My child is so smart!

I know every parent thinks that, and every parent is right!! But I really have to say, Daniel is extra special smart! Here is just a small example : he can see a photograph of a cow and he'll say "mooooo." He can pick up his piggy bank (or point at it across the room) and start snorting. We were at the Mortgage guy's office yesterday....there was a plastic cow. Daniel says "MOOOOO." The cows on the California Cow commercial, Chick fil A commercials.....he sees them and says "mooooo!"

But it doesn't stop there, oh no! He tries to put his shoes on his feet, saying "shoe." He says "no" when he really means "no!" He can tell you what a cow, a doggy, a kitty, a monkey, a piggy, and an elephant say (although the elephant sound we're still working on....he usually just laughs when I ask him what an elephant says). He knows where his nose, his ears, his eyes, his belly button, his toes, and his chin are located.

He can say "nana" for banana, "bye bye," "night night," "kitty," he thinks all dogs are "Ti" (since that is our big dog's name). He knows what "bath" means, he knows what "eat" means.

He loves to have his teeth brushed, and he even tries to help!

And the biggest of all : he knows what an "ICEE" is!! He can't say it yet, but he sure does get excited when we mention them! Or sno cones, he LOVES sno cones!! He can eat a whole kid sized one!!

Updates Galore

Well, we are definitely having a GIRL!! I saw her privates ;) tee hee! I am beside myself with Joy.....now if only we could think of a name for her!!

Jesse died Saturday. Kay is really sad, and I know it's going to be hard on her for awhile. But that poor dog, she had so many health problems! I'm just thankful she isn't suffering anymore.

We sent the kitties to live with Grammy.....should be interesting.

Daniel experienced his first fireworks on the 4th....HE LOVED THEM!! As soon as I get pics developed I'll post them. Didn't take the digital, but we took a disposable. I can't wait to see them.

We're still trying to find a house. It's more pressing than ever before because our landlord is a major pain. I can't wait to get away from here and him!

We still have a mouse. We've put down traps, poison, and tonight we're putting down glue traps. I just don't know if I'll be able to handle seeing the mouse stuck to it, but I think I shall try....I just want it GONE.

Sno cones....still my favorite, though they're doing heavy battle with Olive Garden salad....or better yet : have Olive Garden then head to get a sno cone. YEAH BABY!

The whole Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes thing weirds me out. Anyone else? I find them to be an odd match, and his "Religious" beliefs bother me. Not because of what his Religion is, per se, but because of the way he goes about "promoting" it. Seems weird to me. My friend Erin was a Christian Scientist, and I've never understood it. Never. I even read the book, but it all sounds like poppycock to me.

I have bronchitis. It stinks, because I cough and sound like a seal trying to hack up last week's lunch. Annoying, yes. Harmful, no.

I am going to have some corn chips and go to bed.

Is God the same yesterday, today and tomorrow?

I've been pondering this of late, because I have had a semi-difficult time reconciling the God of the Old Testament (who appears angry, vengeful, and jealous) with Jesus and how He is portrayed in the New Testament (giving, loving, sometimes righteously angry, but never vengeful).

So I asked my Pastor his thoughts on this, and he introduced me to something called "Open Theology" which is interesting to me, and the more I read the more I like it.

But then I started thinking, what if Jesus (as the Son of God) was just a little bit different and more "open minded" than his Dad? Doesn't that sometimes happen in families? But then I remind myself "silly, Jesus IS God....He was just Word made Flesh." But I get confused again (easy to do, I know) because the Bible states that Jesus sits at the Right Hand of God....so does that mean that since Jesus was born into this world as a man that when He died, was resurrected, and then went up to Heaven that He is a separate person from God? And as Christians we still worship GOD, but we believe our Salvation is through Jesus Christ. Or am I totally off base?

So my question is this : we worship GOD, His son is Jesus. In the Old Testament God was a very, very angry God. In the New Testament Jesus preaches to love they neighbor....so which is it? I guess my confusion doesn't end there but my thoughts will for today. Anybody got any thoughts? Surely I'm not the only person who feels this way?

