Life Be Crazy Yo!

Dear Blog, I have missed you in case you were wondering. I started this post back in MARCH! That's how busy we are. I promise to catch up with more soon. Love, Michelle

March 2013 - Seriously. I can't even begin to explain how insane the past few weeks have been. We have had strep, a trip to the ER and stitches, colds and allergies, work, teething, sleep deprivation,an upcoming move and on top of all of that - my Dad's lymphoma did not react to the last chemo treatment like it was supposed to. SO!

My parents headed to MD Anderson in Houston last week for a second opinion. They met with the head of the lymphoma unit, and they really liked the doctor. He is assuming that my dad has a different type of lymphoma than what he was originally diagnosed. So for the past week, Pops has been prodded, poked, and scanned to see if they can figure out what is going on in him. They were able to come home for the weekend to care of some things but they had to return Monday for more tests. They meet with the doctor again on Thursday with hopefully results of the tests and getting a treatment plan in place.

This is what I will tell you. This is REALLY weighing heavily on us. Between my Mom's ongoing battle with cancer and now this...it's really taking a toll on our emotions. Last week was pretty tough keeping it together and not having an emotional break down during work hours...it's so hard to keep focus when the mind wants to wander into dark places. I can tell it's really affecting my siblings the same as me because we are all just trying to stay busy until we know the results of everything...and with that being said, I don't even know how my parents are holding it together.

What I do know is this - I can't even begin to express how grateful I am for all the prayers and positive thoughts that they are being flooded with. It helps me to know how much others are praying and thinking about them because one of the hardest things is not being able to be there to hug them and help out. Thank goodness my sister is as close as she is because I know that seeing those grand babies is very therapeutic for them. I was really uncertain that we were going to make the trip down for Easter but after all of this, I feel like they need a good dose of some granddaughter love and some baby love.

So we did go to Magnolia and had a really nice trip. It was, of course, much too short though. I will give a complete update on Dad in another post, but he is doing ok as of now and still not undergoing any treatments until they can nail down what is going on with him. Since then, we moved in to a new house (more space and better area), we took a trip to Dallas to celebrate my birthday and see Bon Jovi. Check. Andy's mom came up for a visit, my parents came up for a visit, we went to Houston for my cousin's wedding, we have been trying to keep up with our busy little 9 month old baby (sobs quietly - my uterus is mad at me and wants to have another baby but don't get your hopes up - she is closed for business) and our VERY busy 3 year old Princess, who is now in gymnastics, and we just squeezed in a trip to the beach. Oh and did I mention the weather was OUT OF CONTROL in May. I mean really. Thank God we were not affected by the tornadoes, but my heart just breaks for those that were.  More to come with pictures and details of our travels.

Making a Chick for Easter.

Giving LF some Life Lessons. 

G

He hates it when I put up pictures like this, but I LOVE the Papa Bear and Cam Cub snuggle pictures. 

Oooof. He is going to break some hearts. My my my...

My loves. 

All I Need is my Three

Tomorrow is my 31st birthday. Andy has been asking me what I want, and I am such a practical person. I was like, oh a new ironing board (really?), maybe a gold chain (the one I usually wear with all my love's initials broke), maybe some exercise gear, but nothing really exciting at all. One year I just wanted my Dyson Ball vacuum. I mean, don't get too crazy, although those Ball vacuums are expensive. We are also taking a trip to Dallas to see Bon Jovi with some of our best friends so I am really counting that as part of my birthday as well this year. I am sure we'll do some shopping and what not there, but I really just can't think of anything that I just have to have this year.

So what do I really want for my birthday? After thinking about this for the past few days, I realized that I already have it. All I really need is my three - and the ones that add that smile or warm thought along the way.

I have my best friend, husband (almost seven years - ha! Bet some of you can't believe that!), love of my life, soul mate, and partner. Andy - I love you the most.

My best girl is the sweetest, funniest, sassiest, and smartest little three year old that I could ask for. And my Cam Cub is the last piece to complete my heart. He is the happiest baby and such a joy to be around. I love playing with him and he gives me the biggest smiles and laughs. These children. One just can't explain how that love runs so deep. I would do anything for them. Anything.

I could not ask for a better father, mother, sister, brother, mother-in-law, sister-in-laws, brother-in-law and family. Through the thick and thin, easy and hard, tears and laughter, joys and sorrows, this family is rock solid.

