Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Jeopardy!
Time Outs: Starting to pay off!
This has all worked out in beautiful time as I am now getting big and don't want to chase or wrestle with him anymore. It couldn't have worked out better!
The communication barrier, not just with this but so many other areas is improving everyday between us. We're really subconsciously working on it I guess, and it's getting better and better, not just communicating, but understanding, both of us. We are really focusing on Marce asking for things rather than first whining for them. Like for example when I'm eating a bowl of cereal and he's whining right by my side "uh...uh...uh...uh...uh" So annoying, well we say "say please", or "more" and he says it and then we give him a bite but the very next time he is whining again, and we do that cycle everytime, eventually I know he'll get it and some day soon right from the start instead of whining he'll say "please". We usually say "What do you say?" but I can tell he doesn't know what were asking him so we just have to tell him what to say for right now.
It's good he's communicating and understanding better and better because that will really help me when I have this new baby come. One will be able to speak a little and one will be crying and whining, I don't want two crying and whining, so it's good Marcelus is progressing wonderfully.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tagged...
How long did you date? We really didn't date. We were seperated by an hour drive, but we went on one half day date. He held my hand for the first time on that date. It was really the first opportunity.
How old is he? 29
Who eats more? Definately him, but for a girl my size, I eat a ton!
Who is taller? Ha Ha, I'm actually only one inch away from being the average women's height. He's a giant.
Who sings better? We both can sing decently. Sharrid has a good sounding voice, every once in a while if he sings without music, hell changethe key at some point. I don't know how people can so maybe I have a better ear, and I can sing parts if I learn them, but Shar loves to sing, and can carry a tune well, he could learn parts also if he needed to.
Who is smarter? Sharrid is more booksmart. He is smarter than me on Math and Science big time. He is prob. more street smart as well, but I have a leg up on him with some things. We compliment each other well I guess.
Who does the laundry? I do all the laundry.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you are looking at the bed, I do. I have to have the side closest to the door, even though Shar gets up first always.
Who said "I love you" first? I don't remember at all.
Who mows the lawn? No lawn.
Who is more stubborn? We are so equal here.
Who cooks dinner? Me, I always cook dinner almost every night. Sharrid is a decent cook, he likes to cook big breakfasts.
Who pays the bills? Sharrid pays the bills, but I am in charge of writing them out, sending them off, ect. I run the money I guess.
Who kissed who first? It was one of those movie kisses, you know where Telepathy takes place and you both just know,...it was mutual. I think we both equally wanted to.
Who asked who out? How do I answer this...Shar did, but then I said no because I lived so far, then he said he didn't care so I guess he did. And then I invited him to spend Christmas with me, so that was a big one...?
Who proposed? Well, I brought marriage up first, actually it was Christmas night. So, kind of me. I brought it up and initated most of that conversation but of course after we were engaged, he "proposed" with a ring that I told him I didn't want, just after we had said a prayer together.
Who is more sensitive? Sharrid is more sensitive, but he won't always tell me he's been hurt, actually I always have to find out later that I hurt his feelings. He tries to act tough about it but because he still remembers down the road this long (and brings it up) I know he is sensitive about it...I have never seen him shed a tear once. He says that he physically cannot cry. I don't know how, but I have not seen him cry, not even a tear come out of his eye.
Who has more friends? Neither of us really have friends, but we do have a few, I think it's equal.
Who has more siblings? Me, I have 5. He has 3 brothers and 1 half brother and 1 half sister...So I guess we tie? I should win. He should have 4. Half siblings count for half. He didn't grow up with them.
Who are you tagging? If you read this, you're tagged...
Personal Spotlight - Fred Rogers: America's Favorite Neighbor
- He named the character Mr. McFeely after his grandpa Fred McFeely because he had a great relationship with him and spent a lot of time with him growing up. McFeely is also Fred's middle name.
- Died of stomach cancer in 2003.
- The show is the longest running show on PBS, from 1968-2001.
- The sweaters he wore on the show were hand knit by his mother.
- Rumors of Rogers having a wild or violent past are untrue, as are rumors that he served in the Military and has arms covered with tattoos are also untrue.
