The Pfaffl House

Waiting for Toto to Run in My Front Door at Any Moment...

2011-06-05T16:10:00.000-07:00

Thinking back through my life all the way to my early childhood, I can only remember it hailing maybe 2 or 3 times and it always felt strange--kind of wrong--seeing ice fall from the sky during such hot days. Since the weather started warming up this year, I think it has hailed pretty much every time we've had a thunder storm!

These are a couple of pictures Landon and I took of the hail that crashed down on our house this afternoon. It still freaks me out a little every time it happens (and I wince while the windows get blasted), but Landon is so used to it now that he celebrates every little chunk of ice he sees on the lawn the way most kids cheer for snow. Something tells me we're not in Kansas anymore!

Muddy Waters

2011-06-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Landon has been completely exhausted from braving the fast-paced last quarter of the school year and Andy is dragging from long hours spent at work running two different bank branches (& I am tired just THINKING about all of it!) so we decided to just kick back today. We spent a lazy Sunday here at the Pfaffl House, just the four of us. The kids alternated between running in the sprinkler and digging in the mud, all while soaking up the hot South Carolina sun. Sounds innocent enough, doesn't it? Yeah, maybe in theory! It did start off relaxing--lounging on the back patio, giving the dog a cool bath with the garden hose, just my boys and me...but things never stay that way around here. (You know what they say about best laid plans)...Baylor was having such a good time being "big" with Daddy and Brother. He even got to man the hose (see? BIG). Baylor sprayed and Landon shampooed until Jackson was squeaky clean (hard work, especially in today's record heat). It didn't surprise me that it only took about 30 seconds after we sent the dog back into the house for the boys to jump into the tub of dirty-dog-water (shoes, clothes and all). "Oh well!" I said to Andy! Carpe Diem! Let boys be boys, right? They splashed happily for probably an hour, pouring water all over each other and laughing, both trying to squish into the dog's tiny little tub together as Andy watched proudly and I snapped pictures. After a while I noticed something strange...No matter how long they sprayed new, fresh water into the tub (and they were spraying constantly), the water never seemed quite clear. Hmmmmmm....After that revelation, I acted quickly (Parenting 101). "Andy! Check Baylor's diaper!" (I give him the fun jobs.) He looked. He grimaced. I gagged & ran for supplies with the speed of a jungle cat. Baylor had picked his relaxing soak in the tub to completely overfill his diaper and I had picked his relaxing soak in the tub to throw caution to the wind (Parenting 101?). Live and learn. Needless to say, our quiet afternoon in the backyard ended abruptly. Both of my boys are now being scrubbed inside in the real bath tub and I am trying hard not to think about the (above) picture of the lovely hair style Landon gave Baylor with poop water. *sigh* Never a dull moment!

Introducing.......(drumroll).......my ONE-YEAR-OLD!

2011-03-14T06:18:00.000-07:00

My first child had it all. Beautiful announcements went out when he was born. Every little milestone is recorded neatly in his baby book. Professional pictures were taken at all of the appropriate ages and times. He had cute, matching outfits for every occasion. We bought all the right furniture, filled with the right amount of drawers and cabinets to perfectly organize all of his belongings and keep our house looking normal most of the time. Like good first time parents, we researched everything we did for Landon. We read all of the books, put in hours of grunt work, and did four and a half years of homework so that we'd know what kind of parents we were just in time for the entrance of our little wild man, Hurricane Baylor! Nothing about Baylor's birth (or life thus far) has been planned, recorded or structured. After spending nine months in an Obstetrician's office, having multiple ultrasounds and every medical test known to man....I found myself in labor, turning my car to drive to a midwife's birthing center where all 6 lbs. 14 oz. of Andrew Baylor Pfaffl came into the world. It was about as unplanned as it could get! I was almost immobile after delivering him, thanks to my trusty broken tailbone and I got sick with a slew of autoimmune problems almost as soon as I brought him home. The first months were a blur as I was in survival mode. God knew what He was doing, giving a control freak like myself a baby like Baylor, though! This is and was always the most laid back, easy going baby imaginable! He slept peacefully through the night almost from the get-go. He started smiling so early in life that I can't ever remember him not doing it! At only three months old, he had to spend two weeks in the hospital with me and when people asked me how in the world I got through being sick and having a baby at the same time, I always say, "I couldn't have made it WITHOUT him!" Yes, God sure knew what He was doing when he made me wait until I had a Kindergartner before giving me my sweet Bay! What a good lesson in TRUST!
Baylor is now a 23 & 1/2 pound toddler and we can't imagine life without him. He is wild and energetic, refusing to stop moving from the minute he wakes up in the morning until he crashes in an exhausted meltdown at nap time. I clean, he destroys. I organize, he dishevels. Ever the little Evel Knievel, Baylor climbs too high, runs too fast & plays too rough. He is loud an HILARIOUS & loves attention. He will do pretty much anything for a laugh. There is usually a smile on his face and a gleam of mischief in his eye, but you never know what you might get with this kid. He certainly has a mind of his own! He is independent and MUST do everything by himself. He has just learned to toss his head back with dramatic flare an toss himself to the floor with injustice when he's upset. He pulls the child proof outlet covers out of the walls and puts them into his mouth to chew on them while finding objects to stick into the newly-opened holes. He takes the cushioned edges off of the brick fireplace at my dad's house and then climbs on it and attempts to jump off head first. He's CRAZY about Landon and stops at nothing to imitate and impress him. He keeps me moving, which is exactly what I need at this particular point in my life, and I adore every (red!) hair on his sweet little head!

His life so far has been a whirlwind of surprises and adventure--none of it planned or organized. As a matter of fact, any semblance of organization went out the window as soon as Baylor showed up. Before having him, I wondered how I would ever love a second baby. Now that he's here, I can't say no to a 3rd sometime in the future. He has changed me for the better. I want to hug him and kiss his squishy cheeks all day (And I might be tempted to try if he hadn't recently learned to crisscross his arms and "go limp" so that no one can pick him up when he's on a mission.) I can't wait to see what life has in store for the Pfaffl House in the future! I've given up trying to plan and predict at this point!

Can't Trifle Like a Pfaffl

2011-03-10T06:01:00.000-08:00

Three Babies

2010-04-11T05:29:00.000-07:00

After reading this post today on my friend Andrea's blog,I felt the need to tell a classic Andy story...So,everyone cozy up with hot chocolate and a warm blanket and prepare to say "You married him!":

Once upon a time (a few days ago), my dear husband was being sneaky (and mean) and trying to shoot my brother-in-law with Landon's biggest dart gun over our stair case. Juuuuuust as he was gloating from a direct hit, his foot slipped and all 200 pounds of my gloating husband rolled right down the stairs. (Admit it, Sharon, you love it as much as I did!) Alas, our story does not have the happy ending one would expect from watching a gloating 6'3" man tumble helplessly down a flight of stairs......

Andy's no spring chicken and so of course he threw his back out (a rather convenient complaint when there are chubby babies to be changed and big brothers to be entertained and meals to be cooked and rooms to be cleaned). All of the aches and pains I had been ignoring for weeks just to make it through our hectic new schedule (read: broken tailbone, stitches, abs that had been stretched to their limit and then suddenly let go, boobs that felt like they were about to fall off...) were forgotten by my husband as he dramatically limped around the house, wincing and holding his back gingerly for days. *sigh*

As they say: "No rest for the weary"....I have 3 babies now! ;o)

Sheeeeeee's BaaaAAAaaack!!!

2010-02-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

Or at least she has a computer and a working internet connection...

Yes, after nearly one YEAR (where has the time gone???), I am now blogging again! I'm not sure how long this stint will last because I am one day past my due date for our second baby (and I know that even though it feels like it at the moment, he's not going to be in there forever) but I'll give it my best effort. I have MISSED you all terribly and can't wait to catch up with everyone (and eventually catch everyone up)! Yay!

You Might Live in the South If....

2009-03-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

....You have this conversation at the zoo:

Little Girl: What's his name? (pointing at Landon)
Me: His name is Landon
Little Girl: Like an airplane?
Me: Ummm...what?
Little Girl: Like landin' an airplane? (looks at me like "duhhhh!")
Me: (not sure how to answer) Oh...um...yes. Like landin' an airplane.

John Landin' Pfaffl?
I love it! :oD

Gosh Darn It

2009-03-23T20:24:00.000-07:00

Did I really title this "Gosh Darn It"? I don't even SAY "Gosh Darn It"...Oh well. It's the first thing that came to my mind and so it must be. Let's press on! We have important business to discuss.

The reason I say gosh darn it today is because I am highly disappointed in myself. I watched Twilight for the first time tonight (yes, I am behind the times) to see what all the hype was about and I am sad to say that I am the newest member of the Edward Cullen fan club (*sigh*). I watched the movie with my mom, two of my brothers and my brother John's girlfriend (hee hee--still excited about that), so basically it was like watching it Mystery Science Theater 3000 style. A movie has to be flawless to slip through the cracks when we're all together and, come on, this was Twilight, for Pete's sake. EVERYTHING was funny: the random scenes where the vampires would fly through the air with serious looks on their faces...trying to take the dude from Can't Hardly Wait seriously as Edward's "dad"...the long staring scenes...the teen angst...and best of all the part where Edward announced that he was "a vegetarian" because he only ate animal blood--hahahahahahahahahaha! I still have tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. It was a riot. When I close my eyes, all I see is Edward and Bella running up that giant tree at warp speed. How am I going to sleep tonight? And more importantly, why in the world do I want to see the sequel? Because I do--I really, honestly do. It's all Robert Pattinson's fault. (If you don't know who he is, you must live under a bigger rock than me.)

I still don't get it. When Edward first entered the movie, I thought, "Hmm..he's not that hot. Why is everyone so obsessed with this guy?"....but by the eeeEEENNNNNnnnnd (that was a sing-song-y "end" by the way) he was looking mighty fine if I do say so myself. Mmm-MMMM-Mmmm! Helllo! I think they put subliminal messages in that movie. Anyways, I've got to run for now (off to find a way to floof up Andy's thinning hair like my new celeb crush...maybe I'll paint his face white and line his brows, too).

Attempts at a Family Portrait

2009-03-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

See why we need you, Anita?!! :oD

Maid Marian and Her Merry Men

2009-03-18T10:21:00.000-07:00

A Robin Hood craze has hit the Pfaffl House. We watch the Disney movie. We look it up on You Tube. We're even reading the "chapter book". Landon will usually only answer me if I call him "Robin" and the rest of us have all been assigned our parts, too. Andy is the thumb-sucking Prince John ("too late to be known as John the First, he's sure to be known as John the Worst"--Appropriate, I think). My brother John is Little John. My sister Nancy is the chicken lady (none of us know her name) and I, of course, am Maid Marian (tra laaaa!). Landon walks around our house all day (Sherwood Forest, if you will) lamenting the arrows his dad threw into the fire and collecting coins from everyone to give to the poor. I'm enjoying the whole thing because, as Maid Marian, Robin Hood tells me he loves me "more than life itself" (instead of telling me I'm going to time out) and he tells me I'm a "lady of quality" (instead of telling me I'm not his mom anymore).

I am not enjoying the fact that all of my coat hangers are disappearing out of the closets, but I guess Maid Marian has to understand that Robin Hood needs his Bow and Arrow to be with him at all times! What can a lady of quality do besides cave? ;o)

St. Patrick's Day???

2009-03-17T08:24:00.000-07:00

Do you know that on Friday the 13th of March this year our water heater that hadn't been working well for months "fixed itself" suddenly and has been fine since? Also on Friday the 13th of March Andy found $22.00 on a gas station floor and was prodded by everyone there to keep it!

It's true.

Now here we are on St. Patrick's Day, a day that's supposed to be all skipiddy-doo-dah and lucky and my poor Wittle Wan has been throwing up every hour since midnight. Yes, we are having our first battle with the "stomach flu" (probably thanks to the preschool visit, darn it. The teacher told us the kids had been dropping like flies all week--SUPER!)

This is a horrible way to spend St. Patrick's Day, but, hey! (This one's for Sharon) At least we're all wearing green! (*snicker, snicker*)

Definitely Andy's Son

2009-03-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Landon has recently decided that having people pull his finger helps him to perform his "#2's" better on the potty. He doesn't do this to be funny, whatsoever....and sadly, it seems like it really helps.
A few days ago, he told me he needed to go potty. He ran to the bathroom and worked on his business for a while with no luck. He called for my sister and when she got to him, he looked completely frustrated and put out.
"Pull my finger," he said.
"What?" answered Nancy, thinking she had heard wrong.
"Pull my finger, please", he repeated with a forlorn look on his face. What else could she do? She pulled his finger. He pooped, said "Thank you", and went on his way.
This has happened several times now.

What's a mother to do? He has backtracked a little with his potty "training" (if you can still call it that) lately and I don't want to mess up a good thing here, but COME ON!! Pulling his finger? I could clobber Andy for exposing him to that one! What happens when he goes to school and asks the teacher to pull his finger? (Something dads like Andy never seem to think about...). We took him to a preschool interview this week and I stopped him from proudly telling his trick just in the nick of time.

I can hear the teacher-to-parent phone calls now. *sigh*

Nancy

2009-03-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather this week and went to a downtown park to take bridal portraits of Nancy. These aren't "THE" bridal portraits, of course--we were just messing around--but some turned out really pretty. Here are a few from the day!

HOW in the.....???

2009-03-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

Today I noticed a strange phenomenon: My son has GROWN several inches. While this might seem like a normal thing to happen to a little boy who's about to turn four, I am astonished.

You see, Landon hates to eat. He really does. He is picky, for one thing. (Andy's son, for sure!) If you sneak in any vegetables, be ready to meet the gag reflex. A pea=throw up (even if he just THINKS he ate a pea!). An onion?: Better watch out! He inspects any plate put before him with a look of displeasure on his face. He takes the first bite with a snarl on his face while Andy and I wait anxiously for the verdict....He chews....He thinks....He inspects the plate..."What is that yellow stuff?" he asks us suspiciously. "It's just cheese", we answer (even if it's not really cheese). (pause, chew, chew)...."Otay."

