Splish splash

I like to think of this as some sort of redneck backyard riviera. To add to the redneckness of it all, he swam in a swim diaper alone.

Jones, however, couldn't care less about any of that. He loved it! We passed the time yesterday afternoon waiting for Trey to come home by swimming and playing with stickers. Jones was so happy to see him, and so was I. Three nights used to not seem so long. I will be happy when we have a relaxing weekend... I am sure there will be one in about 15 years, right? In the meantime, I am trying to enjoy the busy that is our life!

Keeping it real Friday

A couple of random but very real thoughts this glorious day:

Let's all pretend this is my current location.

1.  I had a million of boring errands to run during lunch today. Some were rather timely:  pick up my skirt from the cleaners that I need for a business trip on Monday morning, turning off our electricity and gas at our current home for our pending move and maybe pick up something to actually eat during said lunch break.
   Yet somehow I ended up at the nail place and not doing any of the above.
   I figured getting a pedicure was both better than lunch and cheaper than therapy.
   
   Which I may need because...
   
   
2.  The sell of our house in H'burg fell through.
   That bleepity-bleep house. I swear it's trying to kill me.
   Three years, people.
   We lived there THREE years ago. For a total of three months, for crying out loud.
   
   
3. A vacation would be just lovely.
   
   
4. The closer I get to my 9th move in 6 years (a fact I bring up a great deal against my sweet husband's liking. It's a fact that is both impressive and depressing to me.) the more excited I get. Future stability, you smell so sweet to me.
   
   
5. Jones' deep adoration of farm animals is at an all-time high. He has slept with farm puzzle pieces for the past three nights. He especially loves the moo-cow and horse. I will cry when he changes his current pronunciation of "heeeeee-orssse" to simply horse. It's so precious to my ears.
   
   Speaking of pronunciation ...
   
   
6.  Did anyone else watch the national spelling bee on ESPN? Because this girl did.
   At supper club last night our whole crew ended up cheering for Lena and Snigdha like it was the SEC championship. That's right.  We got wild at supper club.
   Those sweet word-loving kids. Bless them and the entertainment they provided.

My favorite contestant. Lena.

TGIF, readers, TGIF.

I-phone picture dump

Our week according to my I-phone:

He likes to dress himself on the weekends.

Found him like this - playing in tub eating a day old snack. Always with rain boots.

Sweet niece watching her big brother play t-ball.

I like to lay out during my lunch break at work. No judgement.

Jones has discovered the art of I-phone self portraits.  And he loves it.

Where's Jones?!

There he is!

Keeping it Friday

If I can't stay home and play with my child all day and then home school his pre-k and kindergarten years (after that, my math skills get shaky), then I might as well work for the greatest place on earth.

No, not Disney. That's the magical place.

And also, not Seaside. That's the for real greatest place.

I retract my earlier statement. It now reads: "I might as well work for the greatest higher education institution on earth".

I really like my job. Most days I can look past my hatred of sitting at a desk and focus on how lucky I am to be working here.

Today was Staff Appreciation Day. I spent the better part of two hours outside enjoying live music, photo booths, MSU ice cream, snow cones, lots of yummy food, and....wait for it.... A tattoo booth.

Who's the hottie in the middle?!

Yep. I got tatted. They assured me it can be easily removed with rubbing alcohol.

Wish me luck.

Great day. Great school. Great town. Great tat.

And now I get to enjoy a great weekend with my great husband and great kid.

I can just feel the greatness of it all.

Bottom line: I got to get a grip. I got to stop dwelling on things that are no longer. And I got to enjoy this place. Every. Single. Day.

And always, when given the chance, get a tattoo while at work.

Have a real great weekend.

Do you think I am a psycho?

Don't answer that.

It was a rhetorical question.

This is the second time I am said I was going private.

And this may be the second time that I am not going private.

Let's look at the facts:

I don't sew.
I don't craft.
I don't bake.
I don't sing.
I don't play an instrument.
I for sure don't decorate.

What I do: blog.

I like it.

Its my outlet.

Why the poo would I stop sharing the love because of insecurities with a few people?

Show me the love people.

I think I am staying on.

Thanks to my husband, my inner blogger is coming out.

So stay around. Read our bios up there. Let's chat more.

Get ready people. I hope to stay. We will see tomorrow. Woop woop.

Keeping it Real Friday - Mother's Day edition

I am not sure sure why I have been a touch more emotional this Mother's Day than the previous.  So fair warning that I have no idea how this post will turn out.  I am just writing.

When Jones was just a few days old, I celebrated my first Mother's Day.  Being a mom was so new to me (in ways, it is still so very new). I was just beginning to grasp the idea of motherhood.

 This was also my Nana's last Mother's Day with us.  My sweet, sweet Nana.

4 generations. Mother's Day 2010

Last year, my parents made the trip down to Gulfport to spend Mother's Day with us. 

And this year.  This glorious year.  2011 was not so great. For lack of better words, it sucked. (sorry, mama.  I know you hate that word.)

But 2012 -  Things are looking up in a major way. 

Trey is doing what he has been called to do his whole life.  And it is a beautiful thing to witness. We are happy and content and totally satisfied knowing God's purpose in our lives.

So maybe it is because this is the first holiday celebration since this new life, but for whatever reason, this Mother's Day approaching has made me sentimental, nostalgic, and ever grateful.

Sunday we will celebrate mothers. And I am feeling - now, perhaps more than ever - more thankful for my mom. 

Mother's Day 2011

My mom and my two grandmothers, one who is with us still and one who has already left this life: I can't thank them enough for showing what it means to love.  And for showing us what it means to be a mother. 

I can only hope I am half of the mom as those three women. 

From Jones - Mother's Day 2012

 And for this little man.  The reason I am a mama.
 Sweet love of my life. 

A lot of people in my life are struggling to have a baby.  And some have lost pregnancies.   I think about how I am quick to say I am ready for another baby, and how I often get impatient at the thought.  If only I would slow down more and appreciate the blessing I already have.  How precious is he. 

I will never again, I pray, take my mother for granted.  I only wish I could take back some of the ugliness in my life during a few teenage years.


If this past year has taught me one thing, it is this: love.

Show the ones you love that you love them.  And learn to love those who don't.

We get by with the help of those we love and who love us. Love can sustain us when there is nothing to offer and nothing to give. At the end of the day, regardless of where you are and what you have, if you have love you have everything. (sorry for the Hallmark-ness of it all)



I don't know about you, but I am going to spend this Mother's Day loving on my mama.  And my sweet baby.  And my sweet baby daddy. 

And I hope you spend yours loving on someone you love.  Regardless if you have a mom or not and regardless if you are a mother or not, I hope you feel loved this Mother's Day.

For real, though

Trey and I have lived in more than a few homes. 

If you count our three month stay with my parents last fall, we have moved 8 times. We are moving into our 9th home next month. We will stay put for a while. Mark my words.  

NINE.  In 6 years of marriage.

Since 2001, when I left for college, I have moved, on average, three times a year. Every year. 

I am tired.

Each home and each move has happened for a specific reason.  We have only owned two of those homes.

The first home, our first home, we bought with the intention of flipping and selling.  We lived there for two years (the longest I have lived in one place in 11 years) before we sold our flipped home and moved into a slightly larger home in the same town.

That is when craziness started.

That home. 

We lived in that home for three months. Maybe 4.  Who cares. All I know is we only lived there long enough to unpack the last box. Then we moved towns.

We still own that bleepity-bleep home. 
Did you know that?

Not fun, by the way, that whole mortgage thing for a house three hours away that you lived in for three months three years ago.  

Not fun at all.

But glorious day.  We have an accepted offer on that bleepity-bleep home. 
(I hope posting this doesn't voo-doo jinx it.)

Assuming the inspection goes well and crazy doesn't hit our life yet again, we will close at the end of this month.

Praise God.

Are you the praying type? That would be totally awesome if you were.  Then you can pray with me that this sell goes through. 

For real, though.  I may need to be medicated if it doesn't.

