It's Official

I will head back to school on June 10th!  I will be going to grad school at USC Upstate to get my Masters of Arts in Teaching with a specialization in Visual Impairment.  The first semester will be a summer session at the School for the Deaf and Blind.  It will mean being away from home Monday-Thursday for almost 4 weeks.  Away from Todd and the kids too, as if going back to school wasn't enough of a change.  The kids will be in good hands with their grandparents and Todd.

I can't believe I am going back to school after being away for 15 years.  It seems like a lifetime ago.  I will be interested to see how it is to juggle school while having a husband and 2 kids.  At least I have a great support system: my family!

Alone Time

Todd had a 2 day work conference in Orlando this past weekend.  I was lucky enough to be able to go with him to Orlando while my parents watched Katie and Michael.  This was our first trip away from the kids alone since Michael was born.  It felt a bit strange to be somewhere with Todd but without the kids.  It was nice to have some relaxing alone time.  Unfortunately, Todd spent most of the day in the conference but we got to spend time together at night.  We even had a nice and entertaining dinner at a Japanese steakhouse on Monday night.  I spent my days reading in the room or by the pool at a neighboring hotel (the pool at our hotel was undergoing renovations).  I have to admit that by the end of the second day alone, I was ready to head back.  I don't want another 6.5 years to go by before Todd and I get away together again!

Before and After

I finally had the chance to get my hair cut to donate it.  It is a bit shorter than I normally like but I can still put it up in a ponytail, which is a must.  (Pictures taken by Michael)

36

Today was my 36th birthday. I am now officially on the downward side of the 30's. However, I am finding that I am enjoying life so much better as I get older. Maybe it's maturity or maybe it's just that I have learned to appreciate everything that I have to be thankful for.

It was a wonderful day. It started with Todd getting up early with the kids so that I could sleep in. He brought me breakfast in bed and the Sunday paper. I was also able to take a leisurely shower. When I came downstairs, both kids wished me a happy birthday. Todd's parents and Sidney came over today to help celebrate the day. His mom cooked a nice breakfast of sausage, eggs and toast. Shortly after lunch, I put Katie down for a nap and enjoyed some quiet time as Todd took Michael to Home Depot with his dad.

After doing everything for the kids and waiting on me too, Todd prepared a wonderful steak dinner for all of us. The birthday would not have been complete without the finishing touch, a Carvel ice cream cake. It's been my favorite birthday cake since I was a little girl! Apparently Katie agrees with me as she ate her piece and the rest of Michael's. She told me that the cake was yummy.

Thank you Todd for the wonderful birthday gift of rest. It's really all a mom could ask for.

Dental Issues

Today Todd and I had our semi-annual dental checkups. He had a great visit. I was not as lucky. I have been very fortunate to not have any problems with my teeth. 6 months ago, I had a cavity and got my tooth filled. The dentist said that I now have 4 cavities. 3 of them are in between my teeth and were only caught on the x-ray. So I will be heading to the dentist in the new year to get my teeth filled. I can't wait to spend some quality time with the dentist!

11

Today Todd and I are celebrating our 11th anniversary. When you first get married, even 5 years seems like a big deal. I now realize that every year should be celebrated like a big deal because it is. I am so thankful to have found the love of my life, who also happens to be my best friend.

I fall more and more in love with Todd as the years go by. I love that he is a wonderful husband and father to Katie and Michael. He knows me so well and takes the good and bad parts of me, which is not always easy. I feel so lucky to have him as my husband and know that I count on him to be by my side.

As a surprise to me, Todd took the day off from work so we can spend it together and I am looking forward to it. I think it's amazing that something so simple can make me so happy. Happy Anniversary Todd!

Reflections

Isn't it crazy how some moments stand out in your mind and you can remember what you were doing at that exact moment in time? But then other things that you did a million times don't seem to leave any impression at all.

