Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Ten for February

10. February holds three family birthdays for us--two brothers and a nephew.  We had a lot of fun picking and pairing presents this year, which led us to a few gems.  My running brother received a hydration waist pack, since my running is currently done vicariously through him.  Another brother received Roast Beef Bubble Gum (among other things), which apparently led to fun times with friends and a cameo on Facebook.  Then, my nephew received candy legos--which I secretly wanted for myself.  I love to pick out presents for family, so three in one month was pretty fun!

9. In my last post, I mentioned the flowers that Devin spontaneously brought me.  I have loved having them around.  Seriously, I think it's one of the cutest and most thoughtful things when he gives me something "just because."  I'm a big fan of surprises, so this works out pretty well for me.  Even better, the flowers didn't loose their first petals until day 24 in our house!  I love that 7 day guarantee!

8. We celebrated Valentine's in the most wonderfully low-key way ever.  We made pizza together.  I made Devin a giant cookie.  He gave me a box of lindor truffles.  We watched some Netflix wearing pajama pants.  We both said thoughtful things and reminisced a little.  We ignored our phones.  Honestly, with how busy things have been lately during the weeks, it was the perfect day.

7. I frequently refer to the Moose as being "on crack" these days.  It's a great excuse whenever he's acting particularly odd.  But, he's also taken to sniffing the tiny gaps between our hardwood (original with the house from 1926) to try and find something of interest.  We have a few stray cats in the neighborhood that occasionally go under there, so we're guessing this is what he's trying to catch a whiff of during these super sniffer sessions.  It's pretty hilarious unless it's been going on for half an hour or more...or it's time for bed, and he won't stop.  Blue joins him on occasion, but mostly it's Moose who loves his crack.

6. I'm re-learning how to sew.  Last month, I said I might go buy a needle and thread.  Well, I've bought that and a whole lot more!  While I haven't actually taken the machine out of the box yet (tomorrow, maybe?), I have a plethora of basic sewing supplies and an assortment of fabrics.  I've already got a couple of projects lined up, and a bunch more I want to do if those turn out okay!  Pinterest has been a great help here...I'm pretty much addicted to that site these days.

5. Last week, the new kids (they might be 20) who just moved into the rental next door decided to leave their new LCD tv box in front of our house for pick up so that no one would know they had a new tv worth taking.  I was livid.  But, I practiced a great deal of self control and left it for Devin to deal with when he got home.  He talked to the kids, intimidated them a little, and broke down the box for recycling.  I think I would have yelled a bit more, cried in anger on their front porch, and generally made a hormonal mess of things.  So, I'm proud of my self control for not doing any of the above.

4. Devin is now in his pediatrics rotation.  He enjoyed the pace of outpatient clinic, and was able to get a lot of practice in during the two weeks.  He especially enjoyed advocating for some of the ADHD kids who came through.  Now, he's moved over to inpatient.  The days are much longer, but he's doing equally well.  Yesterday, a six year old girl gave him and iCarly thank you note telling him he did a good job.  It was adorable!

3. I love getting surprise mail from sisters!  For Valentine's day, I had one sister send me cute socks, tear-and-fold Valentines for me and the baby, and a giant bag of Smarties!  Just before Valentine's, I received an envelope with three new maternity shirts from my sister who is also pregnant!  She'd found a deal and decided to share the wealth.  And, it gave me a new pink shirt to wear on the 14th.  Add to that a glider that came in the mail yesterday and a crib that was delivered on the first (both gifts!), and it's pretty easy to see why I love seeing what's come when I get home from work!

2. Devin's prepped the grill again for the good weather season!  Last week, all the Boy Scouts from the troop he works with came to our house to learn how to grill.  So, he spent a Saturday clearing the patio of leaves, raking the back yard (in preparation for spring planting!), and re-seasoning all the grill grates.  When they arrived Wednesday evening, a delicious meal of steak, barbecue chicken, shrimps, and vegetables was grilled and served.  We've since had salmon and just bought some more foods to grill as well!

