn4pSsLUNsjgdQW8b3Z1Pql5Dqxqkg0r1Ue2ND3PvHBKAUDaiZao5D4bT1GtYa5NGl7KMeBdQKoQuPR1yVbsYqUsIi7kILO5zSr_njXUDlMz3lG32DqJrcE8zc5ztBWp91AJv_X3Esd/s320/IMG_2975.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXCRtnlKcBj_biasV6btDqE7hHPA6xdEH5FeeXEDSCsRR0f-ExvmE35xZY-CgASbkB4iHtPRTl7ycK9JSIXnVy7zMlX2KYwI1zpI7yRr4RlpNTd9A0e-y1D7cY6IjDHOR5p66JSXwwUEu/s1600-h/IMG_2974.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964952155986738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHXCRtnlKcBj_biasV6btDqE7hHPA6xdEH5FeeXEDSCsRR0f-ExvmE35xZY-CgASbkB4iHtPRTl7ycK9JSIXnVy7zMlX2KYwI1zpI7yRr4RlpNTd9A0e-y1D7cY6IjDHOR5p66JSXwwUEu/s320/IMG_2974.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU-RoYrXmIDU-EvrcgW6ryv7p0-DilMnFo-likDwBKFdrj5LLC_Hd5M6gauMzlMU05qSb_f5-U7UhC5h_zTyYGQCFZ5AIlELvDtDkxrDyFcOsf9bKQ8RVVFBk8GLE8P3S3YHoR8Dnblza/s1600-h/IMG_2961.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964099656574386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXU-RoYrXmIDU-EvrcgW6ryv7p0-DilMnFo-likDwBKFdrj5LLC_Hd5M6gauMzlMU05qSb_f5-U7UhC5h_zTyYGQCFZ5AIlELvDtDkxrDyFcOsf9bKQ8RVVFBk8GLE8P3S3YHoR8Dnblza/s320/IMG_2961.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig79bA-N6CsfrQJMhta5ZHJhoV5WfYdeTCuJNPas35u97PU6OStdrXtLntJtGKE0_G7Kdo_GutvaPwP0etWOw8u5l1l_h23YOrLWpylnY_d3of5MQ7ZCHZZBLFUJLTfLH1IKCgoU_jxEkq/s1600-h/IMG_2932.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964089788618930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig79bA-N6CsfrQJMhta5ZHJhoV5WfYdeTCuJNPas35u97PU6OStdrXtLntJtGKE0_G7Kdo_GutvaPwP0etWOw8u5l1l_h23YOrLWpylnY_d3of5MQ7ZCHZZBLFUJLTfLH1IKCgoU_jxEkq/s320/IMG_2932.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jhRqsOA7tO0yvGVRQ5HM1alBHl9ZXO1uvn3iESl1i6v364rYB6AS1ocCe1X0DIsEaW0cMq33iLRj-lyRT81RjfItLCKpZdF7S5HXYb8M6ZG0HC_zaqbNYurPkXlELhg3V76tOn3JJ43d/s1600-h/IMG_2884.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964084359352226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0jhRqsOA7tO0yvGVRQ5HM1alBHl9ZXO1uvn3iESl1i6v364rYB6AS1ocCe1X0DIsEaW0cMq33iLRj-lyRT81RjfItLCKpZdF7S5HXYb8M6ZG0HC_zaqbNYurPkXlELhg3V76tOn3JJ43d/s320/IMG_2884.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaexiUwuq3LAweIKU9WUdMy2uZqCQ4CX6ZWQTdlo06fqQK7BWWMxh83int_WGoCo46c4_UXtgDPZxgvVE3ApgLymutGWjQvCV4TdTlecUHtsMNxVgUyfCCERe_eM_Bz6mxjAVf53Jj9FeH/s1600-h/IMG_2888.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964079994693010" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaexiUwuq3LAweIKU9WUdMy2uZqCQ4CX6ZWQTdlo06fqQK7BWWMxh83int_WGoCo46c4_UXtgDPZxgvVE3ApgLymutGWjQvCV4TdTlecUHtsMNxVgUyfCCERe_eM_Bz6mxjAVf53Jj9FeH/s320/IMG_2888.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbRnKCB5R1TQCMRB-OeYUnDqtc_hb7bHcRJfwvbJ8fZiODXGydJzteLgZE1cwdrausYxCt_17L6SrbT_yOr5kYaHDkVLvnXuFwKTa3HraHvY0FC-med2bX0K4oqSO7rG0Ev6VSl8nJ8K0/s1600-h/IMG_2823.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352964076194911730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYbRnKCB5R1TQCMRB-OeYUnDqtc_hb7bHcRJfwvbJ8fZiODXGydJzteLgZE1cwdrausYxCt_17L6SrbT_yOr5kYaHDkVLvnXuFwKTa3HraHvY0FC-med2bX0K4oqSO7rG0Ev6VSl8nJ8K0/s320/IMG_2823.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />All my bags are packed. I'm ready to go.<br />I'm standing here outside Nora's door.<br />I'm not gonna wake her up till it's time to go...<br /><br />Ok, that was a lost cause. Anyway, we're essentially all packed to leave for our 20 day trip to Georgia. I'm starting to get a bit nervous too. And I'm pretty sure Nora was picking up on it tonight as my mom and I were getting her ready for bed. She was so upset. It was a bit of a scream fest. She has a tooth popping through right now, which isn't helping, and she didn't want to eat much tonight. Chicken chunks and sweet potato pieces! What baby doesn't want to eat chicken and sweet potato??!?! I just hope the flight goes smoothly tomorrow. I'm planning on using a dose of Benadryl, bring snacks and books, and my buddy Donna lent me a portable DVD player. Those things should help a great deal I think.<br /><br />I just need to chill. I'm not a great flyer in my own right. It used to be worse, but I do still get nervous on a plane. I'm sure if I'm calm, she won't be any trouble.<br /><br />It's been very nice having my mom around these last few days. Nora has had the time of her life. Going to the mall, wagon rides, seeing ducks during a yummy outdoor dinner by a lake, riding in the kid car on the front of the shopping cart at Fry's, eating half of an In-n-Out burger...and just getting tons of attention from her adoring public.