Well, the move was made one week ago. The putting away and organizing still continues...
To move from a 2000 sq.ft. house to a 1000 sq.ft. apartment was harder than I thought. We gave up some stuff and still may have to. It's tough to say, but I think we have too much of some stuff and really could use the "give up" phrase to further our settlement into the new home. Carissa is still confused, since we stay at Grandma and Grandpa's right now, but we work in the "new house" during the day. The poor girl just doesn't know what to think! She'll get there though.
Life is crazy. Life is fun. Life is a lot of work right now. I'll write more when I can...if I don't go crazy soon!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
10 Days in January
Out of the last 10 days of this new year, we have either packed or unpacked on EVERY single one of them. We got back from Illinois on January 2nd and have been working furiously on the house. We have packed boxes and stacked them in our 3rd bedroom and continue to work away. I feel like I'm ahead of the game on laundry, only to find that I have to pack or put it all away after I'm done each time. I know once we're there I'll be happy, but I sure HATE packing. We have purged after our 5 years of binging!!! I think I've watched too much "Clean Sweep" on TLC to keep packing. I keep going with the "if you didn't use it within the last year, then get rid of it" but Joe doesn't always like this theory. I will admit it is hard to part with many of these "unused" items, but we've got to be strong...
On another note, Carissa has taken one of the storage boxes and is putting her toys from the living room in it and then she pushes it around--something I do so I don't have to lift it to move it!! She really has no idea what we're doing, but she loves to play with everything while we're doing it! Jocelyn just cries when she wants to be held for awhile or is hungry.
In preparing for this move, I began to wonder when my first memory was...because I wonder if Carissa will remember ANYTHING about this home. This is her first home, and I don't know that she'll remember any of it. I know she'll remember some of the people from here, but that's about it, don't you think? She thinks wherever she sleeps is home, so I don't think it will even phase her that we're not here in Pittsburgh, as long as her toys and bed show up somewhere for her to sleep!
Speaking of laundry, Carissa is doing some decorating with ours, so I gotta go for now.
On another note, Carissa has taken one of the storage boxes and is putting her toys from the living room in it and then she pushes it around--something I do so I don't have to lift it to move it!! She really has no idea what we're doing, but she loves to play with everything while we're doing it! Jocelyn just cries when she wants to be held for awhile or is hungry.
In preparing for this move, I began to wonder when my first memory was...because I wonder if Carissa will remember ANYTHING about this home. This is her first home, and I don't know that she'll remember any of it. I know she'll remember some of the people from here, but that's about it, don't you think? She thinks wherever she sleeps is home, so I don't think it will even phase her that we're not here in Pittsburgh, as long as her toys and bed show up somewhere for her to sleep!
Speaking of laundry, Carissa is doing some decorating with ours, so I gotta go for now.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
I'll Be Home For Christmas...
Well...kind of. We are still going to be in Pittsburgh on Christmas morning. This is thee FIRST Christmas I will not be waking up at my parents house. Is that strange or am I the only one that is nearly 30 years old and always been there at the parents' house?! It seems strange to not be there, but soon we'll be able to do it every year..well not exactly staying at their house--but pretty close.
We have been sorting, cleaning, pitching, donating, and packing off and on for about 2 weeks. If you don't already know, we are moving back to Lincoln. It was tough to make the decision to leave, but we feel it is where we are to be right now. Joe is going to be the new Baseball coach at LCC and work in the Laughlin Center(athletic building). We are moving the last week in January and just typing that time makes me cringe!!!!! I hate packing but in all fairness I hate unpacking as well. We have tried to discipline ourselves as we go through boxes, dressers, and closets trying to get rid of as much as we can so we don't have to move it. We have been clearing out the attic and next is boxing everything up. Do you know how much stuff you can accumulate in nearly 5 years of marriage in addition to the combined ages of 66 years of life?!?! TOO MUCH!!!! I don't know if I ever want to own a house again because if you have the room you just keep everything--and we don't need everything. As we've cleared things out, we've thought about the memories that are attached to some of the "STUFF". Some good, so you want to keep it, and some bad so you want to get rid of it...
This got me thinking today about our New Year's Resolution System(sounds technical--but it's not). I think sometimes we should do this kind of cleaning to our homes every year, but "Why?" you ask? If we did this we would be clearing the way to starting the new year with a clean slate--or at lest a clean house. And doesn't a clean house feel great? Fulfilling? And just plain CLEAN? I then started to think how we tend to do this in our lives around the end of a year or beginning of the next. We want to start with a clean slate and renewed, don't we? For the first time in a quite a while Joe and I will be doing that. We are starting our next adventure at, or at least close to, the beginning of a NEW YEAR. We may succeed or fail at things, but it's where God has lead us and that makes it new and exciting.
After reading my brother's blog about the bests and worsts of the year I feel like doing some of the same...but of course not just like his, because I'm the older one and I will try to do it better!!!!
My TOP 6 Exciting Things of 2005
6. Getting nice, new carpet in our 100+ year old house--much warmer in the cold weather.
5. Getting a new computer and later high speed internet cable to get things done faster--because I don't like to spend an eternity just checking email!!
4. Our trip to CIY this summer was pretty great--we take a small group and it really lets us get to know each other more every year...
3. Having kids from our church here in Pittsburgh actually want to attend a Bible college and actually picking LCC!!
2. Being able to see my little brother meet, get engaged to, and marry the love that he has been looking for for some time now--and I finally have a sister in the family--welcome Sarah.
1. Watching my family grow. We had a great time as a family of three and now with four it is even better. Carissa has grown up so much and now I see even more how much as I look at a 1 month old again. Jocelyn has been a great blessing to us and made us an even bigger, better family. Joe has been a blessing to as, pretty much the most hands on Dad I've ever seen. I don't give him enough credit, but he's great and I love him more today than I did the day I married him...
Top 3 Biggest Changes
3. This was my first full year of being a stay at home Mom. I'm still waiting for my official paycheck, but it's been great to see the dividends in the form of smiles, hugs, kisses, trips to the zoo, trips to the park and story time at the library with Carissa. My days can be very long, but in the end I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here for my children.
2. A decision to move on from Pittsburgh. I don't want to call it moving away, because we have promised to be back. How can we not come back? We have so many friends here and we don't want to lose touch...
1. Becoming a Mom to 2. This change pretty much was non-stop in my mind from about May-November. It's great to find out your pregnant, but to actually sit and think about the future can be scary. But as soon as I saw Jocelyn for the first time, I knew it was going to be awesome. Now, don't get me wrong...after my parents left and Joe went back to work after I had only been home for 3 1/2 days, I freaked out quite a few times. I think I'm getting a slow handle on it, but I know it will be different every single day!!
My weaknesses...
Watching shows like the O.C. and Reunion. O.C. will continue, but I can't stop watching Reunion even though Joe read that they are canceling it before they let the audience know who killed on the night of their high school Reunion!!!!!!! I'll never know, but I just can't stop watching.
Watching too much NickJr. during the day. I've limited the time Carissa watches, but there just aren't enough new episodes of Dora and Diego to go around.
My favorite hour long shows
The O.C.
Reunion
Lost
NCIS
Close to Home
My favorite 1/2 hour long shows
Two and Half Men
How I Met Your Mother
According to Jim (usually on repeats)
Yes, Dear (mostly the 11:30 syndication episodes)
So, there you have it--a year in review. I don't listen to enough music to care about buying many CD's but the occasional soundtrack. I don't get to go to movies, so the last movie I saw in a theater was HITCH--hilarous. We own it now and I laugh hysterically every time I see it!!
We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...
We have been sorting, cleaning, pitching, donating, and packing off and on for about 2 weeks. If you don't already know, we are moving back to Lincoln. It was tough to make the decision to leave, but we feel it is where we are to be right now. Joe is going to be the new Baseball coach at LCC and work in the Laughlin Center(athletic building). We are moving the last week in January and just typing that time makes me cringe!!!!! I hate packing but in all fairness I hate unpacking as well. We have tried to discipline ourselves as we go through boxes, dressers, and closets trying to get rid of as much as we can so we don't have to move it. We have been clearing out the attic and next is boxing everything up. Do you know how much stuff you can accumulate in nearly 5 years of marriage in addition to the combined ages of 66 years of life?!?! TOO MUCH!!!! I don't know if I ever want to own a house again because if you have the room you just keep everything--and we don't need everything. As we've cleared things out, we've thought about the memories that are attached to some of the "STUFF". Some good, so you want to keep it, and some bad so you want to get rid of it...
This got me thinking today about our New Year's Resolution System(sounds technical--but it's not). I think sometimes we should do this kind of cleaning to our homes every year, but "Why?" you ask? If we did this we would be clearing the way to starting the new year with a clean slate--or at lest a clean house. And doesn't a clean house feel great? Fulfilling? And just plain CLEAN? I then started to think how we tend to do this in our lives around the end of a year or beginning of the next. We want to start with a clean slate and renewed, don't we? For the first time in a quite a while Joe and I will be doing that. We are starting our next adventure at, or at least close to, the beginning of a NEW YEAR. We may succeed or fail at things, but it's where God has lead us and that makes it new and exciting.
After reading my brother's blog about the bests and worsts of the year I feel like doing some of the same...but of course not just like his, because I'm the older one and I will try to do it better!!!!
My TOP 6 Exciting Things of 2005
6. Getting nice, new carpet in our 100+ year old house--much warmer in the cold weather.
5. Getting a new computer and later high speed internet cable to get things done faster--because I don't like to spend an eternity just checking email!!
4. Our trip to CIY this summer was pretty great--we take a small group and it really lets us get to know each other more every year...
3. Having kids from our church here in Pittsburgh actually want to attend a Bible college and actually picking LCC!!
2. Being able to see my little brother meet, get engaged to, and marry the love that he has been looking for for some time now--and I finally have a sister in the family--welcome Sarah.
1. Watching my family grow. We had a great time as a family of three and now with four it is even better. Carissa has grown up so much and now I see even more how much as I look at a 1 month old again. Jocelyn has been a great blessing to us and made us an even bigger, better family. Joe has been a blessing to as, pretty much the most hands on Dad I've ever seen. I don't give him enough credit, but he's great and I love him more today than I did the day I married him...
Top 3 Biggest Changes
3. This was my first full year of being a stay at home Mom. I'm still waiting for my official paycheck, but it's been great to see the dividends in the form of smiles, hugs, kisses, trips to the zoo, trips to the park and story time at the library with Carissa. My days can be very long, but in the end I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here for my children.
2. A decision to move on from Pittsburgh. I don't want to call it moving away, because we have promised to be back. How can we not come back? We have so many friends here and we don't want to lose touch...
1. Becoming a Mom to 2. This change pretty much was non-stop in my mind from about May-November. It's great to find out your pregnant, but to actually sit and think about the future can be scary. But as soon as I saw Jocelyn for the first time, I knew it was going to be awesome. Now, don't get me wrong...after my parents left and Joe went back to work after I had only been home for 3 1/2 days, I freaked out quite a few times. I think I'm getting a slow handle on it, but I know it will be different every single day!!
My weaknesses...
Watching shows like the O.C. and Reunion. O.C. will continue, but I can't stop watching Reunion even though Joe read that they are canceling it before they let the audience know who killed on the night of their high school Reunion!!!!!!! I'll never know, but I just can't stop watching.
Watching too much NickJr. during the day. I've limited the time Carissa watches, but there just aren't enough new episodes of Dora and Diego to go around.
My favorite hour long shows
The O.C.
