Changes, but they're good!

Life has been moving so fast, and so many things in my corner of the world have changed. Change can be a hard thing, but I actually don't mind the change. I like a fresh start, a new outlook. It's refreshing and challenging and makes life that much more interesting.

CHANGE #1:
In July 2009, I went back to school to get my real estate license. After completing the course and a few months of studying and passing the state and national exams, I had my real estate license. When you're a new real estate agent, the State of Colorado requires that you "hang" your license with a managing broker, or another agent with two plus years experience. I interviewed a couple different brokerage firms that appealed to me before making my selection. I chose a large company to be apart of. The training was intense at the beginning. There was a lot of come to this meeting, do this marketing strategy, hold these many open houses per week, and the list went on. After about six months and no clients or leads and quite a bit frustration, I found another brokerage firm that better matched my needs and acknowledged and welcomed that I had two kids (at the time) that I was raising during the day while my husband worked full time. I was so excited to have found this firm and I ended up switching brokerage firms. The company name was bigger, the owners were interested in helping me launch this career and make it a success. There was a lot of come to this meeting and let us teach you. Within a few months, I had leads coming my way. And, by the end of September, I had my first closing, and then another a week later, and then one more in November. I was feeling very confident. I was working the referral system that my broker had helped me put in place and it was working like a charm.


After those leads and closings, things just kind of came to a halt. I was still pursuing business and did daily and weekly activities to gain clients. I had some leads. Nothing that was going to be an immediate sell, but leads nonetheless. Then, I got an email from my broker saying that we needed to have a meeting to re-up my independent contractor agreement. So, I went in for the meeting. I had a feeling things weren't going to go well when it was a Saturday morning and I recognized both owners' cars in the parking lot. Generally, you'd only find one car, unless there was a special event, which there wasn't this Saturday. I went inside, made my way to the conference room and waited. I had brought my business plans, activities I had been doing, and questions. There was a bit of chit-chat that came crashing to a halt when I was asked if I would rather stay home with my children and raise them and lose my job OR would I rather work 8-10 hour shifts, 6 days a week, putting my children in daycare. First off, I couldn't believe that my employing broker was throwing an ultimatum at me. But, I didn't even blink, I immediately said "I choose my family." They suggested another brokerage firm that I could go work for, one that didn't require as much as they were going to require out of me. I left that meeting, called my husband and he said he already had a feeling this was going to happen simply because of the time and changes the owners had already made to the meeting. Funny thing is, I never cried or felt poorly about this. And, that afternoon, one of the owners emailed me to tell me that she still thought very highly of me and thought I was lovely person, but that they had to make a business decision. She knew what my choice would be, and she was right.

 After much prayer and discussions with my husband and God, it's very clear that my place (at least for now) is to be home with my children, raising them, spending time with them, teaching them, loving on them. And, I think that as important as it is to show our children that they can be whatever they want to be and it's good to pursue our dreams, I think it's good to be humbled by God and shown that His way for us triumphs all. I truly believe this is an act of God, and I feel he has slammed the door shut on my real estate career. I'm not sure if it will be reopened. And, I'm okay not knowing. God has proven time and time again that He will provide for my family and I. All we need to do is trust with our whole hearts. And, we need to realize that things in our life will happen in His timing and not our own.

And, with that said (about God's timing in our lives), comes CHANGE #2:

When Kevin and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary early this month, we were discussing what our 5-year and 10-year plans looked like. We talked about where we wanted to be financially, spiritually, career-wise, geographically and as a family. One of the biggest things we felt God was telling us that he wanted us to pursue was leading our own LifeGroup (small Bible study group) with people from our church. We were currently in a LifeGroup and we weren't really thinking of changing or leaving. It was all part of our 5-year plan. But, then, things happened and one Sunday, our LifeGroup leader approached us asking Kevin to lunch and then expressing that they felt that God was moving them in a different direction to stop leading the group and to take on a new challenge. After the lunch, our LifeGroup leaders decided to step down, and we stepped up to become the new leaders. Our group consists of three families (including ours). Both families are near and dear to us and we were thrilled at the challenge of leading this group. It's just amazing to me how you set a timeline for your life and something you plan to do, and God says, nope, now! Amazes me.

As we enter into this time of new challenges and new, fresh things ahead, it makes me so excited. I am willing to do whatever God has called me to do. And, I really believe that when you open your heart to what He has to teach you, and where He has to lead you, you will never be lead astray. So, here's to our changes...

Birthdays, Real Estate & More...