Can I just say, I NEVER thought I'd cave in and play his reindeer games? Never in a million years! I was going to be the mom who said, "Here's your food. If you don't want it then don't eat!" I'm quickly learning that when you plan to be a certain type of mom before having kids, you usually end up being the exact opposite of what you thought you'd be. When mealtime rolls around, I think about how stubborn my son is (If I tell him "Fine, don't eat!", he will trot happily away and think nothing of it). I think about how cranky my son gets when his tummy is empty. I think about all of my deficiencies and can't help but thinking he MUST have some! I look at his skinny little legs running around all day outside with nary a nibble and I will do ANYTHING to get that kid to eat.

Part of the problem is that he is just too busy to eat. If he's doing anything at all, it's more important to him than food. I approach this with a sneak attack. I crank out grilled cheese sandwiches and scrambled eggs (which I have to call "buttery grilled cheese" and "buttery eggs" because the child is a butter FIEND! I am not kidding.) I am constantly chasing him with yogurt "popsicles" and fresh strawberries or spooning bites of oatmeal or cereal into his mouth as he plays. It never amounts to much in his belly, but it's something. At the end of the day (sometimes after attempting to shovel dinner into him during bath time, when he's most distracted), I mentally calculate what he's had to eat and breathe a sigh of relief when I remember he hasn't had his vitamin yet. He looooo-oooovvves his vitamins and so do I. Vitamins in place of food isn't the greatest plan, but right now they're our insurance plan. This stage is a tricky one for Andy and me and, I can tell, it's going to be a fight to the finish!

Daylight Savings

2009-03-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yippee! Hooray! Tra-la-la! (Clicking heels together) I have never, ever, ever been as excited as I am today to lose an hour of sleep! I am not kidding--After the horribly long "Fall Back" period, I am ready for more sunshine in my life. It has been so terrible having darkness roll in at five thirty because when Andy finally rolls in at 8:30, it feels like the day has gone on forever. To some people, that might be a good thing, but when you're sick (and scared of being alone--shhh!) and trying your best to entertain and care for a little boy, a couple of extra hours of daylight seems promising.

Here's to a positive change for all of us this Spring! (Cartwheel) (<---As if!)

Drumroll Please!

2009-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:00

I have decided that daffodils are hands down the BEST plant ever created!!!...at least for people like me who were born without their green thumb. Every year these flowers are trampled by kids and animals & run over by our lawn mower, but they still lift their bright yellow heads every March and make me smile. This year, the poor things bloomed and then were immediately frozen solid in the snow storm. Guess what? Within two days, they had perked up so much that you couldn't even tell we'd had a hint of bad weather. Daffodils are beautiful. They remind me of spring. They bloom no matter what and make it look like I know what I'm doing in the garden. I love them. :o)

I Don't Know Whether to Laugh or Cry...

2009-03-07T13:47:00.000-08:00

...or PUKE, but as soon as I heard the words, "Guys! Hurry! I found a COCKROACH!!", I think I wanted to do all three! Today was a gorgeous day with a high around 80, so you know my yard was teeming with little boys. Everything was going well. There was lots of digging and swinging and running. I was sitting on my porch, thinking about how much fun it was to have a street full of little boys when they all came running from the side of my house holding a long stick with a big, fat (gasp, gasp, GASP!) ROACH crawling all over it (shiver, shiver!) What is that saying? "It's all fun and games until someone...whips out a roach"? Yes, I think that's it. In case you're wondering what my exact sentiments are toward these creepy crawlers, refer back to my post: 100 Things About Me and look for number 48 (should have been number ONE!!!!).

At any rate, these boys took my favorite flower pot (ACK!) and made a home for their new pet, "Cocker". Then, when Cocker kept crawling out, they opted to move him into Lanodn's sand box. They chased one mom with Cocker and then went after my stepdad's car as he drove by....and then tried to come after ME (I don't think so, you crazy little children--Let me eat my banana in peace)!

Why? Can someone tell me WHY in the WORLD....??!!! Never mind. Just never mind.

I am recuperating upstairs on my bed.

Blehh! Boys...

The Countdown Begins!

2009-03-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Until recently, my sister's wedding seemed soooo far in the future. Now it seems like we are having to rush to get everything done in time. What kind of rushing, trimming, cutting corners are we doing? Weeeellll, we have decided to try to make our own flower bouquets and boutonnieres! (No, we are not crafty. No we have never tried this before. And yes, we are probably a little bit crazy.) Here's our first crack at throwing something together. Let me know what you think of our efforts!

March...In Like a Lion!

2009-03-03T18:02:00.000-08:00

You better sit down for this one (as if you haven't seen it on the news already!): WE GOT SNOW!! And it wasn't just the whisper of a frosting that we southerners usually call snow, either! It was real snow! Landon, of course was out playing with his friends all day long. Here are some pictures from the day. (They would have been better, but this snow was southern in one way: It had already begun disappearing by morning!) The first one is a picture of when it first started snowing. Also notice the lovely picture of the ingredients the kids were using (on the sewage drain mind you) to make SNOW CREAM (gag, retch!) and the indoor pictures of some of the neighborhood kids piled into my mom's dog cage (someone call DSS!!)

Oops!

2009-02-10T14:52:00.000-08:00

I left something important out!

My labs showed something that I think is going to turn out to be very important and I wanted to mention it because it's something that it could easily affect anyone. I had high levels (extremely, unusually high) of sulfate in my urine. This is usually caused by sodium lauryl sulfate which can be found in lots of different kinds of soap, shampoo, cleaners and lotions. You guys know I am usually on top of (okay, maybe "hyper-diligent" about!) keeping the dangerous stuff out of the house now, but somehow this one slipped through the cracks. I found this stuff in the shampoo I've been using since the "good" one Nancy gave to me ran out, in our toothpaste (that I know we shouldn't be using anyway), and worst of all...in our antibacterial hand soap. This stuff is not good for you! The doctor told me that it could be one of the causes of my heart arrhythmias. It's an interesting thought! Just thought I'd pass it along. :o)

"Good" News?

2009-02-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody! I just got back from my appointment with my functional medicine doctor and, even though my body is still feeling bad, my mind is a little more at ease. We're still not sure exactly what is going on, but my labs gave us a starting point. Here are the things my recent labs indicated:

Vitamin B-6 Deficiency
Vitamin B-12 Deficiency
Carnitine Deficiency
Chromium Deficiency
Zinc Deficiency
Copper Deficiency
Possible Type II Hypoglycemia (Adrenergic kind)
Hypotension (which we already knew)

No heavy metal toxicity. No systemic fungal infection. (Phew!)

So, basically, I'm missing a lot of things that I should have. Important things. The doctor is sending me an e-mail later, telling me what we're going to do to get started digging through the mess. You keep praying. I'll keep you posted! :o)

Casting Crowns

2009-02-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

I heard this song last night and it made me cry. Wow.

(Sigh)...smile....(Sigh)....

2009-02-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

I spend the better part of last night in the ER again with SVT. They kept talking about giving me adenosine to slow my heart back down (which was just scaring me and making my heart beat even faster!), but thankfully, the old standby of drinking ice water did the trick and I was eventually able to go home. They did see that my potassium was low (3.0) again and that my blood glucose was high (147) again...Either of those things could be triggering the SVT, but as usual, no one really knows. I took some liquid potassium at the hospital last night and seemed to feel better, but then this morning....SVT again. Lovely. The homily at church yesterday was about Jesus as the Divine Physician and it inspired me to call our pries for the Anointing of the Sick. I have an appointment tomorrow at one o'clock to get results from my functional medicine guy, an appointment with my electrophysiologist on Friday, and an appointment with my internist on Wednesday.....Please pray that at least one of them can help me and I will try to keep my head in the right place in the meantime.

Oooh! Speaking of praying, listen to this! We all prayed and prayed that I'd make the right decision about whether or not to take Florinef to raise my blood pressure, right? Well, last night, I remembered that a side effect of the drug is that it depletes the body of potassium pretty quickly (which can be very, VERY dangerous). Imagine if I had decided to start taking it earlier this week, already (unknowingly) having low potassium! Would you also believe that my blood pressure was extremely HIGH all night long??!! It would not have been a good idea to be on a drug that raises blood pressure! So, thank you God for listening!

Fair Weather Neighbors

2009-02-07T14:58:00.001-08:00

After living here for a few years, I'm starting to notice that the people who live around us are a lot like me: They don't like going out in the cold! Today we woke up to blue skies and light breezes and it reached a perfect seventy degrees by lunch time. All of the kids (who seemed to have been hibernating for the winter) came out of the woodwork to play in our yard. Instead of "kids", I should be more specific and say "boys" because out of about 17 kids on the cul-de-sac, we only have three girls. Since two of the girls are too old to play and one is too young, I was surrounded by wild, rambunctious, dirt-slinging, stick-flinging boys. It was crazy, but so much fun!

At the end of the afternoon, one teeny tiny Cindy Lou Who of a girl showed up to see what the boys were up to. I snatched a quick picture of her and her royal pinkness before going inside for a much needed rest. This is the most action I've had in weeks and I think I kind of overdid it....But it was worth it! Doesn't being outside on a gorgeous day bring a world of good to your spirit? It does for me. I hope the spring-like weather sticks around longer than a week (but still keeping fingers crossed for our annual snow day!)

RESULTS!!!...(But I can't have them yet)

2009-02-06T16:50:00.000-08:00

My functional medicine guy called this afternoon and said MY RESULTS ARE IN!! I can't get them until Tuesday of next week, though, so it's going to be quite a weekend, being sick and waiting...I decided to hold off taking the Florinef until I get my other test results. I called my PCP's office to talk to the doctor about waiting to take it until I knew whether or not I have a systemic fungal infection (a contraindication). The nurse wouldn't let me talk to the doctor and seemed unsure about what to tell me. She said that it'd be dangerous to wait before telling me she wasn't sure if it was more dangerous to try the drug. Then she went on to say I better start it because that's what the doctor originally told me to do before saying to do what I felt was right. *sigh* I'm following my gut on this one (and hoping my gut is in better shape than the rest of me!)

So, I'll keep you posted! :o)

(Sorry to talk about nothing but my health for days on end :oP--I am kind of swamped in all of it right now.)

In the thick of it

2009-02-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

I talked to my doctor's office a couple of days ago and have been a nervous wreck ever since. The results of the blood pressure monitor were no surprise--my blood pressure dives dangerously low, especially while I'm sleeping and my pulse goes right with it. They told me they were calling in a prescription for a drug called Florinef (click on the link and browse a little if you really want to feel my anxiety) to bring my blood pressure up. I knew a little about this drug from researching adrenal issues like Addison's Disease (something I could possibly have, something that hasn't been tested for, something this drug treats specifically) and let's just say, I knew before looking that it's not like popping an Advil.

I love this doctor so far, but my other two doctors have e-mailed me saying that this drug should not be administered without proper (and specific) diagnosis. They didn't think I should take it based on low blood pressure alone. So, I'm stuck again. My "functional medicine guy" told me he's expecting results from the lab any minute now and asked me to please wait to start therapy until we could get to the root of the problem.

Meanwhile, I am at home (not alone this time, thank God! Andy's off today), afraid to spend another night with fainting spells, wondering if my blood pressure will dip too dangerously low and land me in the hospital (or worse), not understanding why it's happening in the first place...

This morning, I got my journal out and just started writing prayers. I asked God to take care of my doctors and give them wisdom. I asked Him to strengthen me and lead me through this. I asked for answers to come soon, but, most of all, I asked for peace of mind. The worst part about all of this (besides the obvious physical symptoms) is the fear and uncertainty that goes along with the process...The responsibility I have for making my own decisions regarding my health is a big one and it is overwhelming me lately.

Please keep the prayers coming.

If this gets fixed, I will know beyond the shadow of a doubt who fixed it. THAT, I know for sure!

Another Health Update

2009-02-03T20:45:00.001-08:00

When I got home from my dad's house tonight, I saw that I had missed a call today from my doctor's office. There was a message for me to call them first thing in the morning.

I already know the results from my blood pressure monitor were awful (I had readings from 168/90 to 78/44 that I know of...there is definitely a big problem) so I'm a little nervous about what they're going to say. They weren't even going to call me at all--I was supposed to be getting my results at a pre-scheduled follow-up visit in a few weeks. I'm trying to remember that I prayed before finding this doctor and then poof! there he was...I prayed before my appointment and got more accomplished than I could have imagined...I was trying to get someone to monitor my blood pressure and he did it without me even mentioning it...It has to be God at work here, right? So, I should just stop wondering and worrying and go with it, right? Take that leap and let go....fall backwards with my eyes closed and know that there will be someone there to catch me...

Maybe this will ultimately lead me to a good outcome.

Please pray for me as I turn over this new leaf. I am waiting on so many other test results besides this one (any of which could greatly impact my health and life) right now and I can use all of the prayer I can get!

Hello Again to the Two People Who Still Dare Check My Blog! :o)

2009-01-31T20:57:00.000-08:00

I just made up the bed with fresh, clean sheets and got too comfortable under them to get up and do anything productive, so I decided to sit here and update my poor, lonely blog. :o)

Tonight, after we craftily coaxed our over-tired son out of the bath he didn't want to get into in the first place, I told Landon playtime was over and this is the conversation that ensued:

Landon: (puckered lips, low serious voice) You. Are. Not. My. Mom. Anymore. (I've been waiting for this "lovely" stage to commence!)

Me: Well, if I'm not your mom, who is going to be your new mom?

Landon: I'm not going to have a mom anymore

Me: Who's mom will I be then? (trying to look forlorn)

Landon: (ponders this a moment) Nobody.

