Television

Here's my rant on TV: 

Question:  Does our society reflect what TV is? or does TV reflect what society is.  I believe it's both.  I'm pretty sick about what is displayed on television.  The more and more I think about it, the more it becomes disturbing.  If you want a foreigner to know what Americans are all about, just watch prime time TV.  There's always the crime dramas with cops and lawyers, and there are the medical dramas as well.  But the influx of "reality" TV is horrific.  Remember I'm a high school teacher, so I hear students talking about the up coming episode of Jersey Shore.  Maybe that's the way they really live or want to live.  Whatever it is it's sick.  Do we really think it's ok to decieve people so that the other person won't find out that another person is sleeping with someone else because she's jealous he never notices her?  I don't even know if I just made sense!!!  But that's what I see on TV.  Relationships that go nowhere, violence and perversions toward kids, depression, suicide, angry people, crime and death over foolish things.  Greed/selfishness.  It's the essence of evil and I believe the essence of the human soul.  It's our nature to do these things.  I've heard that one doesn't need to be taught to do wrong, one needs to be taught to do right.  Doing the right thing is not hardly taught anymore and that's why TV reflects the "I can do whatever I want to, no matter who it hurts" attitude.  "It's all about me, after all I'm worth it."  It only ends up hurting the instigator but they usually end up blaming someone else.  I wonder what the people on reality TV shows will think about themselves 20 years from now and what their children will think.  Embarrassment? "Way to go Mom!"

I do not like the so called ABC Family channel.  I don't think it's very family oriented: Pretty Little Liars; The Lying Game; Secret Life of an American Teenager, 10 Things I Hate About You; Greek...you realize these are soap operas for teenagers, right?  OH!  BTW: Most of the daytime soaps are off the air already.  You know why, right?  There's enough drama during the evening hours to make up for it a hundred fold!!! 

So why do we thrive or get a kick out of watching a house full of people try their very best to be the very worst so they can win money? and then on the side if they hook up with one of the other people, it's a bonus!  Then we applaud!! 

I just finished watching Evan Almighty which is an ok movie.  The sentiment behind the plot is good but it misses the mark totally.  Jesus.  According to the movie all you need to do to change the world is build an ARK or act of random kindess.  I'm definitely not knocking that, but what happened to knowing you aren't perfect and knowing the person who is and who died for you so that you may become perfect in the eyes of God?  It's a daily struggle of doing what we want versus doing what God wants us to do.  Believe me it's a daily struggle for me.  I have that selfish nature too!  Ask my husband!

I guess my point behind all of this is this:  be careful what you allow into your mind if you truly believe in God and Jesus the Savior because we tend to fall into the trap of society which can be subtle and then again it's not.  There are few and far between who distinguish the difference between what God's society should be like and the world's view.  We are in the minority and even the minority has difficulty with what God wants.

Spring Break and Back to Work

Well, JR will officially be 8 weeks tomorrow. It doesn't sound like a long time but in a way it is. I started back to work Monday and yes I cried when I dropped JR off at the daycare and all the way to work. It was not my greatest moment. Tuesday I cried halfway to work and then today I thought I'd be ok...nope...the waterworks turned on again! The good thing about school is that it is non stop and so I almost don't have time to think of my sweet baby, until a student asks about him. :D Jason picked him up from daycare today. First time! I think this will be a regular thing on Wednesdays seeing that I have Key Club meetings after school.

OH!!! The automatic rocker for JR came in today. Hallelujah! It was awesome. He seemed pretty content and Jason and I both could get some things done at the same time!!! A miracle! Thanks Jason's parents! (Mom and Dad #2)

Well the last week with JR was Spring Break so we thought it would be a good idea to load everything in the Chevy Equinox including the backyard (it seemed) and head to NWArkansas to show off baby to Aunts, Uncles and cousins who hadn't met him yet! Wow what an undertaking and we didn't forget to pack the baby! We also brought the dogs! Spent good quality time with grandparents. Dad and I went to see the movie Rango. So funny!!

That Sunday we had a mega party at Mom's celebrating JR's entrance into the world, Emma's 6th birthday (I can't believe it!) and Patrick's homecoming from Afghanistan!!! There were a ton of people there. It was fun but we were glad to relax the next couple of days.

Jason's Mom had Wednesday and Saturday off from work so that's when we went over to McAlester, OK for visiting with other grandparents. About 30 minutes from the house, my suitcase (which was strapped to the top of the car because there wasn't any room inside :) somehow came free and flew off the top into the median. I was driving so I sorta freaked out but managed to pull over. Jason got out and checked his suitcase and got back in the car. At the same time I looked in the rearview mirror and a white vehicle had pulled over in the median and I thought the people were picking it up to bring it to us. I was so relieved but then that relief turned to utter devestation when I watched them take my suitcase and do a u-turn and head in the opposite direction. Some jerk stole my luggage!!! WHILE WE WERE WATCHING!!! I couldn't believe it. If I was in a more calm state I would have turned around and chased him (or her, I assume it was a him).

