Daddy-Daughter Day

Yesterday, Matt and Chloe had their first official daddy-daughter day. They've done stuff together many times, but this was the first time they actually went to an event without me. What was their first event?





When I heard Elmo was coming to town, I was so excited. I knew Chloe would love love love to see him. I mean we(she) watches him every morning. During the day she will often say, "Bobo, bobo." In Chloe talk that means Elmo. When I heard the dates of the shows, March 27-30th, I thought, "Man, what if I'm in the hospital?" So we didn't buy tickets. I didn't want to spend the money and the tickets not get used, but we ended up getting free tickets from the station I work for on a very part time basis. I was so thankful because it was really important to me that she gets to go do something special with her dad before the baby came. Not that she would remember, but Matt and I will.

One thing I wish was different about my childhood, mind you there are many things, this is just one... I wish my dad had done more "things" with me. I remember him taking me fishing ONE time! To this day I can remember that experience and I had such a great time. That being said, when we had Chloe it was and still is my mission for her to be close to her daddy. She will always love her mama, but I honestly want her to be closer to him than me. I want her to be able to call him in the middle of the night and cry to him about a boy. I want her to cling to Jesus but to find earthly comfort in her earthly father. I want her to marry a man just like her dad. (Makes my eyes tear up. When I set out to blog about their trip to Elmo, I planned on it being funny)

Ok, back to funny, enough mushy talk.

I ended up not going into labor on Elmo Day, but I did have a Dr's appt, so I dropped them off at ORU and I went on to the Dr!

side note on dr visit: I am dilated to a 3!! Whoo, but I still haven't gone into labor which baffles me as well as my Dr. When I was in labor with Chloe I was hurtin' real bad at a 3-4, so why am I not pushing out a baby? Got me!

When I got out of the Dr. I was to head back to get them. They were only going to stay until intermission. Matt said Chloe had a good time. He told me as the show was starting she wanted to sit in her seat, so he put her in it and she instantly began taking off her socks and shoes. haha I told Matt she probably thought she was at home and had to get comfy for the show. :) Makes me laugh because she's not a sock and shoe type girl. I asked him how she reacted when everyone came out...

Here they are coming out...

Here's how she reacted. She went into a trance.

I wanted him to take pictures with my new camera, but he was nervous about bringing it in an being responsible for both Chloe and my camera, so I understood when he opted not to take it in. The pictures are taken with his new cell phone which explains the graininess and sub-par quality, but for a cell phone it did well. All in all, everyone had a great day. I think Chloe fell asleep before we got back on the highway. Hopefully, Elmo and his friends will come back again next year. Matt thought that with one more year under her belt she will really be able to interact and sing all of the songs, she was able to follow along to "Itsy-Bitsy Spider."

Everyone had a good day. I think the icing on the cake would have been if I had gone into labor. At 6:00am this morning I started having really strong contractions, but by 8:00am they were gone. :(

New Cell Phones

Last November, our contract with ATT for our cell phones expired which meant were we able to get new phones. Well, we've been putting it off and putting it off. We couldn't find a phone we really wanted and we didn't want to spend a lot of money on a new one.

Last week, Radio Shack ran an ad for the Sony Ericsson W580i. Such a neat neat phone. Matt's had his eye on it for a while, but the price just wasn't right until last week. He got his phone on Sat. and I had to order mine. I wanted the pink one, he got the white one.

My new pink really fun phone arrived yesterday. We had Bible Study last night and when we got home I tried to load some music on it and it wouldn't work! I was so frustrated b/c I am the techie in the family and I couldn't figure it out. I was the one who set up Matt's phone to load music and yet I couldn't get mine to work.

I start looking at it and I just thought that maybe there wasn't a memory stick inserted yet. BINGO!! That was the problem. I go back to the packaging, search for the stick and I am not seeing it. Now I'm pretty upset. Mind you Matt's has a stick in his.

This morning, Matt goes by Radio Shack and asks them why I don't have a stick. Come to find out, the white color is the only one that come with the memory stick. If you get the pink or the black phones you have to buy a stick!! WHAT!! It's the SAME EXACT PHONE just different colors.

