And Shayla Makes Three

Missed

2011-02-16T12:58:00.001-05:00

I missed this being here. Back for now...

Yeah, a new post (probably the last)

2010-06-10T13:23:00.003-04:00

I haven't found the time to post lately and quite honestly, nowadays I find it boring. I still have my favorite blogs that I read daily and will continue to do so.

When we were waiting for Shay to come home, I loved posting to my blog, it always seemed like it was kinda therapeutic. However, finally now that we're a family and life is "normal", I find it time consuming. I love my life, I love my family, but I think it's time to go private on the blog. I don't want to delete my blog as I would love to have parts of it published into a book (through Book my Blog or some place like that) for Shayla when she's older, but I kinda want it now for just me.

Soon, I will set it up so only I or my closest family members can access it. I don't think it will surprise anyone since I haven't written here in so long. Kinda sad about it, but right now, I don't want to devote so much time to it. Now that Shay is getting older, I really think that her privacy is important.

A Long Time

2010-03-22T06:20:00.002-04:00

It's been a long time since I've posted. I don't know that I'll ever keep this website up like I used to. Life is busy and I don't always have time to blog...then when I do, I don't feel I have much of anything to say.

I'm currently at home recovering from a hysterectomy, so I thought I'd update a little.

Shayla is growing so fast. She's smart, funny and silly. She's very kind hearted and loving, so we're thankful for that. Not only is she beautiful on the outside, but she's just as beautiful on the inside. She will love on her cat Daisy every day and calls for her just so she can pet her. With my recent surgery, she kisses my belly and pats me on the shoulder. Like I said, very loving.

I have many pics that I need to post, but have not even uploaded them from the camera. Once I do that, I will take a few moments to upload them here so you can see how Shay has grown.

For now, I guess that's it.

Old pics

2010-01-31T18:15:00.002-05:00

Sweet old pic of my baby so you don't think she's a potty mouth!

2010-01-02T22:14:00.000-05:00

Mmm...did she just say that?????

2010-01-02T21:57:00.002-05:00

While watching Dora last night, the big red chicken was looking for a cake, only to find the cake on his head. My child...my sweet, precious, innocent child laughed and then said..."silly old bitch"... Nevertheless, I was stunned...did I just hear that? Wait...what she say? I'm sure that's NOT what she said...so I ask..."hmmm...what did you just say, Momma didn't catch that last part"? So she repeated it...yep, it sounded the same. Well shit. Yep, I type it, but it's not said around her...nor is "silly old bitch". I can cuss like a sailor at work, but not at home. I called Mark in there to see if he heard what I heard...yep. She said she learned it from "Adam" at daycare. Asshole Adam...yeah, typed but not said!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T06:33:00.000-05:00

I love this picture!

2009-12-23T06:14:00.001-05:00

You'll probably be seeing it in every processing format that I can do! I love it the way she looks in this.

Pics!

2009-12-20T15:21:00.006-05:00

I'm back!

For the FCC Autumn Moon Festival (back in October), we went to a local farm. My gosh, we had THE BEST TIME EVER! Shayla rode a pony, got lost in the corn maze, picked pumpkins and we got to see the petting zoo. Here are a few pics from our trip.

Thankful for...

2009-11-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

My family.

I'm still here...

2009-11-03T06:11:00.002-05:00

I just can't get to any pics to post. Hubby has them on an external drive (not connected at the moment) and once it is connected, then he has to give me "permission" from his computer for mine to read the drive. This sucks. Really sucks.

Shay had her 3rd birthday this past weekend...let's just say, she's now a princess and loves Snow White! I'll post pics whenever it's possible.

October 13, 2001

2009-10-12T21:51:00.002-04:00

I married my best friend 8 years ago. It's crazy to think that I've known him now for just over 20 years. Twenty years ago (man that feels weird to even type), when I put an application in at a bookstore in a local mall, I thought he was so cute. He was leaning against the counter, talking with another employee when I came in. My mom and sister were right outside the store and I remember telling my sister, that the "tall guy was really cute". She peeked in and agreed. I was really nervous when he finally interviewed me and thought he was a jerk soon after he hired me (I was too nervous to count the drawer right at the end of the night and the first day was scared to answer the phone)! Geez, gimme a break, I had just graduated from high school and was still new to the work world. Anyway, I remember after a couple of weeks, there was a girl who came in and talked to him...I really wanted to trip her...after she left, I asked him if she was his girlfriend...luckily "um, no" was the answer. I liked him, I was smitten...I really had a serious crush. To him, I was just a goofy girl who liked to hang out with him and his friends. Years later, when we no longer worked together, we still talked, ran into each other, went to the movies and, without me having to beat him senseless, he finally fell in love with me too. Whew! What a hell of a wait I had. It. Was. Worth. It. All worth it. Now I have the family I dreamt of and a wonderful husband. I couldn't be happier...and my life couldn't be better. Mark, if you read this, know that I love you even more today...how can that be possible? I don't know either, but it is.

I love when she runs to me...

2009-10-12T21:46:00.000-04:00

Loving my family!

2009-10-12T21:38:00.000-04:00

Isn't She Lovely

2009-09-19T08:20:00.001-04:00

Random Pics from a Parade

2009-09-19T08:10:00.005-04:00

She insisted that...

2009-09-19T08:03:00.004-04:00

I take these pics of her and her new house. This was an early birthday gift from her Granny, her Aunt Karen and Uncle Todd.

The lighting in the room was not great that night, but she loves the house... (was supposed to be outside, but that's another story)!

2 Silly Billies

2009-09-17T06:19:00.000-04:00

Creepy.

2009-09-17T06:14:00.002-04:00

A couple of nights ago, my sweet, precious baby girl decided that (after my shower), she wanted to brush my (naturally curly) hair. So she climbed up in the chair behind me, brushed my wet hair for about 30 minutes...all the while, complaining about my knots! Then (get this)...she said it's "keepie"...it took me all of 2 seconds to say, "did you just say my hair is creepy"...and she once again agreed that yes, it is creepy! Oh no she didn't! Once the "verbal abuse" from her was done, she then made me look in 2 mirrors, show Daddy and show Daisy (our cat) how lovely my hair turned out. Then she said it wasn't creepy anymore!

Blogs I Read

2009-09-12T21:38:00.003-04:00

I updated my blog list on the sidebar of this blog. I had so many favorites bookmarked on my computer that I thought I'd move them here so I can access them from any computer.

Over the years I've read various websites/blogs and sometimes, because they didn't relate to adoption, I didn't put them on here. I'm not great at writing things down, so this "adoption" blog was always good for me to have for Shayla...I know I can actually one day have it all put in book form for her and she can see what a dork her mom is/was. I would love to have another child and adoption again may be in our future (eventually...who knows), but I feel we are just a "normal" family now...and I feel like I can more comfortably blog about other things...and show my interests too. Anyway, there are a few blogs (not adoption related) that I visit that may interest you as well.

