Pin Pricks

I just had to share this hilarious story with you.  Last night The Music Man and I were going to bed.  We have yet to turn on the heat in our house because it's been so gorgeous, but last night it got down right cold.  So we were both shivering as we climbed into bed.  My man likes to watch tv before going to sleep (don't even get me started on that debate!), so he had his back to me and I was curled up behind him.  I was still too cold so I pulled my legs up to my belly to reserve my body heat.   A few minutes later he reached back and started scratching at his back where my knees were.  Then he started rubbing my knee.  I asked him if he like my sexy hairy knees.  And he said, "I felt something poking me and it hurt.  I thought there were pins in our bed."  

Nope!  Just my two-day old stubble on my knees.  For some reason I laughed hysterically for about 5 minutes.  I was remembering the days when I wouldn't dare let him touch my legs unless they were freshly shaven and glorious lotioned.  Yeah...I've really let myself go.  

My French Life...

I want my life to be lived here...

Ode to the Music Man

My Music Man.

I call him that for a variety of reasons.  The most logical being he's a professional musician.  Music is his life.  Always has been.  Always will be.  The most sentimental reason is that he is the music of my life.  

You see, I have always loved music, but I'm certainly not a connoisseur.  I'm the music lover that likes a song or band because it sounds cool on the radio. I grew up listening to The Gaithers, Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Rick Cua, Stryper, and DC Talk, Carmen.  (Yes, I did say Carmen!)  For me, To Hell With the Devil was as good as it gets.  

The Music Man, on the other hand, grew up listening to ACDC, Guns N' Roses, Allman Bros, Widespread Panic, Black Crowes, Stryper (Ha! Just kidding!), Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, DMB, Freddy Jones Band, Ben Harper, and of course Pink Floyd.

His tastes in music are varied and ecclectic.  In addition to those friends above, he also loves Leftover Salmon, Ravi Shenkar, U2, Al Dimiola, and Matisyahu.  

His influence in my musical life has introduced me to all these bands.  Alot of whom I'd never heard of.  Some I still don't care for.  Sorry Honey, but I just can't like Matisyahu or Allman Bros.  And Lord knows, my conservative upbringing can't allow me to enjoy ACDC, Pink Floyd, and the Black Crowes.  There is no way I'd want to be left alone in a room with Dark Side of The Moon.  I just can't like it.  My dad wouldn't like it.   

But more recently I have fallen in love with Sara Bareilles, Johnny Lang, Colbie Caillat, and Jamiroquai all thanks to The Music Man's inspiration.  He often brings home a cd of a new artist he thinks I'll like.  He doesn't necessarily like it himself, but he's always thinking of me.  He's good that way.  He puts music in my life... literally.

In spite of that, he still thinks I have horrible taste in music.  He hates that I love Mika and Kelly Clarkson.  I'm so sorry, but Mika makes me laugh and Kelly Clarkson just has a voice and spunk that I connect with.  I still like the Gaithers, thanks to repeated Sunday mornings being woken up with it blasted through the family stereo system by my dad.  The Gaithers remind me of home and all that is right with this world.  

We both desire that our children grow up loving all kinds of music.  It was the hippy-jam-rock bands of my husband's youth that made him into the musician that he is today.  The Christian bands of my youth is what has given me such a precious foundation of faith.  We differ in our versions of good music and what our kids should grow up listening to, but we do agree that Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and The Itsy-Bitsy Spider are not the pinnacle of good music.  

So from time to time we have our semi-heated discussions on what we want the kiddos to listen to.  It's usually after I come home to find that he's been watching VH1 Classics with Natalie.  (I am sorry, but a Guns N' Roses video complete with scantily clad women is not the kind of tv I want my husband, much less my little girl to watch!)  Or it'll happen while we're watching the latest episode of Live From Abbey Road or some special VH1 has put together.  We're lazyparents so I'm sure that in the end we'll get it figured out.  

(On a side note: Natalie is currently singing Jesus Loves the Little Children and I'm a Little Tea Pot.)

Check Me Out!!! I'm Blogging!!!

Seriously, I am.

I just had to.  I found some incredibly precious pictures on my phone and camera and just had to share them with the world.  I'm just really sorry that it took me this long to get them up on my blog.  Oh well, life has a way of getting in the way sometimes.  You forgive me, though, right?  Of course you do.  You're good that way!

Ok, so here they are from September 13.... They're of Natalie's first DANCE CLASS!!!  Oh. My. Goodness.  Can she be any cuter?!

She laid out her dance clothes and begged me every 10 minutes all morning long to put them on.

All dressed...
....And ready to go!  "Mo-om!  Let's go!  Stop taking so many pictures!"
Natalie's on the far left watching Miss Tina.  Notice her stance--arms folded, pink tiara in place, look of pure concentration on her face...
Right in front with her arms spread wide, just waiting her turn.  So cute!
Double high five to Natalie for job well done!
Far left... Always watching everything and everyone.
Butterfly dance, complete with pink wings and antennae...
"Quick! Run to the Butterfly house!"

Oh for crying out loud.  It DOES NOT get any cuter than 5 blond 3-year-old girls in head-to-toe pink ballet attire!  

I was so incredibly thankful that The Music Man was able to break away and join me.  It was so much fun to watch her very first dance class together.  We stood there at the window, laughing and crying (well, really I was the only one crying).  Our little girl... she's just so stinkin' cute.  I do believe that she was created to dance.  She is always bouncing, dancing, bouncing, running, bouncing, jumping.  Did I mention she is always bouncing?  So this was most definitely one of those priceless moments in life!

I will post more pictures of her dancing and at dance class in the future.  Stay tuned...

Why I've Neglected My Blog: Part II

So where was I?

Oh yeah.... We came home from our trip to the middle of the country totally relaxed and ready to take on life. Um, wait, I'm sorry--did I just say relaxed and ready to take on the life? Can you really be relaxed when returning from visiting relatives? Let me clarify: we still needed a vacation upon our return from a two-week vacation. There. That's much more accurate.

I had five days to unpack, get back into the swing of things and clean my house before my parents came for an extended visit. We were all pretty excited about this, seeing as we had just enjoyed as much time with my in-laws. Natalie was the most spoiled having 3 and a half weeks out of August with her grandparents.

It took me two days to unpack. Two more days to put it all away. You didn't honestly think I meant that when I unpacked, I put everything away, did you? Are you kidding me? I coined the term lazymom. I am the lazymom, no matter what Stacey says. (Shout out to all the lazymoms out there!) It only took me one day to clean the house and clean it I did! Wowzah! I even wiped down my baseboards, thank you very much!

Then my parents came. And I thought the first 3 weeks went by fast! Holy stinkin' cow! Why is it that the more fun you have the faster time goes by? And fun we had!

We went shopping at Natalie's favorite store, where she begged everyone for a $40 Belle dress-up dress.
Are you kidding me? You think that $40 is bad, the Cinderella dress was $80!
But Papa distracted her with a couple of Snow White figurines.
And of course, Nana spoiled her with a wedding dress.

Oh, she is just gorgeous!

We went to church where Papa had Natalie pose under the little pergola left over from the Honor Stars Ceremony. Oooo...she's so beautiful!!!!

Then of course there was the excursion to the park. We packed a picnic lunch and just relaxed and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Later that day, while The Music Man and I went to a movie, Nana and Papa took Natalie back to the park and to Rita's for ice cream.

To be continued...

::: I originally began this post on 9/14/07 and life got in the way of finishing it.  I got tired of never posting but I just don't have it in me these days to blog.  I've lost that blogging feeling!  Anyway, here is part one of part two.  Look for part two of part two sometime in January.  :::