Fevers

Poor baby Daniel, he is running a fever of 101.6 because of all those nasty teeth coming in (4 molars, two bottom eye teeth, and two top canines) all at once!!!! We gave him some Tylenol and he went to bed very easily. What stinks is I cannot call into work tomorrow to take care of him or I'll get fired. How's that for job security? Unfortunately, now they place me in a position of having to choose work over my family simply because I HAVE to have that job! No job, no insurance (not to mention no money).

UGH I hate having to work.

Before My Very FIRST (and LAST) haircut by MOMMY

Look how LONG his hair was!!  It was straightening out so badly that I had to cut it because it was in his eyes.  Needless to say, I will NEVER, EVER, EVER cut his hair again!!  It was too traumatic for me!

Before the first hair cut (again)

He looks like he knows what I'm about to do, doesn't he?

Getting a haircut from Mommy

Ok so I am certain that I will never, ever, ever cut his hair again. I got it too short, and though it's cute on him, we call him "Caesar" because of the way I cut it....a little Caesar-esque!

The ZOO.....

Daniel and I made a trip to one of our favorite places today.....the FW ZOO!! He loves that place!! So much so that we bought a zoo pass so we can go as much as we want and it just cost us $50 (which we have more than made up in the number of visits). Kids under 3 are free, so he's free anyway and with our Zoo Pass we can get a visitor in for $3 off. Besides that it's 10% off at all the vendors!! So if you invest in a souvenir cup you get a soda refill for $1.74 with tax!! That's really NOT bad, considering that a regular soda is $1.99 without tax!

So today at the Zoo was apparently "summer camp" day. Talk about annoying. I am convinced that the majority of children who attend those summer camps have parents who would rather be doing ANYTHING but raising children. I know that is a huge generalization, but these kids at the Zoo today were RUDE. They kept running into us, they would walk 15 across the sidewalk, blocking the entire way and we couldn't get past without saying "excuse me," and getting dirty looks not only from the children, but also from their SPONSORS!! What in the world?? Today wasn't even Wednesday (half price day) so I don't know what was up with all the people.

On an upside, we had an odd encounter at the Parrot Paradise Exhibit. There was an older German couple who talked to Daniel....in German! He thought they were fascinating. The woman was in a Rascal, and the man was standing in his odd fishing hat. I don't know what they were saying to Daniel, but he obviously enjoyed it! He was babbling right back at them.

Our favorite exhibit : the kitties (aka the lions) was packed today with little children screaming "WAKE UP" at the lions, who were sleeping (duh). We just kept walking.....I felt so sorry for those poor sleeping kitties.

Our Zoo friends (Caleb and Owen) weren't able to go since it was such short notice, but we're always looking for more Zoo friends to join us. If you're interested let us know!! We try to go once a week.....if we can :)

Ah VBS....

VBS started tonight.....it was awesome! We had lots of kids in attendance and it was phenomenal!! Can't wait for tomorrow....stay tuned for me to update this entry with more VBS wisdom but for now I am exhausted.

OK so, here is the VBS update.

Night One : fabulous. It was great and the kids LOVED it when baby Moses was floating down the river. They weren't even paying attention to the crocodiles (especially the fat one that messed up----me!!).

Night Two : greatness. A little on the short side, but all in all it went really well! I think everyone was even in step at Jethro's Dance Party!

Tonight is Night Three.....the longest night by far, and should be entertaining for the kiddos -- what with the plagues (aka the Disco Remix) which is always entertaining. Especially the frogs.

I am getting misty eyed and sad thinking about VBS coming to an end, because we got to know so many interesting people and I'm afraid we won't keep that connection after it's over. I hate that. Hopefully, though, we can continue to build on those relationships and form lasting friendships!

Silver Linings

They say that every cloud has a silver lining. Well, try finding something positive about being big, fat and pregnant in the summertime in Texas. Go ahead, I dare ya!