* Confessions of a Pioneer Woman - This site has awesome photo tips and some of the best recipes you'll ever find. Ree (Pioneer Woman), posts awesome photos of all the recipes as she makes them, so you're never left to figure out what a food item is "supposed" to look like.

*Life With Hannah and Lily - This website was started before Hannah passed away in a drowning accident, but their mom has kept it going (and is expecting another baby now).

*Pastor Ryan - I learned of this young guy from Ohio, from the Pioneer Woman's website. It just so happens that he's a good cook and an awesome photographer. He also happens to be a pastor and a young, tattooed dad of two.

*matt, liz and madeline - Matt started his blog a couple years ago, stopped writing on it, then when he and his wife, Liz (his high school sweetheart), were expecting their first child, he took to writing again. Unfortunately, Liz died from a pulmonary embolism 27 hours after the birth of their child...she never even got to hold Madeline. Matt has been an awesome dad and started a foundation in his wife's honor. Since I first found his blog over a year ago, he's been on many TV shows telling his story (Oprah and Rachel Ray are a couple).

*Sheye Rosemeyer-photographer - I found her by my own curiosity. Every season I get Life Images, which is a magazine-type book of photography. It has pictures that people have submitted, along with little stories or poems. One photographer's awesome pictures of a doll were once published and the story she wrote was about Ava Rosemeyer. The photographer said the doll in the photo represented Ava and she was an avid reader of Sheye Rosemeyer's blog. Once I looked up Sheye Rosemeyer, I found that she was a photographer in Australia and her daughter Ava had passed away at 3 years old.

I also love to look at photography websites. I'll be taking a photography course soon...and am already registered, so I love to look at all the photos posted on photography sites...I love to learn by observation.

Happy Anniversary!

2009-09-11T20:13:00.004-04:00

Two years ago yesterday was our Gotcha Day with Shayla. I can't believe it's been that long already, but I don't remember life without her now either. How could I have gotten so lucky to have this life? I thank God for my loving family...every day.

Momma and Daddy meeting baby Shayla for the first time.

Heart Walk Thanks

2009-09-11T20:12:00.000-04:00

Thanks to those who have donated so far...

my sister, Karen
my cousin, Tonya
and my good friend, Tonya

Heart Walk 2009

2009-08-30T20:50:00.005-04:00

My company is a huge sponsor every year of the American Heart Association's Heart Walk. We (as a company) work very hard each year to collect donations through various events at work. This year I decided I would also walk and collect donations to help. Having a mom who has suffered recently from serious heart issues, I can't let this opportunity to help, pass me by. Above is a ChipIn widget, which is a secure way to donate funds to the American Heart Association. I also have a link here or below so you can see my team information. If you know of anyone who has heart issues or has suffered from a cardiac arrest or stroke, please consider a small donation. Thanks!

http://heartwalk.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=296536&lis=1&kntae296536=4A38BB8234084A9292914A64BAAACAFB&supId=261658552

From the days in China...

2009-08-24T18:34:00.004-04:00

I found these pics again from one of the days we were at the White Swan. It's hard to believe it's been almost 2 years now.

She cracks herself up!

2009-08-23T08:16:00.003-04:00

She's so funny. Lately, she's been saying "no problem", "I'll take care of it" and "no worries". I don't know where she gets these things, but she sounds so funny saying them! She sounds so grown up when these things come out of her mouth! It cracks me up.

She's doing well in her new "school". This place is way different then where she was before. There are NO TV's at all and they have a curriculum that they have to follow. Also, the teachers must be certified to teach the age of children that they are teaching. It's different than an actual "daycare". She's adjusting well and has already made a couple of new friends. Shay's such a trooper...I couldn't be more proud.

Work it girl!

2009-08-06T06:28:00.002-04:00

Shayla's Daycare

2009-08-06T06:12:00.001-04:00

I found out on Monday that Shayla's daycare is closing on August 14th. The owner, who's had the daycare for 43 years, is closing because she can't keep enough kids. In the last 2 weeks, she's lost 2 more because their parents were laid off and they no longer needed daycare. They are licensed for 20 and are down to 8, so she said she can't financially keep it going. I have Shayla enrolled in another place now. She's starts there on August 17. I left early Monday to go check it out (again)...it was actually my first choice when we first got back from China, but they had a 2 month waiting list and the other daycare had an immediate opening, so I went with it. The owner remembered us from before (she felt bad that we couldn't get in the first time) and waived the $35.00 enrollment fee. I thought that was super nice! I was just afraid they would have a big waiting list like they did before. They only had 3 openings (we took 1 of those) and there was another family from Shayla's daycare that was there early yesterday inquiring about it...glad I didn't wait or put it off a day!

Granny's Birthday

2009-08-02T08:30:00.009-04:00

I would write more, but Blogger has been giving me fits. I had more pics here, but when I tried to simply move them (just as I have all the over 560+ posts), it deleted them! Also having problems putting text between pics today (once again, not a problem on the previous 560+ posts I have done). For now, this will have to do!

A Day at a Bats Game

2009-07-30T06:08:00.000-04:00

She Loves Slidin'!

2009-07-17T06:07:00.001-04:00

Potty Training

2009-07-09T06:09:00.002-04:00

Potty training is going pretty well. Shay will come and get us if she needs to poop (and is also doing that at daycare), but will still forget to tell us if she has to pee in the potty. Sometimes we can ask and ask if she needs to go to the potty, she keeps saying "no", then 5 - 10 minutes later she may pee in her pull-up.

It just trips me out because I've always heard the poop part of potty training is more difficult. That part has been pretty easy for her.

A few recent funny things...

2009-07-09T06:04:00.002-04:00

About a week ago, Shayla woke up during the night with a dream. I thought she had a nightmare because she kept saying "fing in the kitchen"...so in my sleeping stupor, I thought she said the dream was about a "thing in the kitchen". I thought she was scared and I was trying to comfort her, which only pissed her off more...ends up she had a dream about a SWING in the kitchen and wanted to get out of bed to go see it. Dumb momma!

Birthday stuff is kinda confusing Shayla right now. I had a birthday with presents and cake, then we had a the birthday parties of Jenna (a cousin), Kay (my niece) and then Liana (a friend)...so Shayla doesn't understand why everyone is having birthday parties and she isn't. She keeps saying (and has since my b-day) that she wants a party and presents. Poor baby...I just can't get her to understand it's not her birthday yet.

This one below is in regards to the Fourth of July holiday and fireworks (scared her A LOT)!!!

"New" famous quote by my 2 1/2 year old on the Fourth of July..."you have to be scared to be happy". Hmmm...that's pretty deep.

A fun day at the park!

2009-07-07T06:15:00.003-04:00

My Favorite New Site

2009-07-01T21:15:00.002-04:00

My Flickr...or if that doesn't work, try this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/asilkc/

Not great, but better. I'm slowly getting better...I think.

