51 weeks of shopping remain for Christmas 07

Current mood: lethargic

Sorry about the gap since the last blog. I've been sick with an upper respiratory infection since last Friday and with our friends' wedding and Christmas, I've been too busy to dedicate much time at all to journaling our week.

We'll start with Christmas Eve. We went to church in the morning and the service was rockin. The worship hall was packed and the music was awesome. Gary really brought home a great sermon. The girls had stayed the night at Nana and Papaws so they missed the children's festivities in Tiny Town. After church we did some last minute shopping at Wal-Mart and picked the girls up. We collaborated in the afternoon to make my mom's special coffee cake. For it being our first attempt, I think we hit it out of the park. We then went to my parents house for the big family thing. We had munchies and the kids opened their presents and ran around like crazy. Afterward, we all went to see "Charlotte's Web" which Lexi loved. We then returned home and, once the kids were in bed, Stefan and I had a wrapping party.

Christmas day. It was a good day. My parents came over to watch the girls open their presents in the morning and to partake of the infamous coffee cake. Judging by their reaction, I think we did a good job. I did not have a voice at first and felt pretty cruddy. Around noon my parents took off for my sister's house and we spent the rest of the day putting toys together and watching Lexi play with them all. Abby had a couple of firsts. She ate in her high chair and also had her first biter biscuit. Here's a pic.




Lexi had fun opening her presents and Abby's too.




The rest of the week, Stefan worked like crazy on his newest and biggest client while I tried to nurse myself back to health and take care of the kiddies.

In more Abby news...she cut her first tooth yesterday and has graduated to the next car seat because she outgrew the length of her infant carrier.

A Season of Miracles

Current mood: happy

A while ago, the pastor at my church posted on his blog links to other church members' blogs. I clicked on them all just to see if I knew the people, but one really caught my attention. It was the blog of a woman and her husband and their experience with an open adoption. This intrigued me. I became an avid reader. I guess part of the reason I was so enthralled with it is that my oldest sister is adopted and, after two years of trying to conceive our second child, adoption was beginning to creep its way into me and Stefan's conversations.

I read her story. It was heartbreaking to read of their attempt at a previous adoption that fell through and to sense the apprehension in her writing of their second attempt. Well, at the beginning of this month, their son was born in Salt Lake City, Utah five weeks early. He has had a bit of a struggle with being able to feed and the amounts that he was expected to tolerate, but after weeks of his stay in the hospital, they are coming home...just in time for Christmas! That's a double whammy! What a blessing.

In other news, some friends of ours, Dawn and Billy, who have been engaged for quite some time have finally decided to tie the knot. Their wedding will be on Saturday and Stefan and I are both in the wedding party. We are very happy for them. This news is somewhat bittersweet because a medical crisis was at the core of their decision to push forward with it now but we knew that they would get married some day so whats the point of waiting any longer? We pray that everything will work out for these two and that they have a long and happy future together.

This truly is a season of miracles and we are so happy for the Popps and the (soon to be) Rohdes.

Star Student Poster

This morning, we all got together to do Lexi's "Star Student" poster. I whipped out my scrapbooking supplies and we went to town. Overall, I think Lexi was satisfied with the outcome.

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Rudolph the Red-Eyed Reindeer, Hanukkah, and my puddly, piddly, poodle
Current mood: sympathetic

Today was such an eventful day, I don't know where to start.

Lexi's Holiday Program was today. Let's be honest, it was a Christmas program that ironically was on the first day of Hanukkah. Anyway, when we got there the kids were on the playground getting fitted with reindeer antlers and blinking reindeer noses. Stefan and I got seats next to the door. When the kids came in, Lexi acted pretty shy.



This was the beginning of the end. The chin started to tremble and the tears began. I guess it was due to these factors:
1) She was taken aback at the amount of people there.
2) She is still sick and wasn't feeling well.
3) She wanted Sparkly (the beanie baby Stefan and I brought home from our trip to Texas)

When she got to her mark on the floor, she had a meltdown.



Believe it or not, this was not the worst case of stage fright. At this point a boy was escorted away by his mommy because he was heaving. Yum I know.

The teacher moved her to the side. I noticed her mouth the words teddy bear and suggested Stefan get Sparkly from her backpack. He discretely had the bear passed to her and she sulked as the rest of the class performed "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", "The Chubby Little Snowman", and "Jingle Bells."



Afterward, Lexi had five apple slices. Why 5? In Lexi's words, "Because I'm five!" She and I did a craft sticking little foam decorations on a white foam candy cane. We also made reindeer food with oats and glitter to sprinkle on the front lawn on Christmas Eve to attract the reindeer to our house. Lexi also found out that next week she will be the star student in her class. She has to make a poster with some pictures of her on it. Usually the teacher sends home the poster on Monday to be returned on Tuesday, but she gave Lexi extra time because she knows how creative and precise Lexi is. I don't know WHERE she gets this from. Anyway, she also gets to bring in various things throughout the week to show to the class. On Friday, Stefan and I will be able to join her for lunch. That'll be nice. At this point, all was good with Lexi. Here is a picture of her with her teacher, Mrs. Eastridge taken at Lexi's request.




