Thursday night, Olivia had her FIRE reading awards at the Jr. High. They sang "Puff the Magic Dragon". It was so cute. Then each student was presented their award - a book, various coupons, & a certificate.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
there goes my shot at being a princess
i am not afraid to admit that when the royal engagement was announced a little piece of me was sad. nevermind the fact that i am happily married.
i guess i had that slightest little thought that i could marry prince william. you know, because i hear he digs 29 year old's from central illinois who are currently married with 2 kids. i remember actually saying to myself, damnit there goes my shot at being a princess.
i'm not too proud to admit that i totally set my dvr to record the royal wedding. i will probably watch it tomorrow after work. and i will probably cry, i'm such a sap.
*filed under "Natalie is crazy"*
i guess i had that slightest little thought that i could marry prince william. you know, because i hear he digs 29 year old's from central illinois who are currently married with 2 kids. i remember actually saying to myself, damnit there goes my shot at being a princess.
i'm not too proud to admit that i totally set my dvr to record the royal wedding. i will probably watch it tomorrow after work. and i will probably cry, i'm such a sap.
*filed under "Natalie is crazy"*
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
what's my song?
ok, so i was randomly thinking about this, and i wonder if other people do this too. certain songs remind me of certain people. everyone i love has a song. if i hear their song, i immediately think of that person.
sometimes the song reminds me of a specific event that is tied to that person. this is why my dad's song is "heard it in a love song" by the marshall tucker band. i have such strong memories of him playing it on his guitar and singing it when i was a little kid. so now every time i hear that song, i automatically flashback to him sitting on the couch of our house on white street him strumming away on the guitar singing away. just like my cousin lori's song, it's "dancing queen" by abba. we used to cruise around the square in her HUGE brown car & sing that stupid song.
i could go all day...my grandma & grandpa's song is "he stopped loving her today" by george jones. it was played at his funeral. it is jointly their song, because i know it is their favorite song. i see them two-stepping around the dance floor at the revere rec hall or old settlers every time i hear that song. my mom's song is pretty much anything by george strait, particularly "amarillo by morning". same thing, i hear that song & i see her dancing with my dad.
some people have more than one song. like my sister, her songs are "spiderwebs" by no doubt & "ice ice baby" by vanilla ice. spiderwebs because i know that is one of her very favorite songs & she used to blare it & sing at the top of her lungs. ice ice baby because we, of course, made up a dance routine to it. and it is one of my favorite memories of us thinking we were cool tweens (isn't that what a pre-teen is called these days?). my brother-in-law brad's song is "keep em separated" by the offspring. i picture him in his beat up car with the huge subs just blaring that song.
it doesn't have to be an event, it can be the lyrics of the song that just remind me of that person. it just fits them. that's why my niece cassidy's song is "brown-eyed girl". my brother's song is "mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" by waylon jennings. i really can't explain why that is tim's song. i don't think he likes that song. and i have no outstanding memory of him & that song. it just always makes me think of timmy so cool.
and jarrett's song is "international harvester" by craig morgan. that song is him to a tee. the first time i heard it, i thought instantly this is jarrett's new song. previously, his song was "hanging by a moment" by lifehouse. i just thought that song described our new love so perfectly.
rachel's song is "you are my sunshine". i used to sing that to her when she was still in ute. and i sang it to her every day of her life for well over a year. now she says that she isn't a baby so she doesn't need a lullaby. olivia's song is "i loved her first" by heartland. because, quite frankly, i did love her first. i know the song is about a daddy & daughter, but it works just the same for a mommy & daughter. she's always going to be my baby.
so this leaves a burning question, if other people are crazy like me & associate songs this way, what's my song to them? hopefully something great.
sometimes the song reminds me of a specific event that is tied to that person. this is why my dad's song is "heard it in a love song" by the marshall tucker band. i have such strong memories of him playing it on his guitar and singing it when i was a little kid. so now every time i hear that song, i automatically flashback to him sitting on the couch of our house on white street him strumming away on the guitar singing away. just like my cousin lori's song, it's "dancing queen" by abba. we used to cruise around the square in her HUGE brown car & sing that stupid song.