- Fred Rogers wrote and composed over 200 songs, including all the songs on his shows. He started playing the Piano at age 5 and he heavily influenced the idea of having his intro music be not simple and childlike, but a sophisticated sort of jazz piece.
- He was red-green color blind.
- His parents were foster parents to a Black boy named George who Fred considered his older brother. George later taught Fred to fly as he served in World War 2.
- Fred earned a BA in Music Composition in 1951.
- He was married, had 2 boys, and 3 grandchildren, the last born 12 days after his death.
- He was a vegetarian who swam every morning, and neither smoked nor drank.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Crazy Marcelus...
Marcelus has already broken his arm once when he was about 15 months. He is not afraid of anything. He is a dare devil but the funny thing is that he just tripped and fell down on tile floor and broke the arm. He wasn't doing anything crazy, like he could have been.
Marce doesn't like milk so I want him to be careful and not break any more bones so they can be stronger for when he's older because he'll prob. want to do sports.
A few months ago he started jumping off couches onto the floor. One of these times he might just sprain or break an ankle but that has not happened yet. I think I've even seen him jump off the arm of the couch. Well, the last few days he has learned that he can jump from couch to couch. He's such a crazy kid. He is not afraid of heights at all. We were at the park today and he goes on the big kids side and up onto the landings of the play thing. It's really pretty high up there. It would be a really far way to drop so hopefully that never happens, but I just know that I better accept the inevitable fact that my kids are going to get hurt, maybe even often, and somewhat seriously, thanks to their crazy ways.
By the way figured out today that another pair of pants is not going to cut it anymore, I had to retire them into the "non pregnancy" bin of clothes. Also I've been meaning to post Marcelus latest words. He has been saying "Oh No" instead of "Oh Oh" so much, and it's just so different believe it or not. He says it like he's so devasted, like he seriously is sad about it, it's so cute. Also, the other new word is "Ouch". It is hilarious to hear, because even the lightest tap or whatever will cause him to say it, actually he mostly says "Ow" for Ouch but he says both. It's pretty funny, he says it all the time. I wonder if he's learning them from Nursery as he started saying them just all the sudden and we really didn't teach him these. Maybe he picked them up from movies...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Quick Update
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Going back in time...
The story behind the name
ok so a couple people have asked me about how I came up with Phoenix' name. So, I'm doing a post about it. First of all, when Shar and I were engaged, we talked about our future kids names, and he had said a few, and Marcelus was one of them. We know our first girl, whenever she comes will be named Roma Jean, but if it were to be a boy, we'd have to decide. Sharrid was determined to name his first boy Marcelus, after the greatest boxer in the world, you see Marcelus is Muhammad Ali's real middle name. When I found out this was the reason, I suggested that we use the first and last name as well, because I happened to like Muhammad Ali also. I don't know a lot about boxing I guess but I collect footage and have a interview piece of him that I have always been impressed by. So, Marce's full name is Cassius Marcelus Clay Hill. It's fun when the doctor's use Cassius at the office and stuff. But Sharrid wanted him to go by Marcelus. By the way Cassius is prenounced like Cashus.
As far as Phoenix goes, it was not on our original list of names to use that we formed when we got married. (We basically have all our names picked out already) but, we came up with this I think just before we got pregnant or something, and I don't know why. Obviously it came from where we live but other than that, there's no significance. We did not pick this because we love the city or the Suns or anything like that, we just thought of it and picked it and there was no sentimental reason. I have known that the Prophets middle name is Bitner for a long time. And ever since I learned that I have loved it and wanted to use it for one of my kids. So, were not so much naming our son after the Prophet, although it prob. wouldn't be a bad idea. It's just that I like that name, so that's how Phoenix Bitner Hill came about.
Sharrid's 1st Day of Work
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Is this even possible?!
Poetry Post
-Lexie Willard
2004
Reality is overrated
I don't want to be so concentrated
Let's drift away
To a fantasy world
I want to go back in time
To when I was a little girl
Life was so much easier then
Let's travel back in time to when
We played games
And we jumped rope
We had so much to gain
And every reason to hope
Life was carefree and full of wonder
Life was easy going and life was funner
The difference is back then we lived our lives
We weren't just a spec or a dot in time
There's just one question I might ask
Why is living rather than existing such a task?
