checking in.

Well, my hiatus from blogging lasted a lot longer than I had initially thought.

There have been big, big, BIG changes for our family since I last sat at my computer to share anything with you all. Quickly, here are a few things that have kept us on our toes:

• Z changed jobs at Christmastime! 
• I started school!
• L has transitioned from mommy 24/7 to his grandmothers twice a week. 
• Stig is over 6 months old and about 65 pounds if I'd wager a guess.
• We've all battled a sickness I brought home.
• My dad's been away multiple times for many weeks on end. 
• My FIL suffered a new injury and is still undergoing chemotherapy.
• Z joined handbells at Church & started Bible study
• LENT: we've given up ALL fast-food and started exercising daily.

In addition, there have been a multitude of other "that's just life" occurrences that have kept us occupied over the last three months.

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In all honesty, I am not sure I will ever enter back into blogging the way I had before. I really did enjoy my time away, and I liked not having to worry about taking pictures of things because I had to blog them. Lightening up in that way has really allowed me to enjoy myself, put myself in the moment, and let things happen without my being so worried about posing and capturing this and that. Having said that, I never upload the pictures from my camera to my computer anymore, and I still haven't loaded all the Christmas ones. I might not have even picked up my camera in over two and a half months.

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As far as everything else goes?

Yes, Z is very happy in his new job. He is working with three other veterinarians at a high volume clinic that keeps him busy. His boss is an absolute dream and I have threatened on more than one occasion to kiss her on the mouth when we meet for the first time. Z misses some of his friends from the old clinic, but this move has really been for the best. He is a dedicated, enthusiastic practitioner and I'm happy to see him in a clinic where he feels that he is being put to the best use. We're all thankful for his new job and his great reputation in the vet community that allowed the move to be quick and easy. 

L has transitioned well into his new day-care style routine. He stays with my mom on Tuesdays and my MIL on Thursdays. We are a very blessed family in that we all truly love one another. I share news with my in-laws as quickly as I share it with my parents and I cannot even begin to gush enough about what a great treat it is to have all four of our parents so involved in our son's life. He loves, loves his grandparents and even is building a relationship with Z's grandmother that makes me so happy. Grandmother Dorothy is the sweetest woman on the planet and she truly adores her great-grandsons. We're glad L is able to have a relationship with her. 

-- as far as changes in my toddler: we're about to start potty training. I believe his involvement at school has been instrumental as he is now much more conscious of the "pee-pee potty" concept. He also is becoming more adept with the English language, we've found he doesn't really attempt words unless he can pronounce them adequately and enjoys putting sentences together. He is constantly asking to go to "Nanny and Papa's house" and he tells us with almost a timed precision that he "loves choo-choo trains." We're all very proud of him, he's showing great signs and his great-grandmother on my side and his grandmother, both highly educated educators (yes, dissect that sentence), are very impressed by his ability to recite the alphabet without having to sing it. I don't really know what this indicates, but I'm proud of the little guy. 

Now. To be utterly selfish, onto myself! I had major reservations about going back to college. I wasn't very excited when the start date drew near, but after two weeks I was completely enamored. I'm currently "on" Spring Break and even confessed to my mother yesterday that I really would rather go to class next week than take the time off. I hope it doesn't come across as haughty when I say I'm succeeding beyond my wildest expectations and am so extraordinarily happy with the feedback I'm getting. The former department head, a very renowned rhetorician, my current Rhetorical Theory professor, has completely changed the way I think and look at things when I'm writing and I can feel myself growing as a writer. My Caribbean Literature Senior Seminar professor, a founding co-editor of a renowned Caribbean literature publication, has encouraged me to look into Graduate studies and has invited me to take part in a Caribbean Literature Symposium this summer. This is a tremendous honor for an undergraduate student and I am thrilled to be a part of it. I am also taking Arthurian Literature and my professor in there is so intelligent, so learned in her field that it's almost scary. I have learned more in this semester than I feel I ever have before. 

In addition to learning about "Book A" and "Journal Article 3894," I have learned so much about myself these past few months. My Caribbean class in particular is very involved with understanding self-acceptance, self validation, interior versus exterior affirmation and the importance of self versus community and discussing these topics, dissecting them, has allowed me to really scrutinize myself. When I said in December I wasn't happy with my blog, I think the larger issue at hand was I wasn't happy within my own skin. I've made some pretty drastic changes, removed some lamentable entities from my life and am coming down much happier in the end. Knowing that I have the respect of my professors and my peers has really made me understand what I want to work for and where I need to be to be happy. Having said that, I'm very lucky to have a handful of very good, understating and patient friends who have been tremendously supportive and have celebrated my successes with me these past few months, making me feel like my decisions I've made recently have been absolutely on point. It's nice to know that whatever casualties there are in my personal life along the way, I have the support of my family and a few very precious friends who will still be there when I'm where I want to be.

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Well, that is really all I want to say for now. I find that I don't enjoy sitting down to write about "us" and "me" very much. This used to be my one space where I was sharing my writing publicly, but now that I have professors reading my work multiple times a week, I find that to be enough to satiate my need to have my writing "out there." As a matter of fact, while my toddler is occupied with my iPhone, I think I'll indulge a little and work on a couple of papers and reading assignments I have over break. I don't know what has changed for me, maybe it's maturity, maybe it's a drive to set an example for my son that I can be proud of, but I'm definitely a much better student now than I was before. I WANT to read, I WANT to do my work and I want to be in class every single day. It's really remarkable. And to be frank? I'm proud of myself. I'm proud of L and I'm proud of Z. 2012 has turned out to be the year that our family betters itself and I'm really looking forward to what the rest of the year has to offer. 

I'll check back in... but I can't promise it'll be before school lets out in May. Priorities and all that. Maybe next time, I'll even post pictures! If you're interested in the meantime, I do tweet with disgusting regularity. I even post pictures so you can see just how much my toddler has changed, or catch a glimpse of my new life as old-lady college student. You can find me HERE. 

my two toddlers

Okay, I hope you're ready for a cuteness overload. 

My son is in love. Deeply, completely in love. With our dog. His favorite word  is "buppy" and he cannot function in the morning unless he's located the baby. They're perfect little playmates, completely delighted with each other and I know this relationship is something that will define Liam's childhood. He will tell his children about Stig. And I'm so glad that we went ahead and got the baby, this is something that I am so glad to give Liam. There's not quite a relationship like the one you have with a dog you can't even remember not having. 

These pictures were taken a little while ago, Stig is MUCH larger now. And smart as a darned whip. 

So you see why I'm letting this blog fall by the wayside? I might miss one of their precious moments together. 

a tailgate thanksgiving.

 Ah.

Hello blog. How ya been? 

Let's get right into it, shall we?

This past Thanksgiving, we opted OUT of the traditional sit-down at home dinner in lieu of tailgating in Aggieland before the last tu game for Dodds God knows how long. Whatever. Don't get me started.

Of course we won't discuss the OUTCOME of the game...

{and by WE, I totally mean commenters, cha?}

So. We bought a fancy plastic table cloth and set up in the parking lot, in OUR spot, under the tent and enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal my mom miraculously cooked the day before/of and managed to get all the way to CS warm and tasty. 

 We all even looked cute and festive, so Dad decided to try and get a decent picture...

But of course, Liam had other ideas. 

Some of our absolute FAVORITE people in the whole world, the Williamsons, dropped by and that made us super happy. They live in our neighborhood, no more than 1 minute away by car. It's awesome. Christine and I have known each other since our brothers were kids in elementary school together, so probably since 1995 or so? That's a long damn time, yo.

They're too damn cute.

My dad, hubs and I headed into the stadium around 6:00 (to ensure we got to see the corps, and the senior day stuff) as the sun was headed down. I love being in Aggieland. OH SO MUCH.

Kinda awesome to know that XII will never be there again. 

In my mind, the picture below totally has a soundtrack. 

NOBLE MEN OF KYLE.

It rocks my face off.

Corps March-in.

Student section.

I can TOTALLY sit over there next year. As we welcome some of the BEST TEAMS in the country to Kyle. Oh yeah. 

The students again. 

Now. WE MAY NOT have had the larger number on the scoreboard when regulation time was over. 

BUT. BUT. BUT.

We ALWAYS win HALFTIME.

