{ the story of us }

the true one.  our story.  because of some sort of immature embarrassment or shame (i guess), i have not shared the story of us to it's full to many people.  i tend to leave parts out, afraid of what people might think of us.  here goes.

it was the spring of 2003.  i was twenty-one and he was a newly twenty-two year old.  i was in my junior year at texas lutheran university, living in an apartment across town and seriously lacking any dates or boys knocking down my door.  dave was living in college station, working and taking classes at blinn and also lacking any phone calls or knocks on the door.  he was living with three other guys and, if inspecting their apartment was part of the dating scene, that would explain why none of them had girls around.  ugh, the filth.  anyways, on a whim and lonely, i decided that i would get online and see what this online dating thing was all about.  those eharmomy commercials looks so romantic and inviting, however, that was not where we ended up meeting.   

{ my sweet karsyn }

as much of a toot as you were today, i want you to know ...

i LOVE the way you ...

... look to me and dada for guidance. like when you’ve just plowed into the wall and you can’t decide if the bonk to the noggin hurts enough to cry or not, so you read our faces and follow our example (laughter and smiles are usually the way to go!). or whether you’ve just attempted something new, like climbing on the dining room chairs, and you want reassurance that what you’ve just done is a good great thing, which it is, though we’d much prefer the climbing to take place closer to the ground, and on carpet, please.

... glance at me out of the corner of your eye and toss a half smile just after you’ve projectiled your semi-chewed peas into my hair. i hate the yucky, mucky spit part, but that sneaky, "ha! ha!" face you make reveals a deeper, more mature side to your personality and I crave watching each level develop and come to life.

... make your voice heard. whether you’re giggling with dada, squealing with delight or making one of your 10,000 crazy noises, your little voice is the sweetest, most precious sound to ever echo in my ears … and in my heart.

... hug. you wrap your little arms around my neck, bury your head in my chest and squeeze so hard that you make the world stop spinning and, for a moment, it’s just you and me suspended in this special place made only for, and by, your little hugs.

... indulge me and dada on saturday mornings when we plunk you right between us in bed and cuddle you and love on you and breathe you in. you look at me and smile, and grab a wad of my hair in your tiny little hand only to flip over to dada and look at him and smile, repeating the process over and over, flopping around like a fish out of water… it’s your silly way of getting in good face time with both of us.  speaking of face time, next time, leave the eyeballs in place, please!   

... love. you have never met a stranger, never refused to pour on that karsyn charm. you make everyone around you smile and delight in the simple pleasure that is your company. you, just being you, with all of your quirks and crazy characteristics, reminds us all that life is precious and perfect and beautiful, even with all of its little disasters. how could life not be precious and perfect and beautiful when God blesses the world with such amazing little creations like you?

i love you.  i love you.  i love you.  you are my light, my life, my love.

{ recap }

i apologize for my lack of any content that is worthy of being read here lately.  well, there's been nothing.  i got nothing ... up until now.  i hadn't downloaded pictures from camera to computer in a while, so i have things to talk about for a few days anyways.   

first, i'll start off with our weekend.  this past one, that is.  we were in san antonio visiting my family.  saturday found us in my big hometown watching the parade.  small town texas parades.  gotta love 'em, right?  here's karsyn enjoying herself while waiting for the parade to begin.

after the parade, we headed to the san antonio sunken gardens to ride the train.  that trip consisted of keeping karsyn from jumping into the water, picking flowers, and throwing rocks at another kid.  she had a blast, but we were all worn out by the days end.  here's a few snapshots of the trip.

karsyn and daddy on the train.

the dreaded mommy and karsyn picture.  ugh.  why am i posting this? 

she loved looking at the fish in the water below the bridge.  so much she almost climbed over the side and joined them for an afternoon swim.  she had one foot over the rail and was going in.

the train we rode.  complete with one of those trying-to-be-funny-so-the-kids-laugh tour guides.  quite cheesy, i must say, but fun.

we ended the weekend with some yummy, fresh-off-the-tree peaches from my poppy's garden.  karsyn loved them and actually ate a few of them over the course of the weekend.  and, we got lucky and brought some home too!  mmmmmm ...

so, there it is folks.  just what you've been waiting for.  more to come.  promise.

{ seriously belated }

happy seriously belated mother's day to all.  so i'm a little behind on posting.  i'm not the only one. 

since i became a mother almost 17 months ago, i have said to myself at least a thousand times ...

OOOHHH ... so THIS is how much my mother loves me. i love my mom.  and now i know how it feels to be the one doing the loving.

