Happy Birthday Brad!

Because it is Brad's bithday and in keeping with blog-o-shpere tradition I am going to write about all of the wonderful things I love about my husband. But don't worry, in keeping with blog-o-sphere tradition, I will also include some of his flaws and minor jabs at his character so y'all don't get too nauseated from the sugary-coated life this post may portray!

(Note to Stephanie: at NO point will I refer to him as my "eternal companion"...I don't want you to throw up and boycott my blog!)

REASONS I LOVE MY HUSBAND (in no particular order):

*he calls me George. This started when we first met. People think it's weird...I think it is sweet. He calls me 'Chelle too, in fact if he ever calls me "michelle" is sounds harsh and I know I have irritated him

*he his Honest. He won't steal a shopping cart...even though I really NEED one at school. I have even come up with scenarios, so we don't actually steal it from the parking lot...no deal.

*he does the laundry. He calls it his "manly duty"...or doodie. He has done this since the first year of marriage when I washed our garments with our forest green sheets. Even now, if he needs to me to do some laundry he prefers to sort it first.

*he is friendly. This is one the things that first attracted me to Brad. Since I am somewhat shy and reserved, I admired the way he can strike up a conversation with ANYONE. 15+ years later I find this annoying sometimes...do we have to make friends with every cashier and waiter we come across?!

*He makes me laugh...EVERYDAY! Its his goal...and he accomplishes it...Because he is "one funny Mo-Fo".

*He is a great dad. He knows each disney princess, hannah montana, and has been know to have his own Ron doll (excuse me, action figure) so he could play Kim Possible with Emily. He watches Phineus and Ferb with Brinley and even quoted it at the dinner table earlier this week. (he draws the line at singing Justin Beiber)

*He enlightened me to the world of Star Wars, Star Trek, James Bond and Harry Potter. I still do not appreciate Monty Python, Strange Brew, and Blazing Sladdles...oh and Stripes...he tries...I don't get it.

*he is a p*****t. (I can't actually type this because Emily reads this.) Lets just say he can turn anything into some sort of innuendo. It doesn't matter where we are; at home, the store, friends, at CHURCH. People think it's funny...it is...except at church.

*He has to have his hand on my bum to fall asleep. And when I wake up in the middle of the night I have to snuggle his manly bicep!

*he is smart. He knows lots about politics...who else carries a copy of the constitution everyday...and can quote it. As we have gotten older, he has become more liberal and I more conservative. We still have some doozey arguments regarding politics, but less since he has given up playing devil's advocate.

*He loves the Jazz and Faiders (excuse me, Raiders). He cheers for Utah, mainly because he can't stand BYU fans. The Lord, does not choose football teams. He has other things to do..."if the Lord chose them...thet wouldn't have to be Independent."

*He thinks I am the greatest! When the world is harsh and I feel bad about myself, he is the one person that reminds me how special I am. He makes my insecurities dissappear and lets me know he loves me. and that is all that really matters.

Love ya
(you are closer to 40 than I will EVER be!)

Spacing

The other day a co-worker stopped me in the hall.
She heard through the "grapevine" (a.k.a. gossip mill)
that I was expecting. She asked a few questions,
and then MARVELED at the 6 year difference between
Emily and Brinley. And EXCLAIMED at how brave I was for doing it all again.
Didn't i know that "optimal child-spacing is 2 1/2 to three years".

Umm...yes, I have heard that.
Thank You.

See when we started out on our journey we didn't PLAN on NOT following
"optimal child-spacing" it just sort of happened.

We had Emily in our mid twenties.
It was cool and exciting to have our first.
after 4 years of marriage, we were finally able to say

we are a family

We got busy with careers, buying a home, raising a child.
We seemed to have it all.
The problem with having it all, is that sometimes "all" is hard to manage.
We lost sight of what was important.
We had distorted priorities.
We were at a very low point and
took a look around and realized that the only thing we could keep was the fact that

we are a family

So we pulled our heads out of our butts
reoraganized, readjusted...
and VERY QUICKLY got pregnant with Brinley.

For me, Brinley has always been the punctuation mark.

We are a family.

Period, end of sentence.
Her birth was a definitive moment that cemented the fact that the low part was over.
We now had a definite goal, a definite priority.
And even though we still have to juggle careers and everything else, we learned how to do it together.

We planned on "optimal child-spacing" after Brinley.
But, our ways are not His ways.
We still needed to learn patience.
We needed to learn to trust in Him.
That we (I) can not control everything.

As we look forward to our next baby, I am still learning to trust in Him.
Knowing that He knows
How much we want...