<br /><br />Poor Mark is already missing us. He's pretty bummed about the 20 days away from us, and I know he wants to be in Georgia. He will stay here and take his class and work his call center job in the intolerable desert heat while I'm seeing old friends, eating great food, getting ready for the party of the century (My sister's wedding), and playing with our little girl. Though I know I will miss him too.<br /><br />In further news, I saw my OB this morning. My blood pressure is still pretty good: 120 / 66, and baby girl's size is right on track. I measured 20 cm. Nora was 9lbs, 4 oz, so ya gotta understand, I'm a little nervous about the size of baby number 2. I'm sure God won't give me anything I can't handle with His help. Well, I suppose I should pack our carry on bags...I always get carried away with that part, packing 40 items, using about five of them. Please send us your prayers, for our sanity, that of the other innocent bystanders on the plane, and of course for Nora.<br /><br />These are a few cute Nora pics. Playing with the wagon, the baby pool, her new toothbrush, Daddy, and other things. I think she's kinda cute.Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7701145665635653296.post-36748237361599316402009-06-25T20:23:00.000-07:002009-06-25T21:13:37.627-07:00My Next 20 WeeksAlright! So we finally have our very own family blog. Hmmm...what to write...We are all doing quite well. Poor Mark is in a permanently overwhelmed state. Stuck in the middle of a dull full-time job selling insurance AND being a full time student, trying to finish his degree from Ottawah University hopefully next February. I'm doing the full-time stay-at-home mommy thing, caring for our BEAUTIFUL 13 month old daughter, Nora Josephine. She is everything we coud have ever wanted in a baby girl. A bit of a wild child (just like mom and dad), and she LOVES music. No surprise, her being our daughter and all. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnsykpDnocCk1QVyJoYrtxu7ijRsuqOtI78ouLRIEcFp0W1Q1f-iEkdnRBmHqlKTjMFNCA7q0_mqLBvXhYD-VAIbuoDeml2-nThPz27GmPJEBrI0l0PRGMA9v9j6oP_7TilWmXAn4Y1rq/s1600-h/of=50,590,442_2.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpnsykpDnocCk1QVyJoYrtxu7ijRsuqOtI78ouLRIEcFp0W1Q1f-iEkdnRBmHqlKTjMFNCA7q0_mqLBvXhYD-VAIbuoDeml2-nThPz27GmPJEBrI0l0PRGMA9v9j6oP_7TilWmXAn4Y1rq/s320/of=50,590,442_2.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351482860178818210" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Mark and I have been married almost 3 wonderful years. We are so blessed to have our lovely healthy daughter...and SURPRISE! another baby girl on the way! I'm 20 weeks pregnant with our second daughter now. Halfway through! Though I hope to be able to cherish these last few months with just the three of us better than I have been. I've felt, since the moment I found out I was pregnant, that I just want to be done. I'm still sick of being pregnant with Nora. I was still nursing her when I got pregnant with the second one, and I just feel like I never got to feel like myself again. Regardless, here we are with a second, so-far healthy baby on the way. What can I say? We're fertile! That is a blessing right there.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FnbwcgjtJ3dGtpdDRdWFQSmNYDOYOEwhX2BxMbqQEcvnhaHpuhPjgLE5zjOXMKvl6QMKUt0o7K_ueMugPmwdAoWdOpELFo9oClXlP7zN6wBOw6TbOJ5IuijBG1qb8KAV9xlHsggEcT04/s1600-h/IMG_2462.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5FnbwcgjtJ3dGtpdDRdWFQSmNYDOYOEwhX2BxMbqQEcvnhaHpuhPjgLE5zjOXMKvl6QMKUt0o7K_ueMugPmwdAoWdOpELFo9oClXlP7zN6wBOw6TbOJ5IuijBG1qb8KAV9xlHsggEcT04/s320/IMG_2462.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351483425934158898" border="0" /></a><br />What I am learning is that we have something beautiful in this house of ours. The three of us, soon to be four, are so lucky to have eachother. I think for my next 20 weeks, I am going to try and be aware of that. I want to cherish this precious time of the "three of us." I want to be more positive, more excited about the present, not just the future. I hope that I can see what I have, and not what I want.<br /><br />And I also hope I can keep this blog interesting ;-)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5FTeRPKloadx2AesyKGVOmzk1TB7ZD9CseuDLQqvFE5GslyTxDuLYVhuvVZn68sVmq4SPrJaQ0sqmlgYErsK4U7TW9S2CrznZg3kFIHhrq7Uy0sBamCaM8R46f0n-X4xfaOZob2JsPoJ/s1600-h/IMG_1414.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs5FTeRPKloadx2AesyKGVOmzk1TB7ZD9CseuDLQqvFE5GslyTxDuLYVhuvVZn68sVmq4SPrJaQ0sqmlgYErsK4U7TW9S2CrznZg3kFIHhrq7Uy0sBamCaM8R46f0n-X4xfaOZob2JsPoJ/s320/IMG_1414.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351484347078241282" border="0" /></a>Meganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09687906720630104447noreply@blogger.com2