STATIC! Funny or not so funny words? Out of the mouths of babes!

I normally don't post so close together like this but I just have to share my static experience. I woke up this morning to my hair CLINGING to my face. Since I just dyed it last night I should wait a couple days to wash it since it dries out so much. So I brushed it (smart move Juliana) only to see that it got even crazier. I remembered mine and my sister's trick from good old high school days... I went straight to the laundry room and rubbed not one, not two, but THREE dryer sheets on my hair. Ahhhh, much better. Then I get to work and it's like a cloak of hair around my face. I felt like the bearded woman!!! I try to be all sly about it and swipe the hair away from my face only to have it suction back onto my cheeks again - ugh! A girl I work with told me to put a little lotion on my hands and rub it into my hair - so I used ADVANCED moisture lotion thinking I'd turn into a greaseball - not so much - still static. I give up...

Garrett thinks it's oh so funny to teach Garrison these lovely words - I'll just give you a few - fart, titty wackers, talliwacker (what's up with the wacker words?). It's kind of funny to hear him use these words at home but not when we're in public. It's hard for Garrett to understand that because I'm usually always the one out in public with Garrison. If we're at the grocery store, getting his hair cut, or (worst of all) at church and he accidentally passes gas... I literally am talking his ear off trying to change the subject so he doesn't bust out with, "I FARTED MOMMY!" for all the world to hear. So cute, right? Not so much.

When we were at the arboretum on Saturday we were waiting in line for the carriage ride. There happened to be a man walking by us with some type of handicap. His hands were curved in and he was obviously physically disabled. Well Garrison starts yelling out... MAN HANDS MAN HANDS MAN HANDS!!! Awesome... once again wishing I could crawl into a hole. I know people are understanding of this but what am I supposed to do? Apologize? Explain why the man's hands are that way to Garrison in front of the man? Oy vey... it can't be much worse than the time my cousin Morgan (now 14 or 15 - gosh time flies) was about Garrison's age. We were at church in the parish hall and this woman who... I'm already laughing out loud... walked bent over at the waist at a 90 degree angle was walking in front of Morgan. Well he thought she was playing a game so he too bent down at a 90 degree angle and was walking behind her around the parish hall. We were trying to dodge through people to get him so as not to embarass her but he just thought they were playing a game. Man kids are funny!

Okay, well I really am done posting until after Christmas unless something eventful happens in my oh so exciting life - like an incident at the grocery store or sitting at home tonight! ha!

Baby Ben, Busy Weekend, Hair Experience,Wifely Duty v. Fun

Thanks to everyone for all the prayers for my nephew, Ben. He has been in the hospital with RSV for way too long - going on almost a week now. My sister is a trooper. She has had nothing but sickness and hurdles hit her family since the birth of her youngest, Ben (now three months old). It all started with the hurricane in Houston and just seems to keep hitting roadblocks. Does your life ever feel like that? You're up on this mountain one minute and then can't seem to get out of the valley? I hate that. She has such a positive outlook though. Sure she gets down and sure she gets tired but she never stops having faith or praying. What a strong woman and I look up to her so much! I just hope they are still able to make it in to Dallas for Christmas. We only get to see them every other year for Christmas and their trip of course depends on if Ben is well enough to make it.

We went to the Dallas Arboretum this weekend. It was so much fun. No long lines and it was right before that crazy cold front came through. It was the first time Garrison has been able to sit on Santa's lap this Christmas season so he loved that. He also loved seeing Frosty and Rudolph walking around and actually hugged them both! :) We took a carriage ride, had story time with Mrs. Clause, and did some crafts. All in all a good time! Here are some pics...


So I noticed when looking back on pictures that my hair has had an orange tint to it lately. I thought I found the PERFECT box color (Dream Blonde) about 5 months back and have used it about 3 times now and it all of a sudden started turning that brassy orange color. I know most people would say just go to a salon but WHY when you found the perfect color - let's see... $15 v. $150... hmmmm, tough call. But after confirmation from my mom (thank God she gives me her honest opinion when I ask for it) I decided to dye it a light brown for the winter (even though she warned me for probably the 50th time in my life not to dye it myself). MISTAKE! I now have mousy brown/dishwater blonde hair - ugh! It's not horrible but not great. Oh well... such is life. Here is a before picture (with Mom, Dad, and Garrison) and don't tell me you can't see the orange...And here is the after picture - please excuse the purple sweatshirt that I've had for about 10 years and the no make up which I like to call "fresh face look"... haha!

WARNING WARNING WARNING - like the way I do that??? That would be a warning to anyone who wants to hear absolutely nothing about my sex life or those who don't even want to know that I am a sexually active person or those who think it's gross to even fathom how I ever became pregnant and had a child, i.e. sex... hopefully this would be like a relative or someone along those lines instead of someone who might just think I'm so utterly repulsive that they cannot imagine this... haha! After talking to several girlfriends I keep hearing the word "wifely duty" when referring to "alone time" with their husband - or even boyfriend which is even crazier to me. Why is this??? I have only talked to ONE, count her, ONE girlfriend who enjoys "the act" with her husband, who - like me - actually asks for it on occasion. I realize (after reading a Cosmo statistic a LONG time ago) that over 75% of women cannot reach that point (if you don't know what I'm talking about you might as well just stop reading right now) and so in that case I guess I could understand why you might find no enjoyment from it. But I just have to say that I would be a pretty depressed person if I did not enjoy that aspect of our relationship. Just a thought! Anyone else on the same page as me because I'm starting to think I'm either a ridiculously lucky girl and you better be staying the hell away from my man (haha) or maybe I'm just super sensitive. I gave you a fair warning. Anyways, that's my thought on that issue. And let me just finish that thought by saying that if Garrett ever ever ever complains that it's been a while (oh, maybe 3 or 4 days) I calmly remind him about all of our couple friends (some not even married yet) who go a month or more at a time. I cannot imagine!