i could go all day...my grandma & grandpa's song is "he stopped loving her today" by george jones. it was played at his funeral. it is jointly their song, because i know it is their favorite song. i see them two-stepping around the dance floor at the revere rec hall or old settlers every time i hear that song. my mom's song is pretty much anything by george strait, particularly "amarillo by morning". same thing, i hear that song & i see her dancing with my dad.
some people have more than one song. like my sister, her songs are "spiderwebs" by no doubt & "ice ice baby" by vanilla ice. spiderwebs because i know that is one of her very favorite songs & she used to blare it & sing at the top of her lungs. ice ice baby because we, of course, made up a dance routine to it. and it is one of my favorite memories of us thinking we were cool tweens (isn't that what a pre-teen is called these days?). my brother-in-law brad's song is "keep em separated" by the offspring. i picture him in his beat up car with the huge subs just blaring that song.
it doesn't have to be an event, it can be the lyrics of the song that just remind me of that person. it just fits them. that's why my niece cassidy's song is "brown-eyed girl". my brother's song is "mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" by waylon jennings. i really can't explain why that is tim's song. i don't think he likes that song. and i have no outstanding memory of him & that song. it just always makes me think of timmy so cool.
and jarrett's song is "international harvester" by craig morgan. that song is him to a tee. the first time i heard it, i thought instantly this is jarrett's new song. previously, his song was "hanging by a moment" by lifehouse. i just thought that song described our new love so perfectly.
rachel's song is "you are my sunshine". i used to sing that to her when she was still in ute. and i sang it to her every day of her life for well over a year. now she says that she isn't a baby so she doesn't need a lullaby. olivia's song is "i loved her first" by heartland. because, quite frankly, i did love her first. i know the song is about a daddy & daughter, but it works just the same for a mommy & daughter. she's always going to be my baby.
so this leaves a burning question, if other people are crazy like me & associate songs this way, what's my song to them? hopefully something great.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
photos by RameeLin Photography
my blogging & in real life friend, Ramee, took some beautiful pictures of my beautiful girls. you can visit her business website @ http://rameelinphotography.com/.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
{easter 2011}
Saturday, we had Easter at my Mom & Dad's. We had a big egg hunt with the kiddos & then had a delicious meal.
Rachel standing around looking cute.
Easter egg hunt with all the kiddos.
And they are off.
And they are off.
Rachel standing around looking cute.
me & my Mama
AJ looking cool with his mo-hawk.
Sunday afternoon, we had Easter with my family at my Aunt Debbie's. It's always so much fun getting together with everyone. Another egg hunt with the kiddos.
Sunday evening, we had Easter with Jarrett's parents. Another egg hunt & another delicious meal.
me & my love.
Livie & Daddy
It was all fun & games until Rachel fell into Bopchi's fish pond.
Sunday afternoon, we had Easter with my family at my Aunt Debbie's. It's always so much fun getting together with everyone. Another egg hunt with the kiddos.
Sunday evening, we had Easter with Jarrett's parents. Another egg hunt & another delicious meal.
me & my love.
Livie & Daddy
It was all fun & games until Rachel fell into Bopchi's fish pond.
3 huge meals, 4 wal-mart sacks full of candy, & so many laughs. I need a day to recover from this weekend.
jump around
Saturday, April 23, 2011
a day at the park
Back when it was nice, like 2 weeks ago, I took the girls & the 3 eldest Brownies to the park. They played for over an hour. I took pictures & sat on a bench in the shade. Nathan was there, but I just realized I didn't get any pictures of him. I got the most pictures of Rachel because she wasn't running as wild as the others.
Olivia, clearly, was having a great time at the park! This little girl cracks me up.
Cassidy had so much fun. She likes to run the show & she was in her height of glory with all the little kids running after her.
