I'm a Pot Hole

Hey! Big news.

Scott agreed to do my pushup challenge with me.

Turns out he actually reads this blog.

He is going to do 2000 also, but he works so much it will be a fair challenge.

He says I should count girl pushups at first cause it's better to do a full pushups than to try to do real pushups and not lower myself far enough...apparently he knows these things.

Maddy is hilarious.

She is so smart.

She had learned to take her diaper off, take it to the kitchen, put it in a grocery bag, then throw it out.

Sounds helpful right?

Nope.

It's a nuisance. Half the time her diapers is brand new, fresh and dry, and she throws it out.

Lille is massive!

In a good, chubby, squishy, chunky way.

She is SO long too.

She is in size 2 diapers, 3-6 months clothes, and has more rolls than the Michelin Man.

I love it!

Oh yes, I'm addicted to Ruzzle.

It's a game on my phone...kinda like Boggle, and you can play against your friends.

I'm weird like that. I love words. 

My brain just figures things out really quickly I guess.

But that stupid game...Gems Free...it's like Bejeweled with numbers and you play against friends...hate that game. It's so stupid. 

Actually I like to play it, but I'm just not good at it.

It takes too much forethought to arrange the jewels rights to get all the bonus points.

I get anxiety when i play that game.

I filed our tax return.

Thank goodness for that.

I think the government should have to pay us interest on our money...I mean, they get our money for an entire year, then at the end of the year if we paid extra, they just give it back. Like...Oops, here is your money. I just found it in my pocket, but I'll give it back now.

But if one of us had the government's money, they'd have a freaking task force spying on us and we'd have to pay 39% interest on whatever we owed. (ok i exaggerate, but still)

What a scam.

Scott hasn't said enough lately to do a whole post, but this morning he said "I think all I did as a kid was listen to country music."

To me, that is hilarious. And probably true.

The man seriously knows the lyrics to EVERY song that comes on the radio. And he knows more country music than a Kicks 101.5 DJ. seriously.

Tomorrow is my first day of pushups. I'll keep up with them and let you know how many we get done.

k bye.

 Oh, and just so y'all get it, when I say "k bye", this is why: 

2000 Pushups

Right now I'm a stay at home mom slash housewife.

I don't really like to say housewife because it makes me think of older women and desperate housewives. 

Heck...I'm only 21. No need to start feeling old yet.

I want to homeschool the girls, so that means spending a good deal of time at home with them.
However, financially (and, let's be honest, for my sanity), I will eventually need to get a job.

My preference is that it be a career.

And I would love to go into law enforcement.

Scott beat me to it, but that doesn't mean I have to give up on it.

Scott's is ok with it for the most part.

He just has a few rules.

It has to be something local, because he isn't going to give up his position here.

That being said, I'm not allowed to work for his agency.

Partly because he already works there, but also because he feels like Albany is particularly dangerous for law enforcement.

He prefers that I look into some smaller agencies in our surrounding counties.

I don't mind. I really want to be a police officer for a few years, then go into crime scene analysis.

I've taken a few classes on it. I love all of it and I'm pretty darn good at it.

So I figure I have a few years of staying home with the girls before Scott is able to help with their schooling. I actually have talked to some couples in law enforcement who homeschool and they just make sure they always work different shifts. They love it.

So I have that few years to get in shape, mentally and physically, to do the job I want to do.

Problem.

I can't even do real pushups. 

That's a requirement for the police academy.

I definitely need to get in shape with my running too, but right now I need something to focus on that doesn't involve dragging the girls around or having to pay a babysitter.

So I'm starting with pushups.

I want to be able to do 40-50 pushups at once without stopping. That's a lot.

So for the month of february, I'm going to do pushups sporadically thorughout the day, every day.

My goal is to have done 2000 by the end of the month.

That's an average of 70 pushups a day. 

It sounds goofy to me, but now that I've told you I'm doing, I would rather do the goofy pushups than face the embarrassment of giving up. 

Hey. It's better than nothing right?

Maybe in March I'll do situps or crunches or something. Then by the time the weather is better, I can move on to running.

Picture Catch Up

Ok.So, first off, I want to brag on Scott a little. 

Also, let me just say that sometimes this is a complaint, but when I really think about it, I'm proud of him.

