31/365 My 1st exam

I had my 1st exam today for my history class. I think I did pretty well on the test but since there were a few fill in the blank questions, the teacher will have to grade it herself so I won't find out my final score until tomorrow. One of the many good things about online classes is that usually you find out your score right away, if it's a multiple choice test. Another good thing about online classes is that I get to have my husband help me, who is a history genius! I took all of the classes I enjoy early on and now I only have the boring classes to take (history and art history) but I have to take them in order to get my degree, so I need to suck it up and just do it!! After this semester I will have 5 more classes left and I will be done, at least for awhile!!! Talking about school...by this time next week we will know if Brendan got into the preschool that we really want! Saying prayers and keeping our fingers crossed!!!

30/365 It's about that time...

I've been fighting it for quite awhile now but I think the dreaded time has come...no more naps for Brendan. NOOOOOOOO!!!!!! Those 2 precious hours of peace and quiet "me" time is sadly coming to an end, at least for the most part. For the past couple of weeks Brendan has been going to sleep later and later at night when he takes a nap during the day. When he doesn't take a nap he remains happy until around 8 pm and even then he isn't too fussy. When he doesn't take a nap he will go to sleep around 9 (give or take) but when he does take a nap...well, it's been 11:30 pm and he's still awake in his bed!!!! He usually wakes up around 9 am and when he naps, it would be from 1-3 then it used to be bedtime around 9 which is still doable if he doesn't nap but if he does nap then it makes for a late, late night!

Brendan got up at 8:30 am this morning and was busy, busy, busy playing all day until I finally put him down for a nap at 2 and woke him up at 4. Well, it is 12 am and my child is still wide awake and as happy as can be! Momma is wanting to sleep but Brendan hasn't even yawned! Yes, I put him to bed with the lights off, no toys in bed, etc. but that was a joke. He stayed in there talking and singing for over an hour, then started begging for something to eat and he probably really was hungry since we had an early dinner. I gave him a snack and...he is still awake! I read an article today about how many hours of sleep each age group needs and for toddlers it is 10-12 hours. Well, Brendan sleeps 12 hours at night, sometimes more if I don't wake him up. Needless to say if I ever get him to sleep, he will NOT be taking a nap tomorrow! :)

29/365 dinner date

I had been looking forward to going to my favorite place to eat, El Mariachi, for the past few days. Rob was supposed to get done coaching at 4pm but he didn't get done till after 8 so Brendan and I went to El Mariachi by ourselves and had our own little date and it was fun! We colored pictures, played cars, and then ate our meals. I ordered the taco dinner and Brendan got the grilled cheese. He was such a little pig! He ate his grilled cheese and fries and then wanted ANOTHER grilled cheese and he ate all of that too! He must be going through a growth spurt! He hasn't been feeling well due to the yucky congestion, so I'm happy that his appetite is back! After dinner, we got some ice cream (healthy eating, huh?!) and then came home and played until Daddy got home.

28/365 Beautiful day!!

Today was SUCH a beautiful day!!! We have had quite a bit of rain lately but for the past couple of days the sun has come out and it has been so nice outside! Brendan went to MDO today and although he is doing much better with the whole separation anxiety, he was MAD today! He went to bed late last night so he was tired which I think is the reason he wanted to stay home. He kept saying "Momma, I just need to sleep!" While he was at MDO I had an appt., ate lunch with a friend, and even went clothes shopping and was able to actually try on clothes which is a rare thing since I have Brendan in tow 99% of the time and he enjoys shopping as much as his Daddy which is not at all!!! When I picked Brendan up I ran into a friend who recently adopted a baby boy and I was finally able to meet him! I already had baby fever and seeing that precious baby boy made it even worse, then seeing Brendan's face light up when he saw the baby didn't make matters any easier!!! After visiting the baby, Brendan and I headed to the car wash and then to the fire station to see Daddy. Last time we visited Rob at the station, he ended up getting a call so the loud alarm went off, then the guys started running to the trucks and it was quite an ordeal which scared Brendan so today he kept saying "Daddy not get a call, Daddy not get a call!" Once we got home Brendan, Scarlet, and I played outside for a long time and went for a walk! It was too nice outside to be inside!! When it got dark, we headed inside and ate dinner together, made a cake, ate some cake, watched a few cartoons, and then it was time for the sleepy boy to go to sleep! Tomorrow, we have a Birthday party and then for dinner it is my favorite...EL MARACHI!!!!!!! Have a great weekend, y'all!!!

27/365 Happy Daddy

For those of you who know Rob, you know that he LOVES wrestling. NOT the WWF ridiculous mess that is NOT wrestling, im talking about the SPORT of wrestling that is in high schools, colleges, and even the Olympics. Rob has always been an all around great athlete at several sports, but he always goes back to wrestling, the sport he loves. You would think at the ripe old age of 30 (haha) he would give up wrestling but that is NOT the case. Even after having surgery because of getting hurt, he is still out there coaching the high school kids, teaching them about the sport and helping them to be the best athletes that they can be. The only thing is now he comes home after practice, takes ibuprofen, and puts ice on his achy body.

