Happy 2nd Birthday, Carley

How can my baby be two today? Carley is growing up before our eyes. It is just unbelievable. Carley is the light of our lives. She is just a precious girl. She still loves to cuddle and rock at times but it loving being independent and busy, busy. Here are some things I do not want to forget about Carley at this age:

She loves to pretend. She loves her baby dolls, Elmo, her books, her kitchen, and her friends. she loves to pray and name everyone she can think of. She likes to pick out her bows every day and gets upset if I don't do the one she wants. She loves to eat and is a good eater. Her favorite foods are eggs, pancakes, string cheese, apples, green beans, lunch meat, and bananas. She likes to talk on her cell phone and type emails. She knows her shapes, letters, colors, and numbers. When she is doing something bad, she closes the door so you can't see her. She decided not to make potty training easy and also decided giving up her paci was not her thing.

I am so blessed to be her momma and to share these special days with her.

We love you big girl!

Meet the Newest Nelson

This is Elmo Nelson. Elmo was a present to Carley from Granny and Papa (the people who keep her) Since Elmo came home on Wednesday, he is Carley's new friend and truly, Carley thinks he is real. This morning Carley wanted me to brush Elmo's teeth when I brushed hers. Elmo needs a paci when Carley does, a sippy cup when Carley does, etc. It is cute, but getting old for me and Cody. :)

Here are the two young Nelsons....

Watching TV



Eating Dinner


Elmo and Ellie taking a nap.

Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!

It 's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner. I really can't. We have one more week of school and then the big two week break.
Thursday we attempted one of my favorite Christmas traditions. We went to Santaland. Growing up this was always a neat thing for Alyssa and me and my parents. Now it is so special to take Carley. My parents always come along which makes it really special too. This year Carley did not like Santa. It sounds horrible, but it was so cute. She was so dramatic about the whole thing. I loved it.
Santaland is such a neat little place with lots of fun things to see. Carley really enjoyed the experience (except for the Santa part). Her favorite part was the reindeer. Here she is waving to them.

Last night was our class Christmas party. Cody and I had so much fun. We love our sweet friends and are so thankful for them. The food was great and we loved the games and hanging out with our pals. Special thanks to the Bowmans for being such wonderful hosts and for all the hard work that goes into stuff like that.

Monday is a special day as well. My dad has his birthday. I love my dad so much. He is such an encouragement to me in so many ways. He is a wonderful father and grandfather and we are so thankful to have him in our lives. Happy Birthday, Pops.

How many ladies did I want to go off on in the SPM play area?

What a blog title, right? By the way SPM means South Plains Mall, the Lubbock mall.

Friday after school, my good friend Jenn K and I decided to try and have a play date at the mall where we could catch up. We figured it would be a fun, safe place for the Elise and Carley to play and I was excited about holding sweet baby Zane. (who is so precious, by the way) Well, Jenn and I had quite a hilarious hour. First of all, it was packed. All these big kids were left there to play while their moms went shopping. Nice. Do these moms not watch the news? Hello, Amber Alerts? Well anyway, there is a small slide made out of a safari truck that is super easy for Carley and Elise to go down. There were these little kids all over it blocking the steps and laying on the slide and stuff. They would jump in front of our little one year olds and then lay down where the girls couldn't get by. Elise and Carley were getting confused and Carley kept yelling, "Take turns, Carley turn, Take turn". I thought these kids moms would do something, but they didn't so Jenn and I got up and started lining the kids up and getting them to take turns. (yes, I am bossy at play areas too) Jenn and I keep wondering what the mom of the kids is doing. Well, Jenn found her. As you can see in the picture, here she is taking a NAP in the mall in the middle of the day for the whole world to see. Really, is that the best place to nap. Luckily, her friend was diligently watching the kids as she breastfed and dosed off herself. Once again, is this the best place to do this at 3:30 in the afternoon?