We left so that she could celebrate the first day of Hanukkah with Daddy. She opened a present from her Aunts Sunny and Arlene. They got her a Dora Talking Cash Register. She loved it!!!!! She wanted to play with it right away but we wanted to take a picture for Sunny and Arlene. She didn't want a picture she wanted her toy so she was being stubborn with the smiles. The only half smile she was able to muster was when I told her to say, "Daddy has a stinky butt." Hey whatever works. I plead the fifth on if this is true or not.



Onto Cassi news, I heard from the vet and she said that what Cassi experienced the last couple of days were more likely seizures. Seizures and Vestibular Disease have common symptoms but Vestibular Disease episodes do not resolve themselves quickly like these two did. For now we'll wait for the next episode. When that occurs (depending on the severity) we'll discuss medication (phenobarbitol (sp?)) or "other courses of action." She said that these episodes do not concern her so much. But she did say that when Cassi had her episode in October that it was one of the worst she has seen and that she didn't expect Cassi to recover from that. Hummmm.....

If we took a holiday - just some time to celebrate...(Madonna circa 1983 man I'm old)

Current mood: indescribable

Well, I can officially say that the semester is over since the grades have been posted. I ended up with an A in linguistics and a B in Spanish. I was a bit surprised. In fact, I expected the grades to be reversed but I'll take what I get.

Today is Lexi's Holiday program at school so stay tuned for pics and videos of it. Last night she was coughing and running a fever so I wasn't sure she was going to be able to go. I doctored her up with Vicks 44 for the cough and children's Tylenol for the fever. Thankfully, this morning she felt considerably cooler but yet slightly feverish. I decided to take the chance and send her to school. Normally I wouldn't do this, but she has been looking forward and rehearsing for this program all month. She would have been heart broken if I said that she had to stay home!

Is there a (dog) doc in the house?

Current mood: anxious

Those of you who loyally read my blog know that my eldest pooch, Cassi, came upon some ruff (pun intended) times a couple months ago. It turns out that she had vestibular disease. The past two months she has been somewhat normal although slow partially because she is 9 years old, partially because of her bad knees, and partially because of the lasting symptoms of the disease.

The last two days, she has given me pretty good scares again. Yesterday, when I woke up, she was splayed out on the bathroom floor with her head tilted all the way over and was snorting like she couldn't breath. I thought that was the end for her. However, about 30 minutes later she was fine. Today, when she woke up she was fine. So I carried her downstairs and let her outside to do her doo - again she was fine. I went to feed the dogs (Lou and Brandi in their respective crates and Cassi free in the room) and no sooner did I put her food down and she tried to take the first bite it was like someone grabbed her in a headlock and wrestled her over. Her head was tilted so far that it was forcing her to do barrel rolls. I was mortified.

I got on the phone and called the vet. She's not in the office today. But while I was on the phone, Cassi stood up and it looked like she shook it off. She ate her breakfast, lapped some water from her dish, and walked around like nothing was wrong. The nice receptionist on the phone offered to make her an appointment for tomorrow, but I told her that I don't want to spend the money on the office visit if Cassi is going to be asymptomatic by the time I get there. My main purpose in calling was, if this is going to be something that afflicts her everyday the way it has, what quality of life does she have?

I guess I was wanting to pawn the decision off on someone else. I struggle with euthanasia because this is my first dog that I call the shots for and I just don't know where the line between murder and humanity lies. I mean this only seems to affect her 30 minutes per day at most. Is it easier for me because I won't have to watch it? Or is it what is best for dear Cassi?

If anyone knows a vet and wouldn't mind asking, please ask them what their opinion is in this matter. I would greatly appreciate it.

Lexi strikes again

Current mood: amused

Lexi loves driving around and looking at all the Christmas lights this time of year (I do, too). Well, this year she became curious about what the nativities were all about so I explained that they are recreations of the day the Baby Jesus was born. She never mentioned anything else about it...until today.

Stefan told me that when he was driving Lexi to school, she saw a nativity and said that when you see one, you need to scream "JESUS!!!" I laughed not knowing where she got this idea from. When we picked her up from school, I was curious about this so I screamed (with the windows up) "JESUS" and Lexi laughed. She corrected me and said that we have to count to three first. There are three nativities on the way to her school so this should be entertaining for awhile.

Everyone needs a little chaos

Everyone needs a little chaos
Current mood: tired

Well, we're back from our quick trip to College Station, TX for Stefan's cousin's wedding. It was so beautiful and we are glad that we went. We were able to see people that we haven't seen for awhile and Stefan got his 88 year old Great Aunt tipsy which was pretty funny.The girls spent the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa and we got great reports. It kind of makes me wonder whose kids they were watching, because I know that mine aren't as well-behaved as they claimed they were. Just kidding.We brought home beanie babies for the girls from the Houston airport. Lexi loves hers. It is red with the state of Texas on it's belly and says Texas across it and has a cowboy boot on one of its feet. She named it Sparkly and, without our knowledge, took it to school in her backpack. She is completely unseparable from the thing.

