I'm not dead, just busy.

Contrary to popular belief, I have not moved to some internet-free island in the South Pacific and/or have not gone to jail for killing a man, just 'cause he needed killing.  I have just been crazy, out-of-control busy.  You know it's bad when your own parents call you out for not blogging...AND THEY KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN UP TO!  (P.S.  Thanks for caring, Daddy.)

Hmm.  The last 15 days recap:

December 4-8:  We went to Disney World.  Our trip to off to a bit of a rocky start when I was "randomly" chosen to frisk while waiting to board the plane by a female security agent.  Let's not forget that I'd already gone through security and the metal detector and all that jazz.  Apparently my baby bump looked awfully threatening.  I guess I forgot what a threat to national security pregnant women can be. 

To make matters worse, she told me to "assume the position."  I almost asked her which position she meant, like the John Travolta "Stayin' Alive" pose or maybe on my knees in prayer...  In retrospect, it's probably better I left it alone.  She also frisked the woman standing behind me in line.  She was wearing an University of Alabama hoodie, so she and I decided that the security agent was a bitter Auburn fan.  Figures.

We had a great time at Disney.

Eeyore even shared with us (in his own, non-verbal sort of way) that he, too, is an Alabama fan.  He was especially excited about that day's big win over Florida in the SEC Championship.  Bless Jason's heart, he missed the whole game, but did stay updated on his phone.

We ate well at Disney.  Really well.  In fact, food and I became friends again while I was there.

 We ate dessert with every meal.  The kids don't know what to do now that we are back home and don't have an ice cream sundae bar in the house.  Poor spoiled babies.

I miss it, too.

We rode everything.  When I say everything, I mean everything.  The only thing I skipped out on was the teacups.  As a pregnant gal, I feel like I'm riding the teacups all day long, every day.

December 8-16:  When we got back home, we found out that Emma had pinkeye and bronchitis, which would explain why no one got any sleep.  Emma coughed all night, every night at Disney.

After hostessing a party for 20 ladies two days after we got back (I'm certifiably crazy, I know), we moved on to the next big set of events--the Christmas Plays!

First was the church play:

Next were the three performances of Luke's first grade play:

He got to dance with this little cutie:

She led.

 

 

Bless the little present guy in the back row.  He couldn't sit down in his costume.

The play was great, but the kids sure were glad when it was over.  (As were the moms and dads who sat through all three performances.)

I wrote a whole blog post in my head during the Tuesday night performance.  It may or may not make it to print, but it dealt with first grade play attendee etiquette.  I was appalled at how some "adults" behave at a school play.  Truly embarrassing.

So, after two parties this morning, my kids will be home for the next 16 days.

SIXTEEN DAYS.

Oh my WORD.

Somebody save me.

Merry Christmas!

One Size Fits All?

Luke is going to be Santa #2 in his first grade play this month.  We just got his costume in and decided to try it on.

The suit part of it was a perfect fit.  The beard was a little big, but we can work with it.

The only real problem we had with it was the hat.

 

We tried hard to make it work.  There was much whining and gnashing of teeth, but it just wasn't going to happen.

Granted, I birthed the boy and I am fully aware he has a big ol' noggin...like his Daddy.

But, I really think this hat was way too small, even for massive cranium standards.  We had a spare Santa hat (Who doesn't?), so we are going to use it instead.

Here's a side-by-side comparison, just so you can see the difference:

Ho, Ho, Ho!

 So, yeah, one size definitely does NOT fit all.

“A Christmas Lesson Learned from my Kids”

As I put up my Christmas decorations last week, I enjoyed watching the faces of my children as they reacted to the treasured ornaments and knickknacks that we’ve collected through the years.  I shared stories of where we’d acquired some of our ornaments and laughed with the kids at some of their efforts as preschoolers to make beautiful decorations.

The more decorating we did, the more excited the kids became about the coming holiday.  I know some of their excitement was due to the gifts they hope to receive and the thoughts of Santa paying us a visit.  However, they do know the true meaning of the Christmas celebration is to honor the birth of Jesus, and they are thrilled that we get to do so many fun things to celebrate His birthday.  

I remember having that same kind of pure happiness and joy at Christmas-time when I was a child.  I wondered when I let myself get so bogged down in the shopping, cooking, wrapping, cleaning, and just WORK of Christmas that I lost some of that joy.  As I watched the wonderment and carefree happiness of my kids, I reflected on a quote I’d read from Erma Bombeck that said "There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."   What a painful truth!

Even Jesus knew that the purest, most selfless love and worship He experienced was that of children:  “He called a little child and had him stand among them. And he said: 'I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.'" (Matthew 18:2-4)

So, this year, I think I’m going to take a little time to be more childlike in my celebration of Christmas.  What about you?

