Leaving on a jet plane...

...with a 14 month old!

Hey, y'all! I'm soliciting tips and advice for flying with a toddler. C and I are leaving Thursday morning around 11 to fly to North Carolina to spend some time with our besties, Audrey & Sam. The flight is around 2.5 hours, and will partly be during nap time. And if that wasn't enough, we just started C on antibiotics this morning for an ear infection. Lovely!

Have you flown with a toddler? How did you make it a happy experience for everyone involved?

I appreciate y'all!

What a day!

For a low-key family, we've managed to cram a WHOLE lot of fun in this day!


It all started when little C decided to sleep past 7:30! Whoop! We got up and did our morning stuff and let daddy sleep until 8:30 before we went in and showered him with Valentine's kisses! Then we all got dressed and went to Tristan's 2nd birthday party! It had a western theme, but we don't own any western clothes, so we went with the strawberry look. I'm certain that SOMEONE in the wild west ate strawberries at some point!



C really got a kick out of mowing the lawn! R already has big plans to buy her a mower come spring!


I believe it is MORE than obvious what C thought of the pony ride! She seemed to be okay when we were in motion, but she had a death grip on me and squirmed to get off when we stopped. She managed to go one loop around the back yard. One of the ponies laid down on the ground and rolled over, and that made C cry. She was brave and humored us but only ONCE!


She MUCH preferred swinging with her daddy and watching the other children ride the horses.

We left the party a little before noon, and C crashed almost before we left the subdivision! She slept the whole way home and woke as we were turning in our driveway. She ate a good lunch and then took a 2 1/2 hour nap. After some milk and a snack, it was on to our next adventure of the day!



C, R, Big Bird, and I went to watch the Aggies play Baylor in basketball. This was C's first game ever (although she should get credit for all the ones that have been on tv in her presence!) She didn't seem bothered by the noises or the people. She sat on my lap most of the game and just soaked it all in. She was an angel!

The only time she got scared was when the lady next to us would whistle. There were some other A&M fans in front of us and when the lady whistled, she tried to whistle at them. C and I took one break at halftime and then left when there was about 1 minute left. We walked around the corridor and waited for daddy.

We made it home just a little bit ago. C almost fell asleep several times while taking her bath and drinking her bah-bah! I don't think she'll have any trouble sleeping tonight...and I don't think I will either!


What a fun, blessed day!


P.S. What do you think of the blog-makeover that Teale did for me? You can check her out by clicking on the button over on the side! She's amazing!

Tagged Twice

A while back, Kimberly tagged me with “Honest Scrap” and recently Heather tagged me with something else really similar. Basically they both ask you to do the same thing…

1. Tell 7 honest facts about yourself that are interesting, strange, or weird.
2. Tag 7 other bloggers to play.
3. Leave a comment on the blogs of the 7 people you tagged.

So, even though I don’t usually play along with these, this one sounds refreshing! Unlike some other blogs I’ve seen, mine isn’t masked in roses and cheerfulness all the time. I do have bad days, I get mad, and I am hurt sometimes. Life is what it is. With that, here are my 7 “Honest Scraps”!

1. When I was a kid, I picked my nose. And ate it. Often. It did not adversely affect me, I never got worms, and my finger was never bitten by a long toothed snail!

2. I have been treated for depression and anxiety since I was 20. I am thankful DAILY that God made doctors and scientists who have studied the brain and made medicines to help folks when their brain chemicals aren’t just right. I pray that I NEVER have to go back to the way I felt before.

3. I gained 60 pounds when I was pregnant with C. I don’t know how much of it was water, but it has been hypothesized that I developed gestational diabetes after my blood glucose test was done. I’m certain they will watch me very carefully next time.

4. Social situations make me sick to my stomach. Baby showers, wedding showers, Pampered Chef parties—you name it—even my own! If there are more than about 4 people, you can guarantee that I’ll be uncomfortable to a point of actually avoiding the event. I am better if C or R is with me because I at least have one person to talk to. I am not a social butterfly and am much happier doing my own thing. I’m trying to get better.

5. I enjoy an occasional glass of wine (Riesling, White Zinfandel, Gewürztraminer), margarita on the rocks, or Mexican beer with lime and salt. I didn’t have a drink until I turned 21. It took me a LONG time to get to the point where I was okay with having a drink. Just part of being raised Southern Baptist I guess.

6. I broke my nose when I was little (and no, I wasn’t picking it when I broke it!) To this day, I do not have cartilage in my nose. It can be pressed FLAT against my face. Some people think it looks really gross. What do you think?

7. I have been “put under” 4 times in my life. Once when I had my wisdom teeth removed (summer between high school and college), once for a colonoscopy in May of 2005, once during the c-section when I had C, and again for another colonoscopy in August of 2008. Being “put under” is the strangest feeling in the world!

I'm TAGGING Audrey, Charla, Alicia, Katie Rae, Sami, Joshua & Amy. (But only do it if you want to!)

Pure joy.

My Girl

Thanks to all of you who have asked about Little C! Last Thursday (wow, almost a week ago!) was the worst as far as her spots were concerned. Thank God (truly!), by Saturday her spots were all but GONE! She's back to feeling 100% and in my opinion, she's 100% precious! Hey, I'm allowed to say that! I'm her mother! We never really figured out what caused the spots--allergic reaction or virus--but we'll stay away from penicillin and possibly take her to an allergist when she gets a little older. Currently (as evidenced by the picture) she L-O-V-E-S being outside, eating all of her food with her hands (i.e. picking up chunks of food as opposed to having it fed to her), and she said her first sentence this weekend! She was mad at Gabby the dog and she said, "No no doggie!" It was adorable!

Thank you for your prayers and concern!

It is an exciting day! My very favorite author has a new book out TODAY! I just learned even better news…That this book is the first in a new trilogy!


Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Makes me so happy! Her first series, The Big Stone Gap series, has been read, re-read, and passed around to so many family and friends. I’m certain this one will make the trip as well. Her stand-alone books are currently displayed on top of my filing cabinet in my cubicle! They are fantastic as well!

And this just makes me GIDDY…A few weeks ago I read somewhere that Adriana was writing a young adult novel. I went poking around on her website to see if I could find out anything about it. I found out that she was in fact writing a YA novel and that it was coming out in November of 2009. I’m presenting a session in October on the best new picks in YA literature, so on a WHIM, I emailed Adriana (never thinking it would make it to her!) to see if I could get an advance reader copy. Within 30 minutes of pressing send, ADRIANA herself emailed me back. She began the email with Corrie, darling! She said I will get the FIRST advance reader copy hot off the presses! I was squealing with delight!

I tried to explain to R that this would be like Michael Jordan emailing him. That put it a little in perspective!

I’ll be heading over to B&N during lunch to pick up Very Valentine (which has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day, by the way). If you need a funny, well-written, and engaging book (or just a break from vampires like I do!) check out ANY ONE of Adriana’s books. You can browse them here.


Oh to be a lover of books and words! I hope desperately to pass this love on to C! Happy Reading, friends!