I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing the morning of September 11, 2001. I was sitting at my desk at work. I got a call from my mom saying that a plane had hit the World Trade Center. My dad was doing contract work right across the river from the WTC. Thankfully, he was fine. We turned on the TV at the office in time to see another plane hit the second tower. We were glued to the TV for the rest of the day at work and at home that night. I remember being in shock that something this serious had happened. I also kept waiting for them to bring out survivors. Unfortunately, there were not many. I know that I felt such relief that my dad was OK as he was so close to the tragedy. My mom spent the next few days trying to get up there to be with him from NC.

Ten years later, the world has changed in so many ways. My life has also changed drastically. I was a newly married working woman. Now I have been married for almost 11 years, have 2 kids and am lucky enough to stay at home with them. I am thankful for my family every single day.

9 inches this time

Last Thursday morning, I went to get my haircut. I finally decided it was long enough to donate to Locks of Love and not be left with super short hair. I ended up donating 9 inches and got another 1/2 inch or so trimmed off. I don't like really short hair for me for some reason. It has been almost 2 years to the day since the first time I donated my hair. It takes me a little while to grow it out but feels so good when I finally get it cut off. I don't know if I will grow it out again to donate but we'll see.

Before pic (courtesy of Michael):




After pic:



I think this is a great thing to do if you can have patience and let your hair grow out. I feel fortunate to be able to donate my hair to someone who really needs it. I still have enough left that I could probably donate another 8 inches.

My Aching Back

When I woke up this morning, my back was hurting pretty badly. I can't pinpoint one specific incident that would have caused it. However, I suspect that taking 2 kids to the pool and being their own human jungle gym may have had something to do with it.

Michael has recently starting jumping to me in the pool. I usually try to stand a good distance away from the wall so he can swim to me after he jumps in. I didn't get away from the wall fast enough one time, which resulted in a bruise on my hip. And while he is doing all of these acrobatics, I am holding Katie in the other arm. I alternate between keeping her out of harm's way and keeping her from trying to swim away.

As long as I was sitting relatively still today, my back felt fine. But if I had to twist or bend down to pick up any of the food that Katie throws on the floor, it was killing me. I finally took some ibuprofen tonight in hopes that it will help me sleep and lessen my pain a bit. And I can only hope that tomorrow will be a better day.

One thing I have to say is that it sucks getting older. I feel like my body just isn't the same after having 2 kids. Oh, wait, it's not. I can only hope that staying active and chasing after the kids will keep me from having any further strains.

Final Cake Project

Last night was the final cake decorating class. These past four weeks I have had a lot of fun. I learned a lot of techniques to bake cakes better and make awesome icing for decorating. Now it's just time to practice!

I had to make a cake and put icing on it before we got to class. I used this recipe but didn't have the right cake pan so I improvised. I made a 2 layer cake with blueberry filling. I decided to decorate it with balloons and a bead border for Michael. I wanted to put one more thing on it and the instructor suggested a clown and showed me how to make the body with icing.

I brought the cake home and showed it to Michael this morning. He thanked me for making such a beautiful cake for him. He sure knows how to make me feel good about myself!

Not only did I learn a thing or two about cake decorating but I also met quite a few nice women. We plan to get together at the end of July to have a cake party to practice our techniques. Hopefully I will get to take another class sometime in the future!

I felt like a little kid

For the past week or so, my ear has really been hurting me. I thought that maybe it just got irritated or had wax buildup. After complaining about it for a few days, Todd thought that maybe I should head to the doctor today. So I called and made an appointment for early this afternoon.

I headed in and saw the doctor. He let me know that I did have an outer ear infection, also known as swimmers' ear. I haven't been swimming recently but maybe some water got in my ear in the shower. He prescribed some antibiotic ear drops to take 2 times a day for the next 7 days. Luckily, this was the same ear drop that Michael had taken so I was able to use the rest of his bottle.

I very rarely get sick (thankfully) and felt like a kid when I was diagnosed with an ear infection. It's an illness that I associate mainly with kids. In talking with the nurse, she let me know that it was more common among adults than you would imagine. It's still a bit strange to think of having an ear infection. What's even more strange is that I have only been sick 3 or 4 times in the past 10 years or so and I have had 2 ear infections!

So now I know how Michael felt last week when I had to put the drops in his ears. And he even gave me a washcloth to hold on my ear like I did for him. Wasn't that sweet?