Day 8

Reason #8:  His sense of humor

Isn't it awesome when someone just "gets" you?  That's exactly how I feel about K.  After being together this long, I usually know what he is going to say before he says it, especially when I know he is about to make a joke about something.  We just find the same things funny...except for Sponge Bob Square Pants...which he thinks is hilarious and I merely tolerate for the sake of my 4 year olds  :0)

There are still certain things that he did to make me laugh early on in our relationship that he can do today and I still crack up to the point of tears.  I LOVE to laugh and I can't think of anyone with whom I'd rather laugh for the rest of my life than my man.

Day 9

Nine days until the BIG DAY!

OK, reason #9:  His sense of adventure

K is always up for adventure anytime any place!  When we first began dating, K came to my apartment and saw that I had a mountain bike (a gift from my Grandmother) and was excited saying, "you ride?"...at that moment I had a second where I thought, I could easily lie and say, "sure" and he would probably think I was pretty cool...but what if he wants to go riding sometime and I look like a fool on some trail?!?  I decided to be honest and point out that the bike tires still had those little tabs on them that should wear off if the bike is actually ridden a couple of times...he stuck around anyway~even after finding out that I had (gasp!) never been camping either :0)  Lucky me...  

He "broke me in" pretty quickly though and since being with K, I have done a lot of things that I thought I'd never do, including camping, moutain bike riding (nightmare), sea kayaking, glacier hiking, bungy jumping, running a half marathon and a full marathon, skiing out west, and taking a scuba lesson (the scariest of all).  

One thing's for sure, life is never boring being married to this amazing man!

The Countdown is ON...Day 10

In 10 days I will have been married 10 years!  Unreal...  Where does the time go?  I am the luckiest girl in the world.  For the next 10 days I am going to list one reason each day that I am head over heels for my man.  

Reason #1:  Have you seen him? He is GORGEOUS.

The first time I laid eyes on K (the new bartender at Half Moon Pub in Athens) back in 1996 I remember asking the my girlfriends at the bar, "Who's the new hottie?"   Then a couple of weeks later when he was off work but down at Half Moon to see Tibbetts Street, he stopped me and introduced himself, and I was so excited.  With his long hair in a ponytail and his amazing blue eyes I was a smitten kitten.

I guess you can say, The Rest is History...

The concerns of a 4 year old...

It's interesting to hear the things that come from our little ones...

Miss C has been having some separation anxiety lately---nothing uncontrollable, but definitely just needing those extra 10-12 kisses and hugs when I am leaving her at school/church/with a sitter, etc...  Of course, M, doesn't even realize I have left the room---I'm the one chasing her asking for a goodbye hug and kiss thinking that she may be sad if I don't...yeah right!  Anyway, C has also been asking questions about Heaven (I think this all ties back to my Grandmother's death recently).  The conversation pretty much went like this:

C:  "Mommy, you're going to die before me, right?"

G:  "Of course, but that will be a long time from now"

C:  "And Daddy is going to die before you because he's older than you, right?"

G:  "Well, I'm not sure, but maybe...but that is also a long time from now too"

C:  "Will we live in houses in Heaven?"

G:  "I think so...do you want to live together?"

C:  "Yes, but will we be able to find each other?"

G:  "Don't you worry about that...I'll find you"

C:  "OK, so if there's a tree in Heaven, I'll meet you by the tree.  That's where I'll be"

G:  "Perfect...we'll meet by the tree"

One word...precious...

I wish I had 3 of me...actually 4...

When I first had M and C, I was crazy about being "fair" with them...making sure that I held each of them the same amount and that other people did too; that I read to each of them the same amount; that I talked and cuddled with each of them the same amount, etc...one word----exhausting.  I am still doing that to this day, but now there is another little monkey in the mix and I want to cherish every moment with her because now I realize how quickly it all passes!  I don't want her to even start crawling, because next is walking and talking and then all of a sudden she'll be in preschool---or worse---college!  