Come to find out we missed a pretty good sermon at church. Keep in mind our church is run by white rednecks about our age. They decided to dress up and perform a rap song about our Christmas Eve services. The lead pastor even did the worm in the town gazebo! It's worth checking out to see why they say white men can't dance!



While on the trip I tried to study for my English final which is tomorrow. I didn't get much done, but I think that I'll be okay. This time tomorrow I will be free from school stress until after the first of the year. I can't wait!!!

New link for Corey's report

It has been brought to my attention that I posted a dead link for Corey's report. Try this

Corey's big report

Current mood: good

My nephew, Corey, is a superstar. He has been taking Choi Kwan Do (sp?) since the beginning of the year. He liked it so much that he made a three year commitment and is in an elite club whose name slips my mind. His dad (and my bro-in-law) is also taking lessons and remains a couple of belts behind his masterful son (trust me he hears about this, too).

Recently, Corey did a book report on Choi Kwan Do and instead of reading off a piece of paper, he put on a demonstration for his class. His Choi Kwan Do studio featured him on their website here. We're all so proud of him!!!

Did someone say stress?

Current mood: busy

When Lexi was a baby and a toddler, I used to sing a song to her as I tucked her in at night. I would sing it every night and every night she would giggle as I sang it and tucked her in. Recently, she started asking for the "Tuck Song" again. I'm glad that she remembers stuff like this. I didn't realize how much I have actually done stuff like this for both Lexi and Abby. In fact, I made up a song with Abby's name in it. I didn't realize how much I actually sing it until recently. She loves it and it makes her smile every time I sing it no matter what is bothering her at the time. I hope that she remembers it years from now like Lexi remembers the Tuck Song.

So, today was the last official day of classes for the Fall semester of 2006. I'm so relieved but the next few days are going to be absolute chaos. I have been down with a cold for the last couple of days. I switched medicine last night and the new stuff seems to be working much better than the old stuff. All the while I've been trying to do my best to prepare for my Spanish final that is tomorrow. I say try my best because I don't think there is really a way to study for it. The professor is going to give a passage that I have to answer questions on and then I'll have to write a 300 word essay. Whatever.

Friday, I get to do all the prep work for our whirlwind trip to Texas for Stefan's cousin's wedding. Saturday morning, we will fly to Houston, rent a car, and drive the rest of the way to College Station. The wedding is Saturday afternoon. We'll stay the night Saturday night and then do the reverse trip Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, I need to be studying for my English final which will take place on Tuesday.

Tell me again....why do I put myself through all this?

Bottle junky, superb dinner, and ChristmaHannuKwanzaaKah
Current mood: contemplative

My baby is a bottle junky. Poor little Abigail, she just can't help herself. She sees a bottle and her eyes light up. I came home from school on Thursday and Stefan had cooked a wonderful roast for us for lunch. We settled Abby into her Bumbo seat on the table so she could be a part of this family feast. One look at my Fruit 2 O bottle and she was captivated. She reached and stretched her chubby little arms trying her best to seize the bottle that she thought belonged to her. I laughed and teased her a few times raising the bottle to my lips just to see the desperation on her face. Finally, I tipped the bottle in her direction and she grasped it before I could blink and put it to her mouth. This gave Stefan and me a good chuckle.



For the past couple of days, it's just been us girls in the Lewitt house. Stefan left for work on Friday to stay the night at his parents house so that his dad could drive him to the airport early Saturday to catch a flight first thing in the morning to Indy. The purpose of this trip is load a U-Haul for his brother to move his belongings here to the ATL where he will reside in March. We're all excited about that. I think his parents are bursting at the seams with excitement. Meanwhile, I have a newfound respect for single moms. Being alone with the girls is tiresome. I'm constantly being pulled in different directions to tend to the needs of one or the other. For that reason, I needed a break.

I took the opportunity to take my inlaws up on a babysitting offer and invited my friend of 14 years to join me for a girls dinner at the Melting Pot - a dinner we've been meaning to do since our birthdays that fell in May and July. What a nice treat! Since she had her son a year ago and with the arrival of Abby, we haven't been able to get together a fraction of what we have been used to over the years. Our Thursday night TV nights are a distant memory. The trade off is great (the kids) but we needed this time together. It was great. We discussed the possibility of a girls weekend to the mountains in the near future but we'll have to see if those plans come to fruition. It would be nice, though.

On the topic of discussion at dinner was the neuterizing (yes I just created a new verb) of the end-of-the-year holidays. How Christmas, Kwanza, and Hannukah have all been lumped into "The Holdays." My husband's family is Jewish and I can see their point that Hannukah doesn't gain half the attention of the others, but what is the happy medium. This "Happy Holidays" stuff crawls on my nerves.

