My Heart Is Breaking...

cause my 5 year old is heart-broken. She wasn't invited to a birthday party for a little boy in her class that she has a crush on. He has invited what seems like everyone else in the class...but her and she is devastated. What makes matters worse is that her cousin is going to the party and keeps talking about it. Everyone is the class keeps talking about how much fun this party is going to be...

How do you explain something like this to a kindergartner? I keep trying to distract her with a fun and exciting day that I have planned for tomorrow...but it doesn't seem to be working. Right now she is cuddling in bed with daddy...sobbing her eyes out...while I am cleaning, crying, and blogging my frustration.

I Have Resigned Myself To The Fact That...

my daughters not only look like their father, but they are walking, talking hormones like him too!

From the time that I was pregnant with Kyla, she has surrounded herself with members of the opposite sex. Her first boyfriend was Diego



and she would kiss the TV whenever she saw him. Diego was soon replaced by all four of The Wiggles.



Recently she has been telling everyone that Eli Manning is her boyfriend.



I was worried about her choice in "older" men...but last night I felt alot better. She was kissing the TV while watching "The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody"...



at least they are a bit closer to her age.

Bryleigh seems to be following along the same path. Her two closed buddies are the young sons of my girlfriends that I walk with every day. She just cannot make up her mind between "Linc" the older man and "W" the younger man that she can walk all over and take toys from.

Just yesterday, my father pointed out to me that Bryleigh completely ignores babies that wear pink,



but turns into quite the coquette when she sees a baby wearing blue!



Should I send them off to an All-Girl Boarding School on a remote Mountain Top now? Or just learn how to be "The Scary Mom" that frightens all potential boyfriends away?

Wordless Wednesday - A Bit Shallow, But This Is What I Want For Christmas!

I know that I should have said Peace On Earth And Good Will For All Mankind, but I had a moment of weakness and decided to be really selfish...

Click here more Wordless Wednesday fun.

I Must Have Been Living Under A Rock...

'cause the last time that I remember filling up the gas tank in the Jeep, it cost me



over $60!

But today...I filled up for $31!!! I was so excited that I had to tell someone!!!

BREAKING NEWS -

Guess who is playing for the National Championship!!!



I cannot tell who is more excited...Tim Tebow or the rest of the Gator Nation.

What A Great Game!!!

I can hear the entire Gator Nation singing...

"It's Great To Be A Florida Gator!"

And to quote my 5 year old...

"Winner, Winner...Chicken Dinner!"

Already Glued To The TV...

Too excited to post...

GO GATORS!!!

Christmas MeMe

My blogging buddy Laura (and arch nemsis for this Saturday's SEC Championship game only) has this Christmas MeMe up...and since I am having a bit of a blue day today...I decided to participate with hopes that I can get back into the Christmas Spirit!

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

Hot Chocolate with mini marshmallows

Does Santa wrap the presents or are they just sitting under the tree?

Both…some gifts are wrapped but one or two really special gifts are left unwrapped for the kids to run too first. Every wrapped gift has to have a bow and / or ribbon too.

Colored or white lights?

White icicle lights along the roof edge with white lights on the landscape and multi colored lights on the Christmas tree. Absolutely no racing lights!!!

Do you hang mistletoe?

Yes…and everyone is required to follow tradition. Got to have the Christmas Kisses!

When do you put up your decorations?

They start going up right after Thanksgiving.

What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding dessert?

The fresh roasted turkey.

Favorite holiday memory as a child?

Spending Christmas vacations with my cousins…either at their house in Texas or our house in Florida.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?

What truth? Is there some secret about Santa that no one is telling me about?

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Sometimes…and it is usually either Christmas PJs or if Christmas is on a Sunday…then a new outfit for Church.

How do you decorate your tree?

We have one tree with unbreakable ornaments that the kids decorate and can “play” with and one tree that has the other ornaments on it. We are also talking about putting one outside on the patio with weather-safe decorations.

Snow…love it or hate it?

Hate it! That is why I live in Sunny, FL!

Can you ice skate?

Yes…and I want to take Kyla skating this year.

Do you remember your favorite gift?

My princess cut diamond earrings from my husband shortly after Kyla was born…and my mother’s necklace that he gave me last year after Bryleigh was born.

What is the most important thing about the holidays for you?

Creating memories with my loved ones.