So Jenn and I are cracking up and naptime girl and her wild kids. We sit back down and this lady comes up to us with really heavy make up on and says, "Do I know you?". Jenn says, "no". I start laughing and the lady sits down next to us telling us that we are the cutest moms in the mall and she wants to show us her makeup. She then begins a Mary Kay demo. I can't handle it and stand up and go check on the line at the slide that I had beautifully orchestrated. Jenn is stuck there while this lady keeps pulling out sample upon sample. I sat back down and she makes the comment again that we are the cutest moms in the mall.

Let me just say that I am a lot of things, but I never have, nor never will be, the cutest mom in the mall. Ever. After a long day of work my make up was almost 12 hours old and my hair was coming out of its pony tail. My adult acne was shining and the dark circles under my eyes did not contribute to my cuteness in any way. Jenn is a cute mom, but she is also a new mom of two kids two and under who do not sleep at the same time. She looks great, but we were both exhausted.


So, I look at the lady and said, "We are not the cutest moms in the mall." She looked at me, gave us a lipstick sample, and went to prey on another "cute mom" with the same line of, "Do I know you?"

So why do you take your kids to the play area of the mall? To leave them there while you shop? To have them occupied while you sell Mary Kay? To have them busy while you take a little nap?

I literally wanted to yell at all three moms, but instead, my devilish heart knew I would receive some satisfaction in blogging about them behind their back! :) I love the Internet.

My Attitude is Crapitude

This is a random saying I have had for several years. I used to ask my students if their attitude was crapitude when they were grumpy in class. I ask Cody when he is quiet or looks annoyed at me for something. But truly, today my attitude is crapitude. Tis the season to be jolly. Tis the season to focus on others. Tis the season to focus on the blessings we have. Tis the season, right? Then why am I in such a crummy mood.

Here is what I think:

1. I am having trouble being organized. I keep misplacing stuff or forgetting what I have going on. This makes me feel overwhelmed.

2. Work is crazy. This is the end of the semester and it is major stress in my position. I coordinate all the checkpointing and benchmarking of our students. In a world of standardized testing, these things are really important. (whether they should be or not) Try to get all the data in, score it, and analyze it is really mind blowing for me at work right now.

3. My daughter turns two this month! TWO! How did this happen? She is so big. By the way, after weeks of successful potty training, we are at week three of NONE. She doesn't want to potty at all and refuses to do it. Has anyone else had their child regress?

4. The Writers Strike!!!! Why are all of my favorite shows ending for a while?

5. carbs, carbs, sweet carbs, warm carbs. I am totally struggling with will power right now. The weather has been cool and our days and nights have been busy. It is so easy to throw in a frozen pizza or make chili or something like that. Hot Chocolate is the drink of the season and sweet people from work keep bringing up holiday goodies to share. UGH! I feel bigger than the Christmas tree.

Enough griping! Goodness, I am whiney.

There are so many blessings out there and I keep focusing on the negative. Sweet Emma Kate Foster was born today, which is such an answer to prayer. Every day I receive Christmas cards from sweet friends and family from far away.

When we bought our home in May, we asked the sellers to throw in their Christmas lights because they have them fit for the roof. So this weekend Cody put up the lights and they are BEAUTIFUL. Our house has been decorated for the holidays for a week or so now, but this really put on the final touches.

We have been blessed with some really sweet and sincere friends who have really supported us lately during some difficult times. It is hard to feel bummed for long when I am surrounded by some wonderful people like you.

How is your world this week?

Some pictures

Here are two of the family pictures we took in our matching clothes. Are my nieces not the cutest?

And a bunch of people have asked me to do the Look Alike Meter. I did it 4 times. On the first three Carley came out exactly as 50% of each of us. WHAT???? This one I won by 4%? REALLY? Have you seen her father?

Thanksgiving 2007

We had such a great Thanksgiving week. As always, my parents were the hosts with the most and the time with my sister and her family was so great. The week can basically be summed up by with a few phrases: great food, matching clothes, shopping, and runny noses.

We also had fun going to see Enchanted which was cute and shopping, shopping, and more shopping.

Also, Alyssa and I love to play this old VHS game called Video Clue. It is like the board game + cheesy actors and storylines. The rest of our family hates the game, but we actually got them to all play because I kept talking it up to Lauren all week. I knew that no one would disappoint that sweet girl so we got to play.

Mom's food was unbelievable. Just look at the cake she made in the shape of a turkey! You can see the beautiful table my mom set behind it.


We had a picture made of our entire family which was basically a disaster. We all wore matching clothes, which I thought was funny. The girls matched every day. Here are a few shots of them. My favorite day was on Friday when I did pigtails on all the girls. Camryn looked hilarious. You have to look at Alyssa's blog for those pictures.

Matching Pajamas

"Between Grandma and Santa my list is Covered" and Pigtail Day

This is why it is so hard to get a picture of all three

And of course, because of the weather all of us are sick. We all have runny noses, coughs, and hoarse voices.

And last, here is the newest member of the O'Rear family stuck in a bowl. Hope you had a wonderful week as well!

So much to be thanful for

It is sad that it takes a holiday to make us sit down and really acknowledge what we are thankful for each year. It truly is the moments that we experience each day that bring us the most peace and joy I believe.

I am not listing specific people on this list because those are too easy to think of and the list can get really long. Instead, here is a list of things that I am most thankful for:

1. I am thankful for happy and healthy families.
2. I am thankful for the freedom to worship and openly practice religion in our country.
3. I am thankful for disposable diapers.
4. I am thankful for all the potty training books and tips out there in the world.
5. I am thankful for prayerful and faithful friends.
6. I am thankful for seasons and changing weather.
7. I am thankful for successful and healthy pregnancies.
8. I am thankful for indoor plumbing and heating/AC units.
9. I am thankful for the kitchen gadgets that help me survive every day.
10. I am thankful for pillow top mattresses.
11. I am thankful for direct deposit checks and ATMs.
12. I am thankful for digital cameras.
13. I am thankful for the drive-in.
14. I am thankful for miracle children who are so much healthier than we had ever dreamed possible.
15. I am thankful for puppies and all household animals who are like family.
16. I am thankful for volunteers.
17. I am thankful for tv shows. I am know it sounds petty, but I really am.
18. I am thankful for parks, slides, swings, and swimming pools.
19. I am thankful for strong public and private schools.
20. I am thankful for voice mails from people under the age of 10.
21. I am thankful for voice mails from old friends.
22. I am thankful for grandparents who stay involved in their grandkids lives.
23. I am thankful for books that make the Bible alive to me in new ways.
24. I am thankful for people that forgive and always show patience.
25. I am thankful for bloggers and blogspot.com.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Blogger Guilt

I have blogger guilt. I feel like I should blog but I really have no desire to do it. It is so weird because I usually enjoy blogging so much. There is lots going on and so much I could blog about but I just can't get around to typing it all. SO I will blog about the easiest stand by...television.

Here is what I am watching:

Sundays : Desperate Housewives - It is picking up a little and over all I am enjoying it a little. I loved it when Danielle dressed as Bree and I can't wait to see how the Gabi/Carlos storyline and Danielle's storyline is resolved.

Brothers and Sisters - This show never disappoints me. I really like it. Rob Lowe is so wonderful and I like all of the characters. Does anyone else watch this show?

Monday - Chuck - This is such a great show. It is cute, funny, fast paced, and, of course, I love the love story. So far it has been really clean which I like too.

Heroes - The Adam Monroe twist is at least getting the show to pick up for me a little. I have not enjoyed it near as much this season. When Maya cries tears of death I just roll my eyes.

The Hills - I wish that People magazine didn't already tell me 6 months ago what would happen with this show. I still watch it. Some episodes are so good and there are ones like last week which just seem pointless. And what is up with Justin Bobby answering the questions about Audrina with "She is cool"?

Tuesday - nothing

Wednesday - Private Practice - It is picking up, but I still don't love it. I like to watch it but I don't connect with any of the characters really. I hope that the next few episodes get me hooked on the show.

really I am just ready for Lost to come back on.

Thursday - The Office - Words cannot describe how funny this show is to me. The Survivorman stuff was classic. The clips of Michael surprising people for their birthdays was so funny too. I just love this show.

Grey's - What can I say? I still am a fan. I do not think this season is as good as last season, but I am hooked and I am going to hang in there. At least the Gizzie storyline is ending due to lack of Chemistry! My favorite characters are Alex and Mark Sloan. I hope they do great things with these story lines and of course I still love Bailey. I am so glad she got promoted to Chief Resident again.

Friday - Friday Night Lights - I love this show. I think it is so well written. Coach and his wife are so great. I am interested to see how the Tyra/Landry storyline resolves. I am also interested to see what they do with Riggins and Lyla & what happens to Julie and Matt. This is such a great show.

I also love The Soup and Best Week Ever which totally make me laugh each week.

How is that for a shallow post? Any thoughts?

Fall Festival

We had SO much fun at the fall festival at church. I just love it every year. Carley had so much fun this time. There were lots of activities for all ages which made it super special for little duck.

The fam

Carley's fellow feathered friend, Baby Hudson

Carley and her main man, Charlie, taking a coloring break

Her first painted nails

Vegas Vacation

Cody and I took a little vacation this past week to Las Vegas. We left on Wednesday and came back on Saturday. Of course, my parents were wonderful and kept Carley so we could get away. We had such a great time being together. We hung out, went to see Mamma Mia, went to see Dan in Real Life, shopped, and ate. I did pretty good on the slots and came out even.2nd Row for Mamma Mia

Outside the Bellagio

Hanging with Elton John at Madame Tuseaus

The Cutest Playmate of them all hanging with Hef

In My Arms

Last week Papa, (Granny's husband) who keeps Carley had surgery. This week she has been shared between Cody, my Mom, and me all week. She has done really well, but it has been hectic getting it all organized. My Mom has been a LIFESAVER and has helped so much. Today we didn't have any one so Carley came to work with me. It was hilarious to say the least. My office was not the most productive, but definitely had the highest amount of energy.

At the end of the day, one of the teachers brought down a song for me to listen to and it made me cry. It is called "In My Arms" by Plumb. I had heard it on Air One but just part of it. You have to hear it. Here is a link to her My Space page. I found the lyrics online as well. It is a sweet song that reminded me of my sweet girl.

In My Arms - Plumb

your baby blues
so full of wonder
your curly cues
your contagious 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

Every office needs Baby Einstein, right?

Watching her favorite movies

Hanging with Mommy at work

TV, TV, TV thoughts

Sunday - Desperate Housewives - I really like what they are doing with Brie's character. The pie stuff was really funny. Susan is kind of annoying to me now. Lynette is great and the cancer stuff with her is a sweet, but tough story. Gaby is hilarious as always and I love her and Carlos.

Brothers and Sisters - Rob Lowe is so cute and such a good actor. I really like all the scenes with him. Kitty needs to brush her hair. She always looks wind blown. I am interested to see what they do with Justin and his recovery and Rebecca. I enjoy this show.

Monday - Chuck - This is the sweetest show. I really like it. It is a good mix of action and comedy and so far it has been very clean. I love the sweet moments between Chuck and Sarah too.

Heroes- Maya and her tears of death are freaky to me. Sylar was back and as evil as ever. I loved him and i love the illusion he provides. I also loved the flying friend for Claire and that will be a cute couple. Nikki still annoys me.

Wednesday - For the first time, I really liked Private Practice. Addison was tough again and liked it. I loved the cake scenes with Naomi and her admitting that she really wanted Sam's cake instead. I know Sam and the dr. from the main hospital will hook up and i am not looking forward to that. Cooper is really a cute character too. It was a good episode.

Thursday - The Office - Real tears came rolling down my cheeks because I was laughing so hard when Andy did "take a chance on me". I loved Monkey and D. D's rage against the machine was hilarious and Michael was a random as ever. The hostage situation and party was genuis. Too funny.
Grey's - I am glad George FINALLY told Callie so that storyline can move on. I liked the flirtation of Alex and Lexi in the elevator. I also was glad Bailey was amazing and wonderful again. She is so good and did a great job with Alex, Mer, and Callie. Also, I used to love this movie called the "North Ave. Irregulars" which is an old Disney movie about a church that takes on a gambling ring. The pastor from that is the new "old" intern and I love that.

Friday - FNL- So good. I am so mad at Landry and Tyra for their stupidity in handling that situation, but I loved their holding hands and kissing. I hope they have some sweet scenes together. As for Matt, I hope he recovers from this Julie thing quickly. I love that guy. Julie is crazy as is the whole household. Poor mom, poor coach far away. I can't wait for them to get him home.

That is it for me. What did I miss?

Sweet Family Stuff

Cody and I went on a date last night to see the musical Ring Of Fire. It was so wonderful to eat at a nice restaurant without Carley and just enjoy visiting. Also a musical is something very "unLubbocklike" which was nice too. Thanks so much to my sweet mom for keeping Carley and putting her to bed for us. Where would I be without Nana?

Also, Cody sent me flowers to work yesterday. There was no reason, he just did it because we had a date that night. This is a sweet and unusual treat and it just meant the world to me. I am so lucky to be Mrs. Cody Nelson and I am so thankful for my best friend. He is just amazing.

Finally, here is our little duck. She is a mess and we love her more and more every second.

Weekly Recap

First of all, thanks for the warm wishes on Carley's behalf. She is doing much better, in fact she is hardly limping at all. She is playing like a champ and enjoys just a little Motrin every now and then.

Also, keep praying for our friend, Bennett Speck. Miracles are happening to him daily and we know that all of these miracles happen because of our amazing Heavenly Father!

So on to TV..

Private Practice - I watch it, but I am not in love with it. I do love Taye Diggs and Naomi, but I am sad that I have a feeling he will sleep with the blond dr. from the hospital before they rekindle their relationship. Also, Addison was whiney and her hair looked weird. Tim Daly is charming and so it Taye. I will keep watching for a little longer before I decide. Thoughts?

The Office - Really funny. My favorite parts were Creed being 29, Kelly faking her pregnancy, and Michael driving into the lake. I also loved the Pam and Jim stuff which I will for sure refer to as PB & J. (from last week) I think Karen will be back before too long because her name keeps being mentioned.

Grey's - Loved the addiction theme. The story of the Crystal Meth explosion was really good. I love Alex kissing the sweet little boy. It makes you wonder what Alex's family is like. I really like the stronger character of Mark Sloan. He is really great and I find myself smiling when he is on screen. He is so cute and charming. Mer and Der. I am addicted to them just like Derek is. Just when I thought they were going to be cute and happy for a few episodes, Mer is weird and he shows no backbone. I am still rooting for them, I am just wanting them to be healthier.

Friday Night Lights - Last night was really good. I LOVE Landry and I am worried what will happen to him. I am ready for the coach to come back. Also, looks like Matt and Julie have a long road ahead of them. Lyla's prayer was at the table was really funny too. I just really like this show.

Finally - CHUCK- People, you need to start watching Chuck. It is funny and creative and clean. It is really good. Cody and I both think it is our favorite of the new season. Have you watched it?

Heroes was good, but I don't understand enough of it to comment.

Any shows I missed?

Carley's First Visit to the ER

Tonight was a sad first in the Nelson home. Cody and I were sitting on the couch and Carley was playing in Cody's lap. She jumped out of his lap and landed wrong on her foot. We were afraid she broke her ankle or leg. She was crying SO loud and couldn't walk on her foot or put any weight on it at all. So we took her to the ER. 3 1/2 hours later we found out she sprained her ankle. She was so good in the ER and waited really well for a one year old. My sweet mom came up there with us and helped entertain Carley. It took a village.... The saddest part of all was her X-Ray. I am not sure I have ever heard her cry like that. Both Cody and I had to hold her down. It was so sad. Anyway, she is feeling better and I am praying for a restful night. We are so thankful for a sprained ankel and not something worse.

That being said, I am just now watching Grey's and the Office tonight. I will post another TV update later

A wonderful weekend

I just have to say, we had a wonderful weekend. Friday we drove to Keller to Alyssa's house for Lauren's 4th birthday. We ate at Buca Di Beppo for dinner. It was SO yummy and way too much food. Then Saturday we went to Lauren's party at Rainforest Cafe. I loved this for so many reasons. #1 - Lauren is so special to me. She is SUCH a sweet girl. She gives hugs and kisses and is so fun to tease and to play with all the time. The thing that I love the most about her right now is how genuine she is. She loves her cousin, her family, her friends, and her life. She asks great questions and really tries to comprehend what is going on around her all the time. That kid does not miss a beat! #2 - I got to see some of my favorite bloggers. Nicole and Kristen were there and I always enjoy catching up with these friends in person.