This has been an issue on the radio lately with broadcasters asking questions like: "If a store refused to say Merry Christmas, would this affect your decision to shop there?"

Me personally, I don't know. I think each holiday should be respected in it's own right. I don't see that saying "Merry Christmas" is desrespectful to people of other religions especially if it is Christmas when they are saying it. Just like if some told me during Hannukah, "Happy Hannukah" I would see it as their way of saying "Have a Good Day." I don't know much about Kwanzaa, but I think the same applies. The person saying it is well-meaning and is just in the spirit of the season. But I think that if you lump everything under the umbrella of "Happy Holidays" that each observance loses a piece of its significance. There is a retailer (whose name has slipped my mind) who has an ad campaign that states, "Merry ChristmaHannuKwanzaaKah." In fact, if you google this term it comes up with 336 results. Is this the solution? Besides the fact of being outright difficult to say, I don't think it is.So, why can't we say "Merry Christmas" during the Christmas Season, "Happy Hannukah" during Hannukah, and "Happy Kwanzaa" during Kwanzaa? That way, each holiday is respected in its own right.

End rant. As Dr. Phil would say, "Save your emails." I know this is a touchy subject, but it hits close to home here and I just wanted to get my thoughts out.

Debby Downer: A sobering reality

Not your everyday blog
There comes a turning point in all of our lives when we stop being kids and start being adults. Some cross that line a lot sooner than others. Some are pushed into the role much sooner than they are ready for and, because of that, live lives that are much more mature than they are able to handle. For people in that type of situation, they never want to hear when they may be wrong or headed down a potentially dangerous path.

So, as an onlooker to someone who is careening head first and out-of-control down the wrong path, what do the adults in that person's life do? Do we reign them in and protectively hold them close? Do we set them free to make their own mistakes?

I have been put in an impossible situation that I fear every decision I make is the wrong decision. I pray every night for this situation to resolve itself and work out for the best. I trust that God will make this happen, but like many do, I question why God would have presented the situation in the first place. I know, Kaiti....have faith. Sometimes it's hard. It's hard to give something completely over and trust that it'll work out.

I have alienated someone I love with all of my heart because I was trying to look out for them in a time of need - when they needed responsible adults more than ever. Unfortunately, I don't think this person knows how much I love them because they have been influenced their whole life by someone who distorts the truth to suit their own purpose.

I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless. This situation can go from bad to worse at any moment. It doesn't matter, though. The only way this person will be happy is if their toxic environment stays intact. But that environment is unsafe on so many levels. At what point does one remove themselves from a situation completely and just let whatever will happen do just that?

Flippity doo dah!

Current mood: cold

I haven't posted anything lately because I've been busy with school and some family drama occurring on my side. There's not much more I can say beside that, but please keep my family in your prayers while we try to work through this muddled mess. It seems that I'm the one most caught in the middle and it has placed a lot on my mind. I may get into more on this later, but I'm too mystified to even try to make sense of it now.

On a brighter note...

Life will not be the same in the Lewitt household. After three months of Abby flipping only from her back to her tummy, she has now figured out how to go from the tummy to the back. It has only taken her a week of flip-flopping before she realized that she could continue in the same direction and actually get somewhere. She's quick, too! You can just see the joy in her face knowing that she is mobile.

Lexi has been enjoying her week off from school. This morning I tried to sneak out of the house to go to school and she jumped out of bed begging me to take her with me. Tonight, when the sun set, she got in the mood to turn all the lights off and tell scary stories by the beam of a flashlight. Her story went something like this:

"Once upon a time (all stories begin this way, Mommy) there was a Mommy and a Daddy who were going on vacation. They left their kids with Grandma and Grandpa AND Nana and Papa (Mommy you're supposed to say "oh no!"). "

I say, "Oh no! What happens next?"

Lexi continues, "Their car stops working and Daddy gets out to fix it (You're supposed to say "oh no!")

I say, "Oh no! What happens next?"

Lexi says, "Dad gets hit in the head by a BAT!"

I say, "A bat?!?! Who hit him with a bat?"

She says, "Not a baseball bat, silly, a animal bat!"

I say, "Oh. What happens next?"

She says, "Mommy comes out with bat spray and saves Daddy! The end."

What's cool to me is that she sees the Mommy as the one doing the rescuing instead of the typical damsel in distress. Maybe there's hope yet for our future generations.

Another video...I can't help myself.

Okay, so mine is the one in the front row at the far end. You can't say that she doesn't try. Actually she is doing well except she is missing one crucial step. Turn your sound on and listen to the steps.

Don't get me wrong. I am very proud of her. :-D

A River Runs Through It

Current mood: exhausted

Yesterday was some of the hardest and most steady rain we have had here in awhile. It wouldn't let up and, although it has a french drain for this purpose, our backyard had a river running through it. I had a conversation with a neighbor that went something like this:

Me: "Lovely weather we're having."
Her: "Tell me about it. I'm just waiting on the ark to float by with Noah waving."

That pretty much says it all.

**notice the water gushing from in between the ties of the retaining wall**

Another cute video

New slideshow

Ponies, rakes, and dance
Current mood: busy

For awhile, I've been trying to convince Lexi to get her hair trimmed at the salon. She has been strongly opposed to the idea and from past experience I know that she will not sit still and will be absolutely hysterical if I try to force it. One night when I was talking to her about it she said, "Mommy, can you do it?" I tried my best and it didn't turn out TOO crooked. Well, Sunday night Lexi was being aweful quiet upstairs in her room. Usually this means that she's playing with her My Little Ponies in their castle she got for her birthday. When Stefan checked on her, he called me upstairs. Well, we'll just say that she saw where I got the scissors when I gave her a haircut. I know what you're thinking...she cut her hair. Nope that was me when I was her age - there's a picture of it somewhere. She decided that she was going to be a stylist to her My Little Ponies and scalped three of them.



It was one of those moments when, as a parent, you want to laugh but you can't let them see you do it. We had to punish her by taking away the rest of her ponies for a week. It wasn't because of the ponies. I could care less and if she wants butch ponies...be my guest. We had to punish her for playing with scissors without asking. You would have thought that the world was over. I wanted to give them back because she almost made me believe that the punishment didn't suit the crime, but I didn't.



Stefan felt so bad for her that he took her with him to the local nursery to pick out flowers for the backyard while I worked on a paper and Abby napped. Evidently, he decided that she should have a rake because that would make her feel better about the loss of her ponies since she loves to rake leaves in the backyard. (Sucker!!!) They didn't have the type he wanted so they made a special trip to Home Depot for one. When they came back, Stefan cut the handle to Lexi's size and she was thrilled. I know, you're thinking that she's not being punished. She asks for those stupid ponies everyday so therefore she's still being punished regardless.


Monday, my mother-in-law and I were able to observe in Lexi's ballet/tap class. It was so much fun to watch the girls do what the teacher describes as "interpretive dance." They were adorable when the teacher was doing the arm positions. The teacher would say, "high fifth?" And the girls would stretch their tiny arms over their heads to form ovals and scream at the top of their lungs, "HIGH FIFTH!!!!" This was hysterical to me. Lexi was very distracted by all the people. At one point she came over to me and said that she was nervous. Nervous is her new word and she uses it frequently and MOST of the time in the proper context. By the end of class, though, you could tell that she was becoming used to the attention and relished it in fact.

Afterwards, we all went to McDonalds and Nana came back to the house so Lexi could show her how well she is progressing with her reading which she loved and felt so accomplished when Nana left.

Julius Stealzer

Today has been a very busy day mostly surrounding the task of getting the girls' pictures done. It started at 10 am when I called for an appointment and they gave me a time of 3:20. With that I started preparing for the task with baths for both girls (and me too) and then I had to tackle Lexi's hair. We tried unsuccessfully to curl it, but I didn't have enough time for the curlers to heat up enough. So, we had to straighten it back out.

On the way, we stopped and got tights and shoes for Lexi since I wasn't planning on doing this today. We barely got there in time for our appointment. Am I glad that we went there! These photographers are the best. I was not disappointed in a single pose or shot. It was hard to decided which to pick.

The following are pictures of the pictures. These are for viewing only. No copying.







After getting pictures done we decided to treat Lexi to a tasty treat. Orange Julius was just around the corner so we decided that Orange Julius it is. Lexi (who doesn't care to try many new things) was very apprehensive and wanted her old faithful standby, apple juice. I tried my hardest to convince her to try an Orange Julius knowing full well that she would like it, but she would not budge. She spotted that they had ice cream (because they were also a Dairy Queen) and begged for that until I caved. She and I sat down with her cup of tasty goodness and then she remembered that she doesn't like things that are cold. I looked at the cup and couldn't let it go to waste. I gave her a sip of my Pina Colada Julius and she liked it. But, since it had pineapple and her system doesn't tolerate it, Stefan offered up a taste of his Orange Julius. Lexi loved it and didn't want to give it back. Stefan got stuck with the cup of DQ ice cream. Lexi continued to scarf down the yummy, foamy, concoction until the darn thing was two sips from being done. Poor Stefan, all he got were the last two sips (probably backwash). I love it!!!!

Let's get quizzical

Oh my goodness this week has seriously been a test of my mental strength. I had two pop quizzes on Tuesday neither of which I did well on. I am not exaggerating. I wasn't prepared for either one and my grades reflected such. Since there were quizzes in each class Tuesday you might think that today was safe, right? Wrong! I had an announced quiz in English and another pop quiz in Spanish. Needless to say, I'm glad that the academic week is over for me. Now I just have two papers to write for next week. You can tell that finals are around the bend.