Tonight was the City Championship. Although the school as a whole didn't do too well, a few guys individually did really well. There is a lot of talent on that team, I just think they got too nervous. I know you aren't reading my blog to get a play by play about a high school wrestling tournament so I will get to the point. The tournament was supposed to start at 5 and end by 7 but we didn't get out of there until 9:45. Surprisingly, Brendan did great and was so happy. I kept trying to leave but Brendan would cry, cry, cry for his Daddy and since Rob worked 24 hrs. yesterday and will work 24 hrs. tomorrow I gave in and stayed at the tournament so Brendan could see his Daddy. Rob is so passionate about this sport and he and I both hope Brendan will follow in his footsteps. By no means will we ever PUSH a sport on our children but we will encourage it; YES, there is a difference...I say that now but when we have a little girl, you better believe she will be in dance class as soon as she can walk!! :) Before Brendan was even born, Rob had already purchased a wrestling mat to put in the garage so that he can practice with Brendan when he got older. At the age of 3 months, Rob had Brendan on the mat rolling around. I brought Brendan to several of the matches this year so that he can be exposed to the sport and hopefully one day, when he is older, he will give the sport a try. Rob's face lights up when Brendan comes to watch the matches and Rob was beyond thrilled this evening. Rob was holding Brendan and as we walked to the car Brendan looked at Rob and said, "Daddy, I like wrestling!" Brendan has never said that before and Rob's jaw dropped and he got the biggest smile on his face! He was so excited that Brendan said he liked the sport that Rob loves so much! Up north, wrestling is a well respected, major sport but down south it isn't nearly as respected like it is up there, which is unfortunate and hopefully one day that will change. Rob knows that Brendan's mind can and probably will change a million times and tomorrow he might say he doesn't like wrestling, but for tonight Daddy is thrilled and I wouldn't be surprised if Rob has already purchased Brendan's first pair wrestling shoes!! :)

26/365 What a Character!!

Have you heard of the expression "you are what you eat"? Well, in Brendan's situation an appropriate expression would be "you are what you watch". Whether it be Fireman Sam, Thomas, Mickey Mouse, etc. he MUST dress up in character from head to toe. Earlier, he was watching Handy Manny and Manny was at a construction site so Handy Brendan had to get his yellow hard hat, his tool box, tool belt, tool pants, tool gloves, and tool boots. When we watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse before bed, the episode was about trains and Mickey was the conductor so of course Brendan needed his conductor hat, train boots, all Disney characters that he owns, all of the trains that he owns (a TON), and he even attempted to ride Scarlet (our dog) like she was a choo choo train! Fireman Sam...fireman hat, fire jacket, fire boots, fire gloves, and he wants his firetruck from outside then he watches the show while sitting in his firetruck. Also, while watching fireman Sam, Brendan turns into Fireman Brendan, Daddy is Fireman Sam, and I am Fire lady Penny. This is not a once in a while occurrence, this happens for every show, every time!! Makes for great entertainment!!!

25/365 Half Of A Haircut

My child was/is in desperate need of a haircut. I used to do hair so I cut his hair but even with me cutting his hair he still HATES getting his haircut. I have been procrastinating on cutting his hair since hates it more and more the older he gets but I couldn't wait any longer. His hair was growing over his ears and no matter what I did, he constantly looked like he had bed head. Well, I turned on his favorite cartoon and even had Daddy sit with him and watch cartoons but that did NOT work at all. As soon as I pulled out my shears, the water works started! HE WAS MAD!!!! I guess this really wasn't the best day to attempt a haircut. He started with a runny nose yesterday and isn't feeling that great so on top of the waterworks, he had snot bubbles coming out of his nose, which he then wiped all over his face. I got most of his hair cut but I had to stop once the snot bubbles started. I felt bad and my poor guy looked so pathetic! He still looks pathetic now with half of his hair cut and the other long but atleast the snot bubbles have stopped. Rob said he has a mullet now since the front is short but the back is still long, hahaha. Business in the front and party in the back! The haircut will just have to wait until Brendan feels better!

24/365 Brendan's Clubhouse

The homemade fort made out of couch cushions! Every child has made one at some point in during their childhood and now it is Brendan's favorite thing to do. He made one last night at my parents' house and now he has one at home too. A few months ago Rob was saying how much fun he and his siblings had when they made forts with couch cushions and now he is helping Brendan make one. Although Rob calls it a fort, Brendan calls it a clubhouse; probably due to watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Rob and Brendan put all of the couch cushions on the floor to make "walls" and put a big blanket over the bar stools and cushions to make the "ceiling". Brendan's little chair is in the middle of this playhouse and when he scoots to the back of the chair, he becomes "invisible" because the ceiling hides him. Right now Brendan has his fire boots and fire hat on and he, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, and Daddy are sitting in the clubhouse watching Fireman Sam and pretending to put out fires! Oh, the things a 2 year old and his Daddy come up with! :)

Football!!!!

After church we ran home to grab a few things and Scarlet, then headed to my parents' house to watch football!!! My Mom grew up in Wisconsin, so she is a huge Packers fan! You can't watch football without having food and we had tons! Pulled pork sandwiches, homemade baked beans, fruit and veggie trays, dips and chips, nachos, and King cake!!!!! Everything was soooooo yummy and im sure I gained a few pounds but it was worth it!! Brendan didn't watch much of the game, instead he decided to use Mimi's and Papa's couch cusheons to make a "fort" which he called his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! We stayed at Mom and Dad's house for most of the day and had a great time! Yummy food, great company, and 2 good games made for a great Sunday! 2 weeks till the Superbowl. I sure wish the Saints were going but since they aren't I will be cheering for the Packers!!!!