Reunion
Lost
NCIS
Close to Home
My favorite 1/2 hour long shows
Two and Half Men
How I Met Your Mother
According to Jim (usually on repeats)
Yes, Dear (mostly the 11:30 syndication episodes)
So, there you have it--a year in review. I don't listen to enough music to care about buying many CD's but the occasional soundtrack. I don't get to go to movies, so the last movie I saw in a theater was HITCH--hilarous. We own it now and I laugh hysterically every time I see it!!
We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Sundays?!
Since Carissa was born I've probably missed 3-4 Sundays when she has been sick. That's pretty good considering she is now 2 years old. Today, we got up, started to get everyone ready and we knew the inevitable was going to happen. Carissa gets a cough and gets worn down with it. She was totally dressed and then started to cough and eventually just melted into a pile on the bed--crying. She wants so badly to go to church any time she can. Joe and I both, in our own times, decided it was best to have her stay home. I know this is best now because she is laying down on her Dora couch, barely moving(could be Tylenol-induced). She wanted so badly to go to church she was willing to get up and get dressed and then she must have run out of energy!! Why aren't we like this more as adults--wanting that badly to be at OUR FATHER'S HOUSE every single week? I'm just as guilty as the next person, and I realize the reasons Carissa wants to be there are different than ours, but she starts naming all of the people she's going to see when we say we're going to church. Also, as soon as we pull into the back parking lot, she starts pointing and saying, "Daddy's house! Daddy's house!!" Joe always stresses that it really is her "Daddy's House" but she really doesn't know the truly innocent statement she is making each time she says that.
Do we as Christians cheer with excitement, "Daddy's House! Daddy's House!!" every time we go to church, or do we make it some kind of mundane schedule interruption that we feel we "have to do" every week?
It gives you something to chew on and me too, since I am at home with the girls today. I need to think about what it means to be at church the rest of the times and really be aware of what I need to be for God, not myself...
Do we as Christians cheer with excitement, "Daddy's House! Daddy's House!!" every time we go to church, or do we make it some kind of mundane schedule interruption that we feel we "have to do" every week?
It gives you something to chew on and me too, since I am at home with the girls today. I need to think about what it means to be at church the rest of the times and really be aware of what I need to be for God, not myself...
Friday, December 9, 2005
Friday, December 2, 2005
Pure Joy
IF this is not a picture of pure joy I don't know what is...
Carissa is one GREAT big sister to HER baby Jocelyn. Life is so wonderful.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Carissa celebrates Birthday No. 2
Carissa is officially 2 years old today...so in honor of her recent birthday weekend, we will post at least one good picture of her exciting celebration...
She is so great and there is never a dull moment with her around...I can only imagine the things she will teach her little sister.
Friday, November 25, 2005
Our Newest Addition
Introducing......
Jocelyn Ainsley Mollet was born on Tuesday, November 22 at 7:52 a.m. She weighed in at 7 lbs. 11 oz. and 21 3/4 inches long. She is beautiful, but we may be a little prejudiced...
Friday, November 18, 2005
FALL+THANKSGIVING+WINTER+CHRISTMAS
It's Friday and I just realized that within the next 4 days, we will be a family of four...it still seems so strange to think about it let alone write about it.
I haven't slept much this week and it's probably my last week to get good solid sleep for the next year of my life!!! Why does that happen...when you need something the most, it just doesn't happen! Don't get me wrong, I'm totally thrilled at the fact that we are having another little girl and it's going to be great, but I'm sure I have the same fears that most women have when they get ready for their 2nd, 3rd and so on...I fear that I won't be able to "do it all" and I have to become comfortable with that idea. I'm not going to have a clean house, like I did before kids, right?! And I'm not going to look my best for the best part of most weeks, but I'm still going to be the best I can be, and I'm going to succeed and fail from time to time. I often think that we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect and we're not!! I know YOU ALL KNEW THAT, right? Oh, well...
On to more important things...I've started the Christmas/Winter decorating so it looks like it is half Fall/Thanksgiving and half Christmas/Winter in our house. I don't know that I'm totally into it this year, but I love seeing snowmen decorations until about March...I also have already written my Christmas letter, lost it due to a computer problem and am in the process of re-writing it. I guess I wasn't supposed to get that far ahead of the game...It just seemed like the best idea 2 weeks ago!!
Well, this will probably be it for writing blogs for a little while, but we will definitely post pics of the family...SOON!!!!!
I haven't slept much this week and it's probably my last week to get good solid sleep for the next year of my life!!! Why does that happen...when you need something the most, it just doesn't happen! Don't get me wrong, I'm totally thrilled at the fact that we are having another little girl and it's going to be great, but I'm sure I have the same fears that most women have when they get ready for their 2nd, 3rd and so on...I fear that I won't be able to "do it all" and I have to become comfortable with that idea. I'm not going to have a clean house, like I did before kids, right?! And I'm not going to look my best for the best part of most weeks, but I'm still going to be the best I can be, and I'm going to succeed and fail from time to time. I often think that we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect and we're not!! I know YOU ALL KNEW THAT, right? Oh, well...
On to more important things...I've started the Christmas/Winter decorating so it looks like it is half Fall/Thanksgiving and half Christmas/Winter in our house. I don't know that I'm totally into it this year, but I love seeing snowmen decorations until about March...I also have already written my Christmas letter, lost it due to a computer problem and am in the process of re-writing it. I guess I wasn't supposed to get that far ahead of the game...It just seemed like the best idea 2 weeks ago!!
Well, this will probably be it for writing blogs for a little while, but we will definitely post pics of the family...SOON!!!!!
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Change is in the Air...
