Happy Belated St. Patty's!

My little Irish dancer to the left.......... I see river dance in her future...get her autograph now...seriously!...
;-)
Skylar had a great St. Patrick's day. Her weekend was full of activities. Sunday after church she got to have lunch out with her Nana & Papa Joe, Uncle Stewart, Great Granny, and Uncle Lindsey, and of course mommy and daddy. Sunday evening we spent with Kate, Joe, baby Lily, Alex, Lisa and baby Anya. Skylar got to hold Lily much to her delight! What a cute picture that was! We all had some tastey cornbeef and cabbage that Uncle Joe and Aunt Kate cooked. Skylar loved it! (especially the mustard....i know....not too many kiddos dig the mustard like that....) ;-)( I'm pretty sure she gets that from Grand-C.)Monday she got to stay home from school with me and we went to meet Randy and his work group and Mr. Max out for lunch. She thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with Nadia, Kelly & Dan's little girl! They had a great time eating lemons and cheese quesadillas....sounds appetizing huh???.... After we got home....after her MUCH needed nap....she enjoyed picking the random purple flowers out of our yard and playing in Uncle Joe's dirt piles from his latest landscaping project. So anyhow...a much different St. Patrick's day than my days in Savannah or Boston....but soooo just as special!! Must give a shout to my Aunt Sharon. HAPPY BELATED BDAY! Hope you had a great one! And now...the easter weekend approaches us! Did you know Easter will never be this early again in our lifetime..(unless you plan to live to the age of 220 something).....seriously...google it!! Looking forward to seeing family and friends over the holiday weekend....though...oddly enough I don't get off for Good Friday or Easter Monday....Anyhow....before I sign off for the evening....requesting special prayers for my Grandma who fell and broke her hip last week....surgery went great but recovery will take a while, for Nannie...continued healing..and for my Uncle Tim's bloodclot to dissolve. Thanks to all for your prayers!

A Blessing A Day

Our neighbors Kate and Joe just had a baby girl this past week! She's a tiny tiny little angel and so beautiful! I went to visit baby Lily (and the new mommy and daddy) in the hospital. Those of you who know me well....know that I'm notorious for not carrying cash. I'd just rather not have it in my pocket because I spend it quicker! ;-) Well...you know, parking decks don't take Visa. Why? I dunno. They should as much as they typically cost! Anyhow...I really wasn't sure if they did or not until I found out.....When I got to the hospital I realized I had some change in my purse but that was about it. And when I say change....I mean pennies. So I asked this very nice security guard lady at the visitors desk what I thought was a logical question......I proceeded to say, "do the parking decks take visa?"...she looked at me funny and said...umm no they don't..but it's usually only 50cent or a dollar....I'm thinking..lady you don't know me! So I just responded ...."oh yeah..ok..I knew it wasn't much but I rarely carry cash on me." I smiled and started to walk away....So she looks and me and says, "you have your ticket?"...."Yes ma'am I do." She asked for the ticket and validated my parking right there! How sweet was that! So I thanked her kindly and told her how much I appreciated it. She looked me and said..."A blessing A day honey..a blessing a day." So I told her she was DEFINITELY my blessing that day and I would thank God for her kindness in my prayers that night. It's so nice to know that there are still good souls out there and kind hearts in this crazy mixed up world of ours.......

Uncle Will

Many days after school, Skylar gets in the car and goes through names of people...the other day she started with Cement (my brother's cat), Uncle Will, Grand-C, Dah, Buck & Dally (labs). Then she moved on to Papa Joe, Nana, Uncle Stewart, Aunt Faye etc. It's so neat to see who she associates with who. So anyhow....
My brother called me yesterday and wanted to come visit Skylar after she got home from school. So when I picked her up from school, I told her he was coming to see her. Well when we pulled in our subdivision, she knew she was headed home and started to cry..."Uncle Will!!..Uncle Will!!"...She must have thought we were going to see him in Henderson. I had to repeatedly explain he was coming to see her at HER house. Needless to say she was extremely excited when he got here and she gave him lots of hugs and kisses. They played with Caffrey together and looked at her new books from Grand-C and Dah which she loved! Then Uncle Will got to watch an episode of signing time with her and he put her to bed. How funny is it what they remember. When she woke up this morning she said .."Uncle Will!! Play!!" So I had to explain that he went to his house last night and they can play again soon. She seemed ok with that. Skylar adores her Uncle Stewart as well. She will ask about him all the time. She loves his doggie Copper too....though I'm not too sure how thrilled Copper is with Skylar..she pulled quite a bit of Copper hair when she was smaller. :-)She also knows uncle Stewart has a motorcycle...which she calls "moto-cycle" "vroom vroom" It's very cute. Skylar being the first grandchild on both sides of the family works in her favor as you can imagine. She knows exactly who lets her get away with what. And she knows how to work them. Those tears can turn on and off in a matter of seconds....but make her mad and the looks she can give will tell you exactly what she's thinking without her saying a word. (I think she got that from mommy mostly...but some of that from her daddy too.) But...back to the story...Skylar loves her uncles and I'm so glad they are actively in her life. They may spoil her rotten....but that's fine by us...that's what uncles are supposed to do. Mine sure did!! (But remember boys....one day you'll have kids...and auntie Meredith will get to do the spoiling too!!) ;-)

