Happy 4th Birthday, Ashlyn!

This past weekend was my little girl's birthday weekend (her actual birthday was on Saturday, the 29th). And let me tell you, it was a weekend! To start off, we weren't even sure if we were going to have her party or not. She had woken up with a stomach bug the day before her birthday and was not feeling well. Yep, here's a picture of my poor, little girl asleep on the couch with her well-worn 'ducky'. (I have a feeling that 'ducky' will be in shreds by the time she is in kindergarten, she loves it so much).

Luckily, Ashlyn started feeling better the morning of her party, so off we went to...McDonalds! I know what you're thinking--McDonald's?! Jason and I had gone to McDonald's birthday parties when we were growing up and they were always our favorite ones to go too. So, when I found out they still did them, we had it there. Of course it was mass-chaos with all of the kids running around sticky-faced and smelling like McDonald's fries--but they had a blast! Here are the kids at the birthday table.

I still laugh at this picture, seeing Ashlyn in her birthday hat (it kind of reminds of one of those headdresses for a queen that they have in those medieval movies). :)

I just can't believe how quickly my little one has grown! My goal is to slow down and enjoy more of the time with my sweet daughter (and son) before they grow up, because they grow so fast! Since I can't resist posting some more pictures, here is Ashlyn through the years:

Yep, that's Ashlyn at 3 mos. with pigtails...I don't even think I've ever seen that much hair on a baby before. :)

Here's to you, my sweet, sweet, little girl! I love you more than you can ever know! Happy Birthday, Ashlyn!

Balloons, Toys and Toothbrushes?

No, we're not talking about a birthday party (I guess the tootbrush thing gave it away!), although my firstborn's 4th birthday is right around the corner. I'm talking about the dentist. Yes, on Wednesday my two children had their 1st dentist checkup. If I had actually remembered my camera (but you know me!), I would have posted pictures, but since I don't have any from their first dentist visit, you'll just have to hear about it in words.

Considering my youngest is only 2 1/2, I wasn't really expecting the dentist visit to be a really good one. In fact, when I made the appointment the staff at the pediatric dentist's office told me to expect about 45 minutes per child since it was their first visit. However, I was pleasantly surprised. We actually ended up only staying for about an hour because they did sooooo AMAZING!! The dental hygienist was even surprised at how well the kids did at their age. I was fully expecting to deal with fussing, crying, struggles, etc., but they had none of the above! The staff at the pediatric dentist's office were so nice and 'debriefed' me on what was to be expected. They even had a playroom for the kids that had 3 stations of videogames and a room full of toys! (Definitely different from my days going to the dentist as a kid). They took x-rays of both of the kids (my oldest first) and after they were done, they gave them both a sticker. What was really funny is that the dental hygienist that came in to clean the kid's teeth was actually a member of my running club. I had actually run with and talked to her at the very beginning of my training (it may not seem like a big deal, but my running club had about 400 or 500 ? members in it, so it was really a strange coincidence!) Anyway, Ashlyn got her teeth cleaned first and then Layton followed suit, fluoride treatment and everything. After the doctor declared them both cavity-free (YAAAAY!!), they went home with balloons, toys and new character toothbrushes. I was so proud!!!

How do your kids do at the dentist? Do they cringe at the thought of going, or do they actually like to go?

50 Random Things About Me (Part 2)

Okay, since I just have to complete my '50 Random Things' post (remember #25?)--here goes my last 25. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite provide a flow of ideas in this one (its definitely more random!), but hope you enjoy it nevertheless! Here goes:

26. My hubby and I took our first trip to Europe when I was 6 months pregnant with my firstborn, Ashlyn. I hoofed it all over London and Paris and even got my picture at the top of the Eiffel Tower (despite my fear of heights!) Let me tell you--it was scary!
27. I have a very goofy personality. (Big surprise there!)
28. My husband does too, and that's why we fit so well together.

