The Big Girl Haircut

I just want to cry! One haircut and I have a totally different child. There is nothing baby about her anymore! I can't believe that she'll be three tomorrow! I don't know where the years went, but I really just wish that time would slow down a little. She's so big, and what's worse, she knows it! For the first time, I've resigned myself to the fact that she really does look like me now. My family says they've seen it, but I've always seen more Channing in her. This is now almost identical to what I looked like at this age. Even her hand gestures and the way she walks looks like me now. 

Although I am very sad that my baby isn't a baby anymore, I do know that I don't have much longer until our new baby is here. But no matter how many kids we have, or how old she gets, she'll always be my baby; and she'll probably get tired of hearing it!

A Bunch of Pictures...

So here are the new snow pictures I promised. I have no idea how much we ended up with, but I do know it was over 10 inches. There was probably still 6 inches on the ground from the last snow. It still looks like this outside, but we did actually have some sun today. It didn't melt anything though because we haven't made it above 20 degrees...

These are from yesterday afternoon. I decided that for her 3rd Birthday, I should go on and cut her hair. I've been avoiding it for a while now, but it finally got to the point it wasn't worth the fight anymore.  I'll post more pictures in the next post of how cute it has been today. 

Snowed In...

So this is what we woke up to this morning:

I have no idea how much we've had, but what I do know, is that it is still coming down. It's not supposed to let up before 3 or so. Channing told me he had to dig his truck out this morning and use 4wd to get to work. The bright side to this thing, is that we didn't get the ice that has plagued the rest of the state. I'm just glad I did all my errands yesterday. Just a little while ago, I watched the huge black lab that lives across the pond come out for his morning break. The snow was all the way up to his belly, but he didn't seem to mind at all.  Anyway, have a good day, and I hope you are all able to move about freely!

Since I've Been Gone

So I know I left the last post ended with a promise with another soon to follow.... Sorry about that...

For what it's worth, I did take the snow pictures. We ended up with a foot before it quit. It finally got to the point that you really couldn't tell how much there was because everything blended together. Anyway, I did take them, and they were pretty good; then I accidentally deleted them. So typical, I know. I went through the next couple of days intending to take more pictures, but I didn't. I feel like this isn't the end of the snow, so I'll try to make up for it. 

Last Saturday, Channing and I got to out for our first date night since our anniversary. We had a great time. We ate dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in Columbus, then we went to a rodeo in downtown Columbus. Apparently, this wasn't just any rodeo... This was reality rodeo. Yes, read it again... reality rodeo...  I had no idea there was such a thing.  It is a new series that will be airing on Spike TV called World's Toughest Cowboy.  Now, I do not claim to be an expert on rodeos. I have seen plenty throughout the span of my life, so I do know what's going on and what a good ride should look like. But I must tell you... These guys were not that impressive. It's 12 cowboys who compete in three different events: Saddle bronc riding, bare back bronc riding, and bull riding. The horses were terrible. All the guys rode them. The only good ride we saw was the one guy who got thrown back into the gate and broke his foot and ankle the first go round. He went on to ride for the next two rounds, and won the competition for the night.  I think he was the only who actually rode a bull. Our favorite part of the whole night was the monkey who rides the border collie and herds the sheep. That monkey is 22 years old now. The next best part was at the very end when they had mutton-busting. That's sheep riding for those who don't know. We were crying we laughed so hard at those little kids.  We really did have a great time though. It was just so nice to get out and spend a few hours together just the two of us. 

On Sunday, Miss Emma came down with the stomach bug. A decent trip to the ER for some good meds and she was great. The worst part apart about was trying to explain to her why shouldn't she couldn't eat.  By Tuesday, Channing had it, and last night, I got it, on top of a sinus infection already making a problem. Needless to say, it's been a rough week.  Emma and I are much better, Channing however is not. He will be seeing a doctor in the morning.  In other news, the baby checkup last week went well. I totally forgot to update everyone on it. You will all be happy to know that everyone took very good care of me while I was at home. I gained alot of weight, which my doctor was thrilled about it.  The contractions are still there, but not as bad with the medication. She did tell me that they plan on taking me off the meds at week 35, which will be the first week of April. She said after that, the baby will be fine if born a few weeks early. April all of a sudden seems very, very close. I have alot to do to get ready for this new baby. 

Something to think about: Emma will be three next Saturday! I have no idea where three years went...

100 Things

So I found this on my cousin Suzanne's blog and I thought it looked fun. Just copy and paste to your own page, then bold the things you have done. Don't expect me to elaborate on some these...

*FYI* Snow post coming later. It's really piling up out there right now...

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/ Disneyworld

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice...no, but i've been to venice!

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

I Hate the Snow!

