To everything there is a season...

I think it's my turn to write something on here about the events of this week. To be honest, this is the first time I'm sitting down to my computer and not my iPhone.
Christmas evening was spent at my grandparents' apartment in Fairfax. The quote, "keeping watch over their flocks by night" comes to mind. In this case, the flocks were the ones keeping watch. My grandfather was transitioning into the next life right before our very eyes and all we could do was keep watch and wonder, with every pause in breathing, if that was, in fact, it.
He was never a touchy-feely man. In fact, I think the only memories I have of touching him are while he was laying in that hospital bed on Sunday and I touched his hand. His body was so thin and weak and frail...certainly not the Grandaddy I've known my whole life.
We left the apartment that night knowing the end was near and hoping it wouldn't drag on much longer than it already had. If you knew my grandfather, he did nothing quickly (leave a social gathering, open wrapped gifts, eat, etc.) and so was the case with his death. Wait, I take that back, his wit was quick, but other than that, he certainly took his time. (Imagine Todd as an old man)

We were planning on heading home Monday night, but decided to get up Tuesday morning to make the drive instead. I'm so glad we stayed. Around 5:30, Devin came in to tell me that Grandaddy was gone. He heard my parents wake up and rush over to be with Mana and told them he'd come tell me. The events of that morning were very calm and still. Thankfully. I'm thankful that some unseen power woke my grandmother up so she could hold and comfort him while he slipped from this life into the next. I'm thankful that Todd and I could drive there together to experience the calm of his death before the chaos set in. I'm thankful that my dad is a funeral director and could care for my grandfather's body like no one else could. I'm thankful for a grandmother who kept her marriage vows and cared for my grandfather for many years, even when she was tired, frustrated and weary. I'm thankful that she is now free to live her life without the responsibility of caring for Grandaddy at all times. And I am thankful that I had a grandfather close-by and involved in my life for almost 30 years.
If you needed help with your car, he was there. If you had a school concert, he was there. Birthday dinner? There. Holiday? There. No, he was not a hugger, but he was there. And that, my friends, is what really matters.
Rest in peace, Grandaddy. 'Til we meet again...

To quote my dear friend Randy Jackson...

"Here's what's up."
We are two days away from Christmas Eve! Holy guacamole! I have more shopping to do. I've been sick all week. AAAGGGHHH!!
I went to the doctor yesterday and when she came in the room she laughed and asked, "What are you growing in there?" Um... The ultra sound tech hadn't told me anything, so I was a little surprised when my doc informed me that if I went into labor in the next two weeks that would be fine. Baby #2 is already measuring 6 1/2 - 7 lbs. and I have over a month to go. I have never really believed the 25th was my real due date, so I'm not totally shocked. I would really like to go into labor on my own in the next 2-3 weeks. But, I realize it's out of my hands. What's meant to happen will happen.
I need to get through Christmas weekend first, then our move over New Year's weekend. After that, I'm fine with a baby. Well, give me a few days to put my clothes in my dresser and the silverware in the drawer.
Stay tuned...

Oops!

Somehow I erased the rest of the pictures. Enjoy!

The Man. The Myth. The "Legend."

Miss Rea Rea is one lucky lady! Her preschool is the only one in the greater Richmond area that gets a visit each year from the "Legendary Santa." He's kind of a big deal around these parts.

As a matter of fact, this special St. Nick used to be the one and only Miller & Rhoads Santa back in the good ol' days. (He's pushing about 85 and his yellowed wig and beard are proof) He's a member of the church where Reagan attends preschool and takes time out of his busy Christmas schedule to visit with the little kiddies. It was a BIG day!

Rea waited patiently for her turn atop his knee, told him she wanted 3 Barbies for Christmas, then dined on a PLATE (yes, plate...a bit much? I sure enjoyed the leftovers :) of cookies. A fun time was had by all.

Zapped!

My energy. That's what's zapped. The only cure? Not being pregnant. Trying to take some breaks throughout the day so that cure doesn't happen too early. Just get me through Christmas. Oy vey!
Being big and pregnant, having a toddler and planning a move in, ahem...a month, is exhausting. Calgon, take me away.

