Husband Tag

After answering questions about me, I thought I would post the "Husband Tag" that Shannon had on her blog. Here goes, enjoy!

What is his name? Michael Cameron Howard
How long have you been married? 4 years, seriously
How long did you date? 8 months totoal... 5 months till engagement then 3 months till wedding
How old is he? 28
Who eats more? Cameron
Who said I love you first? Cameron
Whose temper is worse? truly depends on the situation
Who does the laundry? we both do
Who does the dishes? we both do
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Cameron
Who pays the bills? me
Who cooks dinner? me
Who drives when you are together? Cameron, even though it makes me crazy because he criticizes every other driver on the road... but you all already knew that Cameron knows everything, right?! :)
Who is more stubborn? Cameron
Whose parents do you see the most? I see my mom alot, but together as a family, we probably see my mom and his parents about the same amount
Who proposed? Cameron, if you haven't heard the story, ask me... its a good one
Who has more friends? me
Who has more siblings? Cameron
Who wears the pants in the family? Just like most things in our relationship, we both do!

How Well do you know me?!

Wendi sent this to me in an email to me today, and I thought it would make a fun post...

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? my middle name, May, is my great-grandmother's
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? today, watching Oprah
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING ? yes
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? roast beef
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? of course! :)
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? no, not me
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? no
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I think so
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Cinnamon Toast Crunch... I only eat cereal when I'm pregnant... if I'm not, I don't like it at all, but when I'm pregnant, I want it all day!
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? depends on the situation
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? mint chocolate chip
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? shoes
15. RED OR PINK? pink
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? when I'm not tan (like right now)
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? all my family that lives too far away...hint, hint
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? sure
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans, no shoes
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? bowl of cereal, ha!
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? the Carolina game, woohoo!!!
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? I like the forest green crayon
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? the fair
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? of course
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? ACC basketball, especially the Tar Heels!!!
27. HAIR COLOR? brown
28. EYE COLOR? brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? no
30. FAVORITE FOOD? pizza... I could eat it every day
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? a little bit of both
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Bourne Ultimatum... on pay-per-view last night... it was great
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? fall
35. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? all of the above, I do love coconut cake, though
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I'm not expecting it
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Karyn
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? "Rebekah" from the "Women of Genesis" series by Orson Scott Card, thanks to my friend Jennie... they're really good
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? no mouse pad
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T. V. LAST NIGHT? a movie, with no new TV, my nights are pretty boring.
42. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SOUND? Jackson laughing, some days I love the sound of him sleeping. :)
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? the beatles, of course, I was taught right
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? California
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I love to sing!
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Greensboro, NC
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? anyone who wants to

Gotta' Love Oprah!

Before I quit work I used to laugh inside at those people that watched Oprah, and didn't just watch Oprah, but LOVED Oprah...

Well, I have a confession to make... I have been sucked in, and I must admit, I love her!!! If I am at home, I take the time to watch her, and if I'm not at home, but it looks like a show I would enjoy, I actually record it. I know its hard to believe, but its true.

I mention this because as I sat watching Oprah today, I cried like a baby. I was interested to watch because the preview showed the story of the Buffalo Bills player, Kevin Everett, who became paralyzed after a hit in a game in September. Well, just 5 months later, after being given a 10% chance of ever walking again, he is walking, well. Well, this story was just the start... they were calling the show, A Day of Miracles, and the next story got me.

Before I start, let me just say that I think being an organ donor is a very important thing. I have always known that if I were to die unexpectedly, I would without question give it to anybody I could help. We can't take it with us... why not help someone live a better life here when we are gone.

Back in March, Jason Ray, the mascot for the Carolina Basketball team (go Heels!) was hit by a car in New Jersey just before a game. He had told his mother when he had gotten his Drivers' License that he wanted to be an organ donor, which she didn't neccesarily agree with. When he passed away, his parents made the decision to donate his organs because it was what he would have wanted. The show then cut to those people that had been saved by receiving his organs... a 57 yeat old man that got his heart, a 40 year old man that got a kidney and his pancreas, and a 15 year old that got his other kidney. Then they had them all on the show... reuniting all those people that had been affected by this 21 year old's life and death. There was one cute part. During the interview of the man that received his heart, he said that his surgeon had come in and told him that he had gotten him the best heart he could find... and that he might want to think about becoming a Carolina fan! :)

So, thank you, Oprah, for giving me a good cry today! It doesn't take much, and today I was toast.

