Counting to 10

Lilly: "1...2...3...4...5...7...4...Daddy...2...4...7...10!!!!"

The Plane to Ohio

Thank heaven for angels..

Completely serious....

I wouldn't have made the entire day of flying without my angels to help me.

I was NERVOUS to do this trip. First time flying by myself... first time flying with a toddler.. no idea where I'm going and completely scared about Lilly screaming and crying and other people hating me because I brought the annoying toddler on the plane who won't let anyone sleep. I did not want to be that woman that everyone holds their breath as I walk down they aisle and then gives a sigh of relief when I walk by because they don't have to sit by me... but I was pretty sure it was inevitable... plus throw on that I'm always afraid of planes and especially other people getting motion sickness... Seriously I get really nervous when I even just look at a barf bag... I usually thouroughly inspect my neighbors to see if I think they will get sick... cause that many people in a tiny room with the possibility of sick... does not do good for my nerves...

Start the day of flying with several snide comments from TSA workers and ticket officers and many other airport people.... yay.. exactly what I was afraid of... getting treated crappy because Kids can be "inconvenient" and "stupid woman control your child".... blah.....

Up until the first flight.
Nancy... my first angel.
I can't believe how helpful she was! She was nervous so she held my hand through take-off and all the CRAPPY turbulance... it was a terrible flight.. we got pushed around so much! Even though she was holding MY hand cause SHE was nervous... it got me through it. Cause I was really nervous too....
She held my drink, she entertained Lilly (who was a perfect angel by the way... she was so good it was unbelievable!) She talked to me about children and work and life and I didn't mind when she said a prayer and she didn't mind when Lilly and I said a prayer... Oh this woman was honestly sent from heaven to make this first flight bearable...She even walked me to my next gate to make sure I found it alright.

Once we found my gate, we really needed to go to the bathroom and grab something to eat. I wasn't paying attention to the time and barely made it back to catch the tail end of boarding. It was wonderful though because once we sat down we took off! This time we sat in between a middle aged woman and an older man. The woman was just in raptures over Lilly... she was just leaving her own grandchildren and so she was feeling all sentimental and LOVED Lilly. Lilly however, had a major crush on the grumpy grandpa next to us.. (he wasn't mean... it was the cute funny grumpy grandpa-type man) These two were wonderful to sit next to. They were completely helpful, holding my drinks... picking books and binky's off the floor... and even though that woman loved Lilly so much, she moved to another seat so that Lilly and I could spread out and go to sleep. The grumpy grandpa gave me a piece of gum on the descend so my ears would pop and helped me with my bags off the plane.... oh sweet angels! I had been lucky enough to have 2 wonderful flights... one more... I can do this! I had been blessed with wonderful angels who had saved me when I was in distress... and as long as I kept praying... Heavenly Father would keep sending me angels!

This next one is terrible, but here goes... we ate a cinnebon before the next flight... cause you have to eat a cinnebon when you are in an airport! We got on the plane and I had to sit by this man.... who had the worst BO I've ever smelt... That... combined with the cinnebon was making me quite nauseous... I kept looking around to see when my angel would come and save me from this moment of distress... was I really to endure this odor for another hour and a half??? YUCK!!! But right before we took off, a man offered his seat to me so that I could have a row to myself... Yet again... proof that angels exist.

Still nauseous.... and sitting by myself with my daughter... wondering what angel was going to save me from this... there was noone around but that stinky man who was across the aisle.. who kept giving me dirty looks so I was pretty sure he wasn't going to help... but who??? And quite honestly what were they going to do... was the flight attendant going to walk down the aisle with little airplane samples of pepto bismal.. .NO! It took me a minute but I came to terms with the fact that I was by myself and I was going to have to just be strong and deal with it. I looked down in my arms at my beautiful daughter who was fighting slumber... she was wonderful today... man do I love this girl... through this hectic day she was the one who kept me lighthearted and happy and kept me from going crazy all day... She is the sweetest, cutest lovable creature and I couldn't imagine flying without her. Then I realized I felt better... no nausea... Lilly... my sweet girl.. was my angel this time. She distracted me with her loveableness.

The last angel I'll talk about is the US Airways worker who even though they NEVER do this, leant us a car seat free of charge upon promise of return because when Steve came to pick us up he forgot to bring a car seat.. and who saved Lilly from opening and closing doors and crashing her stroller into walls while I filled out the paperwork for the carseat... And there were many others.... mostly older people, who offered to help me with bags... who picked up stuffed animals that fell off the stroller... who played with Lilly and made her feel comfortable and welcome.... who through just smiling let me know that they had been there before and that I will make it... My angels.....

Oh dear....

Wow it's been a while... quick update before I start regularly blogging again...

The concert was amazing... it went really well and I absolutely love performing! The first piece I did of the evening was SLAM which meant I had stomach cramps the rest of the show cause that dance kicks my butt... Love it though... that dance is awesome!

I'm done with school! The semester is over sans 1 little final which will probably be more like a party, and my trip to Washington! (state...not dc) And oh how bitter-sweet that is. I was all psyched for the break but now I have this overwhelming feeling that I need to be doing something. I have decided though, that I do have something to do.. and it's important.. along with spending time with Lilly... (that's not the hard part) I need to get myself into habits that will make the next year easier... like good eating and cleaning habits... not wasting my time that sort of thing. That's my goal before I start school again end of June.

Steve just got back on Thursday from a monster trip.. one that was supposed to last like... 3 days that turned into 8. It was a long week and he worked something close to 140 hours in those 8 days. Yikes! That and he's leaving me again on Wednesday to go to Kentucky to help his parents move to Abu Dhabi... yeah... I know. Steve didn't think I was going to be able to go to Kentucky with him due to finals so no reservations were made for me... only I actually can go so now either we will have to pull out something like 600 bucks to go or I sit at home alone another weekend... It's ok though... I tend to get a lot done when he isn't home cause I don't have as many distractions! Like on this last trip I completely redid our living room. I slipcovered/reupholstered our couch... which is almost done sans finishing cording on pillows.... redid the walls, painted a table and some frames and a few other things... once everything is completely done I'll take pictures and post them so you can all see my beautiful front room!

Lilly is doing amazing.. it's such a treat to have her home. She's a doll and growing up so fast! She's teething right now and I swear this one tooth is just as bad as her 4 molars coming in all at once was.. At least she is pretty easy going about it... she's not a terror when she's teething just a little moody!

So there  you have it... update from the Stotts... now let the blogging continue!

RBE!

Hey my company is in concert this week! Come see our show! Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 7:30!

Normal....

It's an interesting thing. So many times it is looked at as being boring... unoriginal... bland. And quite honestly it's true... If things are normal, they aren't exciting or different or changing... and it is boring. I am usually this kind of person.. get out of your normal...  be creative... do something new.

But if you look at normal through different eyes.. it changes.
When someone looks in the face of something that could take away your normal...your normal situation, your normal energy, your normal day, your normal looks - whether they are beautiful or not, and most importantly... your normal relationships.... it changes. Normal becomes the most beautiful and desirable thing. All they want is for things to continue to be as they are...

Sorry if this post is vague... it's because I don't want my normal taken away from me....

Daddy is cooking!

Yes... that is right...

I am a busy woman. I go to school full-time which means I am at school from 9am to 5:30 pm EVERYDAY. And if that weren't enough.. I still have TONS of homework and extra things that I do. So when the "dinner" task comes up... it's a difficult thing to spend my precious time on. So here are some of the vicious cycles I get into.

I get on this kick about saving money and being a homemaker, yet don't properly plan for meals so for a few days I spend my evenings figuring out something to cook, getting the ingredients and cooking, and doing the dishes after. Then... it's bedtime.. I have spent my whole evening worrying about dinner. A couple days of that pass and then by the end of each meal I'm too tired and too stressed out about other things and let the dishes go.

