...it's a crazy ride...

Getting my Kicks

2011-05-05T23:56:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time there was a little red haired girl that would beg her newly wedded husband to run with her. Sometimes he would relent and tie on his running shoes only to leave her gasping in his dust. Time went by and she gave up the marital quest of running together. She searched high and low for a running comrade that was close to her pace, but none were to be found... until now.
That's right! After living in this town for almost 10 years, today I finally found a running partner. I haven't ran in FOREVER, but I'm so excited about starting up again. I would love to get these last few preggo pounds off, and I really think running is the way to go for me. E & I have children the same age, and seem to have a lot in common so I really think this will work. We are going to start slow and meet maybe once a week. Hopefully we will take off from there. So I'm going to dust off the 'ol kicks and charge up my iPod and hit the pavement. Whoot~I am so excited.
I hope I don't get all crazy and start contemplating 10Ks or half marathons. :)

Cloth Diapers For Sale

2010-09-25T13:33:00.010-04:00

ALL SOLD! THANKS MOMMAS!

Well, as excited as I am/was about cloth diapering, it just didn't work for our household. I went back to work in November 2009, and the laundry was just too much. We have a front loader and I just didn't have enough time in my day to devote to laundry. That and my husband was highly intimidated by washing them so we just gradually stopped using them. In the mean time the diapers have just been sitting on Ty's dresser. It's time to clean house.
We do have a min pin in our home, but she never wears the diapers.
The diapers were only used 3-4 months.
They are in VG-EUC.
Most were bought new by me. Aplix looks good-normal wear for time used.
Some of the MF inserts for the 3.0s have more wear than others.
Washed in Vaska or Tide. Line and dryer dried.

I've already sold some on one of the forums I often visit. This is what I have left.
If you are interested send me an email at erikabridges@yahoo.com
If you don't think the prices are fair, make me an offer.

Bum Genius Organics with aplix $11 per diaper
2 Moonbeam
3 Twilight
3 Clementine

Happy Heiney OS aplix Both inserts included EUC $10/dipe
1 peace bears--PENDING
1 silly monkey--PENDING

BlueBerry OS BB insert included EUC-VGUC $11/dipe
one of these bought used, can't remember which. Some only washed not used.
1 Orange
2 White
1 yellow/orange snaps
1 yellow/grn snaps
1 green/blue snaps

BlueBerry Medium Minky Medium BB insert included
Bought off of FSOT VGUC no stains, a little pilly, no rips. $8/dipe
1 purple tye dye
1 Blue Camo
1 Black
1 Green Camo
1 green tye dye

GAD Small Small Loopy Do Insert included
Bought FSOT VGUC $5/dipe
1 Blue/red inner
1 White
1 Red
1 Black

Thirsties Small AIO EUC $6/dipe
1 Blue
1 Lt Blue

Thirsties Small Cover EUC $5
1 Lt Blue

here is a link to the pics:
http://sbphotos.com/saleup/
there are some diapers on there that have already been sold.

Bubba Cain's Deuces are Wild

2010-01-14T19:05:00.005-05:00

Pets.
The best friend a person could ever ask for.
They add so much to life. One could say that they are almost like having children.
You can teach them to sit, roll over, speak, but nothing compares to the utter joy they exhibit when they see you. It doesn't matter if you were gone five days or five minutes, they are ecstatic to see you.

Today has been a difficult day for me. I had to say goodbye to my sweet sugar Cain.
We had twelve and a half fabulous years together. I just hope I gave him as much as he gave me.
He helped me through some pretty rough times. We had some good ones too.
I'll always consider him my first born. I'll always remember bringing him home for the first time. Being so relieved to hear him bark at his reflection in the mirror because he had not uttered a sound for a few days.
I'll remember the "show" he would put on for the kennel and the UPS man. (he and Holli will always be known as "the Lovers")
I'll remember how warm his little body was when I crawled into bed at night and how he nestled into the crook of my leg until morning. I'll never forget how curious he was when we brought Silas home from the hospital and how he stood guard by the crib.
No, he wasn't just a dog-he was my baby. He was my companion. He was a member of the family.

I miss you sweet Cainy. Thanks for being mine.

Everybody Loves Steven

2010-01-09T11:22:00.007-05:00

We for those of you that aren't on facebook or just don't know, my parents moved here from Arkansas the week before Christmas. That made for great a holiday.

Christmas morning they walked across the road in time to see Silas open his presents from Santa. Here are a few of the pictures that I took that morning.

Also yesterday I posted some pictures of Silas and I in the snow on my blog. You can check that out but clicking on the below link.

Knoxville Photographer

Boo at the Zoo

2009-10-31T16:23:00.003-04:00

Well, today is Halloween. I can not believe that November starts tomorrow.
I started back to work this week and recieved two flu shots. Coincidence or not, I am now stuffy and not feeling so hot. Because of this we aren't participating in any of the festivities tonight.
However, last Sunday night was the last night for Boo at the Zoo so we dressed the kids up and headed that direction. It was crazy! I think every kid in Knox County was there. Anyway, Silas got to trick or treat at the provided stations.
I had every intention of dressing Ty up as a football, but we decided that his hand-me-down lion costume would be much warmer.

Here are my little men. The Vol and the Lion.

Silas also got to wear his costume at daycare yesterday and they trick or treated at the bank. I think he had a blast just seeing what all his friends wore--especially Ellie!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-22T15:24:00.004-04:00

I have been wanting to go to the pumpkin patch ever since I saw April's Blog.
B finally had an evening free so we made the drive out to Corryton. It actually wasn't that far from our old house.
We had such a good time. It didn't open until 6:00 during the week so we missed out on the pedal cars, face painting, and inflatable jump things, but we still had an awesome time.

Steven tried to teach Silas how to make a corn angel.

Sie climed the tires to the flagpole. There was also a little maze for kids and a mini corn maze for kids.

There was a sand pit that he loved.

His favorite thing by far was this slide. I think Steven enjoyed it too.

I was the hippy Mom there. I wore Ty in the Ergo. He started getting fussy so I had Steven get my cover and I nursed him in the ergo. I was getting strange looks so I took him to the tent and sat to finish his dinner. Of course I sat in the only chair with rainwater. Steven entertained Silas and brought Ty a fresh diaper from the car. By the time we finished all of this and drug Silas kicking and screaming from the slide it was dark. We still had to go to the pumpkin patch. We got in line for the hayride that took us to the patch. We managed to pick out two pretty good pumpkins in complete darkness.
Silas cracked me up picking it up and carrying it.

I had to include a pic of Ty. He just hung out in the Ergo while his brother attempted to stab all remaining pumpkins with his glow stick. Fun times, Friends, fun times!

After the tractor returned us from the hayride, Silas wanted to slide again. It really surprised me because it was pitch black dark and the slide was pretty steep. We let him have a few more gos at it and then piled into the SUV for the ride back home.

Through His Eyes the Aquarium

2009-10-20T23:22:00.006-04:00

This is a series I've wanted to start for some time now. Silas LOVES taking snaps. I know, I know just like his daddy. It always cracks me up to see what he ends up with on the camera. It really is a different world from three feet.
We made a trip to Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies. We try to go every year. It's fun to watch his interest grow.
Well, Ty had to take a lunch break so we gave Silas my camera to keep him from climbing the walls!

Fish. Lots and lots of fish.

Pretty Coral

Mr. Ray and his family

Some random lady--Sorry!

Daddy and Brother

Here are a few that B took.

This was at the entrance.

And the boy behind it all...

Our New Ride

2009-10-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

Well. I did it. I splurged. I opened my very own ebay account. I waited patiently for the UPS man.
Now it's here. Now it's mine!
Yep, thats right. I got the stroller.
Then it rained, and rained, and rained some more.

When we finally got to use it, we took a walk to our neighborhood park.
Silas loves it. He can hover over baby brother much easier this way.
Ty thinks it's a pretty good place to nap while Silas and Daddy play.

3 Months

2009-10-05T20:46:00.002-04:00

Today is T.O.'s 3 month birthday!
He is getting so big! He actually let out a full fledged giggle two days ago, and it was at Silas if you can believe that. We go for our checkup tomorrow so I don't know all of his stats yet. He is sleeping through the night and has been for a while. I think that's God's grace for the fussiness we endure during the waking hours. However, I do think the colic phase is almost over. Whew! **hand wiping off brow**
He is a sweet boy. I love seeing that gummy grin. I had forgotten how those warm the heart!

Fluffy Bum

2009-10-04T12:18:00.003-04:00

I posted before Ty was born about considering to use cloth diapers. Well, since then it has become a bit of an obsession. I couldn’t wait to use them. I had decided to wait until his cord fell off before I would use them. There were some complications with the whole cord stump (it became wet and gooey), and I wasn’t able to dive head first into the cloth-diapering world, as I would’ve like to.
I must say, the fluffy booty is pretty cute! There are so many fun colors and prints.
I have learned so much. I now know which detergents are good and not so good to use with cloth. There are certain creams and ointments that can't be used because they cause the diapers to repel. Who knew?!
Want to know the most awesome secret I've stumbled across? The sun is an awesome stain fighter!

Over the past few weeks we’ve tried several different diapers and we’ve just about figured out what works for our family. We’ve settled on a washing routine which was the hardest part of the process in my opinion because we have a front load washing machine.
Yes, we have found love for CD in our home. Especially after a week away from home using disposables for convenience. I think we ended up with more laundry because the sposies couldn't contain the explosive breast fed poos like the cloth did.

Here is a picture of our stash when we began. He has outgrown some, some we just didn't like. The ones we did like we got more of. Anyway, here is the pic.

2 Months

2009-09-05T14:47:00.003-04:00

Here he is. Two months already?! I can't believe it!