Anyway, here it is. Scott gets paid every other week. That means a typical paycheck is about 82 hours (that's 80 hours plus any extra he works if he gets stuck on a call when his shift is over).

Last paycheck he got, he had 111 hours. But wait. That's not all.

That same 2 week period he also spent 2 days training with the military, which included a 6 mile march.

He also attended a 4 hour training class (voluntarily, just to be a better cop) for the police department.

He also took the trash out about 15 times. What can I say? we make a lot of garbage.

It doesn't seem like that much when you say it, but really think about it for a minute.

It takes Scott anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour to get ready for work.

He then works a 10 1/2 hour shift.

Then, on top of that, he worked an extra 30 hours (3 days).

Then, he drove to Newnan (3 hours away) for a weekend of training.

Then, on workday ( which means he was supposed to be sleeping so he could work night shift) he went to an optional training class. Then went to work 6 hours later.

All in 2 weeks time. CRAZY!

Ok, I'm finished saying the same thing over and over again.

Now for the stuff you stalk me for.

The past few weeks have been full of excitement. 

You know, staying in the house doing nothing because the weather isn't good enough to take the girls out.

what a blast.

For you convenience, I've documented some of the girls' wonderful activities.

This, my friends, is the Kim face. Both of my girls make it.

Beautiful Chunk.

She is so big! This is a 3-6 month sleeper. It fits her perfectly. She isn't even 3 months yet!

Smile! This is a big deal. He cheeks are so chubby, she usually looks like she is frowning.

Now prepare yourself for some entertainment. Just a few of the many faces of Moo.

I don't even know what this face is. She was probably pitching a fit.

Probably more fit pitching.

This is so cute! Definitely makes her seem older to me.

Watching TV over my head. I'm jealous of those eyelashes. WOW!

She's looking at the TV remote. Probably about to use it as a phone.

Yet another face. I think she was talking in this one.

This one is hilarious to me. She was having a snack and Mickey was still on TV. She was leaning over trying to see around the corner to the TV.

Hallelujah! Her first piggies! They wont reach into just one or two pigtails, so I had to split it up into 3.She wouldn't let me get a good picture from the front but it was so cute!

So there you go.

Garlic, Onions, and My Mama

I love how certain objects in life bring back treasured memories.

The objects come in all shapes and sizes, and the memories take all sorts of forms.

I'm making meatloaf for dinner, and that makes me think of my Grandmother, who makes the best meatloaf. In truth, it's kind of plain and she doesn't use a lot of spices, but when you eat Grandmother's meatloaf, it's something special.

Overalls and Elmer Fudd remind me of my Pawpaw Doug, who was pretty much Elmer Fudd incarnate. I think he may have even said "wascally wabbits" from time to time.

Peppermints remind me of Pawpaw's dog Snoopy, because he would suck all the red stripes off, then stick the peppermints to the back of his car seat (yuck). He told us that Snoopy would eat them, but his back seat had tons of half eaten peppermints.

Pepsi makes me think of my uncle Marty and that pretty much reminds me of my entire childhood because he's one of my favorite relatives and he was very present in my life growing up.

Christmas trees and my stuffed dog "Snowy" remind me of my cousin and best friend Jessy. When we were younger we climbed the tree and knocked it over, and we had identical stuffed dogs. we both still have our dogs and every time we get together we laugh about the Christmas tree.

Trucker's hats make me think of my dad. In all the pictures of him when he was younger, he has long hair that makes him look like a mushroom and a truckers hat perched precariously on top of all the hair.

Fireballs (the candy) make me think of my uncle Barrett because whenever he would visit from Vegas he would always have a huge bag of them to share.

Wine makes me think of my mom. Self explanatory.

But I think that the strongest (and weirdest) attachment that I have is when I'm cooking. When I dice on onion, mince some garlic, sautee it in olive oil and add a bunch of italian herbs, I'm overwhelmed with this delicious mouthwatering aroma. That aroma is like home. That's pretty much what makes me think of my mom. That's one of her favorite things too, and when I start off a meal with that base, I know it will be delicious and reminiscent of my mom's cooking because that's how she taught me. now that I think about it, that's really strange, but appropriate for our family. Most people think of their mom when they smell apple pie or pot roast or homemade pancakes. Not me. Garlic and Onions, baby.

