January 5, 2010

Day 5, 360 days to go

Routine

I took 5 pictures today and as I looked at them, I thought about what they all have in common: routine. I have come to the realization that I like my routines. I used to think that routines were boring, but now I am very comfortable in mine and that makes me feel safe. As I stop to think about how many routines I have, it makes me realize how much I hate to break my routines. I take showers a certain way, sleep with my pillows a certain way, do laundry a certain way, run my classes a certain way, get ready for bed a certain way, get ready for work a certain way, pack the girls' daycare bag a certain way... the list goes on and on. When something interrupts my routine, I balk. For example, Michael suggested that we switch sides of the bed a few weeks ago. I freaked out! Logically, there is no reason why I should have any problem changing sides. But that interrupts a routine that I've had for years and years... even through the last 3 moves. I mean, no matter where our bed was, I slept on my side. That's my side and part of my routine and I might not be able to sleep well on the other side. That sounds terribly juvenile, but it's how I feel. I am happy to report that for now, my side is safe.

My evening routine is getting a makeover. I do not like this, but it is necessary since my girls are getting older and their needs are changing. I used to bathe them every other day - Scout one night and Dylan the next. Scout's bath was upstairs in the bathroom and Dylan's was in the sink in the kitchen. This is no longer happening since both are mobile, Dylan now takes a bath in the bathtub, and Michael is going to be starting after school rehearsals again. The obvious solution is to still bathe them every other night - but in the tub together. I did this tonight and realized how much it is going to change my evening routine. The order of meals, nursing, playtime, and bedtime has been thrown for a loop. I learned a few things to try next time (Thursday night) and I am hoping things will go smoother for us if I make these adjustments. But the fact of the matter is, I hate this change. I am sure it will become routine for me in time and I will not want to change it again, but for now, mommy is not feeling comfortable or safe with the routine.

And now, the POD
The other pictures that I took were of the projection screen in my classroom


and a couple of pictures of what all I had to do to get ready for the double bath (please excuse the mess)



and one more of the girls in the tub.
And now for my blogging routine. Preview the blog, change a few things, post it, and then go check facebook. I'm not sure why facebook must come after blogger, but it must.

January 4, 2010

Day 4 361 days to go
POD


We went back to work today. *sigh* Of course, I couldn't sleep last night so it was rough. It took coffee and Dr. Pepper this morning to get me going. A special thanks to my not-so-secret santa who gave me a Chic-Fil-A gift card! We sat in meetings all day... the fun part of being a teacher. Tomorrow the kiddos come back and since finals are next week, we hit the ground running! My kids' finals are performances for the elementary school next door and we have a lot to rehearse/ prepare.

This morning Scout was very grumpy when I woke her up. It's no wonder since she went to sleep late last night (notice I said sleep, not bed). So, we went through our morning routine, diaper, dressed, shoes, jacket, hat, etc. The whole time we talk about what she is going to do today and who she will see. I go through the list of teachers at her daycare and some of her friends. Sometimes she will chime in and tell me people that I forget. So we went through these things and people several times and were going through them yet again in the car on the way there. I said, "And you'll see Miss S, Miss J, Miss B.... and who else?" Scout answers "And Barney!" Silly kiddo! Yes, she got to see Barney. She's been Barney deprived for 5 whole days because we don't have Barney at our house. We now have 1 episode recorded on the DVR. Currently on the DVR, she has 5 episodes of Wow Wow Wubsy, 5 episodes of Jack's Big Music Show, 3 episodes of The Backyardigans, and 1 Barney. She's slowly taking over.

Both Scout and Dylan were exhausted tonight. They went to bed on time and only fought sleep for a minute or two. Hurray for getting back into routine!

January 3, 2010

Day 3 362 days to go

Well, our Christmas vacation is coming to an end. Michael and I have to go back to work tomorrow. Boo hoo. On the bright side, We will be back on a regular schedule again, which will hopefully help the girls' moods. I know they are excited to go back to day care and see their friends and teachers again. We attempted to take some pictures of Scout today for her birthday party invitations, but I'm not sure we will be able to use them. Michael is very particular about his photography, and he isn't happy with them. Me, on the other hand, I love the "throw away" pictures. I don't know what I would do if I had to pay to develop photographs. I take way too many! The good thing is, with digital photos, you can pick and choose which ones to print. Speaking of which, I can't decide which of these will be my POD... may have to see which looks better when I get the page designed.

