Friday Favorites

5. Mason & Taylor.
Adam & I both like the idea of our kids being close in age. For us, there are many benefits to this. For instance, they are the best of friends. Sure they have their brother/sister moments, but for the most part, they love playing with each other. Now that Taylor is running around the house and super verbal, the two will play in their rooms together. As a mom, one of my favorite moments occurred on the way home from the gym yesterday. Mason reached over and grabbed Taylor's hand. They held hands the entire way home and everyone in the car had huge grins on their faces.

4. Shape, Self, Fitness, and Women's Health Magazines.
I would rather read one of these magazines any day over a gossip magazine. There are so many insightful stories, tips and recipes that I find helpful. My goal is to be healthy, inside and out.

3. Fall Season.
While we are still experiencing 110 degree temps this week in Bakersfield, knowing that Fall is right around the corner excites me. With that comes fall clothes, which I love. That also means Football. College Football is my favorite, but I do play in a Fantasy Football league with all guys. Also the start of the new season for our shows. I'm an Office fan and can't wait to see what Michael's last year will be like.

2. New Biblestudy.
I'm trying to decide on a new biblestudy. Any suggestions?

1. Date Night.
Our friend Jayme is celebrating her birthday this weekend. We have a babysitter and that means an evening out to dinner with our closest friends and no interruptions. To say that I'm excited is an understatement.

Mason's 3yr checkup

Since we were out of town when Mason turned three and our doctor books up quickly for well child visits, I just now got around to Mason's three year checkup. Last night I had a mixture of emotions regarding today's appointment. On one hand, I couldn't wait to get Mason's new stats and ask the questions off of the list I made for the doctor. However, Mason DOES NOT LIKE DOCTOR'S VISITS.

Due to his major hesitation, I decided it would be best to prepare him for his appointment. Last night as we ate dinner, I told him that he would be going to see Dr. Shah the next day. He immediately put his head down on the table and said "no" in the saddest voice. I asked him why he didn't want to go and he told me that doctors hurt him.

When he was younger, he had quite a few double ear infections. So the boy hates having his ears cleaned or if anyone even wants to look in them. Tears well up and he covers his ears. It's a battle. So when he made that statement at the table, I had a feeling this is what he was referring to.

I tried to explain to him that the doctor wants to make sure he is healthy by looking at this eyes, nose, ears, mouth, belly and back. That night we prayed for God to calm his nerves and help him to understand that doctors aren't there to hurt you but to help you.

This morning when he woke up, I reminded him that we were going to see the doctor after breakfast. Tears welled up in his eyes and he became anxious right away. All I could hope for was a smooth appointment.

First they checked his hearing and vitals. After getting weighed and measured, they asked him to pee in a cup. I wish they had told me this part would have been happening before hand, especially since I had taken him to the bathroom right before they called us back to the room. Luckily, he was able to go just a tiny bit and that was all they needed.

Once we were back in our room, the battle began. He didn't want to get changed into his robe and his crying made Taylor cry. By the time Dr. Shah walked in the room, I had two crying kids. Thankfully, it didn't take long to calm them down and Mason answered Dr. Shah's questions.

The only struggle we had with his checkup occurred with getting him to stand still to check his ears. I had to hold his head still which is harder than people think. The boy is extremely strong. After a clear check on the ears, I had a chance to ask Dr. Shah my questions and he could ask me his.

Both were extremely informative and I came away with a bit more knowledge today. As Dr. Shah looked at Mason's throat, he asked me if Mason snores. I answered yes, but I just chalked it up to his allergies. Then he asked me if he is very restless when he sleeps, such as a very active mover. YES! The boy sleeps all over his bed and if you have the pleasure of sleeping next to him at any point, then be prepared to have a leg on you or an arm or elbow in your face throughout the night.

Dr. Shah asked me if Mason had any sleep problems. Mason started fighting naps almost a year ago. I persistently battled this for about 5 months before just learning to give in. If he naps during the day, sure he is better behaved, but he sleeps horribly at night and wakes up several times. If he doesn't nap during the day, he sleeps great and wakes up around 6:30am, but towards the end of the day I face typical 3 year old battles.

Dr. Shah informed me that Mason isn't sleeping well at all. By looking in his mouth, he noticed the placement on his tonsils, which showed that he snores. Apparently when Mason sleeps, he snores and then stops breathing for a split second causing him to catch his breath and it startles him in his sleep. This causes him to wake up on and off throughout the night. He recommended we take him to an ENT to have his tonsils removed.

He suggested that his behavior at times is related to his lack of sleep. It was so enlightening to hear all of this and it started to make sense. As a child, I slept all over the place and had severe tonsil issues. When I was 17 I had them removed. Most likely, I had the same issues that Mason has right now. Mason is scheduled to see the ENT Sept. 3rd and it will be interesting to see what he has to say.