The Road....the sequel

Do you ever sit and wonder about the path your life has taken?
I sure do. And boy has it been a winding one.....full of hills and valleys...rain and sunshine....but as I sit here today, I am where am I am because of the road I chose and God's grace that got me here. And that truly has made all the difference. Ever hear
the song "God Bless The Broken Road".....take a listen :-)


God truly has blessed the road I've taken. I was raised in a loving family with both parents....(who are still married I should add)...seems to be a rare thing these days...and I have a younger brother, Will, (who is single and quite the catch for you single ladies out there)....Anyhow, I also grew up with a large extended family on both sides..mom's and dad's...and for those of you that don't know, I grew up in Henderson, NC. It's a smaller town lifestyle and lots of my friends chose to stay there and work and not go off to school after high school. I didn't. I chose to go to college after high school and I fell in love with Raleigh and the life I was making here. Henderson will always be home, because that is where my family is, and that is where I met those who've had the biggest influences in my life. It's where the church I was raised in is. Henderson is where I got married to the love of my life. And No...he's not from there. He's from Apex. Henderson is where I grew up in a beautiful home with the best backyard and deck that my Dad and my Papa built together. I think that deck was my favorite part of the house because it ment so much. When Randy and I bought our home, we both knew it MUST have a deck. And every house we buy will always have a deck. It's a place to hang out and grill out (thanks Daddy for teaching me the art of grilling!)and a place to take in the view of nature. It's a place to sit and enjoy one another. Have I mentioned how much I love a deck??? :-) But our house in Henderson, had one thing, that today, I get a chuckle everytime I think about it. We had 1 bathroom. Thank God we did have a bathroom, but 1 bathroom nevertheless. You can imagine the mornings and getting ready with one bathroom. Or when you really had to potty and someone was taking their own sweet reading time in there. Boy was that fun. I'm here today to tell you that this road I've taken in life, has now afforded me 3 toilets to potty in!! And my husband will tell you he laughs because it's so true, But I truly have told him over and over how thankful I am and I thank God for my 3 toilets. Ahhh...the simple things that make us happy...My hometown and those that I visit there will always hold a special place in my heart. But the road I chose, led me to where I am now. And I'm proud of where I am and I worked my butt off to get here. There were many that prayed for me and supported me along the way and to them I am forever grateful. And I can only hope that I can repay them with my love, my time, and by living a life they will be proud of. So to one and All I will say, I've never forgotten where I came from..... but I'm blessed to be where I am.

The Road I've taken....

I've got a lot to say....(what's new right???)and I will elaborate....but not tonight...not feeling great. Gonna sip some hot thera-flu for my cold and sleep well. Until tomorrow...I leave you with this....

The Road Not Taken -Robert Frost

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;


Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,


And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.


I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I....

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Princess

Sunday was a better day. In fact it was an amazingly wonderful day compared to the past week. Randy's feeling better now, not 100% but better. So that's great news. So far so good with Skylar and I staying flu-free. Let's keep it that way. Having had to stay away from Randy for the last couple days, Skylar was missing her daddy and he missed her. Said he felt like she grew a ton over last couple days and was just doing and saying more new things every minute. And she is. So, we lysol-ed (ie...sanitized)the room Randy had been quarantined to and let her sit accross the room at her desk so she could tell her daddy all the things she'd been saving up to share with him. And so she told him about how she liked the Wiggles....and her favorite wiggle is Jeff....and so on.....She had a good five minute conversation going with us....So then I started to quiz her. Normally, these days if you ask Skylar her name, she'll tell you proudly..."Name is Skylar Hodges!!" Until....yesterday... Yesterday when Randy asked her what her name was, she...without a blink...pointed to herself and said "PRINCESS!!" We had to laugh. Princess...how funny. So we assured her she was our little princess and then she proceeded to tell us she was also "Skylar Hodges." Little one's don't miss a thing do they? So the princess and mommy and daddy had some outside time with Caffrey on the beautiful day we had. Caffrey got to play with Cody and Kaine next door for a bit and he loved it. They are much bigger doggies than he is so he stayed close to Randy but he enjoyed their first real meeting. They've been sniffing each other through the fence now for a couple weeks. Skylar showed off her t-ball skills for a while and then when she was done, the bat became her microphone. Didn't I mention we have a professional toddler-singer?? ;-) So she climbed a-top her picnic table (she likes to sit on tables...let's hope it's just a phase...) and proceeded to serenade us. I like to call it baby-remix. She knows an abundance of songs....but tends to lead one into the other. It's quite entertaining. As for the rest of the day....just a wayyyy better day than the last couple. I Thank God for that! As I put Skylar to bed last night, she wanted me to hold her and sing to her. (She's as tone deaf as I am so she doesn't mind at all that I can't sing a lick.) Anyhow, as I swayed and sang, all I could think of was the peace I had in that moment. Holding our little miracle in my arms with just a nite-light on in the hall to see....All was right with the world in that moment. I just had to thank the Lord above for he truly did give us .....a Princess.

Whineing Time

No, not Signing Time, that's not a typo, I MEAN Whineing Time. Now that it's almost 9pm and I've JUST had my shower for the day, I'm entitled to a little whineing time. And yes, I WILL take some cheese with it as well....thank you very much. The Hodges house has been a bit chaotic this week and most definitely in the last two days. Let's see, Tuesday we had the appointment with the urologist for Skylar. Won't be seeing him again. He had the personality of a rock. Maybe less...seriously. Skylar is doing great though and we'll find a different ped. urologist to follow her over the next year to monitor her reflux. No big deal. So after her appointment, I dropped her at school and I headed to Henderson to see Nannie. Had lunch with mom and my aunt all the while trying to avoid the germs flying in the air around the Pulley house. Got to the nursing home and fed Nannie lunch. She wasn't herself by any means but she did respond to me and I fed her lunch. I proceeded to chat with her, ( I had to do most of the talking) But she did inform me that she wanted ....and I quote "a big azzzz party" for her birthday in July and she wants it at the Silo. That got me tickled. She's not feeling well, not responding much but still sassy as ever. I love it! So ALL, please keep her in your prayers. After my visit with Nannie, I headed back to Raleigh and met Randy and Skylar at home in time for dinner. Wednesday, Thursday....a lot went on but nothing of real interest to anyone other than US and quite honestly it's little blurry with the events of the last couple days. Thursday night Randy didn't feel well. Achey,....laying on couch. So OF COURSE....I quiz him...what'd you eat today etc. And then we get to the real answer....ever after the NUMEROUS emails and reminders and discussions, he failed to get his FLU shot this year. Smoothe move there exlax. So he was throwing up Thursday night for a bit. Home on Friday running 101 Fever. To his defense...and this is his ONLY defense, two of the 3 flu strains this year aren't affected by the shot. HOWEVER, GOD WILLING, he better have the strain that Skylar and I are protected against. People, don't be dumb. Just get your flu shots. It can't hurt. Unless you are allergic to eggs. Then don't get the shot and just stay away from me until after flu season! So not only have I been single mommy the last couple days, but I've also been a waitress, a nurse, a sanitation engineer, a dog walker, and apparently a poop picker upper...Oh yeah, THE POOP. Either I've really ticked someone off or it's a full moon. Caffrey decided to leave a present for me on the floor this morning....He's not done that since his first week here. Then we get to naptime....I hear MOMMY!!...uuuhhh yeah...Skylar decided,...though she's been pooping in the potty for weeks now, that TODAY...of all days...TODAY...she wants to leave mommy a big ol' blueberry poop ball on her bed. NICE....Needless to say I had to strip her bed and give her a bath....clorox everything..re-do the bed and finally get her back to bed for her nap. Blueberry....yes..she ate half a tub for breakfast. Anyhow...back to my whineing. In the midst of this chaos, I did manage to take Skylar shopping and get a baby present, take her to chick- fil-a', do the shower favors while she was napping, get 4 loads of laundry done, and entertain the puppy. Then we went to the park after naptime and dropped the present off with Nana to take the shower....why?...well let's get real. What mommy- to -be wants flu germs around her!! Figured most folks wouldn't want to share in the flu fun. My hands are now cracking and bleeding because I've washed them so much. You like visual? I'm not taking any chances! So I'd love to keep chatting but I need to go put my hands in a tub of lotion, take Caffrey to potty, check on my sleeping angel, get some medicine for the sick, and if I can manage to find the opener..and a small glass...I'm gonna end this whineing time for some wine-ing time of my own...or find the tylenol pm and my pillow....either will do!!.....Lord, if it's not too much trouble, can we have a better day tomorrow? :-) Thank you and Amen.