Driving Ms. Jen

I've been in a funk the past couple days. I used to get into a Winter depression when I lived in California because of all the fog. It kind of feels like that but we've had beautiful weather here recently so I don't know what my deal is. I just want to lay in bed, sleeping and reading. I don't have any energy....and no, I am not pregnant!
Anyways, yesterday Rob suggested going on a hike so I could get some pictures of wildlife. We ran out of time to do it yesterday (even though we just sat around for most of the day) so we went today instead. Because of the wind and how cold it was, we ended up going for a drive instead of a hike. We got out of the truck at about 10,000 feet elevation but within minutes we were all freezing, despite being bundled up. We did see some deer on the way back down the mountain that I was able to get pictures of and then we went to an old ranch that was effected by the fire back in November.
Below are some of the pictures I took today. Just like my writing, I am now second guessing my photography skills due to a couple recent things. That being said, I'm not 100% thrilled with them but a couple turned out okay. Enjoy....
(P.S. Please ignore the watermarks. I was messing around with my software and now I don't know how to get "H&HPhotography" off my pictures.HA!)

Life Is Good!

This week has felt so long but has been so much fun! Wednesday P got a much needed break from us and went to school. I got to lounge around and get things done without a toddler underfoot. Then Rob and I got to go on a date. We enjoyed an early lunch then went to see one of my new favorite movies, The Vow. That's one thing I've really enjoyed about Rob being off on disability...our dates and feeling more like a married couple than I've felt in a couple years.
Yesterday was a busy day at work but it was also a busy day for Rob and P because P decided he was going to be a big boy. He went on the big boy potty all but one time! To celebrate, Rob took him to Chuck E Cheese last night while I hosted my monthly book club meeting. Usually our book clubs last late into the night but we were all exhausted so we called it an early night. Today, at school, I finalized a fundraiser that I had put together to support a local children's cancer foundation. I didn't want to have over $500 in cash lying around so I met up with Rob then we got P and went to the radio-athon to drop off the money. I got to be on a local radio station, talking about how much money our school raised. After my famous moment (HA!), the boys and I topped off the day by going out for a family dinner. I told Rob that as much as I despise TV, I was looking forward to just vegging in front of the TV tonight, relaxing with my boys. I didn't work a lot this week but it felt like I worked 60 hours. That being said, I'm loving my cuddles with P and relaxing time as a family!

2 Big Ps for P!

OK, so I'm stretching on the title of this blog but what I'm trying to get at is that P is growing up so fast. We're in the thros of potty training and have started touring preschools. It seems like just yesterday I was supporting his head while I held him, worrying about his health, worrying if I was doing everything right (Ok, I still worry about that and probably will for the rest of his life!). Now he's using the "big boy potty" several times a day and is excited about wearing real underwear. It's like that's his last step from transitioning from being our baby to being a kid....and it's happening too fast! When we toured the preschool this morning he was being a pistol. But when we left he kept saying he wanted to go back to high school. I knew he meant preschool but I was thinking that before long he'll be in high school. It seems like forever ago since I had found out I was pregnant with him. Oh, if we could only stop time...or at least get it to slow down...so I can cherish each moment~even the tough ones~a little more!

1st Amendment

The beauty of living in America?? Our freedom! Our forefathers even created the First Amendment, stating that we have the freedom of speech. That's why it always surprises me when someone accuses another of (fill in the blank) because their opinions aren't the same. A friend sent me a lengthy email this morning because he didn't agree with my FB post that I think it's wrong that flags were flown at half mast because of Whitney Houston's death. He more or less said my friends that agreed with me were bullies because of their harsh comments on my post. I RESPECTFULLY disagreed with him because we were not threatening anyone and (to my knowledge) don't have access to Whitney or her entourage.
Growing up, in my house, you were encouraged to share your opinion. Even if no one agreed with you, people would listen. My dad, ever the diplomat, would calmly share why he disagreed and we'd either agree to disagree or continue the discussion/debate until one person agreed with the other. So, having had that example, that's how I try to live my life today. I'm not the diplomat that my dad is so I usually throw some name-calling into the debate but I feel that I try to stay open minded. I also learned that I'm better off not sharing my opinion on a topic that I'm ignorant on. I've been thrown under the bus a few times for doing that so it's best if I keep my mouth shut when I'm not educated on the subject.
Everyone's entitled to their own opinion even if the rest of the world disagrees with them. As my mom says, "Let's agree to disagree and disagree agreeably."

