A Look Back...

What did you do in 2010 that you’d never done before? Ummm.... Let me get back to you. This year wasn't all that big in the "firsts" department.

Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't do resolutions. However, I've taken a break from running/working out these last two months, and I'll be starting that back up on Monday. But I wouldn't call that a resolution. I just wanted a break and this seems like a good time to start back up, especially since I've gained 5 pounds during my break. Thank you, awesome holiday food :)

Did anyone close to you give birth? Yes, my beautiful, chubby niece Camryn was born :)

Did anyone close to you die? No. Thankfully.

What countries did you visit? The Bahamas

What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? More patience and an iPad :)

What date(s) from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? October 22- Camryn's birth and I think that's about it.

What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finding peace with the things I can't change/have no control over. Mainly adoption stuff.

What was your biggest failure? I guess parenting stuff.

Did you suffer any illness or injury? Nope. Again, thankfully this was a very healthy year for us :)

What was the best thing you bought? hmmm... I don't know.

Whose behavior merited celebration? Shiloh's, when she started peeing and pooping in the potty :)

Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? No one close to me, so I'll have to say Obama :)

Where did most of your money go? Bills

What did you get really, really, really excited about? Shiloh becoming potty trained, but it also made me a little sad.

What song will always remind you of 2010? Even though it came out in 2009, I would have to say Train "Soul Sister" -Shiloh's favorite song.

Compared to this time last year, are you:happier or sadder? happier
thinner or fatter? about the same
richer or poorer? about the same

What do you wish you’d done more of? I wish I had spent more time on myself... Girl's night outs, pedicures... Whatever, just more time to myself.

What do you wish you’d done less of? Thinking about things I don't have, instead of focusing on all that I've been blessed with.

How will you be spending New Year’s? Dinner with a bunch of people then Zach and Alli's for the ball drop

Did you fall in love in 2010? I fell in love with my niece :) But, I guess in the way they are asking, no.

What was your favorite TV program? Sons of Anarchy

What was the best book you read? Atlas Shrugged. And I'm so proud of myself for reading it. GREAT book, by the way.

What was your greatest musical discovery? Breaking Benjamin. I actually discovered them at the end of last year, but I expanded my collection of their music and love for them this year :)

What did you want and get? A breadmaker for Christmas

What did you want and not get? A larger tv for our bedroom.

What was your favorite film of this year? I don't think I have a favorite. Some good ones were Toy Story 3, Inception.... And that's about all I remember.

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? This year Brandon (march 31st) and I (march 30th) celebrated our birthdays together and had a low country boil at my house. I turned 28, as did Brandon.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Winning the lottery :) I don't know.

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Comfy? I don't think I have a personal fashion concept... Those words mean nothing to me.

What kept you sane? Prayer

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Gerard Butler and Jax Teller from Sons of Anarchy. I can't recall his real name.

What political issue stirred you the most? ObamaCare... I cried when it was passed. True story. You can all laugh now.

Who did you miss? Family in general. I thought about Richard's mom a lot this year. I think about how things would be different if she was still with us.

Who was the best new person you met? Camryn... I didn't meet a lot of new people this year.

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010:
I don't know. I've been spending a good bit of time lately trying to just focus on what I have and remembering to be thankful for all of the little things that are easily missed. Just be happy.

Christmas Rundown

I'm feeling a bit lazy and not wanting to write an actual post with full paragraphs and all, but it's been over a week since I've posting anything, so here's a quick rundown of what we've been up to....

1. Shiloh got a "new" playground. Richard picked it up 2 weekends ago and spent last weekend pressure washing it and starting the reconstruction of it. He has basically achieved his goal of finishing it in time for Christmas. It just needs to be leveled and some swings still need to go up.
2. We're all ready for Christmas! In all honesty, we've been ready for awhile. The house was decorated and the tree was put up the first weekend of December, and gifts have been wrapped since the first week of the month. I can't believe Christmas is only 2 days away, but at the same time it feels like it will never be here!
3. Today Shiloh told me that she is kind of afraid of Christmas, and Santa coming into her house. I assured her that Santa is only going to come in real quick to leave her presents and then he'll be moving onto the next house. She is pretty excited about the reindeer, though. We're going to make reindeer food on Friday and put it outside on the front lawn so they can find our house :)
4. We'll be having Christmas dinner this year with our friends Dale and Laci (and family). Since we can't be with family on Christmas, I'm excited that this year we'll have someone to be with. Ever since Shiloh as born it has just been us, which isn't bad, but it will be nice to have people to share the day with.
5. On Monday Shiloh and I are heading to my sister's house (in NC) to visit with my family. My parents, along with my other sister, are driving down on the 26th and staying through the 30th. This will be the first time my dad and sister get to meet baby Camryn :)
6. As of now, it looks like there will be snow in Georgia on Christmas!!! It looks like it should be raining when we wake up and then turn to snow later. I'm trying not to get my hopes up regarding this, but, oh, it would make this the greatest Christmas since I moved down here. I guess we'll see.
7. I love Christmas!!!!

