our pal fay

As our pal Fay continues to make her presence known, we have been nothing but lazy bums here on Woodburn Drive. While this little storm is nothing in comparison to what this region of the country has seen before, we have still had a lot of wind and rain.

I decided to deflate Ammon’s pool and then use it to cover up some of my more delicate plants (I say this with a grin on my face because Stacy doesn't do delicate - Stacy kills delicate) so that they wouldn’t take a severe beating outside - only to find that his pool was all the way down by the road, and not on our back porch were it belongs. I, of course, almost killed myself trying to retrieve it - wiping out on the wet grass, being blown into fences, etc. - but was finally able to save the poor $3 pool from certain death. And my plants thanked me for it.

One thing that this outpour of dreary weather has done is provide me with an opportune chance to catch up on my rest, so that I can get over this cold-achy-funk that I have been plagued with for over a week now. However, the weather has also provided a more opportune chance for me to catch up on my reading since there isn’t anything else to do. You can guess which door I chose - I am now battling a very sore throat. No rest for the wicked, as they say.

Speaking of “the wicked”… I have been reading several reviews, articles, blogs and comments about the Twilight series - about how good, and terribly bad, they are. I was speaking to my friend, Kira, about it just this morning. She wants to borrow my copies, and we were talking a little about the content in between their hard covers and binding - and what others think about it. I have heard so much about the whole vampire thing, the more mature things that are sometimes mentioned, and the occasional dark tune to the writing. I feel that people think that since this is an LDS writer she needs to write about Molly-Mormons and perfect lives. Well, here it is folks - even Molly-Mormons don’t have perfect lives. And here’s the clincher - I’m a sucker for a love story… even one that involves vampires and bad choices. So, for those people that don’t like it : Don’t read it. Keep your opinions to yourselves. And stop ruining it for the rest of us. Not that any of you are those people, but nevertheless...

I’ll get off my soapbox now. I do think that we get too worked up about things as a society. There are certainly more valid things to freak out about that are going overlooked. And, truth be told - this is fiction. I repeat… fiction. Just like so many other works of art.

All this being said - I start the final book in the series today… and I can’t wait.

It’s been said that if you have nothing better to say then you should keep the subject of conversation on the weather or state of the roads. I’ve probably been boring most of you to tears, so… back to the weather. While I always enjoy a dreary day, these last several days of yuck haven’t brought me much joy. I just haven’t felt like reveling in it. I haven’t been in the mood to clean, reorganize or throw things out, like I normally do on days like these. All these things need to be done; however, I just haven’t felt well. But, when all is said and done, I guess my previous statement isn’t entirely true. I have found a lot of joy in these last four days of mucky weather. I have been able to take some time to myself and indulge in a hobby I love. I have been able to sit and do nothing at all. I have been able to play with my boys. I have been able to let go - let the chores go undone for a bit - and just enjoy my existence. Enjoy my family. Enjoy my life. And it's a good one... vampires and all.

this guy of mine

So this is an old picture... a very old picture, as you can probably tell. But it conveys a message I want to share.

You see, I've been thinking about this guy all day. Not Ammon - though I have been thinking about him, too - but my sweet Brian. I've been thinking about what a good guy he is. I've been thinking about what a good father he is. I've been thinking about how lucky we are to have him - how fortunate we are to have him.

Granted, I think about all this often. Just about every day - unfortunately, not every day. That's one of those things that I need to work on. But nevertheless, I continue to be amazed that my life could be so greatly blessed - and enriched - by his very presence. And, despite my previous confession, not a day goes by that I don't whisper at least once, "Gosh, I love him."

Our history is such that I never would (probably never will) believe that anyone can understand the way Brian has altered my life - changed my course, so to speak. I have a hard time explaining to others - even to him sometimes - just how much he means to me. And even when I try and relatively succeed, my words don't even come close to the outer rim of what I feel.

