Oh man am I exhausted after this weekend. I thought I was tired before, it's got nothin' on today! (Though, I am being productive..not sure how that's working!)
This weekend was slammed full of "stuff" - fun stuff, but "stuff" none-the-less.
Friday my in-laws got into town. We headed out to go see my hubby's job, and then out to dinner.
Saturday was INSANE! It was about 98* outside and the "feels like" (aka heat index) was at 113* for a good majority of the day, but our crazy selves decided that grilling out and heading down to Busch Gardens was a fabulous idea! I don't think I've ever sweat so much in my LIFE! We did have a blast though and the kiddo was FABULOUS! We enjoyed playing for the first hour or so that we were there, then headed over to dinner with Elmo (pictures to come later, my camera died so I've gotta get em from the in-laws) and friends. It was SUCH a great time, even the parents had fun! Judy got to meet Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert & Ernie, and we even saw Oscar the Grouch poking his head outta his trash can a few times! I was incredibly impressed with how Judy handled meeting the over sized characters, she didn't handle Santa too well this past Christmas so I was wicked concerned going into it... but she blew me away, as usual! :) After dinner we headed out to go find more rides to ride and things to do until the fireworks at 9:30 that evening. The hubby and I got to jump our butts on a few roller coasters (which was a TON of fun, but scary in a way I'd never experienced... walking away from your kiddo to get on a roller coaster is a different kind of fear, that's for sure!) and got to act like big kids while playing a couple of games around the park. Overall, it was a very fun and successful day all around!
Yesterday (Sunday) we were up first thing to head out to church with the in-laws. After that we came home for lunch and to let Judy nap, hubby and I both ended up passing out - we were just too exhausted to stay awake while she napped! Once we all got up we then headed over to a waterpark near our house called Ocean Breeze Waterpark. Judy is SUCH a water baby so she, of course, had a ton of fun! Once again the hubby and I left her with Grandma and PawPaw to head over to ride a few rides, it was fun but being parents we wanted to be with Judy and enjoy our time with her! :D She had a blast splashing around in the water and going down all the little slides (mommy almost knocked a few kids out who were trying to push her out of the way and run her over, but luckily they saw me and kinda ran for the hills before they hurt her!).
One very packed weekend, but it was tons of fun. It was hard to see my in-laws go (shocking, right?! ;) hahaha) but I can already tell it's going to get harder and harder to say good bye to family as Judy gets older. We walked them out to the car and as we waved good bye Judy just kept saying "Where's PawPaw? Where he go?" It's heart wrenching, really! :(
Now, it's Monday and we're back to the grind. Hubby is at work and Judy's napping. I'm doing laundry and dishes and all those fun things a mommy does. Tonight I've got to get some work done (I LOVE working from home!!!).... Oh Mondays - I loathe you!!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Sleeeeeeeeep!
How is it as an adult a person can need a ton of sleep, then said adult has a child and sleep doesn't exist - but that's okay! (????) I have always needed more sleep than "average", I've always been one of those people who needs the "8 hours of sleep every night" .. blahhhh! Since having a child, and working from home especially, sleep seems to be elusive and 8 hours a night just does NOT exist for me... but yet, I run FINE on it (most days HAHA). 4 .. 6 .. some nights even less and yet here I am functioning and working and cleaning and getting things done and running errands and all this and that and still, if I try to go to sleep before 10pm it's like trying to do a headstand from standing up (dang near impossible - COMPLETELY impossible for me!!!) and it never happens.
Strange how our bodies work when it comes to caring for our offspring, huh?
Strange how our bodies work when it comes to caring for our offspring, huh?
Sunday, July 17, 2011
WOW! Where has the month gone?!
Okay - so I know that I haven't written in like, a MONTH, but life has seriously been INSANE! I think today is the first day I've been able to sit down and not feel like I've gotta get on the computer and get my stuff done just to get on the move again!
Let's see: We went to visit my BIL and his wife and new (9 week old) baby a couple weekends ago. I've been working my butt off. I got to photograph a friend of mine whose husband returned from deployment. More work. Cleaning. Oh yeah, a week ago (tomorrow) our stove/oven died so we've been grilling and eating out which is starting to get tough and a little boring... and mighty expensive!!
