Jacob Alexander

Tricia delivered our nephew last night at 5:59 p.m.
We're so thankful for his safe arrival.

Something to Read

Every once in a while you find a blog that grips you. A friend told me about this one. I smiled, I prayed, I cried.

I wanted to tell you about it too.

5:40 a.m.

It used to be my favorite part of the day. I was single, living alone, and had nothing better to do so I was in the workout room in the early morning hours with a good friend, a few old men, and the rest of the day ahead of me.

I recently committed myself to running the mini-marathon. I want to do well. It's been six years since I've trained seriously for a race so I'm trying the ol' early morning workout again. It feels good. It feels good to have accomplished something by 6:30 a.m. It feels good to use weights again. It feels good to know that I'm doing something for myself.

I dream of running another marathon next year. We'll see how this goes...

Lydia Ray

Lydia turned 18 months on Saturday. She is definitely not a baby anymore. Here's the latest:

- She loves to climb. She likes to climb on the toilet with the seat down and dance around in a circle. She likes to climb on the coffee table and dance around in a circle. She likes to climb on the kid table in our playroom and dance around in a circle. She's attempted to climb on the top of the dining room table (to dance around in a circle, no doubt) before I intervened.

- She speaks in vowels. Besides "mama" and "dada," every person, place, and thing is a vowel sound.

- She giggles when Mike walks through the door. She adores her daddy.

- She loves to play dress-up. She'll point to a coat in the closet that she wants to wear. If I ignore her, she'll stand at the closet door and SCREAM. She can often be seen wearing Jonah's fireman raincoat or Mike's fleece vests. She also loves to try on every shoe in the house. We have shoes scattered everywhere!

- She's currently obsessed with toilet paper.

- She loves to play hide and seek. She even covers her eyes. She hasn't quite mastered the concept of HIDING.

- I used to think that she was going to be a quiet, sweet, gentle-natured girl. I don't really think that anymore! She definitely has some spunk.

Obsession

The truth must be told. I've slacked on housework. I've slacked on blogging. I've slacked on emailing. I've slacked on organizing.

I've become obsessed with scrapbooking again. A friend introduced me to Heritage Makers, an online sight that allows me to make "storybooks." It's really just like walking into a scrapbook store and having every piece of paper, sticker, ribbon, brad, corner rounder, tag, marker, stencil, etc. available to me. I've had so much fun creating a book for Jonah. You pay per month to have full access to the site so I have a deadline-- the end of this month.

Pardon me, I must get back to work!

Disgusting

I recently drove past the house where I was raised. It made me sick to my stomach. My parents moved out of the house in 2000. A young family from an unpleasant part of Columbus bought it, and I remember my parents being excited for them to have a nice home in a nice neighborhood.

It's arguably the nastiest house in the neighborhood now.

Can you believe it?


The best part? They removed the landscaping around the front door and windows and replaced it with a doghouse... dirt and a doghouse. Lovely.

Wedding

After an event filled Christmas vacation, we just returned to our home, refreshed and thankful for such wonderful family and friends.

Mike and I travelled to Virginia for my friend's wedding. Jana was a beautiful bride. She was relaxed, organized, and SO HAPPY! It was a wonderful celebration. We laughed, we danced, and we ate...then we laughed some more and ate some more. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the weekend:

Song of the Day

Cousins

A Chicken Strip

Jonah received a dollar in the mail yesterday from his Pop and Grammy. I asked him on the way home from the library last night if he wanted to get something special with his dollar.

"I'm hungry. I want chicken," he replied.

So we turned into the nearest KFC as Jonah giggled excitedly in the seat, anxious for the chicken treat he could buy with his very own dollar.

Mike asked for one chicken strip. The total came to $1.32 with tax.

Mike and I had no money; Jonah had his dollar.

We had a credit card, which I certainly would have felt free to use, but Mike, ignorant of the car behind us in line, decided that he would rather find $.32 in our car.