Yes...it was a good Father's Day!

2009-07-01T21:14:00.000-04:00

Walt Disney World Vacation, Part 3

2009-07-01T20:54:00.003-04:00

Computer Modem Died...But It's Been Replaced! Part 3!

2009-06-17T20:33:00.009-04:00

Sorry for the lag...now back to the pics!

Following the cousin's rental van to Florida. They saw I had camera in hand and decided to wave!

Watching Shayla. On the way home, I sat in the back there with her. She liked it much better. Flying the next time...gotta be smokin' crack to enjoy that long drive!

Tennessee state sign.

Georgia state sign. I swear that Georgia has more billboards than I have ever seen in my life! Oh and downtown Atlanta is simply beautiful at night, but the drivers there are out of control! I've never been so nervous just riding in a car!

Florida state sign.

Disney World signs.

Various shots of us!

Shayla was afraid of the characters if they were too close. Here she refused to even watch the parade. I guess 2 1/2 is too young!

Our Walt Disney World Vacation, Part 2.

2009-06-09T20:55:00.005-04:00

Random pics from our trip!

Our Walt Disney World Vacation, Part 1

2009-06-08T21:28:00.007-04:00

Well, we finally got to Walt Disney World! We drove, since Mark is not fond of flying...and I must say, it was a LONG drive. Will definitely fly next time...he'll just have to be doped up! Here are some random pics...will add more over the next few posts as well. I took tons of pics.

This is our hotel room...it was at the Walt Disney All Star Movie Resort. It was the Fantasia room. Next time, we'll go with a little nicer Disney resort I think too. This one was not bad, but I would like one big bed (Shayla rolled off the bed one night, but landed on the pillows that she pushed off along the way) and a refrigerator in the room would have been nice. It was really hard trying to keep milk cold for Shayla...and she HAS to have her milk daily or we will all pay the price.

Here are a few random "Shayla" pics.

I'm back!

2009-06-08T06:12:00.001-04:00

But can't post pictures yet. The hubby has them stored weird and I need computer "permission" to get to that external drive! Will post new pics later!

Sorry I haven't written, but...

2009-06-01T23:13:00.000-04:00

I'M AT WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!!!

My family

2009-05-27T21:21:00.000-04:00

Random Goodness

2009-05-26T06:11:00.001-04:00

Red

2009-05-16T18:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother's Day (posted 1 day late)

2009-05-11T06:05:00.002-04:00

Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn ' t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt!
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Bummed

2009-05-06T06:14:00.002-04:00

I've been a big fan of Jon & Kate Plus 8, but have seen a couple of things now about Jon Gosselin cheating on Kate with a elementary school teacher. I don't go around reading the Enquirer, but MSN had this info on their site this morning along with a picture and video. Okay, Kate, of course is totally OCD and neurotic, but it didn't start overnight...he had to have known this when he married her. AND not only did he marry her once, but twice! I hate to think that he's been sneaking out on his family...granted they're not the typical American family, however their show has always portrayed him as a family man. This kinda saddens me. I don't see a thing wrong with single parent households...and I believe one parent could do it on their own (I've seen this first hand), but I hate to see a family broken up over something like that. It makes me sad for their kids.

Random - A few of my favorites

2009-05-05T06:14:00.000-04:00

Easter pics

2009-04-25T09:57:00.020-04:00

Coloring Easter eggs.

Coming down to check out what the Easter Bunny brought!

The Easter Bunny "may" have gone a little overboard with bringing stuff...but when the baby is in the store and won't stop playing with the display kitchen set, what's a bunny to do???

Check out the cool (we call it "motorcycle") that Aunt Karen & Uncle Todd got Shayla.

Shayla picked out this dress. I actually wasn't going to buy her an Easter dress this year, but she loved this one. Notice her princess shoes...they are way too big, but she loves to wear them around the house...and outside of the house, on occasion!

Chasing bubbles (clothes changed so she could run around).

I didn't get any shots of her hunting for eggs, since I was helping her, but I did get the aftermath! Stickers and candy galore!

This is my niece's nephew...he's a funny kid. He really liked hunting for eggs too.

Here are just a few pics from the day that I really liked.

I love her smile

2009-04-24T06:06:00.000-04:00

She poo pooed in the potty!

2009-04-24T06:05:00.001-04:00

My baby girl pooped in the big potty! Yay! Mark, Shayla and I spent the next 5 minutes dancing over her awesome progress! She was getting ready for a bath and was standing in the hall, naked (oh, for my Kentucky friends, that would be "nekkid"), bustin' some precious moves! Sweeeeetttt!

Update: She has now pooped in the potty twice!

Lovely

2009-04-20T06:25:00.000-04:00

My bathroom - to pee, or not to pee

2009-04-20T06:15:00.006-04:00

Well, we had another exciting weekend a few weeks after the loft floor replacement. We had some discoloration around the toilet in the downstairs bathroom. I've seen it and tried many times to clean it (straight ammonia, bleach, etc), but have had no luck. I knew some types of glue could bleed through certain floors and thought maybe that's what it was. I couldn't figure out what else it could be...until I talked to a friend and she told me about her toilet leaking, mold growing and her floor having to be replaced. Ta da! That's what it was! I finally realized after all this time! Of course, I realized a little too late. Mark's good, simple plan...fix the toilet, put a new wax ring on and put down new flooring...all before I got home from work. However, the way the "simple" plan went down was a bit different. He attempted to pull up the old toilet, however he had to hacksaw the screws since they were corroded (that started the downhill spiral). He pulled up the floor to only discover the floor needed to be completely replaced. He called our family friend (has his own renovation business) and knows how to fix these problems. Once Mark did a few things he was instructed to by our friend (his hand going completely through some of the wood around the toilet), it was determined that we were pretty lucky that we hadn't fallen through! The wood sub floor was replaced the next day by our friend, Mark installed the new flooring and I decided it was time for a change, so I painted the bathroom, got some new fixtures and went with a totally different color. Here are some pictures from those couple of days...also the before and after.

New floor in the loft

2009-04-20T06:04:00.004-04:00

This is what Mark did for 2 days a few weekends ago. I think the end result looks awesome! He's always been more of a computer geek, but I think he did a great job on this. He was sore and his poor knees were so red, but I'm so proud of him for taking on this task! I love it the way it looks.The ugly pink carpet was there when we moved in. The people who lived here before us had 2 big Chows (dogs) in the house, so we knew the carpet, both upstairs and down, needed to be replaced. We just always said we would replace it when we could...then we had major adoption expenses, so we had to put everything on hold. Now we're finally able to have some home renovations done...thank goodness!

Quite obviously the "before".

During.

Now, the lovely "after"!

Beautiful Baby

2009-04-19T22:20:00.000-04:00

Wonder what she's thinking?

2009-04-19T22:16:00.001-04:00

She seems so serious here...

My Artist!

