L.O.V.E.

Guaranteed to give you nightmares.

I went to the Just Between Friends sale on Saturday with my friend Erin.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but ended up with some beach clothes for Haylie, a few toys and two DVD's.  I saw this one DVD at the sale and thought - hmm, Haylie loves music, this looks cute.

We turn this DVD on thinking it would just be fun songs with babies playing.  Oh no, no, no. These poor babies are dressed up in the most ridiculous costumes with their mouths cut out and someone with all their teeth super-imposed in.  They are singing in this eerie high-pitched voice. 

 Warning: the images below are very disturbing.

"Oh my gosh Mom, what are you making me watch??"

 

I watched the first song with my mouth hanging wide open and then promptly shut it off.  You might see this jewel in our upcoming garage sale...

I thought all cars were made for driving...

At my parents house, they have one of those kiddie cars where the kid can actually get in it and push oneself around.  Haylie has recently noticed this and loves it.  But she doesn't get in the car like a normal child.  She gets in fish style by diving in over the side that doesn't open and struggling to rearrange herself until she is sitting upright in the drivers side.  Hilarious.

Today I heard an unusual commotion around the chair.  She was crying but this isn't out of the ordinary.  When she gets frustrated, she cries until she figures it out.  We are working on this.  Anyway, her cries kept getting more frantic.  So I look over around the chair to find this:

Haylie.  Stuck in her car-look-alike shopping cart.  Her legs are sticking straight out and she. Is. Stuck.  So I struggle to free her and she immediately DOES IT AGAIN.  By this time, I am about to die laughing because she knowingly put herself in this situation but is yet so stressed out she doesn't know what to do.  I finally wiggle her out and it takes me about 20 minutes to calm her down.  Needless to say, the shopping cart is going up out of reach until we learn not to climb through the windows.

Top 8 Things I Never Thought I'd Do

Apparently I can't come up with 10 things.  Eh.

1. Smell my daughter's butt to see if she pooped
2. Get spit up on and not change my clothes
3. Go out in public without makeup (granted, I don't wear much but goodness...somes I need it!!)
4. Walk around all day with food crusted to my shirt and not care
5. Realize half way through a conversation with a friend that stopped by that I'm still in pajamas (it was not an early visit)
6. Get so excited about consignment/garage sales
7. Go to bed on a Friday night before 9 pm without being sick
8. Watch old movies on a Saturday and like it

A few years ago I thought to myself that I would always listen to the cool kids music and be up on current events.  Now I watch award shows and think - my that music is loud - or - what are they wearing?!?  I'm becoming my mother.  But I'm definitely okay with that!

The Love Continues

Haylie loves everything about little G.  She even finds his car seat to be quite entertaining...

Upsets and all, every time his car seat is within her reach, she pops in and just sits.  She even brings her bear or milk sometimes. She's just making sure it's comfortable for him, I'm sure. 

God's Next Chapter

I love this theme.

Our church has challenged us to continue in the writing of God's next chapter in an initiative called Acts 29.  Tonight is a big deal for the Cornell household in that we are kicking off the program that we have been working on for quite awhile.  Countless hours were spent making lists, emailing, coordinating, begging, researching, phone calling, typing up lesson plans late into the night...we have lots of people to thank in helping us.

And it all boils down to tonight.

Justin is leading a financial class for the Gateway Apartment complex.  I am so proud of him.  He is a rockstar.  He has really stepped up to the plate and is going to knock it out of the park.

He took all the knowledge he has learned from Dave Ramsey, his dad, his grandpa, OC classes, etc., and wrote a fabulous 6 week financial course.

All in hopes that even just one person comes to listen.

If all the mentors who have committed and all the time spent in preparation could just help one person change his/her family tree, then it will all be worth it.

We're in Trouble

Many of you know that I started watching a friend's baby during the day.  Haylie has been really good with him and doesn't bother him too much.  Since we've gotten rid of her paci, she is unusually helpful in making sure G has his.  She tries to put it in for him all the time.  And a few times tries to be stealth and almost goes towards her mouth, by mistake I'm sure, but I always catch her!

While sitting by him today, I noticed something...

Maybe you can't see it.  Here is a closer view.

Yep.  Holding hands.  I think Haylie has a little crush.  On a younger man no less!!

Designers Challenge Part 1 & 2

Part 1:

There are about 12 different colors of browns in our living room.  I bought the side tables at a garage sale this past weekend and they need a good sanding and paint.  Since I have the coffee table that also could use a face-lift, I want to do all the tables in the same color/theme.  Our living room is accented in red, sage green & cream.  Thoughts for table colors?

Part 2:

My kitchen has a really wide wall that I have one big piece of art on.  I know I need to add more, but what?  Typically I would just put something long on either side to make a group of 3, but that is so typical of me that I'm kind of wanting to do something else.  I just don't know what.

One, two, three...design!

Just Another Saturday

Caramel's new love...hunting birds.

Best garage sale find ever! 

I have a feeling we'll be spending a lot more time outside!