I hope everyone out there has a safe, happy, and blessed Christmastime!!

Snow, Snow, Snow!!

For the first time, in the seven years that I've lived in Georgia, it actually feels like it's Christmas!! Why, might you be asking? Because it's SNOWING!!! Every year that I've lived down here come December we're still outside in jeans and long sleeves (with no jacket), but not this year! As I type this, our wind chill outside is 7 degrees. That's pretty unheard of down here, in ANY month. Yesterday we had flurries from 11 am until around 5 pm, and this morning when Shiloh and I woke up it was snowing again.

This video was taken at our friend Brandon's house. He lives in the 4th part of the neighborhood (we're in the 2nd part), so this shows you what it was like in our area yesterday :)

Now I need to go throw some chili in the crock pot and get a fire started! I love this weather :)

ETA- I just watched the video, and unless you enlarge it, you see nothing.

Wordless Wednesday: Shiloh's First Homemade Ornament

Life Is Slippery. Here, Take My Hand.

Family Pictures Sneak Peek!

We spent the evening of the 14th at Stone Mountain having family photos taken. Here is a little sneak peek from the photographer. This week or next we should be receiving a cd containing all of the pictures, so be prepared for a picture overload some time in the next week!

Wordless Wednesday: Happy 235th Birthday!

A Couple Of Funny, Little Stories I'd Like To Remember

This past weekend Richard decided it was time to bathe the dogs. It's easiest for him to just climb on into the tub with each one, so he strips down to his boxer briefs and does the job. Shiloh was hanging out in the bathroom enjoying the spectacle. As Richard continued to wash the first dog, the bathtub continued to fill up with more and more water, until I heard Shiloh yell, "Look, Daddy! Your big girl panties are going to get all wet!"



Shiloh's current obsession is Candyland. She received it for her birthday and has insisted on playing it MULTIPLE TIMES just about EVERY DAY. Every time we play Shiloh must find all of the pink cards first and then hand them to me one by one. This morning she asked to play AGAIN and without thinking I grabbed all of the cards and started shuffling them. At that point Shiloh turned to me with a very serious face and said, "Mommy, if you took my pink cards I will crush you."

Wordless Wednesday: Thanks To Shiloh, We Might Now Have Pictures With Each Other

A Late "Happy Halloween"

Shiloh with friends, Tristyn and Easton

Shiloh Has A Pretty Awesome Daddy (or at least I think she does)

Wordless (not really) Wednesday: Fall

The last few falls down here haven't been all that impressive. It seemed like as soon as the leaves started to change, they were on the ground. But not this year!! I know this isn't the greatest picture or view, but it's the prettiest one I can remember seeing in a long time :)

LOVE

More Camryn!

Happy Birthday, Camryn!!!

Camryn Love Outen

October 22, 2010

at 2:51 am

8 lbs 13 oz, 21 1/2 inches

Fun facts:

-Camryn is the 3rd great grandchild on my mom's side of the family to be born on this date.

- Five out of the eight great grandkids on my mom's side of the family were born in October.

- She's a Marcinick! Richard even mentioned that he noticed some similarities between Camryn and my baby pictures. I do too, but I didn't want to be the one to say it. :)

C'mon Camryn!

Shiloh and I will be leaving in about an hour and a half for North Carolina to meet my first niece, Camryn!! Andrea is scheduled to be induced first thing tomorrow morning at 5 am! Wish her luck and say a prayer for a nice and easy delivery! And return tomorrow for pictures :)

ETA: Andrea's water broke around 8:30 pm. Looks like Camryn is coming on her own!! :)

Wordless Wednesday: First Haircut

If Laughter Is The Best Medicine, Shiloh Is Keeping Me Very Healthy!

