My Man Can...

Gotta little story for ya, Ags.....oops, sorry. I forgot I have a large Baylor Bear audience. Actually, I got a little story about an Ag--his name is Cody, and he's my wonderful husband.

I just wanted to brag on him for a moment because sometimes I'm all about my kids, my life, my stuff....and I forget to acknowledge that Cody is a large part of the reason why I have "my stuff" (kids included). So sit back, grab a cup of non-fat, half-the-caff latte and enjoy all the things My Man Can do.

My Man Can: (You must say the words, 'My Man Can' before each of these statements or it won't sound grammatically correct!)

1. Wear a rice krispy box on his head with no embarrassment (see above photo). Where the kids are concerned, nothing is above him or below him. If it's for their enjoyment, he'll do it.

2. Give a back rub like no body's business. It's pretty much what puts me to sleep each night.

3. Do any household chore that I can do. And the beauty of it is that he's willing to do it because he knows it helps me.

4. Be romantic and thoughtful. He sets up most of our dates, including arranging a babysitter. Our babysitters are a hot commodity these days!

5. Fix just about any problem I have. He's my sounding board. He's my rock. I am emotion-driven; he's logical. He gives good advice...even when I don't like to hear it. And he's very level-headed....something I'm definitely not.

6. Give you pretty much any fact, game score, current news tidbit, etc. relating to the sports world --especially where the Aggies are concerned. It's pretty cool and freaky at the same time. He lives and breathes Aggie football and can give you a play-by-play from games that occurred years ago.

7. Exhibit the patience of Job (although I must say that as he gets older, I'm finding this to be less and less true....grumpy old man).

8. Put up with me...my moods, my OCD, my fear of snakes, my aversion to taking out the trash, my shopping habits. Someone must be paying him to stay with me. Dad?

9. Make a ponytail....he can fix Landrie's hair in the mornings if I need him to, complete with hair bow and hairspray. You can't pay money for this skill, ladies and gentlemen. It's a God-given gift.

10. Show emotion. He doesn't do it often, but I have seen him tear up on more than one occasion. Sometimes it's over something big, like my mom's funeral three years ago. Sometimes it's something small, like experiencing an intimate moment with God during church. I don't think it makes him less of a man.....but more.

11. Attempt to put our family first. The reality is that with Cody's (sometimes) grueling surgery schedule, our family simply can't always be first. Especially when he's the bread winner. Sometimes we have to be second, but Cody always makes me/us feel first. I know we are his first priority. I know nothing comes before us. And when I do get pouty about his work schedule, he fixes it (see #4 and #5 above).

12. Still make my heart pitter patter. Enough said.

Okay, all you fellow-bloggers. Share with me....what can YOUR man do? Let's lift our sweet hubbies up with our words of encouragement!

PS....I'm sharing some pictures from this weekend. My sister came down to Waco with Grace, three nieces, and a cousin in tow!

A First Time for Everything

Ahhhh, firsts....can you remember some of your monumental "first-time" experiences? Are they a source of pain or joy? Pride or embarrassment? Laughter or tears?

One of the cool things about being a parent is watching your kids go through these firsts. Kellie-Laine was recently invited to a Disco birthday party complete with professional DJ. Sounds fun, right? Well, once she realized that BOYS were going to be there, too, her joy quickly turned to pain. "How am I supposed to dance? I don't know how to dance!" was her response. "What if a boy asks me to dance??" was another source of pain (as well as ours.)

Cody and I quickly came to her rescue and performed our best dance moves from college. "See, it's easy!" I said as I snapped my fingers and bounced in place. "Nothing too it," chimed in Cody as he demonstrated his famous bob-and-weave-white-boy-style maneuver. Kellie-Laine gave us one look and screamed at the top of her lungs. "I'm not going," she said. Apparently, we were not helping.

All week long we prepared and worried and fretted and deliberated over every scenario the dance might bring. Was she allowed to dance with boys, she asked? "NO" was the reply. Were Cody and I going to stay at the party? "Yes" was the reply. It is, after all, our goal to embarrass the child as much as possible. It was pure agony and high drama...very typical for a 6th grader.

Finally, the day of the dance arrived. KL and Phoebe spent an hour and a half getting ready (did you miss that? AN HOUR AND A HALF). The clothes Phoebe brought were just not going to do, so the girls raided my closet trying to find the perfect outfit. KL sought Phoebe's opinion on her attire, and hers was the only opinion that mattered. After both girls found acceptable clothing....we moved on to hair. I tried my hardest to give KL a style that was flattering and fun, but all she saw was "baby-ish." I moved on to Phoebe....she had no opinion. "Do whatever you want" she said. Then, both girls re-did my "do." (I guess hair stylist is not a career option in my future....)

