"Like a kid at Christmas"

I don't think I ever really understood that phrase until this year.  Madison is at such a great age.  She gets it!!
She's so excited about Christmas!  She's really excited to see family and spend time with them (we live over an hour away from my side) and don't see Ryan's extended family all that often either... so she's really excited about that part.  She knows that it is Jesus' birthday but of course, people don't ask if she's excited for that part, they ask if she's excited for Santa... which she is... of course she is.

We've been singing so many Christmas songs together and her memory blows me away... I figured that she'd learn "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" but today we were in Target finishing up some last minute shopping when I hear her singing, "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart... and the very next day, you gave it away... this year.... la la la tears... I'll give it to someone special"... pretty darn good, I think!!!

Its just so funny, last year (and the year before, obviously) we could buy her presents when she was with us... she'd actually play with them in the cart and then forget about them... but not this year.  You can't get anything by her!!  However, she does understand secrets...We told her that the only secrets she can keep from Mommy and Daddy are presents... and Ryan took her shopping for all gifts this year and she keeps telling me, "Mumma, no peeking, and its a secret, so you wont know until Christmas"...

I love it.  I love her excitement and innocence.  I love that she only asked Santa for M&M's when she met him... I forgot to blog about that experience. 

We went to the Swansea Mall (which is a pretty po-dunk mall, but I figured it wouldn't be crowded and I was just wasting time while Ryan was helping his dad rake leaves a few weeks ago)... so up until now, she hasn't wanted to speak to santa or anything... We saw him and she said, "Mumma, can I go say hi to Santa?"
"Sure Maddie... lets go."
So we walk up there (I wasn't sure they'd let you just go say hi without a picture, but they did)..
Here's how the conversation went:

"Hi Little girl, what's your name"
"Madison."
"Oh that's a nice name. What would you like for Christmas?"
"M&M's please"
"Just M&M's?  You don't want a doll or a dress or nothing?" -yes, he said it just like that... I really think they pulled this man off the streets for the sole reason that he had a real beard... he was very trashy (with a yellow beard from smoking I'm sure and grammar that was embarrassing...)
"Nope, Just M&M's"
"Oh, ok.  Do you want to sit on my lap?"
without missing a beat and with a very dirty look, "WHY?"
"I don't know, to tell me what you want for Christmas"
"I just told you, just M&M's"
"Ok, well, I think you've been a good girl, so I think I could do M&M's this year"
"Ok Santa, thank you"

And that was it.

I can not wait to see her face on Christmas Morning... I can't wait to share the traditions that Ryan and I have already started with her... I feel like its her first Christmas... it's not, but its the first one that I think she'll remember... and the first that she really can express her excitement.

I'll do my best to take pictures but our camera stinks and we're not very good at remembering to take them!!!

Oh, I also forgot to mention that this house about a mile an a half from us does this awesome display of lights and we just heard about it... We went tonight and it was fantastic!!  You pay a donation to walk around and the guy donates all the donations to charity... what a great idea!!  There's actually a website about it and I think its great what they're doing!  Maddie just loved it!  We got her dressed up in pajamas and boots with her hat, coat and mittens and didn't tell her where we were going, just said we were going on an adventure... she loved it!! :)

http://www.bridgewaterfestivaloflights.com/

Why did I click that button???

Ok, so we "Elf Yourself"ed our family and it was hysterical!! I loved it!  We kept taking different pictures with the webcam and having them dance.
That was great.

Maddie loved it.  Kept asking to watch the different dances.  Then I clicked on the JibJab website where you can watch little videos and send personalized cards.  Maddie kept saying, "can we watch that one, and that one, and that one?"  So of course, we watched just about every one....

Then, I didn't look at the title because I was just clicking every video on the site... and there it happened... I've corrupted my poor 2 year old...

"Mumma, can we watch the stinky one again?!?!?"  She laughs almost uncontrollably at this... belly laughs... laughs so hard she can barely breathe...


Here it is... for your viewing pleasure... but please don't judge me, I'm usually a much better mother than this... I USUALLY monitor everything she sees and don't even have the news on when she's in the room because I want her to only see positive images in media - but I have lost it! 


http://sendables.jibjab.com/holidays/sendables/225/farting_elves

 Oh my...  I'm sorry, in advance!!!

Updates

Well, I do have an update...

They've posted the job that I wrote about in an earlier post.  They restructured and turned it into an Assistant Director position.  This is what I really want.  I do know that!
I get almost giddy thinking about it...

I just really pray that I am able to present myself in a way (throughout the interview process and until then) that shows my dedication and passion and that I deserve and will do a great job with this job!  They just received the approval to post the position, but it hasn't quite posted yet. 
I'm beefing up and fine tuning my resume - which by the way is harder than I had planned.  I haven't touched it in the three years since I started here at BSU.  So it is now three pages long and my cover letter is packed!!

If you pray, please say a prayer for us.  I say us because Ryan and I go into these things together.  He's just as nervous and excited as I am.  We're totally trying to think positive - like I will get the job (because I don't like to be negative and I really want it, so why not!!)
We have no idea what our living arrangements will be if I get this job.  I'm not sure how much time will be allotted for me to find a place.  Would they let me stay as the East Hall RD for the next semester while adjusting to the new role?  Or will I move right out and they hire someone new so I am left looking for either an apartment or a house.