I hope all of you have very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! :)

Who would enjoy Motherhood???

I was reading my friend Katy's blog: http://bagochocolates.blogspot.com/ and it really got me thinking. She was posting her thoughts on her friend's blog regarding having kids and pregnancy. After my night last night I can see why people could look at my life on the surface and wonder why it is that I would ever choose to be a mom. I know that sounds harsh but look at the facts: I got home and immediately helped Garrett wrap up a paper that was due and as he rushed out the door to take his first final for college I was left with a sick child and lots to do. Garrison has had a sinus infection for a couple days now. I have to give him credit and say he is the best sick kid ever! I decided to tackle the chore of cleaning out all his clothes - yes his closet and drawers are still filled with clothes from birth on up to 3! So as I'm about 2 hours into this (juggling him and responding to his, "Watch Mommy!" "Look Mommy... Mommy are you looking?" over and over and over and over) Tex (my dog) throws up on the floor. So I start cleaning up Tex's puke and about 5 minutes later when all rags and cleaner are back in the cabinet Garrison coughs until he throws up on the floor. I proceed to clean that up while helping him change and scooting the dogs outside so they don't lick it up - what can I say, they're dogs! I finally finish going through the clothes. Onto laundry and dinner for Garrison. Catch up with my sister on the phone for about 5 minutes (must have been the only time I sat down all night), get Garrison ready for bed, read him a book, he's down. Garrett calls on his way home from school and starts asking me questions about the checkbook - didn't you know I was the "finance" girl too? Start on dinner and we eat at 9:00. Get up after 15 min of eating and finish laundry. Make lunches for the next day, clean out the dog's ears due to his most recent ear infection, get ready for bed, and in bed at 11:00. Garrison cries twice in the night - bad dreams. Whew.... WHO would choose this for a life? I would. Why? Because at the end of the night when we say prayers before bed and my little boy asks me to sing him Amazing Grace as his sweet and sometimes off key 3 year old voice joins in with me and then asks for "one more hug and kiss" and tells me he loves me... it makes it all worth it. Hugs from out of the blue, a million random I love you's , laughter with my husband and my son, a happy family, a home filled with unconditional love, knowing that we are doing something right to shape this child into the man he will one day become - that makes it worth it! Motherhood may not be easy and it may not always be fun, but God has managed to give me the patience, unconditional love, and those little "snippits" of what makes it all worth while! :) If you are blessed enough to have a child, please enjoy all the time you have with them because they grow up way too quick! I will leave you with a picture of the two greatest loves of my life and one of those sweet moments I was lucky enough to capture.

As promised...

I know I'll forget later so here is a picture of my new ring. I'm so excited and they did a great job! I'm also pissed that my batteries for my digital camera are dead so I had to take with my camera phone hence why the pic is not so good... aha! That's what I left off my list for Wal Mart tomorrow - rechargeable batteries. I told you I was random... night night!

I feel naked...

A weird title I know. Although I haven't written in a while I'll make this pretty short and sweet. Garrett wanted me to upgrade my center stone in my wedding ring for Christmas... not that I didn't want to also - what girl doesn't like jewelry? I LOVE my wedding ring but we got what we could afford 6 years ago (at 19). After much diamond searching I came to find that it is absolutely ridiculous that I am looking at way expensive diamonds when it's not even what I really want for my ring. I wanted something different and unique. After much research I decided on an aquamarine center stone. While Garrett would rather I have a diamond (call it a man's ego) I loved the romantic history of the aquamarine stone: "Aquamarine was traditionally worn by sailors to protect them from the water and against storms (ironic that Garrett was a sailor and I was a navy wife? I think not!). It is believed to re-awaken love in a marriage. The Greeks believed that aquamarine would absorb the energy of young love and was considered the best gift for a groom to give his bride after consummating their marriage".... sigh... how romantic! Long story short I found a beautiful 2 carat pear shaped aquamarine stone at a local jeweler who we love and he has my ring today and is putting in the stone! YEAH! I do feel naked though. I am one of those that wears my wedding ring 24/7 so it feels weird to not have it on. I'll be sure to post a pic when I get it back.

So the other day my mom and I went to Firewheel and as we were getting Garrison out of the car I saw a man in a Santa suit out of the corner of my eye. I excitedly (and too quickly) said, "LOOK! There's Santa!!!" Garrison - I wanna see Santa, I wanna see Santa, I wanna see Santa - you get the idea. So then after looking closer I realized Santa looked like a pedophile... ugh! Not a cute Santa. This Santa had a costume on that was open in the front with a tight shirt and a beer gut and no beard - what?! So then I mumbled to my mom quietly - or so I thought - "creepy old man is more like it!" Well Garrison picked right up on that. He started yelling at the top of his lungs, "I wanna see the creepy old man, I wanna see the creepy old man", on and on and on. Mom and I were laughing so hard she was crying. Oh well - out of the mouths of babes as they say! Needless to say Creepy Old Man/Santa went back into the store he was "advertising" for. Yikes! Sorry Santa!

I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Garrett is about to start his second semester at CCCC. I am so proud of him. He is making all A's while working full time and spending time with us. Amazing! Garrison is super excited about Christmas this year and I can't wait to see my precious nephews open their presents when they come in town. If only they were here to stay... that will be my Christmas wish and maybe it will soon come true! I will leave you with a picture of my three favorite boys (under the age of 4). I should add that this is how Will gives "kisses"... say it with me now - awwwww!