Picture post

Swinging on a nice evening! Fun at the mall play area!

Her "fake" smile....it's not so cute! (And you can really see her cross-bite here).

Pretty girl...but with another fake smile!

Now this is a true smile!

Mall play time!

Beautiful baby girl!

My sweet Molly (with a yucky nose)!

Playing at the anniversary party!

Wearing shoes!

They are both working hard!

Lucky 13

My Holy Savior Menard Central High School Class of 1998 had a "Lucky 13" reunion this year since we didn't have one in 2008 for 10 years. I was actually kind of excited to go because Nannie and Poppa had agreed to keep the girls and I was proud of the life I had made for myself.

Brian and I got dressed and headed over to Tunk's. Well, the night did not start out great at all. Walking into the room at Tunk's, I miscalculated the number of steps (there were three and I only took two) and "fell into" the room. Nice. Luckily there was only two or three people there at the time. Because we were some of the first ones there, I got to see everyone as they walked into the room. Boy, did I ever feel out of place. As more and more people I had graduated with plus their spouses walked in, I was ready to leave. I don't know what prompted me to even want to go. I felt so uncomfortable and out of place.

For some reason, thirteen years later, our class was still full of cliques. Most were still the same from high school; the rednecks, the popular ones, the ones who had stuck together and gone down to LSU, the "other ones," etc. Where did I fit in? I never really fit in during high school and I still didn't fit in. I tried to talk to all different people, but I just didn't really know what to talk about with them. I did have a nice conversation with one girl who was always popular, but really only because we ended up sitting across from each other. She has a little girl and is pregnant with another one, so we had a lot to talk about with us both having baby girls. But, even the girls I played softball with for so many years had nothing to say to me. Anyways, I felt very out of place.

I do have to say that I was one of two who predicted where I would be in 10 or so years and was actually right. I was just a year or two off from the "having children" part, but I predicted I would be a pharmacist and be married! Brian says that shows that I know what I want and go for it.

Needless to say, I do NOT think I'll be attending anymore class reunions.

Regrets

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately....a lot of late-night thinking because I don't have much other time to do it.

I'm wondering a lot of things, but the one thing I wonder the most about is this...Did I make the right career decision?

From the time I was a little girl, all I desired to be was a housewife and mommy. That's all I wanted. I wanted a house full of children - five to be exact. (I think that was because my grandmother had five...who knows!) As I got older and viewed the world a little more realistically, I wanted four. And I specifically wanted two boys and two girls....you know, the best of both worlds. Plus, with two boys and two girls everyone has at least one brother and one sister (think about it).

Well, fast forward to about high school when I realized that I wasn't "hot" enough to find me a hot, rich guy. I knew that my brains far surpassed my beauty (which, don't get me wrong, is not a bad thing! - especially if my girls read this one day). I then decided that I needed a decent career that would be enough to support myself. I also thought that I would be a single mother, either through artificial insemination from a "bank" or through adoption. It was then that I decided I wanted to do something medical, but not dealing with or having to touch people. Pharmacy it was. And then I met Brian on Myspace and became the mommy of Mary Claire and Molly.

Growing up, both of my parents worked Monday through Friday jobs. We got to spend time with both of them every evening and for two days in a row on the weekends. Well, pharmacy doesn't allow that. At least my pharmacist job doesn't allow that. And with Brian working in law enforcement, his job doesn't allow that. How sad is it that our girls don't get to spend time with both their Mommy and Daddy at the same time? Are we hurting them with this?

I'm thinking I need to start looking for a Monday through Friday job. It's impossible for me to be a stay-at-home mommy (and I think I'd go a little crazy!). I've been praying that Brian would be able to be promoted to something with better hours, but I guess that wasn't, or hasn't been, God's plan for us. I know I could have applied for the Clinical Manager position, but I don't want that. I'm not a leader or a boss. I like my job as staff pharmacist and would love to be able to do it with just different hours.

Anyway, back to my late-night thinking. If Brian and I did have Monday through Friday jobs, would I have been able to have the four children I wanted? I think so. And that is what makes me question my career decision. I just don't know anymore!

But, what would I do? Teach? I don't know if I'm cut out for that. I'm really thinking I wish I had gone the accountant route. Isn't it a shame how our world these days are full of what-ifs?

Happy birthday Uncle David!

I'm so sad I didn't get any pictures at Uncle David's birthday party. Poppa grilled steaks and Nannie made some onion rice, green beans, fruit salad and rolls. We had chocolate chip cookie cake, too! It was all delicious!

Happy 29th birthday Uncle David!

