Top 10 Reasons Why I Love the Laundromat.

Ahem...
10. It reminds me of college apartment days.
9. When you go by yourself, (and you're the only one there) it is SO relaxing!
8. You can take a book.
7. Big washers, Big dryers.
6. BIG laundry tables, great for sorting.
5. You can meet interesting people.
4. For the organizer, you can take a huge mess of clothes and transform it into perfect piles!
3. It's relaxing. (Yes, I already mentioned this, and NO I will not do your laundry!)
2. It's quiet (again, if you're the only one there)
1. All laundry. All done. All at the same time!

We had 2 weeks worth of laundry piled up and a washer and dryer that wasn't hooked up. So, last night, I loaded up the car, grabbed my book (The Time Traveler's Wife) and headed to The Paso to get it done. 2 hours later, 7 loads of laundry, and five neatly stacked baskets, and I was all done. Thankfully, Greg helped me load and unload the car. And, Gabe helped me put the clothes away! (kind of).

Our kitchen/laundry area should be finished up this weekend or early next week. I can't wait to post pictures as I'm really excited about how it's turned out!

terrific 3's?

When Gabe turned three, it was literally like a switch was flipped and these crazy temper tantrums started occuring... making me wonder if three was worse than two ('terrible two's'). But now, all of a sudden, it seems like the 'good boy' switch has been turned back on! :) Gabe has been such a joy the past couple of days! He's always a joy, don't get me wrong, but some days are tougher than others! He has been so cuddly the last few days and he's really only been cranky when he's been tired. The tantrums are down to maybe 1 a day, and we can definitely deal with that. They're also becoming shorter in duration.

Greg and I were having trouble with the tantrums and ended up spending one night watching an episode on Dr. Phil called "Controlling the Chaos". (Click on Controlling the Chaos to watch the episode) We learned so much from that! We saw ourselves in the parents that gave empty threats. We also saw ourselves in the parents that got emotional with the tantrums. We learned to basically become "deaf" when Gabe has been put in time out. When he's in time out, the goal should be for him to stay there... even if he's crying and yelling that he wants to get down. Only keep him there for the 2 minutes, and then take him out. This will show him that we're not taking him out because of his crying and screaming, we're taking him out because he listened and stayed for two minutes. It's hard to stay calm, deaf, and unemotional during a tantrum, but it really has helped in the duration and frequency of them. It really feels good to see something working. That Dr. Phil might know what he's talking about!

The kitchen is coming along very well. Greg has done an awesome job and has spent many hours working his tail off to get it done quickly. I'm very thankful to have a handy husband so we don't have to hire everything done. And, I'm thankful that he's willing to put in the extra work. I've watched him come home from a tiring day at work, only to get on his hands and knees and grout the new tile. Then, bracing himself for a toddler to jump up on his lap. I got a good one. I think I'll keep him! :) I'll take some pictures and get them posted tomorrow while the little dude is at preschool.

the champ

Last night we had a blast seeing Rodney Carrington. We have all of his CD's and think he's hilarious. Sure, he's pretty crude, but he's flippin' hilarious. I had gotten Greg the tickets for his birthday as a surprise. We had a great evening... We had a great meal at Lonestar with some friends and then headed to the show. He was the best comedian I've seen live. Most of the time you hear the same stuff at the show that's on the CD's, but almost all of his material was new to us. I'd definitely go see him again!

going to the dentist

My little boy went to the dentist today. He did absolutely great! He usually listens very well for other people... not so much for me and Greg! But, in talking to parents, I've found this to be true a lot of the time. The dentist and her assistant were raving about how brave he was and how well he did sitting in the chair and listening to them.

This is how Gabe sat through most of the appointment... Most of the time, his legs were crossed at the ankles too! The dental assistant was great. She and the doctor had names for each of the tools and explained everything they were going to do. Gabe listened and answered their questions. I was so proud of him!

I asked him to smile and give me a thumbs up, and the little kid obliged! That never happens! He isn't big on having his picture taken (go figure) and so for him to pretty much strike a pose for me was golden!

And finally, I asked him to show me his clean teeth. Look at my big kid! :) He ended up with 2 cavities, but our dentist told us that was pretty normal. We had a talk about apple juice (and we just had one with the pediatrician at his 3 yr appointment) and how we need to dilute it or cut it down. It's something Greg and I have really struggled with. The kid loves his apple juice. He has no other "vices". He was never really a pacifier baby, he doesn't have a favorite blankie or stuffed animal. He's pretty much fearless. Take his apple juice away and look out! So, we're going to do our best to really cut it out. It's what's best for him, so we definitely need to do what the doctors say.

Gabe and I had a great day together. I was so proud of my little dude and it felt great to see him behave and get so many, "Oooohhhh... he's so cute!" 's today.

Weddings!

I am really enjoying wedding photography. When I first started taking pictures, I said "No Weddings". And, I wasn't budging. Well......... I said yes to a co-worker, and it all went crazy from there! :) I've had two weddings this year - on the first two days of the year! Thankfully, one was pretty small and we only shot the wedding, but the second one was a full day about 3 hours away. It was a great experience and I really enjoyed doing it.

It's a lot of work. It's a lot of pressure. You just want to do your very best to capture the moments of the day. It's a lot of trust put into your equipment. It's relying on your second shooter. It's tiring. It's craziness.

But, thankfully, I've had nothing but positive experiences. I've met lovely couples and I've really learned a lot. It's an honor to be asked to have that responsibility on their special day. This summer, we have another wedding close by and then my sister, Lindsey's, in Florida. In the Fall, my little brother, Dan is getting married and we have his wedding too. It's going to be a busy year, and I'm so thankful!

can't think of a post title!

Look at my big kid! He's letting us spike his new haircut, and he looks stinkin' adorable!!

We had Gabe's birth family up to our house last night and had the best time. They brought him some awesome Christmas & birthday presents and some Spidey cupcakes! We had a great time laughing and hanging out. We are too blessed. This little boy is going to grow up knowing that this family loves him so very much. I've said this before, as his mom, all I can ask for is his happiness and he was so happy last night! He and his birth mom played playdough and played with his new toys. We shared a great meal and a great time.

THIS is my new kitchen island!! I LOVE it. Greg basically revamped our old island (which was just the two cupboards on the lefthand side with a countertop over them). He put a beautiful walnut top on it. I just love how it turned out. He made me a bookshelf for cookbooks and knick knacks. AND, you can see the new floor too! I'm just thrilled with it.

Here's another picture:

That's all for now... gotta go pick up the boy from preschool! Oh, and his first book order came in today! I was actually going to take a picture of it, but refrained for fear of being made fun of mercilessly! :)