The Family Giuls

Happy Valentine's Day from the Flemletts

2012-02-14T08:15:00.000-08:00

This morning was gorgeous! I don't think that I've ever had a white Valentine's day. The crisp white snow and the happy sunshine just combined to make a joyful morning! Not to mention it contrasts nicely with red stiff construction paper Valentines. Max was totally digging on his Iron Man Valentines. He will come home from school hopped up on sugar and I will be worn out from celebrating an even more decadent holiday--Mardi Gras. Loves and kisses to you all.

I'm having a cow!

2012-02-06T10:17:00.000-08:00

We had a horrible event this morning. While riding the campus bus home from dropping Max off at school, I tripped on the last step of the bus at my stop and fell on the ground--while carrying Kiz on my back in the backpack. I rolled slow motion-like and then heard a thud as her little head hit the concrete. I had a passerby help take her out so that I could assess the damage, and blood was running out of her nose. I will admit something. I have absolutely no calm when it comes to emergency situations and my babies. I sprinted up the hill to the house and then hyperventilated and cried uncontrollably for several minutes while I tried to clean it up and figure out what was going on. Luckily she just has a little skinned nose and will probably have a nasty bruise tomorrow. Now I can't shake off the guilt that I'm the worst mother in the world. I know that my clutziness was not intentional, but it still sucks! I wish that I had a harry potter wand to magically erase her boo boo.

Pictures round 3

2012-01-19T09:25:00.000-08:00

Here's our MLK day adventure to Walnut Canyon to see the Sinagua ruins.

Pictures round 2

2012-01-19T09:23:00.001-08:00

I Promised Pictures!

2012-01-19T09:18:00.000-08:00

Here they are. Some are from Christmas and some are from a few days ago. Love you all!

Shout out to Lu!

2012-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'd just like to take a brief moment to congratulate my bestie Lulu for getting a NICE job as assistant store manager at Khols! Woo Hooo! I'm so excited for her! Now she gets to begin a new journey in Mon-roe Louisianna! She better eat some good cajun food for me.

Happy Holidays From the Flemings!

2012-01-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

So many really good things have happened during the Christmas break:

1. Spending time with my mom and dad!

2. Sewing girl dresses.

3. Eating really good food!

4. Getting motivated to exercise! (prompted by no. 3)

5. Playing with my babies.

6. Enjoying down time with my hubby.

I have pics I'm going to share eventually, but here is an original drawing from Max. Just so you know how amazing this is, developmentally just a couple of months ago he actually started drawing shapes, then, eyes, then mouths, etc. Then during the break he was using gads of paper to draw pictures that started having legs, hats, beards (thanks Jack--and Santa) and shoes. On Saturday He kept drawing Daddy, Kizzie, and Max, but no mommy. I asked him if he was going to draw me and he just said, "Nope". Then yesterday in Primary he drew the whole family. Yayy! See if you can identify each family member. (key--l to r--mom, dad, max, and sister in the front.) Don't you love the rad hats that we're all wearing?

Splish Splash I was Takin a Bath

2011-12-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight I saw a glimpse of what my kids are going to be like as Kezia gets older. Max and Kiz were taking a bath together and she started splashing him. Being Max, he took the ball and ran with it and was splashing water all over her face and tickling her. She was laughing so hard that I had to join in. I wish that I had recorded it for posterity. She's a little instigator. And almost 7 months old. Sigh. I love my kids!

kiz and brownies

2011-12-08T08:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a glimpse of kezia's first taste of chocolate. She is truly related to me!

My sissy is gone . . . snif.

2011-12-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

I have just spent a glorious week with my sister and my family!!!! Love love loved it!!!! And the best part is that she tooks tons of cute pics of the family, and we ate tons of yummy food. Then she got the stomach flu, and now I have some kind of yucky viral sore throat, and Kizzie got her shots, and school started back again. Sigh. Why is it that when you get to see your best friend for a whole week it seems to go by very quickly and you are left crying afterwards like Abuela (my grandmother) in the driveway. I love visits, but I hate saying goodbye. I am slugging a ginger ale right now and toasting to the hope that one day I will live closer to my buds.

Comings and Goings in the Snow

2011-11-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, we've been walking in a winter wonderland for a few days now. Max is finally recovered from his week-long sick spell. I'm in the honeymoon stage of liking snow. Give me a few months and it wont be so pretty to me. Kizzie loves her new hat that Granny made her, and I can't wait for Thanksgiving. A holiday devoted to family and pigging out is awesome!!!!!!! Here are some pictures of the kids lately. Love you all. ps--Max took the last picture of me and Kizzie.

Halloween costume pics

2011-10-28T09:27:00.001-07:00

Getting in the Halloween Spirit!

2011-10-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

This morning when Max and I got on the campus bus to ride to school, the bus that we got on was covered in spiders, skeletons, lights, and spider web material. LOVED IT!!!! You should have seen the look on Max's face (and the other kids on the bus) when the skeleton in the front of the bus was oooooooing and lighting up. It totally made my day. My Halloween decorations might be in storage right now, but that doesn't mean that I can't get into the Halloween spirit by sharing one of my favorite songs with you. Blame it on watching too many episodes lately of 30 Rock, but everytime I hear this song, it makes me laugh. Here's to caramel apples, hot chocolate, watching scary movies, and eating too much candy.

Kiz's new headwear

2011-10-24T14:51:00.000-07:00

My good friend from Sierra Vista sent this hat for Kizzie and I shrieked with delight! Max of course had to model it too, but he's making his wolverine face.

An Ode to Mommy!

2011-10-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today was my mother's 60th birthday and she spent it just like she wanted: reading in bed and eating chocolate. Did I ever tell you that we are very much alike? After speaking with her this morning she gave me the run down of her breakfast. (Birthday breakfasts were always a big deal in our house because we got to pick out our favorite cereal and get breakfast in bed) Don't know if Mom ate hers in bed, but she had some sort of chocolate ganache cake, hot chocolate, diet coke, and a bowl of Banana Nut Crunch--her fav cereal. Wow, I think that I just went into sugar shock just typing that . . .

Given that this is such a milestone and I love my mother to pieces, here are some of the things that I absolutely love about her--

--She loves to read as much as I do. Many happy memories snuggling on my parents bed with my mom and both of us reading a good novel.

--She birthed me. Did I mention that she did it without drugs? God bless epidurals is my cop out.

--She is an amazing singer and pianist. All of those good music genes were passed on to me. Or should I say forced on me? (Don't worry mom, you know that I'm kidding)

--She makes mean pasta. To quote my husband, "It will make your tongue jump out of your mouth and slap you bald headed!" I will never forget our Christmas in Hattiesburg of homemade raviolis and baked chicken.

--She taught me the way of the sewing machine. Think over twenty years of homemade Easter and Christmas outfits for me and my sis. And it's still going for the next generation.

--Most of all, she just LOVES me. Being a mommy is tough, and she has always been my biggest cheerleader and example. I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!!!

Ps--The pictures above of mom and me are proof that Kizzie actually looks like me.

I Caught the Elusive Smile!

2011-10-19T21:28:00.000-07:00

Ha ha ha!!!! Go me!!!!!! After about three months of trying to catch Kizzie smiling on camera . . . I got it! She just grins and grins all of the time, and if you catch her in the right one, she has a wee dimple on her right cheek. She also has Jack's eyebrows. Not the fact that they are dark and fuzzy, but the fact that she can move them independently and make some very amusing faces. I just had to take a picture of her in her cute halloween outfit (I totally wish that they made it in my size) sent from Aunt Ellie and Uncle Homer, and adorable hat knitted by Shelly in Strawberry. I hope that you think she's as cute as I do.

Mommy Daughter Day!

2011-10-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was kicked out of my apartment all day because they were taking out our old furnace and getting rid of the asbestos. From 9:00 to 5:00 I took Kiz out on the town (I'm still getting over the fact that I don't live in the boondocks anymore and a trip to town doesn't take half of the day) and it was lovely. What to do by yourself with your daughter? (albeit infant daughter)--wannabe shopping at Target! She just cooed and smiled as I looked through the racks of clothes and dollar bins that I can't afford. Never fear! The only purchases that I made were essentials like baby food and toothpaste.

Highlights of the day:

-Biting into a decadent piece of cheesecake that I ate with lunch in the car. Kizzie, as always, was trying to swat at it and drooling. What can I say? She's related to me!

-Hanging out at the library and browsing books.

-Cuddling with her in the truck while I read the latest Janet Evanovitch for two hours! (And she slept!)

-Just reveling in the fact that I had nothing to do and no particular place to go. Ahhhhhh.

While I was with Kizzie at Target, an old memory slammed me and I almost laughed. Lily was with me during this event, and she probably remembers. Many years ago when I was in the midst of my depression and hating my horrible job, Max had an early morning doctor's appointment and I took the morning off to take care of it. Afterwards, we hung out at the Sierra Vista Target for an hour until I had to get back. We were sitting in the food court area and were surrounded by gads of moms and their children. They were laughing, talking, some of them complaining about being stuck in the house all day, and I had this overwhelming irrational desire to slap them in the face and scream. WHY did they get to spend this leisurely morning in Target with their kids when I had to go to the devil job and pay someone to watch my baby? WHY did I have to miss out on precious hours of my son's life for no good reason? (except to feed my family, of course) Now don't get me wrong, I see the other side of the coin now, but at the time all of those silly moms represented what I really really wanted and couldn't have. Let me tell you it ACHED to return to my classroom that afternoon. In retrospect, I probably would have been sobbing at home with Max in my lap if given the opportunity to be a stay at home mom then. Whew...
And now I'm livin the "good" life. Chillin at Target with my girl. I've finally been given the answer to my prayers and I'm not in crazyland anymore so I can actually enjoy it. Cheers (diet Pepsi of course) to that!

