Free t-shirt!

I am doing another giveaway on my literary blog (doesn't literary make it sound so much more intellectual?), but this time it is a t-shirt rather than a book. I have to say, the shirt is actually cute AND the quality is good. Not cheap fabric here. Meg Cabot knows how to do it. Anyway, if you are interested, head on over there and leave a comment saying whose body/life would you like to have if given the chance (this will make much more sense if you have actually read Airhead). As for me? I am thinking Jessica Biel.

Gearing up for summer

So, um, I haven't really been around much this week. It was the last week of school and I was doing very important things like administering final exams, packing up my classroom (getting new carpet and new paint), reading sweet, poorly spelled letters from my students (Mrs. K is the best teacher akcept she gets atitude sometims but she still cool), and fighting off the urge to spend every free moment in bed under the covers. Seriously, I have been feeling so off lately, so tired. But then I went in for routine bloodwork for my thyroid and the doctor was all, whoa, time to up your dose. So, I am hoping it ups my energy, too. Because I am done with school now and for the next couple of months, I will be a stay at home mom. My goal is to not let Ellie watch Sesame Street for more than 30 minutes per day (who am I kidding...an hour).

Before dropping Ellie off for her last day of school, we had to first drop Hank off at the vet. Ellie was very upset that we were leaving Hank behind. I tried to explain to her that we were just taking Hank to the doctor. I was all, "Remember when Elmo went to the doctor? And she checked his ears and his heart and his reflexes? Well, that's what the doctor is going to do for Hank!" You see what has happened to me? I am using Elmo books to explain real life situations.

Really, I only had to go in to work for a few hours this morning and I could have picked up Ellie, but I was all, I have the whole summer with that kid. So, instead, Tom and I are going to an afternoon matinee. Whee!

A rambling account of the past two days

Well, after two consecutive nights of driving, I have returned home. I feel completely exhausted, but I wanted to write out the past couple days before I forget. My brothers and I left Thursday afternoon for Council Bluffs, Iowa. I enjoyed being the only girl among three boys because I could sit pretty in the car while they would do things like pack the trunk, fill the car with gas, and drive. It was also really nice just talking and visiting. The weather was pretty bad much of the night with lots of rain, hail, high winds, and supposedly some tornadoes. We even were pulled over by highway patrol at one point, but upon hearing that we were headed to our grandma's funeral, he let us go with just a warning. We arrived in Council Bluffs at 6am, giving us just a few short hours to sleep before heading to the funeral.

The funeral was sad. The lady in the casket did not look like my grandma, but when I saw my grandpa leaning over the coffin of the woman he had spent the last 59 years with, well, my heart just broke. After the funeral, we went out to the gravesite. I watched as my brothers and dad solemnly carried my grandmother's coffin. My heart was heavy and the tears flowed. But then, well, I can't really explain what happened next. Maybe it was the lack of sleep or the emotional toll of the day, but while the minister was speaking, my mind drifted to an image of my sister coming out of the bathroom with the back of her skirt tucked into her underwear. I could not stop the laughter so I just tried to cover my mouth and hope people assumed the shaking shoulders were due to sobs.
After the funeral, we went to eat at my grandma's church. It was so nice being with my family. I can't remember the last time it was just the core nine of us sitting around a table together. It was so great just laughing and talking and sharing memories of grandma.Then, we went back to my grandparents' house. It has been more than 7 years since I have been out there (it seemed they were always coming to us), but it looked exactly the same and my childhood memories of playing and exploring came flooding back. My sisters, aunts, mom, and I had the task of going through my grandmother's things and boxing them up. My grandma loved to shop and she had a lot of clothes, filling the closets of three different rooms. She also loved jewelry and everyone was able to pick a ring to remember her by.After much too short of time, my brothers and I piled back into the car and made the long, uneventful drive home. It was so nice coming home to a clean house (thanks to my fabulous husband) and an excited toddler. Ellie wrapped her arms tight around my neck and for the first time unprompted, she said "I love you."

All over the place

Kolby and Olivia came over to our house last weekend as part of a babysitting swap we did with Dan and Sab. Kolby and Ellie had fun jamming to music in her Jeep (that she still hasn't really figured out how to drive). I tried to video them dancing to the music, but instead I got Ellie accidently driving and then her attempts to receate her newfound driving ability.

