Return on your investment

This weekend I have been away from home ( though in Tyler) helping with a conference, mostly for baby boomers. I haven't been able to sit in on any of the sessions so I am a little out pf the loop, but here they are talking today about the return in your investment.

I have been able to meet a lot of people this weekend who are doing great things all around the world. Hopfully this weekend will have a great return on our investment. For two days of work, I pray that many more lives will be changed. It has been tough to miss out on family time, to miss by baby boy and my husband, but that is just a part of the thing I do. I hope that the little part I play, mostly providing food for all of the particpants, makes some amazing things possible.

Now, the speaker just said that sometimes to see a return on our investment, we give up our rights to do what we want, to take back our time, to basically pick and choose what we do... To look at everything and THEN decide if we want to do it.

So even though I shouldn't be blogging while he is speaking, here is the final thought. Give it to Jesus! Let him


use us to change lives, whatever that means.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

hmmmm

i think i am tired. conferences will do that to you.

It's getting COLD-need more coffee anyone?

BRRRRR...I don't know what happened last night, but it is COLD. Just in time for a fun-filled weekend conference! Now, I will have to make MORE COFFEE! Because that's what we drink here in Texas when it is cold (not so much me, but everyone else). I was discussing this with a friend who is from the North and she thought it was strange that people drink more coffee here just because it was cold. But where she is from, it is cold all the time during the winter. Here, we just get it about once every 2 weeks or so?

So, I will be making coffee all weekend to keep our little Texans all warm and happy inside. Come join if you are in Tyler-we are learning how to make our lives matter and prepare for living out missions in our lives.

On the homefront, we almost have sinks to go with our granite. That's pretty exciting stuff. The sinks are there we just have to get them connected so that water doesn't leak out of the pipes. We have 90% done, and will finish off the rest this weekend, in between the coffee making!

On the Spencer front-two developments. First, i think his new favorite song is the Itsy Bitsy Spider-but mostly only the part about the sun coming out. If you have to have a favorite part in that song, I think that should be it, right? We were looking at pictures, and he kept holding his hands together making what looked like a circle (hence the sun) with his hands. And he kept pointing to the sun. So, that's my best guess...we have sung that song a few times, and it seems like that is how he always does the sun coming out. It is kind of hard to figure out what kids are doing when they are just making motions and no words. He's probably thinking, "mom, why do you keep singing that silly song, I am really just shooting you the L-oser sign. Gosh, parents just don't understand anything!"

Second, Spencer's daycare has gotten rid of the morning naps this month, and now they are ready to go play on the PLAYGROUND! Exciting stuff for a 16 month old! He loves to play outside and they have a fun playground just for the little ones, so I can only imagine how excited he is going to be when he sees it. I think I will have to sneak into his old room that has windows pointing out to the playground and watch him on Monday. Good luck getting him back in, though!

Guess who?!?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

So, here I sit...

Monday, the granite guy called to come put in our NEW COUNTERTOPS! Yes, its worthy of ALL CAPS, it is GRANITE! How exciting! We might be able to make some money on this house one day if we spend enough...hmmm...hopefully we will make more than we spend. Anyway, that's another story for another day.

Today, the guys were supposed to come at 2 PM, so Matt took off work to come home and wait on them (thank goodness, because i had so much to do planning my trip to NEW YORK--err... working hard on the conference i have to help with this weekend, that's what i was working on, of course, all day long). Anyway, that's another story too.

So Matt spent all day "working from home" only to find out the guys didn't show up til about 5:45 tonight. They wanted to reschedule for next week, but HELLO, we took everything out of our cabinets and can't cook til this gets done, because you know I'm not bringing everything back out then having to put it all up again when they want to come. So Spencer is over at Nana's house, and here I sit, watching 2 guys dismantle my kitchen countertops, in hopes that the granite will get put in tonight and I will be able to put hot things directly down on my counters. What an invention!

In case you are into GRANITE, we are getting Ubba Tuba, a black GRANITE that is aparently uber-popular right now. where do you mine for granite anyway? But here is the question Is Ubba Tuba going to be the Harvest Gold of the last 70's. My parents have it at their house, as do tons of houses built at the same time. While it doesn't bother me to see harest gold in a house, you all do know what i'm talking about because it's what all the cool houses were getting. So, is Ubba Tuba going to date our house to the 2000's and 2010's? Hopefully we will not be here when it is dated, because if we are, you might not be able to walk through our front door. This house, as much as it was perfect, though tight, for a young childless couple, is being taken over by a little 23 lb being, and it is only going to get worse!

