Our New Year

I just thought I'd share how things are going for us in the new year! Enjoy the pictures!

Don't let this sweet face fool you!

Being a big girl while getting a hair cut!

Going for a ride in Katie's jeep

Mak loves her babies!

Such a big girl!

She finally learned how to ride her big girl bike

"Just because" flowers from my sweet husband!

That's it for now. I'm sure there will be more very soon! :)

Perfection

Today is what I would call a perfect day! A Monday off of work to spend with my favorite little girl, perfect weather, and a day at the park! Mak and I had lunch with daddy since he had to work today and then we headed to Northshore park. The weather was perfect: 78 degrees and overcast! There were LOTS of people at the park enjoying the day off and the weather. But, we still had a great time feeding the ducks, swinging, climbing and sliding.


Mak loves feeding the ducks!!




Climbing like a big girl!








Mommy and Mak!

We had such a wonderful day! I wish every day could be like this!! But sadly, we must return to the real world tomorrow.

"Ring"ing in the New Year

I know it has been forever since I've blogged, but I really thought this was blogworthy!

My sweet husband gave me this beautiful ring for my birthday/anniversary/Christmas. It's a beautiful three stone ring which represents past, present, and future! I love the ring so much. It was such a thoughtful gift.



Makayla loves my ring too! Every time I wear it, she says, "Oh, pretty ring." And if I don't have it on, she says, "Where your new ring, mommy?" I guess she thought it was so pretty and shiny that she should see what it tastes like. Yes, that's right! She decided to eat my ring!!

I took a quick shower like I always do when we're home alone and I left her on my bed watching cartoons, as usual. When I got out of the shower, Mak was holding my empty ring box and crying, "mommy's new ring!" She told me she was playing with it and she dropped it by the foot of the bed. I searched my entire bedroom a hundred times. I took everything out and searched and searched. I kept questioning her on where she dropped it but I kept getting the same answer. I called Jeff at work and he said, "I bet she swallowed it." I was like, no way! I didn't think it was possible for her to swallow something that big. So, I kept searching the entire house. I finally decided to take her to urgent care to get an Xray. Here's what we saw:



The urgent care doctor said we needed to go to the hospital to have it removed. She said they would sedate her and go down and get it. I was hysterical, to say the least. She called the hospital to let them know that we were coming. The pediatric doctor on call at the hospital said there was no need to go in and get it. We should just let it pass. I felt a little better that we wouldn't have to go to the hospital. They gave us a little catcher to put on the potty...EWWWWW!!! This all happend on Friday, December 30th. She started having a high fever and vomitting on the 31st so we went back to urgent care for another xray. The ring was still there and had only moved a little. We were told to contiue to monitor and that it would pass.

So, I began my job as a "poo sifter." It was not fun at all! I looked and looked and looked some more but couldn't find it. We went back for yet another xray just to make sure I hadn't missed it. It was wonderful news to hear that it was still there and my searching through poo wasn't all for nothing.

Finally, on Saturday, January 14th, I found a little surprise in Mak's pull up! I was so excited and so disgusted all at once. I cleaned it and soaked it in soap and water. And yes, I took it to the jewelry store to have it cleaned. Sorry, dude and Zales that had to clean it. :) We didn't tell him where it had been. It now has no smell and is just as beautiful as it was before. One day, Makayla will hear about this story and laugh! And I'm sure when she gets older, I will "pass" the ring down to her.

In training

POTTY training, that is!

*NOTE* I started this post back in June and never posted it for some reason...so this info is a little dated.

Makayla has finally decided that she's too big for diapers anymore...thank goodness!! She's 2 1/2 and started wearing pull ups a couple of weeks ago and she's doing great! It helps that one of the little boys she stays with is now potty trained. They cheer each other on so they can get their "potty treats."

She isn't fully trained yet, but we're getting close. Now that I'm home with her all day, I'm able to work with her more. She thinks she's so grown and loves to wear her panties on top of her pull ups. She refers to her panties as "big wear." I'm so proud of my munchkin and can't wait to be free of diapers!!

We have been brave enough to venture out of the house once or twice without a pull up and Mak has done great! And let me just say how much I HATE public restrooms now that we're potty training. I think I've been to every restroom in every business in all of Houston in the past 2 months! Every time she sees a potty she has to go! I hope this gets easier. :)

I graduated!

I did it!! I am officially a graduate of Sam Houston State University with a Master of Education degree. I never thought I would ever finish! And now I am crazy enough to think that I want to go back to school to get a doctorate. Who knows if that will ever happen but we will see!

Jeff's dad drove in from Birmingham on Thursday, May 12th and my mom flew in on Friday morning. We spent the day hanging out together before we got ready to head up to Huntsville, Texas for graduation. Graduation was wonderful, (even though it was Friday the 13th) and didn't last too long. Makayla sat still for most of the time, I was told.

On Saturday, Mom and I got to spend some time shopping, although we didn't really buy anything. But it was so nice to just be able to spend the day with her. Makayla had a great time getting lots of kisses from her Nana and Grandpa Ken. All in all, we had a short but sweet visit.

As I sit here now and type, Makayla is in her room watching Toy Story, Grandpa Ken is back in Alabama and Nana is on an airplane somewhere between Texas and Alabama. :)

Finally

I started working on my Master's Degree way back in 2006 and I am FINALLY almost finished. Yes, I know it shouldn't have taken me almost 5 years to finish but I did have some obstacles to overcome. Since I was teaching, I could only take one class at a time, so that automatically set me back. Then in 2008, I was put on bed rest with my precious baby girl so I had to resign from school. After taking a year off to take care of my baby, I got back into the swing of things. So, after all of my hard work and dedication, I have turned in my portfolio for review and I am now waiting to hear from my professors to see if I passed. Hopefully I will find out this week and then I will go in for the interview. I pray that everything works out and I can finally graduate. I have my cap, gown and hood ready to go for May 13th! And yes, I will be walking across that stage to receive my diploma. I thought about not walking but I changed my mind...I have worked too hard not to walk. So, I will keep you updated on graduation. Wish me luck!

Have you ever wondered....

what EXHAUSTION looks like????? Well, here it is!

1. Being mommy to a two year old (that's exhausting all by itself!)

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2. Working full time as a third grade teacher

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3. Teaching extended day until 5:00 two days a week

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4. Teaching Saturday school from 8:00-12:00

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5. Working on my internship project (powerpoints, papers)

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6. Working on my portfolio that's due in April so I can graduate in May

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7. Trying to keep my house clean and laundry done (notice, this is the last thing on the list)

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E X H A U S T I O N ! ! ! !

I can't wait until June gets here!