Toddler Songs: A Video Post

Continued List of Things I LOVE:

Sydni singing.
Along with the alphabet, twinkle twinkle little star, "you are my sunshine," and random renditions of happy birthday[?], she sometimes comes out with entirely new material. These are my favorites, since most of them are just her putting a tune behind whatever she's thinking.

And, if you've ever been a parent to a 3-year-old, you know quite well that those thoughts are ... the best. Haha. Today, she saw a picture of "Mister Rob" and myself, and told me she wanted to sing him a song. She grabbed the laminated guitar chord reference chart off the table and jumped right in... to this. (:

 



Speaking of funny toddler things... I found these gems on YouTube, and I just have to share. [*These are not my property, but....] They are hilarious. Enjoy (:


And another... This one made me laugh if for no other reason than the line, "Ok, but maybe just I can have one more..." It's totally toddler lingo and it's adorable [when they're 3, mind you].


And lastly, a newer one they posted, which I found particularly funny because it puts a new perspective on how, as a parent, there is literally NO question that is off limits. Looking back on just the past 3.5 years with Sydni, I just realized how many questions I've shamelessly asked... in public... out loud. Hahaha.


There ya have it. I'm as happy as can be here on the couch with my little songbird, giving long distance dedications and laughing along with other parents who've manifested their talents into exposing the humor behind communicating with mini's.

P.S. - Tomorrow is FRIDAY!
P.P.S. - My parents are coming to visit this weekend. I... am... super stoked! 

*Yawn.. I'm out.

xo | cmd

VIDEO POST

So it's the middle of the week, and in typical form, it was a wild day at the office. I don't know what it was about the day, but I was determined to make it a good one. It really was, too; I am especially thankful today for the friends I have, for the boyfriend I have, and above all for my incredible daughter, who each day reminds me what it really means to love something more than I ever thought I could.

[[ //end sentimental rant... haha]]

Ali & Marianne came over for dinner tonight; combined with Stella, that made for a house full of female energy. Rob stopped through for a little while and quickly made the choice to leave the estrogen party and find his inner dude out with Kyle. Haha. We didn't mind; that just meant more pasta for us! :P

Ali and I ended up on a YouTube attack, finding all sorts of videos to entertain us for the evening. [We went this route to avoid doing anymore actual thinking; we do enough of that during the day, and so] here are a few of the gems I watched tonight. Fine, I'm a YT junkie sometimes.


ENJOY!


PAINT | "After Ever After: A Disney Parody explaining the truth behind princess life after the movie ends. Hilarious. Political, but hilarious.


Pentatonix | Who loves acapella? I DO. I happen to love these guys, and to add to it, Lindsey Stirling is an aaaaamazing addition to this lineup.


Lindsey Stirling | I just said she's amazing. She's super talented; I especially appreciate artistic cross-overs by people who can walk and chew gum simultaneously. In Lindsey's case, it's dancing while playing violin. Yeah,... I'm jealous.


Cirque du Soleil contortionists from Kooza [Natasha, Julia & Dasha] | Always one of my favorites. I love Cirque productions [which reminds me, I need to drag Rob with me to one], and whenever I get into a Cirque video mode, it might as well just be a marathon. I'm addicted.

*Sigh. The girls just left and I am calling this one a night. Yay for a mindless videolog (:

See. You. Blogbots. TOMORROW!

xo | cmd

Pitch Perfect!

Every so often, I have one of those days that really just doesn't start on the right foot. It's not so much like the old coinage "waking up on the wrong side of the bed" as it is the entire bed collapsed, flipped over, and dumped me into the toilet. Sounds weird, but if I had to guess, I'd say we've all been there at least once.

Well, good news is, I didn't have one of those mornings today.
Bad news is, poor Ali did... sorta.
Ali got in a fender bender on her way in [thankfully she's okay]; her poor car is another story, but she's okay. I totally understand the frustration behind starting your day off that way, so it made me feel less guilty about having a decent morning when we decided we'd meet up after work to go see Pitch Perfect.

See, Ali's boyfriend is a manager at The Lincoln in downtown Belleville. He met up with us for a moment at Panera St. Louis Bread Co. [excuuuuse me] before we made a stop for gelato [hi, Bulent!] and settled in for our final stop at the theater.