Me: So, you're just going to have a Daddy now and that's it?

Landon: (ponders, looks slightly alarmed, then smiles): No, Mom! You're not going to disappear! You'll still be here...You just won't be my mom. I'm just putting you in time out for tonight and I'll let you out in the morning.

In other news :o)

I am supposed to be in Columbia, SC right now, visiting the in-laws for the Super Bowl (read: the equivalent of Christmas for the Pfaffls), but I didn't make it. The bags were packed into the back of the car and we were on our way, but decided to stop at Whole Foods Market to pick up some healthy snacks to take with us. I went down maybe two aisles and grabbed some produce on the fly, but nothing that would require much exertion and definitely nothing that should have caused any physical illness! Wouldn't you know it, I had a horrible fainting episode on the way out and thought for sure someone was going to have to scrape me off the floor! My heart was going crazy. My legs stopped working. I got so dizzy and nauseated that I couldn't focus my eyes on anything. Somehow, by the grace of God, I made it out to the car, came home, checked my blood sugar (85--good) and...well, you know the rest. After a struggle, I am now snuggled up in my warm bed with my laptop (aka: "pacifier"), blogging!

Not every day is this bad. I have "normal" ones, too. I put "normal" in quotes because I mean normal for the new me--not normal for what I was. I'm still not sure that I'll ever be "old-me-normal" again, but that's really okay. Right now the "new-me-normal" feels pretty fantastic!

We're making great strides with a diagnosis now. I feel like prayers are finally starting to be answered, but I find myself wishing I could hurry the process along (and worrying what they might find...) instead of trusting that God is in control. *sigh*

That's a tough one for me.

I have a new doctor who, if all continues to go well, will be "manning the ship" (as per the recommendation of my last ER doctor). He is an internal medicine specialist and (finally!) seems to be on the same page as me as far as which direction we should go with everything. He already performed and asthma test on me, sent me home with a blood pressure monitor for 24 hours, and set up a glucose tolerance test and a follow-up visit for me. He is patient, very up-to-date with his research on chronic and autoimmune diseases as far as I can see, and, best of all, he LISTENS...to EVERYTHING! He doesn't discount what I say. He doesn't tell me I read/research too much--He actually seemed happy with what I've learned. He is totally fine with all of the tests I am having run through my functional medicine "guy" and wants copies of every test we do! I feel like I've hit the jackpot with my doctors right now, which is nothing short of a miracle in and of itself....but I'm feeling like it's going to take another (bigger) miracle to sort through the mess that is my poor exhausted body and make it better...(Seeing a 78/44 blood pressure reading will bring on that kind of overwhelmed feeling).

If I'm looking for a miracle, I'm sure God would appreciate me carrying a little bit of my own weight around here...which means NOT staying up past 12:30 at night blogging when I should be sleeping--ha ha ha! So, I'm off to bed. I'll keep you posted!

Uncle Frank

2008-12-26T08:18:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas, we had a surprise visit from my Grandma's "baby" brother from southern California. I absolutely LOVE this man! He is calm and soft-spoken, sweet and gentle and wise. We are always having him tell us the stories he told us when we were little and we still get as excited as we used to. Oh my gosh, I wish you could see how amazing he is! His house in California is straight out of a fairy tale. He grows oranges bigger than softballs in his front yard and there are avocados (yum!) and a tree just dripping with fresh lemons. My grandma's house was just like that...I wish more places were like that "nowadays". Do you ever wonder what the world will be like when WE are the old people and all of the old people we looked up to are gone? It's a weird thought.

Anyway, this visit was a bit bittersweet with Uncle Frank, as it might be our last chance to see him, :o( so I tried to blind him with the flash of my camera! The poor man couldn't keep his eyes open for many (it is a shockingly bright flash), but he was a good sport. I'll try to post whichever ones didn't make him look asleep. :o) Look at my dad's face while he's with his uncle. I didn't capture it well because I was trying to soak up every minute with my great-uncle, but he was just like a little boy again!

The Kind of Nurse I Might Have Been

2008-12-23T07:50:00.000-08:00

Last night my mom was involved in a car accident. Don't worry--She wound up being okay, but she did have to go in an ambulance to the hospital to get checked out. When my brother and I got to the scene of the accident (after the ominous call that my mom had been in a wreck, but couldn't talk to us), we were met with the sight of a three car pile up and a crazy amount of flashing lights from emergency vehicles. My poor little heart was pumping away! The first thing I heard about the accident was that my mom's car was hit so hard that my grandma's wig flew off her head. Go ahead and laugh--She's the one who told me the story! She was just upset that she didn't notice it was gone and had been walking around talking to people. That woman is a hoot!

Anyways, I, being the hospital guru that I am at this point, decided to ride with my mom in the ambulance. We went through all of the paper work and x-rays and fun tests for vitals, etc. It was a very serious atmosphere. The nurse (a guy named Will) came in right after the doctor had left the room and said, "Before you go home, there is one more thing the doctor wants to have done just as a precaution." Mom said, "Okay, what do I need to do?" (Still very serious atmosphere in the room) Will nonchalantly replied, "We need to give you a quick enema." Just as my mom's pulse jumped to 110 (I swear her eyes just about bugged out of her head!), Will said, "I'm just kidding!" Mom got punk'd! It was totally priceless!

Mom's a little sore today, but otherwise, she is great. If she wasn't, I promise I wouldn't have laughed so hard at the enema joke. (*snicker, snicker*)

Since I Got Called Out on International Radio this Week For Being a Boring Blogger...

2008-12-21T13:22:00.000-08:00

I will now begin to post a crazy amount of posts (at least, that's my intention...). I will begin my crazy blogging with the topic that started it all: Leaf Blowing! (For the full story, I guess you'll just have to visit the NextWave Live archives--hee hee--Like my shameless plug, Craig? ;o) ANYWAYS, my husband absolutely despises yard work, but I can't stand being the only crappy yard on the block, so every fall, our compromise is one, huge leaf clean-up. This year, we bagged a record 12 bags of leaves (from our front yard alone!!) It was no easy task with Landon "helping"--He kept shooting through the giant pile of leaves with his tractor--Ha ha ha! I loved watching Andy getting more and more frustrated as the day went on. Maybe next year he'll take my advice and do yard work more often! Here are some pictures from this year's fall clean up. :o)

My Son

2008-12-07T19:25:00.001-08:00

Landon and I were outside earlier this week when he started getting a little rambunctious. I can't remember exactly what he was doing (hitting me with a stick or something...*sigh*), but I reprimanded him and marched off angrily toward the front porch. What did I hear my precious child mutter from his rope swing as I walked away?..."Mommy, you are a REDNECK."

Pause...Hmm. Now that's a new one.

7 Quick Takes Friday (err...Saturday)

2008-11-28T20:51:00.000-08:00

1. It's annoying to be poor on your anniversary. Every year, Andy and I say we're going to put off buying each other engagement gifts until we have more money. Then pretty soon Christmas comes along and we say the same thing at Christmas so we can spend more on other people. I'm learning that there's ALWAYS something else to spend money on and wishing I had thought up something clever for tomorrow...

2. I can hardly type because these dang heart monitor electrodes have given me an annoying rash and I CAN'T STOP SCRATCHING!!! ACK! Misery!

3. Just when I FINALLY cleared my schedule and started resting more, I came up with the brilliant idea to plan (are you sitting down?) a reunion for my elementary/middle school class (yes, I'm serious). We went to a private school and were kind of like brothers and sisters. Now everyone is curious about everyone else, so I thought I'd pull everyone back together. I mean, come on--there is soooo much less pressure when we're talking middle school...We were little kids then. It shouldn't be a big deal, but I am a perfectionist when it comes to these things and I'm already losing sleep over it. I haven't even set a date, yet! (Sharon?! HELP!) I am crazy. *sigh*

4. I haven't worn headbands in YEARS....but I put one of my sister's skinny little headbands on last time she was at my house and I haven't taken it off in days. I never even do my hair anymore...just shower and then WHOOP! toss in the headband. I look like a loser, but I love having my bangs out of my face!

5. I am going to be decorating or house for Christmas tree tonight and I am so excited...mostly because it means we have to clean first and I do love a clean house! (I don't usually have one, but I do love it!) We're going to make a fire and some hot chocolate with whipped cream and watch the Polar Express. I'll try to get some good pictures. :o)

6. I am starting to be addicted to Facebook and I have no idea how in the world that happened...I used to be a MySpace snob, but now I'm all about some Facebook. Somebody stop me!

7. As I'm writing this, I am sitting here thinking of all of the things I could have written about for my 7 Quick Takes...Like "Seven Things I'm Thankful For This Thanksgiving" or "Seven Reasons I'm Happy I Married Andy" for my anniversary...But since I'm already done (and seeing how long it took me to come up with these--It's not even Friday anymore!), I'll just post it and be done! :o) I'll try to make my next Quick Takes more interesting!

For more Quick Takes, check out Jennifer's Blog: Conversion Diary

Love, Ain't it Grand?

2008-11-22T19:33:00.000-08:00

Since Andy's and my fifth anniversary is coming up next Saturday, I thought I'd spend the week loading you up with pictures from all of our wedding hooplah! (That is if I can get them scanned & uploaded--who knows how that will go! It will probably be way out of order!) This first set of pictures was from one of the best days of my life!! My dear, dear friend, Kelly pretty much threw me my dream bridal shower.
Knowing that I desperately wanted to have our wedding at this certain venue, but couldn't (because of the size of the guest list), Kelly threw a shower for me there!! We planned for it to be a mother-daughter theme together, but the rest was a surprise...even the location! When I found out where it was going to be, I just about fell over! I think I even cried!

Walking in the door, I saw that she had decorated everything with black and white toile (my favorite fabric pattern) with pink accents. The food was delicious and the company was even better. We all sat in a circle, eating and talking about how we were all connected to each other. Each guest told the group how they knew me and why they loved me and then I stood up and talked about how much each person meant to me. We were all in tears! From the rose petals sprinkled on the tabletops to the mimosa's and iced cappuccinos we had on the back patio, every detail was totally perfect and TOTALLY "me".

The cake really said it all, didn't it?: "Love...Ain't it Grand?" I was overwhelmed by the love around me that afternoon (and I don't just mean wedding love :o). I spent that day with the kids I babysat for and the moms I had grown so close to. I was there with some of my oldest friends and their mothers who I'd grown up with (we were just missing you, Sharon! You were there in spirit!).

My mom and sister were there with me, as were my step-mom and step-sister. My grandma was there, my co-workers were there. I will never, ever forget that shower!! Thank you Kelly for loving me so much!!! (I miss you!) And thanks to all of you who were a part of that day!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Hospital...

2008-11-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I hate to post about politics and moral issues, leave without posting for a long time and then come back telling bad stories about the misadventures with my health....but maybe those of you who know me will appreciate this story. I'm sure you can totally picture this happening to me:

One upon a time, not so very long ago (4:00 this afternoon to be exact), my heart decided to march to the beat of it's own drum (yet again!) and I wound up having to call 911 (yet again). A firetruck arrived first, on my little cul-de-sac, with an ambulance close behind. All of my neighbors' noses were pressed eagerly to their front doors (the adults with worried looks, the kids with excited ones)....and I was carted away on a stretcher, surrounded by all of the pomp and circumstance of two ambulance attendants and three firemen. Hooray for me! We hurried into the ambulance and one guy plastered leads all over my chest and jabbed a giant IV into my arm as the other flew down the road. I felt about three shakes of a lamb's tail away from from a heart attack or cardiac arrest or I-don't-know-what, when "it" hit me:

I had to pee. BAD! Here's how it went from there:

Me: Oh crap...Phil, I have really, REALLY got to go to the bathroom...

Phil: (looking nervous and embarrassed, fiddling wit the EKG machine)) "Ummmmmmm...do you think you can hold it for 10 more minutes?" (now looking hopeful)

Me: "Yeah right! I don't think I can make it one more minute!" (Shooting down the street, strapped to a stretcher)

Phil: (still nervous) "Hang on...." (Goes to consult with driver in whispers, then returning to me, he says) "Okay, you have two options...You can either go in a bed pan in here.....(blush, blush) or we can sneak you into a gas station bathroom."

Me: "Whichever...Just hurry!" (I had downed a huge amount of ice water before calling 911 to try to stop the SVT and it hit me all at once--I would have peed into just about anything if they'd told me to at that point.)

Phil goes back to whisper with Dave for a while (my fingers--and legs!--crossed) before I see that we're pulling into a BP station. (Praise the Lord!) Phil unstrapped me, made me swear I'd never tell anyone he let me do this (snicker, snicker) and then let me run into the disgusting outdoor bathroom before I could embarrass myself further. My giant IV was firmly in place and I was BAREFOOT to boot (I kid you not--Andy forgot to bring my shoes when I asked him to!) I hovered oh-so-carefully over the toilet, gagging at the thought of what was probably on the bottoms of my feet by then (not yet thinking about what would soon be on my feet in the doubly nasty hospital bathroom...gag, retch), finished my bid-ness, and darted back out to the ambulance while twenty people stared at us blankly. The three of us were cracking up...but the party had to end sometime, so we hopped back in our phat ride and drove to the hospital. Like a true (crazy) blogger, I so wish I'd thought to bring a camera with me! ;o)

After hours and hours and HOURS of waiting in the hospital hallway, I finally got to see a doctor. Even though they missed the major episode of palpitations, he did see a little thing that was "off" on my EKG that might signify an electrical problem with my heart (super DUPER!), but my blood work looked better than it did on Sunday (when I was ALSO in the dang hospital!!) so that's something positive. I have been having the same problem since I've been home, so you guys remember to pray for me (pretty please, with a cherry on top?? :oD *batting eyelashes*).

Alright, that's enough for the evening. I am going to go Lysol my feet and burn my socks...Bleehhhhhhh!

