She's in labor!!!

My good friend Wanda is expecting her first baby (a little girl). She was expecting her around Oct 10, but today seems to be the day. Yay!! For some of you, due dates hold less value than a duck in a snowstorm (I don't know where that came from - not personal experience). But for Wanda, she was certain she'd have 10 more days to nap all afternoon and pack her hospital bags. Alana or Tenley (they haven't chosen the name yet) had different plans. Congrats to Wanda and Ryan!!! They'll be great parents.

My 'creation'

So most of us heard Elder Uchdorf (probably spelled incorrectly) talk about the need to create something and our lesson in RS Sunday discussed the need for mothers to have 'me time.' So, intertwining these two ideas, I took advantage of David being on nights right now. He sleeps during the day so, when my girls take their afternoon nap, I head out the door. Today, I was able to see a friend I hadn't seen in awhile and then stop by the chapel to practice the piano. My apologies to everyone else in the building. It wasn't pretty. But hey, it's a creative work in progress. I've always regretting not sticking with piano lessons and I was excited to have the opportunity to practice again. I'd love to hear how some of you manage to get time to yourselves. I thought night shift had just become a miracle.

conference

Last night was the Relief Society general conference broadcast. I was able to attend with the Carbondale Ward and Julia stayed with 'papa Rick." It was a wonderful time. I was able to visit with old friends and my sister-in-law played some beautiful music after dinner and before the broadcast to set the tone. I loved the messages that were given. I want to tell every woman in the world, 'you are better than you think you are.' You are a better wife, mother, and person than you think. I love when the spirit speaks things that I know I need to hear while these talks are broadcast to women across the world. It was wonderful, and the Lord truly loves each of us - even when we don't love ourselves as much as we should. I'm excited for next week, and trying to think how in the world I will be able to keep my kids occupied so I can pay attention.

peeling onions...

You know how sometimes you get a laughing fit that just won't stop. It's generally the result of being over-tired and hearing a joke that's really not that funny. It's also got to be one of the best feelings in the world. Well, I wouldn't be bringing this up if it hadn't happened to me recently. And so, it was last night, about 11:30. (I had been in Illinois a good bit this week and had just gotten back and put the kids in bed.) David and I went to bed and I relayed to him a joke I had heard on NPR (or PRI, whichever it is called at the moment). Of course, I would never want to deprive anyone the opportunity to laugh uncontrollably at something that isn't all that funny, so I'm announcing the onion joke.

A caller calls in (that's what they do) and says, "I was wondering if anyone knew how to peel an onion without crying. My friend said to do it under water and I nearly drowned."

That's it. In retrospect, I'm not sure why I laughed for a good 30 minutes. Must've been fatigue.

I've given up...for now

I was super excited about the fabulous slideshow that loaded every time I looked at my blog. Unfortunately, I was the only one who could see it and then it started working only randomly for me also. So, I've given up for now. Maybe when I'm feeling ambitious again, I'll give it another shot. Sad.

When did I get old?

Supposedly (or supposebly) we age gradually, a little bit at a time. Not me. I got old overnight. That's right, all of the signs that I had achieved oldness appeared in a single day. I got a tan this summer for the first time in years. I was quite excited until I looked at my arm and realized it wasn't a nice smooth supple well-tanned arm. It was poorly stretched leather. Not sure how that happened. Wasn't that way last week. Must've been a fluke, I thought. Then, I'm driving to the grocery store, scanning radio stations and hear a song I used to listen to all of the time. I thought, "GREAT! The stations are playing it again." The song ended and yep, turns out it was the oldies station. Strike two. Later that night, I've put the girls to bed and I'm catching some tv before I nod off and see Home Improvement. Now, I'm not completely oblivious. I know this is an old show. So I assume it must be TBS or TNT or some other channel that's not a major network, right? Wrong, Nick at Night! So I ask again, when did I get old? September 22, 2008. That's when it happened.

movin' on up...

Or at least around. Elizabeth is crawling!!! I don't recall Julia ever going through this stage. But maybe that was because I was on top of her every second. Anyway, Elizabeth is definately on the move, and eating like a caterpillar. And, yesterday, I caught her trying to pull herself up on the hot chocolate table (read coffee table). While she hasn't quite made it, she appears determined, even if she has to eat the legs off first just to bring it to her level.