I certainly didn't expect to read a familiar feeling out of a book. But I did - in a way. So - with the risk of being incredibly sappy - here is an excerpt from a book I've read (those of you following this blog will know which one... that's where the sappy comes in). I just love it - but not as much as I love that guy of mine :

"Before you, . . . my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars - points of light and reason. . . . And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn't see the stars anymore. And there was no reason for anything."

Love loving you, Brian. So blessed to have you.

random randomness

I was once a Hodge-Podge for Halloween because I couldn’t decide what I wanted to be. Consider this the hodge-podge of blog posts - nothing in particular to share, and yet so much to say.

It’s been a huge couple of weeks for our family. Apart from my grandmother’s surgery (who right now is doing well, by the way), we have welcomed a new baby girl and bid farewell to a brand new missionary. Both great things - both very special in their own way.

Things on Woodburn Drive have been discombobulated and messy. At times chaotic. And often times unpleasant. I have been sick for the last five days - not feeling so bad right now, but still feeling like a puddle of goo. Ammon is still teething. We welcomed his top right tooth on Sunday - one more to go. Ammon also seems to be going through a growth spurt at present. He has been sleeping around the clock lately - hallelujah for that… now I can get some rest - but today, he seems to not want to sleep at all. Go figure.

Speaking of Ammon… Ammon seems to have decided that he can forgo his afternoon nap now. Holy heck, I don’t think so. Every other day he seems to do this - of course, on the other day he realizes that his mom is not crazy and that he does need that rest. All of this equals a very cranky pill... well, two very cranky pills. This growth spurt business has seemed to put a hold on this whole situation, though… we’ll see what next week brings.

I have been trying to keep up with the Olympics when I can. I watched the Gymnastics Men’s Team Final after I finished the Women’s Team Final back last Wednesday night/Thursday morning, and saw some pretty wild stuff. Even though our team placed third - which is nothing to frown at… it’s certainly better than anything I could do - I think that they did well overall. I was most proud of them for graciously accepting the Bronze - grateful for the opportunity, and for, as they said, coming and doing what they came to do: Finish.

I won’t go into the Women’s Team Final, though I think the USA girls did their best. We all make mistakes - we just hope they don’t happen at the Olympics, of all places. But, for some, I think attitude showed more than the mistakes - in good ways and bad. But, again, I think they did their best - and deserved the medal they got.

The same can be said for the Women’s All-Around Competition that I watched at my mom’s house late (…late, late…) Thursday night along with some swimming. Definitely the best gymnast at that competition received a well-deserved Gold… even though the scoring was a little screwy there for a bit and I wondered what the outcome would be. And, I got see what everyone's been talking about with that unstoppable Michael Phelps...

Ammon and I went with my mom Friday afternoon to do some shopping for my grandmother. We had a fun time together and accomplished the task that was at hand. I even got to see my pal Carlise for a minute. She had her mom (my friend, Kira) stop by Kohl’s just to see me. How fun was that?!

Despite all the hullabaloo, Brian and I did manage to squeeze a date night in on Friday. We went out to eat, ran some errands and saw the new Mummy movie. It was fairly good; however, you have to forget the other two - which are by far my favorites.

I have been a tad distracted lately. I have decided to jump on the Twilight bandwagon. A little late, I know. I did the same thing with Harry Potter, though. The third book had been published by the time I decided I might like to read them. And then, that first book sat on a shelf for a year before I read it. Of course when I did, I wondered what the heck I was thinking, and read all three within days.

Truth be told, I really didn’t think I would like the Twilight series. Honestly, I didn't. I can handle witches, wizards and whatnots. But vampires just aren’t my forte. I have very vivid dreams, you see. But, the more and more I heard about them - and, most importantly, the more people that I personally know that have read them - I decided to give them a try. But I still wasn’t optimistic that I would like it - I was thinking that this was a series trying to ride the wave of this post-Harry world. And I had a problem with that. But, I still gave it a try - I’ll always give things a try - and boy, was I pleasantly surprised. I thought, “This isn’t half bad.?!” and buzzed through the first book like it was a tri-fold pamphlet.