Andrew was having a blast! He was even too busy to bother with an official bathroom break. He came to me in the middle of playing & said "Aunt Natalie, I peed." I thought he had an accident. But turns out he needed help pulling his pants back up because he had dropped 'em by a tree & gone right there in the middle of the park. I love boys! Ha!
The Bopsy Twins in matching Justin Bieber shirts.
Andrew on the dinosaur. I knew this would be his most favorite thing at the park.
Not really sure what this was about, but she was having a ton of fun in that little car.
Just a swingin.
Yep, that's my baby way at the top of the super high slide. She climbed up there when I was fixing Andrew's pants from the pee incident. She yelled "Mama!" - I told her that she had to slide down because I couldn't climb up there. So I sent Olivia up the ladder to slide down with her. Evidently Rachel just loved the high slide. She did it 3 more times after that.
Olivia, clearly, was having a great time at the park! This little girl cracks me up.
Cassidy had so much fun. She likes to run the show & she was in her height of glory with all the little kids running after her.
Andrew was having a blast! He was even too busy to bother with an official bathroom break. He came to me in the middle of playing & said "Aunt Natalie, I peed." I thought he had an accident. But turns out he needed help pulling his pants back up because he had dropped 'em by a tree & gone right there in the middle of the park. I love boys! Ha!
The Bopsy Twins in matching Justin Bieber shirts.
Andrew on the dinosaur. I knew this would be his most favorite thing at the park.
Not really sure what this was about, but she was having a ton of fun in that little car.
Just a swingin.
Yep, that's my baby way at the top of the super high slide. She climbed up there when I was fixing Andrew's pants from the pee incident. She yelled "Mama!" - I told her that she had to slide down because I couldn't climb up there. So I sent Olivia up the ladder to slide down with her. Evidently Rachel just loved the high slide. She did it 3 more times after that.
Friday, April 22, 2011
true blood & an update
when i was recovering at home, my bff haley suggested that i read the sookie stackhouse books. i didn't have much else to do but sit around & wait to feel better, so i did. and let me tell you my friends, i love them. not just a little love them, i mean love love them. they are so good. my small town library only had book 1, so i was practically fit to be tied when i finished the first one & had to wait for the 2nd one. i decided to buy them from amazon - good decision.
so then i decided that since hbo was nice enough to make a series based on the books, that i should watch them too. i love them. love love them. i even had to up my netflix subscription so i could get more than 1 disc at a time to support my new obsession. thankfully, my cousin has the complete first 2 seasons on dvd. i had to borrow them. i'm sure i will eventually buy them too. and i'm strongly considering upping my dish network package so i can have hbo. seriously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i have completed my first week back at work. it is good to be with other people. and i'm not lying or just saying that. it was actually good to be back at work. i missed all of my peeps. especially my bestie. i was nervous at first. but frankly, my job is like riding a bike. i missed over a month & it's like i never left. i came home very tired every night. but i made it through each day.
i went to the doctor this morning. i had to reaffirm that i am not nuts. i still don't feel great, but it is probably going to be a while before i feel great. the doctor suspects the blood clots are still in my lungs. eventually, my body will absorb them. until that time comes, i will probably continue to feel like crap. but hey, feeling like crap is better than the alternative. i need to exercise my lungs. deep breaths & walking are what the doctor ordered.
my pro-time came back low, so i had to increase my coumadin. not exactly what i wanted to do, but i will do what is necessary to prevent another clot. so i have my fingers crossed this increase will do the trick to level me back out. the past 2 weeks i have had to increase my dosage. i was also tested for anemia & something else, they both came back normal. i'm relieved.
i have been using my handicapped parking pass at work only. truth be told, i feel guilty using it. and i feel like people are looking at me thinking why does she have that, there are actually handicapped people who need that space. before all of this, i did that same thing. the moral of this story is, you cannot judge a book by it's cover. this has taught me that you truly never know what is going on with someone else. i am learning through all of this. i truly believe the purpose of this is to teach me patience. i heard once that if you pray for patience, God will give you a situation to help you learn patience.
