Blessed yet Irritated

Ok, I'm going to be kind of negative right now, but I promise to end it on a happy note.

I'm just frustrated. I try really hard to keep our family finances in order. Everything paid on time. Money in the bank and in savings. I do a pretty good job in general. But then yesterday I mis-judged something. I thought a deposit was going to post that day and so I went ahead and transferred some money to another account on our bank, and unfortunately the transfer went through, but the deposit is still pending. It looks like because of it we will have 3 over draft charges which is a $100 of unnecessary money that we pay the bank. That is so frustrating to me! It really beats me down and I need to get over it because it was an honest miscalculation... but still so frustrating... sigh. Thankfully Jon had a great week at his job and so there is extra money and so it's not going to "effect" us in a major way, but it is still money that could have been spent on other things, like my birthday! :)

So I'm so irritated right now. Grrr!

Ok, now to be positive!

Which should be really easy to do when I got an awesome gift yesterday. I received a bonus that is equivalent to one full paycheck, how awesome is that! We really needed it to finish paying off our tickets to Belgium, and we were so encouraged! It has taken a lot of pressure off Jonathan who has been working over time to get extra money. So praise the Lord! Something like that which is entirely unexpected just always reinforces to me that the Lord really is leading us and will always provide for our needs. SO yeah!

On to blonder subjects, last night Abby did my hair, so now I don't have nasty roots anymore. It's amazing what lovely hair can do to your overall love of life. I don't feel so blah when my hair is done! I need to post a new belly shot, so you can see my new hair then.

Also, I got my camera back, so here are a few pictures from Labor Day:

Maddy and Lyric coloring


Maddy and Lyric at Target


The flip contests at the pool:


Nate = OUCH


Austin:


Brotherly Love


The girl corner:


AND also I got a birthday present from my Mother-in-Law! She gave me a 100 euros for our trip next month! Woohoo! The best part was I got in on September 1st, which of course marked the first day of my birthday month. It was fun to open a present that day :)


Well today is my Friday as I don't work tomorrow. Actually I'm pretty sure tomorrow we are going to this Jump Zone place with the kiddos. It should be a blast! I'm excited.
Ok, Shiloh keeps kicking me in the bladder and I'm about to pee, so I'm out.

Later!

Um... So....

I didn't know if you realized this, BUT

MY BIRTHDAY IS IN 4 DAYS! :)

I am going to be 25 years old. Yes, I'm still a baby, believe me, I know it and love it. Twenty-Five doesn't feel old to me. I actually feel older than 25, so when I'm faced with the fact that I am turning 25 in a few days, it just makes me think of what a baby I still am.
I can't wait to be 30! I know that sounds strange, but I just want to see where my life will be, where we will be living, how many kids I have :)

I've done a lot in my short 25 years. I've traveled, I've loved, I've lost, I've married, I've birthed, I've studied, I've cried, I've laughed... I've grown up as much as I could.

And to think of how much MORE I have to look forward to! I love that my future is secure and that my life will be good. I totally trust in the Lord and rely on him to lead me and my family and fix everything that needs to be fixed and with that comes security that no matter what comes my way, it will all turn out okay. That's a pretty good life to be living :)

So with all that said, I'm really excited to be turning 25. It does sounds older than 24. Maybe I'll be taken more seriously.... nope. :)

Jonathan has "supposedly" already bought my birthday present. If this is true, than I will indeed be impressed because Jon does everything at the very last second. I think he is really trying though, which makes me happy.
It's not about the present, it's about the thought for reals. I want to feel like he thought about me and really put an effort to make me feel loved.
I just like thoughtfulness, which is an area my husband tends to not excel. I blame it on his European/Belgian side. They just aren't as open and emotional. They just assume that you know how much they love you. Well I do know, but I also like it acted out in a nice card, or a thoughtful act.
One thing Jon did that I will always remember was one day I came home from work and the entire house was clean, he had dinner in the works and some candles were lit. It wasn't a special occasion, nothing extra, but he just wanted to surprise me. That went a LONG way in my book!

