the sweetest thing

It was wacky day for Connor at school on Wednesday. When I showed Derek this picture, he cracked up.

I mean, it’s a pretty funny picture, but Derek was really cracking up.  Well, Derek style cracking up, which is really just a smile and a small chuckle.  “Meg,” he said, “Connor is just like you!”  I wasn’t sure exactly what Derek meant by that, but then he started listing some of the wacky things I’ve worn/done over the years, specifically the time I dressed up in a large sombrero, colorful and authentic Mexican clothing, an ace bandage, and a topped it all off with a sassy ballet pose.  But, despite all of my searching, I cannot find the picture anywhere.

This classic one will have to do.

Yup. Connor comes by his wacky side honestly!

I am wide awake. What’s up with that?
Logan tip-toed into our room at 2:30. He needed some ice water. I thought I would fall right back asleep, and even pick up my dream where it left off. Nope. Not this time. I laid there. I closed my eyes. Relaxed. Rolled over. Again and again. Silently wished Derek would stop breathing so loud. It really wasn’t loud breathing at all, but you know how it is when you can’t sleep. The clock ticking on our bookshelf was deafening. At 3:15, I resigned to being awake and got out of bed. I’ll admit it was the fruit punch calling my name from the fridge. The boys are going to be so sad in the morning when they find out I finished it off. I figured within a few minutes, I would be sleepy and head back to bed. It’s been almost an hour, and here I am, as awake as ever.

Have I told you I started playing the cello again? Have I told you that I ever even played the cello? I started playing in the 5th grade. I chose the cello because my big brother played the cello, and I wanted to be just like him. I stopped playing after my sophomore year of high school. The good orchestra was the same period as volleyball, and I chose volleyball. After I stopped playing, I realized that I actually loved it. Through junior high and high school, it seemed like a nerdy burden. But it turns out I actually really loved it. I haven’t played a note in at least 10 years. I recently found out my mom had purchased a cello sometime during the years I played. I always thought we rented one. My brother had the cello in storage until he moved into his new house, and the last time I was over there, I saw it in the corner and asked to borrow it. It was weird. I have been wanting to pick it back up for so long, and the whole time I didn’t realize that my brother had the cello. I’ve been playing almost every day for the past week or so. I love it, even though I am so, so rusty. But it’s amazing how quickly it’s coming back. I can read the music still. And by read the music, I don’t actually mean read the notes. I have to stop and think about what note it says. I mean when I play my fingers just remember where to go. There are songs I can still play by memory from my orchestra days. It doesn’t sound very pretty yet, but I’m going to keep on practicing. I was feeling a little frazzled this afternoon. (Thursday’s are my most frazzled days for some reason.) So I pulled out my cello and played for 20 minutes. It made me feel better.

I wish I had a picture of me playing the cello back in the day to add to this post.

Bear with me while I brag on myself for a moment.

Today I went to the grocery store. No biggie, in and of itself. I go to the grocery store all the time. I would say that in the past six months, I go to the grocery store on average 3-4 times a week. That’s because I just buy stuff as we need it. We’re out of milk…head to the store. No bagels? I’ll run to Randall’s. Major craving for strawberries and ice cream? Be right back!

But today, I did big grocery shopping for the first time what feels like forever! I even planned a few meals for the week. This is big time! (Just ask my husband…being pregnant has not been good for Meg the Chef.)

Not only did I stock our fridge and pantry with good food, I even cooked dinner tonight! We had cheese tortellini, meatballs, salad, and bread. It was a winner in everyone’s book. Even my biggest critic (Logan) ate it all up.

Besides making a good dinner and going to the store, I ran a bunch of errands, kept the house picked up, and did the budget. It feels good to make a big list of stuff to do and actually get it done.

I know this is just every stuff, but it feels good to look back on the day and feel like I accomplished something. Do any other moms out there ever feel like they never accomplish anything, no matter how busy the day feels?

Since I kept things pretty clean today, I took the official after pictures of the kitchen. I am so happy with it! Like all house projects, I think it looks better in person. And, like all of my house projects, there are always things to add. Like now I want to paint, and I still have my eye on a stainless steel fridge if old faithful ever stops working. But the next house project is for sure the nameless baby girl’s room. Suzy Q is coming to visit in less than 2 weeks, and she is going to help me paint. It’s so cute in my head, and hopefully it will turn out in real life, too.