My precious baby Tierney turned ONE last Thursday, October 8. I can totally remember when she was born, and although the calendar says it was one year ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. But, I guess that's a common memory for moms, huh?! In fact, the night before her birthday, we were running errands and we drove by the hospital she was born at and I remembered checking into the hospital at about the same time we drove by to start the induction process. A wave of emotions flooded me as we past the hospital and I felt those same nervous, anxious and excited emotions all over again. I even remember the pain I was in. I had an epidural, but it really didn't take that well, so I felt most everything. That and the doctor's had to increase the strength of my contractions and up my dosage of pitocin. Suffice it to say, I was in more pain than I had ever been in and could ever imagine. And, how I could barely keep my eyes open during those last few hours of hard labor because every contraction I squinted my eyes so hard, giving myself a headache and making it hard to see out of blurry contacts. But, the minute (3:54 p.m.) she was born, all the pain, the blurry eyes and headache completely disappeared. When the doctor laid my second born daughter on my chest, my world got flipped upside down and I immediately fell in love with this precious child God gave me. My little girl, named Tierney. Over the past year, my heart has only expanded that much more with love for this precious girl. She's very loving, very sweet, has a bubbly personality and a fiery way about her and she's as stubborn as it gets. But, I wouldn't change anything about her or one second of my life with her for anything. This time around, I got to witness first-hand every little milestone, every smile, every cry, every cuddle, every look, everything, because I have the wonderful opportunity of staying home with my girls and I LOVE it so much! This year she's walking all around the house and trying really hard to put those words together she's been learning, and I know that this year will fly by and by next year, I'll be wondering where the year went. I wish time could just stand still. But, it can't. So, here's to another amazing year for my Tierney. Happy Birthday sweet baby girl! Mommy loves you more than you can ever imagine!

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My husband turns the big 3-0 this Thursday, October 15. That's right, this is his birthday week. He has only 3 more days of being a 20-something. He's not too big on birthdays, especially his own, and it's not because he is nervous, anxious, etc. about getting older. But, this year, he's getting more in the birthday spirit I think. We're going to spend his birthday night at a hotel thanks to an interview he did on a brand new hotel in the town where he works and the manager offered a free night's stay at the hotel in one of their suites! You don't have to twist our arm that hard. We're there. The girls are excited about staying in a hotel and going swimming in the pool. And, really Kevin loves, loves, loves staying in hotels, so this is a great birthday gift for him! And, even better, he has the next day off too. Wahoo! It's like a birthday present for me too because what's better than spending time with your best friend. I can honestly say that he is quite possibly the one person that very rarely I get frustrated with. As much as I love my girls, there are days when being a parent is very hard and trying, but being a wife, better yet, being Kevin's wife, I never feel that way. He's such an amazing man and I thank the good Lord everyday for bringing us together. I have known Kevin for nearly 20 years, and my life is truly better because he's in it and because I know him, love him and he loves me. I simply can't imagine my life without him, and I'm so excited to be celebrating his 30 years of life with him. Happy Birthday to my dear sweet husband! You're my everything and I will love you always!

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I have begun a new adventure and I'm really excited. Getting more and more excited by the day really! It's official, I'm a real estate broker! Real estate has always been something that I've kept in the back of mind as something that I would love to pursue if the opportunity arose. Well, this July, that opportunity arose. A real estate class was being offered by a Realtor that I knew from my newspaper advertising days and Kevin knew from interviewing him on occasion for different stories for his newspaper. So, at the beginning of July I went back to school for real estate. Six weeks later, the class was complete, I got my certificate saying I passed the class and had to sign up to take the PSI (real estate) exam. The exam has two portions, the national and the state. I registered for the exam, arranged a babysitter and studied my heart out and went and took the test. About three hours later, I clicked submit on the computer submitting my test to be instantly graded. I looked at the computer screen in the testing room and saw the words "failed" twice. Ahh. My heart sank. I cried a bit walking out to my car and called everyone that I had told about my test and received all words of encouragement, but still I felt terrible. I took the weekend "off" from studying and went at it again. I scheduled a retest and after a lot more extensive studying, I took the test on a Saturday while Kevin watched the girls. Again, I clicked submit, and again that terrible word "failed" appeared again, twice. Ahh..not again. How big of a failure am I to fail both portions of the test not once but twice. Come on! This time, my first call was to my instructor to see what words of wisdom, if any, he had for me. We arranged to meet and go over the material on the state portion again which was very helpful. Again, I studied like crazy for both portions of the test. Again, I registered for the retest. This time I drove about an hour as compared to 30 minutes to get to the testing center. And, again I clicked submit on the test and again I saw the word "failed" but this time only once. Hallejuah! I had passed the state test and missed passing the national test by one, ONE, stinkin' point. Oh well! At least the state portion was behind me. I celebrated my success by redoing my girls' bathroom which now has bright pink walls! I was determined not to let the national test get the best of me, and so I registered yet again for another retest. This time, I looked over the materials very briefly. I have sort of a photographic memory and so lots of the questions came back to me and I looked up the answers I wasn't sure of and that's about it for my studying. So, on the day of the test, I dropped my girls off at my mother-in-law's house for her to watch them and traveled the opposite direction of my previous tests and took the national test. After clicking submit on the test, I prayed to God to please let this be the final time, just let me pass. When the results appeared on the screen, I saw the word I so wanted to see "PASS!" Hallejuah! The proctor congratulated me and I flung my arms out and gave her a hug because I was beyond thrilled and needed to hug someone. Finally, I had done it! I called Kevin and his response was "Yes!" So, finally, finally, I am a real estate broker working with Coldwell Banker. I'm working on getting my first client and I am so excited to begin this new adventure. And, still the best perk of all is getting to still stay home with my precious girlies!