I have the BEST friends that a girl could ask for - each of them for different reasons.  They come in all different shapes, sizes, colors and locations, some are new and some are old, and I feel blessed that they have chosen me to be a part of their lives as well.

I can't leave out my fur babies either. Brutus and Hazel are so good with Cam and Lila Faye. When that big ol' tongue sneaks one on me or that little one burrows in her bean bag, they always put a smile on my face (except when they bark and the babies are sleeping - no smile then).

I don't really have anything that I want for my birthday this year because I already have it. This year is a celebration of my life, but also all the one's whose lives I love so dearly as well. Because that is what is important.

Blessed, y'all. My cup runneth over.

December 2012/January 2013

Ok this is going to just be a quick update and  pictures from the past couple of months! I am so behind and need to catch up. The update for the Marlette's is: Andy is still working in Enid, I just started a new part time job at a small oil and gas brokerage, Lila Faye is still going to school and loving it, and Cam is growing so fast! He is going to be crawling in no time and is about to cut a tooth, I think. All he wants to do is chew on everything and is a super drooly baby. We have managed to keep the flu out of the house thus far (knock on wood, knock on wood, knock on wood). Christmas and New Year's flew by and here we are in February already. Geeez. We still feel like OKC is where we want to live permanently but time will tell. We are toying with the idea of finding a rent house since we are growing out of this duplex pretty quickly. No rush on moving by any means though!

The first pictures are finding our Christmas tree. It was a really fun Christmas tree farm, and I look forward to this tradition! We survived Christmas tree hunting this year with only one meltdown, a small amount of blood, summer weather, and a lovely pre-cut tree.

We were both able to attend LF's Christmas party at school and SANTA came for a visit! It was really cute seeing all the kids so excited/scared. Of course, our child was the first one to greet him and sit in his lap. She was not scared at all!! The picture of us is from Jenny and Roger's wedding weekend, where we actually had our first real "date" in a long time! It was a full weekend of fun and they had a beautiful wedding.

Santa did come visit us this year and LF was so excited! It was really a nice relaxing morning with a vegetable strata that I made and we even had our first White Christmas. That evening we went to the Daves's house for Christmas dinner and fun. We ALL spent the night there! It was so fun! The guys helped LF make some snowballs and she got a lot of new bling from her BFF's Brynn and Jenny. They were so sweet to welcome us into their home, and I feel really lucky we have met such a great group of people here. Then Andy's mom came up to visit the day after Christmas and stated til that Sunday. It was such a good visit but it ended much too quickly.

We also had company for New Year's which was super fun! Andy's SAE big brother Jake, his wife Lacey, and their daughter Leighton came up. We had DG come keep the kids so we got to have a night surrounded by adults! It was great and LF and Leighton got to have their first slumber party. More pictures to come soon!

A test run??

I downloaded the eblogger app on my phone and wanted to give it a test run. I am not great at all this technology stuff and have only had my iPhone for about 9 months. So we shall see if I suck at this or not!

Liebster Award: Part 3

 

So this is the final part of the Liebster Award! These are the rules and you can read my Part 1 and Part 2 if you missed those. This was fun and I have found some new blogs to follow! Here are the rules for the nominees:

 

The rules, should you be nominated:

1. If you were nominated, post 11 things about yourselves.

2. Then answer the 11 questions that the person who nominated you created.

3. Create 11 more questions to ask the bloggers you decided to nominate.

4. Choose 11 bloggers to nominate with less than 200 followers.

5. Make sure and let these people know you nominated them! No tag backs, so don't nominate someone who nominated you.

 

 I am still a little fresh with blogging and building up who I follow but these gals are some that I enjoy, and  I hope you get a chance to peek into their lives.

 

 

Life with Sophie

This is my friend Rebecca and her blog about life with her sweet girl Sophie. When we lived in Shreveport, I used to meet her for lunch every now and again to discuss mommyhood and what not. I actually met her in college at LA Tech and she is a good ol' Cajun gal.  Our husbands are fraternity brothers so the inner circles are connected there as well.  Sophie is a little bit older than LF, but we were both pregnant during the same time. I miss our lunch dates terribly and always try to meet her if possible when we are in town for a visit. I am also ready to hear if Miss Sophie will be getting a sibling anytime soon!! 

 

Shoe Closet Life

This lovely lady, Ashley, is one of my oldest friends and probably my most fashionable friend. I will never forget growing up and visiting her house and always wanting to raid her closet. Full of shoes and fun clothes, she is probably one of the coolest girls I have ever known. This blog is about her life and her shoe obsession and I am ready for her to come make over my closet!! You should also check out her blog Earplugs Not Included. This is one of my go-to's for new music!

