A little about me

I saw this on a few blogs and since I hardly ever blog, I figured what better way to get to know a little bit more about me. The rules are simple; post a picture of yourself, 10 random facts, answer the questions from the post you originally saw it on, and then post 10 questions for your followers to post on theirs.

(Commencement Dance 2006)

10 Random Facts:

1) I'm an emotional hoarder. I keep everything that has a back story. Senior sweatshirts, the shirt I made for homecoming, my commencement dress, letters, cards, etc.

2) Unless it's by a little kid I don't like being called "Shell". I actually prefer it when people use my full name Meshelle.

3) I use my pinky finger to snap. I don't know how to snap my fingers using any other fingers but my pinky.

4) I only know how to tie my shoes using the "two bunny ears" method. My Aunt Sherise taught me how to tie my shoes this way and I just never learned how to do it the other way.

5) I thought I would be a Mom a lot earlier in life but not necessarily married first. The way I was rebelling as a teenager I always thought I would end up being a teen mom. 

6) I wanted to be a nurse. I even started school and took a Certified Nursing Assistant course, but I found out it wasn't for me. I had more fun working with little kids so I decided to turn my career focus to working with children.

7) I have a very close relationship with my Grandparents.  There have been periods in my life where I haven't had a strong relationship with my Mom or Dad but my grandparents have always been there.

8) I was a naughty teenager. No seriously. When I was only 14-15 I started to rebel due to a traumatic event. I smoked pot, I would sneak alcohol to school, have anger issues and was very promiscuous. This lead my Mom to the decision to send me to Washington when I was 15 to live with my Dad.

9) I can drink. Unlike my sisters I can handle my alcohol (might have built up a tolerance in those teen days or maybe it's the Irish blood in me). I don't get hung over and I don't black out, I can remember everything.

10) I don't regret anything. I don't think I would be the person I am without having gone through what I have.

Questions to answer: Borrowed from Roxanne.

1) What is you and your significant other's song and why?

      "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts. This was our wedding song. We found out after dating that we had a lot of the same friends and his best friend's older brother was my sister's best friend but we had never met. Due to my rocky teens I never expected to settle down and hold a healthy relationship.

2) What is your most valued possession?

       My scrapbooks and blanket. I know that's two but it's hard to pick. I still have my baby blanket my Mom quilted herself. My scrapbooks because they hold a lot of great memories and I have put a lot of hard work into them.

3) What personality traits and/or hobby did you inherit from your father?

       This is easy. My Dad and I are both extremely stubborn. It's not that we believe we're never wrong we just know when we're right. Another one would have to be our natural extinct to help people. I never think twice about holding the door open for someone or stopping to see if they need help. 

4) Do you keep your birthday cards?

       YES!! I started when I was 16 (wish I would have sooner). This goes along with my being an emotional hoarder.

5) What style is your home decorated in? (Traditional, country, modern, etc.)

      A little bit of everything. I would say more country and traditional though. I like wood furniture and things that remind me of home.

6) Describe your dream vacation.

      I like exploring cities and would love to take a trip to NYC but I also want to take a cruise to some exotic island where Ken and I have our own private cabin where we can just dive into the ocean. Maybe hike up some waterfalls and swim with dolphins. 

 7) If you were an animal, what you would you be and why?

      I think either a Wolf or a French Angelfish. The wolf because it's a family name and has always been a symbol of my Mom's side of the family and they also mate for life. The angelfish because they also mate for life and I love the water.

8) Do you have any tattoos? Do you want any?

      I don't have any tattoos and I don't know that I really want any. I tried out a henna tattoo and I think that's probably all I'll ever do.

9) Do you have a statement piece of jewelry that you wear every day?

     Besides my wedding ring, no. And even that I don't wear everyday since my fingers became to swollen.

10) What is one goal you have set out for yourself right now?

       School. One continuous goal I have is to be the best wife and mother I can be but besides that I really want to get a degree. 

My questions:

Whats your favorite color?

 Favorite childhood memory?

Who do you get along with better, your mom or dad?

Whats an interesting story about your family or a relative?

Favorite candy?

How did you meet your significant other?

Is there anything you would change about your life?

Favorite type of candle?

Do you enjoy baths or showers?

If you could have dinner with anyone living or dead who would it be?

Busily growing

 (Taken at Great Wolf Lodge)

I can not believe there are only about 5 weeks left of my pregnancy. After much discussion with our Doctors we have decided to schedule a Cesarean birth for Jasper. He will be born on April 30th. It seems like it has flown by. Not only will Jasper be born soon, but Kevin is turning 2 next week. We went to Party City yesterday and let him pick out birthday supplies. We are planning on having just a few people over; a couple who Ken and I are friends with and have a little boy just 4 months younger than Kevin, the woman I work for and her little boy (who is definitely Kevin's best friend) and then a woman Ken works with who occasionally watches Kevin and absolutely adores him. He is into Cars lately. I knew it would be a toss up between Cars and Mickey Mouse and Cars won. We are planning on just having cupcakes and ice cream and letting the kids play for his birthday party. His vocabulary is starting to take off and he is trying to repeat more of what he hears. He still has problems with communications and his lack of, which results in frustration and screams but we try to be patient and get him to use words. He has a hard time with words that end in a consonant sound (p & t being the hardest). We are still constantly on alert for food allergies and have learned what things he can try and what things he can't. We've also learned what restaurants are safe and which ones to avoid. It's almost second nature now to read labels and we are a lot more comfortable with it then when he was first diagnosed. I am getting really excited to see how he is going to adapt to being a new brother. He loves babies (or Naynays as he says) so maybe that mixed with the fact that since he was born he has constantly been around other little people he will adapt really well.

( Helping clean up after making pudding) This is is "Smile" face.

We have really been  enjoying the weather. We are lucky enough to have Spring weather (high 60's, low 70's) but not have the horrendous humidity yet. We have outside play time on the little hill by our apartment, complete with balls, bubbles, and the occasional Popsicle.  Oh and plenty of kisses for Mom and Dad.

I feel a lot bigger and more uncomfortable at this point in my pregnancy than I ever did with Kevin. My hips, back and pelvis hurt more than ever. It's hard to find a comfortable positions either sitting, laying or standing. I am carrying very low which is nice for breathing and heartburn relief but does nothing for the pelvis and lower back pain.

(All taken with my phone camera so they are a little blurry)

I'm getting excited to meet this new little addition, see how our family will adapt and continue to grow. My Mom is coming up on the 21st to be with us for a few weeks and my little sister Bre will be coming up the Friday before and staying for a week to help us with Kevin. It is important to me to have someone here that will be able to devout all the time and attention towards Kevin as possible. He absolutely loves his Auntie Bre so it will be wonderful to know he has a great playmate at home while I'm in the hospital. Ken is able to take 10 days off for convalescent leave (doesn't count against his leave days) when the baby is born and then because he has almost 30 days built up he plans on taking an additional 10-15 days. I'm excited for our time alone as a new growing family. Trying to figure things out together, work together, and grow together.