This one is Dylan playing with me while she ate her cereal this morning. She stuck her tongue out at me and I stuck mine back out at her. She thought this was hilarious and kept sticking her tongue out so that I would do it, too.



This one is the girls today... they pulled out 4 puzzles and had all of the pieces scattered all over the floor. When I snapped the picture, they were both putting pieces in their mouth and Scout was calling it her "paci"


And now, I must say good night so that I can get things ready for tomorrow. *sigh* Please let this semester fly by!

January 2, 2010

Day 2, 363 days to go

POD


I will end up cropping it, but I think it's adorable! We got to hang out with the N's and went to the mall for a little while. The kids played in the little play area there. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics there. We had some great brisket, beans, and cobbler at C's mom's, and C's brother, Z, brought A and brand new baby L over. There are a few more pictures I can share that didn't make POD. lol!

C at the food court


Dylan in the food court


J playing with his new dinosaur


Scout showing me how she naps on the floor


C, Z, A, and new baby, L

January 1, 2010

Day 1, 364 days to go...

Okay, so I know it's the 3rd already, but I am playing catch up a little.

This first one cheats a little... it was taken Jan 1st, but I was playing catch up. I take a photo of Dylan with this care bear every month around the 22nd (her birthday) to show how much she's grown. So this one was only, what, 10 days late? The whole thing started because when she was first born, my mom told people when they asked how little she was that she was the size of a care bear.




Now the picture of the day (will probably call it the POD from here on out)

Scout couldn't stand that I was taking a picture of Dylan and not her, so she picked up her puppy and sat down next to Dylan. Isn't that sweet?

My 2010 goals

My goals this new year are to lose 20 lbs, be at a different school next year, pay off the HHR and at least one credit card and... this is the fun part... participate in some cool scrapbooking challenges!

The first, is a challenge called 365 - but I may just make it 52 depending on how things go. The idea is to take at least one picture every day of the year and make one page a week (with 7 pictures) to keep track of what you did that week. So far, I've managed to take the pictures all 3 days this year. lol! Realistically, I may end up doing the 52 challenge which is similar, but only requires 1 picture a week. Either way, the pictures will be showcased here. I will try to post them as often as possible, so that means, more blogging! If you want to see the scrapbooking pages I make, peek here at my scrapbooking blog! In fact, if you follow this blog (or ever read it) could you do me a favor, and follow over there, too? I keep a separate blog for scrapbook stuff because I've been trying to get things together to be on a creative team, and having a scrapping blog is a must for most of them. PS - I did make it onto a scrapping CT team for ScrappyCocoa last month, and depending on how things go, I may try for another soon.

The next challenge is also scrapbooking related. I've joined a contest called the Scrapoff 2010 at DigiScrapAddicts Every week, I download a mini kit, and make a page with it. They narrow down the contestants every week, and the goal is to be the last one standing. I have never done anything like this before, but it sounds like lots of fun.

So, that's it... my goals for the year. They are now in print, so let's hope that helps me to stick to them!

Time to play catch up.

Well, once again I have let my blog lapse for over a month. I am going to post some pictures from December and Christmas and then let you know about my exciting goal for 2010!

We actually had snow for Christmas!


The whole Thompson Christmas gang in San Marcos at my mom and dad's house


My brother, Scott, Misty, and Rio!


Me and my Scouters


The Fisher side at Aunt Michelle's


Me and my Scouters again


Aunt Michelle getting hugs


Other news for the month: Dylan got 2 teeth, started crawling, and started pulling up!


She had her 9 month apt on the 30th and was 17lbs, 8oz and nearly 26 inches long. My little baby is growing up!

Scout doubles her vocabulary every day, it seems. She's talking in sentences now and even people who are not around her daily can understand a lot of it. She still does a lot of babbling, but it's getting easier to understand. She's also having to learn about sharing... with Christmas came tons of new toys

and it really doesn't matter whether they were given to Dylan or Scout - both girls play with them all. Scout can be happily playing with something in one corner and if Dylan picks up a toy on the other side of the room, Scout will scream "Nooooooo!!!!!" and run over to take the toy. *sigh* We're working on it.