The Hansons

Darby = Two

2012-02-02T07:36:00.000-06:00

Hard to believe my baby is two.

Newbie

First Birthday

Handsome

Typical

Still Here

2012-01-06T12:42:00.003-06:00

Yes, I'm still here. Yes, I'm still blogging. But you wouldn't know that by reading my blog.

I still have picture to get from my camera. The same pictures I talked about in my last post plus every picture taken since. I'm behind. Way behind. I could tell you all my excuses (moving, Christmas, JC & Gucci visit, etc) but who wants to hear them.

I'm not going to commit to a specific date for pictures. But I do promise to have pictures soon.

I love being home. In our home. Our forever home. We've painted. And we're trying to make it ours. But I am most happy about removing all boxes from my life. Except shoe boxes. Need those for my shoes.

Unpacking has been different this time. We are unpacking EVERY box this time. Our last 3 moves we only unpacked necessities. This time everything is coming out of the box and going somewhere in this house.

Unpacking has been quite emotional. I've found a lot of memories in my boxes. I stumbled across a box of pictures. These pictures were packed in July 2009. I hadn't seen them since. They were various pictures of my family through the years. I was sharing them with Isabelle. She pointed out Granddaddy and MawMaw Dorothy. I showed her another picture of Granddaddy. This one was from a while ago and MawMaw (my grandmother) was in it. Isabelle argued with me over that one. She didn't quite get it.

I also found our wedding pictures. I guess now I can finally have some framed and put on the walls (6+ years later). Same for pics of the kids. I found the picture of Gucci playing with his washtub. It's exciting but bittersweet.

We are home.

Homeowners

2011-12-08T06:52:00.001-06:00

We are officially homeowners. We closed on our new home yesterday. I'm so thankful the process is finally over. Caleb and I went to lunch after closing to celebrate the new home and our anniversary.

While at lunch we received a call that funding had completed and we were offical. We headed over to our home and started putting paint samples on the wall. We only going to paint two rooms before we move in. The living room has to be painted. It is a pink color. Think salmon/rosy pink. Not really our taste.

We are also painting Isabelle's room. And we let Isabelle pick the color she wants us to paint her room. If any of you know Isabelle, you won't be surprised with her color choice. The color is actually called "Sleeping Beauty Pink." Now she picked this color without knowing the name. Just goes to show you Disney knows what they are doing. And really, when you hold the paint chip up to her Aurora doll it matches exactly. Personally, I'm not a fan of the color. But it's her room. And if it makes her happy, then I will be happy with it.

We didn't think Darby was quite old enough to pick his paint color yet. But the bedrooms aren't painted any obnoxious colors. So, we will move him in as is.

I will try to blog about our new home and our moving progress. We have carpet cleaners coming Saturday. Movers coming Monday. We will be in the new house Monday. I can't wait.

Isabelle and I already have plans to bake cookies in our new kitchen. It has a gas range. I'm in heaven. And the kitchen is larger than any I've had before. I can't wait to get in there and get busy. I can picture myself rolling out my cinnamon rolls on the island. Lots of counter space for jam prep. It's exciting.

"I'll be Home for Christmas"

2011-11-29T16:05:00.001-06:00

It feels weird to finally say it. Yes, I will be home for Christmas. No, we aren't making a trip to Alabama for the holidays. We will finally be in our house. One that is all ours. One that we can paint, hang pictures and do whatever we darn well please. Well, we can do whatever we please as long as the HOA agrees.

I feel like this home buying process has taken years. And, I guess it really has. The whole process started back while we were in Alabama. After so many failed attempts at becoming home owners, we finally found one that will stick.

I still worry that something will happen in the next week that will prevent us from closing. Each time I get an email from our lender my heart jumps a little bit. Our home buying luck has been horrendous.

I do think things happen for a reason. There's a reason Alabama didn't work out for us. And one day I it will make sense to me. And in some ways, it already does.

Dallas is home. Dallas has been home for us. When we came back it was like we never left. Honestly, adjusting to life here has really not been any adjustment at all. Our friends are still awesome. Our favorite shops are still here. Our favorite restaurants are still here. There has been some adjustment putting both kids in school full time and me going back into the work force. But it all feels right. And I'm happy.

I do miss my family terribly. I hate that my kids will not be physically close to their cousins, grandparents and great grandparents. I got a little sad watching Lucy walk. Isabelle and Darby loved watching it over and over and over. And my heart breaks when Isabelle asks to go to Olivia's house. Or when she wants to swim at JC's house. Or when she asks for Aunt Linda to come over. It's hard to explain to her why that's not going to happen. But one day, Isabelle will realize how far apart Texas and Alabama truly is.

My kids will know about their Alabama roots. They will know their extended family. They will understand Alabama football. They may even learn a thing or two about cows.

And they will call Dallas home.

Chocolate Doughnuts

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-06:00

Caleb loves doughnuts. Personally, I could find better things to eat for breakfast. And because of that, we don’t have doughnuts often. One morning Caleb went out and brought some doughnuts back for us. The kids loved them. Anything chocolate is always a hit with my bunch.

Halloween

2011-11-16T05:00:00.000-06:00

This was the first year my kids have went trick or treating. I think they liked it. I know they liked getting candy. Neither one really wanted to have their picture taken so I didn’t get any great shots.

Trick or treating with the Charleston crew.
My princess.

One of the few I got of both kids.

My Woody.

She’s hanging onto that candy. She had to work hard for it.

Jam–November Edition

2011-11-14T05:00:00.001-06:00

It’s no secret I love making jam. I typically make most of my jam in the summer when I can visit the farmer’s market. Produce seems fresher at the farmer’s market versus the grocery store.
I absolutely love blackberry jam. My MawMaw made the best blackberry jam. Since it was so dry this past summer, there weren’t many blackberries at the Fayette farmers market. I was disappointed.
Fast forward to this past week when Kroger put their blackberries on sale. I mean really on sale. Ten cartons for $10. That’s $1 per carton. Super cheap. I absolutely had to make some blackberry jam.
In addition to the blackberries, raspberries were also on sale. Turns out Caleb’s Grandma used to make raspberry jam and it was his all time favorite.
We spent most of the morning in the kitchen. Caleb helped me prepare the fruit and I made the jam. We made blackberry, raspberry, strawberry, and triple berry. In all we made 29 jars of jam.

Yes, I know there’s only 28 here. There’s one already in our fridge.

I wish I could ask my MawMaw for tips.
I know she probably had plenty.

I’m anxiously waiting to see what is on sale next – citrus fruit perhaps. I can see orange marmalade in my future. Maybe even something with grapefruit.

Thirty Plus

2011-11-10T12:21:00.001-06:00

No, I'm not referring to my age. But I am referring to how long it's been since I've posted. Of course I have all the excuses - lack of time, lack of interesting posts, etc. But truthfully I just haven't wanted to.

I have halloween pictures of the kids in their costumes trick or treating. I know I need to get those off my camera. I also need to figure out Christmas cards. I need to do a better job keeping my house clean. And a better job preparing dinner. I need to grow deeper in my faith. I know all this. And in time my life will become balanced. Well, it will never be truly balanced. But I will do a better job trying.

Eventually, I will have new blog posts. I have a new cookbook that I'm dying to crack open and start cooking. We will have a new house - that's been quite a journey. And then it's Christmas. Oh, and I can't forget about Thanksgiving either.

Please hang in there. I'll be back. Soon. I promise.

It's Been a While

2011-10-10T14:56:00.000-05:00

I was doing really well posting daily. But with the kids starting to school and me starting to work, I decided to give myself a break. You know, take something off my plate since I was adding something to it.

The kids are doing well in school. Drop off isn't fun, but they seem to have fun while they are there. And I know for a fact they are having fun. I can hop online to check on them. It's kindof voyeuristic, but I like to watch them when they don't know I'm watching. I can get a true sense how they are adjusting.

I am adjusting to being back in the professional world. It's only been a week but so far I'm loving it. This job (so far) suits me to a "T". I look forward to going into the office and when I'm away from it, I can't quit thinking about it.

Speaking of plates, I found something that I need to put on mine.

Doesn't this look devine?

Excuse me while I remove the tongue print from my screen.

Mmmmm. I need to get chocolate wasted now.

Changes

2011-10-04T05:00:00.000-05:00

More changes are brewing here at the Hanson House. If you are a friend on facebook, you know I now have a job. I had mixed emotions about going back to work. On one hand, I really wanted to get back in the professional world. I missed it. I missed my friends, the mental work out, etc. On the other, I knew I would miss my kids terribly.

Once we decided to come back to Dallas, I put the word out that I was looking. My former boss contacted me with a job that sounded like it might fit me perfectly. He has a client who has a young company. The company is growing quite quickly and they needed an accountant. The best part - it's only a part time job. Eventually this job will turn into full time, but for now, they only need me a couple days a week. This gives me an opportunity to settle back into the work force and also still be mommy a few days a week.

Caleb and I found a wonderful school for the kids. Their first day at school was Monday. I had expectations of how drop off would go and both kids lived up to them. Darby cried. Isabelle clung to me like velcro. My heart shattered into a million pieces walking away. I only hope the kids will settle in and enjoy their new friends.

I officially start on Tuesday (today). My blog posts will probably slow down some what. I'm excited about the opportunity ahead of me. And I'm so thankful for my two years of just being mommy. I've had so much fun. But it's time for change.

Zoo Pictures–Animals and Things

2011-10-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

Here’s some additional pictures of the things we saw at the zoo.

MOLA - Isabelle had to see the snakes.
Wild Texas
Twister House
I love big cats.
A little scenery.
A parakeet. Maybe?

Another colorful bird.

Apparently there was something on the other side.
I love big cats part 2.

I think this sloth bear was expecting something from us.
I don’t want to even think why the water is that color!
Isabelle’s favorite.
I can’t go to the zoo without taking an elephant picture.

Zoo Pictures–The Kids

2011-09-30T07:30:00.000-05:00

Papa wanted to go to the Fort Worth Zoo for his birthday. I haven’t been to the zoo since Isabelle was a bitty bitty baby. I can safely say, she enjoyed it more this time than before.
Here’s a few shots of the kids at the zoo.

Just being Darby.
Riding a tortoise. Or is it turtle? I can never remember.
Can you see the crocodile?
I think she’s telling me how long the snake was. She was insistent on seeing the snakes.
Riding the carousel.
Darby liked the turtles.
Darby and the elephant.

Here’s Isabelle with the elephant.

And here’s Isabelle with the elephant on our last visit.

The Heard–Miscellaneous Shots

2011-09-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love taking pictures. I don’t always get to photograph as much as I’d like. But when I do have time (and a kid wrangler), I will snap like there’s no tomorrow.

