And not a single concussion

IT's amazing to me how often my daughter hits her head. At least three or four times a day. I know this is just a stage of childhood, and it is pretty sad to hear her crying with her little red, teary eyes, and pouty mouth, but I have to admit, it is a little humorous.
Here is a sampling of the various locations around our apartment where Reese has nearly headbutted herself into unconsciousness...

On my way

Well, I finally did it. I took steps toward getting back into school this semester. Obviously, I'm a little slow on the uptake, since the new semester probably starts very soon, but I'm hoping maybe I can start late, or something. I don't know. Maybe I will have to wait until summer. BUT, I did schedule an appointment with DBU to check out their Adult Education program. I feel like such a retard doing the Adult Education program. It makes me feel soo old, not to mention it brings up memories of those obnoxious adults who were in my classes at TCJC, raising their hand after every stinking question, because they always had something to say. And it was never important enough for them to say it.

I'm desperate to go back to school. I love being a mommy, and while I'm technically not a stay-at-home mom, because I do have a job, I am with Reese all day, whether it be at home, the office or running work errands. I feel as though I am not really accomplishing much. In a sense, I guess I feel as though there's more to do with my life, and I'm not doing it. Being a mother is tremendously satisfying, fulfilling, and heart-warming, and I enjoy every bit of it. ANd, I realize that raising a child is a huge accomplishment, so I am not just sitting around wasting my life away or anything. But, I know that inside of me, I feel a little purposeless. There's a whole side of me that is not being nurtured, and I can sense myself getting antsy - like cabin fever. I'm frustrated when I see so many of my peers who have their degrees and have successful careers, because I know that should/could be me.

I know I have an ideal situation right now... being able to work and be with my daughter 24/7. And I love that. When I think about not being with her for the sake of a career, I seriously feel tears well up behind my eyes! I know that I'm probably, in a way, right where I should be in regards to her. And for that I'm extremely grateful. But I also want to achieve something for myself. I have no idea anymore what I want to do as a career. But, I know I want to have one, and I know school is the all-important first step in that direction.

So, all that to say, THIS Thursday at 12:30, I'm driving out to BFE (DBU) to go to a "meeting" about the Adult Education Program. I'm really excited and I'm really hoping it goes well.

Christmas Day

So, I realize Christmas is over, but I wanted to post this record of our holiday for posterity. Plus, I had already written it for myspace, so I might as well just copy it over to here. But I figured I should give people a few days to read my other million blogs from December 27. =)

First off, opening presents with my hubby at home. Which doesn't take too long at this point. =) Then, back to my parents' home for cinnamon rolls, coffee, (normally we have mimosas, but I forgot to buy the champagne) and present opening between our family, which takes an obscene amount of time. My parents buy a crazy amount of gifts.

Eating Grandma Jackie's cinnamon roll. Actually, attacking it... almost as if it were daddy's face.


Me and Reesey


Reese with Uncles Brandon and Bryce, and Aunt Meredith






Why I am the best wife ever...

Okay, I didn't buy it all myself... Several family members pitched in and as a GROUP, who was coordinated by ME, we gave Niles his XBox 360. And the following picture represents the next year (at least) of my life...

I'm not too sure about this...

You Are An ESFP

The Performer You are a natural performer and happiest when you're entertaining others. A great friend, you are generous, fun-loving and optimistic. You love to laugh - and you like almost all people equally. You accept life as it is, and you do your best to make each day fantastic. You would make a good actor, designer, or counselor.

What's Your Personality Type?

Christmas Eve!

So, here's the normal Christmas Eve agenda.
Christmas Eve service... followed by everyone in my family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. gathering back at my mom's for dinner. Normally lasagna, or something of the non-traditional sort. Then, following dinner, we all get really loud and hyper... and I mean chanting, screaming, shrieking, any sort of racket that comes with the frenzy of over-eating a bunch of fattening food you never let yourself eat, and getting new stuff you didn't have to pay for. Then we open presents from aunts, uncles, cousins... extended family. This normally doesn't end until at least 10 or 11, which usually is followed by movies, baking or just hanging out until we all decide to go home and go to bed. This year was a bit different, as Niles' family was in town. Their holiday tradition is somewhat different from the Cole family. A wee bit more laid-back. And, shall I say, quieter. =)
They usually go to Olive Garden for Christmas Eve dinner, and then go home to open their one present to each other. That's it! Much different from the normal chaos and insanity that I'm used to. But also much appreciated in these past couple years!!
Since the Holsingers were in town this year for the holidays, we decided to go ahead and do the Olive Garden tradition, and end up at my parents' house around 9 or so to join the crazies.
Here are the first pics from Reesey's first Christmas Eve
The obligatory Christmas Tree pose...


Olive Garden with Grandad


With her Uncle Grayson, whom she is CRRRazy about.


Just as a sidebar... When we Holsingers arrived at my parents' home, everyone was already seated, waiting for us to get there to open presents. As we trickled in, my entire family started screaming and clapping. Needless to say, I think Niles' family was a little shell-shocked!! I, on the other hand, jumped right into the screaming pit and started dancing and screaming like everyone else. It was awesome.
But here's Reese, and my cousin's daughter, Kiana, sitting on my dad's lap. He is the ultimate Grandpa.


Something you never thought you'd see...

Reesey's Favorite New Games

Playing with the dishwasher...


Emptying Mommy's Wallet...


And our new favorite, biting daddy's face.
She started off sweet... just laying with daddy, looking sweetly into his face...

and then, ATTACK!

a short break, letting daddy catch his breath


But, she's not quite done yet!!


She loves this game!!

PT Test

This blog is strictly for bragging purposes. My last boot camp class for this semester was yesterday morning, at 6am. Little did I know that we were taking our "PT Test". I couldn't tell you what that means, but it's important. You go through three rounds. One solid two-minute round each of situps and pushups, and then a two mile run. You get points for each round, according to the amount of repetitions you can do, and your time on the mile. The height of perfection is a 300. A score of 100 for each round. That doesn't necessarily mean 100 situps and 100 pushups. They (boot camp top dogs) have calculated how many pushups and situps each male or female SHOULD be able to do for their age group, and awarded points according to how many you do. A pushup is only counted if you go the distance to the floor that you are supposed to go. Also, you must do MAN pushups. No knees, ladies. If you do go to your knees, that's when you stop counting. So, if you get tired and feel like you have to break, you just hold your body straight. No dropping on your knees or you're "out". With situps, you have to always have your hands clasped behind your head, and you must always come completely up to your knees. Situps kill me. I have the hardest time with them. I have always been told you were supposed to do crunches, so who, for the last 10 years, has been doing situps?!?? A lot of people I guess. Just not me. Anyways, at the last PT Test, I did 50 something pushups, which is pretty good. THIS time, I did SIXTY TWO, thank you. Sit ups, last time, I grunted my way through 30. This time I did forty two!! Which was hard, hard, hard. Here's the cool part... On my last two-mile run, I ran it in 20:31. THIS time, I finished the two miles in a cool 17:45!! HECK, YEAH. Three minutes faster!! I'm pretty dang proud of myself.

So, like I said, the height of perfection is a score of 300. On the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders squad, a 280 is what you need to be on the "Power Squad". My score this time... a 240. So close, but gosh I've still got a ways to go.
But, my body fat percentage is 19.5%. Which, for a girl, is two and a half percentages towards LEAN!! Go me!!

Ramblings

I'm exhausted. This week is my first attempt at attending boot camp four times a week, as opposed to the usual three times. I had my third class this morning at 6, and I am beat, but feeling good and proud of myself. I know I talk about BC incessantly, but I have to say, I feel it's the best thing I've done for myself in a long, long, looong time. I'm investing in MYSELF. Not my baby, not my husband, not my family, my friends or my job... ME. I'm the one benefiting. And I'm challenging myself, all body, mind, and spirit. I've always been the girl who works out for several months, then quits for several months, and so on. This time, I feel so differently. I'm managing to create time for bettering myself, and everything else is falling in line around it. I feel quicker to the punch, capable, more confident, and just all-around more LIVELY. Shortly before my first class, I was feeling so down... so purposeless and just wondering what was going to be of me. I've come to the conclusion that once you become a mom, if you don't provide outlets for yourself to BE and to grow outside of being a mom, you can easily slip and slide into the mindset of feeling that your life does not belong to you at all anymore. (which, in a sense, it really doesn't... but you know what i mean) You can get very discouraged if only because of your exhaustion, and your sense of feeling overwhelmed at being NEEDED all the time. Or at least feeling needed all the time. I never thought it would be quite so tiring.

Let me put a little disclaimer here... I LOVE LOVE LOVE and adore my daughter. There is nothing that she could do or that she does to make me regret or even question her presence in my life. On the contrary, I can't imagine a life without her. It would seem so unfulfilling... so incomplete. If I woke up tomorrow and realized it had all been a dream, me and my husband would immediately try to have children. Trust me, we've had this conversation. NEVERTHELESS, it is a challenge... and it is hard. And there are days where I wonder if she will EVER go. down. for. her. flipping. nap!!! I will look constantly at the time and try to figure out how long till naptime... Luckily, I do have a child who is relatively good about naptime. But there are days. Lately, as of the last month or more, she has become extremely clingy, and really dependent on me especially. Not that this is unusual behavior for a child of ten months, but it can wear you out when every time you walk down the hallway, or into another room, you immediately hear crying and whining. Followed by the inevitable shuffling of little knees and hands on the floor in the general direction of where she thinks you might be. Despite my wishing she would be content playing on her own for a bit, I do have to smile when I hear her coming my way. Thus, the emotional roller coaster of motherhood. Lately, while we're home together, I'll go to "the ladies room" and while I'm in there, I hear her coming my way, and she'll stop in the doorway, peek her head in to see if I'm there, and get this huge smile on her face. Not totally in the bathroom... just peeking in. Maybe she realizes in some way that this is one place where mom needs a little privacy. She's so smart.

In other news... I'm ecstatic that it is Christmastime. I'm loving every second of it. I turn my tree on whenever I am at home, and for once, I'm actually proud of my tree!!! Even my Grinch-y husband seems to be enjoying Christmas this year, which is absolutely great. Not great, MARVELOUS. It's not that he's a grinch, although he kind of is... It's that, for one, he loves Thanksgiving, and he gets a bit defensive over the fact that immediately after Halloween the Christmas trees are out for sale, and everything seems to just skip right over November. For two, he hates the fact that people get so motivated buy buying presents. He can't stand crowds in the first place, so having to buy things for loved ones with money you normally don't have, in a mall where you normally don't like to be, with a bunch of people who are focused, and will run you over and kill your children if you threaten their chance at getting that last CD rack or Limited Edition whatever-Elmo, is not exactly his favorite thing to dol I'm sure it doesn't help that I gave him a list of ideas this year. =) But, hey, I knew he was having trouble thinking of something, and I ASKED him if he wanted ideas, and he said yes. SO, if he ever gives you the whole story about how I sent him a list, that, my friends, is the REAL STORY.

In other, other news... I FINALLY finished Marie Antoinette. I say finally, because it took me a nice, long, two months to read. Not that I regret it. I'm now feeling the need to research the entire French Revolution, as well as everyone involved, because I'm determined to find out whether it's justified to hate someone as much as the French hated her. If you are interested at all in reading historical biographies (i guess they are all technically historical) I would certainly recommend reading about her. Her life was fascinating, and tragic. The brutality of the French Revolution is nothing short of shocking, and the more I read about it now, the more I am horrified by the mob mentality during that time. I have been reading so much on Wikipedia while I'm at my computer during the day (working, of course), and I do mean all day. Because Wikipedia has this way of forcing you to click on nearly every link throughout every article, which then draws you into more articles... It's extremely addicting.

But not as addicting as this new computer game I found. JIGZONE.COM, people. Jigsaw puzzles online, are you kidding me!??!
Man, what a blessed life I lead. =)

Christmas Cards 2006

Okay, guys, I need your help. But it has to be quick... In fact, by the time you read this, I may have already compulsively chosen without you, BUT... I'm trying to pick the final picture for our FIRST family Christmas card!! And I can't decide. The best one, unfortunately (in my opinion) is the one where Niles isn't even looking at the camera, and I dont know if it looks odd or not...
So, anyway... bring on the constructive criticism!!

I'm certainly not opposed to using this one, regardless of the hanging child...


I'm thinking NO on this one, although Reese's face is hilarious.


And, one of my beautiful entire family. For good measure. =)

TURKEY DAY 06

THANKSGIVING GIRLS!!

Niles first attempt at gorging himself...
That one didn't quite do it... so here's plate #2...
Sufficiently stuffed...

Of course, we had to get the classic baby-in-the-leaves shot.
This is the real cool thing about my father-in-law... besides just being a composer extraordinaire, he collects model trains and builds these amazing structures...