A Morning in my Head

When I started my blog, I thought "this is going to be great, I'll write every couple of days and I'll be able to remember all of Jude's milestones and our fun family memories......"

Every couple of days?  Ha.  Ha.  Hahahahahaha!

That was before we bought a house and moved in the weekend before school started.  While trying to adjust to taking our boy to daycare and doing new routines and dealing with overgrown landscaping and big purchases (say it with me...BRAND NEW WASHER AND DRYER).  Tom and I are completely nuts...but here we are, and we are still breathing.  And smiling.  And LOVING where we are.  :)

But, gosh it's a challenge and a half to balance it all.  My nature is to be rather, um...relaxed most of the time.  Structure and organization can be hard for me -- just ask my husband.  To me, life is a big adventure and I tend to get distracted by the "fun and interesting" rather than concentrating on "logic and sense."  So, yes--the new season of life has been awesome but hasn't been short of challenging moments.

I read this hilarious blog few months ago and have returned to it quite a few times.  If you're a mother, please read it.  The first time I read it I was in absolute hysterics!  She is SPOT ON!!  

I don't have three children, so I can't relate to everything this gal is talking about, but I can empathize with a few things.  I decided to keep track of my thoughts over the span of an hour as a little experiment.

Here's what I got as a result.  Welcome to my mornings.

5:00 a.m.  Why am I sweating?  I'm completely drenched.  Gross.  *snooze*

5:08 a.m.  Oh, I guess I'm not drenched.  My hair is still wet from the shower last night.  *snooze*

5:16 a.m.  Okay fine I'm up.  No I'm not.  Okay fine I am.

5:17 a.m.  (Reaches under sink for blow dryer)  Oh look, it's my flatiron.  I don't remember what it's like to have straightened hair.  I probably wouldn't even remember how to straighten it.  I should throw it away considering it's covered with a thick layer of dust.

5:20 a.m.  There is no way any amount of makeup can make me look good today.

5:26 a.m.  Okay, well, that's going to have to do.  Everyone at school must think I'm a total ragamuffin.  Oh geez look at my hair.  Yikes.  Must go see Kati soon.

5:27 a.m.  Must I take off this fluffy gray robe?  What if I just wore it to school?  How about yoga pants?  Maybe if I wear heels and a sparkly belt, no one would realize I have them on.

5:30 a.m.  I really like this blue shirt, I'll wear it to school.  I hope there's no spit-up on it.

5:34 a.m.  (Gets Jude from crib)  Ohhhh...... you are amazing.  Every single part of you is a miracle.  I couldn't love you more.

5:36 a.m. (as he nurses)  I am completely captivated by you.  I love being the one you need.  Can we stay here all day?  Let's stay right here all day long.  I can't believe how fast you're growing.

6:00 a.m. (as he wakes up and smiles)  Awwwww hellloooo, my widdle sweetheart, oh mama loves you sooooo much yes she does you widdle punkin face!  *kiss kiss kiss*  (Insert ridiculous gibberish nonsensical speech here)  *kiss kiss*.  Are you ready to see Daddy?  You just love Daddy don't you?

6:05 a.m.  I haven't had a pedicure in months.  My toes look like they've been chewed on by wild animals.  I'll wear these cute platform shoes; maybe no one will see my toenails because they're too busy admiring my cute shoes.

6:07 a.m. *trips over own feet*  Well, the cute shoes have to go.  I'll be in flats again I guess.  So much for being taller than my students.

6:10 a.m.  (burping Jude)  This child spits up so much, it's a wonder he is growing at all.  Oh no there's spit-up on the carpet.  Is it on my blue shirt?  I wonder if Tom likes this shirt.

6:17 a.m.  Tom, look!  If I suck my stomach in enough, this shirt makes me look almost like I'm at my pre-baby weight!  Can you tell?  You're not even looking.  LOOK!  Do you think I look skinnier if I stand like this?  I'm going to stand like this all day today.

