Calli These Days

I haven’t journaled about Calli in a while, and she has been doing and saying some of the funniest things lately!

A couple of weeks ago, we realized that she has some imaginary friends. She has two boys and two girls that are her “children.” According to her they are very good listeners and they are sweet. She says there are five of them, but she says there are two Brockmans and two Isabellas (named for two of her friends from church)…so we only count four. Many times she says that a group of things or people is five when it’s just a small group, so that may be what’s going on with her friends. She takes them places with her, and they eat with us some nights at the table.

This week Calli said some very cute things that are noteworthy. One is this: “I love the breeze in my hair…and in my mouth.” We felt the first signs of fall this week, and as we were walking to the car one day, she shook out her hair as she made this statement…then she licked the air.

A few nights ago she was sitting in my lap talking (stalling before she reluctantly went off to bed). She said, “One day when I get a little bit bigger, I maybe can marry you…or maybe my Dad.” I asked her what she thought her Dad would say about that, and she said that he would smile. “He would think that is pretty funny.”

I don’t know if it’s because of the soon-to-be new baby or what, but she has been extra clingy. I haven’t pushed her to do anything that she doesn’t want to do, mainly because I am realizing that I only have a few days with her alone. From November on it’ll be the two of us plus a baby boy. I’m excited about John David, and I know he’ll add so much to our family, but I am going to miss having my one-on-one time with my Calli girl.

IT’S A BOY!

From the first day that I had a positive pregnancy test, Calli was sure that our next baby was going to be a boy. We had been calling this baby “he” and “him” for months, but we went for our ultrasound last week, and Calli was right! We have a boy, who will be called John David Stuart, due on Thanksgiving Day. So far, everything seems very normal and we both seem healthy. Please keep praying with us about this. I don’t know why I worry about anything at all…never helps, but I do think a lot about his health and the delivery. I will have a scheduled c-section about a week before my due date. This is good for me because I will get to eat my turkey and dressing at home with our new addition!

I had everything lined up when we were expecting Calli, but with this pregnancy, I’ve been so different. I am changing my craft room into John David’s nursery, and I am going about it so slowly. Michael has a week off in a couple of weeks, and I think he’s going to do all of the heavy lifting then. I would LOVE to have the bedding picked out and the paint purchased by then, but I’m having a hard time deciding on his bedding. It’s so much fun to have these decisions, but I’m hesitant about this…I know nothing about boys!! Plus, I want to pick out something that I’m not going to be tired of when he’s 18 months old.

Calli is looking forward to having a new baby so much! We are putting a positive spin on everything that happens and trying to involve her in the decisions we make. Lots of people have told us that she’ll be jealous, and she has been a little more clingy (wants her pacifiers, wants to be rocked, etc.) lately, but I don’t ever remember being jealous of any of my four siblings when they were born…I was just happy to have a baby in the house. That’s how I intend to approach things with Calli. We’ll have our special time together, and Michael will be home from school a lot during the holidays, so it should be a fun transition with her. I’m praying that God will form a strong bond between the two of them, and that He will give her a supernatural love for her brother. I’m looking forward to seeing Him answer this prayer.

Anyway, I hope to add updates on our room changes. Calli’s gonna get a new bed–a real big girl bed–and our office is changing. All-in-all we’re converting three rooms! It should be tons of work and lots of fun!! HAHA! So glad we have room for our growing family. God is good!

Baby #2

So… we decided that it was about time Calli had a sibling…

Michael and I went in for our first ultrasound of baby number two Thursday morning.  He (we’re calling him “he” because Calli says that it’s going to be a boy) is less than 1 cm and already has a strong heartbeat! Isn’t that miraculous?!? We saw his sweet little heart beating and even got to hear it for a short while on the ultrasound! Calli is super excited to have a live doll! She rehearses what we’re going to do with her baby every night before she goes to sleep. So sweet! Pray with us that this baby will be strong and healthy… and that I will not continue to have morning sickness after my first trimester!! He’ll be 8 weeks in utero this coming Wednesday, and he’s due on Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Easter everyone!

