Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
A Toddler's Understanding of Christmas
I always sort of thought that Christmas with babies would be so much more fun than Christmas in college, or Christmas as a newlywed. It just had to be, right?
Right.
Right.
Decorating is especially more fun with a 2 year old. She's just so full of wonder! It isn't just like she's seeing a Christmas tree or a Nativity scene for the first time, she literally is seeing these things for the first time. At least in her mind she is since she can't remember any Christmas before now. She sees lights on a house and yells "Oooh, look! Lights! Lights on our house!", or "A tissmas tree! Mehhy Tissmas!", or "Orhhmants! Pretty!"
Good gracious, they're cute.
The best part of this first Christmas that Katie actually understands isn't her pointing out lights, or her absolute wonder at our tree. Nope, the best part has been explaining Baby Jesus to my two year old.
We started with this book:
"A Star for Jesus", by Crystal Bowman. It's been a really big hit, in case you are looking for a toddler-friendly Christian Christmas book. It tells the story of the Christmas Star, the Wisemen, and the manger scene really simply. The next one we got, "Jesus, Me, and My Christmas Tree" by the same author, explains what the ornaments on our trees mean, and how they help us to remember Baby Jesus.
We have a few more by the same author. "J is for Jesus" tells the story of the candy cane, for instance.
Katie is starting to understand. She knows that Jesus was a baby, and he was very, very special. So special, in fact, that she has now told me that Baby Jesus is her best friend. And last week while I was sewing baby blankets, she asked if I was making one for Baby Jesus. Also, Baby Jesus loves the sheep, because the sheep sleep beside Him. I suppose she thinks that if someone sleeps beside you, you must love them. Good assumption, kid..
There are bits she doesn't quite get yet. For instance, she doesn't understand why we can't see Baby Jesus in the mall just like we see Santa. (It's possible that she had a breakdown while leaving the mall a few days ago for that very reason...) The good news is, she understands that Baby Jesus is just as important as Santa, and in a two year old mind, that's progress.
Frankly, it's much easier to get a two year old to understand about a fictional man who supposedly comes down the chimney to bring presents than to explain why a baby who was born 2,000 years ago is the reason for this entire holiday.
Personally, I'm looking forward to teaching her for the rest of my life.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Hotty Toddy! Go LEBBELS!
There comes a time in every little girl and boy's life when she or he attends his or her first Ole Miss Rebel football game!
The first thing they have to do is stand in the Grove for the Walk Of Champions, where all the players walk through the crowd on the way to the stadium.
Then, after the band plays Dixie and the fight song, they walk to the stadium.
And on the way, they see the back side of the big Jumbo Tron for the first time. It's HUGE!
Once they get to their seats, they get to see the band on the field for the first time, and it is seriously a life-changing event.
Then, the big moment arrives! The Ole Miss Rebels come out into the stadium! Yay!
And then comes the best part of the pre-game festivities! The Hotty Toddy! Traditionally, a celebrity, news-maker or much-loved Rebel leads the crowd in Hotty Toddy. Since this game was Veteran's Day weekend, it was only fitting that a loved Rebel Marine NROTC instructor (and Iraq war veteran), Gunnery Sergeant Stephen Roberts lead the stadium in Hotty Toddy.
As an aside, here's a link to a story that explains why GySgt Roberts is a loved Rebel:
http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/2012/9/21/3368930/ole-miss-screaming-marine-gif-interview
And of course, before the game starts, babies have to take a few more pictures..
And then its finally time for some football!!
And then, not much later, watching football gives way to sleepy-time. For the record, real Rebel babies can sleep just fine in the stadium!
But sometimes, the excitement of winning some football gets to be too much, and a nap just can't happen.
But then you might start to lose the game, and a nap will seem like a much better idea..
When it's all over, every Rebel boy and girl has had such a great time at their first football game. They yell "Hotty Toddy!! Go Lebbels!!" as loudly as they can, they make Mommy walk up and down the bleacher stairs 90 times for bathroom trips, and they scream for the band to come back on the field a lot more than they scream for more football. But at the end of the day, they are all smiles, because they know that real Rebels may not win every game (even against Vandy.. yikes.), but they never lose a party.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
My Miracle Turned 2!
Can you folks believe it's been two years since my baby girl looked like this?
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| August 29, 2010 - 5 days old - roughly 3 lbs |
There she is in all her tiny baby glory. Now that I'm seeing this, I realize we didn't get a picture of her with Giraffe this year, and I need to get on that. And now that I see the date, I realize how behind I am on writing this post. Actually, 2 years ago today, this sweet little miracle had already been home for 5 whole days! She only spent 27 days in the NICU, and was about 4 pounds, 8 oz when she came home with me.
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| First night home! |
And can you believe that she's turned into this??
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| Bed time?? Who has time for bed?! |
She's a walking, talking, beautiful little miracle! And she just turned 2!
