Introducing..

Sage Lydia Tidyman

*Born on Wednesday, November 14 

 7 pounds / 7 ounces
20 inches long

We are so blessed!  Sage came last Wednesday, just shy of two weeks early.  She is healthy, beautiful and very loved. 

It's amazing how much time I spend marveling at how impossibly small the finger nail on her pinkie is and how her yawns can be so impossibly big.  She has such strength in her legs and in her head.  At 5 days old, she can already hold her head up a little and look around.  And her lungs....oh my!  Baby girl has got a set of lungs on her!  We did not expect this, Mr. T and I being so soft-spoken.  We put in a request for a baby whose cries sound like a kitten.  According to her Uncle Joey who pegged it so accurately, she sounds more like a pterodactyl (read: flying dinosaur).  Oh and her chompers...don't get me started on her chompers!

There are so many ways she is delighting us.  I love the way she holds her little hand up to her forehead and furrows her brow.  She looks just like Mr. T does when he is looking over our bills.  I smile at every little piggy noise she makes when she is nursing...her velvet skin...her coos and gurgles...

I love her.

My body is so tired, but my heart is so full.

Truth be told, so many blessings I experience with Sage are coupled with the memory of the beautiful women I have met during this pregnancy who have loved and lost a child.  It's a heartbreak that brings me to tears.  Mr. T and I are so very humbled by the opportunity to care for her each day.  We know that it is a gift.

I am coming to realize more and more that whether in times of great heartbreak or times of great joy, we all need God's grace to wash over us.  When life is so overwhelmingly hard, his grace covers us in peace, healing, and comfort.  When life is so full of joy, we need his grace to remember that his praise should always be on our lips, to cast aside petty complaints and to enjoy to the full the great blessings he has bestowed.  We all need God...no matter what each day brings.  And God is faithful.

On that note, I think I'll bring this to a close.  I hear little squeaks and know they'll need some attention.  I'll write soon on how Sage came to this world.  It's a great story!

*We're getting the word out so late because we don't have the Internet at our house and we've been too busy to get to a computer and I stopped sleeping sometime around last Wednesday and I pretty much look like death warmed over and I'm so tired that sometimes people ask me her name I have to rack my brain to remember what we chose for her middle name and...okay, I'll stop now.  Thanks for your understanding.

In Between Waking and Dreams

Conversations with your spouse come in many forms.  There are silly ones, serious ones, business conversations and ones centered around nothing in particular.  As of late, I've discovered that some of my favorite conversations with Mr. T happen when I wake him from a deep sleep.  The words he utters in between waking and dreams entertain me to no end.

The other day we went to bed and I got a major case of the "itchys".  Convinced we had bed bugs, I got up, turned on the lights, retrieved fresh linens from the closet in our bedroom and hovered over Mr. T waiting for him to wake up so we could remake the bed.  I waited and waited and waited for a solid 38 seconds before growing impatient and giving him a little nudge.

Mr. T:  "What's wrong, honey?"
Me:  "I think we have bed bugs.  I'd like to change the sheets."  (granted it is very late at night)
Mr. T:  (not fully awake has the following conversation with himself)  "NO, please no!!!!  Ugh!  It's all in her head.  Alright.  It's okay.  I love her.  Ugh!" 

I was quite amused by the little pep talk he gave himself.  He threw off the covers and we changed the sheets.

Mr. T:  "Feel better now?"
Me:  "Much.  Well, all except for the pillow cases we didn't change are still itching me."
Mr. T:  (sigh)

A couple of nights later, I got up to use the bathroom - big surprise there.  I turned to walk back into our bedroom and stopped short in my tracks.

Me:  "Honey?"
Mr. T:  (snoring)
Me:  "Hon-eeeeeeeey??????????"
Mr. T:  (suddenly alert and perhaps concerned that I had some baby news to report)  "Yeah!"
Me:  "Um, can you come and kill this spider?"
Mr. T:  "Ugh!  (long pause)  Okay....." 

He gets out of bed, stumbles red-eyed to the hallway, takes the toilet paper from me, kills the darn thing and returns to bed.

Me:  "Are you sure you crushed it?"
Mr. T:  (silence)
Me:  "Thank you so much.  It's just that...well...it was a BLACK one.  And I'm pretty sure it had a white spot on it's back?  Is that a black widow?"  (we've had this same conversation 100 times)
Mr. T:  "Black widows don't live in Nebraska."
Me:  "Yea, but how do they KNOW that!?!  Have they scoured every inch of Nebraska looking for them!?!"
Mr. T:  "Same way they know polar bears don't live in Nebraska."
Me:  "Oh.  Well, it doesn't seem EXACTLY the same to me."
Mr. T:  (snoring)

Don't we lead such a charming and interesting life? 
No need to answer that.

