Baby Daddy

Hello Loves! 
This is the 3rd post in our series-and the topic is: Describe Your Relationship With Your Spouse.  So sit back, relax, and try not to cringe as I disclose all of the mushy details about my relationship with your father...hahahaha.
Love your faces!

OK, where to begin...well...I guess the beginning-right-makes the most sense, no? 

How I met your father...so as I mentioned previously, I knew of your father well before I actually met him, and to be honest, what I knew about him was not appealing to me in the slightest bit.  You see, when I was a freshman in college, Daddy was dating this girl that I went to school with-I will not go into a lot of detail about that, but I did not hold her in the highest of esteems either.  I saw the two of them together and they did not appear to have a stable relationship...(which, worked out for us, obviously) and I was in a relationship with someone else so that might have a lot to do with the fact that I was less than impressed with what I saw/heard...

Fast foreword to sophomore year.  I had an amazing summer-which included breaking up with the aforementioned boyfriend (and Daddy also broke up with his aforementioned girl friend...) and that is the day we met.  He was helping my suite mate move in (her boyfriend was and still is Daddy's BFF), and he saw that I was moving in without any help so he offered to help me.  based on what I had seen/heard of this guy, you can understand why I was skeptical...but I ended up accepting his offer and gave him one of my suitcases to haul up the stairs for me...by the time I made it up to my room, the suitcase was there but he was gone.

He ended up asking me to go to the zoo with him a week later-and we have been (pretty much) a couple since that date, September 2, 2001.  Now something I failed to mention is that Daddy's step sister, your Aunt Jillian, also went to the same college I did (briefly).  I was walking to my room one day when she stopped me and said-so I heard you are dating my brother now (weird, right?) and I said-I guess...to which she said "I hope you don't expect it to last because he isn't that kind of guy."  I just responded by telling her that I had no expectations and that i just planned to take it day by day...and that kids, is exactly what we did-and have done since day one. 

Your father and I take things day by day-we live in the moment.  We love each other very much, and always make sure we are having fun no matter what we are doing.  I am not going to lie and tell you that there are not days where I would love to punch that man in the neck, because he does know how to get under my skin on my very last nerve like no one else can, but that is what happens when you love someone, you try to learn everything you can about them-and in doing so, you learn exactly what it takes to push that person's buttons.  (Obviously I don't do this to daddy...and if he says anything different he is clearly in denial...)

We make sure to tell each other we love each other every day-even on the days where we don't have the opportunity to see each other.  We make sure we laugh every day.  We are there to support each other no matter what the situation is.  We put our family first and ensure that the Lord is a part of our family in everything we do.  When we have to separate for any amount of time, we say the following phrase: "Loe you, miss you, carefee" to each other.  (Loe you is a direct result of one day I was typing and rather than Love, I spelled Loe...and it has stuck ever since...carefee was a result of a stuffy nose, and again, has stayed with us.) 

Your Dad is my Best Friend.  Hands Down.  When I have good news, he is the first person I want to tell.  When I have bad/sad news, he is the first person I want to talk to...when I feel like I am bored, I want it to be him that occupies my time...Our relationship if full of Love & Laughter.  I admire your father for he has done and has overcome throughout his life...we are a team.

“It is not a lack of love, but a lack of friendship that makes unhappy marriages.”
― Friedrich Nietzche

"You don't marry the person you can live with-you marry the person you can't live without."

"And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy." Hosea 2:19

3 Fears

Post Number 2 in the For My Loves Series-

Describe 3 Legitimate fears you have and explain how they because fears.

I am not going to list these in any particular order-well, that is a lie, I am going to list them in the order of which I find them easiest to write...you will see why soon...

1.) As previously mentioned I do not swim in water that I cannot see through because I am afraid of being attacked by an alligator and/or a shark...Of that, I have a VERY real fear of alligators/crocodiles.  So much so, that only recently have I been able to see one on the TV and not freak out and have nightmares about it (it is OK if you are judging me-your daddy thinks I am crazy about this fear). This fear came about when I was younger...MUCH younger-I witnessed a gigantic alligator rip the tire off of a Geo Metro...effortlessly.  And if that gator could do that to a car-I do NOT want to know what he could do to me.  I also do not like the fact that these critters live in and under the water...they could sneak up on me without any sort of notice and...well...you know what happens after that...