22/365 SATURDAY!!!

Today is Saturday and Rob is off!! Rob didn't get any sleep last night, so he came home and slept until we went to a precious little girl's 2nd Birthday party. It was an Elmo themed Birthday party and Elmo, himself, came to her party!! Brendan absolutely LOVED Elmo and had so much fun! As soon as he saw Elmo and Cookie, he gave them a big hug! The name of the company that Elmo and Cookie work at is called Silly Willys. That is who we used for Brendan's Birthday also and they are the best!!! They have so many characters to choose from, give a percentage of their profits to charity, are so great with the kids, and soooo friendly!!

After we left the party we headed to Kroger to do some grocery shopping. I usually go during the week with Brendan but going today with Rob to help shop/entertain Brendan made it sooooo much easier!!! We ended up going to the greatest Mexican place ever for dinner...El Marachi!!!!!!! The people who work there are beginning to know us on a first name basis, haha! I could eat there all day everyday!!! Tomorrow we have church in the morning, an open house at a potential pre-school, and then watch THE PACKERS WIN!!!!!!!!! If the Saints can't get to the Super Bowl then the Packers are my 2nd choice so GO PACK GO!!!! Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!!!

21/365 Slumber Party!!!

Since Rob was at the fire station and Brendan took a late nap, I decided to let Brendan stay up later than normal so we had a "slumber party"! Brendan helped me make some chocolate covered candies that I was making for a friend and then the party started! Fruit snacks, a fresh sippy cup of juice for Brendan, a glass of water for Momma, and we were ready to party! We watched Handy Manny, Calliou, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse marathons together and then it was time for bed. Scarlet, Brendan, and I all slept in Brendan's bed last night until I woke up smashed against the bed rail with Brendan against my back and Scarlet on my legs at 6:30 am, so I ended up going to my bed. We had so much fun together and I think Daddy is jealous so next time the guys will have to do a slumber party!

20/365 Blessings of Friendships

Of course friendships are a blessing, but I think they are even more so now that I am a Mom. It is such a blessing that God has placed people in my life who have children Brendan's age who face the same things day to day that I do. Whether it be a milestone that one of our children has accomplished, trying to pick out the perfect preschool, or a tantrum that they threw, it is so great having people to share it with that completely understand and are going through, or have gone through, the same thing too. Brendan loves his little friends and Momma does too!! :)

19/365 Brendan Goes To School

Of course we read books, talk about colors/shapes that we see during the day, but something new I have started with Brendan is we have "school time" each day for probably 30 min. or so. Of course the pros far outweigh the cons when it comes me being a SAHM, but one drawback of Brendan not being in daycare is that he doesn't get the early education that his friends in daycare get. When I did observations for college, I LOVED the younger children and now, getting to teach my own child is turning out to be sooooo much fun!!! This week we are learning numbers, shapes, and some letters. He can count to 12, knows circle, square, triangle, and maybe more but that is what we worked on yesterday. He also knows the letters A, B, D, and M and the sounds that they make (A is for apple, B is for Brendan, D is for Daddy, M is for Mama). We make up songs so he can remember the letters (A is for apple, ah, ah, ah etc.). The more fun you make it for the child, the quicker they (usually) learn it! I've said this before but this really is my favorite age s far! Brendan's brain is developing so quickly and he is retaining so much new information and it is so exciting to watch him learn new things!

18/365 Best Friends

Brendan has a best friend! No, it's not anyone from our playgroup or MDO (although he sure does miss his little girlfriend that moved away) and it's not even me or Rob. It is our dog, Scarlet (he usually calls her good girl). He just loves her so much and im pretty sure the feeling is mutual! Scarlet is usually awake before Brendan in the mornings and she will sit outside of his room and cry until he wakes up. As soon as he does wake up, he reaches his arm out to pat Scarlet and he tells her "you such a good girl, good girl." Last night when I was laying in bed with Brendan,reading him books and saying prayers before bed, Scarlet was right there with us in the bed. It's only a matter of time until Rob and I get the boot and she starts sleeping with Brendan. They play tug-a-war together, chase each other around the house, they both have enormous amounts of energy, and of course at times they annoy each other too, just like best friends do! I sure do wish Chex was still here for Brendan and Scarlet to play with but at least Scarlet is still here and she is (usually) such a "good girl"!

17/365 Monotonous (but productive) Monday

I started making Mondays my cleaning day. I used to have a room that I would clean each day but cleaning everyday got old and if I had alot of errands one day and wasn't home much, then I would end up getting behind on my cleaning , hence monotonous Monday is born. I aim to get all of my cleaning done on Mondays so that way the rest of the week I just have the maintenance cleaning to do and don't have to worry about heavy cleaning everyday. Although Mondays aren't very exciting and it is pretty boring (monotonous) spending a whole day cleaning, it sure is nice at the end of the day when my house is clean! I am so thankful that Brendan loves to "clean" so we end up making a game of it and we really do end up having fun!! I do love having a clean house but I assure you, if you come over unannounced there will be toys everywhere, beds probably won't be made, and there WILL be crumbs on the floor but in my opinion that's how it should be! Yes, it will be clean but chances are it will be messy. It's my clean mess!! :)

16/365 Big boy bed!!

Well, Brendan's big boy bed is all set up and tonight will be his first night in his new bed! Rob and I got the room all ready while he was at my parents' house last night so that he would be surprised when he got home and he was! Brendan loved the firetrucks and of course couldn't waite to jump on the bed! Hopefully, he will still be excited at bedtime tonight to sleep in his bed!! He looks so small in the bed compared to his crib! Of course I will post pictures but we decided on a twin size oak colored bed since his room isn't very big and it has 3 drawers for storage underneath the bed as well as a trundle bed. I still have a few more things to do before his "big boy" room is complete and will hopefully have it done by the end of the week.

Of course, when we were taking down his crib, I was thinking back to the time when we were putting it together and it doesn't seem that long ago at all! Now the 8 lb. 6 oz. baby boy that we prayed and prayed and prayed for is sleeping in a big boy bed, starting to use the big boy potty, and will be starting preschool soon! The saying "they grow up so fast" is definitely true!!! Although Brendan is no longer my "baby" he is my busy, energetic, silly, smart, precious 2 year old boy and I am so thankful for him.....and he will ALWAYS be my baby!!!!! :)

15/365 Date Night!!!!!!

Tonight Rob and I get a date night!!! WOO HOO!!!!! My Mom and Dad are going to keep Brendan overnight so I am so excited! We have been asking each other all week what each other wants to do but we have no idea. We really are very boring people. Our idea of fun is grabbing dinner, renting a redbox, and coming home but tonight we need to think "outside of the box." Who knows what we will do but it will be fun and I am excited!!!!!
I am a college student again and am so excited! I never cared for school, or should I say academics, when I was younger but really enjoy it now! My major is Elem. ed but I changed it to general studies. One reason is because the school changed it's curriculum for elem. ed so I would actually be loosing some credit hours if I stayed in elem ed. Sounds ridiculous but my educ. 100, 200, etc. classes I took wouldn't count because now they are called teach 101, 201, etc. classes. Sounds crazy, but that's the rule! Second reason is because I really think I want to teach but there are other career paths that interest me as well, so I am going to go the general studies route and when it is time for me to work outside of the home, if I want to teach, then I will just get my alt. cert. God willing, I will be able to be a stay at home Mom until my children are older but I want to go ahead and finish my schooling while I am young and have my degree.
I think as a parent, especially as a Mom, we give and give and give ourselves so much, which is of course what we want to do, so with me going back to school I feel like this is something I am doing for MYSELF and it is so nice! I am just taking a couple of classes and they are all on the Internet, so I will go to school when Brendan goes to sleep. Of course, having my degree will help my family in the long run but I am going to school to finish MY degree and it really makes ME excited! I have talked to several other friends who stay at home with their kids, who have all different levels of education, and although we wouldn't trade staying at home with our kids for the world, as a stay at home Mom you kind of loose your identity. I'm not "Elena" anymore, I am "Momma" so it is nice to get to be "Elena" again for a little while....although being "Momma" 24/7 really is the greatest thing in the world and I am so thankful I can be!! :)

14/365 Potty Time!

So, Brendan is still wearing diapers but has a potty he uses occasionally. I was hoping to postpone the potty training until after our Disney trip because the thought of having my 2 year old sit on a (nasty) potty that 1,000,000,000 other people have already sat on really freaks me out (yes, OCD). I know he will do that soon enough and I'm sure the bathrooms aren't that nasty, but I am picturing nasty gas station type bathrooms that reek of feces and I just can't put my child there (blood pressure rising), not to mention the airplane bathrooms that are like portapottys! YUCK!!!!!! ANYWAYS, Brendan has been showing more and more interest in the potty. He has a potty of his own and uses it occasionally but yesterday, he really did something big! He was climbing mountains (couches) in the living room and he stopped mid-climb and said "Momma, I need to potty", so we ran to his potty, and he tee teed in the potty!!!! Of course, we called Daddy and we were sooooo excited!!! This may be TMI, but he hasn't totally comprehended the concept of pointing his penis downward in his potty because half on the tee tee got in the potty and the other half sprayed across the bathroom, so Mommy mopped the bathroom after we celebrated his potty accomplishment! We will see how today goes but it looks like I may just have to overcome my fear of letting my little boy sit on public pottys sooner rather than later!!!! :)

