Birthday Weekend!

This past weekend was full of birthdays. As you already know, my Nana turned 90 years young on Friday. Her birthday was the most important of them all. I also had a birthday on Friday. I am lucky enough to share my big day with a truly wonderful lady! I turned 29. Audrey also celebrated her 11 month birthday on Sunday! I don't know which is more tragic for me: me in my last year of my 20's or Audrey in the last month of her first year of life.

I loved my 20's! I graduated college, became a teacher, bought my first car, bought my first house, dated all the boyfriends I'll ever have, became a wife to the love of my life, and became a mother in my 20's! Makes me wonder what will come along in my 30's!

Audrey is just blooming into a toddler! She goes back and forth on good eating habits. She will almost always eat chicken deli meat. She loves her juice. She finally figured out how to raise her sippy cup up in the air to get all of her juice. She only blesses us with her laugh if we're tickling her or if we do something out of the ordinary. She just about lost her breath laughing so hard when Michael lowered the kitchen window the other day. (weird, huh?) She is looking for a career in speed-crawling. She can walk while pushing her walker. I know she's just moments away from figuring out the walking on her own. The child loves books, balls, and dolls. She'll sweetly hug her dolls. I'm resentful for that (Yes, I'm resenting a doll!) because she has never loved on Michael or me - she tends to push us away. She'll also put a cell phone to her ear and say hello. Out of all of the months so far, 10 months have been my absolute favorite!

Oh, and btw, be careful not to open any emails from Hallmark that appear at all unusual. I received an email that said I had an e-card. I opened it, against my better judgement, because it was my birthday. It was a virus. It ended up costing us more than any of my birthday gifts. Sad day. :(

Audrey before the mess of eating occurs. We have to take a bath after almost every meal. The girl loves bathing. I think it is her secret plan.

Michael placed a cowboy hat on her while we were at the dollar store. Howdy!

Had a Virus

I had to kill a computer virus. Update coming soon!

Nana's Birthday Bash

Friday, my Nana turns 90! My mom and her siblings decided to throw a big party to honor her 90 years on Sunday. All of her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren and many of her friends came to wish her a happy birthday. I hope she felt how loved she is!

Here's a picture of the Perkins side of the family.

Below is a picture of the grandchildren. We had one more show up after pictures.

This is where it gets ridiculous. This is ALL of her grandchildren whether they be grand, great, or great-great (minus 1).

My bros and me.

This is a life-long family friend, Melody and her son, Mitchell.

Audrey. Michael calls this her "Presidential Pose."

My man and my girl.

Another Tag

RULES:*Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog
*Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself
*Tag seven other people at the end of your post and link to their blogs
*Let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

I was tagged by Ronni!

1. I had the privilege to work alongside a fantastic teacher during my last three years of teaching. She made every day fun. She has the most fantastic laugh, even though the kids think she sounds like a witch when she laughs. She also is very thouhgtful. For my birthday last year, she left a gift on my desk and a CD playing "They Say it's Your Birthday" on my computer. She was recently published in Newsweek. Here's the article.

2. Michael and I want 3 or 4 kids. We wanted boys and maybe one girl. I can't imagine having a boy after having Audrey. I think I might be scared to have a boy now. I'm not in any mood to have a child in the near future. In fact, I (not speaking for Michael) could be happy with just Audrey. I know that this feeling will most likely change. For right now, the colic memories are just too clear.

3. Michael and I hooked up a couple several months ago and they're still together! This is my first match-making try and I'm thrilled with the results. This is Michael's second attempt and he's 2 for 2.

4. This one might surprise a few of you that thought you knew me well in college. I was in a secret society at ACU. I'm for real. That's all I can tell you.

5. I was "kidknapped" 3 times in college for various things. They kidknapped you to let you know that you were selected for something. I didn't enjoy the kidknap that occured EARLY in the morning! I'm sure I was looking pretty rough.

6. My senior year at ACU, a bunch of GATA girls wanted to strike revenge against a bunch of Pi Kappa boys. We geared up and launched an attack to literally kidknap the president of the club while he dined at Denny's. I was the driver of this attack, so I was obviously very involved. We took the boy and tied him up in an apartment while his friends tried to rescue him. For some reason, I left the apartment and ended up in another building within the complex to be on the lookout. We see an Abilene cop go to the holding area. He released the president and held the girls and read them their rights. They were being arrested for kidknapping. I told the girls I was with that I was going down to turn myself in because I was just as involved as they were. The girls talked me out of it. Can you imagine me having a record?? Turns out that the cop was a dad of one of the Pi Kappa boys and they were pulling a major prank on us. Uh, it worked.