Uncle David and Aunt Aspen are going to bless me with my very first "blood" niece or nephew! We are thinking the end of April or beginning of May! Whoohoo! I am soooo excited! (I'm not-so-secretly hoping for a boy!)

Bedtime antics

I guess this is Molly's silly face! No, really, I think I was trying to get her to say "teeth!" She does surprisingly well trying to mimic something I ask her to! My two beauties!

For some reason, Mary Claire loves to do this! I told her, "Show me your Shrek ears!" She says, "I not Shrek, I Mary 'Care'!"

Catching up

So much has been going on lately and I feel behind!

Friday (September 16th) was my 4th anniversary with Brian. We spent it cleaning the house and yard....hahaha in preparation for Molly's first birthday party! What fun! Brian was fixing himself some sandwiches for lunch so I asked him if he could make me one. So we had ham and cheese sandwiches for our anniversary! :)

Taylor's 14th birthday was Saturday, September 17th, which was the day of Molly's birthday party. So we celebrated Friday night at a place of his choosing....Copeland's (same place that Brian picked for his birthday, of course!). So we, along with David, Aspen and Tucker, Nannie and Poppa John and Mr. Jerry went to Copeland's. I don't foresee us eating out at nice places for a while because Molly has been a holy terror there the last couple of times. I guess I shouldn't call her that because she wasn't bad; she just didn't want to sit in her high chair. Taylor got a PS3 remote thing-a-ma-jig from us and Nannie and Poppa gave him some Star Wars Trilogy. Mr. Jerry gave him some money.

Taylor and Nannie at Copeland's waiting for a table:

Mary Claire reading Cenla Focus while waiting:
Molly and Daddy waiting:

Molly's birthday party was Saturday. We rented the water slide and I think all the kids enjoyed it! Mary Claire LOVED it! She was so fun to watch her go down. She's so little compared to all of the other kids (and me!) that she just flew down the slide! I wish I had it on video! Molly was so funny with her smash cake; she would not eat it off her fingers! When we gave her a plastic spoon to eat it with she would scrape some icing off and then try to eat it off of there! She is a really sweet baby. She will play and play, but then want to cuddle and cuddle.

This weekend Molly has really started taking more and more steps. She's so funny to watch. When she falls, she will usually just start her speed-crawling; but sometimes she will start walking on her knees....now that is a funny sight!

As soon as I get some of Lillie's (she was our party photographer) pictures I will post them.

It's hard

Being a working mother is hard. Being a shift-working mother is harder. And being a shift-working mother with a shift-working husband is even harder. I don't know if I'm going about this all wrong or what, but I can't seem to find that perfect medium for us. I have so much I want to do with my girls, but I can't seem to get it all done. Take this week for example. Monday, Molly was sick and stayed with my mom so I could work and Brian could sleep after working 12 hours Sunday night. I worked until 4:30p, picked Mary Claire up and headed home. We eat, pack everyone up and head to Wal-mart for a few necessary things. Then Tuesday, Brian works some extra duty and I work 2:30p-11p. Well, ends up we have to bring Mary Claire to urgent care for a possible UTI. Poor baby would scream as she tried to potty Brian said. She would also tell him she had a bo-bo and point to her "girl parts" as we call them. So we're both paranoid she has a UTI and get my mom and dad to pick her up and meet me at urgent care; Brian stays home with Molly so they can sleep as he has to get up early for work. Well, Mary Claire's urine was negative and we still are unsure of what's causing her discomfort. I took off Wednesday for Molly's birthday. We go take pictures at Penney's, go to lunch and then come home to try to take a nap; neither girl is having it. So my mom and I decide to do a Wal-mart run and as I'm getting Molly out of the car I notice a rash all over her belly and back. We get our shopping done and I call the doctor. Our pediatrician can actually see her! So we head over to the doctor. We wait close to 1.5 hours and find out that she does indeed have a double ear infection and that the rash is not an allergic reaction, but rather roseola - a virus. Joy. No wonder she's been fussy and cranky and clingy. Today is Thursday, my day off. Brian has to work, so I'm enjoying a kid-free day with my mom. Oh, I didn't mention this weekend when Molly had to be brought to urgent care twice and Brian was working nights. What's sad is that I'm feeling guilty about wanting a kid-free day today. I already work crazy hours and Brian does too. How is this affecting the girls? Do they know that we are indeed a family, even though we don't get to spend much time together? I know they know they have a mommy who loves them and a daddy who loves them, but do they know that mommy and daddy are one unit? I don't know. As I'm writing this, I'm thinking that maybe it's all the sickness that's causing this week to be hard. I'm very frustrated, but I'm not going to give up. We're still going to have some fun times!

