Saturday, May 30, 2009

For Your Viewing Pleasure

The rooms are still incomplete but too many people have been begging for photos. I've been inviting everyone to come see them but for some reason no one shows. You would think we lived in another country, as hard as it is to get some of you to visit us! Anyhow, I'm going to give you a peek at what we have been doing starting with the nursery/guest room.



The nursery still needs the artwork that Randy is creating, a mobile that I will make once I find what I'm looking for, and a changing pad for the space my magazines are currently occupying.



Lola's room is almost complete. I am going to do something to the new trunk we bought her for her books. The flowers don't quite match the feel of her room. I'm looking for some "pretty things" to hang from her shelf and Randy is also creating artwork for her room. It's nice to have a cool artist for a dad! However, he has been so swamped at work and is backlogged on a couple of other projects so I'm not sure when we will see the artwork on the walls! I don't dare use something to fill the space in the meantime, the blank walls will give him a sense of urgency!

I'll share photos of the completed rooms when they finally get there. Oh and by the way, Lola has acclimated to her room quite well. So well, that I'm missing our morning cuddle time. We only needed about four days of rewards but she still enjoys placing her sticker on her chart. We are about to implement the use of another chart to aid in some of the other things we would like to teach her to do. I'll let you know how it works out; enjoy your weekend!

Saturday, May 23, 2009

What a Belly Dancer! and other stuff...

Well it has been about a month so it is time for another update. You've been waiting with bated breath haven't you?

We found out that this little bundle I'm carrying is of the male kind. Yes, we are having a bouncing baby boy and he may be a football kicker. This boy is really active. In fact, a couple of nights ago he was rolling around and kicking so much that I was getting motion sickness. I felt like I had been on a roller coaster or swinging around the curves in the Ozarks at high speeds. It was a strange feeling to get motion sickness while sitting on the sofa. We still haven't decided on a name but the list is very narrow. Lola already has her choice picked out. Anytime we say another name, she says, "No! It's _________, I told you!" Now you want to know her choice, don't you? Well, you will be glad to know that I convinced her that Cinderella does not make a good name for a boy. If we were having a girl, she would be insistent.

I recently abused myself to sew three bedskirts, six curtain panels, crib bumper pads, a quilt, and numerous pillows withing a week. Then we painted and moved furniture, bought a bed and decorated all weekend long. The results are pretty cool. Randy will now be creating artwork and I'm searching for objects for baby's mobile. Other than a couple of small items the kid's rooms are done. Of course, I'm obsessing over those items. I'll post photos once they are complete. I will say that I would love to move into Lola's room. It's fabulous!

She loves her room. Once we got the bed up and everything done, she layed down and exclaimed over and over, "It's beautiful!" She was so sweet to say thank you a gazillion times, too. However, she is not so happy about not coming to our bed in the middle of the night anymore. We've been bribing her with little treats and she has been doing great, but she has let her displeasure be known.

One of those treats was a Dora nightgown. We let her choose between the Disney princess or Dora gown. When we got home from Walmart, Randy explained that she would only get her new pajamas if he didn't have to go lay in her floor that night. (Previously, when she woke up at her usual time he would lie in her floor until she fell back asleep.) She exclaimed with fervor, "Those aren't PJs, that's a dress!" We tried to explain that they were pajamas, just a different kind. She has only had one other gown, when she was about two, which she has obviously forgotten. Randy let her feel how soft it was and we continued to insist that her Dora dress was really for sleeping. She said, "Let me see it." He handed it to her again and she held it by the hanger, really looking it over and cocking her head from side to side. Then she thrust it at him and shrugged her shoulders and said, totally exasperated, "No, it's not pajamas. I'm sorry." Sometimes she acts like we are absolutely nuts!

Then there are the times when she makes you feel as though you are on top of the world. Like last week when we were cuddling and she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me while saying, "I love you, Mommy. You are my best friend!" Or a few days later when she told me I was the best girl in the whole world. Melt my heart.

My brother Bryan will be thrilled to know I walked through the living room to hear her say, "On your marks, get set, go!" When I looked, she had three of her strollers lined up to drag race. He'll be offering to pimp her strollers with racing stripes.

Lola has also become quite the monkey. Her friend Sophie from across the street is almost six and quite adept at climbing all over the swing set. She has shown Lola all kinds of tricks. When we were at the park the other day, she was doing tricks on the monkey bars and yelled, "Mommy, look at me! Sophie would be so proud!" Speaking of tricks, Lola had a fun time at Target a couple of weeks ago. We got the special basket with seats and room to stand on the front. As we shopped she was doing all kinds of tricks and singing at the top of her lungs. "I'm tricky, tricky, tricky. I'm so tricky. Look at me I'm tricky." Over and over and over and over and over... and you get the hint.

