Aww... my first award! :)

Thank you Jade for giving me my first award! Now watch out, Kanye may show up!!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog.

2. Share 10 honest things about yourself.

3. Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in design or content.

4. Tell those 7 people they have been awarded.

First, 10 honest things about myself.

1. I despise crust on bread. I will pick it all off or eat around it.

2. I am controlling. I guess that is a little bit of why I became a teacher. I knew I would be in control and could get the job done.

3. Sometimes I KNOW my house is disgusting and I really just don't care. There are spider webs, there are dead bugs in the corners... I know, gross, but doesn't really bother me.

4. I am SO ready to get divorced it is not even funny.

5. I text and drive way way way tooooo much. I scare myself sometimes. I need a handsfree texting device.

6. I am guilt of allowing Olivia to watch Barney in the car way too often. If I make sure the TV is flipped up before she gets in the car, I can easily distract her. But if the TV is already down, forget it.... Barney it is!

7. I want to lose weight, I really do. But, I don't have the ambition to do it. I love to eat. I love to eat sweets. And then I get on the scale the next morning and really hate sweets.

8. I often think horrible thoughts of Olivia dying. I watch the news and wonder HOW people kill their own children. I think of parents who drown their kids, parents who leave their kids in the car.... I get very sad and sick to my stomach to think I even have the POWER to hurt my child in such a way. I fear for her life every single day.

9. I read blogs for hours at night. I can find people's blogs and instantly 'favorite' them. Makes me feel a little like a stalker.

10. I will hit the snooze at least 6 times ever morning. That is 30 minutes of interrupted sleep that I love. I feel like I am giving myself more sleep... almost a indescribable feeling!

Now to award 7 other blogs.

Did I mention I am also stubborn? I will choose 5.

1. My sister. Andrea is my partner in crime, my jury, and my best friend. She blogs about my beautiful niece, Astoria.

2. The Quad Blog. I have been reading Suz's blog since the babies were born. I love reading about her sometimes hectic life and beautiful children. She is such a strong Mama!

3. Cheating as well.... Jade is a wonderful woman. A fellow teacher who I met on Babycenter. We were trying to conceive at the same time and unfortunately, she is still trying. Her destiny is taking a bit longer than wanted/expected, but nonetheless WILL happen!

4. I just found this blog about two weeks ago, and I'm not even sure she knows I read her blog. See, feel like a stalker! But she is a young teenage, single Mother raising one cuuuute boy and doing a great job! Like I said, I don't know her from Adam, but she is fun to read and I relate just a bit.

5. And, another blog I found through a blog. This blog has touched me more than ever. This Mom is so super strong. She has three beautiful children, has an Angel baby, has #5 baby on the way, AND her husband is MIA (as she puts it). Wow... just awesome to read!

WHEW!!! Thanks Jade! :)

Wordless Wednesday... a bit early...

Tonight Olivia had her first Trick or Treating experience! We went to the Oklahoma City Haunt the Zoo. They set the zoo up for trick or treaters and passed out yummy treats. Not so good for the Mommy trying to lose weight and the child who can't eat it all yet. :)
In attendance was of course me, Olivia, Nana, Cindy, TJ, and Doug. We love doing things with the Yarnells and couldn't ask for better friends.
Olivia LOVED seeing all the costumes. Nothing seem to bother her and even beat up on a 'Dinosaur'. TJ, on the other hand, had to be bribed with food to stay in the stroller. He wasn't too fond!
Can you tell Olivia had her bangs cut? She can actually see!

Its amazing to watch Olivia grow up. I have said it so many times, she is the light of my life. I love experiencing all of her firsts with her. Everything is new and so exciting and she will tell you about it. Anytime she sees something exciting to her it is an immediate 'Ooooooohhhhhh....". It is THE CUTEST thing ever.

I love her!

Not Me Monday

I do not have the Swine Flu. I do not feel like I have been run over by a bus. I do not I do not I do not. I do not sound like a Dr. Seuss book. Haha

I would never let my daughter pull as many kleenexes out of the box as she chooses just to keep her entertained. I would never use my sickness as a reason to eat like crap. Yet, an hour later, I DO NOT feel like crud because I ate like crud.

I would never turn back on the dryer to iron out wrinkles instead of actually ironing.

And of COURSE, I am not secretly enjoying my days off.... even though I do feel like crud! :)

My little dancer and singer...

Makes me giggle everytime!

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'...

So this is the view that caught my eye last night. I couldn't go on without taking a picture. So many thoughts flooded me at once.

The little girl that wears these brown fuzzy boots is my life. She fills them and my life perfectly. She fills it with happiness, calmness, and a sense of wonder all at the same time. We fit together. Just like her shoes, we are a pair. We work as a team, with one foot in front of the other everyday, all day.

This little girl makes me smile all day, everyday. She makes me stop and slow down. She makes me watch my words, my actions, and even my thoughts.

She lights up any room she is in. She provides smiles when you have tears. She provides laughter when you just want to cry. She does something completely silly when all you want is to be serious. She never does the predictable, which prepares me for my life. When is life EVER predictable?

She makes me realize that our lives together are happy times... limited times... and the most precious times of my life.

Who fills the shoes in your life?

Not Me Monday...

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

So... I am giving it a try! Sounds like fun and harmless... right?!

Of course I would NEVER let my Third Graders spend 10 minutes on a worksheet that should have only taken 3. I never eat a side of bacon and a Diet Dr. Pepper from Sonic for breakfast. Nope, not me. I would also never make sure to eat on the left side of my car so that my daughter wouldn't see that I had food. Nope. And of course, I ALWAYS share my food with Olivia!

I will NEVER take my daughter to the doctor and let her color on the floor with a pencil before realizing what she was doing. Nope. I would also never stop by Sonic and get Olivia french fries because I knew it would help keep her quiet. Nope.

And to finish the post... I would never spend three hours on the computer reading other people's blogs. Never.