Gratitude

After all the fun we've been having, and all the good things that have been happening, I wanted to mention something that I've been thinking about for a couple days. Two nights ago, I had the TV on in the bedroom. Jackson was playing on the bed and got the remote and started changing channels. Once it landed, it was on CNN, and I was busy so I just left it despite the fact that I never watch the news. The story on caiught my attention, and I'm so glad it did. It was talking about tribal wars in Kenya, and how gangs harrass cars driving down the street, and how certain tribes need police escorts just to walk down the street. I watched for several minutes and was overwhelmed with such gratitude for things that I know I take for granted way too often...

I am so grateful that I was born to the people and in the place I was born... how easily I could have been born somewhere else. I was raised by loving, happy family, we had a home, and so many things that others don't have. I'm grateful that my children with be raised in similar circumstances. I am grateful for my freedom that allows me to live, love, and worship as I choose. I am so grateful that I have never felt a direct danger to my life or to those around me who I love. I experience none of the fear and danger and poverty that so much of the rest of the world experience. I want all of you to know how grateful I am for you... for your love, your friendship, your acceptance.

I am so glad that I was given the opportunity to reflect on my life and the abundance of blessings I have!!!

There's Love in the Air!

My little Dabid got engaged...

And I know it wasn't as much fun for me as it was for him, but it had to have been pretty close...

I got to meet David up at the mall and be with him when he got the ring. He already knew the one she wanted, so it was just a matter of buying it. Then we went upstairs and had dinner together and talked about exactly how he would do the proposing. It was such a wonderful night that I got to spend with my Dabid. He was so excited and nervous, and it was so fun to spend time with him during such an exciting time. Then at about 11:58 last night, he and Leda called me to give me the good news. It was so fun to hear the happiness in there voices, and all the laughter...hear the sory of how it happened, and remember the night that I got engaged.

Last night was a great night for our family. We love Leda, and they will be getting married
July 17th. How fun!!!

This is David acting silly just after getting the ring

At dinner, Jackson discovered that he LOVES egg rolls... who knew?

Happy Birthday to you!!

On Sunday, Jackson cousins, Rylan and Kyrah had a birthday party. We went over to Cade and Brittany's house and a wonderful time celebrating. Rylan turned 3 and Kyrah turned 1. All these babies (including mine) are growing up so fast.

Happy Birthday Rylan and Kyrah!!!

This was the favorite toy of the evening... they could even walk and drag it around. They all loved it...even little Kyrah (in the left corner)

The Best Day Ever...

... for Jackson anyway...

This past Saturday, we went to the car show they have every year at the Greensboro Coliseum, and fun was had by all. We figured Jackson would have a great time, but nothing could have prepared us for the giddy, rediculous excitement that surrounded our sweet boy on this day of days. We walked in, and the look on his face cannot be described... nor did I capture it on camera very well because we didn't have his hat off of him befor we walked in.

As you can imagine, Jackson literally pointed out every single "tar" and "chruck" he saw. He touched them all, got in them all, and basically had the best day of his life up to this point. It was so fun to watch, and to feel the excitement that he did. During our time there, we were followed around for about 20 minutes by a photographer from the local newspaper who took our names and where we were from, and we just knew that our cute, curious boy was going to be in the paper... sadly he was not, but we still had a great time.

I want to apoligize ahead of time for the pictures. I guess the lights at the car show are made to make the cars look very shiny and pretty, so anything light colored (like us) got a horrible glare...

this is Jackson when he first walked in
this is the only time I could get him to look at me, and his eyes were shut... oh well

this is my Escalade I drive in my $67,ooo dreams... what a cool mom!

After the car show, and because we were on that side of town, we went to Yum-Yums for lunch. This was Jackson's first yum-yums experience since he was a tiny baby when we went with Papa, Grandma and Dad when they came for his blessing. It was also Cameron's first Yum-Yums experience...how did that happen?!... three years at UNCG and four years married to me, and he had never been to Yum-Yums... poor thing! :) Needless to say... yum, yum!

Can you smell it....? :)
Our sleepy boy after his exciting day!

It was a great day...omething we hope to continue to do throughout the years. It probably won't ever be as much fun as the look on Jackson's face his very first time there. Wish more of you could have been there with us!!!

My Dad would be sooooo proud...

Just after Christmas I went to go buy myself some church shoes, and Rack Room was having a 50% off sale. GREAT! I left with only one pair of shoes (I was so proud of myself)...

until I saw all the cute little boy shoes that were also all 50% off... so, of course, I had to do some pre-season shopping for Jackson. I am still surprised at how much fun it is to shop for and dress a little boy... I just didn't think it could be as fun as buying "girly" stuff, but I love it. I found Jackson two pair of precious summer shoes... will his feet ever stop growing 2 sizes at a time?!...

So Dad, this is for you...

enough said! :)

That's Embarrassing...

I am embarrassed... never again will I post after 11:oo at night. After reading my "post office" post (which was written at 11:30 or 12:00 one night when I couldn't sleep), I realized that my ability to spell, use correct grammar, and put sentences together is apprently greatly lessened at that late hour. So I apologize to those of you who read the post and were appalled at what appeared to be a lack of education. I promise that I really do know how to spell, speak correctly and form sentences correctly. (Even though when I email I use "..." alot)

Now that I've said all that... I can continue to more important things...

Sorry I haven't posted in several days. I have hit the 10 week mark and I feel really yucky most of the time. Maybe since this phase didn't start as early as it did with Jackson, it won't last as long either... I can hope, right? :) I'm lucky though in that Jackson is going through a realy cuddly stage right now and as long as "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" or "Little Einsteins" is on TV, Jackson will curl right up next to me on the couch with his blanket. Its very sweet and precious... I eat up any and all moments that he wants to love on me and be still at the same time...

So, any of you that have ever seen a picture of Jackson, knows that he loves to NOT smile for pictures. He is such a goofy, silly kid, but is always so serious and somber in pictures. Well, we have arrived. Jackson now says "cheese" which makes for great pictures. I can now capture his goofiness on camera.

Some of Jackson's "cheese" pictures...

is this the cutest outfit you've ever seen (thanks Papa and Tamma)

click on the picture so you can see it big

A Couple things...

I realized something today... running errands that should be easy are impossible with children. Its not that I never noticed this before, it just has come more to my attention in the last couple weeks as Jackson becomes more and more unable to control himself in public. It also has become more evident recently beacause I actually have to bring Jackson everywhere. Until September, Cameron worked second shift which meant he was home in the morning until almost noon. Which also meant that Jackson stayed with him while I ran the days errands... those were the days. I have discovered that going to the post office has become my least favorite chore, and here's why...

• no matter which post office I go to, no matter what time of day, everyone that lives in High Point and all surrounding areas are also there
  
• standing in line with a small child (who is literally pained to have to sand still) is torture

• Other adults seeing said child think a) crazy kid or b) bad mom and somehow think that they can control him even though I, the actual mom, can't

A couple of weeks ago, on my first trip to the post with Jackson, I brought him in just holding my hand...BIG MISTAKE. The second we get in he wants to run around, or scream if I don't let him. Those of you who know me well, know that such situations cause me to almost have anxiety attacks. (example; when I get on an airplane with Jackson by myself, I take a Zanax just because there is the possibility that he will be fussy). During this visit to the post office, I could hear others around me..."Oh, that poor girl"... "she sure has her hands full"... and other such remarks, which I hate because Jackson really is so well behaved and such a good, good boy that I don't want anyone thinking anything less of him or me.

This week, having already made two seperate trips to the post office, Jackson was in a stroller which kept him from running around or throwing himself on the floor when I don't allow him to run around, but didn't keep him from being any less upset about the fact that he can't run around. I think that the main problem is that Jackson is so friendly and loves everyone and will one day be kidnapped willingly. The other problem is that the only time he is ever still is if he is asleep. The other week at church, his nursery leader said to me, "Jackson is so fun and so sweet,but... is he ever still"? NO!!!

my sweet, busy boy!

Thanks to my sattelite and DVR, (which, unfortunately, I could not live without) I watch alot of TV. The range of things I watch is actually quite impressive. Everything from funny sitcoms, nighttime dramas, ESPN, reality shows, daytime talk shows, Food network, HGTV, playhouse Disney, and the movie, Cars. Just so I don't sound like a waste of space, as long as Jackson is awake, I don't really watch much of anything. Tonight, though, Cameron was making fun of me for the shows I had on the DVR, and its true... I am a 26 year old teeny bopper. There is a handful of shows that I must record and actually watch, and if I miss one of them, I am truly upset...such shows are...