 

McLendon McBlog

Mrs. Meryl is another lady I met in college and our husbands were also fraternity brothers. . It's really neat reading about their like in Budapest and seeing the pictures that she captures of her children. They are beautiful! 

 

Our Graceful Life

I met sweet Bonnie while working at Log Cabin during college. This blog is about her family as it grows and she just recently had their second baby boy. Bonnie is one of the sweetest people but watch out! I have seen a little fire come out in her when we were waiting tables! I am so glad I found her blog to keep up with her!

 

 Team Will-Hill
Hillary and I went grew up in Magnolia together. She is real funny and is married to a fella from El Dog. I don't know him at all, but I know he must be a fun guy if he married Hillary. There is one thing I have always been envious of Hillary and that is her beautiful hair! You will notice that it always seems to fall just perfectly in her pictures which never happens with my mane. Hillary and Josh have blended their lives together, and I am so glad we get a glimpse of it through her blog.

Do Mommies Wear Running Shoes? 
These two gals write about their adventures in running and mommyhood. Lacey's husband is Andy's SAE big brother, and I first met her at a wedding that we attended. I knew after we peed in the bathroom together that we would be friends for sure, and she is just a generally great lady to be around.  Andy knows Deni from college and they ran in the same circles at LA Tech. The first time I met Deni was during Shreveport Mardi Gras at The Cub,  and we both worked with Special Needs children and had loads to talk about with our professions (amongst other things as well because we had been getting our drank on that day!!). This blog captures their running adventures and experiences in motherhood! By the way, they both just ran the Louisiana Marathon so they are pretty hard core!!

Hank and Maggie Do Cute Stuff
This is Danielle's blog that captures her cutie pie kids in action! This is one of those families that is just cool, you know. I love being able to see them grow up, and Danielle is a super crafty lady.  I wish I could be half as crafty as her!

Richard Creative
This is also Danielle's blog which I am hoping she will end up sharing more recipes and sewing tips at some point! Did I mention she sews as well? Like I said, she is one crafty lady!

The Places You Will Go
I just started following Angie's blog, but I am hooked! Her husband is in the navy, I believe, so they travel frequently, have young children, and I love that she puts out her concerns/worries/achievements as a mom. It's very relatable to our own family life!

The Cramer Family
I believe I met Sheree through my best friend Sealy at LA Tech because they were in Education together. And I am pretty sure she is buddies with Team Will-Hill, which is small world too. She has a cutesy little girl and a wee one that will arrive in March. She always has fun pictures up and is just a lovely Southern belle!

The McGraw Family Blog
Tanner and Jessie are also friends from LA Tech. Tanner and Andy are fraternity brothers and I met Jessie, I think if I remember correctly, through my friend Sealy. I was so happy to find their blog because we have not seen them in so many years! We are connected with them on Fbook but it was really fun to look back at the pictures from the past few years. They have two kids and are just enjoyable people to be around. We are traveling their way in May so I am hoping we can meet up for a visit!

If you choose to participate, these are the 11 questions that I came up with:

1. What is your favorite childhood memory?

2. What is your favorite color and why?

3. If you had the chance to travel abroad for 6 months, where would you go? What would you do? Money would not be an issue so live it up in this question!

4. What is the hardest part of being a mom for you? If you are not a mom, what is the hardest part of being an adult or the profession that you are in?

5. If you could meet any celebrity, who would you pick and why? They must be living.

6. What is the most romantic thing you have ever done, received, been a part of, etc.?

7. What is your favorite animal and why?
 

 8. What are two of your pet peeves?

9. Are you a routine person or a fly be the seat of your pants person?

10. If you could start a charity (anything or anywhere), what would your cause be?

11. If you had to pick a last meal, what would it be?


Can't wait to see what your answers if you choose to participate!

 

Liebster Award: Part 2

So here are Katie's questions for the second part of this:

 

1. How do you know me? Share a fun memory, the story of how we met, or a fave post from my blog:)

I met Katie in college while working at Log Cabin...now our true bonding happened one night at Rabb's (which I also like to refer to as Scab's). I will never forget this night because it was the night I deemed Katie as the best non-stripper dancer I have ever seen. Seriously. If only we would have had a pole that night, I am sure that I could have made us some serious cash pimping out her moves. All sorts of ideas popped into my head that night - like workout videos, classes. Now, I am sure a YouTube video would have gone viral. Too bad we didn't have smart phones then.  Sure, she may have ripped a pair or two of pants in college, but I assure you they were well worth it.  This was the moment I knew we would be friends for life, since I also share the same love for dance as she does and the stage at Rabb's.

