Christmas!

I love Christmas. Seriously, isn't it the best holiday?! Ok, leaving out my birthday - I know you celebrate it every year - but Christmas is such a fun time of year. This year we have been busy little bees getting our house ready for the holidays. We've been baking, cleaning, wrapping, decorating, working, working, working and taking Harper to all the events we can.

We didn't take her to see Santa this year. Mainly because her reaction to Truman the Tiger scares me, I can only imagine how she would react to Santa Claus. She recognizes his image everywhere and loves to tell us. "It's Santa!" but I don't know that she really understands the whole concept. I can't wait for Christmas morning. The other day she made it into the room where I was hiding all the unwrapped gifts. She found one and looked up at me and said "WOW, Mommy Lookit!" I just can't wait to see her light up this year with her birthday and Christmas gifts rolled into one.

I can't believe my little girl will be two this year! It seems crazy that this time two years ago we were anxiously waiting her arrival. This year the sweet table is going to kill my waistline. It's really bad. I just can't seem to get enough food. Being pregnant is not an excuse, but it does help the guilt level when I go back for seconds. ha!

Not sure if I'll blog again before the Big Man arrives, so let me extend our warmest Christmas wishes from our family to yours! Merry Christmas!

Are you there Blog? It's me, Kali

I've done it again. I'm beginning to wonder if the blogging world is for me anymore. It's hard to keep up! I feel now that the first trimester "fog" has cleared I'm feeling much more like myself.

Our little family is doing just great! We are really busy with the holidays fast approaching. I'm so excited to see Harper at Christmas this year. I think she'll really love all the excitement that Christmas brings. It's hard to believe she's going to be 2 in a few weeks! Time really does fly.

The baby is doing just great too. We are so blessed. I've noticed him/her moving quite a bit in the last few weeks. What I think is really cool is that I feel the baby the most when Harper is on my lap. It seems like the baby can sense she's near. That might just be my hormones taking over, but I can feel that way for now without feeling silly. haha!

We put up our Christmas tree over the weekend and Harper was so excited. We took some video of her helping decorate. Each time she rounds the corner and sees the tree she says "Oh goodness, pretty!"

It definitely is time for me to stop and be thankful for all I've been given in life. I was going to try and list the top 10, but I don't know if I could narrow my list down that much. I hope that you and your family are feeling as blessed as I am these days. I promise to become more diligent about blogging too!

Endorphins

In Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon has this line about endorphins. Basically saying the client she is "defending" couldn't have killed her husband because she was a workout guru. You girls know what line I'm referring to right? "Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, happy people don't kill their husbands!" I was thinking about endorphins this morning as I was trying hard not to throw up.

I don't think I've ever felt endorphins from working out. Maybe it has something to do with the fact God left out the athletic gene in my make up. I've tried to be better at exercising but I always fail. To be honest I think all the Jillian Micheals in the world are kinda full of it because I've never gotten this rise of hormones that make me feel good about myself after sweating my butt off for an hour (Ok, I can't lie - 25 minutes). It got me thinking, there are other things in life that must release endorphins. I've come up with my top ten list.

10. Free Childcare : There is nothing better than having some time to yourself - for free!

9. Sleeping in - I love waking up when the sun is up. Just makes my day.

8. Someone else cleaning my house or doing my laundry - enough said.

7. Jon putting gas in my car - I hate doing this, I love when he takes my car and does it for me.

6. Eating Ice Cream - Mint Chocolate Chip is sounding especially tasty right now.

5. Eating in general (when I'm not pregnant) - I miss food.

4. The last day of school - See Ya Later - Oh wait - nope I won't! haha

3. Buying accessories - shoes, purses and jewelry all fit in this category. It must be a girl thing.

2. Christmas Music - belting "Oh Holy Night" with Mariah Carey brings joy to my heart.

1. Getting my hair done - I love when they take 15 minutes to scrub my scalp, she must know I tip better to good scalp scrubbers.

