Things You Find at the Gym

Today at the gym I saw a couple things that will stick with me for a while. The first absolutely made my day. I was on the elliptical and I had just plugged in my headphones when I heard a snapping sound. I looked up to see a very large woman on the treadmill across from me, shaking her groove thang. She was snapping and dancing, it looked totally choreographed. And she was completely into it. The girl had soul, that's for sure. I watched her for a little while, wondering how she had the coordination to move that way without flying off the back of the treadmill. Then I realized that it wasn't even on! This woman was just dancing her heart out to Jackson 5 songs or something like that, and she didn't care what people thought. In fact, the people on the treadmills on either side of her didn't seem to notice at all.

The second sight scarred me. I was in the locker room, heading to the scale to weigh myself. When I got to the scale, I was about 2 feet from an almost elderly, rather round woman who was bending over to touch her toes (I think that's what she was doing). Her butt was directly in my face. And she was completely naked. If you need me, I'll be in therapy.

What a Day

I am exhausted.

My day didn't start until 8 this morning, which is rare with a two-year-old (but still a little upsetting on a Saturday). Actually Tommy's been sleeping in nicely for me, which sort of makes up for his terrible sleeping habits in the last two and a half years. Anyway, I did 3 loads of laundry, pulled some weeds that were going to become small trees in our yard, did a deep cleaning of Tommy's room (including washing his valances... never done that before... oooops), and made a birthday cake for Sally with Tommy. Then I left Tommy with Dean and went shopping for furniture, since we've sold everything on Craig's List. I found a couch I love, found the flooring I also love, and almost passed out when I realized how much this is all going to cost us.

Then I came home in time to let Dean go to his draft party and proceeded to frost Sally's cake with Tommy right there ready to lick the frosting whenever I would let him. He had a rough day behavior-wise, maybe because of him not feeling good recently and the antibiotic he's now on. So in between fits of frustration over little tiny things not going exactly his way, I fed him chocolate frosting. Not the best idea, I know. I also made a loaf of bread at this time. It was a busy afternoon.

After our frosting extravaganza it was time for us to leave for the wedding reception from the wedding that Dean and I were at yesterday (which was amazing, by the way... another post for another time). They had a bouncy house for kids so Tommy had a blast. He also had a piece of blue and orange Auburn cake (groom is a big fan) and continued his sugar high. Dean's parents took Tommy back to their house while I went back to our house to pick up Sally's cake and Tommy's pajamas. On the way to their house, the cake slid off of the cake plate and planted itself on my floor mat. My nice little pink flowers that I had made smudged (to say the least). But it tasted good and no one needed to know that it had been on the floor of my car (sorry guys!). And her birthday party was lots of fun. Tommy's always game for a party. Especially one with cake. For those of you keeping score at home, this was piece number two for him.

So now I'm back. I put Tommy to bed and I think I'm headed there myself. Tomorrow's another day.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Or at least just "camera". I'm embarking on a new venture today. A friend of Dean's family is getting married this afternoon at the beach about 45 minutes from where we live. Dean has been asked to perform the ceremony and I was asked to be the photographer! With all of my amazing pictures that I've posted on this blog, you might say "Well, of course, photography is simply one of your many talents." Actually, you probably won't say that. I mean, my pictures aren't bad, they just aren't great. So today I have the task of capturing the memories of this most special day. My camera tends to take grainy pictures and I'm afraid I won't know what setting to use (it's at sunset on the beach). No pressure.

What a Sport

Today I decided to finally take Tommy to the doctor. He's had a cough, a clear runny nose, and itchy eyes for about 3 weeks now (or at least since the pollen has really started to turn everything in Tallahassee yellow). But now with his fever, I gave in and thought that he might actually be sick.

He was definitely a little trooper. And he's come such a long way from screaming the moment that the doctor would enter the room. Today the nurse came in, looked in his mouth (which he voluntarily opened), did a quick throat swab (not even so much as a whimper), got his temperature, and he sat so patiently. Then when the doctor came in, he giggled as she listened to his heart, and sat really still while she looked in his hears.

The verdict? He has a runny nose and a cough, which is causing a bit of fluid to build up in his ears. So it's a good thing I brought him in. He's on an antibiotic to clear that up and she suggested a month of Zyrtec every day to help with the allergies that he undoubtedly has.

The strange thing in all this is that his personality has not been altered in the least. He's still 100 miles an hour, talks all the time, and has a great sense of humor. In fact, this morning he was up at 5:30, ready to take on the day (he wanted to go on a walk with Dorsi a little after 6 and I had to remind him that it was still dark out). Hopefully tomorrow he'll sleep a little longer! Gotta keep this kid still so he can get better!

Morning with Mommy

This morning I kept Tommy home from his weekly preschool-ish class (Mother's Morning Out) because he feels slightly warm, has a cough, felt slightly warm last night, didn't eat dinner, and took a four-hour nap yesterday (as opposed to his normal two hour one). The thing with Tommy is that usually when he's sick he doesn't act it. He is a little more tired and just wants to cuddle, but the next minute he's up off the couch playing with his cars or trains and talking non-stop. In fact he still keeps his word count up to about a million words a day (or so it seems). To just look at him now, eating his waffles and banana and giving a running commentary on "Super Why", the show we're currently watching, you'd never know there was anything wrong. Maybe there's not. Maybe he just needed a morning with Mommy.

I Think We Need to Clarify...

My inlaws were watching Tommy tonight while Dean and I went on a date. When we got back we heard that he was good, but apparently he's been taking our discipline a little too much to heart. He was playing with Rudy, the 13-year-old beagle, and suddenly he said "Rudy, you're not being obedient. I'm going to count to three. One...two...three" and then he spanked her. Not hard, but still.

We had a talk in the car on the way home about how only mommies and daddies can spank their children and no one else. Hmmm...

Birthday Party!

Today was day one of a weekend of birthday parties. A little friend of Tommy's was turning three and he certainly did it with style! His parents had purchased a huge inflatable water slide that dumped into a kiddie pool. This thing was massive! And a hose hooked up to it and sent water shooting out of two giant water sprayer things that the kids could aim at each other. Very cool. The kids all had a blast. And special thanks to Aaron for being the dad that took the kids (i.e., Tommy) up the slide that weren't quite ready to climb it themselves (actually it was really steep).

Best Friends

Tommy and his best friend Dominic are just about 6 weeks apart. Anais (his mom) and I were college roommates and just happened to wind up in Tallahassee for a while and be pregnant at the same time. So naturally, the boys are great friends. But different as can be. Tommy is very outgoing, and Dominic is a little more reserved and mild mannered. But Dominic has always been a little daredevil, climbing up everything he can, while Tommy prefers to keep both feet on the floor.

Today at the park, I captured an example of these two friends and their differences. Keep in mind, Dominic is 2 1/2 and he did wind up getting to the second highest rope on the web thingy (Don't worry, that's his mom standing way under him).

And then there's Tommy. Again, at least one foot on the floor. And this is as high as he wound up climbing.

Crime and Punishment

Lately, Dean and I have been in the throes of power struggles with Tommy. He's a spirited, spunky two-year-old, but he's also very stubborn. Throughout our day we always talk about how it's very important to be obedient (or "obeninent"). In the past week or so I've had to begin using the I'm-going-to-count-to-three-and-then-you're-getting-a-spanking method. I always warn him first and count slowly, just so he doesn't get confused when we're having fun and counting together (no wonder he always skips right over 3 and goes to 4).

Yesterday, after a particularly heated battle (which Dean and I won, thank you very much), Tommy was taking a bath. I asked him to count his train toys and he counted out three of them. Then he looked at me and said "Mommy's not going to get a spanking. Mommy's a obeninent girl."

It's a Good Day

Happy Easter! I'm sitting here watching Extreme Home Makeover, which was filmed right here in Tallahassee about a month or so ago. Which is cool. Of course I've already cried at least once and I've only been watching it for about 10 minutes. That's how it works, I guess.