OK, countertops are off and the guys are mumbling (sometimes cussing). I didn't build the counters in the first place, but evidently whoever did did something weird or wrong or somhow made their jobs harder. But, so far, i don't think they have broken my tile backsplash, set on a diagnol, which we got a special deal on because the tile we chose was discontinues. So, fingers crossed, say a prayer, and let's get this thing DONE, boys!

Uh Oh!

That is a favorite word at our house. We feed the dog, "UH OH!" We throw our toys on the ground, "UH OH!" Doesn't matter if we MEANT to do it or now, it is an "UH OH!" As cute as it is, I think some people in our house think they can do anything they want and if they say "UH OH!" it is automatically forgiven. HMMM, i don't know about that.

As if we can have a life outside of Spencer, Matt and I are thinking of going to New York City in Feb. I know, we have to decide soon, but we will get there. Have you ever been? Any recommendations?

If my friend Kammie is reading this, I know she is saying, "Yeah right, she'll never get there." Kammie lived in New York for what, about 3 year, and about every 6 months I told her i was coming to visit, but never did. Can't say for sure that I will make it this time, either, but I am closer than I have ever been. we actually have an iteniary on expedia, complete with tickets to tour things, but just can't commit yet!

wiggles time

Spencer and i are here in the recliner watching wiggles videos on you tube. this is one of his favorite things to do, and why i am not using caps in this post. his favorites are hot potato, fruit salad, and toot toot chugga chugga. this is about the only time h is awake that he is still. i can use hsalf the screen to show movies and the other half for my stuff. thats called creative parenting.

And he likes to read, too....

Mrs. Grace is so very helpful when my little man is clinging to my leg and not letting me go! She always knows just what spencer likes to do, and tries to distract him so i can slip out.

After a near-death, well, scary weather night, he was pretty pooped out and slept in. Then we were trying to get into daycare so i could go to my morning meeting. She tried to distract him with the CD player, tried to distract him with the lawn care guys outside, but it wasn't really working...til she pulled out a BOOK!

Evidently, during story time, he is the first to sit down to listen! Awww, that makes me so proud! I just don't know what this kid is going to like the most-he loves sports, music, reading. I know he will eventually pick one over the others, but it will break my heart! Maybe he will just be a well-rounded kid who can do it all, but boy will that keep me busy!

ROAR!!

I don't know when it happened or how it happened, but my little boy LOVES animals! He can repeat so many animal sounds, often without being prompted, except for the name.

The last couple of weeks, he has started noticing Puppies and Go-go's (cars) everywhere we go. Puppies are on the shelf above his changing table, at the park, in life running around the house! Go-go's show up everywhere we go (in our go-go)-its amazing how that works.

But last night, I was blown away. We were looking at a book, and instead of reading the book, we were just looking at the animals. As I named every animal, he automatically knew the sounds they made! We started with lion, because he loves to REPEAT the Roar! that a lion says. But the did it before me (with hand motions and everything. Then we moved on:

"Sheep?" "Baa"
"Elephant?" [hand up like a elephant trunk]
"Duck?" "kack kack"
"Donkey?" (this one i wasn't sure of) "a a a" which doesn't sound exactly like he "hee haw" we normally do, but it wasn't bad, AND he made the same sound every time i said donkey, so there you go!

Then, when i dropped him off to school today, they told me that every time they walk by the picture of the lion on their buggy ride, they stop and try to get the kids to make the ROAR, and spencer is the only one who can do it.

My boy is a GENIUS!

Fruit Salad, Yummy Yummy

If you come to our house, this is the song we sing. We all love it, and Spencer is quite good at motioning "Yummy Yummy~" but the best part of the song is at the end of the chorus when you sing, "yummy yummy yummy yummy, fruit salad," and you throw your hands in the air and sing it loud. I don't know what spencer hears, but he loves to raise his clenched fists and yell with all his might during the "fruit salad" ending. His enthusiasm is contagious!

Cici and Pappy came over to go to the park and then for ice cream and we showed off at Braums. Spencer is such a funny boy. Grandparents+park slide+ice cream made for an awesome day!

Our boy is growing up, folks!

I can't se you anymore

So in line with the last few posts here is the newest in all things meltdown.

I was helping with something on the foyer when a few cute kids came riding up in their big buggy . At firstbi didn't recognize anyone - then I saw him! Oops that was a mistake! He writhed he cried but I did not save him. As they drove away I continued to hear him and yes it broke my heart but I let him go. On day he will be able to see me and smile laugh and walk away but not today.