Saturday

Our household has been dealing with one illness after another. Rob is the latest to get sick and I'm still not completely over my sinus infection. Yesterday I worked, went for a 3 mile run, then had Bunco with the girls. By the time I got home last night I was exhausted! It would've been nice to sleep in and relax this morning but I had a dr.'s appt to figure out why I still can't get pregnant. Although it was a good appt. I was in a funk. So, when I came home, I asked Rob if we could go on a photography drive. We didn't see much and the pictures I took were not anything special. On the way home P fell asleep in his carseat. I was hoping that he'd go back to sleep in our bed once we got home but that was not the case. Now we're relaxing, waiting for NASCAR to start soon. I hope y'all are having a good Saturday!

*P.S. I hardly ever post pics of P but I took this one earlier when Rob was tossing him on the bed and it makes me laugh.*

Winter Adventure

This morning it was 25 degrees out. Bible study had been cancelled due to snow. P was at school for awhile. Rob wanted to watch TV. What's a girl to do in a situation like this? Grab a camera and go on a Winter adventure of course! I'm still figuring out the CHALLENGING world of Manual Mode but here are some of the ones I like......

Happy Hallmark Holiday!

Between all of us being sick at one point or another in the past week and a busy weekend, I haven't had time to blog. So....welcome back! I just wanted to take a minute to wish you a Happy Hallmark Holiday. About 6 or 7 years ago I decided that celebrating Valentine's Day is overrated. So when Rob and I first got together I told him I had no desire to exchange gifts on this "holiday". Instead we celebrate the first day of the NASCAR season by giving each other a shirt or hat or..... of our favorite driver.

This year, however, I decided that P needs to celebrate all holidays whether I believe in them or not. When he's old enough, he can make his own choices as to what holidays he wants to celebrate. So, after a breakfast of cinnamon rolls, P gave Rob a Valentine card he had made him. Then we opened the cards my parents sent us and gave P his Hallmark candy. He was in heaven as he stuffed his mouth with as much candy as he could get his hands on. To me, that's what this Hallmark Holiday is all about!!!!

Cooped Up Energy

It was bound to happen. P was going to start feeling better enough to be a pistol but not well enough to be able to go out for some much needed running around time. Today was the day. He was sluggish when he woke up...12 1/2 hours after he had gone to bed! I tried to give him a bath to help "pep" him up but he curled up in a ball, screaming that he didn't want a bath. Once I put him in the tub he cried to get out, which is so uncharacteristic of him. ALL morning he just watched TV and I figured the antibiotics were not doing the trick after all. But all it took was one simple 2 hour nap. He woke up with a vengeance! After that TV and rest were not cutting it for that boy. He marked up the wall with a golf ball, decided he wanted a bath after all....fully clothed, and got in a "dirt fight" with Ruby (ie he threw handfuls of dirt on her while she sat there watching him). I got him to paint a little for a change of scenery. We played lots of catch. He begged me to run on my treadmill but was dismayed when I told him we had to wait until his cough was better. For the first time since Friday, he ate 2 decent sized meals which was the best news of the day! However, by about 5pm Rob and I were counting down the minutes until his bedtime. After reading him a bedtime story we said his prayers. He prayed that Jesus would make him better so he could run on Mommy's treadmill. Hopefully it'll happen in the next day or two so we can all get a reprieve from all his cooped up energy!

Our Sweet, Sick Lil Trooper

P has now had a cough for about a month and it's been getting progressively worse. It's to the point now that when he coughs people around him think he's going to throw up because it's such a violent cough. We've taken him to the pediatrician 3 times in the past 3 weeks to no avail. Last night we decided that enough was enough. We were having a fairly large Superbowl party and all P wanted to do was go in our room and lay on our bed. As soon as people left, I put him in bed and he was asleep before I finished saying his prayers (Usually he says them but last night was the exception). This morning we decided to call his pediatrician to get in for another diagnosis. I had an appt that I couldn't change so Rob took P to his appointment. Had I known we were going to end up at the hospital across the street for chest xrays I would've cancelled my appt no questions asked. But, hindsight is 20-20. I met up with Rob and P after my appt in time for P to get his xrays. What a horrible experience! Since only one parent was allowed in the xray room, P wanted me to go with him. He was so weak and tired that he couldn't stand against the xray wall like the tech was asking him to do. So she had to put him in this barbaric contraption.