We drove up and down Hwy 69, just in case what we saw wasn't really what we saw happen. No luggage. I couldn't drive I was so upset and crying, so Jason drove to McAlester. Jason's Mom called the nearest town's police department, since that was the direction the jerks were headed. The things in my suitcase that I was most upset about losing was a diamond necklace my Mom gave me; earrings I bought in Germany and perfume I bought there as well. I had a pair of perscription glasses too. I have since moved on but am saddened by how desparate people are. I can't replace some of those things but we were able to claim it on our insurance, so I will get some money back to replace some clothes, glasses, the earrings and perfume among other things.

God is good though, the incident could have been much worse. The luggage could have hit another car and seriously done some damage. I'm blessed to have the brightest jewel in the world that wasn't in my suitcase...my sweet baby and husband. What more can I say?

Road Trip

Yup! We're going on our first major road trip with JR tomorrow! Spring Break is upon us and we're headed to NWArk to visit grandparents, of course, but also Aunts, Uncles and cousins he hasn't met yet! It will be an adventure, especially since we're bringing the dogs too! Gah! What usually takes us around 4 hours may take longer. It will be fun though! Jason loves going to NWArk, but this trip will be more exciting for him because he gets to really break in the new Equinox! He's so excited.

My quandry (it's not really a quandry, just amusing, really) is what to pack for baby. Not necessarily what to pack but which suitcase I should take for him! I'm thinking the medium size and Jason and I can share our biggest suitcase. Not only babies are expensive, but they require a LOT of stuff and I'd rather pack more than I need. However, even though we are going to Arkansas, I guess we can buy something if we need it. ;-)

Some things I will point out that I have learned on becoming a new mommy (still can't get over THAT title):

• Babies are expensive...I knew this going in...but DANG, the health insurance alone!
• Sacrificing sleep is worth it and not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong! I would love to sleep for more than 3 hours at this point!
• Getting the housework done is for the birds.
• I'm ready to go on a date with my husband...alone!
• Random smiles from JR make my day.
• I can't remember all the words to all the traditional lullabys, so I make them up.
• A shower is heaven.
• I'm ready to go back to school. I miss my other "kids," but ask me how I'm doing on the 21st of March, the day I go back to work. :-\
• I went on a vigorous walk yesterday and I am totally out of shape!!!
• I sway standing up and I'm not holding a baby.
• I have caught up on watching House, NCIS and Law & Order...ready to go see a movie!
• Proud of JR when he toots!

Ok...other things happening besides baby stuff.

We're looking at reinsulating our attic. It is desparate to have more insulation which will cut our electricity bill down. Yay! Hopefully in the next couple of weeks that will happen.

On March 25th, my date with Jason will happen. We are going down to Thackerville to Winstar Casino to see one of my favorite singers! Harry Connick, Jr.! YES!! Jason was the one who mentioned it to me. Awwww.... and Aunt Ruth will be taking care of JR. Yippee!! Thanks, Auntie!

We're also looking at taking a trip to Las Vegas in July. Nonnie (my mom) will probably be taking care of JR for us. Thanks, Nonnie!

Not much else, except taking care of the babe. It's tough work, but it's worth it. Nothing too exciting since all I'm doing is feeding, rocking him and trying to get him to sleep at night! I'm reading some books to him too and having tummy time to strengthen muscles (he's a squirmer!). I haven't started him on the piano....yet!

He's 26 days old...

...and I can't believe it! He is growing fast. I was just looking at newborn pictures and him now. Unbelievable! No huge milestones except giving him a bath. The first time was scary...Jason was in charge of not letting him slip out of the tub and I tried to figure out how to wash JR. I gave him a bath today by myself. I was a little more confident today and it turned out good. Plus he smells wonderful after a bath. I could sniff his hair all day. He wasn't too keen on the bath though. I'm sure that will change later on. I did get a fountain display while bathing him. :D

A friend came by last Sunday to take professional pictures of JR and I got a sneak peak this past weekend. I'll show you one. It's not even the cutest:

Hopefully I'll get out the birth announcements soon!

Saturday we had a lot of visitors! Jason's parents came by on their way to see Ruth and Cliff (sis-in-law). Next was Jennie and Ben from Waco! They came bearing gifts and lots of them! I'm so excited about the books! I haven't even gone through the clothes yet! I was so proud of the dogs. Ben is almost four and they were wonderful with him! He played outside with them by himself! The dogs have definitely been more socialized because of people coming by to see JR. However they were not fond of the cable guy to hook up our Internet. Dang!