Well, I discovered one good thing : SNO CONES!!!! When I was pregnant with Daniel I was only a little pregnant during sno cone season. But now....I am going to be able to have a sno cone for pretty much my entire pregnancy!

I had my first (TWO) sno cones of the season tonight! We got them at "Floppy's" here in Burleson. Here's the great thing about Floppys...if you buy a medium or a large you get a FREE kid's size cone! So I bought a large Hurricane flavor and got a free kid's DILL PICKLE (my favorite flavor!!). I ate the whole hurricane and half of the dill pickle. Michael had cola flavored. They were fabulous. The other plus side to Floppy's : they have a punch card!!

I can't wait to try Limp Willie's in the next couple of days...

We are going to bed.....I'll blog about VBS all-day rehearsal later!

Cars.....why can't they never break down?

I mean it! Why can't cars be built to last a lifetime like they used to be? You see so many cars built in the late 80s - early 90s that are in worse shape than cars built in the 30s, 40s, and 50s!! I wonder what that says about our work ethic in the past few decades? It's interesting to me that things used to be built to never wear out, and now they are built to wear out in a few years.

And it's not just cars! I have an iron that needs to be replaced because it has a short in the switch and doesn't always stay turned on. It's more expensive to FIX the one I have than it is to buy a brand new, top of the line iron!

Why is this? Why do things wear out so quickly? Is it so that when the manufacturer comes out with the "bigger, better" model we not only WANT to buy it, but we really HAVE to buy it? That's my theory. And I'm sticking to it.

But back to cars. After 5 years a car is on its downhill slide. OF course you have the car paid off, and it's definitely out of all possible warranties. And it never fails but right when you are several hundred miles PAST your factory bumper to bumper warranty you have a major malfunction that, had it happened only a few hundred miles earlier, would not have cost you anything to fix!

Brakes are a different story. It's interesting to me that Michael's car has NEVER had brake work done and it's more than twice the age of mine. MY car, however, needs brake repairs....ASAP. We're taking it in today to get it fixed. But my question is this : why my car? I don't ride the brakes, I don't slam my brakes on, I don't over-use my brakes! I don't tailgate on the freeway, I don't drive with one foot on the brake and one on the accelerator pedal! So, I submit to you : it is because my car is newer. Because my car is newer, more parts are going to wear out sooner on mine than they will on his. Just because FORD wants me to buy the biggest, baddest, newest model they have. I just want to say to them : Hey, I LOVE my Focus Wagon! I really, really do!! I want to keep it forever, so can you please turn off the mechanism that regulates when things go wrong?

I guess it's up to me to do my part : routine maintenance, frequent oil changes, and taking good care of the parts that DO wear out (tires, and BRAKES).

"Ma Ma"

Those two syllables hold more power over me than I ever, ever imagined. Luckily for me, Daniel does not yet know the imminent power he holds when he utters those two little sounds...."ma ma." But he is beginning to understand. Now at night, when he is going to sleep he cries "Ma Ma!" and I try my hardest not to immediately come running. But it is hard. Perhaps the hardest thing ever, because I always give in. I think he's starting to notice.

There really is nothing better than hearing your child call for you, and KNOW that they know what they are saying. In the words of Crush "oh it's awesome jelly man."

Oh and By the way.....

I was going to scan in the sono pics to show you but I haven't hooked the scanner up yet....bear with me!


But, in the meantime I guess I'll let you know : we're 98% sure we're having a ....


LITTLE GIRL!!!!!!

She was so demure, she kept her little legs crossed the entire sonogram on Wednesday! But since DR Motley had gotten a really good look at her bottom last week, and she was 98% sure then that the baby was a girl, and then the sono tech said she saw parts that looked "suspiciously girly," we are saying GIRL!!

It's exciting!