2009-04-12T21:57:00.000-04:00

Shayla-isms

2009-03-27T06:18:00.002-04:00

"What's that?" or "What's that noise?" (We hear this one over and over...).

"You're the best ever" (then she'll hug my leg and kiss it).

"You happy?" (then she'll say "I'm happy" and show me the biggest grin).

"What's wrong?" (nothing is usually ever going on or wrong when she asks).

"I love you" or if she's talking to Mark, she'll sometimes say "I love you my daddy".

"NO way" (this one can be annoying when you're trying to get her ready for a bath, etc).

One day, in the car, she asked "momma, what's my name"...she meant her full name. I thought that was cute.

Two days ago, I was cooking dinner and spilled a little rice...a couple of pieces went in the floor. I picked up what I could find from the floor, but knew I had to have missed some. Right after that, Miss Shayla came in there and said "here", holding her hand out. Bless her little heart, I thought...she picked up a piece of rice she found on the floor. I WISH!!! She gave me a boogie! Nice.

The silly faces of a 2 year old

2009-03-25T20:49:00.002-04:00

Playing with my camera

2009-03-25T20:39:00.003-04:00

This is me...this is my beloved camera. I love my camera...the same way I love my car...and I REALLY love my car.

This is from my new zoom lens...I'm diggin' it.

This is how close it can zoom in. Still diggin' it!

Oh yeah...my girl can dance!

2009-03-25T20:34:00.002-04:00

And our hearts are heavy...

2009-03-23T18:45:00.006-04:00

Dear CCAI Families,

It is with a heavy heart that CCAI must inform you that our beloved Michael Wei Zixiong, CCAI Guangxi In-China Representative, has passed away. He was hospitalized suddenly on Friday, March 20, and he passed away early Monday morning, March 23, of an acute cerebral hemorrhage.

Michael joined CCAI in 2000 and was honored to have served hundreds of CCAI families as they journeyed to meet their children in Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou. He loved his responsibilities as a CCAI rep and was always touched by adoptive families who came to China from such a long way to bring an abandoned Chinese baby into their loving homes. Michael said, “I consider CCAI adoptive families my heroes.”

CCAI has established the Michael Wei Memorial Fund to support his family and in particular, Michael’s eight-year-old son. Should you wish to contribute to this fund, please indicate on your donation the “Michael Wei Memorial Fund.”

We grieve along with you at the untimely loss of our friend Michael. A dedicated adoption professional and loving father, he will be deeply missed.

In sadness,

Chinese Children Adoption International

This was our wonderful guide in China. Michael was the one who comforted me and helped us when Shayla first wouldn't have anything to do with me in China. He always had a big smile for everyone and was a very sweet person. He loved all those babies and he told us all the best way to bond with our babies. It was second nature to him. He knew instictively what would comfort the babies and he helped us understand the grieving they were going through. I'm so sorry that Shayla will never have a chance to meet this most wonderful, influential person. I'm sorry for future CCAI families that they never got the chance to meet this awesome person.

Here are some pictures I have of him. The one of him laughing was because we watched a couple of our travel mates perform on stage, when they were pulled from the audience.

I found this...

2009-03-19T06:06:00.006-04:00

from Sept. 7, 2006. We met our baby one year later on September 10, 2007. This was for her 100 good wishes quilt book.

A Great Day at the Park!

2009-03-15T08:09:00.013-04:00

This is how they always are. I love that Shayla and her daddy are so close. I'm so fortunate and grateful to have them both.

Daddy pushing Shay on the swing.

I love this picture of Mark. He didn't even know I was taking his picture, he was just happy watching his baby swing and have fun.

Now he knows (after I called his name to get his attention)! I like this picture too.

Momma pushing Shay on the swing.

I kept tickling her.

Sliding away!

She kept running to all the different slides.

Under the playset! Hey, come back out!

These are some of my favorite pictures from the day.

Strolling on the walking trail.

Suckers!

Very late Valentine's Day pics

2009-03-14T23:35:00.002-04:00

Here are the flowers my sweet hubby got me for Valentine's Day.

These are gift bags we put together for the kids at Shayla's daycare for Valentine's Day. There aren't too many kids there, so I like to do a little extra when I can.

Gee, thanks Aunt Karen for the markers!

2009-03-14T23:27:00.005-04:00

Yep, that was sarcasm...

Big Girl

2009-03-09T06:24:00.005-04:00

My little snickerdoodle peed in the big potty at "school" (daycare) a couple weeks ago . Her Granny bought her some big girl panties after that...Dora the Explorer and Pet Shop. I'm not so sure she's ready for potty training totally yet. She peed in her potty 3 times before she was 2, but will only sit on it occasionally at home. We were at Uncle Roy's house yesterday and she surprised me with peeing on the potty. She later announced it to everyone and everyone cheered and clapped. She does like to wear her new panties. I think they look so cute, however she thinks they feel weird. See for yourself. She's worn them twice around the house just for fun. About 10 minutes the first time, then she wanted them off...about 15 minutes the second time...that was because she peed in them. Oh well, easy to clean!

What would you do if you saw someone mistreat your child

2009-02-26T21:29:00.004-05:00

...when they thought you weren't there? Would your first thought be to immediately beat the shit out of them...or would you try to stay rational? It's a tough call...it's one I had to make today.