2.) Losing your father.  I love your father and we are a team.  I do not know what I would do without him-though we have come close more times than I care to think about...1 time is too many...Because he is a police officer, he constantly puts his life at risk to protect other people and uphold the law.  When I was pregnant with Hannah, I was pretty sick during the first trimester-so much so, my Doctor gave me medicine to help with the nausea, but it made me very sleepy so I was not able to take it during the day because I had to work.  I would come home from work, eat, take my medicine and try to fall asleep.  One day in January of 2008 was a particularly rough day of sickness for me so when I went to sleep, I turned off the ringer of my phone.  Turns out that was a terrible move on my part.  Daddy was hit by a car that night at work and no one could reach me to tell me.  Your Poppi had to drive over to my house to knock on the door to wake me up.  This was one of the scariest moments of my life.  I had no idea how bad the injuries were or anything.  Just that he was hit by a car and being rushed to the hospital.  I cried the whole way to the hospital thinking about how there was a possibility that Hannah would never meet her father...I wish I could tell you that that was the only time Daddy was hit by a car...sadly it was not...to date he has been hit by 2 cars (physically hit, car versus man) and was involved in an accident because a car ran him off of the road...all required him to go to the hospital and every time I thought about the possibility of losing him...I don't want to imagine what life would be like without him, and I hope I never have to know...recently the mother of some very close friends of ours passed away.  Seeing the pain and grief in her husband's eyes was more than enough for me to know I don't ever want to be in that position.  (please give me a moment, I am tearing up as I write this...now you know what I meant by writing them in order of being easiest to write about...)  "You don't marry someone you can live with – you marry the person who you cannot live without." – Unknown Author

3.) Losing one of you...okay, even the thought of it makes me cry.  I pray that neither of you are called to heaven before I am.  I do not want to know what pain like that is like-ever.  I hope I never get a late night call about one of you-or have an officer show up at my door to tell me terrible news...none of that.  Seeing your face(s) is what makes my heart smile, and it would break into a billion pieces if I ever had to say goodbye to one of you..."Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven." Henry Ward Beecher

That is all I can say about that because I am having difficulty seeing through the tears just from writing about the possibility...at the risk of being cliche-You complete me.

 “You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.” 
-Dr. Seuss

 

"The best love is the kind that awakens the soul; that makes us reach for more, that plants the fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. That’s what I hope to give you forever." – The Notebook

 

"Pleasure of love lasts but a moment. Pain of love lasts a lifetime." – Bette Davis

 

"To be brave is to love unconditionally without expecting anything in return." – Madonna

 

 

 

I love you to the Moon and Back-
Mommy

Random Facts

My Loves,

This is for you.  I can't begin to tell you how much you mean to me- and I know that when these 30 posts are complete there will still be information about me that you don't know...I hope that when you are older you will feel that we have a strong enough relationship to ask me anything-and that you are only moderately embarrassed when you hear the answers to all of your burning questions...hey-seriously, Mommy never claimed to be perfect-I know, as hard as it may be to believe, I was once young just like you and had a lot of learning to do...luckily I had wonderful parents (much like yourselves-pardon me while I toot my own horn for a moment-toot toot!) to show me the way! 
I love you with all that I am.
Forever,
Mommy

Alright-jumping into the subject of this post.  You get to find out 20 random facts about me so let's get to it!

1. I always have to sleep with a blanket on-even when it is a billion degrees outside (we do live in Charleston-I am pretty sure a billion is an accurate weather estimate for this area).  When I feel like I am too hot, rather than take the blanket off, I stick one foot (or leg) out of the blanket to adjust my temperature.

2. I hate bananas.  I find this to be a shame for you because Hannah-you love them (I feel certain that Baby Brother would love them too) but you only get to enjoy them if I am not home or you are somewhere else because the smell makes me gag.  Seriously.  I can smell a banana from across a room-yuck.

3. Your Poppi tricked me into attending a college for women.  True story-that Poppi can be pretty sneaky sometimes.  We were touring several colleges one weekend and one was Columbia College.  Prior to this tour, we had attended about 5 tours of other schools, but as soon as I stepped foot in the parking lot of CC, I knew something was different.  I made a broad statement-something to the tune of "Sure are a lot of girls on this tour..." Now, your Poppi, sneaky sneaky Poppi, looks at me, smiles and says, "Yep, this tour is for girls only." While this was not, in fact a lie, I feel as if it was not a whole truth either...but it all worked out in the end because I loved the school and decided to attend.

4. I love shoes.  Your father will tell you that I am obsessed with them-he is just jealous that they don't make as awesome shoes for men as they do for women.  I was working on cleaning out my closet the other day and came to the realization that I need a bigger closet to accommodate all of my shoes...and just so you know, no, getting rid of some shoes to fit my small closet is not an option.

5. Your Father and I met in 2001.  I knew of him prior to meeting him in person, and from what I knew of him, I did not care for him in the slightest bit...funny how things turn out! (There will be a future post about how I met your Father later.)

6. I do not like swimming (or playing, standing, sitting, etc) in water that I cannot see through.  This is why when we take trips to the beach I stay with the towels and read or take a nap.  Daddy, on the other hand, will swim in the ocean all day long if you let him, so he is the one who you need to talk to when you are ready to play in the waves.  This stems from an irrational fear of being attacked by a shark and an alligator at the same time...or really just one at a time.  I just don't do it.

