Not a creature was stirring...

Steve has gone to bed since he has to be up at 4 a.m. for work at 5. The kids are asleep. The cats are in the bedroom with Steve, most likely sleeping. The dog is curled up on the couch with me...sleeping. These are just the most peaceful times for me...I love to spend time with my family, but I really think it's just a natural thing for people to need alone time, too, even just a small amount. It gives you the chance to think, to plan, to dream a little bit. To just relax because YOU are the only one who needs to be taken care of at that moment in time. Then of course your mind takes off and starts racing through all the lists of things to get done, but for a small window of time you get some peace and quiet...not something that's easy to come by with two three-year-olds running wild through the house!

Tonight we went to dinner to celebrate my dad's birthday, which was this past Wednesday. We had dinner at O'Charley's, which is great because kids eat free there (and I'm all about saving money!). Mom ordered a German chocolate birthday cake from the local grocer, and it was so good. I am not even a big fan of that kind of cake, but I enjoyed my little piece. :)

On another note, it's going to be in the freezing category tonight! I think there's something terribly wrong with me as a Floridian...I love the cold weather. I don't know if I'd want to live somewhere that has four months of solid freezing weather, but I really do like it so much better than the hot Florida seasons we get. I love my warm winter coat, and it's in GREAT condition after four years because I only get to wear it for about two weeks each year it seems like. I love wearing layers and snuggling with the kids under a blanket because it's a bit chilly. I don't love the heating bill, but I do love having the heat on in the house because it's so nice and cozy. See? I'm weird. And as much as I'd love to see snow here, I'm thinking it's not the greatest idea...some of the people in the small town where I live freak out driving in the rain, so I can't imagine what they'd do if it snowed...there would certainly be gridlock!

OK, enough rambling for tonight. I hope everyone's having a fantastic 2009 so far...God bless you and those you love!!!

National Champs!

The Gators beat the Sooners 24-12 last night, as anyone with a television, newspaper or generally attentive mind has already learned. We had a small crowd here in our home, and since the majority were Steve's relatives (Sooner fans), the Gator fans were largely outnumbered. I'd like to thank my friend Alyssa for joining me dressed in orange and blue, my daughter Megan for wearing the Gator t-shirt she didn't have a choice about, and my next-door neighbor Mary for not cheering for the Sooners (even though her sons did). :)

We had lots of food (ate lots of food, too, and still had leftovers!), and it was a fun evening. Of course, I think I had more fun sitting calmly and watching the Gators take the lead. I am very proud of myself though, because I did not gloat over the win. Actually, since I was the only Gator still left in the room at the game's end (neighbors went home at halftime because the kids had school today, and Alyssa went home because she had gotten up so early for work that morning), I didn't boast or brag very much at all. I patiently waited until after my in-laws had left to drive back to Jacksonville before I got even the slightest bit giddy. Of course, writing a blog about how AWESOME the win was doesn't constitute boasting or bragging.

Say it loud, say it proud...it's GREAT to be a Florida Gator!!!

New Year, New Resolutions to Keep (or at least try not to break)

HAPPY NEW YEAR and welcome to 2009!

So the tradition is to make resolutions when the New Year rolls around. I have almost always failed at keeping any resolutions I make, because (well, let's face it) we really should be promising to make changes to our lives for the better every single day. Meagan wrote on her blog that each day is an opportunity for a clean slate, and I couldn't agree more. :)

This year, however, I am going to try and do a few things different. I won't beat myself up if/when I don't succeed 100% on any of these things:

I want to try and lose some weight.

I want to get into a better habit for our weekly grocery shopping, including using coupons and getting my meal planning done at least a week in advance.

I want to be more positive.

I want to blog more (because even if only a few people are reading, at least it gives me an outlet!).

I want to find a way to help support us better financially, so that the majority of the burden isn't always resting on Steve's capable shoulders.

I want to appreciate my husband more, because even though I value him I may not always tell him that often enough.

Reminding Myself

Merry Christmas to my friends and family, and to anyone else who stops by to read this blog! I hope you all enjoyed a happy, healthy holiday with those you loved. I have a good friend serving in Iraq right now and he posted photos of their Christmas, and every single person in his photos looks happy, celebrating the holiday. Regardless of how anyone feels about the current military climate overseas, I would like to ask that you remember the men and women who are fighting for us, serving our country. And while you remember them, also remember the loved ones they leave home while they travel for service. I grew up as a Navy brat and wouldn't have had things any other way because I believe your life experiences shape who you are now, but we spent quite a few Christmases without my dad at home, and I know it's not an easy task. So God bless our troops, and God bless the families they represent.

