Organized chaos

My happy spot...

2012-01-31T20:02:00.002-06:00

Things that make me happy...
* A well napped baby
* A hubby who is will eat pretend food from a measuring cup because his 2 year old daughter gets a laugh out of it.
* Knowing the girls have a great dad that loves them so much.
* Being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
* Seeing Melody smile and laugh
* Watching Meredith play with Melody...I am glad they are friends :)

I really am alive!!!

2012-01-18T21:19:00.005-06:00

Ok...It has been over a year so here is a recap...Mere is now almost 2 and a very proud big sister to Melody who is 7 weeks. I am back in school and as of January of 2011 I have been working at RediClinic. Josh is still awesome and traveling quite a bit for work. We survive one day at a time. Here are some pics of some of the typical moments in our life...enjoy! :)

Till next time (hopefully not a year)
J,J,M,& M Songster

already....

2010-09-10T21:48:00.003-05:00

our lil one is becoming not so lil anymore! 6 1/2 months old and wearing 12 month clothing to allow for her height...not shocked just a lil annoyed since her waist is still at 6 months, I am now having to stich her clothes so they will stay up! We have been really busy around here, Josh is still traveling for work, my job is busy *Yeah!*, and school...well I just wish it was over already! Here are some recent pics...

New design..

2010-08-08T15:13:00.003-05:00

I have a lovely "back to school" background now, but wait, my lil princess is 5 and 1/2 months old, so why this theme, well for me of course! I am going back to school, oh how joyful! I have had a lot of mommy guilt on this one (thanks Heather for putting a name to if for me!). In fact I have had a lot of mommy guilt with in the last week. Josh and I made a decision that I would apply for a teachers aide position to allow me to focus more on school and mommy duties. That plan went down the tubes on Thursday afternoon when we received a phone call informing us that the in home child care that watches Meredith was shut down. She had too many kids is the short version. The long version requires too much tears and mom guilt for me to get into.

Thursday at 2:30 created the "new" to do list for my vacation day on Friday...find a daycare for Meredith to go to on Monday. Nothing short of impossible right, just the fact that 7 other infants were going to need daycare as well and there are waiting list for these types of things. The 2nd one i called had an opening, I met with the director, toured the infant room, meet the 2 teachers, and signed Mere up for daycare at Little Hands in old Katy to start on Monday. Task completed and it was Thursday at 4:45...I am quite proud of myself, until I realize that we now have a daycare bill of $175.00 a week, $75.00 more. Lets add redoing out budget to this to do list!

Friday I wake up and realize, I will have to stay at the job I am at now, since a paycut was not in the budget, but I still had to go to the school in Clear Lake to meet with my advisor. Then Meredith woke up with a fever of 103.6...REALLY! She is fine, but they did want to do blood work to make sure because of the weekend, so I take her to get that done and I took off her sock and was ready for a heal prick and they said...ok, now lets see her arm. Wait, her arm, that is right they took blood from a 5 and 1/2 month olds arm...NOT FUN! The results came back and she had a small virus, she broke the fever around noon on Friday, and really was not fussy at all. I ran a couple of errands and went back home to spend my vacation day of catch up on baby proofing and deep cleaning the house, cuddling with Mere...and I am so happy I did, I miss her so much during the week!

Josh just came in and let me know the post was too long so I will finish up with the best news ever...Mere no longer has a toothless smile, her bottom tooth came in yesterday! :) Also here are some pics for those who made it through this loooong post! :)

Deepwater Horizon has NOTHING on me!!

2010-07-13T19:31:00.003-05:00

**WARNING**this post contains TMI...consider yourself warned...very "female" posting!

I have not had my first period since I had our lil angel...I only breastfed her for 3 days...I know I can just say I did not do it...but I want credit for those 3 days of horrible agony! :) I finally decided that after almost 5 months, I should consult my OB/GYN. I did and they decided they would "induce" my period. Of course they come to this conclusion after a pelvic exam and an ultrasound, which showed that it would be HEAVY. I was warned it would be bad, basically my uterus is completely full of stuff that must get out, so they sent me home with my meds to take for 10 days. After all the probing I started, not a heavy flow like I thought so I went ahead and to one of the pills because I knew there should be more.

BAD IDEA!

My new analogy is that there is a crime scene in my pants...I find it horribly disgusting, but effective because you automatically get this gross image, and yes that is what it is like. I went into work this morning, and through out the day I am getting dizzier, bleeding more (at this point I am going through both a super pad and ultra tampon every 15 minutes). My Dr decides I need to go into the ER since I am now bleeding too much...so I go in go straight to the back and they start probing around. At this point I am laying on the "puppy pads" as I call them feeling so disgusting. They gave me some much needed fluids and sent me on my way with some very simple instructions. I must rest until the heavy part is over, or I will need to get a D & C to remove everything.

I am so mad that I did not go in sooner...but I really just did not know what is considered a normal time frame for this...if anyone is wondering if you do not breastfeed you should have a period within 3 months. Good to know...now.

I am clearly not following these simple instructions because as I am typing this, I apparently have done too much and am so lightheaded, walking to the couch will be my new challenge.

I will take off work till the worst is over, Meredith will be in Daycare (which I will hate since I am at the house) and Josh will be at work during the day, so there is no reason why I can not just lay in bed all day long...right! I mean forget about the huge pile of laundry, the kitchen that needs cleaning, the bills that need to be paid, but more importantly...my lovely Mere bear that I just want to cuddle with...but she wants to be held while you are standing! so for her I will rest, ignore the house and get better quick...as a mom you just have to! :)

P.S. Josh will come home from Scouts tonight and take care of all of this because he knows I will not be able to "rest" if I can be doing something around the house! I love that man!!!! :) Also...aside from the river I have flowing this is the most painless period I have ever had in my life...no cramps at all so I guess I will count that awesome blessing!

I know why you all keep reading my blog...

2010-07-04T22:48:00.002-05:00

to see pics of the princess!

Love,
Josh,Jenn, & Merebear!

July 3, 2009

2010-06-27T22:47:00.002-05:00

I was Sealed to Josh for time and all eternity! As we approach our 1 year anniversary we are so blessed to see what has happened in our life's since then. We tried for a little over a year to conceive and was at the point of talking about fertility with our Dr. and then we received our Temple recommends...and 2 weeks later we found out we were expecting!! Heavenly Father knows how to time things...if only I would be more patient in this aspect I would have not wasted so many tears!

I am grateful to Josh for the Priesthood, and his dedication to at being the Patriarch of the family that he is. He is the best Father ever and I love when Meredith will look at him and simply smile! The Temple was the first part of the Church I was introduced to, so to know I am a worthy Temple Recommend holder makes my entire conversion history and process so great to look back on.

There are so many memories that I cherish with Josh, but one that will always stay with me is our first look at each other on that day in the Houston, TX Temple.

We will celebrate by doing the endowments for my Mimi and Daddy Luke and then having them Sealed together...fun to know they will share the same Sealing day! :)

I love him so much and I can not wait for eternity! :)

I am such a BAD blogger!