Fall is in the Air, and it smells good!

2011-10-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Last week was our neurology appointment with Max. He hasn't seen his doctor for two years, so we were really curious to see what she would say. Can I say that we completely love his doctor? She is casually dressed and very sincere. When she was checking his reflexes she commented on the huge number of bruises on his shins. We discussed his overwhelming klutziness, and then she nonchalantly had him run down the hall and back. "Yep", she said, "It's definitely that he's not paying attention very well. He was running full speed down the hallway staring to the side". Nice to know that she has such scientific methods of determining things. So it's not directly neurological, but because of his difficulty focusing, which is a result of his condition, it is. Make sense? For the first time in this whole journey with Max, it hit me that we are in no way past the woods, so to speak. His doctor doesn't need to see him again until puberty, when certain neurological problems could manifest. Puberty? Um, I'd rather not ponder that right now. Max throws a fit when his netflix cartoons have streaming difficulties, and is upset when a picture on the wall is crooked. I'd rather not think about the frustration of pubescence. Yes, it was difficult when we discovered his condition and we had NO idea what it meant for his future. Yes, it was really really difficult when he had night terrors and horrible bashing head fits on the floor around three because of language delays. Yes, it is hard right now to see how he doesn't really fit in with the kids around him, even the ones at his developmental level. (He doesn't care yet, but I'm sure one day he will). Yes, it is difficult to realize that his little sister will one day surpass him in many ways but that he will still love her. Contrary to my cautious nature, Heavenly Father has put me in line for the roller coaster that goes upside down and into tunnels. We have in no way conquered this mountain, and I think for the first time I am realizing that Max will never just be delayed, something that keeping him back a little in school will fix. He is just very very special. Different, unique, and always mine.

On a different note. I can't afford to get my hair professionally trimmed, so I coerced my husband into doing it yesterday. He was really really scared of ruining my hair, but it turned out pretty good! When I first woke up this morning it looked a little bit Joan Jettish and I drew in a quick breath, but no--it was just bed head. It's okay people, my hair has survived! Kizzie was a pumpkin today (pictures to follow soon) and Max looked really nice in his new white shirt bought by granny. Take a picture folks, his shirt will never be this clean again! Oh Well! Love you all, have a great day!

Kizzie and her cereal

2011-09-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

A shout out to Kizzie's aunties-- "Auntie" Lulu and aunt Lily. You keep my kid stylin. Yesterday was the first baby cereal debut, and it was a hit! Here are my two darlins on that wonderful event.

Job Description: Mom to Max and Kizzie

2011-09-06T20:38:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot lately about my different experiences being a new mom to Max and a new mom to Kizzie. I wonder often if I am doing a better job than I did with Max. Many factors have come into play, and I realize that with Max for over a year I was checked out mentally and struggled with every new situation. Don't worry, I'm not trying to be hard on myself, but I'm looking back on the whole journey with Max at the beginning of his life finally free from the fog of depression, anxiety, and the relentless pursuit of perfection as a mother. Unless you have experienced the numbness of depression, and the utter hopelessness that it shoves on your shoulders, you probably think that I'm being melodramatic. Max was unique--a wonderful blessing sent to us from Heavenly Father. And the realization of his special needs brought shock, sadness, fear, and wonder. Every new visit to the doctor and milestone brought questions: Am I doing enough to help him? Why isn't he nursing well? What does the MRI mean? Will Max be "normal"? (Ha!) Then the move brought untold stress and deeper depression. I hated my job and came home in zombie mode--barely getting into the routines of taking care of Max and dealing with his endless tantrums and frustration.

That time eventually passed, with more comfort for both Max and me. Kizzie's birth has been different, her gentle spirit calming our home (unless she's hungry) and bringing me so much joy. I'm a happier person now, more confident in my abilities as a mother and just enjoying every little step of Kizzie's journey. I'm working 6 hours a week. We're poor, but it's so nice just to kiss and hug her in the mornings and soak her little baby self up. The guilt is gone. I will have no regrets (well, few regrets) about this stage in my life. Is it perhaps the fact that I realize how precious my little souls are? I appreciate every little moment of my children's life, because my special child made me see what Heavenly Father wants me to see about trials. They are painful, seemingly endless, but completely worth it. Do I think that I'm some kind of special mother that was chosen to raise my Special Needs child? No, I just feel that I'm doing my best and trying to learn as I go. Hopefully Max will have more memories of me as I am now--happy, engaged in the world, and involved with life!

I've got the sick in the middle of summer blues . . .

2011-08-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

Max, Kizzie, and I are fighting the sniffles, and the "gotta go to the bathroom really fast" blues. Only for Kizzie it's the "hold me so it doesn't squirt out onto mommy" blues. Who in the heck gets sick the first week of school anyway? Tommorrow is my first full day alone (well me and Kiz anyway) with Max and Jack in school all day. I am going to take it easy, I promise, and maybe watch a chick flick. Mom was so right, you really can't be sick when you are a mom. And now that I'm a mom times two, it's a little trickier. Luckily, Kizzie is content to sit on my lap right now and cuddle in the bed when she's asleep. That won't last when she's crawling around the house. God Bless All Day Kindergarten!!!!!!! Today I dozed off with Kizzie while watching "Flipper" with the kids. I really loved that show as a child, and Jack said that he hated it. How can you hate a sixties version of Lassie with a dolphin? And now that I'm an adult I'm noticing how cute the dad is. Leading men in the sixties were usually pretty dark and handsome. Max loved it when Flipper headbutted a shark and killed it. Hope this doesn't translate to his playtime at school. Well, better go to bed before I pass out while typing. "Flipper, Flipper, under the sea . . . "

First Day of School Wooo Hooo!

2011-08-18T12:22:00.000-07:00

Here is my little Max all duded up in his school uniform with his backpack on, ready to walk to school with mommy and daddy. We walked him to school, dropped him off, and enjoyed a few hours of peace and quiet at the house. At the door to his classroom, there were a couple of kids throwing fits and crying, and inside there were excited moms taking pictures (Ha! and Jack scoffed at me when I whipped out the camera) He found his name, put his Buzz and Woody backpack on the hook, and immediately found the fire truck to play with. We hardly even got a "bye" out of him. They had a little room with coffee for the parents to go hang out in if they wanted, but we opted out. With Max, it's better to just cut the cord and leave, other wise he starts acting naughty. Here's my little stud muffin. And an extra picture of him chilling on the couch with sister.

We're finally here!

2011-08-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

There are still boxes and bags everywhere around me waiting to be unpacked, but soon there will be order in chaos. I will take pictures of Max's first day of Kindergarten (holy cow!) and our new apartment and post them soon. Love you all,

Giuliana

Soon to be in the Arctic North . . .

2011-08-04T20:24:00.000-07:00

Countdown to Flagstaff-five days. Money in checking account-$64.00. Mood-slightly freaking out/excited. Can we survive these next few weeks? I know that we will. We've been paying our tithing, praying really hard, and still feel good about the move. This is the first time in my life that our family (not including Jack, poor man) has not had health insurance. Anything could happen to us, anything, and we would be up a creek, if you know what I mean. I'm still paying off bills from Kizzie's birth (hello airflight to Phoenix), and am soon to be making $450.00 a month. I just love that Arizona DES said that I make too much money to qualify for ACCHS (Arizona version of Medicaid). It chaps my butt that I've been paying into medicaid for years and now when we really really need it, they've denied us. Stinky government! I'm not going to be negative, I promise, but it's times like these when I wish that I lived in Canada. Really, it's only in times like these because I think that I would freeze my keester off up there, and aside from being the home of Anne of Green Gables there's not much up there to interest me. Well, I'll drown my anxiety in homemade granola bars. Yumm.

A Good Day

2011-08-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

The house is now completely quiet (for now). The dishes are done, dinner was pretty dang good, it smells like rain outside, and I have a brief window to take a shower. Thank goodness for the little things. The only thing missing is chocolate. Oh well, I'll eat my substitute sweet treat of apricots and cottage cheese. Ahh, it's hard to believe that only a couple of hours ago I was changing poop underwear for the third time today (we're still fighting the potty training beast) and Kizzie was wailing plaintively in her swing, thinking "How dare you take care of poop pants, I have needs here!". Only a few minutes later, after eating, she was cooing and smiling at me. Babies are totally forgiven for being bipolar, aren't they?

One more video . . .

2011-08-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

That last video was cute, but here's my favorite!

Here is the video, for real.

2011-08-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Internet Gods have been toying with me. Not being able to access my blog, I couldn't immediately fix the mistake of not adding the video in my last post. Here I am to repent. Just to explain, there are two videos. In the first one, the visual's not so hot, but she is making cuter noises. In the second one, Max is "helping" me try to get Kizzie to talk, and in the process is kind of forcefully poking her face and calling her "Kitties". It's too funny. Kiz is going to be a toughie, for real.

If you could only see how cute she is in real life!

2011-07-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

It's official--I'm in love with my daughter (and Max too of course). Here is a video of her "talking" to me after eating one afternoon. I really don't remember if Max was this vocal at her age. She will hold a conversation with me for over 30 minutes with various facial expressions and tricks. Her skills include blowing spit bubbles, smiling, giggling, and squealing with delight (which oddly enough only Max can get her to do). Her favorite thing to look at is still faces, and momma's face is still her favorite. Whether she will warm up fully to daddy remains to be seen, and surely with only happen once the milk factory is closed for business.

Another month has gone by . . . whew!

2011-07-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

This Friday will be Kizzie's third month of life. She and I are having a rough week because I'm on meds that are not safe for her to consume through breast milk, so I'm pumping and dumping, and she and I are going nuclear. I feel like a cow hooked up to the pump, and keep in mind that she's still eating about 12 times a day. Holy Cow! (Literally). In between pumping, and feeding, and cleaning the house, we're trying to pack and go through things to get ready for the big move to Flagstaff in three weeks. Arghhh! On Sunday I was in the mother's lounge at church, which is in the bathroom, and two little girls came in to go to the bathroom with their mother while I was pumping, as modestly as I could. One girl said, "Mommy why is she have stuff hooked up to her boobies?" I have never been that embarrassed nursing, let me tell you. I hope that Kizzie appreciates this, although I don't think she understands why I can't cuddle and nurse her like normal. I'm determined to get over this nursing hump and be successful. Wish me luck!

PS--I have a lot of respect for milk cows now, who spend their entire lives nursing and hooked up to suction machines. Yuk!

PPS--Why is it that double chins are so cute on babies but not so cute on adults?

My little girl is two months old!

2011-06-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

I always promised that I would not be the mom that has an album filled with baby pictures of the first child and just a sad few of the other children. Unfortunately, life gets pretty busy and I forget to take very many pictures before she's changed again. This morning at 7:22 am my little baby turned 8 weeks old! I have to argue with people at stores about it, but I promise that she really is that old. Very petite still, but now at two months. She's looking more and more like me, I hope, but still the spitting image of her brother.

I just had to share a really funny story that happened yesterday after bathtime:

Max points to Kizzie's herniated belly button (which is poking out about an inch or so) and says "Wee Wee". "No" I said, "It's not her wee wee, it's her belly button. See, you have a belly button, here (pointing) and she has a belly button here (pointing to hers)". He continued to stare at me with a perplexed look on his face and then pointed to his penis and said "No Mom, it's a wee wee". After about five minutes of this, I gave up. Jack says that I can't tell her when she gets older that her older brother thought that her belly button was a wee wee. Don't try to argue anatomy with a five year old. We're still trying to explain to him that his boobies don't make milk like mommy's.

Love you all. Sorry that my posts center around kids lately. It's pretty much all that I do. Maybe when we move to Flagstaff I'll hang out here and there with people my age.

eating and growing

2011-06-16T16:45:00.000-07:00

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Max absolutely LOVES his sister! Every day he begs me to let him hold her. He got so tickled when I took these pictures that he was giggling uncontrollably. I'm sure he can't wait until she can actually play with him. I love my kids!!!!!!

ps--Sorry that this is short on words. I'm typing one handed.

Channeling Colonel Sanders

2011-05-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some pics of Max in his homemade seersucker suit. Made by me and fixed by Granny. Darn tailored pants! Granny was a lifesaver! Now he looks like a true Southern gentleman. The other pic is one that Max took of me doing what 95% of my day consists of--feeding and burping Kizzie.

She's here!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-02T11:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday was the big day. To give you a summary of the debut of my little sweetie:

Mom and I were walking around Walmart and I was having pretty regular contractions. Called the doc and he told me to go to the Payson hospital for them to check me out. Payson hospital said that I was dilated just a little bit more and my doctor told me to run down to Phoenix before my water broke.
I made it to Phoenix and they said, sigh, that I was still only 5 centimeters dilated and irregular contractions. Basically, that means that I was still in labor limbo. So, my Phoenix doctor told them to encourage me to go into labor so that I wouldn't have to go back home. Yayyyy!
After being "encouraged", still no dice. I was getting bored and worried. Then came the fateful, "we have decided to give you pitocin" statement. Woweee. When that stuff kicked in, my contractions were REALLY REALLY REALLY hard. Think three minute long contractions that felt like they were going to split me in two. I endured the agony for as long as I could while the Prince William pre-wedding show was on in the background. I finally opted for an epidural, and . . . heaven. God bless anesthesia! I was able to joke around about crazy British hats and take a nap. Then the doctor broke my water! A very very short 45 minutes later, all of the sudden I was dilated to 10 and ready to go! Then thirty minutes of pushing and I got to meet my beautiful daughter. She looks like a delicate version of Max, with dark hair and blue eyes. A little more mellow and a lot less dramatic than my first born, Kizzie is a nice addition to our family. Max was not too impressed when he saw her in the hospital. The "It's a Girl" balloon was much cooler! Hopefully he will adore her as much as we all do. Here are some before and after pics of little Kiz.

Born Friday morning at 7:22
6 lbs. 9 oz.
18 inches long

Twiddling my thumbs

2011-04-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Here are my stats so far:

Number of girlie movies watched 1
Number of quick read mystery novels read 2
Number of times I've been at the hospital 2
Number of babies born 0

Whew! After two false alarms and getting Jack's hopes up, Kizzie's still not here. The good news is that (according to the nurse) when I actually start to "really" go into labor, it will probably progress pretty fast. I personally object to the term "false" labor. It hurts just as bad as real contractions, makes me want to throw up, and gets my hopes up. Good thing I'm not the only mom that comes into labor and delivery and then has to get sent home. The contractions I had yesterday, although not consistent and not moving things along, were hurting pretty bad. My doctor gave me a prescription for Ambien so that I could get a good night's sleep and my body could still do it's thing. I've never taken sleeping pills before. Let's just say that it's a good thing that I waited to take it until I was home, or mom would have had to carry me out of the car. I slept really, really hard. I even probably drooled on myself, but didn't notice it when I woke up. I hope and pray that Kizzie comes soon. I miss my husband and my crazy son.

She's coming . . . no wait, she's not coming.

2011-04-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Wow, talk about DRAMA. On Monday we went from doctor putting me on bed rest to Tuesday going into heavy labor and being airlifted in a helicopter to Phoenix. No, Kizzie's not here yet. Sigh. We were all geared up to be parents again as I was saying goodbye to Jack and Max in Payson and being loaded into the helicopter (crying). I just knew that Jack wasn't going to make it to Phoenix before they gave me a c section. Alas, when they got me to St. Joseph's in Phoenix, my contractions were good and stopped, thanks to the magnesium that they gave me in Payson. Yukky stuff, by the way. But there was good news, not only does St. Joe's have the best NICU unit in the valley, but they can do Vbac (Vaginal birth after C section). So I am just bound and determined now to try Vbac. The doctor kept me on ice (figuratively speaking) at the hospital until today, when I officially hit the 36 weeks mark, which means that Kizzie can be born without "premature" complications. It also means that my insurance wont pay for me to stay at the hospital anymore. So I'm free, so to speak, and hanging out in Phoenix at my aunt's house in Tempe until Kizzie decides to start up a ruckus again. I could go back to Payson now, and have a C section, but three days of listening to babies being born all around me and thinking of the recovery time and avoiding surgery (I am a wuss when it comes to possible pain) makes me really want to give Vbac a go. So my mommy is staying with me here in Phoenix, Max is still hanging out with grandma number two in Sierra Vista, and Jack is returning to Pine to write his school papers and catch up on a week's worth of missed assignments. Doctor says that Kizzie could come any time. She may come tomorrow, or wait a week. We shall see. Meantime I am encouraged to resume normal activities (aka, no more bed rest) and am looking forward to watching a girlie movie with my mom. Jane Eyre awaits!

PS--three days of mindless cable TV has made me realize that I really don't miss it. Mountain backwoods living has made a pioneer woman out of me. Now, quick-read mystery novels are a whole different story altogether . . .

Another Belly Picture

2011-03-27T21:01:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

The really weird thing is that when I go to school tomorrow, the kids who haven't seen me in two weeks will notice how much my belly has gotten grander. We're almost six weeks away folks! I really don't have anything else clever to say, so I will go take a really hot shower and go to sleep. Oh yeah, here's another cute picture of Max listening to "Uncle Kia" make a techno version of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", while I'm trying to brush his teeth. He is such a little DJ in training.

ps--The boo boo on Max's eye is where Bruce bit him for teasing him with food. Don't mess with a fat, middle aged dog.

The offending body part

2011-03-26T08:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of little Kizzie from last week. She's about four pounds and kicking . . . literally. Just in case you can't decipher the ultrasound pics, the first one is her foot, the second one is her face profile. Lately, she's running out of room in there, so I'm feeling a lot of rolls, jabs, kicks, and my favorite, pushing on my ribs until they ache.

Right now we are at 33 weeks. Seven weeks to go. Arghhh. Get this kid out of me! Max kisses his sister and tries to shout at her every day. Good thing she can already hear him, or she would freak out when she comes into the real world. Only three more days of spring break. . . sniff.

Finally . . . preggo pics!

2011-02-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

The first picture is what I look like right after school when I look somewhat fresh (ha!) The second picture is what I look like after I rip off my school clothes and get in my comfy clothes. And the face in the second picture shows you how I really feel. Sigh. . .
Sadly, I still have dinner to cook and Max to contend with.

