10 things about 2010 (okay really 11)

1. I discovered Jillian Michaels and lost 25 pounds thanks to her workouts.
2. Gavin turned 4 and has become more and more of a little person than a toddler.  He's a little boy, not a toddler.  I am always impressed with things he says.  I just love him!
3. Brady's daughter Charlotte finally came to Texas to see all of her wonderful family here.
4. We had a great vacation at Lost Pines Resort in Bastrop, TX.  Unfortunately, I did break my big toe in the lazy river and it's still stiff at times.
5. I re-learned that sometimes people you think are your true friends really aren't and had to accept that someone I loved and trusted may not actually be worth my time.  The silver lining is that I then put forth more effort to reconnect with people I know are my true friends.  I love you guys--hopefully you know who you are!  (You better, because I have told you!!!!)
6. I got to see Kailee learn to sit-up, crawl, walk, run, and begin to speak.  What an eventful year it has been for my little girl!  I love my little diva!
7. I began communicating with my father despite our 5 year estrangement.  Babysteps...
8.  I lost my wonderful great-grandmother Michie who has already visited me in a dream to let me know she's all right.
9. My dear friend Jennifer and my wonderful cousin Leslie got engaged.  I am so happy I got to be there to 10. And to end with something trivial... I FINALLY got Ugg boots (Thanks, GJ) and got a Nook--thanks Mom and Dean!

Oh and I guess I gotta add #11:
I had an AWESOME time connecting with people on Facebook who I might not have connected with at all without that awesome social network.  I love my Facebook people!

Merry Christmas Eve!

While awaiting Brady's return from work, I have had much fun posting Christmas carol lyrics on facebook and taking picures/videos of my kids. Here are some highlights:















Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Christmas Card and Sad Day :(

Here's our 2010 Christmas Card.

On a sadder note, my great grandmother Michie passed away yesterday of stomach cancer.  We found out in November (I believe) that she had 2 tumors and that the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes.  The doctors gave her 6 months and she seemed pretty good for awhile.  Last week Gavin told me, "God told me Michie's gonna die soon."  I thought he had just been hearing us talking, so I responded, "No, not that soon." 

Fast forward to this past Monday.  We found out that the tumors were possibly eating through her stomach lining.  Thus she began getting morphine round the clock to keep her comfortable.  Gavin told me, "God told me Michie's gonna die on Thursday."  He also told me not to worry that the angels would take Michie up to heaven and that God would make her alive in heaven.  He kept saying it all week.  Yesterday morning on Thursday, December 16, 2010, Michie went to heaven.

Scary Allergic Reaction!

Scary scary night. I stupidly gave Kailee 2 bites of peanut butter. About a minute later, she began throwing up and could not stop until her stomach was empty. Then she started rubbing her eyes maniacally and seemed to be unable to stop. Her face broke out in hives and turned red and puffy. We gave her benadryl and had to wait for it to kick in. It was so sad to watch her rubbing her face on my comforter to scratch the itchiness. Thankfully she passed out and as I type this, I'm enjoying her snuggled up against me.



So I started researching medic alert options and found temporary tattoos. Here's a link:

Off topic but hope to inspire

So I made this goal awhile back to make it to 100 workouts in 2010.  In fact, at one point I thought maybe I'd aim for 125 but then reigned myself in to a realistic goal.  Now I am only 25 workouts away and fully plan to accomplish my goal.  It WILL happen.

Now as for the inspiration... I hear people complain all the time that they need to diet or workout or both.  This is also the time of year that people say, "Oh, I'll start Jan 1st or 2nd."  Or whatever.  So here's my insight... Don't diet now because that's just plain ridiculous.  This is the time of year to EAT so EAT and enjoy EVERY bite.  HOWEVER, start working out now!  It was about this time last year that I started running.  I didn't wait until New Year's to start working out.  DON'T wait!  If you want to lose weight at some point, at least start exercising now.  Even if it's just taking a walk or walking around the mall, do SOMETHING.  Then when you go to a Christmas party and pigout, you won't feel as guilty and you will have at least done something ahead of time to compensate.  Stop saying you are going to change and just change!  I did it and so can you!

I realize that most studies (that I've read/heard of anyway) say that diet is the more crucial thing when it comes to losing weight.  Well rather than gain this season, stay the same or maybe even lose weight by working out.  It's a lot easier to start with the working out and get into a routine before starting the diet.  I have tried dieting and then adding the excercise (and FAILED miserably), I have tried beginning the diet/exercise regime at the same time (and FAILED miserably).  The ONLY way I was able to change was to workout first and then once I got into the habit, it was a lot easier to watch what I ate.