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| Photo by Samantha Brown Photography |
We threw her a big party, and almost everybody we love was able to come. We had such a good time with our friends and family, and KB had a blast! It was a Bubble Party!
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| Blowing bubbles with her friends |
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| Homemade bubble cookies! We worked so hard! |
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| Printables I found on Etsy - Misspellings and all :-/ |
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| Cupcakes by Cupcake Cutie, Memphis |
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| She was so, so sleepy when it was time for cake. |
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| But she loved it anyway! |
Thank you to everybody who was able to come out (and up, and down...) for Katie's big day! And Katie's favorite Aunties who were only able to be there in spirit, thank you for being such a big part of our lives! We are so very thankful to be close enough to our friends and family! Thank you, Navy :)
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Mommy Confession
Here's a confession post, and it's something I feel like I'm not supposed to say.
I really miss working.
Don't worry, I can already feel the mental slaps from hundreds of women, many of my friends, coming my way.
I never, ever expected that I'd be a stay at home mom. To be really honest, I never expected that I would have that luxury. I am incredibly blessed to be able to stay at home with my babies, and I know that. But I really, really miss working.
I suppose the grass is always greener. I know full well that if I had a 40 hour a week job, I would want nothing more than to spend all day, every day with my beautiful babies. And to be honest again, I don't really want to *not* be with them, either. There's no way I would give up watching all the firsts I've been able to watch happen! I can't stand the thought of someone else spending all day with my babies while we are financially able to let me do that.
But on the other hand... I miss leaving the house every day. I miss the majority of my conversation taking place with an adult. As much as I love repeating every single word KB says, which I do, (I did it just because it felt natural, but as it turns out, it really helps their verbal abilities. Who knew?!) I sometimes would just enjoy quiet. I sort of envy people who get to spend a little time in traffic, alone with their thoughts.
I know what's caused this. Besides the fact that it's been a little over three years since I held a full-time job, my new problem is that I haven't made SAHM/W friends in Memphis yet. Memphis isn't a typical military city, so there aren't a million wives and kids hanging out while their husbands/daddies are working. Jason hasn't checked in to the command yet, so I haven't met any of the wives of his coworkers.
The coolest thing ever would be to find a job where I could take my babies with me. I can hold off until they start school if I need to, but if anybody has any ideas, just let me know!
I really miss working.
Don't worry, I can already feel the mental slaps from hundreds of women, many of my friends, coming my way.
I never, ever expected that I'd be a stay at home mom. To be really honest, I never expected that I would have that luxury. I am incredibly blessed to be able to stay at home with my babies, and I know that. But I really, really miss working.
I suppose the grass is always greener. I know full well that if I had a 40 hour a week job, I would want nothing more than to spend all day, every day with my beautiful babies. And to be honest again, I don't really want to *not* be with them, either. There's no way I would give up watching all the firsts I've been able to watch happen! I can't stand the thought of someone else spending all day with my babies while we are financially able to let me do that.
But on the other hand... I miss leaving the house every day. I miss the majority of my conversation taking place with an adult. As much as I love repeating every single word KB says, which I do, (I did it just because it felt natural, but as it turns out, it really helps their verbal abilities. Who knew?!) I sometimes would just enjoy quiet. I sort of envy people who get to spend a little time in traffic, alone with their thoughts.
I know what's caused this. Besides the fact that it's been a little over three years since I held a full-time job, my new problem is that I haven't made SAHM/W friends in Memphis yet. Memphis isn't a typical military city, so there aren't a million wives and kids hanging out while their husbands/daddies are working. Jason hasn't checked in to the command yet, so I haven't met any of the wives of his coworkers.
The coolest thing ever would be to find a job where I could take my babies with me. I can hold off until they start school if I need to, but if anybody has any ideas, just let me know!
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Updates!
It's been a long time since I posted, and I feel badly about that. Here are some bullet points on our lives over the past month.
- Mom, KB, Baby G and I all hopped on an airplane and landed in Memphis about 16 hours later. We drove to Jackson, MS and I hung out there for a month.
- My great grandmother passed away a few days after I arrived home. Her entire family - 5 living daughters, 17 living grandchildren, 35 great grandchildren and 23 great great grandchildren - all got together in her hometown of Winnsboro, Louisiana to celebrate her life.
- We started the last part of the process of buying a house near our new duty station.
- I decided to have my IUD removed because I think it as been hindering my weight loss. Instead of having it removed, I found out that it was never placed properly to begin with. I had to have it surgically removed, and had my tubes tied at the same time. (I think I'll actually write about this one here soon.)
- The day after my surgery we loaded up the truck and moved our carry-on stuff to Memphis where we are currently waiting for our electricity to be turned on and our household goods to be delivered.
So that's what has happened in the Sub Wife Life lately. I'll get the complete story of my IUD retrieval written here soon, and then I'll follow with pictures of our new home!
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