We spent the rest of the weekend celebrating my sweet mom who had a birthday as well. My mom is SUCH a wonderful person. She truly is the most humble and giving person I know. She is the BEST mom and the VERY BEST NANA! We love her so much and truly I have no idea what I would do in this world without her.

Cody took a shift of vacation for us to go so he got off work on Wednesday night and didn't go back in until tonight. We had such a good time being together. We had Carley's Halloween picture made, went to the mall, went to the park, and enjoyed our car time together. He is so much fun to be with and I truly feel like a better person when he is around.

We were sad to miss a get together with our Lubbock friends from church though. We are so blessed to have so many people to love and have in our lives.

I have one more crazy story for you. A lady I work with and have become good friends with is 27 and she and her husband have 2 kids. She is an amazing person and a ton of fun too. She is also a hero to me because she fought a NASTY battle with bone cancer and won. It was an awful 8 months and she dealt with so much during that time. She finished chemo in November. Since then her body has had trouble getting back in the swing of things. She was a marathon runner before cancer and was training for another one in January. She is just one of those fit, tiny people that I am always friends with but never one of! :) Anyway, she came in my office on Friday and was crying. She asked to use the phone and called a lab to schedule blood work. I was so afraid her cancer was back. Instead, she had taken a pregnancy test and it was positive. Although, this seems like good news, she needed to wait 2 years to get pregnant because of the chemo getting out of her system. I prayed and prayed for her all weekend. Today she came in to call the lab and get her results. The dr. told her to come to his office IMMEDIATELY. She went in and they did a sonogram. She is 18 weeks pregnant with a little boy! 18 WEEKS! She thought she was just a little bloated from the chemo left overs! And the best part is the baby is healthy! He has survived a CT scan, a bone scan, bobsledding in Utah, Six Flags, and several XRays! WOW! Can you imagine finding out you are half way done with your pregnancy? CRAZY! God is very faithful and truly the creator of life!

My Thoughts on Thursday

Here are my TV experiences so far for the fall:

Bionic Woman - stupid
Private Practice - annoying. I really didn't like it that much. I probably will continue to watch it for a few more weeks to see if it picks up.

The Office - WOW! HILARIOUS! - I have been really hungry since training for my 5k (5000 miles) and chicken alfredo will just hit the spot! WHAT? He is so awesome. All I can say is YAY for PB & J. I loved it, loved it, loved it. Special thoughts this morning go out to all with Rabies.

Grey's - This will not be a surprise, but I really liked last night's episode. I really did. I like the Lexie Grey character. I like Alex and McSteamy. I am looking forward to the rekindling relationship of Mark Sloan and Derek Shephard. They have literally been friends since childhood and it was good to see Mark fight for that friendship. Also, I liked seeing Derek a little feisty last night. His rant on why Meredith is so messed up shows that he really does get her and love her. Mere, or poor Mere, her personal life is just all over the place. Bad mom, bad father, now awesome sister. We will see how this plays out. Also, I am interested to see what happens with George, you know, now that he loves Izzie and all.

Thoughts?

You know I am Ashley, You know it is the last week in September, You know what that means....

.....Fall TV. Yep, it is Season's Greetings once again. It is time for the new fall season premiers and I love it. So, because I am addicted to TV, here is what I am planning on trying out and watching.

Sundays - Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters - I am so mad because both made it seem like they were new episodes, but they weren't last week. I am anxious to find out what is going on with both shows this week end.

Mondays - HEROES - It was so good on Monday. I can't wait for Sylar's return. What is up with the boy who can fly?
DANCING WITH THE STARS - At this point, I just watch it a little. There are too many contestants right now for me to get too interested. Who are your picks?
CHUCK- I recorded this, but haven't watched it yet. Did any of you?
The HILLS - Even with a few episodes left, I will remain faithful. I did enjoy the big reveal that Jason is engaged. Thanks to People magazine for telling us this a few months ago.

Tuesdays - Biggest Loser - Man, I teared up when they showed the contestants calling home. So sweet. I can't believe how awesome the contestant voted off looked. I guess age doesn't matter at all!
DANCING - I thought the male model was really cute.

Wednesdays - I am about to try out PRIVATE PRACTICE. It will have to be better than the preview episode on Grey's was last season. I am really ready for LOST to come back on. Also, I am going to watch BIONIC WOMAN tonight and see if I like it too.

Thursdays - The Office and Grey's....all I can say is I can't wait. I absolutely can't wait!

Fridays - FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS - I love this show and I am ready for it to return, especially with the new baby story line.

That is my fall line up. What are you watching?

Carley's friends from Granny's & 8 things

Granny & Papa (the people who keep Carley while we work) took this picture of Carley and her friends on the first day that all the kids were back. I thought it was really cute. Some of you know the sweet baby propped up against Carley and I thought you would like to see it too. These little kids have become like siblings to Carley in a way and I am very thankful for them.

I have now been tagged SEVEN times to do the 8 things about me post. Man, the pressure. Lord knows I have few to no filters about what I share online so I have had so much trouble coming up with 8 things about me that you don't already know. I really can not come up with anything interesting. Here is the best I can do:

1. My dad made me get a haircut one time for yelling at my mom while she was french braiding my hair. He was tired of us fighting in the mornings. I will never forget that day. My family still talks about this story often. This is the only time in the history of my family that my Dad ever gave an opinion about hair.

2. I don't like coffee. I don't like the smell of it either. It just looks like burned water to me. I also do not like cold cereal or eggs. The texture of both kill me. I only like to drink milk at night and not in the morning.

3. I came in second place in the Martin Elementary spelling bee in 4th grade. I lost out on the word cherish. I did not "cherish" the moment of losing and vowed to never use the word again.

4. I can still write down my class schedule and room numbers of all my years in public education. (Kindergarten, Mrs. Beavers room, 113; 1st grade Mrs. Prater, 119; etc.). I have a knack for memorizing songs and TV theme songs. I have won 3 TV/commercial theme contests. My memory is so good that it is embarrassing sometimes so I pretend like I don't remember so people do not think I am a psycho stalker. In my head I am thinking, " We met in the frozen food section of Walmart. You were in a yellow sweatshirt, I was in a gray T-Shirt. You were with my friend, Sally Ann Walker, whose phone number is 123-4567 and birthday is 1-1-03." But I usually pretend like I can't place them.

5. I hit my first grade teacher when I was running away from school. I didn't like first grade at ALL until Christmas time when I got to be Mary in the school play. Before then, I would scream, cry, and try to run away all the time. After that, I was okay.

6. I have the same birthday as Texas Independence Day. When I was 8, Texas turned 150 and the Vice President at the time, George Bush Sr., came to Lubbock for some speech. My family went and we sat behind the white house press. They took my address and Mr. and Mrs. VP send me an autographed picture, a letter, and a copy of the speech. It was so neat. Another great story is that my big sister, Alyssa, had to take me to bathroom right before the speech. Somehow on the way back in I got away and ran in and my sister got stopped and was not allowed to enter because the speech had started. She started crying and thought she was in National trouble. I went back to my seat with out thinking twice about her. Once again, I got in trouble.

7. I do not like my smile at all. I have a mole on my top lip that always makes it look like I have food of my face and my top lip rolls under when I smile. I used to get made fun of for both of these things when I was in 6th grade and it still bugs me to this day.

8. If I am not thinking about it, I blow on any food that I am eating with a fork or spoon before it goes in my mouth. This is a horrible and embarrassing habit and I have gotten caught a couple of times. Cody caught me blowing on my salad last week and I blew on ice cream at work the other day. Most of the time I catch myself before someone else does, but sadly, not always.

Finally, please keep praying for our sweet Bennett Speck. He is a month old today. I can not imagine how this month has been for Travis and Kelly.