That being said, I'm currently sitting on my couch checking email and (obviously) updating my blog. We had a wonderful Christmas Eve with my side of the family and a wonderful Christmas Day with Steve's side of the family, and the kids had a fantastic time opening gifts. I prepared a meal for 12 people today, something I don't do on an ordinary basis by any stretch of the imagination. It wasn't the world's greatest meal, but I did it and that's what counts, right? Somewhere in the midst of the celebrations, both yesterday and today, and quite possibly due to the lack of sleep SANTA had last night getting ready for this morning, I started getting a bit down in the dumps. But I have found hope in the reminder that the true reason for the season is Jesus Christ. Who would have ever imagined that one baby could make such a difference in the world? There is a new song by Faith Hill on her Christmas album called "A Baby Changes Everything," and we know this to be true firsthand because our kids have sure changed our lives, but it's such an impressive reminder of why we celebrate. My turkey may not have been very tasty, the potatoes might have been somewhat soupy, my Christmas cards didn't get ordered in time, and I spent 862 hours wrapping presents with Steve (next year, gift bags will be my friends), but at the end of the day the only thing that matters is that a baby was born "Away in a Manger" and He brought "Joy to the World."

As my children have stated so ambitiously for a few days now, "Happy birthday, Jesus!"

Here Comes Santa Claus...

So my kids turned three last week, and I am still somewhat in denial. But at the same time, it's so much fun to watch them develop their personalities even more, and learn about all the wonderful things that capture their interest.


They don't fully grasp Christmas yet, but they know that Santa is a nice man in a red suit with a white beard. I hope they keep that childhood innocence for a while yet, because there really is nothing more amazing than that. We went to visit "our" Santa at the mall yesterday, and it was our third year visiting Santa at that particular location. Here's the results from that visit:



Megan and Jeremy have NEVER been afraid of Santa, which is a very good thing since I took them to the mall by myself and would have been stranded if they'd both freaked out on me. If I can track them down I'll post the photos from the last two years so people can see how happy they always are to see Santa.


Not forgetting the TRUE reason for the season, I wanted to share a story about Megan, who has shown a lot of interest in learning about the real Christmas Story. Steve put up our nativity scenes right after Thanksgiving, putting one in the curio cabinet on the right side of the entertainment center and on in the cabinet on the left side. We also have a snow globe with the nativity in it that I received as a gift years ago, and it's currently sitting on the shelf next to the television. At any rate, they're all behind glass right now. Megan pointed almost immediately and asked what they were, and I explained that we celebrate the birthday of the baby Jesus at Christmas, and He is our biggest gift. She is so enamored by babies and baby dolls at the moment, she took to that explanation pretty well. A few days ago I noticed her walking back and forth between the cabinets, pressing her hands to the glass, and stopping to pat the snowglobe each time she passed it. She was chattering, but I couldn't make out what she was saying completely, so I asked her...and she said, "I tell the baby Jesus it's alright, I'll get him out for His birthday on Christmas..." Poor kid probably thinks we are keeping a REAL baby behind glass!

Say it loud, say it proud...

It's GREAT to be a Florida Gator!

That's right folks, we won the SEC Championship game earlier this evening. That means Tim Tebow and the rest of the team will most likely be heading to the BCS Championship game!

Now, I'm thrilled. According to Rivals.com, "Two big victories in league championship games Saturday – a big fourth-quarter rally by Florida in the SEC, a big blowout by Oklahoma in the Big 12 – means the Jan. 8 national title game almost certainly will match the Gators and the Sooners." But what most people may not know is that while I'm a die-hard Florida Gator fan (complete with the capability to bleed orange and blue), Steve and his family are from Oklahoma and therefore root for the Sooners.

Steve and I have been together over ten years, married for eight. When we met I was heading into my junior year at Florida. His family has always teased me about my affinity for the Gators, and while it's been joked that someday we would be matched for a championship game, I never really thought it would happen. It should make for a very interesting day on January 8th. :)

Twas the weeks before Christmas...

So we're officially less than three weeks away from Christmas now. I can't believe how fast the year has gone...seems like just yesterday we were marveling at our newly-turned two-year-olds and in just another week we'll be calling them THREE. Amazing. I'm so blessed to be home with these two little miracles to watch them grow and learn.

Megan's cough is (finally) gone. It took two rounds of the Albuterol treatments, the second time we added Pulmicort, and she had four days of Zithromax, too. I went back to the doctor the day before Thanksgiving because the sinus infection I was seen in the ER for on November 6th had returned full force. I guess I can't really say it returned, because essentially it never really left. Ugh. The nurse practitioner I spoke with at the clinic was wonderful and gave me meds to help kill the infection, which I found out was actually a pretty dangerous one since it was putting pressure on my optical nerve. Yes, I'd like to keep my optical nerve connected, thank you. I have a couple more days of medicine left, but for the most part I'm back in the human world again. Just a slight cough remains.

Apparently Jeremy admired the attention Megan got for her cough, so he now has one, too. The doctor has him on Albuterol now, but since his doesn't seem to be more than just a cough of inconvenience we're going to take the wait-and-see approach before any antibiotics are called in. Should be interesting. I'm beginning to think that the Pediatrician's office should have a punch card...after five visits, you get a free one. I'd certainly partake in that sort of offering!

Thanksgiving was a good one...it went by very quickly and I didn't really do much other than spend time with my family in the early part of the day and Steve's family in the later part of the day. I like to think that we are thankful EVERY day for the blessings we have, but I understand that it is very nice to have the chance to gather together and be grateful in a more "formal" way, too.

Well, nothing else new or startling at the moment...take care and keep in touch!