2010-06-27T22:36:00.002-05:00

I just realized that my last blog was when she was 12 weeks old...what is worst is that I am not sure if she is 17 or 18 weeks...I know she just turned 4 months old on the 22nd!!!! She is starting to have a lot more personality and babble and laugh, but will typically exhibit these traits to her mom and dad only. Her 4 month stats are almost identical to her 2 month check up...height is 25 1/2 inches (90%), head is 15 1/2 inches (10%) and her weight was the only change in percentage weighing in at 13.11 lbs (50%). She is have tummy issues and we have increased her feeding amount and jumped ahead to solids...completely skipping Cereal. So far we have had sweet potatoes, carrots, and her least favorite was squash. She ate the squash...but only while exhibiting attitude the entire time!

Enough about the cutest baby ever (if I do say so myself) the Songster household has been busy this summer. Josh and I are busier then ever with work and I am spending more time as a work widow, including a 1 week long trip that started with an E.R. visit the same day he left...all is better now! I have also gone back to school, but I am only taking 1 class this semester and so far it has been manageable. I only have 9 classes left to finish my degree and of course I am looking into changing it to Elementary Education, but I do not want to start all over again so we will see what happens! Other then the hectic world of work, play and family time, we are just surviving and enjoying this time in our life's!

12 weeks already!!!

2010-05-17T22:01:00.003-05:00

I can not believe lil bit is 12 weeks old. She celebrated this milestone by having her first virus!!! Not fun, but she is recovering and starting to get back to her normal smiley from 6AM - 6 PM and colicky from 6PM-10PM self...something I hoped would just magically disappear but I guess that is not how it works. :) She is such a joy to Josh and I. My first Mother's day was a blast and I really appreciated Sister Knies talk about the topic. Here is her 12 week pic...I am already slacking with this if you notice it was impromptu and right before her bed time...but at least I got it done! :)

Hmmmmm...

2010-05-02T22:25:00.005-05:00

I realized I have not posted words lately so I thought I would let you know what has been happening in the Songster household! We have been really busy soaking up lil bit. I returned to work April 21st, and it was actually ok. The hard part came the following week when I had to leave Erica's house...I walked away thinking I am missing something. It has gotten easier and I know that she is so loved when I am away which makes it so much easier. It also makes it easier knowing I work to provide both her and I with insurance and just knowing that she can get the best care out there makes work just a little bit more worth it! Josh is such a great dad, and I love to watch them 2 together when he does not know I am looking. We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on April 12th and it was really low key since we like to celebrate our Sealing Anniversary which will be 1 year on July 3rd! Time is flying by. Meredith is a really strong baby, she prefers to stand or sit with as little help as possible. She loves pictures and especially the picture of Josh and I in front of the Houston Temple on our Sealing day, she will stare at it and just start to smile, even if she is across the room! We are staying busy, but enjoying the quiet times as well!! Here are some pics of an AWESOME Sunday afternoon, which included the Bluebonnets in Brenham and lounge time with mommy and Daddy.

Till next time...
J,J & M

It's bed time...

2010-04-26T22:15:00.001-05:00

So it is only pics this time...

What to do...

2010-04-13T23:07:00.002-05:00

You know in life you will have trials, from your love life, to having kids, raising kids, school, the list goes on and on. We are placed here to endure those trials and I have found that the biggest trial right now is being Christlike when some one makes accusations that attack and go against ones character and moral beliefs. You have to make choices on how you will handle the situation, what will you say or even do. Will it get physical or can you stay civil, or do you even say anything at all since you have heard the accusation from a source other then the person that said it. I wish in this case I would say that there may be a possibility that it was not said, but I know it was.

To that person all I have to say is this,

I believe in Christ- My Lord my God! My feet he plants on gospel sod. I'll worship him with all my might, He is the source of truth and light. I believe in Christ, he ransoms me. From Satan's grasp he sets me free, and I shall live with joy and love In his eternal courts above.

I will have to seek his guidance in this entire situation, and I know I will do the right thing as long as I am tuned into the Spirit.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-04-01T18:48:00.003-05:00

I felt the need to blog about the fact that I had a birthday yesterday! In reality I just dont want to do laundry...and I wonder why my balancing act wobbles at times! :) I had a great birthday this year. I got a new phone which I LOVE! Most importantly I started out the day sleeping in with my lil princess, I love to just stare at her when she sleeps, she does the funniest things! Then we woke up and got ready to get my hair done with Guncle. My mom and cousin Parker who is 3 met us up at the salon and let me have adult conversation with Bryan while Parker kept bringing us Fruit roll ups...he is soooo cute! We went out to lunch and then I went shopping. Josh came home with great flowers and my first ever Happy birthday mom card (no lie that was the gift that I loved the most!). Then we went out to Babins for dinner and came home, over all pretty uneventful, but full of fun and love for the birthday girl and I LOVED it! Now if I can just remember how old I am! Hehehe

On to baby news, you can see the pics from the blessing and also just some other random ones! She is so fun to watch and has so many funny faces! I love it. Well I guess that is all for now, on to laundry before I through my sort of balanced life all out of order!

J, J, & Baby M

The balancing act...

2010-03-29T14:55:00.003-05:00

I have learned that being mom means balancing out life as you previously knew it. You will still have the same old responsibilities and at the same time now have 1,000 more to do all while trying to figure out how to put a baby on a schedule, keep them happy, love on her, feed her, change her, keep her happy again, make sure tummy time was done, making sure she visits the Easter Bunny and planning it so she will be awake for it, changing her, feeding her, swaddling her, giving her the paci even though she will spit it out in 4 minutes and you have to go give it to her again, cook dinner, make sure all laundry is done...and the kicker is doing this while keeping your house some what decent (I am not even going to say clean at this point yet!). On a good day you will get to take a shower with the baby monitor so you can run out to give her the paci again during nap time!

This, for what ever reason, I was not prepared for. I have learned that I have a lot to learn. Meredith is a lil slice of Heaven and she is such a good baby that I wonder why I am having such a hard time with the whole balancing act. I am getting better, but I still dread when we have to go to the store for groceries because I forgot something that was on the list. To all the moms out there with more than 1 kiddo...you deserve a raise!!!!!!!

On another note, Meredith was blessed on Sunday. I would love to post the great pics that Sister Allen took for us, but lets face it, the camera is in the diaper bag in the living room and I am in the office, enough said. It was a great day, I had some of my family there and lots of the Songster side. Josh did great and we were very blessed with the Spirit that was felt.

I guess to end I will tell the funny Temple story. Josh and I went to the Temple on Saturday while my mom watched Mere bear. We were going to finish up the work for my Grandparents who had already been baptized. Josh and I part ways around 12:40, I got ready, went to potty and went to the Chapel around 1:15 where I sat until I realized it was now 2:00 and the session was about to start, but I was missing my husband. I asked some Temple workers who let me check the Celestrial room and they checked the dressing rooms, but no husband. I waited in the lobby under the impression that my loving husband went to the 1:00 session without me. I even had a friend from the ward check the dressing rooms 2 more times for me and even down stairs, but nothing! I waited for the 1:00 session to get done and went back to the Celestrial room and there he was reading. He looked at me with a very confused look and said why did you come from that way. We went out in the hall where he informed me that he was done getting ready and at 1:10 went to the Chapel to see if I was there and had a Sister check for me in the dressing room, since I was in the bathroom and did not hear her, he assumed I went to the 1:00 session without him and then passed the time doing other Temple work until he would meet with me in the Celestrial room. Needless to say my family work was not done and we had all the Temple workers asking if you were Brother Songster...who knew you could lose some one in the Temple! :)

I think the funniest part of this entire post is that it was done while Meredith is sleeping in her car seat in the rocking chair since she fell asleep on the way home from Mema's house and I did not want to fight the battle of getting her back to sleep in her crib.