1. I'm now 24 weeks along in this pregnancy!  We are pretty excited to hit this milestone, as it increases the chance of having a healthy baby even if I go into preterm labor.  However, baby and I are both doing fine, so this isn't a huge concern--just a nice reassurance!  It also make the big day seem less distant as well.  Our nursery is taking shape, and we've been organizing the whole house in an effort to get ready for the big arrival.  June is feeling a lot closer these days!

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

First Phone Dump

For Christmas, my brother got me a mini SD card.  I've been using my phone camera more and more now that I can actually store more than a handful of photos...I love it!  So, I figure it's time to share a few of my favorite random shots.

A few weekends ago, our Saturday morning plans fell through.  Since we were already out, we rushed to Chick-fil-a, only to arrive just past 10:30.  The manager was not only kind enough to have the kitchen make a couple extra biscuits when they'd already switched to lunch, but she also threw in free hash browns!  Then, we spent the day discussing buying our own franchise someday.

Moose loves to bury his head while sleeping.  Lately, he's gotten a little extreme with it.  A couple weeks ago,  he snuggled up while I was watching tv, giving me a little Moose bow-tie from his ears.  Seriously, my dogs are awesome.


I don't even remember quite how this morning happened.  My phone tells me it was another Saturday morning shot.  I'm pretty much in love with Saturday mornings these days, so it's no surprise to me that this photo was taken then.  I do know I've got the three cutest boys living with me though!


That same Saturday I was low on cocoa krispies and peanut butter cheerios.  Add them together?  Yes please!!


Most days the boys come with me to pick up Devin at the end of the day.  (We ride together; I get done earlier than him.)  I was so excited to finally snap this shot at a stoplight.  I'm still trying to get one of Moose's ears flapping in the wind, but I can only try that when I'm not the one driving!


I received a Valentine's package from my sister.  She may be the only one who remembers quite how much I loved smarties as a kid.  I could get a whole pile of them in a trade for one fun sized snickers bar.  I loved Halloween for this reason.


A couple weekends ago, Devin bought me just because flowers.  They came with a 7 day guarantee.  They are now on day 18 in our house, and still look just this pretty.  Needless to say, I did not get new flowers on Valentine's day!


Tuesday, February 14, 2012

I've Found It!

True love is...

...finding someone who appreciates you while sweaty.

...finding someone who will embrace silly traditions with you.

...finding someone you love to get dirty with.

...finding someone to tackle a big challenge with you.

...finding someone who makes you laugh more than anyone else.

...finding someone who makes you feel like you've found your other half.

...finding that person you never want to let go of...and knowing they feel the same way.

I feel pretty fortunate to know that I've found all of these things.  I have a wonderful husband who shows me every day how much he loves me.  He insists I'm pretty and demands a kiss before letting me pass while blocking my way to the tissues when my allergies are acting up.  He reaches for me in his half asleep state when I stumble back to bed in the middle of the night after yet another bathroom trip knowing I don't like getting up and will probably be shivering...and he just wants to make it better.  He washes apples for me, cooks me dinner, and almost always does the dishes.  He warms blankets in the dryer for me, lets me hold the remote, and never misses kissing me goodnight.  Every day I find myself more grateful for him and more appreciative of the love he gives me.  Happy Valentine's Day my Babe!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Three Years of Blue

In three years, your baby can go from this...


...to this.


And he can grow from this...


...to this.


Blue has taught the two of us so much about who we are, what we want from life, and all the things that really matter most.  This morning, we sat holding him (no longer fitting in one hand) wondering how different our lives would be if we hadn't decided to shake up our plans and bring home a puppy.


He's spent the morning enjoying the sunshine, his birthday busy bone, and lots of loving.  Still to come...doggy ice cream and human cake...for us!  Happy Birthday Blue!  We love you!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

I'll Take It


"Many shadows do I see, six more weeks of winter it must be."

Punxsutawney Phil may have foreseen a later arrival for spring this morning, but if the winter continues to be like this, I won't even complain.  Today's high is 74 degrees, and we only had two days below 50 last month.  If this is winter, I'll take it!