Watch out! There's a girl in the office...

Remember my post back in June when I started my new job...about how weird it was working with a bunch of guys.

So as an addendum to that post, I was thinking the other day about what I bring to the office. Here's my list:

1. Cookouts, pizza parties, panini lunches, holiday parties, etc. - It was by accident I found out that they had previously had a cookout at some point. Once I was let in this secret, we were good to go. I couldn't believe no one had let me in on this information sooner. I have had so much fun planning things like tailgate parties, pizza parties for contract wins and panini lunches. Also, I was able to plan a Christmas party and my work doesn't have Christmas parties. It was great! I had so much fun planning and pulling it off!
2. Gifts - Lots of the guys I work with are in the having babies stage. So when one of them recently had a third child, I decided the "girl" in me can't take it anymore that we don't do anything for these guys and their family. I can handle it that we don't do a shower or anything because I know they wouldn't be able to take that but nothing....really, nothing. Couldn't take it any longer. So, I sent aroudn an email and asked who wanted in on a gift for this family. There was an overwhelming reaction! It made me realize that everyone is glad to have me around to do things like this. I know guys don't think of things like this all the time and I'm glad to take care of it. Count me in!
3. Word of the day - I instituted this new thing at work. It seems to have really sparked a lot of interest and people seem to be enjoying it. We come up with a word (made-up or real) and see if we can use it during the day. It started out as a joke because of a couple funny words people use and now it's turned into something fun.
4. Caption contest - Someone took pictures at the tailgate cookout and we put them all up on a big wall in the kitchen at work. Then placed post-it notes and pens so people could make-up captions they think could go with the photo. This was so much fun! People really came up with some funny things. Here's how I failed at this task...there was no real prize and judging of this "contest." I will have to get better at that.  : )
5. Food! - I bring in cookies, candy, brownies, and all kinds of goodies all the time. They love it!
6. Kitchen Admin - Someone at my work has named me the "Kitchen Administrator." This is definitely my job. I keep the fridge clean, the counters wiped off, the dishes done, wash the hand towels and keep the supplies filled up. You can tell if I'm really busy and can't get to it because it all starts going downhill. I was criticized one time for not having the coffee made and I gave my usual excuse that I don't drink so I don't know how to make it. I said I don't know how many scoops and how much water. Then he opened the drawer with the prepackaged coffee bags in it, poured the pouch in the coffee filter and pushed a button to the attached hot water source that knows exactly how much to water to use. So I can no longer rely on my trusty "I don't drink coffee" excuse. I was informed as kitchen admin I have to make coffee.  So, I was off on Friday...I'm very afraid to see what the kitchen will look like once I go back in on Monday.  The counter will usually look like someone wiped poo all over it and the towels and smell in there will only second that opinion. Sometimes I think I work with complete slobs. Pigs...I call them. Pigs.
7. Prank Fridays - This was an epic fail! I tried to start Prank Fridays...I'm not sure why I thought this was a good idea. It was not.

Most of these things spark commradery at the work place and encourage people to communicate and relate.  My boss told me that was something I was good at and I needed to use my strengths to help others weaknesses. I love it. For me, it just helps me enjoy work more and if I can use my strengths to raise morale I'm all about it.

So...in short, I love my job! And mostly, I love what I bring to my job! I work with incredibly intelligent people and instead of usually feeling like I'm NOT, I feel like I bring a whole different thing to our office and I'm okay with that.

Yay for the girl in the office! What would they do without her.

Two years ago...

Two years ago today, I started getting to know a new person. I remember wondering what she would be like as I'm sure she wondered the same about me. We have grown to know each other well. I must say I'm head over heels for this adorable little two year old named Charlotte.

I was putting her to bed tonight after a long day of birthday celebrations and I was thinking about the day we first met. She was so new and the mystery of what her personality would be, who she would look like and what her voice would sound like was very real. It was interesting to me that I remember that feeling. I don't usually remember a lot of things sometimes and get upset with myself for having such a horrible memory...but this feeling I remember.

Charlotte is our sweet little soul with a fiery side. We tend to call her our bully but we will always know she can take care of herself when it comes down to it and one day this could be important. She can turn off this trait and be a soft, cuddly, sweet little girl when she wants to be. In fact, some people don't believe she possesses the fiery quality but that's what makes her so ornery to me. She can "innocently" hide it! :)

She also loves to help and be a part of anything we are doing. Her helpful personality makes cleaning and fixing things interesting sometimes because she insists on having a hand in the activities. We love it. And it's a great influence on her older sister! We also love the way she makes Drea laugh! Our girls could spend hours laughing at each other.