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That about wraps this LONG post up. But, there is one person that I haven't mention and who my life wouldn't be complete without and that is Miss Brooklyn Marie. Brooklyn is such a spark, always trying to learn more and more, has the world's best memory, is a great dancer, a wonderful singer, funnier than ever, a wonderful, truly wonderful big sister and just an all around amazing little girl who I'm sad to say will be turning FOUR (ahh .. makes my heart ache) in December. When did this little girl grow up? When we drive by the hospital where she was born, she waves to it and blows it kisses. So sweet! She can't WAIT to start school next year, preschool that is. I've been doing some things with her at home and she's learned her how to recognize all her numbers and letters and has even learned to write a little bit and really wants to learn how to read. She's fascinated at how everything works. I want to just sit on her so she can't grow up anymore! Is that possible? She just amazes me everyday. I am so very thankful that I'm her mommy. I love her to the moon and back and then some.

It's been six years!

It's been six years since I walked down the aisle with my arm interlocked with my dad's on my way to the beginning of a new exciting and challenging journey. I had never been so nervous, but a good nervous, in my entire life. I swear my dad had to hold me up and help me walk the entire way. I kept my eyes locked to the front of the church where my prince charming stood waiting for me. I distinctly remember he had his hand on the front of the pew right in front of his parents and had this incredible smile on his face and our eyes locked the minute we saw each other. After my dad raised my veil and kissed me on the cheek, my prince and I held hands and continued on with our wedding ceremony where we promised to have and to hold, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. We exchanged our rings and the pastor announced us husband and wife. Ahhh .. at last!

Kevin and I met in the fifth grade. I'd say it was love at first fight - we were brutal back then. We spent our entire fifth grade year in an on again, off again type of relationship. We were both too young to actually date, or really even to talk on the phone, but during recess, we were pretty much married every other day. Kevin was quite the lady's man at age 11. After elementary school, we parted ways and went our own directions. I went east and he went north - meaning to different middle schools. We kind of lost touch for about four years. There was the occasional sighting of each other, which isn't too surprising considering we lived two blocks away from one another. But, it wasn't until the second semester of our sophomore year when my dad and I went to the high school play where we spotted Kevin in the chorus that we really noticed each other's existence. My reaction was "Oh look, there's Kevin, he's gotten ugly!" And Kevin's reaction was "Oh look, there's Malisa, what's she doing here?" Nice, huh?! The end of sophomore year, I asked a mutual Carissa (I would say friend, but we neither one thought of her that way, she was just a girl we both knew) to have Kevin sign my yearbook. Odd, I know, after never having spoken to him the entire half year. But, whatever, I needed signatures in my yearbook to make me feel special. Kevin wrote: Have a good summer. Nothing about let's keep in touch, which seemed to be the main thing kids wrote in each other's yearbooks.

Fast forward to February 1997, our junior year, and Kevin is sitting in our newspaper class expressing frustrations over the lack of knowledge about how to ask this horrid girl he works with to a movie. Moves were really a big deal to him back then, and he wasn't sure what to do, when to do and if he even should do it. I volunteered to be the guinea pig. Little did I know that one smooth move of putting his arm around me would send me into such a whirlwind. I had a boyfriend at the time, but that really didn't seem to phase me. A mutual friend of ours invited us to join her and her boyfriend to a boy's basketball game in Evergreen. I, trying to be a good girlfriend, invited my boyfriend and he declined because he didn't believe in supporting a team that didn't support his half-nelsons, so I went with Kevin. I won't deny it, there was some major flirting that took place, ending in a ride home on the bus where I fell asleep laying my head on Kevin's shoulder while he kissed my forehead. That night changed my life forever. It wasn't long after that the boyfriend was gone and Kevin and I started the relationship we were both destined to be a part of.