P-Dub Cooking

Lately I have been cooking from my Pioneer Woman cookbook I got for Christmas.

Everything has been delicious so far, and I just want to write a raving recommendation for some of them.

I've made Ranch Style Chicken. Delicious. And easy. Basically just marinade, grill, assemble. 

YUM!

Also, Chicken Bacon Ranch Paninis are fantastic.

By the way, Panini is not a man-food word. I told Scott we were eating paninis for dinner and he huffed and said I better make a few for him cause he was hungry.

Then he barely finished the one I made  him.

 It's very similar to the ranch style chicken recipe.

I changed it up a little and used horseradish mustard instead of dijon.

mmm. I love horseradish.

Tonight we had french toast with berry butter.

Not a huge fan of the chunks of berry cause I'm a weirdo about texture but it was delicious.

I also made hashbrowns that actually turned out decent.

For lunch today I made the mixture for PW's make ahead breakfast muffins, which is like egg salad with some extras like bacon. Instead of making the muffins, though, I just had a sandwich.

delicious.

All of these recipes are on the PW website. 

Her recipes are amazing.

Except you have to break out a calculator to figure out the measurements cause her recipes are for like...39 servings and I only need 2 or 3 servings.

Anyway, this week we are also going to have PW's layer salad, which isn't really anything special or creative. It's pretty self explanatory. Take all your favorite salad toppings and layer them in a big clear bowl. Lettuce, spinach, boiled eggs, bacon, cucumbers, tomatoes, croutons, raw veggies, cheese, and then top it with your favorite dressings mixed with either sour cream or mayo to keep it from dripping through on everything and getting soggy. 

PW is awesome!

Enough Said

I pledge allegiance to Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

My Little Scooter

One of the scariest things about Scott becoming a police officer was all of the advice/warnings.

A ridiculously high percentage of police marriages end in divorce.

Every time he walks out the door, his life is at risk.

Being a police wife is one of the most difficult things. Blah Blah Blah.

Honestly, I can say that the people who have all of those issues probably had them before the law enforcement profession. I can see where the divorce rate might come in, because if you don't have a strong foundation before hand, being married to a cop will definitely rip you apart.

Buy the truth is, the most difficult thing to deal with is the crazy schedule. Every 4 months, he changes shifts. And instead of 8 hour shifts, they're 10.5 hour shifts, which makes for really odd sleeping patterns. 

I forget what day it is on a regular basis.

Right now, he works nights which means he is gone from 9pm until about 8 am.

That means I go to bed around 10, can't sleep because he's not there, wake up when he gets home at 8, doze until Maddy wakes up, and then spend the entire day trying (and failing) to keep the house quiet while he tries to sleep.

The dangerous side of his job doesn't bother me all the time. It's usually isolated incidents. 

Like when he works 2 hours overtime and wont answer his phone.

Or when I'm on the phone with him and all of a sudden I hear the emergency tone on his radio, he says a few choice words, I hear his car engine almost explode because he just accelerated to 115 miles and hour, and he hangs up. And then wont answer his phone for hours. That's some scary crap cause it usually means there's a burglary in progress or another officer needs help. So far, my fears have been unfounded.

There are plenty of awesome things about his job that far outweigh the bad parts.

For example, his uniform. The man can wear a uniform, let me tell ya.

Actually, I wont tell you cause it might inspire some inappropriate feelings.

We aren't rich, but he provides for all of us while I stay home with the girls. He'll always be underpaid, but he'll always make it work for us.

. This job has helped him realize that he CAN. 

 He has so much more confidence in himself, and that's sexy as heck.

I read a report he wrote the other day and was blown away at how well he writes, because 6 months ago he thought he would never be able to write a paragraph well or take a test and ace it.

He is super entertaining when he's on the job. He wears a bluetooth while on duty and occasionally I get butt dialed and get to listen in on a traffic stop or him talking to other officers.

It's hilarious when he doesn't know I'm listening.

And people get hysterical and start begging and acting crazy.

One time I was listening and Scott pulled a young guy over for running a stop sign.

Scott went through his whole procedure of getting the guys info, writing the ticket blah blah blah then he said "Sir, I'm giving you a ticket today for failing to stop at that stop sign." 

The kid (with lots of attitude and teenage angst) said "Nah."