2. Name 3 things you love about yourself.

 

Agh - these types of questions always make me feel like I am being conceited. All right then.

 

1. I love that I am a good listener.

 

2. I love that the color of my eyes will change from light blue to dark blue to greeny blue and various other shades depending on what I am wearing or my mood.

 

3. When I love, I love hard. And you will know it. And I love that about my personality.

 

3. We all have that one topic that sends us straight to our soapbox...what's yours?
 

This is a good one...I usually try to stay somewhat neutral on subjects because people can just be so damn opinionated about stuff. I have actually had this discussion a couple times in the past few weeks at different times so it has been on my mind lately.

With that being said, I feel very strongly about breastfeeding. I think it is what Mother Nature intended for your baby. Formula was created for the 2% of mothers that can not produce milk, which means 98% of women do produce breast milk. I realize that breastfeeding is not easy and almost every mom that breastfeeds, that I know, has had trouble with it at some point. Your nipples will be sore, you can get mastitis, your baby is completely dependent on you for survival (this can feel overwhelming at times), you have to plan ahead if you are going out and know a feeding will be due...like I said it is not easy. BUT, the benefits for you and your baby are amazing. Breast milk really is "liquid gold". I can promise you that the only reason that Cam has not been sick these first 4 months is because he is receiving all those wonderful antibodies from me which are helping his immune system. And with that sweet sister loving on him all the time, he probably should have already been sick at some point. Who doesn't want to burn 500 calories a day to just snuggle up with your baby for 15-20 minutes every couple hours?? I do and that is also for selfish reasons because it really does help you lose the weight that you put on during those 9 months when baby is cooking.

 So, I am not telling you what to do when you have a baby, but breast is best, and I am a firm believer in that. And like my friend Lacey says, "I mean why would you want to give your baby toxins from formula!" Agreed. I could go on and on about the benefits of breastfeeding, but I shall step "off" of my soapbox now!

 

 

4. What is the best gift you have ever received?

This is a tough one! I don't think I can pick just one thing.
If it is something non superficial then I am going to say my children and husband. I think that life is a gift in itself. And somehow, we are interconnected with these other beautiful lives that fulfill our souls. You know that sixth sense that we all have? I know I am connected to them on a level that is inexplicable. When their heart hurts, mine does too.
 
It it is something superficial, then I have to say the diamond and sapphire earrings that Andy gave me a few years ago. I love them and wear them pretty much every day. And every time I taken them on or off, I think about my sweet man.

5. What is your favorite TV show/movie and why?

Favorite TV show right now - Scandal and Revenge. Both have deliciously devious plots with great evil characters. That Duck Dynasty show is pretty funny too...

Favorite movie - I will give you 2: Love Actually - this movie just never gets old.  Silver Linings Playbook - this is a new one and I think it is one of the best movies I have seen in a really long time - funny, dark, twisted - I can't wait to see it again. Whoever casted this movie was a freakin' genius.

6. What is your favorite/signature dish? Share the recipe!!

I love making spaghetti and I usually just throw onions, peppers, a hunk of ground beef, sausage, or deer meat together. After the meat is cooked, throw in some diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, a little tomato paste, gaaahhhhlic, and tomato sauce in it and voila! Easy and yummy. It's just spaghetti, but it really is one of my favorite meals. Our friends Roger and Jenny cooked us homemade noodles with sauce the other night and I gotta tell you, those homemade noodles were the shit. I felt like I was eating pasta in Italy at a little cafe or something. Delicious.

7.What were your thoughts when you first met your other half?

He is HOOOOOTTTTT!!!
 

8. If you had to punch a company/business in the face, who would you punch?

 

Donald Trump. And then say "You're fired!"

 

 

9. What is your guilty pleasure music/artist/song? You know, the one you listen to when you are all alone...

Ke$ha, Gaga, Britney, Christina, Katy, and the Moulin Rouge Soundtrack. Basically anything that I can shake my ass to, and I will sing the hell out of the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

10. Best party you have ever been to...whether it was impeccable execution of a theme or fun times with fun friends, share a memory.