We graduated high school and college together; went on a memorable trip to Puerto Vallarta as our high school graduation trip; took many a trips back and forth from Gunnison and even spun out and ended in a snow bank on Monarch Pass; worked until wee hours each week working on the college newspaper; enjoyed a nice, long walk in the middle of a Gunnison blizzard to see the movie Stepmom; were competitive in college courses we took together, all the while becoming closer and closer and interwining our lives even more.

On August 3, 2000, we went to the Dixie Chicks concert. We spent the whole day downtown eating lunch, walking the 16th Street Mall, taking the whole experience in. The concert was amazing. The Dixie Chicks are by far my favorite group and I would see them in concert any day. After the concert, we headed to Kevin's parent's house to hang out for a bit before I went home. Kevin had the brillant idea to head out on the front porch, sit in the swing and watch the stars. He went inside and then a few minutes later, he came out and flipped the bright porch light on. I immediately was getting a bit annoyed and wondered why the light was on, after all it was pretty late and I thought the plan was to watch the stars. Instead of coming to sit beside me on the swing and take in the late night, Kevin kneeled in front of me with a green velvet box in his hand. He told me that he loved me, that he'd always loved me and always would, and wanted to know if I would be his wife and marry him. My eyes starting welling up with tears, as I said "Yes!!"

On our honeymoon, we went to Estes Park. We found this amazing cabin by the river to stay at and we spent our week in the hot tub, walking around town, walking around Estes Lake, visiting the Stanley Hotel, eating, drinking, playing pool and just spending one-on-one time as husband and wife. It was such a treasured time. Estes Park will always hold a special place in our hearts and anytime we get the chance to return, we do.

And, then in December 2005 and October 2008, our love really blossomed even more when our two precious baby girls were born completing us and completing our desires for a family.

It's been quite a journey. I can't wait to see what the future holds for us, but I will say, I definitely want to grow old with my prince charming. He's the most amazing man I've ever met and I consider myself such a lucky girl every single day. Not everyone gets the chance at love, and I promise that it's nothing I will ever take for granted. Part of me can't believe we've been married six years and another part of me can't believe it's only been six years.

Happy Anniversary, My Love! I will love you always.

Too much alike!

Like mother...

Like daughter... Apparently we both need to learn how to put our shoes away!

Finally I feel like an adult

There are times in life, in my life anyway, that you get to examine where you are at and where you are going. And, in the process of doing such, you may find things that surprise you. After becoming a mom for a second time, I finally feel like an adult. I know this sounds crazy because I known I've been adult for awhile now. When I was a teenager, I used to wish and wait for the day that I was on my own and could make my own choices without having to clear it with anyone. I officially mark the day that happened when I moved out of my parent's home and became someone's wife - my wedding day. Of course, I was able to make choices for myself long before that, but it was always in the back of my mind that I needed to run things by my parents, partcularily because I lived in their home and under their roof. Regardless, I made choices. After I got married, I had to make more choices, but this time with the person I chose to spend the rest of my life with. Well, we've recently made a few choices in our life that we decided upon together, and without permission from anyone else, and that's what made me feel more like an adult than anything else.

Change #1: We changed banks. I know insignificant to most, but it took almost a year for us to complete. The main reason I was afraid or better yet hesistant to change was my mom works for the bank we were thinking of leaving. I didn't want there to be any type of hurt feelings there, like the bank she works at wasn't good enough for us anymore. It wasn't that. We wanted a bank branch closer to our home, something that wouldn't take us 30 minutes to drive to simply make a deposit. So, we switched banks and no, this bank doesn't put more money in our bank account each week or give us anything special for banking there, it was just time for us to make a change.

Change #2: We changed churches. Unlike with the bank change, this decision took us less than three weeks to decide. After a Christmas Eve Eve service we went to, Kevin and I both felt that we were missing out on something going to the lutheran church we belonged to for three years. This other church's members were excited to be worshipping God and after all we're all going to the same place after we die, so why shouldn't we be excited and have some enthusiasm in the way we worship. We found another church close to our home that is non-demoninational and where those that worship there have energy, are excited and passionate about worshipping. We've gone to four services now and each service is different with a crystal clear message you can relate to and wonderful worship music. Brooklyn can even attend Sunday school, which has been such a blessing to her. I jump out of bed on Sundays to get ready to go to church, something I haven't done in a long time. And, as we're leaving church on Sunday all of us feel pumped up for the day and ready to tackle the week ahead. Leaving the Lutheran church was a difficult decision, particularly for Kevin because he didn't want to make his parents think that what they taught him growing up didn't mean much to him, because it did. But, the first Sunday the pastor spoke about how parents bring their kids to faith, but it's up to the kids to take off with it and make it their own. And, that's what we're doing and we couldn't be happier about our decision. God is really working in our lives. We couldn't and probably wouldn't have made this change without Him.

And, of course my two beautiful girls remind me everyday that I am an adult, I am their mother, the one that they look to take care of them, to teach them, to raise them and to love on them. But I tell you what, changing banks and changing churches really made me sit back and realize how far I've come, and made me finally feel like an adult...good timing, right since I'll be 29 this year?!

I keep smiling...

About four months ago, my boss pulled me in her office to finalize my maternity leave plans. Since I work part time and in a department of two people, including myself, we discussed the need to hire someone to "replace" me while on leave. This person would work the same days that I did, sit at my desk, assume my responsibilities and because the nature of my business is advertising sales, take care of my accounts and my clients. We set out to find someone, and it really didn't take too long before a lady was hired. She started a good month before I left, giving her plenty of time to learn the ropes and for me to notify my clients who would be able to assist them while I was out on leave. Perfect scenario.

A little after she was hired, my boss pulled me in her office again to talk about a big annual project that our company does and that I did quite a lot for last year. She wanted to strategize and figure out if this is something that I could do while on maternity leave, but at home. It seemed very feasible. We mapped it all out and even after Tierney was born, kept in constant contact via email and phone about the progress.

During one of our phone conversations, my boss told me that she wanted to discuss something else with me. She had been talking with our owner and they wanted to offer me a chance to stay at home with my girls, therefore, they offered me a job as an independent contractor for the company. She told me to think about it and then when I was coming into the office for a meeting with her about the big annual project, we'd discuss it more. After I got off the phone, I felt so good. Naturally, I called Kevin and he thought it sounded great, but we needed more info. So, in the girls and I went to my office to show off Tierney and have the meeting with my boss. She explained their thoughts, expectations and what the job would be, and I accepted.

As I was driving home, I was quite giddy because 1) it's my true heart's desire to be home with my girls, raising them, being there for everything with them; 2) this was an answer to prayers; 3) my desire to be home was never anything I had mentioned, discussed or talked about at work to my boss or even to co-workers and 4) I was basically given a promotion as I won't be working in the same department or doing the same kind of selling. As I made calls telling family and friends about this incredible gift I was given by my boss, I kept smiling. And, I keep smiling, even weeks later.

A toddler and a 9-month pregnant woman?

Brooklyn's favorite band, Maroon 5, was in concert last night. As soon as I heard that this band was going to have a concert in our town, I thought (seriously) that this would be the perfect mother-daughter date to take Brooklyn on. She just absolutely LOVES their music. She sings along with all their songs (knowing a lot of the words) and loves to dance and jump around to the beat. But, when I mentioned this terrific, fantastic, inspired idea to Kevin, he said probably not a good idea. A toddler and a 9-month pregnant woman at a rock concert...yeah, probably not the best combo or idea. And, besides I couldn't have rewound or replayed a couple of her favorite songs for her once they were done with playing it and that could have bummed her out. Brooklyn's real big on repeating the songs over and over. Kevin and I have become very tired of hearing some songs (not just from this band) that we've played per her request over and over and over again. Maybe when she's a bit older and I'm not pregnant, we'll embark on an adventure like this. It sounds like so much fun to this mama!

Maybe, Sometime...

Maybe, sometime soon I'll have this baby. For a person who was not gifted with an incredible amount of patience, the wait is killing me. I know I have a week and two days left until my due date, but I am so ready to go into labor at any moment. My body is telling me something could potentially be happening, but that doesn't mean it will happen right away. I remember being like two centimeters dilated with Brooklyn for a long time and she wasn't born until after her due date. This time around, I have gotten myself so ready that I am already acting like I am passed my actual due date. I am just that ready to welcome my new bundle of girlie joy into my world. Will she come tomorrow? Saturday? Or two weeks from now? I have no clue. It will all be according to God's plan and while that should keep my mind and heart at peace, it's not. I'm trying to be patient, but it's not working so well. I just really want to hold my little baby girl and introduce her to her big sister and begin the next stage of my life as a mommy of two precious little girls. I'm just so ready...please, oh, please, let labor begin soon!

If I only had a brain...

Pregnancy brain has recently hit HARD!!

I can't seem to complete simple tasks like coming up with a list of things for the junior youth kids to draw for a pictionary-like game. This morning I thought I lost my keys so I took a back-up one and within five minutes of being gone from home, discovered the key IN my purse. It was there the whole time. Imagine that! I can't count how many times I walk to the front of my office with an intent to do something, and by the time I have walked the 50 yards, I can't remember what I was going to do. My boss has given me some awkward looks and questions like "are you coming to see me?" I say no and head back to my desk. And, the list goes on.

So, let's bring on my 37th week... where will my brain be this time next week?