Giuli's Top Ten

2011-02-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

My sister told me about a show where ladies that didn't know that they were pregnant have their babies in the Burger King restroom, etc. I would like to go on record and say that there is NO way that any normal person would be unaware of their pregnancy. EVEN if she had no morning sickness and was fat.
I am fat, and pregnant, and here are my Top Ten Signs That You Are In the Advanced Stages of Pregnancy:

10. Your joints loosening make you waddle like an uncomfortable duck.
9. Just drinking water gives you heartburn.
8. Putting on your shoes has become an Olympic marathon (for more than one reason).
7. You are running to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so.
6. Your patience has dwindled to the size of a grain of rice, and perhaps it is the scary look on your face that warns people that you come in contact with so that they don't get hurt.
5. Your brain function dissipates in the middle of a sentence. And we're talking sentences like "My name is . . ."
4. Strangers in public start giving you looks of pity and are giving up their seats and their spots in potty lines.
3. Small children want to hug you all of the sudden, and people want to rub your belly like you are the Buddha.
2. You feel that making it to the end of the day deserves a cookie, or at least a serious foot rub.

and

1. You can actually feel something touching your organs from the inside, on places like your bladder and stomach. Yes, there are nerves there, I promise. If I didn't know that I was pregnant, and felt these scraping and hitting sensations from the inside of my body, I would be convinced (besides the obvious answer) that an alien was about to burst from my chest and sing "Hello My Darlin" al la Space Balls. With a cane, and top hat.

Oh How Proudly He Sang . . .

2011-02-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

I just had to share this video with you. I am a lazy mama who rarely catches the really funny things that Max does on camera or video. I actually managed to get this one, and I think that you will laugh as hard as I did. We did not watch the Superbowl, but were checking our email on yahoo Sunday night and saw the story about Christina Aguliera messing up the national anthem. I just had to watch the infamous video of the whole thing, and Max was apparently impressed with her rendition. He then sat down at the piano and said that he was going to sing a "shong". This is the result, and I must say that he added his own pizazz to the performance! And since we're not exactly sure what the words are that he's singing, we can safely say that he didn't mess up the lyrics. Even if he did, he's just too cute! I think that even the harshest music critic can forgive such a lovable chunk of talent.

Ties to old family

2011-01-19T15:37:00.000-08:00

Jack and I had a wonderful experience this weekend that has caused these images of his family members to float about in my consciousness all week. We were able to go to the Mesa temple and seal together his grandparents and great grandparents. All of whom have passed on since before Jack and I were married. I just have to show you their pictures and share with you their wonderful stories!

The second picture from the top is a picture of Jack's great grandparents: Stella Mae and Aaron Wesley. After noticing his fantastic ears, you will love knowing that love really is blind. Together they had twelve children. Jack and I have their small double iron bed, and bask in the knowledge that there were good times in that bed. To quote Jack's now deceased father, "What do you think people did before television?". The first picture of the series is one taken at Great Grandpa Fleming's funeral in 1970, with Stella Mae flanked by all 12 of her beautiful children. I can't doubt her creativity, for they have the names Jack (originally Jabel) Rastee, Doc (not short for doctor, by the way), John, Ruble, Vernon, W.D. (initials not short for anything), Eloise, Louise, Effie, and Mark. I just love that picture of Stella Mae and Aaron Wesley. Stella has a little elfish look of mischievousness that I adore.

The two bottom pictures are of Jack Fleming in the navy during World War II (he's the handsome character on the far left, first row), and then underneath him his bride Mary. I cannot tell you how wonderful it is that Jack not only has his grandfather's namesake, but his dashing good looks! About the only difference that I can see is that Jack Sr. has bright blue eyes and my Jack has dark brown ones. When little Max gets a haircut, he looks so much like Jack Fleming Sr. in his later years. I have to tell you that when we had Jack and Mary sealed to each other, then their son (Jack's uncle) Gary sealed to them, I was overcome with emotion. You see, when Gary was 17, he was hit by a car and killed walking home, and the family never quite recovered fully. I cannot even fathom that kind of loss, and I felt their joy so fully that I will never forget it.

I sometimes wish that I had pictures and stories for all of the names that I've done in the temple. We've all lived and loved and cried and laughed, and the most important thing to us after it all is our family. We don't get to choose our family members, but I swear if I had a lineup of adorable little boys to choose from, I'd still choose my special Max!

Let it Melt, Let it Melt, Let it Melt. . .

2011-01-11T08:50:00.000-08:00

I love snow . . . right when it is falling and soft and flaky and white and pristine. New Year's week was beautiful. When you have nowhere to go and nothing to do but curl up by the wood stove and watch movies or make food. Luxury, by the way, when you have power in the snow :) Playing in it is fun, although snow angels are a little tricky when you are about six months pregnant. I decided to forgo the pleasure. Max's favorite snow trick is to throw himself head first into a bank and then laugh his head off. Our dog Bruce loves to play in it. I swear that our Mississippi born canine has some serious sled dog blood in him. We make snowballs and he catches them in mid-air. Here are some beautiful pictures of post snow fun in Strawberry a couple of weeks ago.

Now here is the reality. Snow is nasty, cold, and turns into icy cement after a couple of days. Jack's bug looks really cute all snow covered, then you realize that you have to dig it out of the driveway to get to work. Now all of the snow on the roads is brown and slush/ice. I've busted my butt on the ice covered parking lot at church. I'm watching stupid people from Phoenix sledding on the remnants of snow in front of WalMart. I'm tired of scraping my windshield every morning to get to work. Too Much Information Alert: my pregnant chest is aching from the chill air and I feel like a walrus disguised as an Eskimo when I dress for church. Think retro leggings with fluffy knee high socks and snow boots--all encasing swollen legs and ankles.

The sun has done an admirable job of melting a lot of it. I can actually see dried grass in patches, when it's not turned into mud, and the deadly four foot long icicles on my front porch have all gone. Hallelujah! The walkways and parking lot at school are less treacherous, and I've substituted my snow boots with sensible Velcro Mary Janes. How very stylish of me! I'm doing a little snow-melt dance here in the mountains (carefully, so as not to disturb my precarious balance), and it's slowly working. And I'm smiling, grinning from ear to ear because the crazy child doing flips in my womb is Kizzie Elizabeth Fleming. A girl!!!!!! I gladly give up my sanity and ankles and comfortable nights for this sweet blessing. We have had her name handy since before Max was born, and I have a feeling that she will take after both of her namesakes: strong and most-likely sassy Southern women who make the best of rough situations. Both Kizzie Bond and Kizzie Fleming are smiling from the spirit world and can't wait for their great great great granddaughter to be born. Right now I'm 23 weeks along; Kizzie is about a pound and head to butt measuring about 8 inches. She kicks the daylights out of me about 6 to 7 times a day and probably enjoys listening to her active big brother drive me crazy. I promise to allow someone besides Max take pictures of my prego belly and I will post them soon.

Love you all.

Just Checking in!

2010-12-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

I feel as if I've neglected my friend duties lately because of end of the year stress, but now it is Friday and I'm looking forward to two weeks of rest . . . ahhhhh. I know now that my life is going to be a lot more hectic in a few months, so I might as well take advantage of it now. The baby is doing fine. He or she has been kicking the mess out of me for days. No one else can feel it but me yet, but this child is either going to be a break dancer or a gymnast. Believe it or not, since I've been really careful about eating and walking every day to pick up the car after school, I haven't gained a pound in almost two months. Don't worry, the baby is getting plenty of nourishment. I have been craving eggs and fruit. The other day I made myself a fried egg sandwich where the yolk was runny (yuuuummmmm) and it tasted so good I actually started moaning. On the very rare occasions where I've had to grab some fast food on the run, I've gotten very sick and been running to the bathroom. Unlike with Maxwell, the thought of a Big Mac kinda makes me ill.
In just a few days we will find out whether it is going to be a girl or a boy. The secretary at my school said to me the other day "Think Pink". Actually I'd rather think purple, or magenta. We will not reveal the gender of baby Flem until Christmas, however, so hold on to your hats. I know that you all are really not interested in my pregnancy body woes, but I've lost my ankles for a few months, and I've been downing Tums like they're candy. It's all coming back to me now, let me tell you. Waking up in the middle of the night coughing up stomach acid is totally disgusting. Poor baby Max had to take baby Zantac when he was a newborn because of acid reflux. Believe it or not, I discovered that the old wives' tale about excessive heartburn meaning excessive baby hair is mostly true. I'm willing to make the sacrifice, because I think that it looks a little strange when a cute baby girl is bald and wearing one of those baby headbands. I refuse to put hair accessories on my child unless they have hair to attach it to. I think that our kids are genetically doomed to be hairy, sorry baby. I'm doing well, though, and even better now that Jack has his volkswagon running again and can drive himself home from work. Woooo Hooooo! I'll post pics hopefully of Max "driving" the bug like he did the other day. He said that he was taking me to Granny's house, and made me buckle up like a law abiding citizen. See ya later!

Hello, she's still alive and kicking!

2010-11-17T08:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, I had all of these grand ideas about announcing this will a cute picture of Max holding a sign that says "big brother", etc. But you are just going to have to use your imagination, because I'm really really tired, a little overwhelmed with housework/cooking dinner/Christmas concert for the entire school/trying to keep up with Max/and gestating. Yes, I'm pregnant!!!!!!!!!!!!