I didn't really know what to expect from this movie, but it was..... hilarious. It could've had a lot do with the fact that Ali is absolutely excellent company [toooooo.funny], because by the time we left, we were both nursing side-pangs from laughing through the entire film.

**SPOILER ALERT**


You all know I'm a sucker for vocal competition, harmonies & arrangements. That, and stupid movies like this have always been a ridiculous vice of mine. To top it off, I think Anna Kendrick is the cutest little thing with a stellar voice, and Rebel Wilson is... well, she's Rebel Wilson and you can't help but laugh at her unabashed candor on film.

I said all that to say that I'm glad to have been a part of the upswinging part of Ali's day - hopefully the car situation is resolved soon and everything gets back into working hours.

If I see this movie again within the next couple weeks, well.... yeah. (:

xo | cmd

When I Grow Up, I'm Gonna Sing Soul

I used to think I could sing.
And then I watched this.
I think I'm gonna be a singer... when I grow up ;)


Talent!

Oh, yeah, as for the rest of Monday... well.. it's been a Monday for sure and we'll just leave it at that. It was a good day, all things considered :)

xo | cmd

Farewell for Now, 'Nati :|

[#backdated.entry]

Did I mention it's amazing to be visiting back home? Well, you should've gathered by now that it's incredible seeing familiar faces, going to old favorite hangouts, venturing into new places that didn't exist when I last lived there, and above all realizing that I am still home in Cincinnati.

We visited our old church for the service this morning, not realizing it was a baptism Sunday. Andrea Jones and one of the youth girls made their show of faith with Pastor Poe today, and it was a blessing for us to be witnesses to the event. Congratulations!


baptisms @ new harmony!
congratulations, andrea!!

Another thing I dearly miss about New Harmony is hearing Julie sing each week. There are some people who can "sing" [I sometimes fit into that category], and then there are people who can SING. Julie is the latter, among the ranks of say, Trish here at Towerview. She picked a great song, too; definitely not a shabby Sunday to be at New Harmony!


julie singing - beautiful!

After church, we made a quick stop by Mindi's, who was our full time in-home daycare gal whenever we still lived in Cincinnati. Since Sydni is scheduled to stay a week with Joe's mom, she'll be spending the weekdays at Mindi's while Sandy's working. It was incredible to see them again, to catch up, but ultimately to know that Sydni is going to in good hands all around while I'm back in Illinois. 

love love love & LOVE her.

It was then off to It's Just Crepes downtown to rendezvous with Jimmy & Mo -- WAIT A MINUTE! Aren't you in Cincinnati still?! -- << I know, right?! As it so happened, Mo's sister lives up here, and she got married yesterday, too. That put the Prescotts on our turf on the same weekend we were scheduled to be here, so of course we wanted to show them around some of our favorite spots. Oh, and I did their maternity pictures, too! I can't show you those just yet, because they've still not seen them. Nothing personal, and don't worry, I'll have them up soon. I can however, give you a glimpse of the best photographer's assistant, ever... Haha.

*sigh.
So obviously this is backdated, but the good news is, I'm back safe and sound in Illinois and getting ready to take on the week sans husband and child. Holy smokes.. I may actually get this place clean after all! ;)

And
heeeeeere

we.... GO.

xo | cmd

Whitney: 1963-2012

Today we all say a final farewell to a music icon.

whitney | 1963 - 2012

I’m not one for paying homage to every celebrity once they’ve passed, but Whitney Houston is one of those personalities I admired for a long time. It wasn’t necessarily because of her personal trials, but because of her undeniable talent and impact she had on the musical industry and artists that have appreciated her work over the past few decades. She was a musical genius. I of course never knew her personally, but my heart goes out to those affected by today’s event.



decorative skills.. thanks, husband ;)



raiding the stickers

In a lighter regard, aside from that disappointing news, today was the epitome of a full-on laaaazy, bum day. I love it. We started it off with cereal, and that was about as far as it got. The rest of the day was spent lazing around the house and soaking up the agenda of absolutely nothing. It certainly wouldn’t qualify as exciting, but it’s a refreshing break from the revolving guest door that is our house most weekends. I love visitors, so I think the frequency of preparing the house, food, and entertainment makes the down weekends that much sweeter.