A Thanksgiving Surprise

I didn't get to blog at the end of last week due to all the eating  family gatherings and heart-attack inducing football games (ROLL TIDE!), but I wanted to share my Thanksgiving surprise with all my bloggy-friends that we got to share with all of our family over the holiday.

("No, it's not a tumor."--said in Arnold Schwarzenegger voice)

It's Baby Robinson #3, due in late May 2010.

And y'all wondered why I've been sick.

Tee hee.

Emma and Luke are thrilled. 

They both are hoping for a boy.

Which almost certainly means it will be a girl.  (I think it's a girl.)

We will find out in January 2010, because a type-A planner like me HAS to know.

We had cool t-shirts.

I e-mailed and texted Luke's picture to all of my friends and family that I didn't get to tell face-to-face.  Since Emma announced when I was expecting Luke, we figured it was just fair to let him do the same for this baby.

To say that our friends and family were shocked is an understatement!

We are just praying for a healthy baby (that doesn't weigh 9 lbs+ like Luke did) and that I don't have the baby on the side of the interstate between home and Birmingham.

That's not too much to ask, do you think?

Happy Thanksmas!

Typically, I would never, and I mean NEVER, put up our Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.  I am a strict traditionalist that way. 

This year had to be different.

I had to put everything up early this year because we have several out-of-town trips coming up, plus I scheduled a ladies' group Christmas party at my house two days after we get back from a 5-day trip, so I have my plate more than full right now.  I am not yet done with the decorations--by a LONG shot--but I have come up with a few observations as I've been working.

Every single time I walk past the living room, this bear scares the Snickers out of me.  In my peripheral vision, he is Jack the Ripper, complete with axe and murderous intentions.

Bless my little carriage driver's arm.  I don't know if he got attacked by rabid squirrels in storage or what, but that amputation looks painful.  For some reason, a whole bunch of our decorations have got to make a visit to Dr. Hotglue Gun this year.

As is their tradition, the green-faced zombie children enjoy building a zombie snowman.  I think they sort of melted in storage or something.  Wow.

I tried to tell the people in the villages that letting a Wal-Mart Supercenter come in to their neighborhood was a bad idea.  Those villagers never listen.  I should've appealed to the green-faced zombies to write a petition.

Now look what's happened!

The Mom and Pop Grocery store has closed.

Might as well put some tiny shutters on those windows of the Clock Factory, too.

I question the accuracy of this guy:

When's the last time you saw a Wal-Mart greeter under the age of 70?  This guy doesn't even dye his hair!  I am calling a fake right now.

I will post some pictures later of the completed decorations.

By the way, how do you like my new layout?  I owe Rachel big time for her creativity and hard work!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

A Freaky Story for my Blog-iversary

As promised, in light of my recent golf ball incident, I am going to recount one of the freakier things that has happened to me in recent memory.

The year was 2006.  It was late August.  I was in a mad rush to get the house whipped into shape for Emma's 6th birthday party.  We had tons of food, an inflatable princess castle bounce house, and her entire first grade class was invited.  It was the day before her party.  I was a cleaning banshee.  The house was pretty much spotless inside, so I slipped out the front door to pull weeds in the flowerbed while 3 year old Luke was watching "Dora the Explorer."

I wasn't outside long before the August heat started getting to me.  I guess it must've roasted my brain, because I forgot to lock the deadbolt on the front door when I came in.  (I NEVER do that.  NEVER!)  I showered and dressed, then Luke and I headed over to the elementary school to pick up Emma.  We were excitedly chattering about her party and preparing to go buy some Capri Suns for the shindig when my cell phone rang.

It was our security system people calling to tell me that our alarm was going off.  The lady told me that our front door seemed to be ajar.  It hit me at that moment that I had not locked it.  It wasn't a particularly breezy day, but I convinced myself that the door must have blown open.  She asked me if I would like for the police to come check out the premises.  I told her that I thought that might be a good idea, since I really wasn't confident in my theory at all.

I raced home at breakneck speed.  I was shocked when I saw a truck parked right in front of the house.  Instead of pulling into the cul-de-sac to wait for the policeman (like a logical person would've done), I pulled up the driveway and blocked the truck in.  In my mind, there was no way these people were leaving my house with Emma's birthday presents and whatever other spoils they'd found in my house.

Again, defying all logic and reason, I told the kids to stay in the car--I WAS GOING IN.  (Don't ask me why.  To this day, I still don't know what was going through my head.)  I rolled the windows down a little for ventilation,  took my garage remote off the visor, palmed my cell phone, and locked the doors.  (I don't know if I thought I could do some James Bond roll-under-the-garage-door-move if they chased me or what.  I was not firing on all cylinders at that point.)

