Wifus Domesticus

When an Arctic Blast hits East Texas, it is quite the newsworthy topic. We Texicans are not cold weather beasts and it is a mentally debilitating event when you step outside and your breath is taken away! My brother lives near Chicago and he would love to be in Texas to experience our "cold snaps" in comparison to his life in the deep freezer. So, it is very cold today and Sydney and I have not stepped foot outside the house.

It has been quite an adjustment for me to be a stay-at-home mom. Yes, I do work 2 days a week, but the other 5 are at the house! Since we were going to be homebound today, I decided to get all that "stuff" done that I usually save for the weekend: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc... I even got extraordinarily brave and tackled making chocolate chip oatmeal peanut butter cookies from SCRATCH!

Chris has an amazing recipe and he bought all the ingredients a while back with the plans of making them for people for Christmas. Well, THAT never got done. The ingredients are stacked in the top of the pantry and every time I open the door, stuff falls on my head, so I thought, "Those cookies really need to be baked." Like my rationalizing?

I have a Pampered Chef baking stone that I received as a wedding gift 8 years ago and I have been using it for pizzas and biscuits, but have never tried it with cookies. Well, I should have been baking cookies on it a LONG time ago. They were bakery perfect!


My little one LOVES to watch her "educational" baby videos and has learned how to turn on the TV and DVD/VHS player. I had to put cardstock over the "ON" switch on the TV and she is trying to figure this deterrent out as well.

I turned off her video (she'd reached her TV quota for the day) and she was NOT happy!

But... a warm cookie from the oven healed her hurt feelings immediately.

Honey, I'm Home

Sydney and I have packed a lot into this day, and there's a ton I could blog about...

I could tell you about our wonderful morning reading books together and playing in the nursery.

I could tell you about our fantastic lunch at the Belle Jim with my new church friends...and how Sydney puked on my pastor's wife.

I could tell you how we went to the store only to find that the photo machine was broken and we walked out empty handed.

I could tell you about how I finished Sydney's invitations and how PRECIOUS they turned out and how proud I am of my photoshop skills.

I could tell you about how I fell flat on my face while chasing Sydney around the couch and how it really hurt, but I laughed really hard.

I could go into detail about all of those things, but I choose to blog about a few precious minutes.

When Chris gets home from work, he is exhausted and has usually put in a 12 hour day. He puts his patients' charts on the desk and then spends a few minutes with Sydney. She is getting used to this routine and is so thrilled when Chris walks in the door. Tonight, he got an important phone call and was delayed in his Sydney time. She went to the office and crawled under the desk for a while until she bumped her head. She wanted to play with her Daddy more than anything. As soon as he got off the phone, she grabbed his finger and they began their evening walk. Her face just lights up when she gets to walk with her Daddy. It is the highlight of her day. She makes happy sounds and it's hard to tell what she is trying to say. I think she is saying, "Woo hoo! I'm walking with my Daddy."

Her face is full of confidence, security, and genuine adoration. My prayer is that I express the same feelings as I am walking with my heavenly Daddy. There's an old song that says, "I can't even walk, without Him holding my hand." That is how we should approach everyday, with Godly confidence, security, and heartfelt adoration for our Lord, 'cause He's right there, holding our hand. And... oh what a day that will be when we all get home.

A Glimpse into the Future

It is absolutely amazing how fast a little girl can make a mess. After lunch, I put Sydney in her room to play. It was spotless at 12:45 and this is what it looked like at 1:00. She is perfectly content to dump out all the toys and books and just sit in the midst of what looks like the aftermath of a tornado. I guess I have many years to come of looking into a room scattered in toys. What a joy!

"Yes, Mother, can I help you?"

I'm "expressing" myself.

Sydney has been turning pages in books for the last several months. She loves to look at the pictures and "kiss" certain characters that she deems worthy of affection. Especially the pig's snout in our "Quack, Quack" book. Curious piglet is always the recipient of a sloppy kiss from Sydney. Lately, she has decided that our after breakfast activity is reading. She will carefully select a book from the basket and then bring it to me. She slaps it on my leg and then holds up her arms for me to pick her up. Once I put her on my lap, she starts to squeal with excitement. She literally shakes with anticipation of reading the book. I don't get all the words out for each page before she vigorously "turns" the page, and I usually make up my own storyline. When I'm especially tired, I make up funny phrases about the characters to amuse myself, and my hubby in the next room listening.