i'm so grateful for everyone who has had me in their thoughts & prayers. although i still don't feel great, i do feel so much better than i did when this all began. i'm learning to adjust to how i feel physically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
it's nearing 11:00 at night, and i am completely exhausted. rachel has woke up crying twice since i laid her down to sleep. i hope this isn't a pre-view of what is to come when i actually get settled into bed. if that is what i am up against tonight, i am hoping against hope that the girls actually sleep in tomorrow. i probably won't get lucky in that respect. so i better turn in for the night.
so then i decided that since hbo was nice enough to make a series based on the books, that i should watch them too. i love them. love love them. i even had to up my netflix subscription so i could get more than 1 disc at a time to support my new obsession. thankfully, my cousin has the complete first 2 seasons on dvd. i had to borrow them. i'm sure i will eventually buy them too. and i'm strongly considering upping my dish network package so i can have hbo. seriously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
i have completed my first week back at work. it is good to be with other people. and i'm not lying or just saying that. it was actually good to be back at work. i missed all of my peeps. especially my bestie. i was nervous at first. but frankly, my job is like riding a bike. i missed over a month & it's like i never left. i came home very tired every night. but i made it through each day.
i went to the doctor this morning. i had to reaffirm that i am not nuts. i still don't feel great, but it is probably going to be a while before i feel great. the doctor suspects the blood clots are still in my lungs. eventually, my body will absorb them. until that time comes, i will probably continue to feel like crap. but hey, feeling like crap is better than the alternative. i need to exercise my lungs. deep breaths & walking are what the doctor ordered.
my pro-time came back low, so i had to increase my coumadin. not exactly what i wanted to do, but i will do what is necessary to prevent another clot. so i have my fingers crossed this increase will do the trick to level me back out. the past 2 weeks i have had to increase my dosage. i was also tested for anemia & something else, they both came back normal. i'm relieved.
i have been using my handicapped parking pass at work only. truth be told, i feel guilty using it. and i feel like people are looking at me thinking why does she have that, there are actually handicapped people who need that space. before all of this, i did that same thing. the moral of this story is, you cannot judge a book by it's cover. this has taught me that you truly never know what is going on with someone else. i am learning through all of this. i truly believe the purpose of this is to teach me patience. i heard once that if you pray for patience, God will give you a situation to help you learn patience.
i'm so grateful for everyone who has had me in their thoughts & prayers. although i still don't feel great, i do feel so much better than i did when this all began. i'm learning to adjust to how i feel physically.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
it's nearing 11:00 at night, and i am completely exhausted. rachel has woke up crying twice since i laid her down to sleep. i hope this isn't a pre-view of what is to come when i actually get settled into bed. if that is what i am up against tonight, i am hoping against hope that the girls actually sleep in tomorrow. i probably won't get lucky in that respect. so i better turn in for the night.
Rain Rain Go Away
Yes it's Spring time in Central Illinois. This means rain, and typically lots of it. I'm so over this dreary & cold stretch we have had this week. Seriously, is the sun shining anywhere?
Today, we don't stand a chance. It has been thundering off & on since about 8:30 last night. It has been raining since I woke up at 7:00 this morning. And it doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime too soon.
I just really really want to see some sunshine. I want to be able to have the Easter egg hunt outside. I want to not be so miserable feeling. At least if the sun was shining, it would give me a reason to get outside & breathe in the fresh Spring air. I can't rightly do that when it is pouring down rain.
Not to mention how miserable Jarrett is. He is getting quite testy about this recent stretch of weather. Who can blame him? His business, hauling grain & farming, is very much at the mercy of the weather. The more it rains now, the later the crops go in the ground, and the later harvest is. It's quite a chain of events. Right now we need it to dry out. We don't need ponds in all the fields. We need some sunshine.