I registered for Spring semester today. I'm taking two classes - Spanish Grammar and Composition as well as Learning Styles, Motivation, and Classroom Management. I'm considering adding another class, but I'll probably talk myself out of it. Yes, I would like to finish soon, but I also don't want my kids to suffer at the expense of my education.

I had a parent-teacher conference with Lexi's teacher on Tuesday. She's doing great as far as material goes, but she's still lagging a bit socially. Part of the reason is that she only wants to play what SHE wants to play. I've talked to her about this plenty of times using the opportunity to reinforce a lesson at school on "what it is to be a good friend." I told her that if she doesn't play what others want to play every once in awhile, then the other children will not want to play with her because they never get to play what THEY want. She understands the concept, but does not put it to practice. Oh well, she knows what she wants and if it doesn't bother her, it shouldn't bother me.

The teacher told me to start Lexi with early readers to expose her to sight words. I chuckled. Lexi and I have been working on sight words that I downloaded from the elementary school's website and I've been reading those early readers with her for almost a year! She has a couple that she can even read on her own. This doesn't surprise me that she is ahead in this area because she has always enjoyed being read to.

Abby is doing good as normal. She is growing like a weed! I've finally figured out how to make her giggle. Her giggles are hers and she reserves them for special occasions. She oos and coos alot, but I'm talking full out giggles. I love it!

Sorry no pictures for this post. I'll try to shoot a few for the next one. Until then....

Church, errands, Santa Claus, and conferences

Church, errands, Santa Claus, and conferences
Current mood: amused

The past couple of days have been super busy. Yesterday we went to church in the morning and Brother Lamb (haha he hates to be called that) kicked off a huge series on anger a much needed series for everyone. He mentioned different types of anger cleverly relating them to weather events - snow storm, thunderstorm, tornado, and hurricane - making the types easy to connect with. I, however, think that everyone has some sort of storm raging inside of them that they're unaware of and I think Gary made us all painfully aware of it. It's funny that he mentions stuff just as events occur in my life that make me think that he is talking directly to me since I just had a couple of episodes (one relating to road rage on 575) but I'm sure that all that were there felt the same way to some degree.

After church, we piled in the trusty SUV and ran errands on 92. With two kids in tow, it took about twice as long as it would have, but I enjoyed spending the time together as a family since Stefan worked Saturday morning painting the floor (a tidious and annoying task) at work. He works so hard and I love him dearly for it. We came home to drop the fruits of our journey, feed the baby, and off we were to see our friends' new home. This home would be my dream if only we could afford it (which we never would be able to) and if it came with a maid. I'm so happy for them and know that they will be so much happier there, but I couldn't help being in a funk feeling like the friendship will never be the same because they used to live just down the street and we have grown used to impromptu meetings in the common area across from our house. The upside though is that they started going to Ridge Stone Church a few weeks ago and plan on continuing so at least we will see them there each week.

From their house, we went to Wal Mart to get some things I've been meaning to get for awhile. Abby was agreeable as always and I felt that Lexi was being well-behaved considering the busy day, but you could tell that her incessant gabbing was wearing on Stefan's nerves. This was funny to me because he doesn't understand what I'm talking about when I say that I feel that I cannot complete a thought in my mind without interruption. He knows now! On the way home Lexi was gabbing to which Stefan said, "Lexi I want you to be quiet until tomorrow." He then turned to me and said, "I'll say the same thing in the morning." I just grinned knowing that he now knows what I deal with everyday of the week.

Today, my mom and I went to Town Center mall. I was in the process of complaining about Christmas decorations being out too soon this year (before Halloween) when we spotted Santa Claus sitting alone in his majestic wonderland. I looked at mom and she looked at me. We both looked at Abby and said "What the heck." I plopped Abby on his lap and had a picture done for her first Christmas just in case Lexi pulls her hysteria again this year and ruins their picture. At least I'll have one of Abby alone for her first although she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

Tomorrow is the day for scheduled parent-teacher conferences. We'll see how that goes. They scheduled 15 minute blocks, but if the last impromptu conference we had is any indication, I'm sure that won't be enough. Ugh!!!

Currently listening : Look to You By Hillsong United Release date: By 03 May,

In My Daughter's Eyes

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

-Martina McBride

(This song is set to play on my myspace account to accompany the slideshow (which has been updated) unfortunately, I could not post the song on blogger)

I will forever shop AT the Rack

I will forever shop AT the Rack
Current mood: excited

Some people have a goal to be able to shop off the rack. That may be true, but this is about something else. I can safely say that, if I have the choice to, I will forever be loyal to Rack Room Shoes for my footwear needs.

I haven't intended to, but I have been a loyal customer for quite some time. There are three shoe shops in town (Payless, Rack Room, and Famous Footwear) and I realized that on average Rack Room outpriced the competition when it came to the name brand shoes so that is where I would go.

Three months ago, Stefan and I bought shoes there that were buy one get one half off so we each got a pair of New Balance. I'm pretty loyal to New Balance because they hold up well and are one of the only brands that carry wide sizes for women. I've never had a pair wear out. I've always replaced them because they were too dirty or I just felt it was time. Well, I realized two weeks ago that the tongue in my right shoe detached. The only thing holding it in place was the fact that I had a lace going through a loop on the tongue.