Casa Update

For those of you who have been wondering...
We went in for our pre-drywall walk through yesterday. As of today (and since he said we could lock in, I believe him) we do our final walk through on December 15th and close on the 19th. Holy cow, it's real. The same week we close, I start my once a week doctor's appointments. Talk about time flying by!
The siding is mostly finished and the front stone work should begin any day. Here are some pictures. I'll take some more of the exterior once the stone is on.

Hello, Dolly!

Devin, Reagan and I spent the weekend in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. Pigeon Forge, to be exact. It was a quick trip, but a pretty drive. The highlight of the trip? Dollywood, of course! I had been once before, but I think I was about 4 years old. Since I'm a little bit prego, I enjoyed the walk. Dev and Rea enjoyed the rides. The Christmas lights were up, so it was a great way to kick off the holidays.
On the way home, we stopped by my Aunt and Uncle's house in Newport, VA. It was a great way to break up the trip and spend some time together. Reagan loved taking a walk with my Uncle Paul to see a pond and visit with a horse down the road. Just before we left, my cousin called to say she saw a black bear cross the road on her way out. We didn't see him, but sorta wanted to. Maybe another time!

Happy Howl-O-Ween!

This year, Halloween seemed to last forever. On the actual day, I woke Reagan up by saying "Happy Halloween." Her reply, "Again?" How true, Rea. How true. It was fun while it lasted though.
The Thursday before H'ween, Reagan's pre-school had their costume parade and class parties. Devin and I listened to Reagan and the other kiddies sing some holiday songs they had been learning, then walk, class by class, to show off their wares. (Disney Pixar stock must have skyrocketed in preparation for this big holiday. We saw many a Buzz Lightyear and Woody from Toy Story) What was Reagan dressed as this year? Dorothy, of course! After that, we mosied over to Reagan's room to have our first class party of the year.
Saturday, was the ward Trunk or Treat. Devin played along with me and we dressed as a theme this year. With Dorothy already chosen, Dev and I morphed into the Wicked Witch of the West (good thing my graduation robe is one size fits most) and the Scarecrow. I thought we turned out pretty cute. Unfortunately, my chili didn't even get an honorable mention. Sigh... Trunk or Treating was FREEZING that night and Yay Yay was happy to sit in the warm car and eat her candy while we finished handing ours out from the back.
Sunday afternoon, Devin carved our pumpkin. I will be the first to admit, I am NOT a good carver. Devin doesn't mind it, so I'm great with it being his "thing" year after year. Rea helped scoop out the guts...for a little while.
Halloween day was pretty low-key. Devin got off work early and we took Rea (costume and all) to visit Devin's parents, brother, grandmother, aunt and uncle, etc. etc. It was a rainy night, so we were all fine with Reagan and Devin hitting only a few houses in our own neighborhood before calling it a night.

Now, I just need to keep my paws off of all of the candy that's still haunting me...

Feelin' a little blue...

Last Saturday I was home visiting my parents during General Conference weekend and to celebrate my dad's birthday. I knew that a family friend was not doing too well and thought it would be a great time to pay her a visit. As it turned out, she had to cancel my visit at the last minute because she was having a really rough day. I told her daughter that I understood and to tell her that I loved her and would try again another time. There won't be another time.

Sister Sleight has always been there. My memories growing up at church include her. She was at girls' camp, roadshow practice...you name it. I have memories doing YW's activities at her kitchen table and closely examining her wall of family photos in her family room. I feel most fortunate, however, to have had her as my seminary teacher my senior year of high school. Boy was she a dedicated seminary teacher! And we studied the Old Testament that year! Sister Sleight always wrote with a pencil. Her scriptures were fresh for our new year of study. I can still see her black quad sitting on the table every morning.

Later on, she was kind enough to throw me a bridal shower when I got married and a baby shower when I had Reagan. She gave me great advice when I prepared to go to the temple. My recipe books are filled with Sharma Sleight originals. She gave me a hug any time I came home to visit during college. (Even though President Sleight gave me a hard time about being there ;)) She was a friendly face in the Vienna Ward Relief Society any time I was around.

I remember seeing Sister Sleight a little while after she had a double mastectomy. I was afraid I would hurt her if I gave her a hug. She told me it would be fine and I'm glad to say that giving her that hug in the church foyer is my last personal memory. I'm also glad I went ahead and asked her daughter Nicole to tell her I loved her. Because I sure do.

Saturday night I happened to call my dad on his cell phone. He had just left the Sleight's and told me what happened. I was so sad. I'm still very sad. But I feel so happy for Sister Sleight that she is no longer suffering. She had a long courageous battle and now she is free from her pain and discomfort.

I worry about President Sleight. He sure loved his wife. I know he misses her and will until they are again reunited. What a love story! What an example!

I feel so very blessed to have had her in my life. Sister Sleight, thank you.
'Til we meet again...

Fall happenings...

Posting again in less than a month? Yes. And you're quite welcome!
Fall has hit the great state of Virginia, and with it, cooler temps. Can I get an amen?! It's the most wonderful time of the year. October, November and December are the B.E.S.T. Especially here in the Old Dominion, my friends.

Reagan is into her preschool routine and has experienced such amazing events as: "red" day, visits from Henrico County's finest, and her first FIELD TRIP!! On Tuesday I accompanied her class to the Hanover Vegetable Farm and had a blast. We had awesome weather and beautiful scenery. We enjoyed a hay ride, punkin' pickin', fresh apples from the farm, seeing all of the animals, doing water pump duck races and playing in a corn box. (A sand box filled with dried corn instead of sand.) It was a great way to spend the morning.

I am still Devin's taxi driver and I'm *hoping* he'll be cleared on Monday to begin driving again. He's had physical therapy twice a week since his last visit to the doc and they say his recovery is ahead of schedule. A milestone for me; getting all of his toiletries out of our powder room downstairs. They were beginning to drive me CRAZY!

Another big item of note, they broke ground on our house! The basement has been dug, so each day brings something new and exciting for us to see when we drive by. We met with our builder last week and he predicts a finished house by mid December. Let's hope he's right!

I'm 24+ weeks now. Things are going well, but 2 weeks ago pregnancy really hit. I went from having to remind myself I was pregnant, to no reminders necessary. My belly is big, this little girl is rockin' and rollin' inside and my energy and patience are getting smaller and smaller by the day. Have I mentioned that I love preschool?!

I've been busy getting ready for the Primary program at church. (all the kids do a presentation each year) It is written and parts are distributed. Phew!

Oopsie! Here are the pictures to go with that last post.

Girl #2, Surgery, Dance Class, Turning 3 and Preschool!!

On August 30th, Devin, Reagan and I went in for my BIG ultrasound. I learned the last time not to convince myself one way or another what we were having. BUT, if I had to guess (again!) I would have guessed boy. Why? Beats me. That's only if I had to guess. I didn't convince myself either way. And it's a good thing, because we are having girl #2. My reaction? Laughter. Devin is SO outnumbered! As it looks right now, numero dos will be making her entry into the world somewhere between January 18th and 25th. My guess? (maybe I shouldn't do that) I'd say she'll come closer to the 18th end of her week long due date. Think this one will look like me?

The next day, we woke up bright and early to embark in Surgery 2011. My oh my. We made it through that rough first week and a half by hook or by crook. Devin had arthrosurface on his right knee. (he'll need to do the left eventually, too) We found out on his post-op visit on Monday that they had to break a bone and then screw it back together. Poor guy. He is now the proud new owner of 4 screws and 3 implants! He had some NASTY bruising that is luckily making its way out. He won't be able to drive or put any weight on it for another month. Prayers are welcome. :-/

The evening of Devin's surgery, Reagan started a dance class at The Little Gym down the street. It's an hour of fun, let me tell you. She does 15 minutes of tap, 15 minutes of ballet, 15 minutes of creative movement and 15 minutes of gymnastics. She LOVES it!! Her tiptoe walking really comes in handy in ballet class! Boy howdy! That girl is a NATURAL when it comes to staying up on her toes.

On September 8th, my little Rea Rea turned 3! How did that happen?! We celebrated by going to lunch at Red Robin, opening presents, having Chick-Fil-A for dinner, getting our toes and nails done and adopting two new members of the family. Reagan is the proud new owner of 2 beta fish. A red one named Strawberry Shortcake and a blue one named Beach Ball. She named them all by herself! Believe it or not, they are still alive! I made a rainbow cake (hard to ice and so ugly on the outside!) that tasted pretty darn good. It was a great birthday!

On Tuesday (the 13th) Reagan started preschool. She has done such a great job! I have to admit, this morning I dropped her off in the carpool line instead of walking her to her room and got a little misty. She looked so little walking in there by herself. Don't worry, they have tons of aides and volunteers to make sure the kids get to where they need to go, but holy cow! Don't get me wrong, this is exciting and necessary. We are all happy about this next step into Independence. I just couldn't believe she was out the door and gone.
Her teacher is the mother of a boy I taught a few years ago. Small world! I just found out I'm going to be a co-room mom and am excited for the fun this year holds. Preschool is awesome!

This pregnant wife, mom, nurse, chauffeur, dresser, cook, pharmacist, laundress, maid, church volunteer and house builder is P.O.O.P.E.D.

Not much going on in Virginia lately...

Just kidding! Well, not unless you count an earthquake and hurricane, power outages, pending knee surgery, building a new house, etc.
As I write this, Reagan is sitting in Winnie's crate (no I did not put her in there) and Devin is "working" in the dining room. Let me take us back a few days...
Last week we watched some friends' kids while they were out of town. Devin and I anxiously and excitedly awaited Monday afternoon when we could click our heels and make like a fetus. (You know, head out.) Our destination? The Outer Banks! We haven't had a "real vacation" in a while and were REALLY looking forward it it.
The drive to Carolina was beautiful. We didn't even stop to go to the bathroom, Reagan was THAT good. We arrived, changed clothes and went right to the pool. We heard rumors of this "Irene" character that was planning on stopping by, but we just shrugged it off and caught some more rays.
Tuesday, (Devin's 33rd birthday) was beautiful as well. We woke up, went right to the beach and loved EVERY. MINUTE. OF. IT. Around 12:30 we went to lunch and stopped by the luxurious K-Mart to find Reagan a snorkel. While there, I heard a man say, "There was an earthquake somewhere between Richmond and Raleigh." The PhD candidate who happened to make her tuition money at KMart said, "yeah, it was in Nags Head." Um...
When we got in the car I called my Winnie sitter who told me that sho nuf, there was an earthquake close to home and all was well. Get outta town! I couldn't believe I missed it. Ironically, my parents, 2 hours away, had WAY more signs of it at their house than we did.
So...Wednesday was spent lazily by the pool again and we heard some more rumors about Irene getting closer. That night we went to dinner discussing the possibility of going home on Friday sometime to avoid all of the pending hurricane traffic. Those plans quickly changed when we came back to the news report that the OBX was having a mandatory evacuation BY Thursday morning at 8:00. Not wanting to sit in morning traffic, we speed cleaned and high tailed it out of there that night. So, our wonderful vacay lasted a total of 2 days. Yes, TWO FREAKING DAYS! I was only just starting to freckle! Reagan cried and I wanted to. After explaining that it was like the Wizard of Oz, when they had to leave before the twister (good call, Uncle T) she calmed down and stopped the water works. I, however, remained depressed until, well...I still am.
I spent Thursday morning not by the pool or digging in the sand, but at the grocery store and doing laundry. Awesome!
Irene DID land here on Saturday and left many a stick, branch and leaf in our yard. We were very lucky though. MANY people had it way worse around here and are STILL without power. Some good friends had a tree fall on the middle of their house, taking their roof with it. SO scary! All are fine, but they have a long road ahead of 'em..
Devin is having knee surgery on Wednesday. Please say a prayer for me. I mean him. I hope it goes well because he'll have to do the other one in a few months. Since he won't be going into the office the next little while and last week was "vacation" he went in extra early to get as much done today as possible. A little while later, I got a phone call that he had no power at his office. Awesome. Right now, he's in the dining room trying to get some things done.
Tomorrow is a BUSY day. We find out the sex of the baby. Guesses anyone? I have no clue. Devin says girl. MOST people are saying boy. We'll keep either, so I'll let you know the results.
We also have appointments with flooring people and wiring people because we're...drum roll please...building a new house! I know. We're nuts. We *should* be moving in around Christmas. I'm due Jan. 24th. Don't say it. I know. Again...prayers, please.
I think that's it for now. Stay tuned, folks. I'll let you know if the baby will be Derek Jeter Garofalo Georgia Steinbrenner Garofalo. Only kidding. Sort of.