UGH!

2008-11-11T15:22:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but I am not enjoying this daylight savings business!! I don't know if it's because they waited until later in the year than usual to change clocks or what, but I am really messed up this year. It's six o'clock pm right now--pitch black dark outside--and I can barely keep my eyes open. A couple of days ago, I gave in and laid down for a nap around this time, but of course then I was up all night (when everyone else was sleeping peacefully), tossing and turning. I felt hung over when I woke up.

It should not be this dark at six o'clock! Hmph!

One Last Thing In Light of the Election

2008-11-06T19:50:00.000-08:00

I read a very profound blog post tonight and since it really could have been written by me (someone always beats me to the punch!), I decided to post it here. I had a very hard time on election day because I really do try to see the good in everyone and everything...Not in a shiny-happy- people-holding hands kind of way...I just always have to dig beyond the surface of a story, a person, a claim to see if all the details match up before I form my opinion. I acknowledge that rumors are easy to spread and that anything we read or hear or see could be completely fabricated for one motive or another and, for that reason, I was (and still am)slow to criticize the presidential candidates. This made making a decision on who to vote for harder than it should have been.

As I wrote in the previous post, I really was touched on election night, moved by the tears and cheering. I had the same hope for America welling in my chest that everyone else had...Change seems so refreshing right now! HOWEVER, some of the changes that might take place are not ones I find to be good ones (to say the least). After the drama of election night was over, this thought washed over me again and again. I want to hop on the Obama train like everyone else seems to be, but nothing can shake the dread that has settled in the pit of my stomach, dread churned up by having a president elect who is as pro-abortion as Barack Obama is. Read this blog post by Jennifer Fuhlweiler and you might understand better where I'm coming from. Tell me what you think. It is an interesting perspective on a difficult subject.

I don't usually like to post on such controversial topics here, and I never mean to judge or offend anyone, but this one is so close to my heart that I wouldn't be representing my true self if I didn't at least mention it.

There. The elephant is out of the room! :o)

Check out the Freedom of Choice Act Here.

America Has Spoken

2008-11-05T09:29:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama will be our next president.

Whether you supported him in this election or not, it was pretty hard to watch everything play out last night without feeling inspired on some level. I personally, had never witnessed anything like it in my life: the tears of happiness, the shouts of joy, people of every race and age and class joining together in one place to witness a change that they all worked for...It was pretty amazing from where I was sitting. In the end of things, I (ironically) think that John McCain's concession speech summed it up the best:

"My friends, we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly. A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Sen. Barack Obama — to congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.

In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans, who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president, is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.

I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Sen. Obama believes that, too. But we both recognize that though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.

A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to visit — to dine at the White House — was taken as an outrage in many quarters. America today is a world away from the cruel and prideful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States. Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

Sen. Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day — though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her Creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.

Sen. Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain. These are difficult times for our country, and I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our goodwill and earnest effort to find ways to come together, to find the necessary compromises, to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

It is natural tonight to feel some disappointment, but tomorrow we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought — we fought as hard as we could.

And though we fell short, the failure is mine, not yours...

I don't know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I'll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I'm sure I made my share of them. But I won't spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been.

This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life. And my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Sen. Obama and my old friend, Sen. Joe Biden, should have the honor of leading us for the next four years.

I would not be an American worthy of the name, should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century. Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone and I thank the people of Arizona for it.

Tonight — tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Sen. Obama, I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president.

And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties but to believe always in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.

Americans never quit. We never surrender. We never hide from history. We make history. Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America."

Last night, we watched history being made in a way we may never witness again in our lifetime.

For the people who prayed with all of their might that Barack would win, last night was one of those blessed nights where your desires and God's will lined up perfectly. For those who were praying for a McCain victory, last night was a good reminder that sometimes God's will is not our own and that an answered prayer doesn't always yield a "yes". One thing is for sure for those of us who leaned heavily on our spirituality in this race: God doesn't make mistakes. We need to keep hoping and praying and working together for the greater good of the country and ultimately our world.

That's all that needs to be said today, in my humble opinion. :o)

Congratulations, Barack Obama. Bring us some good out of this giant mess.

VOTE!!!!!!!!

2008-11-03T17:37:00.000-08:00

In a nutshell, by Stacey.

This Cracked Me Up!

2008-11-03T09:35:00.000-08:00

I found it over at the Conversion Diary Blog:

"Speaking of Halloween and elections, I think I heard about the most clever costume ever: a friend's nephew dressed in a t-shirt that said POLLSTER, and then carried an Obama bag and a McCain bag, and people could choose which one they put candy in. He evidently got a really impressive haul of candy from people who expressed their emotions about this election by dumping handfuls of goodies into their candidate's bag.

(At the lunch where this story was recounted the floodgates were opened for wry comments about the Obama supporters taking candy from his bag to give to the kids who didn't want to trick-or-treat, or McCain supporters telling him to stop asking for handouts and go earn his own candy. As you can imagine, the witticisms abounded.)"

Tell me it wasn't a brilliant idea? I am so jealous!

You Know You Live in the South When....

2008-11-02T12:12:00.000-08:00

...You See Signs Like These While Driving Down the Road:

More Weekend Excitement

2008-11-01T19:31:00.000-07:00

We have been busy as bees this weekend!! Phew! Last night we had all of the trick-or-treating excitement and today we went to a barbecue at our next-door neighbors' house. We had the BEST time!!! These people have a smokehouse in their backyard so we had homemade barbecue & ribs. They also made fried turkey (something I had never tried before, can you believe that? The world sucks when you're allergic to peanuts!) and all of the neighbors in the cul-de-sac came and brought a side dish. We stuffed ourselves (to that uncomfortable point) on macaroni and cheese, onion rings, hush puppies, baked beans and corn souffle...YUM! It was the best food I have had in a long time! They lit a bonfire and put the Clemson and Carolina games on t.v. while all of the kids ran from yard to yard, playing as hard as they could. It was so much fun! When we got home tonight, Landon told us wistfully that it was the best party he had ever been to (even in the absence of cake and ice cream) (and even though he got whacked in the face with a flashlight during a game of "Hunter" (don't ask...)and went home with a bloody lip....) ;o) Now, here is another overload of random pictures for you guys--I'll slow down soon, but since I FINALLY have my camera back after months of not having it, I have a lot to get out of my system!

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T17:33:00.001-07:00

One of the displays at the end of the cul-de-sac

Hanging out with the neighbors

Landon and me

Speed Racer Trick-or-Treats (at our house) ;o)

Landon hanging out with his buddies

And now....."Post-Candy Landon" (God help us...)

Fake smile

Stopping for a quick sandwich...

Checking out the loot!

The fire pit where the kids roasted marshmallows

And more post-candy shots ;o)....

Click here for last year's Halloween post :o)

Nice Costume, Mom!

2008-10-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

I'll only tell you the story if you promise not to laugh....My mom was running to her Bible study class at her church (literally running) when something caught her attention. She turned to look at whatever it was (still running) and smacked into a concrete post. She hit it so hard that she almost knocked herself out and now she has this gorgeous black eye just in time for Halloween--Hee hee hee!

Monkeying Around With Nana

2008-10-29T14:24:00.000-07:00

Gotta love cheap entertainment! Shortly after recording this video, Landon bit the dust...LITERALLY! He fell off of his ghetto rope swing and got a huge mouthful of dirt! (My mom would probably appreciate me also telling you that she went home before this happened--ha ha ha--it was strangely not a result of her grabbing his leg while he hung on to a stick!) :oD

PS) Words of a wise parent: "Is that a dangerous game you're playing? No? Well, show us again!"...Yeeaahhhhhh, cameras are a bad influence. *blush*

Varicella in the House!

2008-10-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Well...It happened. Every non-vaccinating parent's nightmare: One of the diseases seems to have caught up with us. BUT...this cloud might just have a silver lining (fingers crossed!!!). You see, Landon's rash isn't the typical varicella rash (fluid-filled blisters that eventually scab over)--It looks more like flat little insect bites. It also doesn't seem to be itching!!! He's a little tired, but he's not suffering the typical chickenpox fever and horrible chickenpox misery.

Chickenpox did cross my mind as a possibility, but it didn't seem likely--I still remember my own case of chickenpox like it was yesterday and it was 1987!!! (Can you say "NIGHTMARE"??!!) It wasn't until after a blood test at the pediatrician's office confirmed it that I could really believe the diagnosis. Apparently, Landon (ironically) caught this from a vaccinated kid who happened to get a milder ("breakthrough") form of the disease. Here's the great part: The breakthrough form of the virus still offers the same lifetime immunity as the "real thing". This would not be the case if we had vaccinated him.

Pray that the virus really is just a mild form and that there are no complications further down the road.

As for you other non-vaxxers: Chickenpox party anyone? ;o)

Dr. Landon and His Very Loud Mother

2008-10-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

Here's a crappy cell phone video for you...(Just trying it out to see if it would work). You can't even understand what Landon's saying, but now that I know how to do this, it might be video overload! Muhahaha!

Listen to Me on the Radio Tomorrow!!

2008-10-22T13:55:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow night from 9-10 pm (EST), my brother, John, and I (and a couple of other people will be guests on the Catholic radio program NextWave Live. The topic of discussion will be the five non-negotiables for Catholic voters--My topic is pretty hefty: abortion. I might sound like a moron, but tune in anyway! You can listen live at the EWTN website. Let me what you think! :o)

Is It Just Me (and Andy)...

2008-10-19T21:57:00.001-07:00

...Or is this FUNNY?! Ha ha ha ha!

Maybe you have to work in this field to see the humor? ;o)

Congratulations Nick and Jessica!!

2008-10-19T21:13:00.000-07:00

Our friends Nick and Jessica got married this weekend, but since the few pictures I managed to sneak before my camera's battery died were awful and unflattering, I opted not to post them (Jessica would have kicked my butt). Instead, you get to view a rare phenomenon: My husband and I in a photograph together...This never happens. Enjoy!

One HAS To Ask....

2008-10-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Why does he look so darn proud?

...Because he's holding the one and only "Walter the Farting Dog" (Yes, Walter really does make farting noises--Joy of Joys!) I mean, come on, what else could bring such pride to a three year old?

*Its probably good that he's practicing living in a cardboard box--That's where we're going to be living if Andy stays in the mortgage business much longer!!!*

Say What???

2008-10-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

So, I went to see Dr. Flechas this afternoon...and I almost don't know what to say.

I expected to go there and have one of two things happen: 1.) Walk in, tick off my ever-growing list of crazy symptoms and get the raised-eyebrow look and head scratch that I usually get from doctors or 2.) Find out that I have some simple problems that only seemed big, but in the end of the day were easy to fix. What actually happened is that he gave me a very thorough physical examination, asked me tons of questions, and while he did give me a few raised-eyebrow looks, he did not send me away without answers. He told me that he thought I had an iodine deficiency (fine), talked about treating my thyroid and all of that jazz (no big surprises there). He then went on to tell me that my problem was more serious than what he had originally anticipated when I came in and that he thinks I am having some spinal chord compression. It was all well and good as far as I was concerned until he mentioned the urologist, cardiologist and NEUROSURGEON I'd be visiting over the next few weeks. *gasp* Yes, people, that's right--If I have the kind of problem he thinks I have, then I will be having brain surgery. I have to say I didn't see that one coming (even in my over-active imagination). In fact, I was still busy worrying about the catheter ablation they wanted to do on my heart!

This is all preliminary, of course. I still have to get my brain and c-spine MRI results to him for him to analyze. I still have to wait for blood test results to get the full picture of how my body is functioning. I'm going back to Dr. Flechas in a month, so keep those prayers cranking!

Some of you might be wondering how I'm dealing with all of this new information (especially the people who know how much I worry about even the small things). You know what? I'm actually okay. Not great, mind you, but "okay". I had three or four crying jags as it all sank in (oh, and two more while I was still at the doctor's office--hee hee!), but I have been praying a lot (it sucks that stuff like this is what draws us closer to God--Blah!!)and I can't help but notice that even the way I found Dr. Flechas is too strange to be a coincidence. I really feel deep down that I went to him for a reason. I think the timing had a reason, too--God is doing something here--I am just not sure what right now. Part of me (the part that had just settled itself on the fact that I must have a progressive, degenerative nerve disease) is almost relieved by this news. Its kind of like how happy I got when I found out I had Hashimoto's Disease--Not exactly super news, but better than some other options we were considering at the time! If the problem this doctor thinks I have actually exists, then I can go to a neurosurgeon (yee haw.) and have two little tonsils removed from my cerebellum and possibly be cured. I can't even imagine life without fainting spells and muscle spasms, weakness and fatigue (or at least the constant fear of when a new flare-up could occur). It could be fixable. Not pleasant per se, but FIXABLE--Some things aren't. Andy told me that maybe this is God saying, "Here is an answer, but you're going to have to trust me"...

TRUST.

He had to teach a lesson in my hardest subject, didn't He?

*sigh*

Well, it is what it is. We'll see what happens! :o) That's all I've got for tonight!

I'm a Postin' Fool Tonight!

2008-10-13T20:48:00.000-07:00

Alright, you guys, I need you to send up some prayers for me tomorrow. I screwed up my calendar for the month and realized tonight that I have a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon at 1:30 an hour away. I thought I had a few more days to think about it and get ready for it...but no such luck!

I don't know why I'm so freaked out about going--I have been waiting anxiously for this appointment for over two miserable months! I can't believe I almost missed it! Pray that everything goes well and that this guy will be the person to figure out what the heck is wrong with me! (Oh--AND that it is something curable!)

Merci beaucoup!

:o)

Why I'm Frantic, In a Nutshell

2008-10-13T20:31:00.000-07:00

No, THIS is me, frantic in a nutshell: "Help! I'm frantic. And I'm in a nutshell!!"....This Austin Powers moment was brought to you by Jennifer Pfaffl. (Applause, Applause)

Now that I'm through acting like a complete dork, I shall get on with my list:

(drumroll please...)

