Still Here

Wait a minute - you still check this blog?

I am, apparently, less than committed to blogging these days. I'd love to tell you that I have a great reason for neglecting my blog, that I've had something of great importance eating up all my time. The truth, however, is that I often get all excited about starting something and then forget about it. I'm not proud.

Ok, ok, so here's why you really stopped by - what has Hope been doing the past few months?

She started Mother's Day Out at church. Here is my attempt to get a picture of her right before we left:



She attended her second Labor Day Olson family reunion. This year, it was quite challenging to keep up with her and make sure she didn't make her way into the lake. Still, it was a lot more fun than last year when I was severely sleep deprived and spent most of the time in seclusion feeding her.



She had a fun day at our church's Trunk-Or-Treat. She didn't understand the concept of taking a piece of candy though. She kept trying to drag an entire bowl of candy away from one poor lady's trunk. We have to work on that for next year.



She has spent lots of time with Daddy lately. He is cultivating her love of watching sports.



She's had bangs cut. Here is some evidence that I tried to grow her hair out, in case she ever looks back and asks me why she had bangs at such a young age.






The great weather the past few weeks has allowed for some fun park time. I tried so hard to get good pictures this day. This is as good as it got.



She and Ellie were so cute playing together. Shannon and I never got to actually finish a conversation, but we started some good ones.



And, finally, spaghetti is now her favorite food...to eat and to wear.

It Makes a Mama Proud

I would like to write a letter to the person who decided to put "Easy to Install" on the childproofing cabinet locks that I installed tonight. I'm willing to bet serious money that this person has NEVER installed these particular cabinet locks. After obtaining a pretty painful blister on my hand, all but two of my kitchen cabinets are childproofed.

Instead of writing that letter, I thought I'd share some video. The minute Hope sees the video camera, she stops whatever it was she was doing that was so cute and heads straight for the camera. Until yesterday, we hadn't been able to get a good video of her walking. Every time I'd turn the camera on she'd switch to the much faster crawling mode of transport to reach that camera all the quicker. However, she is getting pretty confident in her two legged skills, and I was able to get all 12 seconds of this:



And lastly, I want to share with you how very much Hope likes to express her love for her mama.



Oh, my heart just melts.

It's Been 10 Years

When you get engaged, people tell you all kinds of bad stuff about marriage. They're just trying to prepare you for reality; however, when you're engaged, it's really the last thing you want to hear. Reality? No thanks. Fairy tale? Tell me more!

After 10 years of marriage, I'm writing to say that reality is actually pretty great. Not perfect, not a fairy tale, but even better than that. Perfection would be so very boring. My dear friend, Dore', says that nothing good is ever easy. And marriage is something very good. For us, it's been starting out in a 2 room apartment with a few squeaking, furry residents that had already laid claim to the wall of cabinets that passed for a kitchen. It's been cheering each other on through grad school classes that we thought we'd never pass. It's been making snow angels in the first real snowstorm we'd ever seen...for about 5 minutes before we decided it was too cold for all that. It's been sitting in a doctor's office in shock but walking out in each other's arms, knowing we'd make it through this too. It's been losing loved ones and welcoming new ones. It's been holding, walking, and rocking a screaming baby girl through all hours of the night, thankful for the one picking up where the other left off. It's been watching that girl take her first steps across the living room and laughing together until our faces hurt from all the smiling. It's been praying for miracles and watching some of them happen.

It's not always easy, but it's always worth it.

Here we are a few months before we got married. Yes, tie-dyed shirts with pajama pants were the thing to wear back then. At least in Ruston, the fashion capital of nowhere. Notice that I was sticking with the classic white shirt with jeans..and, um, plaid flannel. Never mind.


Our celebration Friday night included a trip to the lakefront. It was windy enough that it didn't even feel too hot. Either that or we are finally acclimated to living in the tropics.


Since the 5 people who read this blog are much more interested in seeing pictures of Hope than of Andy and me:


Her hair is in her eyes now. Clips won't stay in. I guess I need to cut her hair. Why does that make me want to cry?

No Shoes, No Service

If you need a good laugh today, check this out:

Looking for Help

Andy and I have a big anniversary coming up in just a few days.  As usual, I have NO idea what to get him.  He always gets me the best gifts, y'all!  Thoughtful, sentimental, just what I wanted...all of the above.  And I usually end up getting him something horrible, like sweatpants.  (I wish I was kidding.)  Anyone have any ideas?  

Back to Basic?

Andy and I are once again discussing how we can trim our budget.  It turns out that this parenting thing is kind of expensive.  When you take your child to the doctor every time she tugs at her ear, those $55 visits can really add up.  (She hasn't had an ear infection yet.)

Today Andy mentioned we could easily live without cable TV.  *Gasp*  This, from the guy who watches sports every single night.  I immediately began defending our need for cable.  What about my "Becker" reruns on WGN?  How will I know what to wear without Stacy and Clinton's advice?  What will I do on the nights Andy has to work?  To prove my point, I turned on the TV tonight to find something groundbreaking to watch.  The best thing I could find?  A show on TLC called, "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."  (Is it just me, or does TLC get weirder and weirder?)  I'll go ahead and admit this is not the first time I've watched this show.  It's quite appalling.  I guess I can understand how it happens.  After all, my grandfather did tell me that swallowing watermelon seeds can cause similar symptoms.  All things considered, I guess the crib in the background of this picture seems a little premature.

So maybe I can live without cable.  I could always break out my baby books instead and read the chapter on "how to tell when your child really needs to see a doctor."  

Home

I know that "home is where you hang your hat" (or purse, in my case), but I truly do not feel more at home than at my grandmother's lake house.  It's the only house that's been a constant home my whole life.  No matter what is going on, I always feel a sense of peace here.  Every trip, I take pictures of the same scenery.  Somehow it never gets old.