Miscellaneous Thoughts

Please pardon the randomness of this post. I have a variety of things going through my head right now and felt like I should give you all the joy of taking a peek inside my head (you're welcome!).

• LO's 2nd birthday party is a mere FOUR WEEKS away! I'm so excited for her but at the same time am trying to grasp the fact that my teeny, tiny baby girl is already a toddler -- well on her way to being a big girl! Ack! When did that happen!? Planning for this party is already SO much different than planning her 1st birthday. I guess that's probably normal, right? Last year, I sent her invitations out SIX WEEKS before her party! Whaa? Ya, seriously. I spent months planning every single detail of her party, choosing the perfect presents and finding just the right "1st Birthday Princess" hat for her to wear. This time around, I'm going way low-key. I did create her Elmo party invitations myself (I'll share them here after they're sent out so you can see how cute they were!), and I'm planning to make her Elmo cake myself (that one should be interesting). But for the most part, it'll be a laid-back party, focusing on the last year of our precious daughter's wonderful life, and the extraordinary impact she's had on those who love her.


• I feel like hubs and I have settled into the news about our baby boy's diagnosis of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. It was such a HUGE SHOCK the first few hours, days -- really, since we've heard the news. I wasn't sure "life" was going to return to any semblance of "normal" after that bombshell, but I'm happy to say hubs and I are dealing with it the best we can, and we certainly know God is with us and helping us through it. We're grateful we found out when we did so we can make all the necessary arrangements for the baby's delivery and first surgery. I won't lie, though -- it has taken away some of the joy and excitement I was feeling about this pregnancy before we heard the news. But I don't plan to do anything differently. I hope to have as similar a pregnancy with our son as I did with LO. We know God will give us the strength we need to handle each and every step on this journey.


• What is it with people who don't respond to emails? I mean, seriously, I understand people are busy with work, life, family, etc. But when you email someone essentially an invitation to a certain event, and they don't even respond with a "yes", "no", or "I got your email but don't know for sure if I can make it or not" response, really, what's up with that!? I have to say that is a HUGE pet peeve of mine and it's been happening a LOT lately with both close friends and some of my family. It is so simple and easy to hit "Reply" and type a few words to indicate whether or not you'll be joining the festivities. I'm not looking for a dissertation on why you can or can't attend -- just the simple human decency of a response. Really, is that too much to ask?


• I was totally bummed (although not surprised) to hear the "big announcement" Monday night about Jon & Kate getting divorced. I know, people are tired of hearing about all their drama, but any time I hear about a family going through divorce -- especially one with children involved -- it really breaks my heart. God designed marriage to be between one man and one woman for a lifetime. I see no reason why (if they truly love their children) they wouldn't do EVERY SINGLE THING in their power to work out their differences. Sorry to get so personal on my views here, but hey, it IS my blog so I can share my opinion any ol' time I want to!


• The June recipe on my Betty Crocker calendar is Peanut Butter Truffle Brownies. YUM!! I'm planning to make them tomorrow for a family pot-luck we're having on Sunday afternoon. I'll have to let you all know how wonderful they turn out, but until then, here's a pic:

• I am totally stoked that Big Brother starts on July 7th. This is one of those reality shows I get sucked into every year. I'm ready for some random distraction I can count on each week. Bring on the crazies!