Another Word Game!

Yup - another word game. My friend Kim did this on her blog and so I just have to try hers as well.... This has a few harder categories than the one I did earlier, so let's see what I come up with!!

Ok- I played along. Hope you did too! Please leave me a comment if you play along so I can enjoy your favorites too!

My Favorites Are...........................

Sport: Football

Game: Pictionary (its hilarious when people can't draw and get mad-me included!) (This was Kim's answer, but it fits me too, so I'll copy this one!!)

Color: Orange

Movie: Return to Me

Broadway play I've seen: I haven't seen any!

Broadway musical I've seen: I haven't seen any!

Song: It depends on the day! But these days, the one I posted earlier on my blog called WAITING is my favorite!

American city I've visited: New York City

Foreign city I've visited: Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan, but only for obvious reasons!

Book: Typically, it's whatever I am currently reading - right now I'm reading Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series - it's light and funny and easy to read.

Children's book: It's the Bear!

Classic TV show: I Love Lucy or The Brady Bunch

Recent TV show: Design Star on HGTV, or Designed to Sell, or House Hunters

Actor: Harrison Ford, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt

Actress: Julia Roberts,

Perfume: Beautiful by Estee Lauder and/or Dazzling Silver by Estee Lauder too, I think...

Food: Totally depends on the day!

Dessert: If I have to choose just one - ice cream - Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip is my favorite

Chain restaurant: Cheesecake Factory, Applebees, Sakura

Local restaurant: in Va. Beach - Rudee's on the Inlet

Car: my 2002 Camry - it's paid off!!

Condiment: ketchup

Kitchen appliance: microwave or coffee pot!

Home appliance: Curling Iron

Beauty product: Paul Mitchell Hair Spray

Piece of clothing: my new jeans

HGTV show: Design Star, or Designed to Sell, or House Hunters or House Hunters International

Food Network show: I really don't watch any, but saw Rachael Ray when I was in Rhode Island last month, and that was interesting.

Author: James Patterson, Sophie Kinsella, Elizabeth George, Ellie Lofaro, Laura Jensen Walker,

Male songwriter: I don't know who writes them, I only (might) know who sings them!

Female songwriter: Same as above!!

Holiday: Christmas, but Thanksgiving is becoming a close second

Ballet I've seen: Don't think I've seen any.... I guess I'm not very cultured!

Disney character: Toy Story crew

Flower: Roses, Tulips

Alcoholic drink: Margaritas were my favorite when I used to drink in my younger years! LOL

Non-alcoholic drink: milk, diet Dr. Pepper, diet Coke, Propel Fitness water, Coffee (starbucks lattes!)

Magazine: Real Simple or Hallmark Magazine

Animated movie: Toy Story (wow Kim, we have lots of similarities!) my other one would be Shrek

Television mini series: Flambards

Season: As I get older... Spring and Fall are my favorites - around DC, fall is better I think. I used to like summer best, but it's just too darn hot these days and I can't lounge around at the pool and beach all summer like i used too!

Male vocalist: Josh Groban

Female vocalist: not sure... I listen to more 'groups' and can't think of any now!

Day of the week: Saturday, I guess

Household chore: Laundry

Ice-cream: Breyers Mint Chocolate Chip

Candy: M and M's

Artist: my kids

Quotation: "Of all the Charlie Brown's in the world, you're the Charlie Browniest"

Second post - same day!

You Can Only Type One Word
It's not as easy as you might think. It's really hard to only use one-word answers. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Your significant other? God
3. Your hair? which half...?
4. Your mother? giving
5. Your father? caring
6. Your favorite thing? laughing
7. Your dream last night? can't recall
8. Your favorite drink? milk
9. Your dream/goal? many
10. The room you're in? mysittingroom
11. Your ex? remarried
12. Your fear? illnesses
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? with my children
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? sad
16. Muffins? sure!
17. One of your wish list items? remodeling
18. Where you grew up? vienna,va
19. The last thing you did? blogged
20. What are you wearing? shorts/tshirt
21. Your TV? on
22. Your pets? don'texist
23. Your computer? laptop
24. Your life? awesome!
25. Your mood? happy!
26. Missing someone? yes!
27. Your car? camry
28. Something you're not wearing? tiara
29 Favorite Store? target
30. Your summer? HOT
31. Like someone? yes
32. Your favorite color? orange
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? July 13
35. Who will/would re-post this? no idea