Just reminds me to take it one day at a time

Grandparents.......a reflection

I never met my Paternal Grandparents. But, from what I've heard I wouldn't have liked them very much. My Paternal Grandmother was a hard woman, she was hard to please and she was hard on those she loved. All I know is they never made an effort to visit me while I was growing up, therefore I was never exposed to them and their world.

But my Maternal Grandparents....now there is a horse of a different color. I was actually raised by them. Not because of a tragic passing of my parents, but because circumstances dictated that I would be better off living with them. What an adventure.

Every summer, without fail, we would take a family vacation. Most times the trip would be to California. And we nearly always drove. My Papa hated to fly, so he avoided it whenever possible. (I suppose that is where I get my need to be in control at all times -- from Papa.) But one summer we went to South Dakota. I LOVED South Dakota. I'm not really sure how old I was, but I remember that we stopped at a Mammoth dig (it was in a museum, I believe) and I wanted so badly to return and work there when I was old enough! We went on to Mount Rushmore, saw the Black Hills, and panned for gold! We even saw Crazy Horse Monument in it's REALLY early stages. (We have a picture of a sign that says "to be completed 1997" -- what is so funny is it wasn't completed in 1997 and it isn't completed now!) I had the best time ever on that trip. I vow to take my own family up there and experience it together. My Papa and I had always wanted to return to see Crazy Horse when it was finished.

My Great-Grandparents (Memaw's parents) were second Grandparents to me. They lived in San Diego with pretty much the rest of our family. We stayed with them each summer when we were out there. I have such wonderful memories of their quaint little house in the mountains of Harbison Canyon (just outside El Cajon). I never had a bad time in California, and I have them to thank for that. They taught me what family means, by showing me that it's more than just a name. They showed me how to love unconditionally and whoever I am today is because of the influence they had on my life. They were both very Godly people, who attended Church regularly, and devoted a certain time each morning to a devotional together. What amazing, amazing people.

And it is true what they say, that you never realize what you have until it is gone. For me, when Mary Carnelia Loftis (my great-grandmother) was diagnosed with Alzheimer's (it was shortly after the passing of my great-grandfather, Ishmael Worth (I.W.) Loftis in August 1998), it shook the family's world. But my uncles Farrell and Stanley each shouldered the responsibility, once Grandmommy was no longer able to live on her own, of caring for her in their own homes. Eventually she went to a nursing facility in Lemon Grove, California where she passed away one morning in January 2003. She was 92, I believe. My Grandpapa, when he died, was in his 80's and fell off of the roof he was working on and broke his back. He died from complications resulting from that fall and subsequent pneumonia. I miss them both so much, but treasure the thought that one day I will be reunited with them, and we will never part again.

My Papa died February 26, 2002 -- 9 months to the day after he gave my hand in marriage to Michael. At the end of May 2003, Memaw and I had to put Prince (our dachshund who lived to be 17) down. That same month, Michael and I found out we were expecting our first child. Daniel Kenneth was born February 12, 2004. We gave him my Papa's name as his middle name, to honor the man who brought so much joy into my life. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about him, and the things he taught me to do. He taught me to shoot a shotgun, a rifle, a pistol, and he taught me all about gun safety. He taught me to drive his 1982 Ford Bronco. He taught me the importance of sitting on a tailgate with family and friends, sharing a cold drink and telling stories. He taught me that you don't have to tell someone you love them for them to know that they do. He taught me that you never judge a book by its cover. He taught me the importance of keeping sharp knives on hand, and how to handle them safely. He showed me the true value of friendship. He taught me about loyalty. He taught me that a man's word is his bond. He taught me that it is important to keep up with your car's maintenance (and why). He showed me the fun there can be in spitting watermelon seeds at your Memaw. He showed me that even putting a TV stand together can bring a family closer. I sure to miss him. Every single day, every time I am with Daniel I miss my Papa. I wish I could have seen the moments they would have had together.

Everything I am and have today I owe to my Grandparents. I pray fervently that God will allow my Memaw to remain here with us for years and years and years. I want my children to KNOW this phenomenal woman I have come to treasure. But more on her later!