Julie

My Sister was on the cover of the local Link magazine. I waited too late to pick up a copy but I was able to view the photos here. This is my favorite.

Wine Night

Before I got pregnant, Alex and I always had wine night on Monday evening. I thought of it as a way to learn more about wine, try new types, and to get a bit tipsy after the first workday of the long week ahead. We picked the ritual back up a couple of weeks ago. Now, I've decided that I am adding wine to the list of things that I want to love but really don't even like. So far this list has two other items: coffee and sushi. I want to enjoy coffee, sushi, and wine just like all the other cool kids, but alas, I cannot. So as of right now, I hereby declare Monday nights, LIQUOR NIGHT! Woot!

bad blogger

December is gone, here's what happened.

1. Mama's 50th Birthday! My mom and my sister share the same birthday. Julie usually gets all the love but this year we gave mama a beer and wings birthday party. There were old friends, new friends, family, gifts, food, and a super chocolaty cake from Strossner's. I hope she enjoyed it.

Mama's 50th Birthday Party
Originally uploaded by AmySaid

2. Jasmine's 18th Birthday! We went to a party for my sister-in-law, Jasmine. Isn't she pretty?













3. Christmas. Ah, it comes every year and I every year I agonize over the traditions. This year, I felt like an extra in a movie or some kind of stand-in celebrator. I bounced from space to space "doing Christmas". I really don't get it. I'm uncomfortable with teaching Lucas that this mindlessness is normal, but I feel like the only Christmas machine that has been deprogrammed.
I decorated, I even photographed the decorations. I haven't decorated in years. I thought that a tree and stockings would jumpstart my holiday spirit, it didn't. Christmas is gone, my gifts were confusion and guilt. What am I going to teach Lucas? Am I depriving him of some kind of childhood right by not teaching him about Santa and showering him with mounds of plastic? Is he going to be that bitter, know-it-all kid that ruins Christmas for all of the other children? At least I have a few months to figure it out.
Lucas did enjoy the lights though.

Christmas 2009
Originally uploaded by AmySaid

inspired again

For the last few years, I guess since our family photos went digital, I've managed to avoid being photographed very often. It so easy to press delete when you don't like the way your clothes fit or how the camera angle shows off your chin(s). Also we lost a hard drive earlier this year that had all of the photos that I considered acceptable. Since Lil Lou arrived, I've spent a lot of time trying to preserve every waking moment on film-memory card space is probably more accurate. I've also been going through old photos of Alex and myself trying to match up his nose or eyes. It has really started bothering me that I'm not in any of the recent photos. I want Lou to be able to look back at his beginning and see how happy he has made me.

Coincidentally, I clicked a button today that lead me to read about the life of an amazing woman. After a nearly fatal airplane accident that left her with facial burns, she writes about the love that she has in her life, she posts photos of her happy family, and she includes her smiling face.

This really did take a lot of effort but it is only the beginning. Maybe I should have saved this epiphany for my new year's resolution. Oh well, I always have the old stand-by. Stop swearing.

Aye me

I have a problem. I can't use facebook. I don't know why. I just spent the last 30ish minutes trying to update my status. I couldn't do it so I deactivated my account. I did the same thing not that long ago with myspace. It's probably the social part of the social networking that is difficult for me. I don't mean to neglect friends and family, it just happens. I'm really not sure why, I bet I could dig up some buried psychological reason but that doesn't sound like fun either. I was really looking forward to scanning some old photos too. Oh, well. For now, I am content with sitting on the bed, typing this post, teaching Lou how to use his new dragon wubbanub and planning my mamas 50th birthday party.

Maybe its time to update to a Flikr pro account, hmmm.

Happy December.

Since my last post . . .

1. We had a baby! His name is Lucas Alexander and he is beautiful. His daddy and I love him so much. Everyone said that things would change once he got here and they have. It's wonderful. He was born on October 15th at 6:49pm. He weighed 6lbs 15oz and he was 19" long. The doctor had me convinced that he was going to be a giant. I was pleasantly surprised. I went to the hospital at 6:30 on the 14th to be induced and only 19 hours later he was here!


The staff at the hospital was so nice. Lucas had jaundice and fluid in his left ear that was causing him to have difficulty hearing. Since we left the hospital, his jaundice has cleared up and the fluid is gone. He is perfect.

DJ Lucas having his infant hearing test

2. Alex and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I love my husband more and more everyday. He is too good to me. My mama and nana came over to stay with Lucas while we went to Texas Roadhouse and to Costco. I know, very exciting. Lucas was only four days old and we couldn't wait to get home to him. I had a margarita with dinner too, it was fantastic. I really missed margaritas while I was pregnant.

Best Husband Ever!

3. Julie and Shane were married on October 24th at Willow Creek Conservatory. It was a beautiful day. We couldn't have asked for better weather. The leaves had just started to change, and we used pumpkins and fall leaves to autumn it up even more. Lucas even wore a special fall outfit that Tainaka gave him at my baby shower. Our family did the twist and my sister jumped in the pond with her wedding gown on. She trashed her dress. It was fun. There was even a candy buffet.

Mr. and Mrs. Shane Williams

Little Lulu and the wedding cake

Julie and Shane

We all danced because the craziest month in my family's history was over!

4. I turned 31. I almost forgot about my birthday after all of the excitement but my family remembered. Mama, Jeff, Alex, Lucas, and I went out for some fish for dinner. I really missed fish too. Mama and Jeff gave me a griddle that I used to make Sunday breakfast and Alex and Lulu gave me a new Gameboy DSi that I am using to waste time. Alex woke me up with breakfast in bed and the sweetest card that I have ever received.

5. Halloween! We didn't have time to carve our pumpkins but we managed to visit our family. Alex and Lucas wore skeleton costumes.

Well, I think that about covers it. October has always been my favorite month and I believe that it always will be. I'm very happy that Novembers finally here.

Thanks a lot full moon. . .

For some reason I wanted to believe the old wives tale about the full moon bringing on labor, it seemed possible to me that labor and delivery units everywhere would need to staff more nurses to take care of babies popping out of mommies in the hallways because the delivery "suites" were all occupied, at least that's the way I heard it. The full moon was Sunday, today is Tuesday.
Ay, me. 39 weeks today and I have a cold. At my appointment yesterday, the doctor told me to get an H1N1 vaccine as soon as possible. I tried but no one has them yet.

I stopped working last week, it was getting harder and harder to get up in the morning and I pretty much went to sleep as soon as I got home. I was so tired. My sweet husband and the doc convinced me that I needed to rest. I'm glad.

My sister and I have been working on the candy table that we are planning for her wedding. There is so much going on right now and so much to look forward to. We are thinking about making moon pie owls

I hope Alex and I don't forget our 7th wedding anniversary in all of the excitement.