To say that tonight was an incredible night would be an understatement. It was nothing other than the power of God working through us to reach a whole lot of people with the Gospel message. A very powerful rendition of it, at that. Dean preached his heart out and it was absolutely amazing. His point that he drove home, the idea of "What are you drinking?" was very moving, especially when he uncovered the toilet and drew water from it (if you are confused by this point, or if you simply haven't seen it, you need to watch the service here)

It was an awesome moment for me when the band went back on stage and Dean was finishing up his sermon, giving the invitation. I was playing the "invitation music" (not "Just As I Am", in case you were wondering) and I was able to glance out while Dean had people raise their hands if they wanted to accept Christ. It was hard to see from all the lights, but I could definitely see a number of hands go up. Which was the best part, and the reason we do it all in the first place. When I walked into the Moon today, it reeked of cigarette smoke, had random stickiness all over the floor, and I'm sure was not most sanitary. But we have amazing volunteers who got there at noon to begin scrubbing the place from top to bottom. I did get to help scrub down some of the 400+ chairs that were set out, so I felt somewhat useful at that hour. But what a great job our many, many, many volunteers do!

Looking back, I don't think I'd rather do anything else on Easter. Honestly, it just overwhelming to be a part of something that God is using for his glory. People are hearing the name of Christ and are responding like we've never seen. Is this a turning point for the Well? Maybe. I just pray that God continues to use us like he has. It's the greatest privilege I have.

Braveheart

Something has come over my little boy. I'm not quite sure what has happened, but yesterday he began trying some new things that I thought he would never do. We went to Zoinks with some friends and he did his usual jumping in the smallest jumper. He normally jumps in there for a while then runs around and surveys the rest of the place, possibly going in one of the bigger ones but having no interest in things that are too big or slides that are remotely steep. Well yesterday was a different story. When he began to run around looking for something else to jump on, he ran right to a huge jumper in the back that consists only of a ladder for them to crawl/climb up and then two slides to choose from that are about 20 feet high, maybe more. And steep. So when he wanted me to help him get in, I thought he would jump right out again. Then when he started making his way up I began removing my shoes so I could go up and rescue him when he realized he could only get down by going down the slide. But then I was shocked and pleasantly surprised when he sat right down at the slide and flew down sideways. He landed at the bottom, looked a little stunned and then said "I did it all by myself!"

Later yesterday afternoon, as I was making dinner, Dean got a call from our friend Aaron who lives a few blocks down from us and has kids around Tommy's age. Aaron had them in one of those carts that you pull behind your bike and he was in our front yard wanting Tommy to come out and take a ride. Dean went out there with Tommy, fully expecting him to start crying when Aaron put him in, but Tommy just ran out, got in on his own and laughed the entire time. When they got back he jumped out, said "Thank you!" and continued playing outside until it got dark.

Unfortunately I didn't have a camera to document either adventure. You'll just have to imagine it.

4 Days Til Easter

It's after 11. I just got home from a band practice and I can't decide if I want to crash in bed (the guest bedroom not mine because Dean's got the flu or something) or eat all night. So here I sit on the computer with a bag of pretzels and a bag of Tostito's. In the interest of trying to shed a few more pounds I haven't opened the Tostito's. Yet.

Dean's sick with the flu or something like it. It figures, because Easter on the Moon is just days away. That's usually how Satan works. Say a prayer for him please!

Weekend in Atlanta!

We were all able to go to Atlanta this weekend for Dean to speak at Collide, a ministry of our friends at Crosspointe Church. So we made a trip out of it and visited the Children's Museum yesterday afternoon. We drove all morning and early afternoon (including a 45 minute Zaxby's stop... apparently they're not really "fast food") and wound up at the museum right around Tommy's nap time. The awesome thing about it was that I got to see my friend Jamie and her husband Dan and their two kids Addison (almost 2) and Lincoln (6 weeks old). Jamie is my first ever friend. Our moms were friends when they were pregnant with us and we literally grew up together. And here's some little-known trivia for you... Jamie introduced Dean and I. So we owe it all to her! Anyway, we don't get to see each other very often (it's been over a year), so it's always good to catch up and see what the kids are doing. (The baby in the picture is hers, not mine... and I know it's not the greatest picture since not one kid is looking at the camera and I look ridiculously happy... oh well)
If you've never been to the museum and you live anywhere near the Atlanta area, it's certainly worth your time. Tommy was pumped until he saw the advertisement with a picture of a friendly dragon in the front lobby area and then he wanted to go home. However, Dean was able to talk him into staying and he wound up having a blast. It was like a giant playhouse with an educational twist. Think PBS Sprout meets medieval times sponsored by Publix so there's a healthy dose of pretend food. There's even a giant loading truck where kids can put boxes and baskets on the conveyor belt and unload them from the truck.