I call ATT. They push me off on Sony Ericsson. I call Sony. They give me a promo code for a free memory stick! Which is really great, I just have to wait 4-6 weeks for it to arrive! I was really looking forward to using the mp3 aspect of my phone after I delivered. That could always happen if I wanted to continue to be pregnant for 4-6 more weeks huh? haaha NAHHH

Moral: If you plan on getting a new Sony Ericsson W580i in pink or black, just know you will not get to use ALL the fun features of the phone(mp3, camera, video), BUT Sony Ericsson is running a promo until March 31, 2008 so you can get a memory stick for free!

Isn't it cute?! Luckily I can use the FM radio feature, oh and the phone part.

Easter 08

We had a really great Easter this year. We got up and I went to Wal-Mart to grab some staple items and to power walk, hoping to push along labor (didn't work) then we watched Life online. Some friends had invited us to their family's house to eat and hung eggs. Even though it seemed a little awkward, we decided it would be nice to spend Easter with someone's family. I am the only Christian in my family and Matt's side has two pastors, so celebrating holidays on the actual day will never happen.

They had just opened the doors, they older kids made a mad dash to their area and the little kids slowly made their way outside. Chloe was just happy to be near the swings which you will see in a moment. This year was her first year to hunt Easter eggs. We weren't sure if she would understand how to do it but...

...once Matt showed her where to go she was on fire. She saw all the eggs and thought they were balls. He said, "Pick it up... put it in your purse." And she did just that.

Then she had it down.

Matt told her to show me what she had so she grabbed an egg out of her purse and showed me.

Once he realized she wasn't going to come show me he said, "Go show momma what's in your purse."

She was walking towards me while I was snapping and I couldn't get one of her with her eyes open before she got too close.

She ran back to the swings. She was done with the eggs and now she had her mind set on 'wing.' Matt put her up there , but she didn't get to swing as long as she wanted and threw a huge fit when we went inside. She kept crying, "wing, wing, wing."

We got a family shot. I look like a swollen watermelon.

I sure do look mighty puffy.

We had such a great day, thanks to Lela & Jared for inviting us to your fam's house. When we got home I couldn't stop saying how much fun I had. I was so excited for Chloe's first Easter Egg Hunt and for getting that special picture of her picking up her first egg (that's the one posted). She gave all the treats inside the eggs to her friend Will and we kept a few of the empty eggs for her to play with at home. What a day... Jesus rose from the dead!!!! & my little girl got to hunt Easter eggs.

Just a few pictures I took with my new camera. I'm still studying the manual. I am a kinesthetic learner, not a visual or auditory, so reading the manual is kind of difficult for me. I am having a hard time with aperture and shutter speed, correlating which is which and how they work together. I am excited for spring b/c I love taking nature and outdoor pictures. When I was younger, I wanted to be a photog. for National Geographic. I almost took a photography class in college as an elective, but didn't have the cashola to buy the type of camera needed for the class, plus I was too much of a social girl to spend time developing the film.

The tulip is planted in my neighbor's yard, she has a whole bunch planted. I am really excited for when they all start blooming. Woodward Park in Tulsa always has a nice tulip garden; hopefully I will get down there before it's too late.
Tulips are Matt's favorite flower, I love love love Gerbera Daisies, but Tulips rank up there.
My dad drew these daisies for me. I have a few more that he has drawn, but these daisies hang in the spare bedroom aka babies room. So if it is a boy the daisies must come down. They will probably go in Chloe Joy's room.

March Madness

It's that time of year yet again!! Yippeee!! I have to admit I love March Madness. Every year my husband and I fill out a bracket. We have a point system set up and we get points for getting teams correct. I have won every year since we've been married (5)! We usually make a bet. For instance, one year the bet was if I won I got a new fishing pole. (I only had one at the time and I needed a bass rod & reel.) If he won, I think he got a new pole as well, it was either a new pole or new shoes. Well, I got the new pole that year. ; ) Another year, I scored a new pair of running shoes! Poor Matt he has yet to win. He really thinks this year is his year, I keep telling him it's not going to be. He picks w/ emotion, I pick w/ logic.

