Falling Queen

While I was with Sydney in the bathroom the other day, Addyson fell off one of the kitchen chairs AGAIN onto the hardwood floor and bumped her head hard, as to give her a HUGE purple goose-egg. BUT, it wasn't bad enough to take her to the hospital again, thank goodness. I wondered why she falls so much and realized that when she gets on the chair or table, she starts to dance, then loses her footing and falls. I can't be right by her side every second, and I didn't know what to do! I couldn't take away the chairs completely, so I just laid them down. This is what our kitchen now looks like. It drives me nuts, but it's worth it. Addyson is FURIOUS with me, however, for doing this. She let's me know, and tries to lift them back up. It has prevented any future heart-attacks on my part, so that's always a good thing. Sydney thought it was cool the first day and made it her cave. Now, it's just the way it is. After we get done eating, however, I have to be quick to lay the chairs back down b/c Addyson is VERY fast and will run and climb up into the chair as soon as any bum leaves it.

Sydney wanted me to take her picture all day, so I got one of her and her Scooby/skateboard puzzle that she put together. She is GREAT at puzzles and has been since she was two.














Sydney and Addyson put all the toys/ balls/ chair/ stuffed animals that they could possible fit into the toy box and got in there with them. Sydney, of course, wanted me to take their picture. they were so proud of themselves.

The things she says....

I just had to write down a few funny things Sydney has said lately....

-"Holy Matrimony!!!"....instead of Holy Moly

-"Mom, at school we learned about community helpers and that if you throw up you have to call the psychiatrist".

-"Mom, do you have a baby brother in your tummy yet?"

-"Can I marry you mom?"

-to a man 5 inches away at the wrestling tournament this weekend that had long dread-locks ..."MOM, HE LOOKS LIKE A GIRL!!!!"

- She didn't say this, but when we were at a restaurant a while ago, a HUGE, fat man came in behind us. While we were about to follow the hostess to our seat, she turned around and slapped his big belly and then ran off. I was mortified, but wanted to laugh soooooo bad that I might have started leaking tears b/c I was holding it in. I couldn't even talk to apologize in fear of breaking into laughter....am I evil??

- She asked her babysitter if she was married, and she answered, "no", and Sydney said, "oh, you must not be done with college yet."

High School Q&A
1. Who were your best friends? Holland, Alyssa, Tiffany, Ryan, Rhonda, Kari C., Doug M., Chris C., Mickey
2. What sports did you play? Basketball!! oh and soccer one year, so does that count? I also played rec softball one year and sucked!
3. What kind of car did you drive? 1985 Honda Civic, then a 1993 Saturn my senior year.
4. On friday nights what were you doing? Playing b-ball, or watching the guys play b-ball, or at a football game, then afterwards we’d all go to Chili’s….tons of us. Sometimes just us girls would go to El Torero. If it wasn't basketball or football season, then I was on a date.
5. Were you a party animal? Not really….I was the good girl that hung out with some party animals
6. Were you considered a flirt? It depends on who you ask.
7. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? I was in choir my freshman year for one semester.
8. Were you a nerd? No, but I made good grades
9. Did you get suspended/expelled? No way!!!! (Although I did skip class a lot...) I didn't even know anyone who was ever suspended or expelled.
10. Can you still sing the fight song? YES
11. Who was your favorite teacher? Mrs. Little was the best teacher, but I really liked Mr. Kunka. Ms. Taylor was cool too.
12. Where did you sit during lunch? In the lunch room with my friends
13. Name the school's full name? Norcross High School
14. School mascot? Blue Devils
15. School colors? Blue and White
16. Rival high school? Duluth, Parkview and Brookwood
17. Did you go to prom? Yes, twice
18. If you could go back and do it again, would you?I actually had a really great time in high school, but you could not pay me to go back!
19. What do you remember most about graduation? Wanting to get it over with! Having breakfast afterward and then flying to West Palm Beach that night.
21. Favorite memory? I have way too many to even list. We had a great time.
22. Were you in any clubs? Beta club, Student Government, , national honor society, FCA (fellowship of Christian althletes), that might be all.
23. Where did you go most often for lunch? We had a closed campus, so we could only go to the lunchroom. Boring!
24. Have you gained some weight since then? I gained a lot of weight in college, but since then, I weigh the same as I did since my sophomore year in high school.
25. Who was your senior prom date? Josh Marcum
26. Who was your Junior prom date? Ryan Marsh
27. Are you planning on going to your 10-year reunion? We already had it, and I had just had surgery on my Achilles tendon, so I didn’t feel like going.
28. Who was your home room teacher?I can’t remember her name, but I can remember what she looked like!
29. Who will re-post this after you? I have no idea!
30. Who was your high school sweetheart? Ryan Marsh
31. Do you still talk to people from high school? Yes…Mickey, Holland, Alyssa, Patty, Tiffany, Lara every now and then, Kari Christensen through blogs and sometimes Kari Couch Todd
32. Did you win prom queen or homecoming queen? No, but I was on the homecoming court.
33. Where did you work in high school? My senior year I worked part time at Country Club of the South in their tennis shop. Before that my dad said that school and sports were my job.
34. What were your grades? I got mostly A’s, with a few B’s,but not many. I did get one C one semester in Trig. and was DEVESTATED!
35. What was your dress style? Very preppy
36. Were you popular? I guess so.
37. What year did you graduate?1993