Time to hang with the fam.

Adios!

xo | cmd

Eve of Christmas, 2011

dad & syd

ONE MORE DAY!!

I'm so excited for Christmas. It's not the gift exchange part I'm most anticipating, but the fact that we have a gorgeous home this year, and tomorrow, we're going to pack it full of some of our family and close friends. I know what it's like to spend the holiday away from family, so I feel honored that some of our friends and fellow military families are going to be here tomorrow in lieu of traveling far out of the state to see theirs.

Today was beautiful. We were able to spend breakfast together as a family before Heidi and Paul headed out to head to Kansas to see Paul's family. Mom and I made a trip to the grocery store to get ready for tomorrow, and did some last, last minute shopping.

When we got back to the house, I let my parents talk me into something I nearly regretted. When I was a kid, my parents were just like so many other parents in history who were dedicated to capturing every available memory on video. It doesn't sound that bad now, but I'd both forgotten how awkward I looked in my pre-teen years, and that I was absolutely a bit crazy. Since the original videos were trapped inside a little 2x2" black cassette, they'd been laying dormant for the last 15 or so years in a box under my parents' television. As it turns out, my mom had them transferred recently onto DVD's, making for both instant and easy access.

Greaaaaat........



Christmas present from my mom to us:
handmade watercolor portrayal of family, faith, and future.



So they thought they'd bring them and we'd watch. I chose one that I thought would provide the least amount of embarrassment for me, and we popped it in. I was flashed back to Christmas 1994: I was 10. That meant I was still in my super-curly hair stage, but moreso had gone with a short haircut. I looked like a poodle. Couple that with goofy kid behavior and and you've got me, fresh out of bed on Christmas day squeeling over a remote-controlled Barbie car. Haha.

Fast forward to the next set of transferred clips, a few years later. I was 13, and just as every bit silly, only this time wtih braces, complete with mult-colored neon rubber bands. Oh, man. I was cool.



sydni setting the table for dinner!



That's how we spent our day. Revealing as those home videos may have been, it was quality time spent with my family. Besides, one day down the road, I'll have the same type of videographic footage with which I will thoroughly embarrass Sydni and any other children who wind up in the perhaps unfortunate grasp of my creative parental endeavors. Haha.

I sang a song by MercyMe for the Christmas Eve service at church, titled Joseph's Lullaby. It's a really beautiful song, and I'd like to say that I thought of singing it on my own, but I have to lend the credit to Jarod for suggesting this one. It went off with minimal pitch issue, even though it was a bit of a range stretch for me.



an early Christmas present for sydni!



We ended the evening by opening one gift; that was the custom in my house growing up and it continues here :).

Santa's coming tonight, if you didn't hear ;)

xo | cmd

If You Want Me To

The pathway is broken, and the signs are unclear.

And I don't know the reason, why you brought me here.
But just because you love me, the way that you do,

I will walk through the valley, if you want me to.

Because I'm not who I was, when I took my first steps,

and I'm clinging to the promise, you're not through with me yet.

So if all of these trials bring me closer to you,

then I will go through that fire, if you want me to.

Though it may not be the way, I would have chosen,

when you lead me through a world, that's not my home

But you never said it would be easy.
You only said I'd never go alone.

So when the world turns against me, and I'm all by myself,

and I can't hear you answer my cries for help.

I'll remember the suffering your love put you through,

and I'll go through the valley if you want me to.

***

I sang that in church today, and the more I think about that song , its lyrics, and its ultimate meaning, the more I love it. This is such a powerful song, and I am so glad that I had the opportunity to share this with my Towerview family. Ginny Owens is one of my favorite Christian singers, and this song was perfect for me today.

***

After church, we headed out to Eckert's with the Page family for lunch, and then back to their house for a short little visit. Sydni absolutely loves her time with Miss Carlee and Miss Loralye, if for no other reason than the fact that she gets spoiled beyond belief when she's there. 

See that girl there?
That's her throne that was set up for her by the Page girls; she soaked up every minute of having her very own special seat on the couch - complete with headrest, footrest, and personal blanket.

So silly. :)

Sundays are beautiful. They really are.

xo | cmd

Transform [Ya]

No, not the Chris Brown song.