Charlotte is our shy girl...who enjoys being a ham sometimes. Weird, I know, but really, around a crowd she will sometimes go in her shell and insist on being attached to my hip. Then once she gets comfortable she enjoys some of the attention she gets from showing off a little. She's like her daddy in this manner. Andy can be shy and hang out in the background around a crowd he's not so familiar with but after a few meetings with this crowd he gets to know people and get used to them and will be out going and silly.

She loves to be outside and has lately been escaping whenever she sees the door left a little open. (Scary, I know.) Currently, she loves Yo Gabba Gabba, could eat macaroni and cheese all day long, and is in love with her milk. Charlotte is our "not-so-girly" girl. She likes to play trucks and do a wide variety of activities that don't necessarily involve dolls.

Anyway, I might not have known much about her when she first joined us two years ago (except for her kicking pattern) but she sure has made an impression in our hearts thus far. I can't imagine loving two little girls anymore than my Drea and Charlotte.

Happy 2nd birthday Charlotte! We love you to pieces munchkin.

Our big two year old.

Charlotte trying on headbands for Nunnie. This is as far as it gets. She won't wear them past looking herself in the mirror and letting Nunnie take pictures.



Charlotte and her little friend Elijah. These two are adorable!



Charlotte waking up from her nap for her birthday party.





Me and my girls.





I love this picture.



Stacey's Good Deals

Stacey and I have been looking for a new table for a few years now.  We were looking for a counter height table.  We looked at several places with the best deal at Sam's for around $600.  After talking it over we had decided to wait until the summer, that is, until Stacey's friend Diana suggested going to the auction.  So off the girls went to the auction with one goal in mind to find a table.  Of course, when Stac has a goal in mind she is going to be successful.  So here it is and at the low cost of $190.  There was never a doubt in my mind that she would pull it off. 

These pictures don't do the table quite the justice it deserves. This table is huge and beautiful! Plus, we have an extra leaf for it, which makes the table a big square. It's awesome!

Here is another pic of our new table, notice in the background our new lamp.  Stacey got that at "Swap 'til you drop" event the ladies at the church had.

Charlotte's Videos

Charlotte singing the milk song

She is saying "I love milk-y"...and yes, that is her 5 yr old sister (who is starved for attention) being a dog in the background.

Charlotte saying some new words and phrases

She is saying "peanut butter" and "shut the door".

Of course, we couldn't get Drea's video to upload so now we seem partial. =)



Drea stories

The girls and I do a variety of silly things together and one of their favorite things is to pretend to go to the doctor.  Well, a doctors visit consist of a few different things.  First, I check their ears for potatoes.  Next, their nose for boogers and their teeth to see if they are shiny.  Then, "follow my finger with your eyes."  I check their reflexes by tapping their knees.  The "appointment" always ends with me telling them to raise their arms and I tickle them.  Charlotte has yet to figure this out or...she just enjoys the tickling.  Drea on the other hand always says, "No, Daddy you are going to tickle me!"  I always respond by, saying, "I promise I will not tickle you this time."  We go back and forth for awhile and then, of course, she gives in and then I tickle her.  The other night Drea suggested that she be the doctor.  When she got to the end, she, of course said, "Daddy, raise your arms, I promise I won't tickle you."  I told her, "Drea, I don't believe you."  We went back and forth about it until I finally raised my arms.  Drea didn't lie.  She didn't tickle me.....she punched me.

Drea has molluscum contagiosum, it looks like little water blisters on her skin.  (Our friend and dermatologist has been treating them.) Anyway, Stacey thought it may be a good idea to explain to Drea that God can heal her spots.  That conversation led to Stacey telling Drea that God doesn't make people sick. Somehow that lead to a conversation about the devil being responsible for these things.  In the beginning of the conversation it was going well, but at some point Drea got scared. (Stacey insists that I note she probably did not say the right things and probably should not have mentioned any of this right before bedtime.) The reason I bring this up is the next story. ~ Drea and I were praying one night and she said "Dad, I'm scared. Can you pray that the devil doesn't get me."  I said sure and explained to her that she didn't need to be scared because God is in her heart.  She shot back with, "Dad, I think the devil is in your heart."  I asked her why she thought that.  She said because I get angry.  I explained to her that, I am a person and I make mistakes and I am not perfect.  Wow, out of the mouths of babes. 