Weekend recap

What a busy, fun weekend!
Trey was out of town serving at a Happening retreat, but even in his absence, the weekend did not disappoint!

1) Friday night I went to a ladies night downtown called UnWine. All of the boutiques stay open late and there is wine and cheese tasting at every store. Plus discounts on all of your purchases! You know I love a good deal.

It was a fun night to celebrate Laura's birthday. One store snapped this picture of me and my friend, Sara. Fun times!

2) Saturday morning, I ran in the Historic Starkvegas 5K/10K with Kristen. I am not sure why I thought it was a good idea to run with my large toddler, but I did. He is heavy. And my time showed just how heavy! But the weather was gorgeous and it was a lot of fun. After the race, there was a family fun run. Henry and Rob ran in it; Henry was so excited. What a fun morning. I am ready for another race....without pushing 45 lbs.

3) After the race on Saturday, Jones and I headed to my sister's house for lunch with my cousins who came into town from Alabama. They had a sweet baby girl in November and we have yet to get out hands on her! I was dying to show some lovin' to baby Josey. Get a load of those cheeks. I love her!

4) After lunch, while the rest of the family went to the MSU baseball game, Jones and I headed to campus for a work event. Jones was happy to accompany me to work - there was a kid's village set up! He was fascinated with the bubbles and the sweet college girls gave him lots of attention.

5) Once we finally made it home, we were able to play with our guest: our best friend in the world - Russell! Jones is fascinated by all things Russ. He was in town for work, so stayed the weekend with us. We welcomed the company! Jones' speech is improving every single day and over the weekend he mastered "RUSS"! He called for Russ all day. So much fun! We love any time spent with "uncle" Russ.

6) Saturday night, the whole family got together at my sister's house for her birthday dinner celebration. It is always wild and so much fun when we are all together. I don't have any pictures except for this one - me loving on baby Josey. I couldn't put her down!

7) I finally got Jones home and bed Saturday night around 8:45. He was up all day with NO nap. I was one tired mama. At this point, I was ready for Trey to get home. Again I say: props to single parents!

8) Sunday morning, as I was in the kitchen getting Jones' breakfast ready, I looked over to find this:


No diaper. Cowboy hat.
Naked cowboy.

Once I got him out of the hat and dressed for church, I put Elmo on and went back to my room to finish getting myself ready. I came back to the kitchen to find the pantry door open and a trail of crackers that led to this:

He helped himself to a snack!
There is no telling how many he had already eaten by the time I got to him. I asked him if he was hungry and needed a snack and he nodded enthusiastically and said "snack!". He was very proud of himself.

9) By Sunday afternoon I was REALLY ready for Trey to get home. Jones recently started this awful thing where he says "no" very disrespectfully whenever I ask him to do something that he doesn't want to do. I can't stand it. So after telling him over and over that we do not talk like that to mommy, I put him in time out.
I turned around for 2 seconds and when I came back to check on him in time out (the pack-n-play) I found this:

Oh my! Time to rethink our time out method.

10) And finally, Sunday night before bath time, Jones used the potty for me for the first time! He has been using it sporadically at school, but never for me. Sunday as I was running his water, he ran to the potty and said "tee-tee!". I freaked out.

Yes, he pulled the whole roll of toilet paper into the toilet. I didn't want to distract him by making him stop. He was concentrating!

And, yes, I did a freak out dance and song for him when he finally went potty.

And, finally, yes. I did have to plunge the potty to get a whole roll of paper to go down.

Now, bring on the week. We have a 2nd birthday party to celebrate on Saturday!

Keeping it real Fridays

I would like to provide a little insight, for those who may be unaware, of what eating out is like with a toddler.


Trey and I usually only brave Mexican restaurants with Jones. I think the reasons why are obvious.


Last night we went after work to grab a quick bite to eat.