I hope to inspire at least 1 person to start the workout journey now!  If not, well, at least I tried!

If now is not your time, then at least start thinking about the changes you plan for 2011.  I plan to workout 150 times in 2011.  I would love to have a buddy to inspire each other to meet our goals.  We don't have to live near each other (as I do all my workouts on DVD and/or my elliptical) but it would be nice to have someone cheering me on as I cheered you on.  Let me know if you are interested!

Gavin and Kailee: Polar Opposites!

Kailee Kailee Kailee... All I can say is that that child is a performer.  She EATS up any and all attention on her.  She's such the opposite of Gavin who is more self-conscious (like his mom).  It's so funny to see how completely polar opposite they are.  I can already tell, Gavin is going to be like me--very set in his ways, having and following his very rigid ideas of right v. wrong, and freaking out in new situations.  Kailee is going to be trouble!  She is mischevious, manipulative, the ringmaster, and absolutely adorable.  World watch out for her!

The only thing I worry about with Gavin is that is sense of how things should be might inhibit him from taking risks.  That's how it has always been with me.  I think I'm better as an adult but still it is hard for me to accept things outside of my realm of how I think it should be.

For example, I always had it in my head that people drank in college and that it was not okay in high school.  I had the opportunity to drink in high school but it COMPLETELY freaked me out.  I could not handle the thought because it was outside of my comfort zone of what I believed was right.  Thus, I NEVER drank in high school.  I stayed far away from it. 

In many ways, I'm thankful for this "conscience" but I also see how it prevents me from doing things I deem "impossible for me."  Of course, God has shown me that I am wrong in some cases.  For example, I did not believe for one milisecond that I could survive a deployment.  I did not think I could live physically apart from Brady.  And God showed me that I am stronger than I give myself credit.

It does make me feel good that Gavin may have a fairly influential conscience.  I just don't want him to have the constant and inhibiting anxiety that may limit his dreams for himself.  On the flip side, it may mean he will always live near me! :)

The Christmas Spirit has struck me!

Yesterday, I was listening to Cosmo Radio when I heard a commercial for Sirius Love having contemporary holiday hits.  I immediately switched over and have only been listening to that or Sirius 4 for classic holiday hits.  I was driving along, listening to the Christmas music when the Christmas Spirit struck.  I am now in total Christmas mode! It's a good think Turkey Day is next week so we can put up our tree (house rule: no tree before Thanksgiving). 

I even changed my ringer to "All I want for Christmas is you!"  for the 6th consecutive year in a row.  Of course, no one has called me since I changed it so I haven't gotten to hear it yet.

Now comes the fun of watching all my Christmas faves...  Hopefully I won't forget any this season!  Help me out and comment some suggestions!

School pictures!

All I have to say is that I'm glad this:

And this:

happened after this:

The sweet moments

When carrying Kailee in from the car last night, I had one of those sweet moments.  Sadly these moments become less and less often the older they get.  I absolutely cherish the ones with Gavin since they are few and far between now.  The last one with Gavin was while he was sick with a high fever about 2 weeks ago.  All he wanted to do was be held by Mommy on the couch.  So Mommy sat and held him, enjoying EVERY second he let me hold him close!

If you are blessed with children, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  So cherish every moment with your babies because before you know it they are toddlers, and then little boys and girls.

I can't believe Gavin will be in kindergarten in less than a year.  Where did my baby boy go?  They tell you it goes by so fast.  I believe it!

The Horror Film that changed my life...

I was just thinking back to Halloween 2 years ago when I at last found "The Blue Lady."  If you are one of my cousins, you have probably heard Morgan and I talk about "The Blue Lady."  The Blue Lady is an old women in a blue bathrobe from a horror movie we watch with our grandparents, LaLa and G'Daddy, when we were 6 or 7 years old.  I think Morgan and I were scarred for life thanks to this movie; I know I was at least.