I have this habit of saying, "Oh, mylanta!" whenever the occasion arises. I blame it on Dana, she says it all the time. Erin & I were painting Lola's furniture in her room and she came in for the umpteenth time. I really can't recall if she touched wet paint (it happened several times) or if she was wondering why we hadn't finished or just what she was taken by; but she declared in the funniest tone, "Oh, mylanta!" as she walked out the door. Erin and I had a great laughfest.

There is no way to tell you all the funny, cool, smart things this kid does. She is brilliant and has miles of personality. I know she is going to be a great big sister. I can't think of anyone better to influence our new baby. He'll be cool just learning from her. One thing I am a bit concerned about is getting her to understand that she can't take over. When my sister's new son Rylan arrived, Lola kept telling us she didn't need us and that she could take care of him, hold him, change his diaper all by herself. I can see the battles ahead of us. But I am also thankful for the extra hands to help.

Now for a little about Randy. He has been working like crazy and some very late hours. His company laid several people off and have given some pay cuts while warning there may be more. So they have been working on a lot of pitches and trying to get new clients. There have been some upsides, though. He has had greater influence and control over his accounts and has a new office. The same weekend we tackled the house, we also tackled his office with new paint, I sewed curtains and covered some cushions and decorated for him. We are insane!!! His company seems to be on the upswing. They have landed some good accounts and strengthened others. We've been praying for their success, since it means ours as well and are hoping they will be spared through this recession.

I think I'll say goodbye for now. I'm going to celebrate my birthday in a few hours and I have a few errands to run. Love to all!

You might not care to know this...

but Raelynn tagged me and I'm being dutiful to answer this survey.

What's your current obsession?

Nesting. About three months to go and I want this house ready! I've been sewing, painting, decorating, and shopping. Lola has a beautiful big girl room and the baby's room/guest room just needs a few finishing touches. Pictures will be posted soon.

What are you looking forward to this summer?
Lounging in the pool and seeing my high school classmates at our gathering in June. I'm also looking forward to getting this level 2 ultrasound over and hearing great news. Amen.

What are you wearing today?

I haven't decided yet. I'm still not dressed for the day. I have a big birthday celebration tonight.

Why is today special?

See above. Randy planned it all and only let me in on it when his mom slipped up about watching Lola. LOL. Boy did she get off the phone in a hurry when I told her I didn't know what she was talking about! Dinner with great friends at Mama Roja's (this yummy new Mexican place on Lake Hefner) followed by a jaunt to Michael Murphy's (home of dueling pianos and giant sing-alongs.) It's going to be fun. Plus, I get to spend the day with Randy, all by myself.

What would you like to learn to do?

Speak another language. Play the guitar.

What's for dinner today?

Mama Roja's. Did I mention they have three delicious salsas?

What's the last thing you bought?

We rented Gone With The Wind last night. I can't believe Randy had never seen it.

What's your favorite weather?

I love May when it is just starting to be really warm but there is still a bit of cool in the breeze. I guess we are past that now. Eat out on the patio weather. It's my best.

What's your most challenging goal right now?

Keeping blood sugars in range which usually means ignoring pregnancy cravings.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?

I miss this girl! She is a great friend, full of life, funny, and I love her very much!

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?

As long as I'm dreaming, it might as well be for more than one of these. Honestly, somewhere tropical that's easy for my family to get to or big enough for all of them to live with me. I saw a movie when I was a kid that always made me dream of house high on a cliff in the Greek Isles. It was a really impractical climb down to the water though. That's all I remember about that movie.

Favorite vacation spot?

Hmmm... I enjoy Las Vegas. I'm going to say "yet to be discovered" because there are lots of places I long to visit but haven't yet.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?

My new nephew Rylan. I'm sure he already looks like a different baby.

What would you like to get rid of?

School debt. boo!!

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?

Only for an hour? Swimming with the dolphins somewhere.

What's your favorite thing about the city you live in?

There's an exciting vibe of revitalization and the people are really friendly.

If you had $150 now what would you spend it on?

Baby stuff.

Do you admire anyone's style?

My friend Heidi has incredible style.

Describe your personal style?

Right now it is maternity style... comfy. For my home, I love Hollywood Regency. A little glam, a little mod, a bit eclectic, but not cluttered.