{ no more }

  PLUS   = BYE BYE BA BA!

here's how it went down.  Karsyn is now 16 months old and we have let her rely on her B.O.T.T.L.E to get her to sleep every day.  until now.  she asked for "ba ba".  i gave it to her and told her it was nasty and to put it in the trash, which is her favorite thing to do these days.  you'd be amazed at what we find at the top of the junk in the trash can every day.  she threw it there and we both said "bye bye ba ba".  and she went on her way.  well, last night at bedtime, she asked for "ba ba" again.  and again.  and again.  and again.  after an hour i gave in and gave it back to her BUT with water in it this time.  and only a little bit.  she took it.  she went to sleep and didn't even drink the water hardly at all.  today she's done the same.  i'm so proud.  i'm estimating it taking a few days with the water in it before she won't want it at all.  hopefully.

as a result of this vicious act of taking away her dear friend, she has eaten so much better today.  she actually sat down for a good amount of time and ate 3 meals.  she did the sign for "eat" and "more" all day long. 

and, in case you wondered, i did get the bottle that she threw away back out of the trash and put it into the dishwasher.  those things are expensive you know.  gotta recycle for baby #2, whom is NOT on the way. 

{ weighing in }

i went to weight watchers this morning.  i lost 1.8 pounds this week to bring me to a total of 10.4 pounds lost.  whoop!  and to celebrate, i treated myself to this ...

is that bad?  it was a craving that i had to fulfill to get past it.  not a bad thing.  now i'm over it.  but it was oh-so-yummy.  so if, next week, i gain or don't lose hardly anything, remind me of that tasty little donut that i just had to have today.  don't be too harsh though.

{ in a rut }

in an attempt to blog ... well, to blog ANYTHING at this point, i'm making myself come up with something.  between the weather, the teething toddler, and the dog who needs her nails trimmed because the constant tapping on the floor drives me insane, i'm about ready to crawl in bed and stay there until it all goes away.  anyone else? seems as though i'm not the only one not blogging these days.  take a look at some of my favorites listed on the side and you'll see who i'm talking about. 

so i'm going to get out of this blue funk that i'm in and take a moment to answer some random questions. (yes this is one of those silly TAGGED quizzes)

Where is your cell phone?  i have no clue.  possibly in the diaper bag.  possibly in the trash can.  possibly in the dog food bowl.  possibly wherever karsyn hid it from me.  that's her new game.

Your significant other?  so sweet.  my favorite.  he's at work right now.  making us some milk money.

Your hair?  dark brown.  dull.  it's there.

Your mother?  wise, beautiful, my best friend.

Your father?  strong, sweet, my daddy.

Your favorite thing?  sleep, watching karsyn learn new things.

Your dream last night?   that my mom wanted a microwave for mother's day.  she denies it.

Your favorite drink?  dr. pepper.  no imitations, no varieties.  don't mess with my DP!

Your dream/goal?  to survive motherhood. 

The room you are in?   dining room.

Your fear?  to fail as a parent. 

Where do you want to be in 6 years?  one more child.  close to my family.

Where were you last night?  right here, surfing blogs and watching "john and kate, plus 8".

What you are not?   outdoorsy.  especially when it's super hot.

Muffins?   yes, please.  banana nut anyday.

One of your wish list items?   a new car.

Where you grew up?  la vernia, texas.

The last thing you did?  put my daughter down for a nap.

What are you wearing?   jeans and a t-shirt.  imagine that.

Your TV?   on for some background noise.  i think it's on hgtv.
 
Your pets?   one dog.  sweet colby girl. 

Your computer?   sony laptop.

Your life?  full.

Your mood?   content. 

Missing someone?  my favorite man.   i can't wait for summer when he's home all day.

Your car?  a ford explorer.  150K miles and still going strong.

Something you are not wearing?   shoes.  not my favorite thing.

Favorite store?  target.

Your summer?  not getting here quickly enough.  hopefully we're moving.

Your favorite color?  orange.

When is the last time you laughed?   a while ago.  i laugh all day long at the silly things karsyn does.

Last time you cried? don't remember.  i suppose that's a good thing, huh?

Who will repost this?  YOU!  I tag YOU!  if you play along, let me know in the comments, and I'll come visit you.

{ she calls me }

karsyn has always called me mama.  today ... she calls me mommy.  why do i feel like she's a big girl now?  my heart melts day after day when she learns something new.  she learned a song yesterday at mother's day out and she sang it all evening.  i need to learn it myself so i can keep up.  it's about a cow, that's all i know.  she sang "moo moo moo, cow cow cow" all day long.  she even has a little beat to it.   monday, mrs. jennifer, you need to teach me! 

back to the subject ... mommy.  she yells at me "MOMMY!"  over and over and over.  i admit, i can't seem to get enough of it.  at least she calls me, right? 

and karsyn says "thank you, come again!"