Valentine's Day

So, I'm a little late posting about my Valentine's day.
I've never been a big fan of Valentine's day. When I was in elementary school, I loved it b/c everyone got a valentine and my Mom always had a great gift and treats for us. But then middle school hit and there was the pressure....if you had a valentine, there was pressure to get a gift...I hated that! If you didn't, then you felt like a lame-o. This lasted up until I met Travis. I hated Valentines Day. In high-school, I pretty much always had a boyfriend, but we would always fight on V-day b/c I hated the obligatory gifts! It was just a stupid holiday that the stores invented to get you to buy stupid stuff. Then it was the awkward situations when I would get a dozen or more roses from some guy at work or a "friend", and feel bad that I never even thought twice about them and then had to scramble to get them a card, so I didn't look like a jerk. Or, if I got a guy something and he didn't get me anything and I had to hide the heartbreak (not that that ever happened..). I could go on, but basically I hated the gosh-darn holiday. Then I met Travis, and the pressure was off a little b/c of wrestling season. He was busy, so it didn't really matter to him. No pressure. I liked that, and it made getting him a gift much more enjoyable.
Now, on to this past Valentine's day....this is a long post....sorry!
I was so excited about it, but it ended up being a little different than expected. I volunteered to bring in cupcakes for Sydney's class, so the night before Sydney and I were finishing up her personal Scooby Doo valentines for her classmates (she wrote all of their names and her name on all of them. I was so proud of her. It took her days, but she did it!) and making cupcakes. we made a little loaf cake for Daddy that I let Sydney decorate all by herself. When she got done, it was mostly red sprinkles and lots of chocolate-peanut better hearts. I forgot to take a picture of the finished product, but here it is in the mid-decorating phase.....
So, the night before was great! The next morning was going great too and Sydney was all dressed in her valentine outfit and looked adorable. I load everyone up in the car and....my car was dead! Sydney was in hysterics..."MOOOMMMM what about my Scooby Doo Valentines and my cupcakes, why is the car broken, can you fix it, I have to get to school, mom fix the car, etc. etc....". I, luckily get in touch with Connie, who lives in our neighborhood and has kids that go to the same school. She picked up Syd for me...phew... then, she came and jumped the car off for me. Saved the day! So, I was able to go to my Valentine brunch with a few friends. I left th brunch to pick up Syd, parked the car to get her and get my tupperware, etc. and the car had died again. Connie saved the day again...she was in the carpool line and jumped off the car. Addyson was at my mom's, so I went to pick her up and she was taking a nap, so I turned off the car....big mistake. It was, of course, dead. Travis came home from work to get a new batter for it. It took a long time, and since he took off work to do that, he couldn't leave early like he planned, so he had to stay late at work. So, I ended up having Valentine's dinner with my parents, the girls and my grandmother. My poor mom...she went and bought this super nice dinner for all of us....lobster bisque, filet mingon, bubbly, homemade red velvet cake etc. the works! So we sit down to eat and Addyson throws a complete fit for 1/2 hour...I'm not kidding. My grandmother is freaking out because her steak is "so tough", which it wasn't....she was trying to saw through the toothpick that was keeping the bacon wrapped around the filet, Sydney was having a major sugar high b/c of all the candy and I just wanted to go home! I felt so bad for my Mom too! Her wonderful evening and meal was ruined by the crying and whining and complaining and jumping up and down. BUT, when I gave Addyson her Valentine gift she started giggling and laughing and I forgot all about the dinner disaster...well, I didn't forget, but it made me feel better. Travis got there around 7:30 and ate quickly, then we went home, opened each other's presents and went to bed. ugh. Not that Valentine's day is ever anything romantic, however, b/c it's during the end of wrestling season...during all the big tournaments, so Travis is not home and he's way stressed out. So, that was it, but for the record....it wasn't so bad. Sydney had a great time at school and at my Mom's. I had a great time at the brunch sans kids! The food at my mom's was great and Travis got me a great gift and he liked his from me.....so, I really can't complain.
I'm completely in love with my Valentines, so the holiday is totally worth it now! :)

Addyson is cute too!!