After reviewing my list I think I've got something on Jillian - screw running, pass the mint chocolate chip!

"Jon!"

I find it absolutely adorable that my daughter calls her dad by his first name. She just kinda started this weekend, but it's so funny! When she wants his attention instead of saying "daddy" she now yells "Jon! Jon! Jon" until he acknowledges her.

When I picked her up this afternoon from the babysitter, she turned her little head up to me and said "Where's Jon?" I told him he should just be happy she's thinking about him. He tells me she only yells his name because I yell at him too much.

Either way - I laugh every time she does it.

Big Changes!

I'll be honest. I've been waiting (oh so patiently) for Jon to "sync" his phone with our computer so I could get photos from it, but I don't think it's ever going to happen. So without the ADORABLE (thanks Jon) pictures we've taken I'm so ecstatic to announce the Binkley family is growing from 3 to 4!!

We were so happy to find out our new addition (and thankfully there is just one!) will be arriving around May 1st. I'm convinced I'm having another girl because I'm having the same pregnancy I had with Harper. Right at week 6 I started getting sick and I haven't felt good since (we are now at week 10). My dad is a baby guessing guru. He's only guessed the wrong sex twice in the last 30 years or so. He says it's a boy, but I think his judgement is clouded. After all one of the "wrong" guesses was my sister-in-law.

Jon and I are on the fence about finding out if it's a boy or girl. Ok when I say Jon and I, I really mean me. He wants to know, I kinda want to wait. I know the organized freak in me won't allow such a thing. The fact he wants to know and I don't means swaying my decisions will be really easy. But I have another couple of months to convince myself otherwise.

Other than the sickness I'm experiencing typical first trimester symptoms. I take myself from my car to my couch and hardly get up once I'm home. For all you out there that did not experience "a strong sense of smell" consider yourself blessed. I can smell anything and everything. My laundry detergent makes me want to gag, and I love the smell of fresh cotton. Jon has been great about changing all the dirty diapers, doing his best to keep up with the laundry and finding his own food (because Lord knows I gave up cooking weeks ago). I will say thank God for my mother, as much as a your husband tries, no one cleans your house and does your laundry like your mama. I should remember this when Harper is lying on her butt, knocked up and feeling worthless. :)

So Big (and I do mean big in the sense my pants are now tight) changes are in store for our small family and we couldn't be more thankful and excited. Updates will surely follow along with those adorable pictures once Jon sync his phone.

Life is a Highway

Ok, I win the prize for worst blogger of the month! If I didn't change the date each morning in my classroom I would swear it's still August. I can't believe this month and a half has gone by so quickly.

I'll quickly recap since I haven't updated this is SO long. August was a whirlwind. I spent much of the first part of the month enjoying what summer I had left and getting my classroom all ready for the school year. I celebrated my 27th birthday on the 29th of August. Jon and I had a great weekend. We spent the day together hanging out. I got a Pandora Bracelet from him and Harper (which I've been wanting for a while), and he took me to Coconuts which is a great restaurant on the water.

With the beginning of September came crazy work schedules and nonstop laundry! Oh how I long for the days of just coming home from school with my bed made and my laundry in my basket folded and clean. This month was also a big birthday in Jon's family. With his family we threw his mom a surprise 50th birthday party! I think she was pretty surprised to see her friends and family gathered for her special day. We were all thankful when she walked through the door, I think we all breathed a sigh of relief!

Harper is growing like a weed. She has really shot up in height (which shocks you all I know!). With Binkley on one side and Dasal on the other, the girl doesn't have much hope, but for her - she hit a growth spurt. ha!

We are now in full fall swing. I can't wait to watch my nephew Nathan play some tackle football this year, and take Harper to all the pumpkin festivals I can find. I heard (through a facebook post) that Starbucks has released their "pumpkin spice" latte, which happens to be my ALL TIME favorite. If I could only get my butt out of bed in time to make it to Starbucks before work.