One Tree Hill, America's Next Top Model, The Hills, The Real World, Gossip Girl (my newest guilty pleasure) plus a few shows on TLC and Food Network which don't put me in the teeny bopper category, but that I can't live without... John & Kate plus Eight, What not to Wear, Little People, Big World, and kind of Real Estate show, and anything with Rachael Ray.

I hope my confessions have given you a glimpse into the every day workings of my life. I typically wouldn'y have gone on such a rant, but it was kind of fun... :)

Jackson watching Cars

Its really that good!

About a month ago, a friend of mine gave me a recipe for white (chicken) chilli, which I've never actually been a big fan of... but... this recipe is SOOOOOOOO yummy. I have literally made it once, sometimes twice, a week since I got the recipe. We were at the grocery store the other day and I told Cameron I needed to get a rotisserie chicken so I could make chilli, and he said "you mean that chilli that you make all the time". Yes... that chilli, but seriously, it is that good!

Chicken chilli:

2 cans chicken stock or broth
2 cans white navy beans
2 cans dices green chilles ( I always add 3 cans for a little more spice)
1 onion, diced and sauted
1 1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin
then I just add a rotisserie chiken that I pull of the bone

heat this until its warmed through and then add:

3/4 milk & 1/4 flour mixed together ( to make it white)

top with tortilla chips and cheese, and its like chicken tortilla soup...

really yummy with cornbread, too!

I know that was random, but I'm getting ready to make it so I thought I would share...

Can't we all be Guitar Hero's?

The wonderful game, Guitar Hero, (and its sequels, Sing Star and Rock Band) have made their way into our home and our hearts.

Even Jackson can't get enough!!!!

Better Late Than Never...

We hope that everyone reading this blog had a wonderful Christmas, and we wanted to share some of our Christmas festivities with you...

Our season started with a quick trip to Washington, DC to see the Chrstmas lights at the Temple, and enjoy some of the sights of the city. It was so much fun despite the fact that it was freezing!!!! We enjoyed spending time at the temple, and were able to visit the Haulocaust Museum and the WWII Memorial. Both so moving and truly amazing. We also enjoyed swimming in the pool at the Marriott. Washington, DC Temple
Jackson LOVED the lights... did I mention it was FREEZING?!
The live nativity at Temple Square...it was really beautiful!

My big boy on the subway with Uncle Dabid

Mom and David spent the holidays with us, and on Christmas Eve I wanted to start a new tradition of making homeade sugar cookies for Santa... we all used our creative energy quite well, and I must say that we all made some good-looking cookies. I know that Santa enjoyed eating them as well... YUMM-O (you'll notice as you read this blog that vocabulary I have picked up from Rachael Ray and Stacey Lodon from "What not to Wear" is rediculous... shut up :)) Aren't they pretty?


I keep forgetting to crop the pictures... sorry... David was quite impressive with his cookie decorating skills... who knew ?!

All Jackson wants for Christmas...

...is cars, cars, cars, cars

For those of you that don't know, Jackson is obsessed with cars in any way, shape, or form. Christmas was filled with excitement as Jackson got more cars than he could wrap his head around- little car toys, big car toys, clothes, shoes chairs, movies, books... you name it, he got it and he still couldn't be happier about it. This car was the hit of Christmas (thank you, Nanay)
These shoes don't come off of his feet until I pry them off so we can venture out in public.

What a wonderful time Christmas was as Jackson filled our home with such excitment and laughter. Everything was new and full of wonder- what a sweet special spirit he has blessed our home with.

Here We Are!!!!

So, we have recently joined the land of the living, and now have a computer with internet access! Who knew how much I had missed having the internet... I realize now that I can never and will never go back to life without the internet...

Rather than join myspace or facebook, I thought it would be fun to have a blog to keep anyone who's interested updated on our excitement filled existence. I'm really excited about this, so hopefully it'll catch on. Since I'm still not as quite as computer literate as I need to be to make this good, please bear with me while I work out all the kinks.

I know that Jackson will be the main source of interest for those of you reading this, so I promise to keep the pictures well updated...

So, here goes... enjoy!