FIRST WORD

I am elated and ecstatic about the information I am about to reveal to you my friends. We have had so many amazing things happen with our child. She has progressed along the developmental stages so much more rapidly than I could have imagined, and quite frankly really wanted. It has been too fast flashing before me and then over. Since about 6 months of age, Emma has been uttering sylables that to you and me, make some coherant sense. For example, her technical first word was Mama, which she said over and over and over again. However, to this day, I don't really know if she has made that connection with who the heck Mama is. She has also uttered Dada and even Nana, but again she doesn't know what it is. We can get her to repeat them sometimes, but not all the time. Most of the time she speaks them of her own free will.

Last night Jeremy and I returned to our home from a lovely evening out. Unfortunately when we returned we were a smidge too loud as we recanted our evening with our dear friends the DeHarts who were kind enough to watch our child for the evening. As a result, it awakened our child. I laid back down with her to try to get her back to sleep and she was wide awake and ready to play. I kept telling her in a peaceful quiet tone that it was "time to go night-night."

Much to my amazement, I watched her play with forming her mouth and moving her tongue for a few minutes as she was trying to mimic me. SHE DID! Jeremy and I both got to hear her repeat after me "NIGHT - NIGHT." She said it 4 times.

That is by far my greatest Christmas gift! I struggle often with missing out on things as she progresses because I work. The Lord has truly been faithful to allow me to experience just about everything myself first (rolling over, crawling, pulling up, giggling, and now speaking). I am in Heaven! She is the best!

TWENTY-SEVEN

I have titled a post as such before, but this one is all the more exciting for me. Yesterday was the 27th of the month and Emma celebrated her 9 month birthday! How amazing and exciting.

Today marks the countdown to 27 days until Christmas! Another exciting time! We are decorated at the Powell household. How about you?

Favorite Episode

Those of you who know me, know that the title of my website is much like the title of my life. I feel that we are key players in the next sitcom that will be a decade-long hit on NBC. We far surpass Friends & Everybody Loves Raymond, yet we have similar aspects of each show reflecting in ours. As I sit and reflect upon what has happened to myself and to my family over the past years, I want to rejoice in the Lord's deliverance that has brought me to where I am today. I am definitely at a place where I can look back upon instances and laugh knowing that I made it through it and I will do it again when the stressors arise. If you know me, I would love to hear from you about your favorite episode of What the Crap? Let me give you some hints.

Rocks Don't Rock the Dog
Working for the Firm
Snugglin' Up Wi-Chu
Car Battery?
Stop! Stop! Stop!
Scout Looses her Marbles
Swing Dancing
Happy Anniversary! You just bought a Van!
Nerf Upside Yo Head
Scout Slides Into 2nd
Certification Blues
Sheremy
Wyoming's Great Divide
Who's Having a Baby?
What's that Smell?
Harry Carry Meets Scary Jerry
Farmer Hideout
Crew Weddings (multiple series)

You may create your own names, but please give synopsis of the episode as well!

42

...where there's kids' jingle belling
and everyone's telling you
be of good cheer


IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!

I have so few days left to shop and yet I have not yet begun to start. I think the Angel Tree's are going up in the mall's this weekend. That makes me most excited of all. You should all get one. How amazing it is to know that you have the ability to make some child's life a little brighter by helping them have a Christmas to remember! You will allow them to go back to school in January and they too will have stories to tell about their new Lego set or their new Barbie or maybe even a new bike! I am giddy with enthusiasm. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

I even started looking for Emma's stuff on Friday evening. Oh what fun we have in store for her! She will most likely be walking by then. She is pulling up and scooting around our living room. It was just 8 1/2 months ago that I birthed this child. Wowsers! She is my joy! I cannot wait to teach her the experience of giving as well! It is so filling. No wonder Christ is so full of love - He gives and gives and gives. As we receive, may we remember why we have the opportunity to even be on the receiving end.

Monopoly

I had my students write a brief essay on their favorite board game and why. The reason was because I describe the conquest of the new world by Europeans as a big monopoly game. Spain is that participant who must be the banker and must own particular properties or they will get angry and not play fair. France is the player who is just playing to be a part of the game. England is the strategist who eventually takes the lead. Ironically the majority of them chose monopoly as their favorite board game.

I love board games and play them with my family often. We all have our little quirks about each game - like my cousin Todd will not allow you to assemble your Trivia Pursuit pie pieces outside of the container. I always hold my cards in a certain suit order in a card game - I can't tell you how or you will know for our next game. :)

What is your favorite board game &/or what is your quirk? I love Pictionary, Trivia Pursuit, Outburst & Loaded Questions.

89:11-8

For those of you who actually frequent this site and are not native Texans - WHAT THE CRAP? It is November the 8th and the high today according to one of our fine meteorologists is 89! Sweet LORD! God loves this little jab at me. You see, growing up in Alabama, I truly whined to the Lord often about how Alabama missed out on White Christmas and true sledding. Sure we saw the Floridians decorating palm trees and the Arizonians decorating cacti, and I knew that was to make me to appreciate the precipitation that I did get. Yet, I wanted a bundle up snowshoe Christmas. I didn't know that there could be yet another place that had such strange and punishing weather. I now appreciate the 3-4 snowfalls a year that might have graced the foothills of the Appalachians. I appreciate the humidity that helped cool off the heat of the day and bring the Autumn evenings back to a chilled night time bliss. When I went out to run at 6:00 this morning it was 75.

Shopping for Junior

I was thinking this morning as I was driving to school about certain clothing styles and the ways in which certain groups of people wear their clothing. We passed several students in varying neighborhoods making their way to the schoolhouse and as you may of guessed, several of the male students were wearing the typical blue jean, white sneaker, and OVERSIZED sweatshirt. As a new mom, my thoughts began to go immediately to the first encounter with this outfit. Someone had to take this child shopping and allow them to choose these articles of clothing. That same someone had to either see the child walk out of a dressing room with it on or to see the tag that clearly stated XXL on it and say to themself, "Self, that seems to be a suitable size for my 63 lb son." Then my next thought went to the conversation that might occur between child and parent the following year.

Child: "Mom, my pants are getting a little tight. Do you think I might be able to get a new pair for school this year? I don't know if Kiki will be able to see my boxers in this pair anymore?"

Parent: "I was noticing that myself. You have worn that pair out. We better get to the store this weekend."

Is there not ever a point where the child might actually grow into the pants and/or sweatshirt considering the drastic oversize? Did you seriously buy that size for your wee child on purpose for fashion? Did you seriously justify spending $75 on a sweatshirt that could hold your entire family within its seams? I was holding out for buying things slightly bigger so they can be used more than one season. My mom did that with coats and sometimes even pants. Was that not the original intent when the parent bought the outfit so largely mis-sized? Help me here!

49

Days left until Christmas!!!!!! I have already started decorating the house. Yes, yes, I love Thanksgiving, but I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I even decorate the dog!!! There will be more to come from this, so if you are not fond of this holiday, you may choose to not frequent my page!

Holiday Bliss

Things that I love...the HOLIDAYS! Anytime we are given a reason in society to celebrate or deviate from the norm so that we may just truly smile and rejoice in the goodness of our fellow man - I get all giddy inside. You are probably thinking at this moment, not every holiday allows for that. The original intent of many holiday occasions is to do just that. Halloween - comes from all hallow's eve - the evening before All Saint's Day. Granted there have been some derrogatory deviations from what people intended this holiday to be for the past 50 years, but I still hold onto the fun. My vision is seeing children dress up in costume to escape their reality into some sort of fantasy - i.e. Yoda or a princess or even a ghoul - so that they may skip up and down the sidewalks to solicite candy from their fellow neigbors. Your benefit - to see children being able to relax and enjoy each other; to see children enjoying the comfort and safety of their community by being able to trust that their neighborhood is filled with loving adults who will provide them with goodies and not harmful material or harmful intentions; to receive the satisfaction of giving to others by watching their smiles and hearing their muffled thank yous from beneath their masks. It saddens me that people have twisted this event where children cannot go without parents door-to-door. It saddens me that we must worry about evil activities outside of the community. It saddens me that we don't communicate with our children enough to help them understand that they are in costume, therefore not reality. It saddens me that grown teenagers take advantage of the freebies and therefore I have little left for the children. I still had a grand time last night and I look forward to next year when I get to take Emma door-to-door! By the way, this year was the year of Tigger.