We haven't made a bet yet, we have just filled out our brackets. It is going to get heated this year b/c our brackets are fairly similar. If Butler looses and Kansas doesn't fold, I've got this thing in the bag!! ; )

OH I just thought of what I want if I win.... A pedicure! ;)

A little FYI... The men's basketball team of our alma mater, The University of Central Oklahoma has made it to the Elite Eight in D-II!! Go Bronchos!!

Our Yard

A reason I started this blog, was for me to have a forum to "go-off" every once in a while on issues pertinent to my life, family or the world. This will be an entry where I use this as my forum to vent on a certain issue... Enjoy!

THE DREAM

When Matt and I got married, one of my dreams was to have a house with a really nice fescue filled yard. I wanted nothing more than a yard with constant blooming flowers like tulips, gerbera daisies (those are my fav.), pansies, a big hydrangea plant and green green grass that you can walk barefoot in and it feels cold to the bottoms of your feet.

Last summer, Matt and I won/bid on gift certificates to a local sod store. (I am having an inner battle with not putting their name on this) We won the G.C's in June or July. In Aug. we found out we were pregnant and soon after started having some complications, so the sod laying got put on the back burner.

Summer came and went. Then fall rolled around and Matt was going to get the sod laid, but he wanted a fresh start. He was advised to kill all of the current grass, wait two weeks, dump new dirt and then lay the sod. He accomplishes the grass killing and we/I wait.

Winter arrives and we are getting to the end of the G.C's validity (Dec.31). In early to mid December Matt feverishly tries to get a hold of someone at the sod store and fails. Apparently, they close down in December.

The New Year has arrived. We were going to get our sod in January, BUT if you have read my past blogs you know that in January Matt became a cripple. The sod guy said he would give us a "deal" but we didn't know exactly what that meant. I thought maybe he would give us at least one pallet even though we were supposed to get two.

THE REALITY

My dream is now this reality... I have dead grass, no flowers and a partially dirt covered lawn.


The sod guy did offer to "sell" us sod at a discount. (A normal person might take that deal, but since I know the background, that is a ripoff.)

THE BACKGROUND

We bought those G.C's at the radio's auction. The sod guy tried to tell me he "donated" the gift certificates to the station and therefore has to charge us b/c those "donations" were on last years taxes. I know for a fact those certificates were bought by my boss in exchange for him buying air time! He got paid for the certificates and wants to get double his money. One may argue in his defense that we didn't meet the deadline. That is true, but the deadline was December 31st, not December 15th when he closed his store and never returned our calls. If the store closes on the 15th then put the 15th as the last day the gift certificates are valid.

"You can't pull the sod over my eyes, buddy."

If there were another sod place in Bartlesville, oh did that give it away? OOPS ;) I would pay more money just to not have to pay him for sod already purchased.

No More 4 Megapixels!!!!

If you have read my blogs in the past, you may know that I have an old point and shoot camera that is a 4megapixel. It is considered ancient in electronic years. My hope was with our tax return I would be able to buy me a new fancy smancy camera... My wish came true! I ordered my new Sony A200 on Saturday and it arrived yesterday! This picture of Chloe is one of the first pictures I took. I think I almost cried when I took this b/c w/ my ancient camera the picture would have been blurry and just terrible looking. It has so many bells and whistles that it is going to take some time for me to figure out, but I look forward to the challenge. I have been telling people how ready I am for the baby, but that I didn't want it to come until I got my new camera; BRING ON BABY!

My husband looks hotter w/ my new 10.2 mp camera! ;)

Pedi-virgin No More

Tonight I stepped over to the other side. I am now understanding why people, usually women but I am sure there are men, love getting pedicures. I have never had one until tonight and man have I been missing out. The pedicurist (I made that up, not sure if it's a real term) wasn't able to really "massage" my feet due to the fact I am pregnant, but it was still a wonderful experience. I now know what Matt can get me for all holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and any time he needs to get me a something; gift certificate for a pedicure. I chose a pink color and probably shouldn't have b/c my feet aren't tan, but I don't care I still have pretty toes.

How good are those feet going to look in stirrups?