I know, I know I'm being melodramatic, but I really wish I had a few extra me's to spend quality time with all 3 of my girls as well as my sweet husband.  

We are taking a Skip Day tomorrow to go to the zoo with some friends and I am looking forward to doing something fun with them.  I think that some days go by and I haven't had a minute (or I should probably say taken a minute) to just sit with each of my girls and do an activity or read (except for bedtime books when I am past the point of wanting to "clock-out" for the night).  It all goes by so fast...I just want to soak it all in and not feel so crazed...

I miss my grandmother...(and brother too)

Yesterday we had a belated Easter with my parents since we were in FL for Spring Break during Easter this year.  We were really looking forward to it because it is always fun to celebrate holidays with family.  It was very strange because for the first time it was just us, my parents and Mama.  My brother and his family weren't there (Africa) and my Grandmother wasn't there (she died in February).  M and C enjoyed sitting at the "grown-up's table" since we had all of the extra room...but there was kind of a melancholy feeling during the Easter egg hunt and throughout supper.  We talked about how we feel like we can still go visit or call Grandmother because it feels like she is just around the corner at her house, but this past weekend was her estate sale.  Just sad...I miss her.  I miss that feeling of knowing that she is just around the corner.  

I am so glad that I was able to have some special time with her before she died.  She was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in the fall and amazingly she had no pain at all (which is what we prayed for) up until the day before she died.  I kept feeling like I wanted to have a moment with Grandmother to tell her how much she means to me and how much I would miss her when she was no longer here.  It was amazing how God provided the perfect opportunity because her round-the-clock caregiver had to run an errand to get some things that she needed and since I was there, could she run out for a bit.  I, of course, said, "Sure" as I'm thanking God for hearing my prayers and "making a way".  I was able to hold her hand and (through tears) tell her all the things I had wanted to say.  I am so thankful for that moment and I'll never forget it.  

Isn't it funny how we put God in this small box in our minds sometimes where we think that he is unable to make things work out for us?  I'm sure He sometimes just looks at me and shakes His head in frustration at how small my faith can be...

Last night when K was grilling out, C came to him and asked if she could tell him something. C shared with Kevin that a little girl at school was not being nice to her...that C would come up to this little girl and try to talk to her or play with her and the little girl would say "bye!" and run away from C. I had to laugh because the 1st thing out of K's mouth was, "well, she is dumb!". Uh oh...I hope that doesn't get repeated at school :0)

Isn't it crazy how it takes just a second for our blood to boil when someone or something affects our little ones?!? Also, I am thinking, "Since when did Mean Girls begin at age 4?!?" Unbelievable...

You want to shelter your children from all negative feelings, but it's impossible to do. Our moms went through it with us (I have a feeling it started a bit later in our lives), and our daughters will go through it with their daughters too (by then, Mean Girls may start in the crib!).

I also have to admit that I was a little sad that she didn't share this with me first. Since I was pregnant, I prayed that my girls would be able to tell me anything and that I would be able to help them if needed with anything going on in their lives, no matter what age they are. When I asked C if she wanted to talk about how this girl was treating her at school, she said that it would be "telling on her"...maybe my No Tattling Rule (which pretty much is reserved for Sister M) needs to be revised?  I am so happy, though, that my girls and their Daddy are so close...

Do I really have time for this???

OK, I am not so much of a blog follower as other friends of mine, but I do love reading up on the lives of my girlfriends when I actually remember to check in on their blogs.  I have a journal book that Shannon, my sister-in-law, gave me for Christmas (to chronicle all of the little things that we would experience as a family now that we were no longer just a family of 2) when Mia and Chloe were only 4 months old and I was pretty good at writing in it, but as time has gone on, I have basically just been jotting down little notes so I can remember to write down the "full story" for each note when I get some time.  When will that happen???  Who knows...  Maybe I can actually expand on those "notes" every once in awhile on here.  We'll see...  

So, I thought that I can type faster and with less writer's cramping by keeping this blog instead. 

Please tell me that this isn't going to be as much time-suckage as Facebook :0)