Wednesday, January 27, 2010

What are the blogs?

I've been too busy. Part of it is keeping up with my stud muffin. Here is some proof.


Ian empties everything he finds.



Oh, this is Ian just being adorable. He's practicing walking in hard soled shoes.


And he climbs everything.

He climbs furniture. Above, he's on the table where I try to do my homework.

I've also been busy reading wrong chapters for class, writing ridiculous papers on my learning philosophy, and planning a wedding that is less than a month away! Not to mention work and job searching.

The day must go on.
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Friday, January 22, 2010

Random Ramplings

  • I just realized that I bought organic coffee filters. I didn't even know those existed. They do. I have them. Thank you Sun Harvest for making good decisions for me. Though, I was confused because half of your baskets said "Henry's" on them. Are you changing your name? Is something going on that I do not know about?
  • Ian went to the doctor  yesterday. He weighed 19.7 pounds. Let's just forget about the fact that he was fully clothed with a full diaper. Regardless, he was 2 pounds up from the 12 month visit. We're keeping up the weight gain.
  • Ian's doctor said that she thinks Ian may be teething his 2 year molars. I think she's wrong. He is teething his canine's though. Or, canine. One of them. I usually give him teething tablets. Though, last night, I'll admit that I gave him Motrin last night. He slept all night. He drooled on my arm. And guess what, he's still sleeping right now! I Anywho, Ian slept all night. That's good. Remember yesterday when he woke up at 2:30am? He didn't take a nap. He didn't go down until 8. That's my fault. I forced him to stay awake so we could get him back onto a schedule.
  • I enjoy Ian's new ability to climb. Sort of. He climbs onto chairs and couches. He climbs off the bed when he wakes up.
  • Ian has been keeping me on my toes. I haven't studied for my one class. Nor have I started on my paper. I know this is crazy, but I'm hoping that by the time I take more classes Ian will be easier to handle. You know, because of maturation. I think this is okay. I think Ian is starting his terrible twos. Lol. If they start early, do they end early too? I don't like the name terrible twos. He is more just an explorer. So according to Thesaurus.com we should call them the Traverse Twos. Ian is in his traverse twos. He is into everything. But, when he's destroying things, I can totally see the light bulb going off above his head! So, again, partly my fault. I let him explore. I let him destroy. I feel it helps.
  • Traverse Twos are okay. Because along with destruction, Ian has been giving me 500 kisses a day.
  • After sleeping for 10 hours, I feel like I have drank the equivalent to 10 cups of coffee. I recommend sleep to everyone. Including myself.
  • Is it just me, or was yesterday "These Kids are All Freaking Insane and Out of Control" day. I swear, it was like the day after Halloween.
  • I got art from a student yesterday. It was a folder. I love it. It's my new folder.
Like this? Random thoughts. Sorry. This is how my brain functions. Now, off to do real work.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

101 in 1001

I haven't updated my 101 in 1001 in months. Oops. I know at least one I'm falling behind in. :)

So,without further ado, here is my updated 101 in 1001 list.

FYI, this blog is being written at 4am, Ian has been up since 2:30am. Would this be a proper 'fml' moment? I swear, I can't even function anymore. On top of school and work (and wedding planning, 24 days), I also am not allowed to sleep. It. Is. Wonderful.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Ten on Tuesday



That's right. It's another round of Ten on Tuesday. :)

1. Favorite book(s) when you were a child and why?
Let's see. I LOVE Dr. Seuss books. My parents would always read them to me when I was little. I would memorize them. They are so catchy. The art work is insane. I love Dr. Seuss. And obviously, I did as a child too.


2. First “grown-up” book you remember reading (i.e. written for adolescents or with adult themes, such as The Outsiders or Catcher in the Rye).
Little Women. My 4th grade teacher got it for me. I loved it. I still have it around here somewhere.

3. Favorite movie that came from a book (even if you didn’t read the book and just love the movie).
Harry Potter! I'm just about to start/finish the books. I've never read them. But I absolutely adore the movies.



4. Movie that you loved so much that you WISHED there was a book out so that you could find out more about the movie.
Oh, I don't know. I don't get to watch very many movies. I mean, the last movie I saw was Hangover. And I didn't want to read a book about that. Maybe Lost, the series. I wish they were based on books.



5. Worst book you’ve ever read?
I hate history type books. I started reading one of Stephen's in his Kindle, fell asleep, and never started it again. Don't judge me. We all have our quirks. That is mine. :)


6. Book that everyone raves about that you either a) haven’t read and feel slightly dumb for not having read it or b) have tried to read and hated and so feel slightly dumb that everyone is getting something you don’t.
Very recently Stephen got me an audio book, Watership Down. Him and Aaron will talk about it. I can't tell if they're mocking me because it's a joke book, or if they're being serious. Apparently, it's told from the perspective of a rabbit. I don't know. I'll tell you if they're serious after I listen to it during my long drives.



7. If you were forced to choose only 3 books that you could read for the rest of your life, which ones would they be? (Or if you were stranded on a desert island, which 3 books would you want there with you?).
Do textbooks count? Lol. If it were a stranded island, I wouldn't bring any scary books, because I'm a scaredy cat. Maybe I'd bring a book about people being lost in the wilderness so that I could get some ideas. Someone really needs to write some Lost books. I'd bring those and count them as one book. Next, I'd bring Five Languages of Love to lift my spirits. Third, I guess I'd bring the bible. No, I'm not a Christian (everyone gasp), but I do enjoy reading it and learning about it. If I were stranded on an island, I'd get to read it.

8. Name one book that if you could recommend that everyone you know read, what is it?
Five Languages of Love, thanks Chelsea! I love it. I think that everyone should read it. It's a super quick read. It is sort of common sense, but it helps bring it to light.



9. What is your “guilty pleasure” reading?
I LOVE Sci fi books. =/ I could read them for the rest of my life.



10. What book (excepting the Bible or other major document of your religion/faith) has changed your outlook on life the most?
My slides from Dr. Timothy Loving's class? HDF majors, you know what I'm talking about. Not a book, but he could seriously write one.


Blog out.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Too Advanced for My Good



I get to wake up to this baby every morning. Lol. I LOVE that face. Doesn't he look exactly like Stephen? It's creepy. (Don't you just love the balloons from my bridal shower too?!)

Just when I think Ian is too much to handle, he proves me wrong.

1) Ian can get things out of the container thingy. Case in point:

We have a big box of these. Ian gets the single thing of fruit out and walks it over to me when he wants it. If I don't open it, he continues to bring me more and more.

2) Ian can open the refrigerator. Luckily, he has yet to use his powers for evil. Instead, he opens it, gets out the cheese sticks, closes the fridge, and brings them to me for opening.

3) Ian gets out of bed in the morning without waking me. Sometimes he will. But, once he realizes I'm sleeping, he just continues on with his business. Example: This morning I woke up and saw Ian laying on his belly, typing on my laptop. You know, because he knows exactly what he's doing. Then, I went back to sleep, he was being gentle. Then, I woke up and he was gone. I heard something. Ian then walks back into the bedroom with about 11 balloons. He's adorable. I'm going to have to cage in the bed to keep him in check. I'm sure he'd just crawl over the gate. /sigh

4) Here's a conversation from the day:
Ian is standing my the front door.
Me: Bubba, you need your shoes on to go outside.
Ian walks up to me with two shoes, then sits in my lap.
Me: sigh.
Now, Ian just walks to the front door with his shoes. How does he know?! I love the new skills, I do no love how grown up he is.

5) He's also in the stage where he does not know a stranger. He walks up and says "HI!" to just about every person we encounter. My store trips have been quadrupled. Everyone he says hi to stops and has to converse with us/him. He just hams it up, smiling, flirting. He is JUST like his Grandpa Larry and Stephen. Hilariously, his go-to conversation piece is "ball." He will sit there saying 'ball' with a million different points of inflection. It's hilarious. Just say it out loud in different tones. That's how Ian converses with you. Sometimes he'll add in more of his vocabulary: hot, hottie, eyebrow, beep beep, baba, mooo, daDE, baw (ball), up, booda (we have still yet to figure out the meaning of this word, but he uses it frequently), pretty, cheese.... the list could go on and on.

6) When Ian gets frustrated, he loses all etiquette:


He threw the spoon down and put his face into the tray. HAHA!

This very moment, Ian is laying on his belly, looking at a box. The box is for my new cookware and his has food on it. He's kicking his feet saying "baba." I'm not sure kids get cuter than Ian. He has a lot to live up to this year.

Blog out.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Graduate School

I've been trying really hard not to post about the wedding until after the wedding. It's rough! Especially because I'm in the last month of planning, that is ALL that I'm doing. So, I will try my absolute hardest to write about something else. (Don't worry, I will give wedding updates after the wedding... one more month!)

Not many of my readers know, but I am now a graduate student. I didn't tell anybody. Just a select few people. I was extremely apprehensive about it. There are a million factors that go into this huge decision. I mean, I have a 14 month old at home, the school is in San Antonio, job, money, etc. The list could go on forever. After many talks with Stephen, we decided it was the best thing for me to do, for the family. It will be another rough two years, but hopefully it's worth it.

I already love my class. Yes, class. Singular. Since I'm getting married this semester, I didn't want to overwhelm myself. So, I went ahead and took the one psychology class I have to take. I'm terrible at psychology. It's always my most difficult class. I don't really know why, I learn about the same theories in other classes, but it is never quite the same. Last year, I came to the conclusion, it's not the class, it's the professors. Psychology professors are all so very strange. And I simply don't get them. Same with psych students, sorry Bones. But, it's true.

I'm also having a rough time trying to come up with my path in graduate school. I don't know if I should get my teaching certificate or not. And if I do, should I get EC-6 or should I get my special education certification? I have never actually worked directly with students with disabilities. However, on every single career test I take, I score extraordinarily high in the special education segment. Last time I answered 80 something percent the same as a special education teacher. I would love to work with kiddos with disabilities, however, I don't know how stressful the job would be. I know that's a little bit selfish. And as I'm typing this, I feel like it's helping me make a decision.

Would a special education teacher PLEASE contact me and talk to me! Lol. Or, if you know someone, please point me in that direction.

Anyways, I need to get back to watching Lost (thanks Brad), preparing for work (my orientation), and reading some more for EDP.

Blog out.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

One More Month

In one month's time, I get to continue my life with this man...

from the night I think we met

It's funny to think back to the time when we met. Stephen was 22 and I was 20 (or from Stephen's mind, I was 19). For me, it was a great way to begin a new year. 2007. We have brought in many New Years together now. If it wasn't for that night... Stephen was such a gentleman. He still is, don't worry.



Shortly after we started dating, Stephen turned 23. We went to see the Toadies. I remember I studied their discography so I wouldn't be out of the loop during the show. How funny, the things people do when they first start dating. These things need to be kept up throughout the relationship.



Wedding planning is becoming stressful. I've been putting everything off until recently. Sometimes I need to relax and remember that the entire point of this day is to celebrate. Celebrate the union of Stephen and I committing to one another.

I mean really, who couldn't love this man:


Seriously. It's so easy. Plus, he makes adorable babies:



I mean, come on. Kids don't get any cuter than that.

Blog out.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Ten on Tuesday

I'm sure Deana is excited! Here is the first Ten on Tuesday of the year.

Also, Chelsea is having a giveaway on her blog! Go check it out and enter to win... an apron! It fits with today's ToT.




1. Are there any movies that inspire you to bake/cook?
No. Not unless there is delicious food in it. I have not seen Julie and Julia though. I'm sure that would probably inspire me some.

2. What’s your favorite food blog and why?
Bakerella. She bakes the cutest, tastiest stuff. It might actually be the only food blog that I follow. You should check it out.



3. Who’s your favorite celebrity chef?
Celebrity chef? Um, I have no idea. I don't pay attention to that. Rachel Ray might be the only celebrity 'chef' I can think of at the moment. So, I guess that she wins by default. If I think of anyone else, I will come back and change this.



4. What’s your favorite kitchen tool?
My favorite tool? Cookbooks and recipes. I need them to survive. Even though I never follow it exactly, I always change it some. I have to have a starting point like that. Unless I'm making spaghetti or something. 



5. When it comes to cooking/baking, what’s your specialty?
Queso. I just made the best queso ever. Evelyn gave me the recipe a long, long time ago. I botched it once. Then, I decided to make it again. Even though my HEB doesn't sell a few of the items in it. So, I substituted a few things. It was extremely tasty.



But really, I make killer spaghetti. Doesn't everyone? It's the easy go-to meal.


6. When in the kitchen, do you wear an apron, if so, any cute ones you’d like to share?
I do not own an apron. :(



7. Is there anything that intimidates you when it comes to baking/cooking? (ex. Pie crust, yeast breads, sauces, etc…)
EVERYTHING! I seem to always mess something up when I'm baking! Unless I'm in my mom's kitchen, which seems to be a normal kitchen on crack.


8. What’s the weirdest gadget in your kitchen?
I don't have weird gadgets! We have a magnet beer opener. But, it's probably the most useful instrument.



9. What’s your go-to music for cooking/baking?
Anything that makes me dance.



10. After several failures, what do you do to motivate yourself to get back in the kitchen to try again?
Stephen. He's very encouraging. He'll even help if I need it. Also, he tells me he loves every meal, even when I'm sure it tastes terrible. :)


What a nice guy.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Mommy Goggles

This has been a busy week. I didn't get to take many pictures. Stephen had a long weekend, so we played with him a lot. It was so nice! I've also been in panic mode because of the wedding. I'm stressing out! And as I started typing this, I realized I didn't have alterations on my dress! Oops.

Anyways, Ian is doing amazing. He's finally 19 pounds. I know, huge right?! He's also getting very smart. Case in point: this weekend, Ian wanted to go outside. He was waiting by the front door and I was still getting ready. I looked at him and said something similar to "Ian, you can't go outside until you have your shoes on. We need to put your shoes on." I continued getting ready. Then, Ian walks up to me with his shoes in his hands. Um, what?! Seriously?! Ian brought me his shoes when I told them he needed them. Ian is awesome.

He also has a series of new words. Thanks to Aunt Amy, he now knows "pretty." He rolls his pr though, it's hilarious. He says "mmmm" when he eats something tasty and yesterday, he said "yummy." What a personality! He also repeats me when I talk. In the middle of a sentence I may say "baby" or "ball" and he repeats me. He's funny. He just doesn't know it yet.




Look at that face! Isn't Ian incredible?!

Blog out.

Friday, January 1, 2010

It's a New Year


I hope that everyone enjoyed their new year. May this year bring you everything that you hoped for, plus a little more.




We begin our second full year with Ian and our first year as a newly married couple (in February).

Peace & Love