I feel like I always write about the cute things Sydney is doing, but never about Addyson. She can't really talk yet, so she doesn't say cute things, but she does cute things all the time. She is a great dancer and can move to the beat of the song. As soon as she hears music, her body starts moving. It's hilarious and so cute. So, the girls and I try to have a mini "dance party" at least once a day. Addyson will try and copy whatever dance move I'm doing, which is soooo cute. She can actually do a lot of what I do (I'm not a skilled dancer btw). She's also quite the climber, and I have to be careful of our surroundings. She's very fast, so I can't hesitate or she'll be on top of something. Her favorite word to say is "yummy". That's what I've always called her food, so as soon as she wakes up in the morning, she starts going downstairs saying "yummy yummy yummy" and will go over to the pantry and point. She also loves her special blanket and whenever she sees it or I give it to her, she hugs it tight and just starts giggling. She idolizes her sister, Sydney, and will try and do whatever Sydney is doing, or take away whatever Sydney is playing with...much to Sydney's dismay. She gets very concerned when Sydney is upset or crying, and goes over to hug or pat her. The only time she laughs when Sydney is in pain is if she is pulling Sydney's hair. She thinks that it's hilarious. I'm not sure what to do b/c I tell her 'NO' in a very firm voice and she laughs, I tell her 'no' in a normal voice and she laughs, I thump her little hand and say 'no' and she laughs. She knows she's not supposed to do it, though, b/c if I start walking over toward her while she's pulling Syd's hair, then she'll let go and walk away and laugh. ugh!!

I'll post my Valentine pics another day soon!!!

Romney's speech

After reading all of Mitt Romney's speech as he was announcing his departure from the campaign, I've decided to follow his advice and vote for McCain. I know this comes as a shock to all of you and to me as well. BUT the only way to protect our nation from the extremist Jihad is to have McCain instead of Obama or Hillary. They want to pull our troops out right away and leave us vulnerable to being bombed and killed in our own country. He has convinced me to vote as conservative as possible. McCain definitely won't do our economy any good, but at least he'll strive to keep terrorism at bay for another 4 years until Romney can be elected. If you're still shocked at my response, I urge you to read his speech to the end....all of it. It will depress you and even scare you, but it was good for me to ponder and I've made my decision (for tonight anyway). I'm always open-minded to changing my mind. I'm a woman...that's my perrogative.
Oh, Travis wanted me to let everyone know that I need to write in HIS name on the presidential ballot. So, if you want an extremely conservative person to vote for, then you can also write in Travis Jarrard for president. :) Love you honey.

Sydney's interpretation

I had to write this down. This happened a few months ago, but I thought about it today, it made me laugh, so I had to share.
I noticed that my vehicle's gas tank was almost empty, so I pulled into the gas station, rolled the windows down a bit, so I could hear the girls if they were trying to talk to me while pumping gas, turned off the van and opened the door. Sydney, (in her louder-than-most-other-kids voice) asked me what I was doing stopping. I told her that I needed to get gas for the car and she yelled at the top of her well-formed lungs (so every person pumping gas around me could hear)...."NO MOMMY!!! DON'T PASS GAS!!!" I thought it was hilarious, so I started to laugh, but explained to her (loudly, so others knew I wasn't farting around), that I wasn't "passing gas", that the car needed gasoline to run, like we need food, etc., so I had to give it some. She was very grateful that I wasn't going to pass gas.

Woeful Wednesday

Okay, so not-so-super Tuesday was just followed up with Woeful Wednesday b/c my man, Mitt, is getting out of the race. The newsman said today that it appears there is some kind of alliance between McCain and Huckabee. Huckabee wants to be McCain's running mate, so he was staying in to make sure Mitt wouldn't get all of the conservative votes. Well done you loser, Huckabee. You've now sold your soul to the Democratic/Socialist party. Sorry if I'm offending my loved ones who are Democrats, but our country will figure out the mistake in about....2 years. I give it 2. Place your bets now.....how many of you give it longer or shorter? I want to know. I hope Romney runs in 2012, though for sure. McCain will be too old to blow his nose and Huckabee will long be forgotten, hopefully. I know I sound bitter, but......Oh, yeah, I am.
If you want to feel better, go to my friends Mimi's post called "enjoy". It'll make you feel better.
Mabye tomorrow, Thursday, will be terrific thursday...there is always hope.
:)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/07/politics/main3802474.shtml

Super Tuesday

I'm obviously disappointed by the results of Super Tuesday with my boy, Mitt, not doing as well as I'd hoped. I know it's not over till it's over, but....it's looking over for Romney. It seems like in the election we'll have to vote either Democrat or Democrat-light (McCain). In good conscience, I can't vote Democratic, but I also can't vote for McCain b/c it would be the same thing. I, however, HAVE to vote because I'm a good citizen and can't complain unless I vote. It's my right as a woman and a citizen to vote and I'm ever so grateful. So, what do I do? Well, I'm going to follow Ann Colture's advice and on poll day, I will write in Mitt Romney's name on my ballot. If enough people do this, then maybe he will be the first "write-in" to win! Okay, so maybe that's WAY too far fetched to really believe, but I'm going to do it and if you're a true conservative, then maybe you'll do it as well. At least I can, in good consience, vote and vote for someone I actually believe in. I guess we'll enjoy our country as a capitalist nation until November, because, if Hillary wins, then she will do all in her power to make us a socialist country. God bless America, especially now in dark times.
(Sorry to be Debbie Downer).