I love the way the trees filter the sunshine..
I thought this picture would be nice in black and white.
But I like it in color too.
I have no idea what these little berry like things are. They almost look like tomatoes. I asked Caleb to taste one but he said no. Without hesitation.
My little muse.
I love lines. I’m not sure what it is about a picture with lines.
I guess it’s the way the picture tells your eye where to go next. .
More trees. More lines. This time without sun, but with a sidewalk drawing your eye up. Makes you wonder what’s around the bend. FYI – it was the parking lot.
I love flowers. And I love bokeh.
Talk about a crazy bush. I have named this one “Isabelle’s hair in the morning.”
This is the end of the Heard Museum posts. We have a membership so I know we will be back. I can’t wait.

…..Dinosaurs

2011-09-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

The Heard was busy getting their next exhibit ready. Isabelle was excited to see these creatures up close.

Really close.
This kid wasn’t scared.
Look at these teeth!

This one appeared to jump out at us.
This was must have gotten out of control at some point.
I found one closer to Isabelle’s height and stopped to take a picture.
This one was rather strange looking.
It appeared to be mocking me and sticking out his tongue.

Who knew these creatures liked human attention?
This was was tall. His neck was also broken. Isabelle suggested a band aid. I suggested we let nature take its course.

Whew. This one didn’t see us coming.

This one was also a little tied up. Teehee.
But he was trying his best to chew his way out.

Walking with dinosaurs is hard work.

The last dinosaur on the trail…….or so we thought.
We found two more. Strangely, the kids were scared of the baby dinosaurs than the adults.

The actual exhibit opens October 1st. I might try to take the kids back to see the dinosaurs in motion. We shall see if we can make it through them all.

Butterflies and……….

2011-09-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, we headed out to the Heard Museum in McKinney to see the butterfly exhibit. This was our first trip to the Heard so I wasn’t sure what to expect. They have a little bit of everything. Unfortunately due to the drought there weren’t a lot of flowers and such. But that really didn’t matter. Isabelle wanted to see butterflies.

I believe Isabelle was looking at a mongoose. She was trying to get the mongoose to “come heeeeer.”

Darby liked the animals too.
Finally, what we came to see.

So many butterflies. If I didn’t have children running about, I could have stayed for a while just taking pictures.

In these next two pictures you can see the difference in the top and underside of their wings.

My mind kept wandering back to “Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue.”

But we never stumbled upon any butterflies that weren’t perfectly painted by the fairies. Also I should note, we never saw any fairies either.
However, we did end up seeing more than just butterflies. Stay tuned for the next post.

Nana and Papa

2011-09-26T06:27:00.000-05:00

Nana and Papa are here for a visit. I hope to have many, many pictures before they leave.

Nana swinging Darby.

Stay tuned for more posts from their visit.

Cornflake Candy

2011-09-23T05:30:00.000-05:00

I have fond memories of cooking with MawMaw. Mostly, we would cook sweets – cookies, cobblers, banana pudding etc. The one thing I remember the most is her cornflake candy.

No matter how many times I make it, the memories of her come rushing back. I miss her. And I wish she could have seen her great-grandkids. I know she would have loved them. And they would have loved her too.

But all I have now is memories and recipes. And I will be sharing those.

Super Kids

2011-09-22T05:30:00.000-05:00

Did you know I have super kids? They even have their own capes. Thanks Ashley!

Did you say trouble?
We are on our way.

Playtime

2011-09-21T05:00:00.000-05:00

Since the weather has been cooler, we have spent a lot of time in the yard. The kids love to play outside. And they also love the freedom of running in and out of the house. I can play, take pictures, and/or read as well.

Most of the time my kids play well together.
Darby found my cap…..and a dog bone. Note: We don’t have a dog.

Darby loves the dirt. He spent quite a while rearranging the dirt under the fence.

Trouble

2011-09-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

This kid is into everything – including our entertainment center.

Disclaimer: Isabelle dressed herself. The outfit is a set, but she added the socks with flip flops herself.

Cowboy Candy

2011-09-19T05:00:00.000-05:00

Dad (aka Gucci) had a gallon of jalapenos. He practically forced me to take them when we left. Ok. Maybe forced is a bit strong. He offered. I happily accepted. I love spicy foods. And I love having fresh jalapenos on hand.

The night before we left, JC and I made some peach pepper jam with some of these peppers. Oh man. It was so good. Sweet and spicy. We served it over cream cheese with crackers. Even the non spicy people (aka Jennifer) liked it.

But when we arrived in Texas, I still had two pounds of fresh peppers. I made some salsa. Looked at the bag of peppers and sighed. I still had a lot left and I didn’t want them to go to waste. I searched for a recipe. I knew didn’t want to make another jam. And I didn’t want to make pepper sauce. I still have plenty of jars.

As I was looking, I came across this recipe for Cowboy Candy. The recipe looked simple enough. But I needed another pound of jalapenos. Off to Kroger I went.

Sunday night, I was ready. After Darby went to bed, I started on the candy. Wow. I figured the peppers would be strong, but I underestimated their power. Poor Isabelle was coughing. Caleb’s throat was irritated. And I ended up having to tie a towel around my face. We brought out a fan and opened all the windows. Way to welcome ourselves to the neighborhood right?

We all struggled through it. And here’s my results.

The jarred jalapenos are supposed to “mellow” for 2 weeks. I made it a week. I just couldn't wait any longer. September 25th seemed so far away.

They were very tasty – sweet and spicy. Delicious on tortilla chips. Delicious on wheat thins. Delicious on brie en croute (made by Sarah D.)

See the golden, honey colored jars? That is the leftover liquid that I also canned. I had a small bit of it left that I didn’t can. I’ve kept it in my fridge. I’ve eaten in on steak fingers and chicken. I plan on putting it on some fresh salmon tonight. This stuff is great. It starts out with a sweet taste but ends with a swift kick.

If you have three pounds of jalapenos lying around, you must try this. But be sure to use gloves. And possibly a gas mask.

Movie Night

2011-09-16T06:00:00.001-05:00

It has been a while since our last movie night. I thought since we are settled in, it’s a good time to start them back.
We decided on “The Princess and the Frog.” Luckily, I happened to have Princess Tiana’s cookbook on hand. I borrowed some of her recipes.

Jammin’ Jambalaya

Juju’s Juleps

Froggy Cupcakes

Darby loved the cupcakes.

So did Isabelle.

And this is after Darby found the cupcakes after dinner. He or Isabelle had pushed the chair over, climbed up and helped himself.

Home

2011-09-15T06:00:00.000-05:00

We are here and settled in. I am really enjoying being back. I do miss my family. But I know this is where we belong. Last Saturday, we had a few friends over to visit and watch football. I have missed them so much.
We have found an awesome park about a mile from our house. We’ve been going often.
We have also taken advantage of city life by dining out and enjoying the variety at the grocery store.
The kids and I have also enjoyed our new backyard. I love that it’s fenced in. They love being able to run around. And around. And around.

One morning, I had the windows open. It took Darby about .035 seconds to figure out he could climb in and out of the window.

Isabelle wasn’t far behind.

Granddaddy Turns 80

2011-09-14T06:03:00.001-05:00

Granddaddy turned 80 on September 1st. We had a small family party for him at Kyler and Jennifer’s house.

All Packed up and Moved (Mostly)

2011-08-28T17:20:00.000-05:00

Almost all of our stuff is in Dallas. When I say almost, I mean everything but the kids, myself, our clothes for the week AND a dining room table, hutch, dresser, chest, patio furniture, lawn mower and Caleb's office chair. Unfortunately we could not fit all of our stuff on the largest Uhaul and the largest trailer. Know what else is sad? Caleb had already taken a trailer full a couple of weekends ago.

How on earth did we accumulate almost an extra trailer worth of stuff? Well, our family did expand by one while we were here. Then there was some appliances we bought. So I guess it makes sense. But we have entirely too much stuff. As we packed, I found things I'd not seen since the last time we moved. I think that says something.

The kids and I are staying in Berry while Caleb sets up the house. I guess you could say it's the last hoorah for us. I'm treating this week as if we are on vacation. Lots of pool time, family visits and other odds and ends. We will officially be leaving Labor Day.

It's a very bittersweet time for me. I have to admit tearing up in church a few times today. Sad to be leaving family and my church. But I'm so excited to be headed back to Dallas. I guess we had both been in Dallas so long, it became home to us. We have some wonderful friends and I can't wait to see them regularly.

I have no regrets. We wanted to live close to my family, so we gave it a try. We just aren't cut out for small town life I guess. We are going to head on back to the big city to re-establish our roots. And the weekend after Labor Day, you can find me at Cafe Brazil for breakfast. YUM!

The Last Night

2011-08-24T07:47:00.000-05:00

This is our last night in this house. It's crazy how fast time has passed us by lately. We still have some (ok, more than some) packing to do. It's rather difficult to get much done when someone else is unpacking as quickly as you put it in a box.

Isabelle is excited to go to "Tex as." She asks every morning if we are going to "Tex as" today. She then will tell me Alina needs to come over. It's hard to try to explain to her it's not quite time to go yet. And Alina is a bit to far away to play with us today. Darby doesn't understand what's going on. But he loves having all these boxes around. It's like an indoor climbing facility for him. He has absolutely no fear.

I must leave this post short. I have dishes that are screaming to be put in a box. And pots. And pans. And clothes. And cleaning supplies. And.....well, you get my point.

Dentist and ENT

2011-08-18T12:06:00.000-05:00

I loaded up the kids Tuesday morning to head to the dentist (Darby) and ENT (Isabelle). We received good news at both doctors.

It doesn't appear Darby damaged any nerves in his teeth when he fell. We will be going back for rechecks to make sure his teeth are okay. But for now, all we need to do is watch them.

Isabelle passed her hearing and pressure tests. She has some pressure remaining in her ears, but not enough to be concerned about. The ENT released us.

For the next week or so, we will concentrate on packing up.

Adventures with Darby

2011-08-15T19:09:00.001-05:00

Darby gets into everything. He loves to climb and explore. He will also watch and try to figure out how things work. His curiosity has led to a few injuries. Most of these have been minor – bloody nose, fat lip, various bumps and bruises.

Until Saturday, August 13th.

Caleb was out of town. The kids and I were at JC and Gucci’s. We had spent most of the day over there swimming and playing. While JC was cooking dinner, I heard Darby cry. I knew this cry. It was a I’ve hurt myself please come help me cry.

JC got to him first and found him face down on the floor. I tried to comfort him first then look for signs of injury. I noticed blood from his mouth. It took a few minutes, but I noticed he had chipped his teeth.

My poor baby. Both of his front teeth are chipped. One is much worse than the other. He has been such a trooper. We head to the dentist tomorrow to see if we need to take action.

Talk about Random…..

2011-08-14T07:02:00.001-05:00

While we were in Texas, we ran into a friend. We’d finished dinner at Blue Fish and walked over to Paciugo to get the kids some ice cream. On our way back to the car, we saw Damian and his wife Andria. It was kind of unexpected. In the entire time I lived in Dallas, I hardly ever just ran into people I knew while I was out and about.

We exchanged pleasantries and told Damian the purpose of our visit. We then headed on to the car. The next day, Caleb received an email from Damian telling us he and his wife had bought a new home and were looking to lease their current home.

We had not really considered leasing/renting since we knew we’d have to sign a lease. And we really didn’t want to move twice. But the more we thought about it, the more it made sense to rent from Damian and Andria. It was a win-win for all of us. They were willing to let us rent short term. And even though it means we will have to move twice, we are in a home (not an apartment) and can house hunt once we are there.

All we have left to do is pack up and move. Everything seems to have fallen into place. We will officially be leaving September 5th. So quick……….

DFW - Trip #1.........and Counting

2011-08-09T09:11:00.000-05:00

Caleb and I headed out to DFW for a little house hunt. We had picked out about 15 houses to look at over two days. When we arrived, our realtor informed us 7 of those homes had went under contract between the time we sent her our list and arrival. About 3 days. We quickly found a few more to add to our list. And when I say a few, I really mean about 2,538. I lost count of how many homes we actually viewed.
The weather was absolutely hot, hot, hot. Highs were in the 100 - 110 range. Lows didn't dip below 80. There were rolling blackouts to help alleviate the strain on the electrical grid. It was hot.   And to add to the fun, some of the homes we saw were vacant. Vacant house means hot house. I totally understand not wanting to keep a vacant house cool. I get it. But really, if you want to sell your home, it's best to keep it a comfy temperature so people don't run outside to cool off.

By the way, this little equation sums up my opinion of househunting:

HouseHunters on HGTV = fun, interesting, exciting.
HouseHunters in real life = boring, exhausting, emotional.

While we were in the metroplex, we had some social time. I have missed our friends so much. We are fortunate to have such awesome people in our lives. Jana, of course, was first on my list. No matter how long it's been since we've talked (which is never that long), it is like we've never been apart. I don't know what I'd do without her. I'm so excited to be back in the same metroplex with her. We went grocery shopping. Oh my. I was in heaven. Grocery shopping with my best friend.  I have turned into a foodie. I have missed having choices when shopping.

Friday night we headed over to Josh and Sarah's. Ethan and Ashley also joined us for dinner. We were able to meet two of the new additions to our group (Lucy D. and Tinsley). These girls are so adorable. And should Darby decide to add one of these girls to our family in the future, I'm totally happy with that. Who says arranged marriages are a thing of the past? :)

Ms. Margherita kept Isabelle and Darby while we house hunted on Saturday. It has been about 18 months since we last visited with her. Isabelle really took to her (no surprise).   She didn't want to leave.   Ms. Margherita is such a blessing to us. I can not thank her enough.

On Saturday night, we met Philip, Jonnye and the girls for sushi. Isabelle really liked the sushi. And she was determined to eat with her chopsticks. I must say, she did pretty well. She and Alina really hit it off. For some reason, I always thought of Alina as Darby's age. And Alina is only 13 months older than him. But she's just 8 months younger than Isabelle. They really had fun playing together.

Now we are back and recovering from our 2 days in the car/2 days in DFW. And looking forward to trip #2. Even though I'm dreading more house hunting, I'm looking forward to seeing our friends.

Changes

2011-07-29T13:11:00.001-05:00

I posted this earlier on facebook today:

“There comes a time when you realize your dreams aren't going to become a reality. It's a painfully bittersweet moment. What you thought you wanted will not be. But then there's new dreams that will overcome the old.
And knowing that God is holding your hand. And is walking beside you on this journey of life.”

This pretty much sums everything up. There’s a lot I could say right now. But , I don’t really have all the words. Caleb and I have been talking about making a change for a while now. Until now, I wasn’t ready. But now it is time.

We are moving back to Dallas. It’s been a hard decision. I love being close to family. I will miss them so much.

But now, it’s time to look towards our new future with new dreams.

Rango

2011-07-27T10:53:00.001-05:00

We bought this movie last week so I thought it would be a good dinner and a movie night movie. I decided Monday would be a good night for it. I was wrong. Neither kid really napped. Both were extremely cranky as I was trying to get dinner ready. And both fell asleep 7 minutes into the movie. Yes, we saw 7 minutes of the movie.

But, dinner was excellent. I wasn’t really sure what type of food to have with this movie. I had read it was about lizard in a wild west town. So, I thought to myself what would a person eat in a wild west town. I had stumbled across this recipe for steak fingers and jalapeno gravy a while back. I thought I could make it work for this movie night. And work they did. As I took the first bite, I absolutely did not care if they went with the movie theme or not. These little tasty pieces of fried meat were heavenly. And the jalapeno gravy? Oh, my. I love spicy food. And this gravy was excellent.

By the way, if you have a full stomach and some time, check out her site. YUM! (Hello Homesick Texan!)

Not sure what you think about jalapeno gravy. Personally, I’d had it before so I knew I would love it. Back in my DFW days, my office was in uptown. There was this nice little restaurant called Perry’s. It was a type of place I only dined when the boss was buying. KWIM? One of their lunch specials was fried tuna with jalapeno gravy and creamed potatoes. Now personally, I think the best way to eat tuna is on a pile of rice with wasabi, soy sauce and ginger. (Oh how I miss sushi) So I was intrigued by this entrée. Curiosity got the better of me and I tried it. WOW. Kudos to the chef. And those potatoes? Divine. My mouth is still watering thinking about that plate of fried, fat laden goodness.

Back to our dinner now. I also threw together some mashed potatoes, homemade buttermilk dressing for our salad and cobblestone cheese bread. And for dessert, I made a cinnamon peach cobbler with biscuit topping.

I will leave you with a picture of the peach cobbler. It was different than my usual cobbler. My cobbler dough encompasses the fruit and this one just sits on top of the fruit. But I did like this one. I mean really, you can’t go wrong with any cobbler recipe. But that may be the southern girl in me.

I don’t really have any pictures of the rest of our meal. Cranky, sleepy kids put a damper on that.

And onto the planning for next week.

The Three Caballeros

2011-07-22T19:46:00.001-05:00

This week we watched “The Three Caballeros” and dined on pulled pork tacos, homemade tortillas, lime cilantro rice, black beans, fresh salsa, pico de gallo and limeades. And for dessert, I made churros with a bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce.

I don’t think The Three Caballeros is one of Disney’s more popular movies. It hasn’t really been promoted. Maybe it’s the smoking parrot. I’m not sure.

This movie makes me think of The Grand Fiesta Tour in Epcot. This isn’t the most interesting ride. Nor is it the most thrilling. And honestly, before our last trip, I would have ridden it once and checked it off my to do list.

This time was different. This particular visit to Mexico, Darby was in serious need of a diaper change. The baby care center is next door to Mexico. Caleb took Darby to change his diaper and I took Isabelle to Mexico. Since the World Showcase had just opened for the day, the pavilion was pretty empty. We headed straight for the attraction. Isabelle and I walked on and rode the boat ride. After the ride ended, Isabelle asked to ride it again. We didn’t even have to disembark. Again after the ride ended, Isabelle wanted to ride it again. So we did. After the third Tour, I was a bit overloaded on Donald, Jose, and Panchito. Plus, I hadn’t heard from Caleb and Darby so I wanted to go find them.

We found the boys still at the baby care center. Isabelle strongly suggested we tour Mexico again. So yet again, we found ourselves in the company of Donald, Jose and Panchito. Both kids loved it. I still have the song playing in my head. It’s almost as bad as “It’s a Small World.”

Wonderful memories. Now onto the food.

I loved pulled pork tacos. It’s something a little different than ground beef or chicken. And Pioneer Woman has a delicious recipe. Did I mention easy too?

Ahh, the homemade tortillas. These were mighty tasty. Much better than what you get on the store shelves. However, this may be the first and last time I make them. Combining the ingredients and rolling them into balls were the easy part. The cumbersome part was rolling out the tortillas. I love cooking. But I don’t like cooking when things need to look pretty. Not a one of these little balls of dough turned into a perfect circle.

I wasn’t able to make a picture before everyone dug in. My kids were starving.

See my imperfect tortillas? They did taste much better than they looked.

Isabelle enjoying dinner.

And Darby before bath time (aka dinner).

Snow White Movie Night

2011-07-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

For this week’s dinner and a movie, we chose “Snow White.”

“Snow White” is truly a classic animated film. Granted it is very dark (insert heart in a box reference here), but in the end good prevails. And Isabelle loves it.

The menu for the evening included Grumpy’s Goulash, Sleepy’s Pretzel Pillows, Miner’s Punch and Snow White’s Special Apple Pie. This menu has somewhat of a German feel. When I think of Snow White the princess, I immediately think of the German pavilion in EPCOT. I can picture her standing by the wishing well posing for pictures. Even though Snow White is one of Isabelle’s favorites, we were not able to meet her back in December. Both days we were in EPCOT were rainy so many of the characters weren’t out and about.

Apples immediately come to mind when I think of Snow White.

I knew I had to have apples in the menu. And apple pie was too expected. So, I went for apple pie with a twist.

I used apples and dried cherries. Threw in some cinnamon, sugar, nutmeg, lemon juice and lemon zest. Viola!

I only had pint jars on hand, so that’s what I went with. I even cut out little apples to put on top. Yes, I got a little excited. You could say I was even worked up. My artistic side doesn’t venture out often.

They turned out really cute……and delicious. A scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla would have been divine. But I was too excited about the pies and forgot the ice cream. Sigh. If only. What could have been.

Excuse me while I wipe my drool off the keyboard.

Moving on now. The rest of the menu isn’t as exciting. But it’s still yummy.

Who doesn’t love Sleepy’s Pillow Pretzels?

I love soft pretzels. With salt. And a side of mustard. This was my first try at homemade pretzels. They weren’t bad. Not bad at all. They were very light and fluffy – like a pillow. I will definitely make these again.

The Grumpy’s Goulash was so simple and easy. Both kids had TWO bowls. That alone means success.

And here’s our meal all together – goulash, punch, pretzels and a side of mustard.

I’m really enjoying our movie night. I love to plan our menus and coordinate the movie. I already have next week’s planned and it’s only Tuesday!

Family Dinner and Movie Night

2011-07-07T09:13:00.001-05:00

We are starting a new tradition here at the Hanson House - family dinner and a movie night. I am going to try to coordinate the movie with our dinner to make it more fun. And if the mood hits me just right, we may even do a craft and special decorations.

Tonight we will be watching "Lilo and Stitch."

And dining on Macadamia Nut Pancakes.

The first time Caleb and I went to Disney World (back in 2007),

we had breakfast at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort. We fell in love with Kona. And now, we can't go to WDW without a trip to Kona for some Tonga Toast, Macadamia Nut Pancakes and Kona Coffee. What a great way to start the day before heading over to the Magic Kingdom. I just love it. I'm positively giddy just thinking about it. Such a dork. Yes, I know. I'm a Disney Dork. But I own it.

We've watched "Lilo and Stitch" a few times around here. Isabelle even liked the cartoon series. Caleb and I rode the Stitch attraction back in 2007. I was pregnant with Isabelle. I almost lost my breakfast when Stitch burped those chili cheese fries. Or was it nachos? I can't remember what specifically it was. I just vividly remember the smell. I held my breath and hoped the smell would dissipate before Isabelle suffered from lack of oxygen. The kids aren't big enough to ride it yet, so I've not been on it since. And I don't miss it. Alien Encounter was so much better. Ahh, for the good ‘ole days. I also prefer Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride over Pooh, but no one asked me.

The connection between Stitch and these pancakes is clear right? The movie took place in Hawaii. The Poly resort is, well, it’s Polynesian. And pancakes with macadamia nuts and pineapple just screams Hawaii right? Stitch also has his own meal at Ohana at the Poly. Ohana means family. So, it’s our family dinner and movie night.

Well Visits, Naked Doll and Thoughts

2011-06-13T14:31:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, I took both kids down to Dr. Roberts for their well baby visits. Both of my children are extremely shy. At home, they talk and giggle all the time. But put them in a unknown environment and they are so quiet and reserved. In the exam room, both of my kids were their usual self until the nurse came in. Darby then proceeded to play peekaboo but refused to take his hands off of his eyes. I guess he knew what was coming. Isabelle planted herself in a chair across the room and away from the nurse only to scurry over to me when she realized this woman wasn't leaving.

Once she left, Isabelle excitedly asked when the doctor was coming in. I asked if she was going to talk to the doctor and she said "yes!"  As I expected, once Dr. Roberts came in, Isabelle clammed up. Darby found refuge on my lap. The exams were easy since both kids were too scared to move.

Both kids are doing well. Darby weighs 24 lbs, 8 oz (50%) and is 31 3/4" tall (50%). Isabelle weighs 34 lbs (75%) and is 37 1/4" tall (50%).

Isabelle got off lucky. She didn't need any shots. Darby was another story. Poor kid had to get three. No matter how many times I've done this, it still hurts me.

Isabelle had taken her baby doll, Lucy, into the office with us. (All of our baby dolls are named Lucy) I'm not sure why, but Isabelle keeps all of her dolls naked.  And she refuses to put the clothes back on them. I got tired of dressing her dolls, so the dolls remain without clothes.

After Darby got his shots, he wanted Lucy for comfort. I was so proud of Isabelle for sharing Lucy. She doesn't always share with him, but she will be the first to offer something if he's crying. I was touched. Isabelle hugged Darby and we headed out of the office........ with my son carrying a naked baby doll.   I wish I'd had my camera.

I got quite a few looks from the other parents. It kind of bothered me. Not because I was being judged. But because someone was judging my son for playing with a doll. I knew coming back to Alabama would be a culture shock for me. I had hoped in the 11+ years I was gone that life would have progessed somewhat. I was wrong. And I'm sad about that.

Maybe I've changed too much for small town life.

Beaches ‘n Bubbles

2011-05-31T22:25:00.001-05:00

So, it’s been a while. A really long, long time since I last posted. So much has happened – a tornado, end of school and much, much more. For now, I’ll start with the latest.

We headed down to the beach for Memorial Day weekend.

I wasn’t sure how Darby would like the gulf. He loves bath time but hates swimming. Well, this kid loved the gulf. He still didn’t like the pool (indoor or out), but he was totally in his element catching some waves.

Now this one was totally opposite. Figures, right? Why on earth would siblings like the same thing? I tell ya, here lately these two are acting like brother and sister. But that’s another story for another day.

Darby also enjoyed the sand.

I also brought bubbles and an assortment of bubble wands. Thank you Dollar General. I spent $5 and kept these kids entertained for hours.

Darby tried to figure this one out.

Yep, he’s trying.

And gives JC the look when she tries to help.

My bubble queen.

He might not could blow ‘em, but he certainly could catch them.

Trying again.

Heritage Festival

2011-04-26T05:00:00.001-05:00

Isabelle, Darby and I headed over to Berry for the Heritage Festival. Isabelle was super excited to go. She knew we would be meeting up with Olivia there. And she knew there’d be rides. All I heard on the way to Berry was “are we at the carnibal yet? Momma, I don’t see the carnibal. Where’s the carnibal!?!?” For 30 minutes I was questioned. It was like she didn’t believe me.

Once we got there she then demanded we find Olivia. Luckily we found Olivia pretty quickly. The girls decided to bounce first. For some reason, Isabelle was not enjoying it. I have no idea why. This kid normally loves them. We moved on to the train ride. Fun times were had by all.

We had some lunch then browsed the arts and crafts available for sale. Then the carnival rides opened. Oh. My. Goodness. My little girl was so excited. JC bought both girls a band which allowed them unlimited rides. Now some of you may know this isn’t a large carnival. I think there were 5 attractions for them. But they rode each one multiple times. They certainly got their money’s worth. Poor Darby fell asleep after lunch. He didn’t get anything but a sunburn.

I do think my Isabelle will be adventurous. She requested more than once to ride some of the big kid rides. But, she missed the height cutoff by quite a bit. Poor kid. My little adrenaline junkie will have to wait.

We all had a great time. Apparently this same carnival will be in Fayette this next weekend. Maybe we’ll celebrate the upcoming royal nuptials by riding the gator another time or two or ten!

Shepherd’s Place

2011-04-23T21:10:00.001-05:00

Isabelle and Darby participated in their first egg hunt of the season at Shepherd’s Place. Isabelle decorated a cupcake, had her face painted and played with Olivia. She avoided the Easter Bunny at all cost. Neither Isabelle or Darby was interested in meeting him. Not even a bribe of candy would work. Seriously these two would get away from him as fast as possible.

Darby did get to color a page or two. I’m sure he would have done a great job decorating a cupcake.

Isabelle found quite a few eggs. Darby found one. We had a nice stash of candy.

Darby–14 Months

2011-04-13T05:00:00.003-05:00

Darby is 14 months. I absolutely love this stage. He’s so interactive and talkative. But he doesn’t talk back yet. His tantrums are short and cute. He loves the camera and will cheese it up. When he hears music, he dances. He loves attention. He loves silly faces, silly noises and tickles.

He is into the toddler phase so I know these sweet moments will be gone soon. The tantrums won’t be as cute. His independence will only grow. And he will soon tell me what he wants or doesn’t want. He will soon refuse to do things just because I ask. I know what’s coming. I’ve been here before. But he will also tell me he loves me. And give me kisses and hugs on his own. And other precious moments will come.

Boy can he eat. He eats more than Isabelle….a lot more. You’d not know it by looking at him. He’s so small. He can still wear his 6-9 month shorts from last summer. Most 12 month pants are too big.
Darby is very active. He is only still when he’s asleep. I thought Isabelle was a bad climber. She has nothing on him. He’s now learned he can get up in the kitchen chairs. It won’t be long before I find him on the table or on the countertops. If there’s anything electronic within eye sight, he will find it. Cell phones, remotes, cordless phones, whatever is around. Remember the episode of Friends where Ross’ monkey changes the tv to Spanish? That’s my son. And yes I’m comparing him to a monkey.

This new month has been bittersweet. As much as I love seeing him grow up, he isn’t my baby any more. He is so independent. He thinks he can do it all by himself.

I have also weaned him. He was only nursing 1-2x per day and even then he wasn’t totally interested in it. Unfortunately for me, he’s not missed it at all. But I have missed it. I miss those special moments when it was just us. He needed me. And I needed him.

He’s my precious son. My baby no matter how old he is. No matter how much he thinks he is grown. He’s my baby.

Isabelle Turns 3

2011-04-11T05:00:00.000-05:00

Isabelle turned three on Friday. It seems like yesterday.

What a fun three years it has been. For Isabelle’s birthday, she wanted Olivia to spend the night. I wasn’t sure if we’d be up all night or if the girls would sleep. Turns out both girls were in bed by 10 pm. Yea for me!

On Friday, we watched Punzel (aka Tangled), Snow White, and Jake. Both of these girls love Jake and the Neverland Pirates. They played and played and played some more. Darby did his best to keep up with them.

I made pink, green and sprinkle princess cupcakes. I’m no professional, but it was fun to be creative. And creativity is something I’m not especially good at. That is why accounting was a good fit for me. Creative accounting can get you in BIG trouble.

My amateur attempt at baking

Can you see her excitement?

She’s happy now. Talk about mood swings. I dread the teenage years.

Uncle Joe saying bye. Notice Darby didn’t even take the cupcake out of his mouth.

My little ham.

What’s better than a birthday gift? The bubble pack!

Cookies

2011-04-09T10:33:00.001-05:00

For Isabelle’s school party, I ordered princess tiara cookies from the Dessert Box. These were a huge hit. The cookies were almost too pretty to eat. Notice I said almost.

These were definitely fit for a princess – pink, purple, white and sparkly. And delicious too!

We invited Olivia to join Isabelle’s class for cookies. Aunt Linda, JC, Darby and Daddy stopped by as well.

I love that these two girls are friends.

Cookies with friends and family.

Butterfly

2011-04-07T12:16:00.001-05:00

I saw a butterfly today. It was a beautiful yellow and black one flittering between my neighbors azaleas. I immediately thought of this….

“A butterfly perched on my cheek,

Brought hope that it would stay.

But with a gentle breathless kiss,

Too soon it flew away.”

This poem was on my MawMaw’s bookmark from the funeral home. She died six years ago today. Why did I notice this butterfly on this day? I don’t know. I’d like to think it’s a sign. That even though she’s no longer here, she is still here.

Maybe she knew we are having Isabelle’s birthday party at school today. Isabelle is named after her you know.

Another thing - Isabelle was born April 8. MawMaw died April 7. Lucy was born November 3. MawMaw was born November 2. It’s weird how these two girls were born a day away from their great grandmother’s beginning and end.

Spaghetti……………..

2011-04-01T12:04:00.001-05:00

………………I think he likes it.

An Adoption

2011-03-26T15:12:00.001-05:00

I don’t have much to say about this. I really don’t know what to say. I am so disappointed for this sweet couple. I don’t know this family personally. But I don’t have too. I am sad for them. I have cried for them. I have prayed for them. My heart breaks for them.

Please visit http://www.oureyesopened.blogspot.com/.

Please pray.

Sharing

2011-03-22T08:50:00.001-05:00

Isabelle can be a sweet, loving older sister. Notice I said can. And really most of the time she is. But she does have her bossy moments. This was not one of them. She was willing to share her sucker with Darby. The sucker was rather large and so was the mess that accompanied it. They both enjoyed it (as well as Caleb and myself).

Tubes–Revisted

2011-03-18T14:53:00.001-05:00

As I blogged about a long, long time ago, Isabelle has had trouble with her ears. I thought we were past those problems but unfortunately we are not. We have only had a few ear infections in the time that we have been in Alabama. However, the infections are not the problem anymore.

I noticed I had to repeat things to Isabelle often. I chalked it up to her not wanting to hear or being in her own world. She also did this at school – enough to worry her teachers and the director. They both suggested that I get her hearing checked. I discussed the issue with our pediatrician and she agreed. With her history of ear infections, she could have a hearing problem. Cue the mommy guilt. What if we’d had tubes put in before we left Dallas? What if I hadn’t started her to FCA? What if she has hearing loss because of me? What if? What if? What if?

I took Isabelle to the ENT to have the problem checked out. She saw a wonderful audiologist who checked her hearing and the pressure in her ears. We then saw the doctor. She passed her hearing test in both hears. YEA! However, she had pressure in both ears that were causing her eardrums to retract. BOO! This pressure could effect her hearing and speech along with causing pain. He wasn’t ready to push for tubes just yet. He wanted us to come back in a few weeks for a recheck.

Fast forward a few weeks. We went back to the ENT. She again passed her hearing test but continued to have pressure in both ears. Unfortunately, the pressure had increased. He still wanted to hold off on the tubes, but cautioned us that if she had ear pressure at the next visit he would suggest the surgery.

Today, we went back to the ENT. I was prepared for the worst. I just knew she was going to have pressure in her ears. The audiologist comes in and does her exam. Normally she doesn’t tell me the results. She will let the doctor discuss those with me after he examines her. But today, she shared the results with me before we saw the doctor. Isabelle passed her hearing as usual. And there was NO pressure in her right ear and only a slight level of pressure in her left ear. I was ready to fall off my seat. The doctor examined Isabelle and confirmed the audiologist’s findings. He doesn’t want to put tubes - yet. He is hopeful her left ear will fix itself like her right ear has. We will go back for a recheck in a couple of months.

If you heard a big sigh of relief earlier today, it was me. I know we aren’t totally out of the woods yet. But I think we may be on the right path.

Generations

2011-02-28T13:57:00.001-06:00

One of the best things about being here is family. We all were together yesterday for Lucy’s dedication. I have a lot of pictures to sort through for a post. But this is one of my favorites of the day.

Granddaddy (almost 80) and Darby (barely 1)

Why Hello There

2011-02-23T11:09:00.001-06:00

Let me show you what’s new around here.

No, it’s not the glasses. These are hand me downs from my sister. The other kid you see on this blog.
Not these pretty blues either. Had ‘em all my life.

And technically this box is new. Came today with my diapers. Thank goodness Mom gets me something besides diapers. But this isn’t what I want to show you.

Here they are. Look closely. Can you see them? I have three new teeth. I got a new one on front. And you can barely see my one year molars, but trust me folks. They are there. Ask Mom if you don’t believe me.

Did you get that? Later.

Cheese!

2011-02-18T14:49:00.001-06:00

I was IM’ing with my friend Jana when I heard a knock at my door. Who was it? I knew it was too early for JC to stop by. And most everyone else calls before they come by. I admit I have done some online shopping this week, but nothing was scheduled for delivery today.

I opened the door and there was a FedEx delivery guy. He had a package for Caleb. Drats. He asked for my signature. I figured it was something work related for him. I signed and set the package down on the counter. I noticed the name and did a double take.

It wasn’t a package for Caleb. Yes, his name was on it. But it was my camera! Hooray! I got my camera back today. I am so excited to have it back in my hands. I had to immediately test out the new lens.

If you are in the market for a camera, or just have questions, Competitive Cameras rocks.

Yep, it works. And my kids cheesed it up for me.

An Infestation

2011-02-09T08:59:00.001-06:00

Isabelle has been having trouble sleeping lately. She fights us to nap or sleep at night. On average, getting her to stay in bed would take at least an hour. Then around 3 am she would climb into bed with us. We weren’t sleeping much and neither was Isabelle.

Turns out, Isabelle had monsters in her room. Monsters were everywhere. I was so glad she told us. Luckily we had some “Go Away Monster Spray” here. Last night, she and Caleb sprayed the room before bed time. She still fought going to bed, but she did eventually go to sleep. She only woke up once and went right back to sleep. We also put a night light in her room.

I’m hoping the spray and night light will keep the monsters away and help Isabelle sleep at night. She loves spraying her room. She had to spray this morning before she left for school. I have a feeling she will want to spray the entire house when she gets home. But if it makes her feel better, she can spray away.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed this works. For the sake of my sanity (and Caleb’s), please let this work.

Darby’s Cake

2011-02-08T10:13:00.001-06:00

Since the kids were sick, we had a very low key family gathering for Darby. JC made chili and potato soup. The kids played. And we had a wonderful cake from The Dessert Box.

Darby really like Donald Duck when we went to Disney. He seems to like all ducks. In fact “duck” was his second sign to me. “Milk” was his first. He can even say “quack, quack.” I thought it was only fitting to have Donald on his first birthday cake.

Cake images courtesy of The Desert Box.

A ladybug fairy joined us for the party.

The birthday boy himself. Such a cheese.

And here’s Lucy. She slept through most of the party. And good thing too. She couldn’t have cake.

I think he’s excited.

He’s digging in. Someone is trying to steal a bite.

Looks like she was successful.

Olivia joined in the fun. Darby loved the cake.

So did Isabelle. I mean the ladybug fairy.

A Journey…..One Year in the Making

2011-02-07T05:00:00.003-06:00

Caleb and I began our home journey about a year ago.   What a ride it has been. I never in a million years would have guessed we’d still be traveling on this journey.   And I’m tired.

I feel like we are at a crossroads. What do we do now? Do we sit and wait and hope something in Fayette pops up? Do we move our search to Northport? Do we look in other areas ? Are our standards too high? Do we want something that doesn’t exist? Where do we go from here?

I am absolutely stumped. And disgusted. And disappointed. And sad. I have prayed and cried. Prayed some more. Shed a few more tears. I’m lost. Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?

We wanted to move back to be close to family. It has been absolutely wonderful. I love that JC and Gucci are only a short distance away. Isabelle adores Olivia and Lucy. Even Aunt Linda and Uncle Joe get in on the action. I can’t imagine not being here.

Our house in Texas sold so quickly it just seemed our decision was “right.”   But maybe it wasn’t. I don’t know. I keep telling myself that the right house will come along. There’s a reason the last four (yes four) homes haven’t worked out. But as time goes on, I’m having a more difficult time believing this.

I’ve always known what to do. Big life decisions always came easy for me. College – no brainer. Grad school – where my heart led me. Career path – a breeze. Husband – easiest/best decision ever. I feel like I’m stumbling over and over here. I can’t get balanced and get my feet planted on the ground.

Where do we go from here?

One Year and a Doctor Visit

2011-02-03T09:34:00.001-06:00

Darby had his one year checkup yesterday. I ended up taking Isabelle as well. Isabelle began holding her ear and crying on Tuesday. I have been here too many times. I knew it was an ear infection. Dr. Roberts confirmed what I knew. Another round of antibiotics for Isabelle. Just in case you are keeping track, that’s 3 antibiotics since Jan 1.

Darby is doing okay. He still has the bronchiolitis and needs the breathing treatments. Isabelle’s lungs are finally clear. So at least something improved.

Darby was weighed and measured. I normally get comments on how big he is, but he’s rather small for his age.

Weight: 22 lbs – 25-50%

Length: 29 inches – 10-25%

Head: 18 inches – 25%

Darby is talking up a storm and using signs. We signed with Isabelle and I loved it. Right now he is stuck on signing “milk” and “duck.” Quack quack is his favorite phrase. He sounds quite adorable. He loves “ba” time and gets excited when bath is mentioned.

Our next big adjustment is transitioning him to whole milk. He has been getting milk officially for about a month. He’s been getting it unofficially (from Isabelle) for a while now. We are down to two-three nurses per day. It’s hard for me to cut him off while he’s sick. Nursing isn’t just about nutrition. It’s also comforting to him. But once he’s well I will make more of an effort to wean. I know it will be hard on me as well. It’s another sign my baby is growing up.

My goal was to nurse Darby for three months. I have blown past that and made it to one year. The first few weeks were difficult, but I’m so glad I stuck it out.

He is growing up too fast. It seems like we are just blowing by milestones. Some days I just want to sit and hold him. To try to slow life down if just for a moment. I want to remember these days. They will be gone before I know it.

My January

2011-02-01T10:54:00.001-06:00

I feel like a slacker. I haven’t updated my blog in a long time. Both of my kids are taking turns being sick. It all started back in December……..

We went to Gatlinburg for New Years. The next to last day we were there, Isabelle woke up with what I thought was pink eye. Her eye was swollen, runny and matted together. Now pink eye in itself is bad enough. But we were there with Olivia and Lucy. It’s one thing for your child to infect your other child. But I was absolutely mortified that Isabelle would pass pink eye to the girls. Off to the nearest Doc-in-the-Box. I was wrong. It wasn’t pink eye. Whew! She had an ear, nose and throat infection that had settled in her eye. Poor kid was a trooper. She never gave any indication she wasn’t feeling well.

She stayed home from school a week to recuperate. Life seemed to be back to normal. Or so I thought.

Darby was next. I noticed he had some “loose movements.” TMI- I know. This went on for almost two weeks. A call to our doctor around day #3 made us feel a bit better. She said this was normal and we had no need to worry yet. But I was changing diapers like I had a newborn again. A horrible side effect from this was a terrible diaper rash. Oh my how my heart would sink when I had to change his diaper. At times, it was easier to put him in the tub. He did recover and life seemed to be back to normal. Or so I thought.

After being in school for a week, Isabelle got sick again. I thought maybe she hadn’t fully recovered from her Gatlinburg illness. I waited it out a couple of days. Her cough grew worse. She was mopy. And cuddly. My child isn’t one to mope or cuddle so I knew something was wrong. Back to the doctor. He diagnosed her with bronchitis, prescribed an antibiotic and sent us on our way. Another week of school missed.

The antibiotic didn’t really help. I now knew I was dealing with a virus and we’d have to let it run its course. In the mean time, we had a trip to the beach planned for my birthday. So we had to decide – stay or go? We ended up deciding to go. She was feeling okay, just a horrible cough. And some salty air would be great for her right? We packed up and headed south.

We had a great first couple of days at the beach. Both kids were having a great time. We went to Harry and David’s to pick up some treats for both the kids and adults. Isabelle picked out some chocolate covered dried cherries. They were bright red (you will need to remember this detail). We wrapped up our shopping and began our walk to the car. She asked for a cherry and was enjoying it when a coughing attack occurred. I reminded her to cover her mouth. A couple of ladies passed us and said “Oh my!” I thought to myself it’s just a cough attack. What can I do? Then I turned to look at her. I now knew why the ladies reacted like that. The red chocolate was streaming out of her mouth and she appeared to be coughing up blood. Oh well. I grabbed a wipe and cleaned her up. Life was getting back to normal. Or so I thought.

That Saturday night Darby started coughing. Not just a cough, but a wet cough like Isabelle’s. He was coughing up stuff. I figured he had the same thing as Isabelle. But he’s younger and immunity isn’t as strong as hers (even though he’s still nursing). The initials RSV popped in my head, followed quickly by visions of hospital beds, breathing masks and NICU. We decided to head to the closest Doc-in-the-Box. No RSV or strep. Just a virus. The doctor wanted to administer breathing treatments with a nebulizer. No problem. But we are on vacation and I have absolutely no idea where to get one of these. In a resort town. On a Saturday night. During dead season.

The doctor was AWESOME. He and his staff called around until they found a medical supply company that could help us out. The clinic even faxed over all of our information to make the process even quicker. The medical supply company was closed, but the man met me there anyway. How great is that? Another plus is the doctor gave us plenty of medication so we could also administer it to Isabelle as well.

We are now home and administering breathing treatments to both kids. I can only hope February is a healthier month.

So now you know how are kids have been. I haven’t even began to fill you in on other things going on like the house hunt. But suffice to say, there’s not much to tell. Found a home, made an offer, had the inspection, ran like hell.

So, how was your January?

Snow Day

2011-01-15T05:00:00.000-06:00

I am really missing my camera. My point and shoot does okay, but not as well as my DSLR. Hopefully I will get it back soon. Nevertheless, here’s some shots of us playing in the snow.

Gatlinburg

2011-01-14T05:00:00.000-06:00

For New Years, the Clark family headed up to Gatlinburg. JC and Gucci took Isabelle and Olivia up a day early so they could go to Dollywood. The rest of us arrived Thursday. There was still snow on the ground when we arrived but by the next day, most of it was gone.

Kyler’s family and our family stayed in a 3 bedroom chalet. We let Isabelle and Olivia stay in one bedroom together. I was worried that Isabelle would want to play and not sleep during the night. I was wrong. Both girls went to bed and would sleep. I guess they played hard during each day and were tired at night.

Friday morning we all loaded up and headed to the aquarium. I don’t have many pictures from our trip. My camera lens broke our last Disney day. I still have a little point and shoot but it’s not the same.
I ask her to smile and this is what I get. And again.

Christmas Eve

2011-01-13T05:00:00.009-06:00

We spent Christmas Eve with the Webster side of my family. Per tradition we had chili and pizza. Caleb, I and the kids headed over early. I was ambitious this year. Instead of Pizza Hut, I decided to make the pizzas. I think they turned out really good. I definitely want to do it again next year…with some adjustments of course.

We also got to meet Jim’s new friend. I like her. She took some great pics of the kids. And the kids seemed to like her too. Darby was quite the ham for her.

Disney Day 9: Departure and Recap

2011-01-12T05:00:00.003-06:00

All good things must come to an end. We packed up our bags, loaded up the car and headed to the food court for one last meal. The resort was quite busy with new arrivals. We finished breakfast, hopped in the car and headed north.

We went back a different way to change up the scenery. If I had to do it over again, I would definitely drive. We were able to be flexible with coming and going. And, we didn’t have to worry about luggage and souvenirs. If we had flown, we would have spent a bit extra in baggage fees. Plus, we have a bus sized double stroller which is a must for any trip.

This trip was so much fun. I think it was even better than our last trip. Isabelle is so wrapped up in the magic. To her, the characters are real. So her excitement of meeting them is truly genuine. Darby wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he enjoyed himself. Of course there are things I will do differently next trip. However, this trip was truly magical.

I am sad the trip is over, but I have already started planning the next one. I can not wait to get back down there again.

Disney Day 8: Cape May and EPCOT

2011-01-11T05:00:00.000-06:00

For our last morning I scheduled breakfast at Cape May. We did two character meals this trip and both had Minnie Mouse. Isabelle just loves her. Although I think next trip we will be having a meal with the princesses.

Another note about this day. My camera lens broke. I am thankful it was the last day of the trip. But we did pack our point in shoot too so I was able to get some pictures.
After breakfast, it was off to EPCOT. Right inside the park we ran into Daisy Duck.

Unfortunately it rained a lot this day. We rode Nemo about 4 or 5 times in a row. Then Living with the Land twice. Once the rain let up we headed back over to the World Showcase where I finally got my Grey Goose Slushie. I have been waiting since our last trip to have another one. It was worth the wait.
What a great trip. I am so happy we were able to go.
Next up: Departure Day and Recap

Disney Day 7: Animal Kingdom

2011-01-10T05:00:00.000-06:00

For our next to last day, we headed back to Animal Kingdom. But first we headed over to Sanaa in the Animal Kingdom Lodge for lunch. We haven’t been to AKL since our trip back in 2007. It was so nice to walk out onto the savannah and see the animal. While we were looking at the giraffes, ostrich and zebras, Isabelle announced she wanted a zebra for Christmas. She wanted to “ride on it.” This idea stayed with her the rest of the trip. I have no idea why she thinks you can ride on them, but I’m sure you can.
After lunch it was on to Animal Kingdom. Luckily for us the kids fell asleep AND the single rider line for Expedition Everest was open. Caleb and I each rode twice while they slept.
We headed over to the Jungle Trek after we had our fun.

I love all the little details Disney puts in their parks.

It finally warmed up enough to have a Mickey Bar.

We hopped on Kilimanjaro Safaris while the parade was happening. I got a lot of great animal shots. But this post is getting rather long so I will leave you with my favorite.

After the safari we were able to see the tail end of the parade. We left AK and headed over to Downtown Disney for a little dinner and shopping. Then it was back to the resort to relax. Our last park day would be fast approaching.
Next up: Cape May and EPCOT

Disney Day 6: Chef Mickey’s and Magic Kingdom

2011-01-06T05:00:00.000-06:00

This is our second time to eat at Chef Mickey’s. During our last trip we had breakfast here. It’s a good way to meet the Fab Five and have your morning meal.
Darby is becoming impatient.
We saw his fav first.
Then everyone else started to arrive.

After breakfast, we headed back to the Magic Kingdom.
By now, Isabelle is getting this whole meeting characters down. We saw the White Rabbit.
Then it was off to the teacups. I have to admit I have never ridden them. So this was a first for both of us.

Back to the carousel.

We watched as the Fairy Godmother granted Cinderella’s wish and lit up the castle.

What a way to wrap up our evening. Isabelle loved seeing the castle light up. Both kids ended up falling asleep on the way back to Port Orleans. I think they had a great day.

Next up: Animal Kingdom

Disney Day 5: Hollywood Studios

2011-01-05T05:00:00.000-06:00

I was looking forward to the Studios for one reason.
This is one of my all time favorite rides. Unfortunately, the exterior was being worked on so there weren’t any good photo ops. But the ride was working. Caleb and I have to alternate riding since the kids aren’t big enough. One benefit to being a single rider is a shorter wait.
Isabelle tried out her dramatic side.
We watched Beauty and the Beast.

And ran into Minnie Mouse.
Then we waited for the Christmas lights. And it was certainly worth the wait.

The Osborne lights were amazing. It's been a few years since I last saw them. I was 21 and in college. My life has changed a bit. I'm a few years older, married and a mother. I think I enjoyed them more now seeing them through my kids eyes.

Next up: Magic Kingdom and Chef Mickey’s

Disney Day 4: Animal Kingdom

2011-01-03T05:00:00.003-06:00

Truthfully, Animal Kingdom is my favorite park. I love all the walkways, details and theming here. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy visiting the other parks. But, I could spend days here….more than the two days we had.
The Tree of Life is amazing. No matter how many times I have seen it, I am still in awe.

Do you notice anything below? First clue something is there is the “handler” or man in blue.

A closer look.
And even closer.

It’s Devine.

Isabelle and Darby did well napping in the stroller.
They woke up just in time for the parade.
They both loved the parade. One thing I thought was genius……

Minnie’s bath of hot chocolate. It smelled like hot chocolate too!

Darby just loved………
Donald Duck!
Another happy day for Isabelle. I think we rode Triceratops Twirl 3 or 4 times in a row. She loved it.

Next up: Hollywood Studios and warmer weather

Disney Day 3: Magic Kingdom

2011-01-02T05:00:00.004-06:00

I was looking forward to our first day at Magic Kingdom. I knew Isabelle would just love it. Who wouldn’t love it? Flying elephants, mischievous pirates, grim grinning ghosts, dole whips and so much more.
It was cold, but not unbearable. I was prepared for today’s weather. And just look at that blue sky.
The MK was all decked out in holiday decorations. And the castle was just as beautiful as I remembered.
Isabelle wanted to go inside the castle, so that’s where we went first. We took a stroll through it and headed to Prince Charming Regal Carrousel.   We also rode this a couple of times.
We headed over to Toontown to say goodbye to Mickey and Minnie’s houses. It’s sad these will be gone in a few months, but I understand why Disney is making those changes.

   While we were there, we stopped by to meet the Princesses. Isabelle enjoyed meeting them. Darby loved it. He wouldn’t take his eyes off them. He is such a ladies man. And again, Isabelle was so excited she couldn’t stand still….until she met them face to face.

We thought we’d see if Isabelle was tall enough for Goofy’s Barnstormer. She was and she wanted to ride. She loved it. Giggled the entire ride.
It’s incredibly hard to get a good picture of a 10 month old and toddler. But even some of the professionals make “bad” pictures sometimes.

Love to see this smile.
We stumbled upon Ariel in Adventure Land. Neither child really took to her. Maybe if she’d been in her mermaid state they would have liked her. I’m not sure.

We wrapped up this day and headed back to the resort to warm up.
Next up: Animal Kingdom

Disney Day 2: EPCOT

2010-12-31T05:00:00.005-06:00

Sunday was our first day in the Parks. We had our cereal, got ready and headed out for a day at EPCOT.
Our first stop was the character spot to meet Mickey, Pluto, Minnie, Donald and Goofy. I wasn’t sure how Isabelle would react to the characters. On our last trip, she was rather scared of them all. But this trip was different. She wasn’t scared at all. However, I do think she was overwhelmed. While waiting in line, she was jumping and talking. Once she walked up to meet them, she became so quiet and reserved.

After meeting the Fab Five we headed over to Nemo. We rode it three times in a row. I believe this might have been Isabelle’s favorite ride of the entire trip.
I had checked the weather many, many, many times before we left. Sunday had a forecasted high of 68 with rain showers moving in after lunch. Well, either I missed something or the meteorologists did. Around lunch time the winds picked up. I’m not talking a nice breeze. I’m talking blow the food off your table, high chairs across the floor, and strollers far far away. Then the rain came. No big deal. I was prepared. I had ponchos for us. But the temperatures dropped. Big time. I was NOT prepared for that. So, we headed over to Mouse Gears to pick up sweatshirts for all and a new pink, princess Minnie for Isabelle.
We wandered around the World Showcase and ran into Alice.
Unfortunately we didn’t see anyone else. I think the rain had something to do with that.
Later we ate dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh. The food was good. The belly dancer was better. Isabelle loved her. “She’s so booful”
All in all, it was a good day – even with the weather issues.

Next up: Magic Kingdom
Note: I took lots of pictures and we saw lots of attractions. However, I’m just hitting the highlights.

Disney Day 1: Arrival

2010-12-29T05:00:00.002-06:00

We left Dawson, Georgia and were on our way. We arrived at our Resort around 2pm. The reception area was a zoo. Seriously I think I waited an hour to check in. Apparently the last upgrade to their reservation system had brought it down. What a mess. But I was determined this would not set the tone for our vacation.
We got to our room, unpacked and let the kids play. We spent the rest of the evening at the resort and headed to bed early.
Next up: EPCOT

Disney Day 1/2: Departure

2010-12-27T05:00:00.003-06:00

I call this day 1/2 of our vacation. The original plan was to leave bright and early Saturday morning. I jokingly mentioned at lunch on Friday we should leave after Caleb got off work. Apparently excitement got the best of us and we decided to leave on Friday night. JC and Gucci had already planned on coming over Friday night to see the kids before we left. While they played with Isabelle and Darby, Caleb and I packed the car and got ready to leave.
We pulled out at 8pm. Kids were already in their pjs and fell asleep quickly once we started down the road. Caleb and I had a few hours of adult time. It’s been a while since we had a few hours to just talk without interruption. About 1 am we had made it as far as we could go. We were both so sleepy. We stopped in Dawson to spend the night.
We got checked in and as you could imagine the kids were ready to play. We gave them a while to unwind then we tried to go to sleep. This was an adventure. We didn’t have a pack n play for Darby since our hotel at Disney would have one. This meant he had to sleep with one of us. I guess you could say we played musical beds for a bit. Finally we all got settled.
We woke up around 6am, loaded up and were our way to see Mickey.

A Celebration

2010-12-20T10:13:00.000-06:00

Caleb, the kids and I headed down to Walt Disney World last week. We had a great five year anniversary celebration all week. And the kids had fun too. Isabelle loved seeing the characters and I loved seeing her reaction to them. She was totally immersed in the magic. Even though we did not do everything, we still had so much fun. We took our time and really enjoyed just strolling around. All the parks and resorts were decorated for Christmas.

We were lucky enough to dine with Mickey and his friends a couple of times. Isabelle saw Minnie Mouse four times during the week! Each time she reacted as if it were her first. Minnie is her favorite. Darby also liked meeting the characters but I think he liked the Princesses the best. He's such a ladies man.

I am a huge Disney lover. I grew up going to the parks with my parents and brother. Now I get to take my children and create memories with them. It's a different experience going with my kids. I love seeing it through their eyes. And I hope they enjoy going as much as I do.

It was sad leaving yesterday, but I know we will be back. Let the planning begin!

So now I have a few thousands pictures to sort through. Hopefully I will have some posted soon.

Five Years

2010-12-10T08:54:00.001-06:00

Happy Anniversary to my husband. It’s been a great five years and I look forward to many, many more.

Honeymoon – St. Lucia, day cruise to the Pitons

The Clubhouse

2010-12-01T03:45:00.001-06:00

Once upon a time there was a girl who had a clubhouse….and a boy who wanted to play in it too. He knew he had a hard road ahead.

The clubhouse was guarded by a mean feline.
With a little luck and courage, the feline was defeated.
But now the boy faced a tougher opposition…..the owner of the clubhouse.

Could he win? Would she ever share her clubhouse?

After a little persuasion, he won. She let him in her clubhouse. But now she wouldn’t let him out!

To Grandmother’s House We Go…..

2010-11-29T02:30:00.003-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving Day at JC and Gucci’s. This was the first time all of us were together since Lucy’s birth. Isabelle and Olivia had fun as usual. Isabelle loves babies so I knew she would be interested in Lucy. She even held her for a while. Darby was content playing and exploring. He showed no interest in any of the girls.
Table for two Waiting on Olivia Exploring Checking out the cows Hanging out by the pool
Playing in the dirt

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T09:21:00.001-06:00

Following Darby…..

2010-11-17T12:45:00.001-06:00

I found him in the kitchen. Please don’t judge my dirty oven.

Then it was onto the dining room. Stopping only for a moment.

Now it’s time to head up the stairs.

He is quick.

A little too quick. And the worst part?

He’s good at it.

And has no fear.

He heads to Isabelle’s room.

He stops to play.

Then tries to climb into her bed.

I was scared to leave him here too long. I knew he’d find the steps.

We headed back downstairs….where we started over again.

(Cover)ed

2010-11-07T13:12:00.001-06:00

I have added a new button to my blog.

One of my freshman roommates, Julie, and her friend have joined together to form (Cover)ed to assists adoptive families. Please look around at their products they have for sale. They will be showcasing their designs at a Christmas market later this month. You can also order online.

Walking

2010-11-04T13:46:00.001-05:00

So you already know what I can do right?

I can walk well….with assistance.

Check it out.

One handed.

Whooohoooo!

Darby + Steps = Sad Mom

2010-11-04T10:52:00.001-05:00

Darby took his first steps today. I can not believe he is moving along so fast. I knew he would be walking before Isabelle did since he’s hitting his other milestones before she did. But I had no idea my 9 month old would be taking steps. It’s way to early for me. Now maybe this is a one time thing. I’m not sure but I will know soon enough.

Nine Months

2010-11-01T13:27:00.001-05:00

Darby and I saw Dr. Roberts today for his nine month checkup. He’s doing well and meeting all his milestones. We will be transitioning him to 100% table food soon. He’s been eating some table food for the past few weeks but he still gets the occasional baby food. We also discussed when and how to begin weaning Darby. I have been so fortunate to have nursed Darby this long. I still have some time left but I am getting a little sad knowing his nursing days are numbered.

Luckily he didn’t have to get any scheduled immunizations today. However, he did have his iron checked and a flu shot. Breast fed babies sometimes have iron deficiencies and Dr. Roberts wanted to make sure Darby didn’t (he didn’t). I also noticed a mole on his shoulder which is something else we will need to watch. Isabelle’s first mole appeared around 6 months and she’s since had many to pop up.

All in all it was a good visit. But maybe that’s because I got a gold star from Dr. Roberts. She is super happy I’ve been able to nurse Darby. And I always enjoy chatting with her.

Here’s his nine month stats:

19 lbs, 10 oz – almost 50%

28 in – 50%

Trunk or Treat

2010-10-30T19:45:00.001-05:00

We loaded up the kids Saturday and headed over to Shepherds Place for Trunk or Treat. Isabelle loaded up on some sugar then played with Olivia. And the best part? She spent the night with JC and Gucci so we didn’t have to deal with her sugar crash.

Darby enjoying some chocolate chip cookies

Ready to go

Darby and JC handing out candy from JC’s trunk. She did a beach theme that turned out really cute.

One of my favorite pictures of the girls. Notice the hair twirling. Everyone in my family does it – except Jennifer,Caleb and Darby. The last two don’t have enough hair to twirl.

I wish I could have read their minds. Isabelle seems to be surprised while Olivia is not amused.

Snow White

2010-10-28T08:04:00.001-05:00

FCA had their Fall Festival today. I had been trying to get costume ideas from Isabelle. I don’t think she quite understood what I was asking. But I knew she was into her Disney movies. I took a chance and chose Snow White. She loved it. I could not get her to stand still this morning to take a picture. She kept hopping around and dancing.

Botanical Gardens

2010-10-19T14:17:00.001-05:00

Isabelle, Darby, Jana and I decided to go to the Botanical Gardens while she was here. Isabelle was in heaven – flowers and rocks everywhere. We had our hands full keeping her from picking said flowers and rocks. Darby also had a good time. He loved exploring (ie putting everything in his mouth) a new place.

I can’t wait to go back.

Homecoming

2010-10-08T20:41:00.000-05:00

Isabelle was a mascot for Berry’s Homecoming game against Brilliant. She had a blast. I think she would have stayed on the field the entire game if she could have.
Pregame with Olivia
and Haven Olivia Rayanna, Danni Kate and Isabelle There’s my kid…picking grass….and getting others to join
In the Victory Line

The Good

2010-10-08T09:22:00.001-05:00

We took our annual Thanksgiving Beach trip last week. I know, it wasn’t Thanksgiving. We went a little earlier so our friends, Sarah and Josh, could join us.

We hit the beach a time or two.

Darby loved the sand. He found it tasty. We went to the park. He (like his sister) loves to swing.

We walked out onto the dock at the park.

We also went to the zoo.

Wouldn’t ya know it…Mickey likes the zoo too!

Shopped a bit at Souvenir City.

Went to the pier.

One of the few pics of Isabelle looking at the camera. She was camera shy this trip. “No cheese Mom. No cheese!”

Our friends.

The end.

The Bad

2010-10-05T14:59:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post we’ve had some good and bad things going on. I will start with the bad. We are not having much luck at all with house hunting. It’s so discouraging. We have put two offers on two different houses and we are still homeless.

House #1 seemed to be a good fit for us. We didn’t love it right away. But it had the right amount of beds/baths and office space for Caleb. Knowing what else was on the market we thought we could make this one work. We knew there was a bit of mold in the basement. We hoped the mold was minor. However once we had the home inspection it was evident the mold was everywhere. The home has poor drainage which caused the mold. Both the drainage issue and mold would have to be fixed before the house could be inhabitable. Needless to say we withdrew our offer and said good bye to house #1.

House #2 is a different story. We both fell in love with this house. In fact, we put an offer on this house within an hour of seeing it. Later that day we got a call saying our offer was accepted. We were so excited. She told us as soon as she received the earnest money we could move in. I’d started planning and thinking of furniture arrangements, which bedroom would be whose, and how the kids’ stockings would look hanging over the fireplace at Christmas. We set up an inspection for this home. Three days later we got a call that the seller suddenly had changed her mind. She wanted more. Quite a bit more. She was also unwilling to negotiate. Period. Total 180 from three days before. We weren’t comfortable going forward. We felt burned and really didn’t trust her to continue. We have since heard more to the story and can understand the situation more. But we are still not willing to go forward.

This has been an emotional journey. The disappointment of being unable to build was just the beginning. I never expected all these issues. We are still actively looking and have a few more options. I’ve learned a lot about home buying. I’m trying to keep a positive attitude – but it’s hard at times. Something is out there for us. We just have to find it.

Hello

2010-10-04T13:26:00.001-05:00

We’ve been busy. Lots of things have been happening around here. Some good, some bad. I hope to have some posts up soon.

Bone Doctor Visit #2

2010-09-22T12:06:00.001-05:00

Isabelle and I went back to the orthopedic doctor today for her 2 week follow up. She is healing well. I got to see the X-Rays this time. It was neat to see the break. Well, not neat because I’d rather she not have a broken collarbone. But at least I know what is going on inside her. He doesn’t want to see her again. I hope we are finished with doctors for a while.

A Reunion

2010-09-20T11:05:00.001-05:00

Many, many, many years ago I was a freshman at the University of Alabama. I lived in Martha Parham Hall and had three roommates – Julie, Allison and Stacey. Julie and I had met earlier in the year at a Bama Belle interview. We got to know each other and decided to room together. For some reason we were assigned to a suite. We shared a living area with another dorm room and two other girls. From the beginning Julie, Allison and I hit it off. We had such a great time. I have so many memories from that time in my life. It was a fun filled freshman year.

Our sophomore year was a time of change. Julie ended up transferring to Montevallo. Allison and I got an apartment together but she moved back home. It was harder to keep in touch with us scattered about but we tried.

Then life happened. Allison got married and had babies. Julie got married. I moved to Knoxville then Dallas then back. We unfortunately lost touch. Fast forward a few years. Well, maybe more than a few. I joined Facebook and found Julie. Neither of us knew where Allison was. One day out of the blue I got a message from Allison’s sister in law. The next day Allison contacted me. The three of us finally found each other and decided to meet up.

Yesterday was the day. We met at the Cheesecake Factory. Oh my. It was almost like time stood still. We picked up just where we left off. Granted we’ve all had lots of changes since we last were together. But our friendship hasn’t changed one bit. I have missed these girls and I enjoyed our reunion. I can’t wait to see them again…..soon.

Another Follow Up

2010-09-09T06:16:00.001-05:00

Isabelle and I went to the orthopedic doctor today. The doctor took a quick look at her and her X-Rays. We will be going back in two weeks for another set of X-Rays to see how she is healing.

The break is towards the end of her shoulder. He said typically this is a hard break to heal. But since she is young, she shouldn’t have as many issues as an adult would. We can leave the sling off and let her use her arm more.

If you know Isabelle, you know she doesn’t like strangers and strange places. She will try to hide or roll her eyes in the back of her head. When we walked into the doctor’s office she tried to hide under the shelf where you sign in. It was just the right height for her to walk under. And the waiting room was completely full. I found one empty chair for us to share. There was an older man next to us who tried his best to get Isabelle to talk with him. She tried the rolling eye trick, but it didn’t phase him. He kept on talking with her. She pretended to ignore him but I could see her cut her eyes to make sure he was still paying attention. In the end I think she was warming up to him.

And Now a Pair

2010-09-06T17:15:00.001-05:00

Isabelle has a matching pair of bracelets. On Friday night, Isabelle and I made another trip to the ER. You’ve heard the one about monkeys and the bed right?

Isabelle fell off our bed. I knew something was wrong when she didn’t stop crying. She kept holding her left shoulder and heavily favored her left arm. Caleb and I discussed a trip to the ER for what seemed like forever, but probably was only a few seconds. We both knew it was serious.

The ER was very slow that night. Whew. We waited just a few minutes before we were headed back to see the doctor. As I expected, he ordered X-Rays. I explained to Isabelle they would be taking a picture of her shoulder and she would have to be very still. Thankfully the X-Ray tech let me stay with her and even hold her hand. Isabelle did such a great job laying still even though she was in so much pain. We left with a sling, heavy duty pain meds and a promise of a prize.

She fractured her collar bone. We will follow up with an orthopedic specialist this week. For now we are trying to keep her still and giving her pain medicine as she needs. I can tell she doesn’t want to do too much. She’s very content sitting in her big chair watching movies. We are rotating between Snow White, Alice in Wonderland and The Fox and the Hound. We’ve tried slipping in some variety but she likes the trio she picked. The day after. Pic is a little grainy. It’s from my cell phone.

And from today. She has not wanted any pictures taken of her. I can’t get her to smile for me. I guess her “pictures” from Friday night have left a bad taste in her mouth.

*Disclaimer – her father dressed her in the last picture. I would never put her in an Notre Dame shirt. And I certainly would make sure she matched. :)

A Bite Update

2010-09-03T12:34:00.000-05:00

Isabelle went to the doctor on Wednesday for a recheck of her bites. I explained to Dr. Magourik what happened and he told me he may or may not be able to tell if it was a brown recluse bite. However, he took one look at her arm and said there was no way these bites were from a brown recluse. Whew. I felt better. My momstincts were working. He did say there was infection, but that it seemed her arm was healing just fine. He remarked that it looked like she had been scratching her arm and that could be the cause of the infection.

So long story short - we don't know what bit her, but it wasn't a poisionous spider. She did have a reaction to the bite which caused her to itch pretty badly and therefore scratch the dickens out of it. A few days of antibiotics and she's looking good.

Isabelle’s New Bracelet

2010-08-31T09:56:00.001-05:00

Isabelle got a new bracelet yesterday.

It wasn’t one I really wanted to get her. And honestly, it is more expensive than it looks. But it will be worth it.

She had two large bites on her arm when she woke up yesterday morning. They were red and swollen. I’m no expert, but aside from the large red area I didn’t see a reason to be concerned. She went to school and we told the teachers to watch her. She scratched them a lot and the bites looked worse yesterday after school than they did when she got up.

We had to make a trip to Wal-mart so I stopped in the pharmacy to ask what I should put on the bites. The pharmacist told me to take her to the ER. She thought they were brown recluse bites.

My heart sank. The two bites that I blew off could possibly be brown recluse bites? Talk about some serious mom guilt. We immediately left and headed to the ER. The doctor couldn’t confirm if they were brown recluse bites. Isabelle wasn’t showing any symptoms of a brown recluse bite. But the area was definitely infected – possibly from her scratching them. He wrote a prescription for antibiotics and sent her home. He wants us to have them rechecked in two days.

This is the day after the bites occurred. We are so fortunate to have a understanding Pink Minnie.

All smiles this morning.

Nap Time

2010-08-24T04:30:00.002-05:00

I peeked in on Isabelle while she napped on Saturday. Apparently the horse, Mickey, Red Minnie, Goofy and Pink Minnie needed to nap as well. I have noticed when she puts her friends down for nap or bed, she places them on their tummy. I can only assume she does this since she is a tummy sleeper.

Kisses

2010-08-23T04:53:00.002-05:00

Six Month Checkup

2010-08-18T15:59:00.001-05:00

Darby and I headed down to Tuscaloosa for his six month check up today. Dr. Roberts is pleased with everything and remarked he’s ahead on his gross motor skills. I knew he was hitting milestones faster than Isabelle did. However, who knows if he will continue or slow down.

He now weighs 18 lbs and 1.5 oz – 50th percentile

He is 26 inches long – 25% percentile

Now I’m off to check my baby-proofing. With Darby so active, I worry he will find trouble. Isabelle was always good at it.

Cookies

2010-08-17T14:27:00.001-05:00

Isabelle and I have been baking. I enjoy it. Isabelle says she does too. But I think she likes to lick my paddle attachment (aka the beater) more than anything.

All Darby can do is watch. I don’t trust him with the paddle yet. I’m not sure he would give it back.

Indisputable

2010-08-16T10:47:00.001-05:00

Darby was taking his usual morning nap when I heard some chatter coming from his room. Apparently he and Mickey were having some fun. Darby cooperated while Mickey was a bit camera shy. That was okay with me. I really wanted the pictures of Darby and his tooth.

Can you see it?

How about now?

Sometimes he’s shy about the latest milestone.

Sometimes he’s not.

Peace

2010-08-15T10:32:00.001-05:00

I snapped this picture while Darby was falling asleep. There’s something so calming and peaceful when he falls asleep.

He hasn’t been sleeping well at night. He has one bottom tooth and I think another one may be on the way. We are still doing well nursing. However, at times I feel like I’m playing nipple roulette. Sadly, I have lost three times. But I am getting better at playing.

We will be visiting Dr. Roberts for our six month checkup this week. I had to reschedule our original appointment due to fever. I am looking forward to the visit but also dreading it. I hate the shots. But I’m curious how much he has grown. And I’m excited to have a date with my son.

Preserves – Blueberry, Strawberry/Blueberry and Fig

2010-08-12T05:09:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Francis Butler gave JC some blueberries. JC likes blueberries, but Gucci isn’t too fond of them so JC gave them to us. Isabelle loves them. She loves all fruit. Anyway, I still had a few blueberries left from our last trip to the farmers market. We munched and snacked on blueberries. I made blueberry white chocolate chip cookies. I still had quite a few left when JC showed up with another gallon of blueberries. I had never had blueberry jam before but I thought it was worth a try. One morning while the kids were asleep I got busy. I threw together the blueberries, sugar, pectin,sugar, lemon juice,sugar, a pat of butter and some sugar. Did I mention sugar? Seven cups of sugar. There’s more sugar than fruit in this. But it is oh so tasty.

Blueberry Jam

After taking 10 cups of blueberries to make the jam, I still had some left. I didn’t have enough to make another batch of blueberry jam, but I did have some strawberries on hand. Viola! Is that how you spell that? I took about 5 cups of blueberries and a little more than 2 pints of strawberries. I didn’t really measure. I just knew I needed about 6 cups of crushed fruit. I put everything in. Same as before plus strawberries. Wonderful outcome once again. I’m getting this jam making down.
Note: I still have blueberries left. My plan for them – food for Darby.

Strawberry/Blueberry Jam

Isabelle and I headed back to the market. I picked up some more figs. These figs were so ripe and sweet I decided to use the “less sugar” recipe. This recipe called for only 4 1/2 cups of sugar. Wise choice. Turned out lovely. You really don’t miss the extra sugar. The figs’ flavor really comes out.

Fig Preserves

And now I still have my peaches to tackle. But, I am out of jars.

News, News and more News

2010-08-11T12:39:00.000-05:00

I am interrupting my scheduled posts for breaking news. Darby has a tooth. The little man just started crawling this week and today I found his bottom right tooth had came in. He's been busy.

I wish he'd just slow down a bit. He doesn't have to hit all these milestones at once.

Fig Preserves – Take One

2010-08-11T04:20:00.000-05:00

I had a few figs left from the Farmer’s Market last week. Unfortunately I didn’t have enough for a full batch of preserves. But I did have enough for a teeny tiny batch. This recipe made about 2 1/2 of the 8 oz jars.
1 pint of figs
2 tablespoons Splenda
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Combine all ingredients except lemon juice. Cook until boils. Turn down and let simmer until the mixture thickens up. Add lemon juice and let cool. Try not to eat all at once.