Snow!!!

I wanted to post really quick about our latest adventures. Besides the potty training witch is going fabulously... (knock on wood).
We had 6 inches of snow last night and this year Isabel wasn't afraid of it.
Oh and in case you are wondering, yes I threw a snowball at her head, you can see it just before impact in one of the pics, but she couldn't feel it under her hood and hat.

Amid all the chaos

I saw this letter on facebook and thought it was one of the best most wonderful things about this whole election process. And involves the ones who know the President the best. It's a letter written by Jenna and Barbara Bush to Malia and Sasha O'Bama. It helps to remind us all of the wonder and excitement that there must be in that 'house'.

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=46735153605&h=If3B6&u=PdDWY

Why I love being a mom

There are lots of reasons why I love what I do. But one of my favorites is when she is sick, (she threw up last night in the kitchen right before dinner in front of our guests). Immediately after getting sick she started apologizing for the mess. Then today, the fever really hit and she just wanted to snuggle. While I hate that my baby is sick, she's so cute! She wakes up from her naps and wants me, wants to sit with me on the couch and just reminds me of how stinkin sweet she is. So while I may not enjoy cleaning up the messes, I do enjoy the special time we get to have together.

Here is a picture from a birthday party we went to last week. Izzy really wanted to play with this toy.

Obamamania

So I have gotten used to it all. I understand and agree that this is an historic event, but my thought is.. if we have successful blacks (sorry need to be PC... african Americans.. ) in every aspect of our lives. Black business owner, black senators, black judges, black millionaires, why are we all acting like this could have never really happened and are going crazy over it. I agree it's a big thing, but I'd like to think its all a bit sensationalistic. Martin Luther King Jr did amazing things, no one can doubt that, but he did them so that a way could be paved, we are acting like this is the first successful black american. Why can't it just be about people voting for him because they liked what he said, not the color of his skin when he said it. It seems like in an effort to erase racism, it is just keeping it at the forefront. It really should just be about how we won't have to worry anymore about paying for gas and our mortgages. (fyi that is more of a dig on the silly lady that made that comment then it is against Obama).

Not a lot to say

I'm sitting here feeling like I need to write but not much exciting has been going on. Izzy went to a birthday party, we made cookies, we've been a little confined inside with this freezing cold -15 with windchill weather. I did get an email from Rachael, she was able to save the picture of Brooklyn's name in the sand for me and sent that, I am so grateful for her doing it for me. I'm still a bit clueless on how to get my girls at church excited about personal progress, but I"m working on it. Mike is finishing painting his office today and he's picking up a desk on Saturday so he'll be out of the house soon for work... YEA!
I did have an exciting trip to the store yesterday, they were having a sale on cereal and I am trying to get better about using coupons so I ended up with 5 boxes of cereal for 6 dollars. It would have been 5 but one of my coupons didn't scan. I was very excited! I just have to find coupons for other items I use. Our discount grocery store is pretty good here but they don't take coupons so it's hard to find better deals elsewhere.

I did learn that I'm teaching Isabel something. When I put her to bed she says one of two things. option 1.. scriptures momma read scriptures. and option 2. and it came to pass. (for non-mormon readers... it's a saying that occurs all the time in the Book of Mormon)
I guess I'm getting something across to her. Oh and she's started praying a bit. We still have to tell her what to say but she enjoys the act of praying and is getting better at it.
And the last piece of useless info that I'm excited about. A friend of mine is in Cosmetology school and needs a model to practice foiling on. So for $5 on Tuesday I'm getting my hair done! I'm so totally excited. I've needed it done for 4 months now and I just hadn't put it in the budget so now It's not such a worry. It' s on my weekly Temple day so we are going either super early in the morning or on Thursday. I'll post a pic after it gets done next week!

To Write Their Names in the Sand

I found out about this site from a dear friend of mine. You can send her your infant child's name and she goes to a beach in Australia and writes their names in the sand. I sent in Brooklyn's name on Monday and it's already done. You can click on the blog link to the left and scroll down to the date of Jan 12th. She's one of the first ones on that day. I couldn't get the photo to decompress to fit here.


Brooklyn Pulley

Born at 24 weeks on August 24, 2008
Passed September 4, 2008

Our sunshine, our joy and now our angel.

Tracy, Mike and Isabel Pulley

Sunday, Sunday

We had an amazing Sunday today. There is a missionary leaving from our ward this week so he and his mom spoke. Now I have always looked up to this amazing lady, she was an advisor with me in YW and is now the Pres, so thankfully I've had occasion to get to know her better and she is wonderful. There talks were so poignant and right on track, if a little harsh which is how I love them! The missionary's talk was great also, he's going to do great out in California.
Our Sunday school teacher is just so in tune with the Spirit and I am grateful for all the work and preparation he puts into his lessons.
YW, well it almost made me cry. After lunch, a fabulous nap and Isabel crawling all over me I went to a stake meeting for YW/YM Duty to God and Personal Progress. I am very excited for my new calling. Oh and I was set apart today in blessing that gives me such hope and such potential.
Mike and I ended the night playing 7 games of Skip-Bo. Next week we have friends coming over for waffle/pancake dinner. I can't wait.
I hope all of you had a wonderful Sabboth day this week and you were energized and renewed for this upcoming week.
Love ya!

Grief is so funny sometimes...