Anyway, here’s the kitchen:

And some side by side comparisons of the before and after:

Today I saw a man get out of his car and help a stranger push his broken car through the intersection to the gas station. It warmed my heart. Most people just get irritated that someone is blocking traffic. But this kind man got out and helped. I loved it, and I bet that man has no idea that he not only helped the guy with car trouble, but also reminded me that there are good, helpful, selfless people out there. There are still those that will stop and help a stranger in need.
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Any scrapbookers who happen to read my blog, you need to check out the Paper Trunk blog for a contest to be next months Guest Designer!
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My dog managed to get a hold of 5 or 6 leftover pizza cheese sticks. Sneaky little booger. What do you suppose the odds are that he is going to puke those things up? I foresee the pregnancy card being played on that one…
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I have a new Friday tradition. A few weeks ago I started seeing a chiropractor about some nagging back pain. Turns out that two of my good friends also go to this same chiropractor. We all have appointments at the same time of Friday mornings. Afterwards, we head to Cracker Barrel for a late breakfast. Every time, I order one blueberry pancake, a side of hashbrown casserole, a side of bacon, and sweet tea. My friends also order the same thing every time (did I mention that they are pregnant, too? We are all due within 2 weeks of each other.) Over the past 3 weeks, it has become one of the highlights of my week. I hope we continue our Cracker Barrel tradition even after our chiropractor parties are over.
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Pregnant moment of the weekend. I had a brunch/baby shower to attend on Saturday morning. I decided I wanted to bring this yummy, homemade hashbrown casserole. I had my entire Saturday morning planned to the minute. Get ready. Prepare casserole in addition to breakfast for the fam. Get Connor ready for t-ball. Get Logan dressed for the day. Send Derek and Connor off to the fields at 9:30. At 9:55, put casserole in the oven. Pack up Logan and head to the t-ball game. At 10:45, leave t-ball game, swing by the house to pick up the piping hot casserole, and head to church. It was so smooth in my head. The only problem was the brunch started at 10:00, not 11:00. And I realized this at 9:50. After a mad dash to the t-ball field to drop off Logan, and a quick stop to HEB to pick up already made muffins, I made it to the brunch only 20 minutes late. Did I mention that I even had written on my calendar that it started at 10:00? Good one, Meg. Good one.
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I’ve gotten tagged on a few blogs do list 7 random or unknown things about myself. I haven’t done it for several reasons. For one, I’ve done it before. And two, it really takes some thought to write a post like that. Last night I thought of one thing I would add to the list, so I decided I will just blog seven random things as I think of them. This is one of those things that cements my dorkiness in stone. When writing an email, I will spend a considerable amount of time obsessing over how to sign it. Should I sign this email love? Sincerely seems too formal…love isn’t always appropriate…just signing Megan seems too cold…I’ll spend more time coining the perfect ending than on writing the actual email. This is especially bad if I’m writing an email to a group of people. There might be some in the group who would get a -love, Megan, but others who just need a -talk to you soon, Megan. Sometimes I go as far as to save a draft of the email so I can think over my choice.

I will also get obsessive over punctuation, specifically exclamation points. I really am an excitable person, and I think I write like a talk. But too may exclamation points is annoying. I always have to make sure I have the correct balance of periods and exclamation points. I don’t want anyone to think I am a freak!
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In the time it’s taken me to write this, Austin has regurgitated a cheese stick. It was pristine. I’m certain that one of my children would have picked it up and eaten it tomorrow morning if we left it on the floor. It was that perfect. One down, four to go…

See you soon…talk to you soon…love…blessings….sincerely….
Megan

So most of the posts here have been about Connor and Logan, but I thought I would branch out a bit. The first blog I ever read was my friend Alison’s blog. She did this and I thought it was pretty cool. So, here it goes. 100 things about me.