7. I really do not like to drive.  I am directionally challenged and I hate getting lost.  I much rather prefer to be the passenger in the car than the driver.

8. I have had a job ever since I was able to work, and even before that, I babysat to earn my own money.  I worked while I was in high school and in college, and I was able to secure a job before I graduated college so there was no lapse in employment.  Your grandparents did not force me to work, I wanted to earn my own money and do something constructive with my time.  I hope that you develop a strong work ethic as you grow up.

9.  I really dislike eating leftovers...when I was growing up we had leftover night at least once a week-it was my least favorite night of the week to eat dinner-I would much rather just have cereal or a sandwich.  Now, when I am not sure what I want for dinner, I default to cereal or sandwich...but 98% of the time it is cereal.

10.  I hate to be late.  It makes me very frantic to know that I am running behind schedule and I have a very difficult time recovering from that frantic feeling throughout the day. 

11. I have a difficult time falling asleep when it is too quiet.  I need a little bit of noise somewhere to help me go to sleep-this could be the fan, the TV, a radio, your Daddy snoring (this is a point that he will never admit to-he swears he does not snore, but we all know he does because we have all heard it)-whatever, but I need something.  I think this is because I have a hard time turning off my mind at night-I am always thinking about something when I need to be going to sleep so I need to have something else to take my mind off of it.

12.  I make it a point to tell you I love you multiple times a day-I never want a day to go by without you hearing and knowing that I love you-because I do-with all of my heart-and when you love someone you have to make sure that that person knows it.

13. I have lived in both the North and the South, and while both have their Pros and Cons, I much prefer the North. 

14. My favorite season is Fall.  The scenery is beautiful and the weather is wonderful...That is one downside to living in the south-Fall is very brief in the south so you don't get to enjoy the season as much as you could/would in a state that has 4 legit seasons.

15. I would live in Jeans and a sweatshirt everyday if I could. 

16.I have very thick hair.  Because of this, I really do not like to blow dry it because it takes so long and I get super hot...

17. I don't like to have hair in my face.  That is why, more often than not, you see me sporting a pony tail or side braid-or some other hair off of my face creation I have developed-well that and because I like to sleep-in in the mornings so my hairstyling time gets cut shorter than it needs to be to allow for another sort of hair style.

18.  I call you everyday after you get out of school.  Some days you don't want to talk to me, but I do it so I can get as much of a recap of the time you spent without me as possible.  If I wait too long to call you, the only thing you tell me is-my day was fine-bye.  If I catch you right after school is over I get ten times more of the details.  I also miss you-so please continue to humor your crazy mom and accept my daily phone calls...as they will likely continue into your adulthood...

19.  When brushing my teeth, I sing a song in my head (or hum it out loud) and dance to it...it makes the task far more fun!

20.  Sometimes when I am talking on the phone, I make faces at myself in the mirror...I don't know why or when it started, but I crack myself up when I do it...you should try it because it is hard to get caught up in taking life too seriously-take some time to be silly every now and then!


Okay, so those are the random facts about your most Awesome Mom-and, yes, that is exactly where you get your awesomeness from-it is not from your father (though, you probably already knew that ;) )

Seriously...Awesome right?

I love you!
Mommy
XoXoXo

New Project In Progress

A lovely young woman that I know has started a project and it has inspired me to do it as well.  She is currently working on writing 30 posts that contain details her children should know about her one day.  She got the idea from one of her friends, and I am totally taking the idea from her!

Just as she did in her blog, I am going to warn you-the posts are going to be written specifically for Hannah and her soon to be Baby Brother...(Oh that's right...in other news, we are expecting a wee one in Early May/Late April time frame-obviously I am late with the announcement of that bit of news, but what else is new right?) You are more than welcome to read along-who knows, you just might learn something new about me too!
Thanks for hanging in there with me-I know I am horrible on keeping you all updated with the happenings of my life, and maybe one day that will change...I make no promises!

This was my Halloween "costume" which also served as my Announcement to the world of our expected arrival

This was Hans' shirt that she wore to dinner to announce to some of the fam (Only Child Club, member since July 2008, Membership expires May 2013)

This was the other shirt we got for Hans

That's me with one of the Biggest Cheeses I have ever made :)-an added bonus just for you



In the event that you want to start your very own project similar to this one, the list of posts can be found below:

1. List 20 random facts about yourself.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.

4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?

7. What is your dream job, and why?

8. What are 5 passions you have?

9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.

11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

12. Describe a typical day in your current life.

13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?

14. Describe 5 and weaknesses strengths you have.

15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.

16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?

19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?

20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

21. Describe your relationship with your parents.

22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?

24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?

25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?

29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?

30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered