Bittersweet(ness) & a lot of mushy stuff...

I find myself becoming more and more excited for little Evie's arrival.  But, I also feel a little sad for the amount of time that we have left with Bobby being an only child (23 days or less!).  Giving Bobby the gift of a sibling is an amazing thing; yet, his little world will soon be turned upside down.  This afternoon, I put in Evie's last bit of clothes to be washed, and just held some of them in my hands.  They were so small.  I remember Bobby being that small.  Everyone warned me that time would fly by - and, it truly has.  And, people have also said that with each child, time goes by even faster.  Sigh.  

Lately, I've thought about my own childhood.  I had a great childhood, and wouldn't trade it for anything. Things were easy, innocent, and fun back then.  I want nothing more for my own children.  And, as a mom of soon-to-be two young children, I'm already feeling bittersweet about them growing up.  I tell Bob and my friends all the time, that I truly believe I'm living the best years of my life now.  And, that scares me.  Of course my days are tough.  So many things are a battle with Bobby.  I'm tired all the time.  I feel like I never live up to my potential each day.  But, I know that this is the season of life that I am in.  And, it's always what I wanted.  I thank God for that everyday, and for my husband, for providing me with this life.  But, days are fun.  I am constantly amazed at the new things Bobby does each day, and he is such entertainment for us.  It's so neat to see his little mind working, and trying to figure stuff out.

I've also neglected my blog a lot this year.  My posts compared to years' past are pretty pathetic.  I plan to change that.  I've always been too tired at the end of the day to blog.  And, naps are few and far between these days.  But, I'm going to try to make it work.  He's playing with his toys, while I am typing now.  And, yes, a football was thrown at my laptop, and I had to reboot.... but, that's motherhood for you!

I want to remember everything.  I want to cherish every memory; big or small.  I just want life to stand still for awhile.

Let's go Old School

Time and time again, I tell Bob that our society is going to end up like the people did in the book, Brave New World. Did you have to read that in high school? The characters in the book led mindless lives, lacking self-worth, completely dependent on a totalitarian government.

Don't worry... this post has nothing to do with politics. This post is more about how mindless, and numb I have become to the overkill that is now Facebook, Twitter, blogs (!), TV, and everything else in between. I see commercials with tags now. What the #heck is a tag, anyhow? Fortunately, (or, maybe not) the only mind-sucking social media outlet I have become interested in, as of late, is Facebook. Well, after months (I mean, months) of debating in my head of whether or not I should keep my Facebook account; I deleted it today. As much as I love to see pictures and updates on my family, and close friends - it has become way too much of a distraction to me. Ok, ok..., it's an addiction. (Don't judge... I know you too, are addicted.) I tried to "cut back." I tried to limit myself. I just couldn't. I have never had a lot of will-power. So, I pulled the plug. Out of sight, out of mind. And, of course, the most important reason for my decision - Bobby, and my family. I felt like it was taking away too much time from them. Boo.

So, if you want to know what's going on with my family, in our little neck of the woods - bookmark my blog! If you want, you can even pick up the phone, and call me. I know, weird, right? It's SO old school! And, if you aren't used to getting phone calls from me very often - that's about to change. I'm not going to be desensitized anymore, to the basic need of human to human communication. In all honesty, I just wish it was 1986 again... :)

Ok, I'm off my soap box now! xoxoxo

First Date

Bobby had his first date a couple of weeks ago (supervised, of course...)!

Check out the details of what went down with his gal, Ryen.

First, they started off with a delicious dinner.

After dinner, they caught a movie.

Next, they went dancing!

At first, they were pretty shy, and just boogied by themselves...

Finally, they grabbed hands, and danced together. {My heart melts.}

After a long sweaty night in da club (I mean kitchen), they headed to the bathtub.

Bobby thought that it was a bit on the fast side, but went with it.

And that my friends, is Bobby and Ryen's first date.

(some photos courtesy of RJR #1)

"It's a Preemie Thing" Photography Giveaway

For those of you that are new to my blog, our son Bobby was born 6 weeks prematurely, in April of 2009. As you can imagine, this was one of the most difficult times in our lives. Bobby had a tough start to life, but was amazingly cared for by the nurses and doctors of the NICU. Bobby was in the NICU for 12 days before joining us at home. Although it can be hard to remember those days now (with an active toddler!), I will never forget them.

So, imagine my delight, when I came across a friend's posting on Facebook about a giveaway just for all the preemies out there! Photographers throughout the country are donating their time, and talent to give a free session to a family of a preemie! How awesome is that!?!

I do hope Bobby can have one - especially since his second birthday is right around the corner!

Thanks to the amazing website and company, It's a Preemie Thing, parents of preemies can connect and give support to one another. What a great idea!

Valentine's Proposal

We had the honor yesterday of witnessing a marriage proposal of one of our best friends!

Bob's friend, Mike (or, as he says "a brother from another mother") proposed to his girlfriend yesterday. In Birmingham, each year, the Mercedes Marathon always falls right around Valentine's Day. Mike, and his girlfriend Brandi ran the race together. The big plan was for Mike to propose to Brandi at the finish line.

Bob received an email from Michael earlier in the week, with very specific plans and details about the proposal. It was a special email, in that he included us with his family (which drove from SC to witness it), and her family. We've known Mike for five years, and it is strange (but cool!) that he is now living in Birmingham. He lived just a few houses down from us in our old house, in Orlando.

Once Bobby was born, Mike became "Uncle Mike." Now, it looks like he'll be welcoming a new aunt into our family. We love you Mike and Brandi! Congratulations!

More... Oldies, but Goodies

Our house we left behind in Florida. Isn't it neat-o mosquito? It's still our's, currently being rented out.

Winston came into our lives in May of 2005.

He was such a cute puppy!

We introduced Winston to our pool early. He is quite the swimmer now. I do miss our pool, more for his sake, than our own.

What if?

I want to live my life backwards.

You start out dead and get that out of the way.

Then you wake up in an old age home and feel better every day.

Then you get kicked out for being too healthy.

You enjoy your retirement and collect your pension.

Then when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day.

You work 40 years until you're too young to work.

You get ready for High School: drink alcohol, party, and you're generally promiscuous.

Then you go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, and you have no responsibilities.

Then you become a baby, and spend your last 9 months floating in luxury, in spa-like conditions: central heating, room service on tap.

And then... you finish off as an orgasm.

Author Unknown

Oldies, but Goodies

This picture was taken in late 2004, when we first started dating.  It was taken during lunch by Bob's dad.  It was the first time I met my future father-in-law.

Bob, dressed as a gorilla for Halloween, 2004. 

Taken in November 2004 at a beach wedding.

Kirchman Christmas Party, 2004.

Last, but not least...

Hi, if you are here to read about our house, start from the bottom up.

**Disclaimer**

I hate to be a blagger (thanks Shannon), bragging and blogging, but I just wanted to let our family and friends share in this great news. We are very grateful to be building a home, in what we feel, is our dream community. With that being said, we are still in the beginning stages, and well...you just never know what could happen. So, I will keep on prayin' that all goes well.

We miss everyone, but Birmingham has been great thus far!