13/365 My Silly Child

Brendan is hilarious!!! He does the silliest things at the strangest times and just like his Daddy, he always gives me something to laugh about! He puts on his Santa hat (I think he will still be wearing that hat 6 mos. from now), his fireman boots, and out of the blue starts singing/dancing to Jingle Bells and the Bob The Builder theme song. I just went in the living room to check on him and he has managed to take off his pants, boots, and socks, but is wearing his heavy winter coat, zipped up, with his hood on and is riding his bulldozer. What a sight! We went to Chilis to meet my sister's boyfriend tonight (and I do approve of him; super sweet guy!) and when we were getting ready to go, Brendan grabbed the strings to the blinds (we were sitting by a window) and started bouncing up and down, riding the string like a horse and said "giddy up horsey". He always knows how to make me smile. Last night I was pretty bummed out about something and I thought Brendan was playing in his room but he comes out into the living room and says "look Mama" and he has desitin on his lips like lipstick, as well as on his nose. After freaking out, making sure he didn't ingest any desitin, I started laughing at how silly he looked! He thought he was putting on make-up! Silly boy!!!! I know im sounding like that annoying woman who constantly talks about her kids but he just makes me laugh so much!! He truly is a mini version of his Daddy which I am thankful for. Rob is quite the comedian and Brendan is surely following in his footsteps! I sure do love those guys!

12/365 REALITY TV

I didn't know what to write about today, then I came across this reality tv show called My Strange Addiction. I can't help but feel sorry for these people. Yes, some of their stories are crazy but they are all battling the same thing which is not having control over their own body. This one girl was obsessed with pulling her hair out. She would go in the bathroom and pull out her hair. Depending how bad her anxiety was, she could be in there for hours. She said her scalp throbs and she always wears a hat because she barely has any hair left. What a sad situation. You would think she would just stop pulling her hair but it's not that easy. Her anxiety is controlling her and the only way she gets relief is to pull out her hair. Can you imagine having to go through that?! I know we all have some level of anxiety but the amount of anxiety that she has is unhealthy and a disease. The show is half way over and she just started seeing a therapist, so hopefully she can get help and get her happy, healthy life back. I know this post is random but this tv show really caught my attention.

11/365 Busy Day!

Today was a busy day! I love days like today; ya know, the ones when at the end of the day you feel like you've been productive! Well, today was one of those days! It started out tiring, Brendan didn't go to sleep until 1:30 AM!!! He was SCREAMING, not fussing, but screaming if I would leave the room. He has recently started a Mommy stage, which I usually don't mind, and it was in full force last night. He is fine with his Daddy but it has to be me or Rob. I am wondering how he will do when my Mom and Dad keep him overnight on Saturday! Anyways, if I was holding him or was in his room then he was fine but he would scream and scream and scream for me when I would leave. I know some would say "he just needs to cry" Well, there is a difference between crying and screaming and I will not let my child scream. Long story short, I put him in bed with me (which is a rarity) and we finally went to sleep. Anyways, I dropped Scarlet off at the vet at 9 so she could get a bath, nail trim, and anal glands milked (it's a beagle thing), then I had an appt. at 10 which praise God, went well and then I got to visit with a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time. After that I toured a preschool, then got my sister a Birthday gift, got a massage, picked up Scarlet, came home, was able to watch a tv show with Rob while Brendan napped, played fire station with Brendan, headed to my parents' for my sister's Birthday (Happy Birthday, Katie!), then went to see Rob coach wrestling. What a good day today has been! Tomorrow, Brendan and I are headed to spend the morning with some sweet friends!!! Sausage balls and blueberry muffins await me!! :)

10/365 ITS FREEZZZZZZING

I didn't have a chance to post yesterday so I'm posting today. Due to the snow from the day before, or rather the ice, schools and roads are closed so Brendan I decided to stay home and stay inside where it was warm. Have I told you I don't like freezing weather?? :) We did manage to drop some birthday stuff off at a friend's house. Her adorable daughter is having an Elmo birthday party and we had alot of stuff leftover from Brendan's party. After getting the Elmo stuff together for my friend, it got my thinking about Brendan's next birthday. I cannot believe he will be 3. That just seems impossible! I know people say this all of the time but it seems like yesterday we were bringing him home from the hospital. He truly is life's greatest blessing and has brought so much joy to Rob's and my life! It's still 7 months away until his Birthday, but it's never too early to start planning. I'm thinking about a carnival theme or firetrucks but im sure that will change numerous times. I love, love, love parties, ESPECIALLY ones for children. Children are so much fun and bring so much joy to everything!!

9/365 Snow!!!!

It snowed today! Being that we are in Louisiana, snow is a rare thing to see and some of the snow even stuck!! Now of course what we think is snow in Louisiana is nothing like what snow is like in Nebraska. I lived in Omaha for a year after Rob and I were married and that winter was soooo cold. One day it was -31 outside and I was stranded at work because my car wouldn't start since it was soooo cold. Omaha is a nice place but I would prefer a Louisiana summer over a Nebraska winter anytime!! Snow sure is pretty and a nice change but I love warmer weather! Even though it was cold today, 29 degrees to be exact, we of course bundled Brendan up and took him outside to play in the snow; he loved it! As soon as he got outside he said "Oh, its Christmas again!" He loved walking in the snow, attempting to shovel snow, and feeling how cold it was!! He did not want to come back inside!! Maybe next winter we will have to take a trip up north so Brendan can see what snow is really all about!!