I had Brian pick up the second book for me late Monday night… I couldn’t wait until the next morning. I am having a hard time getting through the first part of it, though - partially because I read the end first, and know what happens. So, of course the beginning is going to be a bit slow. That’s a bad habit I have - I have to open up to the back of every book and just see what's happening. I always see something that peaks my interest and keeps me reading. I had to rubber band my last Harry Potter book together so I wouldn’t instinctively take a peek.

And not the first nightmare. Kristy and I already have made a date to go see the movie…

Speaking of the movie, I think I like the idea of picking up this series when the movie is in the works. Because of this, I know what characters are “supposed” to look like, and I am able to put a face with a name. Not like with the Harry Potter series, where I had my own, established, characters in my head - only to watch the movies, and it just not be right. This way, I can avoid that aggravation at least. And, while I’m on the subject of the cast of characters, I finally figured out who Edward is… he’s Cedric Diggory. What a coincidence…

And Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has been pushed back to my birthday next year. A good birthday present, I know. Now I have even more time to get all hyped up for what looks like a great movie… only to end up sitting through a depressingly inaccurate film. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Harry movies immensely. However, I have a huge problem with… let’s just call it creative license. I understand that things can’t be just like they are in the books, but come on. Just one little thing besides the title would be lovely.

On a happy note (let’s hope, anyway), our computer made it home today. Now I can begin to whittle down my to-do list. I believe that there are several people waiting on me to finish some things. Never fear!

I’ve been in a pretty dead-pan mood lately. I just haven’t felt well, and as a result, I haven’t made time to do the things I really enjoy. Like taking Ammon to the park, playing on the floor, talking to Brian more than just, “What’s for dinner?”. And all of these things effect my mood tremendously. I’m trying to do better - to be better. Speaking of my friend, Kristy, we had a very nice - and much needed - talk last night about everything under the sun, I think. So nice to have a friend like her, someone to talk to when you just don’t feel like talking to anybody else. And Kira and Becky, too - can’t forget them and our chats yesterday. Can’t forget their friendships either. Not to mention my little see-you-later-visit with dear Hila this morning. I’ll really miss that chick. Thanks girls, I love you.

projects, anyone?

It’s times like these that I really miss having cable. The Olympics are ongoing - and I am missing it. Even though I am not a huge Summer Olympics fan - the Winter Olympics bring me pure joy - I do really enjoy some events, Gymnastics in particular. Like so many others, I am feeling some serious USA pride. I have finally found where I can watch complete coverage, rather than clips, of events online. Actually - as I am typing this post, I am also watching the Women’s Team Final. Talk about multitasking… that’s something I have become very, very good at lately.

It has been raining for days. Much needed rain - and it has cooled down the summer heat to a low boil. I really do like rainy weather… as long as I don‘t have to get out in it. When overcast days come my way, I have a huge urge to clean, organize and rearrange. So, I guess that this enormous outpouring of rain that we have received lately has truly been heaven sent - I really need to be doing those things.

Projects, you say? Yes… projects. I have been a busy bee - working on several little things that I have been wanting/meaning to do. One of those things is making inserts for all of our slim DVD cases (the cases that house our home movies and the DVDs that have been copied from VHS tapes). I got tired of having to open each case to see what was inside. Now, the title(s) are printed on the sides as well as on the front cover. The content of each home movie is printed on the cover, so we know which Ammon-antics happen on each disk. This was definitely not a pleasant job, but it is done - and what a good feeling.

It’s a funny thing, the project. I seem to be the poster child for projects. I was speaking to my friend, Kristy, yesterday afternoon about the DVD-case-thing, and she said, “You’re always doing a project.”. True. I am. Another friend commented lately that because she feels she has no accomplishments outside of being a mother, she has a sense of lost identity - and while she loves being a mother, she doesn't need to ignore herself. I love working on projects… certain ones, anyway. They often come as a creative outlet. They often make me feel happy. They always provide a sense of accomplishment that you just can’t beat.

it’s all retrospective

As I slowly put away a piece here and piece there - saying goodbye to the infant stage of Ammon’s life - I pause to reflect on these things and the roles they have played in our lives these last eight months.