As I stepped through the front door into the foyer, I spied two men walking across the upstairs balcony.  One of the men was young and muscle-bound and the other was old and arthritic.  I remember having the conscious thought, "I think I can take the old one." 

I screamed at the top of my lungs, "What are you doing in my house???"  As they tried to answer and come down the stairs, I yelled, "Don't move!"  I ran to the control panel for the alarm and punched in the code with trembling hands.  I ran back and faced them down and yelled again in my meanest (quivering) voice, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE?"

The younger of the two started down the stairs.  I pointed my phone at him and shrieked, "Don't move!"  He stoppped and asked if this wasn't the Reese residence.  I shout-said, "No, it's not.  [Voice cracking]  Why are you in my house!?!?"

Turns out these guys were carpet installers.  They had the wrong address (no kidding) by a long shot.  When they arrived, they rang the doorbell.  When there was no answer, they called Mr. Reese at work and asked if they could get in to measure for the carpet in the master bedroom.  He told them to go on in--the front door was unlocked and the alarm wasn't on.  So when they went in and the alarm sounded, they tried to call the homeowner back, but he didn't answer.  So they went on in to do their measuring.  This is where I came in.

Admittedly, they were really apologetic about the whole thing.  It took me quite a while to get back to a place of rational thought.  When the policeman FINALLY arrived, he questioned them and sent them on their way.  Then he turned his attention to me.

I received quite a chewing out about how I could've been hurt or worse if they had been actual bad guys and how I should've waited on him to get there.  (Get there faster next time, buddy!)

The party turned out great and I had an entertaining story to tell.  That was definitely a memorable birthday party for me!

Happy 1 year blog anniversary to me!  Who's bringing the cake?

The Return of Girl Hair and Other Assorted Fun

November 17, 2009

Luke brought home some of his artwork from school last week.  I pulled it out of his folder and praised him for doing such a good job and staying in the lines so well.  As I smiled at Luke, I noticed he looked a little doubtful and perplexed.

Me:  "What's wrong, Buddy?  These are really good pilgrims."

Luke:  "But I don't understand why there wasn't a boy pilgrim."

Me:  "There is a boy pilgrim.  He's the one with the hat."

Luke:  "And the GIRL HAIR!  Look at his eyes and lips!  That is a girl."

I didn't really put up much of a rebuttal argument.  Those are some pretty girly features he's got there.

Luke also brought home some "artwork" from Children's church earlier this month.




Most kids color and draw for fun.

Not my Luke.

On a TOTALLY unrelated note, I saw this on a recent shopping trip. 

And I thought the Pooping Reindeer from last year was nasty.

This takes disturbing to a whole new level.

I'll be back with part 2 of my freaky stories fun tomorrow.

Have a great Tuesday!

Heads Up!

November 16, 2009

There I was, just sitting in the recliner, talking to my Mom on the phone.  It had been a good Saturday morning so far.  I'd made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and I was OWNING the laundry.

Oh, yes.  It was a good day.

Until IT happened.

Like an asteroid  had come crashing through my roof, I was struck directly on the top of my head.  I leapt from the chair, demanding answers as to what had just occurred, all the while trying not to pass out from the blinding pain.  Just as the unbidden tears began streaming down my cheeks, a little voice belonging to Luke came from above.

"I dropped a golf ball."

After bidding a hasty and tearful farewell to my Mom, I collapsed in a pile of tears, snot, and cold sweat on the sofa (out of range from the upstairs balcony, in case a golf club was coming next).  I cried out for" ice, ice, please, for the love of all things good and holy, ice!"  Jason brought a bag of spinach, I think.  For all the life of me, all I could think was "Eww, something was next to the garlic bread in the freezer.  Blecch."  He switched out the hard-frozen spinach for a bag of English peas, since it conformed to my head better.

As he brought me the peas, Jason asked if he could look at where I'd been hit.  As I gingerly removed the peas (and threatened his life if he touched my head), he asked, "Where is it--oh!  I can see it."

It was just like in cartoons.  Jerry hits Tom with the hammer.  Large lump instantly appears.

Cartoons are real, I tell you.

After the crisis was over, Jason marveled at all of the crazy factors that had aligned just so to make this happen:  Luke dropped the golf ball at just the precise spot, so that it went through the balcony rails, (and as I figure it, got up to 947 miles per hour) and landed directly on my skull.

Good times.

So, if the headaches go away, I am going to write a few posts this week about other freaky things that have happened to me.  My one-year blogging anniversary is this Wednesday, so it seems like a good enough way to celebrate.

Do you have a flying projectile to the head story to share?  If so, I want to hear it! 

Today in history---1998

It is hard for me to believe that it has been 11 years since I said "yes."