Jeep music from texasholly on Vimeo.

Ellie has finally figured out how to ride her little mini Schwinn bike, though. She has the pedal thing down and even manages to steer. Of course, I have yet to remember to capture it on camera. And I try to capture her talking on camera, but she just clams up. So uncooperative, that one.

Speaking of uncooperative, I am running late every morning now because Miss Independent thinks she has to do everything herself. She wants to close the tabs on her diaper, put her clothes on, climb up in her carseat, and do the buckles all by herself. All I hear these days is "My do it!" And she can't do the carseat buckles by herself, but heaven forbid I do it because then she totally freaks out. So, I have to wait forever while she attempts it before she finally lets me help. The other day she told Tom, "Hurry, mommy be late!" Um, I wonder where she picked up that cute phrase? Seriously, I think she is so cute that I can't stop kissing her all over. Now she tells me where to kiss, "Kiss my feet. Kiss my nose. Kiss my elbow." Yeah, it's a fun game.

Tomorrow I am leaving for may massive roadtrip with my brothers. Wish me luck!

I may never ride in a car again

Well, the funeral arrangements have been made for my grandma. My three brothers and I are making a roadtrip out of it. When I say roadtrip, I mean a trip for crazy people who will probably want to kill each other by the end of it. We are leaving Thursday evening and driving straight through the night (from Texas to Iowa). My grandma's funeral is at 11 am on Friday and we will spend the day there and then drive the 14 hours back that same night. Two consecutive nights of driving. Ugh. I really do enjoy hanging out with my three brothers. I just hope I still enjoy them as much after this trip. Anyway, when we get back, I will have just enough time to revive before getting back in the car and making the 5 hour trip to Dallas for a friend's wedding.

I am glad that all of my family are able to make it to Iowa this weekend. My sisters all live in different states (Arizona, North Carolina, and Idaho) and my parents live in Aruba so it isn't often that we are all able to get together. (Hmmm, I feel like I use the word "all" too much, but really, what is the alternate word choice?)

On to other things, Tom planned a lovely surprise for our anniversary, even sneakily lining up a babysitter (thanks, Nana!). It really cheered me up. I feel like I have been spoiled by Mother's Day and our anniversary. I wonder what other holiday I can milk for all its worth? I guess Memorial Day is coming up, but I don't see how I can really make that all about me.

6 years ago today

...I married my best friend.
Although I sometimes want to hit him over the head with a frying pan, I can't think of anyone else I would rather spend the rest of my life with.

Loss

My grandma passed away today. Although I knew she was dying, it still feels so sudden. When I think of my grandma, I don't think of the confused woman she was at the end. Instead, I remember the kind woman who used to worry over us when we'd come visit. Who loved music and loved to sing. Who would tell me about the latest book she was reading and pass it along for me to read. Who loved to play games on the kitchen table. I will miss my grandma.

Bits and pieces

I was giving Ellie a bath the other night and half listening to her identify her foam letters and and numbers when she held up the letter L. "L!" she said. Then, she turned it upside down, "7!" I was so proud of her for figuring out that an L turned upside down is a 7. It's like how proud I was the first time she ate solid food or sat up. I love that Ellie still amazes me.

What doesn't amaze me is her new deal of chewing up food and spitting it out on the table. Carrots, for example. She always begs for more baby carrots, but all she does is chew them up and spit them out. And then she asks for more.

Ellie has started sleeping on the floor again. After the huge hassle of putting her bed together, I really hate to see her not using it. But, no, she wants to sleep on her "grass," meaning the shaggy lime green rug we put in her room.

I love how when Ellie asks for something and I repeat it back to her, she says OK like it was all my idea. For example, she just came into the room asking for a banana.
"I wanna nana, I wanna nana."
"You want a banana?"
"OK"
And then when I give it to her she says, "Thank you. Bye Bye."

Tom showed Ellie this YouTube video yesterday. She went berserk, dancing like a little maniac. He must have played it for her over 20 times. She shakes her little bum, puts a leg out, waved her arms around...too funny. So, if you have a little toddler who likes Elmo, plays this clip for them. I guarantee you will see some booty shaking!