I couldn't pass up posting this little story on the blog.

Earlier today Shiloh was sitting on the potty while I was doing some cleaning. I wasn't paying much attention to her (I could hear her singing so I knew she was okay), and she had been in there for awhile, so I went to check on her. I was walking into the kitchen from the dining room so I was able to see Shiloh before actually reaching the bathroom (she had the door open so I could see in). What I saw was absolutely hilarious. There, standing on the open toilet seat, was a naked Shiloh, singing and dancing/shaking her hips while looking at herself in the mirror. I was able to get my camera and take a picture before she noticed me, but I need to figure out how to edit her privates out before I even think about posting it.

Oh, Shiloh! You always find a way to brighten my day!

Wordless Wednesday: My Second Favorite Shiloh Picture

Wordless Wednesday: My New Favorite Shiloh Picture

Questions For Richard

(I'm she)

1. She’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Teen Mom
I guess, if it's Tuesday night. Don't judge. One of the girls on the show placed her daughter, so I was sucked in.

2. You’re out to eat, what kind of dressing does she get on her salad?
Ranch
Correct.

3. What’s one food she doesn’t like?
Boiled Peanuts
True and disgusting

4. You go out to eat and have a drink, what does she order?
Red Bull and Vodka
If we were out to dinner I'd probably get a sweet tea, but if we're talking strictly about alcoholic beverages it would probably be a daiquiri

5. What shirt size does she have?
Richard: Are you wearing one of my shirts?
Me: No, what size do I wear.
Richard: So, girl sizes?
Me: Yes... Small, Medium, or Large.
Richard: Large... because of your boobs?
Medium

6. What shoe size does she have?
7.5
Either 7 or 7.5, depends on the shoe

7. What’s her favorite type of sandwich?
Reuben
Correct

8. What would she eat everyday if she could?
Confetti Cookie Sandwiches
Probably fast food. I know that's so gross, but it's true.

9. What is her favorite cereal?
Frosted Mini Wheats
Correct

10. What would she never wear?
A bare midriff shirt
Correct

11. What is her favorite sports team?
Buckeyes
Duh

12. What is something she does that you wish she wouldn’t do?
Leave eyebrow hair that I plucked on the sink
I have been known to not clean up every single hair I plucked.

13. What is her heritage?
Polish
Polish, Ukrainian, English, and something else

14. You bake her a cake, what kind of cake?
You don't like cake
Good job

15. Did she play sports in high school?
Not in high school
True. I played soccer up until high school

16. What could she spend hours doing?
Reading
If it's a good book, yes.

17. What is the unique talent that she has?
Winning the lottery
I guess. I won $500 twice on instant lotto tickets.

18. What is her type of coffee?
You don't drink coffee
Correct

Happy 3rd Birthday, Shiloh!!!

(3 days ago) Better late than never, right?

I was dreading this birthday. Even though I kept telling myself I need to write a blog post by the 1st, I also kept finding other things to do instead.

Our family had an awesome birthday weekend, though. We picked grammy (my mom) up from the airport Thursday night and dropped her off to head back home yesterday afternoon. I definitely pulled away from the airport with a sobbing Shiloh in the backseat. She loves her grammy!

Her birthday party was great! We decided to go with a balloon themed party this year because this birthday had become quite an emotional one for me (I feel like my baby is all gone) and I just couldn't get into it. The balloon theme idea seemed easy and simple (it was). It turned out well, though. We filled the house with balloons, the kids loved it and it looked pretty cool, too.

Here are a few pictures from our weekend....

Eating her pink birthday donut

Birthday flowers from grammy and grandpa. It's a tradition
Openning a present from grammy and grandpa... Five pairs of princess shoes :)

Ready to open presents from mommy and daddy

There were more balloons in the kitchen and toy room :)




Shiloh, Kim and Jerrell (Kim's dad)
One last bounce before we had to take it back the next day

Another Wordless Wednesday: The True Shiloh

Wordless Wednesday: Gwinnett County Fair

First Day Of School

Homeschool preschool, that is.

Since Shiloh won't actually go to preschool until she is 4 (going on 5), we joined a homeschool preschool group this year. It is made up of seven 2-3 year olds; the oldest turned three last month, and the youngest turns three in June. Two of the moms were teachers (preschool and kindergarden) before having kids, so they run it and the other moms help out. We meet for 2-2 1/2 hours every Tuesday morning. We'll meet like this for the remainder of the regular Gwinnett County school year. Each week we do a new lesson plan (for the most part), every month we'll do 2-3 field trips, and there is even homework (usually just a craft that pertains to that weeks lesson).

I think this is going to be so good for Shiloh. I'm most excited about the socialization aspect of this. She doesn't see much of other kids, unless we're at the park or the play area of Chik-Fil-A or Mcdonald's, so we'll get to work more on sharing, taking turns, and openning up to kids she doesn't know. Also, she'll get to work on taking directions from someone other than mommy or daddy.

Today was a great first day for her. The first thing we did was music. She didn't really participate in that, even though she knew one of the songs (Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes), but she did stand there nicely and watch everyone else. After that we went into the "classroom" and read a book about our bodies, during which Shiloh sat very nicely on the rug and listened intently. Next we talked about the letter "A" and number zero. Each kid got to try drawing an "A" and a zero on a dry erase board. When that was done we split into small groups and worked at three different stations. One station was letters and numbers. Each child was given a paper with the little and big A on it. They then took an apple stamp and traced along the letters with the stamps. We also worked on writing the number zero. The next station was folder activities. There were three different folders; a big/little folder, a same/different folder, and a shape sorting folder. The last station was decorate your own birthday cake. We talked about when each kids birthday is and then they decorated a birthday cake cut-out and glued on a candle with their birthday written on it.

I believe next week we'll be talking about "our community". If I'm remembering correctly, I think a field trip to Pulix is planned as well (apparenlty they give tours to kids).

P.S.- Before Shiloh was born, Kim gave me some pictures of herself ranging from age 3- high school age. In this picture Shiloh looks like a blonde haired, 3 year old Kim. It's interesting to me, because Kim's features have never really stood out in Shiloh. I've never looked at her and thought, wow, she looks likes Kim/I see a lot of Kim in her, but lately there have been a couple of pictures where I've thought just that. I guess it's kind of neat for me to see. Since I can't find myself or Richard in her (and I don't know who her birth dad is), it's neat to be able to see SOMEONE in her. If that makes sense. Anyway....

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Hurricane Season Is Good... For Us.

For those of you who don't know, Richard is a Claims Adjuster. He basically works for a company that audits insurance claims. Before an insurance company pays on a claim they send it to ASI (the company Richard works for) for Richard, or one of his many coworkers, to audit and ensure that all of the contractors prices are fair. Richard is paid based on these claims (commission). He receives a minimal salary, but the majority of his pay comes from the claims. The larger the claim, the more he makes off of it. Things have been quite slow this year. Winter was slow, as to be expected, but summer has been just about as slow as winter. Because of this we've been anxiously awaiting hurricane season, which brings me to the point of my post...

It's hard having a husband who gains financially from other people's disasters. We could really use a good hurricane right now, too. With Shiloh's birthday, Brayden's birthday, Camryn's birth, a trip to Michigan for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Austin's birthday the day after Christmas, these next few months are going to be quite expensive. I told Richard the other night that if we ever adopt again, I will require that the child be born between the months of March and June. (I was joking, of course. I think) Anyway. It's hard not to feel guilty while hoping that by the end of this week quite a few Long Islanders need a new roof. (Richard is one of only two people who has a license to work on NY claims)

I Have Been Waiting Months To Do This!!

Seriously. I have tried begging, negotiating, and bribing. Finally, yesterday while at the park I told her that if she let me put her hair in a ponytail she wouldn't be so hot. That's all it took! It was a good day.

On a sidenote, we bought Shiloh a new car seat. It is AWESOME!! It is solid and offers so much support for Shiloh. I love that it has padding anywhere the straps might touch her skin. For example, there is padding for her shoulders/neck area, in between her legs, and where the harness snaps into place. The best feature of all though is the recline. Everytime Shiloh fell asleep in her old car seat her head immediately dropped down. Not in this one!! She's fallen asleep three times since we purchased it and her head has stayed up everytime. If anyone out there is in the market for a new car seat, I highly recommend this one. Oh yeah, it's the Graco Nautilus 3-in-1. One last feature, this will be her final car seat. When she is old enough we can take the back off and it becomes a booster seat.