Hmmmm.. Judy's getting HUGE! She's learning how to associate animals with their sounds (cat = meow, dog = woof) she also knows what an Elephant is (not sure where that came from but she knows it!! She's mastering her body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly button, feet, etc) and LOVES to point them out to mommy and daddy :)
We started going back to church as a family last week, it is interesting for me.. I come from a more Catholic background where hubby comes from a Christian background. Picking a church that we're both happy with has been interesting, and more tough for me to adjust to than him seeing as he grew up in the Non-Denominational Church.. Even though hubby had to work today Judy and I still went. (I'm really trying to put in the little bit of added effort...) It's definitely an interesting experience but one that I think I'll adjust to in time :)
Anyways, it's lunch time for me and nap time for the kiddo so I'm gonna head out.. but I PROMISE I'll write more sooner than a month from now! :D
Let's see: We went to visit my BIL and his wife and new (9 week old) baby a couple weekends ago. I've been working my butt off. I got to photograph a friend of mine whose husband returned from deployment. More work. Cleaning. Oh yeah, a week ago (tomorrow) our stove/oven died so we've been grilling and eating out which is starting to get tough and a little boring... and mighty expensive!!
Hmmmm.. Judy's getting HUGE! She's learning how to associate animals with their sounds (cat = meow, dog = woof) she also knows what an Elephant is (not sure where that came from but she knows it!! She's mastering her body parts (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, belly button, feet, etc) and LOVES to point them out to mommy and daddy :)
We started going back to church as a family last week, it is interesting for me.. I come from a more Catholic background where hubby comes from a Christian background. Picking a church that we're both happy with has been interesting, and more tough for me to adjust to than him seeing as he grew up in the Non-Denominational Church.. Even though hubby had to work today Judy and I still went. (I'm really trying to put in the little bit of added effort...) It's definitely an interesting experience but one that I think I'll adjust to in time :)
Anyways, it's lunch time for me and nap time for the kiddo so I'm gonna head out.. but I PROMISE I'll write more sooner than a month from now! :D
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Going back in time..
Do you ever wish that for just one moment you could go back in time? Fix something that went wrong - a friendship, a piece of jewelry, a relationship - and just make it all better, then instantly flash back to the present and have everything be the same except that one little thing you fixed...? I do!
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in a very strong way that everything happens for a reason. Friendships are gained and lost mainly to teach us a lesson in life, teach us love, teach us pain, teach us the things we need to know to not mess up the same way again. Just because I don't regret things doesn't mean I don't wish there were some things I could change about how I reacted in a particular situation, the things I said, the feelings I felt... it doesn't mean I don't wish I could go back in time, undo those hurtful things and redo them with more patience and understanding.
Since my life has begun as a wife, living in VA, and becoming a mother things have changed for me. I've be come a different person today than I was 2 or 3 years ago, heck even a year ago I was different. We all change and grow as we get older (at least most people do...) and we learn lessons. Some lessons we've got to learn the hard way, some lessons can be taught to us by our parents or our peers.. most of the time (you can ask anyone that's known me for any extended amount of time) I need to learn things the hard way. I don't take people's words of advice, I don't watch and learn, I've got to get down in the dirt to find out that's what makes a person dirty. That's just the kind of person I am, can't change it.. so I am learning (yes, still learning at 23 years old) how to live with such a strong feature in my own personality.
So far, this is what I've come up with...
-When patience run low, walk away. Friendships, child, husband, project.. anything. It's beneficial for me to walk away, take a deep breath, and continue with the issue at a later time and/or date.
-Talk through things without swearing or raising my voice. A dear friend of mine whom I have lost contact with taught me that fighting with hurtful words will get a person no where, it only continues to hurt the person you're fighting with which in turn causes them to want to hurt you back - it's a never ending cycle! Use calm tones of voice, nice words, and be reasonable - if those 3 things can't be done.. refer to the first memo!
