Pet peeves

Just a few things that irritate me:

- People that call their pets their kids. Um, no. If you want a kid, have a kid. A pet is part of the family, as a PET. Having a pet does not make your parents grandparents. And for the love of everything good, don't dress the poor thing up.

- Baby talk. How is a small child supposed to learn how to talk correctly if all the adults around him/her talk wike dis in a high voice?

- Parents who caption pictures/write letters/etc from their child's point of view. If the child is old enough to talk and not write, that's different. But you're not a mind reader and it's annoying.

- Humidity. Ugh. I'm SO ready for fall. I <3 fall.

- People who complain they never have money but spend money on expensive toys and eat out all the time. Um, you DO have money, you just like to pretend you don't so you don't have to spend a dime on anyone but yourself.

- People who can't seem to see the bright side of anything. Is life that bad? Really? I mean, sometimes so many things go wrong it's comical. Laugh and move on.

And lest you start to think all I do is complain, here are a few things I'm really happy/excited about.

- Leslie and Paul are moving back today! YAY!!! We love them and have missed them so much. (On a side note, if anyone knows of an accounting position in a company in the Jackson area, let me know. Leslie is looking.)

- Jonathan was home for 2 weeks! We're sad to see him go back but so proud of him. He's all grown up now, sniff sniff.

- Nora is a rolling machine! Technically, that would be a roller, wouldn't it? Anyhow, if she's on the floor, she rolls. And when she's on her belly, she making crawling motions. She just can't get her belly out of the way, lol. She's growing so fast. I'll miss some of the baby things but that's what nieces and nephews are for, right? ;)

- Flash cards! And the dollar bins at Target. Since Ella isn't potty trained and therefore can't go to preschool, I've been thinking I need to spend an hour or so each day working with her. But she already knows all kinds of stuff: colors, shapes, body parts, most numbers and letters, and she can even (kind of) write her name and spell/recognize a few words. Mia knows some of the same things too. The best part about the flash cards? The girls LOVE them. The puzzles too. Ella has those mastered already.

- Our new car. Not as excited about the payments (which are still lower than the Nissan's were) but whatever. We have two reliable cars and that's worth it. And the PT Cruiser is just fun!

- Women's Retreat! I've been to a retreat or two with Mom before, but this one is in Evart, focused on health (including physical health, which is my passion right now), and will be an overnight in a hotel with Mom, Tracy, and Leslie! And Leslie and I are driving up together in the Cruiser. Awesome!

(Ew. Ew. Ew. I caught a whiff of something. It was Mia. Not only was it a nasty dirty diaper, it squished out the side onto her shorts. And her leg. And my hand. Ewww. Thank GOD for disposable diapers, baby wipes, running water, and soap. And scented candles.)

- Fall! My favorite season. I know most people associate it with things dying. I associate it with change and relief from the summer heat. I love the bonfires (someday when the kids are older we can go to one again, lol), hoodies, jeans, changing leaves, the eeriness of the wind whipping through bare tree limbs, the first snow. I'm even excited about school supplies and a little disappointed that I have no reason to buy any. Thus the flash cards for the girls. Plus I love the holiday season and in the fall excitement is building for those. (Side note: I should start doing Christmas shopping soon so I'm not trying to finish it the week before Christmas...)

- New babies that aren't ours! Meaning the excitement of a new baby and cuddling with a newborn without the morning sickness, weight gain, labor and delivery, expense, sleepless nights, and diapers! :) For anyone that doesn't know, Becky and Zech are expecting a new baby in March. Becky thinks it's two but we should find out on Friday.

- Having everything we need. Honestly, we have a great little life. We have two good cars, a home, enough food, plenty of toys, family, friends, health. (Side note again: I'm healthy as a horse apparently. After adjusting my calorie range, I'm now losing weight. And I know I'm blessed to be able to work out as hard as I do. I'm also very thankful for my exercise.) I know I can always find something to complain about, but I'm trying to focus on positives now. I was in a slump for a while and felt like I wasn't making progress in any area of my life. I really think it was directly related to my inner overachiever. I've accomplished SO much in the last few years that *only* having a baby this year felt like I didn't do much. Ridiculous, right? A friend sent me the kindest message on FB though and told me how talented, strong, and successful I am. Sometimes I need to be reminded to look at WHO I am, not what I've accomplished.

Anyhow, it's nap time for the big girls. Which means lunch time for me and Nora and then naps for her and exercise for me. Then a shower and some straightening up before my family (minus Tracy, Donovan, and girls :( ) comes for dinner. Off to stay busy! :)