You may want to check out the band's performance, looking in particular for the Four-Way, which they do once a year, and is the signature big !!! move for them. It occurs at around 3:00 in -- they're setting it up at 3 minutes, it's amazing. I wish I could video so much better, wish I'd had an actual video camera instead of my little point and shoot. Apologies for the commentary by myself, my spouse, my dad and our neighbors.

my sahm syndrome

I'm in my last days as a StayAtHomeMom. I say this because come January, I'll be enrolled as a student at the most wonderful University on the planet. So my days are going to be busier, my Tuesdays and Thursdays (and possibly Mondays) are going to be spent in a city an hour and a half away from home.

Part of me is terrified. I know on Tuesdays Liam will have his daddy to take care of him, and on Thursdays he'll have my mom, but it still makes me nervous to be so far away from him with that much regularity. What if he's sick and needs me? What if something happens at school and I'm not able to be reached immediately? I've always had a hard time not being with Liam at all times. I was extremely possessive of him as a newborn and when anyone else would hold him and he'd cry I'd get agitated to the point where my heart would race, my palms would sweat and I could feel a panic attack coming on. It wasn't pretty, but I needed my baby and he needed me. Things have since gotten better, obviously, because Liam is becoming so much more independent, but it still makes me a little panicky to think that I'm going to be busy with something that'll take my attention away from him to such an extent.

Part of what troubles me is that I have friends who don't have children, who have jobs, and they can't see where I'm going to be busy, where going back to school is going to add any stress to my life. I had one friend ask me why it's taken me so long to get much accomplished with my current writing project since I "don't work and don't have anything to do all day." Not only does that attitude make me stabby, but I think it's a little... inconsiderate? I mean, sure with two incomes coming into a household, you can afford a new car, or a maid, or a yard service. With one income and an immense amount of student loans? I AM the maid. I AM the cook. I AM everything. And I don't mind. I don't need a maid, my mom never did, why should I (not going to lie, I'll probably be begging for a maid come February when I'm elbows deep in reading and writing assignments with housework also on my to-do list)? But contrary to what a lot of people seem to think about a SAHM, it isn't just sitting around all day.

I don't need to tell most of you that, and I'm sure a lot of you have faced similar attitudes, but I resent the attitude that SAHMs stay at home because they're lazy and don't want to work. It's an uninformed opinion, and anyone who's stayed home with a child knows that, but I don't like the judgement that comes from it. Part of what irritates me is when I tell people I'm going back to school, people immediately ask me what job I'm going to try and get with my degree when I'm done. To be honest, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Or what I want to do. I don't think, unless something amazing comes along, that I'll pursue anything until Liam is in school 5 days a week. I don't want him in daycare. I want him in preschool and at home. In the grand scheme of things, the time you have with your child where they're NOT busy all the time is very short, and to me, I think it's very precious, so I want to be with him.

I feel a little off topic. The change that's coming OH SO SHORTLY has me a little intimidated as well. I have really enjoyed my time with Liam. I enjoy picking him up from school. And I'm getting down to only a couple more days left of doing that. I mean, we've got this week of school, none next week, and a couple of weeks in December. Then? I'm done. I won't take him. I won't pick him up. I won't have anyone to talk to in the car. Maybe I'm hormonal, because on any given day when people ask me what I'm most looking forward to about going back to school, I quickly reply with "the drive, I can't wait to drive in my car, by myself, with my music as loud as I want it, playing whatever I want." I know. You're judging me. But At the same time, I'm pretty sure once April rolls around, I'll be way over that.

To cut a long story short, and I could go on if you wish, I'm sad to see my every-days at home with Liam coming to an end. I'm a mommy who drops everything if her child comes up and wants to be held, or climbs into my lap for a cuddle. But, I am also thinking that my Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at home with Liam will be all the more enjoyable.

I'm not only giving up days with my son to go back to school, I'm giving up my day with my spouse. His Tuesdays off are a treat. We go out to lunch as a family a lot, we grocery shop together... I won't be here. And that kind of sucks. But. The SOONER I'm done, the SOONER I'm back with my family 24/7. So bring it on, Department of English at  the College of Liberal Arts at Texas A&M University. I'm ready.

And you better know, the epic pictures I'm going to post when I graduate will make you want to punch me in the face. You've been warned. Because Liam will be looking spiffy!

halloween 2k11

This year, Halloween was a lot of fun. 