6:20 a.m. (getting Jude dressed)  Awww look at how CUUUUUUTE you are, little loveybug!  You're my sweet loveybug!  Yes you are!  You look so cute in this shirt!  Do you think Daddy likes it?  Do you think Daddy can finish dressing you so Mommy can eat breakfast?

6:27 a.m. Tom, can you finish getting Jude dressed?  

6:30 a.m.  TOM!  Can you dress Jude please?

6:31 a.m.  Tom, did you hear me?

6:32 a.m.  TOM!!!!  GET IN HERE!

6:38 a.m.  This coffee tastes pretty good.  I hope I don't get the shakes from caffeine.  If I have a banana, will my blood sugar get too high too fast?  Probably.  Do I really care about that anymore?  No.  Should I?  Yeah...okay I'll eat some peanut butter with it.  We're all out.  Shoot.  Eggs?  No time.  What can I have with protein?  There's some babybel cheese in the fridge.  Hmmmm...cheese in the morning, gross.  If I eat it super fast I won't care so much.

6:40 a.m. How come the KIMT daybreak anchors always look so awake and happy?  I envy this.  Tyler Roney is an excellent weatherman.  I haven't watched TV in forever.  Someone recommended a TV show to me and I had to just laugh...there is no time for such things.  A show to commit yourself to watching each week?  That sounds like my former life.

6:45 a.m.  My stomach feels better now.  I could eat another banana.

6:48 a.m.  What am I going to bring for lunch today?  I have to go get Jude's milk out of the freezer.  (in the garage) OUCH, DANG IT!!!!!  Must sweep garage...or, must wear shoes when I walk in the garage.

6:50 a.m.  How on earth is it already almost 7:00?  I should just start pulling all-nighters to make sure everything gets done before 7.  I cannot accomplish it all otherwise.

7:00 a.m.  Where the heck did I put my iPad??  Do I need my laptop today?  Where is my phone charger?  What's for supper tonight?  Crock pot BBQ chicken.  I forgot to buy root beer for the sauce.  Flavorless BBQ chicken it is.

7:03 a.m.  Tom, can you put Jude in his seat?  Here's his extra bottle.  I'll put a bib on him.

7:05 a.m.  (Jude spits up)  I didn't get the bib on him.  Shoot, sorry Tom.  I'll change him quick.

7:10 a.m.  Time to leave.  Goodbye baby prince, I love you sooooo much Mr. Cutieface! *kiss kiss kiss* I will miss you all day, yes I will honey!  Have fun at Millie's!  I can't wait to see you after school!  *kiss kiss*

7:15 a.m. I need at least 4 more arms to carry all this stuff to school.  I'll just use the bags under my eyes to carry some of it...there's plenty of room there.

7:20 a.m.  I'm finally on the road...okay, now it's time for positivity.  I'll just keep telling myself I look cute today.  How do the other teacher moms always look so cute all the time?  Slow clap for them.

Here's to continuous learning!  Sometimes my continuous learning is at my job.  Sometimes it's in marriage.  Sometimes it's in baby care.  I think right now, it's in EVERY aspect of life and it's all happening at the same time.

Wooooo hoo, what a ride!  :)

Love, Betsy

My 33rd September

September?

August was gone in a blink.  There was so much going on, so many NEW things happening all at once...and now it's all over and a new month can begin.  One of my favorite times of the year -- the start of glorious fall.  

I am amazed over and over again as seasons change.  We are lucky to live in a part of the world with four distinct seasons.  I feel like I am always ready to say goodbye to whichever is the current season, when the new one comes along.  I LOVE summer...but cooler days,  football, pumpkin spice everything, and cute sweaters and boots are always welcomed when September rolls around.

September happens to be my birthday month.  This year, I will be 29...hmm, let's see...for the fifth time.