And one day he will pray none of his friends see me with him so at least I can delight on the fact that he loves me somuch he totally wants to be with me


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonewith thengn

Pic of the day

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

the puppy gets him everytime

So, today started off much like yesterday-Spencer refused to walk himself into his school (even forgoing the steps, which are his favorite part of the walk). But when he got there, Mrs. Grace had a great suprise. A singing puppy-the kind where you push the different parts and it sings a different song or says something.

We have one at home, but it is kind of possessed, it goes on and off on its own at random times, which makes it very difficult to play with. But this one seems to work fine, and he didn't even notice me leaving.

Now, I have to say, there is a touch of guilt associated with just walking out the door without saying goodbye, much less trying to slip out the door without being noticed. But his little pitiful face when he sees me leaving just breaks my heart. I know that he will find something to play with in the next 30 seconds and be fine, but still...

That said, yesterday when i went to pick him up, there he was (for the 2nd day) sitting on the 1/2 door to the room (in his teachers arms) moaning and groaning. It was so sad. The teachers said that he would cry every time someone's mom came to get him. Poor baby! But I know. He loves his class and his friends (and his girlfriend allison) and we DID have almost 3 weeks without daycare, so it will just take a bit of time, but, please, Spencer, hurry before mommy has to quit her job to stay home-and I don't know if either of us wants that!

Bring back the morning nap!

so, at daycare, since all the kids are over one year, they decided to forgo the morning naps! I am not sure about this. Since then, Spencer has gotten sick and just generally been in a grumpy mood. I have tried putting him to bed earlier but he isn't having it.

We tried it ourselves over the weekend and he did good on Saturday-because he slept about 3-3 1/2 hrs in the afternoon. But Sunday, he fell asleep in the church nursery (for about 5 minutes before everyone started coming to pick their kids up) and only took a short nap in the afternoon. Now, at school, he sleeps about 1 1/2 hrs in the afternoon-IT IS NOT ENOUGH!

Don't know what to do other than just let him get used to the routine and hopefully work it out himself. I just hope we can get through this.

Also, because he was home with me for about 3 weeks, with just about 3 days of daycare in the middle, he has a MAJOR mommy complex. He doesn't even want to walk up the stairs to the daycare (which is usually his favorite thing to do). He won't let go of me when we go in the room, and basically is just pitiful when i leave. We just need to get back on our normal routine-well, normal but without morning naps, i guess!

But, on the upside, we got free coffee and hot chocolate today from the daycare, so that's something. We love our daycare, especially since i work about one building over (in the church that sponsors the daycare), and can go see him all the time...if he didn't cry when i leave. But they are a great group of teachers and do a great job with all the little boys and girls in there! Thanks, EEC, for caring for my guy!

Words

Words he can say

Uh oh
Mama
Nana
Dada
Puppy
go go- car
Eat - sign and word
Please- sign and some semblance of the word
Done -sign and some semblance of the word
Music-sign only
Yummy yummy- sign only- as in fruit salad, yummy yummy



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh

Oh andbin the last pic- in my lap- he was watching the Simpson. How do ya like dem apples?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Oh yes I did- and he survived

So spencer has gotten on a tv kick- which I know makes me a terrible mom but he is just so darn cute... And still... For about 2 minutes! What a break!!

And a lot of the reason I havenlet him watch tv is because he is driving me crazy wanting to watch wiggles videos on you tube- and go fish and Mickey mouse club - whatever we can find. No one can play on the computer without those sweet eyes pleding for some music- and laying it on thick by signing ( his sign) for music -and please...

So in an effort to get him distracted fromnyou tube I havenlet him watch tv . It is kind of like that movie with the plane crash and Ben aflac and the girl ( the girl from moss congenality) tells him that she got addicted to smoking when she tried to help her friend stop
Smoking by chewing the gum with her. She started smoking to try to stop chewing the gum.

So we are using tv to get him off the you tube. Perhaps not the best choice but it has been too cold to go outside.



-





Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Cakes

Here's a few of the cakes and other sweets I have made and decorated


-











Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Once again

Well we survived baby food and now we are on to real food. Nothing toonexciting here foodwise but being the mommy and wifey to two boys, food is still a big part of my life.

I guessni could rename this no cake for you since I have started decorating cakes but for now, I will leave it alone.

Since "there's an app" for blogging now I hope to keep up with it better.

So we shall see


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone