( excuse me, Jesus )

we pulled out the fisher price nativity scene this weekend and set it out for karsyn enjoy.  since her favorite pasttime these days (other than watching football) is playing with babies, she immediately went for Baby Jesus.  "ooohh" she said in her sweet little voice.  "it's a baby!"  i explained to her that it was Baby Jesus and she immediately caught on that that was His name.  she carried Baby Jesus around with her for hours that day.  i think at one point He was hanging out of the top of her diaper going for a walk with her.  (she thinks her diaper is a pocket)  she even laid down next to Him and pretended to take a nap. 

  

"excuse me, Jesus", she said so politely as she laid down next to Him on a blanket. 

oh, the innocence of a child. 

( thanksgiving )

for whatever reason, i took ZERO pictures of our thanksgiving.  i've been slacking, big time.  i feel sorry for karsyn these days as mommy only does what needs to be done and not too much more. 

thanksgiving for us was spent at my parents house in san antonio.  there was about 50 of us there i believe.  it's such an exciting time to get to see the whole family at once.  but boy were we tired by the end of the day.  karsyn ate her share of turkey and ham and licked all the marshmallows off of her sweet potatoes.  she also got lots of play time with cousin noah. 

speaking of noah ... he was thankful that he's going to be a BIG BROTHER!  my cousin is due in july.  they made the announcement at lunch that day and everyone was super excited. 

the day ended with the aggie football game.  sigh.

( waiting room lessons )

wednesday i had my three hour glucose test.  i  F.A.I.L.E.D  miserably.  so i have gestational diabetes.  i've been bummed since then because i didn't want to have to think about what i was eating at all.  that's not supposed to happen until AFTER baby is born, right?  and exercise too?  i thought my daily chasing-karsyn-picking-up-constantly was enough exercise.  now i have to fit in a 30 minute walk each day.  (note: yesterday that walk was through the isles of target ... today it will be INSIDE on my treadmill because it's too stinkin' cold out there). 

so those THREE hours sitting in the waiting room were quite interesting.  other than wanting to eat my own arm from fasting since 8pm the night before, i was able to sit and listen to people.  yes, i was nosey, but they were talking quite loud.  and i'm a people watcher, so it was right up my alley anyways.

the one i found most interesting (other than the 60-something year old man and 20-something year old girl who were having a baby) was two elderly sisters that came in together.  i left there feeling like i knew them all my life.  like they were next of kin.  and they talked to anyone and everyone that sat around them.  i quietly giggled everytime someone new came in and sat in the seats by them because i knew they were going to get an ear-ful.  but it was such sweet conversation.  these two sisters are just two of 15 children in their family.  only 8 of them still live today, but they were so blessed by such a big family they say.  and they went on to have big families of their own.  one of them had 5 children.  named donnie, lonnie, ronnie, jonnie, and one girl named connie.  isn't that silly?  i laughed as she told that story two or three times and she said their names so fast it was like a tongue twister almost.  and she had absolutely no reason for naming them that way except that she liked it.

and the stories they got from others was just as interesting.  there was a man and woman coming to find out the sex of their baby.  their third baby, that is.  their third baby BOY.  we all got to celebrate with them as they just beemed.  those two elderly sisters acted as if it was going to be their next grandchild.  there was hugs flying.  congrats being thrown everywhere. 

the next couple brought their 4 year old daughter with them.  they were expecting their 4th.  another girl.  that little girl talked to the sisters like she knew them all her life, but she told stories of her daddy taking her on boat rides and how much fun they have together.  i just smiled.  i hope karsyn is able to tell stories like that someday.  her words of her daddy were so sweetly spoken.

i left there at noon that day, not only starving, but enlightened almost.  those sisters had such kind words for everyone that crossed their path and i learned a lifetime of tales that they had experienced.  oh, what you can learn in a waiting room ...

( happy 50th birthday mom )

today.

my mom.  my best friend.  my hero.  my mentor.  turns 50.

and i can't be with her on this day, but we'll celebrate together next week.

and karsyn says "i wov woo nana"

 

50 reason "WE LOVE YOU"

#1 you LOVE unconditionally
#2 you are the BEST cook ever

#3 you give without expecting anything in return
#4 you are a valiant daughter of God
#5 your smile lights up any room
#6 your laughter is contagious

#7 you’re the best “cheerleader”

#8 you LOVE your shiny red truck
#9 you listen without judgment
#10 your wisdom is inspiring
#11 you are the best care-giver
#12 you are kind to everyone you meet
#13 you make everyone feel welcome
#14 you work harder than anyone we know
#15 your family means more than anything to you

#16 you make a mean mexican cheesecake
#17 you do what you can when you can

#18 your core values are immovable
#19 you tell some great stories of your past

#20 you encourage
#21 you like KC even though ...