Everything else checked out great and he has a clean bill of health. They drew blood from his finger and he didn't cry, but when he got the shot in his leg, the tears came. Immediately after, he was so proud of his shot that he didn't even remember that he had been crying minutes before that.

3 year stats:
Weight: 35lbs (92th percentile)
Height: 39.75 inches (97th percentile)

Friday Favorites

We arrived back from Leakey, Tx Sunday and have been on the go since. Tuesday we left bright and early to fly back to California and due to packed flights, my mom was able to stay the night with us before leaving to head back to Houston on Wednesday. It is never easy saying goodbye and I usually have to fight back tears every time. It's harder with the kids not understanding why they can't see all of their family. Taylor is constantly asking "Where's Mimi?" Instead of a huge update, I'll make it simple today and just give my Friday Favorites.

5. My mom flying back with me to California.
When I flew home in May, I swore I would never fly by myself with the kids again. Kuddos to all the moms that can do it, but it's hard work and even harder when you have one that wants to use the potty and the other one is asleep in your arms.

My mom was kind enough to fly back with us and help me out. She was such a huge help on the plane and at one point both kids were asleep in our laps. We were able to enjoy some peace and quiet and it made flying a lot easier.

4. Brother/Sister time.
The main reason I spent such a long time in Houston this past summer was to help my parents out by staying home with my brother while they were at work. I jumped on the opportunity since we haven't had as much time to spend together. You would never know that we weren't blood related if you heard us talking. It's a true brother/sister relationship.

The best part of the trip was one of the last nights I was home. Kris and I stayed up talking and sharing stories and life experiences. For me, it helped me realize where he was coming from and treasure our relationship that much more.

3. Mooney Family.
Tuesday night, our good friends Ray & Marissa came over for a bit with the kids. Mason & Taylor were so excited to see the kids. It had been way too long since I saw Marissa and it was so nice to catch up with friends.

2. Brad & Jill.
Our good friends Brad & Jill were in Katy last weekend for Jill's first baby shower. I was supposed to make it, but we ended up staying a day later at the river. Sunday evening, they came over to my parents house after we got back in town. It had been a year since we saw them last. Taylor gave Brad kisses right away and Mason loved playing with his Toy Story magnets they gave him. I just wish we could have visited longer and Adam was there too. I got some great pics, so I'll post them soon.

1. We're home.
After being gone for a little over 7 weeks, it's good to be home. Mason has been asking to go to his house a lot this summer. When we pulled on our street, he could hardly contain his excitement. When we walked in the house, he ran in with his arms in the air and screamed "I'm home!"

Season of Waiting

At the beginning of the year, it seems fresh, a new start to everything. We make goals for ourselves and hopefully plan to follow through all year long. One of the goals I made for myself this year was to make it a priority in my day to have my time alone with God. For everyone, this might be something different, but for me it involves reading The Bible, writing down notes and prayers, sometimes I sing, and then I pray. The easiest way for me to do this was to have a bible study to outline what I was reading each day.

It's now August and I have completed two studies and I can't believe how quickly the year has gone by. But during that time each morning when I went to the table and dived into The Word, it didn't always seem like the days were flying by. Since January, I have been in a season of waiting. It's not always easy, but I know this is where God wants me right now.

During this season, I have learned a lot! God has been revealing himself to me in so many different ways and it has allowed me to be broken, so that He can mold me the way He wants me to be. There are two things that have been in my thoughts a lot lately and I thought I would share them with you.

Life is messy. It's not all sunshine and rainbows. I'm not trying to be a downer, just speak the truth. However, when life seems to be going well, we tend to think that God is good to us. That is true. But does that mean He isn't good to us when life is messy and you lose your job, someone close to you passes away, or things aren't going your way? Absolutely not. I heard something yesterday that said it perfectly, "God's goodness is based on His character, not based on our circumstances."

What a great reminder of the truth that seems to get pushed aside. It's so easy to praise Him when life is good and things seem to be falling into place just the way you wanted them to. But what about when life is messy? I am guilty of this. It's not that I don't see that God has a plan, but I can get down and focus on that rather than what God is trying to teach me through each situation.

Have you ever used the phrase, "That is such an answer to prayer," when you get the answer you wanted? I know I have. But do you say that when you are told "No" or "Wait?" God answers all prayers. It's either yes, no, or wait. It's easy to not praise Him for listening to you and answering you when it's not the answer we want.

This is written mostly to remind myself of this season and to never forget what God is teaching me during this time. However, I hope this helps some of you as well.

Friday Favorites

Now that my allergies seem to be under control, I was able to venture out and do more things this week.