On that note, I have bottles to wash and laundry to do, a shower would be nice to, but that one wont happen till daddy gets home!

Happy 1 month!!!

2010-03-22T19:00:00.003-05:00

I can not believe she is already a month old today! She is such a great blessing and is so fun to watch as she learns new things. Things around here are pretty quiet considering we have a newborn now in the family. She loves to sleep like a tree frog on her mommy and likes it when daddy makes funny noises. Josh and I are doing great and just adjusting to this lil bundle of joy...and yes she has Josh wrapped around her lil finger, it is the most precious sight in the world to see them 2 hand out together! We go tomorrow to see how big she is, to us she is like a mini sumo wrestler compared to when she was first born! We will see!

The life of Meredith...

2010-03-17T14:25:00.001-05:00

I eat, sleep, and make the funniest faces...I would love to write more about my daily activites, but you are interupting my feeding time! :)

To cook dinner or post pics....

2010-03-13T20:00:00.002-06:00

Who am I kidding, dinner can wait!!!

She is such a joy and is our lil bundle of Heaven!

OK, now off to cook dinner!

where does the time go??

2010-03-09T13:13:00.003-06:00

I know I should post pics, but lets face it, the really cute ones are on the camera and I dont know how to download them, looks like that will be on the honey do list for Josh, along with a million other things. Life with a 2 week old is GREAT! We are very blessed with a baby that has her dad's personality and is content as long as she gets fed, unlike her high strung mom! :) Mere bear sleeps great and is up for about a couple of hours at a time, but only during the day. She still dreams really hard which makes her have the funniest expressions! Josh and I just sit and stare, and then we crack up laughing, and the best part is that she just continues to sleep right through all the noise that we can create! I know I should post more, but in reality I bottles to wash and laundry to do, plus I believe Josh would like dinner tonight as well, so off I go to run the house hold! :) Till next time...I will try to get pics up soon! I will overload you with them since I have decided that she is the most beautiful baby EVER! :)

Home sweet home!!

2010-02-24T18:13:00.003-06:00

We are home and I just have to say that I think she is just precious!!!! Yes I know I am biased, but I earned that right! :)
Meredith Ray Songster
7 lbs 9 oz
21 inches long
2/22/2010 @11:06 AM

Thanks for all the visits and wells wishes! Every one is doing great and very glad to be home!

Meredith is here!!!!!

2010-02-22T14:02:00.002-06:00

Meredith Ray Songster was born at 11:06 am, she was 21 inches long and weighed 7.9 lbs. Pictures to follow, everyone is doing great!!

I am sooooooo excited!

2010-02-17T16:57:00.002-06:00

The date has been set, they will induce on 2/22/2010!!!!! I am so excited! :) Until then I will enjoy this quietness.

I have been thinking...

2010-02-15T18:04:00.002-06:00

and this can get scary at times, but you know when you become a mom and you have to think of all the "discussions" you will have to have about life and all that great stuff. You want to be the best parent you can be, you want to provide love, protection, and raise them so that they have the best chance possible to not only make you proud but also Heavenly Father. Thinking about this raises a question, I am a convert and the only member in my family. My best friend is gay, my entire family drinks and 1/2 of them smoke. Of course we dont, nor do we pass judgment on those who do since we try our best daily to be Christlike. The question at hand is, Bryan (my gay best friend), is known as Guncle meaning gay uncle, by calling him Guncle does this mean that you validate his choice of sexuality? I know Meredith will ask one day what does Guncle mean...and depending on her age will depend on my answer!

Is it possible to be accepting of ones sexuality even though you may not agree with it?

My stance is that yes, you can accept the sexuality even if you dont think it is right. We have free agency, he has a right to chose what he likes, and I have a right to choose what I like, to each there own. I like the fact that we can all have our own views on this, it makes me love the fact of free agency even more...with that said...any comments would be greatly appreciated.

I mean really???

2010-02-12T16:52:00.003-06:00

I went into my weekly check up this week completely thinking that my platelets have dropped and she would just say lets go ahead and induce you. Well I was wrong, they were stable at 95 which means I can still have the good drugs and I can not be happier...sort of. I am taking 12 weeks of maternity leave and I had to start that back in January since I was starting to dilate, so I really want to spend time at home with the baby, but looks like I will have to wait yet another week for that to happen. It will be hard for me to leave my Lil Lima bean, but I am grateful to have a job especially in this economy that can provide the insurance and additional financial means that I feel comfortable with as a mom. Yes Josh has insurance, but my company is a lot bigger and provides better insurance at a better cost. It also helps that I have a great someone who I know will love Meredith while I am at work, and that really puts my mind at ease!

As far as an update, I went in today because I was just a little "leaky"...I know TMI, but do you expect any less from me?? Turns out I am dilated to a 4...wait I thought that from 4-7 centimeters that was active labor...well not in my case. Don't get me wrong I am having contractions, but I only have 2 or 3 an hour and then they stop and come back 4 hours later...I mean really! I am at the point where it is not comfortable, I don't want to see the toilet in the middle of the night any more. I have scar tissue in my right arm from all the blood work that has been done, but as of this point I would completely do this again, in a heart beat in fact! I have down played the seriousness of this pregnancy and my health (I tend to avoid reality if at all possible), but I know that I have been blessed with the health that I have had this far...I am just ready to see who she looks like, make sure she is healthy, see why her tummy is just a little behind and count 10 fingers and 10 toes! Oh...and put pig tails in her hair!!

I am thankful for all of the support I have had from my ward family also the YW leaders who have been so great to really step up and let me rest as much as possible while they cover my calling! :) Josh and I are as ready as we will ever be, now the question is...will Meredith be a Valentine's baby???????

Till next time...

Just when you think you have been coasting by....Life happens!

2010-01-28T10:41:00.002-06:00

I went to the doctor on Tuesday as normal and had the ultrasound part of the stress test. The baby has gained 1 pound in 2 weeks which is right on track and she has a ton of hair. Growth was good, but they noticed her belly was slightly smaller then the rest of her body (my theory is that her chubby cheeks are making up for that!). Just another thing she will "watch" and then she did an exam since I have been feeling a lot of pressure, and I am dilated to a 1, not a big deal to me but enough to make the Dr say the words I don't like....bed rest. Now in my defense they were not used together so this is moderate bed rest or more like house arrest I should say. They will induce at 37 weeks which is 2 weeks from now. I asked her what the game plan was at this point since they will induce early. She said that if I go in and she does not like the results of the stress test, then we will have a baby the next day, so everything with this pregnancy is very week by week...or basically no real "plan".

