1 year ... and then some

Ok, ok, I AM A SLACKER!! It's been way too long - AGAIN - since I've written. To further the slackery, I still have emails in my inbox from two months ago that I haven't even opened. I am so ashamed, but... I think, by now, you all get (hopefully) that it's just the way I am and I hope no one is hurt or offended by my way belated - oh - everything. Haha This isn't going to be a long post, I just really wanted to share photos from my sweet little angels 1 year photo shoot. If you want to see the cutest pictures EVER, visit www.ashleyreecephotography.com and click on “client” in the menu. The password is cora. She was a total ham while taking these. The rocking chair and the crate were props just to try to get her to stay put. Her newfound freedom of walking keeps that girl - and me - in constant motion. She can "go, go, go." (That's what Sarahs little "Go, Go Pets" say when you set them off and running and we say it all the time to Cora Jane.) Just a few fun things to mark Cora's first year: Her favorite ASL signs are "please," "all done," "milk," and "more." She cannot get enough of saying "daddy" and she LOVE, LOVE, LOVES to follow her big sister, Sarah, EVERYWHERE. She knows she is an accomplished pianist, just like her sister and she loves to sit at the "big girl desk" and dictate to me everything that needs to be done or color with the crayons. She, almost literally, sings for her breakfast -- she sits in her high chair and sings, sings, sings. She loves to walk around the house with either carrot or celery sticks, just munching, sucking and, usually, making a funny sort of a mess everywhere. She LOVES her "baby bath" and loves to play in the water and loves to drink the "dirt butt water." (giggle) She continues to "hum" herself to sleep and talk and sing as soon as she wakes. Her "lovey lamb" is the protector of the "suckies," which she "gently" throws at him at the end of every nap. If you say the word "walk" and you don't mean "go outside," you are in BIG trouble. She loves to walk ANYWHERE and she loves to play in the grass, but she HATES to get in her car seat or her stroller -- until we really get rolling. She loves to make the sounds of different animals, like the elephant, dog and, especially, the monkey -- she had SO much fun seeing all the animals at the zoo a couple weeks ago and making all the sounds with them. She is kind of like a puppy at scripture time - she likes to help daddy to get the scriptures (she'd do it on her own if they weren't SO heavy!!) and at prayer time she folds her hands and waits for the "Amen." Although she is quite stubborn, even "yelling" at me sometimes when she doesn't get her way, she continues to be such a blessing and such a source of silly and happy and giggly times. She wanted nothing to do with her birthday cupcake; just looked at us all like we'd lost our minds that we hadn't just given her carrots. haha (She did, however, try to grab the candle.) Unwrapping birthday and Christmas presents was fun - it kind of lasted all day, because she would finally rip into one thing, play with it for quite a while and then when she was ready to move on, she had another one to open - this was quite agonizing for Sarah, who just wanted to "help" her open them all right away! She is so hard to get a picture of these days because, like I said, she is always on the go, go - most from her actual "birth day" were so blurry, but this one worked out okay.

And this was the "four generations of CJ" at Thanksgiving:

And here's my carry-on for the airplane:

and... so shoot me, this post turned out A LOT longer than I thought it would. Oh well. Hope you enjoy!

Believe it or not

This is not "Fail Blog"... this is: http://failblog.org/ But my life, as a mother, quite often makes me feel like I should be writing my own fail blog... I wonder, just because I let Cora wander around the mushy, wet and yet crunchy back yard, munching on weeds, rocks and "Mr. Cat" that Sarah sculpted out of mud, does this make me a bad mom? I wonder, just because sometimes I feed Cora funny foods that she gags on and subsequently pukes up that and the rest of her meal, does that make me a bad mom? And then I forget that I'm supposed to make dinner because I'm washing up the puke covered child, trying to keep her out of the puke I haven't been able to clean off the floor yet and trying to steer Sarah in a positive direction other than arguing with me for the millionth time, does that make me a bad mom? I wonder, just because I tell Sarah I'll tell her when her piano practice is up (she practices for 30 minutes every day) and I forget that it's now been an hour, does that make me a bad mom? I wonder why I just can't remember why I don't plug that Febreeze in where Cora can get it -- maybe it's because she finds it EVERY TIME and pulls it out of the socket and leaks scented oil all over herself and it takes a day for the smell to wear off her and me, regardless of how many times we wash... Does that make me a bad mom? None of these things probably make me a bad mom, it's just so hard sometimes not to feel like I'm failing at my ONE JOB. I mean, if I walked back into teaching I couldn't get away with letting kids wander around and do what they please without me watching, I couldn't get away with making a kid puke, I couldn't get away with forgetting how long a lesson is supposed to be, I couldn't get away with not getting the kids to lunch, I couldn't get away with having potentially harmful substances being tampered with... Seriously, I FEEL LIKE A BAD MOM! BUT, I do feel better when I think: My kids are happy and healthy. They wear clean clothes every day - whether they want to or not - they get feed, they get loved, and they get sleep. We try our best to teach proper principles and we try even harder just to love our girls. I can't really be that bad of a mom as long as I am loving my girls and, as Sarah says "just trying to do my best."

BFF

I made a new friend. Her name is Julie. She lives down the street from me, was a nanny "for like ever" like me and she has a sweet little baby girl like me and she is expecting another little one soon... NOT like me at all!! Haha :) Now maybe Lawton won't be so lonely. I was really singing the blues, feeling so alone, so forgotten and so isolated. I told Christian I found a new BFF and he just laughed. (We like to joke about things like BFF and OMG and LOL and all those little sayings.) Hooray for my new BFF!! Hooray for Julie. **Julie, I promise I'm not a crazy stalker for blogging about you** Please don't be scared and run away. I'm just so happy to have a friend. :) (and... this picture just made me giggle because i love bananas and i'm obsessed with monkeys... and it's just cute. it was either this one or a spongebob picture... but that's too typical of me, so i chose this one.)

Nerd Alert/True Confessions of Clarissa Jane/Cora is the Saving Angel

So the post I've been thinking about... This is either going to super nerd alert Christian and me or you are all going to think we are totally stinkin' awesome or maybe just completely normal -- I guess it depends on how "nerdy" you may be. ;) For about a month off and on, Christian and I were watching bits of the extended versions of The Lord of the Rings, or LOTR (which you only call it that if you are SUPER cool!). The night that we FINALLY finished the end of The Return of the King I dreamed over and over about the end of the world. Seriously, it was quite distressing. Everything was in ruins. Everything was dark. There was nothing, but ash and rubble and fire. (Now the really good thing is that I'm not pregnant, so these dreams weren't crazy-real and I wasn't terrified that they were coming true, so my poor husband did not have to wake me up and save me -- he had to do that plenty of times while I was pregnant.) So, I'd be running around just trying to find my way to somewhere safe and then... BUM BUM... I'd find this:

A sweet, sleeping baby... Then I'd tickle her little belly and I'd see this:

A super cutie, giggly baby... And suddenly, the sun would be shining, the sky would be blue, the grass would be green and then everyone I loved would come running to us. Seriously, my baby girl is an angel. She makes me so happy and my dreams prove it.

Me and my girl. I love her sooooooo much!! Oh... and just for an extra giggle...

No good on a plumber, but super cute on a baby. Giggle. Giggle. :)

Cora Has A New Trick

So, I actually have a grand scheme in my head about a post I want to make, but Cora's new trick (as of this weekend) is kind of trumping it! **So maybe I'll write the other one tomorrow night** I suspect this funny new thing has something to do with a visit from a certain Aunt whom Cora adores!! She was so cranky the day after Auntie Charly left us... But anyway, all weekend and into this week she has been up to... THIS:

and THIS:

I have no idea why she is suddenly hanging her tongue out like a puppy, but it is so darn cute! And so funny! She sometimes even makes that "nmnmnmwahhhhhh" sound while she's doing it. It has us rolling while we were trying to catch it in a picture -- she started to laugh too:

I would post the funny video of it, but I have no idea how to do that... anyone want to offer their assistance?? :) In the meantime, we'll just keep giggling at the trick ourselves. She is such a goofy, happy, giggly baby and OH SO LOVEABLE!!

"Baby Blue"

So, I just had to post about my baby girls blue, BLUE eyes. Not joking AT ALL when I say everywhere we go people are commenting on how gorgeous she is and "Oh, those eyes!! Those are the bluest eyes I've ever seen!" It's true. Cora Jane has the clearest and bluest eyes I'VE ever seen. I keep telling everyone she gets them from her Aunt Amber because neither Christian nor I have blue eyes. I'm always singing to her the song from George Strait: "Baby blue was the color of her eyes, Baby blue, like the Colorado skies..." I've even YouTubed it and played it for her -- she loves it. I think she knows it's her song. :) So, just to prove it... here are some "Baby Blues" for you.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea, and what pictures would I post next time if I use them all up now?! ;)

As promised...

Although I am not certain that my "demands" were exactly met, I will write a blog post for those of you who may actually care...


I tell you, it is really hard being way out here in the middle of nowheresville, out in the middle of idontknowanyonehereville. I seriously need a life. And I am in need of some friends. I miss all my "old" friends.

I am aching for Amber and Mike and the kiddos. I want to play with my LoLo. And then there's Bekah, and VonTana... TayTay... Lani... Kira... Roonnate... Nora... Evey... And I know I'm not naming everyone, but those are just to name a few... I just feel so out of place not having someone close by. Its been so long since I've been so on my own. Yes, yes, I have Christian and my girls, but it's somehow just not the same. It doesn't make it easier that I just feel so lame. I've gained about ten pounds since moving here; not because I'm eating tasty foods of anything, just because I'm being a fatty. I mean, come on, there are two Sonics (pretty much my favorite place!!) in town and I've only gone there ONCE -- and that was today!(If you know anything about me, that's pretty much a big deal.)

But besides feeling lame and fat and all alone, life is pretty good here. giggle

Our house is great. It is so comfortable and so NOT connected to another house!! haha I love that we only hear our own noise within these walls. :) We have a great amount of space and I was pretty much unpacked within a few days -- just had to wait to get a bookcase to empty out my books; that wait about killed me!

Cora is just growing and growing and GOING and GOING! She is trying to walk... it's the greatest thing to see her zoom all over the house in her little walker -- and I'm telling you, she can go!! She is fast!! She loves to chase and be chased. She turned 9 months today and she is, officially, still my little peanut -- we still haven't hit 17 pounds. BUT what she lacks in weight, she makes up in fun! Everywhere we go people fall in love with her and her blue, blue eyes. She is a ham and really gets to talking. And yes, I am "Mum Mum" and I love it!!

Sarah had an awesome summer visiting everyone in the family and now she is settling into third grade. She loves Hugh Bish, she loves being a Knight and she LOVES Mrs. Shippers third grade class. That girl loves school -- now if only I could get her to love doing her chores. ;) Oh, and she is getting SO amazing at the piano. We got her another outstanding piano teacher, who also happens to be her music teacher at school. Her is really challenging her and pushing her and she isn't even fighting back! It's so much fun to listen to her play.

Ok... that is all I am going to write for now. I'm going to leave a little out in order to have more to write later. Haha... I know, it's killing you!! You'll just have to wait for a little update on Christian. (He's LOVING Lawton, by the way.)

Pictures below are of the front room and kitchen/dining areas.
More to come... hopefully soon?!!? Who knows.