I just knew that that ring and I were going to end up in the bottom of Venice's Grand Canal when Jason got down on one knee in that gondola.

We got engaged on November 12. 12's are special to us now for these reasons:

1. Jason's b'day is February 12.
2. We got engaged November 12.
3. We got married on June 12.
4. Luke was born on our 4th anniversary--June 12, 2009.
5. We do not plan to have 12 kids.

Happy 12th, Jason!

Daddy and Luke's Big Bama Adventure

November 9, 2009


(Editor's note: I am honored to have a guest blogger today! My dear husband, Jason (who rarely even READS my blog), agreed to do a post for me. I hope you enjoy it!)

This is my son, Luke, in whom I am well pleased:Standing in front of Denny Chimes, Luke had already trekked across most of Tuscaloosa. During breakfast at Jack’s earlier in the day, I told Luke that he is "my buddy." He responded by telling me that I am the “best Daddy.” God has blessed me with a wonderful son!

This is the story of our Gameday Adventure.

Luke and I parked downtown and began the trek to the stadium to meet up with Uncle Joel and Christopher. We strolled along Bryant Drive from downtown. (Yes, I am one of those cheapskate people who park downtown to avoid paying for parking.) Unexpectedly, Luke and I stumble upon LSU fans in Tuscaloosa!?! Who do they think they are? However, after watching them for a few moments, I noticed that they do have a sense of humor: I thought labeling LSU fans as “corndogs” was supposed to be an insult. Somebody forgot to tell “Captain Corndog” (pictured with corndog helmet, in the middle). Also, I guess someone forgot to mention the open container law as well.

My admiration of their sense of humor quickly ceased when I noticed they had a fuzzy elephant on a string in the middle of the road. Reluctant Bama fans were driving over the elephant, much to the amusement of these LSU fans. Chuckle it up, corndogs!

After seeing the LSU fans, my pride in Alabama peaked as I thought, “Wow, glad we're not crazy like those LSU fans!” Until...

I think this group is proving the “Chaos Theorem”. I always wondered where and when the “painted people” got together and did this. By the way, “C” is for Crazy…

Round the corner behind the CBS Sports tent on the steps of the Administration Building, I ran into what appeared to be “Ace and Gary” from SNL’s skit:

I am not sure if the “A” stood for Alabama or Ambiguous. Either way, the strange-ometer was soaring off the charts at this point.

I briefly thought about having Luke take a picture with them. I am glad I decided to move on. Between the LSU corndogs and Bama-maniacs, I realized that this was no place for my son.

Joel and I decided to quickly move on to the stadium.

After walking up from downtown Tuscaloosa to the Quad and back to the stadium, then up the spiral “stairway to Heaven”, I was very worried I had worn out my poor six year-old-Luke. He looked tired as we took our seats. He studied the program we purchased going in the stadium. (Luke knows the scores of all the games.) I kept asking him if he needed to take a short nap before the game began. He refused. I thought, “Oh boy, I have really pushed him too hard.”

However, it did not take long before Luke was up from his seat. Like his Mommy, Luke is not really into the pre-game festivities. He was just saving up his energy for the main event. Once the game started, Luke was totally into the game, as you can see here from his stare.

“Go AL-A-BAM-AH!” screamed Luke during the whole game. He was emulating his Uncle Joel, who understands his role as a fan is to be yelling loudly. Joel believes that he is literally yelling into the opposing quarterback’s ear. He is a cheerleader of surrounding fans. Spurred on by Joel's ruckus, a boy next to us took his seat cushion and banged it against the metal bleacher, resulting in a sound like someone banging metal garbage can lids together. Apparently, all this racket results in delay of game, illegal procedure, and useless timeouts for Bama’s opponents.

From our seats at the top of the east upper deck, I am not sure that the sound can travel the “miles” to the stadium's surface. To put this into perspective, to get to our seats, we climbed the stairs and passed above the nosebleed section.

Whether or not this noise changed the game, I cannot be sure. However, it did create a ringing sound in both of my ears. As I covered my ears and became upset with Bama’s quarterback for missing wide-open receivers, Luke kept cheering. For me, the racket was a nuisance from being able to concentrate on the game; for those around me, it was music to their ears. Joel exclaimed, “This must be the loudest game ever for Bryant-Denny Stadium!”

For Luke, this showed his true college and family allegiance. Uncle Joel was proud of his nephew.

Luke would not stop even after I warned him of severe throat pain. His mission for being at the game was to yell and cheer. Maybe I could take a lesson in what a real fan is from my son.

(Editor's note: I told Luke the night before the game that I needed for him to cheer really loudly for the team to help them win. The boy follows instructions better than I thought he did!)