My Love Bugs

De Wind...

2012-01-08T20:01:00.003-05:00

De wind is what comes after one of Maddie's stories. As in...

Girl makes me laugh!!

WMD

2012-01-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Maddie has a temper.

For those of you who have never seen it, that may come as a surprise. For those of you who have bared witness to it, you know it can be hot and intense...blow your hair back!

As her verbal capabilities have increased, the expression of her anger has changed from hitting, kicking, and screaming at you to verbalizing her frustration.

Her latest phrase of choose when she is really mad:
I wanna smash the whole world!

How is she going to smash the whole world?

With her gym, gym shoe of course!
These shoes my friends are weapons of mass destruction!!

MIA

2012-01-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, December 17, Luke lost his first tooth. It had been loose for weeks and wiggly for days. There was even another tooth growing in behind it. Yikes! The baby tooth finally was just hanging on by a thread, so Luke worked it and it finally come out. He was so excited because this meant the tooth fairy was going to be paying him a visit. Woo-hoo!

When Luke came home on Wednesday, December 21, we noticed a second tooth was missing. We questioned him but he had no recollection of loosing it. What, what?

Does that freak anyone else out?

Christmas 2011

2011-12-31T20:27:00.006-05:00

It's been quiet on the blog lately but I didn't want to leave 2011 without posting about Christmas. Just doesn't seem right :)

We had a low-key Christmas Eve (just the four of us at home) which was nice. Despite the relaxing evening, we forgot to put the "reindeer food" on the lawn and leave cookies for Santa. I'm not sure how that happened. Maybe we got a little too relaxed :)

I'm never sure what Christmas Eve/Christmas morning will hold for us. Will the kids have a hard time falling asleep? How early will they be up? Will we be able to eat breakfast before we open gifts or will the kiddos head right for the tree?

This year, Luke and Maddie fell asleep right away. I heard Luke tell Maddie that Santa wouldn't come until they were fast asleep and sleep they did! They woke up at 6:13 am and it was down stairs to open their stockings and have breakfast. (I still can't believe I get away with having breakfast before we open gifts. I would've freaked as a kid!!)

Luke and Maddie opening their gift from Santa.

Luke studying his Lego Harry Potter video game. He LOVES playing video games!!

Maddie has always enjoyed a good chair and this Rapunzel
chair has been at the top of her Christmas list this year.

After everyone had a chance to play with their toys and get dressed for the day, it was off to the Mancini's for Christmas morning part two. So fun!!

Maddie hanging with Aunt Kate

Three - yes three - Harry Potter movies. Oh, my!

(Dan, Luke, Anna, Kate, me, Cristee, Nick, and Maddie)

The family getting ready to chow down. Love these peeps! It was a great day celebrating the birth of Christ and hanging out with the family. We are incredibly blessed!!

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T21:19:00.004-04:00

The kiddos love Halloween. In fact, Luke claimed Halloween was his favorite day of the year. I'm going to go out on a limb and say he really didn't think that statement through... But I digress.

Celebrating Halloween was interesting this year. This was Luke's first experience of not dressing up in his costume for school. Luke was trying hard to not freak out as Maddie was getting her costume on this morning. I must admit it seemed strange even to me. After I dropped Luke off in the carpool lane, I parked and went into the school office to double check. Sure enough, no costumes in kindergarten. So sad!

Maddie left the house ready to participate in the Weekday Costume Parade and then tragedy hit. Long story short - Maddie had an accident in the car and couldn't wear her costume in the parade. Yeah, she was crushed. Poor girl!

But the Mancini Family rallied and headed out after dinner to partake in trick-or-treating!

Rapunzel and Darth Vader - a very scary combo!

She is one cute little girl!

He is getting so big!

They got a bit of a workout running up and down driveways and navigating stairs. I swear they both fell asleep not more then five minutes after their head hit their pillows. They were TIRED! Maybe Halloween is my favorite day of the year too. Hum...

Roller Coaster

2011-09-27T08:36:00.000-04:00

That's what Maddie calls her scooter.
Girl makes me laugh!

I'm not sure what the face was all about. She was loving riding on the roller coaster. I wonder if I caught her while trying to stop or something. Who knows? Even with the face, I think she is still a super cutie!

Welcome Fall

2011-09-24T20:30:00.008-04:00

The first day of fall was yesterday. Yahoo! I absolutely love the fall. Yes, I adore summer with time spent at the pool as a family, playing in the water, reading novels that I consider "mind-candy", and enjoying the sun's rays. But I also love the change from summer to fall. I love the cooler weather and enjoying outdoor activities that don't involve sunscreen and a bathing suit :)

Today it was crisp fall day in the ATL - a cool 79 degrees. So, of course I was in the mood to bake! I decided to fully embrace the fall season and baked a...

homemade pumpkin pie.

It may seem too early in the season for pumpkin pie but this pie is so stinkin yummy. This pie is like "slap your momma" good.

My secret to baking a delicious pumpkin pie?

Find an awesome recipe and follow the instructions to the letter.

Ha! In all seriousness, that is my secret for all of the dishes I cook. This pumpkin pie recipe is from America's Test Kitchen. It's a little bit involved but the results are awesome.

Fall never tasted so good :)

Maddie, do your face!

2011-09-16T12:40:00.002-04:00

When she isn't giving me hell, she is making me laugh!

Saying goodbye to the A-Man

2011-09-12T17:15:00.006-04:00

Today was a very sad day. Today we said goodbye to our 19 pounds of pure personality...

Austin D. Powers: International Man of Mystery

He was selfish. He would get his dog tags in his mouth as a puppy and growl at you if you tried to touch them.

He was devious. He once brought in a charcoal briquette from outside, hid it under a chair, and then waited for us to leave to get it out and play with it all over our living room.

He was smart. After going through obedience lessons, he behaved like a show dog but only on the black lash we used during the training. On the flexi-lead, he was a complete jackass.

He was like black velvet. After he was groomed, his coat felt just like a piece of velvet. So soft!

He never ran away. Why would he run when home had all the comforts he needed?

He was fickle. He favored the person who was in charge of taking care of his needs.

He was social. He assumed that all visitors were here to see him.

He had a classic Napoleon complex. He was small but mighty. He insisted on always being the alpha-dog.

He was love. For 13.5 years, he unconditionally loved us and thought we were the best people. We were his pack. I wish I was half as awesome as my dog thought I was.

I'm going to miss you A-man. You will be remembered as the best dog ever.

All in a day's work...

2011-09-08T20:02:00.010-04:00

This post is for those who wonder what I do for a living. You know I work for a church and you see the status updates about wonderful volunteers, circles, connecting peeps, life change, etc. and you wonder what does that girl do? Well, here is a brief look for those of you remotely interested or extremely bored at this moment ;)

Bottom line - I help people who attend my church connect into small groups. The main way we do this is by holding a two-hour event where people have the opportunity to meet people in their same stage of life, same area of town, and choose which group they would like to join.

We take our auditorium which seats about 3,000 people and clear it out!
(And by "we" I mean our awesome facilities team. They rock!)

We then turn the auditorium into what we call a Starbucks on steroids.
There are cafe tables, living room arrangements, coffee, and desserts.

Here's a picture of the stage.
I include this just because I think our production team is completely AWESOME.

Below is a picture of approximately 700 women forming groups at the event on Friday night. Wow!

Here they are at a photo booth in our lobby taking pictures with their new small group.
How fun!

We form men's groups on Thursday, women's groups of Friday, and the married couples' groups on Saturday night. It takes about 150 trained volunteers and about 8 weeks of planning and working on tasks to pull off the weekend. We work hard to organize all the details of the weekend and then watch as God shows up and connects 1,377 people into small groups. Wow!

Of course, I don't do this by myself. I work with two fabulous women who are very talented and gifted. Here is Amy with our Married Couples' Event Team.

Amy is in the second person from the left in the front row. She is a wiz at logistics, processes, and details. She also loves leading our Event Teams.
Doesn't she look like she having a ton of fun?!

Here is a picture of Jill and I after the last event...

Jill is responsible for connecting the men and women into groups. I'm so grateful for her and her leadership. She is not only awesome to work with but a wonderful friend!

I LOVE MY MINISTRY!!

Dan and I've been involved in small groups since 1996 and love having a community of people who are tracking with us. We love circling up weekly with five other couples and looking at God's word together and talking about what is going on in our lives. It's where we are known. This has been a way of life for us as a married couple even before it was my job.

I feel so blessed to get paid to do something I'm so passionate about and for the privilege to be a VERY small part of what God is doing. I'm ridiculously blessed!

And if you have made it this far into the post, I'm also seriously impressed :)

Pink

2011-09-07T16:03:00.002-04:00

Now that's a lot of pink!!

Pea is Alive!

2011-08-28T10:20:00.000-04:00

Maddie's favorite CD (or DBD as she calls it) is North Point Live: Awake. She would listen to this CD 24/7. And I'm not exaggerating. Of course, as a parent my heart swells up when Maddie is belting out worship songs. It helps me feel like I'm doing my "job" as a parent and influencing her to grow in her love for and knowledge of Christ.

Her favorite song is God is Alive. She loves to the sing the following line:

He is alive, He is alive. And we are free!

However, she has done a slight modification to the words:

Pea is alive, Pea is alive. And we are afraid.

Yeah, I'm rocking it out as a parent!

Angry Eyes

2011-08-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

On the way to the beach in July, the kiddos watched Toy Story 2. Dan and I laughed at the scene where Mrs. Potato Head packs Mr. Potato Head's "angry eyes" just in case he needed them.

She may be wearing sunglasses but I'm pretty sure she is also wearing her angry eyes.
Next time we need to pack her "happy eyes"!!

Love her!

2011-08-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 6th Birthday

2011-08-21T08:00:00.002-04:00

Six years ago today, I learned what it meant to have my heart walk around on the outside of me. This very active, extremely verbal, creative, empathetic, highly emotional, always thinking, and funny little boy changed my life. I feel so blessed that God decided that I should be this boy's mommy. He is such a source of joy in my life and I'm so grateful for this little man.

