A little Tuesday night rambling...

It’s been awhile since I have written a post, so I thought I would ramble on a bit before I go to bed. 

First, there are a few Owen-updates worthy of sharing…

He has decided in the last week or so that “no no no” is fun to say.  He walks over to the dogs’ bowls and stands there saying “no no no!” (because that is what we say when he walks over to it with the intention of grabbing a quick snack!)  He also does the same thing when he’s not wanting to eat something I am trying to give him...namely, vegetables.  He’s using it sometimes in a defiant way, too, (as he runs away from us) so it looks like we are in the midst of some valuable disciplining.  He seems to like to “argue” just a bit, so we may be in for a few hard months and years!  Oh toddlerhood!!  Need I mention that he's into EVERYTHING??  Didn't think so!   

 

 

He is starting to recognize and retrieve some of his favorite books by name.  We can ask him to go get “Brown Bear” (as in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) and he will repeat “bown beh” and go get it.  He does the same with a Dr. Seuss ABC book and this one is “aby” (rhymes with baby).  The front cover has a large ABC on it, so he knows that one is his ABC book.  He now says ‘cheese’, ‘bath’, and occasionally, I can get him to say ‘please.’  It’s been a learning-filled few weeks…for all three of us!!       

Owen has tried peanut butter and jelly in the last few weeks and likes it very much!  Sometimes he gets a half sandwich before bed with some milk!  The other thing he’s tried (and LOVED) recently is meatloaf!  Austin and I had neither one had it since we were young children so I made one last week and it was oh-so-yummy!  I used the recipe on the Lipton Beefy Onion soup box and it’s a keeper!  We all three really enjoyed it alongside some homemade mashed potatoes and corn.  At least I think it was corn!  I don’t remember.         

Speaking of food, I have discovered “apple pears” within the last few weeks and they are absolutely amazing.  My tastebuds and my tummy love them.  I have paid 2 for $1 for them once, and $1.59 a pound at another store.  Since they are slightly larger than an average-size apple, the latter ended up being a bit pricy for 2.  I am going to keep my eye out for the 2 for $1 sale again so I can stock up!  Mmmmm.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them. 

On Friday, my mom sent me these flowers!!  Such a sweet gesture and reminder of her never-ending love for me!  (About 10 not-so-alive-anymore white daisies were trimmed out of the arrangement before I took a picture tonight.)    

 

Why the flowers?  Well, because…

...this past Saturday, I took the most difficult, stressful test in all my life!  It was extra-challenging to say the least.  The test was the TExES Mathematics Grades 8-12 Certification Test that would allow me to teach high school math in any Texas high school.  I am already certified to teach early childhood, any elementary grade level, and 6^th-8^th grade mathematics.  Passing this means that I would be able to teach high school math as well.  That is quite a range, if you ask me!!  I have had the TExES prep manual for a couple of years but kept setting it aside because the time to test just didn’t seem right.  I finally buckled down at the beginning of December and decided that the time was right.  I registered, paid, and had roughly 6 weeks to prepare.  I prepared from the prep manual and two textbooks for two solid weeks leading up to the test  and little bits here and there a few weeks before that.  The night before the test, I spent time reviewing a few last minute things I wanted to make sure I had “down” and then crawled into bed at a decent time.  I slept well.  Austin woke up with me and made me a breakfast burrito and then I had a few sips of coffee before I was out the door at 7:20a.m.  At this point, I was feeling great, confident in my math knowledge, but not overly-so, wide awake, no nerves whatsoever, etc.  I was ready.  Here comes question #1 with a 5-hour time limit.  Oh my goodness, what does that mean?  was my first thought after seeing that first question…and a thought that kept coming to the front of my mind for the remaining 5 hours!  I skipped many of the questions on my first “run-through” and had hopes of really dissecting each of them during “all this extra time I would most likely have” before time ran out.  Ha!  Looking back on the bright side, I did have time to go back and address the forty-something I skipped or wanted to take one more look at.  However, I only had 35 or 40 minutes.  I never really panicked until I was under the 2-hour mark.  There were still so many I had yet to look at since I hadn’t gotten through the entire test at this point, plus all those I knew I needed to rethink.  In summary, I made it.  I survived.  I made it and survived with a whole. EIGHTEEN. SECONDS. LEFT.  The hours and few days that followed had me wrapped in a whole bunch of grumpy.  I left the testing center knowing I had done my best, knowing I had confidently known a handful of problems, knowing I had figured out another handful and was confident with my mathematical skills, knowing that there were so many questions I had no clue about but could at least make an educated guess based on an itty-bitty amount of past knowledge I thought might help me, knowing there were some questions that were guesses, plain and simple, and knowing that there was nothing I could do now except wait for the results and start thinking about what I would want to do next school year.  In a nutshell, I felt defeated by the subject I have known and loved nearly my whole life. 