I am grateful since I am taking 12 weeks of maternity leave so I will just have to start that now instead of when the baby comes. Good thing since I carry the insurance for myself we would have been in a pickle if they would have made me quit work earlier!

I really makes me think of the great blessings that I have had in my life since becoming a member of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that I have been very fortunate this entire pregnancy and that Heavenly Father loves me so much. I can not wait to meet Lil Meredith and now I have nothing to do for 2 weeks but sit and wait! :)

Till next time,

J, J, & soon to be M.

Meredith's Nursery!

2010-01-19T14:54:00.002-06:00

Just some pictures of my latest nesting episode!

Just an update though...I will find out today if the unexpected jump in my platelets last week was really a transposed number or if the true problem was my Thyroid the entire time! I believe it is my Thyroid and have been saying all week that I just Mystery Diagnosed myself!! :) It is hard to believe that I am already at 33 weeks...it really has flown by!!! So till next time!

J,J,&soon to be M.

2 post in 1 month...

2009-12-12T21:55:00.001-06:00

Happy 3rd trimester to me!!!!!! That is good for now. ;)

Decision time...

2009-12-09T17:57:00.003-06:00

Most know that I have ITP and I am pregnant...if not...read a couple of blogs ago, I am sure that I mentioned it. Going into this pregnancy was a lot of unknowns. I did not know how well my blood would do, I did not know how well I would do or the baby for that matter, it is my first after all. I have had a fairly easy pregnancy, no nausea, vomiting, horribly bad mood swings, etc... so I can not really say anything in that regard. However my difficulty comes to play in with my ITP. I would have to get blood work done at every appointment so once a month in the beginning. We noticed a continuous decrease in the numbers so I now go in every week for appointments, which typically does not happen until about 36 weeks...I am only 27 weeks and 4 days. I go into to the Hospital lab every Tuesday morning before work to get blood work done and that afternoon is my appt, I have met with a Peronatalogist and will also meet with my Hematologist and the anestigiologist before the end of December. Again, not typically in most pregnancies.

Every parent wants nothing more than the best health for their baby, mom especially since they carry them. Going into this "blind" has made this even harder. I have 2 options now, be on Prednisone, a type of Steroid, for the rest of the pregnancy or deliver now at 27 weeks. Obviously I am not a fan of either option, but after 2nd opinions, prayer, and research I will be on the Steroids. Are there side effects, of course...as a good friend once heard...they are not side effects, but merely effects since it is something not natural to your body. My blood count has actually gone up over the last 2 weeks, and the report from the specialist has not been sent to my Dr, so until that happens I don't have to take the pills...I am fighting this decision with every ounce of my being, but this is not just about me, lil Meredith will be effected to. Prednisone is not an uncommon treatment during pregnancy, my blessing is that everything is developed on the baby, so I do not have to worry about that (yes I did ask the Dr. what happens if my baby comes out with a 3rd arm or a 6th toe on her foot, or an extra nose).

Just the other day I remember thinking how difficult it was to pick out tile for our bathroom...little did I know the major decisions that are ahead for us! These are the decisions that effect everything in your life and most have opinions, I am not even sure if I want an epidural because I don't even like taking medicine period...just wait it out. As you can see being on a nightly pill is...a hard pill to swallow...I just could not help myself!! :)

Other than that, all is well, Josh has started tearing out the bathtub in our Master so we can install the new tub and tile soon!! :) Our mail box lost its life and was found in laying in the street and our bills and christmas card was chewed up into tiny peieces by "his" dog...and that was just today!!! :) Seriously, all is well and I have many blessings, so I can take this right now!

Till next time...

What is that smell...

2009-11-27T16:49:00.002-06:00

It is Josh painting the nursery!!!! I have never been so excited to smell paint before in my life! :)

Some know and some do not, but going into this pregnancy we knew it would be "different" due to my blood disorder. I knew I would be cutting it close on the blood counts and what the Dr. would allow, but for whatever reason, I did not think about how I would handle the news that we received on our appt. Monday. My platelet levels were considered "OK" if they stayed above 100, Monday we found out that they were at 95, so they have been dropping since I got pregnant and since they are below 100, we had to make some decisions. I received 2 steroid shots to help develop Meredith's lungs because the odds of the Dr. having to take her out early are now a big reality. I don't like the unknown so this was a hard one for me. If my platelets stay where they are at, she will let her stay, if they drop, they will induce labor. I will now go in every week to check my blood count and see where we stand. I will be 27 weeks on Saturday and at this point I just want to make it to January. I think more than anything I just wish I knew when I was having her...but this will now be a week by week activity!

Other news...the nursery is getting done and my mom is coming out tomorrow to help with that and Christmas decorations (just in case she does come early and get to come home...we have to have a Christmas Tree for her 1st Christmas!) I have been feeling fine, I am just more fatigued since my platelets have dropped, so I am off to take a nap while Josh finishes painting! :)

Till next time!

Jen, Josh, & Meredith

I really am alive

2009-10-26T17:45:00.002-05:00

So much has happened since May... Josh and I got sealed on July 3rd. We are expecting our first lil one March 6th and we just found out today that it is a GIRL!!!! I know it has been awhile... But we have been busy and know I am off to buy pink clothes. :))

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME & JOSH!!!

2009-05-24T22:11:00.002-05:00

Today is such a great day...Josh turns 28 and I have my 1 year anniversary for becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- Day Saints! I am so grateful to Josh's parents for raising Josh to be the man that he is today, but more importantly, I am blessed that they raised him to be a member of the Church. He is loving, generous, funny, kind, so selfless when it comes to sacrificing for our family, gentle, quirky, and so much more. He is now a worthy Priesthood holder in our home, and that has brought immense blessings to us both! He can always make me smile, even if he is the one that I am mad at!! I love him so much for loving me the way he does, but most of all I love him for introducing me into the Church!

Growing up I went to a Baptist Church, but only until 3rd grade, then we quit going. We did not speak about Jesus, but we did not necessarily ignore the fact that we are here because of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I remember praying in high school at night and just wondering why there were so many churches when there was only on God...it never made since. I always got aggravated by this actually because I needed Spiritual guidance in my life, especially in High School. I met Josh in 2004 (several years after high school) and shortly afterwards his family invited me to go see the San Antonio Temple before it was dedicated. I think I am one of the few who has been inside of the Temple before I was a member, but it was then that I knew I wanted to know more about the Church. I did not know much about it, but I started asking questions immediately. We went on to dating and I would read occasionally from the Book of Mormon, but I never pursued it very much. We became engaged on July 4, 2007 and Josh had control over 1 aspect of the wedding and that was finding someone to marry us. It was then that I met Bishop Durham, and thankfully he saw the burning desire in me to learn more about the Church. We got married on April 12, 2008, left for Hawaii on April 13 and returned on the 18th, we received a phone call on the 19th from Elder Nelson and Elder Lesa asking me if I wanted to take a discussion with them. I gladly agreed and I was baptized on May 24, 2008. I know that this is the Church that Jesus Christ established when he was here. I know that Heavenly Father loves me so much, that he sent his son to Atone for our sins and to take on all the pains that we would ever have to endure in our lives. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift I WILL ever receive and when I have the Holy Ghost come over, nothing in my life is as bad as I probably think it is. I know that after a year of trying to conceive, many countless tears shed, questioning why not us, I know that I will be a mom and Josh will be a father, and only Heavenly Father knows when. When he is ready to send that Spirit to us, we will be ready, but until then, we will enjoy being just the 2 of us and not taking this time for granted, because this is our life and we must always remember to be grateful for where we are at in that point of time, otherwise you miss the blessings that are right there in front of you. I love being a member of the Westlake Ward and I will be forever grateful of the Brothers and Sisters that have touched my heart and have also strengthened my testimony. I say these things in Jesus Christ name, Amen.