Let's just say, it's been a rough day. Unfortunately we stayed up later last night (watching Lost), so Shayla went to bed later too. She, of course, was sleepy and a little grumpy this morning as I was getting her ready for daycare. She hates to get dressed every morning, but this morning there were some tears. She was fine by the time we left the house and when we pulled into the daycare driveway, she was sleepy of course, but still fine. Yesterday we had seen a little baby bunny and we were talking about it in the car again this morning. I got her out of the car and carried her into the building...I put her down next to me as the daycare worker walked over to get her. This daycare worker is someone that is and has been a "friend" of the family for years...someone who has always seemed to have a pleasant disposition. As I put Shayla down, she made a polite comment about Shayla's outfit. Then Shayla started whining and saying she didn't like it and wanted to wear something else. Obviously, it was way too late, as we were already at daycare. Then Shay hugged my legs and the daycare worker pulled her away from me...with Shayla tugging at my clothes the whole way calling "momma" "momma". Her calling out for me and being pulled away really bothered me. This was way different than the way we usually go in. Usually she just walks away with the daycare worker as I sign her in and most days refuses to blow me kisses or say "goodbye"...she's always quite happy to go and likes it and the people there. Because she was pulled away from me, she started crying harder, so as I said my goodbyes, I walked out to the car...then decided to sit there for just a couple of minutes to make sure she stopped crying...as she was crying very hard. In the past, the very few times that she has cried when I've left, I've always been told that she always stops soon after I leave, so I thought I'd see for myself if she did today. As I sat there, I watched my baby cry hard. Her back and shoulders heaving from the deep sobs. She and another little girl (who will be 2 this month) were the only 2 kids there besides the daycare worker...and both were sitting in highchairs as they do every morning watching TV and waiting for breakfast (that's still an hour and a half away). I've always thought this was weird, but was told from my co-worker/friend/moms at work, that this is pretty normal in a daycare setting. Anyway, I saw the daycare worker writing on a piece of paper at a little table and I watched Shayla rub her eyes (from all the tears). Then the daycare worker walked over to Shayla and jerked her hand away from her eyes (very roughly) and grabbed a tissue and wiped her nose really hard. I could see the frustration in the daycare worker's body language. I was shocked at the quickness in which she jerked my child's arm down...and shocked that SHE would do that. I wanted to rush in there and grab Shayla and take her home, where I knew she was safe. I tried to rationalize and think reasonably about what to do. What would I do if she wasn't in daycare...I have to work. I have to have a job and there's no one individual that I know who can take care of her while we're at work. The daycare worker didn't hit her, but she was extremely rough. I grabbed my cell phone while still sitting outside. I called the daycare worker...I said (calmly) "It's Lisa, do I need to come and get Shayla?" She said "no, she's still crying, but she's fine, I keep wiping her eyes". I knew this was a lie because she hadn't wiped Shayla's eyes...she almost rubbed her nose off, but she never wiped her eyes. I said, "I'm outside and have been watching". She said, "that's probably why she's still crying, because she sees you". I said, "she doesn't see me....none of you have seen me sitting here watching". At that point, she looked my way (she couldn't see me outside due to it being dark and it being well lit inside the building) and then she walked over to Shayla, grabbed a tissue and wiped Shayla's eyes gently. She knew I saw her...saw what she did. She then repeated that Shayla was saying she was sleepy...I heard Shayla and watched her say that too. She then pulled the whole comforting act out. I had to leave to go to work, but felt better that I had let her know I saw her. I then called my sister as I cried the whole time (thinking that she was being mistreated and I just left her there). I asked my sister to make a surprise visit at the daycare to check on Shayla and she called me within a half hour and said that Shayla was fine, that she was talking to the little kid next to her. While I was driving into work, the daycare worker called me on my cellphone. They NEVER call me...have only called 2 times when they were closing due to bad weather. This felt like her admission of guilt to me. She said, "Shayla's not crying anymore, she's talking to the other kids". I said her name, then said, "can I be honest with you?" I said, "It hurt to see my baby sitting there crying so hard and not being comforted...as a mother, that really hurt...and to be truthful, the only reason Shayla is in that daycare is because of you. I always thought she would be safe with you". Her first and only response was that she didn't comfort Shayla because if she talked to her, then Shay cries harder. She never admitted she did anything wrong. She did...I saw it. I don't need for her to validate what I know happened. The fact that she lied about wiping her eyes makes me wonder what else she's lied about. Mark and I talked at great lengths about this...and talked to the daycare owner, who was as surprised as I was by the daycare worker's behavior. I don't want to disrupt Shayla's life, but I want her to be safe there and not have to worry that someone is being mean to her. Hopefully the owner will do as she said and take care of it. If not, we'll look for another place for her.

Vacation...Cha Ching!

2009-02-22T18:34:00.003-05:00

Guess where we're going this year!!! Go ahead..guess! Okay, I'll give you a hint...it's known as the "happiest FREAKIN' place on Earth" or maybe it's just the "happiest place on Earth". Anyway, that's right...we're going to Walt Disney World baby! Yay! We're finally planning our first ever vacation (besides going to China...trust me, that was stressful and definitely was NOT a vacation, Mark and I have never been away on a real "vacation"). We're going with Mark's cousin's family...well, we're all meeting there, not traveling together, but let's just see them try to get rid of us...we'll be like leeches...they won't even know what hit 'em! We're staying on the Disney grounds in one of the resorts. I think Shayla will love seeing all the huge Disney images. I've always wanted to go there! I'm really looking forward to seeing everything. I even ordered a fancy new lens for the trip so I (and you) don't miss any good pictures!

Pacemaker/Defibrillator (ICD)

2009-02-21T07:25:00.002-05:00

My mom had surgery on Thursday. She had to have this. Her heart is weak, so this will help if she goes into cardiac arrest...this can save her life. It's implanted under the skin, below her left collarbone and wires are run to her heart. She had to stay at the hospital overnight, so she's home now. My mom has had so many surgeries, that this one was a piestce of cake. Don't get me wrong, it's still a surgery and she's hurting, but she's been through a worse surgery...she had her right lung removed about 18 years ago after being diagnosed with cancer. This was the scariest thing in the world to see her go through...she'll still say she didn't get cancer from smoking although she was a smoker for many years until they told her she had cancer, so believe me when I say no cigarette will ever touch these lips...I've seen her pain and learned from it. Also, last year she had angioplasty and a bovine patch put in to replace part of the carotid artery in her neck.

Ewww...Computer Virus!

2009-02-21T07:09:00.003-05:00

Ohmigosh! What a week. Last weekend Mark got a virus (a Botnet really) on his computer and he's really just now getting it back to "normal" after reformatting and losing most all of the stuff saved on it. He and I share a network, so for the fear of it creeping over to my computer, I've had to leave mine off. The botnet apparently came in via a worm virus. If you get an e-mail (even if it's from a friend) about a UFO at the inauguration (videos attached to it), DON'T OPEN IT!!! This thing was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. It was moving his files, hiding files and deleting files. The worst it got was when the computer would restart, then about 2 minutes later, it would turn itself off...this went on for a while as he attempted to get it fixed. Earlier in the week, when he was finally able to access his e-mail account, he received a notice from our internet company that his internet service was shut down. He called, as the notice instructed, and found out that during the time he was working on his computer, for about a 3 or 4 hour period, that his server sent out over 800,000 (yes you are reading that number correctly) spam e-mails. Luckily the internet service people recognized what it was and gave him a little more info on it, so he was able to better find programs that would help him get it fixed. Thankfully my hubby is a geek and was able to get it fixed...otherwise his computer may have been trashed. I wouldn't have been able to fix it, that's for sure!

Snow storm

2009-02-15T16:22:00.006-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Kentucky was hit with a massive amount of snow and ice. Many thousands of people were left with no electricity because of so many downed power lines. Due to the weight of the ice and snow on the trees, trees were cracking and breaking right and left. I was attempting to get Shayla to daycare and myself to work...just as I closed the car door on Shayla's side, the tree across from our driveway split into 3 parts and fell (blocking part of our driveway). I was able to get my awesome car (I love my car, can you tell) out, but then it was too bad to try to make it all the way downtown, so I headed back home. Here are a few pictures I took (before it got too bad). Yes, there was snow on top of all that ice when it all ended.

Here's the view from out my back door.

I love the way it looks and wish I had gotten a picture later in the day, when it was all completely white.

Here's my poor tree when the ice started.

Here's the table on my deck and cool, icy lamp.

Here's the view from my driveway.