OK, I cheated a couple of times - but how do you say I'm in the sitting room without saying in the sitting room? i can't just say, sitting. :)

A real conversation!!

well, i wasn't expecting this so soon, but maia totally communicated with me tonight - like a real conversation.

first, we were in the driveway getting home from work chatting with my neighbor. i was wearing my sunglasses and when maia got antsy, i picked her up (so i could talk longer, of course!!) as i held her, she stared at my (sun)glasses... i could see her out of the corner of my eye as i continued to talk and she watched me. finally, i had to shift her weight a little and i looked straight at her... she tilted her head a little as she looked at me and said, "gasses". i said, yes, they are glasses. we did this about 10 times, then i slid them down a little, and batted my eyes at her and said "eyes" and then put my sunglasses back on. then she studied harder and harder and said "ice", and i said "yes, those are my eyes". one funny part was, she knows i don't let her touch my glasses - it's already a crying shame what i spend on these things, no one best touch them! she has learned that (fairly well) already. so she kept looking hard and not touching. then she hesitantly was using her finger and wanted 'a little touch'. i said, 'no touch' and she pulled her hand away and said "gasses". aw, so cute!!

then she ate dinner and we had a movie night - she watched some winnie the pooh. (i'm so happy i found these on dvd this week - i've been watching matthew's old videos and was ready to find the CLASSIC Pooh's on dvd... All 3 I wanted on one dvd, awesome!) anyway, i digress. after the movie, it was bedtime. she only took a one hour nap and she was falling asleep during dinner in her high chair... so, as i picked her up and said it was time to get ready for bed... she said (You ready for this?!?!) "Bath". I said, "What??" She said "Bath". well, i thought i was making it up in my head, so i put her down and said "show me what you want." so she took my hand and led me to her bathroom and hit the door with her hand (we keep it closed because otherwise she's be in the toilet playing 24/7) and when she hit the door she said "Bath". so, by now i figure i'm right, and i said, "you want to take a bath?" and she smiled SO BIG and got SO EXCITED. i was tired and being lazy and hadn't wanted to give her a bath, but how could i resist THAT?? our first conversation/communication... AWESOME!!

so, she took her bath - and at the end, i said, "ok, all done". she stood up and signed "milk". MAN, does she know what she wants?? so, we got her dried off and in her jammies and had her night-night milk. What a cool night! she told me exactly what she wanted, and i totally understood! so neat!! so tonight, i'd say she used 3 more words, in the right context, and i understood them. eyes, glasses and bath. she has said eyes before, but only once or twice and i wasn't convinced she knew what she was talking about. this time i am sure!!

such a sweet night. i just love when children are learning to talk!! it's so cool.

OH! the other adorable thing (well, not if you had to listen, but...) was she was making all sorts of loud noise when i was getting her in her jammies.... ok, she was yelling (just to hear herself i think).... so i started doing it too... we were both 'screaming' and she thought it was hysterical. so, we did this five or six times and then i was teaching her about LOUD and quiet. She is learning those in a book too... anyway, we've got the LOUD part down just fine, and when i said quiet.... she put her finger to her lips and said, "sshhhhh". oh, melts my heart. so cute.

does anyone have thoughts about journaling?? well, i can't say i'm great at it, in fact this blog is about as close as i get... so hopefully it is here forever... but if ever you are journaling or having thoughts about how hard some things are, or how bad the kids are being one day, be sure you write down the good days, and these wonderful special moments too, because of course, every day with your family and children are good days... but these special ones with special memories make all the normal, every day stuff SO worth it! and to think, this morning i was 'sad' because i had a migraine, and now, the day is ending with such a smile on my face and special memories with maia! yeah!

i spoke with matthew today - he went deep sea fishing with my dad. they had a great day! they caught 30 fish (kept 4) and had such fun! matthew said he cleaned the fish and they cooked it for dinner. he said the fish stunk really bad! what he meant was... the insides, yuck!! i'll need to talk to mom to see how much CLEANING he really did... i'm sure she'll have another story... LOL. he had a good time though - last year they went on the same boat and caught nothing, so today was a real treat!

yesterday was a BIG DAY for my niece marie... she lost her first tooth!!!! she has been waiting and waiting for this tooth to come out - she was SOOOOO excited! here she is:

ok, now to really top things off... i'm going to watch one of my favorite episodes of friends! love that show! i finished the book i was reading last night and haven't started a new one yet, so it'll be a tube night... haven't done that in a long time.

A week in July

I'm not sure there is anything of major importance to dicsuss, but I'll see what I come up with... I started feeling better the middle of last week - that was great. You know when you are sick and you kinda forget what it's like to feel normal? Or to swallow without grimacing? It was nice when that pain subsided.

My parents arrived on Saturday for a visit. My brother visited on Sunday as well. My mom made 'my request' for a birthday dinner - DELISH! And for dessert, it was so cute! She got little ice cream sandwich type things, (called Skinny Cow's - what a name, makes you really feel good about yourself... LOL.) Anyway, she got three different flavors and arranged them like a pyramid. A great option from a birthday cake that we would never finish up. I love ice cream, so these were perfect. We even all test tasted multiple flavors... as if we didn't know what mint, or chocolate might taste like! LOL. It was fun.

It was rather brutally hot this weekend - not even fun for me. Too hot with too much humidity to go outside and enjoy it whatsoever. Finally, the temps have changed a little today and it's more comfortable now. Of course, we are about to get a HUGE thunderstorm... so I hope I don't lose my power (Again!!) and lose this post... :)

Maia is doing SO WELL. She is really starting to talk and if not really talking, then mimic. This may sound terrible, but I'll tell you anyway (as we say it in love and as a joke... not meanly!!) She tripped the other day and I said, "Klutz!" She mimicked me, intonation and all, and said, "Kutz!" Too cute. (I say that to take her mind OFF the falling... I'm really not being cruel.) :) She says diaper, juice, eyes, bye bye, night night (sort of), she's even saying something for Maia now. It's just so cute!! I love hearing little ones talk - one of my favorite things when they start talking!! She's doing very well in day care. I must say, I don't love her classroom - the teachers are too young and uninvolved, and more in to 'them', but she will only be in this class another month and then she transitions to the 2 year old room - so hopefully that will have a better set of teachers like I was accustomed to with Matthew - those that spoke to the parents and talked about the kids when you got there... I want to know what she really did today - not "She was fine". Anyway - if she were going to be in there longer, I would have to say something, but.... for now, I'll just vent here!

Question for you all.... Does anyone have an iPhone? Does anyone have Verizon's version of the iPhone? (I think it's called the LG Dare.) I would like an iPhone, but have Verizon and would just as soon stick with Verizon, but am not sure I'd like that phone enough to get it. Anyone?? Heard anything about these?

Matthew is with my parents this week. I am not only missing him, but jealous. I wish I were at the beach too!! I'll go for 4 days at the end of August... so at least I have one trip to look forward to this summer! I hope Matthew has a blast. They plan to fish, and go to the aquarium, and the Outer Banks for a day, and just hang out. Oh, so jealous.

Maia likes to escape. She was in her high chair and since she couldn't get out of her chair... we think she was trying to get out of her shirt... take a look:

I call her Houdini....

I also call her a monkey... she climbs on anything and everything. She's pretty good at it too!

There is a whole series of these, but.... I'll spare you for now... :)

If anyone knows anything, good or bad about the phones... let me know! Thanks!

More sharing!

You all have to listen to this song! It is the song my sister put on the video link below and I just CAN NOT listen to it without crying. Sometimes because I am remembering how ridiculously hard the waiting was to find and meet my daughter!! For those of you still waiting, you can totally relate, I know! For those with their precious children already home, you remember and it was hard!! When I'm not remembering those harder, sadder times of her half way around the world without a mommy... I am crying tears of joy for the blessing she is to me and Matthew. I just can't explain it - but I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!! It is an awesome song.

This song is being sold for a mere $1.50 to fund his adoption of his daughter! What a great idea. I wish I had the idea, or the voice to sing it.

Check out this site and purchase it and enjoy!

http://www.adoptionsong.com/theSong.html

Here are the lyrics - even reading them makes me cry. :) What an awesome song!

This is bigger than nations.
Something too big for borders is happening here.
This is more than relations.
Something thicker than blood is pulling us near.

Somewhere there is a hand that needs another to hold,
And here I am with my hand empty.
Across an ocean a cheek needs a good-night kiss,
And these words are the kiss I’m sending.

I am waiting for you, you are waiting for me,
there is nothing but time between us.
I’ve never met you but you are all I can see.
I’m just praying that you can feel this.

A tiny heart beats inside your little chest
and every beat is in step with mine.
If I could open my heart like a locket,
a tiny picture of you is what we would find.

Every morning I pray for your safety,
And every night I ask for your peaceful sleep.
And every morning when you wake wherever you are
is another day closer to me.

I am waiting for you, you are waiting for me,
there is nothing but time between us.
I’ve never met you but you are all I can see.
I’m just praying that you can feel this, too…

Everybody around the world sing “I need somebody to love”…
From me to you, wherever you are, I am coming for you, I am coming with love…

I am praying for you there waiting for me.
Ten thousand miles is only a day.
When the sun sets on you it rises on me.
One day closer that you’ll come home to stay.

I am waiting for you, you are waiting for me,
there is nothing but time between us.
I’ve never met you but you are all I can see.
I’m just praying that you can feel this.

©2007 Thomas Hicks - All Rights Reserved

I have to share!!

You all, I am speechless - but I just saw this that my sister made for me, and I am awestruck!! I just cried from the very beginning and the tears continued throughout. (Matthew said he thought I would actually have cried worse... so I guess that's something??) How special!

Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaMrr0P7nSw

testing a layout...

my line breaks are not working well. it is bugging me. i am typing this junk in here to see why when i hit a return, no space goes between my paragraphs... it used to, so i'm not sure what happened there.

i am sick. i don't like being sick. it is really a bummer!! today is beautiful and it would have been a great day for the pool, but that didn't happen. i spent some of it in the urgent care getting meds for what turned out to be an ear infection. lovely. i have gone between chills and sweating profusely yesterday and today.

i'm hoping tomorrow will start looking up. i really don't want to spend my whole weekend being sick. that stinks!! especially in the summer!! (and tomorrow is my birthday, which would make it all the worse.) I just want to feel better.

OK, so I have typed this in with line breaks after each paragraph. Lets' see if it will POST that way!! Happy Saturday everyone!

I think I finally fixed it! Let's hope... it's bugging me that there were never breaks after each paragraph!

The night from... Somewhere....

I'll fore warn you - there are no pictures of this night to be remembered. Simply my perspective of the evenings happenings - It's Murphy's Law, only for Kristen. I call it Kristen's Law....

Since my alarm sounds at 5:00 a.m., I am trying to learn that going to bed before midnight is pretty much essential, at least on most evenings. So, at 10:45 I decided I'd best go to bed. That's when Matthew wanted to take a shower and come in and snuggle before he went to bed. I told him I needed to go to bed (hate turning away snuggles - he's almost 13 - he won't want that much longer from me!! but I decided I'd best try to go to bed.) HA!

As soon as I booted Matthew, a fly, the size of a Kaiser Roll, which also happened to sound like a helicopter, flew in to my room. Well, he heard it too, so he came in to help me kill this monstrosity. It took 30 minutes of climbing on the bed, running around the bedroom and the sitting room, before we could track it down. Finally, I thought, I could go to bed. HA!

We watched a portion of something on HGTV, I don't even recall what!! Then I shooed Matthew away again, it was at least 11:30. I was ready for bed... HA! I wasn't the LEAST bit tired until 1:00 a.m. 1:00 a.m. Are you kidding?? I'm trying to be responsible. I'm trying to get some sleep. 1:00 a.m.

1:30 a.m. - a storm decides to roll through. At first, I awoke and wasn't sure what I had heard. Then I heard it again - more thunder - close, but not too close. I didn't hear it again, but I was up. I'm not sure for how long, but I did manage to fall back asleep, eventually.

3:30 a.m. A strange, strange, strange beeping occurs. I was sound asleep. I can't figure out what this strange noise is. My alarm. Nope, it's only 3:30 a.m. A phone with a low-battery? Nope. I hear it about 30 seconds apart a few more times. I determine it is my house alarm - but it is not the siren sounding, so what is it? I finally realize the power is out and that must be why it is sounding. I find the flashlight (at least THAT was next to my bed where it was supposed to be!) and go to the alarm and turn it off. I checked outside to make sure the neighborhood is dark and not just my house for some reason and it was, so I got my cell phone, set the alarm on my cell phone for the morning (which I've decided to make at LEAST 6:00 a.m. at this point) and I get back in bed. It is now 4:00 a.m. and I finally drift back off.

5:00 a.m. BLOOD CURDLING SCREAM - "MOM".

"What?"

"Can you come here?"

"What's wrong?"

"Just come here."