I went to Rack Room today because they had a buy one get one half off sale again and I wanted a pair of mules for the winter too. When I went to the cashier to pay, (the same one referred to in a previous post as the one who joked with Lexi during trick-or-treating at Riverstone) I told her about my defective shoes. I showed her the tongue and explained that I wasn't blaiming them because they weren't the ones that stitched them (they were obviously a lemon pair because none of my other New Balance shoes have ever worn out). But, I was trying to see if she would offer up a number or address for New Balance so that I could complain to them. She did not offer such information, but she did offer, however, to...REPLACE my 3 month old shoes!

I couldn't believe it! Without me asking or even expecting anything like this she just offered to replace them. So, now I have three new pairs of shoes for the bargain price of that of 1 1/2 pairs. This girl is the type of person that Clark Howard doesn't think exists - a customer service person who actually enjoys being there to provide service to her customers. Rack Room rocks!!!!!




Okay.....




I have too much time on my hands.

Oh, P.S. Get well wishes go to my father-in-law, Dennis, who is recovering from foot surgery and my niece, Mikayla, who has had a rough couple of weeks first with strep throat and now with pneumonia. Get better soon you two!!

Mermaids and Power Rangers and mice....OH MY!!!

Mermaids and power rangers and mice OH MY!
Current mood: drained

Well, it's over. Abby's first Halloween was a blast. Uncle Faron stayed in town for the festivities and I bet he wouldn't have traded it for the world. Lexi finally wore her Ariel costume but we had to 86 the wig because it made her look like a homeless mermaid. She did, however, already have a crown so that worked out and she was happy. Abby was Minnie Mouse again. Here's a pic of the two together.



The ghouls' cousins joined us after a short while and Mikayla, Corey, and Lexi wore themselves out trick-or-treating through most of our neighborhood. At one point Lexi had to empty her bucket into the stroller basket to make room for more loot. Meanwhile, Abby slept.





We finally made it home and the kids were beat. Faron and I took Lexi to Wendy's for a quick bite to eat. Once home, she brushed her teeth and went straight to bed with no complaints. I would say that the best measure of success for a kid's Halloween is how beat they are at the end of the night and I would say that this is a 10!

Riverstone was a bust

Riverstone was a bust
Current mood: full

Well, the Riverstone festival was a bust and I hate that I promoted it to my friends. The only things there were pumpkin painting (which was over by the time we got there at 4), face painting (with a line that never moved), and a terrible DJ. Needless to say we won't be back for the festival. We will however, return for the trick-or-treating. Lexi had a great time and the merchants were so nice. She wore her Barbie costume again to save Ariel for the big night. And Abby wore her Minnie costume.



We went to Rack Room shoes and before we let Lexi get started, we got her some new shoes. Once they were paid for, she said "Trick or Tweat!". To which the cashier said, "Smell my feet! Get it? It's a shoe store?". That got a good chuckle out of us. No trick or treating for Abby. She just chilled in the stroller.



Faron did most of the trick-or-treating with Lexi which was fine because in her eyes he hung the moon. Here's a pic of the pals walking into the sunset.




Afterwards, Barbara and Dennis came to the house and we discussed Faron's house hunting among other things. Abby cooed and Lexi was quite the little performer. She performed her days of the week song to the tune of "The Addams Family" theme song as well as her Macarena months song. It was cute.

As I'm writing this, Stefan and Faron are loading the car for the race tomorrow. You would think that we were going camping for a whole week! Stay tuned for more pics of those festivities.

Random brain turds

Random brain turds
Current mood: sick

So, the kids are feeling better anyway. I, on the other hand, still have thick junk lurking in my sinuses and my energy is completely zapped. At night, I have a hard time going to sleep because I'm either coughing or so stopped up in the nose that I can't fall asleep when that is the only thing my body wants to do.

Stefan has been helping a lot. I've only taken Lexi to school once this week. He's such a champ.

While I've been off from school and layed up a bit, I've been working on blankets for people that I'm behind on. I have one for my neighbor whose son is a month older than Abby, one for the neighbor behind me due in February, and one for the neighbor that had theirs back in August. Well, I finished the first one today.



Today was "story book character dress up day" at Lexi's school. I didn't want her Ariel costume getting destroyed, so I bought another costume (Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses) on clearance so if it got snagged or torn, I wouldn't care so much and she still has something nice for the big night. She looked so cute. We did her hair in a bun and she wore a pink turtle neck and leggings underneath to make it warmer. I wish I had a picture, but I honestly felt like I was hit by a Mack truck this morning, so I missed the photo op.

Faron comes in tonight and Lexi is thrilled. She always gets so excited when she knows he's coming. I couldn't figure out why she didn't want to go to bed tonight, then at 10 o'clock it occurred to me that she was waiting up on him to get here. I explained that he was staying the night at Nana and Papaw's and, shoulders slumped, she conceded and marched her tiny butt to bed. Poor thing.