I know this is alot of rambling and I don't even know if anyone will read it ever, but I feel much better about getting all of this off my chest and figuring out that it is most probably just a fluke week.

Happy Number ONE to Molly!

Happy birthday Sweet Molly! Molly has been walking more and more. Hopefully with this ear infection getting under control, we will soon have a toddler! So what did we do for Molly's birthday?? We had pictures made at JCPenney's. We had lunch at McAllister's with Nannie (and Aunt Billie was there, too!). We tried to take a nap. We went to Wal-Mart. We went to the doctor. Not only does Molly have a double ear infection, she has roseola to go along with it. That's why we've had lots of this lately:

But, hey, it's her birthday and she can cry if she wants to!
We also had supper with Nannie and Poppa and then went for frozen yogurt. Now this sweet girl is passed out and the rest of us are soon to follow!

Happy birthday sweet baby girl. Mommy and Daddy love you more than you'll ever know! We are proud of who you are and the little girl you are becoming. You will always be our sweet Molly girl!

Rebecca's ramblings

Molly has ear infection #4382. She hasn't really had that many; it just feels like it! Poor baby is pitiful. I brought her to Cenla Urgent Care Saturday night after Bella's birthday party. Diagnosis: bilateral ear infection. I asked them to give her an antibiotic shot and they wouldn't because she didn't have fever at the time. So we got an oral antibiotic called in. Saturday she played and ate decent and then about 6:45p she got really whiny and crawled over to me. I picked her up and she was burning up with fever (102.5F). Called Brian, and then called the urgent care clinic back. The girls and I packed up and headed back...this time for a r*cephin shot. I just couldn't send her to day care this morning; after I dressed her and forced her oral antibiotic down her throat along with some ibuprofen, she crawled to the middle of the bedroom floor and just laid her head down. So Nannie is keeping her today. We have a good Nannie!



I was so proud of Mary Claire at the clinic. She sat in the chair right next to me just like a big girl and when Molly got her shot she was tapping her on the back saying, "It's okay Molly, it's okay." She was asking all kinds of questions and I tried to answer them honestly enough and appropriately enough for her age.


I just hope Molly is better before her party! I have some high expectations for this party and will be disappointed if everything doesn't all come together.


I took off the end of this week and I can not wait to sleep late with my girls and then have fun this weekend! Nannie and I are bringing the girls to get their pictures made on Wednesday, which is Molly's actual birthday. We haven't decided what else we'll be doing, but I want it to be fun for both of them.

I can not believe my baby girl will be ONE tomorrow! This year went by way too fast and I'm sad to never have a baby to snuggle anymore. That being said, Molly has been very snuggly these past few days being sick. It's nice for a little while, but hard when I need to get things done!

Bella's birthday party

The birthday girl! Happy 4th birthday beautiful Bella!

Bella's big sister Emily (the best shot I got!)

Mary Claire had an absolute blast! I was really worried about when to start her in "regular" school....3 year old program or pre-K.....and I don't think I'll have to worry about anything! She jumped right in and played and slid and just had a lot of fun!

This sweet girl is Caroline. She helped Mary Claire navigate the big slide from the time we got there until she left! She goes to school with Emily. I just love this picture of Mary Claire talking to Caroline....hopefully we'll have many, many more sweet friends pictures like these in years to come!

Mary Claire's puppy

Hahaha! Mary Claire grabbed the mouthpiece to Brian's radio and pulled it and called him "her puppy!" What an imagination! I hope she keeps an imagination like that for many, many years!

Still walking her "puppy!" (Isn't Brian such a good daddy for letting her do this?!?!?!)

Giving Daddy good-bye sugars

Taking Daddy's pennies before she let him leave for work!

Happy birthday Poppa John!

We tried to get a picture of Poppa John on his birthday with his grandbabies......

and this is the best we got!

I'll take it! My girls LOVE my dad so much I get tears in my eyes thinking about it. My dad is an amazing grandfather!

Sleepless in Alexandria

When, oh when, will this cutie decide that night time is for sleep????



















We will have a good week, and then....bam!....she's up whining and then full out crying until she gets a bottle! Yes, I know it is probably teething, but I've medicated her before bed the last two nights and she's been up at 3am yesterday morning and then 4:15am this morning! Who knows! I'll just be glad for some full nights of sleep!

Our nightly yogurt....

now has a new recruit!

Isn't that the cutest little yogurt drinker???

And....she's taking steps!!!

Molly's photo shoot for her invitation

My very favorite!

Daddy's birthday pics....as promised

Our first birthday of September: Daddy!

My gorgeous man!


















Daddy and his cake

And a picture of Molly, Taylor, Tucker and Mary Claire waiting for cake!