And a house?!? Seriously?  I don't know if we can afford a house right now?  But I've lived on for so long, how do I really know?  I want a house, so badly I want a house!  But those that I want, my goodness, I don't think we could afford and if we could, we couldn't afford to heat it or eat!! 

Oy vey... so clearly I need some prayers!!  I know that the Lord guides me in each of my endeavors and I know that He is watching over me with this whole process and whatever is in His plan will be what happens, it's just tough being patient and letting my faith calm me down enough to remind myself that God is in charge!

So that's the update!

Funny stuff my kid says!

For a while now, people have been telling me to blog about funny or just stuff that Madison says.
She is pretty funny sometimes...
So, this is a very quick blog post (because I have 10 minutes before I have to leave for a meeting) but here are a few things... I'm also blogging so that I don't forget about them, cause she's cute!

The other day when Ryan got home..
Ryan:  "Madison, you look beautiful today, I like your shoes"
Madison: "oh, you noticed?  thanks Dad"

Yesterday a country song came on that had the word Alabama in it and she heard me earlier in the day tell my mother in law that my parents are in Alabama with their motorhome...
Madison:  Mom, you know who's in Alabama... (pause)... Mimi and Bampa...
Me:  Yes, that's right hunny...
Madison:  Mom, what's Alabama?
Me:  Well, it's a state?
Madison:  A state?  So like, they're visiting Alabama?
Me:  Yes, they're visiting Alabama.
Madison:  Well, what does she look like?
Me:  Who?
Madison:  Alabama, the one they're visiting?
Me:  Oh, no Maddie, Alabama is not a person they're visiting, its a place.  A State.
Madison:  Oh.  Alabama is a state.
Me:  Yes, a state, you know how we live in Massachusetts?  Well, Massachusetts is the state that we live in... there are a lot of people in this world, and some live in Massachusetts like us, but some live in other states, like Alabama....
Madison:   Mom, where does the sun go when it goes to sleep?
Me:  Well, you know how around lunchtime the sun is way up high in the sky?
Madison: Yep.
Me:  Ok, well as the day goes on, the sun moves further and further down (I used my hands for this part even though we were in the car headed to Target)... and then when it goes to sleep it goes way down to the other side of the world.
Madison:  Oh, so does it go to Alabama when it goes to sleep?
Me:  Umm... well...
Madison:  Or behind Target?


I'll continue a few as I remember them... I had just recounted the Target trip to Ryan and he agreed that I should be documenting some of this stuff!!  So there you have it...

at a loss for words....

... not because something bad happened (which is usually why someone says that phrase), but because every time I have a chance to blog, I can not for the life of me think of things to blog about.  However, when I am going through my every day life, I will do something or see someone and think, "that would make a great blog entry". 

A few things are going on lately that I'm apprehensive about.  Mostly with my work.  As you've noticed, I love my job.  I love most of the people that I work with, and I love working at this school and with this department.  Ryan is in a good school system and there is potential for him to stay there and continue moving up.  Madison is in a school system that so far (its only been a few weeks) she loves.  I don't want to have to introduce her to a new system when she's in second or third grade.  I always felt so bad for those kids in school...

So, two years ago, while the Housing Operations Coordinator was out on maternity leave, I got to do her job as an interim position.  I loved it.  I continuously joked that if she ever left, I'd jump at the chance to do her job.  I knew, though, that she'd never leave.  Her husband also works for BSU and they just bought a house in the area. 

However, she just gave her two week notice last week and accepted a job with a software company.  As you can imagine my heart started beating wildly when I heard this!!  seriously, is this a possibility??  Would I even be considered to apply for this job?  I really want that job.  I loved it so much when I did it when she was on maternity leave... LOVED IT! 
all these thoughts run through my head... wait, am I ready to move up, well, I know I am, but do my supervisors feel that I am?  Have I done enough to prove myself to the people that matter?  More importantly and really more the issue: am I ready to move off.  Currently, although I don't get paid much more than peanuts, I don't have to pay rent, utilities, internet fees, cable, ANYTHING... it's all included.... SO really, wherever I move, if I do go off, will result in a technical pay cut.  Something that is not going to be easy.  We're currently living paycheck to paycheck as it is.

There are so many what ifs that still surround this whole thing...

Firstly, they might be reorganizing the whole department because of this vacancy now... If they do that and create an assistant director position, I'd want to go for that job too.  If I did that, would it be summer conferences?  Does that mean I can't take a vacation in the summer?  I do live for my summer trips... however, not vacationing in the summer would save us money... I did a great job at the summer conference portion of my job; in fact, there were many times last summer that I had to pick up the slack for others and I did that pretty well too!  I don't mind that stuff, when I know what I'm doing, I like to do it!

Then again, they're not sure if they'll reorg the department so if they don't, will they increase the current salary for that position?  If not, can I afford to go for the job.  I've figured out a certain amount that we can live off of, and the current salary is not it!  And... all of this is so uncertain!! I haven't even heard formally what they're doing, if they're doing anything, and actually, I haven't heard from her mouth that she's leaving... just rumors....

So yes, there's a lot on my mind lately.  Mentally, I am very ready to move up.  I'm ready to supervise professional staff members and not students.  I like working with students, but I am definitely feeling the age difference when supervising them. 

I'm ready to move up.  I'm ready for new challenges.  I'm ready for the Lord to direct me where He wants me to go.  I'm listening Lord...

Creepy Crawly....

So my friend Kate wrote about her adventure with a cricket, which inspired me to recount our adventure last Sunday.

As Ryan and I were sitting on the couch at about 10pm, our cat, Jezzy jumped off the couch and ran over to the side of the TV.  (The TV is up agains a half wall that is right behind the stairs that lead to outside)....
Jezzy jumped forward and then quickly learched backwards and her tail poofed out like it only does when she's freaked out!

Immediately, I looked at Ryan and said, "What is she freaking out about?"

"I don't know, think it's fly?"  He asked....

"no way, she doesn't do that for a fly... I bet its another freaking spider!!"

(You must understand that over the past three months we found two huge spiders  in the apartment, the first being in Madison's bed!!!   The second in the living room!  They looked much like this: )

Then I get up to go check it out.  Behind the TV, Ryan has his work bag and a few wiffle ball bats and a baseball bat.  So I start pulling that stuff out out while Ryan is standing behind me and suddenly he starts screaming,

"OH MY GOD!! HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT!!!"

At this point, I can't see what he's screaming about and for a second I wonder, "Is he trying to freak me out, but wait, he wouldn't scream that loud if he was, he's going to wake up Maddie".... and then he screams,

"ITS A SNAKE!!!!!!"


At that moment, he grabs the baseball bat and starts slamming it on the floor...

BLUDGEONING THE SNAKE!!!!!!!!


And as soon as he realized what he was doing, he dropped (or threw) the bat and ran out of the room.... Did I mention my husband is petrified of snakes?  I mean seriously petrified!

So then I look down and see that this said snake is not coiled up anymore like it was when he first stopped beating it, instead it had uncoiled and was moving!!!

I picked up the bat and continued beating it!!!

I realized that there was blood all over the bat and the rug...  and there was a terrible smell, and the fricken snake was STILL moving!!!

So I beat it a few more times, and Ryan crouched in the corner watching as I grabbed a paper towel and put it in a large ziplock bag (because I wanted our facilities manager to see it and tell me that it's friends and family would not be coming back! - and it's protocol around here that if you find a bug or something you're supposed to save it so they can identify and spray or whatever they need to do to make sure its friends don't come around...)

As I was carrying the bag (btw I double bagged it) to Joe (our Facilites Manager's office) I realized the damn thing was still moving!!! GROSS!!!!!!!!!!!

I've done my best to identify what type of a snake it was, and it was NOT an innocent garter snake, as many would assume!! 

This is the best picture we have of what it looked like: 



We also are not positive how it got in the apartment, other than a carpenter coming to look at our door (which until the other day had a small hole at the bottom of the door sweep) who thinks that is how it and the large spiders got in....

Ryan was so freaked out all night long... when I came back from bringing the bludgeoned snake to Joe's office, Ryan was sitting on the edge of the couch staring at the corner of the room where the snake was....
He said, "You need to job search - we can't stay here"

I reminded him that once at RIC when I lived there, Jezzy caught and killed a small garter snake while I was away one night... so really, this could happen anywhere we live....

Either way, it was disgusting, we still freak anytime Jezzy jumps up to go look at something... and we're pretty proud of our white furball for saving our lives!!!

First Day of Preschool

I was so not prepared...

People asked me, "you think you'll cry?"

"Cry for what?"

I had no idea!

Last night as I was labeling all of her things (a rule at the preschool - not me being my OCD self)... I starting thinking about how long 8:30-3:30 really is.  How she hasn't really used the bathroom for anyone other than Me, Ryan, or my Mother -in-law, how she has no idea that we're not going to be with her for the entire day, and getting really nervous for how she'd react.

But when she woke up, we said, "Happy school day Maddie" and she was very excited.    All morning, she was excited to get dressed, and excited to let me french braid her hair, excited about carrying her lunch box (which was "very heavy") and so excited walking into her school!

Of course, we took a few pictures before we left the house:

When Ryan and I went to leave her, she looked up at us with a brave smile (a little sad) and said, "ok, I'll see you later".

Ryan called at lunchtime and apparently she had a breakdown and cried for about 5 minutes this morning, but at the time he called she was working in a small group carving pumpkins and having a good time.

I go to pick her up in 20 minutes and am sitting on the edge of my seat, I can not wait to go get her!!

I did NOT think I would be like this at all... I am not sappy or into the whole, "my baby isn't a baby anymore" mentality... I am so happy that she's growing up, I love to watch her grow and to be completely honest, I don't miss her as a baby... it was not an easy time... she was not an easy or happy baby.

I just hate that lonely feeling and knowing that the other kids all know each other, I don't want her to feel left out if they're all friends and she's just starting today...

I'll update on how she did tomorrow....