5. New Glasses.

Last week I mentioned that I was going for an eye checkup. It went exactly as I thought it would and overall my vision is good, but I need new reading glasses. My eyes were dilated as I picked out my new glasses, so I had a hard time seeing what I chose. Considering I will only be wearing them when I'm on the computer or reading, I didn't want to spend a ton of money on them. Our vision insurance is great and I only spent $30 for the appointment and glasses. That makes for a happy girl. I get to pick them up today.



4. Handbags.

I love all accessories. One of my favorite accessory stores is none other then Charming Charlie's. We don't have one in Bakersfield, and so when I'm in Houston, I make sure to pay the store a visit. My only problem is I like it all and then convince myself that I don't need anything and leave with nothing. This is a good habit to have, but it drives my husband crazy at times. I seldom ever buy anything for myself.



When we got into town, Taylor had her stomach bug and had an incident of throwing up in my favorite red handbag, while we were at the grocery store. Since then I have been on the look for a new red handbag. I went to Charming Charlie's hoping to find one, but no such luck this time.



Leaving a bit disappointed, I made a stop at Target. I had the evening to myself, and wanted to take advantage of shopping alone. I came across this purse and it was on clearance. It's not red, but that's okay.



3. Pedicures.

When Adam & I were newly married, I would indulge in getting a pedicure every other week. Oh how I miss those days. Unfortunately, it's been since last November since I had a pedicure. This is due making time for it and the fact that I'm not a fan of the Spa Pedicures in California.



The first time I sat down to get a Spa Pedicure in Bakersfield, I left so disappointed. I thought maybe it was just that salon, so I tried another place the next time. Unfortunately, after trying several salons, I can say that it's just not the same. What they consider a Spa Pedicure in Cali seems to be cleaning of the cuticles, polish change and sitting in a fancy chair with your feet in the water bath and a little massage of the feet and legs. May last 30 minutes if you are lucky.



My mom and I were supposed to get pedicures back in May, but we didn't have time. So Wednesday morning, we had appointments at my favorite nail place in Katy. We sat in the chairs, relaxed and were pampered for an hour. So relaxing.


2. Meeting Olympic Speed Skater Chad Hedricks.

During the month of August, Kingsland Baptist hosts family nights on Wednesday evenings. For the first week, they had 5 time medalist Olympic Speed Skater Chad Hedricks speak. He recently accepted Christ as his personal Savior and spoke on how it has changed his life and his way of thinking. Afterwards, we had a chance to meet him. After talking with him and his wife Lynsey, we learned that our daughters were born one day apart. I tried to get a picture with Taylor and Mason, but Mason wasn't in the picture taking mood. This is the best we got.

1. Garner, Tx.

Growing up, I loved to camp. We took several long weekend trips to campgrounds all over the state of Texas. My favorite by far has to be Garner State Park. It's located about 6 hours from Houston and nestled down by the Frio River. I haven't been back in years, but that soon will change.

Next week, we will be going to Leakey, Tx about 9 miles from Garner with my family and some extended family. I can't wait to take the kids and show them all the things I love about it down there.

Ten on Tuesday

Great questions this week. Thanks Chelsea!

1. What is your current favorite television show?
This is a hard one. As of the last several weeks, I have been into The Bachelorette. However, during the normal season, I would say Glee. I have watched it from the beginning and it brings a smile to my face every time I watch it.

2. Apple Juice or Orange Juice?
Apple Juice. I'm not really a juice fan, but when I do, it's apple.

3. It's Shark Week on Discovery Channel. Do you watch? Why or why not?
If I was home in Bakersfield, then yes. Since I'm in Houston staying with my parents, then no. My parents don't have cable. That is a huge shocker for most people, but they would be happy not having a TV. It's seldom ever on, and most of their time is spent doing other things. It works for them.

4. What are the non-blogging sites that you visit regularly?
My email
Facebook
Chron.com - to stay in touch with the Houston news
FoxNews.com - my go to news site
Weather.com
Craiglist

5. What is your favorite way to prepare green beans?Asparagus? Potatoes? Carrots?
I like green beans sauteed with seasoning and bacon. I don't like Asparagus. Prefer my potatoes to be baked, and I don't like carrots unless they are raw.

6. What is your favorite flower?
Bright colored Gerber Daisies.

7. How do you feel about handkerchiefs?
It reminds me of Pappa. He always carried one.

8. If you could only shop at three stores for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Hobby Lobby - decor year round. White House Black Market - adore their clothes. Super Target - it has everything, including groceries.

9. If you could only use wine for one purpose in your life, which would you choose? To cook or to drink?
To drink.

10. What's your bedtime?
I'm a night owl, so normally it's around midnight.