Happy 6th birthday, Luke! Your mommy loves you very much!

Celebrating the Boy!

2011-08-20T19:05:00.006-04:00

Luke turns 6 tomorrow. How crazy is that?

The theme for this family party was Iron Man. Power up!

It's a well documented fact that I'm all about the birthday cake. I decided to make Luke's cake this year instead of doing a bakery cake. (It's a long story and I won't bore you with the details.) So, I did a little research and give it my best try.

I realize Ace of Cakes won't be calling me anytime soon but I thought it wasn't a bad first attempt. (BTW, all my research indicated writing on a cake is the hardest thing to do. I'm here to confirm that statement is true!)

He blew out all six candles in one breath.
He was pretty satisfied with himself!

Such a fun kid!

Love this little dude!

K-Boss!

2011-08-08T20:34:00.003-04:00

Today was the first day of kindergarten and of course Luke rocked this big transition as he usually does. A little bit nervous but not anxious. A tad excited but acting pretty nonchalant about the whole thing. Such a little dude!

I tried to get some pictures of him but this was pretty hard to do. It was dark in our house because it was so early and using the flash with Luke gives you icky pics. So, here is the best shoot of him:

Luke navigated carpool like a pro and jumped out and went right into school. I don't think he even looked back (sniff, sniff). It really is strange to watch your baby become responsible for himself. To watch him grab his book bag, lunch box, and head off into school. The child who seems incapable of completing a simple task without numerous reminders is now going off into the world. It really is surreal. (Side note: I hadn't prepped Maddie for the strange woman who would help Luke out of the car and sweep him away. She freaked out. Not good!!)

Maddie and I then parked the car and brought Luke's supplies to his classroom. He was already in his seat and coloring when we arrived. We dropped off his supplies and Maddie got to tell Luke a proper good-bye, which made her very happy. There was a little girl at Luke's table who was really upset about her mom leaving. Crying and screaming...the whole bit. Luke looked a tad concerned and before he could get upset, Maddie and I quickly left the room. When we got to the hallway Maddie said, "She freakin me out!" Funny, I was feeling the same way.

At the end of the day, Maddie and I picked up Luke and then we went to Dairy Queen to celebrate the first day of school. I made him tell me all the details about his day. I wanted the play-by-play but I think I only got the highlight reel (why must boys frustrate their mommies with a lack of detail?). I asked if he had any "friend prospects" and he said he had one. That dude is so friendly I'm sure they'll be best buds soon :)

As for me, how am I doing now that my firstborn is in Kindergarten? I haven't had time to process. There has been no time to stop, get lost in my thoughts, and really evaluate what I'm feeling. The day has been packed with getting kiddos out the door, carpool, Maddie telling me she had to go pee while we were driving on the highway, back-to-back meetings at work, carpool, ice cream, pool time, dinner, baths, and now blogging to document this milestone. It has been a full, full day.

I think God may have planned it this way. He knows how I'm wired and I think he was being very gracious to me by keeping me busy today...

My baby is growing up...sniff, sniff...

Excited and a Little Nervous

2011-08-01T19:22:00.003-04:00

There are only three more morning commutes to Buchkead Church left with Luke.
The six years have flown by.
I asked Luke if he was excited about going to kindergarten.

He said he was excited and a little nervous.
Yeah, me too!

GNO - Girls Night Out

2011-07-22T20:07:00.010-04:00

With the boys out seeing Captain America, Maddie and I were footloose and fancy free on a Friday night. Woo-hoo! What can two wild and crazy girls do in Atlanta on a Friday night? Go paint pottery, of course!!

I decided I wouldn't paint my own piece but focus on teaching Maddie how to paint the pottery. There were so many fun pottery options to choose from and I successfully steered Maddie towards choosing a plate. I know that isn't the most exciting choice; however, the plate seemed like it would be the easiest thing for her to paint. We painted the plate pink and lets face it that's the most important thing as far as Maddie is concerned!

I made the design in the middle with a stencil (it'll be dark purple after it is fired) while Maddie "wrote" her name on the table. Then we made poke-in-dots as Maddie says. She got a bit crazy so I did a little clean up and we tried again.

Much better :)

Maddie tried her hand at working with a stencil.

The back of the plate.

As we drove home Maddie said, "I paint good. I paint great. I paint awesome!" Girl has some self confidence! Love it!

We stopped and got a special treat at Bruster's and then it was home to watch "Strawberry Shortcake Movie: Sky's the Limit." My girl's night out activities sure have changed over the years and I'm more than okay with that!!

Synchronized Inner Tubes

2011-07-10T22:03:00.006-04:00

Here is what we do for fun on the weekends....

I hope that didn't make you dizzy :)

Building Sand Castles

2011-07-07T19:50:00.000-04:00

Our last day at the beach, the ocean was pretty full of seaweed. Icky! So, we built some castles.

Maddie loves when we all play together. Look at that smile!

Luke was a big helper!

Maddie's job was to fill the bucket of water to fill up our moat.

She was very on task!

Of course, Luke had to do some on the job "coaching".

Ta-da! Our own little castle by the sea :)

Luke at the Beach

2011-07-05T10:00:00.000-04:00

Luke loves the ocean. He likes the sand too, but he adores water. He spends almost all of his time in the water playing in the waves.

He goes out to meet the wave.

As the wave approaches, he starts running back to the shore.

The wave crashes into him and knocks him down.

And he starts to float away with the undertow.

I'm not going to lie, this would scare me at times.

Here is a conversation Luke and I had at dinner:

ME: So, how was Day 2 at the beach, Luke?
LUKE: Good, but not great.
ME: How come?
LUKE: I got knocked around pretty good out there.

This little dude makes me laugh! I love how his mind works!

Heavenly!

2011-07-04T16:30:00.000-04:00

Summer for me is about spending time with the fam in the sun by the pool or better yet...

with my feet in the sand by the ocean. Ahh!!

Mads at the Beach

2011-07-03T19:31:00.005-04:00

Maddie doesn't really like going into the ocean. She can't go out very far and the waves just knock her right over. Poor thing! The good news is she likes the sand. A tad surprising given her love of order and cleanliness. I can't imagine where she gets that :)

Watching Luke and Daddy play in the ocean from the comfort of her beach towel.

Inspecting her hands that are covered in sand.

How nice that someone else dug a hole for her to sit in :)

This was about as far as she wanted to go into the water.

Post-beach tiredness is awesome and cute!!

Bugs!

2011-06-27T22:35:00.001-04:00

Maddie had her first nightmare. Wow, it was intense! In the middle of the night, she started screaming and you could tell she was terrified. I ran down the hall, scooped her up in my arms, and whispered in her ear to calm her down. And, thankfully, she eventually did. As I was talking to her, it became clear that her nightmare had to do with bugs. She said over and over again that she didn't like the bugs and that she was afraid of them.

I can dig that fear because I (like most gals) have a huge hatred for bugs. Yuck!! I've never had a nightmare about bugs but I felt like I could sympathize with her. Until the next day I realized these are the "bugs" she's afraid of...

Yep, Maddie is afraid of these purple and green bushes. She will tell you she doesn't like big bugs or small bugs. Please don't ask me to explain why she calls them bugs because I have no clue!

The funny thing about Mads is we can try to correct her but she won't use the correct word. She will REFUSE to...until she is ready. Then and only then will the incorrect word become a distant memory.

That girl is something! She completely owns my heart!!

Play Ball!

2011-06-19T20:20:00.007-04:00

Since Luke started t-ball last spring, there have been many sessions of playing catch and batting practice in our yard. All of this time, Dan has been using the mitt he had when he was a little dude playing t-ball. So, he requested a new mitt and Father's Day just seemed like the right time to receive such a gift. Nothing says DAD like throwing around the ball in the backyard!

Happy Father's Day, Dan. You are an awesome dad and we love very much!!

Big Girl Bed

2011-06-05T19:53:00.004-04:00

At dinner on May 3, Maddie announced, "I want a big girl bed for my burrfday. I don't want seep in a cwib. I not a baby. I a big girl." How do you argue with that?

She later said she wanted a butterfly big girl bed. Which was good because I had already purchased the bedding. Phew!!

I knew from Luke's transition from crib to toddler bed that there would be a lot of empty wall space once we took down the crib. So, I purchased wall appliques that matched her bedding. Now her side of the room is very girlie and fun!!

The bummer is I didn't realize I needed to clean the wall before I applied the wall appliques. So, the appliques are lifting up from the wall. Seems I will need to start over. Boo! Live and learn, right?

That there my friends is one happy girl with her big bed! This morning when she got up the first thing she did was straighten out her covers and make her bed. Love her!!

Birthday Girl

2011-06-04T21:21:00.010-04:00

My beautiful Mads is 3

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Graduation Day

2011-06-02T22:15:00.005-04:00

Today was a bittersweet day...

Luke had his preschool graduation today. Look at that cap and gown. Too cute, right!?!

Yes, his cap was covering his eyes for most of the ceremony. Crazy kid!

The ceremony was so good. Miss Handley read a letter to each student and then had three words to describe them. The three words for Luke were:

Cleaver, Imaginative, and Charming

Luke's graduating class

I'm so grateful for all of the Buckhead Church Weekday teachers who have walked with Luke over the last six years. Starting with Miss Kristin and Miss Katie who loved on him when he was a baby and helped me get him on a sleep schedule. Miss Ashley who was so patient when he was potty training and taught him all about colors, shapes, counting and the alphabet. Thank you Miss Tatum, Miss Handley, and Miss Leah for teaching him important things like reading and math concepts but more importantly about Jesus and how to be a good friend and leader.

Thank you for investing in my son and for loving our family. You have been a tremendous blessing to us and we are so extremely thankful for you!

Thank you!

2011-05-02T08:30:00.000-04:00

I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for your words of encouragement, prayers, meals, fun care packages, flowers, and cards. I felt so loved on and I'm very grateful for all of you. I wouldn't want to do this thyroid journey again but it has once again shown me how ridiculously blessed I am. I have an awesome community of peeps around me and I love you guys.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for caring for me and the fam! Thank you for being a bright spot. You're the best!

Help on the Journey

2011-03-30T09:24:00.005-04:00

In the book "Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No-To Take Control of Your Life" the authors talk about this idea of carrying your own backpack versus carrying boulders. Here is my paraphrase... Everyday life is filled with ups and downs. We all have annoyances and bumps in the road that we are to deal with - this is our own backpack to carry.

Then there are times in life when you have to deal something major. Something you can't deal with on your own and you need the help of others - those events are the boulders of life.

My issue is I like to stuff the boulders of life in my backpack and try to walk on my own. I look at those around me and say, "I got it!! I don't need any help. I'm doing alright." Then as I try to step forward the weight of the boulder starts to crush me.

Oh, I'm pretty good at keeping up the facade that things are going well. I will work hard on that image. However, those closest to me (like Dan, Luke, and Maddie) feel the effects of my crushing. They are on the receiving end of my lack of patience, the curtness, tiredness, and the anger. Those I love and care for the most get the worst. This is so unfair to my family and my behavior makes me so sad.

At the beginning of this thyroid journey, my wonderful friend and co-worker, Jill, encouraged me to let others help. Let people pray for me and let them help me carry this burden to lighten my load. Life has handed Jill some huge boulders in her young life and I've had the privilege to watch her deal with those in an amazing way. So, I pretty much view her as an expert and decide to take her advise. If not for my own sake, for my family's.

It hasn't been easy for me to let people help. Sometimes I've felt like Maddie (who is two), "I'll do it myself!" Sometimes I thought allowing myself the margin to hurt and heal was too extravagant...too much of a luxury. Like I'm buying myself a mansion or something. Oh, to live in my head...

I'm so thankful God let me see how unhealthy my coping skills can be. I'm so grateful for Jill's advise, encouragement, and example. I have learned so much through this process. I'm so thankful for the amazing help that I've had on this journey. This boulder did not crush me because many hands made light work!

So extremely grateful!
Misti

Surgery Update

2011-03-24T19:52:00.002-04:00

Well, I'm on the backside of surgery and recovering nicely. The surgery on Friday was--well--surgery. What can I say? It's never pleasant having an organ removed from your body. However, I found the experience much more doable once we had the pain under control. Phew!

On Tuesday, I got the pathology report and the thyroid did have a cancerous tumor. So, the good news was we didn't remove a healthy organ for not. The bad news was we were now dealing with the "C" word. Ugh!

I meet with my endocrinologist this morning and she informed me that she didn't see a need for the standard treatment which is radioactive iodine. Since she caught the tumor when it was so small, and considering my age, my health, and family history the risks of radioactive iodine outweighed the benefits. Yahoo!! To say I'm excited would be a slight understatement!

The taming of the medication beast begins tomorrow. It turns out the functions your thyroid performs for you are kind of important. Bet you never even thought to say thanks, have you? :) With that said, modern medicine is pretty fabulous and they have some pretty good meds to pick up the slack of the missing thyroid. Of course being the results orientated gal that I am, I'm glad to have the surgery phase behind me and looking forward to tackling the medication phase. Booyah!

Hope for the Journey

2011-03-11T23:51:00.003-05:00

As I was reading "Mere Churchianity" by Michael Spencer (The Internet Monk) this evening, I read a paragraph that nicely described my hope. Here is the paragraph on page 147:

In every moment when I am winning, Jesus is with me. And in every moment when I am losing, Jesus is with me. At any moment when I am confused, wounded, and despairing, Jesus is with me. . . . Because I belong to One whose resurrection guarantees that I will arrive safely home in a new body and be part of a new creation, I miraculously, amazingly, find myself continuing to believe, continuing to move forward, until Jesus picks me up and takes me home.

Friends - this life/world is crazy. There are joys and there are heartaches. There are successes and failures. There are times when life is comfortable and times when it's horribly uncomfortable. There are times when nature is simply breathtaking and times when it's destructive.

My hope is not in my circumstances. My hope is in Christ and eternity spent with God. The God who loved me and rescued me. That's it.

And what a wonderful hope it is!
Misti

Upside Down

2011-03-04T16:39:00.000-05:00

Just in case my last post made you wonder if I've lost my sense of humor:

Mads likes to put her sunglasses on upside down. She's a crazy girl!!

I'm angry!

2011-03-03T18:46:00.002-05:00

I'm just mad. Like really mad.

I don't want to spend time researching total thyroid removal and thyroid cancer.

I'm upset that I currently have very little room to think about family, friends, and my work. Too much of my energy is being consumed with thinking through decisions and processing conversations with doctors and those who have been on this path.

I'm upset that my normally low amount of patience is completely tapped out. I go from fine to pissed in about two seconds.

I miss having mental and emotional margin. I'm having a hard time rolling with changes. Ugh! My life is too full for all of this!

Annoyed that I feel angry about my situation because I know people around me are struggling with their own challenges.

Physically, I feel fine. In fact, I feel pretty dang good. So, why do I have to have a surgery which will cause me pain and will most likely make me feel like crud for awhile?

Bottom line - I'm grieving the loss of being a pretty healthy person and I'm just angry about it at the moment.

Words for the Journey

2011-03-02T10:14:00.003-05:00

Psalm 62:5-7

Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

As I went through my scripture memory cards this morning, this verse was the first one I pulled out. How cool is that! This is what my heart is meditating on today as I prepare for my appointment this afternoon.

For those of us who are hurting, waiting, looking for hope - I pray God would grant you rest and hope for today because he is the only one who can.

Thankful for rest!
Misti

A Journey...

2011-03-01T13:09:00.006-05:00

Hey friends! I know it has been awhile since I've updated here. Life got busy and yada, yada, yada...

But I've begun a little journey and felt this would be the best way to communicate it to the peeps who don't see me everyday but we keep tabs on each other via social media ;)

A couple of weeks ago I had a biopsy done on my thyroid. I received the results on Thursday and it came back as suspicious for papillary carcinoma (cancer). The Endocrinologist has recommended that the thyroid be completely removed and I meet with a surgeon tomorrow afternoon to talk about what is next.

Those are the facts. The feelings?

Well, I feel like I'm on a roller-coaster ride at the moment. I do a big drop, then I climb up again and realize it's going to be okay, only to ride back down again. This came as a shock to me and I've been processing and trying to wrap my mind around what is ahead of me.

I'm currently stirred but not shaken.

I'm not sure how much I'll blog about this. I plan to and I'm sure there will be Twitter and Facebook updates. Feel free to ask me about how things are going if you want to or feel free to not :) I'm aware this is central in my world but not for everyone else.

Thanks for the prayers, love, and support I've already received. I'm thankful for the amazing community God has provided.

Chat with you soon!
Misti

Kroger Meltdown

2010-11-06T20:44:00.005-04:00

It was bound to happen. I'm surprised it took this long. In the five years I've been a parent, I've never experienced the full grocery store meltdown. Sure, we have some crying and fussiness but NEVER a full out temper tantrum. Until today...

As Maddie and I were walking into the grocery store, a woman stopped me to tell me my daughter was "just precious." Another woman called out to her friend to look at the cute little girl.

Doesn't she look SO sweet? She was happy and smiling as we ran into the grocery store.

It was smooth sailing through the produce section, deli counter, and organic aisle. Turns out she likes ham. Good to know! We were having a good time chatting about the different items and marking them off the list. So fun!

It all started going downhill as we were leaving the meat section. You see, I wouldn't give her my pen. I tried to appease her by offering to let her hold the grocery list or items we were purchasing but she wasn't having it. I, of course, was not going to give her the pen.

By the time we got to the milk aisle she was screaming at me. I tried to ignore her. Other grocery store shoppers tried to be helpful by talking to her and trying to distract her. Silly people! She then started screaming at them too. You can go here if you would like to get an idea of what it sounded like. You will only need to watch the first six seconds.

I tried to remain calm. This child's poor behavior was not a reflection on my parenting skills. Right? However, when she started to push me away from the cart and yelling, "NO, MOMMY!" I had had enough. I parked the cart, took her out of it, and carried her screaming out of the store. Oh, my! I strapped her into her car seat and she screamed some more. I called Dan to come get her. She continued to scream even after Dan arrived to take her home.

I went back into the store, got the cart, and finished shopping. (I only had three aisles left to go, ugh!!) I was rattled and shaken. Maddie had been well fed, not sick, and not due for a nap for two hours. Where did I go wrong? Then I remembered - I have a two-year old.

When I got home, she asked if I would play with her and her Little People. I took this opportunity to remind her that she hadn't been very nice to me in the grocery store and I really didn't feel like playing. She said she was sorry and kissed my hand. Shut-up!

She is lucky she is so dang cute!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T22:13:00.006-04:00

It seems like I take a hiatus from blogging every year during the fall. It's my busy season at home and work (and this season was extremely busy) and that leaves me little time to think about documenting life. However, it just seems wrong to not update the blog with the Halloween 411. So, here are some photos from the day:

It was a perfect fall day in the ATL. It was 72 degrees when we left to go trick or treating. Shut up! This Chicago girl appreciates the wonderful weather. I do NOT take it for granted!!

Luke was Iron Man. His costume was totally awesome!

Maddie was Snow White. It's her favorite princess at the moment.

Iron Man led the way and Snow White was right behind him.

One of my favorite moments was Maddie running to catch-up with the boys.
So different from last year. She was not about to be left behind :)

I hope your Halloween was a good one!

She is just too cute!

2010-08-23T18:47:00.000-04:00

Alright, you may go back to your regularly scheduled day!

Luke is 5!

2010-08-21T19:53:00.011-04:00

Today we celebrated the Luke-man's fifth Birthday...