While I have come to no conclusions about next school year, I did find out my score today.  As it turns out, my best, what little I knew, what little I figured out, and all my semi-educated guesses were enough to earn a passing score!  I PASSED!!  I needed a 240 (out of 300) to earn the 80% passing standard, and my score was a 262.  I was so pleased.  more like happy.  proud.  relieved.  I had done it! 

Although I am a self-proclaimed math nerd and never shy away from a math related problem or challenge, I definitely give God the credit on this one.  I prayed during all my study time that the information would get absorbed the way it needed to.  I prayed in the days leading up to the test as I would think about what I am supposed to do and where I am supposed to be.  I prayed the night before in the shower asking God to help me recall information so that I could feel like all my time and effort in that prep manual and those textbooks would yield successful results.  I prayed the morning of the test on my way to the testing center.  I told God I had worked hard and that I knew the information.  I asked Him to guide me through the test, keep my nerves to a minimum, help me have a clear head when I needed to really think problems through, and ultimately just asked Him to help me the very best I could.  I know He helped me every step of the way, so…TO HIM BE THE GLORY!!

God is good,

Carianne

P.S.  Here are a few more pictures from the past few weeks. 

13 1/2 months

To: Blog

Why, hello there, Dear Blog!  I am sorry you’ve been so neglected the past several weeks.  I must make it known to you, first and foremost, that my computer is having a hard time staying alive.  No.  Seriously.  It has no doubt been a struggle most days just to get it to turn on.  With that said, it’s quite difficult to post when the technology to do so is in such poor condition.  *Long sigh* I also want to apologize for the fact that we have been in and out of our house more in the last few weeks than ever before.  Lastly, and without ANY regret, I am sorry that a certain 13 ½ month old has been on the receiving end of all our attention! 

So, where does that leave us, Blog?  Well, it leaves us with A LOT of catching up to do!!!  Knowing that time on this hinged piece of borderline-junk machinery is limited, I want to catch up on a few highlights and upload a few pictures.  That will be the best I can do with the time I have.  Without further ado…

To: The (3) readers of this blog

Aside from holidays spent a couple hours down the highway in Odessa, lots of gatherings/outings with family and friends both before and after Christmas, a day-trip to see Austin’s dad, baking, household projects, running errands and spending Christmas money, doing chores, and most importantly, being parents, our day-to-day lives during our 2-week break were pretty busy!  Although I know everyone is in the same “busyness” boat, it helps me to see it typed out in list form so I realize where all my time goes.  Sheesh.   In the midst of it all, Owen turned 13 months old (and as of today, he is 13 ½ months old!!)  I documented his first 12 months pretty well, but with no mention of 13 months and a fast-approaching 14-month post swirling around in my mind, I already feel overwhelmed at the thought of it all!  I will definitely be updating the blog with all the goings-on in our ever-so-exciting (haha) everyday lives as things come up, but today, I want to document all of Owen’s growth and progress over the last several weeks!  He is at such a fun age where his personality is really shining through, and I know I will kick myself if I don’t get the memorable stuff recorded! 

To: Owen

Owen.  Owen.  Owen.  What a precious, blue-eyed boy you are!  You are growing and changing more everyday, and it seems to be at an incredible rate!  We can hardly wrap our minds around all the things you used to do (or could not yet do) and all the things you do now!  You are bursting at the seams with sweet, busy, bubbly personality and we could not be more proud of you! 

Here is what you are up to these days.  

You won’t be going to the doctor until late February, so we won’t have any accurate stats or percentiles until then.  And…….since diaper changes seem to be the bane of your existence these days, we won’t even begin to attempt to hold you down/still to measure you in any way.  We might, but most likely not!  

You wear a size 4 diaper still and are teetering between 18- and 24-month clothing.  For Christmas, your awesome parents (oh, I kid!!) got you a potty chair, so we will start the “pee” and “poo” talk very, very soon!  You already know how to say “poo” and you know what “stinky” is (because up until recently, you would wave your hand in front of your face and exhale in a funny way whenever the word “stinky” was mentioned)!!!  As for associating “stinky” with “poo” with “potty” and the “urge to go”…it will take some time.  We have your potty chair in the bathroom and will let you sit on it before baths until you start to realize what it’s for.  This is a whole new ball of wax, so we will all learn together as we go, I suppose!  

