Walk like a man

 

So Jack finally decided to walk! One Sunday afternoon - he just did it! It was so cute. You will have to pardon the blurriness, I have no idea why the video came out like that.

Play time

 

Aimee playing with Jack. If you pay close attention to the very beginning you can hear Aimee say "Who are you and how did you find me?" (Thanks Tangled!)
Also, it is apparent that Aimee needs a sister. (NO that is not an announcement of any sort)

Birthday

It is with solemnity I proclaim, I am officially 29 years old now.

What the heck happened? How is this possible?? Nearly every year, for as long as I came remember, birthdays come and go - and I always would say, "I feel the same!"

Not this year though... the thought of the 30s looming ahead has me feeling so... well, old! I know in another 10 years I will look back on this and think "Twenty-nine year old Emily, how crazy you were..." In another 10 years I will probably long for the body/skin I have now, like I long the for body/skin I had when I was 20. (Funny Tragic what a couple years, gravity and pregnancies will do to you.)


My birthday yesterday was a very normal "mom" day.
1. Got up
2. Opened presents :) (Ok, so this part was not so normal)
3. Took Aimee to preschool
4. Jack had massive diarrhea (he's been sick for a while and I had been debating whether or not to take him to the doctor. Fever for a week, then diarrhea. But this time his poo was almost black, and really mucus-y. TMI? Sorry... but hey - it's a normal "mom" day)
5. Ran errands with Jack - worried about his poo color/consistency
6. Picked Aimee up - worried about Jack some more
7. Home for lunch
8. Jack had a mega nap - worried some more
9. Worked on some crafty stuff (I have been very busy crafting lately)
10. Jack woke up
11. Kids had snacks
12. Ran one more errand
13. Took Jack to the doctor: No ear infection, no blood in stool! The diagnosis: a nasty virus. 
14. 5:30. Dinner time...  Yeah, it's a fast-food kind of day.
15. Drove to Panda Express (planned to sit down and eat)
16. Jack had another explosion (no worries, all "normal" looking)
17. Changed Jack on the FLOOR of the bathroom (thanks a lot panda - for not putting a changing table in your restroom. I should have left the mess on the floor... that'd teach 'em!)
18. No spare clothes for little man - got dinner to go
19. Home!
20. Eat!
21. Skype mom and dad
22. Jack to bed - 7:05
23. 7:30 - Jack wakes up, more poo!!
24. 8:00 - Aimee to bed
25. 9:00 - Jack still up. Greg still at school.
26. 10:00...
27. Greg finally home!
28. 10:45 - Jack finally crashes
29. And I finally crash somewhere around 11:30 - midnight.
Happy Birthday to me!

Ok, in all fairness to Greg, we did celebrate my birthday last Friday with a date!! We went out to eat and wandered around the mall - the intention was for me to pick something out for myself. (My idea!) But I was too full to focus... too full to care. I was just happy to be out of the house for a few hours with Greg - and kid-free. AND I failed to mention in my list, that I did get lots of thoughtful birthday calls/texts through out the day.

I was never one to make a list of "things to do before I'm 30" - but I had a general idea.  I figured I'd have at least 3 kids (two is GOOD, plenty, more-than-enough for now!). Thought I'd be in a house for sure... Definitely didn't picture that a graduate school and a shoe-box apartment would be involved! And oh-so broke... did not imagine being so broke.
BUT - I did not (could not) imagine how absolutely blessed I would be too. My husband loves me, tells me so all day. :) My kids are darling and beautiful and FULL of personality and joy. I could not imagine how important all my family would be to me. Parents, grandparents, siblings, in-laws, cousins. I could not imagine how loved we would be and how much love I would have for all of them too.

So here's to the first of many 29th birthdays. Because while my body, the lines on my face, bags under my eyes, and stray gray hair may tell me otherwise, I think I will refuse to be anything other than a twenty-something inside.

Happy Birthday to me :)

Why I Don't Care if Someone Says I'm Not a Christian

Christian: A word full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

I remember reading Macbeth in high school because of the haunting soliloquy on life. “Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” While I do not subscribe to the idea that life has no meaning, the quotation may be appropriately modified to fit the “Mormons-aren’t-christians controversy.” Because the word christian has been wholly hijacked by hucksters and frauds, it is appropriate to say that “christian” is a word spewed by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying, nothing.

