Myrtle Hurt.

Here's another funny little thing my mom says... Anytime growing up that I would complain of slight ailments or pain, and of course all in good fun, my mom would call me Myrtle Hurt. The name is actually a real one. Her favorite cousin growing up actually knew the woman. Knowing this, I just tried to google her... no response. Anyway, the point is that today I am definitely Myrtle Hurt. On Monday I went to a baseball fun day with the school where I used to teach. I took Little One with me (and Little Too for that matter) and had him sitting just under the awning of the dugout for the shade and I was sitting on the metal bleachers. One of my students hit a foul ball and it was headed straight for Little One. Scared the woo-hoo out of me. I tried to Superman off those bleachers to cover his sweet self (which if I had landed on him would have done a lot more damage, I'm sure). The ball hit the awning just above him - no kidding - inches from actually hitting him. (It should be said that "Bad News, Bad News" was NOT what went through my head here.) Well, the point here that fits my Myrtle Hurt title is that in diving over and off those metal bleachers, I scraped the skin off my shin. I'd take a picture, but this many days later, it doesn't look like it would hurt that bad, but it did... Then, yesterday I was at Mom and Dad's and while trying to multitask (open a cabinet door while walking) I stabbed the top of my foot with the corner of the cabinet door. (Here I said, "Jiminy Cricket".) It hurt so much!! Again, the pic wouldn't do it justice. And, lastly, today I met Dad to go for a walk with Little One - didn't know that was what I was doing or I would have made a better shoe choice... I had cheap plastic flip flops on and now I have blisters between my big and next toes.

Just call me Myrtle Hurt.

The Sweet Life.

I'm glad to report that I've not been blogging for a good reason... I've actually been out doing fun stuff, but I took my little camera along for most of it, so here goes:

Date Night with the Boys...
Mr. Favorite and I both like going somewhere, doing something on Friday nights. It helps to make our weekends feel longer. So, last Friday night we took Little One out on our date night. Lots of fun to have him with us. He's such a good sport. We had dinner at Carrabba's - one of our faves - and then went to Kohl's because my little guy is growing like nobody's business and I can't seem to keep up with laundry fast enough for him to not grow out of something before I get it cleaned. I'm only kidding a little bit. It's crazy.
Then, we got to go to my very favorite of all time sno-cone place... Oh, goodness. It is a good thing it isn't convenient to go there. The guy who owns and runs the sno shack is obviously gifted for business. He probably is already, but if not, he's going to be very, very rich someday... and he's just a nice guy.
See me with my oh-so-happy-that-I-got-to-have-a-sno-cone face?
And, then, Saturday we went to my school's graduation - I say "my school" because not only did I spend from 4th grade through my own graduation there, but I also went back and taught for 4 years there before having Little One. Just before we found out that Little Too was on his way, Mr. 80'sRock asked me to consider teaching again next year. I was flattered frankly. It's nice to feel like I would be welcomed back. If you've ever wondered what someone thought of your job performance, I think being asked to come back would kind of answer that for you. :) Anyway, since Little Too will arrive in October, it isn't going to work this year. Oh, I guess I got sidetracked here - I'm just noticing that the pic below was supposed to remind me that I was going to mention that this fabulous chica was the only, yes only, girl in the graduating class at our school this year. I think there has got to be some kind of reward for putting up with those boys and still being a very sweet, very kind person at the end. Yea, Miss M!
Whew... we're about to get there folks... stay with me...

On Sunday, after Mr. Fave had to go work on football stuff, I decided to run out to Mom & Dad's just to have something to do. Dad took Little One out to "lock up" and just moments later I look out the window to see Dad driving the tractor. I just thought this was too fun... I love, love, love that Little One has my dad for a grandpa. These pictures represent to me just the beginning of the fun times they've got ahead of them. Makes me a little emotional thinking of just how loved my Little One and Too really are.
And, lastly... Yesterday was the season finale of 24. Our regulars were gathered, minus 2, and we just kept thinking that something was bound to happen... really, surely this can't be it... well, with just 4 minutes to go in the show, the DVR in the living room stopped. AUGH! My mom came to the rescue and was able to get to the last few minutes on the DVR in their bedroom... So, we all gathered in there, again, thinking surely SOMETHING would happen. No. No. No. It was one big dud. It felt like when I was in school and would realize I had written enough to satisfy the requirements of the assignment and I would just end it. It was that lame. So, so very lame. But here we are just before realizing just how lame it really was:

I Am a Terrible Cat Parent.