Most of you have no idea how long Jack and I have been trying (2 1/2 years) and how badly I've prayed for this. I really felt like Elizabeth in the bible, pleading and pleading for another child. Jack and I were even almost at the point of trying to investigate adoption. I'm definitely not a fertile myrtle, let's just put it that way. There are several emotions that pop up when you are trying to get pregnant, like jealousy, fear, sadness, resignation, hope, frustration. All I can say is that the Lord definitely let me sweat it out for awhile. Maybe Max needed to be older to be able to handle it, or maybe (more likely) I needed Max to be older for ME to be able to handle it.
My life is a whirlwind of doctor's appointments: specialists in Phoenix, my very cautious OB, ultrasound techs at the hospital, now maybe a psychologist? In between doctor's visits, I'm fighting with Max to get him potty trained (I've tried bribery, force, coercion, enthusiasm, all to no avail) picking up the slack for my very busy husband around the house, and trying to teach and complete my first portion of my National Board Certification. Do you get bonus points for being tired and pregnant? Right now little Fleming is 14 weeks old and doing well. I'm afraid that I have another spitfire on my hands. I can already tell. Do two crazy children equal preoccupied children that let you get things done? Or is there some kind of chemical reaction when the two collide that cause the planets to shift orbits? Only time will tell.

Hello Again!

2010-08-23T15:12:00.001-07:00

School has started again, which means that I now have access to the Internet and can resume blogging. Actually, I have a confession to make. School has been back in for almost a month and I've been blissfully keeping tabs on my peeps through their blogs, but couldn't quite muster a blog entry for myself. For those of you who probably checked my blog a few times this summer, then gave up because there was nothing new, I repent. We've moved from Bloody Basin to Peach Lane in Strawberry. We LOVE having wood floors again and space to move around. Jack has gotten over his pre-mid-life crisis and has decided to go back to school at NAU (Flagstaff) for an Art Ed/History degree. I love this school year so far, things have been great. Right now I'm seeing the world through non-existent glasses because Max broke my Gorilla Glued glasses with a fierce hug. But hey, I sure got my money's worth because they were ghetto fixed back in February. I have my eye on some purple frames. How perfect is that? I promise to model pics of them when I can see again. The only other exciting thing in my life is that I'm playing one of the twelve virgins in a Stake musical. Lucky for me I get to be a wise one. Snicker, snicker. I find it pretty ironic that there is only one out of the twelve of us that's actually a virgin. We're talking old ladies and married women. Call it creative licence. The last time that I played something for church was in high school when I was "Billie" from Billie and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Classic acting skills, let me tell you. Keanau Reves would be proud! Well, another day and another dollar. I'll try to post something more interesting, I promise.

Anti-sweatpants in Public Mafia

2010-05-21T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'll admit, there was a time when I wore pyjama pants to college classes, and the store, and a trip on the greyhound bus. But I am vehemently opposed to sweat pants in public. When I saw this ad, I laughed for a good 5 minutes. I think that a member of my family (who shall remain nameless) has those exact pants, only he wears them with a turtleneck (gag. . . ) Please let me know your feelings about sweatpants. Do they give you flashbacks of the 80s, or do they give you the uh oh feeling because perverts are caught wearing them. Please, elaborate.

Sir Robin of Loxley!

2010-05-19T08:44:00.000-07:00

Hello all. Yesterday was fantastic. Jack and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary with a movie, dinner, and a trip to Home Depot. You have no idea how long it's been since we've watched a movie in the theater, and Robin Hood was a good choice--romance for me, and arrow violence and minimal fire for Jack. Is it sad that we were cuddling next to each other during the movie, quoting Monty Python in some parts and laughing at the excessive ending? Here is my review of the movie--

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been obsessed with the Middle Ages and King Arthur and Robin Hood and all that jazz. What I've discovered over the years is that people were stinky, had bad teeth, and were lucky to live past the age of 30. The movie did a good job of depicting filthy, nasty medieval men (surprisingly, Maid Marian looked pretty fresh most of the time) and awesome, bloody battles. I was actually intrigued by the new take on the storyline. However, the ending just ruined it for me. The climactic battle between the Frenchies and England on the shore was pretty good--and then Lady Marian and her army of "feral children" (yes, they were listed as feral children in the credits!) ride into battle and start kicking butt---WHAT???? Okay, I was willing to overlook that, even though Jack and I were snickering, then there was the overly cheesy slow mo "Noooooooooooooooooooo . . . " (imagine distorted faced-Russell Crowe brandishing sword in fury) from Robin as he avenged Marian's battle wounds. Too much!!!!! And did I mention that my new favorite Mr. Darcy (Matthiew McFayden) is the skeezy Sheriff of Nottingham? If you want to distort P&P visions, just check out rotten-toothed had-to-be-reeking Sheriff. Ewwwwww.

So,

decent storyline, nice costuming, excessive violence and ruinous ending. But a fantastic date night, and I will always remember quoting "There's some lovely filth over here" to Jack's amusement, eating fried cheesecake and pretty good hamburgers, and staring into the eyes of the person I want to be with forever! I love you Jack!

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2010-05-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Hello all of the wonderful mothers out there! (And someday to be mothers) I am going to share with you some gorgeous pictures of my abuelita and abuelito on Mother's day. She is so beautiful. I hope that I look that dang good when I'm 80 years old! If I'm even half as cool as her when I'm a grandma, then I'll be happy. Gramps lucked out when he found her over 50 years ago, and they still love each other and give each other grief :) My mother's day turned out to be pretty spectacular! Max and Jack made me pancakes with berries, then Max helped me make pot roast to put in the crock pot. For the rest of the day, he smelled like garlic. Yummm! Then (I wish I had a video of this!) Max and the primary sang songs at church, which I conducted. Max was hanging over the podium, as expected, but he was singing the words that he knew at the top of his lungs and was conducting with me. How adorable is he? Then in the afternoon we got to camp in our yard with our friends from Sierra Vista, where Jack almost burned down the rental house with a gas can and a barbeque grill. I won't even elaborate on that, just imagine Jack running around the yard with a flaming gas can, waving his arms and leaving burning patches of gas in the yard--that Gary promptly stomped out with his foot. It's not very often that I get to laugh about dumb mistakes that Jack has made, because 99.99 percent of the really crazy ones are my fault, so I shall bring this even up often. Tee heee heee.

Mr. Fox is Fantastic!!!!!

2010-05-03T11:15:00.000-07:00

Jack grabbed some kids movies from the library this weekend and I discovered a treasure: The Fantastic Mr. Fox!!!!!! Turns out the only thing kid-like that kept Max's attention was the moving animals and neat yellowish coloring, but the dialogue was definitely adult. My favorite scene is when Mr. Badger (played by Bill Murray) and Mr. Fox (played by George Clooney) get into an argument in Mr. Badger's lawyer office. They start growling and spitting at each other as they circle around and around. Watch this clip and pay attention to how Mr. Fox eats--Max has been duplicating it all weekend.

Chocolate Covered Peeps and Mississippi Tornadoes

2010-04-26T15:04:00.000-07:00

I was surprised yesterday by a package from my best friend (YOU ROCK LULU!)--A huge box of dark chocolate covered peeps! What could be better than cheap marshmallow goodness made stale by sitting it on the counter for a few days? Adding chocolate, of course! Stale peeps have been my guilty pleasure for about 15 years now, and my true Giuli friends indulge my passion by buying them on sale after Easter and passing them on. My habit has been aided by living in the dry climate of Arizona. One year in Mississippi, I slashed the packages open and put them on top of the fridge. I waited and waited for them to get stale, and 6 months later they were still moist and soft--yuck! Here in Zonie land, it only takes a couple of days for them to get to their peak state of chewiness. On a similar subject, has anyone noticed that bread gets moldy very quickly in the South, but only gets very hard in more arid climates? Except good old bunny bread, which has some sort of unmentionable chemical that keeps it "fresh" for about a month.

On a more somber note, I'm a little slow on the national news because Jack and I don't have TV, but as soon as I heard about the twisters in my beloved Mississippi, I ran to school and looked it up on the Internet. I read dozens of stories and watched the videos, and almost cried when it showed all of the homes and roads devastated. My goodness, it looked just like Hattiesburg after Katrina!!!!! I can still smell the chainsaws cutting through the pine trees so that we could get out of our neighborhood. The troopers of Yazoo City have a tough road ahead of them, but in true Southern fashion, the residents and volunteers are rolling up their sleeves and gettin it done. One of the neatest things about the storm aftermath in Mississippi was attending the block "pot lucks", where everyone cleaned out their freezer and cooked it up on the gas grills for friends and neighbors. Some of the fare that we ate one night was barbecued pork, steaks, fish, and hot dogs. Once the streets were clear, everyone on my block cleaned up limbs in surrounding yards, tarped roofs, and surrounded battery powered TVs to get the latest news updates. Our good ol' neighbor, Bob, spurred by homemade moonshine, mowed the yards of the entire street in a fit of good humor one day. It was surely the most scary experience of my life to be at the mercy of Nature, but the love and support of family and friends made it bittersweet. I absolutely ADORE the wonderful people of Mississippi, and I will love them until the day I die. Please keep these folks in your prayers, and share the love-Mississippi style-with your neighbors.

Louisa May Alcott was a genius!

2010-04-15T14:28:00.000-07:00

First of all, I'd like to share with you my random teacher's lounge tear off calender quote of the week:

While faith makes all things possible, it is love that makes all things easy.

Isn't that just stinkin profound? It has been a boring, AIMS state testing week experience. I've had hallway duty. Oh, don't gasp with excitement! For 12 hours this week I've been guarding the hallway--not from intruders or masked ninjas--but from noise causing 4th and 5th graders getting rowdy while on potty break. The bad news is, I discovered that the hallway stays a frigid 60 degrees, the good news is that I've read two good books!!!!! In desperation yesterday morning I realized that I hadn't picked a new one, and grabbed an ancient one from the bookshelf that I probably haven't looked at in 17 years--"Little Men" by Alcott. It is strange how motherhood (and especially being a mother to a raggedy toddler boy) changes your perception of classic novels. I was at times rolling with laughter at the playful antics of Jo's boys, and then at other times brushing away tears as Alcott describes the search for Jo's little son Rob, who gets lost in the woods picking blackberries for his mommy. When Jo and the search party discover him, he is fast asleep in the woods, with a berry stained mouth and sweaty red face. He only eats just a few berries, despite his fearful hunger, because he was saving them for his "Marmar". After clutching him to her, Robby says "I knew that you would come!", and then proceeds to shove the berries into her mouth. Reading this novel reminds me of the sweaty dirt-stained hands that wrap so tightly around his Momma's neck and the incessant goodnight kisses bestowed upon me by my Max. I admit that I indulge him with caresses and loves and kindnesses a lot, but I don't think that he will ever fault me for not loving him enough. I am ever realizing that he is more of a miracle than I ever supposed. That unique little body and stout mind were meant to come to us, and I pray that we can grow him into a fruitful tree before long.

Max was playing beauty parlor

2010-03-01T14:36:00.000-08:00

My sister is just going to scream when she reads this email. I have only let two people in my life brush my hair when it's dry--Jack, and now Max. (They're my men, what can you say?) I was lounging on the couch last weekend when Max approaches me with a bristle brush. "Accchhh" by inner self is saying, because bristle brush + curly hair = carnage. He just looked too coy, however, and I relented. "Brush, Mama" he was saying, and for the next 30 minutes or so he proceeded to turn my hair into a rat's nest. After every stroke, he grabbed my face in his hands and said, "Pretty!" and even occasionally inserted a kiss. I was enraptured, laughing uncontrollably, and Jack was capturing the blackmail photos. I promise to share the said photos soon. Promise not to use them for evil? Love you all.

Is Max as adorable as I think he is?

2010-01-28T15:10:00.000-08:00

I need some constructive criticism. I was reading in the Parenting magazine yesterday at a doctor's appointment that Regis and Kelly are having a contest for the cutest baby/toddler with scholarships awarded to the winner. Can you believe that I'm actually considering it??? I've always hated those Jon Bonet-type mothers that try to get their child into modeling at a young age. I happened to be biased, too (He is the cutest boy in the world, right?). Wouldn't it be really neat for a child with handicaps to be honored as incredibly adorable? Maybe he could be the first kid with microcephaly to win a beauty contest? Jack doesn't seem to care one way or the other (or Max for that matter) but I'm pondering it. Tell me what you think!

More Witches (uh pictures!)

2010-01-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

More images to delight the eye!

Finally, she posts pictures!!!!!!

2010-01-04T10:21:00.000-08:00

I have promised to post pictures of my adorable son and family, etc. So here they are. By the way, you can probably tell from the pictures that we went to the Grand Canyon during Christmas break. It is beyond words.

When the weather outside is frightful . . .

2009-12-07T13:25:00.000-08:00

Right at this very moment, my kiddos are getting shipped home on the bus early from school because there is SNOW outside!!!!! Yayyyyy!!!!! Deep inside this raised Southern girl is a great excitement of snow. As a child, snow meant: no school, mom's hot cocoa, making snow angels outside until your undies were frozen, then stripping and getting in warm flannel PJ's, trying (usually unsuccessfully) to make a snow man, everyone freaking out and going to the store to buy milk and bread, and one of my most humorous memories--the Blizzard of '93. In 1993 I was 11 and it was three days before the first day of spring when a freak Blizzard, and I do mean Blizzard hit Atlanta. Lily and I went to play outside in it, and the snow was blowing so hard that we couldn't even see each other only a few feet away. Mom made us come inside when she saw on the news that little children were getting lost right outside the back door and freezing to death. Bummer! All of those snow memories are surfacing, and I realize that little Max is making some snow memories of his own. Which reminds me that I've been a slacker blogger and haven't posted pictures of Max playing in our first snowstorm of the year, the week of Halloween. I'll just whet your appitite for said pictures by saying that he's running around the back yard in "Yellow" (the new sweater that Mom made him) trying to stomp all of the powder into submission and yelling "Now, Now, Now!!!!" (as in Snow, snow snow--without the S). Love you all. I promise to post them soon, or you can take my first born child (for the night, so I can sleep).

Being Max's Mom

2009-10-22T12:26:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking alot lately about my journey so far as Max's mom. Just like other mothers, I started out loving him unconditionaly and willing to sacrifice anything to help him grow, learn, and be happy. The three years that I've been blessed with him have been at times joyful, difficult, agonizing, fun, sorrowful, and always full of surprise. I don't know why the Lord chose us to be his parents, but as always His infinite wisdom always guides us to the things that make us happy. Max has already surpassed many expectations that we had for him, and sometimes I think that his little stubborn spirit and uncanny ability to make people love him will get him through any trial. He is a special boy, with sparkling glad eyes that melt my heart in one minute, then in the next flash with rage and frustration. I cannot comprehend what his strong mind endures in that little brain of his. I have no doubt that every phase of his life will be interesting. I just hope that I'm up for it!!!!!

Good Music

2009-09-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

http://new.music.yahoo.com/videos/Sean+Lennon/Dead+Meat--35553929

As I was checking my e-mail yesterday, I followed a link on Yahoo to a story about the Beatles. Apparently, the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is not really a reference to LSD, but is based on a picture that John's son Julian drew at 4 of one of his classmates, a girl named Lucy. Lucy just died from Lupus (a disease near to my heart), and I was touched to realize that during her entire life, no one believed her claim to fame. Later on as her sickness progressed, Julian got back in contact with her and they became friends again. Maybe one day I'll get back in touch with my friend Jenny from Oakland. I still have a picture of her as a preschooler. Well, I guess that that was a confusing way to lead up to my latest find, a link to Julian's formerly estranged half brother (from Yoko--if you're wondering) Sean Lennon. I saw a video for his latest song, and it was quite shocking to see how much he looks like his dad (Thank Goodness he got his genes from the paternal side!) He actually is a pretty good singer, too. In my humble opinion. I liked this song so much that I made myself a station on Pandora of similar music. So maybe I will share other great music finds with you. Love it love it love it. Warning: You have to be in a mellow mood to appreciate the following music!

The Freaks Come Out at Walmart

2009-09-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I just had to share this picture with you. For the other pictures in the series, let me know and I can share. I believe that I've seen people like this at the WalMart on Hwy 49 in Hattiesburg.

So Sad . .

2009-09-23T12:21:00.000-07:00

It is the end of an era . . . sniff. Max has stopped taking mid day naps, and I am very dissapointed about it. If you have ever been around my son for 24 hours, you know that mid way you need a rest, and cuddling with my little/big boy has been one of the sweetest pleasures of my life. I have many many pictures of me and Max napping. From those first few exhausted weeks to just last week. I'm sure that if we do something exceptionally wearing (like swimming, or hiking, or running mommy ragged) he might doze, but the routine is gone. Sigh. I'd like to quote my uncle Doug here. He says, "A day without a nap is a day wasted". How wise!

Why The Wiggles are Good For Hyper 3 Year Olds...

2009-09-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last night, I think I might patent a new exercise regimen: Dance to the Wiggles with your Child. Don't steal my idea, or I will be very upset. Of course, you have to have a willing child to participate with you, otherwise you'll look a little psychotic doing the "cold spaghetti" by yourself. Max was in a dancing mood yesterday. So I popped our only Wiggles tape into the player (our DVD player having gone kaput), and it was 35 minutes of sheer madness. When Jack came in from outside, I don't know who looked funnier: me with my fat butt pretending to be a ballerina, or Max copying every move, even the finger poses at the end! I captured a bit to share with you from my cell phone, but Max's motions are all a blur. Hope this inspires you all to "do the monkey"!

A kareoke quiz!

2009-08-19T15:44:00.000-07:00

Hmmmmm. For some reason, I'm in the mood to sing Kareoke. And according to this quiz, I should be singing "Baby Got Back". Awesome!!!!!!

Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Baby Got Back"
You're a total show off who is willing to risk looking like a fool to get a few laughs.In fact, you'll go for the cheap laugh if you need to... because it's better than no reaction!Your friends can count on you to get a party started, and you'll party hard until you can't remember their names.You're charismatic, charming, and a total character. With or without a few drinks in you.You might also sing: "I Touch Myself," "Oops I Did it Again," or "My Humps"Stay away from people who sing: "Candle in the Wind"

Here's the link if you are curious about your "Theme song"
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourkaraokethemesongquiz/

Our berry picking excursion!!!! la la la

2009-08-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we had a really great experience, and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. whew!!!! A guy that Jack works with showed us where the motherload of raspberry bushes are up on the rim, and we spent all morning picking berries. I have never actually picked WILD berries before, and it was a blast. The coolest thing, though, was watching Max. He fell asleep in the car on the way up there, then when he woke up, he realized that he was in the woods. Now, if you didn't already know this, Max is really really really an outside boy, and he started stomping around, swinging his arms (hiking stance I guess) with his red boots on. Then he realized what daddy was doing and he started helping us pick berries. At first he just mushed them in his newly purple fingers, but then he finally tried one. "Yummmm!" he said, and I agreed with him later on in the day when I ate some on my vanilla ice cream!

I'M BACK FROM THE DEAD!!!!!!

2009-07-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to fill in the blanks of what has happened in the past month or so. Here's the abridged version:

Jack, Max, the puppies and I are living in a cute rental house in Pine, AZ.

We rented out our house in Huachuca City to really awesome people.

I started my first day of school here and I LOVE IT!!!!!

Max is going to start Pre-School on the 11th of Aug (He already has a Buzz Lightyear backback)

Jack has started working as a painter here in Pine.

I'm getting reaquainted with mosquitos.

I have my first marching parade for the HUGE 125th anniversary Payson Rodeo on the 15th of Aug. EEEEEK!!!!

I've gained all of the weight that I lost this summer during the move and subsequent stress. Sigh. Don't worry, I've got lots of shaded hilly roads to walk on here.

My principal is awesome!

I guess that pretty much covers it. My blog will be kinda sketchy because our computer has bit the dust, but I'll try to update it when I can. I love you all and I'm demanding that you come and visit me up here (as soon as I get my boxes unpacked). There's lots to love here: fishing, hiking, sightseeing, shopping, eating, playing in the snow (in the winter), looking at the beautiful views. . . .

Long Overdue

2009-06-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so these past couple of weeks have been pretty life changing. As predicted by myself, usually the Lord lets me stress and stress for months before showing me the light at the end of the tunnel right before I explode. I have accepted a job in Pine, AZ. GORGEOUS!!!!!!!! It's a really tiny small town and district, with only 120 kids K-8. (Massive sigh of relief!) It's going to be a hard road, because we have to move in about three weeks, but I'm going to love it!!! I'll give you more details later, but here are some pictures of Pine/Strawberry (or Scrawberry if you're from the south).

2009-06-04T10:27:00.001-07:00

You Are a Mint Chocolate Cupcake
You are whimsical and quite quirky. You are unlike any other person you know.You are drawn to similarly offbeat people from all walks of life.You are like a cupcake because you're unique and expressive.You have a refreshing take on the world. You're often surprising... even to yourself.

I stole this quiz from Lynley's blog. Take a few minutes and see what kind of cupcake you are.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatflavorcupcakeareyouquiz/

Goodbye, Farewell . . .

2009-05-13T16:11:00.000-07:00

This is a tribute to my mom and sister. Why is it that every time my family comes to visit, I spend the days leading up to it counting down, but when they finally arrive the time flies by so fast that I don't get to really soak them in until they leave? I feel like my grandma standing at the end of the driveway when family leaves, crying. I had so much fun with them!!!! My sis is so amazing. She's like a snake charmer with Max. I don't know what kind of Voodoo she pulled last night, but she flipped Max's mood from terror to ADORABLE at my band concert. He is so cute I could eat him for dinner!!!! You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to spending the summer with him. I've already looked up games and lessons and crafts that we can do to get out of the pre-monsoon heat. He's also going to be my Rocky coach this summer. Okay, so he's not going to be screaming "Ya Bum!" and make me punch frozen meat haunches, but I'm going to put him in the stoller and walk with him every morning. If I'm feeling really ambitious, maybe I'll jog! To get myself pumped up, I'm going to put some Moby songs on Jack's ipod, and maybe a little "eye of the tiger" action. (Cue work out sequence in slow mo) Okay, before I go to pick up my pumpkin head at day care, I'm going to say something true: no matter old you are or how many children you have, you still need your mommy. True Story.

I'm Walking on Sunshine

2009-05-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's an omen. I just read my best friend's blog and she's inspired me!!!!!!! Here she is, emerging from years of self doubt and taking life by the unmentionables and LIVING IT! I don't care if I'm working at McDonalds next year. My life is great. I have a great husband (who makes homeade noodles for goodness sake!), a goofy and adorable son (who reminds me alot of the young Tarzan), two beautiful dogs, people who love me, and CHOCOLATE!!!!!! Who cares if I've been given the sack, gained all of my pregnancy weight back and then some, bounced my mortgage payment, and not shaved my legs in weeks! I'M AWESOME!!!!!! Max doesn't care, Bruce and Darby don't care, okay so Jack wishes that I shaved my legs, but he still loves me. Here I go with today's theme song in my head "I'm Walkin on Sunshine, Ohhhh Ohhhhh, and Don't it feel GOOOD!"

QUOTE OF THE DAY!

2009-05-06T15:09:00.000-07:00

Okay,
So today has been really busy and fun at the same time. I had my dress rehersal for my 3rd graders who have a concert IN ONE WEEK (gasp!). But they sang fantastically! And the best part was that my kindergarten class was there to be a good audience, and they got so excited by the music that they started dancing around the cafeteria. (Too Cute!) After our rehersal, I stopped by the Kinder babies to tell them that I'm glad that they had fun, and one of the little darlings came up to me and said,

"Ms. Fleming, I danced and I pranced."

It doesn't get much better than that! I hope that you all have a great day where you wanted to "dance and prance".

Love you all,

The Bigger the Figure . . .

2009-04-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

I heard this Louis Prima song on a movie, and I just about DIED laughing. I had to share the love. Just listen to this beauty, and think of an inspired compilation of "chunky" songs. ("I like big butts", "Chunky", "The Bigger the Figure", "I'm Fat" (wierd Al), "Fat Bottomed Girls", "I really love you Fatty Fat" (Bad Manners), "Fat Sally" (Bad Brains) . . . ) Now why does that make me smile????

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00138BBRE/ref=dm_dp_trk5?ie=UTF8&qid=1239996939&sr=301%5F1

I'm officially fired!

2009-04-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

Okay,
So I just spent ten minutes steaming about my non-pink pink slip, and it was lost when I tried to add a picture, arrrghhhh. Now I'm too emotionally drained to rehash it, so I'll give you the abridged version. I finally officially recieved my notice of "job termination" and it's not even a pretty pink, it's white, ugly, and depressing. I'm sad/relieved/mad/depressed, and I'm going to go home and cry for a couple of hours until I have to pick up Max! I don't even have Dove chocolate in the house, damnit! I promise that the next post won't have as much angst. . . sigh.

Here's a song that expresses my mood right now.

http://www.amazon.com/These-Boots-Are-Made-Walkin/dp/B000QOEN6W/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1239311493&sr=1-10

scaling the ten foot fence

2009-04-06T13:17:00.000-07:00

I love teaching, I really do. There are days, like today, when a situation is really stressful at the time, and later on you can laugh about it. This morning, I did an activity with my 3rd graders where I wrote music notes on easter eggs and had two kids from each class hide the eggs outside for the rest of the class to find. I guess that it didn't occur to me to tell them NOT to hide the eggs inside the 10 foot chain link fence surrounding the electrical box. That's LOCKED! I keep forgetting that kids don't have common sense, though. So out comes my class, I tell them to go find the eggs, and the next thing I know, I hear a thud and one of my kids is clutching his ankle FROM INSIDE THE LOCKED FENCE. One of the boys climbed the fence to get the eggs, then JUMPED into the electrical area, spraining his foot in the landing. He's locked in, and can't get out because his foot hurts too bad to climb. I had to send two kids to the office to get someone to unlock him so that we could take him to the nurse. Geez. Does it even sound like I have a valid excuse for the principal?

Give me some chocolate.

I need a Mommy hug!

2009-04-03T15:32:00.000-07:00

I will never get over how even though I'm almost 27 years old and have my own baby, I still need a hug and loves from my own mommy. She just had surgery this past week to get her galbladder taken out and I have been worried about her. I would love to be there to wait on her hand and foot like she used to do for me when I was sick as a little girl. She always used to make me some hot tea, rub Vicks on my chest, and tuck me into the couch to watch AMC. Sometimes, she would even make me some chicken soup to soothe my sore throat. I'll never forget when I was in high school and I had my wisdom teeth taken out. She fed me frostys, and taped frozen peas to my head so that I would feel better. I hope that I help Max as much as mom helped me. Sometimes it's really hard to be so far away from my family. Maybe someday we will be close enough so that I can take care of her when she is sick, and she can give me a good mom hug when I have a rough day and want to sell my 5th graders to the circus. . . sigh.

Check out this song

2009-03-12T14:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, if you haven't seen "Madagascar 2" yet, you are missing a great thing. My new theme some is sung by the hippo Moto Moto. Here it is . . .

http://www.amazon.com/Big-And-Chunky/dp/B001NRXWYU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1236894074&sr=8-3

AAAAHHHHH, SPRING BREAK!!!!!

2009-03-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

No news is good news, right? Next week, I promise not to stress!!!!!! I'm going to play with my little man, read a good book, clean house, make comfort food, and . . . rest. (Cue William Tell Overture beginning) Last night, I was so proud of Max! He said my favorite color PURPLE, but it came out more like "pupa". I am seriously grateful that my job pays me to be home for a week right now. It's about the only thing that I love my job for right now . . . maybe I can move to Utah and help Lulu dress manniquins.