Of course, big brother wanted in on the action!
We are just glad he loves his baby brother. He actually asks to hold him pretty frequently.
I just love these two boys!

Ty’s Rockin' Room

2009-08-10T13:30:00.000-04:00

I actually started writing this post on July 4 not knowing that I was in labor at the time. Needless to say it got put on the back burner. I’ve picked it back up, dusted it off, and showered it with love so that I could share it with you all.

For all that know me, you know I’m a bit unconventional at times. This is no different. When we were deciding on nursery themes I had made my mind up that I wanted a rock ‘n roll theme. I had thought that I was having a girl so I had visions of punk Hello Kitty. However, we all know that my girl was a boy so it was Goodbye Feline…
I had seen this cute bedding set online, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. I wanted red. Of course I couldn’t find it anywhere.

Then I remembered that I had an incredibly talented mother-in-law that can sew anything. I sketched out a few ideas and showed them to her and she said that we could do it. I do think I about gave her a heart attack when I showed her I had incorporated the Jolly Roger (skulls) into the design. She never faltered though and supported me and all of my ideas. She really is a gem. I gathered a few things together and gave them to her to work her magic. I can honestly say the bumper pad she made was better than I could have ever imagined. She also made the bed skirt, window curtain, and the curtain for the closet in no time at all.

I got some canvases from Joann’s and blended some clipart images for artwork for the wall. I painted a pretty awesome star above the crib and Steven hung his guitar on the wall.

We still needed something else for the other wall. I knew I wanted to use vinyl somehow and Pam said she had some I could use. She and I had so much fun going through all of her old 33s and 45s. There were some really cool tunes in that stack, and there were some pretty forgettable ones as well. Like I said, there were plenty of oohhs and ahhs and laughter while sorting through the records.
Steven and I decided to use the records themselves as an art project and this is what we ended up with.

The nursery isn’t complete just yet. There are still a few projects we are working on. I’ll have to show them to you when they are finished.
All in all, I think it is a pretty rad nursery. It was fun to do and I think will be a fun room for a little boy.

One Month

2009-08-05T00:13:00.001-04:00

I can not believe that Ty is one month old today. I had meant to blog about the birth, but it's been done a few times. Our good friend Wes was kind enough to come to the hospital and take some pics. Our other good friend Jason took time out of his busy schedule to take some family pictures. Of course Steven made a post of his own as well.
Ty has already gotten so big so fast. He loves watching his big brother and the ceiling fan. Those are his two favorite things besides feeding time!

Enough with the words. Here are some images I’ve captured the past four weeks.

3

2009-06-28T22:06:00.004-04:00

Well today my little man turned 3, which is a little unreal to me. We had a few friends over to celebrate. I got the idea of a kiddie pool party from my friends the Bewleys. It just seemed the way to go since I am so close to my due date and Braxton Hicks has become one of my best friends. The kids really seemed to love it. We had a pool, slip’n slide, and a bounce place. It was hot, and there was a little bit of rain, but it passed over quickly.
We had a great cake from Bruster’s. Of course I don’t have any pics of this, I’ll have to get them from Aunt Jess! Everyone was really great and patient with us. It was the first time we’ve thrown a birthday party for Silas. It’s always just been the three of us.
The kids didn’t really get the concept of the Slip ‘n Slide, so Steven had to demonstrate for us. I hate that I didn’t catch it on film! The kids used the S’nS more as a sprinkler, but did try to slide some.
Here are some of the pics that I did get. Just remember these were taken with my camera and Silas uses it frequently so the lens is a bit smeared. I didn’t notice it until it was too late! ☺

Happy Birthday Silas!
I know you’re a big boy now, but you will always be Momma’s Goose!

Outta the Mouths of Babes

2009-06-14T22:41:00.001-04:00

One day last week I went to daycare to pick up Silas. As soon as I opened the door to his classroom, I was greeted with the valor as I am accustomed by my sweet boy. He ran to me yelling “MOMMY!” I squatted down to swoop him up in my arms. That’s when I heard another little voice. His little friend “C” looked at me with her earnest big brown eyes and asked, “Are your boobs big because your bellys big because there’s a baby in there?” I tried to stifle a laugh and told her that’s right. She just shook her head and said, “Yep, that’s what I thought” and ran off to play. The teachers didn’t know whether to laugh or not. As soon as I did they cracked up. Gotta love two almost three year olds! :)

On Demand

2009-06-07T19:25:00.000-04:00

We have discovered the kids section on our Comcast Cable On Demand. Sie has become attached to the Little Einsteins. The thing about on Demand though, the shows only run for a short length of time and then are replaced. Silas became quite enthralled with an episode called “Melody and Me”. Seriously, the boy talks about it all of the time and sings the song, has us sing the song, and at times he randomly shouts out lines from the beloved episode. Well, one morning we ran to the living room to watch Melody and it had happened—the powers that be took Melody away. Yes, tears were shed, but Big Jet soon found a place in my boy’s broken little heart.

Aside from the LE drama, Silas has been exposed to some of the classics from my childhood through on Demand. He now loves the Smurfs, and Scooby Doo almost as much as I do. Mickey Mouse has had a face-lift since my time with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Silas has picked a few favorites from that show as well. Even Spiderman has made a few appearances. I wish there were some episodes of the Superfriends. Maybe one day…

Needless to say, on Demand has changed our lives. Even shopping has become a much easier task since on Demand. I went and downloaded a few of the much-loved episodes from iTunes. Now when my little man is almost to the point of no return, I ask if he wants to watch Melody on Momma’s phone. It’s amazing how fast those tears recede!
What did Moms do before the iPhone? Seriously?!

Earth Friendly Products

2009-05-29T18:47:00.002-04:00

As some of you may already know, I have been trying to become more “green”. I have replaced all of our household cleaners with Vinegar and Baking soda. I have replaced our laundry detergent with a more environmentally friendly product. We now have bins in our kitchen for cardboards and plastics.
One more change looms ahead in our future. Yes, we are a bit scared. Yes, it’s a smidge overwhelming. Some days we talk about turning back and running full speed. You know what I’m talking about…cloth diapers.
I had toyed with the idea before I had my miscarriage last summer. Steven thought that I had either gone crazy or it was the hormones.
Then with this pregnancy I just tossed the idea aside. I mean who cares that it takes a disposable diaper 500 years to decompose, it’s just so much easier, and I LOVE pampers swaddlers.
Well, I’ve been running along side the bandwagon again, so to speak. I’m not completely on yet, but I’m headed in that direction.
I have done so much research online, I have just about confused myself. Lucky for me, there is a local cloth-diapering store in town that gives a class I like to call “diapering for dummies”. I went to said class a few weeks ago and have been high on cloth ever since. My biggest fear was the laundry. We have a HE washer and I just didn’t know how that would work, but she explained it all and it really doesn’t seem that bad.
The last cloth diaper I used was on my niece, who by the way is 18 and graduating high school. Let me just say, cloth has come a long way.
Now I just don’t know what to choose. My daycare said that they are fine with it as long as we use either an AIO or Pocket (I actually know what that means now!!). There are just so many brands to choose from. Of course, I like one of the most expensive ones. That seems to be how I roll sometimes. The other thing is that there is less to be desired in the boy print category other than camo.

So what I want to know is there any of my comrades out there that used cloth diapers? Which ones did you like? Anyone, anyone?

Eighteen and Life You Got It

2009-05-11T19:15:00.002-04:00

For some strange reason this bit of song always plays when I think of being 18. Did I mention that my niece is 18 now?
That’s right, my sweet niece is graduating high school and I can not believe it. It doesn’t seem possible that she is eighteen. Where has all the time gone? Wasn’t it just a year or two ago that I myself was making that walk in Lion Stadium…hmmm…I guess it has been longer than I thought.
We are making the trek across the state to our beloved stomping grounds where we grew up to witness Miss E’s rite of passage ceremony. I’m hoping to see a few friends (Amy can you email me your # again?) while we are there and visit the Lake since it has been FOREVER! I know for sure we will visit the LR Zoo (Sie loves the tiger exhibit there). I’m sure time will run short as it always does, and I seem to tire (and swell) much quicker than before so we’ll see what all we fit in.
We plan to leave Tuesday after work. We’re going to try to get to the halfway point. I can’t handle the car much more than that here in the third trimester and with Silas potty training…this trip should be interesting!

Carriers, Slings, and Strollers

2009-05-09T13:47:00.002-04:00

Okay, it’s almost baby time. I’m really struggling on the decision to buy a double stroller or not. When Silas was a baby, I had a VW Bug convertible. There was no way a stroller would fit into it in any way or form. My answer to this was to wear him. It was great! It kept him close, my hands free, and strangers at bay.
We started with the Baby Bjorn, which was wonderful until he hit about the 15 lbs mark. Then we switched to the Mei tai. It too is a wonderful carrier, but there is a learning curve and there’s no way of just throwing it on quickly-especially a back carry.
This is when the Ergo entered my life. It has been the best carrier I have tried. I love everything about it from the pocket to the padded straps.
I can’t wait to try them with this little guy. I just bought the infant insert for the Ergo. It seems a bit awkward, but I’m excited about it. I also purchased a Moby wrap. Alicia had told me how much she enjoyed hers when E was tiny, and it looks so comfy. There is definitely a learning curve to it as well. I’m going to have to enlist one of Sie’s stuffed animals to help me learn how to use it.
So, this is where the stroller confusion comes into play. Silas is not as thrilled about us wearing him anymore, but he has acquired a new infatuation with riding in the stroller. I had my heart set on this one, which is a sit, and stand. However, being the logical thinker I sometimes am, I’ve about talked myself out of any kind of new stroller. I think Sie can roll and I’m just going to wear this little one like I did his big brother.
Well then…I went to the music city marathon. I saw all of the cute double jogging strollers. OMG! I have had my eye on this one as well, but had decided that it was just too much money to spend. The thing is, EVERYONE that has one raves about it-not only for jogging, but for everyday excursions as well.
Now I still don’t know what to do. If you know me, you know I’m prone to extravagant purchases (aka my Coach diaper bag), but I just can’t decide what to do. It's really hard to make such a big purchase without a test drive. I can't find either product locally so I just keep reading review after review after review.
So…the plan for now is to keep what we have and wear the monkey. However, there may be a future post about a beautiful orange duallie…

Easter

2009-05-08T18:05:00.002-04:00

Well, spring has sprung and Easter has come and gone. We had a really good weekend. Steven’s parents came to town to visit and celebrate the holiday. The temperatures were starting to rise, but the shade was still a bit chilly.
The Saturday before we went for a walk on the greenway that runs through our neighborhood. There is a little park there that B and I have started walking to in the evenings to let Sie play. Anyway, we loaded Silas up in the stroller and all of us went to the park.
We had the place to ourselves—which is very rare.
Even Nana went down the slide!

Grandpa went down a few times as well and he even taught Silas how to go down headfirst. He’d never been brave enough to do that before.

Daddy slid down the pole when no little eyes were watching.

Grandpa, however, made the little eyes aware of the pole and they had to slide down as well.

The park is pretty shady, so it was getting cool fast (hence the jackets) so the Bridges Clan decided to trek it home. We saw a random bunny next to the trail. I thought it was pretty fitting since the next day was Easter, but Sie was less than enthused! (and so was the bunny)

Being the lazy bones preggo of a Mom that I have turned into, poor Silas hadn’t gotten to die Easter eggs yet. So, upon our arrival home, all of the coloring festivities begun. Last year we decided this ritual should be practiced outside whenever possible. I gathered all of the items and family in the back yard for the event. Silas LOVED it.

I quickly remembered how messy the process was and made our dear son wear his art smock to protect his clothes.

Sometimes I can’t control my OCD. It about drove me bonkers that he wanted to mix colors. Regardless he thought that every egg was so “boo-ti-ful”. I have a video of all of that, but I’m going to spare you all this time. ☺

The Nine Factor

2009-03-23T22:49:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to share someone very special to me. As you all know, I work in a cancer center. Everyone automatically shudders at those words almost visibly. I actually get asked quite frequently how I could stand to work in that environment. What most people don’t realize is that most of the patients don’t even look sick at all. I wouldn’t know myself, if I had not read their chart, and the obvious fact they’re at the cancer center. I’ve met so many fascinating people and grown close to family members. However, there is one at the top of my list. Last year in March, a sweet blond haired, seven year old beauty entered my life, and I will never be the same.

In March 2008 I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Hannah. She is unlike any child I have ever met. She cracked jokes, and cut up with the staff. It seemed she was much older than her seven years. She told us all about this program she started called Army Angels. She had started a prayer list for the soldiers fighting overseas. One day she decided she wanted to do more. She got a contact and started collecting items like pens, pencils, crayons, and such for the soldiers to give to the children in the war torn countries these brave guys are fighting.

Oh, did I mention that we treat kids? We don’t see as many as St Jude, but we see all of the kids in the Knoxville area. I love being able to help the little ones. They are usually really shy and timid at first. The poor things have been poked and prodded so much by the time they meet us, who could blame them. There has been one that was different. That’s right-Miss Hannah. She did anything we asked of her without even a whimper from the get go.

Well, this brave little girl has another project she is actively involved in. She is calling it “The Nine Factor”.
Knoxville’s Ride for Kids is approaching. This is a cause that is near and dear for Hannah. She has a team, but she’d really appreciate a donation as well.
Nine children are diagnosed with a brain tumor every day. So, in honor of those nine children, Hannah has come up with a system. If nine people donate $9 each and convince nine more people to donate at least $9, then in three rounds she could raise more than $7,000.
You can check out her website.

Please consider donating the nine dollars. Most of us spend more that that at a fast-food restaurant. If you would rather get involved in a local event, you can find more information about the ride for kids at http://pbtfus.org/rideforkids/

Thanks to Hannah’s sweet Mom-Tracey for giving me permission to write about one of my favorite girls! Hannah has truly been a breath of fresh air for all of us.

Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas

2009-03-17T19:55:00.001-04:00

Okay, it’s book report time. This is my most recent read. I had been on a vampire kick, so I thought I’d settle back down with some James Patterson. I had picked this book up while browsing at the local used bookstore with my MIL. She told me it was an excellent book, so I thought “Why Not”.

It was an excellent book, however I must add a disclaimer that she did not. If you are pregnant, and your hormones are all over the place, it may not be the right time for this book.

It is a really quick read—only 266 pages. I actually read it in one evening. It’s a love story.

Katie Wilkinson has fallen for the man of her dreams. She has the job of her dreams with a publishing company in NYC. Life is perfect. A story falls into her lap. It is a diary that a new mother (Suzanne) has written for her baby boy (Nicholas). She pours out her heart and soul in her writings. She explains how she and Nicholas’ daddy met, fell in love, and everything in between. Suzanne has really got the perfect family. A husband that loves her so much it’s almost unreal, and a perfect baby boy that ties the family together. It really pulls at the heartstrings and reminds one of all the firsts of a family and all the warm fuzzies that go with it.
As Katie reads on, she comes to admire this Suzanne for the person she is and what she has overcome. Of course, there is a twist. Can this magnificent guy married to Suzanne be one and the same as the man she has fallen for?!

I did enjoy this book. I’ve read quite a bit of James Patterson before—mostly his Alex Cross and Lindsay Boxer series. This book had a much different feel to it. It reminded me a little of Nicholas Sparks. So if you like his stuff, you’d really enjoy this gem.

Modern Marvel

2009-03-12T21:21:00.003-04:00

Today Steven and I went to the OBGYN and had our 3-4D ultrasound. It was simply amazing. With Silas we only had the standard 20-week ultrasound and there were no 3D capabilities at all. It is pretty awesome what technology allows us to do.

Of course, it would have been a lot more awesome if baby boy had cooperated a bit. He was firmly nestled between my hipbone and placenta which doesn’t make such a great picture. He also stubbornly planted both arms in front of his face. It’s like he knew we were trying to get a peek. The tech rolled me all over the table, but baby boy held his ground; he didn’t budge.

We were excited about seeing him again though—even if he wasn’t. I am almost 23 weeks, so he is still a bit bony. However, he has gained about half a pound in the past couple of weeks. He’s on track of being a big boy!

Spring Forward

2009-03-07T20:51:00.003-05:00

This is probably my most dreaded day of the year. I am already sleep deprived enough without losing another hour! Although I will admit that I like the extended hour of daylight in the evenings. It just makes me even more ready for the warm summer days looming just out of reach in the future!

I was looking for my hot glue gun earlier this week and stumbled upon some candid pics taken of Sie when he was a baby. It took me back. I always forget how small he was. For some reason, I've always had him older than he is in my mind. Anyway, I revisited the blog B made for him and his uniform of the day. I pulled a few over to share with you all.

Random Things

2009-03-04T12:55:00.002-05:00

In honor of my last post about Facebook, I decided to play one of its little games. Steven keeps telling me about everyone’s list so I decided to make on of my own.

Here are 25 things about me.

*Every town I lived in until the age of 21 ended in “y” (McCrory, Greers Ferry, Searcy, Conway)

*I met my best friend in the office the first day of school in 6th grade.

*My husband to be moved next door to me in 10th grade. However, we didn’t officially date until seven years later.

*I have a birthmark that looks like Australia on my stomach and another that resembles a Chicago Bull on my left wrist.

*I am learning how to sew

*I am named for my great aunt’s sister that lives in Austria.

*I have more lines on my palms than any other person I know.

*I like to scuba dive, but don’t have much time for it.

*I am never on time for anything—ever.

*I am a huge Cub fan and am ecstatic that Ryne Sandberg is in Knoxville to manage the TN Smokies!

*I love to look at farmland, especially in the spring when the dirt is being plowed.

*I’m in the process of becoming greener. We’ve started recycling and using natural cleaners. One step at a time!

*I can’t wear perfume anymore. Since I’ve worked in radiation oncology where it’s not allowed, it overwhelms my senses and makes me nauseous.

*I read the last Harry Potter book in 24 hours.

*Growing up, I spent countless summer days at the lake. Not so much anymore. I miss it. Had some good times there!

*I don’t like hamburgers-never have, but I crave them occasionally.

*My parents got me a trampoline when I was two because I was so hyperactive.

*I hate to talk to people I don’t know on the phone. I usually refuse to do it if possible.

*I * heart* Elvis.

*I’ve only been to Disney World when I was 4 years old. They were building Epcot.

*I have an incredibly bad habit of picking at and pulling out my eyebrow hairs especially when I read.

*My favorite movie is When Harry Met Sally

*My partner at work, Sheri, and I were the first people in the world to treat clinically with a Tomotherapy linear accelerator.

*I love me some white gravy! I just learned how to make it—Thanks Alexis!

*I have three tattoos. One is actually a cover-up. I plan on getting one more before calling it quits.

Hmmm, that was refreshing. Now I feel included. Hahahaha!

It's Everywhere, It's Everywhere

2009-02-28T11:03:00.002-05:00

My sweet husband has fallen prey to an epidemic sweeping the nation. Yes my dear blog readers, he is addicted to Facebook. He’s on it on his computer, he’s on it on his laptop, and he has even got an app for it on his iPhone. It is never far from his person at any time of the day.

I will admit I’ve been curious. I’ve even admired it from afar. It is intriguing. He has connected with numerous people that I have wondered, “hmmm…what happened to them”. I even heard two rather elderly ladies discussing their accounts at the OBGYN’s office. That blew my mind. It seems that everyone has hopped onto the Facebook bandwagon. Yet I still hesitate.

That sweet husband of mine showed me his account one evening. We browsed through all of his friends and even traveled though some of their photos. The next thing I knew it was 8:00 at night and I had not prepared supper for my family. My toddler was starving. So, in a nutshell, that is why I cannot allow myself to enter the Facebook world. My child would starve!! No, seriously, I already have too many things helping me procrastinate. I’m not saying that I won’t ever take the leap. I have already been tempted. I really don’t want to be “that mom” that my boys think is so technologically handicapped I can’t make it in the real world. I’m just not ready yet. I probably will continue to lurk around on the husband's account though. Sometimes I just can't help myself.

I came across this article on yahoo the other day. I got a kick out of it and thought that you all would enjoy it as well.

The BIG ultrasound

2009-02-25T20:51:00.002-05:00

Well, today was the day. I tossed and turned all night. I could barely stand myself until my appointment time at 1:00. I drank a bottle of orange juice before I got there so the baby would be ready to perform. I met Steven, Silas, and Steven's parents at the Dr's office and we were all ready to meet baby Bridges. Well, all except for Silas that is, he never wants to meet this baby.

The tech took us back, and told B that no photography was allowed. She took all of her measurements. The baby is completely healthy. Sie did not like Momma on the table. I think he thought they were hurting me. Daddy held him tight and assured him everything was alright. We were just taking pictures of the Monkey. Well, it didn't take long for Sie to lose interest. He spent most of the time sitting playing his preschool games on the iPhone. My toddler loves technology!

She asked us if we wanted to know the gender and we told her of course. Then I heard the words.....It's a boy. *cue the crickets*
I looked at Pam and she mouthed at me that it would be okay. Steven still hadn't heard what she said. When he realised, I felt a small pat from his hand. I just took a deep breath and asked if he was healthy and he is. She tried to take some 3-4D images, but baby boy would not cooperate. He would put a hand in front of his face the instant she tried to get a good picture for us. Not even out yet, and already a stinker. Daddy's going to have fun taking pictures of this one!!

I was shocked. We all (even my OB) thought I was carrying a girl this go around because of all of my symptoms. I admit I was very disappointed. Tears were shed when B and I were alone. However, the crying is now over. It won't happen again for this reason. I'm having another healthy, beautiful baby boy and I couldn't ask for more.

Now the name game starts. I had settled on two girl names, but boy names were thrown to the side. Hopefully we'll have chosen one by July 11!!

20 Weeks

2009-02-23T23:09:00.003-05:00

I have reached the halfway mark in this pregnancy. As unreal as it seems the milestone has actually snuck up on me. I can honestly say if Silas’ pregnancy had been like this, he would be an only child! The morning sickness was awful. Even now that it has subsided, it still rears its ugly head often enough to remind me it’s still here. (Like every morning when I brush my teeth.) For a while, you could ask Sie “how does Momma go?” and he would proceed to gag while cracking up. Yes, the boy thought it was hilarious.
On the brighter side of things, I have felt the baby move here and there since 10 weeks. I really thought something was wrong at first because I had never felt true flutters before. Silas was strong enough to punch when I first felt him at 22 weeks. It’s really been an amazing experience being able to bond this early.

Silas is still having a pretty strong aversion to being a big brother. He’s even gone as far as telling me to “throw the stinky baby in the garbage”. Yep, I can feel the love!
Silas has gotten a big boy bed or a “boy big bed” as he calls it. He loves it. I’ll have to post about it when we get the room in order. B has moved the crib, dresser, and changing table into the baby’s room. It is so weird seeing the crib all put together with the mattress on the highest setting. Weird! Makes it all real in a sense.
This baby is already suffering from second child syndrome. We already had the nursery all but complete by this time when pregnant with Silas. I just can’t seem to get motivated this go around. It may have something to do with waiting to find out the gender (which we are doing this time). It probably has more to do with I’m just slap tired and chasing a toddler doesn’t change that fact one bit!

This is my first pregnancy photo taken this time around. Again, it has to be second child syndrome! 5 months down, 5 to go! I’ll try to get the family photographer to take one each month from here on out. We’ll see how that goes!

All in all, it’s been an amazing 20 weeks. I’m very thankful that the Baby and I are both healthy. Here’s to another happy and healthy 20 weeks!

Oh, by the way, the BIG ultrasound is February 25. Stay tuned…

Expectant Mother’s/ New Mother’s Parking

2009-02-18T18:54:00.003-05:00

What is it about that phrase that is so hard to understand?
UGGGHHH!! I guess this is one of my pet peeves. I can't stand it when people park in the EMP or in Handicapped parking when they aren't entitled! Although it is very bad of me, I wish some very bad karma on the people that abuse these spaces.
A couple of weeks ago I was at Target and a man that was at least 350 pounds parked in the expectant mothers place. He left a woman in the car and trounced his way into the store. I glared at him while mouthing that he was in fact not pregnant. He could have cared less. I was in the store for at least 30-45 minutes and when I came out his car and his woman were still there.
Then the other night some blue hair parked there. I mean come on people. She was WAY past her reproductive window. I know it was just a sweet old lady, but she was in the wrong! It's just rude.

With my last pregnancy Steven wanted to park there as soon as I peed on the stick and I wouldn't do it until last trimester if then. This time I thought I'd take advantage of it since everyone else thinks its there for them. Every time I try some poser has already taken it.

While looking for a sign to place with this post, I realized that there are far more people against these parking spaces than for them. For all of you that think that—poop on you!

ARGH! It just ticks me off. So for those that are confused, Expectant Mothers/ New Mothers Parking is for women that are pregnant, expecting a baby, with a child!! Handicapped Parking is for people with disabilities. It is NOT for people that just don’t want to walk extra 10 steps.

I’m watching people…always watching!

Rant over- for now.

Christmas 2008

2009-02-15T12:52:00.003-05:00

Well, we survived Christmas here on Rocky Top. Silas did not understand the concept of Santa on Christmas Eve. Every time we asked him if he was ready for Santa to visit, he would respond with a firm “NO!” Then he would tell us that Santa was at work. When he crawled in bed with us Christmas morning, we asked him if he wanted to go see what Santa brought him—he looked at us like we were crazy! We finally coaxed him into the living room and he saw his gifts. (There had been no packages under the tree when he went to bed. His pregnant momma has been a tad lazy this holiday season so she and Daddy were up past midnight wrapping.) Santa doesn’t wrap his gifts so he had a few treasures laid out on the floor. He went directly to a book that Santa left for him. This really surprised us because he blew past his football uniform to get to it. After he flipped through the book, he noticed the football helmet. He had to put on the entire uniform right then. The pads, jersey, pants, and helmet. It was really intended for a 4 year old, but it worked just fine. He LOVES it, and has worn it everyday since.

Steven was very thoughtful with his gifts for me. He chose several books that I have really been wanting. Silas picked out a necklace for me. Steven also picked out a few other things that I am really going to enjoy. Steven seemed to enjoy his gifts as well. You know, he never gets overly excited about anything. That’s how he rolls. ☺

The Bridges are coming to visit on Sunday or Monday. Silas has been dying to open Gran-pa and Nana’s gifts for them. I’m sure they will let him “help”. (They did! Now he thinks he is supposed to get presents every week)

Our theme for our tree this year was ABCs and snowflakes. Sie loved picking the “S” off of the tree and bringing it to us to tell us what it was. This was also our first year to have an artificial tree. Lowe’s was having a big sale so we started weighing our options. We love our real tree. It has been our tradition to go to the same lot every year and pick one out. However, there is just so much maintenance with real trees. Now that Silas is very, umm, active, and there is a new baby on the way, we decided that an artificial tree would make our life a bit simpler. So welcome to the family Christmas Tree…we will cherish you for years to come!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and continues to have a safe and happy holiday!

Just Catching Up

2009-02-15T12:26:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving 2008

The Bridges of Knox County did not have their annual shrimp filled costal Thanksgiving this year. No, dear blog readers, we decided to pile up in the family SUV and head to Arkansas. Steven’s brother and family did the same so we had a fun filled family holiday. The trip started off better than any yet. We actually left Knoxville at our planned time—before the sun went down. We’ve never actually done that before! It was quite nice to roll in before 4 am!

Thanksgiving day was spent at B’s Me Maw’s. All of his cousins and their families were there. The weather was awesome. The guys spent most of the time outside tossing the football around. Sie, of course, thought that he was as big as the rest of them.

Steven has two preggo cousins that were there. Poor Stacy was about to pop; hopefully that sweet baby boy will have arrived by the time I actually post this. I know she’s ready. (of course they have both had their babies by now. I’m really bad with this whole posting an already written blog post….)
It was great visiting with everyone since it’d been forever since the last time we saw them. We headed back to the Bridges' house where we had a nice dinner and played a game of pictionary. This is how we told them about expecting #2. Steven had drawn quite a good picture of our ultrasound, but they just didn’t get it!

Silas adores Coby and was imitating his every move. Coleman was a little more interested in Sie this time. They even sat together at a little table for meals. They are really too cute together.

Friday morning, B got up before the crack of dawn to hunt with our dads. I stayed tucked warmly in the bed. Friday night we headed next door to the Nance abode for dinner. There was quite the spread of food there as well. Mom had made pecan pies. Yum. It had been too long. For some reason they just taste better at Thanksgiving. I wonder why that is. Hmmm. Anyway. We played a tantalizing game of “Fact or Crap” with Elizabeth, Ethan, and Yo. Silas watched Lilo intently on his DVD player, which was quite surprising because he’s never showed any interest in that movie before.