Drea is such a sensitive soul.  She seems to get upset and cry over the simplest things.  She has cried over her sister changing the channel.  She gets upset when we leave family or friends houses.  When I say upset, I mean...a loud cry, followed by sobbing and tears.  Now as much as I wish Drea would sometimes express her sadness in another way it is her sensitivity makes her who she is.  This same trait is the same reason why she recently took the time to make Valentine's card for some of her friends even though it was after Valentines Day.  She didn't get to see them on the 14th so she needed to make them something.

I heart Fancy Nancy

Drea is in love with The Fancy Nancy books like I'm sure many other little girls are currently. I just wanted to comment on how much I love them too!

Nancy, the main character, loves to be fancy...of course! She is engulfed in a family that is pretty plain but she doesn't let that make her who she is.  She stands out as the eccentric, fashionable, frilly-loving member of her family. That is Drea. She could live in a dress or skirt but we force her to wear pants in the winter at least under those dresses (we're awful, I know!) She doesn't necessarily take it as far as Nancy but if she could I think she would. I love that this character encourages Drea to be who she wants to be even if its not always the same as the rest of us. So...uniqueness (that's fancy for one of a kind) is one of the reasons I love Fancy Nancy and what Drea is learning from it.

The other reason I love Fancy Nancy books....vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary! The words that Drea 's learning are amazing me. In the books, Nancy uses a more advanced vocabulary and tells the reader the meaning of each word. Of course, they do it in a way that makes kids like Drea excited to learn them just by calling them fancy words. I quiz Drea on these words often and she usually remembers what most of them mean and uses some of them in her everyday speech now. Fancy Nancy also has me thinking. The concept of the books has made me stop trying to use words that I'm sure Drea would understand and instead use the words I would normally use. I make sure to tell her what the word is fancy for (I know horrible english.) I think she actually hears what I'm telling her because I'm relating it to the way she learns it from Nancy. Oh that Nancy, she's the best! She's teaching me stuff too!

PS. I think Drea likes her because "Nancy" is her Nunnie's name, too.

Example of My Fancy Nancy:
These aren't great pictures but this is after Drea received her Sketchers Twinkle Toes from Nunnie for her birthday that apparently she wanted really bad. They are sparkly if you can't tell. Super sparkly and they light up. I have never really been a fan of light-up shoes but she thinks they are the best thing she owns. As you can see she had to add her super ruffle skirt on with these to feel extra fancy for her birthday dinner. These are pictures of her dancing around in them in sheer excitement!

Just a side note to this blog...when talking about books I wanted to add this note about Drea and reading. (Note: This is not to brag but rather to document so we can remember one day when she asks us what she could do at certain stages in her life.) Below are pages out of a book that was sent home with her from daycare for her homework one night. She can read this book and only needed help sounding out a few of the words. Andy and I have her read for us sometimes but we have to admit that we were blown away by her ability to read this book. Amazed! We have also been astounded by watching the change in her from noticing letters all around her to reading words all around her. She really tries to read everything. This change excites me! Watching a person go from not reading to seeing letters put together to form words in cool.

Down with Valentine.

I have always been a Valentine cynic as long as I can remember. It just always seemed that the holiday was silly. Why we spend one day a year going overboard to make our loves feel special is beyond me. We should be making them feel like our Valentine all year long, right? Yes. But do we do that? No. So I should stop being cynical about it, right? But for some reason, the people we are not nice to...our loves. The people we will be so quick to be mean to...our Valentines. Why is that? Why is it that we can be so nice to strangers, even going so far as to pay for the car behind you in the toll booth but sometimes its so hard to speak only kind words of love to the people that are the closest to us.

It finally dawned on me today. I don't have to be wrapped up in all the hubbub of the holiday. I'm using this day to celebrate! Celebrate my husband. Celebrate my wonderful little girls. Celebrate the life I have because of these awesome people. Maybe that's what the day was already supposed to be about but it has always been clouded by the commercialism of the holiday. I plan on making a resolution today to celebrate the loves in my life and use this opportunity to make them feel special everyday.

So today I spent the day celebrating my husband, our marriage, our children, our love...and it was wonderful! What a great Valentines' Day!