The Waiting Game

We've officially entered the stage of pregnancy that I call "The Waiting Game." This is the period when my baby could be born, and she would be okay healthwise, but at the same time, I want her to stay put until she's just a bit more baked. (I know, the comparing the womb to an oven seems odd at times, but I guess it makes sense.) So, we wait. We don't know when she'll decide it's time to join our family. It could be tomorrow, it could be on my actual due date, or it could be after it. I was two days late with Brooklyn and I remember those last four weeks just droning on forever and ever. I never thought that the days would pass, let alone weeks. But, they finally did and what did we have to show for all our waiting? Our precious Brooklyn.

To be honest, I am not the most patient person in the world. It's something that definitely doesn't come naturally to me, but it's something I work on every day. Having patience as a mother is pretty important especially when you're trying to set a good example for your kids and help them gain this trait. I will admit that I am not always perfect in this department, actually often times I fail. So, when it comes to having to be patient for the arrival of my baby girl, it's a definite struggle, especially when I keep having contractions on and off all day long and some of them are way more painful than others.

We have her room complete. The walls are painted. The new bumper pads and curtains that my mom made are in their places. The new carpet is installed. All of the baby clothes size newborn to three months are washed, and put in their spot either in the closet or in the dresser. The carseat, swing and bouncer cover are washed and all items are ready to be used. The letters are strung across her wall, announcing that yes, it is her own room. (We're not releasing her name until her birth). Our family room has been rearranged to make room for baby items, such as a baby swing, a Graco bed, etc. The outfit Brooklyn purchased for her is washed and tucked neatly away in our new diaper bag. The only major thing left to do is moving Brooklyn's car seat over and installing the car seat base in the back of the Mommy-Mobile. That and packing hospital bags, but really I don't like to do that too soon because I'm afraid I will have to wait even longer. We even have solid arrangements made for where Brooklyn will go when Mommy and Daddy are at the hospital having her sister. We have preregistered at the hospital and have taken a hospital tour to know what to expect on the big day. And, my weekly doctor's visits begin next week.

But, there's still one thing that is missing from all this baby preparedness and that's our baby. Brooklyn asks me from time to time when her baby sister is coming. I tell her I don't know. One time she responded to her my not knowing with "maybe November." Hmm, baby girl, I don't think so. That would drive this pregnant mama a little insane, and besides my doctor wouldn't let me be that overdue. But, when she said it, it did bring a smile to my face.

We cannot wait to meet our little girl. The one that we found out in January we were going to have. The one that we struggled (I mean really struggled) to come up with a name for. The one who will reside in the purple room in the southwest corner of our home. The one who will make our first-born princess a big sister. The one who will depend on us for everything that she needs. The one that will grow our hearts even more. The one that will change the dynamic of our family. I am reminded of the saying that the best things come to those that wait? So, I guess, let the waiting game begin...

From the mouth of babes

As we headed back toward home after my 34-week check-up today, Brooklyn and I were talking about what the rest of the day would hold for us. As we talked about how fun it's going to be to spend part of our evening blowing bubbles after dinner, I looked in my rearview mirror to find a little girl that looked like she was just about to go to sleep any minute. We kept talking, and when I told her that I had to make a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up not only a few things for dinner, but also a few things that we needed in order to make the muffins that she had picked out, she started breathing harder. She told me she needed to talk to me. She said, "Mommy, I really think I need a nap. I am tired. We will go home, read books, have milk and take a nap. You're exhausted too." When I told her that I promise that the grocery store trip would be short and then we'd go home and nestle her in her bed for an afternoon nap, she started over with the same thing. She said it a few more times. When I made the right hand turn instead of going straight which would have led us to our garage, she started crying a little telling me that we had already talked about it (twice) and that she didn't want to do anything but take a nap. When we arrived at the grocery store, she immediately turned her attention to looking for beetle bug cars, a favorite car hobby of hers. By the time we ran into the store, picked up our items, and were in the checkout, I was holding her and she was laying her head on my shoulder. As we neared the checkout lady, she noticed a few magazines behind me. She looked up from my shoulder with this huge grin and said, "look Mommy, it's Nastia Liukin." I turned around and did see the same magazine cover and asked her if she would like to have this magazine since she was so brave and such a good girl for doing something that she really didn't want to do in the first place. She got an even bigger smile as I placed the maagazine into the cart. As I was buckling her safe in her carseat I thanked her for being patient with me as I had to run that quick errand. I told her that now we could go home and take that long awaited and desired nap. She looked up at me and said, "You're the best Mommy." Sometimes it really is the smallest things in life that remind you how blessed you are and how much you have. I really feel lucky.

A Perfect Description

If you ever wonder exactly what I do for my job, the video on this blog post sums it up perfectly.

I'm Guilty!

I got accused of being "ornery" today by one of my co-workers. Hmm.