So with life flying by at full swing, I will gladly accept the "worst blogger of the month" award, and try my best to keep it more updated. In the mean time, buy some pumpkins and mums in honor of me!

Kissing Summer Goodbye!

What a summer it's been! I'm very sad to see my summer time leaving, but anxious (as always)

to get the school year started. Ever seen the movie "You've Got Mail"? The scene at the beginning when Meg Ryan's character lists all the things she loves about fall could be a personal monologue. I love Mizzou Football, shopping for school supplies, and painting pumpkins. It truly is my favorite season.

Since the storm we've had a lot of changes around here! I'm thankful to post that our roof has been replaced and our siding is virtually FINISHED! Yep, you read correctly, the home renovations are FINALLY coming to a close. I couldn't be MORE thankful. Here are some pictures to show our progress (at least with the outside)

The top picture was taken this spring, we were working on taking out the big flower bed in the front of the house. The bottom picture was taken today. We have to change the front door still, but we are making serious progress!!

Harper is loving sleeping in her new big girl bed, she also has a new infatuation with "Finding Nemo". Who knew an orange fish could capture her attention hour after hour? She is constantly asking for "MEEMO!" (which translates as Nemo). I can't even begin to express how nice it was to have quality time with her this summer. My focus is torn in so many directions during the school year, that I had such fun giving her my undivided attention for two solid months. It's crazy how much they change so quickly - (sleep deprivation must be setting in again because I'm resorting to cliches to express my feelings, ha!).

My surgery in July went really well. It was long (took 3.5 hours to get me in working order again!) and painful but the recovery was pretty short considering all the work. Jon and I are really settling in to our new little home.

So Au Revior Summer, I'll see you again in 9 months.

Silent Kisses

When Harper decides to give kisses she makes this "MMM, MUAH" sound, I guess imitating what we do when we give her kisses. Super cute if you ask me. Well the other morning as Jon was getting ready Harper ended up in bed with me. She is normally a late sleeper (thankfully!) but her dad wasn't being the most quiet person. Needless to say she started stirring at like 7:00 - which in summer is NOT an acceptable time to be awake, haha. In my attempt to keep her asleep I kept my eyes closed. The next thing I know she is whispering her "MMM, MUAH" and giving me kisses. It just might have been the sweetest thing I've ever had happen to me. The best part was that she was whispering so she didn't want to wake me up by giving me loud kisses. I don't know what else a mom could ask for!

Freak of Nature

Our little piece of the pie was riveted by hail yesterday afternoon. What a mess!! Jon and I loaded up our car for our weekly trek to Jeff City to eat with his parents, we made it about 20 minutes down the road and we hear on the radio all kinds of storm warnings. In this part of the country in late summer is not really unusual. We make it to Jeff and about two hours later a good friend of mine (who has family in our neighborhood) called to tell us the bad news. Softball size hail rained down on our neighborhood. Thankfully Valerie and Robbie boarded up our windows and shut off our electric! (our A/C was also badly damaged and extremely hot!)

The damage was pretty extensive. On our house our BRAND NEW SIDING is ruined. Our guest bedroom window was shattered, our gutters, roof, deck, BBQ grill, are all ruined. Not to mention my car was in the driveway so it has extensive hail damage along with both tail lights being busted out and my side mirror is shattered! Our well house siding is destroyed. We were pretty lucky, several other cars in the neighborhood were close to being totaled and had much more extensive damage to their homes and boats. The only positive out of this (other than no one being hurt) was that we hadn't put on a new roof yet. Oh the joys of Missouri weather! Once I get the photos from our camera I will post them.

On the lines of being a freak of nature - apparently I am one! A few weeks ago after seeing our new fertility specialist my blood work came back out of whack. My testosterone levels were extremely elevated. In fact my doctor's words were "you're more of a man than I am" (he was joking of course). In fact my levels were supposed to be around 50 and mine were just under 350. We went back last week to have them rechecked and they weren't quite as high, but still in the 290's. He was shocked that I don't have a full beard (haha!) For those of you who knew me a few years ago I was affectionally referred to as the "Caucasian Asian" because I have more Caucasian blood than Asian. Well kids THANK GOD for the asian blood because he said without it my facial hair growth would be through the roof! I knew I ate rice for a reason! haha!