-Be honest about my feelings. How can anyone know what I'm feeling (especially my poor husband) if I don't say to them "Look, I'm feeling _______, please understand why I'm acting this way." My attitude, the way I react to different situations - like everyone - varies at any given moment pending what I'm thinking about, dealing with, or even just debating in my own brain. It's sometimes miserable and I've got to remind myself to take a breath and handle each situation as it comes!
Lastly, the biggest thing I'm starting to work on with myself is: -Trust in God, He will not let those fail who don't let themselves fail. My relationship with God and the church has been a forever battle internally. When I was a child I loved going to church, it was so much fun to get up on Sunday mornings and play with all my friends in Sunday school. We had play dates, we hung out, we were all super super close... then our church began having problems and we couldn't afford to fix them (we were a SUPER small church, probably part of why I loved it!!) so we ended up having to merge with another church. Long story short; it was a bad church, most of the people left, and the people who were originally from the church we merged with were all super snobby and had their noses so far in the air they weren't willing to be true friends. In the end, I started to not want to go.. fought my mom every Sunday so I wouldn't have to go, and in the end we stopped going. Once I became old enough to go on my own there was always something "more interesting" going on, and once I got my own car and a job I was working on Sundays (heck yeah time and 1/2!! that's huge at 16!!). Now, I'm a mom and a wife to a very strong and true Christian. My husband is a very strong believer in God and all that He can do, which makes me look back and wonder where my life would be if I hadn't been "too busy" for church.
In the end what I know is that I need to find it again, the faith and strength in Him. I need to move forward and stop looking back at what might have been, what could have been, or what would be today had I changed "x,y, or z". This doesn't only apply to God and church, it applies to everything in my life. The friendships I've lost, the relationships that hit the fan, and the things I would've changed if I could've - it's all taught me valuable lessons in life and now I need to move forward, learn from them, and become a better person/wife/mother/friend.
A good friend once said: "A little humility and lots of love can heal all." Thank you for that, friend, I plan to use it for my future and remember it always!
Now, don't get me wrong, I believe in a very strong way that everything happens for a reason. Friendships are gained and lost mainly to teach us a lesson in life, teach us love, teach us pain, teach us the things we need to know to not mess up the same way again. Just because I don't regret things doesn't mean I don't wish there were some things I could change about how I reacted in a particular situation, the things I said, the feelings I felt... it doesn't mean I don't wish I could go back in time, undo those hurtful things and redo them with more patience and understanding.
Since my life has begun as a wife, living in VA, and becoming a mother things have changed for me. I've be come a different person today than I was 2 or 3 years ago, heck even a year ago I was different. We all change and grow as we get older (at least most people do...) and we learn lessons. Some lessons we've got to learn the hard way, some lessons can be taught to us by our parents or our peers.. most of the time (you can ask anyone that's known me for any extended amount of time) I need to learn things the hard way. I don't take people's words of advice, I don't watch and learn, I've got to get down in the dirt to find out that's what makes a person dirty. That's just the kind of person I am, can't change it.. so I am learning (yes, still learning at 23 years old) how to live with such a strong feature in my own personality.
So far, this is what I've come up with...
-When patience run low, walk away. Friendships, child, husband, project.. anything. It's beneficial for me to walk away, take a deep breath, and continue with the issue at a later time and/or date.
-Talk through things without swearing or raising my voice. A dear friend of mine whom I have lost contact with taught me that fighting with hurtful words will get a person no where, it only continues to hurt the person you're fighting with which in turn causes them to want to hurt you back - it's a never ending cycle! Use calm tones of voice, nice words, and be reasonable - if those 3 things can't be done.. refer to the first memo!
-Be honest about my feelings. How can anyone know what I'm feeling (especially my poor husband) if I don't say to them "Look, I'm feeling _______, please understand why I'm acting this way." My attitude, the way I react to different situations - like everyone - varies at any given moment pending what I'm thinking about, dealing with, or even just debating in my own brain. It's sometimes miserable and I've got to remind myself to take a breath and handle each situation as it comes!