A new Sydney Joke

Sydney asked me to tell her a joke and I couldn't think of one, so I started the...."Why did the chicken cross the road?" and instead of saying "why?" she said.."Because the Cow PUSHED HER! HA HA HA HA!"
I thought that was pretty good!
Then I tried another one. I asked her "What did the farmer say when he lost his tractor?" and Syd answers..."Where's my tractor?! HA HA HA HA!".
I really laughed at that one b/c that WAS the answer!!
I love 3 year olds!!!!!!

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!!

Funny Jokes

Sydney has been telling me "jokes" lately and they just crack me up. They don't make any sense at all, but she just starts laughing right after telling them to me, that I crack up laughing and then she keeps telling them. Here are some examples of some that she just told me while I was tucking her in.

Q:"What do you get when you grow a butterfly and an elephant?" A: "Rhinoceros booty"
Q: "knock knock who's there?" A: "blizadizabiza"
Q: "what do you get when you grow a stomach with a shirt?" A: "an eyebrow"
Q: "What do you get when you grow a butterfly with a table?" A: "a bed"
Q: "What do you get when you have a butterfly and a flower?" A: "Rhinoceros doody" (yuck!)

And she continued on with that for about 5 minutes. I was laughing so hard that I couldn't stop her. I wish I could remember more, but they were so silly and didn't make any sense or the answers weren't real words, so I can't remember! Now, don't you just want to go tell your friends what great jokes you just learned? ha ha

She then told me that she missed her other great-grandma, "Grandfather's mom". I thought that was strange because my dad's mom, my grandma, died when Sydney was only 7 1/2 months old. I asked her if she remembered her and she said, "yes, and if she were here right now instead of in heaven she would say...'I miss you so much, sweetheart'." This kind of freaked me out a little because my grandma always called me and Sydney "sweetheart". So, for her to pick that word was a little interesting to me. I don't really think she remembers her, but it was still weird. She then wanted to tell me more jokes that she wants to tell her great-grandma up in heaven because her "other" great-grandma is very silly and likes silly jokes. So, then the jokes started again. Of course instead of taking 10 minutes to put her to bed, it was about 45 minutes. She has now found her new stall tactic! ugh! I'm such a sucker!! But it's fun.

Thanks to everyone who responded to my "who's reading this?" post. An apology goes out to my mother-in-law, Di, who reads the blog, but doesn't comment. Sorry Mom! Keep reading! I'm so glad that you do b/c it's mostly for you!!

love you all!!
KJ
ps- I want you guys to tell me a funny joke you like!

pps- Here is a shout out to my HOT husband.....GO RAIDERS!!! YOU ARE KICKING BOOTY & are AWESOME!!! You are the hottest coach I've every known and your coaching kicks some ars too!!! I love you honey, and I'm proud of you.

Who reads this anyway????

Okay everyone....or, you, reading this....I want to know who actually reads my blog. It's not that interesting (well, to me it is), but it's fun to do and I started doing it b/c of a little positive pressure from Rachel H. and Natalie. I also thought it would be a great way to keep my family and Travis's family that live far away from us, updated on our goings-on. Then I realized that my "far away" family probably doesn't even read this! I asked my sister Kelly if she did and she said no, but she looks at the pictures. Well.....I don't change my pictures that often, so she's probably looked at it twice! Then, I was talking to my mom-in-law today and she didn't know about Addyson's fall, so she obviously isn't reading it either. I know I have at least 4 of you fellow bloggers that read mine, and I sooooo appreciate it. Really, I do. It makes me feel good to know that you think I'm worth reading about and that my family is worth reading about. I've also had a couple of emails here and there from non-bloggers who have read it, but not many. So, what I want to know is this. Who really reads my blog and cares? Just me and Travis? Maybe. I think that Rachel H. really reads it b/c she misses me....you do, right? :) But, just give me a shout out on either the comment section of this blog or email me at katectr@hotmail.com and let me know. I'm just curious. If no one comments, then I'm still going to blog, so that's not really the point. Alright, all you rock stars...have a great night and give your little friend here a ego boost, will ya???
:) xoxoxoxoxo
PS-Di, if you are reading this....Happy Birthday!!