Jennie and Ben spent the night so they wouldn't have to drive 8 hours in one day just to see us! The next bunch of guests were Mary Beth, Nate and Jen! That was fun too! We all went to Turner Falls to walk around and enjoy the beautiful weather. We also stopped for fried pies...YUMMY!

I guess the other major milestone is that Jason changed his first diaper that day, and apparently it was a doozie! Hey, if you're gonna dive in, go in all the way! Jason is helping out more and more and I appreciate it so much! Now if I can get him to voluntarly wake up in the middle of the night with JR, THAT would be amazing!!

Blogging About Baby

I know, right! I'm actually going to blog! I do have a worthy subject...my wee babe. :D

So James Ryan made his appearance on Thursday, January 27, 2011 at 9:08pm after an hour of pushing. It didn't seem that long, though. 8lbs 8 oz and 21 inches long! Observations that I remember:

• I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out and my teeth were going to shatter.
• Mom said she'd never seen me get so red in the face.
• The hour before I started pushing was the longest in my life.
• I missed the episode of The Office with Ricky Garvis.
• Dr. Melton said I was a real trooper.
• He also said that JR was a 'juicy baby'; meaning he had fluid in his lungs.
• The epidural was wonderful; I don't think I could have done it without it...seriously!
• I felt a HUGE relief after delivering the baby and the placenta (which was sorta cool btw).
• It seemed to take forever for the Dr. and intern? to stitch up my tearing.
• Dr. Melton asked if I had DB = dead butt; this was to see if I could lift myself up with my legs. I did not have DB. LOL!

All in all the experience was totally amazing. Jason cut the umbilical cord and did a great job encouraging me. Mom was there too. So was my Dad. (He had to stay waaaay behind me, though!)

Staying at the hospital was tough. I wanted to come home but you have to stay there for 24 hours after delivery. We stayed longer just because JR was born so late at night.

I had every intention on breastfeeding JR but it didn't work out. I had everything too. Lanolin, breast pump (for going back to work), nursing pads, storage bags for extra milk...everything! I didn't think JR had a problem with latching on at first but I just don't think I was producing enough. He's very demanding. I know that the milk takes time to come in but we had to supplement his 'feeding' while in the hospital. It devestated me. Here I am ready to be supermom and I can't even feed my child like I thought I would be able to. This equals lots of crying and guilt. For two weeks it was like that. I admit I was really depressed. I'm sure I was freaking out Jason. Thank goodness my Mom was there for over a week. She really helped us out in soooo many ways. Thank you MOM! After Mom left, I thought the feedings were getting better but JR was latching on wrong and I couldn't get him to correct it. I still had to supplement. (That was a trial and error thing...I couldn't figure out why he was crying so much after he breastfed!!) Again the guilt. I talked to some friends who encouraged me to go either way and to remind me that even if JR's bottlefed he will be ok. I was bottlefed and I'm ok! :)

Making the decision to stop was really really hard. But I did and now we are much happier and I'm enjoying being a mommy a whole lot more!!! I haven't cried once since we started bottle feeding!!! Thanks to those for all the encouragement and support!! I will definitely try breastfeeding the next addition (whenever that will be) but I will not put so much pressure on myself like I did this time to be supermom. I will leave that to my sister-in-law, Mandy, who is truly a SUPER MOM!!! BTW, we went to the doctor to get him weighed yesterday and he's already 10lbs. :D

JR and I have been getting out of the house, which has been great! I have even left him alone with Jason, our future daycare ladies and the nursery at church! I want my son to love me and run to me when he needs me (or not) but I don't want to be a hovering momma who can't let go!

What else...the dogs have been great. It was dicey at first. I think they saw JR as a squeaky toy and came to investigate every time he made a sound. Now that they have his many scents XD; they love him and even lay down or leave the room when he starts to cry. They are very sweet to him.

And the adventure continues.....!!!! Will try to update every once in a while!!!

2 Months Worth...

No, I'm not going to write two months worth of stuff that's been going on...I don't have that kind of time. I will just do the highlights.

We started school! Yeah, August 10th. Soooooo early! So far so good. We've hit a few bumps in the road but will get to that later.

House is in good shape. We've FINALLY hung up ALL the framed pictures and it's amazing what the room looks like with stuff on the walls. It looks good. Front flowerbed is about to burst with mums...can't wait to see all the colors!

Alex and Emma's doctors have finally come up with a definite diagnosis, so we've been dealing with that. Pray for our family!!

Jason and I have decided on a church to call home; First Baptist Church of Sulphur.

Have had lots of family come visit us, so I can play hostess! and I LOVE doing it! Keep 'em coming!