In other news, today is my last day at work...paying work that is.  Our Tidytot is due in two weeks, so let the nesting begin.  Now I can finally have time to dust our blinds! 

Belly Pics

Back in August, our church had this event called Aloha Sunday.  The point of the whole thing is to tap into the "Aloha spirit of things" and focus the congregation on being more hospitable.  

Also, you can dress up.

Which we did. 

In fact, Mr. T and I went all out!

He even ordered a lei from the flower shop for me to wear.  So the lei, plus the flowy, flowery dress thing I borrowed from Grandma T launched me straight into the running for best dressed.

 

Ironically, Aloha Sunday was the week that many people came up to me and said, "I didn't know you were pregnant!"  Something about loose fitting clothes really excentuates the belly bump.

 

Here I am, decked out in Aloha garb, at about 25 weeks.

 

 

Here's Mr. T.

I mean Don Johnson.

 

 

So happy together...

 

 

And then I stopped taking belly pics for awhile because I kept forgetting.

And because I'm not photogenic.

It's my one flaw.

 

So, ignore my flat hair, the bags under my eyes and the poor posture displayed in the picture below.  Focus on the belly, filled with Baby T at 35 weeks.

 

 

Just about a month to go!

The Happy Couple

This weekend Mr. T and I were blessed to witness this lovely couple get married.

 

 

The weekend was full of celebration, great fellowship and amazing food! 

 

Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Jonas! 

 

We were so glad to be part of your special day.

 

 

Cause the More You Know...

Mr. T told me the other day that it was time for a new belly picture. 
Loose translation:  "Dang girl, you're getting big!"

It's so true.  I think I'm probably "normal" big, but there is really no other adjective to describe it.  I am carting around a human after all.

We went to our birthing class at the hospital this past weekend and both learned quite a bit.  For example, Mr. T thought that the painful part of labor was the big finish, not the contractions part.  I'm glad we got that cleared up or he would have thought I was a huge drama queen for the majority of the delivery.

I learned that babies can't breath through their mouths until they are about 3 months old.  How did I not know this!?!  That's why Moms are so protective of their little ones and make you wash your hands before holding their newborn.  They're not crazy, just informed.  A nose cold for a little tyke can be bad news.  So Mr. T and I have decided to invest in a hazmat suit for people to wear when they come to visit.  Don't be offended if we hand you this to put on when you come over:



As my belly grows, so does my excitement and my nervousness.  I'm not exactly sure how this little girl is going to get out!  I ran some basic calculations the other day and determined that it's just not possible.  It's not going to work.  That's how I feel.

I suppose in about 6 more weeks we'll find out!

Couple Fries Short

Yesterday Mr. T and I did a little traveling for his business and a little shopping for the baby.

I went into a clothing store in search of a Bridesmaid dress to wear to the upcoming wedding of my former roomie, Melissa, who is beautiful, generous and has a charming amount of "sassy" in her.

I found a clerk in the store and asked if they sell maternity clothes.
"For women?" she asked.
"Umm, yes." I said.

Perhaps I mumbled when I asked if they sell maternity clothes. 
I mumble sometimes.
Or perhaps she was a couple of fries short of a happy meal.
Either way, she blessed me with a chuckle.

Also, we asked a different lady if she knew where the Target was in town. 
"Oh yes," she said.  "Just go up this street about a mile.  I'm not from here, but I think it's about a mile.  It'll be on your left-hand side."

And so we went.  And went.  And went.
And turned around and went some more.

Finally found a blue collar worker and asked him if he knew where it was.
"Actually, we don't have a Target here."
Great.  Nothing like adding a hour of aimless wondering to your day. 

So onto the next town we went in search of Target, which proved to be a more fruitful endeavor.
We entered, already a little tired and with high hopes of making it a fast shopping trip so we could get home at a decent hour.

Except I forgot to calculate in one factor...

Have you ever been stroller shopping with an Engineer?
It's not fast.  Very funny, but not fast.

Mr. T needed to go down the line, take the strollers down, analyze the specs, figure out how they fold up and unfold, and "Hey, what do you think this plastic thing is for?, etc.

Needless to say, we were overwhelmed and decided to wait on that purchase.  We did find a car seat, however.  Somehow we dropped a small fortune on it and we're not even sure why, except the one we purchased gave us a greater sense of peace.  Not because it was safer.  More because we liked the color scheme and fabric.  I think we've been bam-boozled.

Newby parents.

I guess the point is that we are all a couple fries short of a happy meal sometimes.  It's the spice of life, if you ask me.  

