Thursday Three's

3 things I'm grateful for:

1. A long drive in the car without having to listen to Dora.

2. Going to HEB by MYSELF and not having to push one of those monstrous race car shopping carts around.

3. Not having to change messy diapers because my precious daughter is using the potty like a big girl!

Sweet Berry Farms

Last week during spring break my sister came into town for a few days with Savannah. On Thursday we loaded into Sarah's car and headed for Sweet Berry Farms in Marble Falls to pick strawberries. And OH MY GOSH, I'm not sure why I haven't been there before since I've lived in Austin for 18 years! A little unknown fact about me is that I LOVE strawberries. Love them. Could probably survive on strawberries alone. When I was a little girl and we lived in Colorado Springs we had a strawberry patch in our backyard and I couldn't wait to eat them until we got into the house. I would eat them as I picked them. Well, Sweet Berry Farms was like crack to me and I was in heaven. While I picked and picked every strawberry I could, Sarah entertained Savannah (who would have much rather been somewhere that she could demonstrate her new crawling abilities). Sheridan played in the fields with me and picked a few strawberries and then Mimi took her to see the goats. I could have stayed there for hours but lunch time rolled around and we headed to the famous Bluebonnet Cafe for some lunch and delicious pie!

My little helper

More proof that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! She sure knows how to make her mommy proud.Savannah started blowing kisses while she was here and here she is mid kiss

Mimi and Savannah

Maybe next year Savannah can play in the strawberry fields with us

Apparently this was not close enough for Sheridan and she requested "open gate" so she could get even more up-close and personal with the goatsSavannah loved looking at the goats Aunt Sarah's new pimp ride is complete with a DVD player and Sheridan loved watching Dora and listening through the headphones. Sarah loved that Savannah was able to sleep peacefully. And I loved that we could listen to the radio and not Dora. (Note to self: must get pimp new ride when lease on Envoy is up.)
What $15 worth of strawberries and a happy Julie looks like

27 weeks

I can't believe I'm already in my 3rd trimester! This pregnancy has gone by so fast and it didn't dawn on me how far along I really was until one day a few weeks ago when I was shopping for maternity clothes.

Sales person: "How far along are you?"

Me: "24 weeks."

Sales person: "Oh, so you're 6 months."

Short pause while a truck full of bricks hits me in the face.

Me: (thinking, not speaking, trying to hold it together) HOLY SHIT! I'm 6 months?!?!? 24 weeks sounds so much better. Like I have more time to get ready for this baby. We have no name, nothing picked out for the bedding, nothing ready in the room, all the necessities (car seat, etc.) are still in the attic and other random places throughout the house. We've only got 3 months to get it together!!!!!

So it's been 3 weeks and the only progress I've made (other than getting bigger and making a mess in the baby's room by going through crates of Sheridan's clothes) is that I finally picked out fabric for her bedding and purchased it today. Her nursery will be pink and brown and I'm hoping I can drag Cameron to Home Depot this weekend to pick out a paint color for the walls. This shouldn't be too difficult since Home Depot is practically Cameron's 2nd home and he could spend hours in that store. Gag.

And how big am I? Well, according to my darling husband, I'm as big as a house. Yes, he actually said that to one of his friends on the phone. And I would have killed him BY SITTING ON HIM, but he's got a lot of shit to do around here for this little one.

I wish I had a picture of myself at 27 weeks when I was pregnant with Sheridan to compare, but I wasn't very good then either about taking belly pictures.

Our Valentine

Go figure the flash wasn't on for the two pictures of her standing completely still and smiling for me! Oh well, I'm getting pretty good at capturing things on the move.

It's a GIRL!!!!!

Turns out I'm 2 for 2 with my dream predictions and we have a healthy little girl!! The girl dynasty continues in my family and we are so excited!!! Her heartbeat was 154 and she weighs 13 ounces, which is actually in the 94 percentile!! I'm just going to say that means my due date might be earlier than they originally expected instead of meaning that I'm going to have a big baby!

Pregnancy 201

A few of the questions people ask me lately:

1. Are you going to find out what you're having? Um, hi. Have you met me? My name is Julie and I'm a planner who doesn't like the unknown. OF COURSE I'm going to find out. I can barely wait the 20 weeks as it is there's NO WAY I would make it to 40 weeks! And I guarantee I'll be just as surprised and excited when the sonographer tells me what I'm having as I would be if I waited for my OBGYN to tell me as she brings my baby into the world.

2. Do you want a boy or a girl? Depends on the day what my answer is to this question. Some days I think it would be great to have a girl because hand-me downs rock and Lord knows I've got a TON of them. Plus, the only sibling relationship I know is having a sister and I love it so naturally I want Sheridan to have that. Then I think it would be fun to have a boy. But then Cameron and I don't really agree on boy names so I'm back to hoping for a girl. I guess it's a good thing it's not up to me to decide. Thank goodness we'll have an answer to the question TOMORROW! The next 12 hours might kill me.

3. Is Sheridan excited? She doesn't have a clue what's going on. Now if I told her that Dora was going to be her sister and coming to live with us, THEN we would be peeling her off the ceiling she'd be so freaking excited.

4. What are you craving? Nothing. Seriously, nothing sounds good to me and it's highly annoying because what in the hell is the point of going through all this (other than bringing a child into the world, blah, blah, blah, I know) if you can't indulge in every bad for you thing you crave? Don't get me wrong though, I'm still eating a bowl of ice cream every night regardless.

5. Are you ready for another one? Hmmm, it's a little late to be asking me that, isn't it?!?! Can you really be "ready" for your life to be turned inside out and upside down and think it's the greatest thing that ever happened to you after you start getting more than 3 consecutive hours of sleep at a time? This time around I KNOW what the sleepless nights are like and no, I'm not ready for that. But this time around I also KNOW that "this too shall pass" and there is light (or sleep rather) at the end of the tunnel. This time around I KNOW what to do with a baby but I don't know how to juggle having two kids. So for as much as I know (or think I do) there's just as much that I still don't know and there truly is no "being ready" for this experience. I just know I'm ready for the journey.

More than you'll ever need to know

A few months ago (okay, it was many months ago..probably 7 or 8), at our monthly Harte-Hanks dinner Heidi commented on the list of 100 things about herself that Mimi posted on her blog. Heidi was so inspired that she assigned us all to do the same for homework, along with joining Facebook. Well, what can I say? I fought joining Facebook for as long as I could. Now I'm completely addicted. As for my list of 100 things. I started it shortly after our dinner (so some of these are going to be old...but I'm not starting over) and it turns out that when you don't have a job, you have A LOT MORE TIME to complete these damn things.

1. I used to wear MAC make-up which required a special trip to Saks 5th Avenue. Now I wear whatever make-up I can purchase at HEB.

2. I love breakfast for dinner. (Cameron thinks this is weird. I think he is weird.)

3. There are several foods that I say I don't like but I've never even tried them. I'm just sure I won't like them. Like eggplant. Or brussel sprouts. And let's not forget oysters.

4. I get all of my best qualities from my dad....stubbornness, lack of patience, potty mouth. The list of endearing qualities goes on and on but you get the drift.

5. I thought my life was over when we moved to Texas my sophomore year in high school. Little did I know it was just beginning here.

6. I have a four leaf clover tattoo on my hip. I still don't regret getting it because it's not visible on a daily basis and I often forget it's even there. I'm sure the day will come when Sheridan wants a tattoo and I'll just have to smile and take her. Otherwise, I'd be a hypocrite and we can't have that.

7. My sign is Cancer. When I was younger I was convinced that meant I was going to GET cancer. Yes, I also didn't walk on cracks in the sidewalk because I didn't want to break my mother's back. I've since learned better.

8. My taste buds have definitely evolved over the years. I used to like white wine, now I like red. I used to like daiquiris, now I prefer margaritas.

9. I am "one of those people" who orders a non-fat drink at Starbucks and still gets the whip. There are some sacrifices I just won't make.

10. I think ranch goes with everything and should be its own food group.

11. I like to mix my cereals. We also have at least 4-5 different kinds of cereal on-hand, at all times in my house. If you can inherit traits from your friends, then these are courtesy of Tara.

12. I love romantic comedies and hate scary movies.

13. I miss my sports car and until I can justify a mid-life crisis, I think my husband should buy me an Acadia.

14. I wash my hair every other day and the days that I don't are usually when I get compliments on it. I'm not sure what to do with that.

15. Just as they say men can be in touch with their feminine side, I'm in touch with my ghetto side. Only when it comes to music though. I think I can pull off a lot fashion trends, but baggy jeans and jewelry on my teeth? Not so much.

16. I'm very weird about sell by dates on milk. I will not drink it past that date (or even on that date) even though Cameron claims it is fine for a few days afterwards. He lived in a fraternity house therefore, he cannot be trusted on matters related to expiration dates.

17. I've lived in 10 cities, 5 states, and on one island.

18. Despite the Air Force's best effort, I HATE change and adjust to it kicking and screaming.

19. However, I'm not afraid to fly.

20. I HATE to fold clothes and I'm pretty sure it's from working in retail for six years. There is always a pile of clothes on the bed in the guest room unless the maid is coming or we actually have a guest stay with us, then I'm forced to break down and fold them.

21. I only read the first, middle and last chapter of every novel I was "supposed" to read for English classes in high school and college. One semester at the college formerly known as Southwest Texas, my mom went with me to buy my books and there were 7 or 8 novels I needed for my English lit class. As we were standing in line to buy them she turned to me and asked if I was actually going to read all of them. I told her "Uh, no. But I have to look the part."

22. I am very protective of my sister and she will always be my "little" sister now matter how grown up she really is.

23. I started socially smoking when I was a sophomore in college and continued that disgusting habit for about six years. If I could do things differently I would have just stuck to candy cigarettes because those are years my lungs will never get back.

24. The summer before my freshman year in high school while my mom and sister were at a dance competition and my dad was at work, I drove my mom's car around our neighborhood to visit my friends. No, I didn't have my license, not even a learner's permit. I never got caught and when one of my mom's friends said they saw me driving my mom replied "oh no, that couldn't have been Julie." Sorry mom, it was me.

25. The summer after my freshman year in HS my friend Rachel and I took her parent's car out and drove around while they were at work. Again, no licenses for either of us. We got caught because they came home and noticed the car wasn't there. I was just an innocent passenger and I was grounded for two months. Rachel got NOTHING and to this day my mom swears that's why she turned out to be a mess.

26. In junior high I had to sneak out to toilet paper houses. One time my cat busted me because she started meowing after I climbed out the window. I was grounded for a month.

27. I'm only a little bitter that when it came time for my sister to toilet paper houses she never got in trouble. Because my parents MADE ME CHAUFFEUR HER AROUND TO DO IT. (You're welcome Sarah, you have no idea how easy I made your life.)

28. One night during my sophomore year in high school I was going to miss my curfew so I decided I might as well stay out ALL NIGHT LONG. This was obviously before everyone had a cell phone so when I got home at some unreasonable hour (after 4 but before 6) in the morning, my dad was livid! Again, I was grounded for several months.

I didn't think this list would turn into a confession. I'm not even Catholic. And since my grandmother reads this blog, Graminy, pay no attention to #23-#28. In your case, none of them are true. For the rest of you, now maybe you understand why I'm so freaked out about Sheridan's adolesent years. Not only was I rebellious but oh yeah, so was my husband. We've got it coming to us TIMES TWO.

29. I am was grew up Episcopalian. I think I will always consider myself an Episcopalian even though we are members of the Methodist church now.

30. My legs will not tan under any circumstance, no matter how hard I try.

31. I go to bed between midnight and 1am every night. My alarm goes off every morning at 6:30 and I hit snooze for at least 30 minutes, sometimes an hour before I realize what's going on.

32. I am a HORRIBLE speller. Spell check is the greatest invention ever.

33. I have a slight shopping problem. Clothes, shoes, scrapbooking stuff, jewelry, purses, and basically crap in general....I love it ALL.

34. My dad put me on a cash diet after he bailed me out of credit card debt for the SECOND time in college. Even though I'm well beyond that now, I still break out into a cold sweat and curl up into the fetal position every time I use my credit card.

35. It's easy for me to exercise regularly when it's part of my routine but it's hard for me to jump back on the bandwagon once I've fallen off. Like since we got back from our vacation. In June.

36. I usually talk to my mom at least twice a day. I hope Sheridan and I are just as close when she grows up.

37. I like a little coffee with my cream and sugar.

38. On my 21st birthday, Harry Connick Jr. sang Happy Birthday to me at Cedar Street.

39. I would gladly work in retail until retirement if the hours weren't so terrible.

40. It's taken me so long to make this list that now I'm wearing Mary Kay make-up. My mother-in-law is a consultant and that makes it even easier to get make-up than during a routine trip to the grocery store.

41. I cry every time I hear the song "You're Gonna Miss This" by Trace Adkins. Because I know it's true.

42. I love 'to-do' lists. And I love checking things off of them even more. Sometimes, I will add something that I've already done that wasn't on it, just so I can check it off.

43. My favorite ice cream is Tin Roof by Blue Bell.

44. I cannot sow but I have a sewing machine. It's collecting dust.

45. I am a tv junkie.

46. I went to three different high schools.

47. My "I'm not messing around" voice has zero effect on Sheridan. She laughs at me. I predict this will be a problem in her teenage years.

48. I like things organized but I have piles of crap everywhere. Correction. I have organized piles of crap everywhere.

49. I think I've become the dumbest person ever since having a kid. (This is where #40 comes in very handy to help me remember what the hell I'm supposed to be doing!)

50. I do not know how to change a flat tire. My dad and Cameron have tried to show me countless times but I don't pay attention because I'm simply not interested in learning.

51. Sweets are my weakness, especially chocolate.

52. I hate to dust. Apparently, so does my maid.

53. My dream job is owning my own clothing boutique.

54. I love the holiday season.

55. I would pick a beach vacation over a ski vacation every time.

56. My wish list for vacation destinations include: Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas, New York, Lake Tahoe, St. John, Seattle, Rome, Hawaii, and Paris.

57. I would like to read books more but I don't have the time.

58. I wonder what it would be like to be current on my scrapbooks. I'm still working on January of 2007.

59. My favorite color is green. All shades.

60. I've worn acrylic nails since I was a junior in high school.

61. I get pedicures regularly in the spring and summer.

62. One might say I'm high maintenance and I'm alright with that. I've been called worse.

63. I'm a compulsive worrier.

64. I like to cook and bake.

65. I love glasses but I'm running out of room in my cabinets for all of them.

66. I like to eat out on Friday nights because the last thing I usually want to do at the end of a long week is make dinner.

67. I've only been in one car accident that was not my fault.

68. But I get a speeding ticket at least once a year.

69. I do not make the bed every morning. Or any morning really.

70. I'm not very timely or consistent with writing thank you notes but I really want to be.

71. My car used to be very clean inside until I had Sheridan. Now there is a bunch of random crap in my car at all times.

72. I hate the words "preggo" or "preggers" for referring to pregnant women. Prego is a brand of spaghetti sauce people and "preggers"? I mean really? That is not a word?

73. I know you should never say "never" but I will NEVER own a mini-van. I'm pretty sure they don't play rap music.

74. Chances are, if I'm thinking something. I'm going to tell you about it. And it won't be sugar-coated.

75. I don't consider myself having any sales experience even though I worked in retail for 6 years and sold Pampered Chef for 5 years. That was fun, sales is not.

76. I think it's ironic that our computer is from like 1980 and my husband works for that little computer company in Round Rock. He should know where we could find an upgrade.

77. I love having lots of plants on the deck but hate bringing them inside during the Texas winter. One day it's freezing. Plants come in. Next three days it's 80. Plants go out. Next day it's freezing. Plants come in. And so it goes...

78. When I was younger I wanted to be a vet when I grew up. Then I realized how much school that required.

79. My grandmother thought I should be a lawyer because I like to agrue.

80. If I could change anything about my wedding, I would change how I wore my hair. Everything else would be the same.

81. I'm a lot to put up with but I'm glad my husband does. (Side note: That door swings both ways actually.)

82. Motherhood has taught me that I don't know anything.

83. Jamaica is my favorite place to vacation.

84. Cameron jokes that he will have to have a therapist on speed dial if something ever happens to Harley (my first baby, my black lab). It is not a joke.

85. I love Beth Moore's bible studies.

86. I want to go to Hawaii for our 5th anniversary. It is highly doubtful that it will happen since we'll have a three month old then.

87. I am not looking forward to the sleepless nights that loom ahead with a newborn. This time around I have a point of reference and I KNOW how bad they are.

88. The Price is Right and the theme song from Young and the Restless remind me of when we lived with my mom's parents while my dad was on a remote assignment in Korea for a year. I was in the second grade.

89. I am a Republican.

90. I taught my sister how to drive because my mom was afraid to be in the car with her and patience isn't really a virtue for my dad.

91. I like the kitchen to be clean when I go to bed because I hate waking up to a pile of dirty dishes in the sink.

92. I have to have dessert every night. Nothing fancy, just something sweet.

93. I want a pool when Sheridan is a teenager. Then she can clean it like I had to when we lived in Arizona.

94. Silver is my favorite color for a car.

95. I never had allergies until I moved to Texas.

96. I am always late every where I go now that I have a kid and I don't like it.

97. I want to own a horse someday.

98. I used to want three kids. Then I had one. Now I think two will be plenty.

99. Going to Home Depot or Lowes is like torture for me.

100. I think everyone should wait tables or work retail at some point in their life. I've done both.

And there you have it. Whew! Now I can go to our monthly dinner on Thursday.

I have a dream

Turns out MLK isn't the only one who had a dream about the future. Monday night I had a dream that we were having a girl! Last time with Sheridan my dream predicted things correctly....so much so, it was even in line with all of the dark, curly hair she was born with and what she looked like. It was crazy! This dream was a lot less detailed but the gender was revealed. We'll find out on February 3rd if I'm 2 for 2 with my dreams!!!

An answer for everything

Yesterday Sheridan didn't have school because of the long holiday weekend and my mom (AKA = Mimi) watched her for us. Keep in mind, it was 48 degrees outside yesterday (one of the coldest days this winter) in Austin when this exchange took place.

Sheridan: "Go outside?"

Mimi: "No, we're not going to go outside today. It's too cold. Brrr...."

Sheridan without hesitation: "Wear jacket."

Where there's a will, there's a way. Unfortunately for Sheridan, she did not get her way.

Third times a charm

I have to admit I sort of dreaded having the traditional picture of Sheridan taken with Santa this year. Wouldn't you if all you wanted was a picture of your darling child, sitting sweetly with Santa and smiling and what you ended up getting was a catastrophic fit and buckets of tears? That has been our experience the previous two years and probably the reason why I waited until Christmas Eve day to venture out for the occasion. I thought I would be the only one who waited so long, but I was not. Only this year, the hour and a half wait was worth it! Either someone switched my child out for a well-behaved look alike or all the cartoons with Santa Claus that we've watched and all the books that we've read about Santa Claus finally sunk in with Sheridan and she gets that he is not scary. People who bring you presents are not scary!

I waited until the last possible second to let Sheridan see Santa. After all, I was still expecting her to freak out when this happened. But instead. I stood there. My jaw dropped to the floor as my child walked right up to Santa and climbed into his lap ON HER OWN FREE WILL and sat there in awe of him without any tears. I quickly scrambled for my camera to capture this rare moment.

"Santa, I can't believe it's really you!"

And if that wasn't enough, then she turned and smiled for the camera!!!

"Mom, don't say I never do anything for you!"

Catching up with December

So I didn't get to blogging much on my days off over the last couple of weeks like I had hoped. Yes, I had the time but here's the problem. Our laptop is from 1980 (I might be exaggerating a tad bit but really, it's ancient!) and only has one USB port to plug things into so.....I can't be online AND have my external hard drive plugged in to upload pictures to my blog at the same time. Yes, I've tried those things that have multiple ports to plug things into but for some reason our internet won't work when it's plugged into that. I'm not a technical person. So if it doesn't work when I plug it in then there's not a whole lot I can do about it.....but bitch and complain to my husband WHO WORKS FOR A COMPUTER COMPANY, that we need to upgrade. STAT! And maybe if I bitch and complain enough, I'll get what I want....eventually. Until then, my dear readers (all 10 of you) are just going to have to suffer along with me. Or convince my boss to let me blog while on the clock.

But enough about that. Let's get caught up! The month of December, as always, flew by and now I have a three year old. A THREE YEAR OLD. Wow - it looks as weird in writing as it sounds coming out of my mouth. I can't possibly put all of December into one post because there were visits to see Santa (successful visits but more on that later), cookies to be made, presents to open, family to visit, and birthdays to celebrate. So here are a few random events....

Destroying Daddy's neatly raked pile of leaves

Every December our neighborhood has a Luminary Night and the evening is started off with Santa Claus driving around the neighborhood throwing candy to the kids. Once it's dark, we all light our luminaries and visit with our neighbors. Fortunately, this year it was not on a super cold night so we all gathered in our front yards. Everyone but me, with a tasty adult beverage.

The best view to see Santa and the firetruck that followed him around the neighborhood
This picture was taken the morning of Sheridan's Christmas performance at preschool
On the 16th, Sheridan's dance class had a mini Christmas performance for all of the families. I was so excited for Sheridan's first performance! My parents were there. Cameron was there and ready with the video camera to capture the magical moment on tape forever. Unfortunately, Sheridan was not in the performing mood. And this is what we got......
She just wanted her Mimi to hold her. Mimi (being the smart problem solver that she is) thought if she went up with Sheridan and stood by her, then Sheridan would participate. Sheridan still was not having it.And eventually, she thought it was more interesting to watch her teacher (Miss Sarah) dance with the class
My fingers are crossed we don't have a repeat in June at the recital.

Learning about the best part of baking....

Licking the batter off the mixer!

She was a quick learner

My new official taste tester

Next step of the process: bath time (for both Sheridan and the mixer)

Better late than never....

Seeing as how Christmas is in a few days, I thought I'd better post some pictures from Thanksgiving! Hopefully, since I'll have a several days off over the next two weeks I'll be able to post pictures from Christmas a lot faster. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

Anyway, Thanksgiving works out really well between our two families because my family actually celebrates on Friday when Cal and Sarah come into town after being at the farm with his parents. So we head up to Temple to spend the day with Cameron's family on Thursday. I think this year was the biggest turnout we've had yet since both sides of different families were able to gather together. After we stuffed ourselves, everyone took to their usual activities. The kids went outside to play, the men went out to the garage/shop and talked cars, and the women cleaned the kitchen and chased the kids around.

Brenda's swing set is always a gathering spot for the kids

Once I borrowed Kelly's fancy Nikon camera, Sheridan must have thought I looked professional enough and worthy of her actually looking at the camera. Guess what I'll be adding to my Christmas list.....
Our cousin Kelly and Jason's sweet little girl, Natalie
GG to the rescueHere I come.....
Allen, Leah and Rebekah
Jeffrey, Leah, me and Cameron
I was so excited about getting to spend several days with this little sweetie...my niece Savannah
Sheridan gives sweet kisses to Savannah
Great Graminy Gillespie and Savannah

Lunch at the Round Rock Salt Lick

I got bloggin' behind....

As much as I would like to take credit for that clever little phrase. I cannot. I stole it from Shaunna. But I had to use it because it's absolutely appropriate since we just celebrated Thanksgiving (and that was even a week ago!) and I haven't even shared pictures from Halloween yet. Or anything from November. I think the hat fits! So pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy it for me while you catch up on our most exciting life......

Even though Sheridan had a fever and an ear infection on Halloween she channeled her inner princess and let us still dress her up as Belle from Beauty and Beast and went trick-or-treating to two house. Even a sick princess has her limits.

Frank, Shelly, and Trevor came into town November 6th through the 10th for a wedding and we were so happy to have them stay with us! On Friday night we went to Z Tejas for dinner and took our late night party back to Sara and Kenny's house. I had to work some of the time they were here so I missed lunch at Hula Hut with them on Sunday. But I was able to spend lots of time with them on Monday before they left since I had the day off. As always we had the best time with them and am wondering how we're going to beat the three visits we had with them this year in 2009.

The guys

The girls (those lucky guys!)......

Me and Shaunna

Shelly and Sara

Sara and Kenny

Frank and Shelly

On November 21st Sheridan's preschool had their Thanksgiving feast and Cameron (yes, he actually left the office), my parents and I all went up there to join in the festivities. Surprisingly, Sheridan was not cooperative for pictures so this is all I got.....

On the 26th Mimi, Tara and I took advantage of Tara being in town for the holidays and got together for lunch at Mimi's cafe. Since we were all pregnant together (but not for long because Mimi had her baby boy, Grafton, on December 3rd) I had to get a picture of us together.

Me (due June 26th), Mimi (due any day in this picture), Tara (due March 16th)

Wow! What a month! I'm sure December is going to go by even faster!