So I was all excited about taking pictures of our six inches of snow this morning. I was ready to share them all with you. Then I got the forecast for tomorrow. I've decided to wait. Tomorrow, we will experience our very first Alberta Clipper. I have no idea what the significance of that is, except that we are expecting 3+ inches between the hours of 4 am and 1 pm. Oh joy! I actually have to be out in the mess tomorrow. I really thought I was doing well, being out and about today. I'll have to let you know how I do tomorrow, but I don't expect it to be good. Not only will we be getting more snow, we will begin to experience a "Polar plunge" in temperatures. On Thursday, our high is 8. Low 0. I'm preparing to become a hermit. Feel free to call and check on me, I'm sure I'll be inside. 

While I Have a Few Minutes....

I thought I'd fill you in on the new book obsession. It looks like I have a full day devoted to laundry and football.... Yay for me!  

At the end of the last post, I told you that I had started a new book series. Well, if you are one of the very few like me who hasn't already read it, I'm gonna tell you why I started. I've now read the first two books of the Twilight series, by Stephanie Meyers. I assumed it was just another fad like the Harry Potter books, but for a little bit older crowd. It got to the point that every time I got on the computer, more and more adults were reading these things too. Then I was at home, and I found out my aunt and my cousin were reading them together. When E told me she liked them, that did it for me. She and I have similar tastes in books and authors. I knew that I couldn't hold out any longer. My biggest problem is knowing that if I like one book, I will become obsessed until I finish them all. Knowing that there were already four of them, I was really hesitant to begin. I'm also not very fond of things that Hollywood gets involved in. I can not name one movie based on a book that was as good as the book. I can come up with a couple that were close, but no movie can capture all the emotions and detail that an author can convey. I have come to that same conclusion about Twilight, but we'll get to that in a moment.

First, I got the first book, Twilight, still skeptical on how I would respond. Now, I do love vampire stories. I was interested to see how someone could write a good vampire book for a younger crowd. I must say I was impressed. Meyers took a legend as old as time and adapted it beautifully for a new age group in a very new time. This book is a wonderful, first-love, story without the inappropriate issues. Very clean, and as innocent as possible when a vampire is involved.  I finished in less that 24 hours. Sometimes I hate how fast I read. I immediately had to have the rest. However, when I got to Barnes and Noble the next day, they only had the second one, New Moon, in paper back. I got it, but I knew it would take me about the same amount of time to finish that one, and I'm not really a very patient person. It did actually take me two days because of the packing and traveling. I'm not going to say much about this one, except that it is, to me, better than the first, and dives more into the complex emotions of the main character. It's more suspenseful than the first, with a much more interesting plot line, and leaves you hanging at the end. I can not wait to find the next two. 

As for the movie, I think I will see it, but I'll wait until DVD release. I just cannot imagine any way that a movie could capture the emotional turmoil that constantly exists in the thoughts of the main character. But, so many people are raving about the movie as much as the book, so I'll reserve judgement until I actually see it. 

If you've read these, seen the movie, or plan to do both, let me know what you think. I love comparing the different perceptions. 

We're Back!

So we're back, and honestly, we kinda wish we weren't. We got home yesterday afternoon, and were welcomed by about 4 inches of snow with it still coming down. The projected highs for Thursday and Friday are somewhere around 11 degrees with a low of 0. Fun stuff.  I'm just absolutely thrilled. Anyway, it is good to be back in our place. It was great to unpack all the bags and put things up for the first time in over three weeks. Emma seems glad to be back too. She has fallen back into her sleep schedule, but we are going to have a time getting her accustomed to doing what we want her to do again. Three weeks with grandparents spoiled her just a little....

The trip itself, was wonderful. It was so great to be home and relax. We did a lot of bouncing around between families, but I honestly didn't mind. I told more than one person that I relaxed more the entire time I was home than I have since I moved here. We ate so much amazing food, that my scale today is hitting a number I didn't expect to see quite yet. I bet my doctor will be thrilled when she sees me on Tuesday.  Channing and I didn't do any of the eating out when had planned on because everyone made sure that they had all our favorite meals every time we sat down at the table. I think we were really spoiled too. 

Even Hannah Grace had a party while we were there. Channing's family surprised with sweet little girl gifts and a beautiful cake. Santa himself came to see the rest of the kids at the end of the night. It was a great night all around. 

The time went by much too quickly. Neither of us was ready to leave, but we were ready to unpack. We took way too much stuff with us, and came back with about three times what we took. We had to rent a U-Haul to come home. I am definitely not kidding.  The food wasn't the only thing they spoiled us with.  

I'll post later about the books I read while gone, and the enlightenment we had about Miss Emma's understanding of complex concepts. Here's a clue to both: Twilight and Revenge....

All I'll say now is that I bought into the madness, and my child is far more advanced than we thought.....  Some of the family is already familiar with the latter issue, so for the rest of you, stay tuned; it's worth the wait!