30 Reasons I'm Glad I'm .... Twenty-Ten

Oh, c'mon!  Give a girl a break!  It's traumatic enough to be celebrating your ... 1st anniversary of your 29th birthday... I don't need any more grief.


Today is my birthday.  I don't really like my birthday.  I remember liking it as a child, and I'm not sure when it changed.  But it did.  And this year, it has been much worse.   I am dreading turning ... twenty ten.  I don't want to be ... twenty ten.  Ugh.  But, I know I need to have a better attitude about this year, and about birthdays in general.  I don't want my girls to dread birthdays like I do.  And so, I present to you,


The thirty reasons why I'm glad I'm ... twenty ten.

1. I now have an excuse for the wrinkles.
2. I will NEVER have to be a teenager again.  Thank you Jesus!
3. It is ok to wear the underwear that is comfortable rather than sexy.
4. My hubby thinks I'm cuter now than when we got married, God bless him.

taken by Kristin at Sunflower Eyes Photography
5. I don't have to worry about getting in trouble for staying out too late because, hey, 9:30 is my bedtime baby!
6. Ten years ago, I didn't have my princesses.
7. It took thirty years for God to get through this stubborn head of mine.
8. I know a lot more now than I ever have.
9. At thirty (gasp, did I really just say that?!?!), you realize life is about the relationships, not the $$$.
10. I will be old enough to adopt when God says go (woohoo!)
11. It is now ok to wear the comfortable shoes rather than the cute ones.
12. I don't feel so bad when I have no clue who the popular pop artists are.
13. When people ask me why I don't wear makeup, I no longer feel the need for a deep, involved, spiritual answer.  I can just say, "because it feels gross".

14. I get to wear the cute glasses I always wanted as a kid.
15. I am old enough to gross my children out with PDAs.
16. I am young to gross my parents out with PDAs.
17. I am old enough to be seen as a mentor to those younger than me.
18. I am young enough to be treated like a daughter by those older than me.
19. I get to be reminded of my maturity every morning after a softball game.

20. I get to wake up next to my best friend every morning.
21. I get to tuck in the world's greatest kids every night.
22. I can borrow my parents' vehicle without getting the hour-long safety and friends lecture.
23. I can say the things to my kids that my parents said to me.  You know - the ones you swore you were NEVER going to say?  Because I said so is my current favorite.
24. I can use age as an excuse for my frustrating inability to remember names.  Like my kids'.
25. I have learned I can say no, and that the world will not stop spinning just because I did.
26. I can play a game just to have fun, not to defeat someone else.
27. I have realized that building relationships takes real work, and I am willing to do it.
28. I am perfectly content and capable of making a complete fool of myself in public to get laughs from my kids.
29. When I have a party on my birthday, it is because I want to spend time with the people most important to me. 
30. God has allowed me to spend thirty years on this earth.

And now, I am going to go roast marshmallows with a bunch of really great people.  Have a great evening!

Letters of Intent

To the illnesses that have invaded my home,

Go away.  Now.  Cleaning up the puke/diarrhea from one kid and the excessive sinus infection eye goobers from another have left me pretty much done with anything that might come out of my children's orifices.  Not to mention trying to do all this while battling my own nasty sore throat. I would appreciate it if all three of my children could be well at the same time.  Is that too much to ask?

Sincerely,
Didn't buy enough kleenex or carpet cleaner at the store last week

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dearest Computer,

I love you.  I really do.  You have been a wonderful and needed addition to our home.  I can connect with my friends, pay bills, store family photos.  You really are great.  But, I have just one request.  Could you please stop randomly jumping web pages when I am in the middle of a message?  Because, it never fails.  I am almost done writing a deep, involved note to someone, and you decide you want to see what is happening elsewhere.  I am sorry if I am that boring, but I promise to do something more interesting once I am done.  Oh, and it would be really nice if you could make the apostrophe key and the up arrow key work again.  I like apostrophes.  They make me happy.

