25@25 - The list

Way back in the fall of 2010, about 3 weeks before my 25 birthday, I came across the idea of a 25@25 list.  The idea was to create a bucket list of sorts, of 25 things I wanted to accomplish at the age of 25.  Seeing as I only had a year to complete these things they needed to be realistically achievable time wise and financially. (Catching a Mahi Mahi couldn't be on this list, even though it is a big dream of mine) I thought about goals I had, both big and small, easy and hard, and came up with a list that I started working on on October 6, 2010.  

I had 365 days to cross off 25 things.  Ready.  Set.  Go.  

here she is in all her glory.  The official list.  

the actual goals are in purple, (date completed) and comments in black 

25@25 

1. Learn to "let go & let God" (year long)  This was a big one.  It is one of those things that you never fully accomplish, but rather is a constant work in progress.  I would say I have come a long way though and enjoy life much more thoroughly in all it's splendor after changing the way I live and view it.  The Lord already has it all planned and by golly, usually his plan is 100 times better than anything you could ever imagine.  I finally figured out the best way to live life was to do my best, live with God as a focal point, and sit back and let him do the rest.  (The necklace was something I got to remind me of the importance of this way of living life and has the Bible verse Matthew 6:34 on the back.  It is now my favorite item of jewelry besides my wedding rings and UT ring.
  

2. Complete my master's degree (8/5/11) This bad boy was totally worth the exhausting 14 months…


3. Start keeping a "journal" of some sort (6/28/11) Welcome to the world of blogging. :) 


4. Learn how to make an old family recipe (12/31/11)  Brett's grandma makes something called "new years" bread during the holidays every year and it is a tradition in his family to eat a loaf on new years day.  It is delicious, especially with a little butter and browned on the stove.  It is harder to make than you would think though.  Everything is from scratch, you have to let it rise like 4 different times, and then bake it just so with egg whites on the top.  Brett has been bugging me for years to do it and I finally did! 

5. Become pregnant (5/17/11)  Loving being pregnant too btw. :) 


6. Finish hand sewing our Christmas stockings  I haven't actually finished these yet, and have been working on them for over a year, but WILL before the 6th. These are the kind where you buy the stocking on felt pieces and then cut, sequin, hand embroider, and attach tiny piece by tiny piece. This is also a Haby family thing.  Brett's mom made them for all her boys and Brett said it wasn't Christmas at our house without them so I though I would get it going for our family. Mine is done except for the name and Brett's is close… (I'll post pics when I do)

7. Have mermaid hair (8/1/11)  Yeah, I know you have probably never heard of this term but basically it is the only way I could describe how long I wanted my hair to grow.  Have you ever seen those pictures of mermaids where they are topless but decent because their hair is long enough to cover it?  Bingo.  My hair grows really slow and is fairly thin, so this took forever even with a head start. I never had long hair though, even as a kid, so it was a cool thing to accomplish. 


8. Make at least 3 home improvements (9/5/11)  We are big do-it yourselfers and I love to decorate so this one was fun.  We did way more than 3 improvements, some big and some small, including but not limited to - new ceiling fans in the living room, hardwood floors in the main living area and hallway, painting and installing a new ceiling fan in Tucker's nursery, painting an accent wall in the living room, and redoing the nook leading into the master bedroom.  

9. Vacation outside of Texas (6/17/11) Arkansas for our anniversary trip.


10. Find a church (9/4/11)   Brett is from a traditional conservative Catholic church family and I have been exposed to many different styles and even taught Sunday school.  We tried out a bunch and either they didn't feel right or one of us didn't like something about the service.  But, thanks to an awesome recommendation we are loving Northrock so far. :) 


11. Quit biting my nails (June 2011)  Awful and gross habit which is why it was so important to break…


12. Learn Brett's "love language" and strive to "speak" it (constant) If you have never read the 5 love language, you totally should.  It makes so much sense and so helps your spouse get it too. ;)  Brett's love language is quality time and mine is words of affirmation. 


13. Donate to a worthy cause (8/12/11)  Chopped 10 inches off my "mermaid hair" for Locks of Love.


14. Get a massage I have never had a REAL massage.  I'm working on convincing Brett I need a good prenatal before my birthday since it is on my list, but if that doesn't work, technically I had a 15 minute massage the morning of my brother-in-laws wedding that could count. 