Two reasons I say that:

1. Today I sang Adie Camp’s Sufficient, and while it was far from perfect, I managed to transform it into a much better rendition than the first time I attempted it back at New Harmony in May. [no? Fine.. it was lame, I know.]

2. We watched Transformers 3 today, in the theater, for almost 3 full hours. I wanted to transform the movie into 90 condensed minutes, and transform us out of the theater.

 

And yes, I know there’s a B up there. I swear I didn’t do that on purpose; my computer likes to say whatever it wants sometimes, and that’s what it gave me just now. Quirky glitch, that one…. *sigh.

I think I just said most of today up there. After our conversation on Friday at dinner, Pastor Ron convinced me this song would be perfect for the service today, and I couldn’t have been more flattered by the suggestion. If I can use a gift for spreading the message, by all means, I’m all for it. Not to mention, I have a blast when I’m doing it.

And what’s a hot summer day without frozen custard?
Well, I guess it would be a hot summer day without frozen custard. Silly question. BUT, today was fortunate to have us plug in a little cool-down in the middle of another blazing hot day. Jarod rode the bike over to meet us for that, and then the three of us hit the movie theater for a matinee of Transformers 3.

I’m a sucker for Transformers movies. I am not, however, a sucker for sitting there for about 3 hours to watch one. Oh well. It was still decent.

Post movie, it was back home to unwind and settle in for the night. Back to work tomorrow, week 2!

xo | cmd

Midweek Message

Usually, when I’m feeling that sense of being stressed out start to creep over me, it doesn’t take long for God to step in and alleviate those tingling worries. This is my second day of work at the new Express office, and already I’m feeling quite overwhelmed by the fact that literally every little detail of processing daily operations is performed differently here, and not necessarily in a way with which I agree.

The downside of being trained by a developer is that now I have ridiculously high standards for others who probably aren’t following protocol.

Soooo, with that being said, I also met another enemy [for now, at least] today:

nasty coworker.



Meet the Avaya phone system. This little jerk invention here would be fine functioning in a household, but not in a business – at least not the model & setup we have. His name is Avaya 5410, and as of today, we are not coexisting well. Rumor has it, he’s made enemies with most of the other staff here, too. Well then.

Anyway, with work frying my brain to near crispy, I went home and joined the husband and we headed across the backyard to church for our first dose of Wednesday evening church service here at Towerview.

Pastor Ron did a great job. His message this upcoming Sunday is going to be based around the song I presented to him last night at dinner. It’s very flattering to have that kind of recognition, and apparently I’m in line to sing this Sunday. Talk about a welcome!

Guess it’s time to dig out that accompaniment track…

xo | cmd

Joe is Licensed into Ministry!

Our plans for the next 3+years, in a rough draft:

-         Joe finishing his BA through the Air Force

-         Joe going into Seminary school

-         Cori starting her master’s

That middle one is the one we celebrated today.

Our church decided they would be the licensing support behind Joe when he makes that step into seminary school. We’re honored that they would do that for us. It’s a rather big deal, but I’m confident that Joe will make New Harmony proud

licensing | sydni & ellie- matching ♥

Joe’s mom, KP & Sam, and Mike & Phyllis made appearances to show their support. Oh, and I sang today. Totally butchered it, but hey- rather do that on my own that at someone’s wedding ;) Oh, and Katrina had gotten Sydni and Ellie matching dresses. It was completely darling.

sufficient | adie camp

After church, we ate Goldstar for the last time for a long while. We headed home to pack the rest of our stuff before heading over to the Powell house for a bit. It was a good night, with some great people.

push ups and laughs at the powell house

 

Tomorrow’s Memorial Day. Let’s stay mindful!

 xo | cmd

Mr. & Mrs. Rekitzke!

9:00 AM: Hair appt. at Regency.
Q: How many students does it take to french braid?

A: 5.

Haha. At least it got done, and that + ½ can of hairspray + 47 hair & bobby pins later it was a done deal. KP, Brittany, and the lovely bride Linda all got some fancy work done as well, and it didn’t turn out half bad at all. Kudos, Regency students!

9:15 AM: Joe dropped Sydni off with our Pastor’s family for her last weekend sleepover there for quite a while.

10:30 AM: Run-through of both songs with the DJ and one.wired.mic. Oh boy. Not to worry, though- we made it happen.