It sneeks up on you when you least expect it. Yesterday we were going to the cannery to get food storage and while I'm driving in my truck and deciding that nope, I'm just not hungry enough to eat my PB&J sandwich thoughts of my daughter came rushing into my head. On the way home it was the same thing. So here I am, leaving the cannery after having a great time, I have 10 boxes of cans in my car for my friend and I, feeling pretty good about getting prepared and suddenly the tears started rolling. At one point I was almost laughing on how the grief can just up on you like that. On the other hand my mind was racing on certain memories I have of the NICU and so I couldn't. I know I'll have more days, and that these moments are cleansing but it would be nice to have a bit more warning. Of course maybe not, I have had more days like this in the last few weeks then the whole month of Nov. I have a friend who's sister died last year I think about this time or around Dec 2 years ago and I had a hard time sympathizing with her months and months later when she'd still have darker days and now I'm starting to catch a small glimpse of those moments, you really can't control them and often you don't want to, it's nice to have a reminder of good days with family.

Personal Progress

Hello my fellow Mormons.. for all you lifers out there who when thru the personal progress program, if you have any ideas on how to make it interesting and get the girls 'excited' to do it please let me know as I have been called to be the personal progress leader.
Thanks!

I asked for it

Let me first say that I love being a mom. Then let me follow it up by saying not so much lately. My daughter is giving payback for what she wasn't even around to see started. Ok, so let me start at the beginning. I was a very 'independent' child, some might say I was talkative, I prefer loquacious. My family had these cute nicknames for me, motormouth and transmission. I enjoyed conversations, especially when I was the one talking, and ALL eyes were focused on me. I was a great child. That's it. OH, well except for one sticky lil' point of me and my temper tantrums. I was amazing, I could have all eyes focused on my mom making people think she was an awful parent, store managers would approach her and ask her to come back later when I wasn't with her. Apparently I had a knack for disrupting shoppers, I guess that's a problem.

Why all this background? Well, my cute lil' 'angelic' daughter, she doesn't have an off switch. She comes out all happy from her naps saying "momma I awake!" I get excited and then the fake whining, the defiance of orders (really I do ask politely), the begging for nothing but snacks that she knows I won't give her if she didn't eat her food. However despite my best efforts to keep her from eating the junk, she has learned to bring her stool from wherever it is in the house into the pantry and reaches for the animal crackers (really why do they not just call them the cookies, we all now that's pretty much what they are?) or her fruit snacks and will eat them in hiding. Today was a particularly frustrating day, well really I was tired it's the third day in a row, she gets told no do not do it and she looks at me as if she doesn't here me, and does it. This is usually followed by more fake whining and my new favorite 'I want my daddy" (this cry is reversed if Mike is disciplining her). So I guess It's safe to say that the child I have created who can unlock doors, wake up in 30 minute intervals starting at 5:30 am like clockwork, fake tantrums, selective listening, and extreme hyper-activeness.. oh yea and she DOESN"T STOP TALKING!

I would like to take this time to give a shout out to my husband for taking my daughter away from me so I could breathe and relax. Now I might be ok with being a mom again tomorrow.

Thankfully my mom doesn't read this, she may not ever stop laughing... of course my sister won't be any better.

In hopes of a good laugh

My friend Laura had this on her blog and in light of this past weekend, we the Bama nation are in need of a laugh or two, so thanks Laura!

Instructions:Go to Google (or whichever search engine you prefer) and type in your first name and the phrase. Copy and paste the first sentence/phrase you get that makes sense. You can get some pretty wacky stuff. Tag as many people as you like. Make sure you tag the person who tagged you.

Q: Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search
A: Tracy needs win to get back in to title battle

Q: Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search
A: Tracy looks like a weasel

Q: Type in "[your name] says" in Google search.
A: Tracy says he's got Oprah open like a monkey

Q: Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search
A: Tracy wants her own

Q: Type in "[your name] does" in Google search
A: Tracy does Conan quotes

Q: Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search
A: Tracy hates Seth

Q: Type in "[your name] asks" in Google search
A: Tracy asks "what's the last self help book you've read?"

Q: Type in "[your name] goes" in Google search
A: (Dick) Tracy goes digital

Q: Type in "[your name] likes " in Google search.
A: Tracy likes Chad

Q: Type in "[your name] eats " in Google search
A: Tracy eats local

Q: Type in "[your name] wears " in Google search
A: Tracy, she a bride, she beautiful (I'm a mattel barbie now!)

Q: Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in Google Search
A: Tracy arrested after falling asleep and snoring

I tag anyone who wants to play!

and so it begins

Welcome to 2009 the first crappy day. My family will be in all black tomorrow.


By the way for the Bama faithful, somebody Cody Blowers knows, well he and I were just exchanging words... he said and I quote..."only maggots should live off a dead bear this long"... Cody, I do not see this as any reflexion on you...

the audacity of some people.

We survived!

I looked at Mike this morning at 2am after all of our guests left and threw my hands up and exclaimed "we survived 08!!!"
This past year has been ridiculous for us. We had business end, business start, relationships obliterated, another pregnancy that ended to soon and unfortunately a life that did also, a long road trip with too many blow outs, a daughter who almost drowned twice in one day, and STRESS, STRESS and more STRESS. I can truly say it's been the hardest year of my life but I think I had more growth and more testimony building events then I could have asked for (or wanted!) But it all happens for a reason. We have grown and stretched and yes it's been uncomfortable but what 'workout' isn't. So after all the years in college have passed, my song is still, and maybe always will be I will survive.
Here to another year full of growth, but hopefully not so painful the entire time!