15. Learn how to sew something new (several times) Man my sewing machine has been getting a workout!  I made this sparkly cape for a grad school video/ future librarian job and also spent 6 hours on Tucker's bedskirt.  Neither of which I had a pattern for. :) 

16. Take my vitamins daily (constant) This was easy since I started taking prenatal way back in October of last year to get ready to get pregnant.  But, I used to be really bad about it.  I think it really is true that if you do something for more than 30 days it becomes habit because I have no desire to bite my nails at all anymore and can't stand if I go out of town and forget my vitamins. 


17. Go to a wine tasting (10/9/10) The music and wine festival in Gruene was the perfect way to spend last year's birthday weekend.  My aunt, mom, and friend Karen helped me accomplish this one. :) 

18. Create new centers/ activities for my classroom (constant)  I created oodles! :) 


19. Send at least 5 people heartfelt and handwritten letters I've got one more to write and want to send it to my cooperating teacher from my last semester at UT.  She played such a role in who I am today as an educator and I can not thank her enough for all that she taught me about teaching and myself that semester. 


20. Create unique crosses (constant)  I did a whole post on this experience a few months ago. :) 


21. Go to a "big deal" baseball game (6/12/11) We got to see Texas win the super regional on their path to Omaha.  Hook 'Em! 

22. Purchase and learn how to use an e-reader (6/15/11)  I love to read and actually used to get in trouble for trying to read at the dinner table when I was a kid.  However, I was not a fan of e-readers when they first came out because I love the smell and feel of a real paper book. But, now that I have my nook, I LOVE it! :) 

23. Reread all 7 Harry Potters and see the movies Still haven't finished this one either.  I have reread all the books, but still have to see movies 6 and both parts of 7.  But, by no fault of mine, part 2 of 7 won't be out until November…  I'm still gonna count it since reading the books was the main thing. 


24. Cut back soda to special occasions only (constant) I used to drink a Diet Coke a day.  Now I have a soda about once every few weeks. All about breaking a habit again... Vitamin water and La Croix helped me kick this one. 

25. Pull off a surprise party (5/25/11)  I think my in-laws had a pretty awesome 30th anniversary.  They were definitely surprised! (You can see the excitement in their faces) :) 

Loved this list. 

Loved what I learned as I worked towards the goals. 

Loved the changes I've made.

So, I've got 4 things to finish up and 10 days to do it.  Better get on it...

It's Official

We have officially picked a name for our son.  

It's been a favorite since we found out we were expecting and it just seems to fit.  Brett and I had been using it back and forth with each other for a few weeks and when he called him by another name, neither of us thought it sounded right.  


- It's been printed on the family shower invitations ordered by my sister in law. 
- It's been told to the 20 kiddos in my class. 
- and now it's been shared on Facebook through the blog. 

and we all know it's not "official" until it's "Facebook Official". ;)  

  Today, when one of my sweet students was giving me a hug goodbye, she gently rubbed my belly and said "Goodbye baby Tucker, I will see you tomorrow."  Sweetest. Thing. Ever. 

Tucker Thomas Haby 

due - January 23, 2012

If he's anything like him… I'll be pleased!

lyrics from

If He's Anything Like Me ~ Brad Paisley 

are built into this post in blue 

On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, we got the gender news…

"I remember saying I don't care either way
Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm ok
Then the doctor pointed to the corner of the screen
And said "You see that thing right there well you know what that means"

and we are thrilled to announce that
It's a BOY!
Our dear son made it clear that HE is a healthy little guy! We are already in love, although Brett was in shock for a few hours that it really was a boy since he had convinced himself that it would be a little girl.  My mom is still in shock too, and I have got to break her of referring to the baby as a she. 

 The next morning I heard this song on the way to school and even though I have heard it oodles of times before, I was in tears, dreaming about the future we would get to enjoy with our son.

