Conversations with a 4 year old

I don't think anyone could ever imagine a conversation with Avery unless you actually have had one before. 

Here are some funny things she's conversed with us about lately: 

Me: If you don't do what I asked on the 2nd time, you'll go back to "time out." 

Avery: That's ok! I like time-out! 

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Avery: Bubba (Jace) is growing. 

Me: Yes, he is. 

Avery: Let me see your belly button. (I do)

Avery: Mamacita! Your belly button looks crazy! 

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Me: "Maddie! The game is on!" 

Avery: Maddie isn't coming like she said she would. 

Me: It's ok, she doesn't really like sports anyway.

Avery: She is NOT minding. 

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Me: Avery, you really should do your Valentine cards for preschool. Do you want to do that tonight?

Avery: No. 

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Avery: Papi, no matter what you think I'm still a girl. 

Jason: You act like a boy. 

Avery: No, I'm a woman. 

Jason: Stop crying like a little girl, then. 

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Scene: Evil black cat creeping around the corner. 

Avery pulls out her Webkinz kitty. She pokes it out and says "Meow." Evil black cat runs away. 

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Avery: Papi! Papi! Lift me up and exercise. (Jason bench presses her)

Avery: Do it again! Do it again!

Avery: I'm gonna wrestle you for a week. 

Jason: No, fool. We need to take a break. 
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Waitress: How's the food?
Me: Great! 
Avery: This macaroni and cheese tastes weird. I don't like it. 
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After burning her mouth from hot chocolate delivered by a new waiter instead of our regular waitress, she cried. 
Me: Calm down. I put ice in your cup to cool it off. 
Avery: I am NEVER come back to this place again. 

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Avery: I smell something. 

Jason: It's your upper lip. 

Avery: No, it's YOUR upper lip. 

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Avery: Is today-tomorrow preschool? 

Me: Tomorrow you go to preschool, yes. 

Avery: Today-tomorrow? 

Me: Yes, tomorrow.

Avery: Today-tomorrow when I wake up. 

Me: YES. 

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These conversations are non-stop all day everyday.........Needless to say it's an adventure with her no matter what we are doing and she can always find something silly to laugh about, which is a daily reminder for us to not take life so seriously! 

Back Where I Come From. . .

This past week someone stated "There are 2 times in your life that you should never make drastic decisions: during a birth or a death."


Then, my friend "T" wrote about her childhood and going back home. (here) I love T's blogs. They always resinate with me. I think she and I are more alike than we even know. (love ya, T)


So, how are those related you ask? 


Well, I believe there are 2 times in life that we become the most sentimental: during the end of something and during a beginning. 


As I prepare for Jace's arrival, the closer it gets, the more sentimental I get. The more I want to see friends from long ago, the more I crave going back to the place that is most familiar to my past. 

Like, T, I too long for a trip "back where I come from." 

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While driving on on the toll road passing the big orange "T" that charges me an arm and a leg to go through, I looked to my right and saw trees, farm land, cows, even. To my left, houses, restaurants, construction. 

I continued to drive along and listen to my new favorite app on my phone (Pandora). Then, a domino of songs came on that reminded me of "back home." 

Just to See You Smile - Tim McGraw

Back Where I Came From - Kenny Chesney

Red Dirt Road - Brooks and Dunn

Meet in the Middle - Diamond Rio

The Dance - Garth Brooks

Yeah, I'm in a country kind of mood lately. Hello?! I grew up in the country. Every once in a while I realize that you can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl. 

As Maddie and I sat down to eat at one of many of our favorite restaurants, I wonder if I could ever leave the "metroplex" for small town life. Granted, I live in a small town right outside of the metroplex, but this small town is so close to the big cities it doesn't really compare to the "map dot" where I grew up. 

Then I begin to wonder about all my classmates that did stay in Small Town, Texas USA. Do they wonder what it would be like to live in a place that provided organic foods at every grocery store? Do they long for the shopping options we have here? Do they wish they could experience the "busy life" that takes over everyone's lives here? 
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I often joke with my "city boy" husband that we will move back to my hometown someday and he thinks I've definitely gone off the deep end. He thought moving here was the country. :) I guess to a Houston city boy, 30 miles from Dallas is the country. 


However, those of us back where I came from know different. 