With the perfect outfit and the perfect hair in place, Cody and I headed to the dance with two very giggly, very nervous girls in the back of the truck. When we pulled into the parking lot, they started chanting, "take us home, take us home!" We got out with the girls and walked to the front doors as Justin Timberlake's, "Sexy Back" was playing. "Take them home, take them home!" my brain was saying. No luck, the girls opened the doors and saw...........GIRLS on one side of the room in a huddle and BOYS on the other side of the room in a huddle. There was an invisible wall that kept the two species from interacting. The girls were shocked, and overdressed (or so they thought), and disappointed, and relieved. All the hype...all the preparation...was for naught.

Cody and I bobbed and weaved our way to the dance floor at the DJ's prompting. That was the only time during the course of the night that the kids actually danced. The rest of the night was spent playing with an oversized ball, running to the bathroom in groups, eating and making fun of the boys who were trying out dance moves they learned from their parents. It was exactly like Cody and I imagined it would be....and NOTHING like the girls imagined it would be.

It was the best of times....it was the worst of times. Okay, so maybe I'm being a little dramatic. In the end, it was neat to experience this "first" with Kellie-Laine. There are many more to come, and I hope she finds security in the fact that Cody and I are here to help her bob-and-weave through each one of them.

I've Been Tagged!

My friend, Adrielle, tagged me, and so now I'm required to share 8 unusual or unknown facts about myself. I'm certain you're all waiting on pins and needles for my answers, but first I must choose someone else to "tag"-- how about Jennifer Herrington, Jennifer Ross and Brother Boog! You're it! Now on to the rules:

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

8 QUIRKY, UNUSUAL OR UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT MOI:

1. I ALWAYS have gum. ALWAYS. On the rare occasion I don't have gum due to little children digging in my purse and stealing it, I have actually been known to leave the premises to go and get gum. (I left church one morning upon the realization I had no gum--kid you not!). I am very sensitive to other people's breath, including my own. I don't want to risk having that "not so fresh" feeling, and I certainly don't like that same "not so fresh" feeling thrust upon me! Me like gum.....
2. I absolutely must have a glass of milk in the mornings...or at least in my bowl of cereal. I'm a little bit hypoglycemic and starting my day without lots of protein is a prescription for the "shakes" ususally associated with hypoglycemia. I prefer whole milk, but my waistline likes to hold on to it, so I'm a 2 percenter now.
3. I love music and listen to it nearly every waking moment. I prefer Christan music, but I also love classical (mostly grand piano), Colbie Callait (spelling?), Jack Johnson--NOTHING pop-ish, rap-ish or even much country. I especially love anything our worship choir sings at church, in particular ANYTHING Amanda Konzleman lends her voice to. Her voice is like butter..... I try to have music playing in my home whenever my kids are around. I like the peacefulness it brings to the environment, and I'm so blessed when I see KL and Landrie singing "Great Is Thy Faithfulness," "Give Me Jesus," or any other worship songs I have playing. What better way to surround your kids with the word of God than through music? (BTW: my current CD selection is Fernando Ortega, a Christian musician who mostly plays grand piano but will every now and then bless me with his vocals. Again, more butter....)
4. I am still very much in love with my husband. While this may not be a quirky or unknown fact, it is, in comparison with some, an unusual fact. Especially in today's world of "obligation marriages" and "dead relationships". I give most of the credit to my Lord and Savior, and a little credit goes to my husband's dimples...
5. My two main flaws (amongst many) are laziness and criticism. If I didn't fight to overcome these tendencies each day, I'd spend a lot of time on the couch watching TV, eating bon-bons, and scrutinizing the lives of others....Thankfully, a good way to get rid of laziness is to become a mother. Motherhood and laziness cannot co-exist.
6. My main inner struggle is VANITY vs. CHEAPNESS. I love to shop and dress nice, but I don't like to pay for nice things. AAAGH! And to make matters worse, I have VERY expensive taste! I don't care what the store is....clothes, furniture, jewelry (especially jewelry), I will fall in love with the most expensive item in the store. It will be exactly what I want, except for the price tag! This is where being a cheap-skate comes in. I love the item, I just don't want to pay for it. I'm sure my husband appreciates my frugality, though. It helps him sleep better at night....
7. Only in the summer, I have to sleep with my left foot outside the sheets. For some reason, (partly due to my OCD), my toes feel like they're stuck together when underneath the sheets. I keep myself up all night trying to "unstick" them, until I just flop my foot on top of the sheets and voila! All better....I'm sure there is some kind of medication for "sticky toe sensation" but it may require psychiatric evaluation, and I'm not going there.....
8. I've referenced my "need for clean" before, but I don't think y'all get it. I really need things around my house to be clean and orderly or I start getting a strange eye twitch thingy and my heart rate goes up. I truly get an anxious, panicky feeling when I start seeing clutter or lots of chore-type things piling up. Again, part of my OCD. And my two LEAST favorite chores are unloading the dishwasher and putting away laundry. Hate it....hate it....hate it.

Well, there you have it. Are you ready to release me from your list of friends? Will you avoid eye-contact the next time you see me? Is there a straight jacket with my name embroidered on it? It's okay. I understand. At least a padded room with white walls is clutter free......