look what i learned to do!

this picture is a million years old, and everyone has seen it a million times, but I JUST LEARNED HOW TO POST PICTURES!!! a whole new world of blogging is just ahead...

had to post a cute pic of little brother, too!!!

i'm sooooooo trendy!!!

ok, i am a huge dork! i have been reading all these "thursday thirteen" blogs on other sites and have decided i want a piece of the action!!! plus, this header-thingy is too cute :)

so...THIRTEEN OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES OF ALL TIME!!! (in no particular order)

1. Ten Things I Hate About You
2. Can't Buy Me Love
3. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
4. Grease
5. Center Stage
6. Bring It On
7. Clueless
8. Legally Blonde
9. Coyote Ugly
10. Goonies
11. Spaceballs
12. Bye Bye Love
13. Son In Law

i know, i know...you are all probably laughing so hard that you have stopped reading by now. i know the list is totally random, and mostly filled with girly movies, but that's my true movie love! check out any of these movies for a feel good few hours of enjoyment!!!

a day at the zoo!

ok, so it was a morning at the zoo...but that's all two little ones can handle :) maribeth, carter, miller, sarah, drew, and i took our first official outing as a six-some this morning! aren't we adventurous!?! overall, it was a smashing success! to begin with, it takes about 30 minutes to get to the zoo. and drew traditionally HATES car rides. actually, sarah never liked the car until she was forward facing (at 1 year and 20 pounds--no britney spears wannabes here!). neither of my kids seem to think the car is a good place for a nap either...but i could make an entire blog about my car issues...

anyway. so, drew was pretty tolerant on the way there. he was ready for a nap about 30 minutes before we left the house, so i was secretly hoping he'd relent and fall asleep on the way there...no such luck. but, he ended up awake except for a few (tiny) catnaps throughout the zoo extravaganza and pretty happy. he was really happy once we went into the air conditioned observation room in the northwest passage and i took him out of his carrier. after we had been there about 1.75 hours, he had had enough. so, we decided our zoo day was at its expiration date :) as SOON as we got in the car with the air conditioning, he fell asleep! so quickly, in fact, that i wondered if he had passed out! he was fine--just a nervous nelly mommy moment!!!

so, that was drew's day at the zoo! sarah had very mixed emotions towards the zoo. the actual being at the front of the double stroller and people watching thrilled her to no end, but the animals were a little intimidating! now, the animals were spectacular today! the lions, elephants, panda bears, polar bears, and monkeys put on a great show for us! the lion was like 3 feet away from us--when it roared! that was maybe 2 minutes into our zoo visit. i think it kinda set the tone of sarah's day. she was really excited when we first got to a new animal, but then she leaned back in her seat as far as she could and said, "nope" when i asked her any questions about the animal. she was all too eager to wave "bye-bye" to each animal too! so, the lion gave her a healthy fear of zoo animals :) but, she was a little angel the whole time we were out.

i thoroughly enjoy going to the zoo myself...i think i would go if i didn't have kids. i definitely think at sarah and drew's ages, i am the one getting the most out of the trip! it was amazing to watch the polar bear swim from our view below the water! it seemed like the bear was swimming in slow motion! the memphis zoo is awesome...and improving all the time! maribeth told me that by 2010, several more areas will be completely renovated! they have already made so many improvements over the past several years! i also think its really cool that my kids will grow up seeing animals from all over the world right here in memphis. a couple of centuries ago, if you didn't live in africa, you would live your whole life without seeing a zebra or elephant (and maybe not even knowing they exist)! well, that's my philosophical thought for the day :)

like i said, the zoo trip was fantastic! we will definitely have an encore presentation!!!

he's growing like a weed!

we had drew's 4 month appointment today at the pediatrician's office. he was a little trooper. he actually laughed when dr. bob was checking for hip dislocation (usually causes discomfort/screaming in most babies)! he is 15 lbs 13 oz and 25 1/2 inches long! both are in the 75% percentile! he's a big one! he's heavier and longer than sarah was at this age! dr. bob said he looked perfect! he had to have 4 shots today...the same 4 he had at his 2 month appointment. he cried a little more this time than last. but, he was pretty easily comforted once i picked him up. he wimpered from the doctor's office to mimi's house (less than 2 minutes away)--it was so sad! but, once we got there, he perked up and "talked" to mimi and sarah for about 30 minutes before getting fussy. he had a quick snack, then slept 2 1/2 hours! he has been his regular self since then. i'm hoping he gets a good night's rest tonight! for him and me! poppy is already out of town, and daddy and mimi leave town in the morning! so its just sarah, drew, and me until thursday! and tim's parents, nana and pop pop, are moving over then next 3 days! i vaguely remember this happening a few weeks ago...everyone left town, i got sick, etc etc etc. i'm praying everything goes a little smoother this time! thankfully tim is just gone until thursday morning. well, just wanted to report that drew's appointment was normal this morning...and he's growing like a weed!!!

do you hear me?

another funny sarah story...we were driving to the mall last night and sarah was talking on her daddy's cell phone. she was saying all her usual stuff...naming people, saying what drew was doing, asking where her friends were, etc. then in the middle of it all, she says, "do you hear me?" do you think maybe she has heard her mommy say that a few too many times when i'm trying to get her to do something :) it was too funny. and of course, tim and i were dying laughing so she just kept saying other stuff to try to get us to laugh more. she's a hoot!

and, she has started counting--to 7! where did that come from? if i say 1, she'll continue until 7 then clap and say, "yea!" i KNOW that they either counted to 5 or 10 at preschool, and i always continue to 10 (as do the wiggles and choo choo soul--what? you don't know who they are? you don't watch playhouse disney every morning?)

back to the mall story...we met the malahy clan there last night. we were a sight pushing matching double strollers! sarah thought it was SO FUN to ride in the stroller next to carter! she kept throwing her hands up in the air and yelling, "wheeeee!" like she was on a roller coaster! i tell you, i just laugh and laugh at that child! she also got to ride on the escalator with daddy. she's got him wrapped around her little finger! when sarah and daddy finished our gourmet dinner in the food court, they went up and down the escalator over and over and over! she was in heaven! you see, a double stroller doesn't do so well on an escalator so this was her first time standing like a big girl on it!!!

the purpose of the mall extravaganza was to get me a new outfit for my 10 year high school reunion next weekend. let me tell you, its no fun shopping when you are 4 months out from a pregnancy! but, my personal shopper, aka maribeth, found just the right "look" to minimize the baby damage!!! lots of fun jewelry to draw attention away from the mid section :) anyway...i'm really happy with the end result! i'm sure there will be pics on our website after the reunion!

that's all the news for now! welcome again to all my new readers!!!

a quiz just for fun!!!

Your Linguistic Profile:

60% General American English

30% Dixie

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

0% Upper Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

random side note!

just wanted to let everyone know...
1. i know that i don't use any capital letters...they're annoying to type!
2. i know that i end every sentence with an exclamation point...its just how i "type talk"!
3. i know that i start almost every sentence with, "but", "so", or "and"...i'm conversational :)
4. i know that i am very wordy...its just one of my many endearing talents :)
5. i know that i type many run-on sentences and many "sentences" that are really phrases!
6. i know that i type in an extreme version of "stream of consciousness"...i love virginia woolf!
7. and i know that all of you still love me despite all of these things!!!

i can't get enough of these kids!

i know, i know...it seems all i write about is my kids and their accomplishments, but GIVE ME A BREAK!!! i'm a stay-at-home mom! what else do i have to talk about :) seriously, my kids are just at two ages where they are changing a lot on a daily basis! on to the updates...

drew is now rolling from his back to his stomach! now he is "mobile"! he can roll repeatedly from back to tummy and tummy to back to get a little ways across the floor. he doesn't realize he's getting anywhere yet, since he's so young, so he doesn't do it often. but, i have a feeling that as soon as he realizes he's getting closer to sarah or our dogs by rolling, he'll be on the move all the time! we take him for his 4 month well baby visit to the pediatrician on monday! i can't wait to see how much bigger he has gotten since his 2 month appointment! he's already much longer than sarah was at this age! i'm hoping he'll take after his 6'4" daddy and not his 5'0" mommy!

sarah continues to be a verbal fountain these days! she's now saying sentences/full phrases! "mommy go night-night", "go to sleep drew", "come on drew", "go to mimi's house", "where'd carter go?", "sarah wants goldfish" are just a few examples! she talks ALL day long! i need to keep a pad of paper and pen tied around my neck to write down the funny things she says. she's had a big week playing with her 3rd cousin savannah visiting from louisiana. they played hard! she learned a little more about "swimming" from her fearless cousin who floats by herself in her life jacket!

we all enjoyed spending time with my aunt susan, jessica, melissa, and savannah! they got to memphis monday and left today! we had a busy week showing off memphis and just visiting with family! we hadn't seen them since christmas! and, its always crazy with two almost 2 year olds and a 4 month old! well, that's the latest in our neck of the woods!

let's start at the very beginning

i decided that i wanted to write down my history BEFORE i was a wife and mother...seems like so long ago :) i was just thinking about how i've talked so much about my life at present, as if it appeared out of nowhere. so the story begins...

i was born in landstudl, germany december 23, 1977. my parents were stationed there with the air national guard. apparently, my birth was quite long and difficult, as were the first 8 months of my life. since i've had my own children, i've had the pleasure of hearing about my lengthy birth without pain meds and my constant crying for months on end on multiple occasions. i was no easy baby as legend has it. but, we were back in the states before my first birthday. my parents and i moved around in louisiana and mississippi for a couple of years, before settling in meridian, mississippi when i was 3. there, my little brother, andy was born in march of 1981. i remember my childhood as one filled with long days outside with my brother, lots of visits to my grandparents' houses, fun memories with family and friends, and all things good. basically, the way everyone should be able to remember their childhood.

in the summer of 1991, my dad took a job with federal express in memphis, tennessee. my family moved to germantown, right outside of memphis (where my family and i still live). it was the summer in between my 7th and 8th grade. in one of those fabulous coincidences, my parents knew a couple from their same small town in louisiana, franklinton who lived in germantown. and miraculously, they had a daughter my age. my parents ended up buying a house in the same school district where their daughter mandy attended. so, i had an automatic friend!!! luckily, mandy was a great kid who actually befriended me after her parents made her :)

so, mandy introduced me to all of her friends during the summer, and i had quite a few new friends before i started the school year. my first year in germantown was more wonderful than anyone could have imagined. and i solely thank mandy for my wonderful experience! i attended germantown middle school for 1 year, then went to germantown high school all 4 years.

i'll leave this "history" lesson on that note...i'll tell my stories of high school and college in another post!!!

time is flying by!

i'll second all the moms in bloggerland complaining about summertime schedule-less-ness! its hard to keep an almost 2 year old entertained 24/7! thankfully, our friends and family are helping out!!! i can't believe i've gone so long without blogging. i think about it, but haven't had a chance to actually formulate my thoughts! and especially since i've told my cool little brother about my blog, i've got to stay on top of things! he is in korea in the air force, so he is missing all these little milestones in sarah's and drew's lives.

drew is now bearing weight through his legs! he started a little over a week ago (june 3rd)! then we started propping him up in the exersaucer--HE LOVES IT!!! it gives him a much better view of all of big sister's activity! but, he still gets tired fairly quick. so, we have short exersaucer stints as of now! he should roll over from his back to stomach pretty soon too! he can get to his side already. its so amazing to watch little ones gain control over their bodies (guess its the occupational therapist in me!!!)! he can also grasp the toys hanging down from his activity mat with both hands at the same time. i'm so proud of his motor skills!

and sarah is constant entertainment! 21 months is a super fun age! she is talking up a storm and repeats everything she hears. she's starting to sing little snippets of the songs she knows on her own. and she is a dancing machine! she especially loves to dance to the wiggles songs! she's starting to learn the correct movements to each song! its priceless! i could watch her for hours! (and i do!) but, she also has her "moments"! she says, "no" and "mine" several million times a day! but, she is easily distracted and only has a few meltdowns each day!