2 years ago, I decided to use all of my memories of the movie to figure out ways to search for it.  Here's what I remembered:
1. Old Lady in blue bathrobe
2. murky pool
3. girl being murdered in bathroom stall
4. a bunch of girls living in a huge mansion together
5. an old man who helped them

Number 3 and 4 screamed "Sorority House" so I started searching for sorority horror films.  After about an hour, I found it!  It was The House on Sorority Row!  Here she is, The Blue Lady:

When I found this picture to include, my heart stopped again despite some interesting facts I discovered when Leslie watched it with me in Summer of 2009... She wasn't even the killer?!?!?!?!  Apparently our grandparents made us stop watching before the end of the movie.  Either that or Morgan and I remembered the movie completely wrong (which is actually quite possible seeing as how young and traumatized we were).

So if you are wondering if I'll let my kids watch horror movies young... DEFINITELY NOT!  I had so many irrational fears thanks to this movie.  I don't want my kids to get scared unnecessarily.  Kristi had me watch Friday the 13th movies with her, and I remember being afraid of Jason coming to get me at camp.  Definitely want to shelter the babies from the horror films for a few more years... At least. :)

Kailee's BIG Booboo

I was warned about little boys.  They get into everything, they're fearless, the get goose-eggs on their heads on a regular basis, they get cuts and scrapes galore.  Some of this was definitely true for Gavin.  He had goose-eggs all the time when he was 1 and now seems to always have a scab somewhere on his body as proof that he can't get enough of playtime outside.

I was not warned that sometimes the little girls are the bigger trouble.  Gavin is not fearless, Kailee is!  She is fascinated by our stairs, is trying to figure out how to climb up any and everything, and she was the cause of our first visit to the ER for an accident.

It was a typical Monday afternoon, I was printing out worksheets to photocopy, when I got the phone call.  Kailee was playing with a children's chair, fell and hit her head on the corner of it.  By the time I arrived, the bleeding had stopped though it began to bleed again in the car.  Her caregivers were wonderful, explaining where I could get after hours care and providing snacks for both kids.  We headed out, and I called our pediatrician to see what she recommended.  Her recommendation: head to Children's Medical Center (in Plano).  We were lucky.  The wound was not too deep and was able to be repaired with super glue (which I learned was originally used for medical purposes).

It would be Kailee, not Gavin.  She's supposed to be my dainty little girl.  Well, she's a bit of a firecracker and we have already learned we have to keep an eye on that one.

When reality hits ya...

Last night I had one of those all too rare moments when reality hits you and knocks you down in a good way.  I was looking at my profile pic on facebook and the reality that I have a daughter hit me in the heart with such an overwhelmingly wonderful feeling of love for her and for my life.  So often I am running around, surviving, getting through all the many daily obligations without pausing to stop and look at the awesomeness that is my life.

Side note: I still have moments when I look at Gavin and think, "It's so crazy that I'm his mom!  I can't believe I'm a mom!"

I also still have moments when I look at Brady and can't believe we are married.  I can't believe it's already been 5 years!  CRAZY.  I love you, Brady!

Dinner Victories & Breakfast Allergies...

Last night, Gavin did not want to eat what Brady fixed for him.  In fact, he would not eat anything.  For 45 minutes, he sat at the dinner table while we waited for him to eat his green beans.  Gavin LOVES green beans but last night, he refused to eat them.  We waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  FINALLY, he ate all of his green beans, earning the reward of a peanut butter sandwich.  The little turkey even admitted how much he LOVES green beans afterwards.

Fast forward to tonight...  The whole ride home from school, Gavin kept repeating, "I don't want to eat in my house.  I just want McDonald's.  I don't like food at my house!"  I thought, "Oh great, the fight continues."  However, Gavin surprised us all.  He actually sat down nicely and ate 2/3 of his meal.  He would not eat the chicken, but he ate all of his green beans and macaroni.  He even had seconds of the green beans and macaroni.  WHAT A RELIEF!  Hopefully this continues.  I was particular about meat (still am sometimes) growing up, so I have no qualms with him being particular about it.  Kailee is our resident carnivore.  Actually, she's more like our resident hoover.  She eats ANY and EVERYTHING!

Speaking of eating, it seems that Kailee is definitely allergic to eggs.  Back in August, she had an allergic reaction upon eating some bites of egg and some bites of banana.  We were not sure which caused the reaction but assumed the bananas were the culprit since eggs are in everything.  Guess what; we were wrong!  As I was buckling Kailee in her car seat this morning, I noticed she was scratching at her ear.  I didn't think much of it, but when we arrived at daycare, I discovered a pink, puffy, itchy-faced girl.  We ran Gavin in and headed to Wal-Mart for Benadryl.  Of course the Pharmacy wasn't open, meaning I could not get a syringe with which I planned to give her the meds.  Kailee, being the trooper that she is, drank the Benadryl out of the measuring cup provided like a pro.  I think she was disappointed she didn't get more--crazy child LOVES medicines, especially ones that taste like bubblegum.

