WINNING Thoughts Of The Day

Thoughts of the Day:

1. 5 inches of snow in the last week of March is unacceptable - no matter where you live.


2. I am addicted to Starbucks and am convinced that, should I give up my habit, I could retire in the next 3 years, as opposed to never.


3. I think Parks and Recreation has gotten really funny.


4. Britney's "comeback" on GMA was embarrassing. I know I'm not one to talk bodies/athletic ability post pregnancy but I'm also not wearing a bustier trying to do ghetto dance moves (okay - maybe I am - but it's for Jarrod's eyes only) :)


5. I secretly want to go to Charlie Sheen's "Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat is Not An Option" show because I find him fascinatingly tragic.

Next post I promise pictures of Spence since I know that's the most interesting part of my life. Oh - and we hosted a big two-day dinner party for close to 30 ppl/night - last weekend. Pics to follow on that as well.

Scrapblogging

Prior to Spence's arrival, some friends from work convinced me to start "scrapping." So, off to Vicky Baker's I went. (For those not from Huntington - she appears to have a monopoly on "creative memories" scrapbooking supplies). Almost $300 later, I came home armed to scrap it up. Well...that was 4 years ago. Today, I have my equipment and 1 scrapbook made up of approximately 10 pages from our honeymoon.

While I continue to feel guilty for failing Spence at this very basic motherly task, I've instead decided to convince myself that this blog is his scrapbook. As such, I feel compelled to share the good, the bad, and the ugly.

We'll start with the good: Spence and I had a great weekend visiting the train museum with my friend Tara and her little boy, Parker. I think the boys could've spent all day running up and down the same train. We finished it off with milkshakes at Steak 'n Shake. My fav! We are also slowly starting to wear big boy underwear. And, they are so stinkin' cute! I think Spence only wants to waer them because they're Toy Story undies but I'm hoping the whole peepee/poo poo think eventually catches on.

One funny story on Spence's obsession with Toy Story: Yesterday, as I was dropping him off at daycare, he ran up to his best friend James and said "I have a Buzz Lightyear cup." James dropped his face, shook his head, and said "It's always something about Buzz." Apparently, the Buzz talk even exasperates James! :)

Now, on the ugly: I think everyone knows that I think Spence is the funniest, most tender hearted, cuddly, smart, and handsome little boy I have ever had. :) While all those traits are all true, he is also a stinker. We have hit the terrible 2's with force and have, for the past several weeks, had almost daily battles of the will. So he will one day remember what he put his mother through, below is a charming yet short video. I will make two observations:

1. This video started a solid 20 minutes into the ordeal and continued 5 more after. We had decided to ignore his deliberate attempts to goad us and, instead, continued to have a normal conversation.

2. The video fails to include these tidbits: "Stop looking at me mommy." "I'm not talking to you." "I dont' like you." "Sadie is stupid." (Thanks daycare!) and "I only want to talk to Buzz."

Bored Blogging

Bored blogging, like drunk dialing, should only be done in times of desperation. And apparently, I'm here. After googling everything I can think of, stalking every person I have ever met via facebook, and reviewing every photo taken of the Japanese earthquake disaster, I have reached the end of the internet and have, instead, turned to blogging.

Since I have no pictures of Spence to upload and his sickness has made us homebodies all weekend, I don't have any fun little updates on my P. In fact, he's been a beast. The 2's have come to us late but in full force.


Instead, I guess I'll have to talk about my living room. Boring?? NO! (Well, maybe just a little bit). After living with Value City furniture for the past 7 years (which I love by the way), I have decided to redecorate our living room. We found a designer (for free) at a cute, local furniture store and have started the process. Your thoughts/comments are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED and would be APPRECIATED (construtive criticism even more so)!

Truthfully, I ain't no Kim Wilson, so my taste is suspect at best. I prefer to point to pictures of things I like/don't like - rather than come up with original ideas. That being said, the plan to have a functional, slightly more adult living room with lots of seating for those friends we haven't made here and who don't visit. Sigh......

Here are the plans: Creamy/yellow neutral paint color; neutral rug (exciting so far, right), a large, leather ottomon/coffee table, and then colorful, fun furniture.


We're thinking two of these chairs (in this color) on one side of the room with my uncle's table (above) in between as an accent table. Then, a settee (much more comfy and not as ornate as the one below) in a khaki fabric base with all of the cushions in this fabric:


Finally, we plan on eventually getting a new sofa (smaller than our huge, broken one) in a neutral that's super comfy, slightly less formal (with still some structure). Oh, and two small ottomons in front of our fireplace in a cool fabric. Thoughts?

Spring, Studying, and Stuttering (say that fast three times....)

Well, we are anxiously awaiting spring at the Taylor household. Anytime it's been above 55 degrees, we've been outside setting up our backyard, playing in the park, or just running around the driveway in celebration. Spence has finally started to be able to play outside at "work" several days a week which means he's dirtier, tireder (I realize it's not a word but it should be), and happier.

Jarrod started studying for Level III of the CFA which means most bathtimes and bedtimes are now all me. All 3 of us can't wait until June 8th when he is hopefully done with tests forever (that's probably wishful thinking).

For Valentine's Day, Spence and I made cookies for his class. When they were cool, we wrapped them in a plastic bag before placing them on the counter and going to bed. When we came downstairs the next morning, the bag was there but the cookies were not. Instead, there was Sadie...looking guilty. Spence cried until we arrived at "work" to see that his "girlfriend" Mia had brought him an applesauce cup and a Buzz Lightyear Valentine. Finally, all was right in the world again.


Spence has been struggling with stuttering recently. It's extremely frustrating for him which, in turn, can turn into anger. I have to constantly sing the "Be Patient" song to myself as I watch him struggle and vent. I told his teacher's he must have been inspired by Colin Firth's performance in the Kings Speech but I'm not sure she got it.....

Jarrod's brother, Greg, came to visit us in February as well. We hadn't seen him in 2 years so that was a great visit. Spence was especially excited to see his uncle!


Kiki and Papa also came to visit while Jarrod and I went to New Orleans for Becca and Chris' wedding. We had a great time visiting with Suite 1101 and also seeing some friends from Vanderbilt that I haven't seen since my wedding. Spence had a great time with Kiki and Papa. Although I don't have pictures of their adventures, I'm sure you can find a play-by-play of the weekend on my dad's facebook. :)

Finally, our great friends Jessi, Bennett, and Hudson Cook came to visit. They stopped by on Thursday night on their way to another friend's house to say hi. In the 30 minutes they were here, Spence jumped, wrestled, giggled, and ate more than he had in the last 3 weeks combined. As they were leaving, Spence got sick (all over me). With no more incidents that night or the next day, the Cook's came and spent the weekend with us. We had a great weekend - going to The Magic House, playing in the park, riding in the Jeep, and having a girls night out. Unfortunately, it appears Spence was a stomach bug carrier as, word is, Hudbud got sick the whole way home.....


It's been an exciting February with lots of fun visitiors. We can't wait for more (hint, hint)! We love and miss you all. Love from the Lou.....