Sincerely,
A frustrated techie-novice-turned-junkie

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


To the mean people that lurk online,

Leave my friends and family alone.  Now.  They do not deserve the junk you try to put on them.  Or I will find you.

Signed,
Do you really think I am kidding?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear NCIS, CSI, Chuck, and NCIS: LA,

Why, oh why, did you have to end your seasons like that?  Do you know what torture I am in now?  Do you even care?  Don't even remind me how long I have to wait for next season, please.

Thanks,
a woman who takes her shows just a bit too seriously


P.S. Who was the smart person who decided to get rid of Numbers?  Not so happy about that one...


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To the local glass company,

Thank you so much for bringing us flowers every week at work.  They make my desk look so pretty.  And they give me an excuse to steal the boss/dads really nice camera to take artsy-fartsy shots like this:

Thanks,
the insurance gal who likes pretty things

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To the Weather:

Thank you for cooperating.  I appreciate it.  Keep it up.  And thanks for keeping Utah in its own backyard, for the most part.  I appreciate it.  Now, if we could just keep your temps somewhere above freezing for consecutive nights, I might be able to do some planting

Sincerely,
Itching to play in the dirt 



Now go visit Julie for more letters that just need to be written!

Thankful Thursday ... A Gift of Love

Our sister-in-love Kristin is an amazing photographer.  A few months ago, while they were in town to introduce us to our beautiful new niece, Kristin gave us an amazing gift.

We have not had photos taken of the family, of our girls, since we were pregnant with Madison.  Far too long, I know. 

My girls will not be little forever. 

Someday they will be on their own, leading their own lives.

Someday, all I will have are memories of these years.

Of these moments in time.

But now, thanks to my amazing sister, I will not have to rely solely on my mind.

I will have these photos.

Thank you, my sister.  You have given this mama an irreplaceable gift.

True Story Tuesday: The Qwelf Ballet

Have you ever played Qwelf?

No?

Well, you should. 

It has given us some really great memories. 

Basically, you do really random things. Like try to avoid eye contact because if you look at someone, you have to tell them I have you now.

Or act like a three-year-old and throw a tantrum every time it is your turn.

Or be a helicopter.

You can tell David was really thrilled to be playing.

But, I have in my hands (well, in my laptop) the ultimate Qwelf video.  The one that will make family history.  Because, honestly, I had no idea my husband was a prima ballerina!

The Qwelf Ballet from Tiffany Bleger on Vimeo.


Now go link up with Rachel & Mr Daddy at Once Upon A Miracle for more true stories!

Tball Tough Girl

Katrina officially loves T ball.

She loves running the bases.

She loves hanging out on the bench with her buddies.

She loves helping out her team.

She loves hitting.

She loves being the only leftie.

This has been a great experience for her, and it only gets better every time.

Saturday SOOC: Where Is Baby Bear?

Katrina had her music program at school a few weeks ago.  I know, I know, bad Mommy is just now getting around to posting the pictures.  I am sorry.  Life has been nuts. 

The program's title was "Where is Baby Bear?"  Essentially, all the 1st graders were the storybook characters that come in threes:

The Three Blind Mice

The Three Billy Goats (in white), The Three Wise Women (on the left w/ crowns, and women because they ran out of boys), and the Three Men (errr...people) In The Tub (in front)

The Three Little Pigs (only one of whom actually wore her mask)

The Three Musketeers (who stole the show - too cute)

The Three Bears (The missing Baby Bear is on the right)

And, my personal favorite, the three little maids.

Below is the video of the performance.  All 18 minutes of it.  Feel free to not watch.  Really.  You won't hurt my feelers.  I promise.  I videotaped it because Katrina's teacher forgot all of her stuff, and so that we could show the great-grandparents what she has been up to.

Untitled from Tiffany Bleger on Vimeo.

Speaking of which, if any of my cousins could show this to the grandparents, I would appreciate it! 

Oh, I almost forgot!  Don't worry - they found baby bear. 

Good Stuff for a Thursday

It's my brother & sister in love's anniversary today!  Four years ago today, I looked like a giant bowl of peach sherbert, hugely prego with Madi at their wedding.  God has taken them through so many amazing things, they are an inspiration to me.  Head over to her blog (pretty please) and give them some anniversary lovin for me, will ya?  And, FYI, this is the same Kristin who has this amazing photography business & took awesome pics of our girls (which I have yet to show off, I know).  If you need amazing photos of your family, she is the one to call!




KMama is giving away a Grill Daddy - a super cool grill cleaning brush. Head on over to her blog to enter!




I think that is all the exciting stuff for right now... I'm sure I will find more later!


Happy Thursday Everyone!

Big Dog

A while back,  we had some good friends over for dinner.  We found out that it was this guy's birthday,

so Madison helped make him a birthday cake.

Sort of.

Our friends also have dogs.  Big dogs.  We like big dogs.  So we convinced them to bring one with them.  Meet Margo, the Great Dane.

Violet wasn't too sure about Margo at first.  Understandable, given the fact that Margo was WAY taller than her.  But she is such a gentle giant.  She was always watching out for the girls, and so patient with them. 

I will admit, it was slightly unnerving to sit at the dinner table and have  a dog look me right in the eyes, but she really is an amazing dog.  So well behaved and sweet.

Needless to say, she got the royal treatment that night - steak bones, table scraps, butt rubs, the works.  She was pretty spoiled.  And Violet even warmed up to her by the end of the night.

Between Margo & Ranger, I think we might have found a new business venture.  Doggy Sleepovers!  At least I could get my dog fix without actually having a dog...

Bits & Pieces

Our lives have been INSANE these past two weeks!  So insane that I completely missed out on Rachel's TST!  I am so sad!  TST is one of my favorites, and I even thought of a great story about the most evil ride at Disney.  Oh well, I guess I will just have to save it for next week (insert evil maniacal laugh here). 

I even spent a bunch of time one evening last week uploading a ton of photos for new posts, will every intention of filling in the story when I had some down time at work (shh, don't tell the boss/dad).  Yeah, we can all see how well that worked. 

My amazing, awesome, loving, super, incredible, fantastic, beautiful, lovely, wonderful sister got into town on Sunday morning.  Needless to say, I don't really remember anything about church on Sunday morning.  All I knew was that I wanted to get out to see her.  We got to hang out at my parents' house the rest of the day.  It has been so wonderful to catch up, reconnect, and just have fun.  3 1/2 years is just too long to go without seeing her.  It has been especially neat to watch Violet warm up to her.  This is the first time Violet has met her auntie. 

On to the sports section!   Katrina had her first tball game last week ( I promise a full post with photos shortly) and was stinkin cute.  She has another one tonight, and she will have a full cheering section with the grandparents and the auntie there too.  Jerome & I were adopted by another church's co-ed softball team since we were having a hard time getting our old team back together for the year.  We played our first game on Sunday, and lost 11-5.  I played left-center for the first time in about 5 years.  I normally play 2nd.  The outfield just looks too big for me.  I have also discovered that my "chasing children" muscles are not the same as my "softball" muscles.  Yes, I still hurt.  I have realized just how out of shape I am.  And Jerome had a fabulous men's game last night, although I think he may have broken his toe in the process.  We are not sure how it happened, probably a weird play he had running to third.  But it is swollen and hurts really bad.  He has been taking pain meds for it, which NEVER happens. 

We have been so incredibly blessed this past week & a half by our home group.  I must say, it is really humbling to admit just how much we were struggling, but then even more humbling to have people give us gifts and encouragement because God told them too.  I have always been the one to try to be there for everyone else.  It is really different to be on the receiving end of the blessing!  But, we are more grateful than words can express.

The girls are growing by leaps and bounds.  Last week, Papa got them all Hawaiian hats and, needless to say, they were a big hit!

I keep meaning to do an update post on each kiddo with some of the photos my amazing sis-in-love Kristin took of us a few months ago.  I will get to it, I promise.  These photos are too amazing not to share. 

Understand yet why I called this post Bits & Pieces?  Because it is!  Hopefully I will be back to full bloggy strength soon.  Love you all!

The Best Birthday Present EVER!!!!

I will be celebrating the 1st anniversary of my 29th birthday in a few weeks.  No, I am not turning 30.  I am a founding member of the Forever 29 Club.  I refuse to turn 30.  Katrina thinks it is hilarious.


Anyways, I have never been much of one for a big hullabaloo made over my birthday.  Jerome just about died last year when he conspired with my friends to throw me a surprise party.  He is lucky I did not kill him.  This year we are planning an open-house bonfire on my birthday weekend that will have NOTHING to do with my birthday.  I am planning creative revenge for those who try to sneek cards or presents to the bonfire.  I just don't like a fuss. 


But, I found out I am getting the best birthday present EVER today.  My big sis, Chris, is flying home from Atlanta tomorrow for a two-week vacation.  They have had a rough time the last two years, and her sweet hubby decided that she just needed to take some time with family.  I am just about giddy.  I cannot wait for church to be over tomorrow so I can see her. 


My sister is 10 years older than me.  She helped raise me.  She was there for me when I hated my parents.  I could talk to her about things I would never tell anyone else.  She is funny, witty, sensitive, caring, and loving.  She is everything you could ask for in a big sis. 


It has been 3 years since we have seen each other.  Katrina is the only one who remembers her.  Madison was just a baby - Violet wasn't even a thought.  My girls will finally get to meet and spend some quality time with their auntie.


AND SHE WILL BE HERE IN 12 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!


I'm not excited at all... nope, not me...

Thankful Thursday... Overwhelmed

Disclaimer: Honestly, this post is more for me than anything.  I have so much in my mind that I just need to get out, to process.  It will probably be really long.  Feel free to click the little red x any time.



I don't even really know how to write this.  Usually, Thursdays are devoted to thankfulness, reminders of all we have in this world to be grateful for.  Today, my heart is overflowing to the point where I know I need to write, to get some of it out (my cheap therapy - welcome to the ride), but I don't even know where to start.


It has been an interesting past few years, to say the least.  Giving up a steady paycheck four years ago to pursue the gifting God has given my hubby has been a test of faith, to say the least.  Realizing that, in order to make ends meet while he built his business, I needed to go back to work was heart-wrenching. 

This last year has been really hard.  We have seen deal after deal fall through - financing during a recession just plain sucks.  He has lost clients & deals because he refuses to compromise.  We fell really far behind.  I never thought it would come to this.  There have been many evenings spent in tears, asking God if we were still on the right path, if we were still really following His will.  And, every time, the next day Jerome would have a new prospect, or a new listing.  God kept bringing people into our path that we knew would, someday, result in a sale.  And so we trusted. 



During all of this, God has been doing some major renovation to my heart.  I have been a perfectionist as long as I can remember.  I struggled and yearned for the affirmation of other people.  It is much easier to believe that God will heal, provide, and protect other people, not me.  I struggle to trust Him in even the little things, believing the lies that I am not worthy of this trust.  Fighting this battle in my heart and in my mind while putting on the mask I thought I had to wear was exhausting.  I could not let people see my struggles.  People turned to us, asked for our help.  We have been leaders in our church!  I shouldn't be still fighting this battle.  Shame and pride kept my heart locked up, held me captive to my fears.  If people only knew just how bad it was, in our home and in my heart, they would run.  We would overwhelm them.  Everyone else had their own struggles - we just needed to suck it up and deal.  We didn't want to be those people - the ones who suck the life out of others. 


But God and I have been having a lot of chats lately.  About my loneliness, about how I keep people at arm's length by refusing to open up to them.  About how the deep, intimate relationships I crave more than anything are hindered by my refusal to let them see my humanness, my imperfections.  About how I plead with Him to help us, to show me that He cares enough about me to answer my prayers, but wallow in unbelief that He will actually come through for me.


This week, I forced myself to open up to some dear friends.  To lay it all out.  Everything.  I puked on them (not literally). It was liberating to be able to say, "Do you really want to know exactly how I am doing?" - to be able to tell someone everything.  And I did.  And the love I felt afterwards was overwhelming.  These friends did not reject me, did not point out my faults, my sins.  They loved me.  They spoke words of encouragement that blessed me beyond anything. 


And then something incredible happened.  God prompted some people in our lives to bless us in a real, tangible way.  Sorry if that was a vague description, but I know they would want me to honor their privacy.  It was as if God was whispering in my ear, "See?  You asked Me for this.  Specifically.  And while you struggled to believe that I would do it, you still asked, holding onto that tiny bit of faith.  And I moved their hearts to show you just how much I love you."


That is why I am overwhelmed, because my heart is overflowing.  I have felt the freedom that comes with being truly real with someone.  I have seen the grace and love that comes with true friendship.  I have seen God move on my behalf.  This week has been overwhelming, and I am so thankful for it.


Thanks for letting me puke.  I need to go get some paper towels now.

True Story Tuesday - Is it Raining?

Our week was/is insane.  Just to prove the point, here's the evening schedule:

Saturday: birthday party
Sunday: Mother's Day
Monday: Girl's Book Club (alternatively titled: Dads' Night to Solo Parent)
Tuesday: 1st Men's Softball Game
Wednesday:  Katrina's First T-Ball Game (woohoo!)
Thursday:  T-Ball Fundraiser Spagetti Dinner (can't forget to make the pies...)
Friday: Home Group @ our house - Game night
Saturday:  uhh...do we really have a free night?


All that to say, my posts may be few and far between this week, but I finally remembered a great story from my past that I could not pass up for today.





Join Rachel & Mr. Daddy over at Once Upon A Miracle for more *mostly* true stories!

When I was about 13, my parents and I took a trip to Niagara Falls.  Well, actually, my dad won a trip to Montreal through work.  We decided to take a side trip to Niagara because, well, we were on that side of the country anyways! 


We stayed at this amazing hotel that was right on the falls.  Literally.  You could feel the mist when you walked out onto the balcony, and hear the roar of the water throughout the night. 


Needless to say, Dad and I spent a lot of time on that balcony watching the water.  Mainly because we were impatiently waiting for Mom to get herself ready, but that's another story.

Why put on makeup when you are going to a giant waterfall and all the makeup is going to disappear anyways?

Ahem.  I digress.


Anyways, one morning, we noticed that the row of newspaper boxes was directly underneath our balcony.  And, being the good little rednecks that we are, we made a game.  It was a really fun game.  Want to know what it was called?


Who can spit on the newspaper box?

Remember, I was, and still am, Daddy's girl.  I set out to do anything Dad could.  Other than the peeing while standing.  Still haven't been able to figure that one out...


Ahem.  Again.


So, we are happily spitting and giggling, admiring our launches of bodily fluids as they dropped to the earth.  For those of you who would like to know, the US News box was worth 5 points.  The local paper was worth 3.  And the local version of the Thrifty Nickel was worth 1.  In case you want to play later.


Dad was ahead in the count, of course, but I was determined to stage the comeback to end all comebacks and earn the championship.  Seriously, we are that competitive about everything.  Even spit.  So I dug as deep into my little 13 year old flem-producing regions would allow, and hocked the loogie to end all loogies.  It floated perfectly through the air.  Right on target.  The wind died miraculously just as I spit, allowing my flem to travel in the God-given straight path direct toward victory.


And then we saw the hand.


And then the arm.


And then this fabulously bald head, creeping towards the box.


