How to best serve Princess Paisley

Carter and Paisley were playing outside the other day (I should mention that Paisley decided to wear her Halloween costume of The Little Mermaid on this particular day - heels, tiara and all). Well, needless to say it's a little difficult to run and play when you're in complete princess garb... and as a result, Paisley kept losing her tiara!

The conversation below is what I overheard at one point when Carter offered to help fix her tiara. He started to put it on upside down, but Paisley quickly corrected him.

Paisley: "No Carter, that's not right."
Carter: "Oh, okay."
Paisley: "Let me show you how to put my tiara on me... and then you will know how to do it, okay?"
Carter: "Okay."
Paisley: "And then I'll show Kelsey (Carter's 9 month old baby sister) how to put it on me too... so everybody will know how to put my tiara on for me... ok?"
Carter: "Sure."

My, my! I wasn't aware that we had royalty living in our house.

Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween! We did!

The Atlanta Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk - Oct. 24-26th

Well... I did it! Friday the 24th we walked in 40 degree temperatures with cold wind and rain (it was miserable to tell you the truth), but I walked every mile of the Atlanta Breast Cancer 3-Day walk, I feel like I have a greater awareness of what really matters on this earth and I hope I am a better person because of it. Our team raised over $40,000 (not bad for 12 of us) and as a whole, Susan G. Koman raised $8.3 million from the Atlanta event. There were 3700 walkers, and countless crew and volunteers... all of whom made this weekend special beyond compare. I feel blessed to have shared it with some wonderful girlfriends!! Even saw a few faces from my past and made some new friends along the way! A BIG shout-out to my team - "Team Pink-A-Licious" - Kelli Barber, Joli Burt, Hope Cushen, Candace Crosby, Kristin Santa Maria, Stacy Benz, Yvette Wolfrom, Dena Colburn, Stephanie Woell and Charmaine Lindstrom. (Judith - we missed you!!). You girls rock!! And as always, my walk was dedicated to my grandmother (a victim of breast cancer), my mom (with the hope that she never has to battle it), my daughter (so that she will one day read about breast cancer in the history books), and my 2 friends - Lea Ann Barnes and Teresa Howard (both survivors of breast cancer). These ladies were my inspiration over those long, cold miles!! Thank you to everyone who loved and supported me on this journey. Words cannot express my gratitude!

I put together a little video of my pictures from the weekend in an attempt to give you a taste of what it was like for us. It is a little over 6 minutes long, but I think it goes pretty quick. Enjoy it when you have the time! (Just click on the play button below the screen to see it.)

My daughter, the weatherman (er... woman)!

The other day, my mom was in town visiting. First thing in the morning, she was playing with Paisley in our playroom. Paisley opened the shutters, looked outside and declared "Nana, it's going to be wet today!" My mom looked outside and asked Paisley why she thought that. (All the while noticing that there were black clouds in the sky and it did appear that it might rain). Paisley said, "See those black clouds - that means it's going to be wet."

Crazy thing is... it really did rain!
Who knew my daughter could predict the weather?
Al Roker, watch out!!

Random things you may not know about me... and may not care!

1. Fall is my favorite season
2. I am a HUGE college football fan - and before kids, I used to watch it from 10 am to midnight on Saturdays in the fall
3. I read my magazines from the back to the front
4. I brush my teeth with warm water
5. I microwave my ice cream for a few seconds before I eat it
6. I can't stand to get my socks wet
7. I get teary eyed sometimes at the hymns in church
8. I have a ritual to how I eat my banana
9. I love photography
10. I have a celebrity crush on Harry Connick, Jr. and Lance Armstrong
11. I hate sales people bothering me while I shop
12. I have been known more than once to finish off a whole box of Girl Scout "Thin Mint" cookies in one setting
13. Crooked pictures on the wall drive me crazy
14. I have to read for at least a few seconds every night before I go to bed
15. Flip-flops are my shoe of choice
16. I hate to finish a good novel
17. I love the Olympics
18. I can't stand for any dirt to get on my sheets (so I'll wash my feet or put socks on before I go to bed)
19. I am double jointed in my shoulders
20. I love to sleep with the fan on

Ok... so I wasn't really back!

In my last post on Oct. 2nd, I said I was back. And the scary part is that I actually meant it... I just couldn't sustain it. Life is crazy sometimes and this fall has definitely been crammed full of stuff for all of us. Anyway, please forgive my time away from blogging. I really do love it and plan to do it as regularly as I can. It just seems to be at the bottom of my priority list most days. And sometimes my brain just doesn't work at 1 am. :-) But thanks for checking in occasionally and I hope to get an entry of interest here and there for you to read.