I work for a newspaper selling advertising space. We started a new special page for this week's edition and there were a couple errors on it and I pointed them out. The person I pointed them out to is super touchy about things they do, so instead of fixing it, fingers were pointed back at me. But, hey I guess if caring what something looks like and wanting it to look good is labeled as ornery, I am definitely guilty as charged. And, proud of it!!!

For My Baby Girl

Tiny movements like tiny kicks
Tiny baby, a mother’s bliss
Can’t wait to give the tiny you
Huge hugs and lots of kisses too

What tiny dreams you might have now
I would understand someday, somehow
I dreamed last night, your tiny face
An angel indeed, made from God’s sweet embrace

How else would mommy know
How much her tiny little angel has grown
How else would mommy guess
If her little angel has some requests

I know that somehow you could now hear
Oh, what a thrill you will bring us here!!
Now hush my baby, it’s time to rest
Inside my womb, your own calm nest

My Girls

I don't say it enough, but I really have the World's BEST Daughter! I really do. The kind of girl that melts your heart by wanting to hold you when you're feeling down or tired and tells you "just put your head on my heart Mommy, I'll make it better." The kind of girl that wants to be just like you so much that she'll imitate your every move. The kind of girl that makes you laugh because there's no other response you can give when she throws you for a loop by saying "taking away my toys Mommy isn't going to work." The kind of girl that can be all girly with Mommy but then turn around and two seconds later be wrestling or using tools with Daddy. The kind of girl that can be super shy around everyone but with Mommy and Daddy she lets loose to dance, sing or share one of her funny faces.

How did I ever get to be this lucky to have such an amazing person to care for and raise? How did I get chosen to be her mother? I don't have the answers, but I tell you what, I'm in awe and full of gratitude every day for the chance to spend time with her. She has truly made me a complete person and has shown me how to live life to the fullest and how to have fun every single day, every single moment. And, I thought I was supposed to be the one doing all the teaching!

As the birth of our second girl is right around the corner, I often ponder what she'll be like. Will she be like her sister? What will she be interested in? And, the thought that has crossed my mind several times, will I ever be able to love her as much as I love her big sister, and will we share the same kind of bond? I don't know who she'll look like or what her interests will be, but I know that like her big sister, she will be mine and I have already fallen in love with her. I can't wait to meet and greet her into our family. And, heaven knows, she's going to have one amazing big sister. Oh, I can't imagine how my heart will grow when she is born, but I know it will. I will get to be a mommy to two little precious girls! I just feel so blessed.

Time for a Change

Within the past few days I have had a need to do something creative. I really like graphic design type projects, so I decided to revamp my blog, but I first started with my hubby's. It was fun creating new headers and new page designs. It has given me that oomph I was looking for and now I feel fresh and completely ready to tackle any challenge.

I hope you enjoy!

Pregnancy Brain

There's very little hope for me.

Pregnancy Brain has struck me, and struck me bad. After Brooklyn was born, I gained what I like to call Mommy Brain. With Mommy Brain you forget where your car keys are, if you unplugged your hair straightener, if you turned the coffee machine off, etc. It's basically a malfunction in your brain that leaves you from fully functioning in daily life when it comes to remembering the simplest of details. Pregnancy Brain is much like this, only for me, it appears to be so much worse.

I'll the start the story here.

I was in line at a local drive-thru today waiting to get a drink I had ordered. I grabbed for my wallet, and reached for my debit card. No where to be found. In its place was my Sears MasterCard. Hmm.. My first thought, who moved my Sears card up a spot to where my debit card usually is? I didn't. I called Kevin right away thinking my cards had fallen out last night and he put them back and maybe my debit card was still left out, or maybe my purse tipped over spilling things out and he put them back. I had to leave a message. My second thought, or actually, my real first thought but something I pushed out of my mind was who in my office took my debit card. I know, I know, I can't assume that someone took my card. After frantically looking through my wallet over and over and over again, I called Sam's Club where I had been right before going through the drive-thru to see if perhaps my debit card had fallen out at the cashier's station when I pulled out my wallet to write a check. Nope. I started retracing my steps, looking in my car, dumping my purse and wallet over and over and over again. I checked my online banking to see if there was any suspicious activity. Nope. I called the bank to double check. Nothing. I tried to relax and get on with my work. That wasn't working. I called home and asked my grandma to look around in the bedroom near the dresser to see if my card was laying there. Nope. Nothing.

I got a nice distraction when I had a couple of incoming work calls to deal with. Then, Kevin called me back. He didn't touch my wallet or purse last night or this morning. His first thought was let's cancel our debit cards. I said I really didn't want to and that I was watching our account for any fraudulent activity. If we would cancel our cards, we wouldn't get one for another week or even longer, and we're gone all next weekend, so it would be more of an inconvenience than anything. I started trying to track down where I used the card last. I had used it yesterday at 7-11, so I called that store. Nope. Nothing. Not there.