Saturday, My dad took Sie & B to the Crows so that Silas could ride the tractor. The kid LOVES farm equipment. B’s cousin Tina stopped by for a quick visit. Silas missed out though, because he had just taken a visit to crankyville and was laid down for a nap. We watched Phillip Fulmer’s last victory as the head coach of the Vols After supper, Steven & I were in the mood for a bit of nostalgia. So we took Silas to Berryhill Park to see the lights. There weren’t quite as many as I remembered from Christmases past, but he still had fun running amuck underneath the lit trees and such. I had forgotten that the park also serves as a hub for the local teens to hang out. I felt a bit old, but a lot more nostalgic.

Sunday morning we loaded back up in the family SUV and headed back to them there hills. Traffic was horrible! There were so many people on the road that couldn’t drive, and the weather wasn’t helping that matter at all. We stopped for a late lunch at a McDs. We were very thankful for the indoor play place.

It was Silas’s first adventure at a McDonalds playground. He barely ate anything in sweet anticipation. I learned from a friend’s blog to let the kids play then have a picnic in the car. I have taken that priceless information and tucked it away safely for here on out.
It ended up taking us a few hours longer than normal to get home. Boy, were we ready. Holiday traffic really makes one’s family grow ill of each other. Thank goodness for the DVD player!

All in all, we had an excellent trip.

SJB, M.D.

2008-12-14T21:16:00.003-05:00

Is there a Dr in the house? Well, in fact there was in October. Silas was a doctor for Halloween this year. He first donned his scrubs for a trip with his first best buddy ever, Logan. Logan’s Mom reserved the caboose on the Three Rivers Rambler. All of the kids got to dress up, do crafts, and eat awesome cookies all while riding the train. It was a lot of fun. Logan’s Mom is a pretty awesome lady—she always has the coolest things to do! Sie loved hanging out on the front of the caboose. He thought we were riding Thomas!

This year we decided to do Boo at the Zoo. Steven had a wedding the weekend of Halloween, so we knew he would miss all of the festivities. Boo at the Zoo was our answer. Sie could trick-or-treat, and Daddy could be a part of it all. We chose the weekend before Halloween to go. There were so many people there! I wouldn’t call it a pleasant experience. Sie totally did not get the concept of trick-or-treating. Every time we went to the next station, the kind person would place a treat in his pumpkin. This resulted in a meltdown. Silas would inform the person very sharply and loudly that was his pumpkin and would snatch it away from them. The person would stare at us a bit shocked. I would have to explain that he thought they were taking his stuff, not giving it to him. We couldn’t get him to understand. Hmmm…. nothing warms the heart like a stingy toddler!

Needless to say we did not partake of the actual Halloween festivities. I did hand out candy at our house, while Sie hung over the banister crying “my candy, no Momma”. Again, it just warms the heart. *sigh*
There’s always next year!

Clearing out the cobwebs.....

2008-11-18T20:18:00.005-05:00

Hello loyal readers!
I know it’s been too long. Summer has come and gone in such a blur and now the trees are finally changing colors and losing leaves. I shared my experience giving blood on my last blog visit. Well, it will be my last. Evidently I’m even stingy with my blood. I didn’t rebound well at all. In fact, Alicia, I was in the same predicament that you were, I just chose the wrong road so my ending wasn’t as satisfying as yours. Everything happens for a reason though.
Silas and I had a wonderful, yet quick trip home during his birthday. He was such a trooper on the plane. I was so proud of him.

I was, however, surprised in how unhelpful our fellow man tends to act. I struggled 8 times up and down an airplane isle with only two people offering to help me at all. One of these only offered after I found my seat at the back of the plane. I was wearing Silas on my back while carrying his Britax marathon car seat that had his backpack and diaper bag strapped in it. Nobody really seemed to think I had quite the load until they noticed the toddler strapped to my backside. People!! They’re everywhere I go!! UGH!!
Silas loved riding the Kawasaki mule with his cousins. I was still feeling pretty drained from the giving blood thing so I was glad E & E were able to keep him entertained.

My one regret was not making it to the lake. It was at the top of my list of things to do, it just didn’t happen. I miss it so much and just wanted to share it with Sie, but I guess there is plenty of time for that later.

We made the early flight home only to be delayed in Atlanta for a few hours because a light bulb was out on the plane. Our dear friend Jess came over to help Sie celebrate his 2nd birthday. You can check out the details on Steven’s blog.

Steven and I actually spent our first weekend away from our sweet boy. Grandpa and Nana were sweet enough to take time to come and stay with him. Steven took me to a ranch in Townsend, TN. We were real cowboys for the weekend! We learned how to prepare our horses for the ride, groom them, and everything. It was so much fun.

We made another quick trip home at the end of September so that Steven could take Elizabeth’s senior pictures. That made me officially old! We had planned to reconnect with so many of our friends, but there just wasn’t enough time.
Silas really enjoyed some of the same things his Momma did growing up. He LOVED the farm. He rode the tractor with his Uncle Mitchell and enjoyed every minute of it. On our way out of town, we stopped in Beedeville to see Papa. Papa let him get in just about every combine on the Madden Farm. Silas didn’t know what to think at first, but soon was driving the big machinery. He's our little farmer!

It melted my heart. Even when we were back on the interstate, he pointed out every combine he saw and demanded that we stop the car. Silly boy. Needless to say, he really enjoyed the trip to Arkansas. I, however, did not as much. I apparently came back to Tennessee with a little visitor. That’s right folks, I picked up an intestinal bacteria. It was miserable—I’ll leave it at that and spare you the details.

Anyway, I hope I didn’t lose all of you forever. My plan is to blog about halloween before Thanksgiving gets here. Stay tuned…..

Update

2008-09-03T15:21:00.003-04:00

For some reason some people think that if you have a blog your suppose to update it. Well here is a picture of Silas. I shot this a couple of weeks ago while we were playing in his ball pit.

First and Third

2008-06-20T09:03:00.003-04:00

No, this isn't some baseball post about my infactuation with the Cubs.

I simply mean that there is a first (and third) time for everything. Yesterday I experienced something for the first time in my 31 years. I finally gave blood. Somehow over the years, I managed to conviently bypass the entire subject. Not even Coach Stewart could sway me in my Jr. year with enough bounus points that I could easily miss the entire second semester of class (and still pass). Nope, I never even considered it. I am terrified of needles. My sweet sister has given me a few flu shots while sitting on top of me. The time had come. A sweet little patient of mine was in dire need of A+ after a recent surgery. So..... Sheri (a coworker of mine) and I mustered enough courage to make the trip to Medic yesterday. We were both first-timers. I won't go into the yuckiness of the needles and such, but we both were very brave. I actually finished my donation in less than 5 minutes. I made my way to the refreshment counter and poured myself a nice cool glass of OJ.

This is where "there's a third time for everything" comes into play. I started getting that static tunnel vision and knew I was going down. I knew because I have passed out twice before in my life. (Thank-you xray school) I tried to get myself to the floor so that I could lie down, but I must have failed. When I opened my eyes there were like ten people around me. I was severely embarrassed!
My sweet friend Sheri saw me through to the end. I was very thankful she was there.

Why does drama seem to follow me everywhere?! Oh, by the way, even though I felt pretty rotten most of the night and a bit today, this experience did not waver my intention of donating again. There is a severe blood shortage. What better gift than the gift of life? I was amazed how many coworkers I saw at Medic donating for this little girl. It really warmed my heart. People never cease to amaze me!

All Aboard!

2008-05-31T13:44:00.003-04:00

Here at the Bridges Abode we are boarding the Potty Train. I have a feeling it's going to be a long ride.
Now after that being said, I have a confession. I'm obsessed with the potty. It's all I think about, and it's quickly becoming all I talk about (hence this post :)). I really need to get a grip.
We have purchased 2 potties that can be placed on the big potty as well. Silas LOVES the potty. I think he would sit on it all day if I would let him, however I'm not that mom.
I really do not want to use Pull-ups. I'm sure it will happen here and there, but I remember from my daycare working days that they were still basically a diaper. The world of cloth training pants has changed so much since my tushy graced the vinyl covers. I remember sporting the old school whitey-tightie that strangely resembled thermal underwear on the sides and had that thick cotton goodness for absorption. Now days I find on the Internet something called an all-in-one. What the heck? I don't even know where to start! There are two brands that interest me and I'm trying to find out more about them (translation: are they worth the money). I found some Gerber training pants at the Wal-Mart. They don't seem great. There are no covers to be found.
So this weekend Silas and I are doing PBC or Potty Boot Camp. That's just fancy terminology for me running him to the bathroom every 20 min. He has yet to actually potty in the potty, but he loves the routine. This boy has the cleanest hands in Knoxville!
Anyone else have any good tips for the journey on the potty train?

Memorable Memorial Weekend

2008-05-27T23:55:00.012-04:00

What a weekend! It all seems like such a blur now, but it was a blast. Two of our favorite people in the world FINALLY tied the knot. Congratulations Joe and Ashley!
Our "weekend" actually started on Wednesday when two more of our best peeps flew in from AZ. We really enjoyed Shawn and Lisa. It had been forever since we were able to chat face to face and we loved every minute of it. It didn't take Silas long at all to warm up. He was being his normal crazy self in no time.
Silas actually picked up a few more phrases this week as well. His favorite thus far has been "Cain poot?" Yes, he is already blaming the dog for his wind. He is such a boy. Now we frequently hear "Hold on" or "awesome". He has learned the sign for "potty" as we are trying to board the potty train here at Casa Bridges. However, if you ask him if he needs to use the potty, a firm no is given in response. All this potty talk has made him quite obsessive. He was convinced that "Shawn poop" in the koi pond. First I must say this is a total untruth, and second, I have no idea why he was enthralled with poor Shawn's bowels.
Anyway...here are some pictures from our weekend.