8/365 My Parents

Brendan and I decided to spend the day at my parents' house today since Rob was at work. We met my Mom at Walmart since we all needed to grab a few things, then we headed to her house. As I am over here I just continue to think how thankful I am for my amazing Mom and Dad and how very blessed I am. Not only are they amazing parents, they are also amazing grandparents. Brendan was thrilled when he saw his Mimi and Papa today. It had been a week since he saw them last and usually he sees them 2-3x/week. My Mom is my best friend and is such a great source of information for me. Whenever I need anything, no matter what or where, she is there. I value her opinions very much. She was a stay at home Mom until my youngest sibling was in school, which is what I hope I can do as well. If I was asked to pick one thing out of my childhood that I value the most, it would be that my Mom was always at home with us. We would play, craft, read, and sometimes shop! She always had such creative things for us to do and I hope I am doing the same with Brendan. My dad had a long day at work today and was exhausted when he got home but as soon as he got home, he dropped everything to play with Brendan. He is such a great Papa!!! Mom cooked dinner for all of us and then had a coloring contest with Brendan and played fire station with him! To top it all off, Mom and Dad said they want to do an overnight with Brendan next Saturday so that means Rob and I get a date night!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!! I love ya, Mom and Dad!!!

7/365. Friday fun day

I couldn't think of anything to really write about so I am just going to write about our day today. Today was Brendan's first day back to Mom's day out, after being off for 2 weeks. He only goes 1x/week, on Fridays but it is good for him and me both. I know it's only once a week but it has not been an easy adjustment for either of us, it breaks my heart when he cries and actually, Rob takes it harder than I do. Today however, he did much better! He was eager to see his teacher and his friends. Of course, he cried a little when we dropped him off but I think he had stopped by the time we left the building. The best part of Mom's day out??? Seeing his face when we pick him up!! His little face lights up when he sees us. Today, before we left, he ran to his teacher and gave her a big hug and told her bye bye.

While Brendan was at MDO Rob and I had a few hours to ourselves!! It has been a LONG time since we have had any time to ourselves so I was excited! We had been furniture shopping for Brendan since we are getting ready to turn his nursery into a big boy room. We saw a bed yesterday but wanted to look at a few more stores before committing to something so expensive. Well, I sure am glad we didn't buy anything yesterday because the same bed we saw yesterday was on sale 1/2 price at a different store since it was being discontinued! JACKPOT!!!! I sure do love a good deal!!! After getting the bed, we headed to Cheddars for lunch. It was so nice going to a restaurant and not having to worry about keeping anyone entertained, cutting up food, etc. After lunch we headed to pickup Brendan. He was the last one dropped off in the morning and the first one picked up in the afternoon.....I know, Rob and I are a little/alot pathetic! After MDO we headed to Toys R Us and Brendan got to pick out a toy (Handy Manny musical toys) and then we headed home. He didn't nap at MDO so he was verryyyyyyyy sleepy. I ordered bedding for his new bed while he was asleep and am soooooo excited to get the room setup!!!

It was a quiet evening at home. We had yummy pizza for dinner and flipped back and forth between Bob the Builder, Calliou, and the LSU/Aggies game. Also, Brendan and I played a pretty intense game of hide and seek! Rob heads back to work tomorrow but it sure has been so nice having him home. I just love family days and am so thankful for them!! I think tomorrow Brendan and I are going to visit my Mom and Dad (Mimi and Papa) for the day since my Mom says she needs her "Brenny fix". I hope y'all have a great night and a great weekend!!!

Fireman In Training

I think I have a future firefighter on my hands. Brendan is OBSESSED with all things fireman/firetruck. He has a pair of rubber boots that he calls his"fireman boots" and they must be worn at all times, this includes nap time and bedtime. A few weeks ago when we went to church, he had on an adorable outfit and...his fireman boots! He wears them at home, to the store, EVERYWHERE! They smell AWFUL! We have put foot powder in them numerous times but it is only a temporary fix. I've looked at Target for the same boots but they no longer carry them. I don't know what we will do when the boots get too small! I've tried getting him to wear different boots but to no avail!

It doesn't end with the boots! When he picks out pajamas, they are the firefighter ones. When he needs to put on a jacket, he wants his firefighter jacket that looks like Daddy's. Fireman Sam is playing on our tv more often than not and toy firetrucks are usually scattered all over the floor. Brendan probably has 100 books and which one does he want to read over and over and over again???? The fireman book! He has a red little tikes coupe and he calls it his "save the day" car. He dresses up in his fireman gear then says "I have a call, I need to save the day" and runs to his little coupe and saves the day! Yesterday, he asked me to put a stuffed cat up high where he couldn't reach it and then he said "fireman needs to get kitty cat out of the tree" so he grabbed his chair which he called his "ladder", dressed up in his fireman gear (hats, boot, jacket) and got the kitty cat out if the tree! He has quite the imagination!

I gave Brendan a choice of which bedding he wanted for his "big boy " bed, trains or firetrucks and of course he quickly chose firetrucks. Rob is a firefighter and I know he just loves that Brendan wants to be just like him. It really is so adorable. Believe it or not, Brendan knows when we get on the parkway (it's an expressway by our house) and if you stay on the parkway long enough, it goes right passed the fire station that Rob works out so as soon as we pull onto the parkway Brendan starts yelling "firetrucks, I want to see the firetrucks!!" He knows the guys that Rob works with and talks about them quite often! Brendan really does think he is fireman Brendan! I know this may just be a stage but if Brendan chooses to follow in his Daddy's footsteps then what an admirable career he will have!