Can you believe how big he is? I know I say this every year, but I can't believe he is five. It seems like yesterday we were calling him the "Angry Burrito." As a baby, he hated to be swaddled and would get so mad. However, he couldn't handle the responsibility of his own hands and they would attack him while he tried to sleep. Such a catch-22 but I digress...

This year Luke had his first friend party. He has been going to more and more parties and I knew he would really want to have one with his friends too. So, we partied down at Monkey Joe's.

This was the best shot I could get of Luke playing with his friends. I finally gave up trying and decided to wait until they were sitting for cake.

Speaking of cake, here is the pic. This year's theme was Scooby-Doo. Dan has introduced the kiddos to the DVDs and they love watching those "meddling kids" :)

Luke with Monkey Joe. I had heard that an adult dressed as a character could create panic in a child and I am here to report this rumor has been confirmed. Monkey Joe left the party room and order was quickly restored.

Then it was back to the house to open gifts with the Mancini's and have more cake. Can you have too much cake? I submit to you that you cannot :)

Luke on his big-boy bike. How fun is that?
Happy birthday, my sweet boy. You are one loved little dude!

Do you like jokes?

2010-07-17T20:45:00.000-04:00

It's Luke's favorite question at the moment. He is going through the phase where he is trying to figure out the whole humor thing. If you're asked this question by Luke, please brace yourself for the following type of "joke":

Luke: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Innocent bystander: Why did the chicken cross the road?
Luke: Because he wanted to get to the parking lot.
Luke: Bah-ha-ha!!

He is so silly!!

Consider yourself warned :)

I fart!

2010-07-10T10:30:00.000-04:00

On our way to Florida, we stopped at a Ruby Tuesday's for dinner. Right before the waiter comes to our table, Maddie passes gas.

Waiter: "Is there anything else I can get for you guys?"
Dan and I: "Nope, we're good."
Maddie looks right at the waiter as if to have a request and says: "I fart! I fart!"

Which would be extremely funny except for the fact that when she says the word fart it sounds like she is cussing like a sailor. Yeah, not so funny anymore... Or, is it?

So-Gee

2010-07-07T05:46:00.000-04:00

That is how you say...

stroller in two-year-old. Don't ask me, I'm just reporting the facts :)

I fell down!

2010-07-05T18:30:00.004-04:00

Never in a million years did I think I would be sitting in the ER with the sweet baby girl waiting to see if an x-ray was going to reveal the need for a cast. I thought for sure this experience would be exclusively a mommy-Lukie moment. Luke causes himself bodily damage just by the mere act of walking. Maddie is always steady on her feet and pretty coordinated for her age. I guess that is why I let my guard down.

We were in the process of getting ready for the pool. Maddie was playing in her room and I had just brought the pool bag with our towels down to the main floor. The next step was making lunches, having our mid-morning snacks, and then out to the pool. All of a sudden I heard something loud pounding down the stairs and I knew instantly that it was Maddie. She had tried to come down the stairs holding a baby and a blanket. My heart stopped but I ran to the stairs. She was laying on her stomach at the bottom of the stairs and she was screaming. At first, I thought she had hurt her leg or foot but then it became clear it was her arm.

We went to Scottish Rite's Emergency Room. I love them. They were so good with her. It takes her awhile to warm up to strangers and I was nervous she would spend our time there screaming as strangers tried to treat her. But she never even cried or uttered a whimper. All of the staff took their time as they examined her and did the x-rays. Even putting on the cast was smooth sailing. She received many stickers because she was such a good girl!!

So, she has a buckle fracture, also known as an incomplete break, which is a common injury in kiddos. Because her bones are softer, it bent in on itself and didn't break completely. Generally, it takes about three weeks to heal. You can imagine that I'm beyond relieved. Her injuries could have been really, really bad. I'm SO extremely grateful.

As for Maddie...

she is taking it in stride. Kids are crazy resilient! "I fell down." She has talked about this a few times today. We are giving her ibuprofen regularly for the pain and she just compensates for the cast as she plays. Of course, she likes to point out that the cast is pink. This seems to please her immensely.

Again, I can't even express how thankful I am. This was scary but she is going to be okay and that is all that matters. Whew!

1st Annual Mancini Family Vacation

2010-07-04T20:29:00.006-04:00

One of the family traditions that I've been looking forward to creating the most has been the annual beach trip. After Luke and Maddie are grown and have families of their own, I would love for them to be in the rhythm of carving out time to spend a week with us on vacation. How fun!!

Now that Maddie is older and can do more things, we decided this was the year to start. We piled into the Mancini Fam Jam Van and headed to Florida. The first stop -

Disney World!!

Luke is a great age to go for the first time. He loved it. When we asked him which ride was his favorite, he said, "All of them!" As for Maddie... Well, she probably really won't remember a thing but the good news is her ticket to the park was FREE! She may not remember Disney World but she did add a new sentence to her repertoire: "I wanna ride a ride!"

Lots of "bonding" time while waiting in line for the rides.

Luke hamming it up with his Mickey ears for the camera.

This is what happens when you try to take a picture of Luke and me in the sun. We can't help but squint, hold up a hand to shield the eyes, or just look down. Light blue eyes are SO sensitive to light.

Much better!

We spent three nights (two days) in Orlando. Our original plan was to do Disney World on Monday and then one of the other parks on Tuesday. However, we decided we wanted to take our time exploring Disney World and not get all tense about getting to all the rides in one day. We also decided to leave the park and go back to the condo for lunch and Maddie's nap. This plan allowed us to have really enjoyable times with well-rested kids and we got to see the fireworks on Monday night and the Main Street Electrical Parade on Tuesday night.

Even with all of that careful planning...

we did have some tense and sour moments.
However, those were few and far between because we were after all in the Magic Kingdom!

On Wednesday, we traveled to the beach. We went to Madeira Beach which is on the gulf side by St. Petersburg. After two days of running around a theme park, it was SO awesome to settle into a slower pace. The kids loved playing in the sand and the ocean. We asked Luke if he liked Disney World or the beach better. His response, "I don't know. I like them both!" I would love to post pics of the beach but we didn't bring the camera to the beach with us. Boo!

We ended up leaving the beach a day early. The weather forecast was calling for rain all day on Friday and entertaining active children in a condo on a rainy day was not going to set anyone up for success. So, we decided to drive back in the rain and spend the sunny holiday weekend poolside in Atlanta. Woo-hoo! It has been an awesome family vacation.

There is no "I" in team

2010-06-18T19:13:00.000-04:00

But there is an "m" and an "e".
Just saying!

P-P-Ba-Pa-Eee

2010-06-08T20:25:00.001-04:00

When you translate "P-P-Ba-Pa-Eee" from 2 year-old to adult it means "I need to pee pee in the potty". This isn't a conversation starter but a call to action. It means I need to go potty now or I've already started to go potty. (The first one involves rushing her to the bathroom and post pee pee in the potty celebration. The second involves a clean-up on aisle 5.)

The downside is the Wee-One has started to use it as a manipulation tool. At least twice a week, after I've put her in her crib for the night, I hear through the monitor, "MOMMA, P-P-Ba-Pa-Eee". She also uses it as a way to get me to hang out with her if I'm working around the house. She knows I'll stop whatever I'm doing and go into the bathroom with her. Sly little fox!

I can't tell you how excited I am that Maddie has started to let us know when she needs to go to the bathroom. One more step towards potty independence. Woo-hoo!

Madeleine Grace is 2!!

2010-06-06T21:52:00.010-04:00

Birth day - 2008

1st Birthday - 2009

If you ask Maddie how old she is, she will reply, "I two."
(Yes, Maddie's eyes were blue on her first birthday. They are now hazel. How crazy is that?)

We started the the birthday celebration on Thursday with cupcakes at school. That was messy!!

Then we had her family party on Saturday. The theme was flowers since it is one of the words she says very clearly.

Aunt Kate and Grandma watching the gift extravaganza.

After she opened her first gift, she went into the kitchen to play with it. She was not interested in coming back to the living room to open the rest of her gifts. She told me, "No Momma!" We had to coax her back and convince her she wanted to open more gifts.

Luke hanging with Grandpa.

Unwrapping Grandma Carol's gift. It's an American Girl Bitty Baby and a Bitty Baby Stroller. Yes, it is a HUGE hit!!

The cake! I have learned my lesson (see her first bday post) and took a photo before the party started :)

I couldn't believe that on her 2nd birthday she stuck her face in her cake.
Isn't that 1st birthday phenomena?

Of course, you do it over and over once you get a reaction from the crowd.

Welcome to the terrific twos, my love!!

Potty Training Update

2010-05-22T20:48:00.006-04:00

It has been 16 days of potty training. Boy, time sure does fly when you are having fun! Maddie returned to school on Monday. I sent her to school each day with 2 pull-ups, 2 pairs of underwear, and three pairs of shorts. One pull-up was for naps, and the other pull-up... Well, if she went through a total of three pairs of underwear and three pairs of shorts, I decided we would put her in a pull-up and the last remaining pair of shorts and call it day. I'm sure at this point everyone (teachers, Maddie and mommy) would probably be done for the day.

The week back at school went very well. Maddie's fabulous teachers took her to the bathroom every 45 minutes and she was very compliant with them. She only had a couple of accidents the whole school week. She never came close to ending a day in a pull-up. Woo-hoo!

I also think we are starting to turn the corner when it comes to asking to go or letting us know she needs to go. On Thursday she told her teacher she had to go to the bathroom. At home, it has been more subtle. If she mentions pee or poop or potty, I've learned these words are not conversation starters, no need to ask a question because a move needs to be busted!

All-in-all, it has been going well. Oh yeah, today was an accident free day which was totally sweet!

Potty Training Boot Camp

2010-05-15T20:43:00.002-04:00

I return to work tomorrow which means the Mancini Potty Training Boot Camp is coming to a close. It was a rough start and I thought about bagging it on Monday. After re-reading some materials and chats with some wise people, I decided to continue (after making some adjustments) and Maddie has finished strong. I'm pretty proud of the little gal. We had multiple outings today and she used public bathrooms like a champ. Woo-hoo!

