Who do you look like?

O.k. I just had a quick story to share with all of you about an interaction that Brad and Gabby had the other night.

Brad and Gabby were sitting in the chair together and I was upstairs putting laundry away when I heard Brad just cracking up. This is what was said....

Brad: "Gabby, who do you think you look like? Do you look like Daddy?"

Gabby: "No Dad, I don't think we look alike, I have a lot more hair than you have."

Moral of the story...don't ask questions about things you may not like the answer to.
Have a great day!

From Baby Girl to Little Girl

At what point does your daughter go from being your "baby girl" to your "little girl?" I think Gabriana is at that point in her life where she has gone from baby to girl and it hit me this past Saturday.
Gabby has been taking ballet and tap lessons since March and this past weekend was her end of the year recital. This was a milestone for not only her but Brad and I as parents as this was the first time we've signed Gabby up in anything other than church related stuff. As I helped her get ready in the afternoon and the time approached for us to leave and go to the school for the performance, I just looked at her and thought, "Oh my gosh! She's not a baby anymore. We are going to an event in which I will leave her in a large room with other little girls and she will come out onto the stage and (hopefully) perform." It hit me like a ton of bricks and as I did her hair and make up, all of the memories of her when she was a baby came flooding back.
So we got to the recital and she took off to be with the other girls to play until her turn was up. She turned around and waved and I ran after her to give her that kiss on the forehead and tell her "mommy loves you." Then, I went and took my seat in the auditorium. Gabby came out and did great! I feared that she would freeze up when she got out there but she didn't and she did just fine. I am so proud of her!
Although I hate to see the baby days end ALREADY, I look forward to the future with excitement, having quality "girl time" with my baby girl. Yes, she will ALWAYS be my Baby Girl!
If you'd like to see pictures from the recital, check out our website: www.beemanfamily.myphotoalbum.com
I promise to one day figure out how to post pictures on my blog! Thanks for reading!

Better Days

So I must say, I think the wrath of Carson is finally calming down to say the least. After several weeks of finding ways to keep him out of things and keep him happy (this includes lots of lap time) it finally seems as if I am getting my happy go lucky boy back. If you would have called me on Monday morning, there is a good chance I would have broke down in tears to you. I am afraid to say, even a telemarketer would have been sorry to have called my house that day! I was at the end of my rope with Carson, sleep deprived and not knowing what to do. Thoughts of walking out the door and not turning around were getting closer! Just kidding! It was around lunch time when I got a text message from my mother-in-law asking, "How's it going?" The irony in all of this is that she is such a caring individual and she always checks in on the kids and I when we are sick or if something has happened but no one was sick and nothing serious had happened and here came this text out of the blue. I sent her a quick text back as I was getting lunch on for the kids and told her it had been a bad night and and even worse morning. I told her I was glad that my mom and aunt were coming into town for the day. It would be nice to get out of the house for lunch and some girl time. Nothing was going right with Carson. I felt like I had to fight him to get anything done, diaper change, dressing, eating, you get the idea.
It wasn't long and I got words of encouragement back. "I know it's hard. Hang in there. I love you." I thought to myself, "God, is that you?" I felt as if He knew that I needed some form of encouragement and it was at that point that I felt a sigh of relief and peace come over me. I felt as if I could get through the day and no matter what happened, it would be o.k. And you know what? IT WAS! I had a great afternoon with my mom and aunt and the evening seemed to go pretty smoothly too. I put the kids to bed and they both slept a minimum of 12 hours! Better days are comin!

To Vacation or Not...

On Saturday night, we returned home from a one week vacation with my mom, sister, grandfather and "The Bizzy Beemans." We were in Orlando, where the palm trees sway and the sun is always out. The entire week before, I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off to make sure I had everything I needed to get two young children boarded on a plane and entertained not only for the duration of the flight but also for an entire week! Blankets, snacks, sippy cups, bottles, pacifiers, toys, coloring books...you get the idea! I also am a freak at wanting to make sure my house is clean before I leave so I can come home to a clean home and don't have to worry about doing anything other than unpack. So that added to my chaos for the week. At one point, I wondered to myself if this vacation I had been counting down the days to would really be worth all mess. I remember telling Brad that I won't relax until I'm in the car headed to his dad's to spend the night before leaving early the next morning to head to the airport.
I must say....BOY WAS I WRONG! The next day, we boarded the plane for Mickey's hometown and I knew immediately it was going to be a long 2 hours. Carson fought me all but 30 minutes of the trip as he wanted to be down walking around and that wasn't possible. Once we arrived, I was ready to call it a day.
The week would have gone perfectly if Carson's molars had not decided to arrive during our time there...yes, for all you mom's out there, three out of four of his molars broke through last week. AAAHHHH! The weather was absolutely gorgeous, sunny and 80 during the day and then cool but pleasant in the evening. So despite the lack of sleep I got due to Carson not being able to sleep, the trip was a hit! Brad and I had our 6 year wedding anniversary while we were there so that will be a memorable trip.
As we were getting ready to leave, Brad asked me if I was ready to go. My answer to him was obviously no. I had just spent a week with around the clock childcare assistance and even got some quality time to myself. Do I want to leave and take on the mommy role full time again??? Of course not!
When we landed in Indianapolis, the weather was cold and cloudy, it was then that Brad looked at me and asked the exact question I had just asked myself...he said, "Do you ever wonder why we live here after spending time in a place where the weather is beautiful all the time?" I told him that I think about it everytime I finish another trip to my parent's condo but this is what I've come up with......

Home is not just the walls that you live within. Home is where your family and friends are, it's where you feel loved and appreciated and it's where you can be yourself. While my vacation was wonderful and I even admit I could have easily spent another week there, it felt good to take my things out of my bag and be settled back into the comforts of home! And I also decided that it's worth all the chaos to take a vacation and I will do it again without any question!

If you'd like to see pictures from our trip, check out our website at www.beemanfamily.myphotoalbum.com