Friends For Hire

I'd like to take a few moments to tell ya'll about my lovely birthday.

Before I do, let me say that I have the best circle of friends any girl could ask for!  Mr. T went above and beyond, as usual, and my former roomie, Jordanne, drove all the way from Kansas City to help with festivities. 

I felt very special and celebrated.  Everyone should feel that way on their birthday!  That's why I've decided to hire them out.  I'm putting together package deals that you can choose from, depending on your budget and preferences.  Here's what the deals include: 

Deluxe Birthday Deal
Having two friends stay with you all day to allow for the following:
*Sleeping In
*Coffee, banana bread & fruit in bed while you read magazines of your choice
*House decorated from floor to ceiling with streamers and balloons
*Delicious breakfast of rainbow colored pancakes (with candles), breakfast casserole, bacon and juice
*Time to open presents, containing a wonderful mix of items you asked for, silly items that make you smile and items you wanted, but forgot you wanted until you opened them
*Rest Time - read, visit, laugh
*Movie Time - your choice of course!  Friends will remain and laugh alongside you as you indulge in guilty pleasures, like watching Tyler Perry's "Madea" movies or 80's throwbacks like Labyrinth.  Munchies provided.
*Friend Time - visit a friend of your choice, where there will be more presents, more food (including the yummiest ever birthday cake), and more silly cards.  (The Delightful Scollards and their 7 lovely children were the perfect choice for my Birthday evening - complete with perfect strawberry short-cake!)
*Giggle Time - finish the evening off by watching YouTube videos and laughing until tears stream down your face...more than likely a reaction to your heart being so full of love and gratitude.

Not Quite Deluxe Birthday Deal
*All of the above, minus breakfast appetizer, a few presents, Movie Time and evening Friend Time

Even Lamer Birthday Deal
*One cup of coffee
*One present
*One movie

Why Even Bother Birthday Deal
*Subtract everything in the Deluxe Birthday Deal
*Add bowling

We can talk pricing if you are interested in any of the above deals.

As you can guess, I had the Deluxe Birthday Deal!
In addition to all the wonder and glory the day brought, I was blessed with phone calls and cards from those far and wide.  Oh, and a new dress from my Mom who said she would get us the baby's crib for my birthday but couldn't help herself and had to send a present as well.  I hope I'm as good a Mom as she is.
 
THANK YOU to everyone who made the day special, especially to Mr. T, Jordanne and the Scollards for being the Cream of the Crop in this world!  If only everyone had people like you in their circle of friends!

The Birthday Email, Age 32

This morning I asked Mr. T to pray for me.
"I have to write the Birthday Email today and I still don't have a good angle," I said.

There's a lot of pressure to be funny.
And grammatically correct.
But mostly funny.

I'm sure Larry the Cable Guy and his wife have the same conversation every morning. 
"Babe, I gotta be funny today, but I don't have a good angle!"
"Just act like a big, dumb hick again.  That always keeps people laughing," his wife replies.
"Oh yea.  That's exactly what I'll do!!!"

Larry and I both live in the great state of Nebraska, where there are lots of cows, but not a lot of comedians.  Unless, of course, you count every small town preacher who starts off his sermon with a gut-busting joke.  Or my wonderful Father-in-Law who's known for generously sharing his collection of knee-slappers. 

And we all feel it.
Larry.
Preachers.
My Father-in-Law.
Myself.

Pressure.
It's amazing we can get out of bed in the morning, living under the pressure to be funny.

For those who are new to this whole thing, I started writing a Birthday Email several years ago.  Basically, it's a time for me to give the general public suggestions of what they can get me for my birthday.  It's sort of a joke...sort of.  But seriously, it's the stuff I want so please consider that when you're rushing out to make your purchases.

Year 31 has been a great year!  Being married to Mr. T has brought me a greater sense of peace than I have ever known.  I am so over the top in love with him, who he is, how he thinks, how he laughs, his hugs and the color of his eyes.  He takes the cake.

Not only that, but blessing upon blessing, we get to grow our family this year!  In about three months, our daughter will come.  That means, for the next three months, we can enjoy being "perfect parents".  We have so many opinions about raising kids and how people SHOULD raise their kids and we talk about when OUR kid comes we're not going to make THOSE errors in judgement.  Ahhh, the sweet bliss of being perfect parents.  I know the feeling won't last.  We'll make lots of mistakes and quickly join the ranks of other couples who, despite making mistakes, love their children fully.

So, with all these blessings, what else in this entire world could a girl possibly want?

I'm glad you asked!!!

The list is as follows:

Duvet Cover

 


Cute Pillow #1




Cute Pillow #2
Size 12 X 16




Chalkboard


Colander
 

The new Pioneer Woman cookbook was on my list, but my lovely sister already got it for me!

I love the people in my circle.
Family.
Friends. 
Co-workers.
Acquaintances.

My life is full of God's abundant grace.  My every breath is dependent on Him, who is the giver of all good things.  Whatever Year 32 brings, joys and sorrows, I hope the faith Mr. T and I have will deepen as we follow a God who guides us, a God who IS love, and a God who remains faithfully near.

May you see God's rich blessings and grace in your life as the year continues to unfold!

Love always,
Mrs. Tidyman 

We're Having A Girl!!!

In about three months we will welcome a DAUGHTER into our home!  We are very excited!
Below are a couple of pictures from our ultrasound yesterday.

Here's a face and an arm.  I love those lips.  And that Popeye arm!  I haven't even been eating that much spinach, but this kid could totally knock your lights out with that arm. 
Or maybe the picture is distorted.
It probably is. 
Probably...

Here's a shot that shows off all her limbs and a little of her sweet face.  And once again, the arm!  Seriously, come over sometime and arm wrestle our kid.  She'll take you down to crazy town.  You won't even know what hit you!  KA-PLOW-EE! 
Just kidding. 
I'm sure her arms are normal looking. 
Well, pretty sure.

What I AM sure of is that she will be very loved.

We Are Old People

This morning Mr. T and I woke up early and headed out to the Health Fair where they do discounted blood tests.  It was a huge blessing because I have to test my thyroid levels and our insurance won't cover thyroid stuff until October.  So, instead of paying $230 to have the hospital test it, we paid $15 and got it done at the Health Fair.

Blah, blah, blah - that's just background info...

The point of this post is to tell you that we feel old.

We roll out of bed in the morning and can't tell if the floor is creaking or if it's our bones as they warm up to another day. 

Then we have our coffee and a fiber-filled breakfast, get in the Buick, and head to work.

Well, Mr. T gets in his Buick. 
I drive a Nissan.
SO MUCH COOLER - but it just doesn't handle as nicely as the Buick.  The misalignment and worn out shocks are really starting to take a toll on my hips.

As I was saying...
Older.  We feel it.

Last Sunday, we got ready for church, hoped in the Buick and drove through the McDonalds' Drive-thru to pick up breakfast.  Then we took it home to our little lap dog and talked about the weather.

We are old people.
Today, we were leaving the Health Fair and we couldn't find our car because the parking lot was full of Buicks.

Like I said...

How Big I'm Getting

This is from last week.
I'm currently 24 weeks.
The baby is the size of an ear of corn and weighs a little over a pound.
Daily I catch myself thinking, "Who shrunk all my clothes?!?"

The Truth Fairy

And They Call The Thing A Rodeo

It's the ropes and the reins
And the joy and the pain
And they call the thing a rodeo

These are the lyrics to the popular Garth Brooks song that Mr. T and I were singing this weekend as we walked down to our County Fair to attend the rodeo. 

We kind of got a late start.

Plus, we had to stop by the Lion's Club booth to try our hand at a couple rounds of BINGO, which proved financially unfruitful.

And then I had to get a snow cone...
And some popcorn.

So by the time we made it to the rodeo, we were about 30 minutes late.  We walked up the middle of the Grandstands and turned left in search of some friends we'd seen just moments earlier.  Please note that walking in front of crowds is not my favorite thing. 

Plus, the Grandstands were packed.  There's not a lot to do here and when the rodeo's in town, everyone in the whole county is there!  So it was in front of the whole county that we marched.

Unbeknownst to me, the Rodeo Clown I waved at when we walked in had a microphone and a sense of humor and a signed contract committing him to entertain the crowds throughout the evening.  Again, I did not know this.  Otherwise, I would not have waved at his painted face.

It probably didn't matter.  The following would have happened regardless:

Clown speaking into his mic - "You realize the rodeo started half an hour ago!"
Mr. T and I become aware that he was talking about US!
Crowd laughs.

Clown - "Y'all have somewhere else to be?  Oh, I see what's going on - you've been BUSY!"
(in reference to my obviously growing belly)
Crowd laughs really hard.
Mr. T beams proudly.
My face turns beet red.  I look at my feet and keep walking.
All prior plans to find our friends are abandoned.
Just find a seat, FAST!

Clown - "So I guess that makes you a FERTILE TURTLE!"
(in reference to the fact that I'm preggo and late)
Crowd laughs the most.
Mr. T and I SIT DOWN.
I bury my head in the bag of popcorn.

Then, thank goodness, it was over.

Now, being pregnant is like being a walking testimony the world that sometime in the past, you in fact, "did it".  Okay, I can handle that because it usually goes without saying. 

