7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

Okay team, check it.  My son, lil' A, LOVES to watch clips on youtube of this man an accent unwrapping and explaining different, 'car toys'.  It is very weird.  BUT, alas, it consumes him and so, in my awesome parenting skillz, I delight in it.  And confession, sometimes I get annoyed he doesn't know how to just hit the 'skip ad' button himself :)  Yup, I am THAT mom.

--- 2 ---

Can I tell you the best, most random thing that happened to me today?  I woke up after very little sleep again, and had a text message from my lil' sister Theresa.  My sisters live far away from me :(  It sucks.  Her text said 'what do you want on your pizza? You need a break, so I am ordering you lunch to be delivered to your house!'.  And you know what?  Not to be weird, but today I really feel like I needed some bit of a break and she randomly sends that message.  AND, what a great idea to do for people?  I shall be paying it forward for sure and I cannot wait to eat pizza for lunch.

--- 3 ---

So, like the good 'sahm' in training that I am, I have been trying to plan really fun things everyday for the boys.  Both to get us out of the house and to tire them out for nap time, so I can get things done!  Brilliant right?  So, I had a summer full of 'splash pad' fun planned.  BUT, I learned a valuable lesson yesterday.  See, taking the kids out in the early morning/afternoon to give them something to do and to tire them out is a good plan.  BUT, what I didn't consider, is that taking a 2 year old and a 10 month old out, also just plum tuckers (well done with the expression huh?) this 6.5 month pregnant lady out as well!!!  And, renders me useless for the rest of the day.  So...not sure where to go with that for the rest of the summer.  Because I had REALLY grand plans for cleaning/organizing etc... yesterday, and turns out I did nothing.

--- 4 ---

The husband and I have a had a rough month.  Lots of little fights, lots of stress, bad communication, just one of those months.  BUT, alas, two great things happened this week.  First, we had a totally impromptu date night.  We needed it so bad.  We hadn't been out, just the two of us, in about 2 months.  Now, I know some of you don't do the 'date night' thing and it works just fine for you.  I feel like we NEED date nights to thrive. And not just, 'sit on the couch' date nights.  BUT, 'get out of the messy house, go out somewhere' date nights.  It was so good.   Second, I realized we are really in the 'thick of it' right now.  I had said, last summer, that I thought this year was going to be really taxing on us, in lots of ways.  Turns out, it has been. And actually, I think we have fared better than expected (considering the two babies, work, and unexpected gift of a third). So, I have decided to give us a little bit of a break and instead of focusing on where we are 'lacking' in our marriage...be proud of what we have accomplished.

--- 5 --- 

So, do you ever have a project that you think will take you about 1/2 hour and it totally turns into a funk story?  That is my life this week. I volunteered to do something for a committee I am on at work, thinking it would take me about an hour (which is what I had time for this week).  Well, turns out every single time I have gone to complete the task, something has gone majorly wrong. I am at least 10 hours and 3 special 'trips' in to this project and it is still not finished.  I don't do well when things like this occur.  Here's hoping that after I finish this quick takes, I can get it done. Quickly.

--- 6 ---

Oh, the sister that offered to order me pizza this afternoon?  Did I mention she is my sister in Kentucky that has a three year old, a 1.5 year old and 6 month old twins?  Because she is.  Oh she works full time as well.  Gives you perspective eh?

--- 7 ---

My husband was able to turn a day trip to Grand Rapids for my cousin's graduation party, into an overnight adventure for our family.  We are due.  On tap?  Exploring his campus of 'Grand Valley' with the kids, eating as his favorite GR eateries (including 'Yesterdog'...YUCK) and spending a day at lake Michigan.  Excited? I think so. 

 For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

I'm pretty much famous...

...because I got to guest post over at Callherhappy.com !  While Jenna takes care of her sweet lil' new guy Samuel (what a fantastic job on the whole 'naming' thing), she invited me to write a lil' somethin' somethin' for her blog!

As many of you know, in exactly 1 month, the husband, the children and I will be debt free!  Here are ten ways we were able to do it!  Lemme know if you have any questions :)  Thanks Jenna for letting me guest blog!!!!