What baffles me is why she is able to eat foods with eggs as an ingredient without any reaction.  I guess we need to take her to an allergist and find out what exactly is going on here.

The "won't eat what Daddy fixes for dinner cure" Is there one?

Gavin is going through a VERY picky eating phase and it's driving us insane.  Brady has been so kind as to fix dinner every night and Gavin won't eat anything.  He pushes the plate away and makes snide comments about how the food is yucky throughout the meal (because we make him sit and watch us eat even if he's not going to eat).  Last night, he did not eat dinner because we refused to fix him something else.  The rule is, if you try it and decide you don't like it, Mommy or Daddy will fix you something else.  If you don't try it, you don't eat.  Gavin would not try it, so he did not eat.  Tonight he at least tried it but ended up with a PB sandwich.

What can we do to fix this?  My mom thinks we are mean to not just fix what he wants.  I realize that when I was growing up, she had to fix food I'd eat because of the diabetes and insulin:carbohydrate ratio dilemma, but we don't have that issue with Gavin.  I don't want every person having a different meal each night.  That is waaaaaay too time consuming and quite ridiculous.  However, Gavin is so skinny, I don't think he should be skipping meals even if it is to teach him a lesson.

What can we do?

Oh the joys of parenting...

Just your typical weekend with kids

What a weekend...  We were supposed to go to a department party on Saturday night but of course Gavin got sick.  If it's not one kid, it's the other.  Poor baby even pooped in his pants--something he NEVER did in potty training (yes, we realize how lucky we were there).  Since he was still feverish today, of course I took him to the doctor just to learn that it's not Strep Throat and merely a virus we have to wait out.

YaYa was so nice to give Gavin 2 new games for the Wii: Lego Star Wars and Lego Batman.  All I can say is I have NO clue what the purpose of these games are.  We made some progress on the Star Wars one only to end up split up between some weird wall with one of us a droid (or something like that).  I miss the days of simple video games like Super Mario Bros 1,2 and 3.  Tonight Brady can have his turn playing these new games with Gavin.

Since Gavin and Daddy are watching the Cowboys and Kailee's sleeping, I'm off to do laundry and start True Blood Season 2.

The Shining

Last weekend, we had a moment with Gavin that brought back horrifying memories of "The Shining."  Gavin kept talking about "Tony on his shoulder" and how "Tony" told him to do things.  I was about to freak out until he said that it was "Uncle Tony."  Then he changed his mind and said it was the Tony that is Iron Man.  Either way, it's much less scary than what I originally feared.

The first official post...

It amazes me how much Kailee's personality is developing right now.  She is so curious and gets into EVERYTHING.  She knows exactly which cabinet holds the wrapping paper and likes to pull it out and unroll it.  She loves to climb on the fireplace and then cry for help because she's afraid and does not know how to get down.  She tries to talk to us but nothing makes sense.  Occasionally we can recognize a word mixed in the babbling but it's not logically placed.  It's definitely entertaining.

This stage is kinda a blur in my memories of Gavin.  This is for 2 very big reasons.  1. Brady was deployed and I was wishing for time to move quickly.  2. I was trying to balance everything on my own (with the help of my wonderful parents).  I am definitely making up for lost time this time around.

Speaking of Gavin...  That kid cracks me up.  I hear him say things to Kailee, the dogs, and his toys that I've said to him.  He also tried to use those lines on me every now and then.  My favorite things that he says are the things that I don't see coming.  He is so smart and says/asks things I just don't anticipate.  I am most excited to keep track of his Gavin-isms on this blog.  I wish I had started the blog sooner to keep up with them all. :)

By the way, today marks the 1 year anniversary of the end of the colic.  Those 2.5 months of 5pm-1am screaming are reason #1 that there won't be anymore babies in our casa!

About the Barbers

We are one section of the huge Barber clan. Brady and I met in 2004, got married in 2005, were blessed with Gavin in 2006 and were blessed with Kailee in 2009. You know how they say fairy tales never come true? Well, I'm one of the fortunate few who got the fairy tale. I feel truly blessed to have the most amazing husband in the world and the most wonderful children.