See what happens when you dont blog in over a month...you get all emotional when typing!!!

Till next time!
J & J

Who wants to play a guessing game???

2009-04-18T18:29:00.002-05:00

Ok, so where would you be going if you packed the following for a "spontaneous" road trip at 5:30am on Saturday morning:

1. Hannah Montana Umbrella
2. big green plastic bowl
3. toilet paper (or if your car is like mine this is still in there from when your husband borrowed the car for camping with the scouts)
4. towels
5. Lysol Wipes
6. before leaving you must put your sheets, pillow cases, jeans, and a shirt in the wash...

Give up?

If you guessed taking your niece back home because she vomited all over your side of the bed you are right!!! Sorry you don't win a prize, but thanks for playing!

So how has your day gone??

Our 1st Year

2009-04-10T23:37:00.008-05:00

Well, this is just about a day early, but it our 1 year Anniversary falls on Easter so I do not think I should be blogging then!!! A lot really has happened in our first year, we went to Hawaii (always wanted to do this!), I became Baptized, began Temple prep classes, and have faced a sad trial in our lives. We have also just set our Sealing date, of course pending the proper OK to go to the Temple. Both of us can not believe this is how our lives have ended up, and this is a good thing, but we are both very aware that every decision that we made prior to us meeting had to be made or else the circumstances of us meeting would have been completely different.

I fell in love with Josh when he was not active in the Church, and I thought I loved him then, but the Church brings out a side of Josh that I never saw until I became a member. Josh is often quiet around those he does not know and can be shy, but he has you all fooled!!! He is so funny and is the only person that can make my darkest day turn bright! I love all of his crazy childhood stories, but I am terrified of raising a son, so only girls for us because I can not handle all the crazy things that our son would do! :) I remember 2 occasions when it was not what he said, but how he hugged me (I know I am corny!). One such occasion is our wedding, I can not tell you what Bishop said to us, or what we said to each other, but I remember how it felt right afterwards and that is a memory that I will forever cherish!

I love you so much Joshito!!!!!

WOW!!!

2009-04-01T19:52:00.002-05:00

I have to say that I had such a fantastic birthday, know I don't even feel the need to continue the birthday week...and that is not an April's Fool day joke either!!!!

So Monday I go to dinner at the Huff's and they had it all decked out with streamers, balloons, and even a pinata!!!!! The dinner and cupcakes were great! Then the BIG day...my Birthday!!! I wake to find a note written on the bathroom mirror and he did not use my good lipstick!!! (I was concerned about this!) At work the girls got me a Pink Coach Wristlet, which is so cute and then they made me a Pina Colada cake that was so YUMMY! I come home to find some more yummy treats and the funniest card...thanks Lissa! I open the door and there are mini pink roses and orchids on the table with 2 boxes wrapped in Disney Princess paper and the card. (P.S. I am a HUGE card person, so the card is the biggest thing with me!) This card was a milestone with me because it is my FIRST of MANY Happy Birthday Wife cards...and it was great. I thanked Josh for the card, my new Watch and Hymns and then I decided to unwrap the gifts...I already knew because of the boxes and the "subtle" hints I sent him via email!!! Then we went to our little romantic dinner at Babins....but instead it was a Surprise Party with my friends and family who were there waiting...and Josh planned this all!!!!!!! He really out did himself especially considering how our March started out. Every one has made me feel so loved and I am so blessed and appreciative to have all of my family and friends in my life!!!!

So I had a great Birthday, and I have already gone shopping and spent a big portion of the birthday funds!!!! Now back to reality...the oven timer is going off!

Thanks again to everyone who wished me a happy birthday!!!!

Till next time

JJ Songster

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!!!

2009-03-31T11:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to me
Happy Birthday to Jennifer
Happy Birthday to me!!!!

I have had a GREAT birthday so far...I started my birthday week out Saturday and did a lot of nothing. We had a Songster party that night and then I got to spend some time with the Huff girls which is always fun!! Sunday was church choir practice and our first temple recommend class. Monday was so fun and I had a GREAT time for dinner which consisted of streamers, ballons, a pinata, TONS of candy, pink cup cakes and the Huffs (this was the best part of it all!!) I woke up to a cute little happy birthday note on the mirror, then my cubicle was covered with balloons and I got a Coach wristlet and the best part is that it is PINK!!!!!!!!!! These girls no me around here!!!!!! Josh still wont tell me what is going on tonight, but I am sure it will be great even if he just planned it today! :)

I have had tons of phone calls and Happy Birthday wishes, so thank you to everyone who has sent those wishes to me!

I should be cleaning...

2009-03-25T18:05:00.003-05:00

Since everything happened with Josh's brother the daily chores have really taken a back seat, and I mean all the daily chores. I am trying to get motivated to start going through the mail, but the stack is HUGE...we have not even opened mail since the 5th of March, I have been paying the bills which is my job (thankfully because I don't think Josh would have even thought about it!) but I honestly can not tell you what has been paid and what has not been...pure CHAOS! I Finally went to the grocery store for the 1st time in 3 weeks...and yes the bill was outrageous, but we really had to restock the pantry was so bare!!!!! Today Josh took the clothes to the cleaners and I had to come home during lunch to clean the fridge out and try to get caught up with laundry.

Plus I keep giving Josh the daily countdown to the start of my birthday week celebration which he has told me over and over he is not going to be a part of a week long celebration, so I told him that he does not have to, I can definitely celebrate by myself!!!!! I don't think he has realized this, but I am not going to lift a finger next week and my excuse for no dinner, laundry, daily chores, etc will be because it is my birthday week and I don't have to. Hopefully he will catch on rather quickly and hop on this band wagon...you will have to stayed tuned to find out!

I did go to the doctor yesterday and it was a hopeful appointment...so she is making me do the tempature process for 2 months, and then she will check some other stuff out on me and stated that hopefully in 4 months we can get some pink lines to pop up! :)

I will quit my rambling and try to get back to business...or maybe I will just play on Facebook instead!!!

Till next time
J & J

Great news

2009-03-15T16:15:00.001-05:00

I got my test results back from the cardiologist and I do not have any signs of my dads heart disease!!!!! Finally some good news!!!

I find this to be so important that this is all I will blog about! :)

I am saddened to say

2009-03-09T00:07:00.003-05:00

As some may know and for those who don't, Aaron Songster, Josh and Matt's brother, passed away unexpectedly Saturday morning. We are blessed to have a loving family, ward family, and the truthfulness of the gospel to help heal our hearts during this time.