So here's how this week has gone:

Sunday afternoon, Patrick called with the news he's been called up for a year to go to Afghanistan probably around April or May. He starts his training in January.

Monday a teacher resigned at the high school

Tuesday I hosted a Pampered Chef Party with sister-in-law Ruth as the consultant. Good times!

Wednesday I started teaching piano lessons...whew! I got to study up on my technique and theory!!

Thursday I went to a toe party with some teacher friends and came home with cute toes AND the biggest headache I have ever had in my life...not good. Ironically I slept soundly.

Today the US History teacher next door to me passed away this morning. Earl Wilson. He also helped coach track, was well loved and ALWAYS greeted me with a smile on his face and laughter when he talked. Please pray for his family. He was taking a stress test yesterday and had a stroke. I believe he was in his 50's. It's hard to see students in pain over that kind of loss. Also our football team lost tonight. 7-14

All I can say is that life is short so don't waste time on petty things. Watch your words, because you may regret them later. Tell your friends and loved ones you love and care for them.

Needless to say it has been a stressful and long week. We can't be happy all the time but we can be joyful because of Who has blessed us and given us grace to live through each day.

Cheers, love and hugs to all,
Jess

Las Vegas Hoopla

Time to tell most of what happened in Vegas:

First we left on Friday, July 3 to go visit some of Jason's friends and have a BBQ. Good stuff. Then we drove to NWArk to visit my family. We got there about 10:30 and immediately decided that Pat and I would go get fireworks. We got a stash and shot them off until about 1am in the morning (late for me). Fun times!! 4th of July we went to the Rodeo of the Ozarks parade 1) because it was cool (literally and figuratively) and 2) because Alex and Emma were in it! The rode in the back of Drew's pickup and waved to the crowd with the Rounders, girls and their horses.

Came home and it started raining so we took naps. Yummy.

That evening we went to the Rodeo of the Ozarks and watched. The nieces were featured with the Rounders, who have a special program for disabled children. So sweet. We finished the night at the rodeo with fireworks and a round of God Bless America with Drew singing at the top of his lungs!! (me too but not so loud).

Alex and Emma waving to the crowd.


Dad with Alex


Drew with Emma


Rodeoing in the Ozarks

Sunday we went to church and then hung out with Dad and watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D. Cool.

Dad grilled some chicken and, as always, it was terrific!!!

Monday we got up and did all our laundry so we would have enough clothes to last us til Friday and then we headed for the OKC airport. Got there in plenty of time, flight was delayed and then once we were in the air, headed to Denver, no, I mean Colorado Springs, no I mean Denver. Because of thunderstorms we circled around Denver for about 30 minutes and then were diverted to COS because we were running out of fuel. Immediately after we landed we were told we could go back to Denver...not until I use the bathroom, mister!! It was a dire situation for me and several other people.

We got back into the air and landed in Denver with no other problems except that we missed our flight to Las Vegas so we high tailed it to the gate with the only other flight out to LV and was able to hop aboard. Needless to say that we were bushed by the time we crashed at our hotel. The Luxor, by the way...yeah, the pyramid.

A view from our room at the Luxor
(we weren't actually in the pyramid which was good because of the height issue.)

Hoover Dam


Bridge at the Hoover Dam being built to divert heavy truck traffic.
(Saw a Modern Marvels special on this...way cool.)


Typical south Nevada and Arizona scenery.


...and of course, the strip...

Monday we took a day trip to Laughlin, NV. Stops on the way included Hoover Dam and a rinkydink roadside souviner shop but it was fun. The mountains are awesome and I tried to picture the first people out there and how they determined why they wanted to live there. There isn't ANYTHING out there in the rocky desert!

Laughlin, NV was nice. It was on the Colorado River (beautiful), but it was dang hot. I could feel the tops of my toes cooking. We played the slots with about $10 each and Jason got a jackpot of about $100. Awesome! So we went across the street to the outlet shops and did some shopping!

Next day we toured the strip via monorail and scoped out where we would eat that night near the Ka Theater (Cirque de Soilel). We ate Asian food and the show was AWESOME!!!!! I won't even describe it because I can't...awesome acrobatics, martial arts, music and the storyline was good too.

Thursday we got up and ate breakfast, came back to the room and slept, got up to eat lunch and came back to the room and chilled and the went to supper and toured the strip at night. Very cool. We saw the Bellagio fountains and the Mirage's volcano and the gondolas at the Venetian. Don't forget about the Forum Shops at Ceasars Palace...incredible!!!!

Friday, we pretty much got up, got McDonald's and headed for the airport with no incidents!!! Yay! Got home about midnight and now it's back to reality....and the yard...which mocks us and says..."yes, you must mow me every week!! MWWWHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!" Dang.

For more pictures...I will be uploading them to my Facebook account.