I'm back!

Well, it's been a while since my last blog. I have such good intentions, but somehow life always gets in the way. After being gone to Las Vegas for a week in September (to debut the bizzyBee), then off to the beach in FL with the kids for the following week, plus spending a long Labor Day weekend on the Chesapeake Bay as a family... and having a few crazy moments (i.e. our dog in the emergency room for 10 long, scary days)... I hope most of my distractions are in the past for a while and I will be more focused at blogging from now on.

I want to say first and foremost... I LOVE SARAH PALIN!! She speaks to me on so many levels - she is a mom, she is willing to stand up and make this world better for her kids (and for all of our kids), she is REAL (and not some seasoned politician that can't take a stand on anything for fear of losing his job in an election year), and she is fun to watch (especially when she is in her natural element). I just love her and I think she has electrified the republican party in such a strong way!

Go Sarah Go!

Paisley's 1st Day of Preschool

Paisley went to her first day of preschool today. She was excited and looked so cute. Her backpack was almost as big as she was. Here are a few pics to highlight the day.

Why do I blog?

I have always wanted to keep a journal. In fact, I have from time to time. It's the consistency thing that always gets in my way. This is how it usually goes: I feel the urge to start journaling again. I hit the bookstore. I buy a journal - a really pretty one (as if that makes a difference) with wide-ruled lines (I prefer those to college-ruled)... one that, as I browse the shelves at the bookstore, seems to call out to me "You'll use me. Really, you will. This time you'll stick with it!" Once the decision has been made, I go home and journal like crazy for two weeks until life gets in the way and I put it aside. Time and a lack of topics to write about usually give me major writer's block and eventually my journal ends up on a shelf somewhere never to be touched again. That explains the rows and rows of barely used journals I have in my bookshelf. It's sad really. Not only is it a waste of money to buy all these journals and never complete them... but it will be a difficult read for anyone who might care 100 years from now as they siphon through partially filled journals that have no particular order, sequence or topic.

Then one day, my friend Leigh Ann introduced me to blogging. I have been slightly more consistent with my blog than I ever was with my paper journals before. Both mediums share similar obstacles: time and topics. However, I have found that it's easier for me to keep up with an electronic journal because I'm on the computer so much throughout the day and I type faster than I write. A few friends and relatives have asked me: why do you blog? What's in it for you? What's in it for us? Good questions really. I appreciate the honesty and after much thought, I have come up with a few reasons why I love this so much.

1) I have always dreamed of being a writer - not necessarily a published writer (although I DO want to write a children's book one day) - but just someone who can write eloquently. Someone whose thoughts inspire others. Someone who can use words to evoke emotions out of those who read her works. This is a way for me to fine tune my writing skills while having fun sharing my thoughts, my experiences and my life with those who choose to read it. (I know, I know - I have a long way to go on the fine-tuning!)

2) As a way of saying thanks to all of the wonderful people in my life who inspire me to live life to the fullest, look beyond the surface, experience life beyond the obvious, and lovingly share their love, friendship and wisdom with me.

3) To update friends and family on the happenings of the Shoch clan - in particular, the Shoch tots... who are all everyone REALLY cares about anyway. (Our parents don't even call to talk to us anymore... just the grandkids.)

4) In my quest to go deeper. If you want to discover greatness, you have to dig deeper than the surface. It takes asking questions and being willing to hear the answers, all the while evaluating what you believe at your core... to discover true greatness. So... there are times I may ask deep questions in my blog. I welcome your thoughts and your comments in this process. We may see eye-to-eye, or we may disagree. Regardless, my hope is that in the end of it all you will better understand me... (and vice versa).

5) To remind myself every day (or week) of the things for which I am most grateful. There are so, so many!! Writing them down seems to keep my priorities in line.

Now it's my turn to ask you: why are you reading this?
(I welcome your comments below)

Happy Birthday, Uncle Boyd!

Uncle Boyd - this is for you! We love you so much! Love, Paisley and Colby (Click the play button below to view)

So, that's how it works!