Step By Step

The other day, I just up and decided it was time for Haylie to give up her paci.  Okay, maybe not give it up, but decrease the amount of time she has it in her mouth.  She really has started "talking" a lot more and would talk through her paci.  That makes it even harder when trying to learn words when there is a plastic bulb in your mouth.  I felt like she just put it in her mouth because it was there.  We gave it to her because it was there.  So, now, it's not going to be there anymore.  We decided to just give it to her at nap/bed time.  Although, I was talking to my sister the other day and she said it might have been better to go cold-turkey with her son instead of decreasing just to sleeping moments.  I'm wondering if we should do cold turkey too.  If you are a parent who has had to help your kid go through phasing-out-the-paci, insert advice now. 

Without the paci 24/7, I don't have to worry about other kids taking it and sucking on it.  She smiles more, she talks more, she drools a WHOLE lot more...

 But let's just say what needs to be said.  She is a heck of a lot cuter without it!!

Bathroom Update

This bathroom seems to be taking forever, but every week we make more progress. It's starting to look good.

Countertop after demo

Countertop with new granite & sink!

Tiling late into the night...

Progress so far!  Not too much left in the shower.  Next to tackle the floor...

I'm still laughing that J thought it would only take a week to re-do this jewel of a bathroom.

I Must Be That Naive

It all started innocently enough.  Haylie had a sporadic cough, but nothing that I thought was "Dr. Worthy."  So, I let it go.  Then today when she woke up from her nap, her eyes had the yellow gunk like her previous sickness (oh wait, wasn't that just a week ago??) and her breathing was very labored.  I thought my baby was having an asthma attack  (valid, since asthma runs in our family.) When Justin got home, we go to Mercy AfterHours since I hadn't heard back from Haylie's dr.  I told Justin we didn't need her diaper bag because how long would it take? So off we go, grab a number and wait.  And wait, wait, wait.  After Justin checks out the situation - because keeping Haylie happy at this point is ridiculous - it appears they called our number 20 minutes ago but we didn't hear them.  Maybe because we are sitting with a sick one year old who doesn't keep her feelings hidden from the world.  We finally get to a room and after waiting what seems like another eternity and singing every song that comes to our minds, the doctor comes in and examines her.  "Let's rule out pnemonia with an x-ray - it's probably just bronchitis, but she does have an ear infection.  Do you have insurance?  I don't want to order all this if you are paying out of pocket." (So then, is it REALLY necessary???)  So we jump and dance all the way to the x-ray room in attempts to keep H happy.  Justin was gracious enough to go in with her to get the x-ray because I don't know whats worse.  Hearing your baby cry from the hall way, or being in the room holding her down.  I opted for sit-in-the-hallway-and-try-desperately-to-keep-from-breaking-down.  Fast forward to where we are about to be discharged and they bring in this:

It's a nebulizer for her breathing and we get to hold a mask to her face for 5 minutes while she screams her head off.  She fought that thing with all her might.  So, trying to help J calm H down and talk to the nurse while she is moving at a snails pace putting everything back in the "cute little igloo", I almost grabbed all the cords and tubing and jammed it in the package so we could get the heck out of there. 

Let's recap.  Don't go to the doctor without insurance (which we didn't, thankfully).  Don't go to the doctor without a diaper bag full of toys.  Don't go to the doctor without food/snacks. 

I'm going to go pray now that we won't get another sickness for at least 7 years.  I can't deal with this every other week!!

My Apologies

Well, alright.  I think I'm finally on the bandwagon tractor.  A lot of my friends and family like to read The Pioneer Woman's blog.  They go crazy when she comes to town to promote a book or cookbook and they all swoon when the two words "Marlboro Man" are put together.  I never understood it...until my mom told me to read this book.

I am not even done reading it and I can't wait to find out more about Ree and MM.  I love her style of writing and almost wish she and I could be best friends and could teach me everything she knows.  This is the best story ever because 1) they aren't made up people and circumstances - it all really happened! and 2) I can now catch up with everyone and everything on her site.  It's never ending!  So, I guess I need to apologize to all my friends and family who I thought were absolutely ridiculous over this phenomenon of The Pioneer Woman.  I will probably be with you in the 2 hour line the next time she comes.  OK, back to reading.

Can't Leave Her Alone

I left Haylie in her room for just a few seconds the other day.  This...is what I came back to.

And then she climbed up in her chair to read her book!  (I might have helped her...)  She will sit in the chair and look at her books for a long time.  I especially love it when her choice of books is her Bible.

Maybe the new camera flash is too bright?

I'm getting more outtake shots of Haylie now that we have a rockin' camera than I ever did.

She's still pretty cute though.

Moving Forward...Finally

I'm slowly accepting my bathroom again.  Now that we can actually move forward, my motivation is growing again.  Last weekend Justin and I (ahem mostly Justin) put up waterproof backing, wonderboard, put in a light for the shower and mudded the walls.

This is what it looks like currently.  Hooray!  This weekend will be a weekend of tile, tile, tile.  We ordered our countertop today and it will be installed next week.  Woot!  (I love that word.  Anyone who uses it and doesn't sound stupid is awesome in my book.)

My hubby has a 18 mile run on Saturday and then going down to the car show at the fairgrounds.  So, we will see how much tile we actually get done - hopefully lots!!  Keep your fingers crossed...especially for no more hiccups in progress.  I'd like to have our bathroom back!