We look around our seats...a penny, another penny, a dime, a nickel. I dig through the glove compartment, through the center console...

I can't find any more money but Mike refuses to give up. This is a game for him. I'm getting embarrassed. I'm giggling. I start to shrink in my seat. Mike turns on the dome lights in the car (HELLO WORLD, LOOK AT US!). He was determined. He finds more pennies.

I'm convulsing now from trying to hold in my nervous laughter. I delicately mention to Mike that he COULD use the credit card.

A few "minutes" later, we have $1.29. We need three cents. Mike looks the employee right in the eyes, "Is that good enough?"

DID HE JUST SAY THAT????????

The employee motions for us to move forward.

They give us the chicken strip.

It's a lonely chicken strip in a large KFC box.

I'm so embarrassed.

Square Dance Partner and Seymour Viewers:

Make yourselves known.

A Conversation

A recent conversation with a local teenager:

Teenager: Are you guys from [that college I live near]?

My Friend: No, we're 31. [I decided not to tell my age!]

Teenager: OMG, you're as old as my mom. You look so much younger than her though. I mean, really I thought you were from [that college]. Gee, you guys just look younger. What is it about you?

My Friend: Well, we're in our sweats with no makeup.

Teenager: Yeah, I don't know. I mean, my mom just looks older, you know. She doesn't do drugs or anything. She just looks older. OMG, I can't believe you're, like, my mom's age!

*****

So was I supposed to be flattered? Hmmm, I'm not sure.

Today

Someone wants to be just like her big brother...

Our Visit with Santa

Cooking

I have "fond" memories of stopping at Kroger on our way home from school about every day of the week when I was younger. My dad was/is a believer in the "cooking what sounds good tonight" concept, making it rather hard for my mom to plan menus or make large trips to the grocery store. So we made our daily trips to Kroger and bought the needed ingredients for the evening meal.

But I tried something new this weekend in an effort to save both time and money at the grocery store. I tried the "once a month cooking" concept. I'd always been curious. I took a huge trip to the store on Friday night (quite different from our express lane trips I remember as a kid) and cooked most of the day on Saturday.

By Saturday evening, I could barely stand, I had the beginnings of a migraine, and I was tired of looking at food.

This afternoon I felt differently. I loved serving my family a nice meal that required no effort from me today.

I think I'm going to like it.

One miserable day leads to 29 good days. I can handle that.

I Know, I Know

I've heard from far too many of you. You're obviously sick of seeing my post about a ticket and wondering if I'm okay. I'm fine. I have many stories to tell; I just haven't sat at my computer long enough to write anything.

In the meantime, check out what my little girl wants to wear around the house these days:

Ticket

I had a perfect driving record until yesterday. I was driving the mini-van, Mike was reading in the front seat, and the kids were quiet in their car seats. We were travelling to eat dinner with many of Mike's parents' friends.

The policeman asked me if there was a reason I was speeding. I told him I was "zoning." I really was. He asked me how fast I thought I was travelling. I had no idea.

I have more of a lead foot since living in Michigan. Seventy-five miles an hour just feels normal! Yeah, that's not too good when the speed limit is 55.

Oops.

I have to pay $110 this holiday season.

Ouch.

You won't hear me bragging about my perfect driving record anymore.

A Wedding Shower

We celebrated my friend, Jana, today. She's getting married on December 30. Congratulations, Jana!

Even Helio Can't Change His Mind

Mike and I took ballroom dance classes when I was pregnant with Jonah. I loved the class; Mike hated the class. I was in my element. Mike was far removed from his--

I was reminiscing about our class on Monday while watching Dancing with the Stars. I love the show. Mike hates the show.

Do you see a pattern?

I have a favorite couple this season: Helio and Julianne.

I thought Helio could lure Mike into the show. Mike has a family history of attending the Indianapolis 500. He loves the race, he loves the traditions associated with the race, and we were at the brickyard when Helio won both of his Indy 500 championships.

"That doesn't matter," he says.

Bummer.

Our Harmonica Band