Catching Up

Wow! What a busy couple of weeks... We opened a beautiful new Subway in Maryland Farms, during which Kyle, in a fit of debilitating cramps and violent vomiting, discovered he was "expecting" kidney stones and a trip to the E.R. quickly ensued. The countdown for New Moon ended and the movie was released. We had a great party with a few of my fellow TwiHards and then headed to Green Hills to see the coveted flick together. It was amazing- wonderful- spectacular- and did I say AMAZING???. And then this past weekend, my Mom and Stepdad came into town for Thanksgiving. It was so awesome to celebrate with mine and Kyle's family as one. We spent the rest of the weekend just enjoying our time together...

Subway Maryland Farms Grand Opening. And introducing Emily Marlar as SubMan!!

New Moon Party and Movie Release- November 20, 2009. I, along with millions of others, waited for this day for months and months and then suddenly, it was here. I gathered fellow TwiHards for a New Moon themed party (check out the wine selections!!) and then the moment was upon us. Too quickly it was over but now the countdown begins for Eclipse!!

Sarah, Brittany, Me, Emily and Dianne (missing a couple of girls in this pic- where was Steffi and Katie???)

Me and Emily

Emily and Brittany

Thanksgiving morning my mom and I got up to start making a few dishes to share with the Browns- Sweet Potato Croquettes and Crock Pot Mac-n-Cheese.

Then on to Fairview for Thanksgiving Lunch at Kyle's dad's. Garry and Ruth always create such a warm and welcoming atmosphere for such a special family holiday. AND the best food you'll find anywhere in the south!!

Kyle's Brothers- Ben and Jason.

Kyle's Dad, Garry and "the princess"

Cousin Pam with Little Joey

Riley with her Great Aunt Diane

Riley and Aunt Emmie

Riley and her mommy

Gathering for the Prayer

Tyson and his cousin Hannah- she became his new best friend! Love the expression on his face!

This was the unofficial "Sleepy Couch"...

Next we headed to Kyle's Mom's for Thanksgiving Dinner- Once again- good food and family- there's nothing better!

Rosalyn Mae- Tyson's partner in crime...

Kyle's mom and younger brother, Ben

Kyle's Grandparents- Don and Betty Jane Clayton- They've been married 65 years!!

Riley ready to chow down...

Me and favorite my little guy

And the Turkey coma claims another victim...

Friday night- because apparently we didn't eat enough on Thursday- we met up with Brittany along with her sister, her nephew Tommy and niece Payton and went to Pie In The Sky for the best pizza in Nashville.

Tommy and Tyson playing with Pizza Dough
Pretty Payton hanging with the dough boys...

Brittany just saw our hot waiter dude- she was pretty happy...



My Stepdad, Dean- My Mom and my handsome husband...


Me and my rock....

Saturday was simply beautiful- so we headed to Tyson's favorite place- The Dragon Park- for a little playtime!

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......

Favorite Part of The Day

This is my favorite part of the day.
I must say these words to myself
at least 5 times in a single 24 hour period.

I say them when:
Tyson wakes up in the morning, always with this little tuft
of straw-colored hair
waving at me
from the left side of his sweet head.
And he says
"Good Morning Mommy. Did you sleep good?"
(yes, he really says that)
And I smile and pull him close.
And I think
"This is my favorite part of the day"

I say this when:
I hear Riley cooing from down the hall-
her precious little baby cries that sing "I am a happy child".
And I go to her-
only to be met with something even more angelic.
Bright sapphire eyes and that gorgeous grin
that says "I am happy to be your child"
And I think
"This is my favorite part of the day"

I say this as:
My husband walks in from work
most of the time smiling
other times not
But no matter- I know he is happy to be there
and he hugs his children...
then his unbelievably lucky wife.
And I feel the way I did 8 years ago-
safe and secure,
and love like no other
And I think
"This is my favorite part of the day"

I say these words:
As I sit down to a dinner-
prepared by someone other than myself
which is almost always
and see my family across from me-
Kyle and his far off stare
which I have learned is just the way
he comes down
from the roller coaster ride
that is his career.
Tyson and his rambunctious bouncing
off of walls
and anything else
that has a permanent foundation.
And Riley just being
the most beautiful baby
I think I've ever seen
even when she is regurgitating
green beans
and bananas.
And I think:
"this is my favorite part of the day"

And I write these words now:
As I have just closed the door to child bedroom #2.
Soaking in the silence...
secretly missing the noise.
And I blog about my life
and drink my wine
and smell my husband
fresh from his shower.
And I feel that yes, this is really it:
"this is my favorite part of the day"

But who's to say that won't change
when tomorrow morning
that little tuft of blond hair
is waving at me once again.
Saying "Good Morning Mommy-Did you sleep good?"
and the glorious cycle of my life
just keeps going
and getting better
and better
and better...

Dragons

Last weekend we ventured downtown to watch the Dragon Boat Races. Honestly, simply being a spectator and not knowing anyone actually racing, proved to be a little boring. But Kyle and I imagine that getting a team together and doing this next year would be a blast. Anyone interested?

Nonetheless, we took the opportunity to walk around the city and explore a little more of our backyard. Enjoy the pics!

This is our newest downtown addition- The Pinnacle Building. Isn't she pretty?

It's like his hand is permanently glued to this spot.

I love my little man!

I've always been so fascinated by these creatures. Found this one perched atop a lamp post on the Pedestrian Bridge watching the Dragon Boat festivities.