Just My Girl

She looks bigger to me everyday.

She really is a good baby, except for not sleeping.

I think she's afraid she might miss something if she goes to sleep.

She is so easy to take with me wherever I go, even grocery shopping.

She is napping now.  Her naps never last long.

I should be taking advantage of the opportunity to get something accomplished.

I edited some pictures, does that count?

Yesterday, I made her french toast sticks for breakfast, sans the butter and syrup.

She loved them,

which is good because french toast is one of our favorites around here.

I love our quiet mornings together.
Spending time with her is the best excuse I can think of to avoid cleaning.

I know this time with her is special.  

To be able to spend everyday with her is a gift I once only imagined was possible.

Now, it is my reality everyday.

I am so lucky.

She wants to walk so badly.

I'm really not ready for that one.

She pulls herself up on everything, but then doesn't know how to get back down.
I know she'll be running away from me too soon.

I just love this girl.

A Weather Story

May is here.

May it bring more of this:

And less of this:

More of this:

And less of this:

The Story of Wednesday's Hail Storm

(and the STUPID thing I did during it).

If I remember it right, Wednesday morning was kind of gray, kind of sprinkling, and kind of dark.  Just a gloomy Spring day, leaving me, baby and all animals cooped up inside the house.  Early afternoon rolls around and I see some sunlight shining through my windows - my cue to kick all animals out of doors.  So, that's what I did, well, I kicked the dogs out.  Cats seem to have their own agenda about when it is time to go outside. 

Anyhow, I start picking up around the house and apparently was so enthralled with cleaning that I don't even notice the thunderstorm that is brewing outside.  I am cleaning the bathroom sink when the lights flicker off for a minute.  I stop for a second and realize it is thundering very loudly outside.  "Oh crap...the dogs are out."  Now don't get me wrong, I understand my animals will not melt if they are left outside in the weather, but they are seriously afraid of thunder, or gun shots, or anything else that booms loudly.  I have no idea how long it has been thundering, but apparently it has been long enough for Bailee to completely disappear.  Lunati is impatiently waiting at the back door and runs inside as soon as I open it, but Bailee is nowhere to be found.

Now, this isn't the first time Bailee has hidden from loud noises.  She usually surfaces sometime after the loud noises stop and we never really know where she was hiding.  She just sort of materializes at the back door when she finally feels it is safe.  For some reason, though, I am really worried about her this time.  The wind is blowing like crazy and it is starting to sprinkle and I figure I will just walk around and call her and she will come hide inside with us.

I plop Laci in her walker since it was too cold outside for and run around our property yelling "Bailee" as loud as I can.  After about ten minutes of this, I give up and return to the screaming baby I left all alone in the kitchen.  I'm assuming she thought I abandoned her.  You know, because I do that sort of thing all the time.  Now, a normal person would just call it quits, assume the dog is smart enough to find a place to hide, and go on about business.  But, as I've mentioned before, I'm not a normal person.

I don't know if it is the strong maternal instinct in me or that I'm just crazy, but I get the bright idea to get in the car to look for Bailee.  Well, not really look for her, because I of all people should know that my dog does not travel by the road.  She prefers random routes through fences, under bushes, and across water to get to where she is traveling.  However, she knows the sound of my car and I figure if I just drive up the road a little bit and turn around, she will hear the car and certainly come running to the house for cover.

I put Laci in her carseat because, at this point, she becomes hysterical whenever I put her down.  I peek my head out the backdoor and the sprinkling has now turned to tiny hail balls.  It really isn't that bad, the hail is small and barely pinging off the ground.  I make a run for the car with the baby covered under a blanket.  I get to the end of the driveway and just as I turn onto the road, the tiny little hail balls turn into marbles, the wind gets so strong it is literally hailing sideways, and I can see the bolts of lighting streaking from the clouds.  I can hardly see out the window to see the road, let alone see a dog.  What was I doing?!  Our usually busy road was completely empty of vehicles except for me. 

I can see the headlines in my head: 

"Crazy woman with baby struck by lightning in her car while looking for a stupid dog"

OK, headlines aren't usually that long, but I'm not really rational at this point.  All I could think of was, "Whatever made me think this would work?"  