Head on over!!!
(click here to find out how to get out debt, even if your debt is closer to $100,000 than $10,000!) :)

7 Quick takes written at 11:44 on Friday night

--- 1 ---

So, I've been blogging for the past few years and on that journey I have commented at time or two about how beautiful I think the reality of pregnancy is.  Oh, wait...that's never happened.  Before I say this, I want to state that I do know that pregnancy is a blessing.  A completely, totally, undeserved reality that God has allowed me to experience three times. I try to remember that on nights like tonight, when it is becoming abundantly clear that for the THIRD night in a row, pregnancy insomnia will not be allowing me to sleep.  At least the husband will be home early tomorrow!

--- 2 ---

Speaking of the husband, he got a big F for birthday celebrations this week.  It might have had something to do with the actual birthday being a really bad day (peed on twice, raging diaper rashes, over-tired children, over tired mommy) and I was what some might call a 'raging b@#$', but instead of being gentle and understanding...he went for the 'snap out of it' route....which led us to a night of not speaking and me eating dinner alone before going to bed (I mean, how freaking tragic is that!?!?!?).  Now, before you start crying and calling in the counselors, the great news is we powered through that awful day and have ended up having a really great week.  AND, he finally celebrated the ol' birthday tonight after the kids went to bed by pulling out the ol' guitar and playing me some tunes. I honestly don't think I have heard him play since we've been married, so it was really sweet.  I like him. a lot.

--- 3 ---

Wanna know why else I like him?  We realized this week that we missed sending one of our nephews a birthday card (happy birthday Rocky).  This can easily happen because together we have 22 nieces and nephews.  BUT, it usually doesn't.  You see, we decided last year, siblings will get a phone call to celebrate their birthdays, but we would really try to be good about sending each of the kids a card with a little somethin' in it.  Wait, I am forgetting to tell you why Aaron is awesome.  Because every time I am saying, 'we' what I really should be saying is, 'he'.  Aaron keeps a spread sheet, buys the cards, addresses them and sends them out each time a birthday approaches.  This is super helpful because if you know anything about me, you know that snail mail/thank you cards/birthday cards etc...are not my forte.  What kind of a husband is intentional about remembering and celebrating each of his nieces and nephews?  Mine!

--- 4 ---

Aaron enjoying the pool

Note to self:  Lil' Aaron loves pools.  Joey Michael hates them.  So, the fantasy of having both of my kids play outside and delight in the pool is actually the reality of having lil' A play while Joey sits on my lap.  Oh, and then having lil' A completely meltdown when it is time to go inside because his brother is bored and I am hot and pregnant.

Joey enjoying my lap

--- 5 ---

Sooo...buckle up.  I was watching 'The View' and racism was being discussed.  Jillian Michaels was discussing her Haitian daughter and explaining that she never fully understood the scope of racism until she had a daughter who was a different race.  She said she daily encounters racism in a variety of ways and it breaks her heart to see how her daughter is sometimes treated on the playground (her daughter is 3).

Mixed couple :)

Anyway, Aaron and I have been married for three years and together for four.  We have 2 mixed children for people to judge currently, and one cooking.  And here's the thing (and I am sure a LOT of you will disagree)....we have certainly encountered racism a handful of times.  And it sucks and it is hurtful and it bothers me.  BUT, I think sometimes, and by a certain groups of people, racism is GREATLY exaggerated.  And, I think that does a disservice to the realities of race-relations in this country.  I know, I know, easy for me to say...we are a middle class family in a city that borders Detroit, but, I'm still said it and believe it... :)

--- 6 ---

As a goodbye gift, some teens gave me a super generous gift card to my favorite, 'Old Navy'.  That gift card is now gone, but I have a whole summer wardrobe #teensrock

--- 7 ---

Hey, did I mention I am SO....tired, but I can't sleep. It's awesome!  That's it for today!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Goodbye was a bit harder than I thought.

So, believe it or not, I didn’t think I would cry at the last youth group meeting.  I love the teens I work for and feel privileged having done the ministry God has allowed me to do the last nine years, but at the same time, I truly feel called to be at home with my children.  Because of the certainty of that call, although there have been certain twinges of sadness…for the most part, each, ‘last’ is one step closer to being at home with my kids, hopefully achieving a somewhat normal schedule.  So, in preparation for my last youth group meeting as a Coordinator of Youth Ministry, I didn’t think I’d cry. I was wrong.

Dancing in the rain...