7. I can touch my nose with my tongue.

I tag:
Alan
Dee Dee
Lori
Heather
Joanna
Kaitlin
Jana

Catching Up

I haven't blogged in a while. A lot has happened, but I really don't feel like going over all of it, nor would I know where to begin. I have read your blogs, even though I usually don't comment. I've been bad about commenting because I am usually chasing Audrey around as I read and/or I'm reading your blog on my phone. Neither make it easy to comment. Sorry for being a Debbie Downer. ;)

Here are some things that took place during my blog blues in pictures.

This is Audrey's favorite sleeping position. I love pictures of sleeping babies!

These lovely ladies are 2 of my college roomies. (We missed you Meredith!) We got together at ACU's Homecoming. We all have had girls. Shannon is with Mallory and Morgan. Lori is holding Sophia and we just missed getting Faith in the picture. And of course, that's Auds and me. How I miss these girls! I don't know if I'll ever make friends like them again. Too bad went don't live in the same town. :(

A picture of Audrey swinging for the first time. Looks like she's having a blast, huh?

Maddie, Audrey, and Macie on Halloween night.

Trunk or Treat 2008

Audrey's first Trunk or Treat was Sunday night. It was a lovely 85 degrees when the event started. Audrey wasn't too happy in her velour kitty costume. Nor was she happy about me putting whiskers on her. Overall, she thought we had lost our minds. Therefore, the pictures are not the best.

My sad little kitty.

Uh, Mom...it's hot!

10 Years Ago and More!

I've been tagged by Krystal. Will I ever blog about life again? Don't know. I can't seem to find the time. Shannon, how do you do it when you are SO busy???

{10 yEaRs Ago I ....}
1. was a mighty senior in high school.
2. took French because I was destined to marry a professional hockey player. I married a Mexican instead. Ha! I need to know a TON more Spanish!
3. drove a car named Zambie, short for Zamboni.
4. was in shape.
5. was shy.

{5 ThInGs On ToDaY's tO-dO-LiSt}
1. See Nic and Ashley Belcher's new baby, Julianna.
2. Get an estimate on our car. (We were rear-ended in Abilene this weekend.)
3. Baby-proof the kitchen cabinets.
4. See if Audrey can digest formula yet.
5. Pray for Maggie Cole.

{5 tHiNgS i WoUlD dO iF i WeRe A MiLliOnAiRe}
1. Pay off student loans.
2. Pay off mortgage.
3. Give more to church.
4. Buy some cute clothes for my family and me.
5. Buy furniture.

{5 pLaCeS I'vE LiVeD}
1. Dallas, TX
2. Rockwall, TX
3. Abilene, TX
4. Plano, TX
5. Farmers Branch, TX

{5 JoBs I'vE Had}
1. Babysitter & day care worker
2. (summer) high school secretary
3. waitress
4. (winter break) H.R. temp.
5. teacher

I think we're supposed to post a picture from 10 years ago, but I can't find ANYTHING! I hope I didn't throw away my picture box. Maybe I'll scan my yearbook! Oh, and technically, I was beginning my Freshman year at ACU in October of 98.

I tag Shannon, Lynn, and Heather. You too if you want!

Random Blog Question

For those of you that actually visit my page instead of Google Reader'ing it (I like that new word, ha!), do you know how long my pink and brown background has been missing? Has it been a long time? If it's just been for a little bit, it may be a fluke. I might be able to fix it if it has been a long-time issue. Thanks!

My Wonderful Husband!

I took this from Lynn's blog. Just a few answered questions about my sweetest husband, Michael.