To set the scene, Jones was in his "accident" clothes when Trey picked him up from school. And that was still what he was in when I met them for dinner. The shirt, a fine play shirt, has long sleeves and is a bit too snug. What you can't see are his pants. Blue jeans, which he has only worn twice in his life. The blue jeans that were in his extra clothes at school were, unbeknown st to me, way too small. And way too short. And apparently his socks were also wet from the accident, so he had on tube socks. With high water pants.

Trey saw no reason to change his clothes before we met for dinner.


A few of Jones' favorite activities at the fiesta:

- Taking chips out of the basket one by one and then putting the empty chip basket on his head declaring "hat!". then proceed to yell in a sing-songy voice "hat hat hat hat" over and over.


- Emptying out every last item of food we brought from home onto the table and floor. Each time one hit the floor he would shout "uh-oh" as if he were totally shocked food was emptying the container.



Trey's look throughout the meal:

We usually eat and clean up as quickly as possible before apologizing for the mess to the waitress and leaving a good tip.

Sweet boy. How life has changed. Would not trade it for the world.

walk down memory lane

My parents are in the process of remodeling their home. Specifically, their kitchen and master bath. But all the rooms were painted and will be redecorated, and new wood was put down on the staircase where old carpet used to be.

I suppose the only natural thing for them to do next...in the middle of construction... was clean out the attic? Right? Yeah, I don't know either.


At any rate, they rid their attic of all things and sent the three of us home with boxes and boxes of childhood dreams and memories. Dramatic, I know.


Apparently I kept every letter ever written to me since about the 5th grade. And, as it turns out, I also kept every journal I have ever written in. I was quite the dramatic child. And apparently 7th grade was a tough year.


Sheesh...I hope I have a house full of boys.


I digress.




One good thing, aside from the plethora of cheerleader uniforms that now live at my house, was a table and chairs my parents had made for the three of us.




I was told I could only borrow it, that somehow we will all have to share it. Maybe it will be passed around from child to child? Obviously us Tomlinsons are in to keeping the score even.


Jones is very fond of his new table and demands that we all, including Sophie, sit with him while he dines.


There are paint stains all over this table from when we were young. I love it.

And the hearts and cut-out names? Precious.

Now I just need to find a home for high school uniforms, letters from old boyfriends, and school notebooks. Pack-rat much?

Keepin' it Real Friday

A couple of real things on this glorious Friday: (aren't most Fridays glorious?)

1) I was thinking the other day how the season of life we are in right now is so very different from our previous seasons and how there are details in this particular season that we would have never chosen for ourselves. I was thinking about how things will be better "when" and "if" fill in the blank happens. I was thinking how much easier and better life will be when XYZ falls into place.

Then this morning while talking with Trey, it hit me. Every season in life is different from the previous one in some shape or form. And the only constant in life is change. So why am I not focusing on the right now. The fun, amazing, exciting parts AND the ugly parts of right now.

There are so many things that are happening in our life right now that may not be happening if certain circumstances brought to exactly right where we are.

I know that seems vague. One day I will explain everything in my best selling book. (I kid, I kid. Kinda)

I hope that whatever season you are going through right now that you will take time to enjoy it. If there are trials, they will eventually pass. If there are none for you now, the trials will, unfortunately, eventually come.

PS - image stolen from Jenni. Thanks! (http://mattandjennimurray.blogspot.com/)

2) My child looks like a frat boy. And it breaks my heart. His school has requested that he no longer wear one-pieces since they are potty training. I use that term lightly because other than that poo-poo on day 1, Jones has shown no interest in using the potty like a big boy.


At any rate, I do understand their need for ease in undressing toddlers. Also, my child is huge. I put him in a 2T jon-jon and his belly bulged, the buttons unsnapped in the crotch. He is tall. It may just be easier to go with shorts and a shirt.

But, people. Have you shopped for cute boy play clothes lately? I die. It is a disaster. Short of spending $50 per play outfit (which I will NOT do), I am out of luck. Apparently the clothing companies think I should dress my child in a graphic t with a dump truck on it that says "TOUGH LIKE DADDY".

Umm. no.

So, my child looked like a cross between a pro golfer and a frat boy this morning.