5/365

Traditions...
We all have traditions that we were brought up doing and it is so interesting to me to see how different people have different traditions. I have lived in the south for the past 24 years, excluding 1 year that we lived in Nebraska and my husband is from the Midwest and has lived there his whole life up until he was 18 years old. Now that we have our own family, we have started our own traditions to do with Brendan but I enjoy implementing traditions that I was raised doing and traditions that my husband was raised doing into what we do with Brendan.
New Years dinner.....YUMMY!!!!!! I didn't realize it but for the most part, having the ham, black eyed peas, and leafy veggies for your 1st dinner in the new year is a southern tradition. We are having our New years dinner a little late due to Rob working and then us having the stomach virus but better late than never, although I did have a traditional dinner at my Moms house on the 1st. When I told Rob I was making the traditional New years dinner tonight he had no clue what I was talking about! That is definitely a tradition that I was raised doing and will continue to do that with Brendan.
Although Rob, Brendan, and I go to a Methodist church, Rob was born and raised Catholic and will always consider Catholicism his religion. The reason we go to the Methodist church is because we feel it is important to go to church together and worship as a family and we want Brendan to be raised with a church home but I will discuss that in a later post. Anyways, one tradition that he did growing up was during the Christmas season, on St. Nicholas day he and his siblings would leave their shoes out for St. Nicholas to fill. I think that is the neatest idea and he didn't tell me about it until recently so we will definitely start that tradition next year!! We have several other traditions for different holidays but I just wanted to talk about a couple. I just love how every family is different and how each family has their own unique things that they do whether it be due to your religion or "just because". Here's hoping my ham turns out good, it sure is making the house smell yummy!!!! :)

4/365

Rob coaches wrestling at a local high school and tonight they were wrestling against their rival so Brendan and I decided to go up to the school and watch.....even though I had Bunco tonight and I REALLY wanted to go, I felt I needed to be a good wife and go to the match to show my support and I am glad I did! :) We had a good time and the guys wrestled great and yes, the team as a whole won.

While I was sitting in the stands, dividing my time between playing trucks with Brendan and watching the guys wrestle, I started to think back to when I was in school...8 1/2 years ago! The first thing that came to mind was WHAT WAS I THINKING?!?!?!?! It wasn't that I caused a lot of trouble in high school, it was that education was my last priority and my social life was by far my first. Of course having friends/boyfriend is important to most high school students, I think I took it to the extreme. As I saw the dancers and cheerleaders, I remembered back to my sophmore year when I tried out for the varsity dance team. At the time, I was 15 years old and had probably been dancing for the past 8 or 9 years. I LOVED dancing! Well, tryouts came and went and....I didn't make the team! I was DEVASTATED...hey, I still vividly remember it 12 years later! Dancing was my passion and I didn't make the team. Come to find out, the reason I didn't make the team was because I didn't get enough teacher recommendations! You have to get so many recommendations and I didn't get enough. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't get any. I actually found this out from one of my teachers. At 15 years of age my priorities, or lack thereof, really made me loose the chance to do something I loved. Instead of improving and getting the recs. for the following year, I continued to put my social life/poor behavior first and in turn, didn't get recs.

Rob and I recently started going to a new church (which we love) and several teachers that I had in high school also attend church there. I was so embarrassed when I saw my old teachers for the 1st time. I was embarrassed of how I acted back then and what they probably thought of me. There is one woman in particular who goes to my church, who I have alot of respect for as an educator. She was my teacher many years ago and I remember sleeping in her class, turning in work late, or just not turning it in at all, showing up to class late, and interrupting her class. I'm sure she was so happy when that semester ended! I can't remember one book that I read in high school and now I would LOVE the chance to read a book. I was so immature, obnoxious, and lazy back then. That may sound harsh but as an adult looking back, it is true! I will (hopefully) soon have my degree in Elem. Ed. and even though I will be teaching the younger children, I still think about what I would think if I had a student like myself. When I was doing observations for college I observed a class at my old high school and the asst. principal, who was also the disciplinary principal, was the one who showed me to the class that I would be observing. As he was walking me to the class, he said, "you sure were in my office alot when you were in school, weren't you?" I could not believe it! Eight years later and that is how he remembers me. I was so embarrassed. Thank goodness I won't be applying for a job there! :) I could sweet talk my way out of just about anything but like my Mom would say, "if I spent as much time on my school work as I spent on trying to come up with excuses, I would have had a full ride to an Ivy league school." Ha ha! It's not that I couldn't do the work, I just chose not to do it.

So, in conclusion, I had a great 4 years of highschool but I sure do wish I would have made better decisions. Even though I acted the way I did back then, my life turned out great but I sure do pray Brendan takes after Rob when it comes to book smarts. I wish I would have realized how important education is, especially when you are 16. I enjoy school now and sure wish I would have back then as well! If Brendan even thinks of acting the way I did in high school that little boy will be in for a world of hurt! :)

3/365

Well, I didn't have a chance to post yesterday so I will be posting twice again today. Rob was at work yesterday so it was just Brendan and me at home and of course my 4 legged child, Scarlet. Brendan and I love having Rob home with us and miss him very much when he is working but I do have to say yesterday was a fun day! It's not that we went anywhere fun , actually we just stayed home all day.

