Shiny Crowns, Burnt Cookies and a Belly Shot

Lots to write about, so I'm going to sum it up by giving shiny crowns ('cause what could be better than winning a shiny crown?) and burnt cookies ('cause what could be worse than expecting a yummy, warm, fresh cookie and being given something that looks charcoal-esque?). I have to give props to Dana at Mamalogues for this idea. She regularly posts things that she'd like to fling in a trebuchet and I love it! Let's start with the burnt cookies, so we can end on a positive (and shiny) note, shall we?

I hereby present this BURNT COOKIE to:

• The end of summer. Pretty self-explanatory, huh? It's been a tough summer for me, but it was summer nonetheless. I spent most of the summer feeling like I'd been run over by a truck, but at least it ran over me at home and without many obligations instead of at work with MANY obligations. We started back to work last Wednesday (8/12) and the kids come back to school this Wednesday (8/19). So far, we've been in meetings and spent a little time getting materials and space ready.
• Lingering urinary tract infection. Ugh. I've had this UTI for 2 months now. I've done 2 rounds of antibiotics and I truly believe that it's still lingering. I won't find out for sure until I go back to my OB on the 27th, but the symptoms are still there.
• Lingering nausea and exhaustion. I had hoped that by the time we went back to school, I'd be over the nausea and exhaustion of early pregnancy. And...I thought that might be coming true last week. I felt GREAT Monday through Thursday. I was tired from the back-to-school stuff, but I wasn't parking lot tired. Thursday afternoon, it all came back, though. I was nauseated I was the whole month of July and it was all I could do to keep my head up at work on Friday. I slept most of the day on Saturday and took a long nap today after church. I'm hoping it was a flare-up from the busyness of re-entry, but good grief.
• Scrapbooking. Basically, I haven't done any since June. What??? I know, it's my creative outlet - but I just haven't felt like it. I don't have the creative juices right now and I don't have the energy to drag all of my supplies out to get anything done. Actually, the dragging out isn't so bad - it's the cleaning up that I dread enough to keep me from doing anything. So, I'm caught up to the beginning of May. I'm hoping that as my energy picks up and our routine returns, I'll be able to start cropping on the weekends again.
• The Hogs' Schedule. We are on the road at Alabama, Florida, Ole Miss and LSU. Plus, the season opener is in Little Rock. There's not a real home game until we play Georgia on September 19th.
• The traffic circle of death. Someone in Rogers decided it would be a good idea to put a traffic circle in front of the new WM Neighborhood Market. That's all well and good, but this one is very poorly designed. Someone is going to get really hurt in that thing.

And, now...I would like to bestow this beautiful, sparkling shiny crown to the following recipients:

• Rudy. The man has stepped up this summer and taken over so much responsibility with Caleb and in our home that I can't even believe it. He has recognized that I'm not just being a big ol' baby...I'm growing one and it's kicking my butt. His patience and energy have not gone unnoticed.
• My parents. Mom and Mr. L. are driving to Rogers on Tuesday to pick up Caleb and take him to their house until next weekend. They say they are doing it to help us out so we can come home without responsibilities on the first week of school. We all know they are really just clamoring for some Caleb time. :)
• Calebisms. You just never know what he's going to say. Yesterday, he was going to go out to the garage to get something, but couldn't get the door unlocked. He said, "Well, I guess I'm not going out there." Our other favorite lately is "Zyeah." It's his way of saying "yeah", but it comes with a little giggle attached. We hear it when he's really agreeable.
• Return to routine. I know, I've already complained about going back to work. But...on the other hand, some return to normalcy is definitely welcome. I was about to go a little stir-crazy. And, really - I'm only there until February and then I'm off for 12 weeks. I'll go back for the month of May and then it's summer again!
• Tontitown Grape Festival. We went to the Grape Festival last Saturday night (8/8). It was so much fun! Caleb loved the rides and we all enjoyed the awesome spaghetti supper. Plus, the people-watching was absolutely stellar.
• Razorback Tickets. They came in the mail on Wednesday. It made back-to-work day all better.
• Stacy. I do love my friend Stacy. We went back-to-school shopping at the outlet malls in Branson on Monday. We braved a rainstorm and some crazy people to do it and had a blast as always.
• Project Runway & Design Star. These are my 2 favorite TV shows. Design Star is rocking along great and Runway starts Thursday night!

Here I am at 15 weeks pregnant. My body has changed so much differently this time. The baby isn't really all that big yet, but apparently, my insides remembered what to do and they are getting out of the way quickly. It seems that everything has shifted upward already. Depending on what I wear, I swear I sometimes look much more pregnant than I should be at 15 weeks.