My Mother

When I was in 5^th grade, a friend asked me why my mom walked with a limp. I had never noticed anything unusual about the way my mom walked, but I felt like I needed to respond so I casually replied, “Oh, she fell down the basement stairs while carrying a load of laundry.” That day, I went home and for the first time noticed that my mother walked with a limp.

Before I was born, my mom had cancer. Not just any kind of cancer, but a very serious kind, a kind where there were no adult survivors. At the time, my mom had two small children and was pregnant with the third. She was flown to Denver for an experimental treatment and my sister was born a month early on my mom’s birthday. So, on the day my mother turned 24, she delivered a baby and started aggressive treatment on her cancer.

My mother was told that, if the treatment worked, it would take a year of chemotherapy and radiation to eliminate her cancer. A terrible year passed, a year of pain, vomiting, and hair loss. My dad told me that he once carried my mother into an appointment and when they weighed her, fully clothed, she was only 98 pounds. Unfortunately, my mom had to undergo treatment longer than one year. But my mom was lucky; she became one of the first adult survivors of rhabdomyosarcoma.

I once asked my mother if she minded walking with a limp, if it bothered her. She told me that she was grateful for her numb foot because it served as a daily reminder to her of how much she has been blessed.

I admire my mother so much because she is a true survivor in every sense.

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. Thank you for making us a hot breakfast every morning, for reading us stories, for always listening, for never raising your voice, but most of all, thank you for providing such an amazing example of what a mother should be.

Sunday Best: Mother's Day edition

Art Car Parade

Ellie and I drove into town today to meet up with Steph, Sheryl, and Boyfriend Andrew to watch the Art Car Parade. This was my first Art Car Parade and I found it really entertaining despite the hot and humid weather (94 degrees).
Ellie really liked it, too, but not as much as she liked this dog. She pretty much adopted the dog's family and sat with them, talked to them, and petted their dog for about 30 minutes. I guess she felt like the dog's fur was too unruly because she kept licking her palm and trying to smooth his fur down. Then, she would lick and repeat. Gross, I know. She was also eating her goldfish off the sidewalk. At first I tried to stop her, but then I thought, "Hey, she isn't running into the street."
There were moments that I was happy Ellie was so preoccupied with the dog because some of the floats (and the people on them) were a little risque.
All in all, it was a very fun day and I am looking forward to next year's.

A whole lotta poo

On Monday AND Tuesday when I went to pick Ellie up at daycare, I found her clothes and her bedroll all bagged up in her cubby. On Monday, I didn't ask about it, just assumed she had diarrhea, but Tuesday I was all, "What? I have to wash her bedroll again? What is going on?" Turns out, my child has been going poo and then sticking her hands in her diaper and smearing it all over the place, including herself! I do not understand this at all as she has never done it at home! So yesterday, I was all tricky and dressed her in a onesie with jeans. It worked, but I only have one 24 month onesie, so I had a little talk with her (heehee) about telling her teacher when she was poopy and not sticking her hands in her pants. Fingers crossed.

Oh my gosh, I can't believe I wrote a post about this. I just feel like there is nothing to write about these days. No daycare drama (she runs excitedly down the hallway each morning), no new milestones (unless you count the poop smearing), and no cute antics or pictures. I'm dry.

Weekend recap

I forgot to take a pic of Ellie for her "Sunday Best" pics today. She looked cute with her hair up in pigtails, though. I think I might be overdoing the whole pigtail thing. Rosie always has these fun, different hairstyles for her girls and I have all of two styles that I do in Ellie's hair. Ellie has weird hair, though. It grows forward from like the back of her head. So if I don't put it up, it is hanging in her eyes. And I can't cut bangs, because then she would have half her head of hair in bangs. Like a mullet. So...pigtails it is!
This has been a fun weekend. I went out with the girls (Sheryl and Steph) Friday night. It was so nice to just be free and not have to worry about chasing Ellie down the street. The rest of the weekend was mostly family stuff since my oldest brother was in town with his four kids. Ellie is always so happy when she hangs out with her cousins.