WE ARE A FAMILY!
our exclamation point

Back To School

Here is Emily on the first day of school, last Tuesday. It was taken at 7:15am...even though school does not start until 9! She is in the cute outfit she paid for with her babysitting money! She LOVES her teacher and LOVES that her friends are in the same class.

The only bad thing, is that the principal decided to not let the 6th graders sit on the benches during assemblies anymore. Poor Em and her friends waited for years to be in 6th grade and rule the school and sit on benches...now they have to sit on the floor with the younger grades!

(i think they will survive this injustice)

She was so excited for this year. Her teacher handed out their classroom supply list in June (she is super organized that way). So the ENTIRE summer, Emily would ask when we were going to get her school supplies. Call me crazy, but I did not see the point of buying school supplies in June or July. I finally told her we would get the supplies the pay day before school started. Well, she decided that was to long of a wait. So she took her babysitting money and bought her supplies herself! Now I know some of you may think this is so MEAN that we let her buy her own supplies. I think it shows: a) she is somewhat impaitient and b) real responsibility on her part. She had the money and knew what she needed. Here's to a great year Em!

Here is Brin, on her first day of school. This picture was taken at 7:20 am...her class starts at 12:45! For the last few weeks Emily and I have been teasing that on Brinley's first day we would hug her to our bosom and wail, "my baby, my baby". Brin took this in good humor until last night, when I was rehearsing my antics with her and she pushed me away, threw her hands up and said, "Mom do not embarass me tomorrow!"

Gulp...

don't I have a few more years before she thinks I am embarassing?

Emily came in and started her rehersal...and Brin put her hands on her hips and said,

"don't embarass me like mom is."

then at dinner, Brin offered the prayer and asked Heavenly Father to "help mom not be sad on my first day of school"

She is in the same class as her cousin, Ashlynne.

This is so cute...

My heart may burst!

Brad and I helped her get settled and she started coloring. I snapped a few pictures and started to feel the hysterics take over so I walked over to Brad and said we need to go...now...because I was ready to cradle her to my bosom and wail, "my baby". Just as her were leaving, Brin patted my leg and said, "one more hug". I needed it more than she did.

Excuse me...my heart did burst.

Insomniac Posting

It's 2:30 am.
I am wide awake.
I am thinking about changing the name of my blog to "Hormonal Insomniac"
It's catchy
and it sums up the passive-aggressive/sarcastic posts I sometimes write.

Brace yourself...
this IS one of those posts!

Last week, I took Brinley to her Kindergarten Assessment
as I waited in the hall, I overheard a conversation between a parent
and the principal. The parent wanted to change their child's teacher and
the principal was asking for VALID reasons. At one point the parent said,
"But Ms._________is SO CUTE!"

really, REALLY?!?
as I sat in the hall trying to close my mouth
(because my jaw literally hit the floor)
I realized why I can NEVER get my masters in administration.
Because I...
I would have bitched-slapped this parent,

cute, CUTE?!?
are you SERIOUS!
IT IS EDUCATION....not a puppy contest.
since when did your child's academic year depend on if your child's teacher can enter the Miss American pagent?

Later that evening, I attended Back to School Night.
I was impressed by the information I was given.
Each teacher told a little about themselves,
presented grading policies, went over curriculum and classroom expectations.
Their classrooms were neat, organized, and inviting.

AT NO POINT DID I THINK TO MYSELF, "HOW CUTE"

This parent think she has trouble now....
wait until Junior High...

there ain't nothin' cute in Junior High.

Dinner Conversations at the Smith House

Welp...I am at the end of the first trimester...
and I feel just like I did a month ago.
I make dinner...and then can't eat it.
It is really starting to tick me off!
I am still gagging and dry heaving...
I am exhausted.
and I pee every 15 minutes...
just ask Brad,
He had to pause the movie we were watching 5 times.
This last week and a half had better be the finale to my feeling crappy or this little baby is grounded!

Dinner conversation at our house was interesting.
Usually, Brad asks us what the best part of our day was.
He didn't tonight.
He probably should have.

Somehow Brad mentioned the deer hunt and Brin asked what the deer hunt was.
Brad wanted to protect our innocent 5 year old from the horrors of life, so he said that "you find a deer, take it to dinner, read it a bedtime story and" and Brinley added, "and then shoot it".
so much for protecting her innocence.

Next we talked about Kermit the Frog...
a song stuck in Emily's head...
and then vagina's...

Oh to be a fly on the wall at our dinner table.
(at least it can eat)

How Do People Wait 9 Months?!

We had a little scare on Friday, I was already at the doctors for blood work and so she said she would do a quick ultrasound to check. Everything is fine. I just need to take it easy for a day or two. The stress of going back to work, setting up my classrooms, and everything else just left me stressed out. On the ultrasound my little baby was moving like crazy. Anytime she tried to listen to the heartbeat, the baby would jump out of the way.

