Dancing with Jaq and Gus

I'm thinking now I might have to do some sort of blog merge...I don't know. A part of me loves having one blog that is just devoted to Kaitlyn and then one for my thoughts and such, but now there is starting to be a lot of crossover. I guess that's okay - it just bothers someone as OCD as me. But for now I guess I'll just leave it. But this video goes with an entry from my other blog about my new washer and dryer, but it's actually K, so I'm putting it here. So there. :)

Birthday Surprise

Today is my 28th birthday - and I'm sad to say I actually had to think about that. I forget how old I am lately. I remember someone asking me at a friend's baby shower earlier this year and I got tongue tied. I felt so silly - who forgets how old they are? Luckily, one of my best friends, Ryley, did the same thing a few weeks ago so I know I'm not the only one. Wonder what that says about us though Ryley... :)

Anyway, tonight Cody has a big night planned. We're going to Texas De Brazil (oh my gosh yummy! The cheese...oh the cheese that they have..and the bacon wrapped chicken....but I digress...) and then to see Wicked. I am sooooo very excited about Wicked. Cody bought the tickets months ago when they first went on sale and got really great seats. He told me that was my birthday present and I was beyond fine with knowing way ahead of time. I would have ended up buying tickets myself for fear of it being sold out. But with that being my present I wasn't expecting what happened last night.

Cody and I were playing Trivial Pursuit (the 90's edition one) in our bed. Yeah, we're weird like that, but honestly some of our best conversations have been while we've been playing board games in our bed. I love it and wouldn't change it for the world! Anyone who has played Trivial Pursuit knows it takes forever and a day to play, and it was getting really late. I was getting really tired and Cody could see that. He told me he would be right back. I thought he was going to let Darcy out, turn something off, etc. He came back to bed and had this little smile on his face that meant he was up to something. Then from behind his back he pulled out a small box from Zales. I was shocked! Like I said, I wasn't expecting anything else for my birthday so he 110% caught me off guard. I opened the box and there they were....
Diamond earrings. Now, I normally don't consider myself a superficial person. I am beyond cheap when it comes to most thing...I did say most things because I'd being lying otherwise. But for the most part, I could care less about what label is on my jeans, shoes, etc. But when I saw this my heart just swelled. I've wanted diamond earring for so long. I had my ears pierced as a girl with fake ones and I wore them all the time. To me diamond studs are just the epitome of class. Needless to say I LOVE them and put them on right away...and I haven't taken them off yet. I'm in love - and not just with the earrings. I'm in love with a man who can still surprise me. I'm in love with a man that wants me to feel special on my birthday. I'm in love with a man who loves me enough to play board games with me in bed. And to me, that makes me one lucky girl this birthday! :)

A Day of Firsts

Wow - today was a really big day for Kaitlyn. At least in Mama's eyes it was. She had three first today...although she really only got to experience two of them.

1. She got her first potty
2. She (and by she I mean me) signed up for her first dance class
3. She got her first golf club (Very big deal for Daddy)

Now, with the first one - Don't think I'm a crazy mom pushing my kid that's not ready. She is showing signs of being ready, and well, honestly I had a coupon for the potty so I wanted to use it. :) She is able to say the "potty words" and knows what they are and can tell me after she has gone, which "they" say is a start. She also hides when she wants to go which apparently is also a sign she's almost ready. So Ms. Pam (K's sitter while I'm at work) let me borrow an Elmo Potty Training dvd. I put the potty in the living room while she watched it. I didn't expect her to use it there (I'm not that gross!) but I wanted her to feel comfortable with it and not be scared of it later. She watched the dvd and even put her Elmo doll on the potty. I guess I'll take that as a good sign??? But she only sat down on it for about two seconds and that was enough for her. I know I have plenty of time, so I'm not going to rush anything. But today was still a big day for her in regards to the potty! :) Wow...I just realized I'm blogging about a potty...when did I become a person like that....oh my!
Secondly was her dance class. I guess it's not really dance yet. That starts in the Fall. The class she will be taking this summer is tumbling. There is a really great studio here in Arlington that is actually based on Christian values. So as she gets older I won't have to worry about her dance group ending up on YouTube for their version of Single Ladies. (If you don't know what I'm talking about just google it...and know that WILL NEVER BE my daughter!) The assistant director goes to church with us and was really excited about K being there. She knows her from Sunday School and said she would fit right in! :) Trust me - my girl loves to dance! I know it won't be anything too spectacular for a few years, but man it's going to make for some cute pictures and videos! She even has to wear a leotard! I love that!!! Her first class was supposed to be this Thursday, but Cody is taking me to Wicked for my birthday so she will actually start next week. I can't wait!!!

Then third - her golf club. Cody went to Target to buy a few things we needed and ended up coming home with a golf club and ball. I've seen plenty of golf sets while I'm out shopping, but I told Cody I would let him pick out her first one. Golf is his thing. And we've both said we want K to play when she's older (if she wants), but trust me - I will be doing zero of the teaching. I've played once and gone to the driving range with Cody a few times. It's not a pretty sight people. Putt-putt is about as far as my golfing skills go and that's pushing it. But Cody gave her a few pointers and K was in love! She wanted to keep playing with the club inside, so it's now a toy that will be kept in the garage until outside time. :)

When did my baby get so big? A potty? Dance lessons?? Golfing??? Someone help me find the pause button on her growing up! I cannot believe she is almost two!!!

Kindermusik and My Mama Bear Moment

One of the things I love to do with Kaitlyn is sing. I'm convinced she loved music even when she was inside my womb. I used to hold the speakers up to my belly in hopes she would hear it. She loved her some Taylor Swift. :) As she has become older she has really started to show off with her ability to match pitch, sing tunes, and keep a steady beat. So I thought I would sign her up for a kindermusik class this summer. I've heard great things about the program and thought it would be perfect for her. And I must say I was right!

Today was her first class. Kaitlyn walked in like she owned the joint and there were already shakers on the floor for them to use as we were waiting for the rest of the class to come. K was in Heaven! She was shaking and singing and the teacher told me she was a natural. She might have been just making small talk, but I had a proud mama moment right there. :) Shortly after, the rest of the class came and we got started. Kaitlyn loved it all at first. Her teacher looked at me with amazement and said she had great rhythm - especially for her age. I was beaming...oh but I beamed too soon. Then it was time to play Put the Instruments Up. Kaitlyn was having none of that. She flat out told me no and proceeded to scream as I took the instruments away from her. Same thing happened when it was time to play Put the Seashells Up, oh and Put the Scarves Up...notice a pattern here? And don't think I wasn't the mama that put her daughter in time out in front of the other kids and mamas - I so was. She needed time out, so that's what she got. Only a minute - I'm not horrible! But then I got the ultimate slap in the face (verbally, not physically) The words I didn't want to hear, although I didn't know I didn't want to hear them until now....are you ready for this???

"She must be an only child right?"

At first I didn't even know what to say. I think I tried to smile and muttered yes, but something inside me started churning. What do you mean by that? My inner Mama Bear was about to come out. I wanted to scream, "At least she's not the boy kicking everyone" or "Well at least she's actually singing the songs and not crying and screaming 'Bye bye' to the teacher." But I didn't. I somehow kept my cool and finished the rest of the class. I know it's not a big deal, but it made me so mad! Yes, my daughter was having some issues giving the instruments back. I know it's a matter of following directions. I get that. I'm a teacher. But she's also 20 months old and still learning. Don't make rude comments. At least she was being told no by her mom and even got a time out. Can't say the same about the other kids in the class.

But with that said, K had an awesome time. She loved every single song and instrument (as I'm sure you can imagine). So we will be going back. We'll just see if mama is able to hold her tongue as well as she did today! :P

Jaq and Gus

Ah - my two new best friends moved into our house today. I love them dearly already. I have named them Jaq and Gus and you get extra bonus points as my friend if you can tell me why. :) Kaitlyn adores my two new best friends. She dances and claps for them. (Watch for a video posted soon)

Theme Song...for now anyway

So it's not really a big secret, but I can be a very introverted person. Shocking I know. But really, one would think someone like me would not go into a field such as teaching, but trust me - it's way different for me talking to a room of five and six year olds verses talking to a room full of people my age. I'd chose the five and six year olds any day of the week. That's the person I am. So one of my big "rechargers" is driving. Not just driving, but driving with really good music. And my music changes. Sometimes it's showtunes and I want to sing my guts out. Sometimes it's depressing music and I want to cry my eyes out. Sometimes it's just whatever I'm liking at the time. But I love it. Every now and then I just have to get in my car, turn the music up, and drive. Today was one of those days. I was physically and mentally exhausted from the last week of school. I needed to go to the grocery store to get some things for dinner and on my way back a song on my playlist came up that was just perfect for this time in my life. American Honey. If you haven't heard it you should. Lady Antebellum is an awesome group. This song is just so perfect - with summertime starting and me trying to unwind from many of the things that makes my life hectic. Here are the lyrics with my favorite part brought out for the blogworld to see.

She grew up on a side of the road
Where the church bells ring and strong love grows
She grew up good
She grew up slow
Like American honey

Steady as a preacher
Free as a weed
Couldn't wait to get goin'
But wasn't quite ready to leave
So innocent, pure and sweet
American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summer time
And American honey

Get caught in the race
Of this crazy life
Trying to be everything can make you lose your mind
I just wanna go back in time
To American honey, yea

There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothing's sweeter than summer time
And American honey

Gone for so long now
I gotta get back to her somehow
To American honey

Ooh There's a wild, wild whisper
Blowing in the wind
Calling out my name like a long lost friend
Oh I miss those days as the years go by
Oh nothin's sweeter than summer time
And American honey
And American honey

Okra!

In my never ending quest to get my daughter to eat green veggies I have finally come across one she loves and eats without hesitation! Okra! I should have known with her being Cody's daughter she would have loved okra! Cody was recently telling me that his grandmother makes this really good okra and tomato dish, so I found a recipe for it and made it. Cody and I were eating it with our dinner and I must say that I wasn't too sure about it, but I ended up loving it as well. Kaitlyn was at the table with us and she kept looking at it and saying, "Yum, yum?" So I let her try one piece and she LOVED it! So I went to the stove and put more on her plate and she ate it quicker than any veggie I've ever seen her eat. Finally!!! :)

And yes, I am a big dork because I took a picture of it. I knew it was going to be in my blog and that's the only reason why I did!