Well, I have to admit that yesterday I spent part of the evening watching some good/some bad TV. Whenever Joe isn't around I tend to try to watch SUPERNANNY!!! I know, I know--why, right? I think it may be that I actually feel as though I may be doing SOMETHING right with my own child by watching the destructive behavior of others' children. Last night was especially annoying. The mom kept trying to dress 3 of her four daughters the same EVERYDAY. She wanted them to "look" perfect. Sometimes, personally, I'm happy when I can get Carissa to even sit still long enough to get a brush through her hair. Other days she doesn't even know I'm doing her hair. The deal is, most of the time, at the age of 4, you're staying at home with them, aren't you?! Anyhow, the dad was a paramedic/firefighter, so he worked 2-24 hour shifts and then would be home. Now, the other key to the mom was that she was an obsessive/compulsive cleaner. Her husband said he could care less about the spotless house if he could have more time to spend with his wife. HELLO!!!!! Wake up and smell the coffee, mom? You've got to get it together...I don't think I will ever understand this show completely, but I guess all can be fixed for a family every Friday night, in about an hour...IT'S AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyway, on with real life...Carissa got her two year pics done this week. She totally posed for most of them. I think Grandpa (AKA PaPa) has taken too many pictures and she now knows what to do when she sees a camera! She did great and her reward was playing in the play area at the mall--she loves that germ-infested area and sometimes it breaks my heart :) I've really tried to restrain myself with the whole germ thing since she basically eats anything off the table, chair that she sits in, or even the floor!! Carissa also finally said, "Grandma" last night. The funny part is, is that she got her Noah's Ark, Moses wife, and started to play with it in her Weebles bus. She was sliding the "Grandma" figure down the slide saying, "Grandma slide! Grandma slide!" So, of course we called Grandma, formally known as "Nana" and let her hear it on the answering machine. Needless to say, she was very excited, and we aim to please here at the Mollet household.
Now, on to the rest of the month...I don't think I could think this baby to be born any quicker than I am right now. I've never been so ready to have any kind of medical procedure, but it has been alot more for me than last time. Maybe because I'm constantly chasing after a toddler around and doing everything else around the house. Carissa can say "Jocelyn" and she has a doll that she sits with sometimes. Unfortunately she also feeds her everything that she is eating or playin with--including Play-Doh!! This is her new fav. She could sit and play with Play-Doh for an hour or more. She just rolls it out and uses these cutters and other tools to make different piles of somethings!! It's funny because it's still fun at our age to play with it with her...What a cool invention-Play-Doh.
We are anticipating a pretty busy rest of November. Between youth stuff, other church stuff and a new baby as well as celebrating Carissa's 2nd birthday we'll be on our toes!!! Grandma and Papa are coming out for Thanksgiving, so everyone's excited about that trip. We also get to see Ruthann, one of the kids who is at LCC, for Thanksgiving. Rob, the guy that went, is going to TN to visit family, so we'll see him at Christmas...ALL in good time.
Well, off to do some weekend cleaning, eating, and napping...
Anyway, on with real life...Carissa got her two year pics done this week. She totally posed for most of them. I think Grandpa (AKA PaPa) has taken too many pictures and she now knows what to do when she sees a camera! She did great and her reward was playing in the play area at the mall--she loves that germ-infested area and sometimes it breaks my heart :) I've really tried to restrain myself with the whole germ thing since she basically eats anything off the table, chair that she sits in, or even the floor!! Carissa also finally said, "Grandma" last night. The funny part is, is that she got her Noah's Ark, Moses wife, and started to play with it in her Weebles bus. She was sliding the "Grandma" figure down the slide saying, "Grandma slide! Grandma slide!" So, of course we called Grandma, formally known as "Nana" and let her hear it on the answering machine. Needless to say, she was very excited, and we aim to please here at the Mollet household.
Now, on to the rest of the month...I don't think I could think this baby to be born any quicker than I am right now. I've never been so ready to have any kind of medical procedure, but it has been alot more for me than last time. Maybe because I'm constantly chasing after a toddler around and doing everything else around the house. Carissa can say "Jocelyn" and she has a doll that she sits with sometimes. Unfortunately she also feeds her everything that she is eating or playin with--including Play-Doh!! This is her new fav. She could sit and play with Play-Doh for an hour or more. She just rolls it out and uses these cutters and other tools to make different piles of somethings!! It's funny because it's still fun at our age to play with it with her...What a cool invention-Play-Doh.
We are anticipating a pretty busy rest of November. Between youth stuff, other church stuff and a new baby as well as celebrating Carissa's 2nd birthday we'll be on our toes!!! Grandma and Papa are coming out for Thanksgiving, so everyone's excited about that trip. We also get to see Ruthann, one of the kids who is at LCC, for Thanksgiving. Rob, the guy that went, is going to TN to visit family, so we'll see him at Christmas...ALL in good time.
Well, off to do some weekend cleaning, eating, and napping...
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
November
November is one of my favorite months...
...Most importantly, the weather is usually finally settling into somewhat of a routine...50s and maybe even dip down into the 30s. Joe hates this weather because I still insist on keeping the heat turned down to 60-64 degrees. I grew up in a house that was usually pretty cool in temperature, so I guess that carries over to your own house when your a grown up. THANKS FOR HELPING US SAVE ON OUR GAS BILL DAD!!!!
...I know I keep talking about my family(it is MY blog), but another exciting part of November is that Carissa's birthday is on the 29th. She was our little Thanksgiving surprise almost 2 years ago!! It is so strange to think of her turning 2, but some days I can truly tell that she is a toddler. She must get all of her, "I can do it myself" stuff from Joe, because I know I've always listened carefully to instruction and advice :) She loved trick or treating this year. She would just stare into her treat pail with pure delight that people were giving HER candy and all she had to say was, "TREAT?" and then a quick HAPPY HAWOOWEEN and FANK YOU!! (How she says the words). After we finished up at one the ministers' houses from church, she crashed before the Steelers game even started at 9 p.m. She loved visiting everyone we saw last night, but slept until 8:00 this morning trying to recover from all the fun...
...Another reason I always like November is that it is the month that has Joe's favorite holiday in it. Joe has always loved Thanksgiving. I've limited my anxiousness to decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even over, during our marriage. I still have the fall tablecloth out and the fall-y kind of decorations up, but it's killing me to not start on Christmas in the next week or two, since I don't know how much energy I'll have later...