The conclusion is that I have a rare tumor in my ovary that is secreting all the extra testosterone making conception even more difficult. My surgery is scheduled next week for them to go in and not only get rid of the scar tissue from the endometriosis but also remove the tumor from my ovary. You should have seen my doc, he was like a kid in a candy store! He had his whole staff in my internal ultrasound showing them because according to him this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see. He even shared that he would be presenting my case to gynecological board of some sort, to which my reply was "Are you at least going to buy me dinner first?" I kid - of course - he has been very supportive and professional throughout our time with him, but doesn't help but feel like you are a freak of nature - Jon says I'm one of a kind. I think he's just sucking up because for the next week or so, I can say I'm more of a man! :-)

SO - all joking matters aside nature has not been our friend in the last month. But don't you worry, we will fix all that's broken and be back to normal in no time. If you could call us normal to begin with :-)

10 Million Strong .... and Growing

So when you don't have kids you hear all the cliches like "it goes by so fast" and "they grow so quickly" and you dismiss them as parents who are just sleep deprived and have no concept of reality. Well I hate to tell all you people out there, but those cliches are true. Maybe I'm just sleep deprived, who knows.

I swear I bought Harper shoes less than 2 weeks ago and they were huge on her, now her little toes are hanging off the top. Really?! I mean I know kids outgrow clothes quickly, but I thought quickly was like a season, not 2 weeks!! I could also swear I was just using every piece of technology available to get my tiny infant to sleep for more than 45 mins at a time, and now, she's putting her little hands on her hips and telling me "NO!". Seriously, where did all the time go? Must be sleep deprivation.

Complications

First comes love then comes marriage, then comes ..... oh wait, sometimes babies don't come. It's no surprise to those who know us that Jon and I had a difficult time conceiving Harper, and two years later, here we are again.

When I was 16 I was diagnosed with Endometriosis. This is a common condition that from day one of my diagnosis I was told that having children would not be easy. Infertility is what I would call a silent suffering. It's not something everyone feels comfortable sharing. I've dealt with it for so long, I'm ready to share my side of the story. So ... here it is.

I've always had this overwhelming fear that I wouldn't be able to have children. It's like this gut feeling that lays in the pit of your stomach and surfaces when you're finally ready to have kids. Jon and I waited until we started trying - we wanted a marriage before we had a family. The monthly disappointment when those tests only have one line are sometimes the most heart wrenching  feelings. Your hormones are going crazy anyway during that time of the month, and you can't help but feel inadequate. In my profession your heart only aches more when you see the kids walk through your door day after day who are not loved at home like you would love them. When we became pregnant with Harper (without the help of others) it was like a wave of both relief and gratitude. 

Two years later we decided to try again. This time, I've dealt with the constant struggle of how far do I want to go to try for another or just be happy with what I have. My current doctor is the most amazing woman. She made me feel comforted and supported. I've been very happy. She decided to send me to a specialist recently. Today we saw that specialist. Consensus: I'm ridden with Endometriosis. He was very confident that with another laparoscopic procedure we will have a great chances of conceiving again. Another wave of relief (a small wave - but a wave none the less).  I have hope that we can do this again. and if it doesn't happen I'll be perfectly happy with the one I'm blessed with now. 

To those others who are silently suffering like myself, I know that no matter what someone tells you - you hurt, and although you are genuinely happy for new mothers - a part of your heart breaks each time you see a newborn baby.  Please know - you are not alone. Through my journey I've learned that you just take one day at a time, crying is perfectly acceptable and that hurt only lasts as long as you let it. 

Summertime!