I finally got all of the decorations taken down the day before, so yesterday I spent the day cleaning my house. Brendan really does like to "help" me clean so he grabs a wet wipe and "cleans" the windows, furniture, etc. What made yesterday so much fun was that we just spent the whole day together, not really doing anything at all, if that makes any sense. We did things but just didn't have a schedule, had no events that we had to attend, etc. We stayed in our pajamas all day and just hung out. We cuddled on the couch and watched cartoons, colored together, read books, he would grab a wipe from his box of wipes and help me clean, we danced and acted silly, played trucks, played grocery store, and dined on a gormet dinner of grilled cheese and grapes. I am a stay at home Mom so I am with Brendan all day everyday but it usually seems like we have somewhere we have to be, some sort of schedule to follow, etc. So yesterday was fun just to have the whole day day to do nothing TOGETHER!

2/365

Taking Down Christmas Decorations! Oh, how I love the Christmas season! It is so much fun to decorate but such a bummer to take the decorations down, especially when you have a 2 year old that wants Christmas to last all year long! As I take down the decorations, I think about the Christmas season that came and went way too fast! This was such a wonderful Christmas season! Brendan brought so much excitement to us this year since he was really starting to understand baby Jesus and Santa! He had his first "school" Christmas party, we went to Great Wolf Lodge and played in the fake snow, visited Santa, went to Santa's workshop, baked lots of goodies, and made fun crafts! Christmas really is so much more fun with a child!! As much as I hate taking down the decorations, I am looking forward to getting my house back to normal though. Rob caught the stomach virus I had, so he is sleeping and Brendan and I are playing, and trying to be quiet, while putting away decorations. Hopefully, my poor husband feels better soon and Brendan doesn't catch it!
Within the next few days, we are going bed shopping for Brendan. I think it is finally time for a big boy bed! He has been perfectly content in his crib, but he will have so much more room in a big bed, so new year and new bed!! I think I have the bedding picked out and can you guess what it is???? Yup, firetrucks! I asked Brendan if he wanted firetrucks or trains and he, of course, said firetrucks...I was secretly hoping for trains for a change!
Monthly, I will post a Brendan update, so those of you out of town, who are interested, will be able to see what he is doing. Currently, he is 30 pounds and roughly 37 inches tall. He is such an active little boy and is so much fun! He loves coloring, reading books, being outside, and anything firetruck! He is all boy and LOVES to be rough! We call him mini Rob because he truly is a pint sized Rob. He is still a VERY picky eater and his favorite foods are hotdogs, ham, and fruit! He was obsessed with Elmo for a long time but has now moved on to Calliou, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, and Handy Manny, with Calliou usually being his favorite. Occasionally, he asks for Mickey. Brendan is talking very well and is talking alot. He has also started asking a lot of questions. "Whats that, how does that work, where does that go, why is that, etc." It is so much fun to watch him learn. He really is learning something new each day! One thing he has started doing which I am not too thrilled about is testing his limits!!! He is a very determined child and when you tell him no, he will try, try, try again. Rob's and my form of punishment is a warning and then a time out, so needless to say he is learning all about time outs but it really seems to work for him. Like everyone says, pick your battles but consistancy is key, which we do but it sure is hard when he looks at me with his sweet eyes and says "sorry Mama." I really wouldn't call the 2s the terrible 2s, I would call it the trying 2s because it sure can be trying but I think this really is my favorite age so far because it is so much fun to watch his little mind learning new things and see his funny little personality! Never a dull moment!!!

1/365

Well, I didn't get a chance to start my blog yesterday, so I will do 2 posts today! Happy New Year!!! I had a blog for a few months after Brendan was born but I never kept it up. A few friends have a blog and they write in it each day, then at the end of the year they look back at their posts and can reflect on the year. I am hoping I stick with this blog and 365 days from now I can look back on it!!
So, it's now 2011! What are your resolutions/goals? My resolution, which I hope to stick to, is to eat better! We eat out wayyyy too much and I don't think any of us get the veggies that we need. I really do enjoy cooking, so I am going to cook more which will result in healthier eating. Also, cutting back on caffeine intake. One diet coke, maybe 2, per day! My other resolution is to WORRY LESS! I am such a perfectionist and worry/stress about things if they aren't perfect, which is ridiculous! "Let go and let God!"
On my agenda for the New Year? Choose a preschool! Most cutoffs for Fall preschool is February so I really need to buckle down and find one! Im not sure why I am so picky (see above paragraph about worrying less!!!) I have it narrowed down to 3 preschools, so I will visit them and hopefully have a decision made within the next few weeks! Also, we are really hoping to take a trip to Disney World in February, pending how taxes turnout. Hopefully we won't have to pay much, if any, and can take Brendan to Disney, instead of paying the IRS! I've never been so im really hoping we get to go!! Another goal for this year? Expand our family!!! I love being a Mom and so badly want to give Brendan a sibling! I am learning, or relearning, that I am not in control. God will bless us with another child, according to His timing, not ours, which in turn, WILL be the perfect time! :)
May you all have a very happy and healthy 2011!!!