Lastly, the biggest thing I'm starting to work on with myself is: -Trust in God, He will not let those fail who don't let themselves fail. My relationship with God and the church has been a forever battle internally. When I was a child I loved going to church, it was so much fun to get up on Sunday mornings and play with all my friends in Sunday school. We had play dates, we hung out, we were all super super close... then our church began having problems and we couldn't afford to fix them (we were a SUPER small church, probably part of why I loved it!!) so we ended up having to merge with another church. Long story short; it was a bad church, most of the people left, and the people who were originally from the church we merged with were all super snobby and had their noses so far in the air they weren't willing to be true friends. In the end, I started to not want to go.. fought my mom every Sunday so I wouldn't have to go, and in the end we stopped going. Once I became old enough to go on my own there was always something "more interesting" going on, and once I got my own car and a job I was working on Sundays (heck yeah time and 1/2!! that's huge at 16!!). Now, I'm a mom and a wife to a very strong and true Christian. My husband is a very strong believer in God and all that He can do, which makes me look back and wonder where my life would be if I hadn't been "too busy" for church.
In the end what I know is that I need to find it again, the faith and strength in Him. I need to move forward and stop looking back at what might have been, what could have been, or what would be today had I changed "x,y, or z". This doesn't only apply to God and church, it applies to everything in my life. The friendships I've lost, the relationships that hit the fan, and the things I would've changed if I could've - it's all taught me valuable lessons in life and now I need to move forward, learn from them, and become a better person/wife/mother/friend.
A good friend once said: "A little humility and lots of love can heal all." Thank you for that, friend, I plan to use it for my future and remember it always!
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Time Flies..
Do you remember when you were a kid and you couldn't wait to grow up?! Couldn't wait to drive, make your own rules, and not have a bed time. Well, there are days now that I wish someone would drive me around, give me rules, and force me to go to bed at 8pm every night (except weekends!). It seems to me that as I get older time goes faster, then I had a kid and time started moving even faster - what's up with that?! My daughter is now 19 months old - she walks, runs, talks, talks back, and she has QUITE the BIG personality for such a little girl. She's growing into this little person!! I mean, as parents we all know this is going to happen, it's the way of life and all that fun stuff.. but let me tell ya - for those of you that may not have children yet, it moves FAST!!!
It honestly feels like just yesterday (okay, maybe just last week) that we were bringing her home from the hospital, to an apartment that had no power for our first 26 hours home with a newborn. It feels like only yesterday that we were celebrating her FIRST BIRTHDAY! It's crazy to think that in only 5 months our baby girl, our little princess, (and as my husband has taken to calling her) our little Judy-Bug will be 2 whole years old!
How did this happen? How did time get away from me like this!? I ask my best friend all the time "When did we become adults? When did we stop being young and become adults, parents, and responsible people?!" He never really seems to know either, but it seems like we're all just moving SO fast all the time. It feels like life is on fast forward and it's impossible to find the "frame by frame" or "pause" buttons.
For my friends out there who don't have children yet, have children on the way, or are just starting out as new parents - do yourself a favor and remember to take the extra moment to REALLY appreciate them. Just take that extra moment in running around like a mad mommy/daddy trying to get bottles and baby stuff ready to remember what a gift these precious little ones are. When they're sleeping, take the extra moment to just watch them.. to just see them at complete and total peace (it won't last long!) and quiet and restfulness. And even if they're up all night, crying non-stop, can't be satisfied, and have an insatiable need to nurse or poop or just be plain old exhausting - remember, it won't always be that way. Things will change, they will grow, and when (like me) you realize exactly how much time has passed and things have changed you'll wish you'd stopped once in a while "back in the day"!
It honestly feels like just yesterday (okay, maybe just last week) that we were bringing her home from the hospital, to an apartment that had no power for our first 26 hours home with a newborn. It feels like only yesterday that we were celebrating her FIRST BIRTHDAY! It's crazy to think that in only 5 months our baby girl, our little princess, (and as my husband has taken to calling her) our little Judy-Bug will be 2 whole years old!
The day we brought her home! :)
Her very first birthday celebration!
Just last week!!