I got us turned around and back up the driveway and there we sat.  Laci and I, in the car, in the driveway, in the worst hail storm I've seen in a while.  It sounded like the hail was going to break the windows.  Laci was just hanging out in her carseat enjoying the show.  She obviously didn't realize that we would have to get back into the house.  As I sat there, watching the hail pile up on the hood of my car, I questioned my mental status and prepared to make a mad dash for the back door.  As I told this story to Ryan later that evening, he said he would have just sat in the car until it was over.  Now, looking back, that is probably what I should have done.  These hail storms never last that long, but in that moment, when it was nearly an inch deep on my windshield, I was convinced it would last for hours.  Totally illogical?  Absolutely.  So, I put on my hood, cover Laci with her blanket and dash for the back door.  About halfway to the back door I realize I'm running on very hard, very cold, very slick ice marbles and running probably isn't the best idea at this point, no matter how quickly I want to get in the door.  Falling at this point, would definitely make the situation worse.  So, I slowed to a speed walk and made it inside the door.

Sounds like I had to sprint a mile, huh?  No, it was only like 40 feet.  But, in that 40 feet, I managed to fill Laci's carseat with hail as she kept trying to pull the blanket off her face.  She wasn't bothered by the experience at all.  Oh, how nice to be a baby sometimes.

As they usually do, the hail storm ended, the sun came out, and the clouds began to clear.  Ryan came home from work about five, listened to my ridiculous story, confirmed that I was completely irrational, and of course, told me not to worry about Bailee.  At about six, he agreed to go drive up the road looking for her.  He barely made it to the end of the driveway before she popped up her head in the far corner of our field.  She looked both ways, crawled through the fence, and hightailed it for the back door.  Who knows where she was all afternoon, but she was muddy, soaking wet, panting like crazy, and completely unharmed in any way.  I really don't know why I worry.  I can guarantee, however, that the next time she runs away in a hailing thunder and lightning storm, I'm keeping my butt inside. 

Blog Stalking: What's the big secret?

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with the words you are about to read.

It is just another shameless opportunity to show off my beautiful baby.

Who refuses to look at me.

Hello?

Yeah, I see what you're looking at.

Whatever.

I'm guilty.
You're guilty.
We're all guilty.
Of Blog Stalking, that is.
And that's OK!

Blog stalking is the main reason I have never made this a private blog.  Some days, when I'm feeling particularly inspired, I imagine all kinds of readers out there in cyberland hanging on my every word.  Or at least a couple of old friends who may have found me by chance, and who appreciate the opportunity to see what I've been up to.

About two years ago, I was working for a CPA, my first job after earning my accounting degree.  Tax season had just ended and audit season hadn't quite started yet.  In an accounting office, this situation leaves you with absolutely NOTHING to do. 

It was then I remembered that my good friend from high school, Brittney, has a blog and it had been a while since I checked it out.  As I was catching up with her growing adorable family, I noticed all these links on the sidebar...links to other blogs...blogs of people I knew!  And the clicking began.  Now, obviously, I should have been working.  Working on what?  I have no idea, but certainly blog stalking could not be considered earning my pay.  But, I couldn't stop.  I found old friends from school, I found people I didn't know, people who blog for the sake of blogging, people who blog about yummy food and awesome photography and how to be crafty, and oh, so much more.  I got lost in blog land more than once, wondering how I got to where I was.  Was this a friend of a friend?  Or a cousin of a friend?  Or a friend of a cousin of a friend's cousin? 

I spent the good part of May and June just blog stalking the cyberworld.  I became a professional.  I started subscribing in Google Reader, which made keeping up with the regulars a lot easier.  I probably should have been fired.  It is possible that I was secretly hoping to be fired.  I know, not typical behavior for me, but it was a summer of change for me.  That, I tell you, is a story that requires a completely different post that may never be written. 

As a result of so much blog stalking, added to the fact that I got married that summer, added to the fact that I reunited with some "long-lost" family members that I wanted to keep in better touch with, added to the fact that I now had much more free time on my hands, I decided to start one of those bloggy things myself.  Now that I have Laci to brag about, I think I've completely lost control.  I was hoping some of my other family members would follow suit so that I may keep track of them also, but alas, I have only succeeded in convincing my mother and sister to ramble about themselves in such a public manner. The obvious problem being that I see my mother and sister on an almost daily basis and already know pretty much everything they have been doing and thinking. BUT, I appreciate the effort. My aunt decided to join the mix for a minute, but, sadly, she posted only twice and hasn't touched the thing since. She seriously has some stories to be told too, like the one about ripping her carpet out of her house in order to get new floors, or the time her son drew all over the kitchen with a Sharpie, or threw mud from the backyard through the bedroom window. Yeah, she has stories.  I digress. 

Back to blog stalking.