Friday night the festivities began. The wedding was held at this beautiful lodge It started with the rehearsal. Silas thoroughly enjoyed running up and down the sidewalks to the lodge.

Shawn and Lisa stand in the crowd behind Ashley and Joe during Ed's speech at the Dinner.

Silas & I went back to the room to chill after dinner. The room was very nice, but lacked a television. ( I know, poor us.) So, we broke out the laptop and watched Beebo and Nemo.

Saturday was a beautiful day. Sie and I played on the grounds while Daddy did groomsman stuff. You will notice that no outfit is complete with out his favorite ball cap. It is rare that the cap is worn without his sunglasses.

Joe had a plethora of photographers in attendance. Even his groomsmen were packing cameras. Needless to say, this wedding was well documented.

Silas was a little unsure of the crowd so Momma strapped him in the mei tai that Nanna made for us.

Everyone had a fantastic time at the reception. Steven was still long enough for a photo opt.

Silas had to make frequent trips to check on the fish in the pond. There was a frog that he always scared away as well.

In preparation for this wedding, I have been dancing with Silas for weeks. He could have cared less. I could entice him with a round of ring around the rosies, but that was as far as it went. Ashley's dad announced that the band would have to wrap up soon due to a city ordinance. Steven decided it was time for a family dance. He grabbed Silas and I followed them to the dance floor. Yet again, Silas wasn't the least bit excited. I tried holding him and he still wasn't in to it. He wanted down. I thought "great, just great, now I'll get to chase him in front of all these people." Then something magical happened. I stood him on the dance floor. He looked at me with a twinkle in his eye, clapped his little hands, and spun in a circle. Then my sweet boy dropped it like it was hot!! I don't know if it was the Prince song that was playing, or the orange and white checkerboard floor he was on, but all of the sudden-dancing was in his blood! I was so proud!

Sie-Guy #1; Joe-Joe #1
What can I say the boy LOVES him!

After his dancing debut, Silas and I retired for the night. Sunday we had to pack up and go home. Silas had other plans. He kept unpacking and halting the process the only way he knew how.

We decided to finally come home. Silas flirted with Lisa on the back deck between finger painting and reading with Shawn.

Monday was a holiday, so that meant no work for me. I had one more day to spend with my family. We remembered Silas' pool from last year and thought it was a good time to re-introduce it to him. He wasn't too sure at first, but he is our water baby. It was amazing to see the difference in him compared to last year. I have to say when he wears that cap correctly he sports it like Papa.

It was an awesome weekend. Reconnecting with old friends is truly priceless. Sharing that experience with Silas made it even better.

I'm Late (but that's how I roll)

2008-05-06T09:03:00.002-04:00

I have one particular friend that it seems I am always unable to wish Happy Birthday on her actual birthday. For Years I waited for Cinco de Mayo to roll around and would excitedly shout "Happy Birthday!". One day that friend and I had a conversation.

friend:(very sweetly) You know my birthday isn't on Cinco de Mayo
me: what?! Yeah right.(laughing)
friend: Really. (very gently) It's May 4...... The day before.
me: Ohhhkay. *slaps forehead with hand Homer Simpson style*

Fast forward to now. Years and years later. I'm still late, but I just wanted to say:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!

I hope you had a great one!

My turn

2008-05-02T16:37:00.003-04:00

Since I have not posted in awhile, on any of my blogs, I figured it was about time. Here are a couple of pictures of Silas playing on the driveway after school the other day.

Catching Up

2008-04-20T13:14:00.002-04:00

Hello, my name is Erika. I've been a bad blogger!

Okay, now that that is out of the way, where do I start?!
First, I've got to say GO LADY VOLS!!! I am thrilled that they won another championship. I have loved this team as long as I can remember. It's been awesome living here in Knoxville and getting to experience the last two seasons first hand. I hate to see Candace, Alexis, Shannon, and (my favorite) Nikki leave, but they are sparking some interest for me in the WNBA. I wish them nothing but the best for their futures.

The earthquake! OMG!! That was a first. I thought it was just a mixture of my imagination, medication, and just waking from a bad dream. Steven never roused and no one from work mentioned it so I thought I was just a bit crazy. That night I learned that it was indeed an earthquake and I felt some what validated.

Silas is a busy, busy guy. I'm trying to figure out how to connect my video camera to our computers, but apparently there is a complication between our Sony handicam and our Mac computers. Steven says he's been working on it...hopefully, I'll have something to share soon. Steven just got a new computer so I got his hand-me-down. There are still some files to transfer. When I'm more savvy, I'll post pics as well.

Well, the summer is around the corner and so are the family reunions. The Nances and the Lees have chosen the same weekend for their festive events so that works for us. However, Steven will not be able to attend. He has a wedding to shoot so Silas and I are embarking on the trip sans Daddy.
After much deliberation about how to travel, we have decided that an expensive 3.5 hour plane trip far outweighs the cheaper 8 hour driving time over two days one way.
I have a confession. I'm not a good fly er. SSSHHHH!!! Don't tell.
I usually have to take Xanax. It never knocks me out, but I'm usually good and chill. Oh yeah, I'm going to have Silas with me. Holy heck!! What am I going to do. Silas has never flown. It will be the weekend of his 2ND birthday so he has his own seat. I am getting the gogo Kidz Travelmate to help with his car seat. I'll use our Mei tai as well. Heaven forbid that we have a direct flight, so we are changing planes in Atlanta. At least I'm comfortable with that airport since I've been there a few times.

Here is where I need my blogger buddies.
Will he need id & what do you use for that?
How do you entertain a 2 yr old on a plane?
What should/can I take with me?
Any tips would greatly relieve my anxiety!!
(Lynley, Lynley...I know you're out there. Please help me!)

Outside

2008-04-01T12:52:00.004-04:00

For those that don't know, Silas has had several ear infections. The last one was a month ago. At that point the doctor scheduled a checkup for yesterday and if he still had an infection at that point, he would need tubes put in his ears. Well we went to the doctor yesterday and everything checked out. Due to his age,the straightening of his ears canals and changing to warmer weather, ear infections should be a thing of the past. That's a good feeling, for all of us.

After the appointment we played outside on the driveway. Erika brought out the chalk from SIlas' Easter basket but she did more drawing than he did. As usual he loved riding/being pushed on the tricycle that his Papa Ron got him and running into the neighbor's yard.

Double Time

2008-02-27T15:59:00.002-05:00

For those of you that read my blog also, this will be a double post. It has been a while since I posted here so I thought why not.

I had grabbed my camera this morning to shoot a picture of Silas sleeping and what do you know. By the time that I got back to his room, he was awake. So I proceeded through our morning routine. As normal he began playing with the blinds next to his changing table. Instead of getting on to him, this time I took a picture.

19 months going on 19 years

2008-02-13T08:39:00.002-05:00

I amazed at how much our sweet boy is changing. I mean he is growing up much too quick. I try to remind myself of just a few short months ago when he wouldn't crawl, much less walk and how I longed for him to "catch-up". Well he has. Lately our biggest battle has been the high chair. He simply refuses to sit in one for more than thirty seconds. So, last night we went to our favorite local BBQ joint for dinner. Steven & I decided to let him sit in the booth with us without even a booster seat. I just wasn't ready to battle. Do you know that sweet blonde haired boy was an angel for the first time in public in months?! He sat quietly on his bottom and ate a good portion of his food without any kind of struggle. He even sweetly signed more. He even spoke the word "more" while he signed. His vocabulary is picking up. He surprises me just about everyday now with a new word. He is just amazing.
I must say, I'm a tad bit emotional in regards to him here lately. For those of you that don't know, I'm a radiation therapist and I see some pretty sick people. Well, right now we are treating a little girl (just a bit older than Sie) from Haiti. I have watched that baby's mom be so brave and trusting...it just overwhelms me. I wonder how I would be in a strange land with an unfamiliar language. I just don't know. Sometimes I get so caught up in silly stuff I forget how blessed I am. The past few nights, I've held my sweet boy and touched his hair and his perfect little face. I've watched him sleep and just thanked God for him.
I'm going to try to enjoy every stage (even the high chair aversion stage) from here on out. It's hard not to long for the time he can tell me exactly what he wants or what is hurting. I'm going to enjoy my "baby" as long as I can. ;)

Not Happy

2008-02-09T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well I forgot to pick up Silas' yogurt yesterday. So when we went to the fridge for breakfast this morning, he was not a happy camper. Normally he is fussy through the first few bits. He did the same thing when I fed him Honey Smacks today. I don't know why it matters that I gave him something different if he is still going to fuss. BTW, yes, I know that sugar is not exactly the breakfast of champions.