#22 you are always there for anyone in need

#23 you are absolutely fun

#24 your beauty radiates inside and out
#25 you tell it the way it is
#26 you live to make someone happy
#27 you help in any way you can. no questions asked
#28 you bless each person who gets to know you

#29 you love your parents

#30 your integrity is like no other
#31 you put your trust in God

#32 you can make us smile any day

#33 you cook our "favorite meals" all the time

#34 you have strength in moments of weakness
#35 you forgive
#36 you seldom ask for anything for yourself
#37 you can out cook anyone i know
#38 you make a great potato soup on a cold day
#39 you are genuinely kinder than anyone we know
#40 you would do anything for your family
#41 you have taught your children great core values
#42 you can be happy with anything life throws at you
#43 you have a way with kids like no other

#44 your heart aches when your children's ache

#45 you BELIEVE

#46 you have a fantastic sense of humor

#47 you never lack hope

#48 you always support dad

#49 you are selfless

#50 you never give up

wishing you the happiest birthday ever!

 

xoxo

david, erin, karsyn, & mykah

( want to copy )

i wish i could copy her blog post today.

it's so ME too.

unmotivated.

it's cold outside and nothing but a nice fire would just make my day. 

well, that and a sugary cupcake.  i have my 3 hour glucose test on wednesday though, so i'll stick with the fire.

i'm thinking about doing a home project and adding a fireplace myself.

hmm ... probably not the smartest idea.

until then, i'll enjoy the picture of hers.

i have my to-do list too.  it's sitting there.

untouched.  unmarked.  un-scratched-off.

good thing i labeled it "to do this week" and not "to do today". 

i have PLENTY of time.

( watching my sugar **updated )

**UPDATE:  my doctor's appointment went ... not so well.  my sugar was up to 199.  evidently it's supposed to be around 140.  i'm also measuring 34 weeks instead of the 29 that i am.  that's a whole month ahead of schedule.  WHAT?!?!  i have to really, really, really watch my sugar intake and exercise every day.  i go back next wednesday for the three hour test and to re-evaluate things.  pray for baby and that she stays put for several more weeks and that i can gain control of my sugar levels.  guess i'll have to bypass that cupcake afterall.

watching it go right into my mouth, that is.

i'm 28 weeks now and with that appointment is the dreaded glucose test.  i failed the first one with karsyn and had to take the looooooong three hour test.  luckily i passed that one, but to prepare this time, my doctor told me to start watching my sugars.  actually, his exact words were "cut the sugars out completely in order to prevent failing the first test". 

so tell me, how do i CUT the sugars if i CRAVE the sugars?  i haven't done well watching my sugars to prepare for my appointment tomorrow morning.  yes ... TOMORROW!  these past few days i've been more careful, but let me tell you, i so want to eat this right now ...

 

( funnies )

my child can speak pretty clearly now and is absolutely hilarious.  i'm just going to share with you a few of my favorites today though.

first of all, how bad it is that my child who isn't even two yet can spot a target store and get more excited than me?  she screams "TAGET!" as loud as she can as she points to it.

today she has said "daddy hutball" all day.  this comes after i told her we were going to daddy's football game tonight.  this girl loves football.

and lastly, the funniest by far.  i bought her some, what i call, feety pajamas.  i'm sure you know what i'm talking about.  karsyn says they are socks, so we call them socky jammies.  jammies is obviously our word for pajamas.  in karsyn words, however, they are "sessy mommies".  you sound it out.  i laugh every time.

( sewing ... anyone? )

when karsyn was born, i had a wooden rocking chair in her room.  not recommended.  this time, i was determined to have something comfortable to sit in for those middle of the night feedings.  and i found one!  snagged me a glider and ottoman from a consignment sale at the brazos center a few months ago. 

it's not cute at all, however, it's oh-so-comfortable.  i need to get the cushions recovered.  can anyone help me with this?  i can do the ottoman because that just pulls down and staples underneath, but the cushions?  sewing is not my cup of tea. 

so if you know of someone i can take it to for a recover, that'd be great! 

( i made it )

i made karsyn a tutu to wear so i could take pictures for her birthday invitations.  it was super easy and required no sewing, which is the only reason it worked for me.  here's the end result and a sneak peak at a few pics.  her birthday is going to be "two two sweet" (gumdrops and lollipops).

 

( halloween, shmalloween )

not a big fan of halloween here.  never have been, don't plan on changing.  BUT fall certainly is my favorite time of year.  we went to a few fall festivals at our church and one other church, a fall festival at mother's day out, and karsyn sported her costume to daddy's football game on friday.  that was the extent of our halloween.  we have two uncarved pumpkins on our front porch and came home with no candy.  i just can't get into it. 

my little pumpkin made it worthwhile though.

   

   

( mom help )

i make my child sound like a horrible kid.  she's actually really good.  a typical toddler.  the toddler bed transition is going really well.  we have a video monitor set up in her room so we can watch her.  it's so stinking funny to watch her run from the door to her bed when she hears us coming.  hilarious.  what's not hilarious is her 6am wake up time this morning.  she sure did get out of bed and climb in with me. 

anyways, another struggle we're having is sitting down to eat.  while i've always made her sit to eat, she's gotten into the bad habit of having her snacks in the living room, which has turned into her not wanting to have meals at the table.  so i'm working on making mealtime, especially dinner, more interesting to her.  any ideas on how to do that?  i want to find her a plastic placemat that she likes, but i haven't looked many places yet.  how do i get her to sit down while she eats again? 

in case you are wondering, we do not go out to eat either.  if we do, it is to a quick place and still not very often.