Nana, Papaw, and Faron will hopefully be joining us for the fall festival at Riverstone tomorrow. That's good because I didn't want them to miss out on the trick-or-treating this year and this is almost better! Everyone will have a good time. Lexi most of all.

Here are a couple of pics taken yesterday while messing around. Keep in mind I'm sick and have not a drop of make up on (not that I regularly do my make up anyway).

Up to here with sickos

Up to here with sickos

I haven't blogged in awhile. The reason being because things have been incredibly dull here in the Lewitt household with nothing substantial to report (except I survived midterms!) and the fact that the girls and I have been passing a cold back and forth since last week. I think I got the worst end of it. Thankfully, it has vacated my head, but unfortunately it took up residence in my throat and chest. Woe is me!

This weekend is stacked with plans. Saturday, we are going to take the girls up to Riverstone Pkwy for a fall festival and halloween festivities. Sunday, my dad, Faron (the bro-in-law), Stefan, and I will be attending the redneck fest in Hampton, Georgia where a bunch of not-knowing-any-better fellas partake in the juice and watch a bunch of overpaid rednecks drive fast and turn left. Yes, I am referring to the Nascar race. It should be fun. Then Tuesday, my sister, Faron, and my folks are coming over to do the trick or treating with the munchkins. It should be fun. This'll be the first time my mom has joined us. Lexi is going to be Ariel from the Little Mermaid and Abby is going as Minnie Mouse. They'll be soooo cute I can't wait.

My little trooper

My little trooper
Current mood: bored

Well, it seems everyone's prayers are helping. Cassi is showing signs of improvement. Thursday night she ventured out of her crate all on her own without too much stumbling. She came in the living room where she gave Kahlua and Brandi (her furry brother and sister) kisses as if to tell them that she is okay. She wagged her tail a bit and went back in her crate. She's still a bit lethargic and her head is still tilted (something that may never go away) but her attitude seems to be pepping up.

Last night we got some cute pictures of Abby in her Bumbo seat. She was in such a good mood.



Stefan had to work this morning so I took the girls to the playground so that Lexi could play. When Daddy came home, we had lunch, cleaned a little and the four of us went on a walk around the neighborhood with our neighbor, Susan, and her baby, Evan. It is such a nice day out. Cool enough for long sleeves, but not cold enough for a jacket.

Once we got home, Stefan decided to patch a hole in the garage wall to which Lexi was thrilled to help. She is actually a good little helper.



While inside, abby did some push ups.
UP!!!!


DOWN!!!


We hope you all have a good weekend.

A tough couple of days

A tough couple of days
Current mood: sad

Some of you have known me awhile, others I've just met, so let me first explain. When I was 19, my dog of 14 years passed away. He was my buddy and I missed him sorely. Along with other circumstances that I don't care to mention now, I decided that I wanted another dog because I need unconditional love that only a dog could give. So, I got Cassi. My sweet, beautiful, spunky, toy poodle. She was my joy and filled the void in my life. I took her with me everywhere I went. At first, she was just a handful (literally) so I took her with me in a shoe box. Everyone knew that if I was going somewhere, so was she.

She is now 9 1/2 and I am well aware that she is a "senior." Since she crossed that divide at age 8, I have begun to think about the end. My worst fear is finding her lifeless in a corner one day. Growing up, I was raised in a house that always had at least 2 dogs. Never did my worst fear occur growing up, because my parents were always able to tell when it was time.

Monday, Cassi fell down the stairs in our house. She hit the baby gate at the bottom with her back. The rest of the day and the first part of Tuesday you could tell that she was sore. About 4 o'clock I noticed that her head was tilted to one side. I thought that she was having a seizure and my heart jumped into my throat. I kept her in her crate the rest of the day so the other dogs and Lexi would not bother her. At 10 o'clock I went to take her out to do her business, and she could barely stand, her head was still tilted to one side and it looked like her back was twisted. I called Stefan to come home and a friend of mine who worked at a vet clinic for a couple of yearsI was hysterical. My friend came to take a look at Cassi and said we should take her to an emergency vet clinic. There, she was diagnosed with Vestibular disease and she had to stay the night on IV fluids and Valium. In the morning, I transferred her to our vet. They agreed that it is Vestibular disease.

Vestibular disease takes three forms ranging from not-so-serious to its cause being potentially life threatening. Some dogs are unnecessarily euthenized due to VD. As I write this, I am kind of numb. I feel for Cassi, but I know what I need to do to honor her and not be selfish should this continue. I will give it another week, and if there is no improvement, my vet and I agree that it should be time to give Cassi her eternal nap. Cassi has been a loving and faithful pet for 9 1/2 years (heck, she and I grew up together!) and I wouldn't be a good and loving Mommy if I let her suffer.

Please keep her in your prayers.