Turkey Day

Ahhh...turkey day! It is one of my most favorite holidays for many reasons. The Carpenter family always gets together on Turkey Day. We are large, loud, and loving family. We get together a have GREAT food...my family can cook like no other family. Then we all sit around talk, scream laughing, and talk about how fat we are after all the food we ate. Then usually by that time we start grazing again...I love it! All the kids are running around and we compare who looks like who. The are so many us that it's funny to see that our kids look like other members of the family. The big kids take care of the little kids and us Mom's sit around with the Carpenter Family Gift of Gab. We all love each other and love each others kids. No matter what is going on in our lives...we know we are family and are there for each other. Then after the food starts to settle and the men are getting sleepy...them we get down to business...the sale ads. That's serious stuff...the kids have strict instructions unless they are bleeding profusely (no scrapes or small amount of blood) or there is a blazing fire...DO NOT interrupt the shopping plans. Every year, I'm the crazy fool that is lined up at 4am running through stores like a mad woman. One year, I took my Dad, that is whole other story. Still to this day, he wets his pants in a large crowd. HAHA! Just Kidding! To much of my disappointment...I did not shop this year. Baylee has out grown the toys. Michael and I are planning to build a house...so no major purchases for us yet. So, it saddens me to say that an era has come to an end...no more mad, wild eyed, crazy shopping for me. Black Friday was not the same without me...

Facebook

The whole Internet social networking thing is wonderful. I am self confessed addict. I love my facebook account and the fact that I have reconnected with so many people from "way back." I love to come home after a stressful day at work and log in and see what is going on with all of my facebook friends. This week I have died laughing at the pictures from high school that were posted, what were we thinking wearing that?? Needless to say, I love my Facebook. Baylee has been relentless about having a facebook account for months. I finally gave this past week and set it up for her, with strict rules! I watch the creepy Dateline shows about men preying on young girls. Therefore, Baylee has the highest privacy available on facebook. The rule is that I have to have her password at all times or the account is deleted. She agreed and the account was created. Within 24hours, Baylee had about 25 friends. She LOVED it! Well, Friday night Baylee went to a slumber party. I just couldn't resist getting in her account and being silly...headlining that her Mom was the "coolest Mom ever." Thanks to Amy...she reminded that I was acting like my mother use to with me. I could have died of embarrassment back in those days. I don't want Baylee to be embarrassed by me....I'm the cool mom, right? I am a young hip Mom that has a Facebook like my daughter. Not like my mother who gets frustrated even turning on the computer, much less navigating herself around the Internet. The generation gap is not that big between Baylee and myself, right? Well, to the point of this blog entry. I was drinking my yummy pumpkin spice coffee this morning snuggled up with my hubby and looking at my facebook, I noticed I had a friend request. Then I nearly choked to death on my coffee...my friend request was from.....MY MOTHER!! OMG! (That is O My Goodness(sort of), mom!) What is the world coming to?? God help us all...I now know what Baylee feels like!

Love and Throw-up

I know that I always start my blog entry with how busy are little family stays. I can't stress that point enough. We are all going 90 to nothing in different ways. We love it though. Baylee is such a great kid and is doing so much in school. I am so proud of her. She is really growing up and turning into a fabulous young woman. She helps me so much around the house now that I am back to work. We had a laundry lesson this week. Although, I did limit her clothes washing to towels and t-shirts. (I don't need pink work clothes.) The point of this blog is that now matter how big they get, when they are sick, they want their Mommy. After I finally hit the pillow the other night, I woke up about midnight to Baylee hollering. Dazed and confused, Michael and I came tearing out of our bedroom to finding her throwing-up on her bedroom floor. (all over our brand new carpet..yeah!) I won't give all the yucky details...but the sweetest thing happened. Michael was cleaning up the mess...I realized how much I loved my hubby. It was midnight and my hubby was on his hands and knees scrubbing carpet without hesitation. It was such a sweet example of how much Michael loves Baylee. I even have a hard time with yucky vomit. We finally got everything all settled down again and back to bed we all went. The next morning
as we were getting dressed, Michael leaned over and whispered,"Don't tell Baylee, but that was the grossest thing I have ever done!" Hahaha, I laughed! Then I said...Welcome to Parenthood! I love my hubby! I know that Michael loves Baylee and he will always take good care of her...

Silent prayer

What a week it has been for our little family! Monday was my one year wedding anniversary. Michael and I woke up feeling so blessed to have spent a great year as husband and wife. Since it was a workday for us...we had a date at Zea's. We had the chance to enjoy a quiet and romantic dinner. I just want to say that I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and pray for a lifetime of happiness. Baylee is still busy with school. She tried out for the basketball team and decided that she really wanted to focus on her grades and swimming. (she did make the team) She decided that she did not want to take a place on the team when she did not feel passionate about playing. We are going to get through the holidays and start swimming after the holidays. My work is really proven really challenging. It is something totally new that I am having to learn. I am always up for a challenge. Time...everything comes with time. That is what I keep reminding myself. I am having to go out of town a week in December. So, please keep us in your prayers that we all have a smooth transition with my travels. Then we get to the election...let's just say that it is a very sore subject with Michael. That is all I am going to say about that! Please if you see Michael...don't bring it up. I can't take anymore...haha! Last thing...I have a silent prayer. Something has been placed on our hearts that would change our life forever. We are just sitting patiently by and allowing God do his work if it is his will. I find it interesting how life could change in a moment in ways that we could never imagine. So please continue to pray for Michael and I for the open mind and knowledge we need in this situation.

Call 911

It is amazing how quickly life can change in a instant. I had gotten home from work and changed into my old yucky non-matching pj's and started to cook dinner. Baylee jumped in the tub and we were going through our nightly routine. The next thing I know there was beating on my door and my doorbell was going crazy. It that instant I knew something was wrong but at the same time I thought what am I about to get into? I heard a baby crying and choking....I thought it was my favorite baby that lives across the street. I flung open the door and the next thing I know it was my other neighbor screaming and crying her baby was choking. Ten years of nursing, I have seen a lot. This was different. I was not in the hospital were there was help, my daughter was watching, and it was all up to me to save this baby. The baby coughed a few times(which your are suppose to let them do..it is when they stop that you intervene.) By this time I am doing back thrusts on this 16 month old baby and realize he has stopped breathing in my arms. I flipped him over and he was turning blue. His mom said she thought it was popcorn. I had a split second to decide to try to swipe his throat and risk logging it further in his throat. I swipe his throat and felt way down that it was popcorn and managed to get it dislodged. Please understand that this whole ordeal lasted about 3 minutes. But in that 3 minutes, Baylee managed to get the phone and call 911 and had an ambulance on the way. The baby took a large and deep breath and started to cry again. I have never been so relieved in all my life. I thought that baby might have taken his last breath in my kitchen and in front my daughter and his mother. By the time the ambulance got to my house, the baby was smiling and running around the house. I was in heap in my living room floor. I know without a shadow of a doubt that God had his hand on me and gave me the guidance to know exactly what to do. I was so proud of Baylee and the fact that she stayed so calm. When it was all over, she hugged me and told me that I was a hero...her hero. It was so sweet. She realized what a responsibility it is to start baby-sitting and what could happen. Needless to say, I am retired at the neighborhood nurse and little Diego (the baby) is doing great!