So Tommy got to run around as Dean chased him all over while I caught up with Jamie. Fun was had by all. For those of you who aren't sure, that top picture is Dean and Tommy fishing. That's right, Dean is fishing. They're plastic fish, but still. It's the principle.

Dean also did a great job at Collide. This was his fourth sermon in three days and two different cities and he still brought it. He got great feedback from everyone and he talked about how we tend to compartmentalize everything as Christians (example: high school friends that would get totally wasted all week during Spring Break but had to be sober on Sunday because it was Easter and it's not right to get wasted on Easter). And Tommy sat through the whole thing and didn't say a word. He was unbelievable. I haven't been able to have him sit through something like that since he was 6 weeks old. Unbelievable. I guess it was the full day that got him.

We stayed with our friends, the Merritts, last night (always a wonderful stay... they're incredibly gracious and hospitable) and Tommy had a blast not being at home. We made the drive back today and now here we are. And I'm exhausted. But excited because there are extra coupon inserts in yesterday's paper and I can't wait to see how I can use them. Yes I'm a little ridiculous, I know.

Easter Bunny Introduction

The other day I blogged about how I had taken Tommy to the mall to play with the trains at the bookstore and then go to the pet store. Well when we realized the pet store was closed, I had to think fast. I told him we could walk around the mall and see if there was anything else fun in there. It's a pretty dead mall that makes newspaper headlines because it has trouble paying to keep the lights on, so there was a slim chance of anything else fun being there.

But I was wrong. There, right in the middle of the mall was the Easter Bunny. It looked pretty pathetic, sitting there all alone reading a magazine. I guess there was a shortage of kids that day. But when I pointed him out to Tommy (realizing that was a bad idea as soon as the words left my mouth), my little guy just completely melted down. There was a look of absolute terror on his face and he immediately pulled his hand away from mine and sat on the floor and cried, saying he didn't want to go any farther. So I picked him up and told him it was ok and we kept walking. He was really nervous the whole time and in my head I was realizing that we'd have to pass the giant rabbit again. I thought about leaving through one of the stores and just walking around the parking lot (in the rain) until we found our car. But then I dismissed that idea as ridiculous.

So we turned around again and bravely headed back to the Bunny. It was about a 5 minute walk from where we were and he insisted that I carry him the entire time. He buried his head in my neck but occasionally would peek through to see if he could catch a glimpse. When we got past the Easter Bunny, he looked behind us and said "Wook Mommy it's the Easter Bunny! He's reading a book! I'm happy now" (big smile). I put him down and the whole way out and half the drive home he talked about how he went to see the Easter Bunny and talked to him and next time he's going to sit on his lap. I asked him if he wanted to turn around and see him again, though, and he promptly shook his head and said "no".

Wednesday Randoms

I'm sitting here typing this, eating pretzels and hummus and I notice that after all my hard work of touch-ups and perfecting my paint job, I left about 2 feet of blue tape in the corner of the ceiling above the TV. This would require me to get out the stool, move the TV, and possibly unplug some things in order to reach it. I've already put everything back where it goes and frankly, I don't want to get up. So I'm gonna leave it there for a while.

Tommy usually takes a 2 hour nap around 1 or 2. Today he fell asleep closer to 3 but he's still sleeping! Do I wake him up? Leave him and see if he wakes up excited about life at 7 or 8 (dangerously close to bedtime)? Or worse, see if he stays asleep through the night and decides his new wake-up time is 4 tomorrow morning? AAAAHH!

I just read that Guiding Light is canceling their show after 72 seasons. Seriously people?!? I don't even know what to say to that one. Sometimes we need to just let things die.

I'm out of coffee creamer, baby wipes, and grocery money. I'm tempted to steal money from our "Dates" envelope for the coffee creamer and use wet paper towels for the baby wipes. Is that bad?

I promised Tommy today that we would go to the bookstore (so he could play with the Thomas the Train set) and then the pet store a couple doors down in the same mall. Which, by the way, makes for an awesome morning of free entertainment! After the bookstore and, he was all excited to see the puppies, when much to our dismay, the pet store is now closed down. There were tears, but they quickly subsided when I told him we could go visit his great grandmother at her nursing home and see the goldfish there. I love that he's still at the age where a tank of goldfish is just as exciting as seeing a whole array of pets and playing with puppies.