I want to take this time to thank everyone for your prayers and kind deeds, we love you all so much, and please take this time to cherish and enjoy your loved ones, life here is so precious and comes with no promise of seeing those you love until that time that we cross that veil.

Love you
Songster family

My wake up call!

2009-02-25T22:05:00.002-06:00

I have a family history of Heart Disease. My dad has what is called Sudden Death which means if he even has a very minor heart attack, he will die, once his heart stops, that is it. There is no cure, and the older he gets the more I do worry about it. He is obese and he smokes, so I feel he is not trying to live healthier and that kind of bugs me. My brother was recently hospitalized (maybe 5 months ago) because he has something wrong with his heart as well, he is now on Heart medication for the rest of his life. He still smokes, drinks and has several energy drinks a day, which causes his heart to race so fast that it will stop just to catch up because one of his valves misfires, and they don't know which one it is, oh yeah, he is 27, the same age as Josh. I went to his Cardiologist on Monday for a normal check up. I have to get checked up every 10 years for my dads heart disease since it is hereditary and it may not show up until later on in life. So I will get my test results back in 2 weeks, and of course I am hoping for an all clear.

But this is not why this blog is titled my wake up call...that would be because he had me do a stress test (walking/running on a treadmill which increases in speed and incline every 3 minutes), which by the way I passed with flying colors, but it was during this time that he, the doctor, said

"You are so out of shape, I can not believe that you are actually winded after only 3 minutes of walking on an incline, that is bad."

Response:
"Are you married?"
Doctor:
"Yes"
Response:
"would you ever tell your wife that she is out of shape?
Doctor:
"of course not"
Response"
"Piece of advise, if you would not tell your wife that then I would not tell any female! We are fragile, hormonal, and VERY emotional!"

Fact is that I am out of shape, and I am so bothered by that. I am now at my heaviest weight, my biggest pant size, my biggest everything! Statistically women with a waist size of over 35" and men over 42" have a greater risk of having heart disease, and mine is....42" yep, you read that right, so now I have that against me. The worst part is, I can not blame this on genes, I am the sole person responsible, no kids, no nothing, just me to blame...that is my wake up call.

So I decided to work out today to my super nerdy and hilarious Dancing with the Stars Cardio work out, I am not going to lie, I only do this if Josh is not home, you look so funny doing it, but it really does get your heart racing, and that is the ultimate point! I did my squats, tricep curls, and crunches. Hey, life is life, I got myself here in this position and now I have to get myself out or else I will turn into my dad and mom who are both very obese and have no desire to get healthy. I want to be an example to those around me, and that means not only my actions, but the way I take care of my body. This is the only 1 I have, so I need to love it while I am still young! So, time to get healthy, but I have to go because I have to finish off all the bad food first, I am not going to waste that new bag of Oreos, are you kidding me!

so till next time !

Dear Lysol

2009-02-16T22:11:00.002-06:00

When choosing scents for your Disinfectant Spray please try a Non Scented one. When you are de-germifying an entire house any scent becomes too much!!!

Sincerely,

Wife sleeping on the couch tonight because her husband is so violently ill and she is going to do everything in her power to not get sick (I think we all know how well this actually works, but I do not want what he has!)

On a serious note, Josh asked me this morning if my stomach hurt and I told him I felt fine. I woke up and left without a kiss, because I was not going to chance anything...good thing! He called me around lunch and asked me to make a Dr. appt for him...I believe in our entire history he has NEVER voluntarily asked me to do this, but like a good wife I tell him just to wait it out and see what tomorrow brings. Then the girls at work tell me I am a horrible wife and I need to make the appointment since he actually feels like he needs to be seen. Again a total shock especially since the symptoms just started this morning. An hour after his appointment I get a phone call and he actually asked me to take him home (the doctor is right across the street from my office) because he is so dizzy and light headed. So of course I do so and he has been in bed ever since, but since he has been home he has not been sick, so hopefully this will be a quick bug and the antibiotics will kick in! Poor guy...the doctor told him that if he is not able to keep some Gatorade down he will have to go to the E.R. to get some fluids because he was so dehydrated, but so far so good...now I just have to make it through the night...wish me luck!

So off to the couch I go for a good "restful" night sleep!

Round 2

2009-02-10T18:33:00.002-06:00

Well just in case you were wondering (and I know you were!!) the root canal did not go so well and I have to go to a specialist because my tooth was calcified. All because I had braces...so just remember kids who have/had them, in the fine print there is a disclaimer that states your nerves my not live through the shifting of your tooth...but at least they will look pretty! I don't remember anything except I woke up and heard will you suction that file from her tooth please...so I went back to bed. I slept the entire day and if I woke up I got sick, so I just stayed in bed while my mom came out and cooked and cleaned for me!! I know I have such a tough life!! :) Josh told me that I was drooling everywhere and I was not a very clean eater...I feel asleep in the middle of eating chicken strips from Chick Fila and he had to remove pieces of chicken from me and the fries that were still clinched in my hand. I told him he should have taken a picture! I go back sometime this week and I will be on the same drugs...so more sleeping and drooling is in store...YEAH!!!

Till next time!!!

JJ

Till the Drugs kick in...

2009-02-05T21:42:00.002-06:00

This is how all LDS member's blogs should start...Just kidding!!! Just a little update, nothing much has been happening over here except...once we receive our tax returns we will have reached our goal for savings and we can start the planning the updating of our bath tub in our master bath....YES!!!! It needs to be redone due to water damage and mold, but my smart self told Josh I don't want to do anything until we have our "base savings" put away, in reality I said this hoping it was one of the many things that he would just forget and the next month when I brought it up my pointing out the soap dish that will fall of the wall if you actually put the soap in it, but instead he said but what about out savings. So we are there and WE get to go tile shopping soon...I emphasize we because I really enjoy this just as much as shoe shopping and I am so happy to know that we can both do it together!!!! :) Yes, I am way to excited for this, but I have wanted this for so long! Ahhh the married life!

In other sad news...I am having a root canal tomorrow, and I am so TERRIFIED!!! I don't like dental work at all, so the dentist gave me so good drugs to take tonight (hence the title) and then I have to take 2 more before I go in tomorrow to calm my nerves and of course he will sedate me on top of the drugs, so I wont feel a thing! Still makes me nervous though...they like go into your tooth and file it with a file...doesn't the thought of that make you just cringe? As if it is not already pricey, it is my front K-9 tooth on the bottom which is the tooth that my permanent retainer is attached to, so they not only have to remove it, but I have to get a new retainer since this one will be ruined. Good news is my teeth will finally get a good cleaning after 7 years of a metal wire through the middle of them! I do get a full day off of work tomorrow, so that will be good and kind of nice, so I don't have to worry about drooling on my files...or at least thinking I am but I really am not...not a fan of the feeling!

Well I guess that is an update on us, I will go into the doctor in March if February does not produce 2 pink lines...kind of excited for that! Let me know if you did not follow that last statement!

Till next time!
JJ

My lesson learned

2009-01-23T01:25:00.002-06:00

NEVER EVER EVER EVER will I eat at Panda Express again...fast food and Chinese are not supposed to be in the same sentence!!!!!! So now it is after 1:00 AM on Friday morning and I am horrible pain because of me not using my pretty little noggin! Good news is I am going to the doctor tomorrow morning to have my leg and toes looked at, so if I still don't feel good by then, I will just ask for some good drugs that of course will have these possible side effects: weight gain/weight loss, upset stomach, fever, diarrhea, vomiting, head aches, dizziness, fatigue, and of course the slight possibility of blood clots, tumors, and death in rare cases! The great joys of modern medicine!

Just Because

2009-01-19T19:48:00.009-06:00

Just a little update on my oh so cool life...I know you guys are just dying to read what I have been up to! Sad to say for a still newly wed with no kids not much except, planning and pulling off an unsuccessfull suprise party (thanks to a leaker!), having my neice Bailey spend the night Friday after the party, and then having her back to cheer practice on Saturday at 2:30, Missionaries at 6:00 for dinner then an unsucessful meeting and then back to our house for coorelation, making programs at 10:00, then doing laundry...again because I forgot about it in the washing machine, church on Sunday, then packing Josh's bag so he can leave for Louisiana and the best part of all...NAP TIME, then watching Gabriel and then off to bed to start the work week all over again!!!! That pretty much sums up my weekend! As much as I want a little Songster...it is weekends like these that I am thankful it is just us for now!!!!

Just in case you were wondering what I looked like when I was little...this should be a good indication!

Just for fun picks from Baileys weekend over..

First time with the Wii

After 3 hrs on the Wii (I know I am such a horrible Aunti letting her play for that long...but she is so cute!!!)

Playtime outside

I guess I am done being a proud Aunti...so till next time!!! :)

See ya!

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

2009-01-13T09:14:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy birthday Mom, Happy Birthday to you!!!

I love her so much!

Why I LOVE my Husband!!!

2009-01-13T08:26:00.003-06:00

Let me tell you why I love Josh...because he came home around 11:00 last night and fixed the Heater!!! I love it that he is handy like that!!!!!!! Who cares if it was something as simple as the furnace became unplugged some how in the middle of the day, all I know is I do not like being in a cold house! So thanks babe for being my handy man!

J & J!

Really?!?!?!

2009-01-12T22:34:00.001-06:00

Our A/C broke on Christmas day, so my cousin came out last week and over the weekend he replaced the Coil for us and did some other stuff and it works great...now I am laying here FREEZING because now the Heater does not work...I mean really??? Of course it would happen on the one of the like 10 cold night's that Katy has!!!! UGH! Thanks for listening, I feel much better now! :)

J & J

2008 was GREAT...now for 2009!!!

2009-01-04T22:05:00.002-06:00

So as I sit reflecting on 2008, I can not believe how much my life has actually changed! I started off checking single for tax return purposes and by April I was married and will now be checking the married box! In May I was Baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I have since learned that friends are hard to keep if you really have nothing in common besides hanging out at the bar till 2:00 AM, and then when you quit wanting to do that by choice, you will never hear from them again...which makes you realize just how valuable a true friend really is. OK...so off subject now, but I am sitting in the office and I don't have the light in the room on, just the hallway light and of course the computer is bright enough for me. So "our" dog (I use the term "our" very loosely seeing how Josh got her when we were dating and I could not tell him no!) comes in and proceeds to vomit right next to the chair, so I look down to see what is happening and all I see is what looks like a chewed up frog, I of course scream and run into the living room where Remmi, our dog, follows me in there so I make my best attempt to be athletic to jump over her and instead my chin hits her in her head and I now hobble along to jump on the couch because I think there is a gross vomited frog on the office floor. Josh comes in to assess the situation and he tells me it is just grass and then just cleans it up for me while I blog about this horrible traumatic experience...so with that said...any one want a dog??? She is really cute!!! :)

Now back to 2008, I have learned to really cherish true friends and to love my family even more. I have been blessed to be able to meet some people who truly inspire me to be a better person. One person in particular who seems to always have such a positive outlook on things, even when nothing seems to be going right. She is so friendly and just genuinely a sweet person. I look forward to allowing our friendship grow more in 2009, and to continue to meet good influences in my life, and to be a good influence to those around me!

So I hope everyone has a very blessed 2009!!!!

P.S. I now have a 2 inch bruise and bump on my chin...OUCH!!!!

Til next time!

J & J

I made it...and yes there were place mats!!!

2008-12-26T20:28:00.000-06:00

So today is Friday, and it looks like through everyone's prayers...I made it through Christmas. I had a good cry after the place mats and then I went out to Pasadena to help with Papa's Christmas tree that they wanted at the funeral on Wednesday. Erica...the phone call was a big boost...it was just what I needed to remind me that I am not in this alone, and I really appreciate that especially since you are in your own little whirlwind of your own...BIG THANKS!!! :) Josh was fantastic and got the house cleaned and ready and I love it when he cleans...he really is a very good house cleaner!!! Wednesday came and it was an emotional day, I read the Eulogy and I was able to maintain my composure, and the family was so thankful, they really are my second family! That night we had a family Christmas party with my family and it was great to see everyone! We came home and were finally in bed by midnight and of course as I do every single year...I was waking up at 3:00, 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and then finally I started jumping on the bed at 7:00 because it was CHRISTMAS!!!! Josh is still not used to this! We got up and exchanged gifts...he LOVES his Ipod touch, which he better seeing how I ate bread crumbs to pull the money together, and I got a 357 Magnum Revolver...yes that is what I asked for and I was SOOOOOOOO excited!!!!!! Then we went over to my parents house and woke everyone up at 10:30 (yes even my nieces and nephew ages 7,6, and 5 were still asleep!) and opened gifts over there. My mom got me a Wii...(I had a very GREAT Christmas if you could not tell!), Josh got a Luggage set since his handle broke on his old set as he was pulling it through the airport a couple of weeks ago...it was a funny sight too bad I was not there to see it!! Then it was back over here for the Songster family gathering! We had tons of family and it was great...except for the fact that our A/C broke in middle of the party...UGH! Thankfully I have a very skilled cousin coming over on Sunday to take a look!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!! It was very refreshing to have today off of work, Josh and I were able to hang out, we went to the gun range and I finally got to shoot...I LOVE it! Then we went out with the Missionaries and I realized that I already knew the people since they closed at Stewart Title and I helped them fill out their contact for the house...what a small world! Then I took a nap...a very lazy day over here and it has been great!!!!!!!

All over placemats...really!!!

2008-12-23T16:04:00.000-06:00

I am an emotional WRECK right now. Sunday PaPa (he was like my 2nd grand pa) passed away. He was sick, but for some reason it was still unexpected I guess because he was very here mentally so he knew what was going on. We are hosting the Songster family party at our house this year and we are expecting about 30 people in our "cozy" starter home! The "cozy" is realtor talk for our house is entirely to small for a gathering that size...but I know we will make it work. I am going out to Pasadena tonight help my best friend Bryan (PaPa's grandson)do the finishing touches for everything tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow at 10:00 AM is the viewing for PaPa, followed by the funeral from 11:00 - 12:00, and then the graveside at 1:00 in Humble. Then at 6:30 I have my family gathering in League City. Then on Christmas day it is back to Pasadena to be with my mom, dad, brother, and his family. Then back out to Katy to get ready for the Songster gathering at 4:00. We brought my trampoline over to the house so the kids will have some sort of entertainment on Christmas, so Josh has to put that together. Now back to the title...I am crying over the fact that Josh does not think we need place mat on the table for Christmas dinner!! Really...I need a stiff non alcoholic Apple Martini and a big tub of Chocolate Ice Cream!!!