So, she's still efficient. Crawl as little as necessary, then bring the toy closer.

Julia's farewell

Julia, Elizabeth, and I helped some friends of ours cater dinner for missionaries for zone conference today. Casie brought Brock and Airyanne brought Nicholas and Allysa. Since Julia sees Brock 3 times a week anyway, I told her we were going to see baby Brock. She was so excited and the whole way there chanted "Baby Rock...Baby Rock." Well, all was relatively uneventful until Baby Rock had to leave. Then, as I notice I don't hear Julia anymore, I look down the hall and she is standing at the glass door, just staring outside. I ask her what she's doing? She says, "bye bye Baby Rock." When we left, she cried and cried for "baby Rock." I think she likes him...

AAHHHH...at last

I've been trying for days to get my flickr slideshow to load on here, mostly because I think it's fun and I probably look at this far more often than anyone else. Unfortunately, the slideshow gadget has been a dead end from the beginning. So, I've finally figured out how to add the slideshow and keep my music and I'm calling it a day. Although I'd prefer it be smaller and in the sidebar instead, this is the only configuration I've been able to accomplish so far. So, enjoy or feel that it's a huge barrier to your otherwise unobstructed readings on Amy's life.

She pooped in the sink while I was giving her a bath because she fell in the toilet.

That's right, it's been one of THOSE days. And while I have plenty of nicer things to blog about, somehow this seems to be top priority. And of course, I just had to share it. Julia refuses to use her training potty. I guess all of this talk about her being a big girl has had that effect. She now insists on using mommy's potty. Not only must she use the big potty, but I can't hold her. She supports herself on her hands (which is a whole different germ story that even grosses me out a bit - thank heavens for germ-x). Now, anyone could see this as an accident waiting to happen but I was so excited to see her want to use a potty that I thought the risk was worth it. And today it happened. She reached up with both hands to wipe her face and down she went. Yuk! But somewhat humorous. Obviously a bath was necessary. I could've used the tub, but David has been mowing a ton and it would have required extensive scrubbing which, quite frankly is easier to do in the sink. Plus, she requires less play time in the sink. Anyway, back to the story... Sink clean and Julia freshly bathed, I decided I needed to get some clothes to put her in. I walk to her room, grab the clothes and, as I'm coming down the hall, I hear her crying ridiculously loud. (Of course, all I can think is "SSHHH...you're going to wake up your sister!) But, I arrive in the kitchen to find the toddler standing in the sink looking at the water. Yep, it was gross. So, thankfully the second sink was available, and after that bath, clothing her was relatively uneventful. Cleanup was done with wal-mart bags over my hands b/c I didn't have a rubber glove anywhere in this house. The sink is still soaking in bleach. There will be more pleasant notes to come...as long as my day improves. If not, I'll be resigned to complain about Elizabeth's allergy to straw. What am I saying, I'll complain about that anyway. Later.

Turned down...

I'm going to put this in script format because I think it will be easier to read than an I said, she said version. The characters in this script are me and my daughter Julia. The stage is set at bedtime, last night. And the curtains go up...

Me: Ok Julia, get your blankie, it's time to go night-night.
Julia: Daddy kisses!!!
Me: You already gave daddy kisses. But you didn't give mommy kisses...
(Julia looks away bashfully and carefully keeps a bink tightly in her mouth)
Me: Julia, can mommy have a kiss with no bink?
Julia: I tired.
(Julia then lies her head down on my shoulder, facing away from me)

That's right, I was turned down by my 2-year-old. I'm not sure what to make of it.

Horses and Cows...

We took Julia and Elizabeth to the fair last week to see all of the animals. I told her we were going to see the horses and cows. All day, she kept saying 'horses and cows.' Turns out she wasn't a fan of either the horses or the cows, but loved the goats. She is still saying 'horses and cows' a week later. I still think she means goats. She enjoyed it so much more this year than last. She pet the goats and laughed at them and we really had to pull her away. As we are walking to the next exhibit, David says, 'we need to get her a couple goats.' WHAT?!? A couple of goats? Could he be wrapped around her finger any more? It was some prime daddy-daughter time though. Feeling a bit guilty that Elizabeth was sitting in the stroller the whole time (of course she seemed happy, but for some reason I felt like she was missing out - go figure...) I took her out to show her the horses. See pics below for her enthusiastic reaction. And yes, the horses head was bigger than she was. It was a big horse. And, Julia's second favorite thing...pushing Elizabeth in the stroller. Then, as we were leaving, David noticed me drooling over a caramel apple and got me one. As I tried to take a bite out of the apple, the stick broke and it fell to the ground. Even I couldn't just dust it off and eat it. (You never really know whats been going on at a county fair). I was so sad. But overall, we had a blast. Goats...who knew?