Redeco

I don’t believe I’ve even mentioned this in any of my blogging–partially because of embarrassment about the length of time that it’s taken–I have been redecorating the house since about September of last year. I started looking around and realizing that we still had unpacked boxes almost a year after our move and that I hadn’t really updated anything since we moved in. So, while I was eating lunch with Danielle, my best friend from childhood, and another friend of hers after Bible study one day, I started to bring up my dilemma because D’s good with the whole decorating/accessorizing thing. I opened my mouth to tell her that I was in desperate need of a home makeover, when Tracey, the other lady with us looked at us and said, “I’m trying to start my own design business.” WHAT?!! Is my God good to me or what??? Yes, He is, and here’s one of the reasons why…she continued to tell us more about how she had finished her design classes and she was trying to find “guinea pigs” who would allow her to consult and design rooms for her portfolio–FREE OF CHARGE!

So, she came over the next week, took measurements, took her “before” photos, and decided that while since we were going to redo the living room, we should also do the kitchen and dining room!!  I bought new drapes the next week, Michael painted the walls the week after that, and then we sort of slowed down. A couple of weeks later we hung the new drapes (after, I’m sad to say, we had had a sheet over the windows because he took down all the valences and rods to paint), and a couple more still Tracey came over to help me repaint a shelf and our TV console.

We took a break from the living room for a month or so to turn Calli’s room from a nursery into a “big girl” room. That took us almost all of November and December combined, and it was supposed to be completed by her birthday (the first day of Dec.). I am surprised that Michael didn’t kill me during that time. He would come home every day from work and paint from suppertime until well-past bedtime while I occupied Calli. All of her toys and clothes moved to our bedroom during that time AND, after choosing semi-gloss Tiffany-box blue with large, multicolored polka dots and hating it (loathing it), I decided I just wanted a flat purple paint on the walls. Like I said, I’m surprised I’m still living. He didn’t complain one bit…I think he secretly hated the awful blue with polka dots worse than I did. So, we finally got the paint up–purple walls, pink closet, bought some new shelves, added wooden letters to the wall, and converted her crib into a new bed with “big girl” bedding. I do have a confession to make, though. I bought fabric for her curtains (she has two windows), and I have yet to sew them or put them up. I think the neighbors must think she has a beach-themed room because for now there are beach towels thrown over her curtain rods…

I am a bad mother.

Okay, so I have been looking for an affordable area rug and a sofa with a chaise (so that I don’t block my beautiful view from the front window of the horse pasture accross the road) since September!! Last week, I walked into Pier1 to buy (the last two) curtains for my dining room windows because they were FINALLY on sale after five months, and came out with an $80 rug that had been $320!! Who does my God love more than me?? This one purchase, and purhaps the beginning of springtime, has spurred me to jump back into my redecorating project!! I am going to try to complete the living room–sofa and all–by next Friday (April 2). Don’t judge me if it’s a week or two later, but a girl like me has got to set goals or nothin’ gets done!

The funny thing about all of this is that I have learned that I truly, truly love to repurpose furniture. I have been going to thrift stores and shopping around in my own home to look for ways to reuse something! I have a plan for each room in our home now! I’ll try to continue posting updates and photos. First the living room, then the dining room, kitchen, office/study, craft room, and finally our bedroom. BTW, the ladies at our church completely gutted, designed, and decorated our two bathrooms before we moved in. I didn’t just leave them out. A girl’s gotta have somewhere nice to powder her nose, and I definitely do.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this, I plan on planting a couple of gardens (vegetable & floral) this spring too! I’d better get off here and get to it!

odd photos

I like to take pictures of little things that intrigue me.

I was typing one day, and this ladybug was wandering across the keys. I guess she or he (I guess they can be either even though they’re ladybugs.) was just heading to the house…

 

And this one was taken just tonight. As Michael took a very whiny Calli to the car to buckle her in, I filled her juice cup. My full, unopened water bottle was sitting next to her cup, and I bumped it. As the water glugged out, it left this imprint of Calli as she had been all day–a little fussy!