It's a tradition that on my birthday we go to Cheesecake Factory. We've been doing it since my 21st birthday, however, I was in Belgium last year on my birthday so we didn't do it then. Though I did have my FAVORITE Belgian dinner with my in-laws which totally made up for it, click HERE for my birthday 2007.

Anyways, I just wanted to remind everyone that my birthday is in 4 days. And I think everyone should write me a birthday poem! :) Won't that be fun! Yes, you're right it will be!

Peace out!

Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Discussion Questions

So I forgot to post about our book club last Thursday.

Let me just say, it did not disappoint. And let me also say how lovely it was to be able to talk about the ENTIRE series without worrying about saying too much. That is never fun, especially since I was always the one who kept saying too much :)

We had a black and red theme and everyone was wearing black or red and all the food was either black or red (or white, because I need tortillas).

I did not have my camera that night, so no pics were taken, but just know that it was a great time where we all got to dish about our favorite series!

Here are the discussion questions:

Eclipse Discussion Questions:

1. When Edward explained to Bella that Alice can’t see her if she is with Jacob’s pack, he phrased it as “your future got lost, just like theirs.” The other Cullen powers work on Jacob and his friends—why do you think Alice’s power is different?

2. It seems that Jacob’s story is following a similar path as Leah Clearwater’s story. Do you think that they will bond over that or will he continue to dislike her? What other characters’ stories have similar paths?

3. The Cullens and the Quileutes have come together over a common goal—to kill the attacking vampires. How will this newfound camaraderie affect the original treaty? What
changes should be made and what parts should remain as they are?

4. Bella seems adamant that she will become a vampire, even though she knows her family and friends would be very much opposed to the idea. Do you think Charlie or Renee will figure out what Bella is planning? What about Mike and her friends at
school? How will they react if they discover her intentions and do you think that they could change her mind?

5. Victoria’s character represents a physical and real danger to Edward and Bella. What other dangers exist for them that aren’t as apparent as Victoria? Will running away to Alaska keep them safe? What other options do they each have?

6. What do you think the next headlines will read in the Seattle papers now that the killing has stopped? How will the authorities explain what has happened?

7. Why do you think Leah turned into a werewolf when none of the stories have ever mentioned a woman wolf before? How will her presence be significant to the pack? To Sam? To Emily? To Jacob?

8. Does Rosalie’s story change the way you feel about her? What insight did you get into her character and her personality? What more still remains a mystery? Despite how it turned out, was it hypocritical of her to change Emmett?

9. Does Jasper’s story change the way you feel about him? What insight did you get into his character and his personality? What more remains a mystery? Will Peter and harlotte or Maria come back into his life?

10. Stephenie Meyer has noted that each of the novels in The Twilight Saga pays homage to other literary classics. For Eclipse, she has said Wuthering Heights was the key inspiration. If Bella were assigned the role of Catherine Earnshaw, which character would be Heathcliff— Edward or Jacob? What aspects of Edgar Linton can be found in either
Edward and Jacob? Is it possible Meyer intended Bella to play the role of Heathcliff? Are there other characters from Wuthering Heights that could more accurately represent
the complex relationship between Bella, Edward, and Jacob?

Breaking Dawn

1. Did you feel that breaking dawn ended too happy?

2. Do you think Bella had it too easy in this book? She basically got everything she wanted and didn’t even have a hard time in the newborn stage. Normally Stephenie Meyer makes conflict a bigger theme, do you think she failed in this book.

3. What surprised you most in Breaking Dawn?

4. Of any of the vampire clans introduced (Romanian, Amazon, Irish, Egyptians, etc) would you like to know more about?

5. Taking in to account all the Vampire Powers discussed in Breaking Dawn, which one would you want to have. This includes old characters powers (Edwards mind reading, Bella’s shield, Alice seeing the future, Aro’s ability to read memories, etc) and the new ones (Eleazar was able to pick out which people would be good for Volturi service, Zafrina and her ability to make you see something else entirely, Molly -- who could tell IMMEDIATELY if someone was lying .... Benjamin with his power to manipulate the elements,)

6. During the first book Twilight, when Bella is doing research she comes across a legend of a vampire named Incubus who was able to father children? On her site, SM talks about how that was a foreshadowing of Bella’s baby. Did anyone pick up on that?