It broke my heart to watch the big alligator tears roll down his cheeks while he called out for me to hold him. The xray process could not get over fast enough for me. It was bringing back horrific memories of when P was admitted to that same hospital as a newborn and I felt so helpless. We took a short nap in Rob's truck until our pediatrician's office opened back up after lunch. The good news is that he was not diagnosed with pneumonia but our doctor said that he could have walking pneumonia that wouldn't show up on the xrays. Or, like our doctor thinks is the case, he could've just been hit with a few different viruses all at the same time. P was given a 2nd antibiotic so hopefully the double dose he's on will help kill all the viruses so he'll be back to his happy, healthy self soon. Although I've enjoyed the cuddles, I miss sleeping in my own bed and having my happy-go-lucky boy around!

Stillwater Sunset

I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try my hand at taking pictures in manual mode. It was fun yet challenging. It made me realize I have even more to learn about the camera. But, luckily, Rob humors me when I want to take pictures and always takes me to places he thinks would make good photo ops (and they do). This afternoon we loaded the dogs in the truck, bundled P up and went to Stillwater to watch the sunset. Here are a few of the pictures I like....

Musical Beds????

As I sit down to write this, P is sound asleep....on my side of the bed! It seems that he likes our bed better than his own. He's been sick the past couple weeks so I've been thankful that we didn't move the queen size bed in his room. That seems to be where I sleep a lot lately. Last night he tried to crawl into our bed around midnight. I fell back to sleep, thinking he had gone back to his bed. Soon after I dozed off, he started coughing....right next to me. Then Rob started tossing and turning. Since I haven't slept well for a few nights I threw in the towel and went to P's room to get some shut eye....for the third time in 3 weeks. P's never really slept in our bed for a long period time or for consecutive nights so I hope this phase passes quickly. I'd like everyone to sleep in their own bed so I can hopefully get a good night's sleep one of these nights.

Blessings of Friendship

Sorry I've been MIA for the past week. My boys were gone so I took advantage of them being with family to go visit my family and friends. Although I always look forward to my visits home, this time I was really looking forward to my time there. No nap schedule to worry about. No need to wonder if my parents could watch P. No early bedtimes and quiet TV to keep from waking a toddler.
My trip didn't disappoint me. In fact, it made me more aware of all the great friendships I've acquired over the years. On Saturday evening and again on Monday I got to catch up with a friend that is starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, after going through some hardships. Sunday morning I got to see friends from my parents' church. Unfortunately I didn't spend much time with them, but any time is a blessing. That afternoon I went on a photography date with a friend with whom I've drawn closer to in recent years. We spent the time together catching up and she shared some medical "scares" with me. I said goodbye to her and then met up with another friend. We shared thoughts on marriage, kids, jobs and life in general. As I fell asleep Sunday night, I reflected on my conversations. I counted my blessings for not only having such good friends but for being able to have open conversations with them. Tuesday I woke in anticipation because Tuesday was the day I got to have lunch with a near and dear friend that I had kind of lost contact with. She has always been like family so I was beyond ecstatic when we reconnected! Lunch was great and it was so very good to see her incredibly happy. I ended my trip having breakfast with one my closest friends before I headed out of town. We shed tears over the recent death of her grandma. We shared laughter over the news of her relationship with a wonderful guy.

I loved every moment with each friend but the friends I spent the most time with and thoroughly enjoyed were my parents. We went to the movies, ate out, went on shopping trips, ran errands together and laughed a lot! We also went on a search for the perfect house for my parents to buy. Every minute with them was fun and I am so thankful to call my parents my friends. It was a fun trip full of lots of good memories, a trip full of many blessings, a trip full of great friends!! I am blessed.