...This also brings us to the time of our next little bundle of joy coming into our family. We've tried to prepare for the arrival, but when I made my last 2 appointments with my doctor yesterday, it really hit me!!! I'm going to be a mother to 2 little girls, more importantly, I'm going to have to try to raise them to be GOOD GIRLS and that is the bigger fear. I don't know if Joe is really as scared as I am, but I know how I was growing up and I can only PRAY that God will help me be a good mom, because it is as scary as anything else in my mind right now...
...With all of this in the month of November, I still look forward to Christmas. We celebrate such a blessed event and enjoy our family's company and have fun reminiscing about the past year. Our families and extended families have so much to celebrate on both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year--it couldn't be more exciting for all of us to look forward to...
...Most importantly, the weather is usually finally settling into somewhat of a routine...50s and maybe even dip down into the 30s. Joe hates this weather because I still insist on keeping the heat turned down to 60-64 degrees. I grew up in a house that was usually pretty cool in temperature, so I guess that carries over to your own house when your a grown up. THANKS FOR HELPING US SAVE ON OUR GAS BILL DAD!!!!
...I know I keep talking about my family(it is MY blog), but another exciting part of November is that Carissa's birthday is on the 29th. She was our little Thanksgiving surprise almost 2 years ago!! It is so strange to think of her turning 2, but some days I can truly tell that she is a toddler. She must get all of her, "I can do it myself" stuff from Joe, because I know I've always listened carefully to instruction and advice :) She loved trick or treating this year. She would just stare into her treat pail with pure delight that people were giving HER candy and all she had to say was, "TREAT?" and then a quick HAPPY HAWOOWEEN and FANK YOU!! (How she says the words). After we finished up at one the ministers' houses from church, she crashed before the Steelers game even started at 9 p.m. She loved visiting everyone we saw last night, but slept until 8:00 this morning trying to recover from all the fun...
...Another reason I always like November is that it is the month that has Joe's favorite holiday in it. Joe has always loved Thanksgiving. I've limited my anxiousness to decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving is even over, during our marriage. I still have the fall tablecloth out and the fall-y kind of decorations up, but it's killing me to not start on Christmas in the next week or two, since I don't know how much energy I'll have later...
...This also brings us to the time of our next little bundle of joy coming into our family. We've tried to prepare for the arrival, but when I made my last 2 appointments with my doctor yesterday, it really hit me!!! I'm going to be a mother to 2 little girls, more importantly, I'm going to have to try to raise them to be GOOD GIRLS and that is the bigger fear. I don't know if Joe is really as scared as I am, but I know how I was growing up and I can only PRAY that God will help me be a good mom, because it is as scary as anything else in my mind right now...
...With all of this in the month of November, I still look forward to Christmas. We celebrate such a blessed event and enjoy our family's company and have fun reminiscing about the past year. Our families and extended families have so much to celebrate on both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year--it couldn't be more exciting for all of us to look forward to...
Saturday, October 29, 2005
End of October and that Extra Hour--YEAH!!!
AHHHHHHH......
Changing time...we had our cooler weather now we get the best part of the end of October: THAT EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP TONIGHT. For some reason it seems so great to just know that you have the extra time, even if you choose not to use it.
I love fall. I like the cooler weather, the changing colors, and the anticipation of Thanksgiving and especially Christmas. Thanksgiving is Joe's favorite holiday but mine on the other hand is Christmas. I could start decorating for Christmas in October, but this year I've tried to make a purposeful effort to decorate for fall and Thanksgiving. It just doesn't seem as pretty as Christmas, but I'll do anything to keep the Thanksgiving spirit alive for my hubby. This weekend is a little more exciting because we will take Carissa trick or treating 2 times, maybe. She is going to be a princess, courtesy of a cute flower girl dress from her Uncle's wedding. We are going to the new mall about 30 minutes from here tomorrow night for indoor trick or treating and then going to a few houses on Monday night. It is of course a Steeler's football night, but we being from Illinois originally, are not breaking any kind of secret club outing rule by trick or treating on such a "holy" evening.
We went to the park today...and the first thing Carissa wanted to do was of course, THE BIG SLIDE!! She has no fear. We didn't ease into the park on the swings, or the merry go round, but instead the huge slide. She feels confident enough if Daddy follows her up but she slid faster than she had before...but she came down smiling and giggling. She and Daddy also rode the merry go round and she was brave enough to try to move around as it was spinning--braver than me!! (and Daddy I think:) She then went for the smaller slides and eventually the swings before heading home for some warm veggie stew for dinner. She really didn't like the stew, but I can at least pretend like she was warmed up by the idea of eating it...again another reason we love Fall--soup and chili weather.
Well, enough rambling...I wish to use that extra hour this evening to do some much needed cleaning--yeah right!! I'm not doing any if I can get away with it!!!!
Enjoy your hour
Changing time...we had our cooler weather now we get the best part of the end of October: THAT EXTRA HOUR OF SLEEP TONIGHT. For some reason it seems so great to just know that you have the extra time, even if you choose not to use it.
I love fall. I like the cooler weather, the changing colors, and the anticipation of Thanksgiving and especially Christmas. Thanksgiving is Joe's favorite holiday but mine on the other hand is Christmas. I could start decorating for Christmas in October, but this year I've tried to make a purposeful effort to decorate for fall and Thanksgiving. It just doesn't seem as pretty as Christmas, but I'll do anything to keep the Thanksgiving spirit alive for my hubby. This weekend is a little more exciting because we will take Carissa trick or treating 2 times, maybe. She is going to be a princess, courtesy of a cute flower girl dress from her Uncle's wedding. We are going to the new mall about 30 minutes from here tomorrow night for indoor trick or treating and then going to a few houses on Monday night. It is of course a Steeler's football night, but we being from Illinois originally, are not breaking any kind of secret club outing rule by trick or treating on such a "holy" evening.