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV: what is on the screen? Seinfeld
2. You’re out to eat. What kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Blue Cheese
3. What is one food he doesn’t like? Tomatoes
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Dr. Pepper
5. Where did he go to high school? Highland Christian School in Colorado...class size 6!
6. What size shoe does he wear? 10 or 10 1/2
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Michael Jordan memorabilia
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Turkey or maybe Monte Cristo
9. What would the Husband eat every day if he could? Sushi...blah!
10. What is his favorite cereal? He has a Wheaties box with him and two friends on it, but I would say Multi-Grain Cheerios
11. What would he never wear? lipstick!
12. What is his favorite sports team? Mavericks...but he would say the Bulls in the days of MJ
13. Who will he vote for? Probably McCain...we'll see. 15 more days to be swayed!
14. Who is his best friend? Sun Ho Pak...they're half a world a part...how sad! or it could be me!
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? Walk next to the street when we're together. He always corrects me and seems just a little too upset by it. I didn't know I was supposed to be on the other side!
16. How many states has he lived in? Kind of 3. He lived in Alaska when his mom was pregnant with him, then Texas, Colorado, and back to Texas.
17. What is his heritage? 1/4 Spanish, 1/4 Mexican, 1/2 English-Scotch/Irish
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind? He doesn't like sweets, but probably chocolate for my sake!
19. Did he play sports in high school? Basketball
20. What could he spend hours doing? Watching Seinfeld

10 Months!

Audrey is another month old. Another couple of months and she'll be 1! She still has just 2 teeth, but surely there are more coming in with her fussy behavior! She went to a high school football game, played with balloons twice (she likes balloons a lot!), went to a birthday party, and went to a pumpkin patch last month! We almost went to the fair yesterday, but the rain cancelled that. She is still crawling. She can get up AND get down around things. She can change the channel on the tv...urgh! She is getting tired of baby food, but she only eats bananas and bread well. She likes to make this sound that sounds like Donald Duck. She's our Lil Stinker and we love her!

Pumpkin Patch

Just wanted to share a few pictures we took Monday at the pumpkin patch.

Tagged

I have been tagged! The assignment is to post the 6th picture from the 6th file of photos on your computer. This is a picture of my friend, Lori's, first baby shower. She's got two little girls now!

It's your turn! I tag Dad, Blake, Lori, Shannon, and Meredith!

I Spoke, er, Ate Too Soon

Poor little Audrey still can't handle milk protein. We thought she could, so I ate some glorious meals between Friday and Monday. Those meals included a lot of pizza, monicotti shells with various cheeses, and a little bit of ice cream. My baby was covered head to toe in a rash last night. :(

I appreciate your comments on the last post, but I'm not as sacrificial as you think I am. Audrey is allergic to both milk and soy, so that knocks out your basic formulas. The formula that she can have tastes AWFUL! She wouldn't have anything to do with it. She is so tiny, why make her eat something that she hates when I am fully capable to nurse her? I had planned to nurse for a year anyway. I just didn't know my diet was going to be effected so drastically or that some other things that sometimes occur with breastfeeding would happen. I am very much looking forward to that one year birthday! Hopefully, this milk allergy won't force me to continue past that date.

It has been a hard week. Early last week, she was teething so bad, she had all sorts of problems sleeping. She was also crankier than normal. Then, she got her shots, including a flu shot. She ran a fever for 3 days. Then, I go and eat dairy and she gets a rash and an episode of diarrhea. Poor girl.

Dr. Visit

27 1/2" long. That puts her at a steady 50%.
16# 4oz. This feather-weight comes in at 10%.

So her weight dropped. I was concerned until my doc said that this was very typical in breastfed babies. He told me that I didn't need to change anything that I'm doing. Whew!

Also, I received some verey exciting news! Ever since Audrey was 2 months, I've been off of dairy because she has a milk (and soy) allergy and what I eat, she eats. Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that Audrey has outgrown the milk allergy!!

Some of you have said some things about how quickly I lost my baby weight. If you don't eat food, you lose weight! Of course I was eating, but definitely not what I wanted. The next time you see me, I will most likely be twenty pounds heavier! Bring on the ice cream, pizza, lasagna, fetticini alfredo, chocolate milk, cheese enchiladas, quesadillas, cereal, oreos and milk, cheeseburgers, nachos, pudding, coffee with cream, mashed potatoes and everything else that I miss soooooooo much!!! I will eat healthier things, but I miss these the most! And yes, I'm thrilled that Audrey will be able to eat mac and cheese, milk, and yogurt!

9 Months Old

Audrey has done some major things in the past month!

She got first two teeth right after turning 8 months. I think she working on a third one now. She hasn't been too happy today as a result. The breastfeeding has been alright since the teeth came in. She has bitten me a few times, but nothing too bad. I know how bad it could be. Today, while putting orajel on her gums, she bit down HARD! OUCH!

She also pulls up. This results in a lot of grabbing things she shouldn't and tumbles. She has had a few bumps and bruises this month.

She also will crawl on her knees every once and awhile instead of army crawling.