Here's our next door neighbor's tree. Back in September, when we had the bad wind, from Hurricane Ike, his tree stayed very pretty and had no damage...this time he wasn't so lucky.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T19:49:00.005-05:00

Compose yourself ladies and stand back, 'cause this hunka burnin' love is takin'! Yep, this is the man of my dreams. He's my best friend...the perfect father...the love of my life...the best husband and without a doubt, my soulmate. It's freakishly weird how we are perfect together.

Mark, I love you. Happy Valentine's Day. Thank you for the roses, they are beautiful.

I can't remember why the silly picture, but it just cracks me up!

Okay, I'll throw on a really old picture too of us together...back in the day when we were engaged. This was 2000, at a friend's wedding (Mark was in the wedding). Oh, how I love '80's hair!

Chinese New Year Celebration

2009-02-13T06:15:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we went to our local FCC group's Chinese New Year celebration. We had a good time. Shayla was wearing a cute casual outfit. When we were in China, I only bought one Chinese outfit, so she doesn't have more than that one that she outgrew a long time ago. I need to go online and order some for future years, it's just not something I sit around thinking about. Nevertheless, she looked too cute! My girl can pull off the jeans look! Last year there was a photographer there and I thought if we all wore jeans this year, it would be a cute picture...however, no photographer was there this year...bummer. There was a dance teacher there, Ms. Pan...she seemed to be really good with the kids. Shayla wanted to participate, but she's a little shy with big groups of people, so she stood over to the side and did the dances and hand movements with her daddy. She (and her daddy) were doing a pretty good job though. She loved watching the various dancers and kept pointing and commenting on how pretty they were.

Below is the dragon, leading the parade.

Here is Miss Jenna, looking spiffy!

Shayla and Daddy.

Shayla and I.

Shayla covering my nose...yeah, I dunno why...I guess 'cause she's silly!

Out of the mouths of babes...

2009-02-12T06:16:00.003-05:00

Shayla chose to copy something I said just as we were walking to the car from the Chinese New Year celebration (more on this part later). Someone down the street was holding their horn down and she said "what was that", Mark told her it was a horn. I was walking around the other side of the car and said apparently more loudly than I thought, "ah, blow it out your ass". So, then Miss Shayla heard it and repeated it...actually she repeated it about 6 times...one time Mark said "Shayla, don't say that" and she said "blow it out your ass daddy". Being the wonderful parents we are, we both ended up doubled over and laughing so hard...I thought I would pee on myself!

Times are hard...

2009-02-11T06:14:00.002-05:00

My girl loves CORN!

2009-02-09T22:03:00.003-05:00

Here she is having her first ever corn-on-the-cob. I wasn't sure how she would do with the cob and just recently let her go for it. She's always been a big corn fan, but this new corn made her day!

New Years

2009-02-09T06:42:00.005-05:00

Yeah, I'm WAY behind. Our New Year's was spent with Mark's side of the family. Playing pool, throwing darts and Nintendo Wii were the events of the night...not to mention eating! Shayla took to drumming again...she's our little drummer girl! Mark played all the games and I was caught on camera kicking a little booty on a Wii boxing game. I know, I know...it's not the most attractive set of pics! Believe me when I say I kicked some butt and a heart attack felt like it was in my near future! Well, family friend Barbara was a great competitor and I was willing to pay her a buck to back down and give up so I could stop swinging. Ends up I did win (YAY), however her controller was set for left-handed (at least that's what they told me afterwards...wink wink). Oh well, I was sick that day, but had a good time anyway. Shayla, Mark and I all celebrated the New Year together. Here are a few pics from that night.

Busy busy

2009-01-20T06:07:00.001-05:00

I have TONS of pictures to download, but haven't taken the time to do so. I've been busy reading the Twilight series. I'm on Eclipse (3rd book) now and saw the Twilight movie this past weekend. Sorry, I really think they butchered it! Anyway, here's a photo to hold you over!

Seriously Random Thoughts

2009-01-09T19:28:00.002-05:00

Did you think I went missing? I've been here, just haven't had time for the computer or reading many blogs. Thankfully, it's the weekend again and I can get caught up some.

2009 - Out with the old, in with the new -

1. Yes, I'm reading Twilight...just as everyone else has finished it. I started on it back in December, but don't read at home (there's no way Miss Shayla would let me), so I've been reading on my lunch hour at work whenever I think about it. It's really good. Maybe I can "try" to get it finished this weekend. I'm actually a very fast reader, so it's just annoying to me that I'm still not done with it.

2. My mom is having some artery issues again. Last year she had angioplasty and a bovine artery replacement. She doesn't really have any symptoms right now and she looks pretty damn good, but some of her new tests indicate some more blockages. We'll see, after they do some further testing, what can be done.

3. I got a promotion at work! I found out New Year's Eve and I "officially" start it Monday. It came as a surprise...a nice, pleasant surprise. With this economy, I'm thankful to even have a job...so, I'm extremely thankful that I work for a really good company, work with really good people and have a job that I've wanted for many months now. It's different from what I've been used to for the last 10+ years and feel it's much more challenging, so I'm excited to start.

4. Shayla has just started calling things "poo poo". She's called some of her toys that and I think she may have even called her Daddy that. I wanna laugh...and have to admit, I sometimes do, but I hope this is the WORST of the things she'll learn at daycare.

5. I need to diet. I need to eat smaller portions, eat healthier and drink a ton of water...however, I have no will power. Maybe I can get my head in the right place soon to do the right thing.

6. I think this is somewhat related to #5, but I've been thinking about death a lot. I think everyone thinks about it sometimes, but I've been thinking about it a lot. I don't talk about because I don't want a lecture from anyone, but I think the fact that I'm getting older and looking older, has me thinking more about it. Not to mention that my co-worker's husband was killed 2 days before Christmas in a car accident...then the day after Christmas, my aunt's best friend died suddenly of, I think, an aneurism while she was out doing a little shopping.

7. I didn't make a New Year's resolution. I had thought that "losing weight" would simply just default to it again this year, as it does every year, but I technically didn't make one. I wish I had. Is it too late now??? It feels too late to say it and mean it.

8. I decided to not highlight my hair this winter. I like it blonder in the summer, but think I'm way too pale to do it this winter. I did do it for week and changed my mind, then changed it back to just brown. I like to change my hair color often. It sometimes seems that's really the only control I have over my appearance, so I like to mix it up sometimes.

9. I have a serious desire to go shopping for myself right now. I love shopping for Mark or for Shayla, but I usually HATE shopping for myself and rarely ever go. I really NEED some winter clothes, underclothes, socks, new jacket/coat and shoes. I dread trying on clothes. I wish I could just find something and buy it without having to try everything on...but then I HATE taking things back to a store or exchanging things. I love getting gift certificates as gifts because I can go shopping when these kinds of moods hit (which is really rare). I have to be in this kind of mood before I will use it...I still have a gift certificate from last year's birthday (7 months ago).