Wallpaper Warriors

2008-01-27T23:04:00.000-05:00

I absolutely hate wallpaper. Whoever made wallpaper is the devil!
Steven and I resumed our updating of our home this weekend. The previous owners loved wallpaper. It is plastered throughout the house. As I've been scraping it off, I have had a little peek into our home's history. We have discovered three layers of wallpaper that cover our foyer and hall. The outermost has a 90s appeal to it. It is splashed of burgundy, green, and gold. Although my father thought it was quite pretty, we didn't agree. The middle layer is classic 80s with its country blue ducks with mauve accents. However, my favorite has to be the very first layer of wallpaper to grace the walls of this home on Kevin Road--it's cream and yellow with classic 70s designs. This layer has been on for 30 some odd years and has actually burned its image onto the glue underneath. This glue is the monster that we are dealing with now. It's taking some elbow grease, but soon it will be gone.
Silas has been such a big help these past few days. He likes to take the trash bags filled with wallpaper shreds and run, laughing gleefully down the hall. He also likes to take the putty knife and gouge the walls. He is very quick at this because he has usually completed this task before you even realize the tool is within his reach. His most favorite helping task is to throw everything within reach of his tiny little arm span into the trashcan. I never thought I'd be dumpster diving in my own house! UGH!
So, long story short, there are many things in life that are more fun than redecorating a house with a toddler.
I'll let you in on a secret though--I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

War Paint

2008-01-11T07:35:00.000-05:00

Here is a shot of Silas after dinner a few nights ago.

Christmas morning

2007-12-25T14:25:00.000-05:00

Well Christmas morning has come and past. Silas loved his muscle car so much that he did not even want to open his other presents. Now it is time for Erika and I to get back to updating our house. Yes, updating is what we have been doing this whole holiday break. That is the best Christmas present ever. We have gotten rid of the ugly shades in our living room and replaced them with blinds. Plus we have been painting the walls and baseboards. Now we just have to find an easy way to remove the three layers of wallpaper covering the other half of the house.

Lunch

2007-12-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

I know that our family blog has not been updated in a LONG time, so here is a treat for those loyal readers that continue to check back. Monday I took Silas out of daycare early so he could help me run some errands. While out and about we decided to stop and get a late lunch. Here is one of the photos that I shot of Silas while waiting on our food. Even though there was a plethora of draft milk, Silas was drinking his from a sippy cup.

After School

2007-10-29T21:43:00.000-04:00

After picking Silas up from school today we hit the town. I happen to have my camera in the car and took few shots of Silas in his carseat. He was in a great mood, especially since he had not taken his afternoon nap. The first picture was after we dropped off some of my work to a client. We sat and played in the car for a while before leaving. The next image is while I was getting gas at Weigels and no I didn't pickup any chocolate milk.

Boy's Weekend

2007-10-27T16:53:00.000-04:00

Well early this morning I to Erika and some of her co-workers to the airport this morning. They were headed and have arrived in for LA work conference. Silas and I are having some boy's time. Earlier this afternoon we went and played outside, in between football games of course. As part of our playing, I shot some pictures of Silas. He enjoyed sitting down for a second and then running way so that I would chase him.

BTW Lynley, does Isaac have a shirt like this also? If not, he really needs one and we can hook you up.

GO BIG ORANGE!!!

Backyard

2007-10-22T13:06:00.000-04:00

I have not posted anything in a long time so here you go. While Erika was at the mall yesterday, Silas and I played in the backyard. He is beginning to love being outdoors.

To Vax or Not to Vax

2007-09-29T12:54:00.000-04:00

or delay....that is the question.
The big, big question that is making me sweat and loose sleep for the time being.

As most of you know I am in the medical field and married to a Marine who has been injected with only God knows what. Vaccines have kept our country from facing disease at epidemic proportions so I've never really blinked an eye at immunizations. Until now.
A very homeopathic nurse coworker/friend of mine has revealed some very interesting statistics to me. It really made me think about this issue in a way I haven't before. She gets most of her information from two guys that have a national radio show. Len and Joe are pharmacists, nutritionists, homeopathic docs and Christian men. She really listens to them and trusts their opinions and I must say I am starting too as well.
Here is a bit of what Len and Joe say about vaccines. They are NOT anti-vaccine. It is just more information to help make informed decisions regarding our children.
(Thank you Lindsey (Bev's daughter) for the email with the info!)

**There has been a dramatic increase in:
-Juvenile Diabetes- 1950-1/7100; 2001-1/400; 2007-1/280 ++vaccine schedule now is 8-fold from the 50's (it is now thought that juv. diab. is caused by immune system attacking pancreas, a sedentary lifestyle isn't helping these stats)

-Asthma- 4 fold increase in 40 years

-Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis- all time high affecting 300,000 children

-Autism Spectrum Disorders ++ 50 yrs ago, before the vaccine era, 1/10000 children were diagnosed with autism. Now 1/68 families have an autistic child. Some say it is because it is diagnosed better now than then, but it is still very scary how the numbers continue to rise.

-Developmental and Learning Disabilities

-ADHD- 4 Million Children

7 vaccines injected into a 13 lb., 2-month-old child is like injecting 70 into a 130 lb. woman

There have been NO double-blinded or placebo controlled trials on the long-term effects of vaccines.

The myelin sheath of a baby's brain does not completely develop and cover the brain until 24 months. Several vaccines are administered before the brain is able to fully protect itself.

**Gulf War Syndrome
Military personnel are vaccinated very aggressively before going overseas. This all happens in a span of a few weeks or even days before leaving. The have ended up with symptoms such as neuropathies, neurological brain disturbance, fatigue, lethargy, MS type symptoms.
The only common ground between all those that had these symptoms is that they had massive amount of vaccines in a short period of time. If this is what happens to adults, what effect do mass vaccines have on babies?!

They suggest this vaccine schedule:
*Begin at 15 mo- 2 yrs, one at a time (no combined vaccine shots), with a minimum of 2 months between to allow immune system to recover between shots
*Do not use vaccines with thimerosal
Avoid live viruses- MMR, chickenpox, live-virus polio

**These are life saving vaccines
Polio-human cell not animal cell
Tetanus
Pertussis
Diphtheria

Other suggestions:
-Find a pediatrician who will work with you
-Ask if they will order the MMR separately and ask to see the insert before vaccine is given
-Research supplements and vitamins to boost the immune system before giving vaccines.
-Avoid using Tylenol to control fever, etc. after vaccine. Acetaminophen can deplete gluathione. Use Motrin instead
-Never give a vaccine when a child has been sick, has a cold, or has been on antibiotics

Again, this is not meant to be ANTI-vaccine. I am just at that cross roads and really want to hear what anyone has to say about this issue. I know there are some very intelligent people reading this blog!

My biggest fear is really the autism thing. It is a higher risk for boys. My Silas has been developing right on track, but has been slow in just about every thing. It took him forever to sit on his own and crawl. At 15 months he is just starting to walk and doesn't talk, babbles some. I know it is just Mommy concerns that I'm having and that he is fine. Nevertheless, I think we are going to wait until after 2 yrs. old for the MMR just in case.

I'm not trying to be a Debbie Downer. I'm just really conflicted.
Feel free to post any views on this. I would love to hear them.

Game Time

2007-09-21T10:14:00.001-04:00

Well this weekend is the big game that I thought would never happen. ASU is coming to Knoxville to play the Vols. This will be the only time that I am not pulling for the Vols. Yes, I whole heartedly support my Indians. Even though I have given up shooting football, I could not miss this game.

While I am on the field Erika, Silas and Jess will be in the stands. It is ironic that Silas will not be wearing orange to his first UT football game. Yes, you read correctly. While some of you think that we don't own anything but orange, that is just a rumor. Thanks to my buddy Ernie, Silas will be wearing an Indians football jersey to the game. Here is a photo that I snapped of him before school this morning.

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'

2007-09-17T21:56:00.000-04:00

Silas and I have been taking advantage of these last days of summer with the top down. He loves the bug, just not on the interstate-wind is a little too rough for him there. We're going to miss this little car, that is if it ever sells!
Here is Sie Guy driving momma's car.

Searcy (We So Fly)

2007-09-13T10:40:00.001-04:00

For those that don't know, this past week we have sold our home and bought another one. So things are even more crazy around here than normal. I am about to take our first load to goodwill. I know there will be many more loads to come.

Before I get out of here, I wanted to share this video I found about the town where I graduated high school. As you can tell not much happens there. Some how it hypnotized me and I watched it all the way through. So does Searcy have MTV yet? Don't laugh, it was still banned as of 1994. (Yes, I am getting old.) If not, will these kids be banned from town. Should that be banned from town anyway?

I will at least give these guys credit for hang it out there.

Now it is time to share.

Name Sake

2007-09-04T11:29:00.001-04:00

For those of you that don't know, one of the people that Silas was named after was his great grandfather. Even at 14 months he is already acting like his great grandfather. I shot this yesterday after Silas fell asleep in the chair watching SportsCenter.

Back To The Future

2007-08-31T22:44:00.000-04:00

Here is an interesting picture that I shot of Silas the other day. One of the things he likes to do is play in the dog's box. Sometimes it is just slamming the door, other he gets insides then starts slamming the door. Sometimes I wonder if I should be worried about his enjoyment of being locked up.

For those that can remember, it reminds me of Back To The Future. When Marty goes back in time and has dinner with his mother's family. They talk about how his uncle Joey loves to stay in the play pin. Marty tells little Joey to get use to being behind bars. Hopefully this is not the case with Silas.

Surgery, Sumergery

2007-08-21T20:34:00.000-04:00

Well, it has come and gone. The day that I have been dreading for over 13 months now - Silas' surgery. It was yesterday and he was such a champ. Here he is in the waiting room when we arrived at Children's West. He thinks it is a blast to drag every single item out of the diaper bag these days.

He loved the toys in the waiting room as well. There was only one other child scheduled for the afternoon, so he pretty much had the run of the place. He was already trying to charm the nurses.

We were taken to pre-op where they took his blood pressure, weighed him, and took his height. We had to wait a bit on the Dr. because he was in surgery at UT.

He got a bit restless so we did our best to entertain him. The nurses played Spongebob for him, but he doesn't really get the whole tv thing right now. Daddy gave him belly raspberrys to pass the time.