Not like  a sad, disappointed, I can't believe I did that "Nah."

Like, he was telling Scott he wasn't gonna get a ticket.

Scott was like "Excuse me? What'd you just tell me?" I thought he was gonna whoop the kids butt. Apparently the guy thought so too cause he said "Yessir. Where do I sign?"

Sometimes is really strange to me that Scott is a police officer now. Other times I feel like he's never been anything besides a police officer. He's one of those people who really has a passion for what he does, one of the few who finds a job that's not work.

Most people spend a lifetime trying to find their passion and few succeed, at least not in the way that Scott has. I am so proud of him. 

He's always been told he wasn't smart enough, that he'd never go to college or get a good job. 

I don't know where people get off saying that to anyone.

So what if he doesn't have a degree. He's 22 years old and has a career. And no student debts.

So all you haters can back off...go spread your jealousy somewhere else. Please.

 This was a really long post, but my point is that I'm happy and proud to be a Police Officer's wife.

Pictures

These are from the last two weeks or so. Some may be repeats of what I posted before.

Rednickisms 2

(Scott's version) = (English Word)

Sway = Suede
The King Ranch Ford trucks has leather and sway on the seats! (true life, he said that actual sentence)

They's = there is 

(ex- they's a pig in my truck)

D.O. = deodorant
Gimme some D.O. for my B.O. (He says that all the time in several different variations)

Saul = saw 

( ex- i saul you at the store)

~ he just said to me "well, Kim, I meant to do it on purpose" ~ 

voucher = vulture
It got ate up by one of those voucher things, or whatever you call them. (He said that about one of  the feral cats that roam around Albany)

maintance = maintenance
He doesn't say this one so much as write it. I guess it's just a spelling thing. He knows how to say it out loud.

Last but not least, a few days ago we were playing Draw Something against each other and her drew me a picture of a piece of paper with the names "Obama" and "Bush" with check boxes next to them. I entered the word "BALLOT". Incorrect. Lucky for me, I know the hubs so well i changed my guess to "BALLET". Got it right. I guess I can't make too much fun of him since I guessed the word, after all. 

I guess I blinked

Whoa.

The new year has already gotten away from me.

I can't believe we're two weeks into 2013.

I haven't written anything lately because I've had nothing to write about. 

But I do have some updates now. Nothing exciting but still.

Maddy weighs 23.5 lbs.

And she is getting skinny cause she is so tall. It's crazy. 

Lillee weighs 14 lbs.

Yeah. She is a chunk.

She's only 11 weeks.

FaceTime is stupendous.

It really confuses Maddy.

Heck. It confuses me a little.

I need to work on my people skills.

People just make me angry.

I guess I should realize by now how people are, but I just bumble along in my naivete thinking, for whatever reason, that people might change.

Right.

Ha.

Hmm, what else would you like to know?

Our carpets need to be cleaned because Maddy thinks eating a banana requires mushing a bite into the carpet.

I'm way behind on laundry because I hate matching socks. I hate it so much that both of our laundry baskets were completely full on unmatched socks until this morning. It took about 45 minutes to go through them.

Now I am getting the laundry done=]

I'm  making fried chicken tenders, potato salad, cornbread, and beans for dinner.

Talk about southern.

Don't worry, we'll go through almost a whole gallon of sweet tea too.

I think I'll also post some more of Scott's funny sayings today. 

Tomorrow I'll update pictures of the girls. 

I have a bunch that I haven't had time to upload to the computer yet.

ok. bye.

Resolution

Tonight I cooked The Pioneer Woman's Ranch Style Chicken. It was quite delicious. I also made her chocolate chip cookies. Also delicious.

I got her cookbook for Christmas. There are so many awesome recipes that I want to try but my budget is apparently a smudge tighter than hers.

So I am stuck with one or two recipes per week. I would love to cool nothing but PW recipes. Oh well.

I have also made her beef stew which was to die for.

And her Crash Hot Potatoes are fun and easy and delicious.

Am I sounding obsessed yet? Truth is, I want to BE the PW, except married to Scott with Moo and Chunk. But the rest of life is pretty awesome ... Huge ranch, horses and cows, hound dogs, kids running around, not to mention she is an awesome cook.

Does that count as a new year resolution? To become PW?

Makes Me Happy

Ready. Set. Go.