With all this business it is easy to get lost in the Holiday's, but this year is a season I will never forget since it is my first Christmas as a member of the Church!!! It does bring a whole new light to this season and I am grateful for our Savior and through all this mess, I know Thursday will be spent closely surrounded by my family and friends as we gather to celebrate His birth. This fact right here is why I finally stopped crying and realized it was going to be ok...that and I am about to get some Chocolate!!!

I wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, and my the spirit of the Birth of Jesus be with you and your family this Season!

JJ Songster

If you read harder...something really funny will appear!

2008-12-18T21:23:00.000-06:00

Sike...but now you are hooked to see what kind of wild and crazy story I have to tell tonight! So Erica had this great idea that we should go running, and so I thought if I do not want to be like both of my obese parents...this is not a bad idea! So at 6:00 AM in all the foggy, drizzly glory, I met up with her and we ran...I hurt, I thought I was going to vomit (seriously), and I had a lovely heat rash on my knees afterward, BUT she has been the only person that I have been able to run longer than 3 house lengths with without stopping to walk...so HUGE thanks to her!!! The reality of it is that I could not even run for a full 10 minutes...but I felt really good about excersising for 35 minutes before work this morning...and it even helped me justify the cookies I ate today!!

One a cooking note...I tried my hand at making Pecan-Molases Toffee and Cinammon Peanut Brittle and I must say I think I did pretty good! Josh loved it and the part time chef at our office gave it a thumbs up as well! so Yeah for me!!! I am so excited that Christmas is only 7 days away...I can not wait! I love all the goodies and family!

Sorry I sucked you in for what you thought was a cooky story...

Til next time...

Let it Snow, Let is Snow, Let it Snow!!!

2008-12-11T10:51:00.000-06:00

So I was born and raised in Houston and it has only snowed a 3 times in my very short lifetime. The first time was in the 80's when I was to young to remember, the second was 12/24/04 and the third was yesterday, 12/10/08. It did not snow that much in Katy, so I made the 45 minute drive to my parents house in southeast Houston to bring out my inner kid!!! I could not help but to post some of the great snap shots.

The Gang!

My Little Snowman...Jack!

Jack and I again!!!

I was really bummed that Josh is in New Orleans right now becuase I would have loved to use this for our Christmas cards!! I guess I could always photo shop him in there, or just send them out with just me...becuase isnt it always about me...ha ha! Needless to say I am very tired this morning, but loved the fact that I got to see my family and have another snow filled memory!

JJ

Just some food for thought...

2008-12-01T19:21:00.000-06:00

So I need to some new black pants, and so I prepare myself for this pain staking task of trying to find pants for some one that has more legs than torso. Typically Express will carry a cuffed black pant, and I can get these altered to take the hem out so they will be long enough for mama long legs over here. So I call before I go to West Oaks Mall and I ask for if they have a size 14 in this type of pant, and the sales person says no, so I ask if they have any size 14 talls, and she says no, so then I ask if she carries any talls in the store at all and she says of course, but we do not carry any size 14, so I can not help you! Ok...so here is my peeve...I am not an overweight person, I should not have to be considered plus size...why dont you feed your models a hamburger and sell clothes for healthy women! (although I would not say I am healthy either, but who needs to know!!)

Just another peeve...Josh and I watched 007 Casino Royale over the weekend. OVerall, not a horrible movie, but I dont stop and watch when people make out in the stores, so why would I like to watch people make out in a movie? I HATE make out scenes...they are really gross, I hate the sound that they make, the way they do it...I hate everything about it, I dont like going to movies to watch people kiss, I can do this for free so maybe one day Hollywood will realize this! Also, movies with boob shots...can we get serious here. One day Josh is going to realize what boobs are supposed to look like and I am going to be in BIG trouble!

That is enough peeves for now...till next time!

C-Ya

JJ

What is this....

2008-11-13T10:53:00.000-06:00

Again...it has been awhile since I have last blogged, so I figured that people are truly interested in how we are doing!! I am dealing with some bizarre rash that makes me itch like crazy and makes me look like I have a SEVERE case of the Measles...but not to worry...I am not contagious, so I guess that is good news. The doctors are beside themselves and have no idea what this is...I seem to have a lot of random illnesses that have doctors completely stumped. Although the thought of stumping a "know it all" doctor is sometimes fun, being pricked umpteen times with a needle to have blood work done and have every single test come back as normal...is so annoying. And to make matters worse, I still get the lovely medical bill at the end of the day just for the doctor to continue to say...I have no idea what is wrong, that will be $250 dollars now! They have put me on 2 types of Anti-Histamines and 1 BIG dose of Steroids...which make me so hungry I am eating like every 2 hours, so again, me trying to look at the positive side of it...I am just jump starting my annual weight gain during the holiday season! :) Work is very slow, and we just had someone laid off, so of course, it makes me very nervous, but I am still employed, so that is good news for me! Josh and I are still trying for that little Songster, so this makes 6 months now, but you know we are having fun practicing!! Well, I guess that is all for now, so until next time...See ya!

You gotta love our economy...and my thunder thigh's!

2008-10-07T12:32:00.001-05:00

So it has been along time since I wrote and I think that this topic is one that just has to be addressed! I like many others work in a field that is completely controlled by the housing market which is not only CRAP right now, that industry is controlled by our lovely economy. So needless to say I have many thoughts going through my head and of course the main one being that since Josh and I are just now starting our "Just in case someone gets laid off fund the bills will be covered for 3 months!" I am worried about the future of what could happen! And as far as the other part of the headline...I have gained a whopping 19 pounds since I have said "I Do" to my loving hubby and that is very hard for me to digest. So as of this moment...I am not going to diet just try and cut out the 3 cokes and about 6 cookies a day and start being a little more active. Honestly...I hate exercise and diets...so lets stick with lifestyle change approach and see how that goes.

So other than that, life can not really get better. Yes Josh is still practicing making a baby and just waiting on me to take it seriously...sorry but be patient!!! Oh and I just cut 7 inches off my hair and i LOVE IT!

My First!!!

2008-09-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

So I was nosing around and found some blogs and thought, maybe I should do one...so here I am! Actually I just wanted to do anything other then watch this boring movie.

Tonight was my first time to attend the adult session of Stake Conference and I LOVED it! The speakers were wonderful and the spirit was in full force for me when they were talking about the Temple. I can not wait until the end of next May so that Josh and I can be sealed and we can enjoy the Temple together! I think I am just excited that I get to get to wear another pretty white dress. I am also looking forward to my first Stake Conference as a member...who knew this is where I would end up in life. I guess I can say that life is GREAT!

Well, I guess that is enough for me...so till next time.

J&J