7. Who else was happy when they finally just “DID IT!”

8. At the beginning of the book, Bella is so irritated that she is having to go through a wedding. Did you feel like she was being ridiculous? She was making it into such a big deal.

9. Do you feel that Charlie just took the news that his daughter is a vampire and his best friend’s son is a werewolf/shapeshifter a little too easily? It seemed like he was taken back, but not mental. What reaction do you think he should have had?

10. Do you wish there would have been an actual battle with the Volturi? Do you think that the Volturi need to be “dethroned” or do you think they are doing a good job?

11. Did you cry when Bella put Nessie on Jacob’s back and gave them the instructions for an escape?

12. Do you feel that SM should continue the series based on Jacob and Renesme?

13. What were your thoughts on Bella’s pregnancy? When did you see where the story was going? What did you think when you found out it was draining her life? What did you think about the her eating blood aspect?

14. If you were in Bella’s shoes, would you have gone through with the birth? What did you feel about Edward’s alternative of having Jacob “give her a baby”?

15. Do you thin Leah is in love with Jacob?

16. How do you feel about Jacob imprinting on Renesme? Do you feel like it’s pedophiliac taking into account that Quil imprinted on a 2 year old little girl?

17. It’s been said of the series that:
Twilight was about finding love.
New Moon was about losing love.
Eclipse was about choosing love.
Breaking Dawn was about protecting love.
What are your thoughts on this?

18. Finally, do you think SM is being a big baby about the whole Midnight Sun leak? Do you think she’ll finish the book eventually?

So now we are faced with a dilemma. We've enjoyed this book club so much that we want to continue it. However, what to read??

Suggestions are needed people, so comment!

If you've met my daughter

Then you've probably seen this look before.

Thanks to Brad S. for capturing my daughter's disdain at being forced to do anything she doesn't think worthy of her time.

I know, I know!

I've been sucking at the whole blogging thing lately. I think part of it is I haven't had my camera all weekend and I like to have blogs with pictures.
The other part of it is I just haven't really felt like I had anything to say. You know how that is? Oh yes, I could talk about my weekend... but it was pretty relaxed.
I can talk about how I cleaned the ENTIRE house (go me), but that's boring.

We TRIED to take pictures of the kids. Try is the word as the kids were beyond uncooperative. Don't believe me, here are the best shots.

Um, wait, we did get Lyric some cute new Vans on Saturday:


we went to the mall with the Shulls, plus Ash and Maddy on Saturday. That was good times had by all... and I got to eat at one of my fave places, Cozymel. They have the best queso! I want it again for dinner tonight! Jon wasn't impressed and thought it was over priced so I doubt that's going to happen. But a pregnant lady can dream!

Nathan preached on Sunday morning for the first time and he did an AMAZING job! He did the cardboard testimony and it was so powerful. I sat there and balled like a baby as I kept thinking about what I would say on my cardboard...

It was just so impacting for so many people. And Nate really brought the word.
You can hear it on the podcast. Just go to www.shadygrove.org and follow the instructions to download the podcast.

Then it was... Cowboys.

Now don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the Cowboys. Coming from an avid football fan family, I actually am happy when they win as everyone is jovial and pleasant for the rest of the day.
But then seriously? Do we all need to wear our Cowboys shirts and hats with such commitment that we think the wearing of said garments will somehow influence the outcome of the game? Do we all need to huddle into the living room, screaming to the point no child can sleep peacefully in the entire house? Do we really need to completely detach ourselves from reality so as to when your wife is calling your name 600 times you just "didn't hear her"?? Hmm..
but alas, nothing can be done and football season has indeed begun. So I will do what I do every year. I will sit in the other room and read. Or play with the kids. Or maybe even take a nap. And around the end of the season I will actually care a little more and genuinely hope we can actually win a playoff game.
But until then... sigh.

Ok, well I have stuff to do people. I'm out.