As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ (LDS), I am neither concerned nor offended that a man like Pastor Jeffress does not view Mormons as christians. Pastor Jeffress’ position in his mega church is akin to ancient officials selling indulgences; he is, essentially, a spiritual loan shark. Of course, the good pastor is not unique. The money-changing table equivalents of televangelism are ubiquitous in the United States. Among others, former presidential hopeful, Mike Huckebee, secured his financial future by promising prayers for “gifts.” While this is par for the course for the modern “christian,” to the objective viewer, relying on a for-profit preacher to define other faiths is like relying on the tobacco companies to, honestly, extol the health virtues of cigarettes.

The unfortunate effect of pimping out the once proud title “christian” to these hucksters and frauds is that the title itself has become cheap, hollow, and vacuous. It is little more than a marketing object, like McDonald’s Golden Arches, or Nike’s Swoosh. The purveyors of “christian” cannot slap it on bumper stickers or novelty items fast enough. One of my personal favorites is a billboard with an unassuming “christian” couple who, in a loving embrace, profess to have found a church they “can believe in.” As if their subjective belief has anything to do with what makes Christianity, well, Christianity.

In the arduous campaign surrounding Proposition 8 in California, the LDS church took the brunt of the financial and public relations hits. In the humanitarian aid world, the LDS church does more than any other “christian” church. The LDS church spends more time and treasure to follow Jesus’ commandment to “Go and preach the gospel to every creature”, than any other “christian” church. Our marriage rates are higher and divorce rates are lower than other “christian” denominations. We give liberally to charities, are highly educated, and well respected in the world. But still, our “christian” brothers and sisters, while outwardly thankful, make sure the world knows that they do not view us as christians. Thus, we see a perplexing paradox. If it looks like a christian, walks like a christian, and acts like a christian, it must be a Mormon. But, if it looks like a Mormon, walks like a Mormon, and acts like a Mormon, it can’t possibly be a christian. Such is the logic of the noble Pastor Jeffress and his ilk.

The title "christian" is not important to me. I know who I am. I strive to be a true follower of Jesus Christ. Pastor Jeffress, and apparently a huge percentage of other for-profit Machiavellians in stetson, have decided that is not enough to make me a christian. Fine. When they is ready to stop being christians and decide to start following Jesus Christ, I know a couple of geeky young men in white shirts and ties that will be happy to show them the way.

Arboretum

Yesterday we went to the Dallas Arboretum! Greg's Aunt Norrie treated us along with Cami, Andrea, Addie and Nolan. It was A LOT of fun! They have it all decked out for fall. Their theme this year is "Fairy Tale Castles" - so you know the girls were going to be in heaven.

Well, apparently yesterday was some sort of mom-and-me day, because the place was packed! We couldn't even park at the Arboretum, we had to park a mile or so down the road. We didn't mind! There was a free bus you could ride down to the park. And Aimee and Jack LOVED the bus! Jack kept saying "Wow!" It was so cute.

Excited about the bus ride!

 Friends, reunited! Aimee and Addie are so dang funny together. Combined, they might have enough energy to power a small city for a few days. 

The whole baby gang. 

They decided that this is the way you pose on a throne.

Ok, I don't know what it was about this day - but I could not get Aimee to smile "normal" the entire time! 

 Pumpkin Patch Kids

 Jack's favorite pose: "The pointing at something over there"

 Addie consoling Aimee. Not sure what Aimee was upset about. I think it was just because they had to wait in line to take a picture in Cinderella's carriage. 

So sweet!

 They had a whole little village of pumpkin cottages

And the Cinderella carriage! Oh the highlight of the trip! Addie's expression was priceless!! 

 Norrie brought this dress especially for this photo-op!

A few with the two of them together. 

And yes, little miss got her turn. I dreaded it a little bit, because I knew that she'd never want to take it off... 

And sure enough, tragedy struck when I told Aimee that should could not take the glass slipper from Cinderella's cottage, just because she was dressed up like her. 

Oh mom, Why? Why?! 

And here is little Nolan. He was a total angel the entire time!! 

Here's some fun stuff - puddle splashing! 

First genuine smile from Aimee the whole trip! 

Some more of sweet Nolan.

All in all, it was a super fun trip! My only regret - I never took pictures of the grown ups!! It was so fun seeing Cami and getting to hang out with some of the Brassfield clan.

Busy

So every room in my house is a total disaster. And I don't care! Well, really I do care. But I'm not going to worry about it right now. I am going to sit here and blog.
Wait, I think Aimee is crying...
Back! Yes, she woke up thirsty. This happens every night. Two hours or so into sleeping she wakes up crying and says she's thirsty. We leave water in her room, right by her bed. She is usually super out of it when she wakes up like that though, so I guess she forgets... Not really sure, but she and Jack share a room now, so I won't let her cry, she'll wake up Jack - then he'll start crying, then I'll start crying, and pretty soon everyone is sad and awake.
Since I'm already talking about it, and mentioned it on FB, I'll bring it up here too.
Aimee is having some serious sleeping issues AGAIN.
Will it ever end??

So happy together...

She's been getting up multiple times throughout the night. Sometimes I'll wake up from a dead sleep, wondering why my back is on fire. Oh, it's because Aimee's all wedged between Greg in I in our little queen sized bed. If I realize she's in our room I'll carry her back to hers. Sometimes though, she's sleeping on the floor of our room, or in the doorway. Or halfway under our bed...
We were doing pretty good there for a while, in FL. I guess it's being in a new place again. I thought for sure with Jack in the room too, she wouldn't feel so lonely. It's one of the many things we will be working on over the next couple of months.

Jack getting into tp and dirty laundry...

Ok, so some other things we've been up to... preschool! I am doing a co-op preschool with 3 other moms from church. It's been so great so far! The kids go on Tues and Thurs from 9-11:30. Each mom takes a week and does it out of her own home. There are 4 kids and 4 moms, so we each only teach like once a month. We have singing/dancing time, crafts, snacks, playtime (lot so play time), we practice letters and tracing... so fun! I had my first turn this last week.  There are a million of resources on line to choose from. It was hard for me to focus on just a few things.

First day of Preschool!

While the experience so far has been awesome, there are a few things we are working on.
Like focusing! I know, they're only 3. And it's hard that we're doing it out of home... the toys in the bedroom are easily accessible. And it only takes 1 kid to tip the delicate scales of "paying attention". I wish I had a back yard, because I think they need a major "recess" break - outside, with lots of running!
I was a bit worried about how Aimee would react with me as her teacher. It wasn't so bad really, she did pretty good with following directions. But still, I hope she does better for the other moms. She can be a bit dramatic.

And Little Jack Man. It's hard for me to remember sometimes that he turned 1 almost two months ago! Greg likes to call him our 6 month old 1 year old. Poor guy, he may be doomed to be tiny forever. We are making some progress in the way of mobility! He's been a late crawler, and I'm guessing he'll be a late walker. He's cruising along furniture now. And sometimes he'll just stand up, but usually just because he wants to mooch some food from you. And food... breakfast especially! This baby will eat two eggos and most of a hash brown patty, several sips of my smoothie AND a big glass of whole milk for breakfast.

Aimee loves her baseball

And don't delay with the breakfast. The other day I was having a lazy morning and he had been up for like 45 minutes without eating. Quite suddenly he went into full-on fit mode while I scrambled to get some food on his high chair tray. Oh my gosh... you would have thought he broke his toe he was freaking out so bad!

Lesson learned - breakfast is served within minutes of Jack waking up. Aimee is the total opposite... she is SO not a breakfast person. I have to make her sit down and eat. And even then she'll only take a few bites and load up on milk. Oh well...

Ranger's Game!

 So I feel like I'm slowly finding my niche here in Dallas. It helps immensely that we are busy. Keeping busy is the key! We need something to do (outside the house) every day. On Wednesdays Greg has the car, so we have to do things within stroller distance. Luckily, there is a library less than a mile from our place!! Also - in the center of the sea of apartment complexes in which we live, there is a walking trail with ponds, trees, picnic benches, and probably 1,000 squirrels. It's a great place to kill some time when we need to get out the house and don't have the car.
And - there is the North Park Mall across the freeway. Awesome mall, there is a small children's library inside the mall AND way too many stores I will never be able to afford a thing from...  really, let's face it - I am so not fashion savvy. So I guess it doesn't matter a ton that I will not be shopping at Oscar de la Renta, Valentino, or Salvatore Ferragamo - any time soon, if ever!

School is going great for Greg. He's doing well and staying busy - we have a few late nights here and there, but not nearly as frequently as we did Greg's first year. He says he's just better at finding what he needs to know when he reads his cases. Something that used to take him an hour to read, he can read in like 15 minutes.

I think that about does it for me tonight. It took me waay to long just to do this post. Here are a few more pics - we have friends! Hooray! And we went to the zoo with them a few weeks ago.