29. I think I got my goofy personality from my dad, whom I adore.

30. Although my dad lives in Missouri, I'm very close to him--I talk to him on the phone at least once a day.

31. I think I was born with 'foot-in-mouth' syndrome. I go home thinking (quite often), "Why did I say that?". I'm not sure if it's because I tend to speak before I think or if I'm actually missing some brain cells. You decide.

32. I tend to be very critical of myself.

33. I am rather indecisive at times and find myself second-guessing just about everything I do.

34. I had perfect attendance throughout my 4 years of high school. My best friend, Diane, and I were the only ones to receive that prestigious (ha!) award in our senior class.

35. My perfect attendance could be a result of the fact that my parents would never let me miss school (unless I was on my deathbed;), or because I loved school. I have always loved being in school whether it was elementary, intermediate (maybe not so much), high school or college. I loved being in classes and learning new things.

36. I love old R&B and funk music. I like music with a lot of soul and a good beat.

37. I love riding in my car with the music blaring and singing at the top of my lungs. (Maybe not so much now with kids, but when I do get a chance to do it when I'm alone, I usually do).

38. I am a definite yo-yo dieter. I feel like I'm constantly going up and down in clothes sizes. Tell me this is normal all you women out there!

39. In the past I jogged for weight control, but turned my casual hobby into a goal.

40. I ran my first half-marathon in October of last year.

41. I ran my first marathon in January of this year.

42. I have only jogged sporadically since then (about once or twice).

43. I'm hoping to start up again (soon!) and run another marathon this next year.

44. I am a huge chocoholic and ice-creamaholic (or any other sweets for that matter!)

45. I am completely non-crafty.

46. I don't scrapbook, stamp, etc. I don't know if its because I lived most places where it wasn't really popular, but I don't do it nevertheless. I'm sure I'd like to learn--someday.

47. I have a nasty nail-biting habit, which I've seen my daughter, Ashlyn copy (Uh-oh!)

48. I can't pop my knuckles.

49. I can't whistle.

50. I have a sarcastic sense of humour. I tend to joke around (a lot) with my good friends.

Well, there you have it. That's me in a nutshell (besides some other weird quirks and idiosyncracies). Hope you enjoyed the journey with me. Now, here's to the next 50 posts (and many more...)

50 Random Things About Me (Part 1- the First 25)

Well, I have officially passed the '50' mark--50 blog postings that is. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I have decided to follow in the footsteps of some of my fellow bloggers and post 50 random things about myself that you may (or may not have known) about me. So, pull up a chair (or grab a pillow and blanket--whatever gets you through it) and enjoy:

1. I was born at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. Yep, I'm an Air Force Brat (not sure if I've ever actually grown out of that phase)

2. My mom was from the Phillippines.

3. My mom passed away 4 weeks after my son Layton was born. It was definitely one of the hardest times in my life--I still struggle with it now and again, but its getting better bit by bit.

4. I have one sister named Jackie, who I am very close too. Just think of my alter ego and you'll have my sister's personality.

5. I am a stickler for punctuality--I'm either right on time or at least 30 minutes early (not sure why I do that, but I do--I guess I'm scared I'll miss something ?

6. I have 2 dogs, Sissey and Sara, and have mostly grown up with dogs.

7. My dream as a child was to be a veternarian (like most children, I'm sure). I didn't quite accomplish my goal, but my house can be a zoo at times! :)

8. I have a weird phobia about earthworms, slugs, grubs, etc.. The weird thing is that I'm not really afraid of snakes, spiders, cockroaches, bees or really any other insect--just worms. I don't like it when I see them in the yard, let alone touch them. I'm not sure what I think will happen to me if I did come in contact with one, but I'm sure it would be bad ;)

9. I have mowed a lawn once in my life (since we mostly lived in small towns with a lot of land), but I'm sure I would try again if I really had to. I mostly avoid yardwork unless its raking leaves or something due to my earthworm phobia (it's not an excuse I swear!)

10. I have lived in 4 different states while I was growing up--Louisiana, Virginia, Colorado, and Illinois.

11. I consider Virginia to be my childhood home.

12. I play piano and took classical piano lessons for 12 years growing up. I hated piano lessons when I was little, but I enjoy playing now that I'm an adult.

13. I really wanted to play the drums when I was little, but my mom quickly nixed that idea.

14. When I was in junior high, I helped my mom and my sister refinish an antique baby grand piano that I used to play on. It was truly beautiful.

15. I have always been an avid reader and I love to read books, magazines (whatever), when I do have the time.

16. My favorite types of books and movies (okay, here's where the geek in me comes out) are either in the Science Fiction/Fantasy genre or period pieces about Victorian-era England. I actually grew to love the same books that my dad and mom used to read. I started reading the books that they liked when I was growing up and learned to like them myself.

17. Once I find an author that I like, I read all their books (and then I read them over again!)

18. I don't like to read non-fiction books or dramatic movies that are reality-based. I definitely read and watch movies to escape what goes on in the world around me.

19. That said, I do not like to watch the local news. I hate hearing about all of the crime around me.

20. I can't stand horror movies--never have never will! I definitely do not find watching people suffer (no matter if its real or not) entertaining.

21. I do not like to ride roller coasters--much to my hubby's dismay. I have ridden several in the past, but only because someone wanted me to ride. I usually just close my eyes until its over.

22. My dislike of roller coasters could be due to my fear of heights.

23. Although I have a fear of heights, I have rock climbed, been rapelling, and otherwise tried to tackle my fear of heights (I try to do that with most of my fears, except for the earthworm one--I'm not even going to try and tackle that one).

24. I am very focused on getting things done. In fact, I tend to obsessively think about a project until I actually complete it.

25. I am getting better at that. If not, I wouldn't be breaking up this post for easier reading (although I do have it saved in draft format to post later! :)

To be continued...

Easter 2008

This Easter was a special holiday for me. Why? No, it's not the fancy Easter dresses and Easter egg hunts, although I definitely love those parts of the Easter holiday--it was my first official holiday where I actually cooked the holiday meal myself! Yep, the whole deal--ham, potato casserole, broccoli and rice casserole, peas, rolls, apple pie and to top off the meal, my artery-clogging Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cake. I was feeling pretty good about myself! Jason's dad, Gray, otherwise known as 'Pop' to the kids, came over to eat my Easter lunch and brought his mom, Betty. It was so good to see them both! Here's Pop with the kids and Grandma Betty. Note Layton's lack of pants (sigh!)--I didn't want to make too big of a fight about it on Easter, but it sure does put me to work cropping a lot of pictures! :)

For those of you who know me well, I am not much of a picture taker at everyday events. I tend to be the person who forgets to bring my camera to well, most everything. But on holidays, I tend to take maybe, too many pictures (?) Sooooo, get ready to see a lot of pictures. Here goes...

Here's my sweet, albeit 'pant-less' boy out looking for Easter eggs:

Here's Ashlyn out looking for her Easter eggs and then later placing them into organized lines. I haven't quite figured out her organizational pattern, but I'm thinking she's going by color ? Hmmm.....what do you think?

And last but not least, some random pictures of my family. This is for you Heather! :)

(If you look closely enough in the background you can see Layton (again) without pants. Jason and I got a good laugh out of that one!)

I hope you all had just as wonderful holiday as we did this year! Happy Easter!

The 'Barkington Inn', a.k.a. The Stansell House

What do you get when you have four dogs:

two kids...

and one stressed momma? Why, utter chaos of course!