It's the truth! I feel awful. Here's what happened:

Last night, before the storm, Little One and I were sitting on the back porch enjoying being outside. Occasionally I will allow Nikolai, my Siberian cat, to come outside with us as he is very compliant about staying just on the concrete. He knows he's an inside cat. Anyway, it was while sitting out there that I was struck by the need for the strawberry shake from QT. I came in to tell Mr. Favorite that I needed to go for a ride, and I think that is the point - in my distracted state - that I shut the door and left the cat outside... Oh! It makes me sick just thinking of it. We had AWFUL rain and wind last night. I even commented to Mr. Fave while we were watching TV on how terrible it seemed... and to think Nikki was out in it! It was only this morning that I started wondering where he was. He is a very self-sufficient cat and doesn't seem to really need me much, so it wasn't weird that I hadn't noticed him around. The really sad thing is that at one point after I had gone to bed, I thought I heard him meowing, but I dismissed it as weird rain sounds. Ugh... I feel terrible... But all is well. He's at this very moment curled up on my desk between me and the keyboard with his little chin resting in the crook of my right arm and his little kitty paw holding my wrist down. I've found two pics... the first to show that he doesn't always have wicked-reflective eyes. I found him there one morning... The second was from a day when I looked up and found him on our mantle - and when I asked him what he thought he was doing up there, he got up very quickly and said, "No, no... I was just getting down. Because wasn't it you who said just yesterday that you didn't want me up here?" (That was for you, Kim).

Not A Single One.

Here I am - all of 17 weeks pregnant - and Mr. Favorite and I have no names on the baby-name list. What is wrong with us? What is wrong with me?! I knew what I would name Little One before I even knew Mr. Favorite. I've been searching the Internet and wracking my brain, but I'm getting no where. I've prayed... and prayed. A name is so significant and it is important to me that the meaning be something I want spoken over my child. Well, Mr. Favorite just called to me. He's taking me for a ride to QT so I can get a strawberry shake. Something I must have - right this minute.

Mother's Day Weekend

So (do I start every one of my blog posts with, "So,"?) This was a fun weekend for me. In spite of my social issues, I made myself go to a long-time friend's graduation party. I'm such a weenie about going places where I don't know anyone, but this friend has repeatedly invited me over the years to different things and so I made myself go. I really am impressed with her for completing this goal. Yea, Mel! Ok... so for the part that feeds my social anxieties: I was the very first to show up at this stranger's (even if she did turn out to be very sweet) home. I stood on the porch for what seemed to be a very long time. I kept saying, "Hello?" in my most non-threatening voice I could manage, but still... nothing. After a while I could see someone in the backyard, but since I didn't know for sure I was at the right place or whose home this was, I couldn't just go in. I just stood there waiting until finally Mel's sister drove up. Yea for blog pics so that I would be sure to recognize Mel's sister. Anyway, it turned out to be a great time. I'm genuinely jealous of Mel and the friends with whom she's surrounded herself. They were all so warm and welcoming. How does one re-create that? Here's a pic of me and Mel - carefully cropped. :)