Cutie pie eating his banana before daycare. Or college. Either one:3) It's Friday, and I couldn't be more excited about not having plans this weekend. I like a simple life.

Happy weekend, friends!

Cute girl working.

Or at least a working girl trying to be cute.

Say bye bye to my boring stuffy business planner and hello to my bright and fun one!

Who says working can't be colorful and fun? Organization with style. I like it.


Now I just have to get busy transferring stuff from my old planner to my cute new one!

Thanks, Kristen, for turning me into a cute working mom. By planner standards, anyway.

Get yours here: www.erincondren.com

Celebrating life

One of the lasting impressions my sweet Nana left on me is the art of celebrating. The lady knew how to celebrate. And not just the big life moments: Nana celebrated everyday miracles and seemingly ordinary events.

This past new years day marked the one year anniversary of her passing. It also marked the beginning of a new year: we got to say bye to a very, very bad year and say hello to a fresh start in 2012.

One of my life resolutions I made on January 1 was to be more like Nana - celebrate whimsy and celebrate living. As a simple part of that goal, I made a vow to decorate for every holiday. This year I was able to use some of my mom's and my Nana's decorations to get ready for Easter.



Seeing the decorations in my house makes me smile. And they make me think of my sweet Nana and her quirky "sit-arounds" she placed all over her house.

Happy Easter, indeed.

{I snapped these pictures of my work-in-progress using my phone}

Keepin' it real Friday

Happy Friday to you! I don't know about you but I, for one, am glad to see this day come. Onward to the weekend!

Today I want to keep it real by sharing some things with all you bloggers.

Before I was a mom, I had plenty of "I will never...", "my child will or will not..." blah, blah, blah.

Guess what? I am eating my words. Everyday. And that is ok. Jones is happy and healthy, and that is the most important thing, no?

Here are a few of my pre-mom crimes I have committed just in the past week:

1) My child will never ride in one of those disgusting cars/carts at the grocery store.
FALSE. My child will. And will love it. And I will be able to get in and out of the store without Jones having a giant-size toddler meltdown or me having to chase a very active boy around the store. Or both.



2) I will never. EVER. bribe my child. What parent would do that?

Pa-lease. This parent would. Just yesterday I used a juice box to coaxed Jones into getting in the stroller after work so I could go for a mini-jog. Worked like a charm and we were both happy. Win-win.

3)My child will love all vegetables and will happily eat whatever I lovingly prepare for the family.
What fantasy was I living in? First of all, I have yet to conquer this preparing a meal for our family gig. Now that I work, we are lucky to have a cooked meal two times a week. Secondly, my child hates all vegetables and meat. So guess what? He eats cheese, fruit and yogurt at almost every meal.

4)TV? Whatever. Not until he is at least 2, and even then no more than 15 minutes a day.
Trey leaves for work around 6:30. Which means I am left alone in the morning with Jones to get both of us ready for school and work. (Props to all of you single parents out there. You are my hero). We both need to be somewhat presentable and without tears (noticeable tears, at least) and out the door by 7:25. The TV has saved me many a times. I can either chase him around the house, scoop shoes and toys out of the toilet, come into the kitchen to find the pantry items covering the floor all while trying to clean my teeth OR I can put on a DVD and brush my teeth in peace.



5) I am not buying into all that cartoon character memorablia crap.
Jones has discovered Elmo. And there is no turning back. Give him his plush Elmo or give him death.

I read an article this week about pre-mom judging. I am guilty. I even was a stay-at-home mom judger (yes, it is a word. On this blog, at least) of working moms. Why would you put your kid in daycare?! Make sacrifices for the sake of your kids, people!! Sorry, moms out there. I was wrong.

We are all just doing our best in this scary thing. Nobody has it all together and we all feel like we totally suck at mothering at times. Good days/bad days. We all have them.

No judgement here, people. Do what works for you and let's all just be happy.

That's me keepin' it real today.

Check out the great article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kara-gebhart-uhl/mom-judgments_b_1319775.html

Here is a picture of us from last weekend. We went on a date! First to the symphony, then out for drinks and appetizers. Cute boy. I like him.