11:15 AM: Get ready, fast. Yeah, it didn’t start until noon, but you’re talking a bride + three girls in one bathroom doing everything except hair.

12:00 PM: GO. <3



congratulations to linda & pete!!

best friend :)



I’m happy to say both songs went off without a hitch, and we partied our little hearts right out until 4:30 PM. Haha. Then it was home to take a nap [we’re old folk now, apparently] before our 7PM group reservation at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse.



Mark Ballas | Dancing With the Stars



Oh yeah. Celeb sightings at the Boathouse. Mark from DWTS

After dinner, we stopped at Rob’s to play spoons, with a twist. Instead of drinking as a consequence for losing a round, it was something sufficiently worse: eating a piece of week-old smurf-blue frosted angel food cake. It’s a dangerous game when you’ve got Brittany and Joe in the finals with blue cake on the line. It was hilarious.

brittany. rob. kara. cameron. jess. tim. cori. joe. nathan. kalyn. sam.
|| after hours at rob's ||



Anyway, weekend’s not over just yet: Tomorrow’s another big day!

xo | cmd

Midweek Madness!

This is a free public service announcement:

If you’re getting married, and need A) your dress hemmed, and/or B) wedding singer(s), KP & Cori are your one-stop matrimonial Macgyvers. Be sure to book in advance, especially if you live anywhere other than Phoenix, AZ or St. Louis, MO. J

Yeah.

So tonight we made final touches to THE DRESS [dun dun dunnnn] for Saturday’s ceremony. In the most humble manner I can, let me just say that it looks daggone good for two people who reaaaaally were kinda just wingin’ it. 

finished!

However, the songs are coming along quite well; we take singing way more seriously. I think we’ve been on these songs now for about a month +, so if we bomb them, I may go into hiding. 



Look At Me | Carrie Underwood
Because You Love Me | Jo Dee Messina

Joe comes in town tomorrow for the weekend, and the wedding folk traveling in from around the U.S. are trickling in as well. Praying for travel mercies!

xo | cmd

Practice Makes... Better!

This is definitely already proving to be quite the eventful week. [[ I love it! ]]

Today I met up with Kalyn at my church [[free plug:: New Harmony Baptist | Milford, OH ]] to do a few quick runs through the two songs we're to be singing this upcoming Saturday at her mom's wedding. I am so honored to be a part of that day with them, and I have to thankthankTHANK Laura & Adam for stopping out to help us for a bit before their evening plans.

I just have to share something else today that makes me not just proud, but impressed, excited, and grateful.

One of the greatest people I've ever met is doing something wonderful this weekend.
He is my husband, and he is an extraordinary person. To catch everyone up a bit: Joe has been working unbelievably hard to become successful in his field of weather forecasting for the US Air Force. Along the way, he's managed to hold roles such as dorm chief at Basic Training, and Red Rope at Tech School. Throughout my visits, I was amazed by how many people rely on him for advice, information, and support. He is willing to give all of those to the best of his ability without thinking twice.

He is my husband..... and that is why I am so proud that this weekend, our church has voted to license him into the ministry. This means that he will have the supportive backing of our church when he starts the required training for a pastoral position in ministry. This is a huge step, and I couldn't be any more proud of his dedication and where his heart is. I hope that all the people along the way who helped plant seeds in his heart to study and learn to love our God know how much they are appreciated. We as a family are embracing the directions of both Air Force life and ministry work.. Please keep praying for us along the way!!

SO yeah... like I said, very eventfulweek ahead:
1. - Wedding this Saturday.
1.5 - [songs x2, dress prep!]
2. - Church & Joe's licensing
2.5 - [practice song for church service, too!]
3. Moreno diet, still goin' strong!
[*excited*]

xo | cmd

Temperamental Little Monday | MM7

Oh my good gracious, it was BEAUTIFUL outside all day today! It was a welcome breath of fresh air and sunshine to replace the dreary curtain of rain that's been hanging out here lately.

After work, I stopped to find a song to sing this Sunday at church. I found one [secret :) ] and also ended up snagging this little number. It's a little pop-ish for my taste, but she's got a great voice that's within my range, and many of her songs would be a good fit for singing during a service. I haven't made it all the way through the album yet, but it's decent so far.