Here are some of the things I've been missing from back home. Some are still there, some aren't, but either way like always my memory portrays them as some of the "best" things in life. 
You haven't lived until you've: 

• visited Paula's Mexican food place - I still strive to make chicken tacos like she did
• made a trip to Wal-Mart and took an extra hour to shop because you've ran into at least 10 people you know well enough to have a 10 minute conversation
• experienced a snow cone from the former Sweets with Elegance ladies - fresh lemon squeeze is my staple and not a trip goes by that I don't get one while passing through town - yes Bahama Bucks is good, and the Snow Cone Lady rocks, but nobody does snow cones like these. 
• driven on the "drag" - you would hit almost every light in town, make a stop at least once at Sonic, do the little "circle" around town that took a whole 5 minutes and start all over again
• driven on at least real dirt road. who knows where it lead, but you still thought it would be fun to "explore"
• been to a rodeo - not the MESQUITE RODEO - the small town Rodeo (yes, I even once wore boots)
• been on your way home (probably 5 minutes later than you planned) to pick up a burrito or chimichange from Allsup's. My senior year, I decided to start adding Cheetos and Mountain Dew to this order 
• been able to go to one of the TWO Dairy Queens that use to be open. Nachos with jalepenos is still my favorite. And they don't use ORGANIC cheese. ;) 
• had days from school off just because it was stock show week! 
• been to at least one Seminole Trade Days
• spent an entire weekend, sometimes every weekend either playing co-ed softball or sitting in the stands watching softball during the summer
• spotted a tornado or two a few miles out of town
• ran into a few tarantulas and/or rattle snakes. (pretty sure my girls would freak at this)

Oh, the list goes on and on.(feel free to share yours below) The bottom line, though? 

No matter how our childhoods were, what we were lacking, how much we were made fun of (yes - me with glasses and braces), how many friends we did or didn't have, if a boy ever asked us out, or what tragedies occurred during that time: 

We all have at least a few happy memories from our hometowns. 

Chances are we will reminisce about them every once in a while. 

Some say it's a backward place
Narrow minds on a narrow way
I make it a point to say
That that's where I come from

      Kenny Chesney

Timeless

I love timeless items. You know things that never get old, out of date, or shipped off to Good Will. 


I've written about my love for music, but as my girls grow older, I realize how much my love for music has created their love for music. 


We often listen to Pandora in the car and have created stations like Disney, Taylor Swift, Tree 63, Laurie Berkner.......


While listening every once in a while, a song will come on that I remember singing to my girls when they were little. 


I Hope You Dance...........


Madison still remembers a video we took of ourselves dancing to this song when she was 6 months old. She loves to watch things like that over and over. 


Avery aspires to be a singer and has a talent for knowing exactly who is singing a certain song and remembering all the lyrics....


Party in the USA - Miley Cyrus.........


Jason even turns to the 80s music channel on TV. I make fun of him for this, but my guess is because it brings back memories for him and soothes his soul. The 80's did have some great tunes.  


So today a song that I remember from long ago came on and I smiled while I sang: 

Then after I got home, I came across this: 

Tim McGraw circa 1997

I took this concert photo in Odessa, Texas during his Everywhere tour. I remember how thrilled I was to get to go see him in concert. Who knows how we got tickets so close, but I'm so glad I kept those photos! 

I have such great memories of 1997 and Tim has become part of that memory. Now he's moved on to bigger and better things like The Blind Side, but no matter where I am, what I'm doing or how I'm feeling once an Everywhere song comes on, I stop and remember those days with fondness. 

I love that music can touch our souls over time backtracking all that we've been through and take us back to a place in time. 

Timeless Music. Priceless. 

Relax? What's that?

Someone told me today that I haven't been blogging a lot lately and that they worry when I post a blog like my last (Regrets.) 


Honestly, when I write I don't think anyone really knows the source of what prompted the blog except me. Like anything else, we can read what we want to in pieces of writing. All in all I'm thankful for all the broken roads that have lead me to this exact spot. 


And while I'm being honest here, lately I've had a lot more on my mind than blogging. Imagine that! 


I didn't mean for life to get in the way of something I love, but recently it has anyway. 


My mind races all the time: How much longer until Jace arrives? What do I need to get now in order to be ready? Will I actually be able to handle life with three? 


Then, there's work. Since I'm going on maternity leave you can imagine how busy I am right now cramming all I can in the next 4 weeks. And since teachers actually get rewarded for spending time with me, I rarely have an hour of down time. I love my job, but there are days that I know I could do a better job if I wasn't carrying around an extra person. :) 


Truthfully, none of us should let life get in the way of relaxing, but we all do it. . . .


*bills
*work
*kids
*responsibilities
*worries
*caring for others
*volunteering
*cooking
*shopping
*cleaning


If we let them, theses things can take our joy away. 


"The time to relax is when you don't have time for it."  - Sydney J. Harris

I don't know about you, but relaxing brings me joy. 

If my mind is focused on any one thing, my heart and soul are not open to what my fingers could blog about. 


Tonight, I've taken time to RELAX. My body hurts, I'm going on 5 hrs of sleep, and there's always tons to do, but I decided it was a must. If I don't make relaxing and reconnecting with my soul a priority, no one else will. I'm a MUCH better mom, friend, wife, and employee when I take care of myself. 


Here are some things I enjoy doing to help me relax, many are things I did tonight: 


*burning essential lavender oil around the house
*turning the lights low
*lighting a fire
*snuggling with the girls before bed
*doing yoga and breathing deeply
*listening to soothing music
*listening to Jason play xbox (volume turned down)
*taking in each raindrop that hits the window


What about YOU? What do you like to do to relax your mind, take a break from your day or rejuvenate your soul?

Over and over again. . .Regrets

Lately I've had too much time to think. I need to practice "being still" and "silent." 


Saturday, as I sat waiting on Madison to get out of a birthday party, I heard this song again. 



I heard it when it first came out and remember thinking that it was catchy and how surprised I was with Tim McGraw. I started really listening to the lyrics and thinking about regrets in general. Specifically, with the following lyrics: 


I think about it over and over again
I replay it over and over again
(yea) And I can’t take it, (yea) I can’t shake it no


Through other blog reading lately, conversations with friends, or even my own life I see that even though we all mean to live without regrets, somehow many of us still end up looking back and realize we didn't do what we intended and now regret it. Or we look back and realize we did do something but the consequences of that were much greater than we expected. 


-meaning to say goodbye
-meaning to go visit
-meaning to say "I love you more"
-meaning to forgive
-meaning to apologize for behavior
- meaning to be a better _____(you fill in the blank)


-saying something out of anger
-not saying anything at all
-not keeping in touch
- talking to those people that are really not good influences in life
- spreading rumors
-spreading negative attitudes
-judging others


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Sitting in church yesterday I realize that we all are the same - maybe not at the exact time in our lives, but we all strive to live in the present. We all end up with at least a few regrets - big or small - not that it really matters - regrets are regrets. 


Instead of thinking about them over and over again, we must move on. We must shake those feelings and live for now, love now, befriend now, help now, celebrate now, say what we mean now - We never really know how much time we have to do these things. 


Don't let the past steal your present.  
~Cherralea Morgen

Positive Thinking: A New Age Way of Thinking?

If you were to go back through this blog and my previous blog site posts, you would find positive thinking drives my life and I tend to try to always see the glass as "1/2 full." 


This is not to say that I do not have bouts of negative thinking. I do. And for those of you who have been close enough to me for enough time, know ALL situations that could put me in that negative way of thinking. 


Many times when I quote someone or something about being positive, it's more for me to hear than for those who are on the receiving end. Though I know that we all need that little "pump" especially on those rough days. 


I've recently started 40 Days of Positive Thinking. Just like gratitude there were many reasons for me to start being positive and consciously stating it. 


* I have 10 weeks before the next break from work - Spring Break
* January and February tend to drag by for me each year
* The last few months of pregnancy (10 weeks) is the hardest, most uncomfortable of them all
* I need to focus my mind, body, and soul  before this baby arrives
* My being a positive force in my family helps my husband and children
* Being positive helps me stay present and in the moment - the only way to live

I know there are naysayers out there who believe that positive thinking has no power at all. To them, I say; I challenge - TRY IT. Decide something you will be positive about and state it at least once a day. It has happened in my life time and time again. If I listed the instances, you'd think it was "cheesy" and say I made it all up......
For those who say positive thinking is just a "New Age" way of thinking......


I ask you to read this: 


"If you can?" said Jesus. "Everything is possible for him who believes." Mark 9:23 (NIV)


If you expect the best, are faithful in the best, and state the best - you will get the best that God has to offer you. 


Again I say - positivity doesn't just happen. You have to put the effort into it just as you do a diet, a new fitness plan, parenting, friendship, marriage........We were expected to work for things in life, not have them simply handed to us: 


"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)


Our words leave a very lasting effect whether we say it in person face to face, on Facebook, in an email, or say it to yourself -  so if you set out to be negative know that it is affecting more people than you know - Don't give those negative words the power of putting them in writing. There is enough negativity floating out in the world without our help! 


"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen." Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)


Help me build each other up - we all need it - join me in passing on positivity for the next 40 days! 

A 9-year-old list....resolutions? Nah......

While most people were busy starting their new year with a long list ( or a short one for that matter) of resolutions, my nine year old was making a list of what she wants in a boy. 


I've mentioned on this blog before exactly how important I think it is for the parents of girls to start early and instill in them what to look for in a boy/man as they grow into strong, independent women. I call a list like this non-negotiable items when it comes to relationships. And while her list make grow and change with her, Lord knows I wish someone would've sat me down and had me think through a list like this, even at 18. 
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Here's her list that I, by the way, did not help her with......all items she came up with herself most probably based on her experience with me and her dad compared to Jason and I. Kids are perceptive, I say, more than you could ever imagine. 


1. funny
2. will stick up for me
3. a great personality
4. will love and respect me like Jason & mama
5. not clingy
6. have his own friends
7. be able to laugh all the time
8. has a good memory (like for birthdays and stuff)
9. lets me be independent and not force me to do "his stuff"
10. not agree with me all the time
11. not secretive
12. be his own person but still a good dad/husband/boyfriend
13. don't disregard others
14. has to be honest and truthful
15. good with money and saving
16. has to protect me
17. should not be embarrassed by his love for me
18. had to be trustable
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I'm willing to bet that there are some people out there MY AGE who have many of these things on their NNL, too. :)