I had an ultra sound last week and it looked like a baby with little nubs for arms and legs. This week all that would fit is the head and a long arm with a definite hand. I can't believe how much they grow in just a week!

The nurse at the doctors office always laughs at how I stare at my ultrasound pictures.
I do.
I can't help it.
I love the PROOF!

and to be perfectly honest
I am also looking for a clue as to the sex.
I go back and forth
sometimes I think its a girl
other times a boy

As I looked at this weeks pictures I tried to imagine that long arm and what it would play with as a toddler.
Will it play princess and poly pockets?
or trucks and football?

(Please do not criticize my gender stereotyping.
If my girl wants to play with trucks and football,
that's fine
If my boy wants to play princess and pollypockets...
I'll let Brad deal with that ;) )

Now don't get me wrong
I really have "no preference"
Heck, we waited so long for this....I won't complain
I JUST WANT TO KNOW!!!!

How do people wait 9 months to find out!
They are crazy...
and they act all superior because they WAITED.
How do they plan? How do they shop? How do they SLEEP?

On Thursday, I was at the store and wandered in the baby aisle.
I want to buy SOMETHING...ANYTHING!
But I don't like the "neutral" stuff.
It looks boy to me.
If this baby is a girl, I want it in PINK and lavender and (maybe) pale yellow.
So I didn't buy anything.
But I REALLY wanted to.
I want something to hang in my bedroom,
so I can look at it as I am falling asleep.
I want something to touch and fold
to wash in Dreft
and sniff
I WANT SOMETHING I CAN RUB AGAINST MY FACE AND IMAGINE THIS LITTLE BABY WEARING IT!

(I apologize, I have been quite dramatic lately)

Please grant me the paitence to wait a few more weeks.

Because I can not handle Brad referring to our baby as...
Cletus the Fetus!

Technology Bytes!

It's the wee hours of the morning.
I have realized a sleeping pill won't do me any good.
I have no problem falling asleep...I just can't stay alseep.

I thought my phone was going to be ok.
It seemed to work for a while, except when someone would call they couldn't hear me. I could hear them, but there was no dialogue exchange.
But, i could text and access my notes, calender and pictures.
Having people hear me seems to be irrelevant...NOW.

On the drive to the AT&T store, I thought "I need to hurry and write down all of the things on my calender, write down my contacts that didn't get stored to the memory card, transfer pics to memory card, copy notes, etc"...I had A LOT of writing to do. BUT wouldn't you know as soon as the sales guy looked at my phone. It went completely black-with only an ominous red line across it! Seriously, I could access everything 30 seconds ago. I think he did something to get my money. I ask in a very timid voice, does the calender save to the memory card? NOPE
Notes? NOPE any way to get the contacts or pictures NOPE

All of my appointments, schedules, and notes are on the darn thing! Oh man, my to-do lists were also on there! Everything is gone! My life is a big mess, I can't remember when my next doctors appt is because it was on my darn phone. Did I set up Brin's assessment for next Thurs or Fri-my phone could tell me, but its gone.

I am still blaming the cat.

Remember the old days when people would write things down in their Franklin Planners? The only fear that I had in those days was someone STEALING my ugly Franklin binder. No one ever did-my calender, schedule, to do lists all remained with me. My life was in order.

I ask the sales guy, do any phones save calenders, notes, to-do lists. "Only the smart phones-because then you can link it to google calender and sinc it with...yada...yada...yada...yada..." about 5 minutes later I come out of my techno coma...I have NO IDEA what he said. I have NO IDEA how to do those things. And I can't get a smart phone: 1. you have to pay for the data plan and I can't afford it. and 2. I am not cool/important enough

So we decide on a phone, it has a key board and calender (that can't be saved)
(its PINK!)
the color is sooo important
my last one was blue
I always wished it was pink

I guess the fact I am excited about PINK, proves why I am not cool/important enough to get a smart phone.

In other techno/21st century news:
I joined facebook last night.
I held out for as long as I could.
But all of the ladies who teach FACS (Home Ec) in the district wanted to set up something so we could communicate. and I was the ONLY one, the ONLY ONE who did not have facebook.

I would like to point out, that we can NOT access facebook at school. It was one of the many sites the district blocks. With good reason, can you just imagine if teenagers could go to school and use it?! Well actually, a lot of teens have smart phones and access it at school anyway. You just can't do it on a school computer.
So I argued this point.
They argued more.

So after the phone store, Brad helped me set out my account.
I am disappointed with myself

I feel dirty ;)