These are a few of his favorite things

Things we excel at:

Eating. I mean EATing. The doctor said 'record breaking' when recording his weight gain last week.

Burping. Actually, it's more like belching.

Tooting. Actually, it's more like farting. There is nothing dainty about this child. He can already put grown men to shame with body noises.

Snuggling with his mom.

Stretching after naps.

Fighting for air when being smothered with kisses by yours truly.

He loves being outside, loud noises and really rough roads. This may explain why a wheel fell off my pickup last week.

I am biased, but he's perfect. And gorgeous. Perfectly gorgeous. After 25+ years I am content with handing over the crown of most beautiful baby to Kenyon. Actually, my little sis probably had that title (chubby cheeks, blonde curls), but nonetheless, she's been stripped of her title.

A month in review

Silver lining

Friday was a crappy day.  No, horrible.  No, even that's not enough.  It was downright shee-tay.  Top ten worst of all time, no joke.  Just one thing after another after another. 

Hopefully you get the picture and I need not elaborate further.  God has a funny way of helping out on shee-tay days like Friday, though. 

I had a check sitting on the corner of my desk at the J-O-B, waiting patiently on a mother to come pick it up. 

She finally came into the office, rather clueless of what she was doing there.  I sat her down in my office and she proceeded to tell me that the strangest thing had just happened. 

Her daughter had sold a steer at the fair a few days earlier and it didn't bring very much premium money.  Several hundred dollars less than any other calf at the sale, in fact.  While at the feed store not 30 minutes prior to entering my office, the feed store owner had given the lady and her daughter a check for $200.  Premium money he had 'forgotten' to spend that night at the sale.  My heart started to warm. 

I handed her the check that was sitting on the corner of my desk.  I explained to her how the beef judge at the fair had donated his judging fee back and wanted it to be given to a deserving kid.  The daughter, a young girl with long, white-blonde hair kept dancing around her mom's chair.  "Mom, can you believe it?!  We're like RICH now!" 

The mom kept staring off into space, shaking her head.  Partly because she couldn't believe it, and partly because if she looked anywhere but up the tears in her eyes would start to spill over. 

Even though I really had nothing to do with that family's good fortune, I was merely the bearer of great news, it did my heart good to get to be a part of the process.  I'm sure that judge had no idea how many folks he was truly touching when he did such a good deed.  I'm sure the feed store owner had no idea that he was absolutely melting my heart either. 

This is my heartfelt thank you to them and encouragement to everyone to 'pass it on', 'pay it forward', or whatever your phrase of choice may be.  Go do something good and see if you can inadvertently turn someone's day around. 

Quote

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Nothing is certain except death and taxes."

I would like to amend this quote. 

"Nothing is certain except death and taxes, and the fact that every time you have planted pretty flowers around your mailbox, someone will back into it with a trailer during shipping season." 

Not as pretty as the original version, but every bit as true. 

Geez Louize

I wish I could tell you that most of my conversations were made up.  I really do.  It would probably give you a bit more faith in the human race and it would make me look like I could perhaps be more intelligent than a three-toed sloth.  Perhaps.  But this is not the case. 

Below is a text message conversation involving my mother and sisters.  I try to text them all after each baby doc appointment so they are in the loop with what's going on. 

Me:  Things are fine, blah, blah, blah, etc., etc., etc.

Mom: I was just thinking about your robe.  You need to take one to the hospital with you.  Be sure to remove the bullets from the pockets before you go.  It's like the airport... no sense of humor!

Me:  Seriously?  That sucks. 

Karalina:  And THAT is what has made this pregnancy so entertaining for the rest of us! 

I hope that this pregnancy has brightened your days as much as it has my family's.  Even if it is at my expense. 

Maternity photos

Some people have fancy maternity photos, some people don't. 
 

Any day now...

We would be in the latter category. 

Pot, Meet Kettle

I love to watch Extreme Couponing.  You know, the show where one mom goes dumpster diving for coupon inserts, one hits up her neighbors for extra fliers, and one steals them from a homeless man's makeshift pillow.  (Okay, so I made that last one up.)

I first tuned into the show hoping to gain some valuable insight and tips into the world of couponing.  Not so much, but by then I was addicted to watching the show anyway and laughing.

C'mon, some of these folks have serious problems.  Like taking up an entire bedroom with their 1,000 bottle stockpile of shampoo that they paid 10 cents for.  Total.  Or insuring the contents of their garage which includes 10,000 tubes of toothpaste and 600 boxes of cereal and 40 tins of cat food for a feline that they don't even own.

I get such a good laugh out of lounging in my recliner, feet propped up, some sort of feedstuff balanced on the belly-shelf and making fun of these folks that have a serious problem.  I mean, serious.

At the end of the 30 minute program I waddle into our utility room and take a quick inventory of our goods.  I'll give you a brief overview.

Toothpaste: 8-10 boxes
Deodorant: 12-15 sticks
Toothbrushes: 4-6
Razors:  Um, well, lets just say there are enough for Wesley and I to shave every day with a new razor for approximately 6 months.  No joke.

I take this inventory to keep myself in check and make sure I'm not turning into one of these crazies too quickly.  Too quickly being the operative phrase. 

Sometimes I catch myself when I'm clipping coupons and I cringe as I pass a good one by.  I have temporarily banned myself from purchasing anymore razors, no matter how good of a deal I can get on them.  Well, banned myself until we get down to a two month supply, and then the madness can begin again!

Sometimes I wonder how the crazies on Extreme Couponing got their start, and if I should be worried.  Or more appropriately, how worried Wesley should be.