How did this happen? How did time get away from me like this!? I ask my best friend all the time "When did we become adults? When did we stop being young and become adults, parents, and responsible people?!" He never really seems to know either, but it seems like we're all just moving SO fast all the time. It feels like life is on fast forward and it's impossible to find the "frame by frame" or "pause" buttons.
For my friends out there who don't have children yet, have children on the way, or are just starting out as new parents - do yourself a favor and remember to take the extra moment to REALLY appreciate them. Just take that extra moment in running around like a mad mommy/daddy trying to get bottles and baby stuff ready to remember what a gift these precious little ones are. When they're sleeping, take the extra moment to just watch them.. to just see them at complete and total peace (it won't last long!) and quiet and restfulness. And even if they're up all night, crying non-stop, can't be satisfied, and have an insatiable need to nurse or poop or just be plain old exhausting - remember, it won't always be that way. Things will change, they will grow, and when (like me) you realize exactly how much time has passed and things have changed you'll wish you'd stopped once in a while "back in the day"!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Peeve #2 - Immature Parents
This isn't so much of a rant or a vent as just a huge peeve of mine. While having a conversation earlier with a good friend of mine, I realized that I've grown up in so many ways - especially since having my daughter. Living away from "home" and the place I grew up has helped to kind of raise me in a way as well, but becoming a parent - responsible in all ways/shapes/forms, loving another living/breathing being as much as I love my daughter, and caring for someone 24/7/365 - has really made me grow up in ways that I didn't even realize over the short period of time that I've been a mom. I've been mostly lucky with my daughter, she's a good kid - most of the time (every kid has their moments, some worse or more than others...) - and I find myself to be incredibly blessed and lucky to have such a beautiful, healthy, well-mannered (she says please and thank you, and beep beep now too!), and loving kiddo! All the things she knows, I've taught her. All the things she does, she's copying me. All the looks she gives me, they're either an exact replica of my husband or myself. It is the most insane thing ever!
Well, by me growing up I guess I just assume in a way (I know, never assume anything - it only ends up making and ass out of you and me) that all parents have taken this same leap and grown up - in their own ways of course - and become the "responsible" parent they're supposed to be.. Right?? WRONG!!! Goodness I couldn't be more wrong about a particular assumption!!! I've actually found, in personal encounters, that there are sooooooooooooooooooo many parents - especially "young" parents but not secluded to them - that refuse to grow up.
Parties? Sure! Bar hoping? Sure! Drinking until we're silly? Sure! -- What kind of life is that to live when you've got a CHILD that is depending on you to care for them, to make sure they've got all the things they could need or want in life? Honestly, I think it's crap! I think it's a bullshit way of getting away from life for a little while - but what good does it really do?? At the end of the day (or night whichever you prefer to say) your child, your spouse, your life.. they're still there. They're all waiting for you after the drunken stupor wears off, after the hangover is gone, after the "good time" is had.. everything you tried to escape is still there!
I know some parents who occasionally go out for a couple drinks every once in a while with their friends while their hubby/wifey stay home to care for the kiddo(s).. that's cool. That's responsible. Sometimes going out for drinks with your girl/guy friends is so much needed, that's cool! What I'm referring to are the parents who drop their kid off with family or at a sitter on a REGULAR basis just so they can get shitty every week(end) with their friends. Give me a break! You wanted to become a parent, if you didn't then you should've kept your legs closed or put a rain jacket on "Little Mr."!!!
Anyhow, I think being immature parent is crap. Grow up. Take responsibility. Be a parent!!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Pet Peeve #1
Ignorance!
Ignorance is not bliss. One person is NO better than another no matter your life differences. Ignorance is stupidity more than anything else. Ignorance will cause me to loose my patience with said person and tell them how I feel about said ignorance!
I HATE IGNORANT PEOPLE!
end vent/pet peeve #1
Ignorance is not bliss. One person is NO better than another no matter your life differences. Ignorance is stupidity more than anything else. Ignorance will cause me to loose my patience with said person and tell them how I feel about said ignorance!
I HATE IGNORANT PEOPLE!
end vent/pet peeve #1
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