both kids are a complete joy despite the griping i do sometimes to my friends and family! the only thing i look forward to is a few more nights of uninterrupted sleep! but, i hear that's a thing of the past once you have multiple children! sarah is a dream of a sleeper...here's hoping drew follows in her footsteps! i'll keep my updates coming more frequently--i promise :)

happy anniversary sweetie!

happy anniversary to my wonderful husband tim! we have been married 5 years today! how did that happen? we have now known each other for 15 years and have been dating/married for 11 years!

tim and i met at his aunt's house when we were in 8th grade. i had recently moved to germantown from meridian, mississippi. i was attending disciplenow weekend for the first time. tim and i were both assigned to his aunt's house. i remember thinking he was so cute from the very first moment. his parents came in when they dropped him off since we were at his dad's sister's house. he hugged and kissed both of his parents when they left. i remember thinking that was so sweet (and looking back on it, REALLY unusual for an 8th grade boy)! tim and i flirted in that silly, innocent 8th grade way the whole weekend. i really don't have many specific memories of tim over the next few years. we continued to attend church together, but he was doing his thing and i was doing mine!

the summer before our senior year in high school, we were again in the same group of friends at church. tim had moved to florida for his junior year of high school. the day after he got back, he was over at our mutual friend ashley's house and i stopped by to borrow some clothes. we hung out with our group of friends almost every night of the summer. we were both going to be counselors at a children's camp at our church. we decided that i would ride with him. the night before we left, we were again at ashley's house after church on sunday night. there was a really crazy heat lightening storm going on and tim asked me if i wanted to watch the storm in a dark bedroom (sounds much worse than it was)! we were standing by the window watching the light show and tim asked me, "how did the prince wake up sleeping beauty?" i had NO idea what he was talking about. then he kissed me. wow! was i surprised. now, i should tell you, tim had a reputation in our youth group of being the "stud". i couldn't believe that he was interested in me! thinking it was totally a random, fleeting thing, i worried about the ackwardness that the next day would bring riding to camp together.

well, we went to camp, and ended up sneaking out every night after our kids were asleep and hanging out for hours and hours. at the end of the week, we told our friends that our new "friendship" was a camp thing, and not to expect it to continue when we went home to memphis. boy! were we wrong :)

tim and i ended up having our first official date on his birthday, august 17th, 1995. we went to pizza hut and i got him an indigo girls cd. the next weekend, we went to the drive in movies. he packed strawberries and played the firehouse song "i live my life for you". i thought it was all SO romantic, in that high school sort of way. throughout our senior year, tim continued to surprise me with "happies"--putting my favorite cookies in the mailbox on his way to school, sneaking a rose into my car while we were in church, etc etc etc. tim was a very romantic and thoughtful boyfriend.

when it came time for college, we decided to do what we each needed to do individually for our educations. i ended up in st. louis at saint louis university, and tim ended up at university of tennessee at knoxville. we decided to date other people--i mean, how could you have possibly met the love of your life in high school?!? we thought we were being so grown up and logical.

it turned out we HAD met our soulmates in high school. after 2 years of attempting to date around, we knew it was time to quit being ridiculous. tim and i returned to our exclusive, and HAPPY relationship. the fall of our senior year, tim surprised me with an engagement ring. that story is the subject of another extremely long post. so, we married in june of 2001 and have been blissfully happy since then. not to say that marriage is always a piece of cake...but, we have made it through the good and bad together.

tim is the best husband my parents or i could have ever prayed for. he is so patient, kind, loving, fun, and devoted to me and the kids. his world revolves around our family. that's not something that i take for granted out of a 27 year old guy. he always puts our needs first-- sacrificing his hobbies and friendships for our family. i am so thankful to have met him so many years ago. and i can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him. he makes waking up each morning exciting. although i don't say it nearly as often as i should, I LOVE YOU TIM!!!