That's just a question and this is just a thought
But I'd rather live fairytales than what this life has brought
Our minds are for learning and imagining such things
If you think and dream and wonder
Who knows what that could bring
I dream wonderful fantasies, yes I am very smart
Cause who wants to live this reality
Be honest with your childlike heart
Reach deep inside
For the young one that's there
The young one who's innocent
And the young one who cares
The young one will take you to your father above
Because the young one is full of that Christlike love
Don't ridicule those who seem like "young" adults
They are better off than you
You have greater faults
They're just trying to get away
From the reality that life is
A child is in his heart
And that heart is truly his
Why don't we all lay back
And drift into that world
The world where you are a little boy
And I am a little girl
My brother is already there
And I am on my way
When I finally arrive there
I'll always there stay
Monday, January 21, 2008
Long Weekend
The best part of putting the boys in their own rooms, or moving Marcelus over early was that I got to go through all of Marcelus' old clothes and put Newborn clothes in the crib dresser to be ready for Phoenix, I know I have plenty of time but it was just exciting, and gave me that "organization high" that I crave all the time. So his drawers are all ready for him, there are a few things we need to buy but I have 4 months so we're going to do it gradually.
It will be great to have the boys in their own rooms! They are somewhat small rooms I guess, every new house is like that now. But, they'll each have plenty of room!
We are also working right now on getting Marce to go to bed better. He always comes out over and over when I put him in there so I've been sitting with him til he falls asleep, but he is old enough that he needs to learn to go to bed on his own after being tucked in. With another kid coming, I need him to do his part. The last 2 nights we've been working on a new routine in his new room. And, the last two nights we've had to shut his door and he lays on his bed and cries himself to sleep. After he's asleep I open the door because yeah,...he gets up in the middle of the night, almost every night. That's a whole other issue I'm not really going to worry about right now. If I can get him to go down in the first place on his own, then we'll worry about in the night. Hoping to have him be a much improved sleeper by the time Phoenix comes because who knows how good/bad a sleeper he will be! Any advice is welcome...I think it's just a matter of time though...a few nights of having the door shut and he'll prob. stop coming out...
You asked...Here they are
Sunday, January 20, 2008
A young mothers confessions...
ok, well, today is Sunday, and having lessons about Prayer and Heavenly Father, I am inclined to post a bit of a confession or it can just be called a story and a thought. Friday we were in town all day running our annual weekly errands. We always have to end with Walmart because of the cold food. The plan according to me was that I was to go in and get a head start on the shopping, while Sharrid took Marcelus to a nearby park for a half hour and then come and find me in Walmart to finish up. What actually happened was that I did all the shopping, walked around all of Walmart to find Sharrid. Couldn't find him anywhere, was wondering why he hadn't found me yet. It was now dark outside, there would be no reason to still be out at the park. I called him over the intercom, and he did not come. He had told me that he would find me because he left his cell phone at home. I couldn't call him cause of that and reached for my phone to check the time only to find that mine was missing. It definately added to the stress, but I was thankful that I was worried about Sharrid and Marcelus so much at that point that to lose my cell phone was not even a tiny care in my mind. The only problem was that I not only couldn't call Shar, but couldn't call anyone. I felt really alone at that point, beside all of these strangers in Walmart. My cart was full of groceries and I decided to check out and then continue my search. I went through self check out as I always do, (checkers are too slow and use way too many bags) The thought of Sharrid and Marcelus overtook everything in my mind. The fact that my cold foods were just sitting there forever meant nothing to me after a very short period of time. Time,...a lot of time had gone by. It had been dark outside forever, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what my next move was. I felt it was pointless to search the store again, and tears were at my eyes now. I didn't want to ask them to call him again because I was really about to lose it. I felt really helpless and went to sit at the McDonalds section of the store to think. I was at the end of my rope, so much time had gone by and I was starting to think of the worst. I knew Sharrid and Marce were not in the store, or they would have found me. I knew they were out there, I thought they must not be at the park, it was dark and cold outside, and Sharrid said he'd be back in 30 minutes. I thought of bad things that could have happened. I thought they could have gotten in a car accident. I thought that Sharrid could have been tired and fallen asleep somewhere or in the car, I even thought of worse things. I could barely keep from crying, and tears were just wanting to burst out of my eyes. It almost hurt to keep them under control. At that point, nothing else mattered at that point. Nothing. Now, I'm so grateful for that, and proud of myself that when these times come, we realize that were doing ok,...because we don't care so much about money or our house, or car, ...or cell phone, or any THING. I cared for nothing at the time but Sharrid, and Marcelus. I was at the end, and said a desperate prayer. Peace did not come over me right then, I still was holding back tears, I still felt helpless, I still felt no hope, I still was reeling inside, BUT ...Sharrid and Marcelus walked into Walmart about 10-15 minutes later. I called for him but he didn't hear me, I grabbed my cart and ran for him. He was confused that I was crying. I held Marcelus and put my face in Sharrid's chest because I really was crying at this point.
It turns out that Sharrid and I were not on the same "plan" page. The plan according to him was that yes, he would be back in 30 minutes but he would be circling the parking lot waiting for me to come out, which was exactly what he had been doing for all that time. It never occured to me to step outside, never even the thought...he said he'd been circling forever and Marcelus was being good anyway, and he just figured I was just having a lot of "fun" in Walmart shopping. Wow...a lot of fun.
On the way home we both agreed on a rule that both of us are to have our cell phones every day we go into town, as we are seperated some times. By the way, mine had slipped out of the diaper bag into the car's back seat. Also we agreed that we will be more clear about the "plan", althought we both felt that it was clear...
It makes me sad to think that I am the first one to know and understand, and yet the first one to be guilty of praying in emergency situations, or when we are really struggling or need help, but then forgetting to pray on a regular basis. Not sharing the good with HF, just using him when we need help and taking it for granted. It's like a slap in the face you know, to him. There's not a relationship there. There's only a dependency, that we recognize only when we are in desperate times. I've had experiences like this as a young mother and thought to change, but really haven't. And it makes me sad because I at one time had the best relationship with Hf that I could have it seemed. Shortly after HS moving out for the first time, up north where it was cold, it took me a month to find a job after searching. The job I did find payed me 2.15/hour plus measily shared tips. The only bills I had were rent and phone. I could barely pay them. I barely ate. I refused to ask my parents for help because I knew at that time it would have been hard for them. I had a bike, and my two legs. Luckily I did have a warm coat. It took me an hour to walk to work, fast walking. It took 25-30 minutes to bike. I walked most the time so that I could hopefully get a ride home with a co-worker. I can't paint the picture good enough, but I can tell you that I prayed constantly to get through the day, or the week. To survive. After 6 months I came home, not really gaining anything from that experience but a relationship with HF, a real, friendly, "talk to Him as if he's standing there" relationship. I came home praying 20 minute prayers I would guess.
Now, I have to start over, and get that back. Why is it so hard for me, a young mother? I do know that I am so tired by the end of the day with a 2 year old and a "parasite" as Shar calls it, in the belly, that at night I just crash. In the morning Marcelus wakes me up with a request whether it be "eat" or "movie" or "sippy". Once I'm at that point, I've forgotten. Luckily family and food prayers allow me to pray at all. BUT I have now made a goal, an inspiration has clicked for me, and some of you might think it is odd, but it will work. I shower everyday, and it is a quiet uninterrupted peaceful time. I take a decently long shower, I will pray in the shower! Even Marce is quiet at the bottom of the shower, he showers in with me about every other day. He's always quiet and playing though, it will be my prayer time. The Lord will excuse this I think. What must a young mother do to fulfill the commandments, to do what needs to be done. It's a tough gig isn't it, but we have to be creative. This is a new start at least. I know it's weird but it hit me, and I know it will work.
Sorry this post is so long, but it is what it is, I couldn't cut it any shorter. Maybe it will help you, maybe it won't, but it's helped me by writing it down, and to me a blog is a journal anyway. It's a journal everyone can read, but it is a journal, and whatever we feel we can share we do, and what we can't we don't but I felt like writing this story. I am grateful for experiences like this, but sad that I have to have them over and over again, and make goal after goal, trying to make it work again and again.
By the way, pregnancy pics are coming very soon...
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Friday, January 18, 2008
COTA Graduation
Sharrid with his Sargeant Martinez. All the cadets really loved him including Sharrid. He will miss him.