I have been asked on numerous occasions by several people - whether seasoned parent or parent-to-be - what items we couldn’t live without, and what, if anything, could we have done without? Well, certainly, we have used everything that we have at least once - so nothing has been a waste of space. But what thing could we not have survived without? We couldn’t have done without our car seat, crib and highchair, of course. We use our stroller, jogger, pack-n-play and exersaucer often. But, when I ponder on the things that were lifesavers - the things that have become true fixtures of our home - my mind rests on two things:

My lovely, overstuffed, green chair whose home is Ammon’s room. Why? Because this was where I slept for the first four months of Ammon’s life. More specifically, this is where I comforted him, fed him, rocked him, loved him. And Brian spent his fair share of time in this chair, too. A wise investment indeed to choose such an overly comfortable chair.
Ammon’s swing. Why? Because this was where Ammon napped for the first six months of his life. We couldn’t get him to nap in any other place. How invaluable was this device? Absolutely vital, no doubt about it. Because of this swing, my arms got a break, my laundry got done, I got a shower. A wise gift indeed.

As Ammon continues to grow, my chair gets used less and less - becoming more a holder of laundry than a holder of love. I do take a moment here and there to sit down and cuddle my sweet boy - who is now far too busy to snuggle for long. I pause to read him a book or sing him a song. Still a lovely treasure - to sweet and fond a memory to move it into another room and put aside.

Ammon’s swing has gotten more breaks of late - its batteries no longer need to be changed every week. But it still gets used from time to time… just this morning it helped soothe a fussy boy. Still invaluable in my book.

And while our boy grows more each day, these baby-things are still fixtures of our home. No need to put them away just yet.

we are christmas people

Truth be told: We are Christmas people. We love Christmas here on Woodburn Drive. And yes, we are already listening to Christmas music.

Some of you observant readers may have noticed our new Christmas playlist on the right. I won’t force it on you yet… but if you’d like, pause the other tunes and take a gander. As we say, enjoy the season early. Come on… don’t be party poopers… you know you want to.

enjoying this quote...

Todd Henry : "Life is made up of moments and choices. We can choose to do the small things we must do with great care, or we can choose to stay focused on the "big things" and miss everything in the process. It's the small, step-by-step, creatively and beautifully engaged act that changes us and ultimately changes the world."

and life goes on

So I got this fortune cookie last week whose fortune read, “Traveling to the South will bring you much happiness.” Come again? Anyone with half a brain should know that the words “Stacy” and “humidity” don’t go together. I mean, have you been outside lately? Who are these people and what are they thinking? I am certainly hoping that this “happiness” will come in an air-conditioned environment…

Maybe I am the crazy one - destined to have pointless fortunes in my fortune cookies. I fondly remember the “It is nice.” fortune cookie from years ago.

Last week went by casually enough - the usual things done; the usual errands run. However, this last week things did not go quite as smoothly as usual:

We have baby gates up now - just so that we (primarily, I) can get used to them before we actually need them. My mind knows they are there, but my legs don’t seem to notice. My shins now look like a painting by O’Keeffe… in brilliant, vibrant, living color.

Ammon is desperately trying to cut both of his top teeth; however, these teeth aren’t as willing as the other two were. He seems to be suffering quite a bit more than with his first round of teething.

My luck has been off the last several weeks when it comes to Wal-Mart. Why is it that I can never find what I need? Why is it that I always pick the wrong line to check-out in? I went to Northside Wal-Mart last week - I hate this place and normally avoid it like the plague; however, I was on that side of town and, ignorantly, waltzed right in. You know what they had? Nothing. I was only able to get about half of what was on my list and everything was more expensive. I will be going to our Wal-Mart from now on and avoid the headache…

Apart from these (and more) inconveniences, last week did have its perks. I was able to put some new plants out on our back porch, get some things done around our home, have some fun family time. We celebrated my mom’s 49th birthday on Friday - she, our friend, Hila, and I had dinner at Ruby Tuesday’s and then went to see Mamma Mia!… such a fun movie. We had such a fun time giggling and trying to drown out poor Pierce’s singing… good, good times. After the movie, we had to run to Wal-Mart (again Northside) - and, true to form, this visit lived up to my other Wal-Mart ventures of late. It was close to midnight and we were all just a tad punchy. I’ll let you all guess the rest…

Saturday marked our Girlie Luau Night in honor of Hila. My friend Kira had me, my mom, Hila, and our friend, Becky, over for a little get-together. We munched on Hawaiian haystacks, veggies, watermelon, Hawaiian dip, Oreo truffles, frozen grasshoppers (chocolate mint cookies… no, we were not eating bugs), spinach dip and Hawaiian bread. I had done all the decorations and made a little keepsake for Hila. We talked the night away - and before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our dear friend. Hila is moving to Washington to be closer to her family - we wish her luck in her new home, and know that she will be richly blessed there. We love you, Hila.

My grandmother underwent a hip replacement on Tuesday - and, as a result, this week has been quite chaotic. My aunt and cousin came up and were a great help. Ammon and I stayed in Enterprise from Sunday afternoon until yesterday afternoon; however, we weren’t there very much:

Sunday afternoon Brian, Ammon and I loaded up the car and went up to my grandmother’s. I unpacked everything and got settled while Ammon soaked up the loving attention of his beloved Aunt Kaye and cousin, Amy. Later that evening we had leftover Hawaiian haystacks for dinner. Brian and I got Ammon ready for bed, and then he enjoyed some more play time. Brian went home at about 9:00, and I stayed up for a bit visiting and catching up on some Jon & Kate Plus Eight. I've found that I am not alone in my love for this show...

My mom had to work Monday morning, so everyone else at home was a bit lazy. Ammon continued to revel in the extra attention he was getting. He thought that my Aunt Kaye was his grandma, as she and my mom look just alike. He really got confused when both of them were in the same room! My aunt and grandmother ran some errands, while Amy and I stayed home with the bug. Once my mom got home, we all loaded up and went down to Dothan to do a little shopping. We went to our house for a bit so that Brian could give Grandma a blessing before her surgery. We then went out to eat at Logan’s for my mom’s birthday and a last hurrah for Grandma Lois. Brian had taken Tuesday off to take his MAT for graduate school, so he, Ammon and my Uncle Gary went back to Enterprise, leaving the girls to have a fun night on the town. We ran in to Target for a minute and then all went to see Mamma Mia! again. We had such a good time together - laughing so hard we cried. We really came full circle that night. Our fun theatre nights at Bob Carr in Orlando all started with Mamma Mia! year before last, and here we were, all sitting together watching the movie. Such fun… such fun girls to share that memory with. We got home pretty late, but there were still things to do to prepare for the long day ahead. I know that I for one didn’t get to bed until after 2:00am.

I hadn’t originally planned to do so, but since Brian was going to stay at my grandmother’s Monday night and be there with me on Tuesday morning, I made the decision to go with everyone else to the hospital with my grandmother that morning. I felt strongly that I needed to be there, and I am glad that I was. We got there a little before 6:00am - and then waited. My grandmother was taken back to surgery and the procedure was started a while later. Brian and Ammon arrived at about 10:00.

After lunchtime, my grandmother’s surgery and recovery time was done and we were able to see her. Of course, she was in a great deal of pain and was a little groggy - but the surgery went well, and she looked well. The remainder of the afternoon was a blur - but I can say that it was long and aggravating. She had some pretty horrendous care for a bit - I won’t even begin to tell you what all was going on… you wouldn’t believe it, anyway - with some raunchy nurses that got some well-deserved words from all of us. Brian had left at about 2:00 to take his MAT, but he came back when he was done to see Grandma. That evening, Brian’s brother, Craig, came up with his children, Caulin and Lainee - he and Brian gave Grandma another blessing.

Brian and I left with Ammon at about 7:30 that night, with my mom and cousin following soon afterwards. My aunt stayed the night with my grandma - even though we were asked to have someone stay the night anyway, we really did not feel comfortable leaving Grandma alone after the afternoon she had had. But, before long, Grandma got a new nurse, and we were more at ease with the care she was receiving. My aunt did say that her new nurse was wonderful and that it made the greatest difference.

Tuesday night, was not good on Ammon. He had been a trooper all day - it’s a lot to ask of such a small guy to be cooped up in a hospital room for almost 10 hours with little to no naps - and he had been good for as long as he could be. He had a rough time going down for bed and was up most of the night.

Wednesday morning, my cousin went down to relieve my aunt so that she could go back to Enterprise and get some rest. My mom worked for the morning and then she, Ammon and I went down to the hospital. Grandma had gotten up to walk twice, hadn’t really taken anything for her pain - and, most importantly, looked very well. She did, however, have to have a cancerous spot on her arm removed that morning… so there were pieces of her all over! Ammon brightened up her room like he did the day before, and we stayed for a while to visit.

To our dismay, we found out that Grandma would have the same raunchy nurse that she had had Tuesday. There was no way that we were going to stand idly by and not do something. My mom and cousin spoke to a very kind woman who changed the orientation of the floor so that my grandmother would have a different nurse. To make a long story short, we settled her hash and had her thrown out. My cousin stayed the night, just to ensure that everything went well and to help my grandmother.

My mom, Ammon and I left a little earlier that night, so that Ammon could have a somewhat normal bedtime routine. Brian had met us at the hospital after he got off work, and he went up to Enterprise for a while and had dinner with us before heading back home. I tried to relax a little, but wasn’t able to. I watched some more Jon & Kate Plus Eight, and then read a bit before going to bed. Of course, it was another long night for Ammon - his teeth were really bothering him and he tossed and turned most of the night, but seemed to sleep better than the night before.

Thursday morning, my aunt left to pick up my cousin so that they could drive back to Orlando. Ammon had a slight meltdown when she left, but we will luckily be seeing her again soon. Ammon and I were by ourselves for a bit before my mom came back from work. I had everything packed up and ready to go home. We all loaded up and stopped by our house, picked up Brian, and went to the hospital. We had a short visit and then headed home, but not to short of a visit so that we could avoid getting stuck in the rain. In the quick amount of time that it takes to run from my car to our front door, you could have rung my clothes out and made soup. Absolutely nasty weather, but good for my new plants…

Ammon had a normal night last night - glad to be at his home, though I can tell he misses the added commotion. I started on the eight loads of laundry that needed to be done, along with all the unpacking, sorting and putting away.

My grandmother was moved from the hospital to the rehabilitation center this morning. We don’t expect her to be there the “normal” 20 days - she is a tough, strong lady - we know that she will do well, and can’t wait to have her home!

I seem to be doing fairly well, considering I haven’t slept in over a week. I am very disoriented and have no idea what day it is. It has been a long couple of days for the whole family - but we were all willing to sacrifice our own comfort for Grandma. We just want her to be comfortable and well. And, even though it was difficult, I am glad that Ammon and I stayed in Enterprise - his sweet spirit seemed to lift everyone’s spirits, especially Grandma’s. He was the star of the hospital also - so while it was frustrating at times, it was time well spent. Even though I wasn’t able to do very much to help the situation, at least I could do that one small thing - share my sweet boy.

And while we are on the subject of family injuries: We send our love to Uncle Dana and Kim and Gracey… we hope you all get well and whole soon!

Here she is on her very first birthday... and today she is a year closer to 50...

Happy Birthday to someone we all love... Mom.

A belated happy birthday to you, Larry... we hope Tuesday was great. We love you!