I kept checking my online banking over and over and over again. Still nothing new. Okay, that's good news. But, then I noticed that a few purchases I made on Tuesday and then yesterday that were not appearing and that seemed odd to me. So, I called those places checking to see if perhaps I had left my card there. Nope. I went back into my wallet and grabbed my Sears card because I wondered if there were any weird charges on it. After a quick phone call to Sears customer service, I realized that oops, I had been using my Sears card as my debit card. Oops! I then tracked back to the last time I used my card (Saturday) and called those places, but they don't have my card either. I called home once again to have my grandma look in the backpack we used on Saturday and in a pair of pants. Nothing.

So, this leaves me to search my house up and down when I get home in search of my debit card. But, it leaves me to ponder why haven't I noticed my missing card until now. And, why in the world would it not have registered to me that I was using my Sears card until today? I don't know. I am blaming it on my Pregnancy Brain. But, hey, I really hope I find my card tonight when I go home. Good luck to me!

Update: I got home last night and looked under our bed on my side, and there lay my debit card. Hooray! Now I am getting teased endlessly by Kevin about him using the Sears card or our Pet Perks card to make purchases. Ha.

Bubbles, Bubbles

Brooklyn has really become interested in blowing bubbles in the last couple of weeks. We've had a couple bottles of bubbles around the house for awhile now, but we were usually the ones with the bubble wand full of bubble solution doing the blowing as she watched with awe. That's all changed now. She is working on perfecting her bubble blowing skills inside and outside the house. She puckers her little lips and blows creating tons of little, sometimes big, bubbles floating through the air. My mom got her a bubble thing to do in the bathtub, but she literally will carry the container all around the upstairs of our house blowing them. The container even ends up downstairs.

When I came home last Friday night after work, I found Brooklyn sitting on our kitchen floor (which is hardwood), blowing bubbles. The bottle she was using is a little extra drippy when it comes to taking the wand out of the bottle, so she was "letting it drip a little bit first" on the hardwoods, and really on herself too. Kevin said she had been doing the same thing for over a good hour.

On Monday, on our weekly grocery store run, I picked up a huge bottle of bubbles for her intending to both fill up the extra drippy bottle and the container my mom had gotten her. That afternoon we headed outside with both the huge bottle and the extra drippy one. I soon realized that the bubbles I had gotten are these miracle bubbles that are extremely drippy once you remove the wand, so I declared them outside bubbles only.

We have spent a lot of time outside either in the afternoon, morning or right before bed on our front porch blowing bubbles. And, when I say we, I mean Brooklyn and I. That's right, I blow bubbles too.

Last night, Kevin came outside with us for a little bit. He looked at me and said that he loves watching how excited Brooklyn's face gets once she blows the bubbles and watches as they float in the sky. And, he said, I just don't know what to think about you! If I could get away with bubble blowing at my desk, I would probably take a small bottle with me to work to blow when I needed a break. I really love to blow bubbles. Kevin asked me if I was robbed of that as a child and I said absolutely not, I blew lots of bubbles as a kid, but it's just so fun, that I like to do it as an adult too. And, now that I'm a mommy, what better way to do it than with Brooklyn. But, I guess the saddest part about it and when I realize I might have a bubble blowing addiction is when Brooklyn looks at me with her blueberry eyes and asks me so politely if she could have her toy back because I have stolen her bubble wand.

Hmm .. I must be pregnant!

One of my co-workers just got done watering plants near my desk. As she grabbed one plant down from the high wall where it's hanging, some dirt dropped to the floor. It's still sitting there as she's gone around to water all the other plants before cleaning up any messes made along the way. I could walk over, pick up the dirt clump and throw in the trash. I mean that would be the responsible, or even nice, thing to do, right? Wrong. I am enjoying the smell of the dirt clump so much that I want to keep it there. Heck, maybe I should even go and grab it and bring it closer so the smell is stronger. Just kidding. At least I didn't take a bite, as some pregnant women do. I know I couldn't bring myself to that. But, the smell? Divine.

P.S. I know .. I'm crazy! But, I'm also four months pregnant!

A Blast From the Past

As I was on a website searching for something work related, a web ad to the right of the information I was looking at caught my eye. It was for a local drugstore, but it was advertising their body spray line. I had to do a second take. I examined the bottles that were shown, and after a few minutes, I started to smile. This is what I was looking at.

Do any of you girls remember these? I used to love them and I can totally remember my mom buying them for me when I was younger. They are bottles of body spray that are mimicked after an actual perfume line, but for way less money. I wanted to reach through my computer screen and open the cap and sniff one. I bet it still smells the same.