Windy

Ok, we are definitely feeling Gustav's visit to the coast up here in Dallas. Yesterday and today it has been SO windy. Like walk outside and your skirt flies up and your hair comes out of its pony tail kind of windy.
However, something pleasant did happen today. The feeling of fall arrived. I'm sure it's going to leave just as quickly as it came, but for the time being I am relishing it (at least the view of it from my office window).
I walked outside and had the distinct chilly feeling add that to the fall cloud cover... it was just fantastic!
Talk to me in a few months when that's ALL I feel and I will probably be dreaming of Summer. The grass is always greener on the other side.
Speaking of green grass, only 49 more days till we are in Belgium! Yeah!
Something happened in my heart this last time my dad got back from Belgium. Both Jon and I are now ready to move the family and start a new life over there. It's funny hearing it from Jonathan because as long as I've known him, he has never really shown any interest in going back to Belgium. He always wanted to move back to Europe, but he was thinking more France or maybe Israel.
But something is changing in both of us. I know that there is a plan and a purpose and things that we need to help facilitate over there. It's kind of exciting! You never know, we just might be moving sooner rather than later!

So, what about all this drama with Rep. VP Sarah Palin?? Over the weekend there was all these rumors that her youngest son was actually her daughter Bristol's son and she was pretending that he was hers... It was nuts! Then Monday they announce that no, indeed Trig is Sarah's son, but Bristol her 17 year old daughter is pregnant. Blah, blah.
Now all the uproar is that she is not being a good mother by campaigning when she should be spending time with her family during this difficult time. My thoughts?
Yes, it's a big story. Yes this woman is running for the VP and her daughter is pregnant and she has a very young special needs child... however, if you were in her shoes, would you turn the job down? She is already a very active governor, it's not like if she wasn't running for the VP she would be at home with the kiddos. Her husband is the primary caretaker. What's wrong with that? Nothing. It's their choice. A parent is still caring for the children. If this was a male VP and his wife had just given birth to a special needs child and his daughter was pregnant, no one would be telling him he had his priorities out of whack and needs to be home taking care of the family.
It really just leads me to my real irk. Is anyone else sick and tired of hearing all the time how awful Republicans are and how saintly Obama is? Even on Fox News, which I watch mainly for the conservative spin, every time I walk by the TV (my office is next to the break room and the TV is always on Fox News), Obama is on! I'm so sick of him. I'm so sick of people thinking he is going to be this amazing God send... the man is liberal to the extreme.
Watch this video- although it is ridiculously slighted against him and is quite melodramatic at the end, the facts are true:


I just don't like the guy. I have a bad feeling about him. I don't think he's the anti-christ or anything silly like that. I just don't like him. Like many of you just don't like George Bush. Obama just rubs me the wrong way.

Ok, enough ranting. You obviously see how I will vote :)

On to something pleasant... mmm... the nice weather... OH!

Last night Jon and I went out to dinner with Abby and Brad (with kiddos in tow of course). We had such a fun night and after dinner we went over to Lincoln square, getting ice cream at the Marble Slab and walking around. It was such a nice night and it wasn't too hot. We ended up at Half Price Books and let Korbin and Lyric go crazy in the kid section. Throwing books everywhere, just having a jolly ol' time. (yes we cleaned up, I just can't guarantee everything was in its proper place).
Here are two pics of Abby and I to show how cool we are:

Good times :)

Finally, Lyric has conjunctivitis, or pink eye or whatever you want to call it. She is acting fine, she just has gook coming out of her eyes. I'm not stressing as all I care about is that she is sleeping fine and she is in a good mood. I can deal with gooky eye.
We didn't take her to the doctor, just got her over the counter drops, and they are really doing the trick. I went home at lunch and they were SO much better (she has it in both eyes).
Jonathan (who pulled his groin muscle *don't ask* and is acting like a baby) stayed home with her for most of the day and then took her to Courtney's house since Judah and Kadyn have it too. I am wondering if they got it at Church... as they both started showing symptoms the same day. Who knows! If she is gook free tomorrow we'll take her back to Christina's house.
Speaking of Christina, Aaron got a new job and I am so excited for them! More money, better benefits which hopefully means she'll be popping out a baby in the not too distant future! :)He starts next month, so yeah for the Smiths!

I really think I have nothing else of consequence to say... so I'm going to go ahead and leave you with a quote which rings true for me:

"Writing well mean never having to say, 'I guess you had to be there.'"