Who is someone your heart is missing right now?

I've been thinking a lot about my Papa Bob. But I also severely miss my friends the Bumps and the Walters - who I'm celebrating with tonight. Yay!!!

Name 3 things you'd like to do, visit or see in the next year?

I want to buy my Mom's Envoy.
I want to go away alone with my husband for a considerable length of time.
I want to take Lola to Disney World. I know, she may not remember much but I will remember it!


Now the rules of this tag:

1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question you dislike with a question of your own invention.
2. Tag 7 other people you would love to learn more about.

And here is where I stray from the rules. I think I will tag people on Facebook because it is so much easier there.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Laughing with Lola

Lola keeps us laughing all the time these days. She is so funny and smart. The girl is constantly surprising us with what she knows or notices. It is hard to remember all the things I want to share when I actually get around to posting here, but I hope you enjoy the following quips as much as I enjoy her.

- Lola was walking around the house the other day yelling, "I'm the king of the castle!" at the top of her lungs. I don't know where she came up with that but she was so confident that I didn't have the heart to tell her she is only the princess.

- She has been really helpful and concerned with me having to prick my finger and take shots so often for diabetes. She always asks to help me with the alcohol wipes and I thank her for being such a great nurse. (She loves the smell of rubbing alcohol; I hope she gets over that.) A few days ago we were working outside and I said something about thinking my blood sugar was crashing. After a while, I came inside to check it and get our lunch ready. After a few minutes, Lola asked Randy where I was. He told her he didn't know. Then she said, "Oh, she's probably just checking her blood sugar."

- Lola's favorite nighttime show is Dancing With The Stars. She always makes one of us get up and dance with her and the other one had better be watching. Honestly, it is quite hard for us to enjoy the show ourselves. Last week, we were watching the results show and one of the exhibition dances when Maksim lifted Karina in the air and spun her around. Lola gasped and exclaimed, "They can't do that!" When I finally figured out why she was so upset, I reassured her that they were not being judged and that it was okay for them to do a lift in this dance. She didn't understand the concept of being judged and just shrugged her shoulders and gave me a look that I'm sure meant, "Mom, you are crazy. They aren't suposed to do lifts." How does a 3.5 year-old understand that lifts are illegal in this competition... especially when she spends more time dancing than watching?

-Lola and I were driving down the road when a weather forecast came on the radio. The forecaster said there was lightning all around us and it would continue to thunder and lightning all evening so be prepared for continued storms. We hadn't seen any lightning all day and the sunset was beautiful through the clouds around us. Lola said, "Mommy, I don't see any lightning anywhere." I told her I didn't either and she said, "But he tells us there is! That's so silly. Why would he say that?" I was surprised that she was listening so closely to the forecaster and that she was so frustrated with him.

- Randy was putting away a couple of loads of laundry (Bless that man!) and Lola said to him, "You don't have a lot of hands so it takes you a long time to put those clothes up." Randy replied, "Yeah." Then Lola said, "Spiders have lots of hands, they could do it really fast."

Friday, March 20, 2009

Interview with Lola age 3



1. What is something dad always says to you?
Do the guitar (he's playing guitar hero as we speak)

2. What makes mom happy?
A baby

3. What makes dad sad?
Your shirt

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
She laughed really hard and said, "Like that."

5. What was your dad like as a child?
A little boy

6. How old is your mom?
She held up her hand to show three.

7. How tall is dad?
Little... he's not a kid anymore (then she reached her hands up really high)

8. What is mom’s favorite thing to do?
Get a present

9. What does your dad do when you're not around?
Go ice skating

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
For ice skating (she wanted to go roller skating today with her friend and is a little fixated on the subject)

11. What is your dad really good at?
Going to do the computer

12. What is your mom not very good at?
Uhhhmmm, water

13. What does your dad do for his job?
Get some money

14. What is your mom's favorite food
Pineapples

15. What makes you proud of your dad?
Asking the cousin (do what?)

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Mommy

17. What do you and your dad do together?
Go to the park

18. How are you and your mom the same?
Different

19. How are you and your dad different?
He's having a party

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
Your arms

22. Where is your dad's favorite place to go?
Go to the pet store

23. What is mom’s favorite thing to watch on TV?
The Grinch

24. What does your dad like most about your mom?
Weird stuff

25. What is mom's favorite thing to wear?
Blue

26. What does dad like to do around the house?
Go shopping

Thursday, February 26, 2009

UFO Heard in The Village!