10. I love wearing black. I wish I could wear black at least 3 or 4 days a week, without looking like a freak. Sometimes I couldn't care less what people think, other times, I feel totally insecure. Normal?? I'm guessing probably so.

11. I wish I was a really good photographer. I look at Pioneer Woman's photography and Pastor Ryan's and wish so much I could take pictures like theirs. It's not that I want to make a living as a photographer, but I just wish I was really good at it. I "think" I may have improved since getting my Nikon last June, but I'm not where I want to be with it yet. It's weird, but I have an overwhelming need to be good at this. I have no other talents or hobbies...maybe that's why I need this so much.

12. I have a new crab recipe I want to try this weekend. I love trying new recipes, but they're mainly always just for me. Mark is an extremely picky eater, so I fix many of the same things for dinner over and over. Anyway, I love crab, shrimp, clams, scallops and lobster. At a restaurant, I love fresh seafood items, but from the store, I prefer flake-style imitation crab. It has a sweetness to it that I like. Here recently, whenever I have crab, I've been getting sick. I may have developed some sort of allergy or something to it, but I can't quit eating it. I will still fix crab dishes. It's like a crack addiction! Crab is my crack!

13. I HATE Italian sausage, black beans and corn salsa. I also hate the gummy mush of flour tortillas shells in enchilada recipes (should be corn tortillas). I think eating chicken and beans together is weird. They don't seem right together. It's like eating spaghetti and milk together. I just can't do it.

2009...Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:15:00.003-05:00

2008...what a year! 2008 was full of many good things, as well as many bad things. It was our first full year as parents to the most wonderful child in the world, but it was also the year that we lost some very special people. My grandma passed away earlier in 2008, my sister-in-law passed away a few months ago, my mom had some serious heart issues and had angioplasty and my 19 year old cat had to be euthanized. Again, what a year! As thankful as I am to have a wonderful, loving family, a good job and a nice house, I'm ready to put the bad things behind us and am hopeful that 2009 will be the year to look forward to. I'm ready to look forward to HOPE for all of us. 2008 was a tough year for many people...due to the economy, many company lay offs and financial stress that a lot of us have had to endure. So to everyone, Happy New Year! I hope it's a good one!

MANY Christmas pics!

2008-12-29T20:05:00.015-05:00

We had a great Christmas! Sorry to post so many photos, but I do it for the family members who really just can't seem to see enough photos of our baby girl and some who don't get to see her often enough. There would have been even more photos, but before we went to Grandma Wanda's house, Miss Shayla fell asleep in the car. She got even more presents there...I was just all photoed out by then!

After playing Jenna's drums and playing on Adam's (Jenna's big brother) BIG drums, Miss Shayla decided that, she too, must HAVE drums. Luckily Santa found this lovely set and made her day! Her Daddy & I think she's a gifted drummer!

Opening presents with Daddy.

I had this little book made for her by My Custom Story. She liked it.

By the way, the iCarly electronic drums...not cool...not much sound. Yes, I know it seems weird of me to say that when many parents are always looking for peace and quiet. In our house, we love to hear Shayla sing, or dance...or play the drums!

Beautiful baby girl (at Aunt Karen's house)...ready to open more presents!

Rare photos of me and my baby girl.

She got her own make-up too.

Shayla kissing Granny with her new made up lips.

She dug her Dance Cam, as you can see by her face. For all moms with kids about 2 years or older...you GOTTA get this. She loves it!

Thanks Granny for the Dance Cam...see below for how it works. Shay checking herself out!

Hanging out with Aunt Karen and chillin' with some Puffs (which are the nastiest tasting things I may have ever had).

Hanging out with Uncle Todd and helping him with his presents.

We had some fun visiors for Christmas too! Kay (my nephew's wife) brought along her brother, sister-in-law and baby nephew recently back from Korea. What fun we all had!

Pics from a b-day and gift exchange.

2008-12-28T09:13:00.006-05:00

Shayla helping the birthday girl (Aunt Karen) open her presents.

Shayla and silly Uncle Todd

Shayla and Daddy.

Shayla being tickled by Granny.

Eric and Kay (my nephew and his wife).

Shayla and Jenna's Christmas gift exchange.

Shayla got a Muno guitar (Yo Gabba Gabba).

Jenna got drums from Shayla.

Shayla and Jenna.

Kristie loving on her baby girl Jenna.

Scott and Shayla hanging out.

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T07:51:00.002-05:00

Shayla hasn't woken up yet to see the loot Santa Claus brought her for Christmas. I'm up doing something to my hair and face...Lord knows this CAN'T look good on film! Anyway, I have my camera ready and will post pics later. Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T19:22:00.001-05:00

This has been a fun Christmas. I knew it would be! Shayla is ready to open presents! She keeps getting them out from underneath the tree and carrying them around. She turns them over and looks at both sides and occasionally, will throw out a "woohoo" when we talk about opening them soon. When you say something to her about not opening it just yet, she says "just looking". It's too funny. The other day, I walked out of the living room for only about a minute or so, then came back to find 2 presents on the ottoman. Then I walked away to add fabric softener to a load of laundry, came back and there was another present sitting in from of her...she was "just looking" at it too. That kid cracks me up!

Gosh I just love this kid!

2008-12-24T06:18:00.000-05:00

Oh Christmas Tree!

2008-12-20T08:36:00.008-05:00

Here are a few pictures of when we decorated the tree.

I don't know how she knew, but before anything was even put on the tree, Miss Shayla added some of her own ornaments!

This is going up the steps...oops, I just noticed the sticks from the red beads (need to hide those).

Shay enjoying her very first candycane (last night).

Having a snack!

Taking time to blow Momma a kiss.

The letter S

2008-12-20T08:11:00.001-05:00

On a much more uplifted note than my last post, Shayla knows some letters! We were laying in bed and taking turns doodling on her Doodle Pro pad the other night. Anyway, I wrote the letter "S" and she said "S". I was surprised and shocked and then squealed with delight! By the way, she's really pretty good with shapes too, but I knew that already!