"And I started wondering who he was going to be
And I thought heaven help us if he's anything like me
He'll probably climb a tree too tall and ride his bike to fast
End up every summer wearing something in a cast
He's gonna throw a ball and break some glass in a window down the street
He's gonna get in trouble oh he's gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me"

I can see him right now knees all skinned up
With a magnifying glass trying to melt a Tonka truck
Won't he be a sight with his football helmet on
That'll be his first love til his first love comes along
He'll get his heart broke by the time he's in his teens
And heaven help him if he's anything like me

He'll probably stay out too late and drive his car too fast
Get a speeding ticket he'll pay for mowing grass
He's gonna get caught skipping class and be grounded for a week
He's gonna get in trouble we're gonna get in fights
I'm gonna lose my temper and some sleep
It's safe to say that I'm gonna get my payback if he's anything like me

He's gonna love me and hate me along the way
Years are gonna fly by I already dread the day
He's gonna hug his momma, he's gonna shake my hand
He's gonna act like he cant wait to leave
But as he drives out he'll cry his eyes out
If he's anything like me there's worse folks to be like

Aw he'll be alright if he's anything like me" 

My husband is one of 3 boys and his dad is one of 3 boys, so some say we are carrying on the Haby boy tradition! ;)  We are so excited about all of the memories we will get to make with our little guy and have spent the entire weekend celebrating the gift God has given us.  Naturally he probably won't be too much like me, but he will likely be A LOT like his daddy.  And you know what? I am just fine with that.  I am crazy in love with his daddy and he is a pretty awesome guy so I would be proud to raise a son like him.  In fact, he should win the husband/future daddy of the year award for all that he did this weekend to get ready for the kiddo who won't be making his debut until mid January! (He is usual a pretty good guy, but he has been excited about the news and was extra super these past few days.) 

- Friday night he went dove hunting while I went to pick out fabric and paint swatches for the nursery, something I had been looking forward to doing for months.  I had known exactly what I wanted to do for a boy, but was clueless on nursery ideas for a girl, so it worked out well.  Then when I came home with swatches, he actually gave me his opinion on things and LIKED my ideas! :)

- Saturday morning he woke up and suggested we go get started on the registries and start shopping for the nursery decor.  At Babies R' Us and Target, he helped in the decision making and later came home and checked all kinds of things out on consumer reports to make sure we were making good choices.  He even did all kinds of research on the idea we have for the video monitoring set-up, since I am clueless on all that technology stuff.  When we went to Bass Pro to get the rug, mount, and other stuff, he suggested the adorable bear sign for over the crib and got my mind rolling on the mobile. ;) Then he cheered on the horns for the both three of us through the computer screen (longhorn network annoyances anyone?)  since the flu shot I got at the doctor's office on Wednesday was making me feel pretty blah and I just laid in bed all evening. 

- Sunday he got up and went to try out a new church with me, then came home and moved the furniture around 35 bajillion times in the nursery and mock hung things up until I liked the way it all looked.  He even let me pick out the movie for movie night which is rare.

- This morning when we got up he told me he wanted to paint the nursery!  I hadn't been planning on doing this for awhile since I am so extremely busy at school right now AND considering taking my librarian's certification practice test this upcoming weekend…  But, he's the type that does better when he is motivated to do something that is his own idea versus me nagging begging him to do it, so I knew I better jump on this motivated train before it ran out of steam.  After we hit up Home Depot and made our weekly HEB trip he came home and made me blueberry pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Then, he spent the whole day painting and didn't complain when I left for a few hours to go meet my mom to buy the fabric for the room.  (I plan on sewing the bedding and curtains and recovering the gilder myself.  With help from my mom and grandmother in law of course.) Then when I got home he already had dinner in the oven and had done his run on the treadmill.  We finished up the room together and it looks awesome.  I think I told him that I LOVE the color 25 times (he picked it since I was indecisive between two shades even after staring at the samples on the wall for two days).  

What we started with.  Boring white walls.  I hate white walls btw…

Brett hard at work.  Even though the doctor said I could paint, he didn't like the idea of me on a ladder and did 98% of the painting himself.  ( I painted about 90% of the ENTIRE house when we moved in so this was new to me!)

The painting is completely done, minus a few touchups and it turned out exactly how I envisioned.  I am so very excited to see things starting to come together. 

Oh, and here is the fabric.  The stripes on the left are going to be for the crib bedskirt, the trees in the middle are going to be a part of the window coverings, and the brown material is going to be what we use to recover the glider. 

So all in all, we labored quite a bit this labor day weekend and I got NONE of the lesson planning and studying done that I had hoped,  but we loved every minute of it and my heart is so content that I don't mind one bit.  I usually don't brag this much on my hubs, but jeez he was a busy guy this weekend and I am so lucky to be married to him!  
Our little guy is going to have an awesome Daddy!