Let's read "Nighty Nite" again. I haven't heard it since about 2 minutes ago.

My mother read to me constantly and I hope that Sydney wants me to read to her for years to come. I won't complain about reading "Nighty Nite" 990 times, 'cause there will come a time when she won't want me to read "Nighty Nite" ever again.

I'm really excited about Sydney's 1st Birthday. I am doing ladybugs for the party 'cause there just so darn cute. I am making everything myself and I have finished the invite and few of the party decorations. The cake has been ordered (tell me what you think) and I can't wait to party, party, party!

Ain't Gonna Sleep

There's something about Sundays that makes Sydney want to stay up and party all day. She loves all the music and excitement at church and will take a cat nap on the way home, but for the rest of the afternoon, she is pumped! I put her down for a nap around 3:00 and it is 4:00 and she is still awake, playing in her crib with her assorted fuzzy companions. She's not crying or upset, but is refusing to sleep with every ounce of her being! I'm a person of routine, structure, and habit, so when she's not on her schedule, it makes me a little crazy. I guess she's teaching me to go with the flow.

It's back to work tomorrow! The break has been wonderful, but I am truly ready to get in the swing of things again. You can only clean house and do laundry so much.

Stepping into 2010

Sydney has been taking steps (unassisted) since Thanksgiving. 2 steps here..3 steps there, but on New Year's Day, the training wheels came off and this girl started RUNNING down the hall, across the living room, EVERYWHERE at an unbelievable speed. It was a little unnerving at first, 'cause I just knew she was going to fall and bust her head open, but, when she gets to going too fast, she just plops down on her hiney. I'm having a little trouble uploading the video, but will get it published very soon!

Goodbye 2009

What a difference a year can make. This time last year, I was pregnant, dangerously sick, and miserable wondering if I would make it through my pregnancy.

Now, I am chasing around a 10 month old who is walking and "talking." My house is now filled with the sounds of baby jibberish, knees smacking the floor as they crawl at breakneck speed, breaking objects, and puffs crunching underfoot. I thank God every morning for saving my soul, giving me a terrific husband, parents, and friends, as well as a wonderful job and home. He has provided for all of my needs, and then some. He not only gives you what you NEED, but cares enough for the EXTRAS. That, my friend, is the frosting on the cake. Extra sweet...

I just realized that I have not posted any pictures of Christmas Day fun, so in honor of this wonderful year and all I've experienced, here are the things I have learned. I hope to remember these lessons and apply them for 2010!

Music heals the heart and touches the soul.
Just sitting down at the piano is very therapeutic.

Life can throw some crazy surprises at you. It's how you react that matters.

Eat more fiber. And then when you're done, eat some more.

Time spent with those you love is never wasted. Take time to love on your family.

Never underestimate the power of a nap. NAPS rule.

Don't jump to conclusions. Take the time to look over situations carefully.
You might be surprised what you discover.

Enjoy the simple things in life, like a free balloon from a fast food joint.

Life's too short to be a grump.
For Pete's sakes...SMILE!
It just might make you feel better.

Girls Day Out

Sydney and I went to Lufkin yesterday to have lunch with my good buddy Angela and her two boys Matthew and Daniel. We ate some yummy Tex-Mex at Del Rio's. Sydney loves noisy restaurants and watches everyone that goes by. She thought the boys were especially entertaining. Angela is like the sister I never had. She and I think so much alike, it is scary! The best thing about her is her bubbly personality and her passion for teaching children with reading problems. She is an inspiration to me. She's a down home girl and loves the simple things in life.

We then skeedaddled over to Hobby Lobby to find some picture frames and possibly a new lamp for the living room. I am a BARGAIN HUNTER deluxe and will not pay full price for anything if I can help it. Found this super cute 3-way lamp for $17 (it was marked down from $60) and several great frames. (frames were 50% off as well!)


From there, we went to Target and picked up some cute leggings to keep Sydney's legs warm this winter. I found some black ones with black polka dots to go with her birthday dress...that just happened to be in the mail when we got home! Yippee! Can you tell what theme we are going with for the party?

We got home from Lufkin and played in the living room with all of her new toys. The weather has been so cold and yucky lately. I am just loving this polka dot fleece outfit that her Aunt Fran gave her for Christmas. Keeps her warm and snug. PRECIOUS!