Farwell February

There are only a few days left in February and I'm really ready for this month to be over. This month has been a tough one for me. A very tough one. Lots of sickness, lots of sleepless nights, lots of emotional roller coasters, lots of decisions, lots of craziness, and lots of just everything. I've never been through such a month and there have been some crazy ones in my 30 years.

Never in my life have I missed my best friend with such intensity. Never have I wanted a major change yet want things to stay the same, too. Never have I wanted to throw my hands up and say "I'm done!". Never have I realized how important restoration is...restoration of relationships, hope, faith, peace, love, joy; and some of those things feel unreachable yet at the tips of my fingertips at the same time. Never have I been more confused, scared and frustrated yet in wonder at new possibilities that have creeped up in my life. Never have I seen more clearly that I can't live my life on my own without the help of the One who created it. And never have I wondered why there are people who try.

I'm looking forward to March. I'm hoping that it will be better than February. There are no guarantees and God only knows, but I hope that if there are fires, I will be refined rather than burned.

One crazy Georgia Fan

I go to the FL/GA basketball game in Athens, GA every year with my dad. And every year, I notice this one crazy GA fan flailing his arms in excitement if the bulldogs did anything...well, exciting. This year, the dawgs actually beat the gators (unfortunately, of course) and this guy probably would have flown...if humans could fly, that is. Anyway, I had to take a video.

Valentines Day...

Since we were going out of town for Valentine's Day, we decided to do a few fun little things for the kiddies before we left. So, last Thursday night, I made a heart-shaped pizza and cake and ate on plates with hearts all over them. We also gave them some little gifts that we thought they'd both like. Mallory was VERY excited about the cake (well, mainly the icing) and the fact that it was shaped like a heart. She's very much into shapes right now and was very excited to see the heart-shaped pizza and cake. Ethan didn't care what it looked like as long as it eventually made it onto his plate.

A date night

Patrick and I went on a date while we were at my parent's house last weekend. Date nights have been very few and far between lately and by Patrick's suggestion, we decided to go ahead and drive into Athens for some alone time while we had babysitters. I had been in Athens the day before for the annual FL/GA basketball game I go to with my dad each winter and we had a chance to walk around downtown then. I really wanted to go back with my camera, so I'm glad Patrick and I decided to go. We ate at a little grill called "The Last Resort Grill" which was SOOOO good. I was very glad they were open on Sunday!

Here are some photos that I took from the evening. There aren't too many ones with me and Patrick in them...just some random places/things that I used to frequent or that caught my fancy.

Six years ago today...

Patrick proposed to me. It's hard to believe it's been that long. So much has happened between now and then!

Mornings

The morning is one of my favorite times of the day. My kids are always very cuddly in the mornings...at least at first...and then I get to enjoy my coffee while watching the sunrise paint itself across the Eastern sky, which I can see out my back door. I usually take my coffee in Mallory's room while the kids play and her room has a nice view of the east and it's orange-y/purple majesty. The kids usually pester me to read one of their books, but I always tell them that mommy needs her coffee and will read to them later.

After the sun rises a little higher, the kids eat their breakfast. I used to eat with them until Ethan started INSISTING on using his own spoon. If I don't monitor him, then I usually have one huge mess to clean up before I can get my own breakfast. So, here is the evidence of how I came to that conclusion (and I can't NOT post pictures of the Mal, too)...

In my own little corner of the world

I spend a lot of time in my kitchen. It's the hearth and I'm the fire-stoker. I love this part of my home. I have a favorite corner of my kitchen and in it are my sink, my mixer, my stove, my trash, my spices and baking dishes. With these things, I travel the world and stir the senses towards places I cannot go physically, like Mexico, India, China, and Italy, and other American places like New Orleans and New York. I can also look out of my window to view Mt. Holston and its changing colors depending on the time of day. I do lots of thinking in my kitchen.

I've spent a lot of time here today preparing some baked goods for my children's tummies and my husband's appetite for something good and filling. We're indulging in a cake today, shaped like a heart in honor of Valentine's Day. It's in the oven now. I also made some pizza crust for some yummy homemade pizza later. The dough is rising. We're eating American today (pizza is American, right?).

And in between watching the mixer, checking the cake and cleaning the dishes, I eyed my other precious possession and an extension of me...my camera. I decided to do another self portrait...nothing fancy or spectacular to say the least, but its a step on an avenue for you to connect two pieces of me.

Ethan is 15 months old!

I'm a bit late on posting some updates on Ethan because of the sick, sick family members we have in this house! Everybody seems to be on the mend, though we're not all 100%. Jan/Feb '09 has gone down in the books as one of our sickest moments. But I digress.

Ethan is such a joy. He's a VERY happy little guy and I can tell he's going to keep me on my heels during the next few years. Patrick figures he'll be our sanguine/choleric child (as opposed to Mallory who will be the complete opposite). Ethan loves to laugh and plays these little games with me that just make my heart melt. And have I mentioned his big, blue eyes???? He'll be heart-breaker someday.

He's jabbering up a storm an already says a handful of words, like ball, pillow, circle, dog, dada, mama, uh-oh "da doh" (uh-oh spaghetti-o) and a few others I can't quite remember. Mallory didn't say hardly anything until she was almost two, so this is really exciting for me. Patrick and I look at each other and are wowed by how smart he is...Mallory, too, but that's for another post...

He runs, runs, runs AWAY from me, mostly, and when I catch up with him in a good chase, he squeals with delight, except when we're out and about where he then drops to the ground in dead weight and screams (SCREAMS!!!) because I caught him. When he runs, his jowls jiggle in complete cuteness. Oh, he makes me smile. I'm so in love.

A few hours off...

I've been manning a sick house here and have DESPARATELY needed some "me" time. While everyone was napping this afternoon (as I should have been), I got a hair cut and then had a mini-me photo shoot. Here are some of the results...

I had fun!

Poor little guy

My little man has been dealing with sickness for about 16 days now. I took him to the DR last Mon to have him checked and the DR tested for RSV and walking pneumonia, both were negative. After feeling better over the weekend, he started feeling worse again a few days ago. I felt as though we needed to go back to the DR today, and a good thing we did because my little E has RSV. Though his pulse ox wasn't terrible, it was such that he'll be on breathing treatments for approximately 5 days to help open his airways.

Pray for my little guy. His poor body is ready to be well again. And so is his mommy.

A new fave of mine

Playing inside today...staying OUT of the snow and cold

Super Bowl un-Mania

I've been very blah about the Super Bowl this year...and really most years. The NFL championship doesn't nearly excite me as much as the College National Championship (and most of you know why...). But, I do enjoy watching all the commercials, so I usually take my "breaks" during the game and hustle back to watch the commercials. Is that weird?

Anyway, we had no plans for tonight until last night. We'll be hanging out with some friends, BBQing in this beautiful, sunny upper-50 degree weather, a glorious change from the high-30s we've gotten used to this winter. I love being invited to parties, though this really isn't a party, per se, but a shin-dig where we have an excuse to get together, have a beer, and do something American like watch football (though there will be a few Canadians there as well...). I love friends.

It was good to come home from my unexpected travels. The grout in my floor is sparkly new and I'm very glad it's fixed. I've played catch up this weekend rather than sewed like I had hoped, but at least the kitchen floor is done. And my husband got MAJOR points by cleaning up almost the entire mess. There was really not much to be done when I got home as far as cleaning the dust, though I'm still finding places where dust has lingered inconspicuously. I haven't taken any pictures of anything of note lately (I forgot to bring my camera to my folks, if you can imagine!!!), so I have nothing to post now. You just get to enjoy more words instead.