1. I have 2 sons.
2. I love strawberries-epsecially chocolate covered strawberries.
3. It has been almost 10 years since Derek and I went on our first date. It was August 14, 1995.
4. We went to Spaghetti Warehouse and to see Nine Months on our first date.
5. I was born in Olympia, WA.
6. I’ve lived in 3 states.
7. I think Texas is the best state.
8. I hate peas.
9. I got engaged in a tree.
10. I never appreciated all that my mom did until I had kids of my own.
11. I love thunderstorms.
12. My favorite new show to watch is Lost.
13. Felicity might be my favorite show of all time.
14. I think Pop Secret homestyle popcorn is the best microwave popcorn out there.
15. I know how to play the cello.
16. I love volleyball.
17. I could shop at Target or Wal Mart every day.
18. I have credits from 5 different colleges, and I only have my BA.
19. I love to scrapbook.
20. I want to have 4 kids.
21. But no more until Connor starts school.
22. I once trained for a marathon, but quit when I got to 10 miles.
23. I really hate running more than 3-ish miles.
24. I love tank tops.
25. I love the snow. Derek’s says it’s because I’ve never lived anywhere where it snowed a lot.
26. I know how to surf.
27. My favorite colors today are pink, yellow, and green.
28. I’ve been to Europe.
29. My dad lives in Australia.
30. I hate staying in bed once I’m awake.
31. I’m not a night person.
32. I’m not a morning person.
33. I’m an early evening person.
34. I have one sister, one step-sister, one half-sister, and two brothers.
35. I love John Denver.
36. Camping is fun.
37. I don’t go camping enough.
38. I think I got pregnant with Connor while camping.
39. I love boogie boarding.
40. I think Veggie Tales is a great kids show.
41. I love flip flops.
42. When I was little I wanted to be an astronaut, a teacher, and a mother when I grew up.
43. BJ’s and Chili’s are my favorite reataurants.
44. I hated California the first year we lived here.
45. Now I am sad to think about leaving.
46. I sell Mary Kay.
47. My first job was at a retirement home.
48. I’ve had 2 boyfriends in my life.
49. I used to have my belly button pierced.
50. I have a tattoo.
51. I want another tattoo.
52. I just sold my first car a few months ago.
53. It was a 1991 Toyota Celica.
54. I hate traffic.
55. I love to laugh.
56. I wear a size 9 shoe.
57. I love Carter on ER (aka Noah Wyle)
58. In high school my dream car was a bright yellow VW covertible bug.
59. Now my dream car is the Honda Odyssey with all the trimmings.
60. I have a fake tooth.
61. My hair tured wavy when I got pregnant.
62. Someday I want to go back to school to be a nurse.
63. Someday I want a vegetable garden in my backyard.
64. I love getting pedicures.
65. I have killed every plant I have ever owned.
66. The first concert I ever went to was Michael W. Smith.
67. The last concert I went to was Bebo Norman.
68. My middle toe is longer than my big toe.
69. My ring fingers are crooked.
70. I’m 5′9
71. I subscribe to 4 magazines.
72. I don’t like naps.
73. I love baths.
74. My mom wanted to name me Caitlin.
75. My middle name is Warner after my grandma.
76. The best vacation I ever took was a cruise.
77. Derek is my best friend.
78. I have my ears double pierced.
79. Washing dishes is my least favorite chore.
80. I love vacuum lines in carpet.
81. I can’t stand to stay home all day more than two days per week even though I am a stay at home mom.
82. I can do some fancy tricks with a jump rope.
83. I have lived in 4 apartments in 5 years.
84. I’m married to a computer nerd.
85. My favorite food is my mom’s flank steak.
86. I’ve had stitches in both of my knees.
87. The only bone I’ve broken is my little toe (it was at a 90 degree angle to my foot).
88. I don’t look down when I walk so I constantly run into things below my knees.
89. I got married when I was 19.
90. I want to learn to take good pictures with a fancy camera.
91. I hate the Cortislim ads-their slogan is “It’s not your fault you’re fat.”
92. I think childhood obesity is a huge problem in our society.
93. I had 3 majors in college-speech pathology, P.E., and Liberal Studies.
94. I have purple couches.
95. I graduated from Azusa Pacific University.
96. I wear contacts.
97. I didn’t get stretch marks on my stomach until I was pregnant with Logan, and I got all 6 of them in the last 3 weeks of the pregnancy.
98. I love hydrangeas and daisies.
99. I hate long car trips.
100.I hate feeling rushed and being late.