Well, I was afraid Maia would wake up if we screamed back and forth any longer, so I went rather than asking what was wrong. Terrible thoughts ran through my head, and when I got to his room, with my flashlight, I asked what was wrong.

He said, he thought the hands on his (battery operated) clock looked like cat eyes (since it was pitch dark and all you could see were the tips of them glowing). It scared him. I said, no, the power is out and you just can't see as well as normal because the nightlights. Anyway, I had jumped up SO fast when he screamed that I felt like I was going to pass out. So, I headed back to bed. I did not pass out. To add, I'm not sure what is so scary about a cat.. but I guess the fact that it was in his room, or so he thought, is the scary part.

2 minutes later - he was freaked out to be in the pitch dark - so he came in my bed with me. I fell asleep - finally!

5:21 (what, like 15 minutes later???) the power comes back ON. Beeps and power 'noises' throughout the house. Clocks blinking, TiVO's 'churring', A/C running - I've decided it's much quieter without the electricity! Anyway, that was it. 5:21 - I had fallen asleep and gotten up way too many times for one night.... HA!

I THINK I fell asleep about 5:57... the alarm sounded at 6:00. Go figure.

Anyone wanna take bets on WHEN I fall asleep and HOW LONG I sleep tonight? Let's hope it's a better night than last. Last night was one of the worst in YEARS.

The prize?? Maia didn't wake up ONCE and I wasn't tired today?!??!? I don't ask how or why... I'll just accept it. :)

There - now if THAT story didn't put you to bed, I don't know what will! HA!

She's setting trends already...

So, Maia is already setting trends Maia style... check this out.

She loves to pick up and put on any hat that is laying around.. so here - she found my red sun visor (which is way too tight on my head, so it is now hers!!) The funny thing is, she puts it on upside down, 100% of the time. She often finds baseball hats of Matthew's too and often puts those on the 'cool' way, backwards, of course!!

Side view: this cracks me up!

Here, Maia is still wearing the visor, but she is dragging around her red chair. She drags this chair around with her like some kids carry blankies or something... She drags it all over the house. It's funny! I don't know why she's so attached to it exactly, it's certainly not because she SITS in it that often... she just takes it from place to place to place to place to place... you get the idea.

This will sound crazy to most, if not all of you, but I feel the need to mention this. my parents have owned their beach house since I was expecting Matthew, 13 years. All that time, there has been a 'wild' male Peacock living in their neighborhood, within a few houses of theirs. It was so cool. For many years, you would just hear it 'squawking' and then I finally found it. The last two years, I saw it, feathers in all their glory as he strutted about - I have some cool pictures (that I'll try to find and attach.) Anyway we found out recently that he was attacked by a dog and killed!! It turns out, he has lived there 25 years. I've known this for about a week now, but I am still SO SAD about it when I think about him. I LOVED going to their house and hearing him, over and over squawking outside. I loved it! So did Matthew. I was there two weeks ago, before we knew what happened, and didn't hear him at all that weekend. Now, that happens every so often, but now we know why. I never liked weekends where I didn't hear him and now I know that will be the norm when I am there from now on. Sad. Anyway, had to mention the peacock. The beach won't ever be quite the same....

We actually have better pictures of him somewhere, but these were from my cell phone and all I've got for now. We have some great full feathered ones somewhere, I need to find them!!

I hope everyone has a great Monday and week. Until next time...

Happy 4th of July

I love the 4th of July! I'm not sure why exactly, I just do. Today was a nice day with Matthew and Maia, but the weather wasn't that great. In fact, it is raining now as the fireworks are going off in the distance. We did not go see any fireworks tonight. We are lucky enough to live next to a golf course and they have a show on July 3rd, so we got to see those last night, without the rain!! Sitting right on the green of the gof course, across the street from our house. Lovely!!

I had to laugh when just got an email from my sister and her family. They sent a picture of the dessert they made and were taking to a neighborhood celebration. This is it:

Aren't they adorable? Doesn't the cake look awesome?? Of course, I wanted to say hello back, so I emailed about our day and attached a few pictures of my own.... including this one....

We didn't have enough strawberries to do a 1/2 strawberry in each location, so we had to slice ours, but pretty funny, eh?? You'd think we were raised in the same house or something?!?!?!

Here are a few other pictures from today:

OK, the computer just died (for some reason, the internet often crashes when I try to upload pictures in to blogger... I have yet to figure out why...) So, I'll post this like this and add more pictures later if I can!! Happy July 4th everyone!!