20 Weeks Pregnant

And we made it people. The technical half way mark. The time in your pregnancy where you stop and say, WOW! I made it halfway. But then you think about it and how LONG it has seemed that you have been pregnant and then you realize you have just as long to go as you have been pregnant already... that is kind of depressing... but the good thing is things seem to move quicker once you pass the halfway mark. I think it's because your belly is growing so much and you feel the baby move that it just seems to go by quicker. I don't know why that would make it any different, but it did at least for Lyric, so we'll see.

I wish I had more interesting things to talk about. But it just doesn't seem like things happen... OH wait I lied.
We have colostrum people. I know, it's way earlier than I had with Lyric. I looked back and that didn't start with Lyric till after 30 weeks, but lo and behold, we had some colostrum leakage one morning (sorry if that was TMI for you). At least we know I'm still producing right upstairs :) It's not like every day, and actually hasn't happened since then, but it looks like that part of my body has already been jump started. Some days it feels like I'm having a let down... you know, the feeling of the tiny needles all over your chest area... ya, not a lot of fun. But it's all for the baby. I honestly can't wait to start nursing again.
I never thought I would be one of those ladies who liked nursing. I thought I would do it just because I knew it was good for the baby and um, FREE, but when I started, there is just such a bond and a love that happens.
I'm not one of those nurse till they're 2 ladies by any means, but I am definitely looking forward to nursing till at least 6 months again.

I also started getting itchy belly syndrome, which just means my skin is stretching, which is pretty plain to see. My belly button has totally popped out on top, and is flat at the bottom. I'm wearing a non-maternity shirt today and it keeps riding up, which I guess tells me that I need to stop wearing this shirt.
Everyone at work (instructors and such) that didn't exactly know I was pregnant have been making comments this week. I think it's because it's obvious enough now where they aren't afraid of being offensive. Oh men.

HERE is the 0-40 post

and her is more about Shiloh:
This is the week most women get that ever-important gender-revealing ultrasound. If your baby isn't shy, the genitals can be clearly seen at this point. Will the baby pee standing up or sitting down? Well, that depends on how you potty train—but if you're interested, you could leave the appointment knowing if you're carrying a boy or a girl. Other highlights this week:

Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird.

If your baby is a boy, the testes have begun descending from the pelvis into the scrotum. If it's a girl, her uterus is completely formed and the rest of her "parts" are in development. (Is that TMI?)

From this point forward, your baby will put most of her energy into gaining weight and, not coincidentally, so will you! Right now your baby weighs approximately 10½ ounces and is about 6½ inches long, about the size of a can of Red Bull (which has way too much caffeine for a pregnant woman to be drinking).

So here's to 20 more weeks (give or take a few) of pregnancy!

Long Weekends...

Aren't they glorious?

I never knew that changing my schedule to 30 hours a week would do so much for my sanity. You would think cutting down just 10 hours a week wouldn't make that much difference... oh you are so wrong.

As you know, for the last 6 weeks I now get off early on Tuesdays and on Fridays I don't come in at all.
When it feels even more glorious are on weekends like this. Holiday weekends.

Ahh, fun!

My weekend was mainly spent at home. We cleaned, we did laundry, you know, just the basic life things that need to get taken care of. But there were also a lot of family time.

Yesterday I finally got some sun. This is the first time I got sun all summer long, and I did it on September 1st. How sad is that?
Hopefully next summer I'll have more time to sun bathe... ya right.

Unfortunately, I think Lyric has conjunctivitis. Her eye is completely gooky and swollen... oh joy! AND Kadyn and Judah woke up with the same thing. I think Jon may stay home with her tomorrow if her eye is still nasty, which I'm sure it will be.

Dang, I'm so craving some queso from Chili's like something fierce. Hopefully I can talk the hubby into going to pick some up... like now. HOWEVER, he got a new game this morning from Gamefly, which now means that I will hear machine gun for an unknown number of days until he beats it. Blah. I want queso.

I'll post pics from yesterday at the pool once I get my camera back from my sister. There are no bathing suit shots of me because I am getting too round to wear a bikini if you know what I mean...

Later peoples.