Yesterday, Lola and I were in the living room when an airplane flew overhead and was quite loud. Lola looked up at me and said, "What's that, an airplane?" I answered her in the affirmative. She cut her eyes to the side, looking at me with a sassy grin, and said in a tone that's hard to describe, "ooorrrrrr... it's a flying saucer!" Which she followed by throwing her head back and giggling. After I stopped laughing I said, "Oh, you think so, huh? Where did you learn about a flying saucer?" To which she replied, "You know Mom, it's on one of my shows." I live with a three-year-old comedienne.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Inside My Head, Screaming to Get Out

Me: You better watch it; I’ll invade the Olympics with gymnastic cyborgs.

Him: Hmmm.

Me: The gymnastic cyborgs have you shaking in your boots, don’t they?

Him: Maybe if you were an engineer.

Me: Hey, I have connections. With one phone call, I can get a pizza.

Ok, so my material might have come from some Hollywood writers but it’s clever nonetheless. You might need to know about Randy’s obsession with the Olympics to understand the severity of my threat. Thank you, Bolt and The Mentalist, for clever lines that stick in my head and come out of my mouth.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Fraidy-Hole

Lola just climbed out of a tiny space behind one of the chairs in the living room. She had taken her baby, Raffi, a blanket and a few trinkets with her. When she first crawled in she said, "Mommy, where did we go last week to hide?" It took me a minute to figure out what she was doing and then I told her we went to Megan's to the cellar or storm shelter. She kept acting slightly confused and asking questions and then she finally said, "What were we hiding from?" She had forgotten the word tornado. "Yeah, that's it. We're hiding from a tornado!" After telling her to stay safe and a few other small conversations, she finally crawled out and exclaimed, "Whew, that was close!"

Now she is back in her crawl space or as I like to call it, her fraidy-hole; and has brought a whole lot more junk with her. Also, she just asked if we could go to the cellar again. I guess it was an adventure.

Little Miss Independent

Lola has become self-sufficient in many ways. Tonight as I tucked her in bed, I started her DVD player. I know; please don't send me any nasty comments on how I'm ruining her sleep habits and exposing her to too much television. Anyhow, when the DVD began I noticed that it wasn't her usual fare of burned Backyardigans episodes. I mumbled, "What's this?" Then I asked Lola if this is what she wanted to watch. She answered, "Maybe... let's figure it out." I noticed it was Cars and asked if that would be fine. She told me that yes, she wanted to watch it and that she had put it in the player earlier that afternoon so she could watch it tonight. Maybe I shouldn't be, but I continue to be amazed at her expanding thought processes and independence. So I walked out of her room and asked Randy if he put Cars in the DVD player for her. Before he could answer no, she called out with a slight hint of frustration, "No! I did it!"

Monday, February 16, 2009

A Month's Worth

Last time I admitted being a slacker, so it isn't news to you. I can't believe it has taken me over a month to get back here and that I never gave you the photos I promised. I've been a little busy with nausea, fatigue and the general maladies that accompany pregnancy. Yes, if you haven't heard, we are expecting another Baby Bradley in September. Of course, I've been busy with Lola, Randy, our gathering, some work projects and other things as well. So, I'm a royal slacker when it comes to this blog. So give me a break and let's get on with the stuff you want to read. I'm going to hit the highlights of the last month or so.

- After a day with one of Lola's friends, I cajoled her to leave the park with the responsibility of running some errands. Later that night as we were getting ready for bed, she told me that we didn't go to Erin's house. Erin is her Uncle Eric's significant other. I asked her what she meant. In an accusatory tone she told me, "You said we were running to Erin's." Remembering what I had said, I tried to explain what errands were. After failing to explain how errands are similar to chores, I finally said, "Lola, you know how we took that shirt back and then went to Bass Pro to get Poppy's jacket? Those are errands." Exasperated, she retorted, "Mom," (with two syllables) "Those aren't errands, that's shopping!"

- I was pleased for the short period before Lola's birthday and then again before Christmas to have the excuse of each event when not purchasing the objects of Lola's desire during shopping trips. "Mommy, I want one of these." "We'll see honey, maybe for your birthday/maybe Santa will bring it." After Christmas, she had a hard time understanding that Santa was going to wait quite a while to show back up with loot. So, I started using Valentine's as bait. She's still convinced Christmas is coming soon, though. Now, she just says, "Mommy, can I maybe have this for Christmas?" Poor girl is going to have new issues with Santa this year... namely his absence.

- On the subject of presents, Lola seems to be obsessed. This week has proven it. First there was the acting out of emotions we were reading in a book. I would ask her how you act when you are ___________. She had very dramatic responses to each feeling until I asked her how she acts when she is mad. No more drama, just a very succint answer - "You get a present." What, Lola? You get a present. What are you smoking? I've seen you mad. I'm sure you get the gist of my internal dialogue. "What do you mean, Lola?" With a slight sigh and roll of the eyes she informed me, "It makes you feel better."

- Then as we were putting her in bed Friday evening, after her stay with Eric & Erin while Randy & I went for dinner and the ballet, she proceeded to inform us that she would stay home again... for a present. While Eric & Erin watched her, they took her to get a card and a sweet little gift for us. She confiscated it right away, though - just as soon as she reluctantly let us open it.

- Lola got plenty of Valentine's presents. In her card from her MiMi and ProPro, she got $5. The next card she opened came with the exclamation, "There's no money!"

- Just so you know, Lola is extremely gracious. I realize the info above may lead you to think she's a greedy girl. However, she is unbelievably polite and grateful. I'm often amazed at her shows of affection and gratitude.

- Lola is a backseat driver. She may have been influenced by me; but that wouldn't be so if not for her Daddy's lackluster driving skills. ;-) On our way to Nana & Poppy's last weekend, I had to aggressively call Randy's attention to a stop sign he was about to run. Lola has been learning about stop signs. However, she thinks every sign is a stop sign. For the last hour of the trip, she carefully watched for signs and would yell out for Randy to stop. We keep trying to teach her the difference between signs and she keeps insisting he stop. I think she just likes to boss. I blame that on her Nana! I know that's where I got it.

- While at Nana's, Lola gave herself a haircut. I think it is pretty ironic since Mom gave me a lecture back in early fall about hiding all the scissors. Mom had three pair of her hair-cutting scissors right in plain sight in the brush drawer. She saw a big chunk of hair lying on Lola's shoulder and as she ran her hands through Lola's hair more and more hair came out in clumps. It looked like those scenes in the movies when cancer patients run a hand through their hair and look down to find a huge clump in their hand. Then we found a huge pile in the bathroom floor. Luckily, she basically texturized and layered her own hair. Only one really short chop of the bangs occurred and she left a few longer bangs hanging over that. She looks like a shaggy dog now but it could have been much worse.

- We had a little car trouble recently. It began as the Blazer's stubborness to start. It ended up as the complete and utter failure of the fuel pump. As we were leaving the house to go to church with Nana & Poppy, the Blazer really gave Randy a hard time. Finally, it turned over and Lola exclaimed, "You did it, Daddy. You saved the day!" Since then, whenever one of us does something that could be remotely heroic she praises us, "You saved the day!" I finally remembered where she came up with this saying... the Backyardigans - her very own personal heroes. We should be honored to be in such company.

I've got more to say but I'll save it for another day. I promise to show up sooner next time.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Catching Up

I've been such a slacker. The holidays kept me too busy to post the way I wanted to and I've had about a week of trying to get back into the swing of things but still not quite there yet. And for the record, I still don't have my Christmas decor put away. Hopefully, this weekend!

So to get the ball rolling with this blog again, I'll just give a few highlights from the last few weeks:

~We spent a lot of time together. We shared the Twelve Dates of Christmas and had more fun and adventure than any other holiday season. Oklahoma City is a great place to live in December!

~Lola made the holidays so exciting. She loved Santa from afar most of the season. Finally, she let Dad take her close enough to stand near him for a conversation, photo and a candy cane. The next morning when she woke up, her first words were, "Mommy, Mommy, I saw Santa Claus last night!" I replied, "I know! I was there." She continued, "He's so cute! And he's nice, too. He gave me a candy cane."

~We spent a lot of time with family. Good times!

~We ate a ton of great food... incredible food.

~We fed Santa and his reindeer some yummy homemade goodies.

~We must have been nice because no naughty kids get the loot we came home with!

~Lola is obsessed with the baby in her stomach. She is constantly telling us to feel her baby move and that we can hold it when it comes out. This is thanks to Aunt Dana & Cousin Christina and their huge bellies!

~We've played Wii... a lot.

~Lola & I were playing Wii tennis and the announcer declared, "Deuce!" Lola turned to me and said, "I like juice!" Well, yes, you do, darling.

I'll probably post a slideshow in the next couple of days and be back to regular blogging and some new things next week.

Ciao!