The Bellybuttonless Wonder

I thought maybe a picture of the basketball I have been carrying around might help you decide if this is a little boy or a little girl. I get asked if I have an inkling as to what it might be. The answer is "no" I have absolutely no idea. I think how can a boy be this mean to his mom and then I think it has to be a girl b/c only a girl would be this mean to her mom. By "mean" I am saying that I get beat up on a second by second basis. One thing is for sure, it's going to be so much fun when this little alien pops out and Matt gets to tell me what it is. Please pray that that grand moment comes soon, please.

I look crooked!

These pictures are definitely not for those with weak stomachs.

Baby-Moon

Last weekend was an eventful weekend for the Knox Clan. I had my first Discovery Toys party, and might I add it went very very well. I superseded my goal! I didn't present very well, but I think the toys sell themselves. I just want to add they aren't "regular" toys for those of you who have never heard of Discovery Toys, they are educational AND fun! ;) http://www.discoverytoysinc.com/

After the party, which ended around noon, we headed to Mounds, America to drop off Chloe at her "mama" and "papa's" house. (Matt's parents) Then it was off to Edmond, Oklahoma; city where all the action is. I know Edmond doesn't rank on the Top 10 Cities To See list, but we had other reasons to go there. We were killing many birds with one little stone. Once in Edmond, we checked in to the Holiday Inn on I-35. It's very new, as is most of Edmond, and very nice. We thouroughly enjoyed our stay there; we recommend.

Saturday night we met up w/ Matt's brother and his wife to eat P.F. Chang's!!!! MMM Good!! I have been craving P.F. Chang's for a month; that's how long we've known we would be in Edmond. Matt and I together in public looks like the craziest thing people have ever seen. Everywhere we went we could hear the remarks like, "She looks like she's going to pop." (I am) Or, "They look like they are struggling." (Matt is still unable to walk normally) We had one guy offer the bench to us in P. F. Chang's b/c he felt so sorry for us! After Chang's we played cards for a couple of hours w/ the other Knox Clan. We haven't played cards together that late since before we all had kids.

Sunday morning was a grand morning. We were able to go to LifeChurch.tv in Edmond! www.lifechurch.tv We haven't been there in a long long time and boy did we miss it. We got to see many people we haven't seen in a very long time. It was so nice to leave having seen everyone and having experienced that "experience." (We call our "services/sermons/music" experiences) We spent Sunday afternoon just mosying around Edmond checking things out. Matt and I went to UCO, but SO much has changed since we were in school.
Monday is the day I had the most fun. We found a little boutique that had kids clothes. We went in to buy Chloe a pair of Pedipeds, b/c we love them. They didn't have her size and we don't make the money it requires to buy any of their clothing, so we left. Across the street we discovered a little shop called Bath Junkie. Get ready for fun... On the door, "Now booking parties." I told Matt that it looked like a place you couldn't just walk in off the streets and look around. Him being the wise one in the marriage suggested we go in anyways. We walked in and the lady greeted us and gave us the down low on how the store worked. Basically, you make your own smells and can put that smell in a lotion, body spray, bath scrub, shampoo, conditioner, laundry stuff, body wash and cologne! I made a lotion and a body spray with two different smells. Matt wasn't really into the idea of making a smell until I opened his eyes to the smell that was hiding amongst the other 150 smells.... it was "wet dirt!" (The angels started singing when he found that smell) He then added a rain fragrance and then you have (drum roll) "Morning Mudd." :) He had it put into a cologne and before you laugh and say gross, it actually smells very very good and can probably be used as a hunting scent; it serves two purposes. If you are ever in Edmond go by the Bath Junkie, it sounds silly, but Matt and I had a blast. It would be a perfect little date night or a girl's outing. http://www.bathjunkie.com/

From L-R: Matt's "Morning Mudd" cologne, my "Mint Kiss" lotion (a minty smell) & my "Spring Smoothie" body spray (a citrusy smell)
Monday night I had a Discovery Toys meeting; that was the main reason for our trip to Edmond. I went to my meeting, then we headed back to reality. As we watched Central Oklahoma get smaller and smaller in the rear view mirror, I think a tear rolled down my cheek. "We probably won't be doing this for a while," I thought. "Baby number two is coming soon and it will be attached to my boob and I will be at the mercy of it's feeding times."