Losing it!

What is it exactly? I don't know. But I'm losing it.
I was overbooked Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Today? Not so much. I woke up looking forward to an empty-calendar day. BUT, as I've been living it, things have changed.
Have I done anything remotely constructive? I did a few loads of laundry. I emptied the dishwasher. (my least favorite household task) Those count for something, right?
It has been one of those days when:
~Our t.v. will probably overheat due to overuse
~No square meals will be prepared
~My patience decides to go on vacation
~My Mother of the Year nomination will be taken back
~Preschool seems light years away from starting
~My almost 3 year old will be put back in pull-ups even though she's been potty trained since March. WHY does this happen??????
~Everything I pick up off of the floor magically ends up back ON the floor.
~The dog has toxic gas

Calgon, take me away! (No, really. Please!)

Yup...still alive

What is it about me that just can't seem to blog frequently. I think I need September to get here, and summer life to end.

I need to catch y'all up, so I'll just do bullet points to get it all in.

~I'm pregnant. How's that for a big one? Due the end of January with baby #2. I will find out probably the last week of August what we're having. (btw, I have quite a few friends due around the same time as me. That makes it kind of fun.) I have been feeling fine and have had to remind myself that I'm pregnant. Over the past few weeks my stomach has started to pop.

~Reagan is almost 3... can you believe it?! She starts 3 day/week preschool next month and I think she's getting excited. (I must admit, I'm pretty excited, too) She's also starting a dance class the end of this month. That girl is growing FAST!

~Devin is busy busy with work as always. He's having knee surgery the end of the month. He'll do one knee at a time with the hope of full recovery and re-claiming part of his life that has been missing. Crossed fingers and prayers appreciated.

~Reagan and I (Winnie, too) spent a week in July up in NoVa. During that week I saw U2 in Philadelphia with Todd and celebrated his birthday as well. We were able to spend time with the fam, including my grandparents. It was a great getaway.

It has been H.O.T in Virginia this summer, so we've been inside more than we probably should. Sorry, but I don't do hot. In fact, I'm counting down the days 'til fall.

I need to include some pictures, but I'm not on my laptop and Devin has the camera at work.

Stay tuned....

P.S. How do I put blogs I follow to the right of my page? I'm a little bit challenged.

I Have Come to the Conclusion...

...that the wife and mother of a household/family sets the entire tone of the home. With that said, I have some work to do.

Yesterday, I cleaned out my dining room. If I make an extra effort to have a more orderly and organized home, then all who enter will feel it. (Especially those who live here)

On a completely unrelated note...

I want a new couch and kitchen table. I found a custom couch from Bassett that is currently on sale for Memorial Day...oh the temptation of CHOOSING YOUR OWN FABRIC! My current couch is starting to wear and has been pilling for a long time.

My kitchen table is missing one of the four chairs (pretty funny story) and the finish is coming off the top. To quote my dad, "You buy cheap, you get cheap." It has served us well, but...the show must go on. I'm thinking I'd like to graduate from round to square. What will I do with my holiday table cloths then? Sigh...

Since this the quite a potpourri post, here's what we've been up to:

~Prince William got married.

~Reagan and I renewed our season passes and went to Busch Gardens with GiGi (Devin's mom) the other day.

~On Saturday, I auditioned for Wheel of Fortune in Roanoke while Rea and Dev visited the Metro Richmond Zoo.