But we are in Central Illinois..............maybe it will be nice in June?
Today, we don't stand a chance. It has been thundering off & on since about 8:30 last night. It has been raining since I woke up at 7:00 this morning. And it doesn't look like it is going to stop anytime too soon.
I just really really want to see some sunshine. I want to be able to have the Easter egg hunt outside. I want to not be so miserable feeling. At least if the sun was shining, it would give me a reason to get outside & breathe in the fresh Spring air. I can't rightly do that when it is pouring down rain.
Not to mention how miserable Jarrett is. He is getting quite testy about this recent stretch of weather. Who can blame him? His business, hauling grain & farming, is very much at the mercy of the weather. The more it rains now, the later the crops go in the ground, and the later harvest is. It's quite a chain of events. Right now we need it to dry out. We don't need ponds in all the fields. We need some sunshine.
But we are in Central Illinois..............maybe it will be nice in June?
Monday, April 18, 2011
I'm Baaaack...I'm Baaaaack in the Saddle Again
A full 5 weeks after being discharged from the hospital & I am officially back at work. It feels good to say this, so I have been saying it quite a bit. I feel pretty good. Still not 100%, I think that will come in due time.
Over the 5 weeks & 4 days since this journey started, I feel like I have come full circle. I'm more relaxed. I'm growing more comfortable in my new normal.
I have learned that this recovery isn't only physical, it's mental as well. It's ok for me to admit that I was scared, & that I am still a little scared at times.
But today, I feel pretty good. I spent a good portion of my day Friday reading everything I could read on the interwebs about pulmonary embolism recovery. I kept telling myself, this has got to be in your head. You should be feeling better by now. I am happy to report that, I am not crazy. This isn't all in my head. I was worried that I was going to start alienating the people who really love me & care about me with my constant reports of "I don't feel good today." But thankfully, that has yet to happen.
The information I found gave ranges from a couple of weeks to a full year before people felt they were truly back to 100%. Oddly enough, this put my mind at ease. It's like a lightbulf finally came on - eventually I will get better. I don't need to wallow in my self-pity.
For a while, I had the mindset that if I acted like I felt better then I would feel better. You know, mind over matter. But that didn't really work for me. I have come to terms with my current state physically, which has helped me mentally. It's ok that I don't feel great yet. It's going to take time.
I feel better though, that is what is important. And I like to think that I look a little better too. What do you think?
Over the 5 weeks & 4 days since this journey started, I feel like I have come full circle. I'm more relaxed. I'm growing more comfortable in my new normal.
I have learned that this recovery isn't only physical, it's mental as well. It's ok for me to admit that I was scared, & that I am still a little scared at times.
But today, I feel pretty good. I spent a good portion of my day Friday reading everything I could read on the interwebs about pulmonary embolism recovery. I kept telling myself, this has got to be in your head. You should be feeling better by now. I am happy to report that, I am not crazy. This isn't all in my head. I was worried that I was going to start alienating the people who really love me & care about me with my constant reports of "I don't feel good today." But thankfully, that has yet to happen.
The information I found gave ranges from a couple of weeks to a full year before people felt they were truly back to 100%. Oddly enough, this put my mind at ease. It's like a lightbulf finally came on - eventually I will get better. I don't need to wallow in my self-pity.
For a while, I had the mindset that if I acted like I felt better then I would feel better. You know, mind over matter. But that didn't really work for me. I have come to terms with my current state physically, which has helped me mentally. It's ok that I don't feel great yet. It's going to take time.
I feel better though, that is what is important. And I like to think that I look a little better too. What do you think?
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Rachel's Hair
Miss Rachel sure has plenty to smile about... After all, what girl doesn't just love a trip to the beauty shop.
The before - ratty toddler mullet.
The after - a sassy little bob. Remember the funkiness that was once Rachel's wild & crazy hair? Well, it certainly has settled down. It lays very nicely these days. She is my super cute little spit-fire. My baby sure is growing up fast. Too fast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)