I am frantic because:

A. After Landon was playing with three of his neighborhood friends for about an hour, their mom announced that their daughter had been sick with diarrhea, a bad cough and a 104 degree fever for three days. Could be rotovirus, but they're not sure, she said. Hmmm. (When she made this announcement, Landon was riding around in a truck with this little girl)

B. Fast forward one day. Two other kids dropped by to see Landon when THEIR mom announced to me that their little boy also had a high fever (he'd been playing with the sick kid, too) and that they'd spent the previous night in the emergency room. Great.

C. Today, the mom of the first sick kid yelled from across the street that she hoped they didn't pass any of their germs to us because all THREE of their kids actually have strep throat and one might have scarlet fever (!!!!!!)

D. Now Landon is cranky, having diarrhea (not bad though, thank the Lord) and he's been telling me his teeth hurt, which always, always means he has a sore throat. Dang it!

Moral of this story: People of the cul-de-sac, I love you all dearly. I might even make soup for you tomorrow....but for the love of Pete, please, please, PLEASE keep the kids inside when they're that sick....Or at least warn a poor mom before she tosses her three year old in the mix. Hmph!

Helllllo, Fall!

There Goes Speed Racer

2008-10-13T16:56:00.000-07:00

My sister (who TOTALLY spoils my son!) bought Landon his first "real" bike! He zooms around the cul-de-sac, demanding that everyone call him "Speed". He, of course had to get a Speed Racer costume for Halloween, but he's worn it so many times (to show off on his bike) that now he said he needs a different costume for Halloween. His Speed Racer get-up is not a costume, you see. Its just that when you're speed Racer, you have to wear a Speed Racer outfit...and what "Speed" is going to be for Halloween is actually Spiderman. Hmmmmmmmmmm. We'll see who wins this one!

Getting Ready For Halloween

2008-10-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

A Day With Pop-Pop

2008-10-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

I remember how much I LOVED to go to my grandmother's house when I was little and I have always wished that Landon would grow up to feel the same way about his grandparents. Yesterday, Andy went to Columbia, so Landon and I went to my dad's house for the day. It reminded me so much of those great days I used to spend at my grandma's house as a kid. My dad flew kites with Landon and Ben. Then the three of them watered the garden, checked the grapevine for grapes, picked apples from their apple tree...They did science experiments on the back driveway with vinegar and baking soda and bubble solution. We had a big dinner of Diana's delicious chicken and rice soup and homemade bread and went home stuffed and exhausted and happy. Is there anything better than seeing your kid smile that special smile that says they know they're loved and they're having the time of their life? Its funny how little it really takes to put that smile on their faces...Its food for thought. :o)

TEN YEARS???!!!

2008-10-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to my ten year high school reunion..WEIRD! Usually, I'll see one or two people I went to school with, but (WHEW!) its overwhelming when there are a hundred or more people in one room at one time...A hundred people to catch up with, spouses to meet, kid pictures to swap...Having Facebook and MySpace helps--I got some work done ahead of time, but I was still EXHAUSTED by the end of the night! (Not that it takes much to exhaust me these days!! :o) It was so weird to hug someone I used to be friends with, ask them if they were still living here in town, and hear something like, "No. I lived in Dallas for five years and then moved to New York where I've been for the last five years." It feels like we were all hanging out yesterday...like everything should still be the same and nothing is! :o) I guess we're getting old now! ;o)

Anyways, it was fun seeing everyone!

I'm a Meme-a-holic!

2008-09-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Book Meme

Okay, here's what to do:

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your journal along with these instructions.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
* Tag five other people to do the same.

If debugging is turned off, send the message in an email and print a default message.

"When we met Martha, we told her that her doctor may have been giving her appropriate treatment, but there were still many unanswered questions. Why had she developed symptoms like those of Parkinson's? Was there anything else we could do to address these possible causes? The only way to know would be through tests."

Yes, intriguing! I had to have a medical book plastered to my hip, you know! Ultraprevention really is a good one, though! :o)

I tag the five people who read my blog.

*TAG!*

I'm Stealing This One, Dang It!

2008-09-25T17:40:00.001-07:00

Nobody tags me anymore because I'm such a crappy blogger..so I'm piggybackin' on this one--Woo Hoo!!

Me and My First Baby MEME

1.Were you married at the time? Yup. For almost one year.

2. What were your reactions when you found out you were pregnant? I was amazed and scared to death...I think I had that "I'm on a roller coaster that I put myself on and now its too late to get off!!" feeling.

3. How old were you? 24

4. How did you find out you were pregnant? I peed on a stick.

5. Who did you tell first? told my friend, Amy...then Kelly...then Nancy....THEN Andy (ha ha ha!) I wanted to surprise him, but I needed to vent before then :o)

6. Did you want to find out the sex? Heck yeah! I told everyone that I "needed" to know so I could "paint the nursery"--Well, I found out, alright, but I painted the nursery beige and then didn't use the nursery... :o)

7. Due date: May 28, 2005

8. Did you deliver early or late? I delivered one week early, when the doctor decided that Landon needed to come out (I was naive and stupid and went along with it)

9. Did you have morning sickness? Oh YES, I had morning sickness, evening sickness, and every other kind of sickness in between (!!) for about five months--blehhh! Weird things made me sick like an azalea bush by our front porch and a couch we had just bought that we wound up having to give away to my grandma

10. What did you crave? Pizza and (I have to go all "Stereotypical Pregnant Lady on you now) ice cream

11. Who irritated you the most? Ooh--We could be here for a while on this one--I think everyone around me made it onto this list at some point in time...but my doctor topped the list fo sho!

12. What was your first child's sex? Male. And he showed it off proudly on our ultrasound tapes, too, honey!

13. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? (Andrea: "Moo"...me, too, sister!) I think I gained OVER 50 lbs. by the end. My family thought it was hilarious! I kept running into things and tripping b/c I kept forgetting I wasn't my old size

14. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Ahhh, just the usual...high blood pressure, preterm labor, bedrest, broken tailbone, bad rip...you know, same ole same ole! ;o)

15. Where did you give birth? At the nasty staph infested hospital--Blah! At least my sweet Aunt Mary got to be my nurse :)

16. How many hours were you in labor? How many hours are there in 15 weeks? LOL!

17. Who drove you to the hospital? I did! And I put on makeup on the way like a crazy person (it was one in the morning....I've got issues)

18. Who watched? Andy, Kelly, my mom, and the nurse (oh, and the camcorder--can't forget that!...No, really, I can't forget about it...shiver, shiver)

19. I was about to say "The Fun Way", but I guess there IS no fun way as far as new life is concerned)--vaginal (I know I am a midde scholer at heat, but I hate that word..."Vagina"...Blehh!)

20. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Yes and I am still mad that I caved!! They talk me into an epidural that I didn't even feel like I needed and now my back is all screwed up. Thanks.

21. How much did your child weigh? 7 lbs. 7 oz.

22. What did you name him/her? John Landon

23. How old is your first born today? Free yeers old.

Tag five mommies:

Everyone has already been tagged...Hmm...Hey, Kim, wanna participate? Stacey? Anyone?

Nothing Like a Meme to Getcha Bloggin' Again!

2008-09-25T17:27:00.000-07:00

Just One Word

You can only type ONE Word! Not as easy as you might think. It's really hard to only use one-word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? Andy
2. Where is your significant other? Asleep
3. Your hair? Ew.
4. Your mother? Helpful
5. Your father? Smart
6. Your favorite thing? Family
7. Your dream last night? Doctor :o) (are you curious?) Hee hee!
8. Your dream/goal? Health
9 The room you're in? Living Room
10. Your hobby? Photography
11. Your fear? Illness
12. What do you want to be in 6 years? Mother
13. Where were you last night? Dad's
14. What you're not? Quiet
16. One of your wish list items? Camcorder
17. Where you grew up? South
18. The last thing you did? Library
19. What are you wearing? Brown
21. Your TV? Off
22. Your pet? Dogs
23. Your computer? Broken
24. Your mood? Calm
25. Missing someone? Always
26. Your car? GAS!!!!
27. Something you're not wearing? Helmet :o)
28. Favorite store? Emily Austin
29. Your summer? over
30. Love someone? absolutely!
31. Your favorite color? changes
32. When is the last time you laughed? today
33. Last time you cried? yesterday
34. Who will resend this? nobody? :oD

Going Back in Time a Little....

2008-09-17T21:17:00.002-07:00

Since I have been the worst blogger in all of history for the last couple of months, I thought I'd fill in some of the blanks with a couple of journal entries from my "absence" (read: living in a bubble)

August 10th, 2008

"Ahhh--I had another "adventure" today with my health...I'm actually just settling back in at home after being in the ER all afternoon! It has been the strangest day! We all know I haven't been feeling well (I think I've made that pretty clear lately)-Today, though, I really, really, REALLY didn't feel well. I went shopping at Whole Foods with Andy to find some gluten free, dairy free food that I can eat and the whole time I was there, I kept feeling like I was going to just-POOF!-pass out on the floor. It came on suddenly and just kept getting worse, so I went to sit out in the car. I thought being outside would help, but it didn't. I tried driving around the parking lot, first with the A/C going full blast, then with the windows rolled down--Still nothing helped. I prayed over and over, begging (sometimes loudly) for God to help me. I kept feeling like I was spinning, dizzy, confused and nauseated. It was absolutely terrifying! My heart was going nuts like it always does...I finally called Dr. Fields. I described what was going on as best as I could and she promptly recommended me to go to the hospital to be checked out...So, I did. Without delay."

At The Hospital:

When I got there, the waiting room was filled with the obligatory cold and flu sufferers, a few people with disposable puke bins in their laps and several others who looked like they were there to hang out. I was a wreck--It didn't help to think I might come in with one problem and leave with a multitude of worse ones. ANYWAYS, (God protect me) they called my name before too long, took my temperature and blood pressure and, after asking me a few questions about my medical history, announced, "Well, it looks like you're in Afib."----Can I just tell you that at that moment, I entered my own personal nightmare! Afib, Afib, Afib...My mind raced with all of the comments my mom had made about how terrible and deadly the condition is---about how she'd be fine with suffering anything if only not that...I thought about my aunt, my mom's uncle, my cousin...all with the dreaded Afib...and now the ugly words were being directed at me on this innocent Sunday afternoon. I was sure I was going to die. They wheeled me to the hallway of the ER rooms, then transferred me to the chest pain center where they took blood samples and hooked me up to all kinds of monitors. At one point, my heart rate was 120 BPM just sitting there! My mom (fresh off of a plane from Mexico) came with my step-dad, her nose shining bright red from crying in the car. I was more scared after seeing that...But I have to say that even though I was scared, I know my prayers (and my family's prayers --Bless their hearts!) were heard. The staff was wonderful. I was never left alone, wondering if anyone was ever going to help me. The man who took my blood told me jokes and made me feel comfortable, even as my blood leaked all over the bed and down my arm. The nurses were all great, too, answering my paranoid questions about air bubbles in IV tubes with all of the patience I could ask for. It was a nice change from previous hospital experiences, yet it was the scariest thing I'd ever been there for. I was there for several hours, hooked up to heart, oxygen, and blood pressure monitors and after blood test results were read and chest x-rays were examined (nice cheap visit to the hospital!), I was free to go.

A Clue?

Would you believe that my blood work all came back normal (even my thyroid!!!) EXCEPT my blood glucose level--It was 144!! What the heck, right?! I went in for heart issues (which I will find out more about this week when I go to the arrhythmia specialist) and came out with a possible case of DIABETES...Whaaaat?! That really threw me for a loop! DIABETES?! Could it be?! Could it have been diabetes this whole time? All these years of sickness because no one thought to check my blood sugar? Surely not...But my heart was staying normal through all of my dizzy spells, so maybe...MAYBE we have found an answer? How strange! When I heard my glucose levels were high, I tried thinking back to when I felt the "weirdest"---Once at mom's after drinking two glasses of orange soda, I had felt like I was going to die, if not from the dizziness, then from the horrible nausea. We had tested my blood sugar on my step-dad's machine and it registered in the 140s then, too! We had thought at the time that the machine had messed up. (DIABETES?!) The other day, I felt extremely ill--I thought it was from eating wheat and dairy from a peach and blueberry cobbler I made...could it have been the sugar??? Today could a big glass of orange juice, combined with not eating have sent my glucose levels through the roof??? Its food for thought. Maybe I've found the starting point for getting better.....

Anyways, I am at home now--thanking God with all of my might that I didn't have to stay there--didn't have to die there. I am home with Andy and Landon, my whole family is praying for me...I am blessed. ABUNDANTLY.

Thank you, God!"

Finally!! A Diagnosis!!

2008-09-05T12:54:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't kept you guys very well updated on what's been going on with me and I hate popping by for another quick update, but until I get my computer back, this is all I can do :o(....I just wanted to let you all know that my wonderful OB/Gyn called me this afternoon with the blood test results I've been waiting for and I feel like I am FINALLY getting somewhere with all of this. I found out today that I have Hashimoto's Disease. I don't know anything about it right now other than it is an autoimmune disease where your body creates antibodies that attack and try to kill your thyroid (great, right?) I have been wondering if I had this disease since my thyroid started acting up almost TEN YEARS AGO!!! All it takes to diagnose this disease is a simple one-time blood test and I have never been able to get a doctor to do it for me until now. I should be really upset to find out I have a disease, but instead, I am relieved to finally have some answers. When I feel sick now, I can say, "Hey, its my Hashimoto's bothering me again!" instead of "Crap, I bet I have cancer!" It really does help. Beyond the Hashimoto's, she also found out that my Vitamin D levels are really low (about one fourth of what they should be) so now I have to take 6,000 iu/day of Vitamin D3 to catch up (yes, I said 6,000--that wasn't a type-O :o) I am soooo ready to start feeling better. I am supposed to start treatment for all of this beginning next week. Please keep the prayers coming! They are definitely working!