A mother's outrage

2009-03-04T13:39:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share with you a letter that I wrote late last night and shared with all of my collegues and school today. Everytime I read it, it makes me so mad that I cry, and then I get mad because I'm crying . . .

Dear Carmichael Family,
I wanted to share with you something that affects me personally and also affects you professionally. Yesterday, my husband and I attended a transition meeting to help my two and a half year old son transition to special education preschool. Some of you may know that he was born with microcephaly, a condition where his head and brain are significantly small and he consequently has motor, speech, and other developmental delays. What you might not know is that he has been receiving early intervention services since he was three months old. At the time that he began this process, the doctors did not know how severe his delays would be, or if he would even be able to be in a regular classroom. It soon was very clear that although his personality was sharp, his motor skills were very delayed. With the help of a physical therapist, he was able to roll over at 11 months old, crawl at 12 months, and walk at 16 months old. We then learned that he also has significant speech delays. At this point, after over two years of visits from Physical, Occupational, and Speech therapists, he is doing much better than we had anticipated, but still has far to come. My husband and I discovered yesterday that because of the severe budget cuts coming from the state, my son will no longer be receiving any of these services after next week. If he is able to successfully transition to Special Education Pre-School, he can once again have all of his services reinstated next school year. To my outrage, not only does this affect my son, but all children who are covered by the Blake Foundation with AZIP who do not have "severe" handicaps. Do I need to stress how important early intervention services are to our children? Max’s neurologist has told us time and time again that the most important years of a child’s brain development are before he even starts school. I am willing to take shots at my own personal career with the already devastating budget "solutions" coming from the state, but I REFUSE to allow my son to suffer because the legislators feel that these essential services can be cut! I am willing to stand and fight these problems until my fingers are sore from typing, or my voice is gone from speaking, alone, if I have to. But I am asking you to support me, and all of the children that need this help more than I can express. Please contact our representatives (again) and fight for what is right for our children.

Thanks for being my shoulder to cry on (and my ear to complain to),
Giuliana Fleming

I have recieved comments, all positive, from my fellow teachers, and I plan on sending this letter to my legeslators. I thought about taking out all of the strong language, but I really think that these decision makers in Arizona need to feel the wrath of a mother, because I'm sure that I'm not the only one who is fuming right now.

Here is the link to the Blake Foundation's webpage:

http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=AZTU_homepage

weeeoooo weeeeoooo, here comes the Waaaambulance!

2009-02-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

Okay, this is going to be a little bit of a whine fest. As I tell my kids, "Let me call the waaaambulance". Jack is in Mississippi, eating po-boys and steak, and playing with his best friends, while I am sitting here, jealous, and watching Toy Story for the millionth time. My computer has finally given up the ghost, so I can only post here from school. Max is truly the sweetest little pumpkin in the world this week, but he has given me a head cold and I wish that I was home curled up on the couch, doped up on Nyquil. I miss my friends. WAAAAAAA. Education here is Arizona is going to hell in a handbasket. WAAAAAAAA. I have to take care of my mother in law's dogs. WAAAAAAA. The kids at school are driving me crazy. WAAAAAAAA. I need chocolate. WAAAAAAAAAA. Okay, I feel slightly better. snif.

Snow Recorder fight

2009-02-10T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here's my snow/recorder experiment: take one class of really crazy 3rd graders, add plastic whistling devices, shove snow into them, and try to see who could melt the snow out of them the fastest with their "Darth Vader" breath. Result--one broken recorder, lots of melted snow in the room, children that swear they have frostbitten fingers, and the highlight of the experience is watching Mrs. Fleming's recorder "poop" snow. I wish that you could have been there. But then again, maybe you're glad.

Begrudgingly going to work in a winter wonterland . . .

2009-02-10T07:38:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to our weather story. And the picture above is what the mountains looked like yesterday. I'll give you an update as to what they look like today!!!!!

http://www.svherald.com/articles/2009/02/10/news/doc499118fa97a02371453771.txt

Okay, last night when we went to bed, Max and I prayed for a snow day, because we've had a winter storm warning. When we woke up this morning to let the dogs out, there was a serene blanket of white snow and there were snowflakes swirling around. Bruce took one look and backed up into the house, and Max just went "Woooow". He was trying to go play in the snow in his pyjamas, so we bundled him up and he went outside with Jack to check it out. Jack said he just kept saying over and over, "Oh Man!" and he laughed his head off when daddy threw snowballs at Mama behind the window. The good and really cool news, we had about 5 inches in our yard. The really depressing news, I still had to go to school today. Our superintendant is from Alaska, so chances of a snow day were pretty slim. Snif. Our kids today (the ones that showed up anyway) are just itching to play in it, so I am going to do a science experiment with snow inside of recorders. I'll give you an update later. And post the pictures. I heard that it even snowed in Tucson! CRAZY!!!!! I'm just southern enough to get all giddy when it snows, and right now, I wish that I was having a snowball fight and making snow angels!!!!

2009-01-06T12:28:00.000-08:00

Okay, so the only reason that Lulu should forgive me for not posting this is that my computer is the devil. I literally tried to post this one three times and my internet kept kicking me off!!!!! Curses to dial up!!!!! Anyway, here is my poem, and Ode to Lynley--to a tiger lily on her birthday:

Listens to me, even when I'm whiny
Yellowstone park is no feat for her
Never tells me how stupid I'm acting when I'm hormonal
Loves me enough to rush me to the ER in the middle of the night
Every moment with her watching P&P is never boring
Yells like Red from Fraggle Rock, only with angry piggy eyes
Saves me with ice cream therapy
The only person who can get me to throw away my junk
Has seen me looking like butt and still likes me
Elementary teacher librarian in the making
Bread from the Hinton's makes her swoon
Only my bestest bud in the entire world!!!!!!
Mistress of Giuli's wardrobe
Brusque, brazen, red-headed Bombshell.

I hope that you liked that last bit of alliteration!!!! If I was anywhere near you on this birthday, we would be eating Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and watching a glorious girl movie. I finally did catch on to "Mamma Mia" and I wish that I had watched it with you first :) Love you Lulu!

Christmas Carnage

2008-12-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

I'm changing the font to Georgia, well, because I am from that beautiful state!!!!!! Okay, unfortunately I was not brilliant enough to coin that unique phrase that I have named this post. It was invented by my sis, Lily, and turned into a death metal song by Jack. If only I knew how to record, then you would get to laugh hysterically too!!!! For now, just use your imagination to think of Jack screaming into his pretend microphone with distortion in the background . . . "CHRISTMAS C A R N A G E!!!!!!!!" If anyone has ever survived a Christmas with a two year old, mother-in-law, her husband, my sister, and four dogs--two of those being barky terriers, then you can imagine the scene. My favorite moment of the whole day was Max, jumping on his very large-fancy pants present from grandparents box, opening his very unexciting presents of CLOTHES from his parents, and throwing the clothes across the room while yelling "AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!" I don't blame him. If I had my choice between a bicycle video game and cheaply made clothes from Mexico, I would definitely choose the first! What I love about Max is that he can act out exactly how he feels, and no one thinks that he is strange. They just say . . . "Oh, how cute!" If only a twenty six year old mother could run around the house screaming, "If one more dog poops on my floor, and Max doesn't let me pee in peace, I'm going to GO CRAZZZZZYYYYY!!!!!" (Imagine frenzied hair pulling and blood-shot eyes) But instead, I am eating comfort food like homemade cheesecake and watching Jane Austin movies. MMMMmmmm. There is nothing like unnecessary fat to make me feel better. . .

2008-12-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

I just had my first two concerts of four this week. Last night's band concert was fabulous! I've got some squirrely ones in there, but they were able to buckle down and play pretty well. There were so many parents that there were'nt enough chairs for them all to sit in!!!! My mother in law was there, and she said that the only song that she recognized was "Mary Had a Little Lamb". I will consider that an improvement from last year!!!! One funny moment: after our first song, one of my trumpet players looks at me with a panicked look on his face and points to his horn, which is MISSING the mouthpiece!!! I had him run to the room and grab it and join us for the other songs. Talk about close call . . . it reminds me of when I had a festival performance in high school with a piccolo solo, and left my piccolo at home. Ha ha. Mr. Ryan still probably tells that story!!! It's my band Karma coming back to haunt me. It would be interesting to see if anyone else has some interesting brain fart stories . . .

Helloooo out there!!!!

2008-12-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not promising that my blog is going to be anywhere near as interesting as Lulu's, but I want to thank THE MOST FABULOUS BESTEST FRIEND IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!!!!! I have been lusting after a blog since I started following hers almost a year ago. Now I have joined the relm of many a mormon mom, but the difference is that I'm almost crazy busy with school, and LIFE. I'm commiting to keep you all updated on my sanity and post pictures, because we all know that you really want to be looking at my adorable son instead of me. Maybe during my two weeks of respite, I will post more than a few times. (If I can peel myself away from Max to type for a few minutes!) Love you all!!!!!!!!!!

Deck the halls of my new blog
Fa la la la la la la la la . . .

MERRY CHRISTMAS GIULI!!!

2008-12-12T13:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope that this blog brings you a whole new realm of happiness. I'm glad that now I can delve into your world just like you can delve into mine. Please know that I love you so much, and I hope that you will let me know any way I can help or any way I can change your blog.

Merry Christmas, and you better post something soon!

Lynley

2008-11-15T10:21:00.001-08:00

TESTING TESTING 123