33.  That doesn't seem right.

Anyway.  Life around here has basically been CRAZY.  We've been unpacking and getting settled, which has been a combination of fun, emotional, difficult, hectic, stressful, and amazing.  The new house is great.  A couple days ago I was reveling in all the space we have in our master bedroom!  We never, EVER had that much extra space in our other house.  I felt like doing a dance.

Thankfully we've had some fun this month, too.

Snapshots only, for this mama is TIRED.

My niece is taking dance.  She is in the middle.  My heart swells.

Betty and the Gents played at Mason City Brewing last weekend. 

It was so much fun.

Cheers to the souncheck!

I felt so honored to play for the crowd that showed up.  There were so many people there who mean so much to Tom, Marty, Brett and me.  We loved it.  We can't wait for our next round of gigs in October!  Until then, the folks in our neighborhood can probably hear us practicing...the sound leaks out of our house just a little too well!

I am exhausted, so I'm going to leave you with this:

Love, Betsy

O'Doyle RULES!!!

I think Billy Madison should be every teacher's required back-to-school movie to watch every fall.  I'm sitting here laughing just thinking about it.  Back to school, back to school...

If you haven't seen Billy Madison, we can't be friends.

Just kidding.  But please watch it or at least come over to my house so you can watch it with us.  It's a classic!

Yes, back to school it is, and the school year officially started for me today with my two buildings full of well-dressed, (mostly) cheerful kids.  

I was terrified of starting the new year and trying to balance all the things...Jude, daycare, a new house, a lot more square footage to clean, my two schools to teach at, and a student teacher. Luckily, I have a sweet little baby boy who is cuddly and happy in the mornings, the best-of-the-best daycare provider who leaves me with not a single worry, a type-A husband who is a great help in the house, and a hardworking, energetic student teacher.  Things are off to a great start.  

You know that saying, "it feels like we never left"?  That's what I felt this morning as I started my day at Lincoln school with the fifth grade kids.  It honestly felt like I hadn't missed a single beat.  I did notice, however, it felt different from last year...it felt good to sing.  And not just sing a little song, but really SING.  Engaging the breath, using full tone, feeling my core muscles support the voice.  Last year at this time I was pregnant and nauseous.  After the nausea went away I was growing.  The nausea, the baby bump and the hormones all messed with my vocal cords and my ability to project sound.  So today was kind of a voice revival.  It felt amazing.  

It also felt great to be with my Harding (K-4) kids again.  They were happy to see me, too--we missed each other--and we had a great time singing, playing and dancing already on their first day!  Whenever I tell people what I do, 9 times out of 10 their reaction is "oh how fun!"  They are right; it is the most fun job in the world. 

All of my fears have subsided.  The balancing act will be tough at times, like when I run out of the house without lunch (which was today), but everything will be fine.  What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.  And, I love love LOVE my job.  I had forgotten how much I love it.  I do miss my baby boy and I will miss him every day, but I really struck a gold mine with my line of work.  LOL...not a literal gold mine...I'm definitely still just making a teacher's salary :)

I like to share funny stories from my classroom so keep your eyes here and once in a while you'll have a laugh with me!  Today's funniest was in a first grade class.  I have a section of risers in my room with a bunch of instruments set up on it, and the gong is on the top step.  One of my little girls pointed to it and asked, "Is that a Chinese bong?"  HA!!!  I told her "yeah, but it's a gong...don't call it a bong."  Can't you just see her going home and telling her parents "My music teacher let us use the bong today."  Hahahahaaaaa... That would be like the time we had "marinara sauce" on the lunch menu and a fourth grader announced it over the intercom as "marijuana sauce." 

I hope you all have a great school year.  Cheers!

Love, Betsy

Ten days later...

I'm pretty sure this month has been the absolute busiest one we have ever seen!  

So...

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!

A year ago, right after we found out we were expecting, Tom and I bought a beautiful piece of land out on the east side of Asbury in Mason City.  We drew up some plans with a super talented builder and were SO excited to build our house.  

Well...eventually we realized our dreams were a little too big.  When the projected amount came out at $100,000 over our budget, this conversation happened as I was sitting on the couch in our shoebox-sized home:

Tom:  We can afford to build the house if we stay in this one for five, maybe ten more years.

Me: *eyes grow bigger and teeth clench*

Tom:  I think we can make it work...

Me: *blood begins to boil*

Tom:  We just need to get rid of some of your clothes.

Me: *fire shoots out of my eyes, ears and mouth*

I'll spare you the ugly details.  It's safe to say that I had a top-notch, Betsy-breakdown style, full-on MELTDOWN.  And no, it wasn't about the clothes, LOL.  If you've been to our house, you understand my frustrations.

Anyway, after I peeled myself off the walls and ceiling and pieced my broken parts back together, we had another conversation:  maybe it's time to consider selling the lot.

The next night we were playing music and hanging out with our friends Matt and Angie, and explained our situation to them.  In their wisdom (thanks guys) they suggested we take a look at some houses in their neighborhood that had recently come up for sale.  We looked online right then and there, found a few we liked, and set up an appointment with our realtor.  

Long story short, we are now the proud owners of a beautiful two story house in Asbury, and we couldn't be happier.  It's probably about four times the size of our last house and it has features that are perfectly tailored to our family.  I will post pictures soon, but right now the house still has a decent amount of stuff sitting around from the move...so I'll do it after we find places for everything.  

It's all very exciting and fun.  I have to remind myself every day that this is our home now, and that we aren't just trying it out or house-sitting for someone else.  We are so thankful that everything worked out!

What about the other house, you might ask?

Our cute little treasure box of a house (think the plastic treasure boxes you would get in elementary school when you lost a tooth...yeah, we lived in one of those) had a lot of showings but no bites, so we pulled it off the market and we were able to find a renter with the help of some friends.  It really worked out perfectly.  

I walked around in our empty little house a few nights ago and had a few tears.  I'm so glad we had that house for the first four months of Jude's life.  The three of us were so close for those precious early weeks.  I felt like it was our own tiny utopia.  I felt perfectly contented when our family would sit on the living room couches, with the lights dim, and just be together.  We literally had no where else to go because the space was so small...and I will always treasure that.  

And now, we are here.  And this is a house that we can grow into together.  I can't wait for Jude to have friends over to play in the backyard, to host dinner parties and Hawkeye football events, to create tons of jam noise with the Gents in the band space (yes, this house has a rehearsal space!!).  It is a huge blessing and we are HAPPY.  

Love, Betsy, Tom and baby Jude

My Most Dreaded Evening

My most dreaded evening has arrived.

Okay, I need to stop being so dramatic.  I'm not dreading anything.

But it's definitely making me a little weepy.  Tomorrow morning, Tom will drop Jude off at Millie's for his first full day of day care!  :)  I have an appointment at the Family Dentistry Dental Spa (I actually love going to the dentist) and then both of us will be working at our schools for our first workday of the new school year.

What's the date today, the 19th?  Goodness!  It's been crazy around here!

First of all, an update:  the tiniest love of my life is FOUR MONTHS OLD!

LOVES:  his Daddy, the floor gym, taking naps on mom and dad's bed, hearing funny noises, his cousins, smiling at anyone and everyone

HATES:  Mommy's high notes.  LOL!  When we were on vacation last week, I was playing hair salon with my niece.  I had the Sound of Music soundtrack playing and we were singing along with "Do Re Mi."  I hit the B-flat at the end and Jude, who was sitting nearby in his bouncy seat, FREAKED OUT.  HA!  I was surprised because he handled my singing just fine when he was 6 weeks old.  Maybe their hearing gets better as they grow?!  Who knows.

