Random thoughts

I am making a list of things I don't want to have in a home we buy. Yes, my list is growing with each house we live in. I am so thankful that we weren't forced to buy a home in this town.
1. Not within a block of the fire alarm. (Maybe not in a town that has a fire alarm that sounds like a tornado warning and continues to run until some saint can get to the fire station and turn it off. Brenna was awakened once from a nap and early this morning all this week.)
2. Not on a main road. (Or in our case here. The main road.)
3. Good insulation is a must. No windows and doors that rattle with each car that passes. (See above comment.)
4. Not older than God.
5. Not with walls housing happy, monster bugs.
6. Not with 4 different types of linoleum covering the hard wood underneath and peeling in every room.
7. Not so small that I trip over the toys even when they are put up. (Yes, Mrs. Grace here does it almost every day.)

Okay enough complaining. The list could go on and on. I don't really have enough time today. My wonderful husband watching Brenna tonight so I can go to San Antonio by myself to Elizabeth's "sprinkle". I am so excited. I have never spent a night away from Brenna. I'm sure I will miss her, but it will actually seem strange to be without her. I am planning on having fun though. Thanks Liz for being pregnant and inviting me to your party.

Lastly, Brenna has started to say two new words that are just too cute. I will be sad when she says them for real. The first is "lighthouse". It actually sounds like the word. Her intonation is just so cute. She separates the words like she really has to try and put them together in her head. I love it. The other she just started saying this morning while watching "Sesame Street". (I just noticed how many "e"s are in those words.)(Then I ran the spell check and found out that you don't spell "seseme" like that. Nathan and Mom should get a kick out of that one.) She says "Cuke-Key Mo-Mer". How cute is that. You should all here it.

Toddler days

I don't really understand why two is the majic number for a Toddler. Since we have started the Toddler behaviors early, does that mean they will end before three too? I certainly hope so. Where has my sweet little girl gone today? So we had our first playdate here out our house since moving to Texas. The monster jumped out of Brenna. She threw her first true tantrum: body thrown to the floor, screaming of the word no, and arching her back. Some may say I was lucky to make it to 22 months, but I still didn't like it. I was unprepaired because she has been a relatively good sharer in the past. Again, where did that child go? Hopefully our new friends will come back dispite her behavior and Brenna will continue to practice the art of sharing.

After all that, I of course have a headache. Oh the blasted headaches. I think it would feel better now if I could just pull all my hair out. (Although I would be very upset when I came out of my headache stuper to find myself bald.) So I am off to the bed for a little while now to see if some sleep will help to subside some of the pain. Hopefully Brenna and I will both wake up happier and ready for the end of our day.

A glimpse into a Mom's worrying mind

"Is my child watching too much TV?"
"Will she be ruined if I let her watch Elmo so I can put some clothes on today?"
"Is she as bored as I am?"
"Am I teaching her enough so that she won't be way behind when she goes to school?"
"Am I teaching her enough about Jesus?"
"Did she have fun today?"
"Should I have given her that cookie today? There are other foods so much better for her."
"Am I reading to her enough?"
"Oh never mind on the last one. It should be did I read too much. Brenna seems to always have a book in her hand."
"Is she socializing enough with other kids?"
"Did I brush my teeth this morning?"
"Is it my night to take a shower? I can't remember the last time I took one."
"One day I might get to shower in the morning again."

And so the thoughts keep tumbling though my mind.

I have a daily conversation with Brenna. It is actually hard for me to believe that I can actually have a conversation with her now. It goes something like this.
"Neigh" (Brenna)
"Yes baby. There are the pretty horses. Can you count them?"
"Ride?" (Brenna)
"No baby, we don't know who owns those horses."
"Ma-Ma?" (Brenna)
"Yes, Mama wants to ride too." (So, today I added) "Let's pray about it. Dear Jesus, please help Mama and Brenna find some horses to ride. Amen"
Amazingly that seemed to appease her. Did she really know what we were doing? If so, maybe that answers one of my previous questions.

Good weekend

We had a good weekend. Yesterday was so beautiful and Brenna was so cute that I wanted to take her outside for some pictures at the park. We all had fun. This picture made Nathan and I laugh. I guess she can't read yet. She sad right there on her own accord.

Yes, it was a beautiful day yesterday and today, but come on. It is still February. I guess someone forgot to tell South Texas that it isn't supposed to be 90degrees in February. Yes you read right. The forcast for today is 90. Oh well. I will leave you with a few more pictures from yesterday. Thank you Oma and Pepere. This outfit was the inspiration for the pictures. She is just too cute in it.

Overactive Smeller

I think I have an overactive smeller. I have always associated smells with memories and it is kind of funny when the associations pop up in my head. Today I was on my daily walk. The weather was perfect: 60 degrees, sunny, crisp morning. As I was walking along my smeller got a whiff of outdoor grilled hamburgers. I thought I was back in Colorado at Frontier Ranch. It is the swim and relay day. How fun. Then and outdoor lunch of hamburgers, baked beans, potato chips, a pickle, and a snickers bar. Maybe that says I spent too many summers there, or maybe it just means Frontier Ranch will always hold a special place in my heart.