That is, until a Rodeo Clown announces in front of the whole county that you've BEEN BUSY! 
Great...just great! 
Someone should remind him of the whole "goes WITHOUT saying" part.

Lots of people had a good laugh about it the next day when I went to work.

Mr. T's been calling me "Fertile Turtle" every day since.
I think it's probably a compliment.

Attention Maternals!

Dear Maternal Instincts,

The other day, several of you left great comments regarding baby things that were helpful/not helpful to you when your children were little.  It left me wanting to know more!  So...

1) What are the Top 3 items that you used with your little ones?

2) What are the Top 3 things that you could have lived without?

3)  Any other advice?

Please and thank you.

Love,
Mrs. Tidyman

If You Believe They Put a Man on the Moon

Last weekend I made the journey to Oklahoma where my sister, Mom and Aunt joined together for "Sister Shopping Weekend!"  We shopped on Saturday from 9:30 am to 9:30 pm.  That's 12 hours folks!  I came home, took a shower and went to bed.  My "dogs started barkin'" around 1:17 in the afternoon.  And if you know what that phrase means, you're my kind of people.
Despite a lot of walking in sub-par sandals, we had a great time!  I love hanging out with my funny, sweet, generous family.  They are lovely in every way.

We spent quite a bit of time looking for baby stuff.  It's nice to get it while the gettin's good.  We don't have a lot of stores where I live and I think paying shipping is a huge bummer.

Anyway, whilst we were looking at baby stuff we came across one of the great mysteries in life, and it is this:

WHY do they make one thing that SWINGS your baby and one things that BOUNCES your baby?
HOW the heck are you supposed to know which one your baby will prefer?
And IF they are smart enough to send a man to the moon and figure out a way for him to walk around up there, you'd think they could figure out how to make a thing that BOTH swings AND bounces your baby so you only have to buy/use/store ONE THING!!!

Of course they know a way to combine them...
There has GOT to be a way...
But that way doesn't make them as much money...
So they keep it a big secret and make new Moms like me either choose one and possibly waste money on making the wrong choice OR buy two things.

Ugh!

It doesn't really matter because Mr. T and I plan to have one of those babies that coos sweetly all the time and then drifts into peacefully to sleep.  We put in a request to for a mature and respectful baby, but you know how those things go.  Sometimes the paperwork gets lost in the shuffle.  We'll just have to be prepared for whatever comes our way. 

And if there is something in existence that will help comfort our baby's cries, chances are we will buy it and use it and store it, just like millions of parents who have gone before. 

Cultural Observations

Where I live...

It's cattle country.
And farm country.
And people visit at length about the amount of rain we've had or didn't have.

People also talk a lot about football, which they seem to know a lot about.

People also visit at length about politics.
If you're not a Republican, you're not allowed to attend public schools, seek medical attention or open a checking account.  So you better vote Republican if you know what's good for you.

In fact, if anyone upsets you, offends you, is rude, or cuts you off in traffic, you can pretty much bet they are "one of those Democrats" and "they voted for Obama"...

...who is, of course, the ONE person responsible for ruining this entire country.

And when I travel to the big city and see people with bumper stickers on their cars that are PRO Obama, I think "My goodness, I haven't seen anything like that in over a YEAR!"

(That's all exageration, of course.  It's not really like that...for the most part.  That last line about bumper stickers is pretty true.)

So here I am.
Learning more all the time on things related to farming, football and politics! 

Recent Conversation

Me:  "Is my butt starting to look fat?"

Mr. T: (hesitating) "No...not...fat?"

Me:  "Really?"

Mr. T:  "It just looks a little more...plump."

Tidyman/Tidywoman

On Monday, we went to see if our little TidyTot is a Boy or a Girl.  However, that ornery little monkey had their legs crossed the entire time!  So we'll have to wait and try again in 6 weeks. 

Let me tell you what it's like to have a sonogram:

1 - Drink 32 ounces of water

2- Let the water migrate to your bladder over the next hour

3 - Pray with all your might that you do not sneeze, laugh, get scared by a spider, or hiccup within that hour, otherwise you will experience total disaster.

4 - Check into the Dr.'s office.

5 - Wait.

6 - Continue praying.  (See #3)

7 - Be prepared for a delayed appointment.  For example, we went and they didn't have us down in the books.  Some strange mix up.  While they were fixing it, I was in the lobby trying to take shallow breaths and think about whatever did NOT involve waterfalls, rain, or leaky faucets.  Meanwhile, a Baby Monkey continued to use my bladder as a trampoline.  The only comfort was watching my Knight in Shining Armor (Mr. T) speak to the employees from time to time and say something along the lines of, "You realize...she's gotta go...BAD!"  Translation, "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE PEOPLE!!!" 