We went to the park today...and the first thing Carissa wanted to do was of course, THE BIG SLIDE!! She has no fear. We didn't ease into the park on the swings, or the merry go round, but instead the huge slide. She feels confident enough if Daddy follows her up but she slid faster than she had before...but she came down smiling and giggling. She and Daddy also rode the merry go round and she was brave enough to try to move around as it was spinning--braver than me!! (and Daddy I think:) She then went for the smaller slides and eventually the swings before heading home for some warm veggie stew for dinner. She really didn't like the stew, but I can at least pretend like she was warmed up by the idea of eating it...again another reason we love Fall--soup and chili weather.
Well, enough rambling...I wish to use that extra hour this evening to do some much needed cleaning--yeah right!! I'm not doing any if I can get away with it!!!!
Enjoy your hour
Monday, October 24, 2005
Friday, October 21, 2005
Random Friday Thoughts
Most everyone probably watches Letterman now, but I still watch Leno when I can stay awake that late. I know that most of the people on TV are more liberal, democratic than I am, but it is really driving me crazy anymore...
...like why is it pretty much ONLY President Bush's fault that the Katrina area didn't get evacuated in time? What part of M-A-N-D-A-T-O-R-Y E-V-A-C-U-A-T-I-O-N was so hard for people to understand?!?! I'm sick of hearing about everyone criticizing everything and everyone...can't we all just work together to fix things that go wrong instead of placing blame on everyone else...
...or why do we keep criticizing the overweight people of our world when shows are not passing up the opportunity to promote the foods and drinks that cause the problem. We can't totally blame the advertisements because we all tend to pass on saying "when" to stop eating what isn't good for us, but come on, give us a break on advertising. I watch the short amount of TV with Carissa a day that we allow, and I am amazed by the McDonald's commercials that don't advertise any food, yet when we drive by a set of golden arches she yells "FRIES, FRIES!!" There's something there, I just can't figure it out...
...Joe made a good point the other day when we were in the car...what are people thinking when they put political bumper stickers on their cars and then they're there for good--what if you had the losing party on your car...I keep thinking of that every time I see a Kerry 2004 sticker in this area...
...Also, he noted that with the President's worst approval rating overall, Kerry still lost to him a year ago next month...ummmmmm?!?!
...Why is that when you sit down to try to get real work done, all you can do is stare at the screen trying to remember what was so important...Sometimes I just want to build blocks and have a simple day like Carissa does...
...My final thought for today is simple...I stink at the whole Pigskin Pick Em and it's driving me crazy to see Joe, Nathan, Fara, Taylor, and basically everyone stay ahead of me through the beginning of the season...I will have revenge and triumph(probably not, but it's worth the thought). I'm pretty sure Carissa would be beating right now if she had made up her own entry...
...like why is it pretty much ONLY President Bush's fault that the Katrina area didn't get evacuated in time? What part of M-A-N-D-A-T-O-R-Y E-V-A-C-U-A-T-I-O-N was so hard for people to understand?!?! I'm sick of hearing about everyone criticizing everything and everyone...can't we all just work together to fix things that go wrong instead of placing blame on everyone else...
...or why do we keep criticizing the overweight people of our world when shows are not passing up the opportunity to promote the foods and drinks that cause the problem. We can't totally blame the advertisements because we all tend to pass on saying "when" to stop eating what isn't good for us, but come on, give us a break on advertising. I watch the short amount of TV with Carissa a day that we allow, and I am amazed by the McDonald's commercials that don't advertise any food, yet when we drive by a set of golden arches she yells "FRIES, FRIES!!" There's something there, I just can't figure it out...
...Joe made a good point the other day when we were in the car...what are people thinking when they put political bumper stickers on their cars and then they're there for good--what if you had the losing party on your car...I keep thinking of that every time I see a Kerry 2004 sticker in this area...
...Also, he noted that with the President's worst approval rating overall, Kerry still lost to him a year ago next month...ummmmmm?!?!
...Why is that when you sit down to try to get real work done, all you can do is stare at the screen trying to remember what was so important...Sometimes I just want to build blocks and have a simple day like Carissa does...
...My final thought for today is simple...I stink at the whole Pigskin Pick Em and it's driving me crazy to see Joe, Nathan, Fara, Taylor, and basically everyone stay ahead of me through the beginning of the season...I will have revenge and triumph(probably not, but it's worth the thought). I'm pretty sure Carissa would be beating right now if she had made up her own entry...
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Celebration...
Well, I am refraining from titling this blog until I complete it's words...
I've read my brother's blog and discovered that including him, there are many people that cannot put into words the great fun of this past weekend. I repeatedly told Joe on the way to Indiana that I couldn't believe that my brother was getting married. Not that I didn't think that someone could love him, it's just strange to think about. Then Joe, in his infinited wisdom said, "Don't you think he felt the same way almost 5 years ago?" Yes I suppose he did, but come on I'm the big sister it's right for me to get married...I know Double Standard...
We traveled for a day and spent 2 1/2 days preparing for Friday and then I realized how excited he was to be marrying his true love...It was a great time and I know that from what people said and showed towards Brian and Sarah as well as to each other. I know for some of the people there it was like a college reunion of sorts, but for me it was seeing all of my brother's friends sharing in a blessing they had been praying for for him for quite some time. We all were praying for the right person to come along, weren't we?! The idea behind the toast at the reception was for the guys to all share there thoughts on what a community was to them(excuse the paraphrasing-I'm not the minister in our family), and each one shared a thought about Brian and how he had made a difference in their life. That says alot, doesn't it? When You can get enough guys up there willing to say their thoughts about someone they've known less than all of their lives, but who means so much...
We are tremendously excited about having Sarah join our family. I hope we are able to get to know her better and better for the rest of our lives. Thank you God for letting us share in this joyous time...
I've read my brother's blog and discovered that including him, there are many people that cannot put into words the great fun of this past weekend. I repeatedly told Joe on the way to Indiana that I couldn't believe that my brother was getting married. Not that I didn't think that someone could love him, it's just strange to think about. Then Joe, in his infinited wisdom said, "Don't you think he felt the same way almost 5 years ago?" Yes I suppose he did, but come on I'm the big sister it's right for me to get married...I know Double Standard...
We traveled for a day and spent 2 1/2 days preparing for Friday and then I realized how excited he was to be marrying his true love...It was a great time and I know that from what people said and showed towards Brian and Sarah as well as to each other. I know for some of the people there it was like a college reunion of sorts, but for me it was seeing all of my brother's friends sharing in a blessing they had been praying for for him for quite some time. We all were praying for the right person to come along, weren't we?! The idea behind the toast at the reception was for the guys to all share there thoughts on what a community was to them(excuse the paraphrasing-I'm not the minister in our family), and each one shared a thought about Brian and how he had made a difference in their life. That says alot, doesn't it? When You can get enough guys up there willing to say their thoughts about someone they've known less than all of their lives, but who means so much...
We are tremendously excited about having Sarah join our family. I hope we are able to get to know her better and better for the rest of our lives. Thank you God for letting us share in this joyous time...
Saturday, October 8, 2005
October Thoughts
This October brings time to clean and reorganize before the next baby arrives in November. I started to prepare a few months ago, but I am trying to get a little bit done every week so I'm not overwhelmed as much as with the first baby coming home. I'm thinking more about what will she get into like Carissa did or what will Carissa show her how to do...The surprises of parenthood.
We've also been trying to get Carissa ready to be a big sister. She can say her sister's new name, but not too loud so maybe it's just a person she thinks is coming to visit for awhile. I think she's going to make a great big sister, but it's kind of scary to think about how chaotic everything will be. I know I can do it because other families have more than one kid, so we'll be fine...
Carissa has tried on her flowergirl dress at least 5 times and each time she stays upset longer when she has to change out of it. I just hope she'll like wearing it for the wedding next week. I still can't believe my brother is getting married. He just seems different now that he's growing up before our very eyes...
Mainly my concentration has been on trying to spend as much time with Carissa as I can before her sister comes along. It's so hard to think about having another little one to love this much. She continues to change every day. Today she enjoyed riding up and down the escalator at the mall with her Daddy. She just yells "Mommy, mommy" as soon as she gets me in her sight. I was at a ladies breakfast this morning and when I got home she came running across the living room to see me saying "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY" the whole time. It's great to have someone be that excited to see you when you walk in the door of your home...
We've also been trying to get Carissa ready to be a big sister. She can say her sister's new name, but not too loud so maybe it's just a person she thinks is coming to visit for awhile. I think she's going to make a great big sister, but it's kind of scary to think about how chaotic everything will be. I know I can do it because other families have more than one kid, so we'll be fine...
Carissa has tried on her flowergirl dress at least 5 times and each time she stays upset longer when she has to change out of it. I just hope she'll like wearing it for the wedding next week. I still can't believe my brother is getting married. He just seems different now that he's growing up before our very eyes...
Mainly my concentration has been on trying to spend as much time with Carissa as I can before her sister comes along. It's so hard to think about having another little one to love this much. She continues to change every day. Today she enjoyed riding up and down the escalator at the mall with her Daddy. She just yells "Mommy, mommy" as soon as she gets me in her sight. I was at a ladies breakfast this morning and when I got home she came running across the living room to see me saying "MOMMY MOMMY MOMMY" the whole time. It's great to have someone be that excited to see you when you walk in the door of your home...
Monday, September 26, 2005
Monday Morning Quarterback
I have to admit in writing that I probably didn't even know things like ESPN, Fantasy Football, or anything like that existed before I met Joe. I knew there were sports teams out there, but I didn't realize that there were channels devoted to them and entire Saturdays, Sundays and often Mondays used to broadcast their games, matches, rounds, or whatever...So needless to say before we moved here, I never knew there was a "game" called Pigskin Pick 'em were you try to guess who will win the games played each weekend and then you are ranked on your team. I want to thank Joe and Nathan for getting me into this--well, not really. I can have an awesome week, like last week and then totally, I MEAN TOTALLY, bomb the next. As Joe sat to look at the results this morning saying, "YOU ONLY GOT 3 GAMES, RACHEL?!?!" Thank you dear. I feel even more excited to know about sports on a day like today. I think sometimes it's like your in a parralel world that knows what to do right with this game, but I try to hold true to the teams I know. I always pick Joe's Bears and our Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, isn't that devotion to teams?!?!
Oh, well...I woke up this morning knowing that it was going to be raining, but it's really a dreary day...Again, I've blogged about this before and it usually happens on Mondays--Joe's day off. WE are going to work around the house today. Maybe I can talk him into getting a few things done that I wouldn't mind having done. Well, I can hope...I mean it is his day off.
Well, we are home for a whole week this week. We don't have anything planned until Oct. 7 and then it's crazy for about a week--until my brother's wedding. Brian, ONLY 20 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, well...I woke up this morning knowing that it was going to be raining, but it's really a dreary day...Again, I've blogged about this before and it usually happens on Mondays--Joe's day off. WE are going to work around the house today. Maybe I can talk him into getting a few things done that I wouldn't mind having done. Well, I can hope...I mean it is his day off.
Well, we are home for a whole week this week. We don't have anything planned until Oct. 7 and then it's crazy for about a week--until my brother's wedding. Brian, ONLY 20 DAYS LEFT!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Random Thoughts
It's been a whirlwind month...We start so slowly trying to ease back into the swing of things with school starting. Then all of a sudden there are football games, track meets, and all the other things that come with the beginning of the school year. I sometimes miss the chaos of work, but then I think to myself, how could I do it all?!?! I'm so happy that some people can, but man I'd be beat...
We returned from our annual Brown County trip a day late and a dollar short--well not really thanks to my Dad and his talking about the "warranty" on our new tires...We were leaving Nashville, Indiana on Sunday afternoon and I noticed this loud tire noise. About that time a huge camper went sailing by so I assumed that it was coming from that. Then I noticed that my side of the car was shaking a little bit more than it really should be. Sure enough, upon pulling over to examine the problem, we discovered a flat, VERY flat, tire. We called AAA, because we pay for and we should try to stay in contact with them when we can, and they said it would be a guaranteed time of 2 HOURS!!! So, Joe thought if he could get the spare on in less time than that, he could call and cancel the request. After unloading a fully packed trunk, we had to try to figure out how to remove the jack that was practically bolted to the inside of the car. Are these so valuable that they need that much of a security feature as to not be able to remove them unless you are a body builder? So, needless to say my strong man did remove it and started to get the tire changed. About the time he was 3/4 of the way done, a van pulled up behind us. The guy stated "I'm from AAA and they sent a notice that you had a flat tire." I told him that they had told us 2 hours and he just laughed (definitely not that humorous to Joe). He offered to finish and was done in about 5 minutes. He told us to drive into Walmart in Columbus, IN and see if they could fix the tire and we could be on our way. So, we headed into Columbus and got to Walmart. My Dad, in his infinite wisdom proceeded to tell the guy in the tire department what happened and the guy asks if they are under warranty. "Sure they are," says my Christian Seminary professor father!! He had no clue one way or the other. So, the car was fixed in about a half hour and we were on our way--to sitting traffic on I-65 North. Road construction is a lovely thing, eh? We finally got to the south side of Indy and stopped to eat dinner--or supper for those of you in Illinois. By this point we were all pretty exhausted and we had to decide if we wanted to start our 6+ hour trip back to Pittsburgh or not. We opted not to and stayed at a hotel in Indy. Thankfully we had a great day traveling on Monday and got back home around 4:30. We stopped for dinner then, because unfortunately, I had to do the second gestational diabetes test on Tuesday morning at 7 A.M. So, I couldn't eat anything after 7 P.M. on Monday night. So, to make a short story long, we had a great weekend and then some delays but made it home safely...
We went to my regular doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is fine with the test. We scheduled the C-section for November 22nd--1 day after my birthday, 2 days before Thanksgiving, and 7 days before Carissa's birthday. Hopefully it will be a little earlier than that--it would stink to be in the hospital for Thanksgiving. But on the other hand I'm not a big turkey person, so they could just bring me food later in the day or something...we'll see.
Anyway that was our weekend and trip back. Carissa enjoyed playing with some new friends over the weekend--Micah(4), Rachel(2 weeks older than Carissa) and Benjamin(7). She pretty much followed or played with Micah most of the time. He kept saying her name and vice versa. It was pretty cute!!
Our next mission: October 7th--Fall Campus Challenge in Lincoln and then from there my little brother's wedding on October 14th. I still can't believe how fast the time has gone...
For now I think I'll try to enjoy some laundry washing and folding. As well as some quality time with Carissa...
We returned from our annual Brown County trip a day late and a dollar short--well not really thanks to my Dad and his talking about the "warranty" on our new tires...We were leaving Nashville, Indiana on Sunday afternoon and I noticed this loud tire noise. About that time a huge camper went sailing by so I assumed that it was coming from that. Then I noticed that my side of the car was shaking a little bit more than it really should be. Sure enough, upon pulling over to examine the problem, we discovered a flat, VERY flat, tire. We called AAA, because we pay for and we should try to stay in contact with them when we can, and they said it would be a guaranteed time of 2 HOURS!!! So, Joe thought if he could get the spare on in less time than that, he could call and cancel the request. After unloading a fully packed trunk, we had to try to figure out how to remove the jack that was practically bolted to the inside of the car. Are these so valuable that they need that much of a security feature as to not be able to remove them unless you are a body builder? So, needless to say my strong man did remove it and started to get the tire changed. About the time he was 3/4 of the way done, a van pulled up behind us. The guy stated "I'm from AAA and they sent a notice that you had a flat tire." I told him that they had told us 2 hours and he just laughed (definitely not that humorous to Joe). He offered to finish and was done in about 5 minutes. He told us to drive into Walmart in Columbus, IN and see if they could fix the tire and we could be on our way. So, we headed into Columbus and got to Walmart. My Dad, in his infinite wisdom proceeded to tell the guy in the tire department what happened and the guy asks if they are under warranty. "Sure they are," says my Christian Seminary professor father!! He had no clue one way or the other. So, the car was fixed in about a half hour and we were on our way--to sitting traffic on I-65 North. Road construction is a lovely thing, eh? We finally got to the south side of Indy and stopped to eat dinner--or supper for those of you in Illinois. By this point we were all pretty exhausted and we had to decide if we wanted to start our 6+ hour trip back to Pittsburgh or not. We opted not to and stayed at a hotel in Indy. Thankfully we had a great day traveling on Monday and got back home around 4:30. We stopped for dinner then, because unfortunately, I had to do the second gestational diabetes test on Tuesday morning at 7 A.M. So, I couldn't eat anything after 7 P.M. on Monday night. So, to make a short story long, we had a great weekend and then some delays but made it home safely...
We went to my regular doctor's appointment yesterday and everything is fine with the test. We scheduled the C-section for November 22nd--1 day after my birthday, 2 days before Thanksgiving, and 7 days before Carissa's birthday. Hopefully it will be a little earlier than that--it would stink to be in the hospital for Thanksgiving. But on the other hand I'm not a big turkey person, so they could just bring me food later in the day or something...we'll see.
Anyway that was our weekend and trip back. Carissa enjoyed playing with some new friends over the weekend--Micah(4), Rachel(2 weeks older than Carissa) and Benjamin(7). She pretty much followed or played with Micah most of the time. He kept saying her name and vice versa. It was pretty cute!!
Our next mission: October 7th--Fall Campus Challenge in Lincoln and then from there my little brother's wedding on October 14th. I still can't believe how fast the time has gone...
For now I think I'll try to enjoy some laundry washing and folding. As well as some quality time with Carissa...
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