Best part of being a teacher other than snow days? Yep - two full months of summer break! Well I guess I shouldn't say "full" months, but it's a great vacation! My summer vacay didn't start so swell. Our students were gone on Tuesday, the 25th, I was out of there on Wednesday at noon. It was a such a great feeling. On Thursday I spent the day with my nephews at the pool. We had a great time. 

Thursday night, I started getting a sore throat and by Friday morning I was Siicckk!  I mean it was so bad that I had to cancel my cut and color, which was already postponed once (my highlights are getting a bit embarrassing).  I called my mother to watch Harper and I slept on the couch and fought fever all day. It was miserable. I ended up at Urgent Care on Saturday morning. The verdict? Strep Throat. I haven't had strep this bad since student teaching and even then I don't think it was this bad. I really couldn't eat again until Monday. I couldn't use my full voice until Monday, and really stopped having pain on Tuesday afternoon. MIS-ER-ABLE! 

Today I spent the day scrubbing my house of the "strep" germs. I actually feel like a human again, and I'm ready to enjoy my time off! Which will be shortly lived b/c I have to work three days next week and then two days the week after. But June 18th I'm officially finished with that place until August (or really more like the end of July). You just can't keep yourself away. ha!

Harper is growing up so fast. I can't believe each time I look at her that she's already so big. Which by the way is her new favorite thing to tell us. She'll scream at Jon from down the hall saying: "Daddy! I'm big!" It just might be the cutest thing you've ever heard. I never hear "Mom" unless she's mad (and usually it's at me b/c Jon caters to her every need, she has him so wrapped around her precious little pinky). 

We have no large plans for the summer. Dare I say the siding is "Almost" finished, I'm hoping sooner rather than later. He really doesn't have much to finish. I'm deeply into the new Laura Bush memoir, which is a much slower read than I anticipated, but still intriguing. I'm looking forward to lazy days and fun weekends with family and friends. 

Let Summertime begin!

Happy Anniversary!

Today is mine and Jon's 6th wedding anniversary! Crazy how time really does fly! Jon and I met in high school. He says he instantly knew he wanted to date me. I was a little more reluctant. Jon would call my best friend Callie at least twice a week asking about me. She finally told me, if you don't go out with this guy - I'm going to go nuts. So for her sake - I agreed. My famous last words to him? "This is just a date, I'm not looking for a relationship."  Here we are 9 years later celebrating our wedding anniversary! 

Just another perfect example of how everything happens for a reason. I could not have found a better partner for life. When he stresses, I'm calm, when I'm freaking out about details, he's easy going. I'm very lucky that he always puts me first. Just this week it was storming during the very INTENSE season finale of Grey's Anatomy and who is setting up rabbit ears when the satellite went out? Yep, Jon did! 

He is also the world's best daddy. Seeing him with Harper just makes me smile. She has him TOTALLY wrapped around her little finger. He gets up in the middle of the night, he changes the nastiest diapers and plays with dolls and tea sets (don't worry they play with softballs and cars too).  

I can't wait for the many more years to come!

Happy Anniversary!

Epiphany

This weekend was yet again full of home improvement projects! The siding is coming right along. The two sides are pretty much complete and the front has been completely ripped off and is half way finished. We were lucky enough to have friends and family come help and play with us. 

This is a picture of Harper and Aiden (You can see the new siding color on the right above Harper's head). This was the first time they'd played together in quite a while. It seems since we became friends with Lauren and Nate we keep moving further away from each other! Lauren and I became friends in college when we both worked for Lenscrafters in Columbia.  We were married within a month of each other and Harper and Aiden are about 8 weeks apart. Lauren and I were both pleasantly surprised that the two played really well together. They were sharing and there was minimal pushing!  This is a picture of the two of them "supervising" their daddy's working on siding.  

