Moody Mania: Home: Where Every Day is April Fool's

Yesterday I ran five miles, rescued a litter of puppies, mixed formula and changed diapers with one hand, and actually styled my hair...all while making a delicious homemade dinner that was ready when Ryan got home.

APRIL FOOL'S!!! This is about as truthful as the message you hear over the phone while on hold…

“Your call is important to us." :::15 minutes later::: "No really, it is!”

:::As the sun sets that evening::: “Did we mention that you’re a valued customer?”

Fortunately, Emerson seems to have adjusted to knowing when night time is, but when I read her sheet from daycare each afternoon and see the occasional three hour nap, I know that night is going to be tough. I have visited her during the day at the nursery, and I absolutely adore the ladies there and don’t know how they do it.

Daycare is like a used car commercial; everyone is screaming for no apparent reason.

I WANT MY BOTTLE!!!

0% APR!!! NO MONEY DOWN!!!

MY DIAPER IS WET!!!

NO CREDIT CHECK!!!

Birds of a feather...

Our little brunette has gone almost completely blonde, with the exception of a few long strings of brown hair at the top and back of her head. And I wouldn't dare cut them; those are her newborn hairs.

Come to think of it, her hair sort of resembles an express lane at Wal-Mart. It appears short at first glance but ends up being longer than you thought.

It’s 15 items or less, Missy!

Baby girl is such a lady until it’s time to eat, and that’s when all manners fly out of the window faster than the speed of ~~spit up~~ light. Sometimes, though, she falls asleep while drinking her bottle, but she’ll still notice immediately if you take it away!

It’s kind of like my Mom being asleep on the couch on Sunday afternoon with a Lifetime movie blaring. The moment I turn the TV off or change the channel she says…”HEY! I was watching that!”

“That last scene was intense!”

We’re thankful for technology though, right? Who am I kidding; our generation would be lost without social media at their fingertips. Take Facetime for example. Back in the 90s (my good old days) “face time” was pretty much this:

A pie in the face

Tripping over a banana peel

But now it’s video chat that takes place in our house every night between Emerson’s grandparents and uncles. A night without Facetime is like a trip to Outback without cheese fries. It’s just empty.

She’ll smile, make noises, roll over, and just be plain adorable. Then all of the sudden when she gets angry our parents quickly change their tune.

"Well, better go now! Look at the time…it’s been fun!!!"

In fact, most of our final moments on Facetime look like this:

But we’ve had lots of fun lately, including but not limited to:

Turning five months old!

Celebrating Remy’s first Birthday

Meeting and playing with Audrey

Laughing at Daddy while he simulates a car ride. You've gotta see this one in action.

Being a ham at Nanny & Papa's

Watching the crib soother instead of letting it put her to sleep

Stressing out over that bottle

Helping Poppy on the computer

Hanging out in the Bumbo seat

Having a date with Daddy while Megan & I attended a Kari Jobe concert...AMAZING!!!

Meeting several of my Mom's colleagues at East.

You better be a good girl, or I'm sending you to the Principal's office!

Refining her social skills

Wishing Poppy a Happy Birthday

Falling asleep at the wheel

Flying around

Being SUCH a cuddly, snuggle bug. Seriously. I walk her around the house all the time like this. I love her so much that it feels like a part of me is missing when I let go of her.

One thing I wish I was missing??? This cold/sinus infection I've had since mid FEBRUARY! For Halloween this year I should just be the Mucinex guy...

~~Trick or treat~~ Cough or sneeze!

The only positive result is that for a while there, I lost my sense of taste. But as soon as it left, it came back with a vengeance. With Easter right around the corner and candy displays rampantly placed in stores it is extremely difficult to stick to a diet of healthy eating. This reminds me of an R Kelly song...

"I don't see nothin' wrong....
with a little piece of pieeeeee....."

I started singing my variation of this song one evening recently, and I thought Ryan was going to split his gut. We have a running joke with each other when it comes to food.

Life without laugher just wouldn't feel real to me. And as much as I love to laugh I also take things to heart and can get very emotional. One week ago this evening, a beloved member of my church, Charles Snipes, passed away unexpectedly. I remember so many things about him. He was not only a musician who would lead worship when our worship pastor was out and an incredible florist (who arranged the flowers, decorations, and bouquets, etc. for our wedding ceremony); he was my friend...my brother in Christ. He had a permanent smile on his face.

I remember many laughs with him and my Mom as we planned my ceremony decorations, him popping in the church on Saturday mornings to drop of a beautiful arrangement (an arrangement that would "hear" a wonderful message the following morning during the service), I remember him saying "quarter turn to the right" a hundred times during the collective judging of the Latta springfest pageants, the choir Christmas program he directed in 2007 where he asked me to play "Angels From the Realms of Glory." That song will always remind me of him, because that's where he is now...in Glory and among angels. He did so much for our church, both in the physical sense with flowers and special touches, but also as a member of our body. He will be sorely missed, and over the weekend I told my Dad that I just wished I could talk to him again. "You will," he assured me. And I needed to hear that. Charles, you were so loved...loved enough that the Lord needed you with him instead of with us as of one week ago tonight. FBC will carry on, but your absence leaves a void that won't be replaced.

How appropriate for our choir to have his favorite hymns incorporated into a flower arrangement. Keep singing!

I've been thinking a lot lately about why we are the ages we are in certain time periods. Does that even make sense? Allow me to explain...the Lord knew the age you would be in which year and who else would be around at that time to witness the way you live your life. In addition and in many cases, it may be someone else that influences or mentors you, so it really works both ways. He placed you with your peers for a reason! Maybe you are there to build them up, vice versa, or maybe together you can further His kingdom! Think about the people you grew up with in your neighborhood, in your school, etc. I'm positive that your circumstances, surroundings, family, and friends are His doing.

Speaking of holy things ...let's talk about cows for a moment.

Did you know that my car was ordained today? That's right. I made a quick stop at the grocery store during lunch and proceeded to go about the remainder of my day with a fresh gallon of milk in my trunk in 80 degree heat.

Why buy the cow when...?

No use crying over...!

So allow me to save you the headache: next time you hear the phrase "got milk" ask yourself if you completely emptied your car after a trip to the grocery store.

I bet you'll never think of that phrase the same way again. You're welcome!