The past three days I had a break from work, so I got to stay home with Peyton. Those were the best three days. Even though she was sick, we had the best time playing together, laughing, and finding new stuff to get into. She is so much fun to be around, and I love that little girl so much. Here's some pictures of her and a short video.



She decided to try on my flip flops and walk around the house.




I forgot to mention that Friday night we decided to grab some icecream from a New Orleans-famous little local place called Angelo Brocato's. It's italian gelato, coffee, etc. It's been around for forever, and it's so cute.




"YUM! Look at all the goodies Mommy and Daddy!"






She loved the strawberry cheesecake.

New Job

Arnold has a new job! Praise the Lord, seriously. He is a hospice chaplain for an agency in Metairie. He started today, and he is very excited. It is an answer to our prayers for the Lord to take care of us financially. Have a great weekend!

Some Valentine Pics of the Little Valentine

Big Bucks!!

Our government is about to pass the largest multi-billion dollar bill in the history of our nation. How much will it add to the quality of your life?

$13 dollars a week.

Stimulus Bill adds $13 dollars a week

An Early Valentine's Day

Arnold and I celebrated Valentine's Day early. We each took a vacation day from work on Friday, left Peyton at the sitter's, and took off! First we went to IHOP and ate breakfast. I LOVE eating breakfast out, but it rarely happens. I had blueberry pancakes, eggs, bacon, and hashbrowns. Yum. Then we went to the mall. I had a gift card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond and Bath and Body Works, so I burned through those cards. We went to my monthly doctor appointment after the mall. I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was a nice treat. After the doctor visit, I was craving some pizza, so we went to Pizza Hut. I wanted to go to Rocky's, the best pizza place in New Orleans, but it was too far for our next adventure. So we ate breadsticks and pizza then went back to the mall. Arnold needed a pair of dress shoes, so we found a pair at Sears and then went to Smoothie King. Then we headed up to the movie theater, where Arnold agreed to see Confessions of a Shopaholic! I know, he was being really nice to me. He actually said it wasn't that bad, and of course I liked it. Then we headed back home to pick up Peyton.
Saturday, Arnold cleaned the whole house, the kitchen, bathroom, he swept, AND did ALL of the laundry. After I came back from the grocery store, I sat on the couch eating chips and dip and watched him do laundry while I also watched a movie. It was great. So that's what it's like to be a man...haha. I had a great weekend! Hope yours was great too!

American Idol Thoughts

I've really been watching the new season of American Idol lately, mainly because I like it and also because as I've said in previous posts, all I want to do is lay on the couch and die. So here are a few thoughts on this season....if you don't watch Idol, you may want to just skip this blog post...

1. I think the judges are insane this year. They are letting some weird ones through and skipping over the good ones.

2. For example, do you remember the two guys who are best friends...one named Danny, one named Jamar. Well, they kicked Jamar off last night, and he can really sing! What were the judges thinking?

3. AND, they let Tatiana (the laughing, annoying girl) stay!? Simon said last night, "Could you try to not be annoying for once?"

4. AND, they let Nick/Norman Gentle and Nathanial stay but kicked Jamar off?! Again, the judges are crazy.

5. I liked the sing-off they had last night, but I would have liked to have seen more sing-offs between people.

6. I think Tatiana, or maybe Norman, may be this year's Sanjaya.

7. It's probably more fun disagreeing with the judges because I guess it gives us/me something to talk about!

8. Who is your favorite American Idol winner from past seasons?

9. I predict a guy is going to win this year because the guys seem to be singing a little better than the girls.

10. I love yelling at the tv when American Idol is on...it's almost like watching a football game!

PS-I just remembered David Osmond, one of the Osmond family kids. They kicked him off too! And he could sing! And yet they think Nathanial or Norman would really win and people would buy their records??!!

25 Random Things

I did this on Facebook and thought I would post it to the blog too...

1. I actually have been wanting to do this, just because I enjoy reading other people's randomness.

2. My mom said they actually considered the name "Billie Joe" for myself. I thank God every day that He didn't let that one happen. Can you imagine?

3. My favorite movie, by far, is Pride and Prejudice, the long five hour A & E version...just ask my husband.

4. I love to cook (and eat these days).

5. I do not love to clean, like my mom. Can I get an amen Janna?!

6. I never ever thought I would live in New Orleans for seven years.

7. My hometown is basically known for a water tower of a giant peach. Embarrasing, I know.

8. If I had one wish, I would love to be a child again.

9. On our first date, Arnold took me to see David Copperfield and we had front row tickets. It was pretty cool.

10. In college, I tore my ACL playing intramural football, I fell to the ground, everyone crowded around me, and then I realized I hadn't shaved my legs in over two weeks. That's what I was thinking about, well, that and is my bone poking out of my leg or something.