I found myself afterwwards at Kalyn's doing the dinner thing with her and her family, and we finally sat down to tackle the task of hemming the dress for her mom's wedding [this Saturday]. I am very honored that she's entrusting her garb to our artistic interpretation of a seamstress. We are the wedding Macgyver's and we are on a friggin' roll!

1. Hem dress. 2. Learn songs [x2]. 3. Don't bomb songs on Saturday.

Oh yeahhhh.. You've gotta admit, we're ok when it comes to improvising. All you need is a little fabric tape, scissors, a sewing machine, and a box cutter. Don't ask about the box cutter. Ha. :)

Anywho, also had to stop for a minute to admire the abrupt change in the weather. There was enough buzz all night about possible tornado activity in the area, but all we saw was some rain and ominous clouds.

Not a bad kick-off to the week!

xo | cmd

Satursinusday. MM15. Allyn's, too!

Mabuhay, weekend!

cottage cheese | fruit | almonds | spoon = enjoying♥

-- Did another sinu-cleanse/neti syringe this morning. I'm happy to report it was far less gruesome than the first round, and offered about 2 hours of "better" before whatever I've got going on up there came back to sit. [[ I'm imagining myself as a robot with a little alien the height of a pencap sitting in the control room that is my sinuses just pressing buttons and pulling levers unabashedly. He's a mean little guy, that guy. He might even resemble the little Mucinex guy. Who knows anymore. ]] And yes, I know I should lay off all dairy products until I get this straightened out, but it's day 15 of the Moreno deal, and I don't regret it. Not yet :)



my quarky little gem

 I'm also happy to report that today was one of those days that the little things just make you smile. In spite of these pesky head issues I'm battling, I dropped in one of my favorite thrift/re-sale digs and stumbled across a shirt that had gone on to that esoteric hangout with all the 'other socks' and teenage retainers (aka, lost it). It's one of those cases in which that particular item of clothing was purchased I-don't-know-how-long-ago and quickly became one of my favorites. Then it goes missing and I figure there's rarely even a minute chance in all of my graces that I'd ever find a replacement. Today I found a replacement. The exact same shirt, though a size smaller [still fits, because the shirt itself is just.that.stellar]. Good times, good times.


To top it off, I rendezvoused with Kalyn, Brittany, & Cameron for some dinner & a field trip out to Allyn's to see our favorite rising star Chris sing. Did we throw a chicken quesadilla into that mix? Who knows.....



chris | today i don't feel like doin anything | bruno mars



 

quesadilla? | ours? | who knows....



allyn's | c.k.c.b

So, as I've been doing all week, I'll be hopin' and a-wishin' for my  head to calm down. I've got a dr. appt. set for Tuesday; I really hope I don't actually need his services by that time.

xo | cmd



The VOICE. Can I just say....

With all the reality show competitions now, I try to just stay away from all of them just because I feel that we've quickly become over-saturated with the 'next big' [you name it]- everything from piccolo player to cathedral architect it seems. That's why I was so hesitant to settle in and watch not just the season premiere of The Voice [on NBC], but the 2nd episode, too [yeah, believe it].

For anyone who hasn't caught any of this: A quick rundown...

On shows like American Idol, the televised nation gets to watch a fame-craving artist audition in front of a jury of experts in that field. What I found interesting here was that while there is a panel of 4 celebrity musicians/recording artists, each person(s) auditioning had to rely solely on their vocal abilities, because the judges had their backs turned. Sure, it's not a mind-blowing concept, but it's definitely a breath of fresh air on the spin of things.

So once a judge [Blake Shelton, Cee-lo Green, Christina Augilera, Adam Levine] decided he or she liked the 'voice' they heard, that lucky auditioner became a part of said celebrity's "team".

Following?

K.

Well, for the 2nd episode, each celeb had to pit two of his/her own teammates against each other at the same time, singing the same song. It's not often that I watch a performance more than twice, but this one got me hooked. I'm admittedly jealous of the vocal talent of both of these girls, and as a kinda-sorta singer myself, I absolutely loved this rendition of Perfect, by Pink. Whether you like the song, like Pink, or like singing competitions, you have to admit.. this is talent :)

Kind of inspiring, to me at least.

xo | cmd