You see, it started with the rain.  We have teens that come after school sometimes and they asked me if they could have permission to go dance in the rain/wind that was beginning (how freaking cute that they asked for  permission?).  Of course, I told them yes.  And I looked out the window, seeing their joy from something as simple as rain.  I knew they were creating memories. 

The specialness continued when this really cool young person named Jessie showed up.  He became involved in youth ministry last year, right at the end of his senior year.  He only made it to a couple meetings, but you could tell he was a special kid…and it meant a lot that he came back yesterday.  Then, I walked outside and a crew of alumni were coming in…a few of them had talked and pulled out their, ‘old school’ youth ministry t-shirts, from back in the day, when we first started.  I realized that a couple of them were the same age I was when I started at SJN.  These young adults are so cool.  Speaking of young adults, I almost completely lost it when we invited alumni to come forward and share where they were at in life.  Looking at all their beautiful faces and knowing that I had the pleasure, if just for a few moments in time, to witness to their development…so cool.

My sweet alumni

But it didn’t stop there.  I got so many hugs.  From old teens and new teens.  I saw some of my current young people really empower future leaders in our group.  I saw the excitement in the faces of some of our ‘new 8^th graders’ as they got to help out with our senior mock awards.  One of the coolest moments?  Chris, the new youth minister, was sitting among the teens during announcements. I had the teens drum roll and then I introduced him.  The SJN teens cheered so loudly, their enthusiasm one final sign the program is in good hands and will continue stronger than it ever was.  We asked a new leader in our group, Rebecca, to thank our peer leadership team.  She did such a good job, speaking eloquently about Jesus in each one of the young people. Lil’ A, who was a hot mess for some of the meeting,  handed out gifts with pride. 

Seniors 2013

During the mock awards, the teens presented me with ‘most likely to have her skirt fall off while doing the pony dance’ (true story, fear not, I had shorts on).  They gave me an awesome gift. It was so sweet. We watched a video that traced the senior’s lives through the years…and lil’ Aaron sat comfortably in my lap, enjoying the pictures.  As I watched the video, I reflected on how cool it was to sit there with my son.  And then it was time to share.  Sharing at the last meeting is always very powerful.  Teens talked of the importance of the seniors in their lives.  Seniors thanked the group and spoke about the impact youth ministry had on the person they were.  Alumni spoke about how youth ministry still affects their lives. More than one teen referenced the kindness and acceptance found in our program, something I have strived so hard to achieve.  One teen, Hannah, made me cry as she spoke about how important the friendships were in her life.  Another teen, Tyler, spoke later about how he wasted too much time being angry and Youth Ministry was a catalyst to let that go. 

The sharing time was too short, it was time to end in prayer.  But before, a teen asked for a standing ovation for me and I spent a second or two…with many tears, trying to let the young people know how much they have meant to me.  How I came to SJN as pretty much a kid and how I am leaving with a family, as a grown up, with a stronger faith.  Someone brought up that line from the office I told you guys about last week, ‘I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days, before you’ve actually left them’.  We played the song, ‘seasons of love’ (yup, we are that group), and thanked God for the gift he gave us through this program.  We did group pictures.  First of the whole group, then the seniors, then the siblings, then the alumni.  Same pictures every year.  The teens I work and have worked with are beautiful…inside and out.  I am putting some pictures in this blog post, I have never done that before, purposefully.  But hey, what are they gonna do?  Fire me?  After the picture taking, and a few announcements, and a spontaneous ‘Jesus Jive’, everyone started to scatter…

The Crew

And then it was time to go.

So many hugs I received, so many young people expressed thanks.  They hugged tighter than before.  They spoke of how much the program and I had meant in their lives.  Usually, I am shoo-ing kids out the door to get home.  Last night, we stayed till almost ten.   A few of them went out and asked me join, I tried to rally, but throwing up in the parking lot shut that down pretty quickly.  I stopped in the restaurant to tell them I couldn’t stay, it was hard to leave. 

As I drove home last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I had personally changed during my time at SJN. I thought about how our program had grown. I thought about the amazing people are alumni are and are becoming.  I thought of how many Wednesday nights I spent in the same building…three different rooms, but the same building.  And, despite what I thought I would do, I cried. And felt incredibly, incredibly, blessed.

7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

Yesterday, the Pope, who I love, quoted this from St. John Chrysostom, "Not to share one's goods with the poor is to rob them and deprive them of life.  It is not our goods that we possess, but theirs"  How freaking awesome is that?!?!?!   I mean, for realz.  Aaron and I, in our quest to finally be debt free have kept this in the forefront of our minds.  I will have more to say on this in the future, but the bottom line is, we really are just stewards of the money God gives us.  The more we actually live that reality, the happier we will be.

--- 2 ---

Speaking of the Pope.  I had a dream last night that he was in the US of A for World Youth Day.  And we were there with the boys. I was on a side street trying to get lil' A's shoes on and he happened to walk by.  The pope bent down and helped me get the shoes on because he could tell I was struggling.  It was an AWESOME dream for lots of reasons.

--- 3 ---

The husband is in massive trouble.  Like, he can't even picture the amount of trouble he is in right now.  EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING my greatest struggle is to try to eat before I throw up (I throw up if I do not eat rather quickly).  This is SUPER hard to accomplish because I have two small children that need to be fed, changed, etc...THEN when all that is done, I have to make breakfast (because, unfortunately, this pregnancy has left me with very few options that don't make me want to vomit).  Finally, I can sit down to eat breakfast, but that usually ends up being a fiasco of the children crying/needing me/begging for the food I am eating, you get the picture.  So, about 80% of the time I vomit before I even get to breakfast.  NOW, in an effort to be fully disclosed, while I eat breakfast I do check my interwebs (blogs, facebook, etc...) while the kids play on the floor.  Anyway, this morning was a disaster with constant distractions, so eating breakfast was near impossible (the crescendo was lil' A taking a handful of cars and whipping them across Joey's face because he dared touch one of the 'lined up' monster trucks).  In absolute frustration, I said, 'I WOULD JUST LIKE TO BE ABLE TO EAT MY FREAKING BREAKFAST'. To which the husband responded, 'well, maybe if you got off facebook you'd be able to'.  Yeah, you read that right.  That, along with, 'oh, crap, your birthday is on Monday?', has put him very VERY tightly in the doghouse.

--- 4 ---

"I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them". I put that quote on the facebook yesterday after watching the series finale of 'The Office'. I adored that show and it was a bummer to see it end yesterday.  BUT, that quote actually made me say 'wow' out loud.  I love love LOVE being a mother and having my family, but I think about college/my twenties and how awesome they were, and the thing is, I wished most of it away.  I mean, I used to sleep in and drink beer!  And travel, oh my gosh, have I ever traveled.  This life that I have now is awesome, and way better than anything I did before, but I for sure didn't realize how good those ol' days were :)

--- 5 ---

In other, 'The Office' news, at the end of the show, one of the main characters, Jim, was reflecting on the time he spent at his workplace.  Reflecting on how he really grew up there, met his wife through work, had children, etc...  I really resonated with that as well, seeing as though I have been at Saint John Neumann for almost ten years and will be leaving in one month (next week is my final youth group meeting).  It's just crazy to think of the 23 year old girl that started work as a Coordinator of Youth Ministry and the 33 year old wife and mom that I am now.  Lots of stuff to contemplate.

--- 6 ---

Busy busy weekend on the horizon, 2 youth events, 2 presentations, and housecleaning needs to be fit in somehow.  Deep breathe in...(prayers appreciated).

--- 7 ---

Did you read this article.  It's about Abstinence only sex education.  It's good stuff and I liked it.  Then, my friend Mary wrote this article.  I thought it was pretty brilliant too.  Interesting things to think about.  How I wish Sex Ed wasn't even touched in public schools, but alas, we have decided it is a 'need' and so it is.  Anyway, I am glad my parents made me sit in the hall during that portion of class :)  I know, I know, what a prude!!!!!

Have  good week!