I'mm off to the arrhythmia specialist about my heart palpitations on the 15th--I was really scared (and I'm still not totally at peace with the whole situation), but Dr. Collins told me my crazy thyroid and my low Vitamin D levels can be making a mountain out of a mole hill as far as my heart problems go. Those issues could be causing the arrhythmias (or at least exacerbating the problem)---I hope and pray its "just" that and not what my mom has so that I don't have to have the ablation done (shiver, shiver!) That whole procedure creeps me out!

ANYWAYS, sorry to be flying in and out of here with nothing but updates on my health. I have been keeping a journal again so I'll have plenty of funny stories and interesting Landon-isms to report as soon as I get through all of this stress (and get my darn computer!!!). I miss my bloggy friends sooo much! You're all in my thoughts and prayers (lots of those lately, so be ready for good things to come your way!)

THANK YOU!!!!

2008-08-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

I am FINALLY getting to a computer to write a new post!!! My lap top has seen its last days (Fisher Price piecew of crap), so its going to be touch-and-go with blogging for a little while (and yes I am going through withdrawals). I just wanted to pop in and thank all of you who have been praying for me and sending well wishes--You are all amazing!!! You have no idea how much its meant to me!

I went to see a new cardiologist this afternoon and he is setting me up with a 30-day event monitor to see if he can catch what's going on. In the middle of September, they are going to make me do a stress test (where they make you run on a treadmill and then do an ultrasound on your heart---Good times.) :o) In the mean time, I am trying not to be all neurotic, worrying about every tiny thing that feels weird or different (and not off to a very good start--Ha!). The cardiologist seemed concerned because of my mom's heart issues, but he told me the chances of me having something that's actually life-threatening is slim to none (Heck yeah!! Keep those prayers coming!!)

I will fill in more details later (especially for those of you who are sitting there going, "What the crap? She's sick???") but I'll leave this as a quick update for now.

Thank you all again so very, very much for everything!!! You brought tears to my eyes!

Can I Just Say...

2008-08-06T18:37:00.000-07:00

I HATE blog comment fights---UGH! I hate 'em! Oh well, I am proud of my new nickname that came out of the spat: "The Shrew"...Has a nice ring to it.

My Little Picasso

2008-08-06T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is Landon's latest creation. He came running to me and said he had to show me something AMAZING....Here it is! This is a portrait of our whole family: Me on the left (washing dishes because that is what I LOVE to do, according to Landon), Landon in the middle with his arm reaching up the nest with our five baby birds--Andy on the right, and our two dogs in the bottom left corner--Cute, Cute, Cute!

Looks Like They Need to Upgrade!

2008-08-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Question

2008-08-04T20:28:00.000-07:00

For those of my readers who are married (ESPECIALLY if you have children): Do you and your spouse go out for dates regularly? If so, what kind of things do you do together? Do you hire baby-sitters or leave the kid(s) with relatives? Do you think going out for dates is important for a healthy relationship or that spending time alone on a regular basis is underrated? And finally, is money a factor for you in this issue?

Just wondering!

"Are You There, God? Its me, Landon"

2008-08-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Introducing God to Landon on a small scale has been pretty simple. He recognizes images of Jesus and knows several prayers. He prays for me when I'm upset ("Please, Dodd, Pleeeease help Mommy feel better!") and understands that God is out there somewhere....but over the last couple of weeks, I have started seeing how confusing the whole thing can be for a little guy to grasp (and for Mom to explain).

A few days ago, Landon was talking to me about about my Grandma's old crucifix that is hanging on my bedroom wall and I said )something to the effect of, "That's Jesus. He made us." (and after a brief look of disbelief from Landon that the tiny man on our wall was this "Jesus" guy...) I went on to say, "Well THAT isn't Jesus...Jesus is in Heaven. That is just a statue of Jesus, blah, blah, ramble, blah." He kept giving me this, "Mmmhmm, yeah, sure." look and I decided to save that topic for another day.

Another day, before taking a bath in my bathroom, we passed the crucifix again and Landon said, "That's Jesus! It's a statue of Jesus." I patted him on the back for spouting the correct answer (and patted myself on the back for getting through to him) when he turned to me and asked, "What is Jesus' last name, Mommy?"

Errrr....Hmph! ;o)

Anyway, we were sitting in church today and Landon was starting to get that cheeky look on his face (the one that says, "Okay, I'm done.") His legs and arms couldn't stop wiggling--He was sticking his tongue in and out of his mouth and making little noises to amuse himself. I tried leaning across Andy to "mom-hiss" a threatening message in his direction--Didn't deter him at all. Then I tried playing Good Cop and talking sweetly to him, telling him how good I knew he could be, he's my big, big boy, big boys are good in church, etc.....He simply told me that he wasn't really that big. He was still kind of little, actually. This was no amateur I was dealing with. This was a quick and cunning three-year-old. After a few more feeble attempts to get him to calm down, I used the (dreaded and annoying) last resort tactic of bribery: "If you're so, so good, maybe we can go to the playground after church is over!" That just made him restless to go to the playground at that very moment. Not good. I looked at my son, crawling all over the pew and grinning that Dennis the Menace grin and told him that we were in God's house and that God was watching him so he better behave. His little blond head jerked up, immediately at attention. His body was completely still as curious blue eyes darted around the church. Up to the choir loft, back at the altar, behind us near the Baptismal font...I could see the wheels in his head turning. He was finally going to get a peek at this "God" character! After scouring the room for God's watchful (albeit disapproving...according to Mom) gaze for a few minutes, he looked at me like I had played a joke on him ("I don't see God anywhere!") and went back to his shenanigans. We wound up in the choir room. :o)

Teaching Spirituality: Job #4,129,863 of Motherhood. Whew!

Arte Y Pico

2008-08-03T11:09:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure how the crap this happened, but I won a bloggy award! Ah, yes, Mandy at Life's About a Dream
gave my blog the Arte Y Pico Award (and I know she has good taste, so I can't figure it out!...But I ACCEPT!) ;o) Anyways, THANK YOU Mandy for buttering me up this fine, fine, award-winning day! I am going to pass the torch to five of my favorite blogs now (drumroll please!):

Stacey at Housewife in FlipFlops

Sharon at The Bird's Nest

Kim at The Falcon's Nest

Sunday at La Vita e Bella

Sue at Mediocre Girl

(There are so many others I love--Just click through my blogroll for some good readin'! A few of my favorites have already been given the award, so I skipped them to be fair :o)
Check them out!

If you're given this award, pass it on!

Here are the rules:

1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog by so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the “Arte y pico” blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules.

Quick Update

2008-08-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry its been so long since I've posted anything worth reading! I've been quite the Phantom Blogger, lurking around everyone else's blogs and not paying much time on my own! We have been swamped around here with so many random things and the days are just shooting by--Can you believe its AUGUST already?! Landon's been nursing a mini summer cold and playing the part of "Three Year Old" very well. (Those of you with three year olds will know what I mean...Those of you who have not made it to that stage of your lives yet: BEWARE!" ;oP

Andy is going CRAZY at work!! Ole GW just passed a law that ruined four of his loans (Think: $1,000,000 down the tube and $10,000 out of our own pocket). He had to call all four buyers and tell them, "Hey, guess what! You don't get to have the house you were just about to move in to! Hooray for all of us!" The housing business is going downhill fast and I'm wondering how much longer Andy can deal with the feast or famine scenario. To be continued...

Let's see...what else? Ah, yes. I'm starting to see a new internal medicine spaecialist who thinks all of my "issues" are stemming from Adrenal Gland Fatigue and she wants me to stop eating dairy and wheat products for a YEAR (!!!) among other super fun things! Wish me luck with that one (and thank God the food allergies pregnancy brought on have already turned me into a major label checker--I'm going to be needing that talent now!) *sigh* I guess it'll all be worth it if I can start to feel "normal" again.

Last, but not least is that my mom is getting on a plane at 11:55 am tomorrow to go to a little town in Mexico for a mission trip. She is going alone (which is totally not like her!!) and I'm as worried about her as I am excited for her. She just started a new heart medicine today, too...So, any of you who have a spare moment, please send up a prayer for her safety :o) Thanks!!!!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and I will start working on posting more often!!

We Have BABIES!!!

2008-07-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

Hot Stuff

2008-07-21T07:29:00.001-07:00

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Our Latest Favorite Dinner

2008-07-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

Angel Hair Pasta Chicken

This is a really great dish when you want something simple, light and healthy for dinner...and its an easy recipe to adjust to your taste. (I, of course, add extra EVERYTHING!) Its even approved by Landon, which is a miracle of miracles these days. I'm surprised the child hasn't wasted away yet!

Check out the recipe here.

Andy's Results Are In!

2008-07-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

Almost everyone has been told at some time or another that they look like a celebrity. I can usually find someone to compare everyone I meet to! (Check out my "Celebrity Look-A-Likes" here, Sharon's and Patrick's here, Andrea's and Kurt's here) I just completed my professional analysis ;oP of Andy...Here are the results:

Chris Burke:

(Two people have told him this on random occasions--Today we checked it out and those people were RIGHT!! These two could totally be brothers! Does everyone remember Corky from Life Goes On? I used to love that show!)

Macaulay Culkin:

(He gets this all the time!)

Kevin Bacon:

(Seriously, watch a Kevin Bacon film and you won't be able to miss the resemblance!!)

Freddie Prinze Jr:

(Look past the dark hair)

Fun With Mr. Potato Head's Glasses

2008-07-17T23:04:00.000-07:00

Drunk Monkeys

2008-07-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

Two of my brothers came over tonight--You KNOW a You Tube raid had to happen! This was one of our favorites from tonight:

EGGS!

2008-07-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

The last few times I have watered my hanging basket on the front porch, a little bird has flown out in a fit of rage. I finally climbed up on a chair to see what was going on and saw a little nest! The plants in my hanging basket are dying quickly from the lack of water (I have to water them about 3 or 4 times a day to keep them looking healthy), but I can't bear the thought of running the Mama bird off by dumping water over her head several times a day. I guess we're just going to have to look like rednecks for a while with dead plants hanging all over our porch!

Yay! Eggs!

What's in Your Purse?

2008-07-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

I saw this on Andrea's blog and just had to participate! I have actually been thinking about this a lot lately.

It all began with a diaper bag...the slow dissent into the not-matching "un-stylish-ness" of the what-not-to-wear mom. I can't complain. I made the transition easily. I LOVED having a giant diaper bag to toss everything in to. Extra clothes for Landon (and me)? CHECK! Camera? CHECK! Enough food to feed small country? CHECK! Tissues, first aid kit, hand sanitizer, movie theater candy (hey, no one dares check a diaper bag!)? CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK! Ahhh, the abyss of the giant diaper bag! A world of endless possibilities! I could pack my life in and pull it back out as needed, more prepared than the best little girl scout. Need tweezers? Tape? stamps? I had it all! I would just start digging, pulling things out like it was Mary Poppins bottomless bag and we'd be in business! I could never get lost, thanks to the trail of things I would drop behind me everywhere I went...And if I ever did, I could live out of my diaper bag for at least a week until someone found me. But, my baby got so old that it became ridiculous to lug my bag-o-junk everywhere we went. I got brave and downsized. I began leaving the house (feeling quite naked) with one of Landon's tiny backpacks. Diaper? Check. Travel box of wipes? Check. Hand sanitizer? Check. Snack? Check. Giant yawn? Check!

THEN, it got even worse. I went down to having one of those storage-box-by-the-car seat numbers in the back seat of my car (that STAYED IN MY CAR--Eek!) filled with a few "just in case" items that a potty-training toddler might need in a toilet emergency. What about the other day-to-day emergencies? What if Landon were to pick chewed gum up off of the sidewalk again and I didn't have sanitizer? What if we were out somewhere and Landon spilled an entire bottle of water on himself? *sigh* I needed my lifeline to look like a put-together prepared mom, but there was no going back.

I now have nothing in tow but a tiny Matt and Nat wallet hanging from my key chain--Yes, its there wherever I go, hanging on for dear life...My little "In Denial Diaper Bag" jam-packed with all the receipts, bonus cards & loose change it can handle...And zoo and library member cards, pretty USELESS health insurance cards (that's a whole other blog post!) my license & usually even my cell phone to boot!--LOL!

What ever happened to the woman of a thousand trendy handbags from the days of yore?? She comes out occasionally for a girls' night on the town, but never without tattling on herself by pulling out an old cookie or Dora the Explorer Band-Aids or Speed Racer car at some point.

....And where are the telltale raisins and cracker crumbs the ever-present marks of pre-school motherhood, you ask? Have no fear--They have not disappeared. They have merely migrated...all over my car! (And sometimes right in my pockets--take your pick!).

Like the Smell of New Shower Curtains?

2008-07-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

How about the nice headache you get from it? :oP

I found this on the Nature Moms Blog and thought I'd pass the link on to all of you (especially to my readers who are parents).

If you don't feel like reading the blog post (it isn't very long though), just click here for a quick run down of what the warnings are.

Too-da-loo! :o)

"Hey, Mom, Do I Look Like Spiderman?"

2008-06-27T14:03:00.001-07:00

Note to self: Never turn your back....Not even for a minute.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

2008-06-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

Alright, people, listen to this: I saw this quiz on Sharon's and Crystal's blogs and I made Andy take it. Look what he scored!!! (And no I probably shouldn't be bragging about this!!) :o)

-13

As a 1930s husband, I am
Very Poor (Failure)

Take the test!

Now go make your husbands take the quiz and report back to headquarters so I can make fun of Andy.

Who Am I Anyway???