11. I love badminton, ping pong, water skiing, snow skiing, jogging, and other stuff, but I never have time.

12. We used to have a brown, ridicuolously obese dog named Snowball. She lived 14 years and was the greatest. Who says large bowls of scraps will kill a dog?

13. I remember my dad letting me drive his new corvette down the interstate when I was 14. Yeah, he had to have been crazy.

14. My favorite coffee shop in New Orleans-Rue de la Course. Check it out.

15. Who has time for coffee shops? They don't appreciate one year olds.

16. My husband is a procrastinator, I am not. This is an interesting combination.

17. But he puts up with A LOT from me.

18. I despise, loathe, and abhor roaches. Roaches are everywhere in New Orleans.

19. Give me a rat any day or a mouse, preferably. Anything over a roach.

20. If I gain less than 200 lbs. this pregnancy, I will be happy. J/k

21. I love to sleep, and need lots of it.

22. I am a news junkie. Especially magazines...Christian, and political. My new favorite magazine is World. It is awesome.

23. The night before we evacuated for Katrina, we got to sit in the audience for Wheel of Fortune.

24. I don't like winter, and I can't wait for Spring and Summer!

25. I wish I could speak another language. Though I am pretty good at pig latin. Does that count?

Bad Days

Ever had one of those bad days? Oh I know you have. You know, it's raining outside. Then I get in my car to go to the doctor only to find out halfway there that my appointment has been cancelled because she's still in surgery. Then I went to Walgreens in the rain to get milk (I needed two gallons), and they were completely out except for chocolate. Then something happened at work this afternoon that wasn't too pleasant. And then they passed that stupid ridiculous stimulus plan. Here's an idea, why don't we just print Monopoly money and hand it to people, because that's all our money is going to be worth soon. On the bright side, I've felt sort of descent today. Not as much queasiness. And tonight I'm going to cook a good supper and watch American Idol with Tara and Peyton. So there are good things. And God is still good. I know my life is easy compared to some in the world. But it still stinks to have a bad day.

3 1/2 weeks

When I first met Arnold and we started dating, he was taking Ph.D. seminars, working forty hours a week in the Registrar's Office, and drinking Red Bull and coffee to stay awake half the night. Fast forward about five years later, a marriage, a nasty hurricane, moving 18 times, and a baby, and he is now down to the last three and a half weeks of his college career. Yes, he has 3 1/2 weeks to finish his dissertation. He is working fervently and feverishly to finish, and I am proofreading it fervently (and am now cross-eyed). So, we need your prayers! We really want him to graduate in May. And he is so close to being finished, but he needs God-speed, supernatural strength, and a daily injection of caffeine. He needs to be able to write fast and accurate, (in the words of Mel Gibson from The Patriot). And he needs to feel rested so that he read quickly and write quickly. Please, if you think about us in the next few days and weeks, say a prayer for us and our family. We all need a little grace from God!

Did you know?

Peanut Butter and the Superbowl

One of my very first posts as a blogger talked about my disgust for peanut butter..."Can I just say that I am totally sick of peanut butter. I have gone through at least two jars BY MYSELF in the last four months or so. Now that may not seem like a lot of peanut butter, but trust me, it is! That's eating peanut butter almost every day for a snack so that my blood sugar stays up....seven days a week! I have kept JIF in business." Now that was last time I was pregnant. Saturday I broke down and bought my first jar of JIF, probably the first peanut butter I've had since Peyton was born. I can't tell you how sick I was of that stuff. Now, I'm probably literally going to get sick from the stuff...salmonella...have you heard about all the peanut butter? Well, let's hope not.


Did you see the Superbowl last night? I was really rooting for the Cardinals, first because I know Kurt Warner is an outspoken Christian. Second, because they were the underdogs. Oh well. It was a pretty good game. And I had fun at a Superbowl party. But how does the weekend go by so quickly...can anyone answer this question for me???

I just found this on JIF's website...Our Jif® peanut butter brand and peanut butter products are safe for consumption.

The J. M. Smucker Company does not purchase peanuts or any ingredients from Peanut Corporation of America and our products are not part of any recall.

Ongoing and regular product testing is a key part of our stringent quality assurance program and includes testing for salmonella.

We focus our efforts solely on production of our branded peanut butter products and we do not produce peanut butters or peanut butter products for other companies.

You can continue to trust in our commitment to safety and quality.

WHEW! I'm safe!