8 - Ahhh, finally everything is sorted and you can begin the sonogram.

9 - But you're not done yet.  The next part involves them pushing hard on your stomach and FULL bladder for the next 40 minutes or so.  It's okay.  You're distracted by the pictures of your little one on the screen in front of you.

10 - Finally done!  You whisper, "See you later" to the fuzzy, cherished image and look forward to the day you can hold that little baby in your arms.

11 - Now you have a full bladder AND a full heart!

12 - Then you get to pee.  It's going to take about 10 minutes.  You worry that you will overflow the toilet with liquid.  You also worry a little that the lab tech can hear you going because he's just outside the door.  Doesn't matter, really.  Just feels good to be able to go!!!!

13- Lastly, you thank them for their time and leave.

Next, we went to the regular Dr. because I had some warts that needed frozen off.  I'm pretty sure I picked them up from some sweet orphan children in India.  True story.  I've had them for a long time and enough's enough already! 

Have you ever had warts frozen off?  It hurts!

Mr. T was by my side the whole time with his arms around me to comfort me in my trial and pain.  Unfortunately for him, he also had his face down by my face and when the pain got a little intense, I accidentally bit him right on his eyebrow!  Whoops. 

I'm sure the Dr. thought, "You think this hurts, wait until you're in labor!" 

That's kind of what we were thinking too, which is why we are going to get this for Mr. T to wear as he's coaching me through labor. 

Sure it's a little creepy, but SAFETY FIRST.  I'm not sure what I'll be capable of when I'm in that level of pain.  I think it's necessary.  Plus, there are slits at the bottom of the mask so he can still coach me through my breathing.  And the breathing will sound AWESOME!

So now you know everything about sonograms and warts.

Until next time...

Kansas City!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my, I've had so much to write about as of late.  But alas, the writing has not been writ - mostly because it's too hot to type.  This insane heat makes my wrists turn into goo and my fingers swell and my brain goes into a fog, all of which make it impossible to type a darn thing. 

But, I've chosen to overcome.
As you may have noticed because this is my third post today.

Let me tell you all about our trip to Kansas City!!!

We started out towards my hometown in Kansas to drop off our little dog, Annie.  She's been wanting to stay the night with her Grandpa and Grandma S, so we thought this would be a good opportunity.

Then, onward to Silverlake, KS to visit my long-time and dear friend, Tara, who just had baby boy #3.  All three of her boys are stinkin' adorable!  Tara made delicious fajitas and we had a lovely talk about everything from Obamacare to nursing.  It's always good to see her and her sweet family.

Next, onto Kansas City to stay with my former roomies, Jordanne and Melissa. On Saturday, they made us a yummy breakfast, then we went to City Market.

That's JB and Mel Mel.  Oh, and some guy in red who was obsessed with us.

Can you blame him?!?

This is a picture of true love.  It's also a good illustration/warning to everyone that if our children figure out how to give me that cutsie-sideways-glance, they are going to get away with just about anything.

And just for fun, this is us doing the traditional "Wedding Ring Pose".  You know, like what people do right after they get engaged.

After City Market, we had lunch at an authentic Mexican joint downtown with Darci Webster and Jessica Weast.  And we chatted.  And it was magical.

Then, onto Starbucks, where we got to visit with EVEN MORE of my favorite people on the whole planet!!!!  The Gilmores, the Knapps and Megan Schulte.
It was so great to see them and catch up on life and laughs and such.

Next, church at Legacy Christian Church.

Then, dinner with Paul and Tiffany Mills (the couple who introduced us/got us into this mess in the first place.)  They treated us to Indian food!!!  Like ethnic food!  As in, NOT meat and potatoes, which is the only kind of food you can get in Nebraska.  Ahhh, heaven.  And I ate way too much!  And we stayed way too late talking.  I'm sure they were so tired the next day, but it was so great to visit.

Um, then bed, because we were beyond tired.

The following morning, we were up and at 'em - The Color Run was upon us.  And it was HOT outside!

Here's us shiny clean.

And there's me, after Mr. T threw green paint on my face and in my mouth.  Notice which one of us is smiling and which one of us is NOT smiling.

Oh, but I got him back!  At the end of the race I dumped a bunch of blue paint down his shorts.  This picture was taken right after it.  (For some reason, he doesn't really have eyebrows in this picture.)  Anyway, the paint has taken a while to wash off, so I've started calling him "Smurfy".  I am fully confident that one day he will see the humor in that name.

All done!  Fresh coat of paint, tired, thirsty, hungry, stinky and having a grand time!