Now, after just a while at Mel's party, I left to go see my mom and some other friends complete the Full Moon Run. I told my mom that it always makes me feel emotional - like I'm fighting tears - because I'm so proud of her and frankly all these people who go out and run like this. Standing there, I kept thinking that I want to CHANGE so that Little One and Little Too grow up with a different attitude about being active and food. Yesterday's message at church was not about this at all, but you know sometimes God speaks into our hearts what we need to hear. I heard that what I model and display for my kids is what they're going to mimic. If I want children who are healthy, I'm going to have to display something entirely different. I feel like God says it isn't too late.
Here I am with Mom and Dad.
And, here I am with A. A is a dear friend who I count as sister.
And, here's the whole group. The lady in purple, standing next to my mom on the far left, just started running last week - actually only ran two times - and then ran this race. SO impressive to me. The hot blonde chick in white (center right) beat my pastor's race time, so it is ON. There was some talk about that info sneaking into the announcements yesterday at church. :)
And all that was just Saturday night!
Here begins my first Mothers Day morning (I love it that he has his little knees drawn up under him so that his bottom sticks up):
And the first thing that happens every morning - the sweetest moments of my day:
Then, Mr. Favorite came in the room and asked if I wanted my Mothers Day gift right then. Of course! It was so sweet. Mr. Favorite started a video of Little One in just his diaper sitting in our whirlpool tub. While I was gone to all my Saturday night activities, they had a big time creating something special for me. The video shows a blank canvas and then for the next 10 minutes, there's the sweetest little boy and four tubs of finger paint creating a Mothers Day gift. He ate only a little bit of the paint. :) Here's Little One with his creation:And a closer photo:
And lastly, crack me up if my mom didn't have a card for me that totally proved my last little post I Watch Entirely Too Much TV! The card has a little girl on the front who is wearing underwear on her head. The first line of my mom's note to me references the movie Raising Arizona when Nick Cage's character goes in a store to steal diapers and is using pantyhose on his head for a disguise. The man behind the counter says, "Son, you got a panty on your head." We thought this line was so stinkin' funny and it - believe it or not - actually does come up occasionally in conversation! I'm cracking up because I know my mom hasn't seen my post and here she's proven my point!

Family of Five (Almost Six).

Last Saturday in the midst of lots and lots of rain and chilly temps, we dared to face it all and have family photos taken. I've admired Amanda Donaho's work for years and was sad when she moved to the Cincinnati area last year... but as luck would have it, there are enough of us fans still around that when she had a trip scheduled back this direction, we made it on her list! I'm feeling very round and very pregnant, but she managed to make me - and the rest of my family - look pretty good. Here are just a few of my faves. If you happen to check out her site, be sure to go to her blog, too. There are more pics of us there.

I Watch Entirely Too Much TV.

In the 5th grade, I was happily singing theme songs from TV, when my teacher said to me, "You watch entirely too much TV." I thought it was funny and that line has stuck with me ever since. Even last Wednesday night at church, there was a point in which I found myself thinking "I watch entirely too much TV". From where I was standing, I could see a gentleman who was wearing shorts and flip-flops (I go to a great, very casual church) and all I could think about was the recent episode of The Office in which Angela was grossed out by Oscar wearing sandals to work on casual Friday. I'm pretty sure I should have put forth more effort to concentrate on something else, but it was amusing to me, so I didn't really try.

Turns out my mom also watches entirely too much TV. We have over the years accumulated one-liners from movies, shows, etc. that lend much humor to our daily journey. For instance, at a place and time when I should have been much more reverent, I noticed that someone who was standing suddenly wasn't. And, instead of immediate concern, all I could think of was how funny it would be to text my mom "We have a piper down" from the movie So I Married An Axe Murderer. (I went to YouTube to put the clip here, but there's all sorts of stuff in the clip that I forgot and well, isn't suitable for my audience - just saying.) There's also the line, "A date?! Is she pretty? Is she prettier than me?!" from a program we saw when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. That show also had a line "Is that a big enough piece of cake or what?!" which we use frequently and interchange "cake" with whatever we find to be much too large for the current situation (hair - especially bangs, etc.) Just one more - In a stand-up comedienne's monologue she talks about staying at a hotel where after requesting shampoo from the front desk, the staff member showed up at her door with handfuls of lotion and explained, "We're out of shampoo." The comedienne says, "Can't you see that no matter how many lotions you bring to me, they're still not shampoo" and later when she's out with friends, and they're commenting on how yucky her hair is, she responds, "But, feel my hands!" So, we use this one a lot too when we've asked for one specific thing and whoever was supposed to get it ended up with something else. . . .

What I'm saying is that this trouble-ticket my 5th grade teacher tried to file turns out to be one of my favorite aspects - and frankly a very entertaining part - of my relationship with my mom.

So, Happy Mother's Day. I hope you have something funny to share with your mom, too.