  For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Mother's Day

This morning began with vomiting and I thought, ‘Happy Mother’s Day to me’.  You see, I try not to complain about It too much, but this pregnancy has left me sick, a lot. Again.  Only this time, I have two boys, 14 months a part that need me to care for them no matter how I feel.  “Happy Mother’ Day to me”.  Being a mom is tough. We know that.  I never, ever,  realized how tough it would be.  As I have said before, I blame my mom forthat.  She made it seem easy, so I had no idea how hard it would be.  The sleepless nights, the constant stress, the financial strain, and the always having to be ‘on.  In addition, I now have the joy of a toddler, who is constantly whining; not sharing with his brother, and often times a step away from a total meltdown.  My gosh, no one warned me exactly how tough it would be (or maybe they did and I just didn't listen)!  But, come mother’s day...we all know.  There are commercials that remind us mothers are heroes.  There are shelves and shelves full of cards to affirm the work we do.  Many of us insist on being pampered (I did get my Panera breakfast sandwich in bed with a smoothie this morning).  We claim that this is the day, the day we will be appreciated for all the thankless things we do, constantly, for our children.  Being a mom is tough.  “Happy Mother’s Day to me”.

But, you know what is tougher? 

Desiring a child, so desperately, and being told “no” by your body.  

Desiring a family to call your own, but instead living as a single person, unsure of when and if that will happen.  Awaiting your sweet baby’s entrance into this world, only to have your child pass away before you ever had the chance to hear their cry.  Having spent years with your children, only to outlive them one way or another, maybe they were taken through an accident, or a sickness.  This year, I know too many mothers who will have to celebrate this day without a child in their arms.

Do you know what I can’t imagine? 

Having to celebrate this day, when you are supposed to thank and love on your mother, but your mother has passed away.  Having to process this day knowing that for whatever reason, your mother has decided to not be a part of your life.  When my father’s mother died, he said he felt like an orphan…although he does a great job celebrating my mom and all of his daughters, I know a part of him still aches for his mother to be here.

There are other things I can’t imagine…a child who is fighting for our country today.  A child who lives out of the country.  A child who is sick and might not make it.  A mother who is emotionally unavailable. A mother who is plagued by mental illness who cannot ‘mother’ her own child.  So many, many things make this day difficult for a great number of people.

So as this day crept up this week, I was more and more aware of the privilege, not the burden, that comes from being able to embrace my children every day.  As I woke up this morning, I asked that each of my boys lay in bed with me for a while. I studied their faces, and thanked God for gifting me with these sweet little creatures I do not deserve.   I called my mom to wish her a happy mother’s day and was aware that not everyone gets that opportunity and I should be thankful for it.  Today is a day that celebrates the sacrifice mothers make, and it is good, it should be celebrated.  BUT, Let us not forget those who need extra love today, because it is a day they dread all year long.  Let us not forget motherhood is not a given or a right, but rather, a sacred gift that should not be taken for granted.  That’s what I’ll be trying to do today (in between requesting special treatment from my husband, "But it’s mother’s day!!! You HAVE to mow the lawn and clean the family room"), and I encourage all of us, mothers or not, to do the same.

And, indeed, Happy Mother’s Day to me.

7 quick takes with no pictures

--- 1 ---

So, I tried to explain this really profound lyric to my teens and they totally didn't get it. I'm gonna try out the blogging world.  Jay Z (is that how you spell his name?) sings this song with coldplay, and in it, he says, 'It's tough being bobby brown, to be bobby then, you have to be bobby now'.  The point being that the 80s rockstar version of Bobby Brown is what created the 2013 version of Bobby Brown who is kind of drug addict with lots of problems.  Anyway, last week Chris of Kriss Kross died at 34 of an overdose. I found myself thinking of that lyric again. I mean, he could have just been an average dude, with a family, couple of kids, working a regular job.  Instead, he is dead at 34.  'To be bobby then, you have to be bobby now'.  Anyway, I think it's deep.

--- 2 ---

Lil' Aaron sucks at sharing, which I know is okay, because we have to teach him.  Where we are at right now?  When he freaks out and rips something out of Joey's hand, he gets in trouble.  BUT, when he wants to make us proud, he gives joey the worst.toy.ever (like a piece of paper or something) and says, 'share', like we should be proud.  Sorry sucker, offer him your new monster truck from Auntie Annie and then I'll be impressed.

--- 3 ---

The word sucks. I know I should stop saying it, and I know it really bothers lots of people.  But, 'stinks' just doesn't have the same effect (or is it affect, I actually have no idea what the difference is between those to words)...so, any suggestions?  Otherwise, I might just have to keep saying sucks and accept the judgment that comes from it.