You know those really horrible wrecks you drive by, or the disasters you see on TV?  The ones so horrific that you just can't turn away?  Yup, that was Dad & I.  Choking back laughs and hitting each other and trying to stay silent as the flem projectile locked in on its target.


And nailed that fabulously bald head.


We avoided eye contact with any bald man we saw for the rest of the trip. 


Mom was so horrified she didn't talk to us for at least two hours.


But I won.

Tales from the Neb

Children are resilient.  When Violet was 10 weeks old, we took her to Paris for a family vacation.  Nuts, I know.  While we were there, she contracted a horrible case of RSV (a really nasty respiratory virus, for anyone who does not know).  Her lungs have been compromised ever since.

Every cold, every bad allergy season, it goes right to her lungs.  She gets horribly congested, has a hard time breathing, and battles fatigue.  Last year, she was hospitalized for pneumonia because her little body just could not fight on its own. 

Poor kid has been miserable this year.  There are many days we simply cannot let her outside because the wind, dust, and allergens are too bad.  She has spent the last two months with a constantly running nose, congested lungs, and lovely cough.  But she is so tough.  She fights to keep going.  It is hard to tell she is sick unless you ask her - she wants to keep up with the big kids.

One part of our daily routine is the nebulizer.  Any parent of a kid with lung problems is intimately familiar with this piece of medical equipment.  Praise the Lord we chose to buy one when Katrina was a baby and contracted RSV.  It has gotten a lot of use over the years.

Violet does great with the neb.  She will tell us if she feels like she needs a breathing treatment.  She sits on the couch and holds it herself.

But the effects can be interesting.  Neb treatments open up her lungs rapidly, flooding her little body with oxygen.  All of a sudden, she can breathe.  And it makes her super hyper.

She talks about a mile a minute.  Nonstop.  We have learned to let her stay up for a little bit after her treatments, otherwise she will just lay in bed and talk to her stuffed animals for an hour.  She also gets twitchy.

She has a hard time sitting still.

And thinks she is the baby Shawn Johnson.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, our little girls health problem is minimal, no big deal.  It is not life-altering, just routine-altering.  It is not the end of the world, just a part of the day.  But I must say, we could all, as adults, learn a bit about perseverance, patience, uncomplaining attitudes from kids.  Like I said before, they are resilient.

Happy Mother's Day

I have really great mamas.  Both my mom and my mom-in-love are amazing.  They are the type of women who give, sacrifice, and love, no matter what. 

As much as I never wanted to admit it, I am so much like my mom.  I look like her, I sound like her, I even act like her.  And now, I take it as a compliment when people tell me how similar we are.  Because if, someday, I can be half as amazing as her, I will consider it an accomplishment.

My mom-in-love has been the glue holding our family together.  She is patient, hard-working, forgiving, and kind.  She was a rock when the rest of my world was a hurricane.  And she raised my husband to be the amazing man he is today.

Happy Mother's Day to my mamas!  I love you!

Just a pretty day

It has been a good day.  The girls let us sleep in past 6:45 (a miracle in itself for Madison).  We had friends stay the night, so we lounged around all morning, doing nothing.

The kids spent most of the day outside.  They picked these for me for Mothers Day.

While the girls napped, JJ & I worked in the yard.  He mowed, I hauled tree limbs.  We are planning a bonfire Memorial Day weekend (feel free to stop by in you are in town), and I am pretty sure we have enough dead trees for a few fires.  :)

After naps, we went to a friends house for a birthday party. 

Anytime our crew gets together, there are a few children around.

And, yet again we proved that it takes multiple men to cook meat.

Violet enjoyed some quality time in the great outdoors, escaping the control of Big Sister.

And Madison got some quality time with her friend.

Now the girls are sound asleep in their beds.  All is peaceful.  My arms are scratched from wrist to shoulder from all the trees.  My legs hurt from hauling giant tree limbs all over our land.  But it has been a good day.  A pretty day.