See?  We're very celebratory.
That's because we weren't yet fully aware that we were going to have to walk 10 miles back to our car.  But, we made it!

And now Mr. T and I are done exercising because, like I said before, it's too hot.

Later that afternoon, we said goodbye to Kansas City and the beautiful people who live there and made our way back to spend some much needed time with Grandpa and Grandma S, AKA "The Best Parents a Girl Could Ask For!"  They spoil us every time we go there.  But even if they didn't spoil us, we'd still love them just as much!!!

We arrived back home tired and happy and tired and a little more tired, but truly happy.

I realized I have many "homes" because there are many places where I'm blessed with beautiful friendships! 

Pump Up the Jam

The other day I set the radio in Mr. T's car to the Hip-Hop station.
(Do the kids still call it "Hip-Hop"?)

Regardless, I think he liked it. 
For the next several days, he would come into the house singing great tunes like

"Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen
&
"Hey, Must Be the Money" by Nelly.

Mr. T's actually pretty cool.
Especially considering he drives a Buick, rolls down the windows and pumps up the jam!

There's A First For Everything

Like Anniversaries!
Mr. T and I celebrated ours (like a month ago). 

We headed up to middle-of-nowhere Nebraska and stayed at a beautiful Hunting Lodge/Bed and Breakfast place called the Comstock Lodge. 

Don't worry pacifist friends, no animals were harmed during our stay.

Except for maybe the cat that Mr. T petted within an inch of it's life, until he was completely covered in hair.  That all took place while I was making a mad dash into town to purchase a toothbrush at the local gas station.  I think the toothbrush cost about $7 and felt kind-of like a grill scrubber on my gums, but whatever. 

The above picture is of the Buffalo Room where we stayed.  It was a lot nicer than the Wakeeney, KS Super 8 hotel room we stayed in during our first night of wedded bliss a year ago.  Except the Buffalo Room had that giant buffalo head in there, with it's beady eye staring down on us the whole time.  I kind of felt like throwing a shirt over it's eye or something, because "Hello, privacy please!" 

The next morning, we had bacon, eggs and toast before heading on our way for an afternoon of canoeing.  It was a little windy outside, but mostly our afternoon looked something like this:

It was a nice change from the river adventure we took on our first date.  That trip looked a little more like this:

Oh, how I wish I was exaggerating...

Anyway, it was a lovely weekend and a great celebration of our first year of that mysterious and wonderous thing they call marriage.

And in case I haven't mentioned it for awhile, Mr. T is a great husband/friend/father.  He makes my life better
every.
single.
day.

Here's to a zillion more! 

The Blue People

Mr. T and I had some very special guests the other day, all the way from good ol' Kansas City! 

Travis and Darci (aka: Twavis and Gargi) come with their husky, Nora, to stay the night on their way to Colorado.  We stayed up talking really late on Friday night until I was sure my eyeballs were being weighed down by bowling balls, then we all retired to our beds for the slumber portion of the visit.

In the morning, we hoped out of bed and ate breakfast.  Darci and I decided to go for a walk.  Well, I thought we were going for a walk, so I wore my flip-flops.  Darci wore her tennie-runners and took off like she stole something!  I told her we had to slow down, because of the baby, of course.  Not because I'm old and out of shape and have a hard time keeping up.  That's when I realized that Mr. T and I don't really go on power walks.  Our walks are more like leisurely strolls where we sometimes get passed by old-timers and people on crutches. 

Anyway, Darci and I made it back to the house for a few games of Monopoly Deal.  We played teams, boys vs. girls.  The first couple of games were practice rounds.  Those were the games that the boys won.  Then we played a game "for real this time" and Darci and I skunked them!  I mean, I bet their bottoms are still sore from the spankin' they received.  You can see from the picture below that they are acting tough, but it's really just an over-compensation technique thing that men do when their egos are bruised. 

PS - I love to win!

PPS - this picture entertains me.

The visit wrapped up with a trip down to the bakery to get lunch, where Nora was the star of the town.  I couldn't believe how many people came over to see her and take pictures of her with their IPhone.  Hasn't anyone ever seen a DOG before?!?  Sheesh!!!

Anyway, after that it was just about time to say goodbye.  So amidst the tear stains and chin quivers, we dished out the hugs and handshakes and sent them down the road.

What a lovely time...

Oh, and we all decided to wear blue.  I like that about us.

Going to War

Mr. T and I have been running to train for The Color Run.  We're up to running two miles.  That's pretty good for us old, out-of-shape people.
We've been running on the track and doing this workout program called Couch to 5K.  Earlier in the training, a workout might look something like this:

Run 2 laps (1/2 a mile)
Walk 1 lap

Run 3 laps
Walk 1 lap

Run 2 laps
Walk 1 lap

Getting in shape, via the running route, is pretty hard.  I get a chuckle when we start to take off to run another set because, often times, Mr. T and I hug and kiss each other and say
"I love you," and
"I'm so proud of you," and
"Be careful," and
"See you when it's all over."

It's like we're going off to war or something. 
Which is kind of what it feels like. 

Mr. T runs faster than me, because I'm running for two now. 
But it's starting to get easier and it feels good to actually get in shape instead of just talk about getting in shape.

You Haven't Lived...

...until you've seen Mr. T sitting criss-cross apple sauce in our new kiddie pool, reading a Donald Trump book on finances.  It's the funniest/best thing ever! 
And, no, I don't have a picture.  I probably shouldn't even be sharing this with you, but it's too great not to share.  I asked him if it was relaxing to sit in the pool and he said, "Not really.  I just like to spend time with you."  He's sweet to the max!

I like the kiddie pool because I think it is VERY relaxing to sit in the cool water, under the warm sun, getting lost in a book for awhile. 

My book of choice yesterday is called Discipline That Lasts A Lifetime by Dr. Ray Guarendi.  It's the first parenting book I've read and I really appreciate what Dr. Ray says.  I thought it would be good to start with the important stuff first...like discipline. 

It was loaned to me by the Highly Esteemed Brooke Grigg some time ago, long before we were even expecting.  She said, "Read this, it's funny!"  I wasn't quite so sure.  A parenting book on discipline does not usually equal "funny" in my mind.  How wrong I was!  It is really entertaining.  I LOL'ed many times and interrupted Mr. T from his reading so I could read aloud the funny parts to him. 

There was one time I broke down into a flat out giggle-fest.  Tears were running down my cheeks and the whole works.  Mr. T was laughing too.  Not so much at the book.  More at me laughing at the book, which was probably slightly funnier.  Have you ever seen a pregnant lady get the giggles while she's sprawled out in a kiddie pool?  It would give you a chuckle too. 

We also have some LOVELY company this weekend.  I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Please Don't Tell Me This Is the Easiest Part

Actually, tell me straight.  Is pregnancy the easiest part of motherhood?  If so, I need to prepare myself for the next 60 years.

I'm just being dramatic.  It's not that bad really.
I've completed "Phase 1", which includes feeling sick, tired, not wanting to cook anything and being grossed out by just about every smell.

I've now entered "Phase 2", the heartburn and leg cramps phase.  I am learning how to manage, however.  Seems if you decide not to drink a swig of pickle juice, your heartburn isn't quite so bad.  Funny how that works.

I hear pregnancy makes you forget things and act ditsy.  They call it "baby brain".  I'm not sure if I have baby brain or not.  What I DO have is an excellent excuse for why I tend to forget things and act ditsy.  Take this weekend, for example.  Mr. T was very entertained when I managed to super glue several of my fingers together.  I have yet to clean the glue off my wedding ring.

Later in the weekend, we were taking a nice walk around the neighborhood, talking and enjoying life.  We were almost home when I heard a dog bark, so naturally I turned my head to the right to see where the bark was coming from and walked straight into a low hanging tree branch.  Ouch!  I was certain I had knocked my eyeball out of it's socket.  In the midst of the agony, I was trying to figure out if Mr. T would ever be attracted to me again if he ended up being the one who had to pop my eye back into place.  He quickly put my mind at ease when he confirmed that it wasn't even bleeding.  I do have a nice little scratch that starts above my eyebrow and goes midway down my eyelid, but no medical assistance was required.

Did I tell you that Mr. T bought and set up a kiddie pool that we purchased for $9.  I talked him into it because I get so stinkin' hot sometimes and going to the public pool is out of the question.  So on Memorial Day, I put on my bikini (which I've never worn before), went into the backyard, sat Indian style in the pool, ate a Snicker's Ice Cream bar and felt a lot better.  All that's to say, pregnancy has a lot of upsides to it as well.  

Missing May

I'm not sure how it happened, but I came across this book online the other day:


Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

Rylant won the Newberry Honor Award for Missing May in 1993, and it was a well-deserved honor.

Missing May is a short and sweet read that will quickly bond you with lovable characters and keep you hoping for the best throughout the entire story.

It's a book for children, although I'm not sure what child would appreciate the book for what it's worth.  It wouldn't be the first time a child surprised me, though.

I, however, was captivated for the entire 1.485 hours it took me to read it and upon completion I let out a sigh and said, "Beautiful."  Because that's what it is.  Simply beautiful.

Cynthia Rylant also wrote one of my favorite picture books, called "The Relatives Came".  Also a complete delight.  I look forward to reading more from this lovely author.