I am excited…

Tonight, after a long day Michael, Calli, and I ended up at Sidestreet in Tryon (check ‘em out on facebook!). We were on our way home way too late  and Calli was in the back seat  just singing and talking to herself. Michael and I were talking about how much we love living up here. We weren’t sure we wanted to make the move here when the pastor’s position was first offered to Michael, but we are SO glad that we did. It has completely changed our lives. We were talking about how we need to do what God wants us to even if it’s not what we want to do at the time. We paused for a minute to hear Calli singing “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus,” only she’s made up new words for the song. She sang, “I am excited to follow Jesus”—is that not the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard?? She does this kind of thing all of the time. When I have prayed about something or if we are just cleaning the house together, Calli will start singing a song that goes right along with whatever God’s doing in my heart! She is my most precious daughter! 

This is definitely going in the notebook!

25 Random Things

I was “tagged” on myspace and facebook to do this. I didn’t think that I could come up with 25 random things about myself, but, of course, I did. And I left out a few things that I should’ve listed, like the fact that I have an irrational fear of things going in my mouth. I don’t know where this fear originated or why it is so prevalent, but I just realized that I had this fear last fall when a bird got in our basement. My main reason for not going down and shooing the bird out the back door was because I was afraid that it was going to fly into my mouth! (I know…it’s irrational!!) Upon further examination of my fears and conversations with two of my close friends (who were ROFL), I realized that this is the reason that I don’t like things that hop (grasshoppers, crickets) and rodents (mice, rats)…I don’t want them to get in my mouth. I can’t explain it; it’s an irrational sickness.

Okay, so without any further rantings, here is my original list of 25 random things about me:
1. Michael is my soul mate. I believe that Michael was created just for me. We are nothing alike, but he is exactly what I need and want to complete my life. It’s funny because he was right there in front of my face for years and I never thought that he’d be the one that I would call my husband. I’m so happy I can!

2. Calli is the sweetest, cutest, funniest kid ever! She totally changed my life!

3. My sisters are my best friends, and my best friends are like sisters. I think that I have the best family (this includes the Stuart girls) and the best friends on the planet.

4. I am perpetually late. It doesn’t matter how early I get up, how much I plan the day before, or how fast I drive, I am always late. It’s a curse. AND I don’t like it when people try to give me time planning advice or make remarks when I show up. AND It doesn’t mean that I’m disrespectful of your time or that I am lazy. It’s a problem. I know.

5. I don’t paint my nails because I don’t like for them not to be perfect. I also don’t have them done because I don’t like to have something to maintain. (Thus, the reason for the absence of hair dye.)

6. I am very sarcastic. It’s a gift; what can I say?

7. I have three personal life goals at this point in my life: to become a licensed counselor, to be a backup singer in a Christian band, and to travel to Rome or Paris.

8. I like to debate– not argue — debate. A friend of mine put it like this, “I like to bring up a topic and bat it around a little.” This doesn’t mean that I intentionally try to offend people; it means that I like to know what other people think even if their views don’t match mine. I do, however, think that I am always right—doesn’t everyone?!

9. I am the oldest of five: three sisters and a brother. This is why I am bossy and like to be alone. It’s also why I never wanted kids. Of course, I’m glad I have one now!

10. My favorite sayings these days are, “Why do you hate me?” and, “I’m just sayin’.”

11. The bane of my existence is a sticker that doesn’t completely come off. You know, when you buy something and you try to take the sticker off, but half of it stays?! I genuinely hate that! Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

12. I have realized that when people start a statement with, “I’m not trying to be ugly, but…” or “I don’t mean to talk bad about people, but…” that person is just about to talk ugly or mean about someone else, so beware. Oh, yeah, sometimes this one bothers me, too (it depends on what follows): “I’m just telling you this so that you can pray about it…”

13. I taught school for two years until I had Calli. Teaching and I had a love/hate relationship. Sometimes I miss it; sometimes I’m relieved that I don’t have the stress. I now call myself a “teacher of one.” Staying home was a decision that wasn’t hard for us, but Michael is working two full-time jobs so that I can do it!

14. There’s nothing better than: a good cry, Michael’s hugs, capturing a perfect photo, Calli’s giggle, the right music for the mood I’m in, restful sleep, LOST, a neatly organized space, just-popped popcorn, a Beth Moore Bible study, Starbucks peppermint mocha truffles, a finished project, my DVR, and a night out with my girls!

15. I am truly 29 this year. Of course, I will be 29 next year too… and the year after that. But this year, it’s the truth.

16. I’m a grammar snob, although I frequently use run-on sentences and split infinitives in my blogging/writing. Billboards, commercials, or signs with misspelled words and incorrect punctuation irk me. Do they not have word-processing software?

17. I have lived in four states: VA, NC, SC, NJ, and, between 1998 – 2001, I moved ten times. Don’t ask.

18. [The following statement may sound political, but it’s really more relational.]
I like Barack Obama. Call me naïve. No, he was not the Republican candidate, and, yes, I know I am a Baptist pastor’s wife, but from what I can tell he is kind, patient, and a loving husband and father. This is godly leadership in action…look it up. Also, he actually said the words, “I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior.” When other people say this who bear the same fruit that he does, we believe them. Why don’t we believe this of him? I’m not saying that I agree with his every policy or that he has the solution to every problem in our government; I’m just saying that I think that God does have the solution to our every problem and that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord” (Proverbs 21:1). So, I like him…it’s how I feel, and I will continue praying for him and his family.
That’s all I’m sayin’!

19. I always thought that I would get to a point in my life when I would be happy with how I look, but I haven’t gotten there yet. Maybe when I’m thirty. Oh, well, then that’s never gonna happen. (See #15.)

20. I sing my words when I talk, and apparently this frightens people who are meeting me for the first time. Well, maybe “frightens” is a strong word…maybe “concerns” is better. This is because I think in songs. Really, I’m thinking of one right now. [Special thanks go to Kristen for calling me out on this.] I notice my friends doing it too when they’ve spent too much time with me. I think it’s a Biggs girl thing.

21. I have been called a “fund of useless knowledge.” This is because I love learning. Useless facts fascinate me. The only problem with this is that I feel like I have to share everything I learn with others. I don’t advise doing this. ‘Makes you [me] look like a know-it-all.

22. I recently started a notebook with funny things that Calli says. It includes things like, “I love you all the way up my nose!” She is such a goofball!! This is reason #45,409,840,958 why I love her!

23. I love DIY (projects and the channel): scrapbooking, beading, painting, renovating, repurposing, sewing, knitting… I also like power tools A LOT!! This is where the brother-in-laws come in…Michael does not share in my love for DIY projects. He plays along, but he’d probably rather be at the dentist.

24. I love preteens/middle schoolers—they are a breed all of their own! They are loud, emotional, and fickle. I love them! I get to teach a 4-5 grade class on Sundays, and it is so much fun to be able to teach them—and I have a whole week to plan one lesson!

25. I am a perfectionist. I will do and redo something until I am satisfied with it (or too aggravated to do it again). When I was younger I spent hours practicing handwriting. I tried to come up with new fonts. I would write out the alphabet over and over (usually during church) and mark out the ones I didn’t like. I admit I still do this sometimes.

Security

My high school friend, Natalie, is an excellent blogger. She has a way of telling a story in a way that is very transparent and witty while answering questions that enter your mind as you’re reading. It’s so refreshing to read her blog. My problem comes from the fact that I’ve always been a pretty private person. Plus, and maybe more importantly, I always wonder about what other people will think of my words. 

The Lord has been speaking to my heart about these thoughts. It’s a constant battle that I have internally. I think about what I would like to do or buy or eat or wear, and then I filter it through “what would ____ think about that?” Sometimes that blank is filled with my mom’s name or my husband’s name, but most of the time it is someone who I went to high school with or one of the other mothers at Lap Babies or a member of the church where my husband is pastor or someone who does not pay THAT much attention to what I do or buy or eat or wear. Funny, right?? Aren’t I supposed to be passed this point in my adult life? Does it happen when you turn 30? Do you go from being an insecure person to a liberated person on that birthday? I hope so…that means I only have one more year to worry about what others think of me.

There is another still, small Voice that speaks to me Who says, “You are mine, and I am yours…and if I am for you who can be against you?” And with that erases any reason that I may have for insecurity in myself. I don’t have to carry the weight of worry and insecurity around with me because the only Person that really matters says that I am “good” just the way I am. My mistakes aren’t good, but I am very good. (Gen. 1:31) With that, let me say, that I know I have a long way to go to be “worthy of the calling,” but I have everything I need to become worthy in Him.

Calli-isms

Calli has done and said so many sweet, funny things lately that it’s hard for me to try and remember them, but I know that I may forget them if I don’t publish them somehow.

Two weeks ago we were walking through the outlets in Gaffney, and Calli saw a Clemson Tiger paw and said, “Look! A ‘coo’!” Michael and I looked at each other for a second, and then I realized what she was saying. We had been watching Blue’s Clues at bedtime for a few nights before. She was saying that she had seen a clue! So, we all had to take out our “handy-dandy” notebooks and draw the different things we saw. Since then, she has seen “coos” all over the place. Michael was watching the Clemson game last Saturday, and she ran up to the TV pointing to all of the paws on the players’ helmets! Hillarious!

Last night I was loading the dishwasher, and Michael was getting Calli some milk, so he sat her on the counter with her pink and purple pony. We heard her talking to it, and she said, “Hey pony! I love you with all my hott, fo’ eva’ and eva’.” We looked at each other, me almost in tears, and then we looked at her. She had gotten our spoon rest, which does look somewhat like a heart, and she was holding it up and showing pony. When she caught us looking, she said, “Here, Daddy, here’s my ‘hott’.”

Her heart truly does belong to her daddy. When she is told to do something during the daytime while Michael’s working, sometimes she will refuse by saying, “No!”, which is instantly followed by, “I want my Daddy.” She knows that she would rather not be on her way to her room for a “word of prayer” with me. She always refers to Michael as “my Daddy,” even when she addresses him. She’ll say, “My Daddy, let’s go play <pay> in my room <oom>.” She’s got him wrapped around her finger. I guess that’s the way it’ll always be.

We bought a put-together bookcase for our living room, and it came wrapped in bubblewrap. This has proven to be Calli’s favorite toy so far. Last Friday night she fell asleep popping the bubbles. After a few hours she, like many nights lately, ended up back in the bed with us at about 5 a.m. I got up before she and Michael the next morning and began making myself some hot tea. While I was in the kitchen I kept hearing a snapping sound. I just thought it was the house because the heat was on, but a while later, I checked on the two of them, and Calli was sitting in the bed playing with the bubblewrap! She calls them “snaps”, by the way. I decided to fill her stocking with them this year.

Snaps reminds me of when she first saw fireworks this past May. We were on the beach for her first time, and it was nighttime. I started to take Calli back in when I heard the fireworks because I thought that it may frighten her. I was wrong! She saw and heard them and wanted to go closer. She said, “Look, Mommy! Pops!” We still call them that.

Fall Fun

Calli has been able to experience some things for the first time this year, and it has been so much fun to watch. Here are some recent pics of her at our Light Up The Night trunk-or-treat at church.

This was the first smile I got out of her all night. Michael was officiating a wedding the next day and was at the rehearsal, so she was super happy when he showed up!

I went as a gardener–dyed my thumb green (Kool-Aid) and everything. It was a last minute costume that I saw on Regis and Kelly. 

Calli got three pumpkins this season, and she painted the first one, so she thought she had to paint the other two as well. I’ll have to post pics of them later–so cute. She is just too much fun these days!