Influences...

This is long, and you don't have to read it. I just wanted to record it so I didn't forget:
I'm amazed as I realize the influence that one person can have in such a short time. Most of you know that a good friend of mine is going through an intense trial as she grieves the passing of her baby girl. Now I find that Brooklyn is in my thoughts almost all of the time. As I listen to a lesson on the Plan of Salvation, I think how she has filled it. As I listen to talks on the temple, I think how she has made me more grateful for those sealing ties, and my testimony is strengthened. The blessing that she has been for my family and me personally is unbelievable. Her life had a greater impact in 11 days than many will after decades. I am grateful for the time that she had with her family here and the eternities she will have with them. I'm not trying to make sense of or add purpose to the pain that her family is going through. Just that I am grateful to have been able to know her, if even from a distance. As I was reviewing some family history today, I suddenly noticed ancestors who had gone through similar trials. Whether plagues left a mother of four suddenly childless, or those children whose work doesn't need to be done because they passed too early...again, I thought of Brooklyn. In my minds eye, I can see her with her ancestors. They weep with Mike and Tracy and rejoice because their baby is home again. I hope that this is not upsetting. Part of my reason for using this blog is because I am terrible at journaling. I don't want these feelings to go unrecorded. Tracy, I love you and I can't express the respect I have for you and how much I wish I could make this suck a little less. If I ever can, please let me know.

Technicalities

I should have clarified - my husband did these...NOT me. I don't have an artistic bone in my body. And, the one of Julia is actually a pic that I took and David color-enhanced. Still pretty cool though. The footprint thing is all freehand tho. I was impressed.

Casie...read on

While looking at some past blogs of a friend of mine (read Casie) I noticed her bragging about a sketch that her husband had done of her son. Well, I clearly couldn't let that slide without countering with my own brags. And, not to be outdone, I've uploaded two samples, not one. BTW, Miah's drawing was awesome!

Float of the Boobs!

So yesterday kicked off the annual SEMO district fair. Being a socially responsible citizen, I hauled my two over-tired kids to the parade with no dinner so my toddler could truly enjoy candy thrown at her by strangers. We all actually had a really good time (until the very end when the sugar high ended and immense fatigue hit). But, funny story.... So apparently the theme was Breast Cancer Awareness b/c there were like 20 breast cancer floats. One displayed a huge pink ribbon form covered in balloons. Seems logical. But a closer glance noted that all of the balloons were only partially inflated, leaving what resembled dark pink areola and nipple on the end of each balloon! Do you think it was an accident? I'm not so sure. Of course, Casie and I were both too busy wiping tears of laughter from our eyes to remember to pull out a camera, so use your imagination.

Huge friggin bug!!!

We have found that there are many benefits to living in the county. After all, I grew up in the county and there is something to be said for the lack of traffic. However, I had all too quickly forgotten the enormous amount of bugs present. So, as I'm lying on the couch, in the dark, I see a shadow of something big enough to be a bird fly across my kitchen. Curious, but a bit terrified, I quietly slink toward the kitchen, careful to keep maximum distance between me and any landable surface (thereby thwarting any attack this flying beast may attempt). I discover a long thin stick-like creature clinging to my wall. Of course, I did the logical thing and blogged about it behind a closed door while my husband captured it in a piece of tupperware. "Praying mantis" he says...then goes back to bed. EEEWWWW! How did that thing get in here? You'd think somebody would notice a six-inch long praying stick following them through the door... I'm sure I'll have nightmares about this for quite some time now.

Wish me luck...

Inspired by the many who have created fun, attractive, and up-to-date family blogs, and feeling guilty about my lack of journaling discipline, I have decided to create a Willingham family Blog. For those of you who receive a randomn, awkwardly timed "hey, how ya doing?" email twice a year, you will understand that this is quite an undertaking for me. And so I say, wish me luck. And please be patient.