Maddie hasn't learned to ask to go to the bathroom, yet. So, I have to be aware and take her to the bathroom at regular intervals. Luke did the same thing when he was potty training. So, I'm not sweating it because I know it will come over time. The hard work this week has laid a foundation that we can build upon and I'm super excited about that!!

Flowers

2010-05-12T10:23:00.000-04:00

The Mancini girls love fresh flowers!!

Crime Scene...

2010-05-10T21:18:00.000-04:00

He looks like he should be outlined in chalk. Crazy kid!

BTW, we are still at home and potty training. Maddie is making progress and so is mommy.

Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-10T01:12:00.002-04:00

I hope all of you gals enjoyed celebrating all the love and hard work you pour into your families! As for me, I had a fabulous day. We did potty training light (we only worked on it in the morning) and then enjoyed the day at Grandma/Grandpa's house.

The family (I mean Dan) gave me a new iPhone for Mother's Day. This means I now have a video camera in reach at all times. Woo-hoo! What more can a blogging mom ask for? Ha! Below is some video of Maddie getting her groove on in the gazebo.

Potty Training - End of Day 2

2010-05-08T19:40:00.003-04:00

Okay, we are at the end of day 2 and I'm fighting the "I'm a big failure" feeling. I hate that feeling because it isn't true but unfortunately so easy to wallow in. If I look back over the day, there has been progress.

Maddie is learning to control her bladder for longer periods of times. She had wet 6 pairs of underwear by 11 am yesterday. The thought of holding it had never occurred to her before. By 10 am today, she had only peed once and it was in the potty. Woo-hoo!! Yeah for bladder control.

The frustrating part is she only peed in the potty once today. Period. As the day wore on, she became more and more resistant to trying to go on the potty. Twice she peed on the floor not minutes after being on the potty. I could sense both of us getting frustrated which isn't good. So, she spent time in a diaper before nap time and after dinner.

I need to remember for the past two years it has been totally acceptable for her to pee in her pants. I'm changing the rules and that will take time for her to learn. Unfortunately, having patience is an area of struggle for me.

So tonight I'm asking questions. Do I push on and do full on training tomorrow? Do we take a break tomorrow, enjoy Mother's Day, and start back on Monday? Do we just bag it for awhile, everyone go back to school and work on Monday, and try again another day? Decisions, decisions. I'll let you know what I decide :)

Potty Training - End of Day 1

2010-05-07T20:16:00.002-04:00

Well, the day has come to an end and I'm pretty excited about that. To gain some perspective, I looked back at my post at the end of Luke's 1st potty training day. Maddie has exceeded Luke's first day and not in a good way. Maddie has 7 pairs of underwear and by 11 am she had wet 6 of them. At that point, I put a diaper on her and decided we would pick up after nap time.

She basically had no desire to sit on the potty. I couldn't even reward her with an M&M because she wouldn't sit on the potty long enough to accidentally pee in the potty. Ugh! So, after lunch I decided to give her one M&M and put the full bag on the kitchen counter in her line of sight. She asked for another one. I informed her that she needed to go pee or pooh on the potty to get another one. She cried and threw a fit but I stood my ground. She still refused to even sit on the little potty. What's up with that?

Then something amazing happened. As we were getting ready for her nap, she took off her diaper on her own, climbed up on the big toilet, and went to the bathroom. Woo-hoo! She got her M&M and was so pleased with herself. It took a long time to get her into bed for her nap because she just kept climbing up on the toilet. Stinker!

By the time Dan got home from work, I was pretty done for the day. Potty training Maddie has been complicated by the presence of one Mr. Luke. He is a force when you are just hanging and when you are working on something as trying as potty training... Well, it doesn't make the task any easier. I'm glad Dan is home the next two days and can help keep the Luke-man entertained. This girl needs reinforcements!

Today is the day!

2010-05-07T07:25:00.000-04:00

Well, according to the countdown call box there are zero days remaining until we start potty training Maddie. Woo-hoo!

We have big girl underwear, many pairs of shorts, M&Ms, and party horns. We are ready to bring on the day!

Potty Patty's (aka Baby's) Adventures

2010-05-06T20:30:00.002-04:00

Potty Patty (aka Baby) had a big day today. She rode to and from school in the Mancini Fam Jam Van.

She also lounged on the potty when she got home.

She maxed and relaxed at the ball field.
Then her day took an unfortunate turn....

Maddie and I tried to give Baby another bottle and that didn't go so well. The water actually leaked out of Baby's head. Apparently, I got the tubes inside of Baby all tangled up last night when I was removing the remaining water. (That is a long story that I won't go into at this time.) I had to basically disassemble her to figure out what happened.

The good news is Maddie really wasn't interested in having Baby go potty and wasn't traumatized at all by the events of this evening.

As for Baby, she has had a rough day and really doesn't want to talk about it. If you see her, it would be best not to mention it all.

Potty Training Prep

2010-05-05T20:31:00.003-04:00

Well, according to the countdown call box to the left of this post, there are two days remaining until we officially start potty training Maddie. Woo-hoo! Can you feel the excitement?

In preparation for the big event, I revealed Potty Patty to Maddie this evening. Potty Patty is a doll that drinks water from a bottle, has big girl underwear, and "voids" in the potty when you squeeze her leg. How fun?!?

Of course, Maddie promptly changed Potty Patty's name to Baby and Maddie absolutely loves her. I showed Maddie how we give Baby her bottle, take her to the potty, remove her big girl underwear, and how she pees in the potty. I clapped, blew a party horn, and said, "Yeah, Baby! You peed in the potty like a big girl!"

Maddie then helped me give Baby another bottle. After we were done, I announced that Baby had to go to the potty. Maddie then took her to the bathroom, remembered she needed to remove her underwear (I had to help), and then she placed her on the potty. After Baby went pee in the potty, Maddie clapped her hands and said, "Yeah, Baby!" We also blew our party horns. She is getting it. Yeah!

Maddie did sit on the potty herself and tried to squeeze her own leg to make herself pee. Too funny. I'm not worried about it because we'll be putting all of it together on Friday. I think we're off to a pretty good start.

Jam Van Conversations

2010-04-29T08:47:00.002-04:00

Luke: Why does the President need money?
Me: Because he wants to start some programs and they cost money. He doesn't have any money so he needs our money and permission to take it.
Luke: Is that taxes?
Me: Yep! Mommy and Daddy work and when we get paid money the government takes some of it and it is called taxes.
Luke: Do you see that big bush next to that tall building? It looks like it is trying to grow taller than that building.

I guess I've been listening to too much talk radio during the morning drive :)

Morning at the park

2010-04-21T22:09:00.005-04:00

Play ball!

2010-04-21T21:22:00.004-04:00

Luke had his first T-ball game on Saturday. I can't believe my little dude is playing an organized sport. Well, I use the term organized loosely :)

Luke at the bench

Luke on first base

Whenever he got to first base, he would take off the batting helmet, take off his baseball cap, and then put the cap back on his head. I don't know why I found that cute but I did :)

He was the second baseman. He didn't see much action.

I love this cutie!

Word or Phrase...

2010-04-17T20:35:00.003-04:00

At a work off-site this week, the following question was asked:

What word or phrase best describes you right now?

As I thought about it, I decided this was my answer:

I'm a work in progress.

See, there is a gap between who I want to be and who I am. My response to that gap? Well, I want to read a book, mediate on some scripture, do some praying, and see some results. I want change! RIGHT NOW!!

However, that's not how this life works. This life is about the process...about the journey. There are blessings, bumps in the road, moments that make me giddy and moments that make me angry. Strengths, weaknesses, brokenness... And God in his perfect wisdom and timing is using all of these moments to change me. To close that gap.

I want to be a better wife, mom, daughter, sister, in-law, friend, employee, boss, and leader. Most importantly, I want to be fully surrendered to my Savior. All of this won't happen by my efforts and with immediate results. I'm in process. I'm on a journey. I'm a work in progress...

What word or phrase best describes you right now?

Atlanta Blizzard 2010

2010-02-12T20:01:00.006-05:00

My northern friends must think I've lost my mind. The pictures below won't come close to being a blizzard by "Chicago" standards. However, I've been in the ATL for 11 years now and we only see snow once every couple of years. So, a couple inches of snow is now a major event in the Mancini household. Here are pics of the kids in the snow...

Maddie all bundled up!

Luke is ready to go!!

Maddie was not a big fan of the snow...

She refused to walk in it.

Luke loves the snow!!

At times, he was just a blur!

He was a little obsessed with the branches on the ground. I watched him try to put it back up on the tree. He felt bad that it was on the ground and no longer up in the tree with his uncles. What, what? Can anyone say empathy and a creative mind? What an interesting combo!

He was bright red but so BUMMED when I made him come back into the house.

Snow days are rare around here. I guess that is way they are so special and fun!!

I'm back...

2010-01-23T20:42:00.002-05:00

Well, the 21 day fast came to an end on Thursday and it has taken me till now to check back into all my social media goings on and TV. Unplugging wasn't as hard as I thought. It only took me a couple of days to stop thinking in 140 characters or less :)

God was faithful and opened my eyes to just how much of a distraction social media had become to me. I have a lot on my plate but the margin and pace of life I experienced the last 21 days has been incredible. I don't want my kids to remember me in the "iPhone pose". I have more fun and I am more fun when I'm engaged in the real world around me. My real world is rich with blessings and I don't want to miss any of it!

So, I'm testing the waters to see what limited Facebooking, Twittering, blogging, etc. looks like. We will see how it goes. Here's to moderation :)

BTW, what did you learn during the 21 days of fasting and prayer?

21 Day Fast

2009-12-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

Most of you who visit me here know that Jeff (Buckhead Church's campus pastor) has invited the staff and congregation to start the year with 21 days of fasting and prayer. For those of you outside of the ATL here is a link to his blog post about why we are going on this journey.

As I thought about how I would participate, I really felt like a food fast was not for me. I've spent all of 2009 focusing on getting my eating in order and it didn't seem like it was the "thing". What keeps me from spending time with God? What keeps my mind busy with trivial matters and stops me from focusing on God's agenda? Well, you're looking at it. Social media. I love Twitter, Facebook, blogging, and reading other people's blogs. It is amazing how much time I can devote to documenting my life and reading about other people's lives. Please hear me, I'm not saying any of this is bad, I'm just saying it can be a huge time drain and distraction for me.

So, tonight I'm deleting Twitter and Facebook off of my iPhone. For the next 21 days, I won't be updating my blog or pulling up Google Reader to see who has updated their blog. Oh yeah - and no TV. I'm pretty sure I would just substitute TV for the list above. I want to spend the next 21 days unplugged. I want to spend time in God's word, pray, be quiet, and be still (well, as quiet and still as you can be with two small children in the house). Here is the thing - I'm very good at "doing" but horrible at just "being".

I will be praying for the 300,000 people in the Buckhead area who don't attend a church. It isn't about getting them within the walls of my church. The people who live and work around me are precious to God. He is offering them an amazing hope in Christ. Wouldn't it be great if they knew this too?

I'm also personally looking forward to this time with God. It will be hard; it is going to be challenging, but SO worth it. I know that God has been calling me to "pursue health" in 2010. I want to have healthier emotions, a healthier walk with Christ, and healthier relationships. I want to grow but that means pain. Before I dive off into the deep end, I think it is an awesome plan to spend the first 21 days of the New Year seeking Him.

I'll be back before you know it. See you soon! Happy New Year's!!

No words needed...

2009-12-30T07:38:00.000-05:00

How he loves...

2009-12-28T11:22:00.000-05:00

...the fact that she drops most of her food on the floor. Don't be fooled. Austin really has no use for her unless she is strapped into her highchair.

Christmas '09

2009-12-26T21:32:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Christmas with kids makes the holiday SO fun!! Here are the pics from the day:

Luke no longer needs my help to unwrap gifts.
I love how his tongue is sticking out. He is working hard!

Maddie still needs my help. Yeah!!

Luke watching Maddie open her gift from Santa.
We take turns opening gifts which makes the fun last longer :)

Luke and Maddie playing with their gifts.

Maddie loves her baby and stroller.

After the kids had time to play with their new toys, we then went over to Grandma and Grandpa's:

Aunt Anna and Aunt Kate (and Austin)

Luke played "Santa" with Grandma this year.
There is an art to handing out gifts and Luke did a good job helping this year.

Maddie taking in the festivities.

Grandpa

Grandma

Since Dan is usually the one behind the camera,
I tried to make sure we got at least one shot of him on Christmas day.

Lots of family, food and fun!! I hope you too had a great time with family and friends celebrating the baby Jesus!!

Christmas Traditions

2009-12-26T20:05:00.007-05:00

This Christmas season has been topsy-turvy to say the least. However, last year I gave some thought to creating some family traditions and I really wanted to try to make those happen this year. So, while the repair men were working on the bathrooms and laundry room, Luke and I where in the kitchen making cookies for trimming the tree and Santa. This year we added another helper:

We thought the family room would be fully repaired by Christmas Eve which is where we put the Christmas tree each year. We would be semi-back to normal. Woo-hoo!! Then we found out ON Christmas Eve it wouldn't be ready. Boo! I was so bummed. Would we really not have a tree this year? We haven't had the tree in the living room in about five years because we no longer live like college students and have furniture in there. But we decided better to be super-cramped in the living room then to have no tree at all. This means we got to put up our ornaments for this year. Yeah!!

Luke's was Handy Manny.
I love when Luke puts a pencil or crayon behind his ear like Manny. Ha!

Maddie's was Tinker Bell. Too cute!

Yep, that's a washer. One day we will laugh about this. Well, I hope we will.

Let the Christmas Fun Begin!

2009-12-22T09:14:00.001-05:00

My mom wanted the kids to open their Christmas gifts from her while we visited this year. Since we are always in the ATL for Christmas, my mom usually hears via phone how the kids enjoyed their gifts. Luke received some Match Box cars and....

DRUMS!

Luke loves them and Maddie thinks they are pretty cool too! If flooding her house didn't upset our neighbor, surely the drums won't either. Right?!?

12/3/09 - The Great Mancini Flood

2009-12-20T20:08:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, December 3rd, the kids and I pulled into the driveway after work. As the garage door was opening, I noticed there was a river of water running from the wall and water droplets were falling from the garage door.

It took me about two seconds to realize we had a leak. It wasn't the water heater so it was either the dishwasher (on the second floor) or the washer (on the third floor). Not knowing what was facing me inside the house, I got out of the van and locked the kids inside and went in. When I got to the second floor, I quickly realized it was the washer on the third floor since water was pouring out of the air vent and the light fixture in the ceiling.

You can't tell but that light fixture is full of water.

I went to the third floor and shut off the valves for the washer and learned that the water supply hose for the hot water had burst. The water flowed back into the wall. There was not a drop of water in the tray under the washer or the vinyl floor in the laundry closet.

The carpet didn't appear wet at first. It wasn't until you walked on it and realized you were leaving footprints that you noticed it was soaked.

I tried to put some buckets and bowls on the floor to catch the remaining water. I also got some towels to start drying the floor. I quickly realized this wasn't going to be cleaned up using Bounty. Oh yeah, aren't my kids still in the van in the driveway?

Dan got home and he called our "repair dudes" as I like to call them. It turns out they are a restoration company and specialize in this type of damage. They were at the house in less then two hours on Thursday night. They quickly went to work to prevent further damage and started the drying out process.

After five days of huge fans, huge dehumidifiers, having the house at 90 degrees, removal of vinyl and drywall, the house was dry. Well, except for the hardwood floors. They were as wet five days later as they were when the water first fell. Awesome!

Master bath

Wall between the laundry room and the master bath. Yep, that's the tub.

Half the wall in the TV room is gone plus some ceiling.

The garage

The down sides...

Every floor was effected. You can't escape it.
It happened just weeks before Christmas.
I hate clutter and chaos and I have it in quantity at the moment.

The positive sides..

None of our personal belongings were damaged. Given the extent of the damage, I find that amazing and I'm very grateful!
As we fix things we can update items. We want to someday put this place on the market and design has changed a little bit since we first moved in six years ago.
We have a fabulous restoration company taking care of the repairs. As soon as they got here, I realized it was going to be okay. It wasn't going to be easy but it was going to be okay.

Oh yeah. When we re-install the washer we will be using braided stainless steel washing machine hoses. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-19T21:23:00.007-05:00

Okay, with all the craziness in the Mancini household these days, I'm just now getting around to posting pics from our annual trek to Chicago. Here are the highlights:

As predicted, Maddie didn't fair well on the journey. Since we've returned home, Dan has tried to say that she just wasn't as great of a traveler as the Luke-man. Granted, Luke is a fabulous little travel; however, crying until you throw-up when you have 20 minutes left in the journey does not make you a good traveler. In fact, it makes you down right horrible. There is more that could be said but lets move on to happier times :)

It was really fun watching the cousins interact and play together. This may have been one of the best parts of the trip.

Luke, Maddie and my niece Brianna

My other niece Mariah (isn't she a cutie!)

Thanksgiving Day

Luke and Brianna at the kids table

My sister Danielle and Dan

My brother Ryan and my Mom

My youngest sister Dominique and Isaac

Miss Maddie enjoying Turkey Day

The last stop before we left town was to visit Rick, Valerie and finally meet their son Ruben. It is always nice to catch-up with old friends.

Isn't that Ruben a cutie?!?!

Next year, I need to remember to take a picture of Rick and Valerie and not just the kids. It was a good trip and good Thanksgiving!

Maddie's new favorite pastime

2009-11-23T14:03:00.000-05:00

As you guys know from a previous post, Luke isn't exactly gentle with Maddie. He tries to be gentle and we discourage rough play, but really Luke's interactions with Maddie seem more like man-handling. Well after putting up with it for 17 months, Maddie has decided that tackling her brother is one of her favorite things to do.

Luke will be sitting on the floor watching TV and she will get a little running start and run right into him and take him down to the ground.

Once she gets him to the ground, she sits on him, and then bounces up and down.

Payback for 17 months of unnecessary roughness!

In all honesty, she loves the Luke-man and she thinks this is hilarious. I think he too gets a kick out of it. Of course, I broke it up before anyone got hurt because the only logical conclusion for something like this (without mommy intervention) is tears.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-22T10:06:00.008-05:00

Okay, so I'm a little late updating but better late than never :)

Halloween was super fun with Luke this year because this was his first year officially trick-or-treating. We were all set to go last year but he came down with a fever that afternoon and couldn't go. SO sad.

Anyway, we got together with some friends from our small group and started the evening with a Chili potluck dinner. It was so yummy and fun.

You would've never know there were 7 kids playing in the house. They were very well behaved and played extremely well together.

Aren't they cute?

The boys loved running from house to house. They soon got the code and you could hear them yelling to each other about porch lights being on or off.

Cutest little Tinkerbell!

The night was cold and wet, which reminded me of most my Halloweens growing up in Chicago. Of course, you don't mind this when you are a kid. Aaahh, nostalgia!

On a side note, I've decided that Halloween means way too many pictures of my backside. I think I'll wear a mask on my butt next year just to make the pictures more interesting!

Burt's Pumpkin Farm

2009-10-10T19:54:00.013-04:00

For the last four years I've been looking forward to bringing Luke (and now Maddie) to Burt's Pumpkin Farm. For those of you outside of Georgia, I can't explain the compulsion to go. It just seems like your fall isn't complete unless you visit Burt's and take pictures of your kids standing next to a giant pumpkin. Of course, your children are to be dressed in fall gear to make the most out of these great Kodak moments. Yes, as I type this, I realize this must sound weird...

With all that said, we've lived in Atlanta for the last 11 years and we've never gone to Burt's because it's a HIKE from our house. It just seemed like the drive was too long to make with babies in tow...until this year. Luke and Dan have started a tradition of carving a pumpkin every week during the month of October and they will carve two the week of Halloween. Luke LOVES it and I knew he would now appreciate going to a pumpkin farm. It was so fun!! Here are the pics:

Don't we all look SO excited :)

She is SO serious and cautious when she gets into a new environment.

Luke is starting the hunt for the best pumpkins.

Is that a smile?

The hunt is on!

They have been victorious!

Without further ado, here are the giant pumpkin photos...

I've included the following picture just because I think it's cute :)

Yes, I realize we are not in "fall gear" and there is no orange, black, or brown clothing. We may follow the herds but we will march to our own drum :)

Friday Fun

2009-09-25T22:16:00.003-04:00

Some silly peeps, Photo Booth, iMovie, and a little downtime produced the following:

We hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Favorite Things

2009-09-05T09:54:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to share with my mommy friends one of my current favorite things. It is a CD by Plumb called "Blink". My father-in-law used one of the songs on the CD to create the video montage for my birthday. I'm usually not one to enjoy "sweet" music but this CD really touches my heart. The songs are about motherhood, God, and the sweet blessings that are our little people. If I have had a hard day at work and I'm finding it hard to transition to home, I just pop in this CD. It helps my heart and mind focus on the important things :)

Warning: This CD is not good for the post-postpartum period and may push you over the weepy edge. You will want to wait until your hormones have gone back to normal and you are somewhat sleeping through the night :)

Luke turns 4!

2009-08-22T19:49:00.013-04:00

What a weekend! It has been so much fun celebrating Luke's birthday. I absolutely can't believe he is four years old. He is so much fun, has so much energy, and has mad verbal skills. Lets not forget the high emotion and drama he can display at a moments notice. He has a way of keeping me on my toes! Sound like anyone else you know?

The birthday celebration started on Thursday at school. He was so excited to have me come to school with cupcakes for his classmates. He said it was the best day of his ENTIRE life.

On Friday he got to open his cards and one gift. His favorite card was from GrandmaGrandpa (yes, that is one word). The card had Alvin and the Chipmunks singing "Funky Town." Nope, that didn't get old at all :)

Today was the day of his family party. Can you guess the theme?

I think he actually got some into his stomach :)

Daddy and Luke

Luke playing with his Leapster. I'm hoping he won't be permanently hunched over.

Of course, I had to try out the new toys. How else would I be able to explain how to use them to Luke? :)

Crazy August

2009-08-01T22:09:00.003-04:00

Hey Friends!

The month of August is upon me and it is going to be a crazy ride. I have three GroupLink volunteer trainings the first week of August and GroupLinks at the end of the month. Of course, the most important event in August will be Luke's birthday on the 21st. He will be 4 years old and there are mucho birthday festivities to plan...woo-hoo! We have a lot of great things going on and I'm super excited about the month. However, I don't know how often I'll get to post this month. Sometimes you just have to live life and not document it.

Just for fun, I thought I would post of video of the princess having a meltdown. A little video proof that she isn't completely perfect.... Just mostly perfect :)

Walking!

2009-07-12T18:56:00.003-04:00

Maddie has been taking steps for the last couple of weeks. However, she is finally gainging some confidence and moxie...especially if she has a prized toy in her hot little hands.

Go Maddie, go!

Sweet Baby Girl

2009-07-08T18:32:00.003-04:00

Gifts

2009-07-07T21:38:00.003-04:00

As Dan and I prepared for Maddie's first Birthday, we met at ToysRUs during our lunch break. We were on a mission to purchase Maddie's presents. We wanted to give her a gift that she would use and enjoy because of who she is and how she is uniquely wired. We walked up and down the aisles talking about the things she likes and enjoys, her personality, and how different she is from Luke. We finally settled on two gifts and we were so excited because they were perfect for her.

On the big day, as posted below, she seemed to enjoy every card and every present she received. However, I think the best part for me was later as she sat on the floor playing with the gifts she received from Dan and I. We love her so much, we are so thankful for her, and we wanted to give her presents that were special to her because of who she is. As I watched her play, my heart was so full because we had gotten it right. She loved them!

Then my thoughts turned to God, my heavenly Father. He loves me, he is thankful for me, and he too gives gifts. He has blessed me with eternal salvation, a loving family, a great job, a unique personality and giftedness, and the list goes on. I thought about how full his heart must be when I use the gifts he has chosen for me. I pondered how delighted he must be when I’m grateful for the special things he has placed in my life.

Of course, then my thoughts turned to the times when I'm not thankful and when I'm not grateful. I thought about the times I’ve treated my blessings as if they were burdens. I wondered how much that grieves Him. I thought about how that would grieve me if my children thought my gifts were burdens. The ache in my heart was tremendous. The Holy Spirit had opened my eyes. In those ungrateful moments, I realized my behavior resembled that of a spoiled brat. I was so ashamed.

I'm so glad that God has chosen to relate to us as Father. Our minds can’t comprehend him but we can comprehend the parent/child relationship. As I've become a parent, he has been able to reveal himself to me in ways I couldn't grasp before. This parental journey continues to help me understand God's character and his love. My love is imperfect but SO deep for my children. I would do anything for them. My heavenly Father's love is perfect and he sent his only son to die for me. I'll be honest; I can't fully wrap my mind around a love like that. Can you?

This is one of the ways God works in my life. There were no burning bushes and no voices from Heaven. It was just me in my kitchen, watching Maddie, and realizing how great my God is and how great his love is for me. How cool is that?!

The 8th anniversary of my 29th Birthday

2009-07-05T13:17:00.006-04:00

On Friday, June 26th, I celebrated the 8th anniversary of my 29th Birthday. It was a great day of swimming with the kids and then going out to have pizza with family and friends. In my book, that is a perfect day :) Below is a video my father-in-law made for me for my birthday. I'm a lover of the video montage :)

In My Arms

by Blink

your baby blues so full of wonder

your curley cues

your contageous smile

and as i watch you start to grow up

all I can do is hold you tight

knowing clouds will raise up

storms will race in

but you will be safe in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash all around

but you will be safe in my arms

story books full of fairy tales

kings and queens and the bluest skies

My heart is torn just in knowing

you'll someday see the truth from lies

knowing clouds will raise up

storms will race in

but you will be safe in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash all around

but you will be safe in my arms

Castles they might crumble

dreams may not come true

but you are never all alone

because I will always

always love you

clouds will raise up

storms will race in

but you will be safe in my arms

rains will pour down

waves will crash all around

but you will be safe in my arms

Madeleine Grace turns 1!

2009-06-06T19:20:00.013-04:00

Today we celebrated Miss Madeleine Grace's birthday. I can't believe she is 1. The year has flown by and she has grown so much!

June 3, 2008

June 6, 2009

Crazy, huh? Well, without further ado, here are the pics from today...

Maddie is not a fan of balloons. She gets like this nervous laugh that will turn into full on crying if she is too close to them for an extended period of time. Strange, right? I'm hoping she outgrows this fear.

Of course, the theme was "princess" since Maddie happens to be one :)

Aunt Kate, Grandma and Luke getting ready for the gift opening to begin.

Maddie loved all of her birthday cards and she was so excited about each gift she received.

She loved her cake. At one point, I'm pretty sure she went into a sugar coma. You may be wondering about the actual cake. Well...humm... The battery for the camera started to die as we got to the cake festivities. I'm extremely bummed that I don't have pictures of her cake. Unless you want to see me cry, it is better to not mention the incident :(
I'm kidding...kind of...

Maddie playing with her tea pot.

Maddie serving Luke tea.

Maddie playing with her first Barbie doll.

It was like she has been to a thousand birthday parties. She took the festivities in stride and had a great time. As Grandma said, "She has a sunny disposition." Happy Birthday, my sweet princess!

Touch N Brush

2009-05-25T20:39:00.005-04:00

As Luke was watching the commercial for the Touch N Brush today, he started saying that his bathroom was a mess and he needed to buy the Touch N Brush for his bathroom. What, what? Dude is 3 1/2 years old and doesn't have $19.99. Of course, I'm now worried that he will have a house filled with As Seen on TV items when he is on his own. He makes me laugh.

Miniature Golfing

2009-05-24T21:39:00.004-04:00

It seems that going to Stone Mountain and partaking in some miniature golf has quickly become one of our favorite activities to do. Luke chooses it over riding the train. Must-hit-ball-with-stick! He is all boy :)

Luke has made up his own rules for the game of miniature golf. He will be patient with me and "tee off" correctly but then he goes to where his ball stops, picks it up and places it right next to the hole. He then putts it into the hole. Every hole is a Par 2 as far as he is concerned. I guess he is results oriented like his mommy :)

We also rode the train. All aboard!

A hero

2009-05-23T08:27:00.000-04:00

Luke, unexpectedly, went under the water not once but twice while we were at the pool the other day. Both times, I calmly walked over to him and pulled him up and sat him on the steps of the pool. Poor dude was shaken both times and I think the incidents have given him a healthy respect for the water. Here is the conversation we had that evening:

Luke: I don't like sinking in the pool.
Me: No, that can be very scary and you can get hurt if you're not careful.
Luke: But you saved me. You're a hero.

Doesn't that melt your heart? I'm a hero in a tankini :O)

Summer fun!

2009-05-18T15:00:00.000-04:00

I decided to take Luke and Maddie to Stone Mountain by myself on Friday. I love the summer and find it pretty easy to ignore my chores on a sunny day. The outing was very successful (everyone returned home in one piece) and we enjoyed playing miniature golf and taking the Sky Lift to the top of the mountain. Woo-hoo! I also decided to take some pictures to document our fun time:

Okay, how do you get both children to look at the camera at the same time? This is a mystery to me. I would appreciate any tricks you have discovered.

January 3, 2009 - A dark day

2009-05-17T22:41:00.006-04:00

Saturday, January 3, 2009 at 12:30 pm was a dark day in the world of Misti Mancini. (Which was extremely unfortunate since it was only the third day of the new year.) Why was it a dark day? It was the day I found myself sitting at my very first Weight Watchers meeting. I found myself wondering how I got to the point that I needed help with losing weight. Why was I unable to do this on my own? I had lost some of the pregnancy weight during early fall but the scale started going back up during the holidays. I was now 30 pounds overweight. What, what? Dan and I both joined Weight Watchers and decided it was time to make some changes to the Mancini family diet and eating habits.

The line had been drawn in the sand and the big "D" (discipline) was going to be my word for 2009. If I thought Saturday, January 3 was a dark day, it was quickly topped by Sunday, January 4. That is the day my inner child kicked, screamed, and complained that she was starving to death. I eventually had to give her a timeout and let her know she wasn't starving. She just needed to learn how to eat until "satisfied" instead of eating until she was stuffed. Each day got easier and by that Wednesday even my inner child was convinced we could do "this" :)

So, the last five months have been about planning.

For the first time in our almost 15 years of marriage, I started creating a menu for the week. There was no more getting to Thursday and going to Moe's because there was no food in the house. We also started introducing a new recipe each week to make sure we don't get bored and revert back to eating out more then we ate at home.

Saturday, April 11 is the day I reached my weight loss goal. All the hard work (planning, eating healthy, discipline, and etc.) paid off. I was amazed at how quickly the weight came off. I thrived under the structure of the Weight Watcher's program which isn't surprising giving my personality. Also, having Dan's support was invaluable. If I was ever tempted to "cheat", he was there to keep me on task and encourage me. Plus, he too is now 30 pounds lighter. How cool is that?

Now the focus is learning how to maintain my current weight and figuring out how to introduce exercise into my calendar. I'm hoping this new part of the journey will be less time intensive since I've missed the blog world. We'll see :)

Missing!

2009-04-13T08:34:00.002-04:00

Actually...

2008-12-19T12:07:00.000-05:00

Conversation between Luke and me:

Luke: You have a big nose.
Me: (laughing) I have a big nose?
Luke: Actually, it is quite big.

What, what? He sure knows how to make a lady feel good ;)

Ornaments - Second Tradition

2008-12-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

Our second Christmas tradition has to do with ornaments. Some people do a color theme when they decorate their tree. Those trees look SO coordinated, sophisticated, and pretty. Of course, this wouldn't do for the Mancini Family tree. Our tree seems more like an ode to pop culture. Sounds a bit more like us, doesn't it?

The tradition started with Dan's parents and has been carried into our family. Each year we get an ornament that says something about that year. For example, we have an ornament called "Christmastime in the City", which we got the year we spent Christmas in Chicago. There is a calculator ornament received the year I started at Ronald Blue & Co. Sometimes things are made into an ornament like the tiny toy model of a Miata that has a hook around one of the tires so it can hang on the tree each year. (Yes, I used to drive a Miata. In three years, I've gone from a Miata to a mini van. Crazy!)

Every year we remember the significance of each ornament as it's placed on the tree. Usually, there's a yearly family ornament and one for each child. Luke and Maddie will get their ornaments when they are grown and on their own. They will have a tree full of childhood memories which they can share with their children. So fun!

Without further ado, here are this year's ornaments:

The family ornament.
We had a photographer meet us at Stone Mountain this year.
It was so fun and the photos were fabulous!

One of Luke's favorite cartoons is the Little Einsteins.
This plays the theme song and he loves it!

Maddie's is called "Living on Baby Time".
Feeding time, diaper time, play time, diaper time.
Yep, that sums up the second half of this year :)

This year we added a forth ornament and it has special meaning for us.

"Every life leaves something beautiful behind"

Dan's Gram passed away this year. I wish you could've know her because you would've loved her. She was filled with love for Jesus and life. She was so fun to be around and had a fabulous sense of humor. She was also instrumental in my accepting Christ. She is getting to celebrate the birth of Jesus in his presence. How cool is that?

This is one of my favorite traditions that we have. I hope Luke and Maddie come to enjoy it as much as I do.

6 Months!

2008-12-12T22:01:00.009-05:00

Maddie is six months old. Can you believe that? She is such a great baby and I'm lovin this stage!! She crinkles her nose when she smiles really big. It is SO cute. She can now rollover from back-to-front and front-to-back. She can access items on the floor by rolling back-and-forth until she can reach them. She is currently cutting her first teeth and this has been high drama. She has a pretty low pain tolerance and we have had some sleepless nights as a result.

Here are some current pictures of the princess...

She now has enough hair to wear bows. Yeah!!

She is looking at her daddy. Can you tell she adores him?

I just want to eat her up!

Christmas Cookies - First Tradition

2008-12-12T20:56:00.007-05:00

This is the first year that Luke is really into Christmas. It is so fun to see him get excited about the holiday season and I've been thinking about what I want our family Christmas traditions to be. In preparation for putting up the Christmas tree, I decided Luke and I would make Christmas cookies for the family to eat while trimming the tree. This was the very first time Luke and I were going to work in the kitchen and I was unsure of how it would go.

"It's going faster and faster and faster!!"
He seemed to enjoy the KitchenAid mixer as much as I do :)

I would measure the ingredients and he would but it in the mixer.
It was a great time to practice counting.

Luke exclaimed, "Lots and lots of SUGAR!!"

He enjoyed using the cookie cutters and making all the different shapes.

At this point, we are having fun and I'm so glad this is an activity we will do each year.

The result of eating too much cookie dough.
I'm starting to wonder why I thought baking cookies together was a good idea.

Luke's response to not being able to eat all the cookies we baked in one sitting.
All I wanted to do was create some freaking memories.

Our cookies and hot chocolate that we enjoyed while decorating the tree.
The memories of baking cookies are all good. I'm looking forward to next year.

Counting with Luke

2008-11-13T12:46:00.004-05:00

Luke was counting the other day and I was mighty impressed...
"thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine, thirty ten"
That, my friends, makes me laugh.

5 months!

2008-11-03T08:00:00.001-05:00

Maddie is five months old today. Crazy! She is still pretty laid back, her default setting is smiling, and she can now roll from her back to her stomach. This was a bittersweet milestone for me. I know there is no where to go but forward from here. She will continue to develop skills that will allow her to be more and more mobile which means more and more independence.

As my mother-in-law says, "The days are long but the years are short." This is SO true. We were up at 4 am yesterday morning due to the time change and it made for a very long day. However, I've watched Luke go from being a baby to a toddler to a little boy in what seems like a blink of an eye. I'm trying to cherish these moments because before I know it she will be gone with a family of her own.

Okay, enough of this serious stuff. Bring on the latest pics :)

3 months

4 months

5 months

I just love her crocked smile. Isn't she too young to be flashing that type of smile? She makes me laugh!

Road Conversations...

2008-11-02T19:26:00.011-05:00

For those of you who have had the distinct pleasure of driving with me, you know that I view myself as not having road rage but as having road conversations with my fellow drivers. Sometimes people just need to be educated about the correct way to operate a vehicle. I do this not out of anger but out of care and concern for my fellow drivers. I know you peeps from the south feel the car horn is like yelling and cursing but it really is a great communication tool. A light tap of the horn can communicate things like:

"Hey, don't know if you noticed but the light has turned green and that means you can go. You're welcome :) "

- OR -

"Next time you decide to make a lane change, please look in your mirror and check to make sure you have enough space to enter said new lane. Also, a signal is a great way to let me know you would like to get into my lane. Thank you mighty kindly."

Now, sometimes an education lesson takes on a little different tone. For example, a month ago I was on an access road to get onto 285. It's an access road I used for three years when I lived in Dunwoody. I'm in the far left lane which can turn left or go straight. The light turns green and I accelerate. As I start to go straight, the lady in the lane to the right of me, decides she is going to turn left. Yes folks, I'm going straight and she is trying to turn left in front of me.

I slammed on my breaks when I realized what was happening and managed not to hit her. I'm not sure how I accomplished this feat but I'm thinking it was God's mercy. After I avoided hitting her, I did what anyone would do in that situation. I employed my horn (loud and long) to communicate to her that she was currently a danger to herself and others. I was totally shaking and my heart was pounding in my chest.

As I'm getting onto 285, I start to doubt myself. I start wondering if I was in the wrong. Had the DOT changed the lanes on that access road? Did I not pay attention to the signs because I'm so familiar with the area? OH NO, did I almost hit that poor lady?

These thoughts have been crossing my mind for the last month and I've really felt bad about it. Today I used the access road again. Well, see for yourself:

I wasn't at fault. I had read the signs correctly. Why do I automatically assume I'm in the wrong and beat myself up for a month about it? I have no answer to this question. I just know I will be more cautious in these types of situations. Just because I know I can turn left or go straight, doesn't mean the gal next to me does. Yikes!

A little word

2008-09-25T19:03:00.002-04:00

Psalm 42: 5 - 6
Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 62: 5 - 7
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him

He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.

My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

I wanted to share just in case anyone else was feeling out of sorts and in need of some encouragement.

Rules for Sippie Cups

2008-09-19T19:27:00.004-04:00

I know that I'm known as being "particular" when people are being polite or "anal" when people are being truthful. And I'm okay with that, it is who I am. With that said, I realized today that I have a rule for sippie cups. Yes, I'm absolutely being serious. You see, the lids absolutely can't match the cup. They have to be different colors like so:
Under no circumstances should the lid and cup match. I can't even tell you how bad it hurt to take this next picture:
I find myself organizing the cups and lids as I'm taking them out of the dishwasher to make sure I don't end up with a match. If I do, I figure out what lids need to be changed.

My world is slightly insane. I'm not afraid to admit it. However, I know you have "rules" too. What are you particular about?