2008-06-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Something has been bugging me lately....I don't know how in the world to introduce myself anymore!! Anyone who grew up with me probably calls me "Jenny"....(except my little brother who calls me "Jennifer" and my little sister who calls me "Jen"). When I switched from a little private middle school to a big public high school, I got sick of telling everyone to call me "Jenny" so people who met me during high school or college know me as "Jennifer" (except those who became close to my family or old friends from childhood over the years...they call me Jenny"...see the confusion?). When I meet someone new, I have to rack my brain for the people who connect us and then decide in half a second what to call myself. Its been bad enough taking on a whole new last name...can't I at least get a break with my first name? Maybe I should revert back to being strictly "Jenny" and throw everyone (including my husband who has never once called me that) a big curve ball? Or I could go with the infamous Forrest Gump nickname of "Jen-nay" ("You can sit hee-uh if you want to, Jen-nay") that has never quite gone away since the movie came out FOURTEEN YEARS AGO (I mean COME ON people!). Or I could use this opportunity to completely change things up and go with something that would really get some tongues flapping like "Busty Hart" from Stacey's blog (or "Misty Mounds...hee hee hee--either way, I soooo miss the mark with that one!)....Hmm...its food for thought!

Update

2008-06-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

I didn't want to leave you all hanging after I announced I had gone to the emergency room fearing a blood clot...especially those of you who have been praying for me. (Thank you again for that!) The day after I went to the emergency room, I tried to use my little magic white paper to get in for an ultrasound as promised, but they couldn't get me in for two days. I was back where I started. So, I called my family doctor and asked them if they'd received my blood work from the hospital (which alone could have ruled out a blood clot). They told me they wouldn't have the results for 3-4 days (and yet, the nurse had wanted me to wait at the hospital for the results in the beginning...Right). I asked if they had called the radiologist yet to schedule an appointment for an ultrasound and they hadn't (as expected) so I asked if they could.....and--long story short(er)--I was at the vein specialist within forty-five minutes. Just before the ultrasound, I was really stressed out--partly due to the disasters I'd been watching on the weather channel while waiting for them to call my name, partly because of the sick people in wheelchairs around me (I was picturing being one of them), but mostly because I knew I couldn't possibly be imagining the pain that was going on in my leg and I so badly wanted that to be the case. The woman doing my scan (a doctor from Russia) was great, though. Most of the things she did to my leg hurt like the dickens, but she gave me better information and better explanations than anyone else who I'd seen about this problem. She did a very thorough exam--more detailed than the situation called for--and didn't see any signs of a DVT---HOORAY!!! She didn't even make me wait to hear that--She told me before she even forwarded the report on to my doctor! I was so relieved to find this out that I could have floated off of the floor. What a huge relief!!!

I wish this crappy pain would have disappeared with that DVT anxiety, but unfortunately, it's still here. I hope I can figure out what's going on...and that its not too serious (in the words of the lovely nurse practitioner!) The Russian lady recommended me to find a new doctor (she told me everything I had been through was badly managed an that some information I had been given was total crap), so maybe I'll start there. This is so exhausting, but the thing I feared the most has been ruled out--Praise the Lord for that! Thanks for your thoughts and prayers. I'll let you know how everything goes from here. I'm not even going to attempt to speculate at this point--LOL!

DEFINITELY Andy's Son

2008-06-17T20:58:00.000-07:00

Landon: "Mom, let's play Orange Seller." (I was eating an orange--He wanted it.)

Me: "How do you play Orange Seller?"

Landon: "You sell my Pterodactyl your orange."

Me: "Okay, Mr. Pterodactyl, this orange costs $3.56 per slice"

Landon: (Waving his Pterodactyl in front of the fruit) "Hmmm...Ummmmmm, no I don't think I'm going to buy that orange. That's too 'spensive." (very matter-of-fact)

Then he just walked away.

Pinky

2008-06-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

If this doesn't make you laugh, you can't be my friend. (PS: There's a bit o' profanity at the end for those of you who are sensitive about that...but he apologizes :o)

"He's a very loving cat."

Give Me a Break

2008-06-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

So, guess where I spent most of the night last night? The emergency room--Yaaay! It was super fun and suuuuper helpful!!! :o(

My leg pain got progressively worse over the weekend and I really started thinking it could be stupid to "wait it out" as per doctor's orders in the case that there might be a clot (and I'd already been told three times it might be a clot). I was tired of the quacky advice I'd been getting. I was tired of doctors telling me they were scheduling tests for me and never hearing from them again....Sitting disgruntled on my couch with my leg propped up, I finally decided that having a pulmonary embolism while home alone with a three year old was not something I wanted on my agenda for the day and took matters into my own hands. Sure I felt dumb sitting in the emergency room until the middle of the night for mere leg pain when everyone else was bleeding or looking miserably ill, but I was finally going to have some answers and some peace of mind (I mean, where better to go to get answers than the hospital?), so it was worth it, right?....WRONG! It was a total and complete waste of time and money (even if it turns out I have the biggest DVT in world history). Here's what happened:

I got into the room, put on the little gown and sat talking to my mom until the nurse came in (yes, I said nurse--there was no doctor there, just a nurse)--She glanced at my leg for about two seconds and said it didn't look like a textbook DVT (swelling, bright redness, etc.), but that it didn't mean I didn't have one and that I definitely should have a scan done because of the red vein and pain. She then proceeded to tell me that they didn't do ultrasounds after hours or on weekends in the ER....SERIOUSLY??!! What was I there for then? And what happens to people who really do have DVTs? I just want to rule this problem out--why is that so difficult? ANYway, they ordered a blood test called a D-Dimer to check my blood for the existence of a clot, talked to me about Coumadin and Prednisone shots and then told me they were going to give me a slip of paper that would get me in for an ultrasound the next day. This was faster than how my family doctor was moving so I said okay and took the slip....On my way out, they said, "Well, if you're having an ultrasound tomorrow, then the bloodwork we just did was totally pointless!" So was my trip to the ER.

Ohhhhh LAWD!

2008-06-13T22:10:00.000-07:00

As if I didn't have enough to worry about right now......Tonight Andy and I took Landon with us to have dinner with three other (childless) couples at my friend's house (nice house with nice things, a-hem!) I left Landon alone at one point so that I could run to the bathroom (bad move, I know...Where were you when I needed you? C'mon, people!) and when I got back to the room less than a minute later, I was horrified to see that he had colored all over one of their light colored sofa cushions with a bright pink highlighter pen. Oh yes he did! And all of this right after I got him in trouble for sneaking away with a black marker (still not sure where he found that little sucker!) and coloring all over his whole body (and Cars Band-Aid) while I was talking on the phone (to the couch owner friend, actually--Great.) Landon. Give me a break, man. As for Shannon....woman, please have kids soon. PLEASE!

A Little Clarity in the Confusion

2008-06-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I have been in big time planning mode for baby #2 for the last few months. Our whole house has been. Even Landon asks Andy and me when we are going to have a baby at our house. He talks about holding his baby and feeding it and taking care of it in the most loving, big-brother-ly way....It breaks my heart! Anyways, it's been a long road and we haven't reached our destination yet. Here's the basic recap and update:
After a terrible pregnancy and recovery and YEARS of visits to every kind of specialist known to man (cardiologists, neurologists, etc.) I found my way to the Creighton Model method of NFP (which I thought would NEVER happen in a million years!!!). My instructor quickly became my spiritual guide, confidante, and the answer to many prayers. She referred me to a wonderful doctor an hour away from here (an NFP practitioner OB/GYN--Yay!) who made sense of eight months (at the time) of cycle charts, diagnosed me with hypothyroidism (6.75 TSH for those of you who know what I'm talking about), an ectropion cervix (not as bad as it sounds) and a luteal phase defect (not enough progesterone to sustain a pregnancy) and prescribed me Synthroid and bioidentical progesterone to put me back to normal. At the time of diagnosis, so many things seemed clear. I was on cloud nine for about two days. After all, I had probably found the reason my pregnancy with Landon was such a nightmare...why miscarriage has been a problem...why I feel like crap all the time...All I had to do was take these two little prescriptions and all would be well....WELLLLLL, I read some pamphlets and chickened out of taking the meds for the first cycle and by the time I finally talked myself into going ahead with treatment, I had a bigger problem on my hands. A big, red vein-like line started to appear on my inner thigh (along with some scary pain) and three doctors (and three weeks) later talks of my having either a DVT or some kind of deep vein varicosities are floating around me. I am going to have a Doppler scan done soon (but not soon enough!) so they can find the specific problem. Meanwhile, I "have" to sit here, imagining all of the bad things that could happen to me, trying to pray, but feeling nothing. I have made myself absolutely miserable. My doctor has told me that if this is a DVT, I will not be allowed to take the progesterone that would enable me to carry a baby. Great. Of COURSE! On top of that, if it's a varicosity, being pregnant certainly wouldn't be a picnic (not that it ever is). The doctor I saw today told me , "Weeellllllll, this is what happens when you have babies!" (all sing-songy) Nice. Thanks. I told her I was thinking about having a second baby and she gave me a disapproving "you're a moron" kind of look. Just what I needed at that point. My mind is whirling with questions like, "Is this God trying to tell me to adopt?" (Just in case, I signed up for an adoption workshop that starts July 1st) "To give up once and for all and be happy with one child?" "If God does want me to have another child, why doesn't he make it a little easier for me?" "Why now?" "Why this?" (Yeah, I know, it sounds dumb)....And all of this just happens to be happening when I am smack in the middle of a miserable, months-long spiritual crisis...My own crappy Dark Night of the Soul. *big self-pitying sigh*

**I have been feeling soooo sorry for myself today--I am getting sick of hearing myself whining and worrying out loud to anyone within hearing range. UGH!**

BUT, tonight, I was browsing the internet for information on deep varicose veins and DVTs and I accidentally bumped into yet ANOTHER Jennifer's blog (We Jennifer's are taking over--muhahaha!). Somehow, I found this person, this STRANGER who had answers for me on just about everything. I poured through her blog posts like a madwoman, soaking it all up and eventually crying that "This-is-just-what-I-needed-cry" (you know the one). Not only is this girl's name Jennifer, she even had a DVT herself! She's also a Catholic convert, a mom, a questioner and ponderer, and an (ex)worrywart. My long lost twin?? ;o) Her blog covered anything and everything I have been tossing around in my mind for the last few months and, after reading some of it, I feel like I can breathe again. Her blog seemed like my own voice from the past, reasoning with me...She said all of the things I would have said when I could still think and trust and relax.

Are there really any such things as accidents?...

I'll leave you all with this quote I borrowed from one of Jennifer F's blog posts:

"It is a blessed secret this, of living by the day. Any one can carry his burden, however heavy, till nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however heavy, till nightfall. Anyone can do his work, however hard, for one day. Anyone can live sweetly, patiently, lovingly, purely, until the sun goes down. And this is all life ever means to us - just one little day. "Do today's duty; fight today's temptations, and do not weaken or distract yourself by looking forward to things you cannot see and could not understand if you saw them." God gives us nights to shut down upon our little days. We cannot see beyond. Short horizons make life easier and give us one of the blessed secrets of brave, true, holy living."

Oh, and PS) Pray, please...I think I could use some right about now. Merci Beaucoup!

Jess:

2008-06-04T09:19:00.001-07:00

Did you see Juan in a poncho, you ask?....Why yes you did! And guess who made him do it? My siblings must love me! (...And the fact that I ALWAYS have a camera nearby!) ;o)

PS) You should have seen him when I made him put on a little black moustache!!! Ha ha ha ha!)

The Danger of Phthalates and PVC

2008-06-02T17:32:00.001-07:00

This blog is packed with amazing information...Go check it out when you have a chance!
The Danger of Phthalates and PVC

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Hello Exhaustion! Nice To See You Again!

2008-06-02T10:49:00.001-07:00

We had Landon's birthday party yesterday...Here are some pictures from the day:

The kids make "dragon tails" and decorate "suitcases" for the trip around the world

Nancy helps Landon get ready

Julia heads to "Pin the Tail on the Dragon" in China

Now it's Cole's turn!

All the kids hop back on the airplane...

And fly to Egypt to turn each other into mummies! Here's Lawrence getting mummified.

...And Davis

Landon checks out his masterpiece

Then the airplane takes everyone past Hawaii and Canada to go to....Mexico!

Then it's time for our Little Einsteins to play a game of musical chairs in Italy with music by Vivaldi

Time for Cake!

Poor, tired, sweaty birthday boy!

Still enough energy to open a giant pile of wonderful presents

And then it's time for a big dinner of falafel, pita bread, tabouleh, hummos, shish kebabs, fried rice, chips, salsa and guacamole! Yum!

All of the kids finish the day playing with each other and checking out all of the new (and old!) toys!

What Do You Think About This Whole Situation?

2008-05-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Sect Members Waiting For Children To Be Returned

This Make Me Sad, Too...

This Made Me Sad For These People

2008-05-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Rare Uncontacted Tribe Photographed in the Amazon

Muhahahahahaha!

2008-05-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has been keeping up with the comments on my boob post (and anyone in need of some comment relief): This is what my wedding photographer, Anita, was referring to. It was a classic moment, let me tell you. I give you (drumroll please...): The Bouquet Toss! Infamous! (Nancy, you can thank Anita for censoring this...I have the original, so you better be nice!) ;o)

PS) Let it be a warning to any girl jumping through the air in a strapless dress! ;o)

100 Things About Me

2008-05-27T20:11:00.000-07:00

Okay, I FINALLY got this posted...Now you guys do it, too!

1. I have always loved to write. I actually kept journals from middle school through meeting Andy after college!! I have loved being able to read about how I thought and felt and lived over the years. It can really teach you a lot (and embarrass you!) to see your personal growth from your own prospective!

2. Most of the journals I kept(along with some home videos and yearbooks)were accidentally thrown out when I moved once after college. When I realized it, I wanted to puke!