By the way, we took this Christmas to get you more practical gifts for several reasons.  First, your amazing grandparents and lots of our equally amazing friends have you covered in the toy department.  Second, we have your whole life worth of Christmases to give you the things you really want.  Third, you really didn’t know the difference between any of your wrapped gifts!  (Tissue paper was your favorite part followed by finding all the kids on the boxes and pointing to them saying “baby.”)  Please know, Owen, that we DO know next year will be a different story!  We have 12 months to prepare for that, thank goodness!!!!  I assure you that future Christmases will not be filled with socks, underwear, belts, and shampoo.  As for your 2010 Christmas…In addition to your potty chair, Mommy and Daddy got you a few shirts, a pair of shorts for spring, a couple new sippy cups, and a few pajama sets.  You are welcome, my son!  Haha.  You received SO many gifts from so many people this year.  Overall, you had a blast…we think.  Between your birthday a month ago and Christmas a week or so ago, you have quite an array of new toys, outfits, books, and pajamas!  You also received some cash that went straight into your bank account!

You currently have 11 teeth and are talking up a storm.  Your favorite words to say are: go, baby, bye, ball, car, teeth, book, shoes, ock (for sock), ca (for duck???), blue, juice, and the occasional mama and dada.  You can repeat other things, but these are the things you can say easily without prompting.  You don’t really say milk, hi, no, puppy/dog, or other things we would expect you to say at this point, but you have your own vocabulary and it’s quite extensive (in our opinion).  You know the sound a pig makes as well as a sheep, and most recently, a horse!  Lately, you are pointing at things more.  You still love to carry around electronics and put them all up to your ear as if they are a phone.  You especially like to sneak into Mommy and Daddy’s room to steal one or both of the baby monitors.  You love the remotes for the tv and satellite and also the one belonging to the stereo in your room.  Mommy’s calculator is loads of fun to play with as are your three play phones.  The best of all?  Cell phones!!!  I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: You are your daddy’s son!!!  You LOVE pushing buttons, blowing kisses, opening drawers and cabinets, being in the car (although putting you in your car seat sometimes proves to be super-challenging due to screams and squirminess), pulling things out of where they belong and watching them create a mess on the floor, taking walks (there haven’t been too many walks lately due to colder weather), giggling, and sometimes even pouting (complete with lips puckered outward and a one-of-a-kind stare)!  I am afraid that you will be a huge MESS in 2011.  A cute mess, but a mess for sure!!    

With those 11 teeth of yours, you are enjoying a decent variety of foods.  You remain quite picky, but we have laid off the eating-every-so-many-hours schedule some so that you have a chance to get hungrier.  With a hungry tummy, you aren’t being as picky, so you are eating more of what we give you and throwing less off your high chair tray.  When it comes to your favorites, yogurt and bananas are in the top two spots followed by mandarin oranges, sliced pears, toast, (occasional) French fries, cheese, and graham crackers.  You like fresh blueberries as of yesterday evening and could care less about fresh strawberries.  Vegetables seem to be the hardest thing to get you to eat, so we are constantly trying new and creative ways to get you to eat them!  We mash them up and mix them into other things, give them to you first before any other dinner/lunch components, and sometimes we just have to resort to pureed baby food vegetables.  We want you to have some rather than none, so that is sometimes the only option you leave us.  You don’t seem to be a huge fan of ground meat, but you will happily eat it mixed in with sauces.  You like chicken “ok” but it doesn’t seem to be a favorite.  You like milk, most any kind of juice, water, and an occasional spoonful of ice cream or other sweet treat.  We limit these, of course, but you do get tastes here and there.          

You LOVE books.  You like to look at them, carry them around, throw them on the floor, have them read to you, make noises as if you are reading them, bring them to Mommy or Daddy, and stand on them!  You are pretty much over the “chew on them” phase!  Hooray!!  I love the personalized book you got for Christmas called Who Loves Owen?  It has the names of family members who love you followed by “How much?  SO MUCH!”  You love to have it read to you at bedtime and giggle when Mommy stresses the SO MUCH part!  It’s the highlight of my day to read to you before bed. 

I know I said I was going to stop counting haircuts at #6, but your 7^th was a disappointing yet memorable experience.  We took you to Fantastic Sam’s and you left with a less-than-fantastic, crooked, $10 haircut.  Mommy has since trimmed the front, but the pictures down below (the last three pictures of the post) show just how crooked the front was.  We’ll keep looking for someone who will do a good job while you whine and squirm.  So, we’ll basically be looking for a miracle worker! 

Oh Sweet Owen.  We love you so much!  Happy 13 ½ month birthday!!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy