Ten on Tuesday

1. Allergies are the pits!

2. Tomorrow is the first day of September!!! I know its not technically fall just yet, but its close enough for me. I start putting up my fall decor after Labor Day. Only one more week!

3. Another Brad Paisley song = another sappy, crying moment for me. Have you heard his new song yet?

4. And if you listened to the Brad Paisley song you heard the cute part about seeing his son dressed up in his football uniform. Kendry and I took a walk around our neighborhood this evening and saw a pee-wee football practice session. Seeing those skinny little legs and huge helmets is the cutest thing ever! Can you say "top heavy"? Justin and I can hardly wait to start Kendry in pee-wee.

5. I got crafty this last weekend and tackled two more scrapbook pages for Kendry's book. The first is a photo taken by Auntie Andrea (Andrea Lopez Photography) when he was just a month old. The little moon and star patch on the right says: Babies Are Heaven Sent.

The second is his official 1 year old photo.

6. For some reason I have trouble doing my scrapbook pages in chronological order. I still have yet to do my kiddo's first haircut (3 months), his first trip to AK (6 weeks), his first Christmas (7 months), and his first birthday. Wow! I need to schedule a major scrapbooking weekend.

7. Disney Movie Trivia: "Are you achin'? Yup, yup, yup. For some bacon? Yup, yup, yup. He's a big pig. Yup, yup. You can be a big pig too. Oy!"

8. Our home computer, a Dell laptop I purchased when I graduated college in 2003, is definitely on its last legs. A new computer is not really in the budget right now, but it just might have to be.

9. Confession: All my life I have never been able to hula hoop. I think I missed out on the hip-rolling gene.

10. This Week's Blessing: ignoring my horrendously messy house and enjoying an inexpensive, at-home date night with my hubby instead, courtesy of Redbox and Chex Muddy Buddies.

Oh Deer Me!

The other night we watched three young bucks strolling around our neighborhood. These photos were taken out our front window. Having never been a city girl (although I'm sure I could hack it), seeing wildlife out my front window is just another reminder of why I will always prefer country living.

Of course, a few minutes later we discovered that the deer had traveled around to our back yard and were pleasantly feasting on the contents of our small garden. At that point the serene wildlife moment came to an abrupt end as my husband went outside to chase them off.

He was a little too late to save this pumpkin.

Stupid deer!

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..."

If you have been watching the news you know that stem cell research is a hot topic once again - not that it has ever actually ceased to be a hot topic. This week a U.S. District Court Judge issued a ruling that temporarily blocks federal funding for embryonic stem cell research:

In his decision, Lamberth concluded that the two researchers have demonstrated a strong likelihood of success in their argument that the Obama administration's government guidelines violate the intent of the law about federal funding of embryo destruction.

"As demonstrated by the plain language of the statute, the unambiguous intent of Congress is to prohibit the expenditure of federal funds on 'research in which a human embryo or embryos are destroyed,"' the judge wrote.

Having concluded that the law is unambiguous, "the question before the court is whether ESC research is research in which a human embryo is destroyed. The court concludes that it is," Lamberth added.

Federal law explicitly forbids use of taxpayer dollars to destroy a human embryo -- and culling stem cells from an embryo does destroy the embryo. (Fox News)

As I researched this decision I came across this VIDEO HERE on MSNBC. Mind you, I usually defer to Fox News for my information (yes, I am one of those people), but what caught my eye on this video was their footage of the embryonic stem cell research labs. Pay particular attention, if you will, to the visual aids used in this video.

Now, allow me to show you another visual aid which is very dear to my heart:

My photo here certainly resembles some of what you saw in the video, wouldn't you say? This is a photo of our two precious little embryos that were transferred on August 17, 2008.

One did not survive - it is a loss we will always remember.

And the other?

Simply put, he is the light of our lives:

We are also blessed to have one more embryo waiting for us (aka our snowflake).

I don't think I need to tell you where I stand on embryonic stem cell research, nor do I need to voice my thoughts on my tax dollars funding the same.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..."

Jeremiah 1:5

Ten on Tuesday

1. I don't watch many TV programs anymore so perhaps thats why I am so puzzled, but Jersey Shore? Seriously?!

2. But on that note, it is almost premiere time for the few shows I actually do watch.

3. This Week's Blessing: my little boy eating us out of house and home - and that includes eating all his veggies! I'm certain my kiddo has two hollow legs. And if its this bad now I cannot imagine what it will be like in his teenage years. But he is happy, healthy, and growing like a weed. I couldn't ask for more.

4. Okay...so maybe I could ask for the biting phase to cease sometime in the very near future.

5. What is it about having my bathrooms spotlessly clean that makes me feel as though I can conquer the world?

6. GO SEAHAWKS!!

7. Disney Movie Trivia. After last week's toughie I will go easy on you this week:

"Look at this stuff, isn't it neat? Wouldn't ya think my collection's complete? Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything? Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can one cavern hold? Looking around you'd think, "Sure, she's got everything." I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty. I have whoozits and whatzis galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty. But who cares? No big deal. I want more."

8. I find it comical that before I was a parent, when someone else bragged about their kiddo(s) I thought they were probably being just a little over the top. But now that I'm a parent, you should know that when I brag about my own kiddo it is completely accurate and totally justified.

9. And now you know what I was really thinking when you bragged about your kiddo to me.

Just kidding. :)

10. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the $1 store rocks! We recently revamped our budget a little to work toward our next IVF cycle, so its time to get super frugal. And so far I am loving the challenge. Every time I go in that store I am amazed at what I can get for only $1. I do, however, draw the line at 4 rolls of toilet paper for $1 - you know nothing good can come of that so-called bargain.

Whatcha Readin?

If you follow my blog you know that I am currently reading the Twilight series as one of the goals on my Age 30 Bucket List. But what started out as a bucket list goal has quickly become my new addiction. I am officially hooked and I plan to have the fourth book read in time for the premiere of the fourth movie so I can camp outside my local theater in order to get tickets.

Okay, not really. And tickets, plural? Yeah right. Justin may have watched the first two movies with me at home, but there is no way he will pay theater prices to see the saga continue.

But I am enjoying the books. They are a fun, easy read. And I think that sums up all I have wanted to read since Kendry was born: fun, easy, lighthearted books -- with the exception of The Time Traveler's Wife, which I read a year ago. Let me assure you, there was nothing lighthearted about that one.

Parenthood has just made our lives that much busier, so when I do find some down time to read I want it to be something worthwhile.

However, I have also recently taken to Dave Ramsey podcasts -- I find they make my long training runs much more tolerable. On one of the call-ins Dave mentioned that one of his favorite interview questions for a potential employee is to ask about the last book they read. Dave commented that the answer to this question can reveal a lot about the interviewee. He then went on to essentially say, and I'm paraphrasing here, that if you aren't constantly learning in your field you are making yourself expendable. And what better way to learn than to read?

Something tells me that Dave didn't have the Twilight books in mind when he made this statement. Not that I'm bashing this series because I really do love it, but I'm pretty sure the most in-depth discussion I have had over these books is whether you are a Jacob fan or an Edward fan. Pretty deep, right?

Now, if you want to chat with me about The Time Traveler's Wife you had better set aside at least a half hour, because I have some great ponderings on that one.

My point is that we should be constantly striving to learn each and every day of our lives - and not just about the immediate details our our lives either (i.e. marriage, parenting, etc.), although that can be a great starting point. And I'm not trying to knock fiction because I love a good novel as much as the next gal, but its important to get a healthy dose of non-fiction on a regular basis. Need some suggestions? Check out Dave's recommended reading list here.

My new goal is to read at least one non-fiction book each month. I have had a few on my reading list for quite some time now, but without a plan of attack they have simply continued to collect dust on my bookshelf. Not anymore, folks! And to hold myself accountable I am installing "What I'm Reading" on the right side of our blog, so go check it out. My first non-fiction picks are on the topic of parenting. What can I say? I have a very strong-willed toddler on my hands.

Now its your turn: what was the last book you read?