All joking aside...this past week, I played dog-sitter to 2 of the sweetest dogs you'll ever see (in addition to our darling pets, Sissey and Sara). Since my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were going out of town, Jason and I played dog-sitter to their dog, Benjita. What was really strange was that my dear friend, Amanda (a fellow teacher and friend from Mother's Day out) called that same day to see if we could watch her puppy, Rocky (a sweet Shih-Tzu and Poodle mix) since her husband was in the hospital for breathing problems. (Her husband, Ivan, has since been discharged from the hospital, but will still need prayers for a complete recovery). I, of course, agreed and took her sweet puppy to our house. Well...Ashlyn was over the moon!!!! Here she is holding Rocky.

Layton enjoyed having the dogs around too, but being the little boy that he is, he had a little difficulty being gentle with them. So, since he was barred from a lot of contact with the dogs (for their protection, believe me!), Ashlyn took to playing 'mother hen' over them. She immediately went to work, playing, holding and taking care of those sweet dogs. It was so funny because she thought Rocky looked like a guinea pig and she kept coming out of her room after bedtime to see the 'guinea pig'. :) It was so sweet to see her motherly, nurturing side come out as she watched those sweet dogs (she even read them books!). When Rocky had to leave the next day, she was sad to see him go, so she immediately focused all of her attention onto Benjita (I'm sure, much to Benjita's dismay! :) Here she is holding her 'second' baby, Benjita:

Its been so fun to see my two little ones share my love for animals. If you have pets, do your kids play with them, hold them, read them books, etc.? What funny things do your kids do with your pets?

2 Water Squirters = Happiness

This past week, I stopped at the dollar store and bought the kids two water squirters. I'm not sure what the correct term for them is, but that's what we call them anyway. We originally had one which had since then gotten broken (is that correct grammar ? :) but as a smart mom, I decided to go back to get two--one for each of them to avoid any fights. Ever since we got them, the kids have been playing with them nonstop whenever we're in the backyard--giving the dogs a 'bath' , watering the trees, or washing our windows (I wish the kids really did accomplish one of those things, it would be a huge help!)

Here's Ashlyn happily 'loading up' her water squirter to chase the dogs with:

Here's Layton posing with his water squirter after my fifth attempt to get him to look at the camera and not squirt me! Note the lack of pants--he's in his 'I hate to wear clothes phase'. I'm just lucky I got a shirt on him! :)

I know toys can't buy happiness, but they do buy me at least 30 more minutes to myself. Thank goodness for the dollar store!


Are there any toys/games that keep your kids happy and occupied for large amounts of time?

'One' of my pet peeves

Okay...If you just won this 2.2 million dollar home in the Florida Keys and a brand new car...

how would you react?

Would you scream, cry, jump up and down, pass out, or all of the above? Well, after watching the actual sweepstakes winner surprised with the news on TV tonight, you would have just thought she won a prize out of a gumball machine. She just stood there!!! Okay, she was crying (a little!), but she wasn't outright weeping or anything--she was just silently standing there like she could have cared less! Come on woman--show some emotion! I think there should be a rule in every sweepstakes that if you do not appear excited when you win, they should give it to someone that is excited to win (like my mother-in-law who entered 20 times!) Pet peeve--even if you're not that 'outspoken' of a person, when you win something like that on live television ACT LIKE YOU CARE! Okay, now that I've vented a little, I'm off to enter a Disney sweepstakes, and you better believe it--if I win, you'll know! :)

Slacker me

It seems lately that I have been living the life of a completely unmotivated slacker. That may seem like a very big statement to make, but that's how I feel lately. I haven't been running, doing bible study, or any other major project for that matter. Since I finished my marathon in January, I have been feeling a slight let-down. I had been training for so long and hard for that moment to come and...now what?! I had debated 'the whether or not to run question' for awhile, but with Jason about to switch jobs and possibly go to work earlier, I'm not sure when I will really be able to fit in my running. Sooooo, I'm back to square one.

All you stay-at home moms out there--what do you do to stay in shape with the time allotted you? Do you go to the gym, work out a schedule with your husbands, or just watch what you eat? Help! I need some ideas before the summer rolls around!