Audrey also knows how to wave. When I ask her to wave hello or hi, nothing happens. When I ask her to wave bye bye, she sometimes waves and say, "Bah bah!" So, I am considering this her first words.

She also has begun to initiate her own game of Peek-a-boo. She will hold a toy over her eyes and bring it down really fast over and over. When I say peek-a-boo, she sometimes make noises that may sound like those words.

Michael has begun to do this very annoying game with her. They will stand in front of me (doesn't matter if I'm sleeping, reading, eating or whatever) and begin yelling in unison. They will do this a long time. Fifteen minutes at least. It is totally ridiculous. I'm so afraid this game will show up at church.

I love how interactive she is. I like that she will come find me when I leave a room. I also like that she understands that I'll be right back if I leave the room and not melt down. That's important when you pull dinner out of a hot oven!

Below is a video of her craziness. Of course, there is no performing for the camera. Thursday, I'll get her stats after her doctor visit.

Crazy Hair

We snapped this picture right before bathtime. What would I do without bows to calm this wild head of hair?

Happy 3 Years, Babe!

Three years ago, on Labor Day Weekend, Michael and I got married. I can not even begin to tell you how he has made me so happy and how he has improved my life. He brings so much love and support to me daily. Thank you, Lord, for bringing us together!

Last night, we were able to celebrate. We had steak dinners and walked the park where he proposed. They have added nice touches with fountains and benches there. We ended the night talking at a coffee shop.

Over dinner, we went over highlights of the last few years. It was so sweet to remember all of those times we have shared.

I believe special relationships like ours carry a certain energy. This energy is easy and very powerful. It makes you joyful, gives you strength, and wraps you with love. I am glad I have this marriage as an example of Christ's love for us.

A Day NOT at School

Today was the first day of school for so many kids and teachers out there. There is a saying that the two best days of school are the first day and the last day. No truer words have ever been said.

Audrey woke me up at 6:30 this morning. This is earlier than usual, so I wasn't a happy momma. I brought her in to our room and we played for a little while. I finally let her eat breakfast. As per routine, I open up the blinds in the window across the dining room table that looks onto our yard and the elementary school across the street. I typically enjoy watching those dedicated morning joggers and the hustle and bustle of people scurrying off to work. Today, I got to enjoy watching entire families walking to school, anxious about the year ahead of them.

What struck me was this. These kids with backpacks looked soooo young! I am used to thinking 6th graders were the small kids at school. I watched 4 and 5 year olds bounce down the sidewalk and cross the street with the sweet, old, crossing-guard lady. Then I would put a spoonful of baby food into Audrey's mouth. These last 8 months have flown by and I know that I will blink and find myself taking Audrey's first day of school picture in front of our beautiful tree in the front yard.

I did not contemplate too long that this is the first August in 24 (?) years that I was not in a classroom. I did not go over the excitement of meeting the 130-160 students that will be your responsibility everyday for the next 180 days. I didn't really relish the freedom that I now have. What I did was come very close to shedding a tear for how quickly my little girl will grow up. And, btw, Becky, your blog and video did not help things! :) So, say a prayer for your children -that you will cherish each moment and raise them so that they are confident and ready for their first day of school.

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On a side note - Did anyone see what happened to me at church Sunday? We feed Audrey those star puffs during church to keep her as quiet as possible. These puffs become a nasty, soggy mess once they touch her mouth. Since Audrey insists on being the one to put the puffs in her mouth, sometimes they get in and come back out. This can create quite a mess. I was so proud of her yesterday. I didn't see a single puff fall from her mouth and her hands were staying pretty clean. What I didn't see was that a puff had fallen and was hiding behind a bow on her dress. She was sitting in Michael's lap, facing us. She looks down, sees the puff, and proceeds to THUMP the puff off of her dress. I see this random object shoot across the air. The soggy, gross, and apparently very sticky puff strikes me in the neck and stays! It was like I was in a movie, sitting in the forest, minding my own business, when a native shoots me with a poisoness dart in the neck! I peeled the puff off of my neck and made Audrey eat it. Michael and I were trying to suppress our giggling, since this happened at a very inopportune time. Isn't that always the case at church? Can you imagine if it had hit someone else on our pew? How embarrassing!

The Last Gummy Smile

I snapped this last night after Audrey took a bath. Today, she has a tooth. Looks like its neighbor is coming in too. I'll admit, I'm a little sad. I'm also scared about nursing. Can you say "Ouch!"?