Cute story to share:
Paisley's preschool held family day to start the school year off today. Part of the event was held in the school's brand new auditorium, where Paisley informed me she needed to go to the bathroom. I put her on the potty, she peed and then she stood up. Well, being that the building is so new, the toilet's have automatic flush... and as toilets like that will do, the toilet flushed after she got off and it was REALLY loud (much more so when you're down on her level, which I can attest to since I was helping her pull up her pants at the time). She was startled and immediately informed me that it scared her. I told her that it was an automatic toilet and it had a sensor that knows when you sit down, then you go and when you stand up it senses that too and it flushes. She nodded her head as if she understood what I was telling her. Next, I went to the bathroom. Of course, it flushed again after me and once again she was startled but nothing was said. At this point, at least 5 minutes had passed since my explanation of the whole process and as we finished washing our hands a little girl came in the door.

The following is their conversation:
Paisley: Do you have to go potty?
Little girl: Yes, I do.
Paisley: Ok, you sit on the potty...
you go pee-pee...
you get up...
and it scares you!
(The funniest part is that she said it so matter of fact.)

Don't forget your sunSCREAM!

Didn't someone once say that kids say the darnedest things? I'm sure that same person probably said that kids DO the darnedest things too. I can definitely attest to that. Paisley calls sunscreen "sunSCREAM". It's really cute and although Curtis and I know we should correct her on it, we just can't bring ourselves to do so. Which brings me to my story... last night I find Paisley with an open container of vaseline - lathering down her baby doll (and when I say "lathering", it is probably an understatement). She must have covered her baby doll with a 1/4 inch think layer of vaseline from head to toe. Let's just say the baby won't ever have dry, cracked skin as long as she exists. Meanwhile, in this whole process, Paisley has gotten vaseline all over herself as well (her arms were completely covered from her hands up to her elbows)... not to mention some on the furniture (that's fun to get out!). I couldn't really get upset with her when she informed me that she was "making sure baby doll had her sunSCREAM on so she could go outside". What can you say to that? I guess we have definitely gotten the point across that it's important to always wear sunscreen. The real irony was that when I saw that vaseline was on my couch, I really did want to SCREAM... but I just gritted my teeth and laughed instead.

Kids do the darnedest things!

(I included some pictures of Colby and Paisley at the pool recently. No correlation to the story - just wanted to include them.)

Welcome Samuel Mack McGowan!

My nephew, Samuel Mack McGowan, finally decided to make his grand (and graceful) entrance into the world this evening - and we are so excited that he is finally here! I couldn't wait to get my hands on him and tell him how much I'm going to spoil him rotten so we rushed over to the hospital as soon as we were able. We are so blessed that Paisley and Colby are so close in age to their two cousins, Omie and Sam. What a blessing to be able to grow up so close to their family. I know they are going to love each other and be the best of pals. I can already imagine the mischief Colby and Sam are going to get into (if they are anything like Curtis and Tracy). I put together a little video of some pictures I took at the hospital. This video is dedicated to our sweet little Sam (and all who love him so!) We love you very much, little man! (To see the video, click the play button on the screen below.)

Girls Day Out With Omie and Aunt Tracy

Paisley and I had a girls day out recently with Aunt Tracy and Omie. It was so much fun. We went to a pottery place where we can make our own pottery - the girls loved getting their hands all in the paint. Tracy and I had the challenge of getting them to stop playing in the paint! Anyway, Paisley and Omie just adore spending time with each other - and they are so cute together. Check out a few pics I took that day.

Happy Birthday, Sweet P!

Today is Paisley's birthday - she is 3 years old. It's hard to believe that 3 years ago on this date I was giving birth to my first child. I look back and realize how clueless I was then. So clueless, in fact, that I didn't even realize the happiness my children would bring to my life. Oh, I hoped they would make me happy - I even suspected they would. But I really didn't appreciate the absolute JOY that would enter my heart (more and more) with each passing day. I may be speaking too freely here, but I really do not think people who decide not to have children can appreciate what they are missing out on. It's indescribable really - the complete passion and vulnerability that our children evoke within us. I was listening to this guy on the radio this morning get so passionate about his children that he was willing to embarrass himself on live radio in order to convince the station DJ's that his child was the cutest kid in Atlanta. He had missed the deadline to submit his child for the contest... but he thought he could convince the DJs if he got angry and passionate enough about it. All the DJs could do was laugh - but loving a child can make you that passionate sometimes (even borderline crazy).

The point really is that it gave me such joy to watch Paisley at her birthday party. She really loves life and thoroughly enjoyed every second of her party. There's not much in her life that she doesn't embrace (it may take a little nudge here and there but eventually she'll embrace it). She is very independent but also sweet, loving and full of life.

As I sit here and reflect on the last 3 years... one word sums it up. HAPPY!
HAPPY Birthday, Miss P!