State of the Union

I figured every now and again I would use this blog for some legitimate purpose. So I came up with this "State of the Union" post just to let everyone know what the heck is going on with us. Could prove to be too much information but no one has ever accused me of being shy. And if you continue to read beyond this point- then, thanks in advance for caring.

Riley Beth, as I have come to know her, is 8 months old today. If time continues to fly by as quickly as it has these last few months, then she'll be asking for a cell phone and $300 jeans in no time and I vow to say no to both. She is officially fat- as she should be-and her temper rivals that of... well, me. She loves to watch Tyson do anything and everything and I can only imagine she's quietly plotting to one day destroy him and those damn trains. I'm sure she will do a good job. She is right on target with her growth and development and is in like the 400th percentile for head circumference. Her two bottom teeth have come in- she is sitting up (despite her bucket head),and is on the verge of crawling. I might have to up my meds when that happens. She is babbling and cooing more than ever and occasionally screaming at the top of her lungs for no apparent reason. So she has her turret test next week. She also waved bye-bye the other day, to her daddy. And there's nothing I can say even remotely funny or smartass about that, because seeing that for the first time is just pure joy. I still can't believe I have a little girl.

Tyson "The Warrior" Warner is a happy, bouncing, bi-polar 5 year old. One minute, he's the most calm, pleasant little boy you could ever hope to be around. The next, he is climbing on top of furniture threatening to cut off his own testicles. I'm just not sure where I went wrong! He still loves Thomas but Handy Manny, the Bernstein Bears, and Mickey Mouse are all running a close second. He's also into Pete's Dragon, which is a full circe moment for me. I remember very vividly as a child, listening to that soundtrack on an old 45 record in my room. So when we sing those songs together in the car- that's a pretty awesome experience. He's in his second round of swimming lessons and is doing pretty well. He is not in kindergarten this year- he missed the cutoff date by 5 days. We had decided that he would not have gone anyway, as we feel that another year to prepare would serve him and his future teachers better. He's a very caring little boy and is really learning the art of empathy. Despite my many jokes, I'm very proud of who he is and can't wait to see who he continues to grow into.

My sweet, amazing, wonderful husband is still working hard to conquer the sandwich universe. He and his business partner, Damon, are about the open another store in Maryland Farms. For those of you that don't know, Maryland Farms is a large business community in Brentwood. Lots of hungry business people=successful store. And a beautiful one at that. It's an all brick, free standing two story building with outside patio seating. It's been a stressful ride getting there, but we are all very excited for its grand opening. He continues to cheer on his beloved MTSU Blue Raiders, claiming still that they are going to win the national championship... one day. He has suffered a skyscraper of a heartbreak when "The Signature Tower" project was axed and has weathered a rough few months with someone I won't mention specifically; let's just say her name starts with a "B" and ends with "randy". He has done it with love, compassion and last minute business meetings but I can't say I blame him for needing to get out every now and then. He is the love of my life and everyday I wonder what I did to deserve him.

Me-Myself-and I- are all hanging in there and getting along with each other pretty well. I am working a whopping 10 hours a week from home- still with the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children. I love my job and seriously can't ever imagine parting ways with it. My hope is that once this horrible swine flu thing dies down, I can put the kids into a Mother's Day Out program so I can have the option of going into the office or into the bars. Whichever I come across first, I guess. I haven't lost a single ounce of this stupid baby weight but that's no one's fault but my own. I have however made other changes which should hopefully result in people wanting to be around me more. I am officially on medication and will begin seeing a shrink in early November. I have issues, people- in case you didn't know. I spend a lot of my free time searching online for houses we can't afford and daydreaming about the day that we move from downtown. In the meantime, I have perfected my best "gun in the coat-pocket" impression to scare off any would be intruders. I've almost got it down, except now I have to constantly wear a coat and that's a pain the ass in bed. I can't win for losing. I have discovered Kings of Leon and recently went to a concert. It was exactly the religious experience I was hoping it would be. I continue to swoon and go ga-ga over the Twilight Saga. New Moon comes out in theaters in less than a month and you better believe I'm going to be right in there with all those kids. I'm preparing my best squeals just to prove I can hang. Oh and I have a birthday coming up soon- 33- ye-freakin-haw.

We're looking forward to the holidays- seeing friends and family and eating a lot. We're all very good at that. And we can't wait to see what 2010 has in store. I think everyday Kyle and I look at our little family unit and still shake our heads in disbelief. "When did this happen?" we often say, "Aren't we still 24 years old??" Definitely not 24 anymore and we wouldn't want to be. We are at the place we've been trying to get to all along. And what a remarkable place it is......