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it, but I DVR Oprah. I can't help myself, I love that show. My sadness about her show ending should be a whole other entry. (I've been watching her show everyday after school for half my life!). Anyway, I was catching up on my Oprah over the weekend and I saw her show on the book "Women, Food and God". Now I haven't read the book (yet) but I find the whole concept very intriguing. For those who don't watch her show or missed the episode, in a nut shell the book it sounds as if it's about teaching women to love themselves again. Supposedly it's the new "magic" cure to being fat. If you love yourself, you don't use food as your drug of choice and continue to make yourself fat.

 As I watched the Miss USA pageant tonight with my family this book came to mind. Why do we (as a society) feel that in order to be respected, loved or worth recognition we must be tall, thin and "made up" to no end? God says I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and that includes my belly and neck fat. I will admit I'm a closet yo-yo dieter. I try diets, I try working out, I lose the weight, then a year later I gain it back. But I would say in the last month or so I've done some soul searching. To me being the size I was when I was at 16 is just that. My dad used to call it a girl's "prime". When she was the queen bee or the apple of any man's eye. Recently though, I now not only understand, but I believe that size "6" is just a number on my pants or shirt, the lack of a bikini in my wardrobe. Does that make me sad? A little, but now I've realized it's not sad for my body, I think I just missed the free feeling of being 16. I am not 16 anymore, and I'm no longer sad. My joy comes from within. Not just the feeling but the belief that I am enough. I am beautiful, just the way I am. Too bad I didn't have that epiphany and write a book before this woman did. Maybe I would be sitting in Oprah's interview chair instead of her. ha! 

Ok- enough of my soapbox. Here are the promised pictures of OFL (from my previous post). Nathan is #80.  So cute!!

 

May Dayz

I know summer must be fast approaching because our life just went chaotic ! Between school coming to a close and home renovations we're constantly busy! 

This weekend Jon and his Grandpa Denny started working on re-siding the house. This is a going trend with us. We just can't seem to buy a house that we like out right. We're always making changes. With this house it feels like we changed everything! So far we've patched some serious drywall problems, repainted the whole house, ripped up the carpet and replaced some carpet, then tiled the rest, replaced doors and window treatments, ripped up the flower bed (at least one so far) and now we're ripping off the old siding and replacing it! WHEW! Plus, it's our intention to finish redoing the landscaping and replace the roof. (It's gonna be a long summer!) 

With school, we've been bombarded with end of the year crap. Probably not the best description, but I can't think of a better word. You would think this time of year for a teacher would be easy right? Well you're wrong. I will say there is a sense of "ease" in the classroom because testing is finished, however I'm trying to finish up units and bring the year to a close. On top of the fact the students are more than ready to be finished (which translates into CRAZY behavior) us teachers are desperately trying to check things off our list. Things like purchase orders for next year, placement forms,  thinking about changes for next year, taking down all your student's stuff so they can take it home,  thanking volunteers and room mom's, making sure all your students qualify to "end of the year" celebrations, gearing up for Science Olympiad, talking with parents about the need for summer school,and meetings, meetings, meetings!! I'm exhausted just thinking about it! 

Thankfully Harper has been sleeping well and not throwing too many tantrums. Today the Poo and I are going to watch Nathan (my nephew) and my other 4th graders plays in the OFL (Osage Football League) game! I'm so excited. This is one thing I look forward to at the end of the year. In 4th grade students get their first opportunity to play tackle football. Boy (and girls) get the whole get-up with pads and jerseys. They practice every day for two weeks after school and play one game. I love it because the kids that are usually "high energy" come to school so worn out! It's a nice change of pace and I know their getting to use up that energy somewhere other than my classroom! Today's game is super special because it's the first game on our High School's new turf! The kids are so excited about it! 

Hopefully the Binkley's will make it through the next two weeks. I'm ready for some one on one time with my baby girl! Pictures of the game and house will be posted soon!

I See the Bad Moon Arisin'...

As a teacher, there are two things I will always be able to tell without ever looking outside: #1: a full moon and #2 weather changing. It might sound crazy, but you would not believe how much those two things can change the behavior of children (and adults!).  The fact that it's only Wednesday and I'm TOTALLY worn out should just further prove that point. It probably doesn't help that it's the end of April and the kids are just as ready for summer as I am. I feel that I should just print off key phrases  I say all day long and paste them to my clothes so instead of becoming a broken record, I can just point. If you see me at the grocery store with signs like "When you're ready to listen, I'm ready to teach you" or "Does that sentence have a capital letter at the beginning and punctuation at the end?" or "We go to recess at 2:10, why don't you tell me how much longer we have." and my ultimate favorite "No, we do not have P.E. today." taped to my butt, please know it's because the moon is full and I'm up to my ears in children.

On an exciting note, TWO girls I've taught with had a baby yesterday! Little Blaine & Claira joined the world, and I can't wait to meet them both. 

So, until I have time to sit for another 20 minutes, you can be left with the words of Creedence Clearwater Revival...."so don't go out tonight, well it's bound to take your life, there's a bad moon on the rise.

Life

What a weekend! We had such a full weekend, but it reminds me that summer is coming soon and I'm quite excited for that. On Friday night, Jon and I attended the 4th annual "Buck-a-Bone" fundraiser in Jeff City for the Special Learning Center. Last year was our first experience and it was so much fun. We like the Friday night event where all the "amateur" barbecuers try their hand at ribs. We went with our neighbors and friends, Tyler and Abra, and their son Teven. We ate our fair share of ribs and had a great time. 

On Saturday we celebrated April birthdays with Jon's family at a family farm. I think Jon and I are the only two people in his entire family that don't watch the weather channel because all three of us were dressed in shorts and sandals. Basically we were freezing while watching others pile on the layers and bring out the blankets. Don't worry - they all shared. Our Sunday was spent working in the yard. We purchased a definite "fixer". We've replaced all the flooring, have plans to work on the siding and maybe the roof this summer. I feel we are still the "odd duck" on the street, but in time HGTV will have nothing on our skills. ha!

I am under no illusion that life is a picnic. I've been very fortunate in my life to have been blessed with many things. I find that when life throws you a curve ball or you become disappointed in something it's best to stop and think about what you are thankful for. I find comfort in counting my blessings. So here is my abridged version...

I'm thankful for God, my adoring and ever patient husband, my beautiful and healthy daughter, a mother and father who love me deeply, siblings who care for me, an "in law" family that treats me as if the word "in law" wasn't in my title to them, a warm  and safe home to raise my daughter, a job that I truly enjoy, and friends who no matter my mood will hang out with me. I'm feeling better already, if only it were Friday. :-)

 

Sickness...

I would say the hardest thing in the whole world is going to work when your kid is sick. I picked up Harper from the babysitter on Monday with a high fever and drainage from her ear. The poor thing hardly slept on Monday night. With my mom taking her the doctor on Tuesday, I got up for work as usual. Jon had to be out of the house by 6, so the Poo and I were on our own. (Harper's nickname is Harpoo, given to her by her adoring cousin Brock when he mispronounced her name at the hospital when he came to see her. We thought it was so cute, it's been around ever since). She woke up when Jon left and screamed for me to hold her until Mom showed up at 7. It was absolutely heart wrenching. I kept thinking, "What kind of mother am I?" I mean, all she wanted was to be held on the couch and I kept trying to pacify her with other things. I kept telling myself I had to be ready for work, people do this all the time. It didn't make me feel any better. It doesn't matter if I'm leaving her with the sitter or my mom, when she's sick I can't help but feel guilty that I'm leaving her to someone else. I feel very fortunate that I have lots of family around that will keep her, and my babysitter is the most gentle and kind woman, but I still feel guilty.  

I stayed home today, not because I was guilt ridden, but because my allergies are TERRIBLE. I love this weather, but I'm ready for the yellow/green haze to clear. My poor sinuses can't take anymore! On a happier note, thanks to Nurse Nelda (my mother) I bought a Neti Pot. I've been a bit skeptical about these because let's face it, anything that goes in one nostril and out the other just reminds you of the kid at the lunch table who blew milk out of his nose. I was desperate today for anything to make me feel better. I tried it, and much to my surprise, it worked! My sinuses are still a bit congested, but the pressure is gone! I was shocked. It did feel a bit weird to have something going in my nose instead of coming out, but it was well worth it. I highly recommend it. I made Jon try it because his nose has been clogged too. His attempt didn't go so well. I'm gonna blame it on user error. Ha! 

Loaded down with ear drops and Neti Pots, the Binkley's are hopefully on the path to being healthy again.

Pampers vs. Luvs

What a week! It's official I have 31 days of school left. All I can say is bring on summer! When I really stop to think about it my life still revolves around school like schedules. Remember when you were in elementary school (or even high school) and the year revolved around summer break and snow days? Well, my perspective about the year hasn't changed! Summer still starts in May and ends in August. Fall consists of decorating pumpkins and snow days are still the best thing a girl could ask for on a cold winter day. 

On another note, this week at the grocery store I had to buy new diapers. We were on low supply and the babysitter was needing a new pack too. Now, for those of you who have spent time with my daughter you know she's an all or nothing kinda girl. I would say 80% of the time she wakes up in the morning with a dry diaper, but not long after her morning "milk" she's filled her britches to the brim. Because of this dilemma, we've had to be very picky about the type of diaper we've used. For Harper, only Pampers will do. We really like a specific kind of Pampers. On my quest to find the "cruisers" I find that a pack of 100 cruisers was literally double the price of the pack of 100 Luvs. My "cheap" side kicked it (which rarely happens) and I become appalled that the diaper company is taking me to the cleaners. After almost a week of using the new cheaper diaper, I have strict instructions from my husband to go back and buy the pampers, he couldn't handle the cheap stuff anymore. Ha! The funniest part is that she hasn't had any accidents, but we keep breaking the tabs off the diapers when we change her. So, here ya go Pampers - take my wallet and run. At least Harper and her purse will have fun with the Luvs box. 

Back to Reality

So today it was back to reality. After a full week off (really it was a nasty tease to summer) it was back to the grind for me today. Thankfully my kids were great and ready to get back into the swing of things.

I do love this spring/summer weather we're having. I'm a sucker for the change in seasons. I'm always ready for Spring at the end of Winter and ready for snow come November. We took Harper for a walk after work (while our dinner was in the oven). She's so funny right now because she's not quite ready to walk completely on her own during our walks, but she wants to soo badly. Jon ended up holding her hand to prevent any scrapes and burns on her little hands from the gravel. She let him know quite loudly that she did not need the help. He held her hand anyway. :)

The weather makes me want to start running. This is an experience I tried to start last year around springtime. I failed - miserably. Athletics are just not in my genes. Don't worry - I'll try again this year. I'll probably fail again - miserably, but what's life if we don't try and fail. I have high hopes that one day I'll wake up and be graceful and athletic. My mother would probably tell me "keep dreaming sweetheart". 

So for now, I'll dream that I'm a graceful runner - waking up bright and early every morning and jogging to my hearts content, getting dressed in fashionable yet sensible clothes, work with children all day, come home and make my tired husband dinner and then cozy up on the couch for a night of play time with our non sassy daughter. If I'm gonna dream, I'm gonna dream BIG.

A New Experience

I decided, as I am quickly approaching my 30's, it's time for me to join the virtual world of blogging.  I'm a young mother, a wife of almost 6 years, and a full time teacher.  My husband Jon and I have our own little piece of the pie in a small town and a beautiful 15 month old daughter, Harper.  I've always thought, "I don't have enough in my life to 'blog' about" but I'm beginning to think I'm wrong. 

Jon and I are busy people and more often than not something happens that I think is adorable, intriguing, or just down right funny and I simply forget! So here is my attempt to keep those who want to listen informed about my thoughts, feelings and our lives! Enjoy!