Vacation!  I can't wait to tell you about our vacation!  We made our second annual trip to a beautiful Minnesota resort with my family last week.  Dickerson's Lake Florida Resort, in the Spicer/New London area.  We had a great time.

We were there with my parents and my sister, brother-in-law, niece and nephew.  We had pretty nice weather, actually kind of on the cool side, and our beautiful cabin #10 to stay in.  We definitely don't "rough it" at all up there...it's perfect for this "I love not camping" girl right here.

Some highlights:

Nephew, sister, niece, bro-in-law

And now we're tired of tummy time...with Grandpa!

The fishermen

 Beautiful beach!

Good morning!  (Aren was not pleased to share his blanket with Allie)

This is the resort owner, Bob Dickerson.  Allie loved Bob so much last year that we got her two "I love Bob" shirts for Christmas.  Couldn't leave Aren and Jude out either :)

Aren and Tom fishing...we thought this was so cute.  Black shorts, barefoot, each on their own side.

Bob takes the kids on a hayride each week, and they all get a turn to drive the tractor.  Jude was first since he was the youngest!

It's nice to have a doctor in the family when those little injuries happen.  This one happened to be a deep and infected splinter.  :(

Life's good.  

And it will be good tomorrow, when I have my job back after these four amazing months with my baby boy.  I have been a little emotional about it the past few days and was nearly in a meltdown about it on Sunday night.  I remembered that God gave me the gift of music and the gift of teaching...and according to 1 Peter 4, I am to USE the gifts.  

So thank you, God.  Thank you for giving me gifts... and please grant me peace and strength tomorrow.

Love, Betsy

Oh, hi

Remember that time I whined about it being the last day in July?

Now it's August 6th and ...yeah.  No blogging happening.

There's a lot of stuff going on, too much to write at the moment actually, so here are some photos just to give somewhat of an update.

(More detailed updates to come at a later date)

(No, we're not pregnant again)

(If we were I would cry for a few days)

So, Jude...

is 16 weeks old!  Wow.

Smiling, laughing (thee cutest thing I've ever experienced!!), grabbing his feet, putting lots of things in his mouth, rolling from tummy to back, growing like a WEED.

He is sleeping in his crib (yes. yes. yes.) for 8-9 hours each night (YESSSS!!!).  He still steals morning snuggles with us and as you can tell, absolutely loves our bed.  :)

For crib sleeping, he wears these insanely cute sleep-sacks!  Our favorite one looks like peas!

These things are miraculous and have allowed our little man to sleep soundly...they help cut down on the startle reflex, they keep him warm and I think it emulates an enclosed space...keeps his world from getting to big and overwhelming.  The first couple nights in the crib were a raging failure because we didn't use the sleep-sack.

I love you, sleep-sack.

 How much fun are FEET?  How much longer until he can fit them in his mouth?!

We visited Jude's daycare today.  When school begins, he will be going to Millie Godfrey's house each day and we couldn't be happier about this.  Millie is AMAZING and we feel so, so blessed by her.  He will be with his best friends Onika and Emerson, plus the two adorable girls we met today...it's an understatement that he will be loved and loved and loved.  He will learn how to pray before mealtime, he will be read to, he will play with toys, he will follow a routine, and he will learn how to treat people nicely.  I don't think we could ask for anything better.  Everyone we have spoken to about Millie calls her "magical."  I would have to agree with that.

I'm struggling with going back to work and not being with him all day--I feel sad.  But, since Millie is so fabulous, my sadness won't last long.  Plus I feel ZERO guilt for being a full-time working mommy.  After visiting Millie's house today, I'm actually excited for him.  He will have a lot of fun and he will be in the very best hands!

This is him after our visit.  Wiped OUT.

I'm expecting to have many tough and tearful moments, though...so I will carry a few of these sweet pictures with me on my phone for when I need a peek at his sweetness.

He has become an expert cuddler, especially after his naps.  I am obsessed with shoulder cuddles.  When he is a difficult adolescent I shall show him this photo and remind him of how much he adores me.  Muaaahahahahaa.