I read "That's Not My Dragon" and "I Love You Stinky Face" more times than I can count. When that got old we used the old stand by of reciting "Good Night Moon", because heaven knows we can say it by heart now. It always calms him down, still his favorite book.

Okay, by now the nurse had given me some medicine for him to take the edge off. I think I needed it more than him, because when I put it in his mouth I pushed the plunger too hard and shot it all over his face. I was so embarassed. He did get a bit and it was enough because he was getting a bit silly as you can probably tell by the pics. He was trying to hang in there though. He would want to play wabba, wabba between bouts of time lying his head on my shoulder. For those that don't know what wabba,wabba is, it is when you repeatedly pat your mouth all the while making the "whhaaaaa" sound. It is his favorite game by far! He tries to do it to me, although cute, sometimes it really hurts. So we use his hand on his own mouth. Great fun, I tell you!!

A nurse came and whisked him away. We were escorted back to the waiting room. Time passed very quickly. Probably because there was a little bit of office drama. The other child that was scheduled for that afternoon had arrived, checked in, and drank out of the water fountain. That teensy weensy drink caused his sugery to have to be rescheduled. His parents were ticked, and the child was scared (maybe of the parents). I hated it for them, but it helped pass our time watching the drama unfold. I had to keep filling Steven in to the happenings because he can't hear as well as I can across the room. Anyway, I digress....

The nurse called and told us he went under great and they got the IV on the first try and that the Dr. would come speak to us when it was over. In no time we were ushered into a little room to speak to the Doc. He said everything went well and everything looked healthy and our little man would be up and running in no time. After waiting for a bit more we finally got to see him in step down.
The nurses there were so nice. One was sitting in a rocker with him all bundled up asleep. She gave him to me, and I sat there rocking him, watching him sleep, thanking God for watching over him and guiding the Dr.'s hands to fix my little miracle. In thirty minutes or so they checked his vitals again, gave us a RX and sent us home happy.

He did so good, didn't get sick or anything. We got home and he drank some milk, ate a waffle and napped. Daddy even got a few smiles,

He has been up and running today. I don't think he knows he went under the knife. We are going to stay home tomorrow and watch him. If all is well, we are back in our normal routine by Thursday.
He hasn't bled at all, and is just a bit swollen. That is to be expected though. He is a tough little buger. I have no idea where he gets that!! ;)

Moment of Silence

2007-08-16T19:23:00.000-04:00

Elvis "left the building" 30 years ago today. I really wish we were closer to West Tennessee so we could join the fun in Memphis. Everyone needs to make sure to catch one of his movies that will be playing through the weekend. You know I will be watching as many as I can. My favorite will always be Blue Hawaii when he played "Chadwick". I love the King!

Just Beachy

2007-08-16T18:56:00.000-04:00

Well, we have finally settled back into our routine since returning from vacation. Let me just say it was HOT! However, I miss the beach so much! We shared a condo with Reed-Mitchell, The Overachiever, Elizabeth, and Ethan. It was a great place to stay. I could really get used to that life.
Silas did pretty good there considering how he felt. He had a double ear infection and then a reaction to his medicine. He started feeling really good when it was time to come home. He didn't like the sand much. He was okay with it as long as he was sitting on a blanket and could just put his hands in it.
We had a great time with the Fam. I wish we could have stayed longer.

Here is Silas and his favorite beach activity-playing in the garbage.

We stopped by the Bass Pro Shop only because it was by our favorite smoothie place. We're not really into this store, but Sie seemed to like the fish.

This is one of the few times he actually played in the sand with Daddy.

He was never really scared of the water. He would actually reach for it when it would flow away.

A long day at the beach is always better with puffs and a sippy cup of refreshing water to wash it down. Oh, just a bit of advice, it is always good to make sure the sippy has holes cut into the nipple. If not, you have a very fussy baby that is begging for something to drink and can't convey that to anyone with words.

FL

2007-08-06T13:29:00.000-04:00

Well we reached our condo in Florida late Saturday afternoon. So now we are enjoying our vacation. The trip down here was a little reminder of our honeymoon 6 years ago. We left Friday night and decided to drive until we got tired. As on our honeymoon, we ended up in getting tired of driving about Gadsden, AL. When we pulled over for a hotel, they were all full. This time the world's longest garage sale was coming to an end but there was a big baseball tournament in town. SO we kept driving to until Hoover, AL. We left out early the next morning not know how far we were from Destin. Along with making pretty good time, some visitors at a Subway gave us a helpful shortcut. This has been the only good thing that has ever come out of Alabama. In case you can't tell, I don't like that state.

Anyhow, I am trying to relax and forget about work as Erika is trying not to get burned.

Here are a few pictures from waking up yesterday morning.

Making the Cut

2007-08-02T23:15:00.000-04:00

Today Silas encountered another one of his milestones--His first haircut. Steven has been on me for quite sometime to get his hair cut. I, however, had grown quite fond of his baby mullet. Who doesn't love bussiness in the front and party in the back?? I knew this would truly signal his transformation from a tiny baby into a toddler ( that isn't toddling yet by the way ). The time had come, his hair would not lay flat against the back of his head and he had these crazy wispys that hung over his ears that reminded me too much of the dad on Everybody Loves Raymond.
He did great. He wasn't even fussy. Steven had just taken him to the ped. and found out he had two ear infections. Poor baby hadn't been feeling good, but he took everything in stride. He sat in Momma's lap while daddy snapped some pics. Jerry (Steven's Barber) did an awesome job. I was really impressed with his skill. There is no way I could have done it in a million years!

We are taking off for another adventure. The Bridges are heading south to Destin for a week. I will be sure to share any eventful happenings when we return.

Here are some pictures of my big boy!

My Turn

2007-07-23T14:05:00.000-04:00

Well as Erika has already informed you, the release of the final Harry Potter book was this past weekend. Since I have worked the past 3 1/2 out of 5 weekends, it was my turn to watch Silas. Erika clutched to her book Saturday and Sunday, sometimes crying but ending with a joyful smile. During her reading time, I took a few pictures of Silas hanging out in his crib. After a little while it became a game of climbing up the rail and flopping down to the mattress. So here is one of the pictures that I shot.

It's Here It's Here

2007-07-21T00:05:00.000-04:00

Well it is now official. The seventh installment of Harry Potter is on sale. It would have been so awesome to attend one of the midnight release parties, however my little Griffendor's bedtime is around ten. If he stays up later he show more characteristics of slytherin house. I am now off to rest. I must seclude myself from all the spoilers that are floating about. The friendly UPS man is bringing me my novel in the am so I must save my energy for the 784 pages that await!! HAPPY READING!

Check up Checked out

2007-07-11T17:55:00.000-04:00

My big boy had his 1 year check up today. He weighed in at 22 lbs and 6 oz and is 30.5 in tall. The Doc seems to think he is destined to be tall. He is right on track for his age which is what a parent always wants to hear. We can finally turn him forward in the car, but we have decided to wait until the Flordia trip to do this. Hopefully the excitement of a new view will help with the 10 hour drive at least thats our plan. He was such a trooper with his shots--only teared up for a bit.
Here are some recent photos of our Sie Guy and he's not laying on the floor for any of them!!

He started doing this when he learned to pull up.

Food always tastes better when is is run through your hair first!

Today snacktime was had on the living room floor. This kid LOVES puffs.

Potter People with Apples

2007-07-10T19:15:00.000-04:00

I am such a Geek. There are two things going on in my life that is just about to push me over the edge into complete nerd heaven.

The first of which is Harry Potter. I am completely obsessed!! The Movie comes out tomorrow! Steven and I were supposed to have our first "date night" complete with babysitter on Saturday; however, he has a wedding to shoot this weekend. No movies for us. I guess that just means that we will have to go to the theatre in Turkey Creek to watch it on a weeknight and beg Aunt Jesse or Teeny to watch our little monster. Anyway, I digress.
There is one thing better than a Harry Potter movie. A HARRY POTTER BOOK. I cannot stand myself waiting for this last book of the series. I have reread the previous 6 books while anxiously waiting for book 7. Daily I check out mugglenet.com and the leaky cauldron. If that isn't bad enough, I have been faithfully listening to pod casts about our sweet Harry. I have listened to so many theories; I am about to burst. I have to know what happens. Is Snape really bad? I don't think so. I think he had a plan with ol' Dumbledore. What is going to happen with the two-way mirror, and what's the big deal with Harry having Lilly's eyes. I need to know, and I will in just a few days.
It does make me sad that the series is ending and I have to say goodbye to all the beloved characters. Though, there will soon be a day when I can introduce MY little magical boy to "the boy who lived". I can't wait for that either.

Okay the second thing sending me to NH....My brand new iPhone! All I can say is "It is just Cool!" I have never seen anything like it. I wasn't real big on it until I held it in my hand. It is a telephone, iPod, PDA, Internet browser all in one. I must admit I am a bit embarrassed having one, but I LOVE IT!!

umph....nerd...(shaking head)..I know, I know

Maiden Voyage

2007-07-08T20:10:00.000-04:00

Okay, here goes.
I admit it. I'm a closet blog reader. I have enjoyed Amy, Alicia, Jami, and Lynley's blogs now for months. I used to read the Bridges family blog until it was password protected (thanks Tina).
Now when I say enjoyed, I mean check almost daily.
When I was first introduced to the blog, I didn't get it. Like MySpace. I just don't get it. I guess that makes me officially old. At least that is how it makes me feel. So I have drug myself kicking and screaming into 2007. I have decided to blog and I think that I like it. I have been inspired to share my life over the web. I may not be as well written as some, but I hope you all enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed others. Hopefully, I can keep posting in a timely manner. We'll see.