A Thank You

I don't know if the person this blog is aimed at reads my blog or not, but I am writing this anyway.

Last December, I had a falling out with one of my best friends. More like a sister really, and to lose her from my life has been difficult to say the least. She said somethings to me that were really hurtful, and especially the things about my child. One thing she said, however, was a great gift. She told me that I wasn't very fun anymore, and that I was grumpy all the time. At first I didn't want to hear it, but then my husband echoed the same thing, and about how I was short with our son as well. After I cried and ranted and raved I made a promise to myself, and them that I would try to see the humor in life again.

What a revelation. I cannot put into words the things this has done for me as a person, and for my family. I feel like that one change has made a world of difference for us! Ryan and I rarely fight anymore, making this 4th year of our marriage the best so far. We laugh more. I don't take the messes that Byron makes so seriously now, and usually laugh about them later. I use my stories to make other people laugh with my other blog (I Hate Pink.)

I love my life now. I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted from my shoulders!

Another thing she said was that I wasn't a very good friend. I don't believe this is a true statement, because I always make an effort to call my friends to see how they are doing or just because I'm thinking of them. Her saying that to me was a blow, and it made me probably overly cautious about my friend's feelings. But I am now perhaps more mindful of my appreciation for them. My few close friends are very important to me and I hope they know that.

To my friends and family who are reading this, I love you.

To the person that said those things to me. I will always love you as well, and I forgive you for things you said about Byron. I forgive you for being so absorbed in your bad relationship that you can't see a person that really loves you. I forgive you for not valuing my honesty. I hope that you learn to love yourself enough to demand respect. I hope that you learn that pretty
things can never replace faithfulness, and treating you like the real treasure. Thank you for telling me I was being too grumpy. That has changed my life. I hope you are well and happy.

A forward that describes my problem perfectly!

Recently, I was diagnosed with A.A.A.D.D. -Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:I decide to water my garden.

As I turn on the hose in the driveway,I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.

As I start toward the garage,I notice mail on the porch table thatI brought up from the mail box earlier.

I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.

I lay my car keys on the table,put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table,and notice that the can is full.

So, I decide to put the bills backon the table and take out the garbage first. But then I think,since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway,I may as well pay the bills first.

I take my check book off the table,and see that there is only one check left.My extra checks are in my desk in the study,so I go inside the house to my desk where

I find the can of Pepsi I'd been drinking.

I'm going to look for my checks,but first I need to push the Pepsi asideso that I don't accidentally knock it over.

The Pepsi is getting warm,and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.

As I head toward the kitchen with the Pepsi,a vase of flowers on the countercatches my eye--they need water.

I put the Pepsi on the counter and discover my reading glasses thatI've been searching for all morning.I decide I better put them back on my desk,but first I'm going to water the flowers.

I set the glasses back down on the counter,fill a container with water and suddenly spot
the TV remote.

Someone left it on the kitchen table..I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.

I pour some water in the flowers,but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.So, I set the remote back on the table,get some towels and wipe up the spill.

Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:the car isn't washed the bills aren't paid there is a warm can of Pepsi sitting on the counter the flowers don't have enough water, there is still only 1 check in my check book, I can't find the remote, I can't find my glasses, and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.

Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today, I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,and I'm really tired.

I realize this is a serious problem,and I'll try to get some help for it,but first I'll check my e-mail.....Do me a favor. Forward this message to everyone you know,because I don't remember who I've sent it to!
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

4th of July 2009

Every year for the 4th we go to Ryan's parent's house. They take the boat out and swing my husband behind it on an inner tube. (I don't do those things.) They have lots of delicious food and beverages. This year it was nearly 100 degrees, so I wasn't outside much. I'm breastfeeding and my baby is only 5 months, so we were both avoiding dehydration. My SIL took lots of pictures of the day so I can share them with you all.


These are two of the prettiest girls in the world. Lillie and her cousin Jaymie.


The kids and I. (Byron, Lillie, Jaymie)

Ryan looks like Baby Huey, but this is a good picture of the rest of us. LOL The shirt sizes were a little off. Let's just say Lillie is wearing a 18 mos shirt and it fits her.

Byron and Jaymie enjoying the raft.

Ryan paddling the kids around.

15 Books

Don’t take too long to think about it. Fifteen books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes. Copy the instructions into your own note, and be sure to tag the person who tagged you.

1) Treasure Island
2) Crimson Petal & the White
3) Dangerous Fortune
4) Lion Witch & the Wardrobe
5) Pippi Longstockings
6) The Valley of the Horses
7) Outlander
8) Harry Potter
9) The Other Boleyn Girl
10) The DaVinci Code
11) The Red Tent
12) The Mists of Avalon
13) Humbug
14) Water for Elephants
15) Garden Spells

May Recap

Well, May was a pretty busy month for us. I seem to never have enough time to do all the things I want anymore. I feel like everyday is booked up for me lately. As you know, we got back from our trip to Iowa at the beginning of May. That was so fun, and I'm really missing everyone in Iowa now. Of course, I don't miss the stressful dramatics of my children while I was there.