Now for an awkward change of subject.  

We went to Menards a couple days ago.

Whenever I go to Menards I stop and look at THIS display of potato chips:

Um.  Let's count the "flavors," shall we?  Baby back ribs.  Kansas City BBQ.  Creamy dill (how can a chip taste creamy?).  Loaded baked potato.  Hot sauce.

And the mother of them all:

KETCHUP FLAVORED POTATO CHIPS.

Shut the front door.

Can America be any more embarrassing?  I really do not think so.

That's all for now!  Stay tuned, though.  I think I'll probably have more interesting things to write about soon.  Who knows, Menards may start carrying more varieties of condiment-flavored chips.  I'm holding out for hot dog flavor.

GROSS.

Love, Betsy

15 minutes

**Disclaimer:  If you're someone who gets frustrated because teachers have a summer break, this post isn't for you.  As always, comments that are not nice shall be removed.**

Fifteen more minutes left of July, as I start this blog post tonight.

It's July 31st and I am not too happy about this.

14 minutes.

"The summer's flown by!"  "I can't believe how fast it's gone!"  "It feels like we just got out of school!"

Yes, yes, yes, it's all true.  July will be done and the dreaded AUGUST will be here...

...in 13 minutes.

My husband says AUGUST is like a swear word for teachers.  And he's right.  Whenever I drop something on my foot or get a papercut, I should yell "oh AUGUST!"  It has the same effect on my emotions as real swear words do.

12 minutes.

Why am I being so dramatic about it being the last month of summer?  I love my job.  This is the truth.  I love that everyday I get to sing, play piano, direct choirs, laugh, get hugs, and be with people I adore.  Then why am I so sad about it?

11 minutes.

I have had the most fantastic time being a stay-at-home mother.  I don't want to stop my new and wonderful adventure.  Thinking about not being around my sweet boy every minute of every day makes me tear up.  And I'm tearing up right now.

10 minutes.

9 minutes.  Yes, I just sat here for an entire minute not typing anything, just thinking about work and crying a little.

I need to embrace the positives.  I need to enjoy summer while I still have it.  

8 minutes.

Like today -- today was a great day.  I woke up with Jude to feed him, and shortly after we both went back to sleep for a while.  Then the three of us went out to run some errands.

7 minutes.

After the errands were done, we came home and I made lunch while Tom played with Jude.  Someone discovered his feet this week and Daddy joined in on the fun!!!  :)

6 minutes and thinking about how much I love my men.

This afternoon I went to Borealis to meet with Elise and discuss more about the book of Luke that we have been reading for confirmation (I'm her mentor).  I also stole some quiet moments just for me.

After that, I came home to find a fussy baby and a husband who insisted I leave the fussy baby with him and go to the country club for a fun night of painting with some girlfriends.

5 minutes.

I almost didn't go to the painting party, but I'm so glad I did -- we had so much fun!

Hollie and Julie working on their masterpieces!

4 minutes.

My finished painting!!

Now I'm sitting here thinking about the massive amounts of work August will require of us (stay tuned on this) and how painful it will be to go back to school when life holds so much MORE for me to care about at home.

3 minutes.

God, please give me the strength I need to love my students and remind me of how blessed I am to be their music teacher.  Thank you for giving me a job where I get to use my talents and share what I love best with adorable little people.

2 minutes.

I'm doing a lot of sitting here without typing.

1 minute.

Well, okay then, I guess time won't stop for me.  Goodbye July.  Hello, last month of summer.

I have to say though...as much frustration as our school district has given all of us teachers in the past few months, I think we can all agree on something.  Our summer break RULES in Mason City.   It's so much better to go long in June and go back later in August.  We don't start until the 25th.  This, my friends, is AWESOME.

Cheers to 24 more days of summer...and making a new memory each one of those days!