After several days of that... I come home from a particular exhausting day and either 1) the dishes I need to cook in are dirty... and I don't have it in me to spend MORE time washing them before I use them 2)I either don't have the ingredients I need or they have gone bad or 3) I just cannot muster up the energy to give my evening to the kitchen... so we get on a take-out round. Both Steve and i are taken back by how easy it is and we end up doing that for several days because we can't muster up our energy to start this viscous cycle again.

But no more...

I am a good wife, for many reasons... but in the 1950's there is no one who would marry me. I'm just as busy as Steve so why should I have to do all the house work as well... So I revolted... I told Steve he had to either start cooking... or start cleaning.. He was fine with that... my wonderful husband is so agreeable . I love him. After a short discussion... we figured out a plan.We would take turns... On the nights I cook, he does dishes and vice versa.
Monday: Steve cooks
Tuesday: Our 1 night a week to get food to-go because we both have comedy sportz and lets be realistic... cooking isn't gonna happen.
Wednesday: Steve cooks again (I teach dance Monday and Wednesday and don't get home till 7)
Thursday: I cook
Friday: I cook again
Saturday: Steve cooks
Sunday:I cook

Oh I love it. We've been going strong for 3 weeks now. Don't get me wrong.. a schedule like this rarely ALWAYS holds up but even when we do end up having to grab something on the way to something, we don't have to fight about who has to choose or whatever... It's just nice. And I must say... Steve is a great cook... I've had almost 3 years of practice and he is showing me up like nobody's business...I try to keep up with him sometimes but I have fallen flat on my face (I don't know why the spinach-stuffed portabello mushrooms sounded good... they were awful!)

Ups and Downs

Recently I've been more and more aware of the ups and downs of motherhood... mainly because until recently I've been on a down. Not that I was way down... I wasn't hating being a mom or anything..I had just been letting the stress of being a full-time student and a mother get to me. Which is ok.. it is very difficult.. and I do have a right to feel stressed out. And I actually think it's important to acknowledge those feelings... they are real and honest and natural... motherhood is difficult sometimes. But lately I just can't seem to get enough of my daughter... I love her so much! I find myself thinking about her while I'm at school and wondering what she is doing. I miss her when I'm at home for lunch and she isn't here. I usually end up tiptoeing around my apartment because it feels like she is here but is just taking a nap.. but she isn't. I even miss her when she is asleep. And when she is awake I can't stop hugging her and kissing her and playing with her. I just can't soak up enough Lilly!

I was reading a book today called "The Happiest Toddler on the Block" and it was talking about temperaments of toddlers and it said that most children can be categorized in 3 ways... They are usually either easy, shy, or spirited. Lilly is 100% spirited! And I love it so much. I try to take life everyday with a passion... I believe if you are going to feel something... feel it all the way and explore that feeling... I believe you learn more about yourself if you do that. So I'm thrilled that my daughter is the same way.

Of course this means that her downs are way down... we deal with it all... moodiness, tantrums, screaming, misbehaving, rebellion, crying, drama, drama, drama.... and not even just a little bit. When she is unhappy EVERYONE knows it and she will tell the world about it! But it also means that her ups are WAY up! She is the happiest child I know! When she is happy she giggles and sings and dances and kisses and loves... it brings me so much joy!

Today when we got home I couldn't help but bundle up my little and take her outside to splash in the puddles. Daddy was worried about dirty socks and shoes, but they can be cleaned so I don't worry about those little things.

There is something intuitive in a child that sees a puddle and naturally splashes in it.

Some Good News....

I got a scholarship! Yay me!

How many of you thought I was going to say I was pregnant?

Some fun things we've been doing...

Some fun things we've been doing lately:

Aquarium! Super fun!

Sucess!

Our party was a blast! Pictures and SEVERAL posts coming soon!

Easter Party Change!

Hey everyone that is planning on coming and will check this: We are changing the location! The weather isn't looking so good so we will move it to the cultural hall of the church on 710 E 800 S in the East building. If on the off chance that the weather is lovely than there is a park right next to the church so we'll hang out there! Have questions?? Call or text me! 801-400-9772