Playing

As you can see, I've been playing with my page. You can thank Sara for that! I saw the changes she had made & was determined to figure it out. Granted, it's taken me several hours, but I figured it out...all by myself, too!!! Whoohoo! I was tired of seeing the last post & wanted something more fun & cheery! Hope you all like it!

Sorry, Sara! After posting my blog, I then saw that our page layouts are similar! I went through a ton before I picked that one & had completely forgotten that's how yours was set up. Hope that's ok! I'm tired of playing...

Forgiveness

I am not one who can preach on forgiveness. Matter of fact, I'm pretty crummy at it. As soon as I'm hurt, I build a wall & put my arm out as far as I can. You definitely are not getting back in...not anytime soon, anyway. I'm not sure why I am the way I am. I guess it could be some childhood friends that hurt me pretty badly. Who knows. I just know that this is my reaction & I do not like it. I want to forgive easily, but I'm having trouble.

There are two people over the last year that have hurt me pretty badly. I don't think either intended on it. It definitely wasn't malicious. However, it still hurt. (Don't worry, blogger friends, I'm fairly certain that these women do not read my blog. So, you can rest easy.) One person I will never see again & I think that is the hardest type to forgive. At least if you see the person regularly, you can start to tear down that wall & build trust again. With someone who will never be in your life again, it is up to you to forgive and move on. That for me is HARD!

I've been praying & trying to keep my mind right. I have been trying to think positively & not let my emotions get the best of me. Unfortunately, with these two instances, I am not winning this battle. I'm sure to some degree it will just take time. Wounds typically heal with time. I am just not a very patient person.

I guess I am asking for prayers. Although my hurt isn't bothering these two ladies, (since they know nothing of the hurt) it is still eating away at me. I want so badly to move past it, but am having a very difficult time. Please don't get me wrong. Both of these ladies are great Christian women. They were just having bad days or not thinking clearly when they did/said what they did. I do not think ill of them. I just want to get past the hurt. Thanks for listening...

Ski Trip

We're back home. We had such a great time!! Saturday night I was spoiled with dinner at Olive Garden & a movie. Mad Money was cute. It wasn't as funny as we thought it was going to be, but it was still a good movie.

Sunday we got up & drove to Paoli. We took a ski lesson & then were off. Although I didn't do as good as I had hoped, I didn't give up. I kept trying. The day ended for me after falling...HARD after getting off a chair lift. I fell so hard that I gave myself whiplash!! But, I kept pushing on.

After skiing we went to the place we were staying. It was cool! It was an old inn built in the 30s. We ate at the restaurant there & then watched TV to unwind. As the night progressed, my muscles began to ache more & more. I realized when getting out of bed the next morning that I am not a youngling anymore. I'm getting old! I had trouble even getting out of bed!! Ah...

Although I was achy, I pushed on. I was determined to ski & do better than the day before. I didn't really do any better, but that's ok...maybe next time.

After much TLC on my neck, it is feeling much better today. The rest of my body is back to normal. We had such a great time! It was one of my favorite trips we've ever taken. Thanks, Baby, for such a good time & for being so supportive. Although he wasn't much more experienced in skiing than me, he took to it easier than I did. He never got frusterated or annoyed with me. It was nice! So, thanks Ryan!!! I love you.

Tonight we're back with the kiddo. We both missed her so much & are happy to all be home again.

Cool way to get sleep

I found a fun way to get sleep! Have your in-laws keep the kid & go for a fun weekend with the hubby! Thanks, Gran & Pops!!

Ryan and I are getting Saturday-Tuesday! Saturday we're taking Sydney to Beaver Dam to meet Gran & Pops. Then we're heading to Louisville in hopes to find an Olive Garden. Yum! That use to be one of our favs, but since it is a quiet restaurant & our child isn't the quietest we can't always go. We're going to take this opportunity and seize it! After our delicious dinner, we're going to go see Mad Money. I think this looks like a very cute movie & am excited to get to GO to the movies! I haven't been to a movie in a long time.

Sunday morning we're heading to Paoli! We're skiing Sunday and Monday. I do feel a little guilty about not going on different days so we don't miss church, but this is about the only way we can afford it. We're saving big $$ on the ski days and the hotel because it is not the "weekend". Plus, we're staying in one of the places that Paoli Peaks deems "local" (although it's somewhere around 10 miles away...I guess that's local). That is suppose to save us even more $$. Whoohoo!! I haven't been skiing since I was a teenager (and wasn't very good at it then). Ryan has only been once, too. So, hopefully our abilities will match. :-) I'm sure after each day we will be desperately needing our sleep!! I for sure am not in shape and will be W-O-R-N out!

I am very excited about this weekend. A weekend with my hubby, a fun few days of skiing, a very cool inn to stay at, and did I mention a weekend with my hubby?! Thanks Ryan, for letting us go. Thanks, Mom & Dad for the coat for Christmas that sparked our interest. AND thanks Gran & Pops for keeping the kiddo...again.

Found way to sleep

I found a way to get some sleep!!! Well, it wasn't exactly what I was wanting, but I did get sleep. Sunday afternoon I started sneezing & having a horrible headache along with a sore throat! Fun...looked like I was getting the cold that Ryan had. I had been trying so hard to stay well. So, when I got home, my wonderful husband greeted us & then took care of Sydney while I stayed on the couch feeling miserable. He was great & sent me to bed at 8:30. The next day, I let Sydney play with her toys & do just about whatever she wanted while I stayed planted on the couch. Ryan got home after work & before his doctor's appointment, so I took a quick nap. When it was time for him to leave, he woke me up & told me that I could probably get Sydney down for her nap. Thankfully, she went down quickly. I returned back to bed. The next thing I knew, I was worshipping the porcelain god! So now, I had what Ryan had PLUS the stomach virus!! Luckily, Ryan got home before Sydney got up from her nap. Before that night was over, I had 101.6 temp and Ryan was heading to Beaver Dam to meet his parents who were gratious enough to keep Sydney for 2 days. I am so thankful for them! They have been so kind to keep her. I have had two GREAT nights of sleep & am feeling much better today. So you see, not really the way I meant when I said I was wanting sleep!! :-/

Need help!

It has been just us girls...and Sam for 24 hours now. I'm thankful that Ryan only had to be gone two days. That typically means one night. I'm not sure what Sydney's deal is, but she is still not sleeping at night. I have no problem at all getting her to go to bed. It is keeping her asleep through the night that is the problem. Ryan is AWESOME and usually takes the weekends so that I can sleep...I'm a much happier person with sleep. Anyway, if any of you have ideas on how to keep a little one asleep, we would appreciate the information.

I've tried letting her cry it out to some extent. Since we live in an apartment with people under us, I can't let her cry it out all night. That might get us evicted! I've tried everything I can think of. HELP! :-)

The funny thing is, when we are at my parents house she will sleep most of the nights. We've tried making her room darker since the room that we sleep in at my parents is a darker room. Besides that, I can't figure out what the difference is.

So, you get the picture. I'm at a loss for what to do to help my daughter get her rest...and me. I need an expert!...or at least someone who has any ideas.

New Pictures

Here are a few new pictures of the little miss:

Great Christmas & Happy New Year!!

We had a GREAT Christmas. Our holiday officially ended last night. We (Sydney and I) were in Paducah for a week and a half!! Ryan had to bounce back & forth a little because of work, but the moments he was off he was there, too. We got to visit all of our family except Ryan's brother Jon & his wife Corena. We missed them terribly, but are planning a visit to San Diego to see them soon!! Sydney was spoiled with all of the attention, of course. I fear that she is in for a rude awakening today! It usually takes us a day or two to get back into the groove. Anyway, we had possibly one of the best Christmases ever!

I hope you all had a great New Year's Eve. We did. We went with the Neistraths and my parents to Flamingo Row. Then headed back to my parents' house for dominoes. The funny part of the night was that Sydney stayed up (not because we made her but because she wouldn't go to sleep--too much commotion) & Ryan fell asleep before midnight! To his defense, he had been up since 5.

To reflect on the year, much has changed since January 1, 2007. Here is a recap:

-We found out on Valentine's Day that Ryan would be either laid off or transferred to San Antonio or Austin. With a new baby & daycare to pay for, we were stressed!

-We found out at the beginning of March that a position within his company had opened up in Elizabethtown, KY. We jumped at the chance to be closer to family & moved a few weeks later.

-We spent Easter, my first Mother's Day, and Ryan's first Father's Day with family!!

-Sydney learned to sit up, roll over, pull up, and crawl in a matter of a few months!

-The beginning of August we went to Lincoln, IL to visit family that I had not seen in years.

-At the end of August, we went to Daytona Beach, Florida for a very fun vacation!! It was so nice to have some special time with just our little family.

-In September we celebrated Ryan's birthday & our 6 year anniversary. We also got a week long vacation in Connecticut...well, I got a vacation while Ryan went to a Navy School. Thanks to our parents for keeping Sydney!! It was so nice having my honey all to myself for a week & seeing his old stomping ground.

-October we celebrated Sydney's 1 year birthday with friends and family.

-Shortly after her birthday Sydney began taking a few steps. By Thanksgiving, she was walking really well. By Christmas, she was practically running!

-November we had Thanksgiving with the family that we saw in August. It is nice to be reconnected with them again!!

-December, I struggled with my health but got it under control before Christmas & had a wonderful Christmas.

2007 has been good to us. We have had our trying times & scary moments, but all in all it has been a good year. We are closer to family & I am able to stay at home with my little one. So, I guess we have to overlook the trying times.

I look forward to 2008. I am excited to see the changes Sydney will make. I am soooo excited to get to see Jon & Corena!!! And, Ryan and I are planning a weekend trip to Paoli Peaks (just 2 hours away from us!!) without the kiddo (thanks to his parents). I am looking forward to see how God will work in our lives this year. I pray we will see what He wants us to see.