Why the secrecy?  Why do we feel we must sit and read in anonymity, when obviously we aren't crazy people.  Well, some of you aren't.  We're all pretty much the same, just telling our stories for family and friends, and the occasional stalker who has stumbled upon our blog.  Above all, if your blog is public, you have to assume that other people are going to read it. 

A friend from school "outed" herself in my comments on Monday (which is what prodded me to write this post in the first place), and it made me so happy.  She admitted to blog stalking me (Hi, How are you? I know you're probably reading this), and then I had to do what any proper person would do.  I went to her blog and admitted to blog stalking her.  It felt so liberating.  OK, not really liberating, but it was a high point of my day and made me smile.  Why hadn't I commented before?  What is my problem?

So, now I'm really getting to the point of all this rambling.  There are many blogs that I follow, but not many that I comment on, and that is going to change.  I'm going to "out" myself and admit to my stalking, and hope that nobody decides to go private because of my forwardness.  I encourage you to do the same.  Unless you are really a psycho, and then I suggest you keep your comments to yourself because that would ruin the fun for everyone. 

Let me know who you are, I can't bite you from here. 
Do you know me? 
How did we meet? 
Do you visit here a lot?
Is there something you want to know about me?
Do you think I'm weird? 
OK, you don't have to answer that last one. 
Unless you want to. 
Remember, I can't bite you. 

I really hope I haven't deluded myself into thinking people really read this thing.  Please prove me wrong.

PS:  If you are a family member, and you feel the need to write some "witty" (sarcastic) comment about how you met me or that I've completely lost my mind, just remember that I know where you live and have a problem with biting.  But, I will still love you.

PS2:  I'll be visiting a blog near you, soon.

PS3:  If you don't know where to comment, then you aren't really a blog stalker.  But I'll forgive you if you just click on the "comments from you" below. 

Random Rambling on a Monday Morning

Ack!  It's Monday again.

How did I get here?

And where did last week go?

Monday means the start of yet another week which will pass entirely too quickly, and yet so slowly at times.  We had fabulous weather this weekend, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  The rain is supposed to return this week, but I'm OK with that.  It means I can put off watering the yard at least a few more days.  Watering around this place is a full-time job in itself.  It wouldn't be so bad if I could just turn on every hose we own and let it run, but since our well isn't exactly awesome, I must water one slow sprinkler at a time.  Sure I have three huge ponds full of water ideal for irrigating, but as of yet, have no method of pumping the water from the ponds to the yard.  Just another one of those things on the "someday" list.

I have been thinking a lot about projects lately.  Projects I have started and need to finish, projects that are so large I haven't even begun to tackle them.  I finally finished the curtains for Laci's room last week.  Like many people, I tend to start new projects with great gusto on the first day.  I might even exert a good amount of effort on the second day.  But about the third day, when the project just seems to be taking way too long, I lose all motivation.  And the project sits there, partially completed, taunting me and torturing me.  Because even though I have no motivation to complete it, I still can't get it out of my mind until it is.  Having to chase Laci around most of the day obviously doesn't help the situation.  The weeds in the front yard are still only half-pulled, I have a half-painted lounge chair in the shop, and the cleanliness of my house is questionable, as usual.  So, what is the point of all this rambling?  I'm not really sure...maybe if I spent as much energy actually working on these projects as I have just spent talking about them, something might get accomplished.

Moving On!!

Do you have a ton of pictures on your computer?  I do.  I need to do something with them!!

I have yet to enter the world of making a photobook, but really need to.

ACK!  Another project!  I thought I was moving on from that subject.

If you have made it this far in my ramblings, congratulations to you...you have no life!

Ok, not fair, you probably do have a life, but obviously nothing exciting is happening for you right now.

I feel honored you have chosen to use your time to read my ramblings, especially since there are so many other time-sucking internet options for you, such as Facebook and virtual farming.  I'm currently going through treatment for such addictions.  No, not really.  Yes, really.

As a reward for those of you who are still reading, I'll leave you with this:

Fat Baby Toes

Adorable, even if they are out of focus.

Have a Happy Monday!

Tuesdays

Some people hate Mondays.

I hate Tuesdays.

There are many reasons,

which I will not bore you with here.

However, I find this picture of Laci amusing,

and it makes this Tuesday at least a little bearable.

Sometimes I think this should be called "The Laci Blog."

Does it seem like I brag about her a lot?

That's because I do.

I figure that is OK though,

since you are probably only visiting here to see her anyway.

If you are looking for inspirational stories,

crafty ideas,

or tasty recipes,

you are surely lost and I hope you can find your way back.