I know this one is blurry, but I just love the joy on her face. She kept falling over on purpose and cracking herself up.

Playdates and such fun

Brenna and I had a play date today. Yes, you read me right. A playdate here in Karnes City. It is hard to believe. I think Brenna forgot how to act on those, but I sure enjoyed it. She did too, just a little shy at the beginning.

The last few days have been a little slow. We haven't really done anything out of the ordinary. We played outside in the backyard yesterday and I decided to take some pictures. Here are the results.

Live in the Big City

Nathan, Brenna, and I spent the end of the week in San Antonio with Aaron, Elizabeth, and Tanner. We had a lot of fun with them. Unfortunetly, Nathan didn't get to spend much time with us. He was actually there for a music educator's convention. Nathan and I were able to go on a date. I don't know when we did that last. (There isn't really any place for us to go here.) Brenna played hard and slept terribly, but had a great time. I got to have some adult conversation. It was an all together good week.

Really......32?

It is hard for me to believe that I am really 32. Time does fly when you are having fun. Or at least when you are living life. So, another birthday has passes. I didn't do much yesterday. I did make dinner which I didn't mind doing, but I didn't have to do the dishes. Yea for birthdays!

Mom and Dad came in late Friday night and stayed through noon on Sunday. It was great to spend some time with them. Aaron and Tanner were able to come play with us on Saturday. The kids had a blast and it was fun for the rest of us to spend time together. Again, that is one of the benefits of living here in Texas. We did a lot of bubble and spent the afternoon at the park. It was all in all a great day finished by my favorite cake in the world. Thank you Aunt Peggy!!

I leave you with a few pictures from the park. We all had great fun.

Teetel Teetel Teetel Tar

I'm not sure if you can read Toddler yet. This is all we have been hearing for the past few days. You would know it if you could hear her sing. Think the ABC tune. Now add the title words.....

You got it. Teetel Teetel Teetel Tar (repeat, repeat repeat).
Translation: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

Every now and again we hear something sounding like "world" and "above." It is hard for me to believe that she can actually sing the notes. She will even repeat notes we sing to her. Nathan has her singing the ABC Nightly News theme song. I don't know why I would be amazed. She does have the musical genes coming at her from all sides. Will she be our own little child prodegy? Nathan seems to thinks so. (At least he can dream.)

On with my own news. Would you believe that I met two new moms again today? That is a total of four moms I have been looking for in the last 4 months. I don't know where all these moms have been, but it was fun meeting them all. Brenna on the other hand seems to think the park is her personal toy. She doesn't want to share it with the other kids. I heard a lot of the word "no" today when she was playing with all the kids. Hopefully she will learn sharing better now.

Possible Friends

I am pleased to announce that today I met two moms at the park. What an answer to my prayers they may be. We exchanged numbers and talked for awhile as we pushed our kids on the swings. It was so fun for me to have other female conversation. That's not to say that my one word conversations with Brenna aren't pleasant. Hopefully I will meet them at the park again soon and maybe we can do some playdates sometime. I will see what the future holds.

This weekend was fun. Brenna and I spent time with the Meitus family. That is fun to say. I hope you enjoy seeing it written, Stacey. We met in San Marcus and enjoyed a beautiful day at Aquarina Springs. Brenna got to see lots of fish (I wish I could spell the sound she makes for the word fish.) and ride on a glass-bottomed boat.

The picture I have for today was an early Valentine's Day present Brenna opened on Friday from Pepere and Oma. She has been saying their names ever since. You can see she loves the gift. You should have seen the box it came it. I guess every girl needs a stuffed animal larger than life.

Yea! It's Friday

I am so glad it is finally Friday. I am sad because Nathan will be gone all day tomorrow. I decided to meet a friend in San Marcos to enjoy the day with someone else. I am excited about the time Brenna and I can spend with her. How fun.

I thought I would update you on the skunk. Aparently he thinks our yard is a good place to be. I checked to see if he had made a home there, but didn't see anything. Then this morning I again smelled his distinct aroma. As Nathan says, "Ah, the joys of country living." But for goodness sakes, we live on the buseest street in Karnes City. Maybe he won't come back tomorrow morning.

Brenna and I went to the park today and I decided to try something new. I brought the kite Nathan and I bought when we were on our honeymoon in Oregon. She loved it. The long colorful tail danced in the wind. I can't believe she just sat there and "helped" me hold the kite. It was definetly something we will do again. Unfortunetly there aren't any pictures to show because I was there trying to keep the kite up and make sure Brenna didn't let go. I didn't have enough hands to snap pictures too. Maybe Nathan can go with me next time.

I took these pictures the other day. I thought the turned out cute.