~Rea, Todd, Bon Bon (my mom) and I went to the National Zoo. It was craptastic. Such a disappointment!

~Todd and I spent a day in Philadelphia complete with an authentic cheese steak underneath one of Philly's MANY overpasses.

~Rea and I took a BEAUTIFUL drive to Luray for the funeral of a dear friend's dad.

~Devin went to St. Louis for a few days.

~Devo and Rea got me a Kindle for Mother's Day. (LOVE it!)

~I went to the 22181 and attended a wedding open house and bridal shower.

~Devin's new(ish) office had a really nice open house.

~Reagan finished pre-school.

~I've vowed to drink more water...again.

~I picked Reagan's dance class for next year (she's going to LOVE it!)

Up next:

A trip this week to New York for Devin's cousin's wedding.

Devin goes to Birmingham.

Stay tuned...

P.S. This picture has NOTHING to do with this post, but I think my face looks thin. Once I get my current pictures downloaded on this computer, I will put some on here. (my NEW laptop is retarded and needs some TLC courtesy of Geek Squad.)

we're still alive...

Since naps for Reagan are few and far between lately, I thought I'd take advantage of one and update our blog.

April has really flown by. With the dawn of a new month came crazy amounts of pollen in the 804. I think we've all suffered from it a little bit this month. I'm *hoping* we're almost through it for 2011.
Easter weekend was a busy one. My mom and sister came down on Friday to "paint." I put it in quotes because it didn't happen. We had good intentions though. They were stuck in holiday traffic and is was pouring outside. By the time they got here it was time to get some dinner and cold and wet outside. I slept way too late on Saturday morning, so we just spent the day hanging out and running errands. After they left Saturday evening I was busy getting ready for the festivities at our house the next day.

Sunday, all of Devin's family came over for dinner and an egg hunt. It was a nice day, but I was pooped at the end of it.

I know. I have been an awful blogger and my whole 365 project was shot to h@#&. To quote my good friend Randy Jackson, here's what's up...

February:

~I turned 29 on the 8th. What the?! How am I 29?

~We watched 7 children while their parents spent 5 days in sunny Jamaica.

~That wasn't the rough part. The morning we woke up to go to their house to begin said babysitting job, we found our kitchen totally flooded and the water was still rising. (did I mention we were supposed to arrive at 7 am?) We still don't have a kitchen floor today (March 17th) If you look up the word "suck" in the dictionary, there is a picture of our kitchen. *Luckily, we are supposed to get a new floor next week as well as new carpet in our living room which ALSO got wet. Stay tuned for pictures.

~Devin got a new windshield

~I finalized things to get my car fixed after I ran over something exiting the highway in Jan. (can we say $2,600 in damage?) (I still haven't taken it in)

~Our insurance companies love us.

~2/26 Devin took me to see Jersey Boys in Baltimore for my birthday. Loved it!

~Honorable mention in Feb.: Mana and Grandaddy moved into their new apartment, Cub Scout Blue and Gold dinner, volunteering at Mother's Morning Out, potty training galore, 2 work dinner events, book club, dinner at the Melting Pot (birthday again), watched the boring Oscars, etc. etc. etc.

March:

~Devin and I flew to Houston on the 2nd. He had work meetings and I tagged along. (needed to get away from said kitchen floor chaos)

We did lots of Houston sight seeing, and took a day trip to San Antonio. I was pretty impressed with my first visit to the Lone Star State. The 80 degree temps along the river walk in S.A. were just what the doctor ordered.

~We enjoyed a few peeks into spring with warm weather and allergies.

~Reagan has done lots better with potty training

~Devin had yet another work dinner.

~I went to my monthly recipe club. Our theme for this month was "something green"

~We celebrated our anniversary on Saturday the 12th (7 years people!) by going to the VMFA to the visiting Picasso exhibit followed by dinner at the Tobacco Company. Ol' Pablo's art isn't my cup of tea, but it was neat to see.

~Our actuall anniversary (the 13th) was spent celebrating daylight savings and Devin not feeling well. He took a 4 hour nap after church.

~Looking ahead, we have some other fun stuff planned. Stay tuned!