--- 4 ---

OM lowercase g...we hired a new youth minister.  He is, how you say, AWESOME! I am so so so pumped. During the interviews, I was starting to get a bit nervous because I thought he was perfect and was afraid that he wouldn't get hired and then I'd be sad.  But, alas, everything worked out.  His name is Chris, we will begin the transition soon.  I am so excited to be at home with the boys, but some twitches of sadness are starting to occur. Can you believe I have been at SJN for almost 10 freaking years.  That is a lot of freaking years.

--- 5 ---

So, do you ever get frustrated and it isn't necessarily anyone's fault, but like, you have to blame someone?  That happened yesterday.  I was frustrated in this awful city (sorry Birmingham, you are not my favorite) and my friend Mario (shout out) ended up getting an ear full of not nice words about how I felt about the city.  Then, so did my husband.  I need to work on processing frustration.

--- 6 ---

We have a play date today with some of our besties that we haven't play dated with since before Easter...We are pretty excited.

--- 7 ---

And now, for your controversial moment.  I read this blog about food allergies that was circulating the interwebs and apparently ticked a lot of people off (for good reason).  The author was like, 'hey food allergies are clearly the parent's fault, just force your kid to eat things and forget about the consequences to work them thru their allergies'.  Clearly, a stupid thing to say, for a lot of reasons.  BUT, I do have to admit, I think a lot about the crazy increase in food allergies and why it is happening and how come it seems like some families are totally exempt from it.  Now, here's the thing, this isn't something I am emotionally invested in, so I can ask the next question pretty easily...but some people are, so answer gently (whether or not food allergies are a struggle in your family).  What do you think about the increase in food allergies?  Where is it coming from?  What are your conspiracy theories?  go!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Five Favorites

ah... I'm doing it.  In general, link ups make me nervous. I feel like they are above my skillz in the ol' blogging world, but so many of you are doing it, that I feel like I gotta (hello peer pressure). So, tada...my five favorites...

ONE

So freaking delicious. You have no idea. None. No words.

TWO

Forgiving Husbands (I'm the sassy kind that tries to hurt when in fights, I say awful things, he always forgives. I have a crush on him.

THREE

 These are some of my teens, being awesome and Jesus-ing the song 'Thrift Shop'

FOUR

NAPS. 'NOUGH SAID

FIVE

Most fun book ever to read to children!

7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

Spiritual insight for the week, courtesy of Father John.  While struggling with habitual sin, it is helpful to think of a father watching his daughter learn to walk.  When she falls, he doesn't say, 'dang it, you are awful!  you are suppose to be walking!!!'.  Father, he says, 'Great job sweetheart, lets get up and try it again'.  Sometimes even cheering at the effort, despite the fall.  You're welcome on behalf of Father John.

--- 2 ---

Praise you Jesus for good weather and parks.  Please let it stay in the 70s for a hot second before we move into the uncomfortable reality of summer scorching weather.  Especially considering I cannot drink ice cold bud lights this summer.  God be with me as I struggle through my #firstworldproblems!

This is how excited I get when I have my first drink after pregnancy.  

--- 3 ---

My teens rock.  Wanna know why?  This week's meeting was on praise music.  Their challenge was to take secular songs and make them Jesus-e.  Lemme just tell you, I just about died when Gangnam Style and the Thrift shop were given a Jesus make over.  Just.about.died.

--- 4 ---

I just gave my child 2 starbursts at 8:25 am.  I am THAT mom.  And, occasionally, I am okay with it #notashamed

best mom ever. or worst
 depending on how you feel
about chemical laden candies...

--- 5 ---

So, wanna know the mom I want to be?  Last night, at about 1:00 am, I saw flipped by 'Project Runway'. I don't watch 'Project Runway', but there was this lady who was in her 50s or 60s.  And her grown children surprised her in the studio to encourage her and all three of them did this 'shake your booty' dance.  I want to be the type of mom that a) shakes my booty at 60 b) raising grown- a$$ children who want to shake their bootys with me.  true story

--- 6 ---

Uncle Mike and Aunt Kellie bought lil' A a monster truck that is battery operated. It pretty much has not left his side since they gave it to him.  Currently, my child who just finished his starburst is watching a documentary on Monster Trucks, while holding his monster truck.  Maybe I should get off the internets and care for him?

--- 7 ---

1.5 months.  But who's counting?  (Teens, I love you dearly- but this pregnant mama is getting pretty psyched to no longer have to worry about leaving children, figuring out babysitters, etc...) 1.5 months.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!