What is your favorite holiday dessert?

My father-in-law’s Pecan pie, my mother’s Peanut Butter Fudge, and my sister’s Cheesecake!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Having the whole family spend the night so that we can all wake up together. The kids all sleep in the same room and can open up their stockings that Santa puts by their pillow. Then no earlier than 6am…they all shout “Merry Christmas” to wake the adults up.

What tops your tree?

A beautiful Angel that my Mother-in-law made for me.

Which do your prefer…giving…or receiving?

Giving. I love to see the facial expressions when they open up that special gift that I picked out just for them.

What is your favorite Christmas Song?

Silent Night

Candy canes…love ‘em or hate ‘em?

Love them!

What do you want for Christmas?

An external hard drive for my computer…running out of memory due to all of my photos!

Do you attend an annual Christmas Party?

At a dear family friends’ house on Christmas Eve. Their neighborhood is legendary in Sunny, FL because of the decorations, so people drive thru on Christmas Eve to look at the lights. Santa visits our friend’s party and talks to each of the children in the cars. My kids love being helps and tell everyone about it!

Do you dress up on Christmas or wear pjs all day?

PJs until after breakfast…then we dress up in new clothes for the rest of the day. Everyone also has to do a “fashion show”.

Do you own a Santa hat?

Several…

Who do you normally spend Christmas with?

Before my mother-in-law died, we spent every other Christmas with my in-laws. After her death, my father-in-law usually spends it with us…and my entire family.


So...what are your answers?

And Now Back To Our Previously Scheduled Post...Only 3 Weeks Late...

Where was I? Oh yes...

One Year Ago Today (November 11 th)...

After being in a deeply hypnotic state for over 2 days, the decision was made that a C-section was in order. I was exhausted and Bryleigh's heart rate was growing weaker...so off to the surgical delivery room. Brad said that I kept apologizing to him and the rest of my family for my failure to have a completely drug free birth. Guess that was my delirious mind that could not focus on anything else...

Bryleigh Eden was born at 11:53am on Sunday, November 11, 2007, weighing in at 8 lbs and 7 ozs and was 20 inches long. She gave a loud cry and then hardly made a peep after that. It was determined that she was positioned at an odd angle that prevented her from being delivered...and she tried just as hard as I did...so hard that she rubbed "raw" patches on her feet trying to push her way out.

There were the photos that my husband posted during the first few hours of her life while I slept my first real sleep since Friday, November 9th.





And here is a link to Bry's Birth Announcement post.

~~~

For Miss Bry's Official Birthday, I have a couple of photos of the small family dinner that we had. Her "big" party was scheduled for the 16th...but that had to be postponed due to that dreadful virus that affected our house for the past 3 weeks. We plan on having her friends over soon...

I'm Back....

from a living nightmare of sickness that invade my house...and will continue on with the belated post in celebration of Miss Bryleigh's First Birthday! Should have that post ready later tonight.

Thank you all for the well wishes and concern.

(Update) We Interrupt The Scheduled Posting Of...

One Year Ago Today (IV) to bring you this newsflash...

Rotavirus has invaded the Scarlet O'Kara household. Gross!



I have been changing foul diapers, doing endless loads of soiled laundry, spraying everything down with disinfectant, and bathing Miss Bryleigh in hopes of conquering this evil entity that has caused so many problems. We have even had to postpone her "big" birthday party because we didn't want to "share" this with our friends.

Once everything is back up and running in our usual crazy fashion without the interruption these unpleasant smells, we will return to the spot where we left off. According to the Internet, this should only take 3 - 9 days!!!

I have photos to post and stories to tell...

(Was just watching the news and see that there is a new vaccine that can help with this. Might have to call the pediatrician and see if it will help Miss Bry! Has anyone had experience with this vaccine?)

One Year Ago Today (Part III)...

I was still in labor, wondering when Baby Chili Pepper would make her grand entrance. Because of the hypnobirth training, I was heavily into my hypnotic state and remember very little about this day. From what my family tells me, I was on my feet walking almost the entire time, unless the doctor or nurses needed to monitor the progress. My incredible hypnobirth instructor spent endless hours talking, massaging, and helping me remain as pain-free as possible.

Here is the only known photo that I have from this day...



I do remember telling myself that all of my hard work would pay off soon...when my beautiful baby girl would be in my arms at last.

Come back tomorrow to hear the end of this story...

~~~

And speaking of that precious baby girl...Miss Bryleigh Eden is officially walking! One day before her first birthday, she can now take upwards of 5 - 6 steps before she sits down!

One Year Ago Today (Part II)...

I woke up feeling as good as a 41 week pregnant woman could feel. The previous nights rest was peaceful and I was making plans to head back for another acupuncture appointment. At my husband's urging, I stopped by my doctor's to be examined...just in case. He was noticing that my stomach was doing "strange" things...

The nurse practitioner could not believe how calm I was because she said that I was between 4 - 5 cm open, over 80% thinned, and in active labor. She wanted me to head immediately over to the hospital and check in. That plan was a big no-go for me because I wasn't ready...no hospital bag and my husband was at work in a meeting...so I made a deal that I would go right home, get packed and return with Brad within the hour. Well, as I was driving home, Kyla's preschool called to report that she is sick. So, I made a detour to pick her up. No one could believe that I was in active labor because I was smiling and laughing! I just kept telling them how wonderful HypnoBirthing is.

Here are the two posts that I made that day. One before I headed to the hospital and the other later in the day.

And these were a couple of the photos from that day...

This first one is of me snuggling on the couch with my sick preschooler.



Sorry that it is blurry. My husband was so nervous. He wanted me to be in the hospital already. Had visions on having to deliver Bryleigh in the garden tub in our bathroom!

This one is of me smiling while filling out all of the necessary paperwork.



I think it took almost 15 minutes to complete everything...and that was after I had preregistered the month before!

This last photo is not the best shot of me. It was taken late in the evening. I was starving and begging for food, but all I got was a cup of ice chips and the tiny bites of contraband food that my family covertly passed my way when the hospital staff was out of the room.



I told all that my stomach was huge!

Come back again tomorrow for another flashback in celebration of Bryleigh's 1st Birthday!

One Year Ago Today (Part I)...

I was a week overdue and at odds with my doctors & the hospital. They kept scheduling inductions and I kept cancelling them. To keep from having them force the issue, I went to see a local acupuncturist. After 20 minutes of soothing relaxation, he sent me on my merry way with the instruction to come back the next afternoon if I wasn't in labor. Little did I know at the time, but his tiny needles had worked their magic...

Hard to believe, but at this same time last year, I was in labor and didn't even know it. Miss Bryleigh Eden was beginning her almost 3-day labor and delivery journey. Where has the time gone?

Enjoy this post from last year and come back tomorrow for the next post in celebration of Miss Bry's 1st Birthday!!! I cannot believe that my baby is going to be a year old!









Can you believe how big my baby belly was!!! I look massive!!!

Wordless Wednesday - Cleopatra And The Lion

Head over here for more Wordless Wednesday entries.

More Election Day Fun - Blogthings Quiz

Found this quiz while checking my e-mail. It claims to be able to tell me who I voted for. So, I accepted the challenge and this is my results...

We Can't Predict Who You Voted For

According to our quiz, there's a 40% chance you voted for Obama. But that means there's an 60% chance you voted for McCain. You aren't very typical. You tend to be independent, and your vote is highly coveted. While we can't predict how you voted, there's a good chance you voted for the winner!

Did You Vote for Obama or McCain?

Pretty interesting. Let me know if any of you decide to take that test and what your results are.

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday - Free Starbucks Coffee

In honor of this Election Day, I decided to post a freebie tip instead of a recipe.



After you perform your civic duty and vote today, stop by your local Starbucks Coffee Shop and see if they are participating in the Free Tall Brewed Coffee To All Voters Promotion.



I am so glad that I decided to wait until today instead of standing in line for over 3 1/2 hours (like my husband) to participate in Early Vote. All he got was sunburned and sore feet...and I get a Free Tall Brewed Coffee!!! Guess it does pay to vote, doesn't it!

And if you want to see other Tempt My Tummy Tuesday post, head over to Blessed With Grace...

I Just Love Being...

a Florida Gator!











Take that all you Georgia Bulldogs! 49 - 10...that has got to hurt!

We have taken over control of the SEC East and are one step closer to being #1 in the Nation!!!



As an extra bonus, all of the Gator Nation gets an extra hour to sleep off the celebration from "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party"!

Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour...



and enjoy the extra sleep!