3. When I was little, I had a blue blanket with that silky lining all around the edges (what the heck is that stuff called anyways??) and I couldn't get to sleep without it. Well, my mom finally made me get rid of the blanket so I started sleeping with my her windbreaker jacket--ha ha ha!--Take that, Mom! (Every once in a while I sneak Andy's soccer shorts into bed with me...Hey, don't judge! ;o)

4. I'm still a little addicted to that silky material--I even ended up buying a wedding dress with an organza overlay (a mere coincidence) that you can see me rubbing between my fingers in all of my wedding pictures--ha ha ha!

5. In high school, I had hair all the way down to the middle of my back--I cut it off all at one time just before leaving for college

6. Before meeting Andy, I dated the same guy (off and on and off again) for about six years (Sharon introduced me to him when we were fifteen). He is still my dear friend (even though we argue like siblings) and he and my husband are crazy about each other.

7. (This is that same ex bf's favorite story about me--he thinks it sums up my personality--don't listen to him!): When I was in kindergarten, I was eating the school's provided "hot lunch" and I noticed that the canned peaches they were serving tasted rrrrRRRReally bad. I turned to my friend, Audrey, smiled sweetly (albeit sneakily) and prodded her to try some. She did. Then she puked all over my lunch. And SOMEHOW someone captured a picture of me offering the peaches, sneaky look and all, and put it in our 1985 yearbook.

8. I am a compulsive spell-checker. I am talking SERIOUS grammar police, here, people. I have to really bite my tongue sometimes to avoid being obnoxious and correcting people (I unleash full blown Grammar Cop on Andy behind closed doors, though--hee hee hee!)

9. I'm a cradle Catholic

10. I went to a private Catholic school from Kindergarten until 8th grade

11. Then I went to a big public high school where I knew almost NO ONE

12. But I still loved it!

13. My 10th high school reunion is this fall and I am so excited to see everyone again!

14. I hate flying....and yes I have flown before. Lots.

15. I went to France my junior year of high school as part of an exchange program

16. I am still friends with one guy I "met" there (met in quotes=complicated--LOL!)--He "gets" me better than almost anyone else in my life. It's strange to think we met 11 years ago in a foreign country!

17. I ran out of my wedding rehearsal in tears--Yup, right down the aisle in hysterics and left everyone just standing there, like "Durrr..."

18. When I was pregnant with Landon, I used to throw up when I saw the (brand new--dang it!) couch in our living room. (Still don't know why).

19. I wound up giving the couch to my grandma.

20. In 2001, I was in a head-on collision with an 18-wheeler. The whole front of my car was completely gone and my cell phone shattered into a million pieces in the console.

21. My dog ran away from the scene of the accident and left me broken-hearted.

22. I found her three months later in the woods.

23. She had gained five pounds (she's a tiny Jack Russell) and we found out later, she had been living on handouts from McDonald's and Arby's (Her own Doggie Super-Size Me project!!)

24. While she was gone, my mom bought me a new Jack Russell, Jackson, who I think is the spawn of Satan. He better be glad he's so cute, that little bugger! He is always getting in trouble! Thorn in my side....

25. I despise coconut

26. But I have always loved pina colada

27. When I was little, my dad used to make us non-alcoholic pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris out of frozen bacardi mix. We never knew Bacardi was known only as an adult drink and I remember getting all kinds of eyebrows raised in my direction when I'd go to school and tell the teachers my dad had made us Bacardi daiquiris the night before!

28. I almost never get sick of pizza--if I get close to swearing it off for a while, I switch brands

29. I hate watching the news--It scares me

30. I never watch horror movies--I used to like some, but they all make me paranoid and anxious, no matter how dumb. I still can't get Pet Cemetery and Poltergeist out of my head...Now that I mention it, I never forget ANY horror movies

31. I almost never eat red meat (occasionally a little bit of steak if manners require it)

32. I don't have tonsils. They've never been removed...they were never there in the first place

33. I.LOVE.SHOES.

34. It irritates me when people don't like movies that I like--lol!

35. I have taken several typing courses, but I still don't use the right fingers to type. I'm the fastest chicken pecker you've ever seen--ha ha ha!

36. Once I start a book (especially if it's good), I cannot put it down until I finish it. Even if I've read it before. I've been caught staying up until 4 am reading something I've read before. I've got problems.

37. I worry entirely too much

38. The only celebrity I've ever met is Pauly Shore (although I was keeping my fingers crossed the whole time John Krasinski was here filming Leatherheads)

39. Everyone always asks me if I'm sick when I don't wear mascara

40. I have never smoked anything in my life

41. I still think Napoleon Dynamite is hilarious

42. I can't eat just one (or two) Krispy Kreme doughnuts--I can't have them in the house because I lose all self control (like yesterday) and try to eat the whole box

43. My honeymoon was A-W-F-U-L!!! We had the worst time imaginable! It started when we realized we were a good 60 years younger than the other people staying at our "resort" in Florida and ended abruptly when I got really sick and we had to come home a week early (just before the cruise we missed!)

44. I hate coffee (oh yes she did!)

45. I still sometimes wear a pair of my old maternity underwear. Sexy, I know.

46. I have worn contacts since I was fourteen

47. I am crazy about hydrangeas

48. Roaches are unacceptable...When I see one, I freak out (freeze in place, dry heave, etc.) It's sad.

49. I had spinal meningitis when I was a toddler

50. I told jokes between pushes while I was having Landon...and it's all on one embarrassing video

51. Sometimes I catch myself counting stairs when I walk up them (???)

52. I hate being embarrassed more than anything in the world...but it's hard to embarrass me.

53. I got my ears pierced in the fourth grade and have never gotten any piercings since then

54. I don't have any tattoos. I feel like I'd be one of those people who would want to wash it off every day in the shower.

55. Laughter is the key to my heart. My closest friends are those I laugh with.

56. I love Monty Python

57. My dad played with the band Ambrosia in the 70's (this would shock you if you'd ever met him--lol!)

58. I make lists about everything

59. I love giving people make-overs and presents :oD

60. If I go to bed knowing I have a busy schedule the next day...or if I'm working on planning a party or something, I obsess about it--The thoughts roll around my head all night and keep me from sleeping

61. I hardly ever go to bed before midnight, even when I'm exhausted

62. I was never claustrophobic until I had to have an MRI done inside of a big truck in my neurologist's parking lot. (Never agree to do a traveling MRI)

63. I was never allergic to anything growing up, but now I am allergic to Sulfa drugs, Keflex (cephalosporins), peanuts and shellfish. It's awful!

64. I love to cook

65. While I was having my epidural before giving birth to Landon (gigantor needle already in my spine), the anesthetist said, "You probably shouldn't be having this"

66. I have control issues and trust issues

67. I have broken my finger, the side of my foot, my tailbone, and several to

68. I can usually tell the moment I meet someone whether or not I can be friends with them

69. I think Conan O'Brien and Joel McHale (from The Soup) are hilarious--Would you believe Andy doesn't get their senses of humor at all? It baffles me.

70. I love fashion

71. I love interior decorating

72. I love photography

73. I love party planning

74. I have a sarcastic, dry sense of humor

75. The older I get, the more I feel like the "odd man out"--I guess that's part of growing up and becoming who I am meant to be...I've also noticed that although it annoys me sometimes, other times, I kind of like being the odd man out...

76. I have the opposite parenting philosophies from what I expected/planned

77. I like Facebook better than MySpace

78. I am good at keeping in touch with people I love over time, but really, really bad about calling people and keeping up with anyone on a day to day basis. The friends I keep are the ones who either understand this about me...or like to e-mail--lol!

79. I'm loud and snarky

80. I've noticed I don't deal very well with most types of change in my life, even if it's a good change--I find a way to get stressed out

81.I hate to be judged b/c I think everything through so well...and I'm pretty passionate about everything I believe in...and I try very hard to be non-judgemental

82. I love reality TV shows like The Hills and Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Rob and Big. I also like the more contest-y reality shows like Project Runway and Top Chef

83. I met my husband in a bar

84. He is the last person in the world I ever saw myself marrying and yet...VOILA! Somehow it just works (even if he doesn't like Conan)

85. My older brother, John, and I made our little brother, Matt, drink pee once when we were kids.

86. Some things I continually buy and then lose: tweezers, mascara, scissors, tape, fingernail clippers, SUNGLASSES!!

87. I love to sing, but I don't sound good doing it. Every once in a while, I can sing pretty well when no one's listening. Can you believe I used to sing on stage--whaaaaaat?

88. When I was little, I used to hide with a cassette player and record my mom yelling at us--We love to pull those priceless tapes out and tease my mom now--ha ha ha! "If you kids want to talk back to someone, you better go do it in front of the mirror because I am not having it, do you hear me?!" (muffled giggle in the foreground)

89. Prank calling is still funny

90. I hate taking medicine. If I do have to take meds, I scrutinize the pamphlet until
I scare myself...and I now I have a kid, making the problem worse

91. I don't really drink soda--but if I did, it would be cream soda--Mmmmm!

92. I can't wait for the day Curtis Stone picks me up at the Whole Foods Market and cooks a fabulous dinner at my house.

93. I have to sleep with a fan on (ha ha, OJ--Thanks for reminding me of this quirk!)
If I travel, I have to tote the ole fan right along with me--Yes, it's that bad--lol!

94. I believe in signs---little pushes, prods, and reminders from God to help us in life

95. I believe everything happens for a reason, but even so, it usually doesn't help me until AFTER a crisis (hindsight is 20/20, right?). I'm still a spazz under pressure

96. I am a label reader. When I'm at the grocery store, I don't buy anything with high fructose corn syrup or dangerous preservatives (like BHT, BHA, or EDTA). I will absolutely not buy anything with sugar substitute in it (another post about why coming soon to a blog near you!!) :oD

97. I hate the sound of people chewing (shiver, shiver!)

98. I have two autoimmune diseases that we know of...so far--(still trying to figure out what's going on). I could probably earn a medical degree with all of the research I've done!

99. The veins on my left hand are shaped like a heart

100. When I went to have my wisdom teeth out a few years ago, I thought it'd be a piece of cake like it was for everyone else. (A chef I worked with at the time had just had his out before me and was back at work the same night of his surgery!!!) I wound up in bed for weeks, looking like the elephant man--two black eyes, bruises all over my face and neck and Loritab...lots and LOTS of Loritab!

***I hope I didn't repeat myself over and over....It took me weeks to even put this list together!!!***
Posted by Jennifer at 8:12 PM

Out of the Mouthes of Babes

2008-05-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

Today, while eating lunch out at a restaurant, Landon announced to me (with all the dismay his little three year old voice could muster): "I'm just frusterbated!!!"

Just thought I'd share.

All About the Boob (Mainly For OJ)

2008-05-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

I got a funny comment from the Other Jennifer on my "Three Years of Landon" post and I just had to reply to it. First of all, I have no idea how even the illusion of my having boobs appeared in those photos...I am so flattered that you could possibly even detect a hint of "boobage" without a magnifying glass--I think you're either being nice or sarcastic--LOL! Or maybe I just need to hold Landon more often so that I can squish the twins together and make them look like a normal person's chest? I'd also like to take this grand opportunity to add that I think I'm the only person in the world who A.) Got pregnant and gave birth, barely gaining a cup size and then B.) Breastfed the little munchkin a very controversial amount of time before ending up with LESS boobage than she started out with--Whaaaaaat??!! I deserve at least a little consolation prize from the Big Guy for all of that love and dedication (read: leaking and swelling). It's an outrage! My little sister parades around with something like double F's (not joking) and I, at twenty-eight years of age, barely even need to wear a dang bra. HMPH!! Ah well...Can't win 'em all!

I will leave you all (All three of you who have dared to stick with me past the title) with a lovely new Landon story that (very sadly) fits in with this subject:

This weekend, I was taking engagement pictures of my sister and her fiance at a very busy park (note that I said "very busy"--Everyone and their brother hangs out there on the weekends) right in the middle of downtown. (Sharon, back me up here--people everywhere). I was holding my darling, precious, innocent little boy when--POOF!--out of the blue, he pulled my shirt (AND MY BRA!!) right down and exposed my wobbly bits to everyone with in viewing range. Let us hope that none of them had OJ's x-ray vision or a magnifying glass with them that night. *sigh*

Congratulations Anna!!

2008-05-23T12:01:00.001-07:00

I am sooooo proud of my step-sister, Anna because not only is she graduating next weekend from the Savanna College of Art and Design, she also totally ROCKED the senior fashion show and had her amazing work viewed by John Galliano!!! For those of you who are not as obsessed with the fashion world as I can sometimes be, this is a HUGE deal!! Anyways, congratulations to my beautiful and talented sister from another mister ;o)....I cannot WAIT to talk you into auditioning for Project Runway! Then when you make it to the final three, remember the drill: We live together. Bring Tim Gunn to "our" (Wink!) house. Got it? Great. Now go and be a huge success like I know you will!
Oh, and can you please tell me where you got those giant socks? I think I'm in love!

Recap of Our Day

2008-05-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

First, we got Landon a grilled cheese sandwich (his favorite lunch) from Jason's Deli.

Then we surprised him with a brand new Speed Racer Helmet!!! (He has been waiting for this moment for a looooong time! ;o)

It was HUGE on his head, but he couldn't have been happier!

Later in the afternoon, I took Landon to the little downtown airport where they keep all of the private planes. We usually go to the big international airport and watch the planes take off and land, but this was waaaay better.....

One man opened his plane up for us and let "Speed Racer" climb in to push buttons and "fly" the plane!!

Then Nana and Granddaddy gave him a new Speed Racer t-shirt obstacle course game...

And a cupcake from his favorite bakery--Yum!

Then Landon played with Uncle Brian...

And we ended the day with a chocolate cake and NINE candles! Whew! Mommy is exhausted!!! I don't know how I'm going to fare next week as we get ready for his party for his friends! Wish my crazy tail some luck! (Although you shouldn't--I totally bring it on myself!