Halloween

Growing up, we would always go trick or treating. In fact, my parents dressed up with us every year as Raggedy Ann and Andy. It was always a really positive family time, never thinking of ghosts, scary houses, or the devil. Then I got to around high school and I started seeing most churches around town advertising Fall Festivals. A place your child could come, dressed up (in no ghost or skeleton costumes because those aren't real), to have a safe and fun Halloween. I don't even think the word Halloween was used...it was just a Fall Festival. So I started thinking, "Yeah, this makes sense...make Hallow..oops...the time at the end of October, a fun, safe, Christian holiday."

I didn't think of it much through college and later years. It was only this year when we had our own kid that I started thinking about it. I thought about the excitement my brother and sister and I would have dressing up, getting loads of candy, inspecting it after (thanks crazy's who started putting needles in candy), and eating it until we were sick and falling happily in bed. I really want Elias to experience this. I was reminded of my old thoughts when I was in Old Navy and found the cutest spider hat...check out our flickr pics to see him or monster's blog. I wanted to get him a Halloween onesie to go with it. The only ones they had left was a ghost one and a "Little Pumpkin" one. I immediately thought, "I can't get the ghost one because ghosts aren't real." Where did that come from? I shook my head in disbelief as that thought ran across my mind. I put back the pumpkin onesie and picked up the ghost one and walked with my head held high to check out. (I have since returned the ghost one because I found a spider one that goes with his kickin' hat.)

As I have been driving around town this season, I have noticed most churches with a Fall Festival banner. Sicko's!! But they have added a new word to that Halloween-take-over-name..."Fun". So now it is Fall Fun Festivals. I got an F-word you can add to your name!! I am so sad by all of this. So when Elias is old enough to trick-or-treat, we will be walking with him in our neighborhood, dressed up right beside him. (Any costume ideas for mom and dad??)

YEOW!!

I hardly ever remember my dreams. If I do, I am usually a spectator watching a movie, not actually involved in the dream. It would be interesting to hear if your dreams are interactive at all. Anyway, I had a really funny one the other night. A bunch of people were running around and screaming, "YEOW!!!!!!", "YEEEOOOOWWW!". I also noticed that all of the people had gashes and cuts over most of their bodies. I remember thinking, "Someone is hacking these poor people." At the end of my dream, the accused showed his face...in the distance I see Yao Ming, clad with his Rockets jersey, swinging a machete and running after people. So the people were not actually yelling, "Yeow", like, "It hurts!!", but "Yao!", that is who is chasing me with a machete!

Life

I know the following post is going to "ruffle some feathers", but I don't care. I am very, very, very Pro-Life. I don't think there is any reason to have an abortion. I don't think it is a "women's right" to choose whether or not to kill a fetus. Not even if she was raped or in the case of incest. That is a human being that God breathed life into and we should not have the right to end it. Those babies can be given up for adoption. I have never been raped and gotten pregnant from it and I know it would be hell to have to carry a baby for 9 months but a decision to end an innocent LIFE should not be our decision. You can try to give me a good reason to kill a baby, but really, is there one?? That brings me to another point...why is it so hard and expensive to adopt a baby? So many people want to have a baby of their own but must wait years and spend their life savings to get one. That is ridiculous! And in case you were wondering...NO I am not a republican. I am independent and proud of it.

I am a junior high girl

Ahh...where to begin??
1)I love teeny bopper movies. Yes, I confess, it's out in the open...sigh...I don't get to watch nearly as many as I would like to. My husband hates chick flicks, but I think teen movies is higher on his hate list. So, when we go to Hollywood Video, we must always rent one sci-fi/action movie and then one of my choosing...usually a love/feel good story of some sort. Some of my favorite teen movies: Varsity Blues, most Freddie Prinze, Jr. movies (I hang my head in shame), 10 Things I Hate About You. Every once in a while, Dallas will like one almost as much or more than I do. Example: Can't Hardly Wait.

2)I love teeny bopper music. Yes, I do own Justin Timberlake's, Justified. I am no good at band names, but when the radio comes on, guaranteed, I can sing along to just about any pop music out there today. I found myself singing along to a song about "resting my head on something re-al..."...yep, Ashlee Simpson. Yikes!

3)I love food scented lip gloss and lotions. My cousin and I were recently at a boutique in my hometown of Lafayette. She had a free coupon for a lotion of my choice. I started down the list of many scents. I immediately saw Cinna-bon...what??? I can smell like sweet cinnamon buns anytime, Ye-haw! But Katie quickly said she wanted the Vera Wang scent. I couldn't follow Vera Wang with Cinna-bon, so I quietly and sadly said, "Blackberry please". Yeah, I know it is a food but that is like still liking Country Apple and Sun-Ripened Raspberry. I hate that lotion and still long for the day when I can smell like my favorite breakfast. I was also recently in Claire's boutique looking for a gift for a friend. Just saying "Claire's Boutique" should signal major junior high warning signs. When I was checking out I spotted a half wall full of flavored lip glosses. There was Dr. Pepper, Bubble gum, Tootsie Pop, Hot Fudge Sundae, Cotton Candy, Reece's Peanut Butter Cup...must resist...I didn't buy any because I didn't want to be frivilous when I still have about 3 half-used lip glosses lying around. My favorite lotion at the moment is Warm Vanilla Sugar...it so rocks! So if you are ever in the need to get me a present, you can't go wrong with food scented toiletries.

So what is the deal with this? I think because I HATED junior high when I was actually in junior high. I remember longing to see movies like Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon (which I now know sucks), etc...So now that I CAN watch any movie I like and buy any number of junior high goodies, I will. Ah the justice!

The Best Gift EVER

Pooter

Biggie

Tiny E

Piggy

Little Man

Pooty-Pooterson

Boo

Super Baby

Baby Cry Cry (you have to roll the r's in cry cry)

Truck (only referred to by our friends)

Precious Little Angel Baby

Hicky-Hickerson

Burpy-Burperson

Kooky-Kooky, Elias Luc-y

E-L-I-A-S (like B-I-N-G-O)

Boy

Baby boy

Sweetie

Buddy

Chill E

Happy Boy

Drool E

Big Butt (thanks to cloth diapers)

Soggy Bottom Boy (again, thanks to cloth diapers)

Overheard:

Pumpkinhead

Gnome baby

Little Nugget

All of the above are names we call, or our friends call, our son, Elias Luc. One of the best days of my life was on May 21, the day he was born. He brings me so much joy and love that I didn't know could exist within me. My grandmother recently asked me if I could ever imagine my life without him. It instantly brought tears to my eyes as I thought of all of the happiness he has brought to my life. My dream ,and one of the reasons I feel I was put on this earth, was to be a mom. It feels so natural to me and feels so awesome to finally be able to hold my own child. OK, enough sappiness...my intentions were to just list all of his nicknames, but I felt compelled to write the above. As I write, I hear my little one babbling in his crib...gotta go :)