Ryan and I got to go on 2 dates last month, which is very rare for us. Grandmom said she likes to watch the babies, so I like letting her. For one date we went bowling, and that was super fun. We bowled like 7 games though, and by the end I wasn't doing very well, and I had a huge blister on my thumb. Stupid rental bowling balls don't fit my fingers right. The second date we went to see Angels & Demons at the movie theater. It was a pretty good movie. I liked it better than the DaVinci Code. I've read both the books and loved them. Maybe it helped that I read the book 4 years ago, so it's not fresh in my mind.

We also went to Spokane for a mini-vacation last month. I had a doctor's appointment there and Ryan was getting his truck wheels polished, so we took advantage of that and stayed there 2 nights in the Davenport. (I got a different car the day before we left. It's a GMC Yukon Denali. It's so nice to have extra room!) This time we stayed in the Tower instead of the main hotel. It was really nice, but it didn't seem as nice as the main hotel. The bed was the same though, and that is the most important part. It's like sleeping on a cloud! So comfy. Too bad I had to sleep in the other bed with Byron and Lillie. Ryan got a bed to himself, because our son kept having bad dreams. If I'm in the other bed then Lillie has to be by me so she can nurse. I do kind of like cuddling with the babies though. While we were there we ate at some really delicious places like Old European, Gordy's Sichuan Cafe, and of course the hotel restaurant called the Safari Room. All yummy and recommended!

Then we had Memorial weekend, which was pretty low-key for us. We just hung around and enjoyed the warm weather. We got Byron a baby pool with a little slide. I took the kids to the parade on Saturday night. On Sunday we went to Ryan's parents for a while and went on a little boat ride. Monday, was just a normal day for us, because Ryan had to work.

The last week of May, I started moving all of the things upstairs around to make a room for Lillie. That has been a huge project that resulted in me cleaning out most of the whole upstairs of silly junk that I saved. A good thing! But it really took over my house, and I feel like I'm just getting a handle on it again.

So anyway that was our month. Here are a few pictures of the babes.

Visiting my grandparents while we were in Spokane.

Lillie on the first hot day of the year!

Byron on the first hot day!
Byron's new pool.

Iowa Trip

The kids and I made a trip to Iowa from April 28 to May 2. We went to visit my brother, niece, and a couple of old friends. Travelling with two small children on your own is challenging, and I wouldn't recommend it. If you want to read more about that side of the trip you'll have to read my other blog. It was really great to see everyone though, and after a few days Byron was more normal.

This is my brother and Byron on the first night we got there. His poor nose looked terrible from the cold he had.

My step mom Kathi made some matching outfits for Lillie and Naomi. So we took some pictures for Grandma to see!

They are so cute I had to add two pictures of this !

My brother, Jed, with the little baby girl.

On Thursday we went to the mall and walked around with my friend Brooke and her daughter who is also named Lily. This is the meeting of Lily and Lillie.

Byron was not enjoying himself. He kept asking to go home and was in a bad mood for the first 3 days of the trip.

This is him yelling at me that he wants to leave Stella's (a really fun '50s diner), and me trying to get one decent picture of the two of us on this trip. Didn't happen.

He didn't even think it was fun to get a milkshake poured on your head!

Naomi thought that it was cool though. She didn't cry!

On Friday we went to lunch with Kelli at her parent's restaurant and then to their house to play. Byron really enjoyed doing something more normal, and had a much better mood the rest of the trip. I wish I got some pictures of that day!

Then on Saturday my friends Stacy, Kelli, Brooke and I took all our kids to the zoo! This is Byron in front of the aquariums.

This is Grayce (Kelli), Byron, and Nina (Stacy) in front of otter. I thought this was such an adorable photo! I only wish the otter had managed to swim in to the picture at just the right time. THAT would have been perfect.

This is Kelli (my best friend from high school in Iowa) showing Byron the zebras. I had a baby strapped to my chest, so it wasn't easy for me to pick him up.

Byron really loved interacting with Lily (Brooke). It was so adorable how he kept holding her hands and showing her affection. He even helped her stand up to see the goats. He's so sweet with babies.
This was the last day in Iowa. We spent the whole day with Uncle Jed, and relaxed eating Chinese food. We were sad to go home, but it did feel great to sleep in our own beds once we got there. (For a more thorough and humorous version of the Iowa trip broken into 3 parts visit my other blog http://www.ihatepinkmom.blogspot.com)

A gratuitous Lillie Post

Lillie is doing great. She is my little smiley girl. It doesn't matter how bad of a mood she is in you can start smiling and talking sweetly to her, and she will coo back and smile with those precious little dimples. It makes my heart melt! I have two beautiful children. I can't believe she is going to be 11 weeks old on Saturday! It's going by so fast already. Here are a few pictures of my pretty girl for your enjoyment.
This was out at the park on Tuesday. It was gorgeous! In her pretty spring dress that Jennifer gave her!