Maxwell Kitty Cat

2008-12-19T18:00:00.004-05:00

This has been a tough day. Max was definitely part of our family and will be missed so much. He was 6 weeks old when I got him on Jan. 2 1990 (he was born in Nov. '89). I had decided that I really wanted a kitty and had thought that I would get a little older cat, but when I called around to pet stores, little baby kittens were all they had. Back then I was young and naive and thought you could only get pets from pet stores (instead of animal shelters). Anyway back in 1990, my sister Karen, my nephew Eric and I headed out to a local pet store and looked at all the sweet kitties. There was one that was kicking all the other little kitty's butts! He was pouncing on all the other little kittens and playing pretty rough. He was orange and reminded me of Garfield. Karen thought it would be fun to pick this little bully. Sure, I was game and agreed...this would be my new cat. He was so little and so cute. We were trying to think of names and we passed a new TJ MAXX store. It had just opened and I had never even been inside to see what they even sold. My nephew saw the Maxx part and said, how about calling him "Max". Perfect! What a cool name for a cool cat! So, Max it was. When we got home, my mom (still expecting to see a little older cat) saw this tiny orange fluff ball and the first thing she said was (I remember it exactly) "he's entirely too small...he's gonna get stepped on". He was really small. When he slept, he was so little he could sleep in my hand. Oh, he was really cute. He grew into a cat that liked to go outside (yes, that was irresponsible of me, I know now) and roam around all night! He'd come to my sister's window (never mine) and meow all hours of the night until she got up, went to the front door to let him in the house. Then he'd come to my bed and join me in a nice peaceful sleep. Since he roamed outside, he got dirty fast...so I would give him a bath and then he would, EVERY SINGLE TIME, go and roll in the dirt around the big tree in my mom's backyard. When I moved out on my own, he moved with me (he never went outside to roam ever again). He always adjusted well to changes, has always been pretty laid back and just kinda goes with the flow. When I married Mark, I thought he might have issues with another person being around, but he loved Mark from the beginning and Mark loved him. Max was his first cat. When Shayla came along, once again, Max adjusted. He loved her and she loved him. She was always petting and loving on the cats. About 2 weeks ago, we even had a debate at our house...Mark said Shayla was his buddy, but Shayla said, with the utmost confidence, "no Daddy, I Max's buddy". So, on this day, we're all sad. Max will be missed, but Max is loved, was ALWAYS loved and will be thought of often.

Max

2008-12-19T06:25:00.002-05:00

Max will be put down today. He's my 19 year old cat. He was born the same year I graduated from high school and the same year I met Mark. He's grown up with me and I'm very sad that he has to go, but it's time. For now I have to go to work and be okay.

Missing...Boots!

2008-12-17T18:21:00.003-05:00

This is Boots...and he's missing. Yes, he was only part of Shayla's 2nd birthday cake topper, but he became one of the most important little toys to her. She carried him around in her "Gabba purse" (the pink purse her Aunt Karen bought that has also become the home to her Yo Gabba Gabba figures). She (okay, all of us really) loves this funky monkey and are very sad that he's missing. Shayla's daddy has even developed a sense of OCD looking for this critter. Every nook and cranny has been looked over...and still no Boots. The APB (all points bulletin) we put out on this guy with our family has come back negative! Guess we'll just have to order another birthday cake to get this little guy again (hopefully those toppers will be in stock)! Keep your fingers crossed!!!!

Baby (Item) Blues

2008-12-13T07:53:00.003-05:00

Well a couple of weeks ago, we gave Shayla's crib, one of her small strollers (she had 3) and her old high chair to my nephew's wife. Her brother is moving back here from Korea with his wife and new baby and they really needed some baby items. Giving baby things away made me sad. It's like knowing that you'll never have another child. I've been through this feeling before...like when we were first told we would never have children. Well, it made me feel "kinda" the same...except I know I now have a beautiful child that I'll forever be grateful for. When I mentioned this to Mark, he agreed that financially we couldn't adopt again any time soon anyway...that when/if the time ever came that we could, then we could simply purchase new items anyway...or the baby could just sleep with us. Even though he's right about not having adoption money available, he made me feel better just by adding that last part (the "sleep with us" part), it made me feel as though all hope is not lost if we wanted another later down the road. Eventually (not now, as I don't think I'm ready for number 2 yet), I would love for Shayla to have a sibling...brother or sister. I know how I've depended on my sister throughout the years and I want Shayla to have a sibling like that too. It makes me sad to think she may never have that closeness with a brother or sister.

I never wrote about it back then, but the year when we were waiting for Shayla's referral to come in, we were "offered" a child to adopt. A newborn boy. A friend of the family knew we were wanting to adopt, knew a teenager who was having her second child and she wanted to place him with an adoptive family. We didn't think we could afford 2 so close together, so we chose not to do it. We thought we'd be getting her referral any day and there was no way I would've have stopped that adoption...I had her name, clothes, everything picked out...she was already real to me. It ends up, he was adopted by a couple who also desperately wanted a child. I have seen him in person and met his adoptive mom, briefly...and I know we made the right decision. He's where he should be, with the mom he's supposed to be with. I have no doubt and no regrets. Now if an opportunity like that came around again, we would seriously, I mean SERIOUSLY consider it.

Game night

2008-12-11T20:20:00.008-05:00

Last weekend we went to our friends house and Shayla got to play with their daughters. She had so much fun!

The grown ups played Trivial Pursuit 80's Edition. Mark and I won! Yay us! Here is Mark doing some serious thinking!

Our poor friend Mark, had to wear his wife's (Tonya) glasses because he couldn't read the cards...I thought they looked "nice"...hee hee.

Thanksgiving Part 2.

2008-12-09T20:18:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving Part 2 was at my brother-in-law's house. We all missed Kathy (she would have had a great time). Shayla played with blocks with big cousins Kimberly & Cindy.

Here is Shayla's Grandma having a good time.

Here's Dan (Mark's brother) and his girlfriend Laura.

Downstairs was darts and pool. Here's Mark bragging about his last throw! Dan and Daniel, don't look too impressed though!

Here's Roy "trying" to play pool (I teased him about that that night) & Dan (both are Mark's brothers).

Before too long, Rock Band was broken out and a good time was had by all!

Miss Shayla was listening only...at first.

Then she decided she wanted to play the drums. She wasn't half bad either!

Then she wanted to sing!

Thanksgiving Part 1

2008-12-09T06:10:00.004-05:00

Here is part 1 of Thanksgiving. We went to my sister's house, then later when to Mark's brother's house (that will be the part 2).

Below are pictures of my sister and mom, Shayla talking with my nephew, then playing (throwing hearts) with my nephew. Then the last picture is of my nephew and his wife.

Then and now

2008-12-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

My 500th Post! Holy moly!

2008-12-07T22:00:00.002-05:00

Hmmm....I'm starting to see a pattern here...

Birthday pics - Daddy

2008-12-07T21:49:00.003-05:00

Here are a few late pictures from Daddy's b-day. Shayla loved helping daddy open his presents. She came down the stairs and thought they were for her. Guess she really catched on from her b-day! Christmas is gonna be so fun!

2008-12-07T15:05:00.003-05:00

For about 3 or 4 months I tried advertising on my blog...but finally I decided it's just not for me. I thought "why not make a few bucks"...but a few cents (literally) is really just not worth the trouble. I get constant e-mails about selling to readers, so I decided the "spam" (is what it feels like) is just not worth the time and trouble. Not to mention I hate the clutter look of my blog with all that stuff on there. So, enjoy the blog, ad free.

One to hold you over...

2008-12-04T21:38:00.001-05:00

I'll post more pictures when I have a little more time!

Our Pretty Baby

2008-12-01T19:56:00.000-05:00