Hmmmmm...one of my favorite parties I have been to was probably my brother's wedding reception. I was surprised but those Northerners really can throw down. It was awesome! Adessa planned a sit down formal dinner and then the tables were moved out and it was time to party! Lots of dancing and drinks and a generally grand time. I had a blast!

11. If you could have your own TV show, what would it be about?

A show about what it is really like to raise a family in real time...I love it in the magazines when they show the pics of celebrities with the title "Stars - They're just like us!!" Ummm. No. They are not. It would be nice to see the struggles and triumphs of an average middle class family. I can assure you that my family is hilarious, and it would be highly entertaining. When your husband vomits from getting a little shit on his finger, you just can't script something like that - please see previous post.



This has taken me much longer than I anticipated. I hope to get to the third part later this week!

The Liebster Award: Part 1

My friend Katie nominated me for this, and I feel so honored!! She is a good ole Southern gal who lives in a not so Southern world now, and you can meet her at Sweet Home McCormick.  I love this whole idea for networking with other bloggers. It's so much fun to read about other's lives and opinions that are voiced. I am very excited to follow some bloggers that she enjoys now too.

The rules, should you be nominated:

1. If you were nominated, post 11 things about yourselves.

2. Then answer the 11 questions that the person who nominated you created.

3. Create 11 more questions to ask the bloggers you decided to nominate.

4. Choose 11 bloggers to nominate with less than 200 followers.

5. Make sure and let these people know you nominated them! No tag backs, so don't nominate someone who nominated you.

So I will start with me, I suppose.

1.  I love being a mommy and a wife! I had no idea that this would be the hardest job of my life though.  This job is the most challenging, fulfilling, exciting, emotional, creative, and blissful thing I have ever been a part of.  I think that NO ONE can ever prepare you for parenthood. You can read about it and probably relate to it in different aspects, but until you are a parent, you really will not understand. Marriage is all about communication and loving who you married. That is haaaaaard sometimes!! I love our family for the good and the bad though and would not change it for anything. 

2. If something is really bothering me, I will most likely confront you about it. I think this quality is good and bad, but it is me and I hope everyone just loves me for who I am. Example: I heard years after college that I had done something that bothered another person. It really upset me because I did not like feeling like I had done something to hurt someone else. I sent them a message and asked them about it because I wanted to A) apologize and B) make sure the air was cleared. She responded and that was squashed. This may be too bold for some people, but I just hate when I am not confronted directly. I would rather give my honest answer than hear it from someone else and how my words or actions were twisted. And I would rather hear it directly from someone rather than sit on it and let it bother me.

3. I have a very strong stomach, but a snotty nose will make me gag quicker than anything. I am not sure why. Let's just say that LF has been blowing her nose since 12 months old probably. We worked hard on teaching her that and her teachers are very appreciative of it. We just got this new thing called a Nosefrida, which is awesome because it is way more effective than the bulb. What you do is stick one end up your baby's nose and then suck on the other end and it sucks all the snot out. Oh. My. Lawd. It is amazing what you can suck out, but I am not going to lie, I almost completely vomited after doing it the first time. Thaaaat was tough for my gag reflex.   

4. I am still trying to figure out why I did not get a degree in Science or English, because I don't want to do anything with my Family and Child Studies degree now. 

5.  I could eat chocolate  and drink coffee all day. I would live off both of them if I could. 

6. My all time favorite actor is Leonardo DiCaprio *swoons*. I think I still have my Romeo and Juliet poster tucked away somewhere. 

7. I am a germaphobe. I probably wash my hands and use sanitizer about 25 times a day. And when LF gets home from school she has to wash her hands and change clothes. That's how crazy I am - especially with an infant in our home now!

8. I like to have lights on in the house at all times. Andy says even if I lived in a glass house, I would still have every single light on. What can I say? I like lamps and a room to feel awake! 

9. Before I go to bed every night, and it does not matter where I am, the closet door has to be shut. Seriously. I get super freaked out if it is open, and I feel  like someone is peeking in at me. 

10. I am really excited we have a beach trip already planned for this summer!! We have not been since our one year anniversary (this August will be 7 years married, whoa), and we love the beach. I can't wait to see if LF loves the sand and ocean too. 

11. The hardest part, for me, about having kids, is not getting in my quality reading time  (book nerd). It seems like that gets put really low on the totem pole along with other things. I am going to try really hard to make myself get back in my habit of reading every night. Sleep trumps reading though when you have a new baby!!

So these are 11 things about me that you may or may not know and I am hoping to work on Katie's questions later today.