Because Liam was actually a lot more into the whole thing, once he figured out he was getting candy from people. 

I made his costume and put together Zach's, then used mine from last year.  So here we are:

Liam is Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Zach is Ace Ventura from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective or Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

I am The 11th Doctor from Doctor Who.

And yes, Liam was EXTREMELY cranky and I never got to finish his face makeup. Whatever.

Can you believe Liam actually wore that WHOLE costume ALL night?! Yeah, neither can we. 

It was so much fun, and I can't wait to put together costumes next year. I'm actually feeling a lot more confident and I'm hoping to challenge myself next year.

meet the stig.

On October 16th (when we should have been driving back from Dallas, don't even get me started or I'll go OFF) we officially made our family right again by adding a brand new baby Bloodhound to our ranks.

He is absolutely wonderful, except for the fact that... wait for it...

I don't like puppies. 

Nope, I don't. I LOVE what I know my puppy will turn into, and I love my puppy, but I don't like puppies very much. Anyway.

So here he is: 

THE HUGO STIGLITZ

or, STIG, for short.

Yes, that's his official name, as is registered with the AKC. He is named after both one of my all time favorite movies, and my all time favorite TV shows. Which makes him all kinds of awesome. 

On the ride home:

 Quick potty break at home:

Liam and Stig meet for the FIRST TIME.

 This, folks, this IS LOVE.

Happy with my two boys.

BFFs already.

 My favorite picture of them so far: 

 Yeah, he eats his legs.

This has become our afternoon routine, all the kiddos in the yard (minus the cat, duh).

Liam showing Stig all the wonderful things in the Halloween candy bucket. 

We've had him for two and a half weeks and it's been great. He's smart as a whip and has already learned what we want him to do when we say 'sit,' 'come,' 'lay down' or when we snap our fingers. You can see how much he's grown in such a short time if you compare that last photo to the photo of Liam and Stig in the kennel together. 

Insanity. He is 100% the reason my blogging has fallen off, he and Liam together, it's like having twins. I swear to you, I couldn't be happier that we've chosen to hold off on more kids at this point because I'd be literally going insane. Because I'm about five seconds away from it most of the time as it is now. But, it's a happy kind of chaos and it's nice to have a bloodhound back in the house.We're excited that he's here and that he's so fun and silly and that he and Liam love each other so much. 

Welcome to the family, Stiglet, we're happy to have you!

my little triple 'b'

No, despite the fact that TODAY is my birthday...

(pausing for awww, congrats and all that)...

this post is in NO WAY related to MY birth.

In fact, that triple B I mentioned is this:

our Baby BOY Bloodhound!!

That's right folks, we "have" a new member of the family. He's three weeks old today. We found him at a breeder in Comfort/Sisterdale outside of good ole San Antone. 

He is one of four pups (you only see three pups on the LITTER PAGE because the breeder is keeping one of his sisters) and the only boy. We are elated he was born, because we love his mom and dad and Zach really wanted a Liver & Tan bloodhound this time around. 

Have a look at our breeder's page-- they've got some truly gorgeous dogs. Also? They used to have Jethro, too. It's fate people.

Well, it's either that, or it's an illustration of just how unoriginal a namer I was when I came up with it. 

Also, had we gotten a girl instead of a boy when we got Jethro, we'd have named her Lady Bird. Yeah, after King of the Hill. And the Boerners have a Lady Bird as well. 

Yep.

BUT.

WITHOUT further ado:

Meet Boerner's The Hugo Stiglitz!! That's gonna be "Stig" for short.

Birthday: 08/25/11

Stig: 1 week old.

Sister 2, Stig, Sister 3.

Stig: 3 weeks old.

Yes, we are beyond excited.

Yes, his nose is supposed to be light and it will stay that color.

Yes, right now his eyes are blue. 

Yes, they will darken to a pretty shade of hazel. 

Yes, this is normal for a L&T bloodhound.
Finally, yes, this is ALL the growing our family will be doing for a while. 

I cannot wait to get my hands on his perfectly formed baby self. 

His gotcha day? In exactly 1 month and 2 days: 10/17/11.

No, we're not counting down the minutes or anything...